Cops like the Wii too

LOS ANGELES--When you see several sheriff's deputies approaching someone in a big crowd of people, you automatically assume something is amiss.

That was my assumption here at the Universal CityWalk, where Nintendo is having its official West Coast launch party for its new video game console the Wii.

As part of the entertainment, Nintendo hired a company which has two people riding around on Segways, each of which is decked out with a flat-screen TV and a Wii. The two will roll--literally--up to a group in line, stop, and while hovering there, allow those in line to play games wireless on the Wii.

That was the scene as I was walking around at one point. Drew Foster was the gentleman riding the Segway, and two guys in line were animatedly playing baseball on Foster's Wii when the deputies began questioning him.

Unperturbed, the guys in line kept on playing the baseball game, winding up with the motion-sensitive Wii controller, pitching, swinging and carrying on, almost heedless of the scene unfolding in front of them.

I figured things were probably generally okay, since Foster was working for a Nintendo subcontractor. But still, I wondered if maybe they didn't want him rolling around in the middle of a crowded walkway or something.

So after the cops went away, I went up and asked what was up.

He laughed and said the deputies had just wanted to know how much the Wii system cost.

"They're as big kids as anyone," Foster said.