About two weeks after the US, the Nintendo Wii finally arrived in the UK. I'd preordered and picked mine up yesterday. So far, it's a big thumbs up. Sure, it's not HD-quality images. Who cares! The games and the unique controllers are a ton of fun.

So far, I've played Wii Sports, which came with the console. I love those computer boxing games, where you try to knock out your opponent by swinging at the screen. The Wii is fantastic for this. The tiny sensor bar that sits under your TV screen reads the movements of the wireless controllers that you hold. Let the matches begin! I've always found those games to be good exercise in the arcades, and it certainly kept me moving at home.

Next up was bowling. Me and my two boys had a game, and it feels really realistic. Raise the controller up to your face, let it drop like swinging a ball and release the B button to send your ball down the alley. It was easy to send a flying power throw or to do a gentle release to pick up a spare. But darn if the kids aren't beating me.

I've been reading those scattered reports of people sending the controllers flying or hurting themselves while playing. I can totally understand both and have more sympathy. You're constantly almost throwing controllers at the screen, so a good grip is required -- and having the wriststrap on an essential backup. The Wii warns you about this each time you start, so there aren't a lot of excuses to make.

On the injury front, my littlest got too into it despite repeated warnings and slipped over when throwing one of his balls during bowling. Crack, down he went on the controller. New rule -- they can't play the Wii while wearing socks on.

Some time ago, I posted how pleased I was that the Wii would be region-free. Later reports said that this wouldn't be the case. I'm still looking to find out if so but haven't found anyone giving a definitive word on having tested it.

The Wii box is tagged at PAL (as also noted here), but that's a video format rather than region standard. Games are also marked as PAL. I suspect that US games will be marked as NTSC and probably won't play. But I might take the plunge and purchase a US game, to see how it goes. If not, maybe I'll get an NTSC version when they (and I) are back in the US again and sell my UK one on. Having an NTSC console wouldn't be an issue, since my set (and many other sets in the UK) can handle either NTSC or PAL.

The lack of games is one reason I'd like to try. The new Trauma Center game, Excite Truck and other launch titles in the US are nowhere to be seen in the UK. It's a serious bummer.

Other regional notes. The power block for the Wii is 220 only, not 110-220 auto-sensing. That's not that big of a deal -- the output is 12V, I believe -- and a US Wii should put out the same 12V. If I brought a US version over, I'd either use a 220 to 110 down converter that I have (and commonly sold) or see if there were spare power blocks sold over here.

Finally, when you fire up the Wii PAL-edition, it asks you to pick your country from a list of many. Australia and the United Kingdom are two of those on the list. The US is not.

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