**Update**

I also want to note that this will apply to just about any console with composite (Red/White/Yellow) or component (Red/Blue/Green and Red/White). PS, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Gamecube all have composite out by default and use the same basic process except of course the Nintendo Wi-Fi connector will only work with the Wii. Of course older consoles like the NES, SNES, n64, and Sega Genesis, don’t have composite out so you’ll have to use an RF adapter in most cases.

**Original Article**

I noticed a couple of people were directed by Google to this post in search of how to connect a Wii to a hotel TV. I figure if Google is desperate enough to send people here maybe it might be good idea to expand upon my previous entry.

Most consoles come with a composite (Red/White/Yellow) connection by default (Red/White/Yellow). I connect to the TV using a component cable (Red/Blue/Green and Red/White). Either way it’s the same idea just different ports. Start by connecting the cable directly to the back of the hotel TV. If you only see red/white connectors then just plug in those two, if you don’t see any colored connections then you need an RF adapter and you can skip to the next paragraph. At this point you can turn the TV on and try hitting the source/input button. If it changes the screen and you can see the game you’re done. If not that’s because most hotels have the inputs disabled by default. The idea being you’ll be more likely to buy pay per-view movies. This is pretty easy to get around by buying a a cheap universal remote. This will let you access the menu to re-enable the inputs on the television. In general all you need to do is program the universal remote for the brand and model of the TV and then you’ll be able to use the input/source button just like at home. Every TV and remote has different programming sequences and menu structures so I won’t get into that here. Suffice to say follow the directions that came with the remote and you can usually pull the model number of the TV off the sticker on the back.

If the TV does not have any composite or component connections on it then things are a bit trickier. *Disclaimer* I haven’t tried this method yet. **
In this case, you’ll need to use a RF modulator to convert the composite connection into a coaxial connection. Which you can then plugged into the the back of the TV. You might also need to use the universal remote to set the TV to the correct station usually 3 or 4.  Most hotels have a metal or plastic cover over the jack on the TV, to prevent you from messing with things. If you’re feeling bold you can either cut them off and assume no one will notice they’re missing or come up with a way to unscrew them. Whether disconnecting whatever system the hotel uses for their television will set off alarms I can’t say. I will say I have heard stories of people who unplugged the TV and had the front desk knocking on their door to make sure the TV wasn’t stolen. I’ve disconnected most of that stuff with out issue in various hotels and never had an issue but YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). Just don’t blame me if you end up sleeping on the sidewalk because the hotel staff kicked out out.

To get internet access on my Wii I use the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Adapter. The adapter allows the Wii (and/or DS) to connect to your PC and through the magic of internet connection sharing to the internet. The adapter was recently updated to support both Windows XP and Windows Vista. (Sorry Mac & Linux people, Windows wins this round). This allows you to avoid the registration pages most hotels use (which the Wii won’t display) and the general lack of in room Wi-Fi. Another option is to get the Nintendo LAN adapter or just setup a wireless router in you room.

For my Xbox 360 I came up with another solution. This requires two things, one that you have a laptop and 2 that the hotel has a wired internet connection. Under the network settings options there’s an advanced page that will allow you to change your MAC address. Basically a MAC address is you computer’s unique ID on any network, similar to how your phone number works. First you need to connect you laptop to the network and register as you would normally, there’s usually directions on the card neat the desk. Once that is done go into the start menu and click on run, enter “cmd” in the box and click ok. This will bring up a command prompt type in the following

“ipconfig /all”

and you’ll see a whole bunch of information pop up somewhere in there you’ll see an entry that looks something like this

“Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 01-5A-74-1B-94-8E”

This is your MAC address. Now you’ll need to update the Mac on the 360 to match here’s the steps taken from xbox.com:

From the Xbox Dashboard, choose Settings, and then Network Settings.

From the Network Settings screen, select Advanced.

From the Advanced screen, select MAC Address.

Enter the MAC address of your PC in the Xbox Dashboard. Do not enter any dashes, just letters and numbers.

To attempt connection to Xbox Live using the new MAC address, return (Back) to the Network Settings screen, and then select Connect.

After that you should be all set. Just remember to change it back later on or you’ll run into trouble.

So there you go, how to setup a Nintendo Wii video game console in your hotel room. Enjoy!

The Team Fortress Classic was my first love affair with online gaming. I remember meeting up with friends in the Half-Life Spanish Chat room on WON. Coordinating our efforts to find a server we could all play in while hoping noone in my family would try to make a phone call and disconnect me. My first clan (*HWF*) played TFC and we talked about how we’d all switch over to TF2 once it came out. It was a long wait. TF2 was originally announced in 1998 as a realistic, team-based, war game and shown off at E3 in 1999, then delayed in 2000 so it could be ported to the Source engine and eventually just not talked about. In 2004 Valve stated that TF2 was still in development and in 2006 it was mentioned again. Last month roughly 8 years after being announced it was finally released as part of the Orange Box.

…and boy is it fun. It is well balanced, runs pretty darn good on my not so top of the line system. The game looks like a cartoon with a decent amount of blood and gore thrown in. Each of the classes has their own style, voice, and personality. The games oozes style and that style works really well. it actually reminds me a bit of No One Lives for Ever, minus the 60’s. Much of the game has been simplified from TFC. Grenades are gone, as are many guns, the flashlight, ammo backpacks, armor, etc. It actually took me sometime to notice that a lot of that stuff was missing. One of my favorite additions to the games is the stats and achievements. I love being able to keep track of my stats for each class and overall.

As for the classes it’d take me all day to cover them all. My favorite class so far is the scout, who isn’t too different from TFC. He gained a double jump which replaces the concussion jump in TFC. He lost the nail gun which I really miss when trying to take out a sentry gun but his scattergun is more powerful (at short ranges) so he take out other players easier. Medic’s healing gun is awesome but his syringe launcher is lacking. It’s pretty good close range but for long range you’d have a better chance of hitting someone with your bone saw. I do miss is the ability to to infect people. When a medic teams up with a heavy and gets an uber charge that combination can cause some serious havoc. Engineers are still awesome. Supposedly spies are good but for some reason I haven’t had much luck with them. Snipers, Soldiers, Heavy Weapons Guys, Pyros, and Demomen aren’t terribly different from TFC but I haven’t played them much.

Like CS: Source when it came out TF2 has a noticeable lack of maps. Right now there are only 6 maps: ctf_2fort, cp_well, cp_dustbowl, cp_gravelpit, cp_granary and tc_hydro. I am hoping for a few more (Avanti, casbah, crossover, cz2, epicenter, rock2 and my all time favorites maps the hunted). Presumably some of them will be added eventually but I fear I may never get to experience the hunted in TF2. The majority of the maps are control point now as opposed to capture the flag I knew and loved in TFC. Even Well has been converted to the control points which is somewhat disapointing because I think it was a much better CTF map. Maps like dustbowl and hydro aee broken up into sections where you fight for control between two points rather than multiple. This adds some variation to the game by making one map feel like several.

I graduated both high school AND college while waiting for TF2. If anyone from *HWF* happens to read this I’m still around and I have a feeling I’ll be playing TF2 for quite awhile. In fact I’ve delayed posting this about 3 weeks because I was too busy playing to bother with writing about it. Since noone bothers to read any of this, I think it worked out ok.

As for the rest of the Orange Box. I couldn’t beat Half-Life 2 because it made me feel sick so I didn’t bother with Episode One and won’t bother with Episode Two until I get around to buying some dramamine and beat HL2 and Ep1. Portal is quite simply the most fun I’ve had playing single player FPS in a long time and is a complete triumph. It is bit short but full of humor and just plain inventiveness that it’s a huge success. I can only hope there’s a sequel on its way.

Hotels are dastardly places. First off they charge ridiculous prices to rent you a room that who knows how many people have walked around naked in, rubbing who knows what on anything they can touch. On top of that they have a restaurant that is the only decent place to eat nearby and over priced. Which causes you to avoid it like the plague and end up eating Chinese food. Even Worse, some of them even charge for “high speed” internet access that is only slightly faster than AOL. But nothing is more evil than hotel televisions. Here’s the idea. Take a TV then remove or disable any inputs on it then install this shady box that allows guest to watch about 10 channels and order all the latest and greatest movies with the simple mis-click of a button.

Being that I practically live in hotels at this point I’ve taken to carrying my Wii with me on my journeys. At first everything was great. The Residence Inn in Cambridge had two pretty nice TVs that were ready and willing to let me waste hours of time on the Godfather: Blackhand Edition.

The Sheraton, Parsippany. Being a Sheraton and paying a crazy amount of money each night to stay in the “Club Level”, I figured I’d have no trouble. Oh boy was I wrong. First there are no inputs on the TV. Alright then I suppose I can just buy an RF adapter and hook it up through that. Nope. They’ve got some metal casing around the coax jack AND there’s no where in walking distance to buy an adapter. Alright I can survive 3 weeks no problem. Besides I just bought a Nintendo DS I can always play that.

Three weeks go by and I’m jonesing for a Wii fix. I head home for the weekend and pick up an RF adapter and Mario Strikers Charged. Next stop the Best Western; Simi Valley, California. Not a bad hotel but again no inputs and metal jacks on the coax connectors. Ok I guess I can wait another week…

After that I move on the the Marriott Courtyard nearby. The Residence was owned by Marriott and they had some big press release about all sorts of connectivity options. So I can’t go wrong, right? I get to the room. I’ve only got a standard CRT TV but low and behold I’ve got inputs. Not only composite but component as well! Hallelujah!

Of course everything is working out way to good. The next night I attempt to connect my Wii. I plug everything in turn it on pick up the remote. “Where’s the input button? Well maybe I can just us the channel buttons to switch to a/v mode…hmmm…maybe a different input will work…” after another 20 minutes of trying just about everything I can think of I call the front desk. “I’m sorry sir the TV is not compatible with the inputs.” Wait WHAT? The TV isn’t compatible with itself? So I hit the net. I discover it’s possible to put the TV into maintenance mode which will allow you to enable the inputs. IF you have a special remote. Of course I’ve only got some crappy “On Command” remote. Eventually someone suggests that I go buy a Universal Remote and use that.

The next day I hit Target and buy a universal remote. I get back to the room, crap I forgot to buy batteries. So after eating dinner (For someone who was never a big fan of Chinese I sure do eat a lot of it these days) I head over to Walmart which is conveniently behind my hotel (I’ve got a lovely view of the sign from my room). I find the batteries and decide I’ll just take a quick peek at the DVDs. On my way out of the electronics section I see a clearance rack. Woot! Among the standard junk I find a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB connector. This little doohickey plugs in to your computer and basically uses your net connection to create a wireless network that a Wii (or DS) can connect to. Neat! I decide to buy it if it costs less than 20 bucks. I wander around looking for a price scanner eventually I go up to some guy and ask. “It’s 15 dollars I can tell” he says, without ever looking at me. I’m a bit skeptical at his psychic powers but I figure if it costs to much at the register I just won’t buy it.

I head to the self checkout line and of course the thing is out of paper so I don’t get a receipt. The good news is it did cost 15 dollars (technically 16.06 or so) Now I know if I walk away without a receipt as soon as I get to the door the alarm is going to go off and that old guy guarding the door isn’t going to believe for a second that I just didn’t happen to get a receipt. So I go to the lady at the front and tell her what happen. She ignores me walks away then comes back and checks the paper in the machine, replaces it and continues to ignore me. “Ummmm if I walk through the door is this going to go off?”

“Just get out of here.” So I hold my breath walk through the door aaaaaaannd no alarm. Hooray! I get back to the room use the universal remote to enable the inputs and install the Wi-Fi connector and suddenly I not only have a Wii that works but it can get online as well! After doing a little celebration dance I boot up Strikers.

Really the whole point I’m trying to make her is that I’m obviously spending my time in beautiful, sunny California wisely.

Well, Boston is over, if I think of it I’ll add a post later about that.

New Jersey is pretty lame so far. My flight was canceled last night, which I found out after my Uncle dropped me off at the airport. I rescheduled for this morning at 6am and called my Uncle. He forgot his cell so he drove all the way home and then had to turn around to get me. As a consolation, I went out and bought a Nintendo DS, Mario Kart and Brain Age. (Both of which are lots of fun.)

I got dropped off at about 3:30 in the morning because the guy at the counter said it was going to be really busy because of all the canceled flights. I show up and hardly anyone is in the airport. So I grabbed a coffee and started playing Mario Kart and doing Sudoku on Brain Age. My flight ending up being delayed for 2 hours because the pilot got redirected to Boston last night. After the shortest flight ever I arrived in NJ. I collected my bags no problem and I got some shady guy to drive me to the hotel. Which is big and fancy looking on the outside but I liked the Residence Inn better. When I tried to access my email to get my boss’s cell I found out they want 10 bucks a day to access the internet at the hotel. That’s on top of the 240 bucks a night it costs to sleep there. Bastards. I’m too cheap to pay for it unless I have too so I’m giving up the internet unless I find a rogue access point.After taking a looking at the TV I discovered I can’t hook my Wii up to it. (No RCA). So there goes the rest of my entertainment for the week. At least I have a DS to partially entertain me. On top of all that, there’s apparently nothing within walking distance. GAH!