WiiFit

Nintendo of Japan has just started a new Wii channel that allows users to view and even print digital photos from the Wii. Through a collaboration with Fujifilm, Japanese Wii users can now order prints of digital camera photos through the Wii for 30 yen (28 cents) each. Users can also purchase special Wii Photo Books for 1,575 yen ($14,71), or deluxe Mario-themed Wii Photo Books for 2,480 yen ($23.16).

In addition, the service offers meishi (like Japanese business cards, but even more prevalent) in multiple colors, emblazoned with the Mii of the user’s choice, at a rate of 500 yen per 30 cards.

We think this is a really cool and unique feature that we wouldn’t mind trying out oursel — oh, wait, we’re supposed to be “hardcore gamers.” We almost forgot to hate it and blame this new service for the death of gaming! Oh, man, how embarrassing.

via : nintendowiifanboy.com

The Nintendo Wii broke my heart. It wooed me with cute, clever marketing and the promise of unbelievable technology. But it was a scam, a hoax, a hoodwink. The Wii’s main revolutionary component, the Wiimote, did not work nearly as well as a many of us expected (like when swinging a golf club in WiiSports or a sword in Red Steel). And that was a real blow, because there was no one more excited about the system than me.

So after trying out Wii MotionPlus today, an add-on that brings the Wiimote “more comprehensive tracking” and 1:1 response, I was left with mixed feelings. On one hand, Nintendo finally delivered everything I ever wanted in the Wiimote. On the other, it was two years late, and as Jason pointed out, not making the system any cheaper.

I tried Wii MotionPlus with Wii Sports Resort, the only game that currently supports (and requires) the add-on. Right away it was undeniable—MotionPlus does add true 1:1 movement support. But what’s that actually mean though?

When playing the Frisbee minigame, the Wiimote essentially acts as the Frisbee. The slightest turn of the wrist is represented instantly on screen by one’s avatar. That’s neat…but how 1:1 was this really? I moved the Wiimote in odd positions, wrapping my arm around my body and over my head. And it captured every gesture. Any time I was able to fool the program—a trick that took some effort—it could probably just be blamed on lack of proper model animations, not the hardware itself.

The thrill I got from just watching my avatar hold the Frisbee like I did was greater than…maybe any experience I’ve had on the Wii aside from Super Mario Galaxy.

Sword fighting was much the same. Where the Wiimote alone has incredible difficulty registering something like a forward thrust, the MotionPlus Wiimote recognized the move with ease. And like a bad Conan impression, I swung the Wiimote with all my might to destroy Jason Chen. It was great, even though I lost.

The ironic thing is, with a motion controller that actually works, you quickly realize the limitations in a real motion controller. For instance, during a sword dual, there is nothing stopping my real remote in real life when my virtual sword is blocked in the virtual world. But these issues are small and, in most cases, technically unavoidable.

The important point is this: The Nintendo Wii can finally be the absolutely amazing machine that many of us thought would never materialize—its tacit promises delivered at last.

Yet I still can’t celebrate. And maybe you shouldn’t, either.

New titles designed for MotionPlus will not be playable with standard Wiimotes. While Nintendo isn’t technically stopping third parties from making dual-compatible games, the fact that Nintendo’s WiiSports Resort lacks such an option is a potential harbinger of a bad trend.

If developers support MotionPlus in mass, the peripheral will become amandatory upgrade to Wii owners who just want to play new Wii games. And in the console market, that’s an unprecedented requirement (update: yes, the PlayStation analog stick upgrade on the Dual Analog wasn’t great, but Nintendo’s upgrade may be a requirement so intrinsic to the system that it affects an overwhelming majority of titles.)

I respect Nintendo for fixing the shortcomings of their Wiimote. They didn’t have to do so to win the console war and make boatloads of money. But I really wish it worked better in the first place and, even more so, that I didn’t need to explain to my in-laws why their brand new console is already obsolete.

via : gizmodo.com

Traditional ‘core’ Wii gamers (or: everyone who reads this website) may have been disappointed by the particularly Mii-heavy announcements of Nintendo’s E3 press conference last night, but boss Reggie Fils Aimes can’t see any reason why the Nintendo hardcore should feel left out.

Speaking to G4 after the press conference, where the company unveiled Wii Sports Resort, Wii Music and Animal Crossing: City Folk, Reggie said that Animal Crossing and GTA DS should be enough to please ‘core’ gamers.

“How could you feel left out? The Animal Crossing that we’ve been hearing about that people wanted,” he said. “Fully connected to the Internet, go to other people’s towns. Plus as I said, Grand Theft Auto on the DS. How do you feel left out with those types of announcements?

“Make no mistake, Mr. Iwata said quite clearly: Mario teams, Zelda teams are working, they’re bringing product out for Wii this generation,” he added. “We’re going to continue to bring all our best franchises to both of our key platforms and continue driving that experience both core as well as brand new consumers.”

We were actually quite excited by some of Nintendo’s ‘casual’ titles, but no offense Reggie; Animal Crossing was barely a core title on the GameCube, let alone with Mii masks and beauty salons. And as for GTA DS, show us more than a logo and we might have something to get excited about. Hopefully we’ll get to see the Mario and Zelda teams’ work soon. -

We’re sure the ‘core’ gamers will speak for us in the comments field below.

So yeah, we got a chance to check out Nintendo’s new MotionPlus accessory. Wii Sports Resort is the only title announced right now that requires (or supports) MotionPlus, and we gave a couple of the games a run (like sword fighting and jet-skiing). Basically we’re a little at a loss as to how this does anything truly differently or more effectively than current controllers. We get that it’s got additional MEMS accelerometers that supposedly bring the relationship of motion and gameplay to a more 1:1 ratio, and for the motion types we tested, it did seem to work — but the experience and level of immersion felt basically the same. So what’s the deal? More after the break.

It’s a tricky issue — gyros, relational movement, real-space, accelerometers, etc., and we’ve already got the take of the company that helped Nintendo produce the hardware. We also asked the booth rep to explain why we needed the MotionPlus for Sports Resort. Not just because the software requires it, but why it NEEDS it, and not just a regular Wiimote. We were told that with previous Wii Sports games, players could kind of get by with a waggle (this is where he started gesticulating with some what random movements), but now you could play all this crazy stuff, like swords and jet skis.

Earlier we asserted that it felt like most of this could be accomplished with a regular Wiimote — or what the Wiimote originally promised. That may or may not be the case — it’s hard to say for sure what Nintendo’s built-in accelerometers are truly capable of, although we’re supposed to take it that this level of motion control isn’t in spec. The gyroscopic relational movement MotionPlus is supposed to add just didn’t really seem to build on that experience. to make it more accurate and effective in real space.

So why not move to improve the Wiimote’s native experience instead of trying to hock another $30 accessory? When you’re basing your titles on motion control, changing your system’s motion control capabilities strikes us as a monumentally bad idea. What’s worse, it strikes us like Nintendo’s charging consumers to make good on what we were supposed to be getting in the first place. As of right now, we’ll pass — at least until Nintendo can really bring it home as to why this is the next important thing.

via : engadget.com

Nintendo fans had expected the company to address two Wii hardware related issues at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2008. Some kind of voice-chat solution. Check. And a proper response to gamers who have collectively run out of storage space on their system. That one, not so much. No USB hard drive. No official developer access to retrieve dynamic game data from SD cards. (At least, not for anybody outside of Vicarious Visions, making Guitar Hero: World Tour). And players themselves definitely don’t have that kind of access.

But is a solution coming? And if so, when?

“There isn’t anything that we can announce today, but we have been thinking along a variety of different lines regarding this matter for some time now,” Shigeru Miyamoto told IGN. “So my hope is that sometime in the not too distant future we will be able to discuss some concrete solutions.”

Exactly when that answer might arrive, we don’t know. But at the very least, we’re encouraged to hear that Nintendo hasn’t simply chosen to altogether ignore the problem.

via : ign.com

Nintendo’s new blockbuster release, Wii Fit, is flying off the shelves, with most major retailers running out of fresh stock in a matter of minutes. But savvy shoppers searching for this virtual gym can avoid the run around thanks to real time stock alert website, (http://www.wii-consoles.co.uk), which checks supplier websites around the clock to find out when and where the latest consignment has landed.

Wii Fit is tipped to top the 2008 Christmas wish list, following in the footsteps of the original Wii console. Launched in the UK during April 08, the ‘fun and fitness’ game is already in short supply, with stock shortages likely to roll into the start of the Christmas shopping season.

Users of Wii-consoles.co.uk can find out where the game is in stock and which suppliers are offering the best deals and discounts for consoles, games and bundled packages. The site scans the big suppliers every 60 seconds to secure the most up-to-date information about availability. If stock has arrived in a shop within the last minute, online users are alerted with a pop-up message, or can opt to be notified by email.

Darren Mckillop, Wii-consoles.co.uk webmaster, says: “Games pundits are predicting that Wii Fit will sell out of many stores by September. With the console tipped to be this year’s ‘must have’ Christmas present for thousands of families, stock scarcity will result in stressed-out shoppers and pressured parents desperate not to disappoint their children.

“Our stock location service searches all the big suppliers – from online gaming retailers to high street giants such as HMV and Tesco. And a stock history feature for each supplier helps users understand trends and release times, giving them the best chance of tracking down Wii Fit in time for the festive season.”

The website is also packed with handy hints to help shoppers beat the rush and put themselves at the front of the queue when stock becomes available, such as pre-registering on retailers’ sites and searching first thing in the morning when batches of stock are released.

Wii Fit is a Nintendo game that comes bundled with the Wii Balance Board – a board about the size of a pair of bathroom scales that connects wirelessly to a Wii console. Players step on the board and Wii Fit calculates their body mass index and Wii Fit ‘age’ – or level of fitness – with some basic balance exercises. They can choose from more than 40 strength training, aerobic, balance and yoga activities – from slalom skiing and football to press-ups and warrior poses – all guided by an on-screen instructor.

Wii Fit retails at around £70, including the Wii Balance Board which is also suitable for a number of other Wii games such as Family Ski and EA Skate.

Darren Mckillop concludes: “Wii Fit is far more than just another game – it’s a virtual workout that will get British couch potatoes off the sofa and into shape!”

via : ve3tro.com