Gizmodo: Nintendo Wii

Yamaha's Muro Sensor Wireless Music Controller Looks Familiar

John Mahoney — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Unfazed by Nintendo's Wii Music going over like a lead balloon at E3, Yamaha is introducing its own accelerometer-based motion-controlled music interface that look oh-so familiar. The slightly more adult-looking wands use three accelerometers to feed movements to music software on a PC, and the 2.4GHz wireless receiver can accommodate up to 24 wands at once. It seems as if Yamaha is developing these more for music therapy for the elderly and disabled than entertainment, which sort of puts Wii Music in whole new context. [Tech ON via Fareastgizmos]

Nintendo Says Wii Still in Short Supply This Christmas, We Call Them Out

Jason Chen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

If you read what Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata said about Wii shortages this holiday season and didn't get angry, well, you're not paying enough attention. Forbes paraphrases him as saying "demand for the device in the U.S. is unusually high in contrast to either Europe or Asia," which is why you might not be able to get one this Christmas. Oh really?

It's because demand is so high here that Wiis only sit on shelves for about an hour before they're bought when people in Europe have been saying they can walk in to stores and buy a Wii at any time of day? It's not because you're allocating more inventory on your products to Europe and Japan because the weak US dollar is causing smaller revenues on units sold here? So when you say, "What I can commit myself to is that Nintendo is going to do its best to supply as many Wii hardware units as possible in order to meet demand there," we don't have reason to think that you're a liar and kind of a scumbag? Gotcha. [Forbes via Kotaku]

Jesus's take:

Nintendo's Wii Classic Controller and GameCube GamePad Getting a Temporary Ban on Sales

Jason Chen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

As a result of Nintendo's loss in court to a Texas-based company called Anascape, the judge ruled that all sales of the Wii Classic Controller and the GameCube controller need to be temporarily halted until funds can be placed into an escrow account. What's the impact on you, Joe or Dan Consumer? Starting today, July 23, all sales of those controllers AND GameCube systems will be placed on hold, meaning that you should really try and find a place to buy these accessories now if you need them soon. On the bright side, Nintendo's Nunchuck controller isn't affected by this ruling about analog sticks, so you're safe if you just want to play Wii games. [1up via Kotaku]

New Wii Disc Dumper Copies Games to SD Cards

Mark Wilson — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:45:00 EDT

The first Wii Disc Dumper required a PC and 50 hours of backup time. The latest v1.2 by nitrotux requires only a Wii loaded with an SD card to make backups of single and dual layer Wii titles as well as GameCube games. The only catch is that the Wii needs to be rebooted during the process quite a few times (3 for SL DVD, 6 for DL DVD and 1 for a GameCube disc). So while the process won't take 50 hours, it's not exactly an instantaneous, one-step backup, either. [El Otralado via Maxconsole]

Nintendo Says They May Limit Number of Wii MotionPlus Games to Control Costs

John Mahoney — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:33:41 EDT

As we pointed out this week, the Wii's MotionPlus gyroscope add-on could tip the total 4-player price of the system above or equal to the 360 and PS3. Speaking to that point, Nintendo's Katsuya Eguchi told PC Mag that an embedded MotionPlus in future Wiimotes is "something we'll be looking at," which is unfortunately a non-answer. More interesting is that they may instead decide to limit the number of games that can use the accessory. As Mark found out in his hands-on, the 1:1 motion detecting is fantastic, so the plan to embed the tiny gyroscope into the Wiimote itself (at no additional cost to us, right?) seems to be the best scenario for the future rather than put a cap on the games that can take advantage of it. Let's hope. [PC Mag]

How the Wii MotionPlus Makes the Wiimote More Accurate

matt buchanan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:52:49 EDT

When Nintendo revealed the Wii MotionPlus dongle, they talked about how the snappier response time and 1:1 motion accuracy it provided would let you do crazy stuff like swing swords (or lightsabers) and ride a jet ski—demoed live at E3. But they didn't tell us how it worked. Turns out, it's got a multi-axis gyroscope inside, made by InvenSense.

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]

WiiSpeak Community Mic: Online Group Chatting Comes to the Wii

matt buchanan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:28:17 EDT

The second new Wii accessory out of E3, the WiiSpeak community mic and speaker finally lets you chat with other people online. Unlike an Xbox 360 headset, it's more about group chatting and is placed on top of your TV, like a conference call mic (how does it filter out game sounds?). It's bundled with Animal Crossing City Folk, which is kind of like the Sims, but more Animal Crossing-like. It'll be out later this year.

Logitech Announces Wireless Keyboard for the Wii

Adam Frucci — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:32:58 EDT

If you use your Wii to surf the web because you really miss your WebTV and want to relive the frustrations of using the internet on your television, this new Logitech Cordless Keyboard for Wii was designed with you in mind. It broadcasts using 2.4 GHz wireless technology and works from up to 30 feet away. Designed with the Wii in mind, it comes with dedicated buttons for Zoom In/Out, Forward/Back, Quit and OK. If it was really designed with the Wii in mind, you'd be able to move forward and back by swinging the entire keyboard around, but alas, that feature isn't included. No word on a release date, but it'll set you back $50 when it drops. [Product Page via CrunchGear]

Official Rock Band 2 Track List (Plus Carry Over "Most" of Rock Band's Disc Tracks!)

matt buchanan — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:55:01 EDT

Harmonix has officially unveiled the track list for Rock Band 2. Besides being packed with rock gods like AC/DC exclusively, GNR's Chinese Democracy's official debut, Alice in Chains and Rage Against the Machine (I'm a child of the 90's), and full backwards compatibility with all DLC songs, you can "export most of the Rock Band disc tracks and upgrade them into Rock Band 2 gameplay," giving real teeth to EA's claim that it's the "largest music catalogue" of any music game ever. One disc, all your songs, truly amazing—thanks for not screwing gamers, Harmonix. Every track and all the details below.

HARMONIX AND MTV GAMES UNVEIL SETLIST FOR ROCK BANDTM2 - THE ULTIMATE MUSIC GAME

Game to Feature Unrivaled Blend of Classic, Developing and New Artists

Rock Band Platform to Encompass More Than 500 Songs by End of 2008

Los Angeles, Calif. – July 14, 2008 – Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company, and MTV Games, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit the song set list for Rock Band™ 2, the next evolution of the groundbreaking Rock Band music platform. The Rock Band 2 soundtrack will feature over 100 songs with over 80 songs on disc plus an additional 20 bonus tracks which will be made available for free download this fall. This builds upon the unparalleled depth and diversity of Rock Band’s original set list and its ever-expanding library of downloadable tracks. Comprised entirely of master recordings from some of rock’s most prolific and untouchable artists, including AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pearl Jam and more, Rock Band 2 will deliver the most impressive and largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame ever.

• After 14 years since Guns N’ Roses last official music release, Axl Rose selects Rock Band 2 to debut official new track “Shackler's Revenge” from the highly-anticipated album Chinese Democracy.

• Rock Band 2 is the first and only video game to feature the music of AC/DC. It includes their epic rock anthem, "Let There Be Rock.”

• For the first time ever, music from American music icon, Bob Dylan, is featured in a video game with “Tangled Up In Blue.”

• Rock Band 2 will feature backwards compatibility with all Rock Band downloadable music content released to date.

• Owners of the original Rock Band will have the ability to export most of the Rock Band disc tracks and upgrade them into Rock Band 2 gameplay-the first time ever in videogame history! [1]

• With ongoing weekly DLC releases including individual tracks, track packs and full albums, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year’s end!

“With Rock Band, Harmonix and MTV Games set out to create a powerful music platform for music fans, their friends and families to discover music in a way unlike ever before,” said Paul DeGooyer, SVP Electronic Games and Music, MTV. “We are honored that such legendary artists as AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan and more have chosen Rock Band 2 as a new platform for fans to experience their music. As our catalog of disc and downloadable songs continues to grow, we are determined to continue to provide the Rock Band community an unmatched ability to customize their musical experience with the artists and songs they love.”

Rock Band 2 On-Disc Track List:
Artist Song Title Decade
1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s
Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s

** The Rock Band 2 on-disc track list is comprised entirely of master recordings.

More news about music on the Rock Band platform will be announced during the coming months.

Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for the PLAYSTATION® 3 and PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment systems and Wii™ later this year.

The Rock Band online Music Store recently surpassed 16 million paid downloads since the game’s launch in late November 2007.With more than 200 tracks available to date on disc and via download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/dlc), the massive Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

[Kotaku]

Wii MotionPlus Brings More Accurate Motion-Sensing to the Wii

Adam Frucci — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:59:03 EDT

Nintendo just announced the Wii MotionPlus, a small peripheral that plugs on to the bottom of the Wiimote to give greatly improved motion sensing, allowing for games to truly use your motion on screen for, say, a lightsaber game.

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]

Wii Nunchuk Hacked for 3D Animation

Mark Wilson — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT

We've seem more than our fair share of fascinating Wiimote mods, but few involve the Wiimote's faithful, platonic sidekick, the Nunchuk. So one modder took the Nunchuk, hooked it up to his computer, converted the MIDI signal and piped the information into 3D Studio Max. The result is realtime, 3D motion capture of a quasi-phallic CG object. And when it's all said and done, who can really ask for anything more than that? [via Hack-a-Day]

Man Uses Wii Balance Board to Move A Robot, Plans to Move People Too

John Herrman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:40:00 EDT

Juan González has hacked together a simple setup that lets his Wii Balance board move a small, irritating robot in any direction. This looks like the first robotic pairing for the board, which has to date has only been interfaced with computers as a control device to awkwardly navigate games and mapping applications. It's pretty clear that González is excited about this hack (watch the end of the video), but he isn't done yet- next up is is a Balance Board-based "robo-surfboard."

How he plans on doing this is unclear, but the idea that the Wii Fit peripheral could help people be even lazier is fantastic. According to the man himself:

There are a lot of interesting things that can be done. But first it is important to perform some testing... The next stage will be the controlling of faster-and-wireless robots.

We have called this idea "Robosurfing". Instead of using the Wii-board to "surf" in virtual environments or controlling virtual vehicles in the games, Why not use it to "surf" real mobile robots in a real scenario? It would be very, very funny.

It's doubtful that anything like this could be very usable as a mode of transportation, but I have to agree with the "very, very funny" part. See you in the skate park, Señor G. [Balance Board Blog]

An Easy Guide to Wii Homebrew

Jason Chen — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:20:00 EDT

The will she/won't she back and forth of the Wii Homebrew scene lately probably has a bunch of you, even if you're a veteran, confused. WiiHD has a good walkthrough teaching you how to get Homebrew onto your Wii, if only for the privilege of playing Quake and various other games. Piracy, on the other hand, isn't covered by this guide, so you'll have to look elsewhere. [WiiHD]

Conceptual "Wiimote in 2010" Mixes Fantasy with More Fantasy

Kit Eaton — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:33:00 EDT

This concept for a Wiimote of the future is showing over at T3, and yes... I know what you're thinking. I do. Honest. But my real problem with the design is that it's for just two years away, and do we really think Nintendo is going to redevelop things so radically by then? I'm sure fans would approve... but PS2 controllers haven't evolved much over the years, in comparison. And I know it's supposed to interact with that brainwave headset control, and that's groovy. But I'm sure it'd kill Wii Fit stone dead, unless you're talking mental agility. Still... with that cyberbabe to demonstrate the gizmos, I can't complain too much. [T3 via Yanko]

Wii Wheel and Wii Fit Board Combined to Make Racing Simulator

Jason Chen — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EDT

If you've already got a Wii Wheel and a Wii fit but are too cheap to buy an actual racing wheel with pedals, Nintendo Wii Fanboy has a good way to combine the two to accomplish kinda the same thing. All you need is a PC, a couple apps and the ability to follow written instructions, and you too can be the proud owner of that thing you see in the video above. The only thing we suggest is that there's some short of wheel block type things to prop up the balance board so it doesn't feel like you're flooring it all the time. [Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

Nintendo's Homebrew-Killing Patch Already Hacked

John Herrman — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:25:14 EDT

This week Nintendo sealed up the Twilight Princess hack which had previously allowed homebrew enthusiasts to work their brewy magic. Well, the patch has been circumvented after only a few days, and the fix should be available for download soon. [Wii Fanboy]

Nintendo's Working on Improved Wii Storage? Maybe?

Jason Chen — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:59:00 EDT

Nintendo's Laurent Fischer recently got in trouble when he said only "geeks" and "otaku" want more space on their Wii to store stuff. Now he has to not only apologize, but say that Nintendo knows "there is an issue in this," and that they're working on something. Maybe. Laurent follows up that with a quote saying they have "no plan to issue hardware," which kinda makes knowing that there's an issue a useless point. [Games Industry via Kotaku - Image Credit]

Hacked Wii Fit Board Lets You Stumble Around Azeroth

Elaine Chow — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EDT

The Germans who hacked a Wii Balance Board from Wii Fit to surf Google Earth have found a much more fun use for the peripheral – running around World of Warcraft. In this follow up video, Simon and Mattieu control a low level gnome exploring Ironforge, avoiding wolves and slamming into tree trunks. Now all they need to do is hack the Wiimote and Nunchuck to understand macros and I will be the fittest WoW player EVER. [Technabob]

Nintendo Wii to Score "USB Devices"

Mark Wilson — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:37:00 EDT

While we've heard rumors of Nintendo manufacturing a USB hard drive to compliment the Wii, a new job advertisement adds even more credence to the speculation. Posted three days ago, the ad calls for a "Software/Hardware Tester" who can implement a "test plan for Wii's USB devices." So a hard drive is probably on its way, but could Nintendo be cooking up something else? Oooh, maybe corded Wiimote! At long last!! [PCWorld]

MIT Brings Nintendo Wii To The Blind, Rhythmically Inclined

John Herrman — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:40:00 EDT

The guys at MIT’s gaming lab just unveiled AudiOdyssey, a game for the Wii that doesn’t require sight to play. The game is sort of a musical composition tool, in which players create layered beats for an imaginary crowd of dancers. The game does have a minimal visual component but for the most part just relies on your ears and your beat droppin’ (or for the less whimsical, Wiimote swinging) skills.

You play as fictional DJ called “Vinyl Scorcher,” who, with this name, continues in a long and proud tradition of blind rappers and MCs who honestly should have called themselves something else (See F.A.T. , and B-Lite, the guy pictured above). The game was originally designed for keyboard use with the PC (Windows users can try it out here) but Tuesday’s debut of the Wii version should bring joy to fans - eyeball-equipped or not - of simple, immersive games.
[CNET]

Asus Reinvents the Wiimote

Mark Wilson — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:15:00 EDT

Some of our readers pointed out that the new Asus Eee Box resembled a Nintendo Wii. And while that may be true, Asus has just debuted something straight out of Nintendo's handbook: a "Wiimote" for the PC.

Spotted at a trade show in Taipei, the controller looks like a pair of wireless nunchuks, It's believed to connect to PCs through a USB transmitter and even be compatible with Asus' new desktop. As a universal motion remote, it could be programmed for use in any game in which clicking a button just won't do. And according to reports, it could also be used as a nifty wireless mouse.

Rumor has it that the Asus controller will go for $70 whenever it's released—$10 more than the Wiimote with a nunchuk. [Register Hardware]

Blazepro Offers Realistic Wii Racing Wheel For Better Mario Kart Control

Sean Fallon — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:00:00 EDT

If you haven't quite earned a license for Mario Kart driving, you can bypass the tacky training wheel and head straight for a realistic, grown-up solution. Blazepro is now offering a beefed-up racing wheel for the Wii that promises better driving accuracy. And, since the base can be attached to any desktop for better stability, chances are it can deliver on that promise. When your skills improve, you can even detach the wheel for traditional in-air gameplay. Available for only $5.87. [Superufo via Wii News]

Suck At Mario Kart? Build a Training Wheel in a Few Easy Steps

Sean Fallon — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:50:00 EDT

At first glance I thought that this homemade wheel mount was absolutely ridiculous—and with good reason. However, the fact that I recently played Mario Kart with my novice girlfriend leads me to believe that there could be a place for a mount like this. Using only a couple of 36-inch bungie cords and a plastic crate, you can build what is essentially a training wheel for the game that helps beginners settle down with the Wiimote and master the basic steering movements. Just don't let any of your gamer friends catch you using it. A video of the steering wheel mount "in action" is available after the break.

[Wii Fanboy]

Wii Chewing Gum Comes in Rabbit, Zelda and Fit Flavors—Okay, Mint

AddyDugdale — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:45:00 EDT

Better than chewing on your Wii controller, or have the dog chew on your face (which ours has just done to Jesús, so guess who's off to see her husband in ER in a minute?) this official Wii chewing gum is a snip at four bucks. Normally, this is where I type something stupid, but it just doesn't seem appropriate. [GK World via TechnaBob]

Atari's Family Trainer Is Wii Fit Meets NES Power Pad Meets DDR

Jason Chen — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:40:00 EDT

Atari isn't going to let Nintendo hog all the video game fitness money, as evidenced by the announcement of Family Trainer for the Wii. It's pretty similar to Wii Fit in that people stand on it and do activities, but it doesn't weigh you and actually has pads for you to jump or step on. No price yet, but is there enough room in your house for both this and the Wii Fit? How many more photoshoots of Japanese people jumping around their living rooms are we going to get in this console generation? [Reg Hardware]

Nintendo Wii's Nintendo Channel Screenshot Tour and Hands-on

Jason Chen — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:34:22 EDT

The Wii's "Nintendo Channel" just went live, giving you a way to both watch trailers of current and upcoming Nintendo games, and feed Nintendo information on what games you play. What's the latter for? So Nintendo can better customize the trailers of games to recommend to you, thus making you buy more games and completing the cycle by feeding THOSE stats back to them. How good is it? Okay, I suppose. The other stuff, like downloading DS demos and finding game information (how many players, whether the nunchuck is supported) is more useful. Hit the jump for a huge gallery tour.

The trailers aren't HD trailers like you get on the Xbox 360 Marketplace. It's more like grainy YouTube videos before YouTube raised the quality of their videos. You can pause, and you can skip around in the video by hitting B. The videos go fullscreen if you click on them. There are DS titles, which is nice. Edit: Corrected errors.

Downloading DS demos is probably a big part of why you'd use this channel. It's easy, just flip on the DS, pick a demo, and start transferring.

The titles section lets you see what's upcoming and get relevant game stats. There's little worse than buying a game you think is multiplayer and getting home and finding out that it's for you only. Or just plain lousy, in the case of Iron Man, but the Nintendo Channel doesn't give game ratings. It does give you a big image of the box art though.

Will The Wiimote Blend? (SPOILER ALERT: Yes.)

Mark Wilson — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:25:00 EDT

We're almost afraid to post this "Will It Blend" Wiimote edition video, as it's sure to reignite the wildfire of giggling commenters who scan every post to be the first to drop that trademark line. Maybe, due to the comment publishing lag, we'll even see two Will It Blends in a row, the ultimate Will It Blend faux pas. Three is not unheard of, but as we all know, whenever three douchebag comments hit at once we risk a black hole opening after the jump and sucking any scant intelligence not already lost to whippets and cellphone tumors.

In other words, enjoy. And some of you may want to avoid the comments until...ehh...July is probably safe. Actually, you'd better make it August. OK, September. 2009. [via Kotaku]

The Wii Pole Dancing Game is Really Coming

Jason Chen — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:40:00 EDT

At first we thought this Wii Pole Dancing game was a joke—how could something so sexy come to such a "family-friendly" and casual console like the Wii? Turns out it's not a joke. The company's representative, Simon Kay, didn't comment on how far the development of the pole peripheral was, but did say that they're going to try and encourage both women and men to pole dance for "fun and fitness." Even though the kit's called the "Electra-pole," it seems Carmen Electra most likely isn't going to be involved. That's too bad, since there's obviously no other place to see Carmen gyrate half-naked. Obviously. [Multiplayer MTV]

Be prepared to see a lot of this in your living room.

Dealzmodo: Get a $10 Wal-Mart Gift Card with Wii Fit Preorder

Adam Frucci — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:00:00 EDT

Looking to get a Wii Fit to make yourself, if not sexy in a bathing suit this summer, at least a touch less repulsive? Hey, good for you! Well, Wal-Mart is looking to sell lots of the little balance boards, so if you pre-order through them before May 11, you'll get a $10 online gift card. It's perfect to use for a new belt or some slimmer pants or something. [Wal-Mart via

Nintendo Not Slashing Console Prices

Haroon Malik — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:35:00 EDT

Bad news, bargain hunters; Nintendo has gone on record saying there are no imminent price cuts for the Nintendo Wii or DS. Satoru Iwata, the company's president, said he did not believe in the "model" of price slashing, as it tends to leave early adopters feeling a little disheartened. Though we do agree, surely early adopters are well out of their honeymoon phase by now? With Nintendo's profits soaring to new heights, they're not exactly looking for a quick dollar, so perhaps the move makes a little sense. Still, Nintendo is not expecting to make as much cash on DS hardware sales in the coming year, which means there are a few more eggs in a Wii basket somewhere. The exact DS stats breakdown like this:

The big N anticipates it will shift 28.0 million DS units from now till March 2009, which is a reduction in the numbers sold in the previous year, where 30.3 millions units made their way to sweaty palms everywhere. Personally, I think Nintendo have their figures wrong; it'll be 28,000,001 units, as I left my DS on a flight I took yesterday. Life sucks. [Associated Press]

Wiis Today at Toys R Us!

Jason Chen — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT

If you still haven't gotten a Wii for yourself, Toys "R" Us has truckloads of them in stores today for Mario Kart fever. Problem is, they're probably 1985 Datsun trucks, so you'll need to head down to your local branch quickly. To overseas readers, yes, we've still got a Wii shortage going on. Nintendo's apparently shipped most of them to the EU or keeping them in Japan because of how little the dollar is worth now. [Kotaku]

Customized Mii Sculptures Now Available For $79

Jason Chen — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Those Mii Sculptures we told you about last year are finally available for purchase. All you have to do is hand over $79 and a copy of your Mii and the guy will hand-craft it just for you. Some of his other creations, Michael Jackson, Woody Allen and Bill Gates—actually do look a lot like the actual person. We're not sure why the creator decided to make these three the sample images for his site, but we're sure one of them certain won't appreciate being mixed in there with two pedophiles. [Mii Sculpture via Geekologie]

Nintendo to Produce 30% More Wiis

Mark Wilson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:30:00 EDT

According to some intel gathered by our brothers from another alien mother at Kotaku, rumor has it that Nintendo is ramping up Wii production to 2.4 million units/month (compared to the 1.8 million units/month currently produced). It's a number that should allow Nintendo to sell more of their popular console while balancing the big Re-shhhhhh that's going on in America at the moment. We'll continue this conversation when, uhhh, things are going even better. [kotaku]

Nyko's Kama Wireless Nunchuk On Sale in Limited Quantities Now

Jason Chen — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EDT

Nyko's Kama wireless Wii Nunchuk (no, not the adapter) is going on sale now, online, before the official retail launch in May. If you buy now, you'll have a chance to get one of the limited edition grey, black, pink or gold units that sync wirelessly to your Wiimote adapter. The limited edition won't be available in stores, hence the limited part, so if you want a colored one you'll have to act fast. [Nyko]

Sterling Silver Wiimote Cufflinks Complements Any Ensemble

Jason Chen — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:45:00 EDT

Cufflinks. No other clothing accessory is so arbitrary and outdated, yet still screams "I have class" better than cufflinks. Here's a way to work your gaming habit in. It's the sterling silver Wiimote cufflinks. The front is a Wiimote, the back is a Nunchuk. It's $30 more than you'd actually pay for two Wiimotes and two Nunchuks. If our social agenda consisted of swankier joints than Safeway, we'd be all over this. [Cufflinks]

SNES Controller for Wii Unboxed, Looks Incredibly Authentic

Jason Chen — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Nintendo's just started shipping out these SNES controllers to their Club Nintendo members in Japan, and great googly moogly are these fantastic. Not only is it a similar greyish color, but the X Y B A face buttons are exactly the same color as before! What better way to play SNES games on the Wii emulator than with an actual SNES controller!

It's too bad that this is only for Club Nintendo members and only for Japan, but you can see more beautiful shots of the gamepad over at Inside Games. If you want to use your original NES or SNES controllers in the Wii, there's also the RetroZone controller adapters for $19 each. [Inside Games]

Region-Free Wii Gaming Gives You Japanese Games Early

Jason Chen — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Region-free gaming on the Wii is a whole lot simpler now with the new release of Gecko Region Free. Now you don't need a Freeloader or any type of fancy hacking, but you do need the Twilight Princess disc and the ability to run homebrew apps. It's not a completely optimal solution, because of certain restrictions and requirements, but it's getting there. The upside is that this doesn't use any "borrowed" Nintendo code, meaning there's less chance of legal repercussions. It's no fancy casemod, but playing games early from Japan is quite a feat. [TekSheen via Wii News]

Super Mario Galaxy Wii Mod Makes the Stars Mushroom With Delight

Jason Chen — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EDT

There's little we've said about our modder buddy Ramon that we haven't already said back when he made the Zelda, Samus, Rockstar and Clerks Wii mods. This guy is talented AND he has good aesthetic taste—something not commonly found with modders. This time he's auctioning off this one-of-a-kind Super Mario Galaxy Wii mod that will benefit Child's Play, the children's charity started by Penny Arcade. Video hands-on, details and more pics after the jump.

There are 59 total LEDs, 5 custom circuit boards, 30 feet of wire, two Mario figures, a controller holder, and everything else you see is either hand-made or laser cut. There's also a custom plate dedicating this to Miyamoto for all his hard work creating a plumber that travels through pipes to a better world, giving plumbers everywhere something to strive for.

The custom console stand has an integrated Wii remote holder and a compartment for recharging the included lithium-ion batteries. Each side of the stand features a small limited edition Mario figurine. These are out of production and were only available in certain parts of Asia. In addition to the highly detailed paint job they already featured they were further touched up and clear coated for a clean professional look.

If you still haven't been able to find a Wii, this is your chance to pick one up that's both special and benefit charity. You could probably write this off as a tax deduction next year too.

[ebay]

Video: Hands-on With the Nintendo Wii Wheel

Adrian Covert — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:00:00 EDT

I got up close and personal with the Wii Wheel at last week's Nintendo Media Summit, where I (literally) played hours of Mario Kart Wii. I tried playing with the wheel attached and without, trying different configurations of play. And after spending a day with the peripheral, I can't exactly call it great, but it's not horrible either.

My first thought when this was announced last year was that I didn't need a piece of plastic to hold my Wiimote in place; I'd steer the controller by itself just fine. But last Thursday came around, and I approached the wheel cautiously, got comfortable, and even warmed up to the little white circle. While the game can certainly be played without the wheel, there's something that just feels right about holding it in your hands. There's more room to grip with your hands, and you're given a better frame of reference as to how much you're steering.

There is also an elongated, horizontal button on the back that acts as a mechanical proxy for the B trigger button on the underside of the Wiimote. Hitting the B button is a key part of the drift element in Mario Kart. Without the wheel, trying to hold the Wiimote horizontally in two hands while pressing the 2 button for gas and the B button for drift was a bit awkward. Not so much with the wheel in the hand.

However, the wheel took a little getting used to. I found myself oversteering at first, forgetting to steer later, and waving the wheel in strange directions (also exhibited in the above video by Kotaku's Michael McWhertor). But after awhile, I calmed down and found a sweet spot where I could play with a bit of skill. So the Wii Wheel may not be God's gift to racing control, but it doesn't make the experience any worse either. And as far as Mario Kart itself goes...go talk to Kotaku, they're the game freaks. [Mario Kart Wii @ Kotaku]

Neo Geo Arcade Controller For Wii Gives Retro Authenticity

Jason Chen — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Playing a Neo Geo fighter on the Wii just isn't the same unless you've got one of those four-button gamepads you used to find in the arcades. That's why we must insist that you buy one of these Neo Geo Stick 2 from Play Asia for $59, connect it to your Wii, and beat the crap out of your little brother with Mai. Your little brother may be 33 now and you may be 38, but that shouldn't change anything except the stakes. Winner pays the other guy's mortgage for a month. [Play-Asia via Technabob via Uber Gizmo]