Your Wii: Finding a Good Location for the Console

How to Connect Your Wii to Your Television

Charles Herold

Updated on June 25, 2022

What to Know

Connect A/V cables, AC power cord, and sensor bar to console > connect A/V cables to TV.
Next: Place sensor bar directly above TV > plug AC cord into outlet > insert batteries into controller.
Next: Sync controller with Wii > turn on TV and switch to Wii input channel > follow on-screen setup prompts.

This article explains how to connect a Nintendo Wii console to a TV.

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Connect the Cables to the Wii

There are three cables that connect to the Wii: the AC Adapter (a.k.a. power cord); the A/V connector (which has three colored plugs on one end); and the Sensor Bar. The plug of each is distinctly shaped, so each cable plug will only fit in one port in the back of the Wii. (The two small, same-sized ports are for USB devices – ignore them for now). Plug the AC Adapter into the largest of the three ports. Plug the Sensor Bar plug into the small red port. Plug the A/V Cable into the remaining port.

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Connect the Wii to Your Television

Nintendo

To connect your Wii to your television, find the sockets on your TV that, like the A/V Cable, are colored yellow, white and red. The sockets are generally on the back of the TV, although you might also find them on the side or front. You may have more than one set of ports, in which case you can use any of them. Insert each plug into a port of the same color.

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Place the Sensor Bar

Nintendo

The sensor bar can be placed either on top of your TV or right below the screen and should be centered with the middle of the screen. There are two sticky foam pads on the bottom of the sensor; remove the plastic film covering them and gently press the sensor into place.

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Plug in Your Wii

Next, simply plug the AC adapter into a wall socket or a power strip. Push the power button on the console. A green light on the power button will appear.

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Insert Batteries into the Remote

Nintendo

The remote comes in a rubber jacket, designed to protect it, which you will have to partially peal off in order to open the battery door. Put in the batteries, close the battery cover and pull the jacket back on. Now push the A button on the remote to make sure it is working (a blue light will appear at the bottom of the remote).

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Sync up the Remote

Nintendo

The Wii remote that comes with your Wii is already synced up, meaning your console will communicate properly with the remote. If you have purchased any additional remotes, you’ll have to sync them up yourself. To do this, remove the battery cover from the remote and press and release the red SYNC button inside. Then open the little door in the front of the Wii where you will find another red SYNC button, which you should also press and release. If a blue light goes on at the bottom of the remote then it is synced up.

When using the remote, slip the Wii remote wrist strap around your hand first. Sometimes when people are waving their remote around it slips out of their hand and breaks something.

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Finish the Set Up and Play Games

Turn on your TV. Set your TV input for the input channel your Wii is plugged into. This can usually be done through a button on your television remote generally called “tv/video” or “input select.”

Read any onscreen text. This will be either a warning, in which case you can press the A button or a request for information, such as whether the sensor is above or below your TV and what the date is. Point the remote straight at the screen. You will see a cursor similar to the mouse cursor on a computer. The “A” button does the equivalent of a mouse click.

Once you have answered all the questions you are ready to play games. Push a game disc into the disc slot; the illustrated side of the CD should face away from the power button.

The main Wii screen shows a bunch of TV-screen-shaped boxes, and clicking on the top left one will take you to the game screen. Click the START button and begin playing.

Have fun!

Choose an Orientation

After getting everything out of the box, decide on where you want to put your Wii. It should be near your TV and near an electrical outlet. You can either lay the Wii flat or sit it on its side. If you’re laying it flat, move on to step 1, Connect the Cables.

If you want to place the Wii in a vertical position you should use the Wii Console stand, which is the gray base unit. Attach the console plate to the bottom of the stand, put it on your shelf and then place the Wii on it so the beveled edge of the console aligns with the beveled edge of the stand.

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