The elusive black Wii has shown itself off a few times recently and with the August 1st launch date in Japan approaching, its back in the spotlight. Now it’s showing off it’s sexy packaging.

Sure, it’s the same old box, just done up in black, but it makes the console all the more alluring, with a hint of mystery and danger. Like that time good girl Sandy from Grease suddenly transforms and rocks John Travolta’s world all dressed in black like a bad girl. Sadly we still have no word on a release date here, but we hope it happens soon.

We know that you like to get all nerdy with your Wii on occasion and swing around a lightsaber while your little dog looks on in his Princess Leia slave costume. Well, if you’re going to nerd out, you may as well do it with officially licensed Wii accessories.

We’ve seen our share of Wii lightsabers, but they just aren’t endorsed by Lucas’ money machine. This one is. This lightsaber glows, and Bensussen Deutsch & Associates have plans for a matching blaster too. The accessories don’t make room for MotionPlus, but so what. They’ll be shipping with Star Wars – The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes, a game that doesn’t support MotionPlus.

CinemaNow has announced that it’s partnering with Fujisoft to deliver movies to the Nintendo Wii. The service will initially launch in Japan, where the Japanese will be able to watch catalog titles from Paramount Pictures. The service is called “Minna no Theater Wii” over there.

Will we see this hot in the states? We hope so. But you never know. I’d rather watch movies on a higher quality console myself, but to each their own.

I’ve always thought that turning the Wiimote sideways looked a little strange, but it’s been the only alternative to using one of Nintendo’s old controllers. Well, not anymore. Now you can use your old PS/PS2 controllers thanks to this DualShock to Wii adapter which costs $18.50.

No one will think it’s weird at all, watching you play the Wii with a Sony controller. Maybe you don’t like the GameCube controller, or the Club Nintendo SNES controller. We aren’t judging you. We just want you to be happy.

At this weekend’s World Hobby Fair, Nintendo had the blue Wiimote and Nunchuk on display, to promote Wii Sports Resort. They also were showing off that Black Wii we told you about earlier this month.

The Nunchuk has always been shiny on top and matte on bottom, but it’s much more noticeable, in a good way, on the black version. Even the fugly Wiimote jacket looks cool in matte black. The Classic Controller Pro looks downright awesome in shiny black plastic. This Wii items make the console look much more serious.

This is a move that we can only assume is aimed squarely at those who suck at games. Starting with upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii, future Nintendo Wii titles will be shipping with the ability to, “play themselves”. In an interview with USA Today, Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed the existence of “demo play” for the next Mario game and “future games, too”.

It’s an option that allows the game to play itself when the player encounters an area too difficult for them to handle. Silly us, we thought that games were supposed to be challenging. According to Miyamoto, the idea is to reduce the barrier to entry for younger players and casual gamers alike.

Wii can haz Project Natal tu? Yep. But it isn’t coming from Nintendo. The Wii will soon get camera-based, Project Natal-like motion sensing for at least one fitness game. From Ubisoft. It’s called “Your Shape”.

Ubisoft’s version is like a Project Natal Lite. That’s because it’s a game accessory, not a system accessory. It tracks some motion, but not all. In fact, not much. Your body is used more for feedback than game control. Video below.

Well, we already knew that the Wii was weak compared to the other consoles. In Shigeru Miyamoto’s E3 2009 roundtable, the designer had a candid moment when discussing Wii hardware. Some might say he was a little too honest.

When talking about the New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Miyamoto said that since the game features four-player multiplayer and multiple camera views, the Wii’s processor is already being taxed pretty hard. Sounds like the Wii processor is already starting to show some limitations. Miyamoto also said that, “I would like to use Wii Speak more, but [in SMB] the Wii processor is already being taxed.”

Nyko has their Wand, but now Mad Catz has become the second peripheral maker to try their hand at cloning the Wiimote. According to Mark over at Gizmodo, it’s promising.

He didn’t get any play time with it, but he got to hold it and play with buttons. Mad Catz’ “Remote For Nintendo Wii” feels the same in size and weight as a real Wiimote. Mad Catz guarantees that their Wiimote will fit in the sleeves of normal Wiimotes. It will likely fit into any gun,fishing rod, etc that a Wiimote will fit into.

Here’s an interesting story. The guys over at Joystiq spotted a pair of Classic Controller Pros for the Wii at Nintendo’s E3 booth. What’s unusual about this is that it still hasn’t been announced for release outside of Japan.

Nintendo reps at the booth apparently know nothing, or they just weren’t saying anything about a planned release. There’s also no official word on the E3 press site. Yet the controllers were there in all their Wii-white glory.

If you wanted some new hardware to go along with the new Wii Fit Plus, you must be feeling disappointed, but don’t worry. There are some unusual surprises awaiting you in the game. Like a new Segway mini-game that’s been developed with Segway.

That’s right, you can use the Wii Balance Board and Wii Remote to simulate what it’s like to ride on a Segway. Oh joy. At least you won’t fall off and look like a dork. Looks like it’s a simple balloon-popping game that involves a “mole-like creature.” To operate the virtual Segway x2, just stand on the balance board and lean forward to make your Mii character ride forward. To turn left and right, you lean a Wii remote left or right.

One of the more interesting announcements from Nintendo today, was Satoru Iwata announcing the latest health-related peripheral for the Wii. The Wii Vitality Sensor. The purpose of the device is a little confusing and we aren’t sure just how it will be implemented in a game, but here’s the deal.

The device is basically a biorhythm sensor that connects to your finger and transmits your heart rate to the Wii. How will that be used in gameplay? We have no idea. Our guess is that this is more for the Wii Fit Plus.

Nintendo has announced Wii Fit Plus. The new fitness software is planned for release this fall in two versions: bundled with the Wii Balance Board and as a stand-alone. Apparently, the new Wii Fit “moves in an added direction” beyond the original, letting users “create a specific workout program that’s perfect” for them. Six new strength and yoga activities can be tailored to your own tastes, depending on what goals you have. There’s also a revamped interface focused on creating seamless routines of 20, 30, 40 minutes.

Plus will also introduce 15 new minigames, like juggling, skateboarding and a game called “perfect 10″ were players move their hips to select numbers that add up to 10. It was dubbed, “Brain Age for your backside,”.

Nintendo just announced the New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The title will feature multiplayer-friendly gameplay, supporting up to 4 players for some local action. The emphasis is on co-operative play, while maintaining the classic Super Mario look and feel.

You’ll find all the usual warp pipes, hidden areas, and plenty of coins. But there’s some new stuff too, like the Propeller suit, where Mario and others have a propeller attached to their heads. Shake the Wiimote and players can fly in the air.

THQ has sent a golden Nintendo Wii to Buckingham Palace. No doubt the Queen mum enjoys a healthy game of Cooking Mama now and again. The shiny console was delivered to Buckingham Palace today as part of a marketing stunt to promote BIG Family Games, the latest title in THQ’s BIG series. The game contains 24 classic family games. Stuff like lawn darts and bocce, which THQ hopes the Royal Family will enjoy.

The chances of Her Royal Highness ever touching the console are slim, but if she ever does, she can rest assured that the wiimote sticking out of her sparking TV will be gold.