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.

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.

Wii Sports Resort bundled with MotionPlus next spring

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

Wii Sports Resort bundled with MotionPlus next spring
Looks like Wii Sports Resort, which is basically Wii Sports: The Next Generation, will come bundled with the MotionPlus accessory, when it becomes available next spring. The MotionPlus attachment gives you 1:1 motion mirroring on your Wiimote.

No word yet on the price of the MotionPlus by itself, but the thinking is that people will buy Wii Sports Resort just to get the accessory just like with Wii Play.

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.

New wireless Guitar Hero controller for the Wii spotted

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 14th, 2008

New wireless Guitar Hero controller for the Wii spotted
Some guy from Michigan spotted this sweet looking guitar at his local Wal-Mart so he snapped a pic. It’s a mysterious new controller for Guitar Hero for the Wii called the Rage. It may or may not be all the Rage.

No one seems to know anything about it and there’s nothing on Google either, which seems a bit odd since it looks so sweet and all. According to the box, it’s super realistic and this baby even has light-up LEDs on the fretboard. The $54.78 price tag isn’t all that awesome, but it’s different if you’re looking for a new fake guitar.

Nintendo unveils Wii MotionPlus for the Wii Remote

Posted in Wii Accessories by Darrin Olson on July 14th, 2008

Nintendo Wii MotionPlus adapter for the Wiimote controllerNintendo today issued a press release to introduce an unexpected accessory to the Wii Remote controller, called Wii Motionplus. The new attachment is designed to give even more accurate responses to a players hand and arm motions and we hope will lead to a lightsaber game in the very near future. According to Nintendo, the new controller add-on connects to the bottom end of the Wii Remote and will do a better job of “reflecting motions in a 3-D space”.

The attachment works in conjunction with the existing accelerometer in the remote and the Wii Sensor bar to track the players hand and arm motions and give what Nintendo is calling a true 1:1 response, which is sure to be a welcome feature for those interested in first person shooter games or anything requiring a little more precision beyond shaking or waving the remote wildly. The Wii remote currently with the game console does a great job of sensing more general motions, twisting and waving but sometimes can be a little shaky with the direct pointing. The Wii MotionPlus is sure to be an improvement and open up the Wii to less frustrating times at games requiring more precision.

Logic 3 wireless Wii keyboard

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 8th, 2008

Logic 3 wireless Wii keyboard
It’s not all about running around in Zelda land collecting hearts and rupees. Sometimes you want to take a break and send a message to your buddy. Probably telling him all about that Princess Peach upskirt you found when freezing Super Smash Bros.

Thanks to Logic 3’s 32-key wireless keyboard, you can do just that. Enter in names, messages, Wii Friend Codes etc. Then get back to prancing around Hyrule like a fairy. It’s $27 and will be released July 18 in the UK.

Stix is a Wiimote for the PC

Posted in PCs by Conner Flynn on July 2nd, 2008

Stix is a Wiimote for the PC
So you’ve wanted some motion control on your PC, but so far every mod you’ve attempted fails miserably. The folks at GoLive2 are here to help with Stix, a Wiimote for the PC. No, it won’t sing Mr. Roboto or Come Sail Away, but it will let you have a Wii-like experience on your PC.

It’s launching with a companion website called sphere that has hundreds of “free Web-based games” available, which usually means suckage. The Stix 200 will work with those games while the Stix 400 will apparently work with normal PC games. It will be available in August.

Solar-powered Wii station for outdoor play

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on July 1st, 2008

Solar-powered Wii station for outdoor play
It’s a beautiful summer day. You want nothing more then to play your Wii and enjoy the outdoors. But you can’t do both. Or can you? Now you can, thanks to this solar powered Wii station.

Whether it’s some exercise with Wii fit or a kick-ass round of Mario Kart, you’ll be having fun in the sun. It’s basically little more then a wooden case that houses the Wii, a high definition display, a solar power panel, and a battery, so I’m sure it’s entirely worth the $1,431 build cost.

Nintendo pushes back DVD-Wii in Japan

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

Nintendo pushes back DVD-Wii in Japan
Those of us in the U.S. know damn well that we are never going to have a DVD playing Wii, while those who live in Japan have reason to hope. The company has made promises stating that a DVD system was on the way in some form, at some point.

Now the poor Wii playing Japanese are thinking they may never get one as well since Nintendo has just announced yet another delay to the system while still giving no date. IGN says that Nintendo President Satoru Iwata would only say that due to the continuing worldwide Wii shortages, “the priority is on the current model.”

Wii 2010: A blue haired odyssey

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on June 23rd, 2008

Wii 2010: A Blue Haired Odyssey
T3 Magazine commissioned some future designs for their “future tech” feature. Here’s a Wii concept for 2010, which is right around the corner. Apparently blue hair is all the rage in the future. And I’m guessing that her bra has bluetooth to control some game by pure boob boucing and nipple position.

It should be noted that in 2010 brainwaves are used to control characters with some head gear, which also sports in-ear headphones. It’s nice to see the Wiimote all thin and streamlined, with just one button too. I’m looking forward to blue haired girl gamers gripping my Wiimote in 2010. Thank you Nintendo. Thank you future.

Guitar Hero World Tour’s new guitar

Posted in Musical Instruments by Conner Flynn on June 19th, 2008

Guitar Hero World Tour’s new guitar
Most of you have heard the rumors about a touchpad on the new guitar, well now we get to see it for real. IGN previewed the new gear, and they say that the strip will be used for notes during sustains, tapping to play notes, and interfacing with the new music creator.

Interestingly, the guitar is larger than those that have come before it. Back to the drums. They’re pressure sensitive, with a plain jane mic, and the music creation software is apparently very awesome. Sadly, you can’t record vocals for songs though. The Wii version of the game will have all of the same features, which is good news for Wii owners.

Nintendo is “working on a solution” to Wii storage

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

Nintendo is “working on a solution” to Wii storageWe’ve seen the writing on the wall and it seems to indicate that Nintendo is working on some USB devices for the Wii, but Laurent Fischer of Nintendo Europe quashed that idea while another option now seems open. According to GamesIndustry.biz, he says that the company is “working on a solution” to the Wii storage problem, but he also says “definitely there’s no plan to issue hardware,” like a hard drive.

So the thinking now is that Nintendo is working on a firmware update that would allow downloaded games to be played directly from SD cards, but no one knows for sure. We may get more details as E3 approaches.

14 awesome Wii case mods

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on June 16th, 2008

Metroid
The Wii has changed the face of gaming with it’s interactive motion controls. So much so, that every other console has begun work on their own version. Just as the Wii has changed gaming, gamers are constantly changing the Wii console itself, giving it all kinds of personalities. Here’s a look at some of our favorites.


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