Yes.
Yes, we've got one.
When Nintendo announced the Limited Edition black Wii was on its way to the UK and Europe this month, our first reaction was a sense of satisfaction - the Wii has been stuck in its whitewash world for too long, so the added choice of another colour is more than welcome. Not all of you were so thrilled though, particularly you poor, forgotten North American readers with naught but a hope and a dream of when the black Wii is flying across the pond.
Well, this article probably won't help at all, as we here at Nintendo Life Towers have got our well-worn hands on one of the noir consoles and wanted to bring you the exclusive report on all its suave blackness, in the time-honoured form of words and pictures.
Oh yes.
When you buy your own black Wii, it's worth mentioning yours won't be signed to you with the phrases "Mamma Mia! and Let'sa Go!" by Charles Martinet, voice of Mario and Luigi for over ten years. Don't worry, that's not a factory defect - we met him last week and he obliged. Sorry guys - no signed black Wiis for you.
Inside the box is everything you would get in the Wii Sports Resort pack available here in the UK: one Remote, Nunchuk, MotionPlus, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, as well as the standard definition cables, power adaptor and sensor bar. There's also a rather nice little cleaning cloth resting on top of the console - now practically shrink-wrapped to keep dust out - with instructions on how to keep your Wii clean. Just from taking ours out of the box it seemed to attract dust and fingerprints like some sort of black hole, so you'd be well-advised not to obsess about the presence of tiny specks or impurities as you'll never get any time playing the thing.
YYYYYEEEEESSSS.
The black Remote is nice and glossy, and the Remote jacket is actually quite nice in the flesh: now totally opaque, it looks less like a silly add-on we never use (sorry, Nintendo!) and more like a part of the design. Your fingerprints will be spattered all over the Remote's face in no time, but the lovely colour of it all will more than make up for it. There's something undeniably exciting about holding the black Remote that put us all in mind of the original Revolution unveiling, when all the colours were revealed and our imaginations ran riot with the gaming possibilities. It's odd for a brand new product to inspire this kind of nostalgia, but as soon as we saw that red power button on the Remote it was like May 2005 all over again.
Our favourite part of the package so far is the two-tone Nunchuk, now resembling an Alien's head more than ever. The matte finish underneath feels a little odd on your hands, and it's not unlike picking up a DSi after years of DS Lite: after a few minutes it's very comfortable and natural, and makes a nice change from the extremely glossy finish of everything else in the package.
Now, onto the console itself. The only disappointing part - just to be slightly nitpicky - is the white surround over the disc tray, just between the foam barriers and the drawer itself. With almost everything else being jet black, having a white mouth around the disc entry seems a bit out of place, but it's hardly a deal breaker as the rest of the machine is so very, very black. With such a high-gloss finish the console does suck up dust like there's no tomorrow, so you'd be well advised to hide it away in a cabinet or suchlike where possible, as looking at its impossibly dusty, fingerprinted case could be too much for some sensitive souls to bear. Such a finish does lend the Wii a much less "plasticky" feel however, and means the machine is far more likely to fit in with the rest of your entertainment equipment rather than standing out like a white sore thumb.
Intrigued about our meeting with Charles Martinet? Wondering if you might hear more about it later on in the week, perhaps on Friday in the Nintendo Life podcast? Our lips are sealed!
1. Aviator
04 Nov 2009, 09:28 GMT
OMG. I love the new look of the Jacket. Did it come with a Remote jacket as well as the M+ Jacket?
I really wanna get a new nunchuck and remote now.
2. Prosody
04 Nov 2009, 09:29 GMT
Yep, it comes with two jackets - regular and XL
3. LEGEND MARIOID
04 Nov 2009, 09:31 GMT
Looks good, but I'll stick to my white one and save money for games and software; as is the case with XL, LL
4. Terranigma
04 Nov 2009, 09:45 GMT
Wow, that looks good. Too bad we can't transfer our Shop channel accounts over to another Wii, otherwise I'd get this.
5. Croz
04 Nov 2009, 09:45 GMT
Looks cool, I may get one of these, my house needs a second wii, and i havn't picked up wii sports resort yet.
6. skywake
04 Nov 2009, 10:07 GMT
is the WM+ black or is it "just" a white WM+ (with the obviously awesome black remote) underneath that opaque jacket?
7. Golgo
04 Nov 2009, 10:10 GMT
Fig 1: Oh No.
Fig 2: NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOO.
Apologies for my cynicism, I just never understood the psychology of buying the same piece of consumer electronics again in a different colour, as if one might wear it out to a party or something.
8. Prosody
04 Nov 2009, 10:29 GMT
The WM+ is black underneath the jacket - it took me a while to look at it, but it's definitely black. The switch on the back is still grey, though.
9. SUPERZELDAMAN
04 Nov 2009, 11:24 GMT
It's so beautiful
10. Sneaker13
04 Nov 2009, 11:32 GMT
I love it, but there's no way that I'm going to exchange my White one for a black one just because of the color. But if I would need to buy a new one I'll defintely get a black one (if there isn't a new HD Wii by then).
11. cr00mz
04 Nov 2009, 11:49 GMT
@golgo
i agree with you. Seems like alot of people here or everywhere has too much money. I would definatley like a black one, but unless my white one somehow gets damaged beyond repair i'm not gonna get a black one.
12. Zak Canard
04 Nov 2009, 12:05 GMT
That's a thing of beauty.
13. Raylax
04 Nov 2009, 12:32 GMT
"we met him [Martinet] last week and he obliged."
I certainly hope you bugged him for info about the mystery Twitter update.
Black Wii is nice. I won't be getting one though, on account that I already have one. I can see this pulling in customers who currently don't own one though.
14. Roopa132
04 Nov 2009, 12:37 GMT
meh. looks nice but another color would NEVER be a reason for me to buy a console twice.
15. mjc0961
04 Nov 2009, 12:39 GMT
Ugh, that thing is hideous. Dear Nintendo: turn down the glossiness please. It looks even more like a cheap toy than the white Wii does. The sleeve is ugly too.
Even if I was the kind of person to go buy another system that's exactly the same except for the color, I wouldn't buy that atrocity.
16. Hoffkage
04 Nov 2009, 12:46 GMT
Sexyness
17. WiiGuy
04 Nov 2009, 12:53 GMT
I want one
also yea for fingerprints!
18. Machu
04 Nov 2009, 13:05 GMT
I hate you James!I'm happy for you James, that is purdy.Why does my dishwasher break down the very same week I intend to buy a black Wii?
I'm so f***ed off!
Any idea as to how 'limited edition' these things are? Dya reckon I can get away with waiting a couple of weeks? o_0
19. RevolverLink
04 Nov 2009, 13:08 GMT
Very sexy.
20. Prosody
04 Nov 2009, 13:09 GMT
No idea to be honest - I know my local Gamestation has quite a few in stock but considering Nintendo change the colour of their DSes more often than I change my shirt who knows how long these will be around for?
21. Machu
04 Nov 2009, 13:18 GMT
K. I'll just hope the nice repair man saves the day.
Mine definitely won't be signed by Mario himself though, that's for sure. Super Jealous!!! Can't wait to hear the podcast.
22. Hyper Luigi
04 Nov 2009, 13:26 GMT
Wow, the black Wii looks very nice.
23. Kirk
04 Nov 2009, 13:37 GMT
I think the white border around the game slot looks a little tacky and maybe the white writing and stuff is a bit too obvious but it still looks cool.
I still don't get how these companies can't yet manage to make a black console that is half clossy and half mat so it doesn't pick up finger prints very easily, much like my Sony Ericsson phone which looks lovely, is black and smooth but doesn't show finger prints.
24. Token Girl
04 Nov 2009, 14:03 GMT
Very cool. I'm sticking with my white Wii and black DSi though, because I already own them.
25. Corbie
04 Nov 2009, 14:22 GMT
Very nice black Wii James. It's PURDY!
26. motang
04 Nov 2009, 14:32 GMT
Unboxing the smudge magnet, looks like you already have some smudges!
I wanted the black Wii back in 06, but it's too late now for me as Nintendo doesn't make it easy for me to move my Wiiware/VC games!
27. zezhyrule
04 Nov 2009, 15:14 GMT
I'll just stick with a black Wii remote and nunchuck.
28. theblackdragon
04 Nov 2009, 15:33 GMT
that man has pretty handwriting. :3
29. donth8theplaya69
04 Nov 2009, 15:45 GMT
Pretty handwriting indeed.
They should've released this colour instead of the white back in '06.
30. Stevie
04 Nov 2009, 16:15 GMT
I think a black Wiimote and Nunchuck will be enough to satisfy my craving for "something other than white"
31. NintenDude97
04 Nov 2009, 16:24 GMT
If i'm gonna get a wii, it will be BLACK.
32. SilentJ
04 Nov 2009, 17:34 GMT
It looks friggin' sweet! Too bad I already have one otherwise I'd be very tempted to get me one of these. The remote jackets also look cool in black.
33. RyuZebian
04 Nov 2009, 17:39 GMT
Looks nice. Oh, and no deal by the way!
Good for people who ain't got one, though.
34. WolfRamHeart
04 Nov 2009, 17:54 GMT
You're a very lucky man Prosody! That Wii is a thing of beauty! I absolutely love it! I still can't believe that Charles Martinet actually signed the box too! I'm definitely looking forward to that podcast now!
35. Gavin Rozee
04 Nov 2009, 18:08 GMT
Is anything different about it on the software side? eg - Is the Wii Menu still white, etc?
Also, are there any inner hardware changes? For example if one wanted to put a white Wii's internal hardware into the black casing, would it be possible?
I demand answers
36. Giggsy
04 Nov 2009, 18:41 GMT
What a beauty! Your a lucky lucky man James
37. Gavin Rozee
04 Nov 2009, 18:52 GMT
I just can't help feeling that Nintendo should and could have increased the internal memory to a GB or 2
38. Ren
04 Nov 2009, 18:59 GMT
yeah, yeah, it looks all slick. Not worth buying a new one for at all, though.
I get the feeling this kind of thing is for all those people who must have all the latest electronics and are really into calling things they don't like "gay". It's still a video game console so it'll never be tough or sophisticated (as the PS3 seemed to be designed as with that hideous Grill look). I quite liked the Glossy white and sterile blue glow look, it defines the Wii brand nicely as inclusive and inviting to all ages/types.
I think for it to stand out in the cabinet is nice. I love the remote, though, it'd be sweet to have one of those to add to the mix, if I didn't have 4 already.
39. deadly.by.design
04 Nov 2009, 20:31 GMT
I want to say "big deal," but that's actually pretty slick.
It would be even nicer if it were a Wii HD...
40. Prosody
04 Nov 2009, 20:37 GMT
Gavin - it's absolutely identical to any Wii you'll get on the high street. It's running version 4.1E and has the "look what you can do with the Wii and Internet" video that's been packaged with Wiis for a while, but everything else is identical to a white Wii.
41. Gavin Rozee
04 Nov 2009, 20:49 GMT
Thanks for the info.
I'm going to assume that the video is deletable.
42. Sprace Bot
04 Nov 2009, 21:19 GMT
WOWZER!!! when it comes to Canada, i'm probavbly getting one, I REALLY WANT A Wii!!
43. bonii
04 Nov 2009, 21:45 GMT
I probably wont buy this. But it would be nice as a present.
44. Luigi78
04 Nov 2009, 21:45 GMT
Hmm.I did want one of those but having seen the smudges its got just from unpacking it that thing would drive me crazy. Don't think it would look too good with my daughters handprints all over it.
45. Justin26
04 Nov 2009, 22:59 GMT
WOW!! That's cool!
46. Nintendo-Naut
05 Nov 2009, 02:25 GMT
It's so beautiful!
47. Kevin
05 Nov 2009, 15:43 GMT
Looks awesome! The only thing I don't like about systems that are black (I do love them in that color BTW) is you can see every fingerprint and inch of dust that falls on it. Although I can't stand the color White I'm not getting another Wii.
48. Nightsky071
05 Nov 2009, 21:17 GMT
I want one
49. SILENTMOUNTAIN
05 Nov 2009, 21:27 GMT
James did you get that black wii at the Britains best nintendo gamer grand finale? i was in the last 16 , i saw they gave out 2 black wiis then and Charles Martinet was there too,
50. Prosody
06 Nov 2009, 08:37 GMT
Hey, SilentMountain! Yes I did get that at Britain's Best Nintendo Gamer - I wasn't a competitor though, I was there as a member of the press. Sorry you didn't win the grand prize - did you win anything for getting to the semi-finals? My train was late and I missed that part
51. NintendoPurist
06 Nov 2009, 15:11 GMT
This is awesome! I only have one set of Wii accessories anyway*, all in white, so this is something I'd definitely pick up!...the accessories, that is. I'm not about to give up my white Wii!
*Okay, I HAD a set of accessories until my Nunchuk and Classic Controller busted...with the warranty run-out! Now all I have is my Wii Remote...my poor, neglected Super NES games
52. Smoggie99
10 Nov 2009, 02:04 GMT
man do u know how much that was so not fair u is one luck person and u got wii sport resort i got the white one and i like how it look .
NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
53. SILENTMOUNTAIN
12 Nov 2009, 16:26 GMT
Hey James, nah i didnt win anything on the day, but every finalist wins every nintendo 1st party game for a year, and we all got pre paid travel and hotel rooms, i came as propeller mario for the fancy dress comp, i didnt win that but it was still an awsome fun day and part of the fun, cheers
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