It'd be a complete bitch for the TSA, but there really aren't enough functional wooden firearms in the world. [flickr via ubergizmo]

LOGITECH INTRODUCES FIRST FORCE FEEDBACK WHEEL FOR WII
Logitech Speed Force Wireless Racing Wheel Works With EA's Highly Anticipated Racing Game Need for Speed™ Undercover

FREMONT, Calif. — Aug. 21, 2008 — To give you a more realistic driving experience on your Wii™, Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) today announced the Logitech® Speed Force Wireless™ racing wheel – the first force feedback wheel for the popular gaming platform. Licensed by Nintendo®, Logitech's newest force feedback wheel works with Electronic Arts' Need for Speed™ Undercover and paves the way for more force feedback racing titles on the Wii.
"We're excited to team up with Nintendo and Electronic Arts to bring driving realism to the Wii and Need for Speed Undercover," said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech's director of product marketing for gaming. "Logitech has been at the forefront of force feedback technology for more than a decade, and we're confident that our driving platform will be an indispensable part of the racing experience on Wii as more titles that support it become available."

"As the world's most popular racing franchise, Need for Speed is committed to delivering players superior racing experiences," said Larry LaPierre, Vice President at Black Box, developer of Need for Speed. "This November, Wii gamers can fully experience the thrill of the chase in Need for Speed Undercover with Logitech's force feedback realism."

Easy to set up and store, the Logitech Speed Force Wireless features a one-piece design that is convenient to use whether you're sitting on your couch, arm chair or living room floor. The built-in gas and brake controls are located on the wheel itself and the expandable lap rest is easily adjusted – allowing for comfortable game play without the need to use a table or a desk. Plus, familiar Wii controls make navigating game menus a snap.

To help you minimize clutter, the Logitech Speed Force Wireless eliminates the console cable. With Logitech's 2.4 GHz wireless technology, you can enjoy lag-free racing from up to 30 feet away from the console. To start racing, just connect the USB receiver to the Wii, plug in the wheel's power cord, put in Need for Speed: Undercover, adjust the lap rest to a comfortable position and wait for the race to begin. There's no mounting or assembly involved. And when you're ready to put it away, the USB receiver can be stowed in a convenient compartment on the bottom of the wheel.

Logitech Force Feedback Technology
Having introduced its first force feedback products in 1998, the company has designed 19 models of force feedback wheels. And more than 100 racing titles have supported Logitech force feedback technology on a variety of game platforms.

When you're playing a racing game, standard controllers don't let you feel all the excitement that makes racing with force feedback technology the closest you can get to the real thing. Force feedback, unlike vibration feedback or rumble technology, creates directionally precise, tactile feedback that accurately simulates forces experienced in the game. Through the use of advanced software and electronics, force feedback moves a steering wheel as if the device were subject to real external forces.

About Need for Speed Undercover

Need for Speed Undercover takes players back to the franchise's roots and re-introduces break-neck cop chases and spectacular highway battles. Players discover a world of high-stakes and high-speed action in some of the world's hottest cars. The all-new Heroic Driving Engine propels the action forward as players experience the dramatic story through spectacular Hollywood-style live-action in-game movies.

Pricing and Availability
The Logitech Speed Force Wireless racing wheel is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in November for a suggested retail price of $99.99 (U.S.).

Need for Speed Undercover is being developed by Black Box in Vancouver, B.C. and is slated to ship this November. It will be available for Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Wii™ as well as the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) handheld entertainment system, PC and mobile. More information can be found at www.needforspeed.com.

The Hillcrest patents referenced in the action against Nintendo are secondary patents relating to user interface details and compensation techniques, whereas Movea’s Gyration patents are central to the usage model, i.e. using sensors to detect human motion and control graphics on a screen. Gyration was the pioneer in developing fundamental motion sensing technologies and IP, and was a core enabler to Nintendo and Hillcrest, both of whom had entered license arrangements with Gyration to enable their products.

PRESS RELEASE: Hillcrest Labs Issues Statement About Legal Action Against Nintendo and the Wii

August 20, 2008 – Rockville, MD – Hillcrest Labs issued an official statement about legal action that the company has taken today against Nintendo(R) for patent infringement. The statement is as follows:

Hillcrest Labs has filed a complaint for patent infringement with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in Washington, D.C., and a separate patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland against Nintendo(R) related to the Wii(TM) video game system.

Hillcrest's patents at issue are U.S. Patent Nos. 7,158,118, 7,262,760, and 7,414,611, which relate to a handheld three-dimensional pointing device, and U.S. Patent No. 7,139,983, which relates to a navigation interface display system that graphically organizes content for display on a television. Since 2001, Hillcrest Labs has pioneered technology that allows consumers to interact with digital media on television using motion-control and pointing techniques. The company holds 29 patents in this area worldwide, and has filled for more than 100 related patents.

Leading consumer electronics companies, not all of whom have been disclosed publicly, have already licensed Hillcrest's technology for use in their products. While Hillcrest Labs has a great deal of respect for Nintendo and the Wii, Hillcrest Labs believes that Nintendo is in clear violation of its patents and has taken this action to protect its intellectual property rights. Given the current status of the filings, the company will not disclose any additional details about the matter at this time.

Information about Hillcrest Labs and its products are available at www.hillcrestlabs.com

For those interested in actually doing this stuff to your Wiimotes, head over to Wiimotemods for their complete guide of step-by-step projects. [Wiimotemods via MAKE]

See, Mario does the breaststroke. And thus, it's perfect mental training for envisioning the actual Olympic hall.

Yes, that's the power of the Nintendo Wii when it's running Sega's Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. Flailing the Wiimote around in jack-off motion really can make you the athlete you'd always dreamed of being.

To Kitajima's credit, he did say that quote above jokingly. Then again, he did say it. [Hochi Yomiuri via Kotaku]

• Game over? Not with this completely awesome, never-ending, Donkey Kong Lego creation.
• The roof is on fire! And Google StreetView was there for the whole thing.
• Rear-entry fun with a poochie and a Wiimote? Maybe I shouldn't ask...
• They'll leave old fully-stocked NASA trailers anywhere these days.
• Farmers in China brought the Olympic "bird's nest" stadium to their fields when they built a huge bamboo replica.

Now, do a pole vault to the front page for the best gadget news on the Interwebs.

What's the upshot to this? One, the non-exclusivity leaves room for Microsoft or Sony to license the same technology and come out with something as good as the MotionPlus accessory. However since Nintendo had two companies collaborate on this, knockoffs might not be exactly the same. [Eurogamer via Reg Hardware]

Mr. Iwata: There will be games that will be enhanced by the Wii Motion Plus as well as games that can only be played with it. Users will need four if they have four controllers, but we're going to try to offer it for as little as possible. We haven't announced the price yet, but the cost of making the Wii Motion Plus is not that much, so I think we can make it very affordable.

Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on what games you play, and if you only play Wii Sports and Wii Play, you won't need to pick up another add-on for your Wiimotes. [WSJ via Kotaku]

The seven robots were designed to achieve seven different missions:

Brian Davis, Indiana, USA
Project: Little Joe
This robot will perform an automated free-fall in an attempt to set the record for the longest MINDSTORMS NXT free-fall. The robot will be detached from the main balloon near maximum altitude and will free-fall until the parachute deploys.

Project: Gypsy
The robot will be an automated camera platform that will take both video and still images. The MINDSTORMS NXT will control all image timing as well as pitch angle

FLL Team 90/David Levy (Coach), Virginia USA
Project: FLL Team Challenge: Climate Connections
A FIRST LEGO League Climate Connections team will build a robot to measure UV radiation as a function of altitude. The MINDSTORMS NXT will not only data log the UV sensor readings, but will also be used to rotate the UV filters in position as well as control the robot heater with a temperature sensor.

Barbara Bratzel & Chris Rogers, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA
Project: Fourth Graders
A group of 4th grade students will investigate the impact of flight conditions on yellow marshmallows (a.k.a peeps). The MINDSTORMS NXT will be recording temperature and pressure during the mission.

David Martinez, Jurgen Leitner, Sweden
Project: SpaceMasters
The robot will be measuring the change in G-forces as a function of altitude. The robot will repeatedly drop a tethered Wiimote at different altitudes to measure the acceleration experience.

Claude Baumann, Francis Massen, Jean Mootz, Luxembourg
Project : LUXPAK
The robot will be using an RCX to measure ozone concentration, air pressure, temperature (inside and outside) and reflected light from Earth during the descent.

Eugene Tsai, Taiwan
The robot will be using filtering papers to capture particles and/or chemicals in the air during the balloon ascent and descent periods. The LEGO Mindstorms NXT will be used to provide a mechanism to switch filtering papers to capture the materials in the air and then keep the papers in a secured compartment. The filtering papers will be retrieved and analyzed to see what chemicals and particles exist in different altitudes.

[More info will be posted soon at the Lego Mindstorms site]

The coolest part though, are the connected fans, which speed up and slow down in relation to how fast you're flying. You definitely get a sense of wind resistance with this rudimentary setup, so I'd be curious to see what they could do with more resources. Ilia Rosenberg, one of the main NYU students behind the project, said they tried using Wiimotes, but they didn't offer the same sense of feedback that the USB controller did. [Microsoft Research]

LiveMove2 is a toolset for developers intended to simplify the process of including the Wiimote's new live tracking abilities in new titles. If these test samples are any indication, there are a great deal of possibilities here. We've already told you that the MotionPlus add-on is too expensive (though fantastic), but watching this guy swing a perfectly synchronized digital sword at a helpless ragdoll and ping drones across the room makes the exorbitant price tag hurt just a little less. [AiLive]

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 a mandatory 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.

Part of the reason why we're comparing four players is because of the way Nintendo sets up its games. While it's very rare for Xbox 360 and PS3 owners to have four controllers—partially because their online connectivity is so good—it's very common for Wii owners to have four. You need four controllers to play four-player Wii Sports Tennis. You need four controllers to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl. You need four controllers to play Mario Kart Wii. It's very much a living room system, something that's emphasized by Nintendo themselves in their own advertising.

And what do we find when we compare the Wii with four controllers to the other systems with four controllers? That the Wii is $20 more expensive than the Xbox 360, and only $10 cheaper than the PS3. That's definitely NOT the cheapest console.

In the interest of fairness, we compared all of Nintendo's accessories (the Wheel, the Zapper, Retro Controller, Nunchuck and Balance Board), and grabbed the cheapest one's price point—the wheel at $14. We priced the MotionPlus at the same price. So far Nintendo has only said that their Wii Sports Resort will cost $49, with one MotionPlus accessory, but nothing about how much the accessory will cost on its own.

It's also necessary to note that if you buy your first MotionPlus the smart way, with Wii Sports Resort, you'll have to pay $35 more than the price we calculated with buying only the accessories. This pushes the Wii into the "most expensive console" territory at $525—which is above even the PS3.

We also didn't include those other accessories like the wheel or the zapper as a "necessary purchase" because they're not necessary to play all games, and are only directed toward a certain title niche. The MotionPlus, on the other hand, is a necessary purchase to play a big chunk of upcoming Wii games, since many games starting from the next year on will require the MotionPlus as a necessary accessory to enable accurate motion detection. As Mark said in his hands-on impressions, the MotionPlus is so good that gameplay without it feels incomplete. Nintendo has gone back and retroactively made your current experience (in relative comparison) worse by introducing this new accessory. Do we think Nintendo is right in releasing this accessory? Of course. But by doing so, they push themselves out of the cheapest console throne.

Combining readings from it, the sensor bar and the Wiimote's accelerometer, the Wii can track the remote a lot more precisely, so it can read more complicated gestures, like for throwing a frisbee. Supposedly InvenSense's silicon-based MEMS rate gyroscope use a lot less power than a standard MEMS one, but you can bet your batteries are going to die even faster now.

InvenSense™ IDG-600 Motion Sensing Solution Showcased in Nintendo’S New Wii MotionPlus Accessory

World’s Leading Multi-axis MEMS Rate Gyroscope Enhances Performance of Latest “Wii MotionPlus” Accessory

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—InvenSense Inc., a leading provider of MEMS-based motion sensing solutions for image stabilization, dead reckoning navigation, 3D remote control, and gaming devices, today announced that its IDG-600 multi-axis MEMS rate gyroscope has started shipping in mass production quantities to Nintendo for its Wii MotionPlus accessory. Gesture based interfaces are quickly becoming the standard for many feature-rich consumer electronic products. Utilizing InvenSense’s unique motion sensing capabilities, customers of the new generation of Wii MotionPlus controllers will enjoy an immersive gaming experience with motion control never before possible in a video game. 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 player's arm position and orientation. In the new Wii Sports Resort product from Nintendo, for example, the ability to throw a disc through the air and control the angle of flight is now possible.

Conventional MEMS gyroscopes, which are the key enabling technology that can sense absolute rotational motion inputs, are typically used in commercial automotive electronic stability control and GPS applications, where their larger size, high power consumption and costs are accommodated. InvenSense has introduced an entirely new class of high performance silicon-based MEMS rate gyroscopes that offers smaller package sizes, lower power consumption, and lower price points suitable for consumer markets. The addition of InvenSense’s multi-axis rate gyroscope solution to the Wii MotionPlus accessory allows high precision 3D tracking of rapid gaming gestures.

“The popularity of Wii in large part is based on its popular motion sensing interface and InvenSense’s MEMS rate gyroscope represents a truly disruptive technology that possesses inherent manufacturing and high performance advantages that drives the need for a new generation of Wii Remote,” said Genyo Takeda, General Manager of Nintendo’s Integrated Research and Development Division. “Nintendo selected the IDG-600 for its ability to measure large dynamic motions, high shock resistance, and accuracy for sensing the fast moving arm and hand motions required to support exciting new game titles.”

MEMS offers miniaturized sensing solutions to meet the ideal performance, size and cost requirements of consumer applications. A key advantage of MEMS technology, as compared to its quartz and piezo-ceramic counterparts, is its ability to incorporate 3D mechanical features directly into single crystal silicon substrates while easily and cost effectively integrating it with CMOS electronics. InvenSense pioneered its patented manufacturing platform, known as Nasiri-Fabrication, which enabled the company to bring the world’s first and smallest integrated multi-axis gyroscopes to consumer products. Using Nasiri-Fabrication allows for the integration of MEMS and CMOS structures at the wafer level with a proprietary bonding technology resulting in several thousand gyroscopes simultaneously produced on a single wafer.

“We are honored to be selected as a strategic supplier by Nintendo, the leader in consumer gaming, and provide them with the solution that met their needs,” said Steven Nasiri, founder and CEO of InvenSense. “This accomplishment is credited to our highly innovative team here at InvenSense. We will continue our development efforts to bring about leading edge motion sensing solutions with an even higher level of integration, improved cost and performance, and added functionality to address the huge demand for motion-enabled gesture recognition.”

For more information on InvenSense motion sensing solutions, visit http://www.invensense.com

About InvenSense

InvenSense is the leading provider of motion sensing solutions for mobile applications, with proven technology and millions of units shipped to major OEMs worldwide. The company’s patented motion sensing technology and it novel Nasiri-Fabrication addresses many emerging mass-market applications such as gaming, image stabilization, and smart user interfaces that use hand motion and gesture-based commands for mobile applications, such as, smart phones, digital cameras, 3D remote control devices and more. InvenSense’s corporate offices are located in Sunnyvale, Calif. More information can be found at http://www.invensense.com

InvenSense, IDG-600 and the InvenSense logo are trademarks of InvenSense

Wii and Wii Remote are trademarks of Nintendo

[BusinessWire]

Different people can play different instruments, and you have the option of playing a wide number of them, from guitar and drums to the saxophone and violin. You'll be able to create music videos of the music you create, too. There will also be an orchestra conducting game included. It'll record your performance, but it won't rate or grade you. We don't want another story like the Wii Fit calling kids fat, now do we? You're all brilliant, children!

It'll be coming out this holiday season. [Gizmodo's Nintendo E3 Liveblog]

8:44: Nintendo's music is much less annoying (and loud) than Microsoft's.

8:44: Mark says he's happy we're not sitting next to anybody stinky today. Well, except the guys at Kotaku. Check out their liveblog as well.

8:50: I wonder how Miyamoto preps for these things. Slapping his subordinates around with a Wii Fit, most likely.

8:51: THAT *slap* POWERPOINT *slap* NEEDS *slap* MORE *slap* BULLET *slap* POINTS!

8:52: Here's a question. Do Nintendo execs dance around in their underwear at home while thinking about how much money they have?

8:54: Mark update: I wish that words could convey the melodious techno music filling my ears/heart. The subsequent adrenaline rush can only be described in cans of one's energy drink of choice.

8:54: Mark update: (I'm at like 2.5 cans of Red Bull right now)

8:54: This might not be true, but we overheard that Reggie ate his way to the top of Nintendo. Like, he ate everyone in his way until he was the only one left in the managerial chain.

8:56: That's how he got to be head of Pizza Hut before, but he had a few more topping options over there.

8:57: Mark says the stage is like a dual screen, because there's one screen...and then another screen behind it. Excellent observation Mark. That's why you shouldn't substitute a Heineken for your orange juice in the morning.

9:01: Should start any second now. Miyamoto might or might not be the first one on stage. How many of their classic franchises do they have left to milk into next-gen motion-sensing games? Four.

9:03: Anyone have any price predictions for that MotionPlus add-on? $19? $29? $39? Three easy payments of $49.99?

9:04: I *think* one of the images Nintendo is using for their "look at how many casual users we have" is of NY Gov prostitute Kristen. Or Kristin. We forget. It's shot in NY.

9:05: Mark update: Wow, i cant believe I'm in the place they shoot American Idol! I feel so important right now.

9:05: It's starting!

9:06: It's another montage with "regular people" playing Nintendo games.

9:07: Cammie Dunaway is now coming on stage (exec VP of sales and marketing). Not Reggie (the toddler eater).

9:08: "Bringing home video games is probably safer than the other things you can do to impress your kids." Like body piercing. Or snowboarding and breaking her wrist, if you're talking about things that actually happened.

9:09: They're pulling out snowboarder Shaun White for the Wii Fit-based Shaun White snowboarding. Looks like you use a combination of Wii Fit and a controller. He's got no shoes or socks on.

9:10: Shaun White's Mii looks like a teenage girl.

9:12: The game looks very easy for casual players, as you'd expect.

9:13: This demonstration would have been HILARIOUS if she fell off the Wii Fit board and hurt her wrist.

9:13: Satoru Iwata, the KING of Nintendo, is coming on stage.

9:14: He's talking about 2003, the first year that he addressed E3. He seems kind of bitter about the "pessimistic view" people had of Nintendo back then. He asks who knew that the market could have shifted so much that they could have sold millions of bathroom scales.

9:15: Iwata wants to discuss what has really changed in this new gaming paradigm. First apparently is the long tail, software that sells for years at a time. Examples: Brain Age, Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS and Super Mario Bros. DS. Basically, simpler games whose graphics don't age as badly.

9:16: He says not everyone searches for better graphics and more deep content. But, Nintendo recognizes that some people do look for that.

9:18: "The marketplace has expanded. Take a look at this picture. And this one." He then proceeds to show a picture of two old ladies and then a young woman at a stylist. So...female players are new?

9:19: Iwata claims that in Europe, people are buying 200,000 units a week, as if every week was a holiday. Yes, to Nintendo execs, every week is Christmas.

9:20: Guitar Hero III on Wii is outselling all other console versions, apparently. Iwata is using this as the main evidence that the gaming paradigm has shifted.

9:21: "We must find more ways for players to feel engaged. Different ways for them to be enriched."

9:22: Mark predicts: Nintendo Eee PC!

9:23: Nintendo's announcing Animal Crossing City Folk. It's similar to the Sims, but more Animal Crossing-like. When you're not playing the game, the world inside the game still keeps going.

9:25: Yup, definitely like The Sims.

9:26: There's a new accessory called WiiSpeak, a group microphone attachment that lets people in one room talk with people in other rooms.

9:27: It's not a one-to-one microphone headset like the Xbox 360, but more like a group chat.

9:28: Reggie is now on stage. The WiiSpeak is going to be bundled with Animal Crossing later this year.

9:28: The Wii has sold 10 million systems and the DS has sold 20 million. These together make up $5 billion in sales.

9:30: Nintendo predicts that there will be 100 million DS units after 2008.

9:31: Lifetime sales of Pokemon titles top 180 million units.

9:31: Reggie says that according to NPD sales data, the DS has overtaken the Wii this year. They spin it as the DS having more "evergreen" titles, but it could also be taken as the Wii not having very many must-have titles.

9:33: "No system has sold more games in its first 19 months of availability."

9:34: Nintendo is going to show off three new games today. First, Star Wars the Clone Wars. Wii Lightsaber duels with your Wiimote. It doesn't seem like it's 1:1 lightsaber action.

9:37: Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party is a party game (obviously) with various incarnations already on systems now.

9:37: Call of Duty World At War is the third. It's got simultaneous co-op mode, which looks like two players using the same FPS screen with two crosshairs on screen at once. Similar to gun games like Time Crisis.

9:39: They're showing a chart of DS "recipients" comparing females to males, and in 2007, females were up to 48%. So, female gaming is pretty big for Nintendo.

9:40: Nintendo DS is also getting a Guitar Hero On Tour Decades that follows the original On Tour game. You'll be able to "song share" between different versions of the game.

9:42: DS is also getting Spore Creatures. Those monsters still look pretty gross, but are slightly cuter on this version. Not the bulbous abominations of nature that we saw on the PC.

9:43: Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia (Nov 10) is the new Pokemon Ranger game. It's that game where you have to draw circles around your Pokemon.

9:43: Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars is coming to DS. No screenshots yet, however. It's set in Liberty City, like GTA IV.

9:44: DS and Air Travel. Why can't they connect together? (I don't know, why can't they?!) Nintendo is currently testing connectivity with airports to get travel information like luggage claim and local restaurants when you deboard.

9:45: Cooking Navi, a cookbook "game", is also coming some time this year for the DS.

9:46: Now Reggie is back on stage showing off the Nintendo WiiMotion Plus. It makes the Wiimote "more precise," he claims.

9:47: It "renders every slight shift of your wrist or arm."

9:47: It's a "worthy successor" to Wii Sports and comes with "Wii Sports Resort." (Mark called it.) It also comes with an extended Wii Jacket.

9:48: The demo in Wii Motion plus is showing off a frisbee game where you chuck one to a dog. The new WiiMote knows exactly where your WiiMote is in space. It still requires you to point the WiiMote at the screen, it seems.

9:50: Reggie is demoing a Wave Race type water racing game with the new add-on.

9:51: Sword Fighting! Hold the Wiimote with both hands and cut at things with your on-screen sword.

9:52: "How often do you get to do this with your boss?" Well, I don't know, I 'swordfight' with people at Giz all the time.

9:52: Reggie is taunting the poor woman with a broken wrist.

9:53: Other "resort" games will show up in the title as well.

9:54: Launch date is next Spring.

9:54: From what Reggie is saying, you can't play the new Wii Sports game with your current Wiimotes.

9:55: Some guy is on stage showing off a game that includes a drum-simulator that works with the Wiimote, Nunchuck and Wii Fit Balance Board.

9:56: Miyamoto is on stage, with a sax sim played with the WiiMote. It looks kind of silly, but you play it with the face buttons.

9:57: The game is called Wii Music.

9:58: They were designing this game alongside Wii Sports, Wii Play and Wii Fit.

9:58: Miyamoto is saying that most music games make you press buttons in time with the music, but Wii Music lets you free-form your music depending on whatever you want. Just move the WiiMote around as if you were playing the instrument, and the game translate that into "music".

10:00: Fifty different musical instruments total. Piano, violin and guitar.

10:02: The drums are a separate mode that includes the Wii Fit board.

10:03: You can play with up to four players simultaneously.

10:05: Now all four people on stage are playing the Super Mario theme, with Miyamoto on cowbell. That's certainly an interesting interpretation of the theme. With Cowbell.

10:06: From what it seems like, you just have to shake the WiiMote in kind of the same way as you play the instrument and music comes out. So it's like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, except even easier because you don't have to play it in time.

10:07: They're wrapping up the announcements today.

10:08: Praphrased: "You guys called the DS a fad? It's not a fad. Consumers are saying it's not a fad."

10:09: That's it. The thing we can take away from this is that Nintendo is stressing that their games are not fads. NOT FADS!!

10:10: Thanks for reading! See you guys soon at Sony's press conference.

9:25 We're here in line waiting for the doors to open. An interesting observation: If you compare the games journalists to the tech journalists we usually see at Apple, games journalists are much younger.
10:05: We're inside. Microsoft's playing some much funkier electronic music than we're used to at Apple's Coldplay-featured events.


10:16: The pre-game show is a bunch of man-on-the-street interviews with kids, teens, Xbox players and non-gamers. No new hardware leaked during the videos, but there is a big emphasis on more casual gaming like Rock Band.

10:21: Post your top 3 predictions for announcements today in the comments. Ours: Karaoke accessory, new Xbox Live/Xbox Live dashboard, Xbox 360 Wiimote announced, called the JiggleJiggle.
10:27: It's getting close to starting.
10:30: Maybe it's because we're getting old, but this loud music is giving us a headache. Can we turn it down slightly? No need to go EXTREME all the time, Microsoft.

10:31: Don Mattrick is coming on stage. It's started.
10:32: Don's talking about their game lineup for the last year, and their upcoming games for this year. "Welcome to the fun", he says. "These are intense games, and many are not for the faint of heart."

10:34: There's an ad for Fallout 3 complete with post-apocalyptic robots. Robots!
10:37: A developer is showing off the gameplay of Fallout 3, but what we're interested in is the tech inside that they imagined people would use after a nuclear strike and 50-100ish(?) years inside a radiation vault. Apparently one of those is a wrist-mounted computer.
10:42: Now the producer of Resident Evil 5 is on stage. For more on this game, hit up Kotaku.
10:46: Graphically, it looks like this next-generation of Xbox 360 games are losing the whole glossy-plastic skin texture problem that launch and first-gen games suffered with.
10:48: Peter Molyneux from Fable 2 is now on stage.
10:52: The trend that many games are taking now is adding co-op on Xbox LIVE, which is something we'd love to see even more of if it's possible.
10:55: Cliffy B of Gears of War is on stage, showing off Gears of War 2. Uh oh, the game froze! They had to restart the section!
10:56: Another trend we're seeing more of is drop-in-drop-out co-op gaming, meaning your friends can come in at any time and join your game, then leave it at any time without affecting your progress.
10:58: The main character is still voiced by John DiMaggio of Bender fame, which is nice.
11:04: Don Mattrick from Xbox is back on, talking about how how well the Xbox 360 is doing.
11:05: Don threw down a gauntlet. He said the Xbox 360 will sell more consoles this generation than the PS3. Bookmark this page for future reference, because you'll want to know where you were when he made this prediction.
11:06: They're also focusing on downloaded content as opposed to Blu-ray.
11:07: Microsoft also has new content partners for the console, starting with NBC, Sci-Fi and USA Network.

11:08: This also includes Universal Movies, which belongs to NBC Universal.
11:09: John Schappert, head of LIVE Software and Services is on stage.
11:10: He says the Xbox Live dashboard will be completely re-invented through software. New Xbox Live Dashboard, complete with Nintendo Mii-like avatars.
11:11: The update is coming in the fall, which includes the My XBox channel, and encompases Games, Photo and Video. Also a gamercard.
11:12: Avatars are called...Avatars. Dress up your guy with clothes, hairstyles, and lipstick. Mini John Schappert actually looks like John.
11:12: RARE, the Microsoft-owned company, is responsible for the Avatar scheme. They're also importable into other games as well, if they want to use them (like Nintendo Miis).
11:14: Avatars: instead of a friends' list, you have a community of people online that represent your friends that are currently connected.
11:15: There's also a "party" option of up to 8 people so you can chat with 7 of your friends no matter where you go.
11:16: There are also game shows like 1 vs. 100 that you can play as a "party" with your friends, using your avatars. This is called "Primetime".
11:18: You can drag your party around into regular games (XBLA) games as well. They just demoed taking a 4-player party into UNO.
11:20: Sneak teaser of Portal: Still Alive for Xbox Live Arcade as well, later this year.
11:21: South Park XBLA game in 2009.
11:22: Netflix! Xbox 360 will let people use the Watch Now feature (which is actually already possible if you have a Media Center). You can also share your Netflix movies WITH your Xbox Live party so you can watch stuff together. Neat.

11:26: Whether or not everyone in your party needs Netflix is unknown. We'll try and find out.
11:29: They're also showing a new Scene It? Game using the Scene It? controller.
11:32: Another game called You're In The Movies uses the Xbox Live Vision Camera to capture video of you acting like a clown, which are then edited into clips of yourself on screen doing funny things.


11:37: Now Microsoft is talking about Guitar Hero 4. Being able to create music and 8-player band battles are some of the features.
11:42: Microsoft's playing a demo video of the Lips Karaoke game accessory. It's Karaoke and looks a whole lot like Singstar for the PS2/PS3. There's Zune integration somehow!
11:43: Confirmed: It's called Lips and it's coming this holiday.
11:44: Why is this special? Because you can sing from your own music collection. Wireless mics that let you play the tambourine when you're not singing because they're motion-sensitive.
11:45: A singer is on stage singing her song (sorry, didn't catch who it is), but she might not be using the lips Mic. I think it's just a regular mic. We don't see any glowing rhinestones on the bottom.
11:48: Duffy is the name.
11:49: Alex Rigopulos of Harmonix is coming on stage for Rock Band 2. They're going to have 82 songs on the disc, and this image is the full tracklist of the game.
11:50: Some notable songs: Guns N' Roses debuting a track here. Dylan is also giving up one of his tracks. AC/DC as well with Let There Be Rock.
11:53: President of Square Enix Yoichi Wada is coming on stage.
11:56: It doesn't seem like there's any Xbox 360 Wiimote news today, but the Lips accessory is very cool. We can't think of any other Karaoke game that lets you plug in any song you own and sing it. I guess you'll have to have Lyrics support somehow? We're not sure exactly how it's going to work and how it'll be scored.
12:00: The Square guy is pulling out a "One More Thing" of his own, and it's...
12:02: Final Fantasy 13!
12:03: Final Fantasy 13 is coming to Xbox 360 at launch, simultaneously with the PS3 version.
12:05: It's a pretty historic announcement that Final Fantasy is going non-Sony Exclusive.
12:06: That's it! Thanks for reading. We'll have more information on Xbox Live and the new dashboard improvements later today. See you then!

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 player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.

Now let's watch and see how Nintendo tries to spin a fix to underwhelming motion sensing as a new feature. Adventures in marketing, ahoy! [Nintendo]

GoLive2 Unveils Stix, a New Line of Wireless, Motion-Sensing Controllers Set to Redefine PC Gaming

Compatible with Thousands of Free Online Games, Stix Touch-Screen Controllers Bring Active, Motion-Sensing Gameplay to the PC

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. —(Business Wire)— Jul. 1, 2008 GoLive2, the independent gaming division of Playhut, Inc., today introduced Stix, a new line of wireless, motion-sensing gaming controllers for the PC and Internet. Redefining the PC and online gaming experience, Stix are wireless, touch-screen controllers that allow users to play thousands of free Web-based games as well as Games For Windows(R) titles with an active, motion-sensing play pattern. For the first time, players can abandon their mouse and keyboard to experience online and PC games in an entirely new way! Available at retailers nationwide in August, Stix are designed for players six years and older.



"Stix will completely change the way people experience online and PC gaming," said Brian Zheng, President, Playhut. "At purchase, Stix will be compatible with thousands of free online and retail games, and we're adding more games to that list daily. The fun is endless with Stix, and the wide-range of free, supported games makes this product perfect for every member of the family."

Introducing an unprecedented level of active gameplay to PC gaming, the motion-sensitive Stix are compatible with thousands of existing, free online games. GoLive2 will unveil two versions of the Stix available at launch: Stix 200 and Stix 400. Designed for casual gamers, Stix 200 adds active gameplay to 2D online gaming. Stix 400 is compatible with both 2D and 3D environments for the ultimate online and Games for Windows gaming experience.

As a compliment to the Stix product line, GoLive2 has also launched a free, online game portal called Sphere (http://Sphere.GoLive2.com) that provides hundreds of free games to play with Stix controllers. Sphere consists of both internally-developed games designed exclusively for the Stix as well as hosted games from online game developers that support Stix. Sphere also features a search engine that connects users to thousands of compatible, third-party free online games. In addition, users can configure their favorite PC games to preferred Stix settings. Finally, developers of all skill levels have the ability to create new games that harness the unique Stix gameplay pattern.

Stix will be available at retailers nationwide in August 2008, along with the Sphere companion site (http://Sphere.GoLive2.com).

For more information on the Stix line, visit http://www.GoLive2.com.

[Kotaku]