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According to Nintendo, the 3DS's sales numbers in the US may surpass the original DS by the end of its first year. More information and speculation in the full article on GameRabies!
"Dear Reggie,
As a fan of your company and of RPGs, I was extremely excited about the reveal of Monado which was later retitled Xenoblade. After it's reveal at E3 2008 it quickly became one of my most anticipated games for the Wii, and as more information, screens, and trailers were released my interest only expanded. I am deeply concerned that this game has no North American release planned, especially considering the sparse lineup on the wii in the next year. I have been a Loyal fan of th..."
"But 2011's not done yet. The back half of this year isn't shaping up to be the Wii's best wave of software ever, but it's not entirely terrible either. With a long-awaited new Zelda, a fresh home console Kirby adventure (for the second year in a row), two big Mario cross-over titles and some notable third-party games still ahead, it's not quite time to unplug the machine and twiddle our thumbs for Wii U quite yet."
We have finally received some explanation as to why there were no real games shown at this year's E3 presentation of the Wii U. Check out the full story for all the details.
The Wii U was announced earlier this week and everyone was applauding Nintendo for all of the great and innovative features that the Wii U supposedly has. Check out the post to see where another feature has fallen short.
For those of you hoping to play your favorite Gamecube titles on Nintendo's console, prepare to be disappointed. Check out the full story for all of the details on the news.
Some striking and disappointing information has been discovered regarding the Nintendo Wii U. Check out the full story for all the details and let us know what you think.
The first specifications list for the Wii 2 has been leaked a week before the official unveiling at this year's E3. Check out the full story for all the details and how it stacks up to the Wii.
Ubisoft is one of the largest video game companies in the world. They have recently spoken out about what the next major console from Nintendo means to them. Check out the full story for all the details.
Fifteen years ago, the thought of a hard drive or online gaming as console standards was still a pretty hard concept to wrap our minds around. These features were all still...
Nintendo has announced the Wii 2 and a full reveal is expected at this year's E3. Much speculation has been made about what the controller will look like. One such rumor is that it will have a HD touch pad in the center, but is that even feasible?
The vitality sensor was announced a few years ago and people thought it was a joke by Nintendo. It’s not only a real thing, but some brand new news has come out today on when you may get the chance to see it.
As expected with the announcement of the upcoming "Project cafe," the Wii will soon see a price drop to $149.99. In addition to this, a select few games will also drop to $19.99...
Will button based controllers ever be replaced by something like touchscreens? Why or why not? Nintendo president Satoru Iwata gives his thoughts on why button based gaming...
You would expect that a console that has sold over 86 million units would bring nothing but joy to its producer. This is not the case for Nintendo and the Wii. Check out the full article to see what Nintendo boss said of the matter.
Nintendo has confirmed the existence of a successor to the Wii, announcing a playable appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo and a launch target of 2012.
Now that it is becoming ever more apparent that a Wii 2 is in fact coming this year or 2012, analysts are beginning to speculate how well it will do. The first report is that it will be a hugh seller. Check it out.
Much speculation has been made over the past few weeks on the existence of a Wii 2, codenamed Project Cafe. Today, we may have actually gotten confirmation from one the creator of Mario.
The Wii 2, also codenamed Project Cafe, has been speculated and rumored heavily over the past few weeks. Today, we may have received the most compelling and interesting rumors about Nintendo's next major console.
With the recent announcement of the Wii 2, or Project Cafe, as the project is known, thw question arises: Will Nintendo use the Wii moniker again? What kind of images are conjured by the Wii name?
This latest rumor may just make every hardcore gamer excited about the Wii 2. Apparently, Rockstar is developing for the console right now and that's not all. Check out the story for all the details.
We all know that Nintendo have revealed that they will be unveiling a new home console at this years E3 conference, but several sites claim to have more knowledge than has already been released, sites such as 01net and CVG think they it will have a screen, but while CVG thinks this will include HD, 01net aren't so sure. IGN have suggested that the 'new controller' will now don a touch screen and is said to be slightly faster than the Xbox360.
The Nintendo Wii is expected to receive a substantial price cut in a few weeks, but right now you can snag it at an all new low price. Check out the new price of the Wii and where you can find it.
After such a Wii 2 heavy day yesterday, we are here to bring some more news! The Wii 2 follows the same tradition as the Wii and gamecube by including a...
The hype for the Nintendo Wii 2 has officially started. Now that we are getting some details of what may be a part of this console, we out together a wish list. Check out the full story for all the features.
Every few hours we are receiving additional details on a possible Wii 2 being announced very shortly. Now it seems that some industry individuals have in fact confirmed this. No official confirmation is expected from Nintendo until E3. Check out the full story for all the details regarding what features it may or may not have.
Nintendo has suffered from mediocre sales over the past few months. Now, with the rumored price cut coming soon, analysts are expecting a major announcement to be hitting the videogame landscape at E3. Check out the full story for all the details.
How would feel if you could get a Nintendo Wii for only $150? Well it seems that may just be a possibility after rumblings of a price cut are on the way. Check out the story for all of the details.
The Nintendo WII has seen some unpleasant times as of late. Since last year, Microsoft and Sony have taken the lead in the video game landscape, when it pertains to the home consoles. At theGamerBuzz, we discuss what Nintendo needs to do to remain competitive with its counterparts.
Ever since the Nintendo 3DS was announced, there has been speculation as to whether or not the 3D gimmick would extend to a home console. Today, Nintendo answered that question and others. Check out the full story for the details.
The Wii is in a state of funk. Its loyal fan base continues to defend the console for the great titles it gets every once in a while. We analyze why the Wii seems to be in this drought and what is being done to fix this for the future. Cheers!
The rise in the Nintendo Wii has caused many to speculate if there will eventually be no need for your traditional controller. theGamerBuzz tackles this critical issue and tells you why we will always have a controller in our hands. Cheers!
The Wii has won this generation of the console wars. There is no chance that Sony or Microsoft are going to catch the little white box that could. In this article, we analyze the state of Nintendo's console. Cheers!
Whether you hate it or love it, the Wii helped to expand the video game market to new levels that it has never seen before. Now, there is new speculation on when a Wii 2 will be announced and released. Check out the full story. Cheers!
The Nintendo Wii has been incredibly successful for introducing the casual market into the fold. Check out the full story to see when Nintendo might just be releasing the next money maker in Wii 2. Cheers!
"Looking back at days of old it's interesting to see where we started and how the evolution of consoles has changed from being dedicated videogame machines to the multimedia platforms we have today. Remember your first console or home computer, whether it was the Atari 2600 or the later generation Playstation, we all have a history of playing video games. Mine was the Commodore 64 a computer that would load games from audio cassette or floppy disks. In 1988 I would own my first cartridge based..."
With the amount of competition between the consoles becoming more and more fierce as the months go on, the decree over which console is better is becoming less and less important. With great titles coming out for all the consoles, both in the last year and the upcoming one, it becomes harder and harder to definitively tell someone which is best for them.
Luckily (or unluckily), IGN attempts to add fuel to the dying flames of the console war, bidding to give one of the consoles the title of...
Come the 22nd of November, gamers will have the fun opportunity of playing through demos of WiiWare titles, completely free! This follows a period of testing the service last year. It costs no Wii Points and allows gamers to test the waters to see if they'll like the title or not before they splash out on it. Also included is a list of some titles which will have demos out on the launch day.
Last week we heard news on how the PS3 would aquire disc free netflix abilities on the 18th. Now we've found out the Wii has joined the party and are disc free today as well.
Many big announcements from Nintendo today as they formally announced the Wii Remote Plus. Not the only thing, Nintendo also introduced a few new games...
"Nearly everything Nintendo releases is simplified so it can be used by everyone. This includes people who have no interest in games. The cross-platform games that are released for Wii tend to be dumbed-down versions of what they were on other systems. The games are easy to figure out, the controls are easy to figure out, and most Nintendo exclusives are easy to figure out …"
By now, it is stated that 4 out of 5 American families have a Nintendo Wii. Does that mean the system is so "casual" that is can't possibly be "hardcore"?
With Sony's Playstation Move and Microsoft's Kinect motion controller add-on for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 respectively not far off of store shelves, John from All Age Gaming has a detailed look at the Pros and Cons of both the Move and Kinect, as well as the other motion controller in the market, the Wii and gives us his conclusion on which will win the motion controller battle.
"With the launch of Monster Hunter 3 (Tri) this week, comes the launch of the Wii Classic Controller Pro in North America. How does the newly colored controller feel for Wii users? In my personal opinion, the controller feels great, the newly added handles give it the nice "snug" feel. It fits in the hand just fine."
"Super Mario Galaxy 2 releases in another month, yet word on the game still isn't at the "Nintendo standards." Details of the story and characters are still missing. We've heard little quibbles of what the story is, but not all the details that would make you go "I can't wait!" Now I'm sure all of you are already saying that anyway, just because Mario is in the title, but that's besides the point."
Most gamer see the Wii as a young children console, or something their grand parents would truly enjoy. That's not really the case as often times you'll see that next door girl playing Wii Fitness or Wii Sports. Kokugamer.com has gathered a list that will excite even the non-Wii fans.
"Netflix began shipping out Instant Streaming disks for the Wii yesterday and we received our in the mail today. We popped the disk in as soon as we got home and took some decidedly low-tech snapshots on a plasma HDTV to give some impressions. How does Netflix Instant Streaming on the Wii shape up compared to the Xbox 360 and PS3? Does the lack of HD make a difference?"
"The February NPD sales data was reported earlier this evening, and Microsoft's Xbox 360 took the top-selling spot for the home consoles selling over 420,000 units in the month. Interestingly, Sony and Microsoft both saw an increase in overall sales for the month when compared to last year's numbers, while the Nintendo Wii saw a drop in hardware sales totaling nearly 50%."
Without any prior announcement Nintendo has released the Black Wii Bundle to stores in the US. It's already showing up at Walmart. It's $199 and includes Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and a Motion Plus attachment.
"In an interview this week -- with Wired.com's Chris Kohler -- Cammie Dunaway, of Nintendo of America, assured gamers that the new Zelda for Wii would be released in 2010.
If Zelda does release this fall, and with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M set for May 23 and June 27, respectively, 2010 is going to be a jam packed year for Nintendo.
Is this Nintendo sending the Wii out with a bang? Are they ready to introduce a new home console -- a Wii 2 or HD -- in 2011? It seems prepo..."
""The people that only own the Wii, ask that consumer how often they use their machine. They just don't use it, it was cool, but they're not gamers, so they put it away.
"Other than the Wii Fit phenomenon that helped a lot of people get a nice cutie voice telling that they're fat and need to go work out, they need to find other alternatives. Nintendo is smart in that way in that they realize this is not a video game machine, this is not a games game machine.""
"Australia, February 15, 2010 - IGN has done a number of features over the last month or so looking back at gaming over the last decade, but now it's time to look forward. A fair way forward; to 2020. How will gaming change over the next ten years? Will motion controls become the norm? How important will 3D TVs become? How far along will digital distribution be? How about streaming content and gaming in the cloud? How will online gaming change? What about mobile? Will we all be playing jet-pa..."
"Nyko does what Ninten-didn't with the introduction of the Nyko Wand+, a Wii remote alternative with Motion Plus support built right in.
Debuting today at CES in Las Vegas, the Nyko Wand+ features Full Motion Technology, offering the same 1:1 movement tracking capability as the regular Nintendo remote with the Wii Motion Plus add-on attached. In the official announcement, Nyko takes a subtle swipe at Nintendo for not creating an all-in-one controller of its own."
"Nintendo Wii stormed the field with software sales of over 18 million units in the UK, retaining the title of Number One software format by units sold. Sony's PlayStation 3 also saw a dramatic increase by 14 per cent of software units sold, from 10.4 million units in 2008 to 11.9 million units in 2009. Overall, in 2009 UK consumers bought a total of 74.6 million videogame units - which works out at more than one per person in the UK."
"As we start a new decade, Nintendo has announced that there are now over 40 million Nintendo DS and 20 million Wii consoles being played across Europe. In fact, the Nintendo DS family, including Nintendo DS Lite and the latest addition, Nintendo DSi, has not only sold more than any other videogame console in Europe but it has also seen the fastest growth in European video game console history, reaching this sales figure in less than 5 years."
BestBuy.com is offering several Nintendo Wii video games on sale this week at the best prices online or in stores. Games include Metroid Prime: Trilogy, Collector's Edition for $19.99, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games for $29.99, EA Sports Active for $49.99 and more. See complete for details.
"While announcing its early 2010 software lineup this morning, Nintendo also announced a February 14th North American release date for the pink and blue Wii remotes, giving the significant others of Nintendo fans the perfect Valentine's Day gift idea.
Sure, Japan got them first, but here in North America we get the pink and blue Wii remotes on a day perfect for spreading love through pleasantly colored video game accessories. The two new colors come packaged in Nintendo's unique protective ..."
All Age Gaming's Phong Nguyen bring's us the 22nd AAG "The Week That Was". This week he discusses the PS3's motion controller, the PS3's latest firmware update, the New Super Mario Bros. Wii sales, a possible update to the 360's NXE and more!
"Figures released today courtesy of the UK's leading independent music, video and software performance and sales tracking company, Chart Track-GfK, show Nintendo's home console, Wii, has now sold more than six million units in the UK alone since launch."
"The widespread popularity of the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles amongst female gamers is certainly not a secret, especially here in the UK. However, it appears that Nintendo of America believe that their systems are now managing to near-monopolise the demographic."
Nintendo's Super Guide feature made it's much anticipated debut recently in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. However, Microsoft are keen to not fall behind on this concept. They've filed a patent for a feature that allows players to access hints and tips from a database to help them through tough spots. Read on to find out more about how the patent would work.
"Following Electronic Theatre’s report on the North American release of black Wii controllers earlier this morning, Nintendo have confirmed that the Wii console is about to get an exciting new look as it launches across Europe in sleek black."
"Latest firmware causing problems for some gamers; Nintendo points to modified consoles as the culprit, pledges to repair affected unmodified systems for free.
This generation of consoles has seen firmware updates become frequent and routine. Nearly as commonplace have been the post-patch gamer complaints that the latest update has rendered their systems inoperable.
The 4.2 firmware update is turning some Wiis…
The latest system to repeat the cycle is Nintendo's Wii. On Monday, Wii ow..."
"The new Wii console bundle, originally revealed by Electronic Theatre last month, has now arrived at UK retail and is available for consumer purchase. The new bundle has not received a reduction in price as many had anticipated, but rather added in more value through additional hardware and software."
"While on the Xbox 360 the Drop N’ Charge range is a front-running system, on Wii there is little that justifiably offers a comparison. Other such units do exist, such as SPEEDLINK’s recently released Contact-Free Charger, but the generous charging opportunities that Exspect’s Drop N’ Charge range offers are currently beyond compare."
Alongside the US price drop announcement, Nintendo has announced in a press release that the Wii console will be dropping in price by 5,000 yen in Japan to from 25,000 yen to 20,000 yen.
The Wii has sold 52,620,000 consoles worldwide to date and 8,170,000 in the first quarter.
In a press release today, Nintendo has announced that beginning on Sunday, September 27, the Wii will drop in price from $249.99 to $199.99. The contents of the single SKU will remain the same, with the Wii console, 1 Wii Remote, 1 Nunchuk, and Wii Sports.
Additionally, the publisher has also given a release date (finally) for New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which will release on November 15.
"The new Premium Remote XL+ includes the technology of the Wii MotionPlus add-on built right into the remote, so no more accessories are needed. In addition, the built-in battery of the Remote XL+ can be charged conveniently via USB cable and every Remote XL+ offers an external sync button."
"Advance retail listings forwarded to Kotaku indicate that Nintendo is planning to issue its first price drop on the Wii, with a less expensive version of the console—currently priced at $249 USD—coming the first week of October.
That listing comes from an early version of a Walmart ad that loosely dates, but does not price a "rollback" for Nintendo's console. While the ad is not official confirmation of a price drop, the timing makes sense, as the Wii is about to enter its fourth holiday s..."
"Check your daily fortune and get hints on relationships, activities and even the types of food that your horoscope recommends with the free Today & Tomorrow Channel, launching on Wii in Europe tomorrow, Wednesday 9th September."
After a brief hiatus and a little tooling in the inner workings behind Binge Gamer, The Bender podcast is back with a tighter show. We hit up the piracy topic (ie the lines being drawn between downloading something versus selling something downloaded), talk a little about the Shadow Complex controversy, and of course how the G-Force demo is kind of cool. Listen live/stream through iTunes by clicking here or download the mp3 here
At their keynote at the 2009 GameStop Manager's Conference in Las Vegas yesterday, Nintendo announced a release date for two new DSi colors in North America, a new color for the Wii Remote, Wii MotionPlus, and Nunchuk, and a release date for Wii Fit Plus.
The two new DSi colors to hit North America are white and pink, which will become available at retail on September 13th. Like the black and blue colors, these will retail for $169.99.
This holiday season, NoA will be releasing the bla...
"Nintendo is ramping-up its fight against videogames piracy by expanding its European anti-piracy team and appointing its first European anti-piracy counsel. Neil Boyd, a British citizen, arrives at Nintendo from Warner Brothers, where he was Director, EMEA AP Counsel, responsible for developing and implementing the entertainment group's enforcement strategy to combat piracy of Warner Brothers' film, TV and entertainment content on the internet and in respect of hard goods."
Despite the new updates that render the former Twilight Hack useless, the Wii Homebrew community is still standing strong.
A new exploit allows users to access .ELF files via the SD slot, something that has been in the works for some time now. With even easier use and instructions than the previous exploits, this user believes this will bring the Wii Homebrew Scene up to a level almost rivaling the PSP-Homebrew community.
[Discuss this in the Wii Homebrew Thread in the Wii Hardware Forum
"With its Contact-Free Charger, SPEEDLINK offers a charging station that makes charging procedures as easy as possible. To ensure your Wii Remotes are always fully charged, just place them on the charger - the charging station produces an induction field so you don't need to connect them using a cable. The charging process starts as soon as you place the Wii Remote on the Contact-Free Charger - and charging also works even if the Wii console is switched off."
Game Informer recently conducted a survey of 5000 participants to see the hardware failure rates for the current-gen consoles. It'll come as no surprise to see the 360 in the lead with a 54.2% failure rate. The PS3 had 10.6%, while the Wii only had 6.8%. Before fanboys begin to bash the numbers, they've given other statistical information to justify the rates. And remember, the sample size was only 5000. However, the most interesting piece of information from the survey was that only 3.8% of ...
In the slides for the company's CY2009 Q2 Financial Report, Activision Blizzard has given to use the hardware install bases for North America and Europe combined. Their data is as of June 30, 2009, and the data is courtesy of North American tracker NPD Group and European tracker Gfk-Charttrack.
North American and Europe Installed Base:
360: 27 million (June 2009 NPD LTD: 15.5m)
PS3: 16 million (June 2009 NPD LTD: 8m)
WII: 40 million (June 2009 NPD LTD: 20.5m)
Handhelds: 96 million
...
Speaking with Destructoid, Left 4 Dead writer Chet Faliszek talked about Microsoft's Natal and the launch of the Wii. He stated that Natal was certainly impressive but he was unsure about how it translates into video games with all the physical activity that is required. Speaking about the Wii, he mentioned how the launch titles really showcased the motion controls. However, he says that there needs to be more software that uses it effectively.
Great episode of The Bender, we wish a happy birthday to the ESRB, discuss blackmailing of Modern Warfare .. 4, we briefly finish up talking about that whole racism/Left 4 Dead 2 situation, and enjoy those Disney steampunk art. Enjoy! Click to download/stream through iTunes or download the mp3 here
Today, the much anticipated Wii title Monster Hunter 3 hit the stores, and Famitsu dispatched staff to cover the various launches around Japan. This report had them at the Yodobashi Camera store in the electric town Akihabara, where a line of around 500 strong formed inside the store ready to purchase the newest game in one of Japan's more popular series.
Releasing alongside Monster Hunter 3 today also was the new Classic Controller Pro, and the Wii Kuro, a black-colored version of Ninten...
Nintendo has released their first quarter financial report for the 2009 fiscal year, representing the beginning of April to the end of June. The Japanese gaming giant reports an operating income of 40.40 billion yen, with net sales of 253.50 billion yen and a net income of 42.32 billion yen.
For operating income, this represents a 66.1% decrease from the first quarter in Fiscal Year 2008. Net sales saw a 40.1% decrease, and net income had a 60.6% decrease.
Nintendo attributes the decr...
The Minna no Nintendo Channel (lit. Everyone's Nintendo Channel; Nintendo Channel outside of Japan) received an update today in Japan, sporting a brand new (much better) interface and added functionality.
The added features include:
A great episode of The Bender awaits you. James will be buying a new system soon (he has had both a PS3 and Xbox 360, both have broke on him in the past). I ended up trying to show James the benefits of the Xbox 360, while Perry attempts to do the same for the PS3, and Allison swoops into talk about the Wii, but ends up saying pros/cons of the 360 and PS3. Plus we cover game news and the such. Enjoy!
Listen live/stream through iTunes or download the mp3 here.
Speaking in an interview with N'Gai Croal, Reggie Fils-Aime talked about the competition and where Nintendo is headed after this year's E3 announcements. However, he also talked quite extensively about the Wii Vitality Sensor peripheral. Rather than asking the usual "How will it work?" question, Croal was more curious about how it can be applied to traditional games. While it might be pretty obvious, Reggie confirmed that the games that will use the Vitality Sensor will only be using the Wiim...
"A portion of a Nintendo Power interview with Miyamoto...
NP: And, of course, I have to ask: have you given any thought to putting a new Kid Icarus game on Wii or DS?
Miyamoto: Wait, please. I'm really surprised how popular that is. But you are the first person to ask at this E3!
Well, telling us to wait is the easiest way to keep us quiet. That way, if/when a new Kid Icarus is announced, we can say that Miyamoto was right!"
Unlike that other infamous analyst, Jesse Divnich from EEDAR has written up an interesting blog post showing how high-profile DLC can have a serious negative impact on other retail games of the same genre. It might be fairly obvious that purchasing DLC will extend the lifespan of a game and will cause consumers to be less likely to pick up a similar new title. He mentions the advantages of creating DLC and discusses the window of time before developers should push out a new game after a DLC r...
The Japanese market has been dominated by the Nintendo DS and PSP. That trend did not change in the first half of 2009 as the two handheld systems once again dominated the Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in terms of hardware sales in Japan so far in the year.
According to data from European sales tracker GfK Chart Track, Gamesindustry.biz is reporting the following lifetime numbers for each current hardware system in the UK:
Nintendo DS - 9.1m
Wii – 5.4m
Xbox 360 – 3.9m
PSP – 3.3m
PlayStation 3 – 2.2m
DSi – 0.3m
The total install base eclipses 24 million.
Within the last 12 months, each hardware system has sold this much:
Nintendo DS - 2.7m
Wii – 2.3m
Xbox 360 – 1.7m
PSP – 1.1m
PlayStation 3 – 900k
DSi – 0.3m (release...
Well, Nintendo has done such a great job of showing their support for hardcore titles on THEIR OWN PLATFORM that we keep hearing things like, "Oh, I sold my Wii already."
Especially after this year's E3, right?
A lot of people who've been holding on to their Wii consoles have been wondering if publishers will continue churning out Mature Wii games, given that none so far have broken sales records. However, Gary Dunn of SEGA Europe has confirmed that they do plan to continue supportin...
This might be the closest you can currently get to going all Jedi on Stormtroopers. In conjunction with the release of the upcoming Star Wars The Clone Wars game, Bensussen Deutsch & Associates are creating lightsaber and blaster peripherals for the Wii so that you can immerse yourself better into the experience. These peripherals are licensed by LucasArts and Nintendo.
The lightsaber allows you to stick your Wiimote in it and will make the whirring lightsaber sounds through the Wiimote's ...
"The most recent statistics show the continued dominance of the current generation of consoles by the Xbox 360 (with a 21.1% usage minutes). The Wii and Playstation 3 come in third and fourth places with 17.6% and 10.5% respectively.
The statistics for the previous generation of consoles is not as kind to both Microsoft's Xbox consoles. Being used much less than the Playstation 2, which has a 21.6% showing, ranking the system the most played console for the month of April."
If you're one of those people who've been rigorously collecting up Club Nintendo points since its inception back in December, you might want to read up on this announcement. Your status on Club Nintendo (Gold/Platinum) will be reset at the end of the month as the "Club Nintendo year" is about to come to an end. If you reach the end of the month with a Gold or Platinum status, you will be entitled to a special gift depending on your status. What those are have not been determined yet.
Although BioWare's games are known to run on powerful hardware, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk talked about the possibility of developing games on the Wii. They definitely would be interested in doing so and their approach would be to create games based on what the Wii audience wants. They have nothing to announce for the time being, but their long-term goal is to expand and diversify their games, making the Wii a good fit for their plans.
Nintendo can add this to their philanthropic list of trying to help people, whether it's to lose weight or just kill time. Wiis have been used in some hospitals for a while now. Ever since its release, these hospitals have been implementing them in their physiotherapy program by making patients do the activities in Wii Sports. But this is one of the first few times that it's being used to aid doctors and, in this case, surgeons. The Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, in Arizona, has been u...
For those who think that Nintendo's Wiimote might be a bit steep at $40 a piece can try out a third-party alternative that is slightly cheaper. Gizmodo reviews the Nyko Wand ($35) and Mad Catz Wireless Remote ($30) and sees how they stack up to Nintendo's original and whether they're worth saving those extra dollars. They reviewed them on the basis of how well they test the infrared and accelerometer along with other minor nuances.
So what was their verdict? Despite the original Wiimote re...
Could a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon off-shoot be headed to WiiWare? According to some pamphlets handed out at Japanese McDonald's three installments are headed to the WiiWare service in the future. The names of the games are Advance! Fire Adventure Group, Go! Storm Adventure Group, and Aim For It! Light Adventure Group.
We are back from half the crew being at E3 to ... talk about E3. James and Perry tell a tale of almost getting killed while in L.A., we hit up the finer points of the three major conferences, talk about the best games, and take a little bit longer than usual to do so. Grab us on iTunes or download the mp3 directly. Enjoy!
Folks. Michael Pachter is an idiot. Or... maybe just the video game blogs that give him the time of day are. Hell, even when my partner writes about him, I get pissed (it's like Jack Thompson's name anywhere in the news... they just don't need press). However, I am posting this on Grep because it is "news" and I rather see it linked to Gamesindustry.biz than whatever blog that might attempt to make a story out of Pachter speaking out of his ass once again. See quote if you want to see his...
Nintendo of Japan, in a press release today, announced new colors for their current hardware, which will both release in Japan this summer.
The Wii will now see a version in a black color, and will launch on August 1st at the same price of 25,000 yen as a regular white Wii. Additionally, black Wii Remotes, black Nunchuks and the Classic Controller Pro (both black and white) will also go on sale at that time.
The DSi will also see its sixth hardware color, using red. The red DSi will l...
"Nintendo announced today that it was adding the Wii Vitality Sensor to the list of things one can attach to the Wii Remote. Nintendo's official announcement claims it will expand the appeal of video games.
How? Well, we're not quite sure yet, as we've not yet poked the Wii Vitality Sensor. But these beautifully unblemished, wrinkle-redacted hands have. Initially, Nintendo says, it will sense a user's pulse and "a number of other signals being transmitted by their bodies, and will then prov..."
E3 2009 is set to be a lot bigger and better than last year's E3 and Kotaku was able to snap some pictures of what the lucky visitors will be able to see. I must say, it looks pretty impressive, especially the Final Fantasy XIII stairs.
"People argue that there really isn’t anything special about motion controls right now. Going back to the comparison to the shift to 3D games, console 3D games were also not particularly impressive at first. Much of their appeal was simply the novelty of being in 3D. Many 3D games were barren, the geometry rough and blocky, draw distances were poor, textures muddy, etc. It took a while before 3D really dug in and began impressing us with what could be done."
Electronic Theatre reports on the delivery of a brand new gold-plated Wii console to HRH The Queen of England, along with a copy of THQ's BIG Family Games.
"Just a few hours ago, I went to the one near my house and was quite surprised at what I saw. Apparently they had a installed a new vending machine less than a day ago which allows you to trade in your used PS2, PS3, X-Box, 360 and Wii games.
The machine looks extremely similiar to the Redbox DVD rental machines. When I went to use the machine, however, it still had more than a few bugs that need fixing. The first issue occurs right after you login. When logging in, you are asked to scan yo..."
"Gaming has a lot of "dirty words", and one I'd like to highlight today is "exclusive", a term personally I haven't seen explored from an editorial standpoint. In this Special, I'll go into the ups and downs of exclusives, non-exclusives, why anyone cares, and why developers go one way or another.
Even the most latent of gamers is probably aware of what "exclusive" refers to, but just in case, here's an explanation: due to a variety of reasons, a developer and publisher decide together thei..."
This has so many stereotypes, but you can't help but laugh. Some people might be offended, but remember this is all for some laughs.
What do you get for your girlfriend? Want her to get into gaming? Well the perfect gift for her is the Shii. A Wii developed especially for women. She'll have a lot of fun.
"Electronic Theatre has received word that Wii hardware supply in the UK has now reached a level-footing with demand, allowing retailers to freely order their required quantities without limitation."
"“Simple games for simple people” is a term you often here in the UK when discussing the placement of Wii’s software catalogue in the market. It’s a difficult opinion to argue against when the top sellers - not only on the console, but of the generation so far - are Wii Sports, Wii Fit and Wii Play. Simple games they may be, but the audience purchasing them would be best referred to as “average”, opposed to “simple”. Mr. John Doe is the biggest audience Wii has, and he’s not interested in any ..."
Earlier this week, Nielsen Media Research had released console hardware usage statistics for 2008. Today, they have released a revised graph, showing the percentage of minutes each console commands through the calendar year. Most, if not all of the adjustments, came in the January 2009 area.
The revised statistics show that throughout most of 2009, the PS2 enjoyed a large lead in usage percentage, before losing most of it in January 2009. The Xbox 360 and whatever is in the 'Other' cate...
"While Wii may be selling faster than tickets to an all boy choir being sold at a Catholic parish, the games have received very little fanfare on the review front. Outside of the occasional mini-game compilation and first-party titles, Wii has struggled greatly in North America to establish any sort of strong sales figures for third-party games that measure up to the console's install base. Hardcore and casual third-party exclusive titles for the Wii fall very flat in comparison to the PLAYSTA..."
An extended version of The Bender is here. We run a bit long timewise, but there is no filler (sans some comic book talk because the Wolverine movie comes up). Topics are in the quote, go to source to grab the mp3 or if you are an iTunes user just click here. Enjoy!
In an amusing and not well thought out move by the European Parliament, they desire a "red button" on consoles for parents to be able to push when they see something "morally objectionable" in front of their kid's eyes. James Walker believes this already existed with the reset button. I would take it a step further and go ahead and say that button is called the "Power Button"
"The Wii, which seems to have been “sold out” more than it was available, has finally been sold to every person that wanted it bad enough to wait outside retail stores well before opening and/or going to the devil known as eBay.
Bob McKenzie (SVP of GameStop) has now come out saying, “..three years later, we finally have enough inventory on the shelf, and we’ve got a couple of weeks in supply of this.”"
"Selecting a "winner" for each console generation is somewhat of a nonsensical engagement. Before even beginning to assess the merits of your sources of sales figures, release dates, review scores and other such relevant texts, you have to consider exactly what qualities a "winner" would possess. Would it be the largest quantity of widely renowned videogame releases of a high quality? Or that which had increased its library from the previous-generation to the greatest extent? Perhaps the defin..."
"This week's developer summit proved extremely useful for our Wii projects. I think it's great that Nintendo announced Flash support for game developers. It's pretty exciting for the Wii and especially for developers who can make games directly in flash. This should open up the Wiito a lot of web developers who already can do killer flash games."
The Nintendo DS was recently confirmed as crossing the two million unit sales milestone after only its second year in South Korea, but the Wii only managed to sell 35,000 pieces of hardware after its first month there. But how is the Wii situation now, ten months later? Cubed3.com has a special report from time spent in the country recently that shows things may not be too bleak after all...
"Face it, Nintendo: you've completely screwed up WiiWare. As one of my many free public services to you, I shall carefully outline the five ways you've managed to do this, and offer common-sense solutions for addressing the main problems where I can. At this point, though, some of the problems are almost intractable. You screwed this one up pretty bad, Nintendo-- so bad it ran guys who publish adventure games off to the competition's inferior controller."
"Show Notes:
Mike reviews EA and Gillette's Champions of Gaming
James reviews the Resident Evil 5 Demo
NEWS:
Leaked Kid Icarus Concept Art? Or a new Youngblood comic?
Free Radical is Dead! Long Live Crytek UK!
The Death of the $59.99 price tag? Maybe not as good as it sounds.
Again! Left 4 Dead isn't coming to the *bleep*ing PS3! Drop it!
Man chokes girlfriend with Wiimote
Non-Gaming News: Man Dressed as Klingon Robs 7-11
Non-Gaming News: Eric Bauman Fired from eB..."
"The following is a tribute to fanboys everywhere, regardless of any anger you may personally feel towards them. That Game Site has recently spent considerable time reflecting on the videogame industry and has realized that for all the problems fanboys cause they do a lot of good. It is about time someone pointed out the benefit they are to the business and gave them the proper 'thank you' they deserve."
"To celebrate the company's 16th year of game development, the Web site will feature a T-shirt giveaway contest, with 16 new winners announced each month. There will also be one giveaway of a Nintendo Wii console.
"We are very proud to be entering our 16th year in the games industry," said Kerry J. Ganofsky, CEO and founder of High Voltage Software. "This new Web site and contest is meant to be a token of appreciation for all of the support we've received from fans over the years.""
"Show notes:
MIR-12 Agent killed - the story explained.
Asian girls don't be rude - have sex with that zombie dude! - Is this even viral?
Superbowl - James has money on the Cardinals, wtf!?!
Tiger Woods, Geoff Keighley, Major Nelson, Derek Jeter in Orlando Feburary 3rd
NEWS:
Analysts say Wii could see "sudden collapse"
Platinum Games loves NeoGAF fan ads
Sony: PS3 will remain the most expensive console - Time to let go of Blu-Ray?
Activision announces DJ Hero - Great..."
Square Enix's iPhone/iPod Touch only title Crystal Defenders is exclusive no more: the company has revealed it will be bringing it to WiiWare, PlayStation Network (PSN) and Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA).
The game uses many character classes from the Final Fantasy Tactics universe. Japan is getting it January 27 on WiiWare (for 1,000 Wii Points), with the other versions, reportedly different somehow, not dated or priced yet.
The NPD Group has released their hardware and software numbers for the month of December, representing sales for the United States for the five week period of November 30th to January 3rd.
Notables this month:
Hardware numbers:
NDS: 3040.0k (608.0...
UK retailer GAME has released sales statistics for the past year for the five current console and portable hardware systems, giving 2008 year-to-date and lifetime-to-date totals for each system. The numbers are cited from and confirmed by European sales tracker Gfk Chart Track.
2008 Year-to-Date:
NDS: 3.4 million
WII: 2.9 million
360: 1.4 million
PS3: 1.0 million
PSP: 0.6 million
Lifetime-to-Date:
NDS: 8.8 million
WII: 4.9 million
360: 3.2 million
PSP: 3.2 million
PS3: 1.9 ...
"Guess what? It's pretty slick. We didn't conduct a full-blown test, but we did get to check it out and play a bit of Wii Sports. We instantly noticed an improved hand feel over the standard Wii Remote when we got our hands on it. The underside "B" button is rubberized for an improved grip and feel. And the buttons, although square, are easier to hit and feel responsive."
"There was a time when playing a video game meant sitting still with your eyes transfixed on the television screen and the worst damage you could do was possibly a sore thumb, but that was before Nintendo's Wii.
The Wii, which continues to become more and more popular each year, involves getting up off the couch and exercising those muscles."
"A raid at a Staffordshire house has resulted in the apprehension of an unemployed man who operated an illegal chipping service on several websites all linked to Gumtree.com, a classified ads and community site. In an intelligence-led operation involving Staffordshire Trading Standards and investigators from ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association), the home of an unemployed 30 year-old man was raided this week."
"Ever since the debut of the Atari 2600 in 1977, if a console vendor's gaming instincts were not clean and strong, consumers would hesitate at the moment of truth. The consoles would not sell. And console makers died.
It's now clear that lesson was lost on Microsoft and Sony. Expect Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to talk a lot about the Xbox 360 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday, and Sony Chief Howard Stringer to highlight the role of the PlayStation in tha..."
"Sales of videogames hit an all-time high in 2008, according to ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) which today revealed annual sales figures from GFK Chart-Track. Total sales of all videogame software and hardware amounted to £4.034 billion. There was a huge increase in games sales in 2008, with growth of 23 percent on figures for 2007. The market has now more than doubled over the last five years. The increasing popularity of videogames took total sales to £..."
"So I had only purchased ONE good game for my Wii in 2008.
Luckily, I had purchased an Xbox 360 from a crackhead around September, and since countless of my close friends already owned the console, I got to experience some of the best of the best games that it had to offer through borrowing. I teabagged people in Halo 3, killed a zombie with an umbrella in Dead Rising, broke some guy's high-definition jaw bone in Fight Night Round 3, robbed hundreds of villagers in The Elder Scrolls IV: Obl..."
"Of interest to the competitive, PushupFu also lets you join tracked leagues and go head-to-head in a chest-building Battle Mode. It also has a built in course that promises to train you to do 100 push ups, no mean feat.
This takes me back to my days of doing push ups during Final Fantasy VII loading screens. Man, I was ripped by the time I got that Gold Chocobo. And, thanks to my recent PushupFu purchase I plan to be... well, marginally more physically fit than I am now. Who wants to step ..."
You probably know that Nintendo is coming into the television business with their new Wii Video service in Japan. Their goal is to create a TV channel that can be accessed by anyone with a Nintendo Wii and an internet connection.
This channel (known as Wiinoma) is supposed have a series of family oriented programs to capture all kinds of audiences.
As Nintendo makes these plans, what does the TV people think of it? A senior executive at Fuji Television says that if the Wii succeeds in becom...
Starting next Spring, the "Food Delivery Channel" will be available to Wii owners who live in Japan, allowing them to order pizza, sushi, Chinese, Japanese, Western, Eastern food, and lots more through their console. There's also a roulette wheel that will pick your food at random if you can't decide.
2008 had tons of crazy moments in the world of gaming, and EuroGamer has decided to run through the events that happened from July all the way to December. They include the E3 conferences, the new 160 GB PS3, and Wii Music.
To check out the months before, click here.
In a press release today, Nintendo has announced that they have partnered up with Japanese advertising agency dentsu Incorporated to create a new online video delivery service for the Wii. Unlike the current services available, Nintendo and dentsu's new 'Wii Channel' will focus primarily on original content, offering cartoons and other entertainment programs that were created for this new service.
This will launch early 2009 in Japan, and could see overseas launches later next year.
[F...
"There is nothing worse than wanting to listen to the fine music in your back catalogue of Nintendo DS games and being disappointed by how the full effect just cannot be garnered from merely relying on the system's stereo speakers. But what is the solution? Well, in most cases people will plump for a powerful pair of earphones, blasting the soundtrack right into their head, which is not always ideal, or pick up some cheap external docking station that horribly distorts the sound. Now, thankful..."
"Nintendo platforms appear to be in cruise control at the moment in Japan, easily outselling rival systems in the latest weekly hardware chart.
DSi was again the top seller during the week ended December 14, moving almost 50,000 units more than it managed the previous week."
Gamestop's reservation program helped a lot of gamers last year obtain Nintendo Wii's with its Reservation Program.
Last year, customers would pay upfront for a Wii console on Dec. 21. Then when the system arrived in stores, Gamestop would ship the Wii's to the people in January.
Now this year, there are shortages of DS Lites, so Gamestop is bringing back its Reservation Program.
Unfortunatley, this reservation program is USA exclusive.
Anyway I feel that this really isn't necess...
"Oh 2008, you provided me with so much. From penis shaped levels on LittleBigPlanet to penis shaped monsters in Spore. From over sized sweater monkeys in Soul Calibur IV to Snake's ED in Metal Gear Solid 4. And when I wasn't busy gawking at virtual sex organs, I played some great games too.
But sometimes, videogame industry, you made me into a curmudgeon. I tried to stay positive, but then you didn't let me rip off Batman's head with Scorpion or you released Home in the middle of December,..."
"Nintendo of America Inc. and Nyko Technologies, Inc. today announced they have settled a lawsuit brought by Nintendo regarding Nintendo's Intellectual Property rights relating to its popular Nunchuk controller..."
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"Looking at the breakdown of scores, it's clear that while the PlayStation 3 only has three more exclusives than the Xbox 360, it has quality on its side, with four games scoring 9 or higher, compared to only one on Xbox 360. The Wii, meanwhile, comes in with two. All three systems have exclusive strengths and weaknesses, but if we had to call a winner - and we do - we'd give it to the PlayStation 3: Sony's system has the highest standard of exclusives, paired with plenty of variety."
"In the basic mode of operation, the user plays their game in the normal way but with one significant difference. jOG detects when the player takes a step and only allows movement in the game while the player is jogging on the spot. Direction and all the other functions are still controlled by the standard gamepad..."
"Games industry trade body ELSPA (the Entertainment Leisure & Software Publishers Association) today urged parents looking to purchase video and computer games for Christmas to always check the game's packaging for the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) age ratings and content descriptors. PEGI age ratings appear on game packaging and are intended to protect children and help the public make informed choices when buying games for children. ELSPA believes..."
The staff over at Edge were able to sit down with Nintendo's legendary game developer Shigeru Miyamoto, to discuss his latest piece of software: Wii Music, and his thoughts and ideas behind this controversial title. From this topic the conversation continues onto his thoughts and theories about video games, Nintendo's position in the market, and his approach to designing the games that we know and love. Lastly, he leaves his hope on what he believes his impact on the industry will be:
quot...
An analyst from Macquarie Securities revealed Nintendo makes $6 on each Wii they sell -- and that's supposed to be a lot! Microsoft about breaks even, meanwhile, and Sony loses money on each PlayStation 3. Quite an industry we're in.
"The most reliable estimates at current predict the arrival of the Next-Generation machines some time within 2011-2012. However, many experts have also stated that Nintendos plan is likely to be radically different to that of the competition, and so a successor to Wii may well arrive earlier..."
Thanksgiving is coming to the troops in video game form. The technological devices are said to help with rehabilitation, not to mention providing some simple fun. Soldiers' Angels are a non profitable organisation providing technology to injured soldiers.
The Wii has received great positive feedback from it. Donna Jo Blake stated that it has physical, mental and emotional helping factors. Let's hope it brings them a good Christmas.
Square Enix have announced that Space Invaders Get Even will be release in North America on December 1st. It's yet to be confirmed, but it'll likely be 500 Wii Points as it was in other countries. There will also be no less than three add-on packs at 500 Wii Points each.
This game is set thirty years after the original and this time you take control of the aliens! Destroy earth and bring death to all humans.
With 2008 coming to close, many are wondering - "What console had the best exclusives", of course the true answer to that is based on what kind of games you like, and in many cases, what console you own, however the method which SecondStoryGamer use isn't a bad one at all.
Taking the Metascore Ratings of the exclusive games, and then working out it's average. Note that all results are as at November 20th
"The consumer is voting with their wallet and their pocketbooks that the Wii and the DS represent fantastic values. So far this year, month in and month out, the Wii and DS have been number one and number two selling systems for the month. That suggest our value equation is finely tuned at this point There is no need for price cuts on our systems today."
"When the fine folks at MTV unpackaged the game (Animal Crossing), they were shocked to discover a 16-digit confirmation code that owners have to input in order to download the Wii Speak Channel.
Curious, MTV contacted Nintendo about the code and were told that the Wii Speak Channel will not be available for purchase, and that the only way to unlock it is to input the confirmation code. The peripheral will still work for in-game chatting, though."
"Do you find there are too few hours in the day to run a household, hold down a job and fit in a workout? Or, are you just getting bored of the same old fitness routine? EA SPORTS, a label of Electronic Arts Inc., today announced the development of EA SPORTS Active, an innovative new customizable and personalized fitness product that will get you motivated to move in the comfort of your home. EA SPORTS Active will launch exclusively for the Wii worldwide next spring."
They stole money, they stole cough drops... but they crossed the line when they stole the Nintendo Wii from the Northeastern Senior Community Center in PA.
The Nintendo Wii meant more to them than anything else, a donation to the centre. Having it stolen was the biggest shock, it made the day worthwhile.
The good news is a kind person gave them the money to buy a new Nintendo Wii to replace the old one. The home also decided to install a security system.
"The technology is really kick-butt, as it was featured at GDC 2008, allowing users to generate artificial movements with real life movements, completely without a controller. The next generation of gameplay is literally upon us."
Stefanie Shea, an Army wife, has been doing more than her share for her husband and his brothers in arms. She founded Fun For Our Troops, a non-profit organization that helps provide video games, mp3 players, and other great techno goodies to our troops stationed overseas.
The website is linked, as is the address if anyone wants to make a contribution or donation.
Happy Veteran's Day everyone! Semper Fi!
What do you do when your video game provider brings out a clever new innovation? You make a hack that's twice as clever and fun of course!
Two gamers have gone and made what looks to be an excellent game. It's robot soccer played with two Lego Mindstorm vehicles! They used the balance boards to control these little machines around the table... maybe have a beer... enjoy the video!
The guys from AcidMods have outdone themselves. Here you will find a step by step guide to making a rapidfire kit for your wiimote.
While this could easily be emulated and achieved via software- they have made a hardware mod that requires minor soldering, and a little technical know-how.
Check out all of the other pictures and videos after the jump!
Video game ratings are regulated in the United States by the federal government. With the presidential elections in the US coming tomorrow, you could be seeing some changes in how the ratings system on video games is done. With Obama last playing Pong, and McCain never playing a game (nor can he even check his e-mail, check article for video), almost anything can happen.
"What about the holidays?
For Nintendo, we project very strong sales. Our two platforms [Wii and DS] account for almost 70% of the dollar growth of the industry in the U.S. in the first nine months of this year, compared to last year.
Given that strong position, retailers are providing us with tremendous support. Retailers view the Wii and the DS as a way to draw more consumers into their stores. They are using it as a loss leader to drive traffic. This week, for example, Target is selli..."
""First of all, and quite obviously, the graphics. Even the title screen of this couldn't have been done on PS2 or Wii. Online co-op as well; the number of enemies you can have on-screen at one time; destructible scenery, physics - we're using Havok this time. We can do more complex stuff with AI; the concern I had in the very beginning is that sometimes an AI partner can become very frustrating. Now she handles fine and you can play through the game without her becoming a frustration. When yo..."
Exar, makers of the Wii Neo Geo Stick, have announced that they will be releasing two new arcade sticks for the Wii. One will be a regular edition for Virtual Console titles, and will be priced at 5229 yen. The other stick will be a sexy Tatsunoko vs. Capcom-branded stick, complete with images of Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken the Eagle, and Casshern, and will retail for 6279 yen.
The sticks will release on November 27th, a couple weeks ahead of the retail release of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Cross Genera...
"The more complex consoles become, the more weirdy-beardy secret functions are squirreled away inside of them, and Nintendo's latest is no exception.
While most of the Wii's Easter Eggs are specific to certain games - there's a whole trove of 'em in Wii Sports alone - here's seven of the best for the console itself."
Matthew Gallant, of the site gangles, has typed up the history of the famous A and B buttons! Taking a look at Nintendo, Sega, Microsoft and Sony.
It starts from the revolution that was the NES controller with the break away from the joystick fad to the DS where the article's author was shocked to find it A and B instead of B and A. Though the basic functions have been kept the same, designs have changed. Sega and Microsoft consoles have been similar, also using the A and B theme. Yes Sony...
Wii Speak was announced earlier in the summer, to be used with Animal Crossing: City Folk. Basically what it is is something that lets you talk over Wifi.
Now it has been announced that there will be a channel that you can use Wii Speak with. What you do is talk to people, that you've added with a friend code, and you Miis appear on the screen. When you buy Wii Speak, you enter a code that lets you download the channel.
Wii Speak is releasing on the same day as Animal Crossing: City Fol...
I know of many people that own the Wii and love it like no other console and on the other hand, I also know quite a few people that own a PS3 or a XBOX360 who equally love the console. Whilst PS3 and XBOX360 are at each others throats (especially the Fanboys), there is one thing that MANY (not all) will agree on - the Wii is not in the competition because it's not a true gamers console, and whilst many Wii Fanboys would disagree with that, this is one of the few points in the console war that...
At the Nintendo Fall Press Conference today, Nintendo has announced that they want to get the world connected with their Wiis. To do this, they're planning on a few things:
At the Nintendo Fall Press Conference today, Nintendo has announced the Wii's storage solution: you can now download directly to the SD Card, and it will now be much easier to move from the Wii console to the SD Card and vice versa. This will go in effect Spring 2009.
According to French newssite Gamekyo, Nintendo will be announcing a new Wii game for one of their old franchises at their upcoming Fall Press Conference that will be held later this week on October 2nd.
Various names have been thrown around, with most guessing that it will be Kid Icarus. Nintendo has no comment.
[Forums]
Thrustmaster - a company who designs and makes game controllers and the likes - has revealed their three Wii accessories that they are currently working on: Glow Sabers, Dual Trigger Gun, and a T-Wireless Precision Pack.
As you can imagine, the Glow Sabers will be utilized with Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels, the Dual Trigger Gun gives you an extra advantage in shooting games, and Precision Pack offers you a responsive wireless controller.
WiiNearby is a web mashup that can help find a Wii by hooking into eBay and Amazon.com and combining the information with Google Maps. You can search in your area or choose another zip code to search for a Wii or a Wii accessory.
What better list could you make than a top six list for Wii games that should never hit the shelves? That's right, one blogger by the name of KenTheGreat1 felt compelled to create such an article after seeing some games on the shelves they felt should never have been produced.
Their list of games includes Wii Rave, Wii Strip Poker, Wii Poaching, Wii Beer Shotgunning, Wii Russian Roulette and Wii Bas Rutten Street Defence.
All of those would never make it to the shelves for obvious reaso...
The Wii Backup Loader, a mod that allows you to play your backed up copies of Wii games, has been deserted by Waninknkno - the maker of the program - because it was leaked to the public a couple days ago.
Hopefully, someone else can take on the task and complete it.
image credit - engadget
At the end of each DLC week, Videogamer gives their opinion on which system delivered the best content. This week, the PS3 got a NBA Live 09 demo, to go long with Rock Band songs.
Xbox Live got Destroy All Humans!, a Gears of War 2 trailer, and bikes added to Burnout Paradise. Last and least, the Wii only got three things: All VC games, with Sonic the Hedgehog leading the way.
So who won the DLC war? Hit the source to find out.
"It's an odd statistic, yes, but also an interesting one! The Financial Times have looked at some of the world's top-earning companies, and worked out how much cash each generates per capita (ie divide the total profit by the total number of employees). Each worker at money grubbers Goldman Sachs, for example, is worth $1.24 million. Google employees can "only" manage $626,000. But Nintendo employees? Every one of the 3000 workers at Nintendo Towers generates $1.6 million. Yes, even the tea lady."
Introducing Waninkoko's Wii ISO Loader, a clever little program that allows you to play your legally backed up copies of Wii games on your Wii via a little bit of homebrew.
As seen in the video linked after the jump- users have successfully booted up, and played The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess right off of their Wii.
Not certain of when this will come out of work-in-progress status, but once it does one thing is certain; we are going to need that Wii-Storage Solution.
Weaker than projected numbers coming in from August have caused many Video Game Related futures to take a hit today. EA, ActivisionBlizzard, and THQ - big name companies were down around than 3%, while GameStop fell a whopping 5%.
The Wii was sporting low sales figures, as were all consoles. Only the Sony PSP managed to inch its way positive.
Blame the economy, blame the industry, blame the ESRB, but whomever you blame - it just goes to show that even the video game industry isn't a saf...
NintendoWiiFanboy goes through a list of 5 awesome Wiimote mods. Everything from lights, to powerglove rips, to lightgun hacks.
Impressive work by whomever made them- that is for sure.
Be sure to check out the article to link to some videos of these bad boys in action, as well as full write-ups.
It is being reported that Nintendo is looking into a new storage solution for the Wii that will be "better than a hard drive".
Speculation is some sort of online storage capabilities. Though it will not cater to the Wii-owners who do not use or possess WiFi.
No word yet on how this may affect hacked and modded Wiis either- mostly speculation at this point, but according to Reggie Fils-Aime, a Nintendo Executive, something is on the way.
Wedbush Morgans Michael Pachter has released new figures for the amount of consoles sold in the US, and whilst Wii has sold double that of the other consoles, the second place went to PS3 that managed to sell a couple more thousand consoles than the XBOX360.
With higher sales in Japan and Europe, it seems that Sony are slowly but surely lowering the gap between the two consoles.
Analyst Jesse Divnich says that Sony is in trouble this holiday season with the PS3, after the 360 got a recent price cut. The PS3 is the console with the highest price, and the smallest video game library. Meanwhile the Wii and DS are still largely outselling the other systems.
Japan's game and hardware sales from last week have been revealed, with Rhythm Tengoku Gold, a Ninteno DS game, coming first. One of the newest additions to the Japanese market, Afrika, came in second with 38,000 units sold. Rounding out the top five is J-League Winning Eleven 2008 Club Championship for the PS2, PSP Fate/Tiger Colosseum Upper for the PSP, and Wii Fit.
Over on the hardware side, the DS Lite sold the most, reaching over 56,000 units! Second was the PSP with 41k new owners, ...
With the recent report that Square Enix is talking to Tecmo about taking them over and Activision merging with Blizzard, are the small developers slowly being put to a stop?
Gamer.Blorge sure thinks so, saying that the big dogs (EA, Square Enix, etc) have to take over the smaller devs in order for them to survive because of the cost to develop for the next gen systems. In the past, all they had do was make PS2 games, allowing them to survive with the PS2's huge fanbase.
If this trend k...
"The Japanese firm expects Wii sales to rise 42 percent to 26.5 million units during the year ending March 31, and software sales to increase 56 percent to 186 million units, reports Bloomberg.
Nintendo also reversed projections that DS sales will drop, estimating 30.5 million unit sales during the current fiscal year, and a 6.1 percent rise in software sales to 197 million units.
Net income is forecast to jump 59 percent to 410 billion yen ($3.8 billion), operating profit by 23 percent ..."
Last week in Japan Xbox 360 sales went up, with the release of the game Tales of Vesperia and 24,962 console sales, but this week the 360 has suffered at a mere 7,358 sales. Because of the drop in 360 sales this week, the PS3 beat the 360 at 11,393 sales from 9,673 sales. However the Wii is doing better then the two of them combined; it is at 53,036 sales this week from 38,506 last week. The DS has 78,666 sales this week, and the PSP has 64,413.
Nintendo's tremendously popular Wii console set a new bar for fun and interesting games; the motion sensor control scheme is what literally sells their titles.
Although the Nintendo Wii is big fun, and a big value, there are places it needs to be improved if Nintendo wants to keep up with its console competitors Sony and Microsoft; Nintendo's next console needs to keep up with graphics, or at least support 1080p resolution.
Read the full article for a look at what would make, and what...
"Nintendo of America sales and marketing boss Cammie Dunaway has revealed that the company was disappointed with its showing at this year's E3 Media and Business Summit, which drew criticism from some sections of the gaming community, notably core gamers.
"I would say the message is we were disappointed with our performance at E3," Dunaway told VGChartz. "There were titles like Wario which we think will be really fun titles that we should have showcased.
"We were excited that Mr. Miyamot..."
After a leave of absence this year, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced that the British Academy Video Games Awards will be returning March of 2009. The award ceremony will be on March 10th at the London Hilton, Park Lane.
So far, there have been 13 categories revealed for the show. Some include Action & Adventure, Artistic Achievement, and their newest category: Handhelds. The goal of the awards is to "support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving imag...
Last year, the NPD group surveyed over 11,000 people about how much time they play and spend on games. After that, they would break it down. They took another survey earlier this year, this time asking 20,000 people ages 2 through 99 to talk about their purchases and gaming "from approximately November 2007 through January 2008."
According to the results, the 'young heavy' are the largest group, taking up 22% of the gaming population. Young Heavy gamers lean toward the handhelds, with at l...
"Back in the good old days, games developers were bespectacled, hairy monstrosities that kept themselves safely locked away in perpetually dark bedrooms, their only relationship in life being a loyal devotion to endless streams of code for the latest Commodore 64 hits. While Jeff Minter does his best to keep those days alive, it cannot be denied that the birth of the Internet gave rise to a new breed of game developer: One with a captive audience, an opportunity to say whatever he or she felt ..."
With the amazing software sales that are going on, 2008 is set to demolish 2007's record setting figures in the U.S. With this news, analysts are now raising their predictions for this year.
When analysts first predicted the software sales for 2008, they were very conservative. Colin Sebastian thought the sales would only go up 30% from last year, Michael Pachter and Jesse Divnich almost predicted the same percentage, with 43 and 44%. Evan Wilson has been the closest, predicting that sales...
GameWithABrain counts down the twenty-five biggest reasons why the gamers in this world can't get along with those who don't play video games at all, from explaining that Halo is not an official sport, the gaming controllers in itself, and that the fact that some gaming systems are just too expensive.
"Ever since Nintendo President Satoru Iwata let word slip that his company was hard at work on the follow-up to their tremendously successful Wii console, rampant speculation brewed across all corners of the Internet. Would Wii 2s control interface be a mind-control device that allows users to manipulate games with the power of their brain? When would this new device be coming to market?
The real question that gamers should be asking is: why should I care right now?"
We've Fan(boy)s at each others throats regarding their console of choice, one of the most widely used arguments are the number of Exclusives a console has, and what they are. However, what many people are unaware of is exactly the number of exclusives their preferred console has and thats what qsf5.com have set about to list - a list of all Exclusives for each of the consoles that have been released in 2008.
The DCEmu community are currently in development of a chip-free mod for the Nintendo Wii which allow the console to become region-free. With this, it will be possible play and watch any game or channel that is available to the Wii. In order to understand the way this mod will be implemented, check out this video demonstration on it.
According to the main image (->) it is speculated that the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band 2 will arrive in stores on September 14th whilst the Playstation 3 owners will have to wait over a month later at a date of October 19th.. whilst in addition the Nintendo Wii owners will have to wait an additional month on November 18th.
Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, has said famed designer Shigeru Miyamoto told him he needs to think of new ideas for the Wii since all of his ideas have been dealt with. Iwata claimed that Wii Music was Miyamoto's last idea and most of the accessories they wanted to release for the Wii are now out. Moreover, he feels the WiiMotion Plus cost hardly any money to make and will be affordable for the consumer; the official retail price has not been announced yet.
Satoru Iwata, the President and CEO of Nintendo, has told MCVUK they're working hard on their next console, adding the design of the new console needs to be vetted through the whole company. Could we be seeing the newest Nintendo console sooner then we think?
Nintendo has released their Q1 Financial Report [PDF] for this year, reporting astronomical numbers, with an operating income of 119.19 billion yen (USD ~1.1 billion), net sales of 423.38 billion yen (USD ~3.9 billion), and a net income of 107.26 billion yen (USD ~0.99 billion). The quarter ended June 30, 2008.
The video game giant also reports lifetime sales of 29.62 million Wiis and 77.54 million DSs worldwide as of June 30. The report also notes Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Ti...
Nintendo has partnered with photo company Fujifilm, launching a service in Japan. This one allows Wii owners upload photos to the Wii Photo Channel and print them via the console. Also available are "Wii Name Cards", which are essentially business cards, and "Wii Photobooks." Prices can be found via the digitalcamerainfo source to the right.
The service is expected to go global, but no dates are set yet. Keep your eyes peeled!
We all love playing online against our friends or just some random people, but does Nintendo need to improve their online play? According this article, they do. Nintendo Wi-Fi first came out in 2005 and one of the big games that utilized the Wi-Fi was Mario Kart DS. It was introduced on to the Wii later and it wasn't so good, with games such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl lagging for 10 minutes straight (It still happens sometimes). To fix this problem, according to the article, Nintendo needs to...
An employee of Comcast gave The Consumerist some news: Anyone who subscribes for Comcast Double Play (the pictures says Triple Play) somewhere in between July 28th - August 17th, gets a free Wii! This offer will be available in certain market areas, such as Miami and San Francisco.
Because of a patent infringement that Nintendo lost and Anascape Ltd. won, the selling of classic controllers for the Wii, the GameCube, and the WaveBird controller is no more. The Nunchuk controller was not banned because it does not actually violate the patent. When Nintendo asked for a new trail, U.S. District Judge Ron Clark denied it and now Nintendo is appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals.
"So E3 '08 is finally over, and what a largely underwhelming week of drama and disappointment it was. But every show is a mixed bag and every show has its own personality, so over the next few pages you'll find our rundown of what happened, what was important, and how it affected our overall impression of the show this year. Snark and cynicism abounds!"
"#5 - Cammy Dunaway Talks About Her Failed Snowboarding Trip
#4 - Reggie Promises Software For Core Gamers And Then Gives Us The Middle Finger
#3 - An Audience Full Of Heartbroken, Unimpressed Crickets
#2 - Nobody Knew How To Actually Control Anything
#1 - M Night Shyamalan Plays Wii Music Terribly"
"Nintendo's upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a players arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make ..."
"Mobile games specialist Gamelion has been given approval by Nintendo to create games for the Wii, DS and WiiWare platforms.
The developer has previously worked on a number of high-profile licences by partnering with Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai and Sony Pictures.
"Working with Nintendo is a great opportunity for both our studios," offered Lukasz Szczepanski. "Wii and DS are both great platforms, allowing our developers to spread their wings and expand their creative side with new and..."
Back in May, developer JV Games announced a rather strange game for Nintendo's WiiWare service. This game was titled Frat Party Games - Beer Pong. Since then, school groups, drug-free coalitions, and anti-underage-drinking groups have been protesting the release of the seemingly harmless game.
Today, JV Games has announced that Frat Party Games - Beer Pong has gone sober. The game's new title is Frat Party Games -- Pong Toss, and the new game will not feature any alcohol at all. The ESRB ...
"DFC Intelligence has a theory. David Cole, analyst at the firm, says that the Wii "does not appear to be a fad and it has the chance to be one of the best selling systems of all-time" according to new report. You hear that, naysayers and Wii jokesters? Not a fad! While DFC places Nintendo's waggle-box at the top of the heap this generation, it also has good, long-term news for Sony, writing that PlayStation 3 annual software sales will match that of the Wii by 2012.
The market research and..."
A quick look at the rise of Indie game development. Thanks to the support of software such as the Microsoft XNA Game Studio - it is much easier for anyone with a little bit of programming knowledge and a good idea to push something forward. Who knows - it might even wind up on the front page of the Xbox Marketplace.
"Team DWiildo suggests using the Wii remote jacket, for safety's sake, and instruct gamers to "Not try to use this with either the Wii Zapper or Wii Wheel peripherals."
There are four different "playing levels," in what is described as a "highly advanced technology demo." The team clearly have ideas for where the project is now going, mooting adding the ability to add a "stimulating" slideshow of images, USB webcam support and online chat functionality, as well as local multiplayer options ..."
"Earlier this week, Nintendo released firmware version 3.3 for the Wii in the hopes of deterring some of the homebrew work being done for the console. The update nixed the commonly-used "Twilight Hack," which made use of a modified save file to launch homebrew applications. It didn't take long for the community to respond, though, as a fix has been released which counters Nintendo's efforts."
Unfortunately for all of us who use homebrew, the newest 3.3 Wii Menu Update kills Twilight Hack, which was the most used homebrew injection method.
The news is recent, and there is no word yet of ways to circumvent this - so if you want to keep running homebrew DON'T UPDATE YOUR WII.
Homebrew channel still seems to work fine though it is still in beta.
One of the biggest issues surrounding the Nintendo Wii is the small built-in memory of the system, and the numerous players who have ran out of room to store Wiiware and Virtual Console games. NoE's Laurent Fischer, of "Geek and Otaku" fame, has been talking about a future storage solution they have in mind.
"The Nintendo Wii has USB connectors hidden in the back of its tiny white frame, but so far they've gone unused. That all may be changing soon, as a report came out today that Nintendo of America is going to be testing USB devices.
Engadget points to a job listing that has appeared from Nintendo of America for a "Software/Hardware Tester" to help create a "test plan for Wii's USB devices." Details are sparse beyond that, but our gut reaction is to hope for a hard drive attachment to add sto..."
"WW: Can you tell us a little more about the actual story line of the game?
PM: Pirates: The Key of Dreams is a frantic nautical shoot-em-up where players sail their way across the Caribbean, cannons blazing, looting booty, running blockades, and ultimately, battling Blackbeard himself.
The player takes control of a Navy Captain sent deep undercover as a ruthless Pirate, in order to seek out and retrieve The Key of Dreams, a valuable and dangerous cursed artifact.
WW: Can you tell us ..."
"At a glance, Nyko's wireless Kama Nunchuck (pictured) appears plenty different from Nintendo's first-party Nunchuck controller, simply because Nyko's offering is wireless, and Nintendo's isn't.
But Nintendo believes that Nyko's wireless Nunchuck infringes on its patents, nonetheless.
According to Bloomberg, Nintendo is suing Nyko, claiming that the peripheral maker's controller "wholly appropriates the novel shape, design, overall appearance and even the color and materials used in the ..."
"With the now scaled-down E3 event set to take place next month, all eyes are firmly focused on each of the big three companies to see what special treats they will be bringing to the table. Rumours are pointing towards Nintendo bringing out an all-new franchise that will shock gamers considerably.
Previously it had been touched up by Nintendo of Americas president Reginald Fils-Aime that something big was coming at this years E3 media event, stating to Geoff Keighley of GameTrailers back..."
The May 2008 NPD numbers have been recently released, and by the looks of it, the numbers overall were below people's expectations, with hardware and software numbers decreasing since last month. Many thanks for sonycowboy at NeoGAF and the NPD Group for making the numbers available. The tracking period was a four week period, from May 4th to May 31st.
May only saw one major release: the ever-popular Wii Fit from Nintendo. The focus this month came on Grand Theft Auto IV, Mario Kart W...
When asked about the problems many gamers have been complaining about regarding storage and the Wii, Laurent Fischer, managing director of marketing at Nintendo of Europe said only "geeks and otaku" were the only ones affected (otaku, if you don't know, is defined as "an avid collector or enthusiast, esp. one who is obsessed anime, video games, or computer and rarely leaves home"). Ouch, that hurts, Nintendo.
The video games sales are expected to be revealed this Thursday and Michael Pachter, a Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst, believes the Wii will triple the number of units the 360 sold, and that the PS3 will sell slightly less than what the Xbox 360 sold in May.
To read the other things Pachter had to say, click the source.
"Nintendo Wii with the popular Wii Sports game (bowling, boxing, baseball, tennis and golf) for £179.98 and delivered free in the UK.
Buy Now
Nintendo DS for £99.98 and delivered free in the UK.
Buy Now
You can get the Nintendo DS with a selected game together for only £109.99."
Nintendo posted a want ad for a contract Software/Hardware Tester yesterday, someone who would be "creating and executing a test plan for Wii's USB devices," "executing test plans with great attention to detail and documenting bugs," and other things. Sounds like some new USB toys are on the way, you think? One could hope it's that previously rumoured hard drive..
Nintendo is really trying to reach out to the casual gamer with this one. On June 12, Nintendo will be hosting a Wii Sports Boxing contest in a New York City bar, but this contest is only for the ladies. The winner of this tournament will win a Wii, what a surprise!
Nintendo will also be hosting a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament on Father's Day. This tournament will be held in the Nintendo World store in New York City on Sunday, June 15. People of all ages and genders are invited to play.
"If the reception to Wii Fit and the interest from many a third party developer were anything to go by, then the future of the Wii Balance Board looks like being a secure one, but should we really be getting overly giddy about what has been touted in many circles as a revolution in game control, or is the Balance Board limited to offering only a little more than is possible at any old videogaming arcade, a limited, gimmicky piece of kit?"
Wii Gamers will most likely have at one point during their time gaming, come across the 12-digit Friend Codes. Needed to add friends to the game, unlike the PS3 and XBOX360 counter parts, the numbers are not chosen by you, which makes remembering them somewhat of a chore, however is that how you see Friend Codes or do you see them as something that's necessary in this day and age of gaming?
Read the article, and make up your own mind and be sure to post a comment below telling us what you ...
It shouldn't come as a surprise or shock to learn that the Playstation 3 loves Power... the Electrical kind that is, however you may be shocked to learn that the Playstation 3 uses five times as much energy as a refrigerator, which means those gamers that leave their Playstation 3 on for Folding@Home are looking at spending around $250 a year on extra electricity that they could have saved.
However don't think it's only the Playstation, the XBOX360 is no stranger to power either, and whil...
According to Nintendo of America's Cammie Dunaway, the average Wii gamer is a hardcore gamer. 79% of Wii gamers are males, most over 18 and more than half of that percentage game at least five hours a week. She says that the people buying the system are typical gamers, but when it gets home, the hardcore gamers show their colours. She gives some more statistics, stating that 45% of other household members are female and 65% of these play at least two hours a week.
The NPD Group recently released their tracked sales numbers for April 2008, for the four week tracking period that ends on May 3rd, 2008. Many thanks to sonycowboy at NeoGAF and the NPD Group for the numbers.
April saw the release of two major games: Grand Theft Auto IV, which shattered industry records, and Mario Kart Wii, the latest installment in Nintendo's Mario Kart franchise. You would think that there would be strong sales all around for the three current generation consoles, but ...
WiiWare, Nintendo's new development platform, is now available. Much akin to the Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Store, WiiWare allows developers and teams with smaller budgets to bring their unique ideas for the Wii to fruition. WiiWare has already launched in Japan.
There are six titles available at launch for WiiWare:
"SEC filings have revealed that Electronic Arts borrowed $1 billion from Morgan Stanley and other lenders to help finance a possible acquisition of Take-Two.
"There's no news here," said EA VP of communications Jeff Brown. "This is just a process point on something we announced in February."
With $2.3 billion on hand in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, EA already has the funds available to do the deal as it currently stands. With the deal not contingent on financing, wh..."
When you woke up this morning, the Wii's disc drive was glowing blue signifying a new message had come in. Upon looking at that message, you read:
quoteThe channel was supposed to be released on Friday, but went live today. In Japan, this went my the moniker of the Everyone's Nintendo Channel (Minna no Nintendo Channel), first announced through the Fal...
Nintendo would like to announce the launch of the new Nintendo Channel, which is now available as a free download in the Wii Shop Channel.
Ubisoft is the latest developer to jump on the WiiWare bandwagon. They are remaking the 2005 PC shooter Protothea. The game is a top-down vertical-scrolling shooter in which you control a spaceship charged with the challenge of taking down a huge, deadly asteroid called Maqno 01 and simultaneously disrupting the evil plans of a political faction called "The Core."
The game is scheduled to launch with the WiiWare service on May 12th, and will sell for 1,000 points. ($10 USD)
"How many gaming consoles do you need? Could Grand Theft Auto IV put a chink in the Wii's armor? Or will the Nintendo Wii continue to stomp the Playstation 3 and XBox 360? Share your thoughts in our Reader Comments section below.
Early on, some industry analysts predicted trouble for Nintendo (other-otc: NTDOY.PK - news - people ): The Wii had a relatively pokey processor, it lacked a hard drive, its controls were unusual. Two years ago, developer Chris Hecker took those whispers into the o..."
The president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, has hinted about a solution to the Wii storage problem. He was asked whether the memory situation could be improved, and he hinted:
"However, because this small number of people are none other than the most avid players, we know we have to review the best possible solution to eliminate their inconvenience."
So the people with the space issues are the people buying the most games. Hopefully Nintendo will fix this soon.
""I am also aware of the [Microsoft Wiimote] rumour and have seen a fake image made by a fan on the web which looks like a Wii Remote with the rumour that such a controller may be launched, However there is no way for us to comment on such speculations."
All I can say today is, it is not that easy to develop software which leverages the characteristics of the Wii Remote. We are not concerned about what other companies may do but rather more concerned with presenting them with new ideas to ..."
There is always some company making rip-off products of some kind of gaming console or handheld, and the Wii has got plenty off them that just seem to fail. Nintendo Everything shows us the top 5.
There's the Vii that started the whole rip-off a balooza and even games shaped like a Wii-remote.
The one you might find the most funny though is the game inside a Wii-remote. It has tilting involved, but it sucks, and even without the motion sensoring(tilting) involved, it still sucks. It mak...
"Greg Zeschuk: I think another, tangential view on that is those kinds of experiences are much more like a toy experience. They're playing, together or not, but you're not 'gaming' anymore. What's different than you actually playing tennis?
Muzyka: I think a lot of it is multiplayer, though, on that platform.
Zeschuk: It is, I agree, that's actually the strongest experience. I'm making the claim that it may not be gaming.
BIZ: Well there's the quote: BioWare says Wii is not gaming! [l..."
Electronic Arts producer Amir Rahimi has claimed whilst speaking to Video Gamer on Tuesday that the up and coming Wii exclusive Jenga based explosive puzzle game Boom Blox has the possibility of becoming a multi platform and come to the Playstation 3, Playstation 2 and Xbox 360.
The game however at the moment is still set to arrive to the Nintendo Wii on May 6th.
Electronic Arts have announced that Matt Ryan has finally been selected to be the Athlete Cover for the Playstation 3 version of the up and coming annual title NCAA Football 09. During the breakdown of potential PS3 Cover Athletes is was said that Matt was the main choice so this may come as no shock to anyone who was following it.
Matt Ryan will be joining Darrn McFadden who has been chosen for the Xbox 360 version and Sparty who has been chosen for the Nintendo Wii version. The Playstati...
Well according to a Japanese Gaming Magazine this is what they currently believe is going to happen as they already claim this is under production by Capcom.
Nothing has been claimed on the matter in the view of Capcom though Capcom's producer Yoshinori Ono did claim in the past it was possible for the game to come over to the Nintendo Wii but then again he also said it was possible for it to come over to the Gameboy.
All we do know however is this game is still being planned for both ...
High Voltage Software is aiming to bring a new face to the Nintendo Wii's gaming format and hope that they can introduce the graphical qualities that both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 are achieving with there new engine, Quantun3. The main features that are being applied to this engine evolve the use of advanced graphical features, including better dynamic bump mapping, light effects, glossing and many, many more.
The first game they are going to be releasing for this Nintendo Wii with ...
According to figures released by The NPD Group, it states that the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 gamers are buying more games per year then the Nintendo Wii. To go into more detail these reports claimed that the Nintendo Wii gamers buy 3.7 games per years whilst the Xbox 360 gamers are in the lead on 4.7 per games whilst the Playstation 3 gamers follow on 4.6 games per gamer.
Ever wondered what the top gaming characters with the munchies could be? Well GameGirl have posted up on there blog there Top 7 Gaming Characters with the Munchies (with the help of Tim-kun). The selection ranges from the old and the new with Crash Bandicoot, Donkey Kong and even a bit of King Dedede being involved. Follow the source to find out the full list.
"Epic Games president, Mike Capps, reiterated what Epic has previously said in an interview with IGN, stating that Epic wont ever be developing games for the Wii. Its not about the success of the platform to him, but what can be done on it. When asked whether there would ever be a time when Epic would be forced to give in and create a game for the Wii, Capps said, no, we go forward, not back. It makes more sense for us to invest in the next-generation tech.
As for why he believes the W..."
If there's one thing that can be said, it's that most polls are biased. You always seem to find sites such as PSPfanboy doing a poll where you can be sure that the readers have already got their mind set as to which console they prefer. However when the poll comes from a general Gaming site, where people from all walks of life gather... one thing can be said... the only bias in this is that it's a Poll for gamers.
Well, IGN conducted a survey of this sort, and it seems that amongst Gamers,...
"Instructions:
Load boot.elf from Chain Loader. Insert any Wii Game and press reset. Enjoy your region free gaming.
Cool Additional Bonus (optional)
If you own a USB Gecko it will install a remote debugger and screenshot engine into memory and will hook. This means you can load Gecko Tool version included and grab screen shots and use the remote debugger in any Wii game. This is all done on the fly and silently, and has no effect on none USB Gecko users.
Technical Gargon:
Gecko ..."
Importers of Japanese Wii's are going to be treated from now until April 22. "Wakeari no Heya Tsuzuki," originally made for the DS by a student with the permission of Nintendo, is going to be released (for free) via the "Everybody's Nintendo channel" on the Wii. The game is said to be a Hotel Dusk-style adventure. More student-developed games are expected to follow.
The Nintendo Wii Fit is being priced at $89.99 for the American gamers and will be hitting the stores on the 19th May 2008. In addition to this if you live around New York and preorder the Wii Fit (within the first 1,000 to do so) then you will receive a special edition Wii Fit that.. Wait for it, will have a reproduced Shigeru Miyamoto signature on it.
Hurrah, good times.
Researcher and Wii Remote hacker, Johnny Lee; popularized by his video demonstrations he posted on YouTube. Is the latest presentor on TED Talks. What is TED Talks? TED, or Technology, Entertainment Design, started in 1984 as a conference which brought people together from those three industries. These industry specialists then give talks on a certain topic pertaining to their category of specialization.
Johnny Lee is most famously known for his Wii Remote hack as seen in his video 'Head T...
With 7 Consoles currently battling (somewhat) for a piece of the Gaming Market, it's always good to learn what games have come out top for each... and well, Video Games Blogger has brought us just that. A list of the top 5 games that have been sold in each of the regions and each of the consoles. I'll give you the top for the XBOX360 and PS3 (since they seem to be the more interesting ones), but be sure to check out the source for the sales for the other 5 systems.
Just to note, these sale...
Are Wii owners most likely to be affected during the current recession of the US economy? OTX and simExchange both seem to think so. While not saying that the video game industry will be affected by the recession, but not stating that it will not be affected by recession, they have said that there is "a risk that Wii titles could struggle in 2008, especially if the economy continues to slide towards a recession." Could this be good news for the PS3 and the 360, or are these analysts taking...
In a news blog post, the BBC's technology news editor Darren Waters believes that by Nintendo claiming the right to stream there BBC iPlayer on the Wii is a massive blow for there rival company's. He also goes onto claim that this new addition of streaming there online shows onto the Wii kinda makes a mockery of what they (Playstation 3 and Xbox 360) stand for.. or well have claimed to and that would be "true multimedia machines" as Nintendo are the first to offer this service.
As previously posted, the "Complete" bundles of Rock Band will be retailing in Europe next month at a retail price of £180 ($360). This is £95 ($186) more than what American gamers already pay for the same equipment.
Today, though, whilst talking to Eurogamer, Harmonix's Rob Kay has come out and stated (in relation to why the European Gamers have to pay more) though VAT and the higher price of consumer electronics are not to blame though they had an impact, it is to actually do with how i...
"THQ executive Jack Sorenson has branded the hardware battle between Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as "totally irrelevant", arguing that the rewards offered by each represent a "win" for games publishers.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz last week at THQ's product showcase in San Francisco, the US publisher's head of worldwide studios said there was "too much of an emphasis on the sports aspect of who's winning and losing", and that his company was focusing on opportunities rather than installe..."
"We all remember the hilarity surrounding the Chinese answer to Nintendo’s Wii, the Vii. Now it seems a French company is doing the same thing and releasing its own family-friendly, casual-gamey, motion-sensey device for living rooms.
The device, which retails at EUR39.99, features a vibrant portfolio of games including Baseball, Ping Pong, Bowling, Boxing, Football and Tennis.
While it’s easy to laugh at what is blatantly an attempt to horn in on the Wii format at a budget price it is, ..."
A survey by ChannelNews and SmartHouse conducted around 10 of Australia's main retail chains who operate over 2,000 stores reveal that the Xbox 360 is on a downward spiral with all new gamers more interested in the Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii.
The retailers have stated that since the RROD that occurred on the Xbox 360 in 2007, the consumers now look at the 360 and do not believe it to be a good value of money in comparison to the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii.
They also claim that th...
According to the NPD Group's earlier report this week it's has now revealed to talk about the online gaming via the Next Generation console. And to no surprise to some the Xbox 360 gamers are making the most use of that with Playstation 3 and PC gamers following. No Nintendo Wii was mentioned strangely..
Though when MTV's Multiplayer contacted the NPD Group to find out further information on this they replied and stated that the Xbox 360 Gamers in percentage to all online gamers was at a s...
The PSP might be making a comeback in Japan thanks to Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. In the last week, it's sold over twice as many units as the DS at a solid 129,986 units. The PS2 also seems to be competing well with its successor, having sold just under one thousand units less than the PS3. Nintendo's still going strong in Japan, and the 360 is... Well, struggling as always.
Atari have released a up to date version of current release dates that they have scheduled for there up and coming titles. Such titles include Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit for the Xbox 360 Playstation 3. The new updated list is as followed;
In an interview to That Video Game Blog, Sandy Duncan, the man who set up and ran the European Xbox business for Microsoft believes that this generation of gaming will be the last for home consoles users (including handheld's) and from this says it will die out in the next 5-10 years and this is mainly based on the costs of new hardware being incredibly high at the moment and the fact that they will keep on rising.
"With a weak dollar, foreign companies that sell their goods in the U.S. for dollars and then convert those dollars to their native currencies get a smaller profit than if they sell their products in countries with strong currencies of their own (such as Europe with the euro). In other words, Nintendo makes a bigger profit on Wiis sold in Europe than on Wiis sold in the U.S.
So Nintendo, Mr. Pachter said, has been behaving perfectly rationally by sending excess Wii consoles to Europe to sat..."
It's March 25th, and thusly, Nintendo's WiiWare has launched in Japan, as a platform for developers with smaller budgets to produce quality, innovative games.
The launch titles are as follows:
The brawl to end them all? How about the Wii to outprice them all?
Crystal Icing went all out with a Nintendo Wii system to give to the winner of the Super Smash Bros. Brawl competition. By all out, I don't mean building it from scratch with new hardware. I mean using over 20,000 crystals on the Wii system to deck it out. The lucky winner of the competition sure got his hands on a real gem of a Wii! :D
Well, Nintendo's biggest heavy hitter is out now as of yesterday, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the rest of the titles that come out this week. Also, pay attention to the Virtual Console, with some quality releases there too.
Notable games this week:
Condemned 2: Bloodshot (360, PS3) [Neoseeker Profile | Forums (360) | Forums (PS3)] | Official Site | Wikipedia]
DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure (VC)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (DS) [Neoseeker Prof...
As things progress in Iraq, soldiers have less fighting to do and more free time. What is it that they choose to do? Some prefer to play football, others go shopping, and still others play video games. Adam Allington from Weekend America has been staying with some soldiers to report on the war and he's seen soldiers huddling around the one console everyone wants: a Nintendo Wii!
I'm sure we're all fed up with the negative attention video games have been receiving from the media over the last few days in response to the North Illinois University incident. From Jack Thompson to state legislators, gamers just don't seem to be getting a break. Well, it's time to add one more person to the list: Dr. Michael Rich, who seems to be concerned about the Wii's physical involvement with violent games.
iSuppli's has predicted that this year Sony will sell about 10 million units, Nintendo Wii still leading with 12.2 and 360 with 7.5 units sold.
For their PS3 sales iSuppli backed their number by saying that games such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII Versus, will likely cause the spike in sales.
And lets not forget about Little Big Planet which could definitely help boost some more sales.
However they do state that PS3 may not win over the casual cr...
It was no question 7+ months ago the 360 was plagued with an astounding failure rate of 33% from the infamous Red Ring of Death, the most in console history. But with the Falcon chips implemented it has gone down by half of what it was, 16%. While both Nintendo and Sony consoles was below 1% the least amount in history. However now it seems both those consoles are now at 3% failure rate.
There is no question with excessive amount of usage, any console can have break downs, such as Over-he...
It's a question that many have asked themselves, how long will the internal memory of the Wii last? Unlike the PS3 which has a minimum of 20GB internal memory for the OS/Game Saves/Downloads and other items, the Wii only has 512MB, which is used for all the downloads and saves. With over 200 games currently availalbe on the Virtual Console, this seriously limits the number of games you can store on the internal memory itself.
Though you can always delete and redownload (onto the machine yo...
"While Nintendo's 2007 success now seems like a foregone conclusion, it wasn't always so. In 2005, Electronic Entertainment Expo attendees who'd been wowed by the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 unveilings left Nintendo's press conference shaking their heads after being shown a nonfunctional mock-up of a tiny console code-named "Revolution." When that device was renamed the "Wii" in 2006, doubt became incredulity--until Nintendo showed off the console's motion-sensing remote at an E3 event that was..."
After Microsoft decided to drop 360 Arcade price in Japan to get hold of unimpressed gamers, a gaming blog based in Holland is claiming that European Xbox 360 Arcade units will soon be receiving a retail price cut so that it would even be cheaper than a Nintendo Wii.
Original source (Unfortunately, it's not in English)
Babelfish translation of article
"Foreign criminals are being given Nintendo Wiis and a plasma television to while away the time before their deportation, it has been claimed.
They can also buy goods at a store inside the facility and have them delivered to their cells by staff. A source at the centre claimed: "There are plasma TVs in some cells and 48in ones in the communal areas.
"Some detainees have Nintendo Wiis. If the consoles go wrong staff are sent to the nearest Argos to pick up a replacement"
Electronic Arts have released there predictions on the up coming years total Hardware sales and believe whilst the Nintendo Wii will lead it with 12-14 million sales, The Playstation 3 will sell more hardware then the Xbox 360 by 3.5 million over North America and Europe. In other news they have also predicted the Handheld sector by predicting that the Nintendo DS will sell 8 million/ or 2-1 more units then the Playstation Portable over the following year.
Sounds like a successful year for...
"For our tests, we cleaved to the following criteria: We only used out-of-the box hardware -- that means no charger packs for 360 and Wii, which must be purchased separately. We played a wide variety of games on each console, including lengthy single-player adventures and shallow down loadable games, both online and off. We played for varying time intervals, from fifteen minutes to upwards of eight hours (Hello weekends!). We used Duracell CopperTops for 360 and Wii testing. And we deemed all ..."
"D: any intrest of making a game on the wii? hahaha
YES! Even though I was less than impressed with my Wii, as well as a lot fo the games I have played, I would love to make a game on this system. I think there is a lot to be done with it. Plus...its like a BILLION times cheaper to make a Wii game versus a 360 or PS3 game...which is good. Making a 40 or 50 million dollar game is cool, I love making big games dont get me wrong, but you have soooo many more masters with their hands in the cre..."
Big news for Wii owners. Factor 5, developers of the highly praised Star Wars Rogue Squadron series on Gamecube, is now developing a brand new game for Wii. Both Rogue Squadron games were praised for their gorgeous visuals and subperb gameplay. To this day, they are still considered to be some of the best looking games on the Gamecube.
There's not alot of details about this project yet, but we do know that this game will not re-use old Rogue Squadron tech; it will use a completely new grap...
Could this be a new marketing strategy by Nintendo, or simply a bundle up at the office, as it seems that Nintendo today officially released 18 screenshots of the game Wii Chess which is slated for the upcoming release of 18th January, however one of the screenshots in question seemed a bit odd... it had a message on it, and it wasn't any ordinary message, it's one that annoys all players that get the message:
It seems that Her Royal Highness (HRH), The Queen has become addicted to the latest Nintendo Console, namely the Wii. Recently given to her Grandson (Prince William), by his girlfriend. From a palace source, it seems that after seeing William playing the game, she thought it was tremendously fun, and joined in herself.
"While the Wii isn't known for its particularly awesome online scene (*cough* friend codes *cough*), Nintendo is interested in improving the product. NOA President Reggie Fils-Aime said this morning during a conference call that while they have no interest in adding voice chat to Virtual Console titles, it could be coming to the Wii all the same.
"In terms of voice chat... certainly our system has the capability for online voice chat, what it comes down to is finalizing the peripheral... I ..."
"Nyko, a company that specializes in the development of video game peripherals, has announced a wireless Nunchuck for the Wii. The wireless Nunchuck also comes with a Wii remote.
The Nunchuck works by attaching an add-on for the Wii remote, also designed by Nyko, that allows the Nunchuck to communicate with the Wii remote using a 2.4GHz wireless frequency. The controller will be shown in action at the upcoming CES trade show in the US.
The retail price and date of release for the wireles..."
"GAME OF THE YEAR
BioShock
STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Harmonix
BEST SHOOTER
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)
BEST RPG
Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios/ BioWare)
BEST MILITARY GAME
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision/ Infinity Ward)
BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
skate (Electronic Arts/ EA Black Box)
BEST HANDHELD GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo/ Nintendo)
BEST GRA..."
"Nintendo's Wii is hot right now. So hot that if you managed to get your hands on one it would probably melt the skin from your fingers. Demand is outstripping supply to such an extent that Nintendo's motion sensing machine is flying off the shelves quicker than you can say Wii Fit. So, with that in mind, and because we love to look out for our dear readers, we thought we'd speak to the shops and ask them for their advice on making sure 2007's must have gadget is firmly secure in Santa's sack ..."
We already know that Nintendo is currently leading in the current console war. This week's Famitsu magazine seems to confirm this. When asked about what systems and games retailers expect to have the toughest time keeping in stock due to the high demands of the public this holiday season, Nintendo products such as Wii Fit and the Nintendo DS Lite topped the list.
Videogame analyst Michael Patcher predicts that the Nintendo Wii due to the Christmas rush of people purchasing the console means this will effect the console as supplies will may not recover meaning that the console will be not available for the next 3 months. Even with this, though he does believe that the Nintendo Wii will still be the top system at Christmas.
"Ah, the irony: a reader sends us this screenshot of the Nintendo Wii News channel admitting its own four-week "defeat" against the Sony PlayStation 3. It's either that a) the channel editors feel they are not being paid enough, b) that Nintendo doesn't give a damn about giving the losing side some respite, c) nobody edits the channel or d) you are all a bunch of Apple Sony fanboys."
"We like to hear people scream at us. Unfortunately, it has been a long while since anyone's actually done it. To compensate, the editors of all three IGN Editorial offices (US, UK, and Australia) got together and decided that it was time to revisit one of the most controversial topics in our business...
Our criteria for creating this list of our picks for the Top 100 Games of All Time are as follows:
-Eligible games had to have been released no later than December 31, 2006 (perspective ..."
A man, who's name is Tony has busted his wife cheating on him by simply going through the Wii's history or in other words calendar.
Tony who has been in Iraq for about a year has had his Wii sent to him while on duty before he shipped it back the U.S. During April 2007, he arrived home hearing that his wife has been with another man. Tony then confronted her and the wife just claimed to have had an innocent kiss with a man only once.
During November, this month. Tony visited the Mii cha...
Ever wanted the chance to buy a Nintendo Wii for $79, Xbox 360 for $139 or even the Playstation 3 for $139. Well here's your chance. Amazon.com have set up a vote promotion which asks for customers to vote for which console they would wish to have at this lowered price. 1000 random selected winners will be picked from the votes and will be contacted by email and be able to purchase the consoles from Amazon.com for these prices. Closing of the deal ends on the 22nd of November.
The runner-u...
With a strong star t, the Wii is now in the homes of over 13 million people worldwide, and this to within a year of launch. There are currently more games being released for the Wii than that of the PS3, and in some instances than the XBOX360, however what exactly is the future of Wii games?
Take for example a game which Capcom had hoped would have done extremely well, and whilst it hasn't been a complete flop it hasn't been that successful either. The game in question is Zack & Wiki: Ques...
Nintendo's latest Wii Channel, Check Mii Out, greatly facilitates the sharing of personalized Mii avatars. However, GameCritics opines that the channel was way too late for the party to allow creative talent to make a geniune foothold. Since the launch of the Wii, the relative inconvenience in sharing Miis before Check Mii Out's debut meant it was simply easier for users to post tutorials detailing the creation process of their Miis.
These tutorials themselves are meant to be useful guid...
Check it out! The Mii Contest Channel went live today. It's available to download from the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel, free of charge.
The Mii Contest Channel allows consumers to share their Mii creations and vote on Miis created by others. There is also a contest section, which challenges users to submit Mii creations to represent a specific person, character, or theme. These could include historical figures, fictional characters or descriptive themes.
The 5th annual Video Game Awards on Spike TV are almost here. And Kotaku has a list of all the nominees. The award show will be aired on Decembe 9th at pm on Spike TV.
Game of the year nominees are:
BioShock
Halo 3
Mass Effect
The Orange Box
Best PS3 Game
Heavenly Sword
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Warhawk
Best Wii Game
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Paper Mario
Best ...
It seems the PS3 is gaining some needed ground in Japan. Though a reporter stated that the Wii was outselling the PS3 by 2-1, this is by far the fourth consecutive month that the Wii sales dropped.
With Nintendo Wii selling 110,415 and the PS3 47,183 in October things are looking good for PS3. This seems like an incredible feat considering 4-5 months ago the Wii was outselling the PS3 by 6-1.
Way to go Sony, now the biggest challenge is yet to come, the Holiday season. Can Sony make some...
Nintendo released their Half-Year Financial Report [PDF, both JP and EN respectively] for Fiscal Year 07, posting a net income of 132.421 billion JPY (1.15 billion USD) for the six month period ending September 30, 2007
Nintendo's net sales for the first half of this fiscal year amount to 694.803 billion JPY (6.08 billion USD), a 132.5% increase over the previous year at this time (298.817 billion JPY/2.62 billion USD). The operating income results in 188.784 billion JPY (1.65 billion USD...
It seems developers are very nervous about making Wii games. Cause a Japanese newspaper states that developers are concerned its bubble is about to burst, and some think the games will not sell on the Wii.
Also the Wii sales has been falling in japan to 168,000 worst month since December 06.
Is the Wii in trouble, only time will tell. But in the mean time its not looking too good for Nintendo.
So, Nintendo sent out new PR, detailing their new release schedule. Unfortunately, that includes Brawl on Feb. 10
However, there are some very amusing and hidden gems. Assassin's Creed apparently is set to be released February '08, and Advance Wars: Days of Ruin will be releasing on January 21st. There are some delays, including February 4th for Professor Layton (originally Dec. 3). It is shaping up to be a great end of '07/early '08.
Take note that this is a partial list. Most not...
There's a new channel coming to Japanese Wiis next month called Minna no Nintendo Channel, which translates to "Everybody's Nintendo Channel." One of the features of the channel will allow you to download demos and videos of upcoming games for your Nintendo DS using the DS-to-Wii connectivity, rather than having to travel to a game store with a DS download station.
Clearly when you steal a Wii from someone and your conscience kicks in it's only proper to return the item and as an apology offer up a bag of weed.
An 18 year old man in Oklahoma did just that by stealing a womans Wii right from her own home. The man returned to give back the console and offer some Wiid in return. After refusing the offer the man must have been offended that she did not take his drugs as he came back and stole the console yet again.
The article states he was caught and...
There's reports that after updating to the latest Wii firmware that it breaks many of the internet channels including things related to router functionality. No word from Nintendo on the matter. Other users are reporting that the update has completely killed their internet connection on the Wii and showing error codes that don't even exist on the support.nintendo.com site. It may be a good idea to hold off on updating if possible while Nintendo irons out the bugs!
We all have thought that the Nintendo Wii sales would be coming down in the next few months with less interest being shown in it but according to a online study which tested over 400,000 blogs and forums by BrandIntel states that more people plan on buying the Nintendo Wii over its Next Gen Rivals though it is a less powerful console and the reason for this, is because of the new audience they have tried to reach with casual gamers, that Sony and Microsoft have not covered.
Emergent has been hard at work bringing their Gamebryo engine to the Wii. The Gamebryo engine has already been used on the Xbox 360 and PS3 on games like Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Now, Wii developers will have the Gamebryo engine at their hands to help ease development.
The Gamebryo engine boasts outstanding, reliable performance, and includes all the rendering, animation, and special effects features needed to create any game.
Last week in Italy, Ferrari Challenge was released to the world on the Playstation 3 and Nintendo DS with multiple previews of each product whilst the Wii version was locked away. But since then they have released the first screenshots of the up and coming title for the Nintendo Wii which offers a glimpse into the cars and road layouts in as much detail as possible.
Nintendo is arranging some form of Zapper demo using a Zelda mini-game called Zelda Crossbow Training. Could this be the Zelda that was said to be in the works, and is this one game or is it going to be a mini-game collection? Believed to use the Twilight Princess engine, the demo was shown off to GameStop managers in Las Vegas today.
"Microsoft had originally set a target of 15 million Xbox 360s by the middle of 2007, but dropped that target down to 12 million. Even with lowered expectations, the company was still unable to meet its goal, having only shipped 11,600,000 units by the end of June.
Plagued by red ring of death hardware issues, the Xbox 360 narrowly edged ahead of the PS3 in July sales, with NPD reporting retail sales of 170,000 units. However, Microsofts console unit sales lead over the PS3 fell from co..."
"It's that time again folks for another contest on the old Aero. This time we're not giving away another game, nooooo, it's a fancy new Wii from a little company called Nintendo, that is if we can actually find one. With that said we're giving you two ways to enter the contest because we're that nice. If you use both ways, you'll increase your chances of your local postal person showing up with that coveted package."
"Everyone believes education is important, even apes. To celebrate the back-to-school season, Donkey Kong Jr. Math is now available on the Wii Shop Channel. Itll help you get those math skills back in shape after their summer slumber. After that, theres still plenty of adventure, treasure seeking and a never-ending supply of bad guys to fight. Good thing its a holiday today, huh? Enjoy.
Four new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channe..."
"Early prototype designs rarely look as good as the finished article - thats why theyre prototypes, silly - though it has to be said we rather liked the look of this 2001 design for the Nintendo Wii's Wiimote and nunchuk.
Visit GamerSquad to check it out..."
"Wii phenomenon is growing, with Nintendo proudly announcing that it has now reached 1 million units sold in the UK. The console reached the milestone in 38 weeks, making it the fastest selling home console.
In comparison, Sony's golden PS2 reached the same mark in 50 weeks, while Microsoft's Xbox 360 reached it in 60 weeks.
Nintendo's UK boss David Yarnton is naturally quite pleased with this achievement, "The non-stop demand for Wii even in the traditionally slow sales periods for vide..."
Did you know that the last time Nintendo was on top with hardware sales for both consoles and portables was 1994? That's right, 13 years ago, when the Super Nintendo and GameBoy controlled the market. Now it's 2007, and both the Wii and DS are on top.
The Wii has had an outstanding 9 months on the market, selling over 10.5 million consoles. On the portable side, the DS continues to plow through the competition. It has sold almost 50 million since it's launch in November 2004. Nintendo rea...
"The NPD Group released videogame hardware and software sales data for July and, yet again, Nintendo dominated the charts. Amazingly, Wii and DS together outsold final figures for PlayStation 2, PSP, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 combined. Nintendo's two systems have held the number one and two top slots in the hardware sales charts for nine months running.
For the first time since its launch, Wii outsold consistent performer DS. Nintendo's home console was the best-selling hardware in July wi..."
Nintendo is working with Evite to make the Wii even more Party-Friendly to users than it already is. Big parties posted on youtube have been noticed, and they want to help make these bigger and more fun. Using Evite, Nintendo hopes to help Parties become bigger and better through invitations, food suggestions, decoration ideas, and even by giving you ideas for attire. Nintendo's dream of making the Wii for everybody has certainly come true, and making it better for Parties is just the next...
"Among the many updates contained within the most recent firmware for Wii - including a lovely digital clock and some changes to the Wii Shop - comes the surprise news that USB keyboards can now be used to type entries into some Channels. Currently, you can make use of the keyboard within the Wii Shop (where you can type in game names in the search box) plus, rather handily, when writing memos or mail via the Wii Message Board. Unfortunately, keyboards can't be used in the Internet Channel at ..."
"The Wii Shop Channel has been given the biggest make-over and is now what you might call streamlined. The revamped shop front now includes four recommended titles, with twenty further selected titles just a click away. A list of the channels most popular games (ordered by download rank) is also available. In addition, titles are now sorted by publisher, genre and system. And if youre looking for one game in particular, theres also a new search function."
"In simple terms, the development means that web programmers will be able to design pages using JavaScript that can then retrieve information from multiple Wii Remotes at once. This includes button presses, rotation, distance from the screen and of course, the pointer position. The technology is also compatible with the Nunchuck attachment."
Many industry critics are now wondering how the idea would work considering youd be able to view the miniature screen whilst tilting the console here, there and everywhere. That said, Nintendo has already dabbled in the world of motion sensing portables in the form of WarioWare Twisted on the Game Boy Advance and Kirby Tilt n Tumble on the Game Boy Color, and both worked pretty well.
Pirates, arent just selling GameCube games, they are re-releasing the games as Wii titles, and this includes a Wii-look-a-like covers for the box scans, however the controlls for the games work in very much the same way as the GameCube counterparts.
Included in the list of pirated games are: The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Tony Hawk Underground 2, Resident Evil 0 & The Legend of Zelda: Collectors Edition. However that's not all. Who says that Metroid 3 hasn't been released yet? Definitely...
Now I know for a fact that this article will most likely cause some flaming between systems (and so it will be monitored a bit more by moderators :p). However, the points made for EACH of the Next Gen consoles, are quite true, and should be taken with the stone to the heart. Here's the quick run-down on the points, but be sure to check the source for more details as to why they are bad:
Microsoft XBOX360
- Red Ring of Death
- Lack of rechargeable batteries
- Microsoft Points
- Lack of built-in wireles...
"One big name GamerSquad didnt expect to see praising Nintendo was id Software co-founder John Carmack. Carmack has been critical of the Kyoto giant on more than one occasion in the past, but not for much longer it would seem.
After announcing a Nintendo DS version of his mobile phone game Orcs & Elves back at E3 in July, Carmack yesterday told a packed QuakeCon audience how he was "really happy" for Nintendo, and suggested that hed quite like to see Orcs & Elves on the Wii, which he desc..."
"Nintendo says it supports US home and business raids as part of an investigation into copyright circumvention devices.
August 02, 2007 - Federal customs agents in North America raided more than 30 businesses and homes in 16 states yesterday, as part of an investigation into the alleged sale and distribution of modification chips, allowing consoles including Nintendo's Wii to play pirated games.
"Nintendo and its developers and publishers lost an estimated $762 million in sales in 2006 ..."
"The Wii isnt just good news for Nintendos accountants, yknow - its also been beneficial for gaming as a whole. At least, thats the view of Nintendo design guru Shigeru Miyamoto, who reckons that people are "finally taking notice" of games, after a spell where videogaming found itself in the shadows.
Chatting to The Mercury News, Miyamoto was asked about whether he felt vindicated by the Wiis success. "I think it is not necessarily vindication, but I do get the distinct feeling that b..."
"In what could be seen as a turn up for the books, web data tracker Hitwise reports that the Microsoft Xbox 360 has become the most searched for gaming console on the Internet based on a share of searches.
It is the first time that Microsoft's gaming powerhouse has surpassed the popularity of searches submitted for those seeking information on the Nintendo Wii since the latter was released in November 2006. Hitwise added that the statistics could be "a leading indicator predictive of future..."
In an interview with Next-Gen, veteran games developer, David Braben, (responsible for co-authoring Elite back in the 1980s and more recently the founder of Frontier Developments), has compared the Nintendo Wii to the Sony PlayStation 2s camera accessory, the Eye Toy - something novel in the beginning that people may get bored with after 18 months or so.
"Tretton: "They are touting casual gaming. Supposedly everybody is going to race over to casual games. The unfortunate thing is the fruits of those labors will show up two years down the road, and if the consumer tastes shift, they will find themselves all dressed up with no place to go.""
Reggie Fils-Aime claims that something big is coming for Wii owners this September. A surprise that everyone will be pleased with. In the meantime, he keeps us in awe for the next month.
Check out this guy as he programs his Telescope to move under the command of a Wii Remote. Pretty intersting and useful if you are one of those people with very shaky hands.
According to latest data provided by the Nielson Company as it launched GamePlay Metrics, a new data tracking service for the gaming indutry, suprisingly,the Ninteno Wii is mainly bought by people from more well to do families, even when it is the most cheapest next-gen console around.
The data was collected from more than 12,000 households to report on monthly usage of the major gaming consoles and PC games. Other studies showed that the most popular console to be played in a normal house...
Following their enourmous success with the Wii and the DS sales this year, Nintendo have raised their forecast for the end of the year after realising that their consoles have surpassed the initial saes expectations they predicted.
Currently the new predictions for the Wii and the DS are 16 million and 26 million units to be sold by the end of this year. This is up form previous predictions of 14 and 22 million.
CVG has come up with a little article on Nintendo's profits and how it's doing with sales. Turns out they're making more money than Mario games. First, Nintendo's first-quarter results of 2007 show a 416% rise in profits. Second, the Wii has reached 9.27 million sales worldwide with the DS raking in a whopping 47.27 million sales. Nintendo has also increased their shipment for the Wii from 14 million to 16.5 million and the DS from 22 million to 26 million because of high demand.
Games Radar has tallied up the stats of the first half of the 2007 year to see who's winning the console war in 2007 alone. Using stats from Janruary to June, this is what they came up with. The DS is dominating with 2.7 million sales and the Wii is not far behind with 2.1 million. The Xbox 360 and PSP are tied at 1.3 million each and the PS3 trails far behind with 763,000 sales.
They also got the top 10 game sales for the first half of the year and 6 of the top 10 are for Nintendo, the P...
Danny Mendez of Gamer Blorge has written an article about why he thinks the Nintendo Wii is not on the console war and no, it's not because the Wii is pulling out in front. He writes in the article that people that he knows that own a Wii, don't use it as their main gaming device, but instead use their 360 or PS3 and the Wii is something more for side gaming. He says the the PS3 and 360 is the real war, fighting for graphics, power, features and wireless gaming.
He then compares it to PC g...
"Ok, so if Nintendo ever found they had any problems selling their Wii system, I think they could just whip out this picture and get people to buy in bunches. The picture brings the funny on many different levels, but I will let you judge for yourself.
http://loot-ninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/wiimoting.gif
Above image exceeds 65000 bytes"
"We take the design very seriously, so weve done a lot of testing, Fils-Aime told MTV News. We dont see any risk of consumers falling off that Balance Board unless theyre
doing this while theyve had a few too many alcoholic beverages.
On the potential for the Balance Board,Fils-Aime said that Nintendo is already is discussions about its future uses, adding:
Boarding games are obvious, whether its skateboard or surfboard
My favourite idea is: Imagine a golf game where your..."
"To capitalize on this already inherent system capability, Buffalo will be releasing the Buffalo Wi-Fi Gamer device in the US next month, and the company stopped by our office to show how it works. This wireless adapter, about the size of a pack of cards, doesn't need a PC at all - it simply plugs into an available port on an existing LAN. Once connected, you just press the "connect" button on the unit, then the AOSS function on the DS, PSP, PS3 and Wii, and after about 45 seconds of syncing u..."
But don't worry about it in the slightest, because the Wii in question was actually made of Cake. This weeks issue of Wired will give you a step-by-step guide on how to make your very own Wii Cake, and the chef is none other than Martha Stewart.
Just be sure not to mistake your actual Wii for the Cake...
Are you using WiiConnect24 all day long then (the) Wii might have a problem. People who are leaving the Wii's service on are beginning to notice over-heating problems, and whilst the problems aren't as pronounced as the overheating problem on the XBOX 360, the GPU of the Wii can still get damaged. Fortunately the trouble has so far only happened with a handful of consoles, meaning that determining whether the problem is common to all Wii's is hard.
It is suggested that rather than leaving ...
Wii Ware, an upcoming service for the Nintendo Wii, is scheduled to launch in early 2008. The concept of Wii Ware is to let smaller development teams create games without having to worry about selling them on store shelves.
Now, George Harrision, Nintendo's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications, has revealed that Wii Ware could launch before the end of the year.
I was all for the Wii Fit till i saw this video, it kind of really put things into perspective. Showing you the finer points of the Wii Fit, this video is bound to get you thinking on buying one the next time you step into a gamestore.
Ever swung a Wii controller and were unhappy with the speed that you hit the ball with? Well no worries, as someone has created a Wii Controller Extension that will have you swinging and hitting the ball at speeds you could only hope for. The extension itself was made using nothing other than a basket on a handle with mechanical triggers for the A and B buttons. The controller itself is a Wiimote Holder for Baseball, Tennis, and Golf with the Patent still Pending
Just watch the video and s...
"In the competition among the makers of video game consoles, momentum is building for the Wii from Nintendo among its crucial allies: game developers and publishers.
Inspired by the early success of the Wii, the companies that create and distribute games are beginning to shift resources and personnel toward building more Wii games, in some cases at the expense of the competing systems: the PlayStation 3 from Sony and Xbox 360 from Microsoft.
The shift is closely watched because consumers..."
With the huge number of Nintendo Wii consoles being sold worldwide, it has been feared that by the holidays, there will be not enough Wii console to appease consumer demand. In a bid to remedy this potential situation, Nintendo has started outsourcing the development of the components to more manufacturers so that when the holiday season comes they will be prepared provide consumers with new stock Wii consoles.
"Before you start Wii Fit you need to calibrate the balance board to your weight. The game asks you to step off the board so it zeroes itself then you step on it. If you slouch or shift your weight in an awkward position during the calibration the balance board will register that as your zero point. I usually stand at an angle with my weight shifted on my left and that messed up the calibration during the Yoga demos. The second time around I tried standing perfectly straight and that made the ..."
"*Have 'Last played' list with your optional comment in your profile
*Lose a life? Mess up? Warp back several seconds if you need to with [Backspace] or enter Game Genie codes
*Save states under your username, and come back anytime!
*Save screenshots of your game, and have them on your profile and share them with everyone else.
*Live comments for each game (wax nostalgic, or give a review)"
Miyamoto has discussed the new idea of a Balance Board to go with new upcoming title "Wii Fit". This comes from talk of in the future of having Snowboarding games and a balance board to be used in it. He also goes on to say that they will make it available for the larger customer by stating "We're certainly thinking about making it American-size for America ".
A security bulletin that was released 4 days ago by Adobe says that the Flash Player used by the Internet Channel on the Wii can be hacked due to an input validation error in the flash. Could hackers launch some kind of homebrew? Nintendo will have to pay for this problem, so the problem might not be patched in time for the hackers to work their magic.
""I think its balanced. Rather than quantity, we wanted to show quality. We could show, like with Wii Sports, showing to the core gamer what kind of new gaming experiences they can have if Nintendo is going to introduce them to the Wii version of traditional Nintendo franchises. I think we have enough titles to satisfy gamers from now until next year," explained Iwata.
"It was important for us to further expand the market for core gamers and we featured Wii Fit today to introduce gaming to..."
We've come to know Nyko for making charging stations for the Wii, but they've outdone themselves this time. Complete with cooling stations for drinks, a chip holder, a fan, and four displays to keep score, it's hard to believe that this "Party Station" charges your Wiimotes. It seems to be quite fit for a dorm room at first glance. Some say it's awesome, some say it's ridiculous, but you can be the one to decide if it's worth your money.
This E3 has differently been interesting, It has practically turned into a free for all with every company trying to wow the journalists more than the others. Here is a overview if how a observant spectator sees E3
"Think youve got what it takes to be a hero? Prove it with these three heroic games, available this week on the Wii Shop Channel. Whether youre rescuing Marios dinosaur pal from an eggshell or battling to protect the planet from evil invaders, the future is in your hands.
Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. W..."
A Uruguayan Civil Court Judge recently ordered a major counterfeiter of Nintendo video game products to pay Nintendo $2,500,000 in damages and legal expenses. The Court determined that the offender and three of his related corporations, were responsible for the sale and distribution of tens of thousands of counterfeit Nintendo products.
In 2001, the National Board of Intelligence raided four retail shops and a warehouse, seizing seven truck loads of counterfeit Nintendo video game products...
Get into a spin as SEGAs Sonic the Hedgehog 2 charges onto Virtual Console. Originally released in 1992 on the SEGA MEGA DRIVE, join our speedy blue friend on an adventure to locate all the missing Chaos Emeralds before Dr.Eggman (AKA Dr.Robotnik) and thwart his evil plan to create a Death Egg warship. Featuring the first appearance of Sonics trusty sidekick Tails, download the ring-tastic Sonic the Hedgeho...
According to Famitsu's Japanese game sales report for the month of June, the DS console product line continues to take top honors in Japan, netting sales of over 500,000 units for its fifthteen consecutive month. Second place on the June hardware sales chart also went to Nintendo for the Wii. Nintendo's hardware sales are believed to be a major factor in increasing Japanese game industry sales by 25 percent but the company's competitors, not to mention a 7.5 percent growth in game sales, al...
A BBC article discussing the fact that the Wii has sold 270,974 units while the PS3 has only sold 41,628, barely a sixth of that amount. As well as discussing the Wii outselling the PS3 in Japan also includes quotes from Phil Harrison, PlayStation's head of worldwide studios.
"The ultra-competitive, cut-throat world of, er Wiimote charging stations has heated up considerably today, after Thrustmaster announced it would be releasing the T-Charge All NW (who thinks of these names?) later this month. This particular model is the second Wii Remote charging cradle released by Thrustmaster in the last six months, and will be competing with the Wii Charge Station, from rival firm Nyko."
"More than 100 hopeful Wii owners came from as far as New Jersey - some as early as 6 a.m. with kids and grandparents in tow - to get their hands on the gaming console best known for its wireless, motion-sensitive controller."
"Namco Bandai, Sega of Japan and Capcom are all shifting their development support to Nintendo's Wii and DS, according to a report on Variety Asia.
Leading the change in priorities is Namco Bandai, which intends to up its Nintendo output by 109 per cent with a massive 115 titles scheduled for fiscal 2007."
"Unlike the vintage games already being offered for legacy systems (i.e. Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx 16) through the Virtual Console, these games will be built specifically for the Wii and sold via the Wii Shop Channel for Wii Points currency, much like the Xbox 360- and Playstation 3-specific games being sold on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network."
"Did we really need more proof that Nintendo is making a mint on Wii in Australia? Well, sure - why not. Nintendo Australia has proudly announced their console has just surpassed the 100,000 units sold mark in Australia. This makes it the fastest selling console to reach that mark in the history of the region.
"We are pleased that Wii has achieved this benchmark, but we are ecstatic that it attained this whilst also reaching new audiences and expanding the scope of our entire industry" expl..."
The Wii's Internet Channel, which contains the hailed custom Opera Wii browser, will no longer be free starting from the 30th of June. After this date, the Internet Channel will cost $5, or 600 Wii Points. Part of the Wii's ever-expanding Channels, which include the Forecast and News Channels, the Internet Channel offers web browsing on your Wii, so if you don't already have, I'd advise you get it soon.
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter catches wind of recent comments made by Sega US's VP of marketing, Scott Steinberg, suggesting the creative potential afforded by developers for Nintendo's Wii can only last for so long. Pachter believes it's simply too early to decide just how far developers can go with the Wii at this point in the game. He also muses that even if the Wii "fad" was to eventually "cool down", there's no reason to disregard the possibilty of Nintendo having a new and im...
For the month of May, Nintendo once again held the North American video game industry sales in the palm of its hand. According to the May sales figures released by NPD, Nintendo's DS remained the top selling console at 423,000 units. The Wii manged to take second place with sales of 338,000 consoles. Sony's PlayStation Portable meanwhile managed to the beat the rest of its next-generation brethren with sales of 221,120 units compared to the 154,900 Xbox 360s and 81,600 PlayStation 3 consol...
While the Wii is enjoying success as a console which breaks the mold (and the ice), Sega US' vice president of marketing fears it will only be a matter of time before developers run out of steam on the Wii. Sega's Scott Steinberg explains in an interview with Reuters that while the scope of the Wii is refreshing, the console as it stands is simply underpowered. At the same time, Steinberg believes the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 could enjoy renewed support over the next few years as those ve...
With the upcoming release of Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Yahoo Games interviewed Jessica Alba. It turns out she's just as much of a gamer as most other people. With her recent acquisition of a Nintendo Wii and already owning a DS.
She may not be the best gamer in the world, however. Apparently she doesn't last very long in games and her brain age is 82. 82?! damn.
It's so great to see a video game console being used for more than just entertainment. Today, we hear another story of the Wii being used for rehabilitation, this time for the U.S. army. The fact that players have to move the Wii Remote in different directions to play the game is why therapists saw some benefit of introducing it to patients.
For example, one of the patients broke his wrist, elbow, and partially tore his rotator cuff in a vehicle accident. A couple of months later, this sa...
Seems like these days everybody's just running around, grabbing whatever they can for themselves. Some are after gold nuggets, some want rings and some are trying to recover a stolen axe. Doesn't anybody talk anymore? Why don't you grab a few warm cookies, pour yourself a glass of cold milk and fire up the Wii? We'll play games and tell stories from simpler times.
Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owne...
"Recently I wrote a letter to Nintendo of America regarding a topic on this site: "An Inside Look at the Wii's Magic Wand An Audio Translator".
I didn't really expect anything other than the normal customer services spiel about not giving out any details of future plans, or the even more infamous 'We cannot comment at this time'. But, when I got my reply I was surprised by the answer!
Naturally, I came straight to WiiLoaded to post my findings :)
Here's the email I sent and the reply ..."
"Last night I purchased The Legend of Zelda II : The Adventure of Link for NES on the Wii Virtual Console and Ordyne for TurboGrafx-16 and in doing so I maxed out the space on my Nintendo Wii. There is a set number of Wii channels slots available and each Virtual Console game takes up one. I used up all of the available channels and are pretty close to filling up the 512 Megs of storage memory in the Wii system. One of the reasons for this is that on each Virtual Console game the emulator is i..."
At this point, the Wii has already sold over 7 million consoles worldwide since it's launch in Q4 2006. The worldwide total for the Xbox 360 is around 11 million, while the worldwide total for the Playstation 3 is a little over 3.5 million.
Now, IDC research firm is saying that they expect Nintendo to sell through 16 million Wii's worldwide in 2007. That is a pretty staggering number when you compare it to the total sales of the Gamecube, which only sold about 22 million throughout it's e...
The New York Times examines the growing popularity of Nintendo's Wii in its native Japan, and attritubes the company's success to its newfound drive in wooing third-party developers and publishers. Nintendo is more forthcoming with their plans and ambitions than before, allowing third-party companies to take a greater part in guiding overall software development for the Wii. In short, it's becoming more cooperative with developers.
We also know from previous musings that Nintendo is expl...
N'Gai Croal's LevelUp posts an opinion piece from SportsBlogNation president (and brother of Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski) Tyler Bleszinski regarding the emergence of a new gaming market fostered by Nintendo's Wii and DS. While the media in general has been singing praises of both consoles in making gaming relevant outside of the traditional gaming market, Bleszinski feels their success in drawing a new breed of (non)gamers could become a double-edged sword. On one hand, expanding...
"I think it's interesting to consider what this console market would look like, right now, if Nintendo hadn't created the Wii. Let's imagine that the Wii doesn't exist, and that Nintendo exited the console market after the Gamecube.
Is it possible that instead of all these magazine articles talking about how the gaming demographic is expanding rapidly, that instead we'd be seeing articles about the "great gaming crash?""
"Asian peripheral maker Pega HK has brought what seems to be the first ever portable screen attachment for the Wii. This is usually the turf of Joytech, but seems that they have been beaten to the punch. The add-on screen boasts a viewing area of 7 inches, features a keystroke control for volume and colour adjustment as well as a flexible display screen for optimal viewing angles."
"After skimming the blog posts, I decided to try to watch one of the embedded YouTube videos. To my pleasant surprise, it loaded really fast and played right there on my TV. I immediately went to youtube.com to see more videos, finding all my favorites and playing them in full-screen mode as if they were on-demand clips. I couldn't help but think to myself, "If someone could get the Wii, why on earth would they want an Apple TV?"
The best part of viewing the videos on the Wii is that there'..."
"Browsing from your PS3 or PSP can be a convienient alternative to laptops and PCs depending on your media setup. One thing that isn't the best is the manner in which you input text on both of these devices (assuming you are not using a keyboard on your PS3 of course).
SPG recommends that you try OpenDNS to help speed up the task of inputing web addresses through the use of shortcuts. Not only will OpenDNS save you time on your PS3 or PSP, if set up correctly you can use the same short cu..."
"As you can probably tell from the image above, this sort of project wouldn't be safe in the hands of a wiring novice. Wii-FTW forum admin Sir CRX hacked his Wiimote and Xbox controller to accept bluetooth commands, sending them to his 360 console. The mod doesn't yet incorporate any of the remote's "waggle" functions and only supports four of its buttons, but Sir CRX has hinted that there will be updates and a possible tutorial coming soon. Head past the post break for video of the cross-cons..."
The online edition of Fortune Magazine has posted its own praises for Nintendo's Wii. Fortune notes the company's market reach is higher than ever through impressive Wii sales, combined with the success already enjoyed by the DS. While the "Wiivangelizing" could have Wii-detractors rolling their eyes, even then the article has some interesting insights into the company that takes care of every detail and lets heaven handle the rest. The article attributes much of Nintendo's positive turn o...
Nintendo's Virtual Console online gaming service has entrenched itself as a viable platform for the Wii, with a growing selection of back catalogue titles. Next Monday, Nintendo will mark one hundred VC games with the release of the NES action-RPG classic, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The company reveals the VC also hits another milestone, with 4.7 million game downloads by Wii owners since the platform's launch.
"Activision CEO Robert Kotick has said that third-party publishers can perform well on Wii - particularly compared to GameCube - and that the company is "reinvesting" in Nintendo consoles for the future.
Speaking to investors in a quarterly conference call, Kotick reaffirmed his commitment to Nintendo consoles, explaining that the Wii is set to perform a lot better than the GameCube and, as a result, Activision is "reinvesting against the Nintendo platform in a way that in the last cycle [t..."
Wired Game|Life's Chris Kohler had a chance to speak with Nintendo of America's senior VP of marketing and corporate communications, George Harrison, over his company's console plans for the rest of the year. Harrison confirms his company remains interested in digital distribution of original game titles for the Wii, but Nintendo will need to continue building its online infrastructure in order to make it a more attractive business model for publishers. Meanwhile on the DS, he believes the ...
In an interview with Bloomberg, Nintendo of America's marketing chief George Harrison forecasts North American Wii sales to hit 35 million units by 2011 or 2012. It's a clear sign that Nintendo is expecting the Wii to pull its weight for the forseeable future, despite the shortage debacle which otherwise surrounds the console in many launch territories. On this topic, Harrison again blames the Wii shortage on higher than expected demand.
Interestingly, Harrison also confirms that Nintend...
"The elves mining Nintendos vaults for classic games have unearthed three new ones to add to the Wii Shop Channel. They feature ragers, lasers and, um, monkeys not in cages. Anyway, its unlikely that youve played all three of these, so go ahead and check em out. Or the elves will cry.
The three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the game..."
The North American game hardware and software sales data for April 2007, compiled by market research firm NPD Group, highlight the continuing strength of Nintendo's flagship consoles. Nintendo's DS ruled the hardware roost last month, selling 471,000 consoles. Although the Wii has garnered a reputation for its shortages, the console still managed to take second place with 360,000 units sold.
Sony's PlayStation 3 didn't fare as well, finishing behind the Xbox 360 with 82,000 units sold co...
Now, before you read on I have to warn you that this is only valid to US residents as huntyr found out while reading their Terms of Service.
GameFly has a deal on (read: pyramid scam) where if you get five (5) friends to signup for their service they will give you a free Nintendo Wii.
GameFly's cheapest service / package is $10. Give your friends $10 each and have them signup with the referral code you give them and you'll receive a voucher from GameFly. Fill out all the necessary infor...
"It's the age-old question: Which is cooler, ninjas or circular yellow dot-eaters? This week the Wii video game system's Wii Shop Channel gives gamers the chance to explore this subject in depth, with three awesome classic games.
The three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or a..."
"Imagine what would happen if you and your spouse focused on fulfilling God's dream for your marriage. Possible? Absolutely! Pastor Micah reveals the secrets of a great marriage in this fun and practical series which has something for everyone including singles and those who have experienced divorce."
When Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division president Robbie Bach deemed Nintendo's Wii to be weaker than the original Xbox, console defense mechanisms everywhere were deployed. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal decided to conduct some outside investigation of his own to determine just where exactly the Wii stands on the console horsepower scale. To do this, he speaks to developers (who asked to remain anonymous) familiar with the Wii internal workings.
Their findings? The Wii is more akin...
"The Wii isn't known just yet for its vast array of 3D fighters. And that's not going to change even with the announcement of Soul Calibur Legends for the system.
First appearing in this week's issue of Famitsu, Legends is described as an action adventure game rather than a fighter. Set in the 16th century, players will be able to meet characters from the Soul Calibur world and experience sword-based combat that makes use of the Wiimote.
Famitsu was able to unveil nothing more than a log..."
Another three games have been added for purchase on the Virtual Console. The classic Castlevania, originally for the NES, has been put up for a mere 500 points (and it's definitely worth the price). Then there is The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, originally for the SNES, only for 800 points. Finally, we have been given Shockman, originally for Turbografx 16, for a small cost of 600 points.
Remember that 100 points only equal one dollar, so three whole classic games for only a few bucks each.
Nintendo is doing so successful with its Wii and DS, that analysts say this overwhelming success will hurt the gaming industry as a whole badly. Being such powerful competition, Nintendo is pushing publishers to develop and release faster in order to keep up with Nintendo and get a small slice of the pie. This will cause lower quality games, which is never a fun thing, especially when it had the potential to be better. Although I'm a Nintendo enthusiast, I enjoy many other sources of gaming t...
Nintendo has noticed the "abnormal lack of stock" for the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo has now promised that they will increase the stock available for the Wii, in order to try to feed the demand better. Nintendo tried to make a system for everyone, and they seem to be a little too successful. We'll see if they are able to hold true to their supply increase by next month.
"During a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata discussed Wii shortages and plans for a production increase, in addition to revealing the number of first-party Wii games in development.
Nintendo reached original projections to sell six million Wii hardware units by the end of its 2007 fiscal year (March 31), despite shortages. The company now expects to sell 14 million units by the closure of its next fiscal year, ending March 31, 2008. Iwata stated that an incre..."
Nintendo attempts to quell fears over the implausibility of ever finding a Wii console at retail at this rate, explaining to GamesIndustry.biz that it is trying its darndest to pump production numbers. The company is forecasting a global shipment of 14 million consoles before the end of this fiscal year, and to achieve this it will "ensure a steady flow of product through 2007".
I wonder how much coke you would need to drink to get a Wii. As gonintendo said you'd probably weigh 1,000 lbs but hey, play some Wii sports and you'll lose that weight!
IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon believes Nintendo will continue to have a difficult time meeting meeting demand for the Wii, meaning the console could remain short in supply at retail channel well into 2009. Pidgeon's comments are particularly troubling when you recall that Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan suggested pretty much the same thing not too long ago.
According to Pidgeon, this lack of stock could fuel consumer disappointment, and ultimately harm the demand for the console. However, Pidgeon a...
"Look out Microsoft, your text input device isn't the only console keyboard peripheral in the planning stages. Our friends at Wii Fanboy got a pic from page 18 of Game Informer's May 2007 issue (that's the one with the GTA IV exclusive) that mentions, "Nintendo's development team says that it is considering adding a keyboard peripheral to the system in order to make online surfing easier." We agree, browsing the web on the Wii can be a chore, but we're not really looking forward to a clumsy ke..."
"Kotomi, the French mod master we've featured many times on DS Fanboy has finally turned his sights onto the Wii, and the result is beautiful to behold. Forget the Virtual Console -- you can just snap your old SNES carts right in there and throw down. All you need is a classic controller and a lot of extra time. Kotomi has been working on this mod since February, and it was originally planned as an NES mod, but along the way, he gave in to the pervasive allure of the Super NES."
"Wii owners know that there are few things than taking the time to type out a long URL on the Nintendo Wii Opera browser, only to have the page crash for some mysterious reason. It would be slightly less traumatic with a keyboard, for sure.
But according to McAfee Alert Labs, the reason isn't always mysterious; it's because of a malicious little exploit. It turns out a JPEG image with a malformed header can crash the Internet Channel. That's the bad news, which you can see happen here.
T..."
"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. sales of video games, devices and accessories rose 33 percent to $1.1 billion in March, propelled by sales of new video game consoles like the popular Wii from Nintendo Co. Ltd.(7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research), market research firm NPD said on Thursday.
The Wii was again the No. 1 current-generation video game console, selling 259,000 units. That $250 console uses a motion-sensitive controller that has been popular with mainstream gamers as well as new audie..."
"Logitech hasnt worked with Nintendo in quite a long time, but all that is changing thanks to the Wii. Logitech said that they cant deny the success of the Wii, and already have some peripherals in the works. They havent mentioned what they are working on, or when they are coming out."
"Virtual Console sales are on the rise, and with it comes a new system to add to your all-in-one Wii package. The launch of the Neo Geo console over Wii's Shop Channel is imminent, and while no final date has been released it's a landmark event that gamers are looking forward to worldwide. So to get the latest in VC goodness, we decided to hit get the news directly from the source. Nintendo may be housing the system, but SNK still calls the shots when it comes to Neo Geo, so we tracked down Be..."
"According to Enterbrain's Famitsu Marketing Data Service (FMDS), in March 2007 Nintendo had the best-selling consoles and games in its homeland of Japan. The Nintendo DS has sold over half a million units each month since April of last year, and last month was no different as the handheld came out on top with 504,000 sold. Japanese gamers picked up another 263,000 Wiis, making the grand total 1,954,000 and virtually guaranteeing the console will pass the two million mark this month. Overall, ..."
"We've taken a look at a wide variety of Wiimote recharging options that are available or will be coming out soon, such as Nyko's Wii Charge Station (review) and Thrustmaster's T-Charge +NW (review). Today we're taking a look at Accessories 4 Technology Limited's 4Gamers Remote Charging Stand.
The 4Gamers product is the first Wiimote recharging solution to offer space for both the Wiimotes and the Wii console itself. 4Gamers apparently went the route pioneered by Thrustmaster's T-Charge NW,..."
"There are more pictures at the link below, and a review (not in English). Click over to check out more pictures of each accessory"
"A rise in the number of Wii units dished out to retailers has lead to chocolate-like popularity of the console this Easter, with Nintendo telling GamesIndustry.biz it had sold more than 25,000 last week in the UK alone.
Leaked Chart-Track figures showed that 17,000 PlayStation 3 units were shifted during the same period, while the figure for Xbox 360 stood at 11,000. A spokesperson for Chart-Track declined to comment on the data.
According to a Nintendo spokesperson, "Last week was Wii..."
"Virtual Console is like a retirement home for aging mascots. Who knows, maybe one day we'll see Rocket Knight, Zool and Cool Spot coming back into the limelight - we can always hope - but for now we'll just have to make to with Bonk, the caveman kid.
Bonk's Revenge is a neat Turbografx game starring the bald-headed neanderthal, so-called because he runs around headbutting everything. Boulders, dinosaurs - you name it, Bonk butts it. Some of you keen-eyed Virtual Consolers may notice it's a..."
"Wii Sports is the only game that can be ONLY played on Wii, not on any other console. So future games such as Brain Training on Wii or that type of thing I dont think this is such a great idea as these games are already being played and are very popular on DS they are not specific to the Wii."
"Consumers all over America are telling us the Wii helps them to stay active and fit and also gives them another reason to be together as a family, says George Harrison, Nintendo of Americas senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. Wii has quickly become a part of Americas fitness plan, from bowling leagues for active seniors to kids and parents who sweat through Wii Sports pentathlons together."
The Babel Fish translation of an article can be found here.
Basically, a new pack will be coming out which will act as a person trainer. It will keep track of your "health" and take you through a number of fitness regimens, all of which can be found in a complete health pack.
Also, a game where you are a conductor and has to lead a orchestra through a number of plays is also coming out soon as well.
"Wii disc drives glowed an eerily pulsating blue overnight to inform users that a new download was available, as Opera's Wii Web browser graduated from beta to final version. The new version of the browser includes a handful of fresh features and tweaks to existing options aimed at improving users' Web-surfing experiences.
New features include a built-in search function that can be configured to utilize the user's search engine of choice, and a revised scrolling function that lets users "cl..."
""There is a lot going on behind the scenes in terms of working on what we are producing, and the numbers continue to rise, but the product is so very popular that we may see a supply / demand situation last for some time. We are at absolute maximum production and doing everything we can. The number of units that we have been able to produce has far exceeded our hardware production in the past - and the production levels of a lot of our competitors - but demand continues to be really high. Peo..."
"Search, surf and shop with family and friends, all from the comfort of your living room with the Internet Channel on Wii. Featuring a number of enhancements to improve the user experience as well as a host of added extras, the full version of the Internet Channel powered by Opera is now available for free download across North America.
Fans of the innovative Wii channels already will be familiar with the Internet Channel, which delivers their high-speed Internet access via their televisio..."
![Box shot of Wii Hardware [North America]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvTmludGVuZG9fV2lp/wii_hardware_frontcover_small_rZdYzCtZueufmOg.png)