Wii MotionPlus demoed in 3D, with lightsaber

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 30th, 2008


The company that worked with Nintendo on the MotionPlus controller add-on, has now released a video that demonstrates the capabilities of the new hardware using 3D tools called LiveMove2. Turns out that the 1:1 tracking is really 1:1. Also the response time is pretty instant.

Before you know it they’re playing with lightsabers and fighting off Seeker Drones, then tossing around a 3D dummy with the lightsaber. All in all a lot of fun. The end result is that this technology can map incredibly complex motions to even more specific commands then before. It’s pretty damn impressive.

Penguin United’s quad Wiimote charging station

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 30th, 2008

Penguin United’s offers its own quad Wiimote charging station
This is the second Wiimote charging station we’ve seen in a week’s time. First Sanyo’s Eneloop, now this 4x charging station from Penguin United hits the scene.

This one has Li-ion batteries that promise to give you 13 full hours of playtime from each Wiimote. And it juices them up in just 4 hours, with LEDs to show you charging levels. They’ll cost you $44.99 and insure that you always have a Wiimote ready.

Guy controls canoe with Wiimote

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 28th, 2008


Canoing is supposed to be about the great outdoors, exercise and relaxation. But for nerds, canoing is like anything else, it needs to be modded for laziness and the end result should be a lot like sitting on the couch and playing a game. Mission accomplished.

This guy made a small electric motor that’s controllable via a Wiimote. The result is that the canoe is steered by finger movement. Sure it would have been cooler to see him control the rowing by wiimote, or have the canoe walk itself into the water, but I’m sure this is just a geek stepping stone to bigger things.

Photo printing service hits Japanese Wiis

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 27th, 2008

Photo printing service hits Japanese WiisHere’s something else to complain about when it comes to Nintendo’s constant need to keep things away from American hands. A new partnership between Nintendo and Fujifilm is spawning the Wii Digicam Print Channel, which is immediately available for Japanese Wii consoles to access.

It lets owners upload images from SD cards and get customized prints, photo books, business cards, and more in the mail. I’m not entirely sure why they feel the need to waste resources on this one when people can just use their computer, but I’m sure one or two people will love it. Probably the same people who bought the gameboy printer. It will likely hit North America and Europe at some point in the future.

The NES Belt Buckle

Posted in Apparel by Conner Flynn on July 25th, 2008

The NES Belt BuckleIs that Metroid in your cartridge slot or are you just happy to see me? For once it’s not a scaled down NES that fits into a thimble. The NES belt buckle is all about combining geek style with the theory that bigger is better.

It will definitely get you noticed, while protecting your crotch from Ninjas at the same time. Actually, I don’t think it’s a belt buckle at all after watching the below video. I think this guy put a hole in back and stuck his lightgun in if you know what I mean.

Comics coming to the Nintendo Wii

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 24th, 2008

Comics coming to the Nintendo WiiSettle down now. I didn’t mention Batman or Spiderman, now did I? A Japanese joint venture between several comic loving entities will be distributing digital comic books to the Nintendo Wii through the Internet. Again, settle down. The service will be available to those in Japan only.

In fact, the digital content delivery service has already begun, and they are working on being able to transfer the data to the DS Lite platform down the road. This means that it’s only a matter of time until we can get actual Marvel or DC comics delivered to our Wii. And that is the most awesomest thing ever. But for now, just settle down.

Sanyo’s Eneloop rechargeable battery packs for the Wii

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 24th, 2008

Sanyo’s Eneloop rechargeable battery packs for the Wii
We love the Wii, but we hate throwing away batteries. It’s not good for the environment and it’s costing you a lot of money. That’s why Sanyo is offering the Eneloop charging station with a battery pack replacement for your Wii remote and a charging base that holds up to four controllers.

Your remotes will charge in 220 minutes and the cool thing is that they charge in order, one after another so you don’t have to wait to play. It’s priced at $73 and is an import, but I’d be surprised if this didn’t show up in North America very soon. Go get the calculator and add up how much you’ve already spent in batteries. This is a real bargain.

Comcast offering Wiis to new subscribers

Posted in Comcast by Conner Flynn on July 22nd, 2008

Comcast offering Wiis to new subscribersFor those of you who haven’t jumped on the Wii bandwagon yet and don’t have Comcast, The Consumerist found out about a new deal in the works by Comcast where they will be giving away Wiis to new subscribers. The deal is apparently good from July 28 to August 17 in the Miami, SF, Houston, Denver, Chicago, Philly, Boston Detroit and other areas.

It’s a limited supply kind of thing so if you want a Wii and want to change over to Comcast, call them on July 28 and ask about it. We’ll probably begin seeing the ads soon. I can’t help but wonder though, if they will promise more Wiis then then have and start a fuss about some kind of Comcast/Wii shortage.

Guy recreates Nintendo classics with Lego

Posted in Nintendo by Conner Flynn on July 22nd, 2008

Guys recreates Nintendo classics with Lego
What’s a guy to do for a hobby when he has a love for both NES and Lego? Combine them of course. More specifically recreate all kinds of classic NES awesomeness using Legos. Scenes from such games as Metal Gear, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Bionic Commando, Contra, Mortal Combat, Castlevania and more.

These aren’t just slapped together scenes either, but highly detailed snapshots of the game. It’s like a walk down memory lane using Lego vision. It must have taken him hours to do all the work. And a lot of game pausing.

Wii Music Trailer

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 20th, 2008

Wii Music Trailer
If you want to feel like you’ve just downed a 2-liter bottle of I don’t know, say LSD, have a look at the freaky video below that shows off Wii Music. Does it have what it takes to become a best seller? I don’t know, but it’s gotta require some level of skill right? Should we love it or should we hate it? All I know for sure is that the video below is like a nightmarish, trippy Mii music video that seems to want to get into your head and convert you.

Wii outsells Xbox 360 in the US

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 18th, 2008

Wii outsells Xbox 360 in the US
Nintendo’s Wii has now surpassed the Xbox 360 as the leading console in U.S. homes among the latest generation of video-game players. As of June, U.S. consumers bought nearly 10.9 million Wii consoles since it’s introduction, which makes Nintendo top console dog. In fact, the Wii has been the top-selling console in all but one month in the U.S. since it launched, according to research firm NPD Group Inc.

Nintendo is projecting that worldwide, the Wii’s annual sales will surpass the number of consoles that Sony sells for the first time this fiscal year. The formula seems pretty straightforward. Get people actually in the game with motion control and Miis, appeal to all ages and keep the price somewhat reasonable.

Mushroom vacuum cleaners won’t give you an extra life

Posted in Vacuum by Conner Flynn on July 17th, 2008

Mushroom vacuum cleaners won’t give you an extra life
Just how do they keep the Mushroom kingdom clean anyway? Looks like all the mushrooms in the land are actually vacuum cleaners. Makes sense. I mean, you need something to suck up left behind star power, coins, Yoshi poo…

These are also perfect for the messy gamer. I’m sure they can suck up that mound of potato chip droppings that have collected in your game spot. Well, maybe they aren’t that strong, but they make your home look more like a Mario game and I happen to know that’s a personal goal of yours. The Mushroom vacuum runs on 2 AA batteries and is available in red, orange, green or purple for $12.

E3 2008: WiiSpeak community mic for online chatting

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 15th, 2008

E3 2008: WiiSpeak community mic for online group chatting
Another new Wii accessory fresh from E3 is the WiiSpeak community mic and speaker that will let you chat with friends and enemies online. It’s not like an Xbox 360 headset since the emphasis is on group chatting and since it resides not on your head but on top of your TV. It will come bundled with Animal Crossing City Folk and will be out later this year. Pretty cool no? I’m not sure how it will filter out game sounds and such, but it must be pretty good.

E3 2008: Nintendo announces Wii Music

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 15th, 2008

E3 2008: Nintendo announces Wii MusicNintendo just announced Wii Music, a new music game that will let you use the Wiimote, Nunchuk and the Wii-Fit Balance Board to create music. It’s not like Rock Band or Guitar Hero, which are based on precise timing. Instead, this one lets you mash buttons and swing the remote around like a crazy Jedi to create some original tunes. Your motions and button mashing will make beautiful music.

It’s like Beamz but with a wiimote. Hopefully less dorky. Users can play different instruments and their are a lot of options like guitar, drums, saxophone and violin. Plus you’ll be able to create music videos as well. You like? I’m not so sure it can compare to pure rocking like Guitar Hero. We’ll see.

Logitech announces wireless Wii keyboard

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 15th, 2008

Logitech announces wireless Wii keyboard
I don’t know many people who surf the web using their Wii, but if that’s your idea of fun then Logitech has a brand spanking new keyboard to go along with your frustration. It broadcasts using 2.4 GHz wireless technology and will work from 30 feet away.

It’s not just a plain old wireless keyboard either. It was designed with the Wii in mind and so comes with dedicated buttons for things like Zoom In/Out, Forward/Back, Quit and OK. No word on a release date, but it will cost you $50 when it arrives. That’s a bit more expensive then the Logic 3, which is only available in the uk currently.


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