The Wii ended up being a very disappointing launch experience IMO but we had a fun time waiting for one.
Video games are kinda just OK now. The actual experience was always like 70% set and setting. The game companies put a lot of effort into the games themselves but where are the LAN parties and release events? Where is.... any other aspect of gaming except the games?
Esports youtubers don't really replace split screen multiplayer.
I dearly miss LAN parties so much. Used to help coordinate one recurring one back in early 2000s. We had so much fun when Battlefield Vietnam was released and everyone was playing it together while sitting next to each other and speaking mostly in expletives. DC++ was a huge factor as well, especially when someone with a 100GB hard-drive from the biggest city nearby arrived and could share everything they managed to pull down from the almighty broadband connection they had.
I got home, turned on the Wii, and was asked to insert a startup disc. I searched that box at least 20 times trying to find the disc with no luck.
I was a heavy user of GameSpot's forums at the time and asked about this disc. Literally everyone thought I was trolling. Nobody believed me until I uploaded photos of my TV.
Eventually my dad called Nintendo and they shipped out a new one ASAP but my 16 year old self was so pissed given all the hype going into it. Days waiting with a useless Wii staring back at me.
Startup Disc: https://lostmediawiki.com/Wii_Startup_Disc_(found_software_d...