Can I get some help with a Nintendo Wii question?

[ssledoux]

I have an old Wii that was my son’s, and I’m trying to set it up for my grandson. He’s 7, and since he’s had an iPad forever, he’s never played a game system. I just want to see how he’ll like it before I invest in something new.

I got it set up yesterday, and it came up fine, but I cannot get the remote to work. I think I’m missing the piece that goes in the console itself (if that’s a thing) to make it work wirelessly.

Am I right about this? Is there some sort of piece that fits where a wired controller would fit that makes the wireless controller work? If so, where would I find one, or would I have to purchase a new controller to get one that would work?

If not, then maybe the controller is just broken, although it lights up and everything.

I guess I can always grab a wired one just for him to try it all out before investing much into anything else, but I’d love to make this work if possible.

Thanks for the help!

 

[gkarris]

I got it set up yesterday, and it came up fine, but I cannot get the remote to work. I think I’m missing the piece that goes in the console itself (if that’s a thing) to make it work wirelessly.

Am I right about this? Is there some sort of piece that fits where a wired controller would fit that makes the wireless controller work? If so, where would I find one, or would I have to purchase a new controller to get one that would work?

Thanks for the help!

Sounds like you are missing the Sensor Bar that goes above or below the TV so that the controller has some sort of reference when being waved around...

https://www.amazon.com/Kimilar-Replacement-Infrared-Compatible-Nintendo/dp/B01I14IASK


that other port below the wireless controller is for a numchuck that would go in the other hand that some games use.

 

[ssledoux]

Sounds like you are missing the Sensor Bar that goes above or below the TV so that the controller has some sort of reference when being waved around...

https://www.amazon.com/Kimilar-Replacement-Infrared-Compatible-Nintendo/dp/B01I14IASK


that other port below the wireless controller is for a numchuck that would go in the other hand that some games use.

Oh I have the nunchuck piece. I meant on the actual Wii itself, but I’m now thinking those are for plugging in wired controllers.

I’m definitely missing that bar - would I need that if I just got him some wired controllers? I may just get some of those because it would be a cheap way to see if he likes the system at all, AND if it’s gonna work. I just don’t wanna dump money into it if it’s not gonna work properly.

 

[gkarris]

Oh I have the nunchuck piece. I meant on the actual Wii itself, but I’m now thinking those are for plugging in wired controllers.

I’m definitely missing that bar - would I need that if I just got him some wired controllers? I may just get some of those because it would be a cheap way to see if he likes the system at all, AND if it’s gonna work. I just don’t wanna dump money into it if it’s not gonna work properly.

Wii wired controllers are plugged into the numchuck port on the wireless controller. There's no place to plug a wired controller into the Wii console.

You need at least 1 wireless controller working to get the system up and running... for Wii games...

If your Wii has Gamecube compatibility, you should see a door where the GC cards and controllers get hooked up to...

 

[scottcampbell]

I have an old Wii that was my son’s, and I’m trying to set it up for my grandson. He’s 7, and since he’s had an iPad forever, he’s never played a game system. I just want to see how he’ll like it before I invest in something new.

I got it set up yesterday, and it came up fine, but I cannot get the remote to work. I think I’m missing the piece that goes in the console itself (if that’s a thing) to make it work wirelessly.

Am I right about this? Is there some sort of piece that fits where a wired controller would fit that makes the wireless controller work? If so, where would I find one, or would I have to purchase a new controller to get one that would work?

If not, then maybe the controller is just broken, although it lights up and everything.

I guess I can always grab a wired one just for him to try it all out before investing much into anything else, but I’d love to make this work if possible.

Thanks for the help!

gkarris is correct, you seem to be missing the sensor bar.

If your remote turns on, and has a blue light on the box marked "1", but you can't point it at the TV, then you need a sensor bar. It plugs into the little orange port on the back of the Wii and sits above or below your TV.

I would definitely order one of these; most Wii games require pointer controls for navigating menus, playing, aiming, etc.

Fun fact: You can actually light a pair of candles and place them under your TV instead of using a sensor bar! That's because the sensor bar emits a couple red lights that the camera in the Wii remote looks for. 2 candles will function the same way.

The sensor bar should be quite cheap though.

You also asked about buying wired controllers. The only wired controllers that would help get around menus without a sensor bar are the Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro, which plug into the Wii Remote. These can be used to start up games, but still some games might require pointing.

Hope that helps!