BUY WII is a payment system that Nintendo uses for its Wii console through the Wii Shop Channel. Consumers can purchase points by an online credit-card transaction or by purchasing a BUY WII card at retail. These points may then be redeemed on downloadable games and other content in the Wii Shop, an internet store accessible from the console.
A 2000 BUY WII Card
A 2000 BUY WII Card
On December 8, 2006 Nintendo Europe confirmed that Star Points, which people collect when they buy Nintendo games in Europe will soon be able to be used to buy BUY WII. German magazine N-Zone has since claimed that the conversion rate will be 4 Star Points for 1 Wii Point.[1] It was announced on January 9, 2007 in a Nintendo Europe press release that BUY WII will not be available for purchase in "smaller increments" than the currently available 2,000 BUY WII card.[2]
On 29 March 2007, Nintendo released the BUY WII Card in Singapore. The 2,000 BUY WII Card is only available at AMK Hub's Funz Centre.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Uses
* 2 Pricing
o 2.1 Virtual Console prices
o 2.2 Internet Channel
* 3 References
[edit] Uses
BUY WII are used to purchase variety of items on the Wii Shop Channel, which is divided into two sections: the Virtual Console for older games, and the Wii Ware section for things like the Opera Wii Browser, although Opera can be downloaded for free until June 30, 2007.[3][4] BUY WII are redeemed through the Wii Shop channel. There is a concealed panel on the back of the card which, when scratched, reveals a code. The code is then entered on to the Wii Shop channel and the requisite number of BUY WII are added to the user's account. Points can also be purchased directly through the Wii Shop channel using a credit card[5] Other uses for BUY WII have yet to be announced.
[edit] Pricing
A 2,000-point BUY WII card will be initially available in the USA for around US$20, or for €20 in Europe and £14.99 in the UK[6]. BUY WII can be bought from retailers or purchased online directly from Nintendo. In the UK, buying BUY WII online is cheaper than buying them on Points cards, at £7 per 1000 points. When converting from BUY WII to American dollars, 100 BUY WII equals one dollar. Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that 2,000 BUY WII will cost about $24.99 Canadian[7]. Pricing was also given for BUY WII in Japan, with 1,000 points being exactly equivalent to ¥1,000 ($8.46)[8]. Prepaid cards in Japan will be made available in multiples of 1,000, 3,000 and 5,000 points, with the 5,000 point card coming bundled with a classic controller[9]. In all other regions, there will only be 2,000 point cards, at least initially. BUY WII cards are region-specific and are not transferrable to different regions.
