Wii Kiosks Unnecessarily Complicated

Go to an Xbox 360 or PS3 kiosk (little demo-playing stand) and you'll find the simple way to demo, pick up the controller and play.

Go to a Wii kiosk and you'll have a little trouble as there is not a controller there, and if the store is smart enough they'll put a sign up saying to trade your ID to rent a Wii Controller at the counter. One store that I went to did this, the other didn't. At the one without the sign I was unsure what to do so I asked a roaming store helper if I could rent out a Wii Controller. I expected him to take me back to the counter and trade me for it, but instead he directed me to go to the counter, in which I'd have to wait in line behind people who were buying things.

As I waited, I thought it might be better if they had a separate counter or section with a huge sign that said "Wii Controllers here, need ID." It doesn't make sense to have to wait in line behind people who were making deals and asking questions for a simple, "here's my ID, thanks for the Wiimote, see you in 15 minutes" transaction.

My waiting had ended, and it was my turn to talk to the guy at the counter. I was ready rent a Wii controller out with my Drivers' Permit in hand. I placed it on the counter, but then he said I needed a Credit Card too. I had a little disappointment because I thought that I had waited for nothing... Fortunately, my mom was nearby so I used hers. From there I walked from the counter all the way to the entrance where the kiosk was.


Finally, I could play. The game, just like the one at the last store I went to, was "Excite Truck." I had a lot of fun playing it, and one of my concerns was that one of the people watching me would want to play and I would have to somehow explain that I need to trade it with the counter person.

The game was a lot of fun, especially since this was my second time with it and I understood it a little better. It was fun figuring out how to play Excite Truck, but I didn't like the game of getting to play it.

Oftentimes the fun of a game can be in figuring it out and getting used to its difference, but I didn't want that element to spill out to the process of getting to play it.