My brother just got a Wii (in Australia). My folks are coming over and they want to see about buying games here. So, here are the questions.
Are games even cheaper here? I guess they wouldn't be.
You need to get a Wii chipped to play kncok-offs, right? His isn't chipped.
Can I buy games a bit cheaper on taobao or something?
I am going to Xi'an with my parents, can I buy games there?
Games are very cheap here. Lots of video game stores around selling the equipment and games. I pay 5 RMB per game from my local dealer. If you are just a walk-in customer, you'll pay no more than 10 RMB per game. I have ....wait let me go count......56games! (I've had my Wii for about 2 years) Total cost for all less than $50, about the cost of one game back home.
But, yeah you need a chipped machine to run them. I would suggest buying the Wii here - all of them are sold chipped - EXCEPT it is about impossible to find an English version machine here. Almost all the ones sold here are Japanese...as was mine. The games will play in ENglish, but the menus and setup for the machine, before you begin using it, are all in Japanese. I found a PDF online which showed the Wii Japanese menus translated to English.
HOWEVER, last spring, my local dealer excitedly told me that he had found a way to convert my machine to an English version. I seriously doubted him because all the advice online then was that it couldn't be done. But I let him try (he owed me a new machine if he failed) and voila! it worked. So now I have a full English, chipped machine.
Also, through various updates to the Wii firmware, Nintendo keeps trying to knock out the chips. Best not to allow Nintendo to update the firmware (over the Wii Internet connection). With every new Nintendo update, it takes about a week for the hackers to figure out a workaround and out it goes on the Net. The Game Shops here all monitor the Chinese websites where the hacks can be found so they can "fix the chip software" for you. It's real important to find one, good local dealer who you can trust (i.e. become a regular customer and spend some money in his shop) and once you find that shop, they'll take care of you forever.
So what does this mean for you? you can buy a chipped one here, but chances are it will be a Japanese console. I don't know how widespread the knowledge of how to change it to an English machine is. Or you can buy one back home, bring it over, and have it chipped here. Sorry, don't know the cost of chipping because mine came chipped. But I would guess less than 100 RMB. If you do buy the machine back home, do NOT allow them to update the firmware and do NOT connect it to the Internet where the firmware will get updated automatically. Bring it over and have it chipped here.
Also, though the games are cheap, you're just getting the disk. You can pick up all necessary accessories here (like a guitar for guitar hero, the Wii board for Wii Fit, etc.) at the same shops. A guitar should run you about 150 RMB ($20).
Xi'an is a large city so I'm sure there are many game shops around. Just find the "electronics markets" area of the city and go nuts. Look around the university areas, too.