I was different. Unlike the rest of the gaming public, mass media, and nobodies of the general American populace, I actually predicted Wii would take the world by storm. I was so bold in my predictions (mostly on gamefaqs as I had not discovered this site yet) that I sat outside my store of choice with my girlfriend from midnight Thursday until midnight Sunday with a sign that read, "Mii in Line for Wii!"
As cold as it was, and as sick as I got sitting out there alone for large portions of the time, I remember thinking I would probably be the first person in the state to take home a Nintendo Wii. Around the middle of Saturday, others started joining in on the camp. There was like seventeen of us in line and we got notice that there were only six consoles in the store (because associates decided to get first dibs. Bastards) and that meant that before thee afternoon of Saturday, there were already people disappointed about not being able to purchase the console and looking for another store to camp at.
One of my fondest memories was taking a break on Saturday night from camping while my girlfriend set in our spot (directly to the left of the door when exiting) and stepping into the Wal Mart that I (now, but not at the time) work at. Because I had been camping out since Thursday afternoon without a break, the last memory I had was the PS3 line and how massive I thought it was. When I walked into that Wal Mart, the line for Wii was damn near TRIPLE that (and this is no joke) of the line for PS3. Even I had not expected that.
When the time came to get my console, we were given an Official Nintendo Ticket that ensured we would get our console first. It has the number, "1" circled on the ticket for proof! We took tons of photos, and thee associates working bought us pizza from (then my job) Pizza Hut. How stressful it was that a delivery driver I work with saw me camping out for a Wii when I called out claiming to be stuck in Tampa...
My ticket and sign are now laminated and hanging on my wall with the signatures of everyone that camped out with us. I will never forget how amazing it felt to finally get the console. It was as if I had accomplished something special and I was part of the future of gaming.
Like the DS, Wii has many faults, but the good side does outweigh the bad and to be rather honest, I would not trade my Wii in for any reason. We, as a family, have since bought a second console. Now You Are Playing With Power!
My purchase was with exact cash, and thee exact time of purchase was Sunday November 19, 2006 at 12:01:16. I will never forget it.
On a side note, we did NOT purchase Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Wii. I waited until a couple weeks later and bought it for Gamecube. We left with just the console and Wii Sports.
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