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December 1st, 2006, 07:45 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Price:USD 378.00
Product Features of Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii Jap version
Supports 12cm Wii Disc & 8cm GameCube Disc
Supports NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, TurboGrafix16 games
Wireless controller
2 SD card expansion slots
More Description of Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii Jap version
The cool look: The new console boasts high-quality materials and a smart, compact design, approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together.
Backward compatibility: The new console plays all games from the current Nintendo GameCube generation.
The secret weapon: The console also will have downloadable access to 20 years of fan-favorite titles originally released for Nintendo64 the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and even the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
The specs: The system boasts 512 megabytes of internal flash memory, wireless controllers, two USB 2.0 ports and built-in Wi-Fi access. A worldwide network of Nintendo players can gather to compete in a comfortable, inviting environment. Revolution's technological heart, a processing chip developed with IBM and code-named "Broadway," and a graphics chip set from ATI code-named 'Hollywood', will deliver game experiences not previously possible.
The stars: Introduction of a number of new franchise properties will add to the world's richest stable of stars, including Mario, Zelda, Super Smash Bros. Metroid.
Wireless freedom: A number of Wi-Fi-enabled launch titles are in development that will employ Nintendo's newly announced wireless gaming service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. *The price is higher than the retail price as the demand is too much while the supply is limited. *We also have to pay premium prices to get the goods. However, prices will come down gradually although it may be difficult to get the goods within this year unless you are willing o pay the premium prices.
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December 1st, 2006, 16:53 Posted By: wraggster
Originally announced back in July, SSX Wii will make its first appearance this weekend as the debut gameplay trailer airs on Spike TV in the US.
Last instalment SSX On Tour took the series in a relatively different direction, getting a style overhaul and ditching the series' traditional electronic beats for some good old Rock and Roll - so it'll be interesting to see where EA takes things on the Wii.
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December 1st, 2006, 17:08 Posted By: wraggster
Electronic Arts has acquired developer Headgate Studios, the company it has partnered with since 2000 on the Tiger Woods and Madden franchises.
Rebranding the company EA Salt Lake, the team will now focus exclusively on titles for Nintendo's recently launched Wii console.
"Having worked with EA for the past six years, we know their teams share work ethic, passion for creative excellence and commitment to quality," said Vance Cook, founder of Headgate and now newly appointed as executive producer at EA Salt Lake.
"By joining EA, we are making official what we all already feel – that we are part of the EA family," he added.
Paul Lee, president of EA Studios commented: "Salt Lake City is a terrific place to make games – it's a dynamic city with a vibrant creative community and a great quality of life. We are thrilled to have them join EA."
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December 1st, 2006, 23:12 Posted By: wraggster
via engadget
These days, with everybody out to prove how "old school" they are via t-shirts, game controller buckles, game cart collections and even Mario score comparisons (sorry guys, but CliffyB beats you all, sez Nintendo Power), it can be hard to stick out of the crowd -- until now. From the very kids responsible for the brash commercialism behind the NES Buckle, comes the NES Advantage Belt Buckle, which brings a bit of arcade nostalgia to the front of your pants. Honestly, we never found the controller to be much of an Advantage at all, unless you count those isolated incidents where it was wielded as a weapon against a particularly sucky Contra companion -- not that that ever happened, of course -- but there's no arguing with the look here, and you really never know when you and a couple turbo buttons will be needed to wield control over the Statue of Liberty. The buckle is available now for $50.
Screenshot Via Comments
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December 1st, 2006, 23:43 Posted By: wraggster
via kotaku
There's one line and only one line. It's long, and it's for the bathroom. Two toilets for me, two for women. Four total. The space is immense. There must over thousand people crammed in here. Time is passed with DS Lites. Smoking. More DS Lites. And more smoking. A sole figure with a PSP explains the system to the first guy in line. Cold air cuts straight through the exits. People cover themselves with space blankets. Old men play Japanese chess. We're killing time, folks.
Screens at Link above
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December 1st, 2006, 23:47 Posted By: wraggster
Via Kotaku
I think people are overlooking a huge issue here. I've had my Wii since launch day. I've got 4 controllers total now and I've studied it pretty dubiously. Let's delve...
The strap consists of 3 parts, the fabric-y strap part, and the thin twine-like part that you loop through itself to attach it to the controller, and the plastic bezel used to tighten the fabric loop. The twine material is the same exact thing I'm staring at right now, attached to my USB flash drive. It's not incredibly strong.
Now it looks like the issue isn't the strap being too weak. Proof? Every video we've seen involving Wiimotes flying out, have been of ridiculously exaggerated movements. There is no need for that much force. It comes down to simple wear and tear...if you use something the way it was intended it should last a considerable amount of time. If you ABuse something, ie using it in the manner it was not intended for, you will shorten its lifespan. We see this is the case with the Wiimote.
I think we can all agree that the remote is not meant to be used like you were Kournikova on meth. The manual for system, games, and on-line support all state gentle force should be usd. I'm sure Nintendo thought of the dangers of flying controllers breaking the speed of idiocy to pummel into things. How does this relate to the strap and its tensile strength?
When used properly, the strap does it's job. If you fasten that little sliding bezel it gives the strap more "grounding," (been a long time since i thought physics-wise, so if someone can explain this better and understands what I'm getting at go for it) and a larger tension area to distribute energy when it changes from potential to kinetic. Simply put, most of the force is exerted throughout the ENTIRE strap not just the little connector When worn properly. When it's not fastened properly you're basically treating the Wiimote like a bullwhip, a sharp acceleration following by an abrupt stop. All that force is exerted onto the little strap!
The safety strap was designed for 2 purposes, as I see it. You might just drop the controller in which case the strap works flawlessly. It's got nowhere to go but hang from your wrist! The other method is sweaty hands or losing grip of it during play. At this point the strap will save it....for a time. It's not meant to take the repeated beating its getting.
Granted if you're playing with the force Nintendo recommends, you won't send any Wiimote into a tv, window, PDA, wall or laptop. However if you play like a majority of these "get into it" players, and you repeatedly exert force onto that little strap, it's simple physics it won't last that long.
I don't really think this is Nintendo's fault, and it's isolated cases. If thousands of people were losing electronics due to this strap breaking it might be a larger scale proble, but this is just a small small percentage like the 360 system fails. If you're really worried about your strap breaking, either tone it down Wizard, reinforce your strap with something stronger, or replace it completely. After a quick Google search or two I've found a few straps that look more than capable of never breaking...
...I wouldn't recommend connecting the strap to the nunchuk through that little hook part, because putting it in and taking it out of that poorly designed clasp involves nicking or pulling the twine strap which could weaken it as well.
Just things to think about! This has to be my longest Kotaku post in 3 years.
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December 1st, 2006, 23:55 Posted By: wraggster
via joystiq
The Better Business Bureau is currently challenging Toys 'R' Us after the retailer advertised Wii for $249.99, but gave shoppers no choice but to purchase a $450 bundle on Black Friday. The BBB has slapped the toy distributor with an unsatisfactory rating, derived in part from consumer complaints based on the bundling scheme.
A spokeswoman for Toys 'R' Us insisted that the Black Friday incident was a misunderstanding and that Wii should have also been available for the advertised price. Try telling that to the mother and son who watched the Niles, Illinois location's stock sell out as they argued with management. "So, as she's talking to me, it sold out from under us and they really did not care," recounted the mother in a Chicago NBC-affiliate report, "It was point blank. You either take it this way or leave it. And that's what happened."
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December 1st, 2006, 23:57 Posted By: wraggster
via joystiq
Forget about our earlier installment of DIY-erless where we encouraged you to use perforated boards, light-emitting diodes, and a fusible metal alloy to recreate the functionality of the Wii's currently wired "sensor" bar. Forget about the video where we (perhaps irresponsibly) showed you how to use candles to duplicate the "sensor" bar's functionality (note: Joystiq is not responsible for any damage to your slacks, your brand-new plasma television, or your long-haired pets and/or relatives). Instead, about $8 worth of materials from the local Transistor Hut should be all you need to make that "sensor" bar easily portable -- not to be confused with potable (note: Joystiq is not responsible for you trying to drink your video game accessory). Here's what you need to pick up:
9V battery snap connectors: $1.99 (#270-325)
Crimp-on connectors, ie: butt connectors *snicker*: $1.99 (#64-3073)
9V alkaline battery: $3.49 (#23-875)
Wii sensor bar (in case you trash yours or want a spare): $10
Those in hand, the folks at the AVS forum tell us it's as simple as cutting, crimping, and plugging. Voila! A do-it-yourself wireless Wii "sensor" bar, perfect for accompanying you on your evangelical missions to spread the Gospel of Wii.
More Info
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December 2nd, 2006, 00:15 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Wii Nunchuk Controller. Connect the Nunchuk controller to the Wii Remote and get ready. The Nunchuk controller and the accelerometer contained within it are the next leap in gaming. In first-person shooters, the controller carries the burden of movement, freeing you to aim and fire using a more natural motion with the Wii Remote. In a football game, you can make your quarterback elusive with the Nunchuk controller while you look for an open receiver to throw to using the Wii Remote.
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December 2nd, 2006, 00:18 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Wii Classic Controller. Over the years, Nintendo has innovated with controllers and control schemes that have become industry standards. The Classic Controller blends elements from Nintendo's NES, Super NES, and N64 controllers to allow for seamless play control over the titles that span the Virtual Console library.
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December 2nd, 2006, 00:29 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Product Features of Nintendo DS NDS Lite Aluminium Case - Pink
Protect your console
Inner layer with soft nap cloth
Allows insert the earphone or touch pen info console directly
Available colors: Black / Silver / Pink
More Description of Nintendo DS NDS Lite Aluminium Case - Pink
This Aluminium Case is specially designed for NDS Lite. The inner layer is cloth with soft nap. It can prevent your console from scrath or mar as fall off and stress eeffectively.
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December 2nd, 2006, 01:01 Posted By: wraggster
Via wiifanboy
According to the Wii Channel Gallery, release dates for the Wii's Forecast and News Channels have finally been determined. With the Forecast Channel becoming available on December 20th and the New Channel able to be used on January 27th, Wii owners will finally be able to take part in some of the Wii's nifty, promised features outside of its great games.
Sure, they're "novelty" features for the console, but we can't be the only ones interested in using them on a regular basis. As gamers, we're more likely to sit in front of our console(s) for hours, likely missing our local news broadcasts. Yes, we could check the internet, but the appeal of getting essential information with real-world relevance while engaged in our games is great. Are we alone?
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December 2nd, 2006, 01:11 Posted By: wraggster
Via Deadketchup
CrodoDS Alpha v0.1a
CrocoDS is an emulator of CPC 6128 for Nintendo DS.
I bought myself a DS 2 months ago. As a developer (since almost 20 years), I am quickly buys a EZ4 lite to benefit from the homebrews.
My first computer having been a CPC, I was very disappointed not to see any emulator of this one.
After some research, I found that nrx then Alekmaul planned to create theirs it has a few months but much time did not have to devote to them.
Time, I do not have much more but I want terribly of an emulator CPC. The big problem, it is that I do not have any experience under development comforts.
I have thus to start to carry Caprice32 (best emulator CPC on PC).
After a few hours, I am to arrive has to make turn a version on my DS but with a framerate of 5fps, I am quickly disappointed: my small console is much slower than the pockets GCV to which I am accustomed. Wouldn't that be right a soft dream to emulate a CPC on a DS... However, there are Megadrive emulators which turns at full speed.
I thus will make a turn on the other sites proposing of the CPCs emulators. It is which I fall on Dream CPC. It is about the bearing of emulator WIN-CPC of Ludovic Delplanque on Dreamcast. If somebody succeeded in making turn an emulator CPC on Dreamcast, it must inevitably have average to make some turn one on DS.
I thus start again my project on the basis of the sources of WIN-CPC.
I arrive quickly at a version which turns to 30fps. I am on the good way.
After some small optimizations, the emulator turns to 90% the speed of the CPC. It is thus playable.
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December 2nd, 2006, 01:21 Posted By: wraggster
Cliff posted this news:
I'm working on a virtual HID device driver that derives from IOHIDDevice, but at the moment it's a bit crashy due to L2CAP packets failing somewhat randomly. Here is a userland app that pairs with the device properly. You can look at the normal interrupt packets from the Wii Remote using Apple's Bluetooth PacketLogger.
RVL Enabler (Just press Search in the Device Discovery window and it will find and pair any Wii Remotes that are discoverable)
The secret sauce here is:
[wiiDevice openConnection];
[wiiDevice performSDPQuery:nil];
IOBluetoothL2CAPChannel* cchan;
if ([wiiDevice openL2CAPChannelSync:&cchan withPSM:17 delegate:self] == kIOReturnSuccess)
printf("Control Channel opened.\n");
IOBluetoothL2CAPChannel* ichan;
if ([wiiDevice openL2CAPChannelSync:&ichan withPSM:19 delegate:self] == kIOReturnSuccess)
printf("Interrupt Channel opened\n");
Then you can write with [cchan writeSync:buffer:length]
To read, implement - (void)l2capChannelData  IOBluetoothL2CAPChannel*)l2capChannel data void *)dataPointer length size_t)dataLength;
Basically, I'm implementing Bluetooth HID myself on top of the L2CAP stack.
-Cliff
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December 2nd, 2006, 02:10 Posted By: wraggster
via dsfanboy
We love added content in our favorite old games -- so long as it's good. When it comes to new battles in Final Fantasy VI? It can't possibly be not-good. That's why today's featured video showcases two great tastes that make us drool together: FFVI and Gilgamesh.
So how's the GBA port look and sound to you?
Video Here -->
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December 2nd, 2006, 02:12 Posted By: wraggster
Cake Mania combines a new Touch Screen element with the same fast-paced cake-baking fun that has captivated millions of online players worldwide. As an added bonus, Cake Mania for the NDS includes the full online game plus the Back to the Bakery expansion pack.
Based on the hit online game from Sandlot Games, Cake Mania for the Nintendo DS translates this fast-paced culinary crisis into the perfect Touch Screen experience. Wait for customer requests, bake their cakes, ice and decorate them, then hand them out and collect your cash. Serve up seasonal confectionary delights to a variety of customers and see if you have what it takes to save the Evans’ Bakery!
Jill has returned from culinary school only to find her beloved grandparents' bakery closed down. Business has taken a drastic downturn because a new Mega-Mart store opened in the neighborhood. Help Jill upgrade her kitchen with state-of-the-art baking tools while serving her increasingly difficult customers so she can ultimately earn enough money to re-open her grandparents’ shop!
Features :
Includes the entire original online Cake Mania game plus the full Back to the Bakery expansion pack
Over 80 fast-paced levels of baking, each with a specific Baker’s Goal to achieve
Use the Touch Screen to hand out menus, collect your cash, and bake, frost and decorate cakes
Customize your kitchen by purchasing upgrades including ovens, shoes, decorations and frosting machines
Bake in five exotic locales—Home Bakery, Beach Front, Circus, Casino and Hawaii
Serve seasonal customers like Cupid and Santa Claus custom holiday cakes
Maximize tips from customers by handing out cupcakes and tuning into their favorite TV shows
Developed by Digital Embryo that was represented in this deal by Union Entertainment, Cake Mania will be available in early 2007 for a suggested retail price of $19.99.
News and Screens at Worthplaying
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December 2nd, 2006, 02:35 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
Today System 3 revealed information regarding one of its upcoming European Wii launch titles, Gottlieb Pinball Classics, which will ship to stores contemporaneously with the launch of the Wii on December 8.
Titled Pinball Hall of Fame in North America, the game follows hot on the heels of the success of Gottlieb Pinball Classics on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. This brand-new version showcases an original control scheme designed around the abilities of the Wii's motion sensing remote.
Officially licensed by world-class pinball table manufacturer, Gottlieb Pinball Classics features eleven of the company's tables, each of which showcases authentic pinball table mechanics, designs, and sounds. The game will make use of the WiiMote and Nunchuck to shoot balls as normal while tilting the table via the controllers' motion-sensing capabilities.
There are six different angles of play, as well as a multiplayer tournament where up to four players can compete against each other. The game also features unlockable extras including hidden tables.
Managing Director, Mark Cale, commented, "We have a reputation for great pinball games so it was important that we ensured that the Wii version was not another 'port'. We've further enhanced the control system to utilize the unique features of the Wii and I'm proud of the great job we've done with Gottlieb Pinball Classics."
Gottlieb Pinball Classics on Nintendo Wii is expected to retail in the UK at a suggested price of £29.99. No official North American price or release date has been announced.
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December 2nd, 2006, 02:37 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
Forget what they say about needing a Mario or a Zelda game at launch. It's not necessary, especially when you have Wario around. Just like with the Nintendo DS two years ago, the Nintendo Wii is launching with the latest iteration of the Made in Wario series, and similar to its portable predecessors, it aims to utilize every feature of the Wii. Luckily for you, I didn't have to wait in line for a system, because I was able to get my hands on the system a full day early to have super early impressions of the game for you.
One of the first things we noticed about Wario was the jump in presentation quality. Sure, the games have always been a portable-centric lineup of games, but the amount of dedication put into the intro alone is remarkable. The intro has a humorous story about how the Wiimote was used in ancient times for entertainment and such, but had been long forgotten, until one day Wario stumbled upon the last remaining Wiimote. How did he do that, you ask? Simple, a little critter stole his sweets and whilst chasing said critter, he happened upon the temple housing the Wiimote. From there, we start our first level of the game. The first set of games simply introduces the gamers to one new addition to the series, and that's the various ways you are required to hold the Wiimote. The stance used in the first level is called Shoumen (Front) and requires you to simply hold the Wiimote in front of you like a regular controller. As you progress further into the game, you unlock other ways to hold the remote, such as Tsunahiki (grip the Wiimote as you would in tug-o-war), Tengu (pressed up against your nose) and Takinobori (Place the Wiimote vertically and facing towards you). Before each game, the stance changes, and you have to be quick because once the speed starts to ramp up, you don't have a lot of time to change between each stance.
Speaking of the games, they're just as creative as ever, and there is some definite homage to past Wario games. The nose-picking game makes a sparkling return in full 3D, as does the cutting mini-game. Some of the newer stages are totally out there, but as always, are easy to pick up. Favorites so far include saving a girl from certain death by reaching for her hand as she falls, a game where you have to mimic an elephant's trunk and place apples in a basket, directing traffic between the boys and girls restrooms, and a mini-game involving curling. What can I say? I'm Canadian, and it's a national sport. By the way, if you're wondering, the Wiimote strap does play a vital part in at least one of the games, as you have to physically release it. Which hand you use is also important, so each profile you make in the game (there are slots for about 25 or so) will ask you if you're left or right-handed. Out of the five levels that were completed, only one character was completely new to the series, and that's Young Cricket (a kung-fu prodigy) and his master. The other stages that you'll find early in the game were hosted by Wario, Mona (now in a cheerleader's outfit), Cat and Ana and Jimmy. As in previous entries each character has their own storyline. The ninja girls have to defeat a bratty little monster, while Mona's sweetheart, a big time football player, competes to win her affection. Wario, well, he's just trying to avoid getting run over by a huge boulder.
As mentioned before, the production values are definitely much higher on the Wii compared to the DS, and that's apparent from the intro and ending videos that are tacked on to each stage. All the videos feature very bright and high-res characters moving smoothly, and while some may question the quality of the animation - because fluid, it is not - it seems like it was more of a design decision rather than something that was influenced by the hardware. Having said that, the team's approach of having each game show off a unique art style pays off incredibly well in the Wii rev, where the graphics are sharper and 3D graphics are now possible without worrying about hardware limitations. Some of the new games really benefit from the use of 3D. For example, in one game you have to pass various grocery products over a scanner like in a supermarket; the graphics used here are all in 3D so that you can rotate the produce in full 3D to find the barcode scanner. Additionally, the visuals have this creepy early 90s CG look to it, making it stand out from the rest of the mini-games.
Standalone mini-games can be unlocked by completing levels, and so far two balancing games plus a movie theatre have been unlocked. Unfortunately, it seems like the multiplayer mode needs to be unlocked, just like in the GC rev of Wario Ware. This is a real disappointment since this game is just begging for some multiplayer action, but players are going to be forced to jump through several hoops to get them, despite how fun those hoops may be.
Aside from Zelda, Wario Ware seems to be the game that everyone is planning to purchase on Saturday when the Wii officially goes on sale, and it's no wonder given the pedigree of the series. Where Wario Ware Touched! had a mere half year deadline to meet, the Wii sequel reeks of polish. The games have a much wider variety compared to earlier editions and still remain unique compared to before. Wario even utilizes the Mii characters on your machine from time to time, so don't be surprised if you see yourself appear in the game. Overall, the game is solid right from the beginning, and is probably a better display of the Wii's key features than Wii Sports or Zelda. Expect the game to hit America next year.
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December 2nd, 2006, 02:52 Posted By: wraggster
News/release via Redkawa
Wii Video 9 is a free video conversion application developed by Red Kawa. It allows you to convert your computer video files (like avi, divx, mpeg, etc.) into the specific video formats that are playable on the Wii.
Wii Video 9 can also be combined with Videora, another software application, and together they can let you automatically download and convert video for your Wii using BitTorrent and RSS technology.
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December 2nd, 2006, 10:45 Posted By: wraggster
via engadget
According to our row of clocks in the Engadget situation room here at Engadget HQ, it's now past 9:00AM, December 2nd in Japan, which means the Wii has been out and about in its home country for around two hours by now. We just got some pics from a friendly tipster at the Yodobashi camera store in Shinkjuku, Japan, where the line stretched several blocks and the console quickly sold out. Apparently the scene was very calm, with most people picking up an extra Wiimote along with 2-3 games, before heading on their merry way home to partake in unboxing rituals and a weekend of Zelda fun. There are purportedly 400,000 consoles available at launch in Japan, and at this point we're guessing just about every one of 'em is either sold or spoken for. Happy Wii-ing Japan! Keep reading for some more pics of Japanese launch "mayhem."
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December 2nd, 2006, 10:54 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamespot
While North America had its Nintendo Wii launch almost two weeks ago, Japan finally came in for its share of Wii madness this weekend. Some 400,000 units of the console were available on the console's December 2 launch day, with 600,000 more units slated to ship in Japan by the end of the year. However, given the large amount of interest in the console--which Nintendo has flogged with a TV-ad blitz for the past two months--demand is expected to be much higher than supply.
What's Japanese for "NERRRRRD!"?
Trying to pre-order a Wii online was no simple feat for Japanese gamers. Amazon Japan made multiple preorders offers for the console, but they all sold out in a matter of minutes. Other online stores including Tsutaya, Toys "R" Us Online, and 7Dream (a division of 7-Eleven Japan) staged similarly short-lived preorders. Yodobashi Online was one of the rare major shops that took preorders without any prior announcement, but even there, units sold out within an hour.
Preordering a Wii offline also turned out to be difficult. Major electronic chain outlets including Bic Camera, Sofmap, and Laox secured enough Wii units to accept preorders last month, most of which sold out in a day. Still, savvy consumers could preorder a Wii as late as a week before its launch--if they knew where to look. Kojima electronics ran ads through newspapers and took preorders at locations nationwide last Saturday, sending many happy customers home with a reservation.
The lines went on...
Last night, customers who missed out on a preorder crowded around most major electronic outlets in Tokyo. As reported earlier, the Shinjuku and Akihabara Yodobashi Camera had drawn over 1,000 people in line by 10 p.m. That's when employees handed out tickets in order to control the lines. By contrast, the Shinjuku Bic Camera had a line of over 400 people at midnight, and it continued to grow through to dawn.
To check out how the lines had developed during the last couple of hours leading up to launch, GameSpot once again made its way to the streets of Tokyo, this time starting out in Yurakucho, where Bic Camera's main branch is located. At 5 a.m., the store had a line of 1,200 people that snaked along the sidewalk for street blocks. An employee at the end of the line assured customers that that there were still plenty of Wiis still available.
...and on...
Once the morning trains started running, more and more people began to line up. By 5:40 a.m., store employees capped the line at around 1,500 people. Many of those waiting were obviously hardcore gamers, with many playing games on their DS Lite. One avid fan engaged in a bit of cosplay in a homemade Wii-mote costume made out of cardboard.
Back in Shinjuku, about 400 people lined up by 6:30 a.m. at the Sakuraya electronic store. At the store's east branch, one employee was already holding up a "sold out" sign as last-minute customers formed a long line that extended out toward the east exit of Shinjuku station.
...and on.
The line at Shinjuku Bic Camera was around 400 people when at midnight, but by 6:40 a.m. it had grown to nearly double the size. As was the cast at other stores, employees were holding up "sold out" signs before the store had even opened.
Between 700-800 people lined up at the Yodobashi Camera's main game branch in Shinjuku, about the same number which waited for the PS3 two weeks ago. Unlike other shops, Yodobashi was selling Wii games on a first-come, first-served basis, so eager customers showed up early so as not to miss out on their favorite titles. Unsurprisingly, the first person in line bought The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess together with his Wii.
Great success!
As was the case with the PlayStation 3 launch, customers that tried to get in the Yodobashi Camera's line after 6 or 7 a.m. were turned away. But as a last resort, many could be spotted rushing off to the smaller Akihabara stores that were holding raffles to decide who got a Wii. At East Shinjuku Yodobashi Camera, a smaller branch with fewer units, over 350 customers were lined up at 7 a.m. hoping that lady luck would be on their side.
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December 2nd, 2006, 11:03 Posted By: wraggster
via joystiq
Despite a report to the contrary, we can't get the GameCube FreeLoader to work on a Wii. We've tried to use FreeLoader to play GameCube titles from other regions, but the sad, unrecognized-disc screen taunts us over and over.
We're using FreeLoader 1.06B -- alleged to be the right version by internet posters -- and a fully updated Wii (2.0U). We've tried inserting the disk when the Wii is off, then restarting. We've tried cleaning the disc. We've tried a special dance and blew in an NES cartridge slot as an offering, but nothing gets our FreeLoader started.
Datel told us that it doesn't yet have a Wii for testing and couldn't offer any more help. The company is also waiting for a Wii to determine if it can make a FreeLoader for Wii games.
Readers, have you gotten a GameCube FreeLoader working with a Wii? If so, how?
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December 2nd, 2006, 11:08 Posted By: wraggster
New Commercial Wii Game released:
features
Dual objectives to fulfill: NSA government agents and terrorists will each want you to accomplish opposing tasks at the same time
Discover the tension of being a double agent: Use actual tactics employed by today's real-life double agents to sabotage the terrorists' plans
Explore a branching storyline with multiple endings: Your choices have an impact on how the story and game play unfolds
A world of international espionage: Missions from all over the world, from Asia to Africa to the heart of the US. Experience extreme situations: underwater or in a sandstorm, hiding behind the dust or smoke - and even skydiving
New authentic gadgets: Master the latest weapons and gadgets used by NSA government agents in addition to black-market terrorist weapons
description
Veteran agent Sam Fisher is back. But he's never faced an enemy like this before. To stop a devastating terrorist attack, he must infiltrate a vicious terrorist group and destroy it from within. For the first time ever, experience the relentless tension and gut-wrenching dilemmas of life as a double agent. As you infiltrate a terrorist organization in its American headquarters, you must carefully weigh the consequences of your actions. Kill too many criminals and you'll blow your cover. Hesitate too long and millions will die. Do whatever it takes to complete your mission, but get out alive.
More info / buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1pof.html
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December 2nd, 2006, 11:14 Posted By: wraggster
New Commercial Wii game released:
features
Story-based adventure that relives key moments of the movie
Burn rubber in more than 30 races and mini-games
Explore the open-world of Radiator Springs
Speed to the finish line with more than 10 playable characters
Make your friends eat your dust in multiplayer mode
Features all of the major voice talent from the movie
Cars for Wii emulates driver seat functionality using real-to-life driving techniques and maneuvers
description
Race to the finish line as you live all the fun and excitement of the next Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film, "Cars." Play as all your favorite characters as you help Lightning McQueen capture the coveted Piston Cup Championship.
Buy Here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1poq.html
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December 2nd, 2006, 11:29 Posted By: wraggster
With the Discovery that the Wii Plays Gamecube Homebrew Via the SD Load Method, the Action Replay for Gamecube has become a must buy and its also become high priced too, luckily whilst searching sites and ebay etc i spotted that Play Asia sell the Action Replay for Gamecube, heres the info:
Action Replay
features
Preloaded with over 1,000 powerful codes for the latest and greatest GameCube games
Includes over 2,500 codes for US and Japanese games
Totally unauthorised cheat codes that you won’t find anywhere else
Add replayability to completed games with unique enhancements
Easy to update with new cheats for new games
Plug and play card included – no memory card required for storing new codes
Dedicated support site, updated daily – www.codejunkies.com
Unrivalled customer support means new cheats are often available on day one of a game’s release
Play import games from the USA and Japan without modifying your console, using Datel’s revolutionary “FreeLoader” technology
Intuitive menu system
Stylish, hi-resolution animated graphics
Easy to use – no technical or programming knowledge required
Can also be used with the Nintendo™ Wii (to play GameCube™ import games)
description
Action Replay is the only cheat code system designed specifically for GameCube. Using Datel’s advanced proprietary technology, the Action Replay cheat code system can unlock even the toughest games quickly and easily, including Super Mario Sunshine, Star Fox Adventures, and Resident Evil. What's more, it will even play import games from any region without affecting your warranty!
Gain infinite health, max ammo and all weapons. Unlock secret characters, hidden levels and bonus games. Access all areas, drive any vehicle, and award yourself wealth beyond your wildest dreams. There’s no limit to the amazing codes that Action Replay can activate!
Straight out of the box you get a GameCube-sized Action Replay disc which contains thousands of preloaded cheat codes for GameCube games (including codes for US and Japanese games). You also receive a piece of hardware which must be inserted into your memory card slot B before the Action Replay CD is loaded. This special card stores any new codes that you input (for example if you buy a new game), letting you build your own customised library of cheats.
Buy Here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...1hp-43-1g.html
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December 2nd, 2006, 11:29 Posted By: wraggster
With the Discovery that the Wii Plays Gamecube Homebrew Via the SD Load Method, the Action Replay for Gamecube has become a must buy and its also become high priced too, luckily whilst searching sites and ebay etc i spotted that Play Asia sell the Action Replay for Gamecube, heres the info:
Action Replay
features
Preloaded with over 1,000 powerful codes for the latest and greatest GameCube games
Includes over 2,500 codes for US and Japanese games
Totally unauthorised cheat codes that you won’t find anywhere else
Add replayability to completed games with unique enhancements
Easy to update with new cheats for new games
Plug and play card included – no memory card required for storing new codes
Dedicated support site, updated daily – www.codejunkies.com
Unrivalled customer support means new cheats are often available on day one of a game’s release
Play import games from the USA and Japan without modifying your console, using Datel’s revolutionary “FreeLoader” technology
Intuitive menu system
Stylish, hi-resolution animated graphics
Easy to use – no technical or programming knowledge required
Can also be used with the Nintendo™ Wii (to play GameCube™ import games)
description
Action Replay is the only cheat code system designed specifically for GameCube. Using Datel’s advanced proprietary technology, the Action Replay cheat code system can unlock even the toughest games quickly and easily, including Super Mario Sunshine, Star Fox Adventures, and Resident Evil. What's more, it will even play import games from any region without affecting your warranty!
Gain infinite health, max ammo and all weapons. Unlock secret characters, hidden levels and bonus games. Access all areas, drive any vehicle, and award yourself wealth beyond your wildest dreams. There’s no limit to the amazing codes that Action Replay can activate!
Straight out of the box you get a GameCube-sized Action Replay disc which contains thousands of preloaded cheat codes for GameCube games (including codes for US and Japanese games). You also receive a piece of hardware which must be inserted into your memory card slot B before the Action Replay CD is loaded. This special card stores any new codes that you input (for example if you buy a new game), letting you build your own customised library of cheats.
Buy Here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...1hp-43-1g.html
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December 2nd, 2006, 16:00 Posted By: DaddyCool
Can the admin please delete this post as i have restarted development on CoolSweeper, and released version 3 AKA CoolSweeper Evolution
"Dear DCemu Members
Unfortunately I will no longer be developing CoolSweeper due to problems with both the code and the fact that my compiler messed up so, sorry if you were looking forward to version three."
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December 2nd, 2006, 22:14 Posted By: wraggster
Press Release from Nintendo
Every Monday starting Dec. 4, Nintendo will add classic games to the popular new Wii™ video game console's Wii Shop Channel. Four games will be added at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Dec. 4. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:
Donkey Kong Jr.™ (Super NES®, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Based on the popular arcade game, Donkey Kong Jr. is the sequel to the immensely successful Donkey Kong®. Players play as Donkey Kong's son, Junior, and rescue his dad, who has been kidnapped and imprisoned in a cage by Mario™. Players use their jumping and climbing abilities to clamber up vines and chains, gather vital fruit and keys, and open the cage to free their father. Make sure to avoid the pesky birds, nasty electric sparks and creepy chompers. Four different worlds filled with numerous climbing and jumping puzzles await in this timeless classic.
Victory Run™ (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Victory Run is a rally racing game, made up of eight different stages set in different countries from Paris to Dakar. Players can race across highways, deserts, savannahs and coastlines. In order to advance to the next stage, players must dodge traffic and cross the finish line within the time limit. Players can upgrade their race car with such parts as tires, gears, engines, suspensions and brakes. Driving on rough courses and hitting obstacles will cause damage to individual parts, so making repairs is critical. Choosing the right setup of parts may be the difference between winning and not finishing the race at all. So go out there and prove to the world that you have what it takes to take raise the gold cup in Victory Run!
Columns™ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Players test their hand at the ancient Phoenician game of Columns. Multicolored gems drop from the top of the screen into a pit. It is up to players to quickly arrange the order of the jewels into lines of three or more as they fall. If gems pile up and reach the top, the game is over.
Ristar™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Greedy, an evil space pirate, has corrupted the kings of the Valdi System's seven planets and enslaved the people who live there. The plea for a hero is answered by Ristar, who uses his amazing extendable arms and courage to save Valdi from Greedy.
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December 2nd, 2006, 22:23 Posted By: wraggster
Via Joystiq
We were in Osaka this morning to see the delivery of Nintendo's Wii to the world's greatest DS fans. Stores across Japan received a total of 400,000 Wii consoles. In Osaka, Japan's second city, 2,800 units were allocated to the Umeda branch of Yodobashi Camera alone, while Bic Camera in Nipponbashi received 650 systems. Both locations were sold out within an hour of opening.
Compared with last month's farcical PS3 launch, there were notably fewer auctioneers-in-the-making at today's Wii debut. Most people we met were genuinely looking forward to playing games with their new purchase. (There are Wii lots on Yahoo! Auctions, but the going rate is only marginally higher than the retail price: typically Y30,000 (US$260) via auction, compared with Y25,000 (US$217) in stores.)
The Wii's software tie-in ratio, too, seems to be more encouraging than that of the PlayStation3. Most customers in line at Yodobashi Umeda bought Zelda, while significant numbers also went for Wii Sports and Hajimete no Wii.
Numerous methods of retail were used to launch the Wii, and these varied from store to store. Yodobashi kept its customers camped overnight in a parking lot, distributing numbered tickets to determine the order of entrance, before opening its doors at 7am. Bic Camera also opened at 7am, although most of the 650 people in line there didn't arrive until the first trains of the morning began to run at around 5am.
Famitsu reports that the Tokyo Ikebukuro branch of Bic Camera sold out if its allocation of 1,200 units, while the Tokyo Yuuraku-cho arm of Bic Camera declared the console "sold out" at 5.41am when the 1,500th person arrived in the queue there.
Sales figures from around the country are still coming in, but we'll keep you informed of the final stats just as soon as we get them
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December 2nd, 2006, 22:55 Posted By: wraggster
News/release from Sasq:
These are some text adventure interpreters I have ported to Nintendo DS; It was accomplished by first porting GLK (a library for handling Interactive Fiction) and then compiling GLK-versions of the compilers.
- Frotz
Plays new and old (Infocom) zcode format adventures. Currently the only
interpreter confirmed to handle load/save correctly.
Includes games like Zork, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy etc
- Level9
Plays old level9 adventures.
Includes Knight Orc, Snowball etc
- Magnetic
Plays Magnetic Scrolls adventures. Graphics are not handled correctly at the moment so avoid copying over the GFX-files. Includes The Pawn, Guild of Theives etc
- Nitfol
Another interpreter for zcode. Is actually more modern then FROTZ, but the GLK-versions has problems with the titlebar & fixed width window.
This is the first release and contains a few known and unknown bugs.
I will release a fixed v1.1 after feedback.
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December 3rd, 2006, 16:32 Posted By: wraggster
Via Deadketchup
Small update:
- Support of G6. (Thank you Lord Raptor and Puyo)
- Support of the GBFS. (Thank you Alekmaul)
- Withdrawal of the demonstrations of Boulderdash, Bomb Jack and Meynaupede in order to reduce the size of the nds
- 2-3% faster.
As usual the use of the gbfs is done like this:
gbfs mesdisques.gbfs princeofpersia.dsk boulderdash.dsk bombjack.dsk
padbin 256 crocods.nds
Copy /B crocods.nds + mesdisques.gbfs crocods_gbfs.nds
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December 3rd, 2006, 16:37 Posted By: wraggster
Alekmaul has released a new version of his Arcade Emulator for the Nintendo DS:
Heres the translated whats new:
Afflicted, not of safeguard of the high scores in this version...: (... I have too much of work maintaining on another emulator to implement it
Complete recasting of the engine and thus whole rewriting of the emulated plays
Scramble, Galaxian, Solomon' S Key, Penguin Kun wars are playable
Addition of too many playable plays (104...) to quote them
Optimization of the management of the sprites and tiles (direct access to the memory)
The sound, finally..., in the pacman and clones
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December 3rd, 2006, 16:40 Posted By: wraggster
Via retrothinking
Do you like big numbers? Do you? Do you really, sir? You'll like this, then. Nintendo's Wii, the little games console that comes with a free stick for waving around, has become the fastest selling next-generation video games console, selling over a million units in just 2 weeks. That's a hell of a lot of units.
It's selling around 78,000 units a day, considerably more than the PlayStation 3's 22,000 units a day and the Xbox 360's 20,000 units a day.
Dead-on-the-money numbers are still flying higher than the R's Stannah stairlift can go, but numbers here are aggregates compiled from retailers in North America, Japan, Europe and that place Australia is, and are as accurate as you're gonna get.
The Nintendo DS is still sales king overall, selling around a billion units a minute. Way to go, daddy-o.
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December 3rd, 2006, 16:50 Posted By: wraggster
Carl Kenner has released a new version of his GlovePie Input Emulator which basically supports a lot of different Hardware and enables you to use say a WiiMote Controller as a Gaming Controller on your PC 
Heres more details:
GlovePIE stands for Glove Programmable Input Emulator. It doesn't have to be used with VR Gloves, but it was originally started as a system for emulating Joystick and Keyboard Input using the Essential Reality P5 Glove. Now it supports emulating all kinds of input, using all kinds of devices, including Polhemus, Intersense, Ascension, WorldViz, 5DT, and eMagin products. It can also control MIDI or OSC output.
In the GlovePIE window you type or load a simple script. For example to control the WASD keys with a glove:
W = glove.z > -50 cm
S = glove.z < -70 cm
A = glove.x < -10 cm
D = glove.x > 10 cm
You can also use GlovePIE to play Joystick-only games without a joystick, or keyboard-only games with a joystick. Or you can use it to create macro buttons for complex keystrokes.
You can even use it to control multiple mouse pointers with multiple mice.
System Requirements
You will need:
Windows 98 or above (Windows 2000 or above to emulate keys in DirectInput games or use multiple fake cursors - Windows XP or above to get input from multiple mice or keyboards individually or to read some special keys).
DirectX 8 or above.
There is other optional software you might need for certain features. See the download page for links to download them. Joystick emulation requires PPJoy. Speech requires SAPI 5.1 with microsoft recogniser.
You don't need any special hardware.
Hardware Supported
Nintendo Wii Remote (Wiimote)
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December 3rd, 2006, 16:55 Posted By: wraggster
News/release from Jeremysr:The original one I released had an invisible bad bug in it that made almost all cells die unless you drew really slowly. This one fixes that and adds some more features described in readme.txt which I'll quote.
readme.txt:
DSlife by Jeremysr
jeremy.ruten@gmail.com
------------------
What is Conway's Game of Life? Go here to find out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conways_life
DSlife follows the same rules as Conway's Life. It comes in three versions: 32, 64, and 256. These numbers are the width of the array of cells in the game of life.
DSlife_256: 256x192 cells, each cell is 1x1 pixel
DSlife_64: 64x48 cells, each cell is 4x4 pixels
DSlife_32: 32x24 cells, each cell is 8x8 pixels (most accurate for creating life patterns)
With DSlife_256, you can draw on the screen to create life, but the only way of erasing life is to clear the whole screen. With DSlife_64 and DSlife_32, you tap the screen to create 1 life cell at a time, or, if the cell already has life on it, erase that life.
Menu:
Start simulation - Starts the life simulation after you have drawn life on the screen
Clear screen - Destroys all life making the screen white
Speed - Changes the speed ranging from 0 to 9. 0 being the slowest, 9 being as fast as the DS can go. (Which isn't too fast )
Rules - Changes the rules of life. There are 10 preset rules, the default being normal life (23/3).
Save to... - Saves the speed and rules and life array currently being shown on the bottom screen to a file on the root of the card (DSlife_32.life, DSlife_64.life, or DSlife_256.life). If they don't exist DSlife will create them. You can only save one at a time. To edit them on the computer, open them in a text editor and from line 2 to the end of the file is the life array. 0's are dead (white) and 1's are alive (black).
Load from... - Loads the speed and rules and life array from a file (DSlife_32.life, DSlife_64.life, or DSlife_256.life) on the root of the card.
All of the menu options are selected or toggled using the A button.
In this directory there are DSlife_*.life savefiles that you can put in your root directory:
DSlife_256.life - Gosper's Glider Gun pattern
DSlife_64.life - Diehard pattern
DSlife_32.life - Glider pattern
---
Thanks to felix123 for the variable speed and lid checking code!
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December 3rd, 2006, 17:16 Posted By: wraggster
New release from N64Francois
Heres the translated details:
Presentation:
Since step badly of time, I wanted to give me to code with PALib (which I had temporarily given up with the detriment of OSLib de Brunni on PSP).
Today, it is thing ridge! I thus present my new project to you: Bloops DS
It is one pêle-mixes with various plays flash which I could exploit the Net (I took as a starting point the play GLOOPS for the GFX, and by various other plays for the decorations).
The goal of the play is to destroy a maximum of Bloops in order to prevent that they reach the top of the screen.
The more you are far in the play, the more new Bloops arrive quickly by bottom.
History:
03/12/2006
- Setting on line of version 0.1 of BlOOps DS (version beta)
How to play:
The play is played Stylet entierrement.
To destroy Bloops, you must touch a group from at least 2 of the same color.
It is impossible to destroy them when a new line of Bloops is being formed.
To put the play in Pause: START
To activate/decontaminate the music: BUTTON B
Other information:
The play is far from being perfect, there remain to me several things with règler or to improve (I have to begin the project it has only approximately 10 days there).
As you can note it, there is no noise, but that a basic music: it is because I currently meet a bug when I use a file MOD and a file RAW simultaneously (I would carry out new tests in the next days).
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December 3rd, 2006, 17:22 Posted By: wraggster
Papafuji has released a new graphical adventure for the Nintendo DS, heres the info:
- You'll find in these pages a lot of text and graphic classic adventure games and interactive fictions... Most of these games have been developped in the 80's and have been given to public by their respective authors, and can now be played freely
- Some exceptions come from Infocom (except the Zork serie), Lucasarts and Sierra game that are not free and can be bought on their respective websites -
- hope you'll have a lot fun with these games and good luck for your adventures...
Info about this release
Sorcerer of Claymorgue Castle
- brand new graphic version of Scott Adam's Classic Adventure #13
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December 3rd, 2006, 17:26 Posted By: wraggster
Papafuji has released a new graphical adventure for the Nintendo DS, heres the info:
- You'll find in these pages a lot of text and graphic classic adventure games and interactive fictions... Most of these games have been developped in the 80's and have been given to public by their respective authors, and can now be played freely
- Some exceptions come from Infocom (except the Zork serie), Lucasarts and Sierra game that are not free and can be bought on their respective websites -
- hope you'll have a lot fun with these games and good luck for your adventures...
Info about this release
The Golden Baton
- brand new graphic version of Brian Howarth's Mysterious Adventure #1
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December 3rd, 2006, 17:31 Posted By: wraggster
Papafuji has released a new graphical adventure for the Nintendo DS, heres the info:
- You'll find in these pages a lot of text and graphic classic adventure games and interactive fictions... Most of these games have been developped in the 80's and have been given to public by their respective authors, and can now be played freely
- Some exceptions come from Infocom (except the Zork serie), Lucasarts and Sierra game that are not free and can be bought on their respective websites -
- hope you'll have a lot fun with these games and good luck for your adventures...
Info about this release
The Time Machine
- brand new graphic version of Brian Howarth's Mysterious Adventure #2
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December 3rd, 2006, 17:36 Posted By: wraggster
Papafuji has released a compilation of new text adventures for the Nintendo DS, heres the info:
Info about this release
- DoubleScott-
- compilation of the 17 Scott Adam's Classic Adventures from 1981 to 1985 - includes :
- Adventureland - Pirate Adventure - Secret Mission - Voodoo Castle - The Count - Strange Odyssey - Mystery Fun House - Pyramid of Doom - Ghost Town - Savage Island, Part I & II - The Golden Voyage - Sorcerer of Claymorgue Castle - Return to Pirate's Isle - Buckaroo Banzai - The Hulk & Spiderman
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December 3rd, 2006, 17:38 Posted By: wraggster
Papafuji has released a compilation of new text adventures for the Nintendo DS, heres the info:
Info about this release
- compilation of the 15 Brian Howarth's Mysterious Adventures from 1983 to 1986 - includes :
- The Golden Baton - The Time Machine - Arrow of Death I & II - Escape from Pulsar 7 - Circus - Feasibility Experiment - The Wizard of Akyrz - Perseus and Andromeda - Ten Little Indians - Waxworks - Supergran - Gremlins - Robin of Sherwood & Seas of Blood
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December 3rd, 2006, 18:46 Posted By: wraggster
New release from Bass Ace Gold, heres the info:
This means that i could make a mortal kombat or street fighter type game with little effort once its finished
. It's still near the begining but im pretty far into it.
Heres the Status of my project so far:
(NEW!)
27/11/06:
fixed a few bugs and added jumping for the player 2.
Sprite Collision and damage- 99%
Bg Scrolling- 95%
More Attacks/moves- 0%
Graphics/menu's and interface- 0%
More Levels- 0%
AI- 30%
18/11/06:
Sprite Collision and damage- 90%
Bg Scrolling- 95%
More Attacks/moves- 0%
Graphics/menu's and interface- 0%
More Levels- 0%
AI- 25%
Download and Give Feedback Via Comments
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December 3rd, 2006, 18:49 Posted By: wraggster
New release from Bass Ace Gold, heres the info:
The objective is to fall down the maze and to avoid touching the top of the screen with the square.
Whats New:
-Slowed down the scrolling, makes it easier for noobs
-added a title picture. Thanx Jeanette for that!
-made the random level picker a little more random
More to come:
-music
-more levels (hopefully)
Thats about it!
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December 3rd, 2006, 18:52 Posted By: wraggster
New release from Bass Ace Gold, heres the info:
Another project that was created by BassAceGold.
A small paint application with a few cool features. Doesn't have saving.
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December 3rd, 2006, 18:57 Posted By: wraggster
New Homebrew release for the GBA (DS) by Julien Lallevé
Bam? is a 2D-Scroll homebrew platform game developed exclusively for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance.
In Bam?, you play MonkeyMonkey, a nice little monkey who's lost in a diluted world. In order to escape from this scary place, you'll need to use the color Cross, an item that enables you to make mysterious colored platform appear. However, the color Cross needs power and honestly, do you know any better biofuel than bananas ?
The mission is simple : Collect enough bananas to activate the colored platforms and progress through the level !
You can find the game on its website http://bam.digisto.net
Controls:
- Holding L + a direction will scroll the map, and allow you to look around, very important if you don't want to die every 2 seconds.
- When you have collected 3 bananas of the same color, an arrow of the color cross will appear, press this direction while holding R will activate platforms from this color, and deactivate any previously activated color. (Black platforms will always be there though).
- A button makes you jump
- B button makes you walk slowly
hope you'll enjoy!
Julien Lalleve, member of (the all new) Digisto
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December 3rd, 2006, 18:58 Posted By: wraggster
New GBA(DS) Homebrew release by Lasse Öörni
Hi, I released a port of my 2003 C64 game "Metal Warrior 4 - Agents of Metal" that runs on GBA. It runs by creating a sort of virtual machine enviroment (6510 CPU and SID sound chip emulation) with API hooks for the rest of the stuff like graphics & file access.
Controls & smaller screen size had also to be accounted for, and lastly I actually did some graphics & gameplay improvements to the original, like visible bullets.
More Info --> http://www.gbadev.org/demos.php?showinfo=1341
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December 3rd, 2006, 19:01 Posted By: wraggster
Via Crunchgear
I suppose some of us out there have our streams crossed and are as equally addicted to Brain Age as Liberty City Stories. Unfortunately, traveling with multiple portable game systems means traveling with multiple charge cords. Philips Universal Handheld Travel Charger & Adaptor 5-in-1 charger juices up your Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo GBA, Nintendo GBA Micro, and PSP (although I can’t imagine someone would carry more than one of the first four.) Expect this to drop around CES.
Screen Via Comments
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December 3rd, 2006, 20:13 Posted By: wraggster
HOT NEWS JUST INDatel have finally released to retail the SD Media Launcher(1 Gig) For Nintendo Wii/GameCube, Playing Games is what we all love to do but also getting the best in offers which is why Virgin Games promo code 2019 offers such great value and we all want our money to go far in this day and age. This Homebrew launcher for Wii lets you play all the latest Gamecube Homebrew on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Gamecube including many emulators and Honebrew games and apps, all available here at Wii News and Gamecube Emulation.
Heres the press info:
 There's a wealth of really excellent home brew material out there for the GameCube, but how do you get it to run on your happening console? Our GameCube/Wii SD Media Launcher has the answer...
With GameCube/Wii SD Media Launcher, you can run all your home brew Cube software on an unmodified GameCube, or on a Nintendo Wii in GameCube Mode. All you need to do is download the program of your choice from one of the many web pages dedicated to amateur programming on the Cube (Google for 'GameCube home brew' to find dozens of sites). Drag and drop it onto the 1GB SD card supplied with the Media Launcher, then plug it into your Wii or GameCube. Launch the application CD on your console and the home brew program is run from there. Easy!
Everything you need is in the box. The pack includes a software CD, 1GB high-speed SD card, a USB SD card adapter and an SD media adapter to fit in your Cube's memory card slot.
Heres a Screen of the bits you get:
This is a great all in one solution for Homebrew on the Gamecube and Wii (excellent work Datel)
Buy from Divineo UK for £24.95 which is way cheaper than buying all the parts needed seperately.
Heres the older way of getting homebrew on the Wii
For those of you who want to Play Homebrew on the Nintendo Wii our forum member Apocalyptic980c has posted a tutorial for everyone to use and so finally ill post it on the Nintendo Wii News at sticky it too:What you need (Hardware):
An SD Card
a 2GB Card will set you back around $49 but handy to have a card that big.
Theres also an Official Wii SD Card released that will work but its a bit more pricey but at least it will work in the Wii as well.
An action replay kit for GC
The Action Replay for Gamecube will set you back around $25 but as well as being the device needed to boot homebrew its also a Region Free Gamecube Boot Disc and Cheats Device, well worth the cost.
An SD card adaptor for gc: Home Made, Nintendo Made or the Gecko (the best )
SD Card Adapters are a bit harder to find but Ebay is at the moment your best bet, Buy the Gecko version if you cant find the Nintendo Adapter.
UPDATE
Theres a 64MB USB Gamecube Memory Card at Play Asia that would take away the need for a SD Card/Adapter at the expense of less space. Its untested at time of writing but a fair bit cheaper than buying seperates.
Last but not Least a Nintendo Wii.
Without the Console youll go knowhere , USA, JAP or PAL Consoles are all compatible.
Software Needed: SDLoad
The Tutorial
1) Plug your SD card into your computer, now using the link above get a hold of SDLoad, firstly you have to format the SD card to either FAT or FAT16, if you cant do this return your computer to the store from which you bought it . After formatting it run sdpatch.exe through the command line as follows:
sdpatch.exe (drive letter):/
now copy SDLOADER.BIN to the root of the card, at this point you can load it up with emulators and what not as long as they are in .dol format . They can be in any directory as long as SDLOADER.BIN is in the root.
2) After installing the above insert SD card into SD card reader and plug into memory card slot A. Insert your action replay card into B and the disc into that place where discs go.
3) When AR boots up pick the USA flag and then ADD NEW GAME. SDLOAD is the game name and push done. Then enter (m) as the code name. Enter the following code
7YPR-RKZZ-MH6W5
D26A-PE4J-1XX2W
ZJHY-B1ZH-6P00G
Then select ADD NEW CODE and name it SDLOAD. Enter the following code
AF4H-JPF5-H1B5J
MVAB-7TQE-ABZPB
V2CK-QQ1A-Y6P72
M5N6-CMMH-9EURT
0JFM-3A6C-VZ6VK
KYV8-0JGV-0GR1N
2EGU-HVKF-NDMCN
7AH0-J9JZ-HHGNJ
4MHU-G8XT-ZRYCJ
9474-KF41-8KG34
QMEV-G90N-A8RV0
KD4G-5QHV-74D46
V97K-652Q-Y4TEY
6M4W-9GPT-E99NG
QPFY-DJAF-E01FV
2Z6E-P2WY-24WV4
6NHW-G3NH-HP31Y
A2KF-MCKN-D645J
K5V8-EF9W-7GFQC
XTU3-269T-VH5NE
H9GP-C4PP-6FGF9
HF77-R45C-ZXPDV
22Y3-D98C-50AJM
WTWZ-EC88-U5ZTV
36G1-UGDG-J2G84
DUMT-15KR-DXJ8K
JV55-6VF5-2Z02T
D4R8-MVJ5-QGR21
1G3C-APD7-1CUVD
Select the code named SDLOAd and check the box next to it, press start and Open and close the lid of disc drive when prompted. Then SDLOAD starts up and you can take it from there!
The Code Process is a one time thing and from then on you can enjoy the world of Gamecube Homebrew and Emulators on your Wii Console easily and without Modification.
Emulators for Gamecube that will work this way include emulators for Snes, Genesis, GameBoy Advance, Gameboy Colour, PC Engine and Nes and also a port of Doom.
Enjoy Legal Homebrew and Emulation on your Nintendo Wii, thanks to Apocalyptic980c for the tutorial and to Costis for his excellent SDLOAD Application.
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December 4th, 2006, 11:36 Posted By: Darksaviour69
Sold out signs go up before stores even open for eager consumers
Nintendo's Wii has reportedly sold out at launch in Japan, where eager consumers were met with controlled queues and raffle ticket allocations at major electrical retailers.
Customers who had pre-ordered early enough needed to only wait politely in line, while some stores had held units back to allocate on the day with a raffle ticket system.
Popular outlets such as Bic Camera managed to draw steady queues the day before the December 2 launch, which eventually grew to over a thousand by early the following morning. Store employees were on hand to pass out tickets and eventually hold up signs saying the Wii had sold out before the doors even opened.
For those that hadn't arrived the night before or pre-ordered their consoles, some smaller stores were selling units on a first come, first served basis - along with titles such as the highly-anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
The sell-out success at bricks and mortar retailers echoed that of online stores such as Amazon Japan, which had closed pre-orders within minutes of opening registration in November.
Although Nintendo of Japan has yet to announce official figures, the company had promised 400,000 units for launch day, with a further 600,000 for the region by the end of the year.
Gameindustry .biz
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December 4th, 2006, 11:37 Posted By: Darksaviour69
PAL region to get units December 7th
Australian consumers have racked up over 30,000 pre-orders of the Nintendo Wii ahead of the console launch later this week.
"We expect demand will outweigh supply and that there will be a few more 'sickies' than usual on Thursday," said Nintendo of Australia spokesperson Vispi Bhopti, speaking to the Herald Sun.
The 30,000 figure is also the amount of Xbox 360's sold in the region in the first four days of launch, which made the Microsoft console the fastest-selling ever for the PAL territory.
Nintendo's new home console launches across Europe this Friday, December 8th.
Gameindustr.biz
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December 4th, 2006, 16:46 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
As promised last week, the first footage of the new Wii instalment of EA's seminal snowboarding series, SSX Blur has been shown on US TV - and you can watch it for yourself thanks to ye olde internet.
The footage shows what appears to be a similar series entry to the much-loved SSX 3, which mixed up the vanilla snowboarding affairs by presenting an entire mountain for you to conquer - and obviously throw yourself off as well.
The presentation of the game seems also to have backtracked from the rocking beats and scribbled drawings of last series instalment SSX On Tour, which didn't review as well as previous cousins.
There's no release date for SSX Blur as yet, but we're sure there'll be more word on the Wii snowboarder some time in the near future.
Video Here -->
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December 4th, 2006, 16:51 Posted By: wraggster
We've spent the last few weeks hammering the awesome Age Of Empires on DS. And with the touch screen, strategy games are a no-brainer on Nintendo's handheld. We just need a lot more.
Firaxis' Sid Meier has come to the rescue. While not confirming a DS version of click-'em-up Civ is in the pipeline, he recently told Gamespot "If we can deliver a fun experience to the players on the DS, then we'll do it. We're still in the exploratory mode."
Other console could also be getting the Civ treatment: "I think the latest consoles have the processing power to deliver fun experiences with the bigger strategy games," added Meier.
Via CVG
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December 4th, 2006, 16:54 Posted By: wraggster
Via cvg
Another classic heads for Nintendo DS - and it's looking rather good
2 CommentsFreshly offloaded from EA's screenshot rollercoaster are these first Theme Park DS screenshots, which show a rather impressive-looking port of the classic PC strategy game.
Following Sim City DS and the recently-revealed Sims Wii, Theme Park DS is apparently the next title to come from EA's increasingly prolific Japanese arm.
Details are scarce at the moment, except that we can expect the game to hit the Far East in March next year.
We're already looking forward to trapping innocent consumers in our Theme Park mazes once more. We'll let you know when any hard-line gameplay info reaches our ears.
5 Awesome Screenshots Via Comments - Wraggys fave game ever coming to DS
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December 4th, 2006, 16:57 Posted By: wraggster
via cvg
It's been a while since Ubisoft quietly announced a new Prince of Persia for Nintendo's Wii, but the French publisher has finally revealed the first details of the games control scheme.
Speaking in an online interview, Ubisoft CEO Yannis Mallat said that he had a chance to play an early build of Prince of Persia Wii and that the controls were "fun and intuitive".
Apparently, the Wii Remote will be used to make the Prince perform jumps and other moves, while the Nunchuk will throw out the Prince's chain. However, it should be noted that the game is very much in development and controls could change between now and the game's eventual release next year.
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December 4th, 2006, 16:58 Posted By: wraggster
via cvg
Thanks to the latest issue of Famitsu, it has been revealed that Killer 7 creator Goichi 'Suda 51' Suda's cell-shaded Wii action game, Heroes is no more; it will now be known as the slightly edgier-sounding No More Heroes, billed for release in Japan summer next year.
With Suda in the director's chair and Kozaki Yuusuke working on character design, No More Heroes has you fighting off rival assassins in a free-roaming world, with a Wii Remote-controlled sort-of-Lightsaber as your weapon of choice. You can check out the excellent debut trailer right here.
There's some rather nice screenshots of the game in Famitsu as well, so we'll be sure to let you know when we manage to get our hands on those.
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December 4th, 2006, 17:04 Posted By: wraggster
New from Divineo China
CycloDS MicroSD is the perfect partner for your NDS Lite. In conjunction with a MicroSD card, the CycloDS MicroSD can run games, homebrew applications, emulate ROM's (NES, PC Engine, SMS) and even play MP3's or movies! Unlike with many other recent products, both NDS and GBA games and applications are supported making CycloDS MiniSD most versatile solution available with unparalleled game compatibility.
Games are easily prepared for use on the CycloDS MicroSD via our intuitive PC application.
CycloDS MicroSD Features:
- Play NDS and GBA game ROM's directly from a MicroSD card
- High-speed operation thanks to fast MicroSD flash
- Fits snugly into the GBA slot on NDS Lite without sticking out at all
- Play homebrew/public domain software (even old NES roms!)
- Watch movie files
- Listen to MP3 music
- View image files
- View eBooks
- Expandable - simply add another SD card when you run out of space
- 32 megabytes of SDRAM and 128 kilobytes SRAM onboard, providing smooth GBA ROM gameplay and support for DSLinux
- Homebrew FAT libraries will recognise CycloDS, resulting in excellent homebrew software compatibility
- Designed for use only with an NDS Lite
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December 4th, 2006, 17:06 Posted By: wraggster
New from Divineo China
CycloDS Key is a media launcher for the NDS and NDS Lite. It allows the use of flash carts or other storage devices which connect to the GBA slot. Simply insert the storage solution of choice in the GBA slot together with the CycloDS Key in the DS slot and turn on the console. You can now launch media from the target storage device...
CycloDS Key Features:
- NoPass function compatible with every flash cart
- Simple to use, just plug and play
- Works in sleep mode
- Ultra-fast boot time
- Same size as original DS cart
- Advanced logic device combined with 128 kilobytes of high speed flash
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December 4th, 2006, 17:07 Posted By: wraggster
New from Divineo China
CycloDS MiniSD Features:
- Play NDS and GBA game ROM's directly from a MiniSD card
- Play homebrew/public domain software (even old NES roms!)
- Watch movie files
- Listen to MP3 music
- View image files
- View eBooks
- Expandable - simply add another SD card when you run out of space
- 32 megabytes of SDRAM and 128 kilobytes SRAM onboard, providing smooth -GBA ROM gameplay and support for DSLinux
- Homebrew FAT libraries will recognise CycloDS, resulting in excellent homebrew software compatibility
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December 4th, 2006, 17:12 Posted By: wraggster
Via PAlGN
Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has confirmed that Wii gamers will be able to play games online from the second quarter of 2007. Reggie's pledge came in an interview with SpikeTV's Game Head show (which saw the Ninty president indulging in some bowling - of both the real-life and Wii variety), where he also let slip that more Wii channels were in the works.
So far, Japan is the only region with a Wii game [Pokémon Battle Revolution - Ed] that can be played online. However, that's set to change in the coming months, with Fils-Aime promising, "The multiplayer is coming. During the Japanese launch, there is Pokémon Battle Revolution, and that's really the first one. There will be titles that we'll be announcing in first quarter 2007, that'll be multiplayer-enabled. So during second quarter 2007, people will be able to have a multiplayer experience on Wii."
In further good news for Wii fans, Fils-Aime revealed that Nintendo was hard at work developing more Wii channels, though revealed nothing about what they would involve.
He was also kept busy when it came to defending the Wii controller from accusations that it may be a tad gimmicky. "I've had the opportunity to play Zelda, Excite Truck, Wii Sports, a little bit of Red Steel, a little bit of Madden," said Reggie. "It doesn't get old. It really doesn't get old. Wii will only become a gimmick if it's marginalised in terms of the way the remote is used, and we have absolutely no indication that that's going to happen."
Aside from that, Fils-Aime also discussed the "Wii60" phrase coined by Microsoft's Peter Moore ("Can I endorse the 360? Honestly, no"), the prospect of Mario appearing in a GTA-style game ("You'll never see that") what game he thinks would be best online ("The ultimate one would be Mario Kart, on a multiplayer basis"), and generally came across as a fairly good egg.
Mind you, his real-life bowling skills suck.
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December 4th, 2006, 19:17 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamesradar
Who needs Zelda for the launch of Wii when addictive puzzler Super Fruitfall is hitting stores on 8 December alongside Nintendo's new console?
What looks like a simple puzzle game is actually a devious test of your strategy skills and coordination. The objective is to clear out every piece of fruit by moving them around the grid so they become grouped together. Sounds easy but each individual piece of fruit can only be moved by rotating the playing area in one of three moves.
On top of that you must figure out the best way to build combinations of fruit clearing to get special bonuses.
While the puzzle solving isn't so simple the control system certainly is. All gamers have to do is pick up the Wii-mote and start shifting the brightly coloured fruit pieces around.
If you want to get the family involved in the puzzling there's a split screen two-player option, so you can see who's better at clearing screens of fruit.
We have less than a week to wait for Super Fruitfall, which will only cost £25 when it's released on 8 December.
Screens Via Comments
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December 4th, 2006, 19:50 Posted By: wraggster
Via Joystiq
Decorating your console has become an interesting new trend for handheld and console gaming. From Xbox 360 face plates to custom-designed PSPs, everyone is getting in on the action. Now Canadian DS owners can add their own special touch, and this one won't cost a sack-full of cash.
Future Shop, a Canadian retailer, is now offering an 18 karat gold Nintendo DS stylus. For $19.99 Canadian ($17.44 US at current rates) DS gamers can play with a gold stylus to go with their crystal case. As an added bonus, the stylus is billed to improve functionality through improved balance.
It is nice to see a cosmetic addition that actually impacts the gameplay experience. Now DS owners can get the full experience of a customized DS system, not just a diamond covered clam shell with a stock white stylus. Any Canadians out there planning on picking up this 18k beauty?
Screenshot Via Comments
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December 4th, 2006, 19:54 Posted By: wraggster
via joystiq
It would seem that much of the buzz Sony built for the PS3 launch is dying down; no doubt due to the system's MIA status from virtual store shelves. In a recent study, the Xbox 360's online demand has surpassed that of the PS3; the Wii has -- not surprisingly -- passed up both of them on the list of most online interest.
According to Compete.com, the interest in the Xbox 360 in major online retail outlets passed up the PS3 on November 25th, which is the same time Amazon.com offered up the $100 Xbox 360. Since October, interest in all three consoles grew at an increasing rate, but only the PS3 has suffered any sort of decline. Online demand for the PS3 is on a decline since the unit launched, most likely attributed to the fact people can't find them.
The method Compete.com used to obtain this information is a bit of a mystery. However, the data could show the dangers of trying to utilize a product's scarcity to drive demand. A hard to find product can drive the desire to have it, but make the product too difficult to find and people will just give up; which makes the competition -- who has ready supplies -- very happy.
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December 4th, 2006, 19:57 Posted By: wraggster
Via joystiq
Don't go thinking they care about the fuzziness of your American screens, this is a Japan thing. Nintendo of Japan's official site apologized for the lack of "D terminal" component cables (Japan has two types of component cable), leaving this blogger with just such a fuzzy screen. It's hard to complain too much though, what with the Japanese Wii launch being such a painless endeavor.
Local retailers are reporting that Nintendo overstocked, providing many more systems than anticipated. Accessories (that aren't component cables that is) are all readily available: Nunchuks, Wiimotes, and the lovely (not quite stateside yet) Hajimete no Wii (Wii Games) and Wiimote bundle are in abundance. Even the Classic Controller -- which comes free with purchases of 5,000 Wii points -- is readily available.
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December 4th, 2006, 20:00 Posted By: wraggster
Via gamefaqs
Codes
Change bowling ball color
As The screen is fading to black for bowling, hold down the control pad until it fades to bowling for these colors:
Code Effect
Control Pad Up Blue Ball
Control Pad Right Gold Ball
Control Pad Down Green Ball
Control Pad Left Red Ball
Change the tennis court
To change the tennis court to the blue practice court, press and hold (2) at the warning screen that shows after selecting characters.
Play Golf without maps or meters
To disable the power meter, map, and the wind speed indicator, press and hold (2), then make a selection at the "Select a Course" screen.
Unlockables
Getting pro in either tennis or boxing
If you get pro, which is over 1000 points, then in either sport, the reward is a bigger audience, and all of your Miis that aren't being played get put into the audience. If you make a bunch of random Miis, they will all be there.
Special Bowling Ball
Get to pro level to unlock a bowling ball with diamond designs on it.
Easter Eggs
Scare Crowd in Bowling
To scare the crowd while bowling, start the regular motion for bowling and let go on the backswing. The ball will fly backwards and the crowd will scream and jump.
Secrets
91 Pin Strike in Power Bowling Training
To get an automatic 91 pin strike in the last round of Power Bowling, Throw the ball on the right or left rail (depending on if you are right or left handed) so that it stays on it the whole time. If it reaches the end without falling off, you will hear a "click" and an explosion. Then all the pins will fall down from the shockwave. NOTE: This only works on the last round.
Pitch Underhand
While pitching, press 2 before throwing. To return to normal pitching press 1
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December 4th, 2006, 21:02 Posted By: wraggster
New DS Game released today:
features
Mix, match and make new abilities and items using the touch screen.
Over 25 upgradeable abilities, including new ones like Animal, Bubble and more.
Change the world! Use Kirby's abilities to burn grass, freeze water, and alter the environment.
Play multiplayer sub-games over local wireless!
description
Who Stole Kirby's Shortcake?
Float, jump and battle through eight huge worlds as Kirby takes control on a diabolical band of rodent robbers called the Squeaks!
You can expect all the floating, jumping and battling of a classic Kirby game, but this time, Kirby’s copy abilities have been massively boosted. Not only can you mix and match copy abilities by using the stylus to drag them together inside Kirby's belly (located on the touch screen), but the powers themselves now have the ability to affect the environment, as well as foes. For example, you can burn trees and grasses with the Fire ability, or freeze water with the Ice ability.
In sub-game mode, Kirby: Squeak Squad also features multiplayer fun for up to four players, using either Multi-Card or DS Download Play over DS Local Area Network.
More Info / buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1mlg.html
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December 4th, 2006, 21:05 Posted By: wraggster
New release for the GBA:
features
Strategic gameplay in which decks of “Tactical Cards” are used to determine battlefield movement, special attacks, and more!
Character design by manga artist Satoko Kiyuzuki and card design by Sunaho Tobe, character designer of “Riviera: The Promised Land”!
Over 30 attack, defense, and support skills!
Join forces with other allies to form an unbeatable Union!
description
Ruled by a royal family said to be descendants of the gods themselves, Fantasinia is a prosperous and peaceful land -- until the peace is shattered by the invading forces of the Empire of Bronkia.
Led by the young emperor Gulcasa, who seized control of the Empire in a brutal coup d’etat, Bronkia’s Imperial Army cuts a bloody swath through the people of Fantasinia and the Royal Armies of King Ordeene.
Amidst the chaos, a young woman escapes from the besieged capital of Partina -- a woman with innocence in her face, and a sword in her hand.
The girl’s name is Princess Yggdra, the last surviving member of the royal family; the sword is the Gran Centurio, a legendary blade once wielded by the founder of Fantasinia, and passed down through generations of royalty.
Fleeing to to a remote valley at the southern tip of the continent, Yggdra meets up with Milanor, the charismatic leader of a band of thieves, and readies herself for a war of liberation...
More info / buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1cqh.html
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December 4th, 2006, 21:09 Posted By: wraggster
via theregister
Nintendo's Wii console may already be en route to some European pre-order customers ahead of this coming Friday's launch day, even as - surprise, surprise - the new games machine sold out in Japan following its launch there this weekend.
One Reg Hardware reader told us today he'd received an email from Woolworths confirming the dispatch of a pre-ordered Wii, though at the same time warning that he should allow seven days for delivery - timed, presumably, to ensure delivery on or after 8 December, the day Wii officially launches in the UK.
Has anyone else over here received a similar message from this or other suppliers?
We've heard from sources close to Nintendo that the consoles might be arriving in the UK on 1 December, but with no indication until today that they might be heading out almost immediately to buyers.
Japan, meanwhile, was host to the usual queues as pre-order customers and on-the-day hopefuls lined up for the chance to collect one of the 400,000 Wiis Nintendo had previously said it intended to ship into its native land for the launch.
Reports suggest some stores split their allocations, with some going to pre-order customers and others going to new buyers on a ticketed basis. Lining up very early - the previous night, in other words - appears to have been the most successful tactic employed to secure a Wii on day one. Other stores sold on a first come, first served basis.
Nintendo has indicated it will ship a further 600,000 Wiis into Japan by the end of the year, bringing the total to 1m units - a quarter of the 4m it expects to ship worldwide before the start of 2007.
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December 4th, 2006, 22:02 Posted By: wraggster
MoonShell is a multimedia player for Nintendo DS (Lite) consoles. It has support for DPG video files, MP3/NSF audio files and viewing JPG/Jpeg/BMP/PNG (non progressive) files, it also has support for TXT textfiles. MoonShell supports dualscreens and it has full support for the touch screen. MoonShell has plug-in system that allows to add any compatible plug-in just by copying the plug-in files to the appropriate folder. MoonShell also comes with several kind of useful plug-ins.
Heres whats new:
Corresponded to EZ4/DSLink. I wish to express my deep gratitude to Rudolph.
'The cartridge of enhancing the memory of DS browser' can be used for the cache memory.
The resume item was added. (sound volume, reproduction mode, and NDSLite backlight brightness)
ResumeUsingWhileMusicPlaying item was added to [System] section of global.ini. The resume is preserved while performing the tune.
The .DPG format was renewed. As for the DPG file made with a new encoder, seek is fast and the image doesn't fall into disorder either. Especially, it is remarkable in a long video.
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December 4th, 2006, 22:32 Posted By: wraggster
Infantile Paralyser have released a new version of their Wifi Voice Chat Client for the Nintendo DS.
Basically use your DS as a Phone :P
Heres whats new:
'Default eight color palette' was added to the color picker.
The main window can be scrolled with the cursor key.
The room number is displayed in the main window.
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December 4th, 2006, 22:54 Posted By: wraggster
As a gaming community we like to help others and today we may have the chance to help someone suffering from Cancer, heres the details posted at Gamertag radio forums
I got an email from my friends at Gamercast Network. A member from the forums needs your help to donate Nintendo DS Games for a Cancer Patient. There are looking for more people to donate. Here is a picture of her thanking GCN!
If you would like to help please read:
Hey gang,
I may not have been around the forums long enough to warrant this request, so no one will blame you for ignoring me on this one.
For the past 3 years I have worked with Texas Children's Cancer Center, the largest pediatric cancer and hematology center in the United States. As a result of our radiothon efforts we've raised about 1.5 million dollars for pediatric cancer research since December, 2004. As a result of my work there, I have gotten to know lots of really amazing kids. Some of them go on to live full lives... others fall this terrible disease.
2 years ago I met Tori, a young lady fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.... In layman's terms... blood cancer.
At the time, Tori had already beaten this terrible disease when she was 8 years old. But then, just shy of 13, she relapsed. When a leukemia patient relapses, it means it's time for a Bone Marrow Transplant. Basically they give the child HUGE amounts of chemo and radiation to kill their existing (flawed) bone marrow. Then a donor (healthy) marrow is introduced. If all goes as planned, the donor marrow will take over (engraft) and the leukemia will be gone forever.
The side effect of blasting their bone marrow is an EXTREME vulnerability to viruses and germs, since the immune system is literally non existent.
So to protect against that, the child must spend upwards of 100 straight days in the hospital... Tori is about to embark on this journey... Which is why I am writing to gamers about this. Yesterday, I asked Tori's mom (Jo Ellen) what Tori likes to do in between the medicines and radiation treatments. She told me that Tori is GLUED to her NINTENDO DS.
So I'd throw this out to any of you who might have a Nintendo DS with games you beaten or don't play any more. Perhaps you would consider giving them to a very amazing young lady who's going thru something that no child should endure.
If you have any games you'd like to donate to Tori, please send them to me, and I will deliver them to her mom before they start their 100 days of utter isolation.
Jeromy "Doc" Adams
21515 Brookchase Loop
Cypress, TX 77433
I would really appreciate it if you might possibly be able to include something about this little project on Tori's behalf on your next podcast if you think it would fit. If not, no worries.
Here are some links to a few things.
THIS is a link to Tori's Carepage.
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December 4th, 2006, 23:02 Posted By: wraggster
via dsfanboy
We've been waiting for this one a long, long time. And, finally, it has arrived. Arrived and been well-received by the critics. Taking over as two heroes in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Jonathan Morris the vampire hunter and Charlotte Orlean, his magical sidekick, this latest adventure takes place during World War II. Of course, Dracula comes back into the picture and the ever-familiar conflict once again presents itself. The difference this time around, according to the game's critics, is that the adventure is the best the franchise has ever seen, presenting new gameplay mechanics and touch-screen interaction that lacks that gimmicky feel it did in Dawn of Sorrow.
GamePro - 90%: "A game that not only reaffirms the series' greatness, but is easily one of the best handheld games released this year."
Game Informer - 93%: "Putting two characters in the player's hands proves to be an ingenious way of expanding on Castlevania's bread-and-butter action. It's been done before, but Portrait of Ruin's system is particularly smooth in execution."
Nintendo Power - 90%: "Portrait of Ruin provides a whole lot more of a very good thing, and Castlevania fans won't be disappointed with the results." [Jan. 2007, p.114]
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December 4th, 2006, 23:11 Posted By: wraggster
ttursas has again updated his homebrew game for the DS, heres whats new:
Here's what's new in v0.1.8:
* All the players are shown as online when they login to the server, not only after a match begins.
* After respawning, and at the start of a network match, the plane is invulnerable for five
seconds, unless the player starts firing.
* The plane doesn't move after respawning until the camera has reached it.
* If a player timeouts, but manages to recieve the timeout notice, his plane doesn't vanish.
* Changed the button configuration: Now there are two weapon buttons, one for the
machine gun and one for the special weapon. The third weapon button now changes the special weapon.
* Adjusted the gravity, made turbo boost faster, made turning faster while turbo boosting,
turbo boost eats 50% more gas.
* Plane to plane collisions do now less damage.
* Dropped the initial network send frameskip to 3, the optimizations seem to allow this
(or is it my new ZyXEL P660HW-D1 ADSL2+ router?).
* Once again the bullets are reset when a network match begins.
* Added hidden debug menu screen (press spot X on the credits screen).
* When starting the server you must specify the client timeout.
* Each plane has now its own collision region.
* Added new HUD graphics. Also the selected special weapon and the remaining bullets
are displayed on the HUD.
...
This version really doesn't bring that much new, but lots of tweaks to make the game
more playable. In v0.1.9 we might have that improved AI, real level data from the editor,
more tweaks, and etc...
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December 5th, 2006, 02:09 Posted By: wraggster
WFCStatus by KevinC is a status viewer for Nintendo's WiFi connection.
Heres whats new:
Added support for Wii errorcodes
Removed option to store friendcodes
Moved help links to tray menu
Reduced startup time
Updated 2 boxarts
Fixed some minor issues
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December 5th, 2006, 02:25 Posted By: wraggster
CraigT posted this news:
Wow. Over two weeks without a blog entry and not a thing to show for it.
As you’ve probably realised, i’ve taken a break from SpeccyDS for a bit. Due to personal and work-related buisness I haven’t touched the source code since I released v0.2. I’m hoping to get back into it in the next week or so and, as always, I will keep the blog updated with my progress.
I have some ideas about what to include in the new version (including the new G6 fat driver. Thanks Kasimir2007, you can stop spamming my blog now ), but first off will have to be a re-write of the GUI code. During the rush to get v0.2 out with the save snapshot screen, I destroyed pretty much all of the object orientated design of the GUI. I’m going to sit down with a pen and paper and draw out a nice little diagram to get it back into a more manageable state.
There are also quite a few entries on the compatibility list that need looking at. The .Z80 snapshot reset problem may be due to SpeccyDS ignoring certain types of .Z80 file, but i’m going to have to look into it further to be sure.
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December 5th, 2006, 03:01 Posted By: wraggster
via ign
According to an article by Asher Moses from the Sydney Morning Herald, Sony Australia's General Manager, Nic Foster, has some slightly poorly-worded opinions on the Nintendo Wii, as compared with the forthcoming (for Aussies) PlayStation 3.
Foster was quoted as saying, "Wii is a core gaming device. It's a more fun, intuitive sort of product to pick up, where the PS3 is a broader entertainment solution; so you can have your fun, enjoyable gaming ... but then you have a whole suite of other applications ... such as Blu-ray media playback, the ability to access your music, access your photos and the interoperability with the PlayStation Portable."
Foster also felt that the console's delay will not affect its overall performance in the Australian market.
"Gamers are extremely aware of what they're after and what they want. So gamers will already have a very good understanding of what PlayStation 3 offers versus what Wii offers and many of them will probably have both devices."
You're right, Mr. Foster. Gamers are aware of what they want. But is that still the PlayStation 3? This is the burning question that will remain unanswered until 2007.
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December 5th, 2006, 03:03 Posted By: wraggster
via ign
While the PlayStation 3 is now out in North America and Japan, most of the world is waiting until next March to get its hands on the most powerful/expensive console ever. By the time the PS3 launches in Australia, the Wii and Xbox 360 will have a four-month and 11-month head start, respectively. But Sony apparently isn't worried about the delay, confident that Blu-Ray will carry the system to victory in the next-generation console wars.
"The Wii-type functionality is more just a sub-element of what the PlayStation 3 offers," Nic Foster, general manager for Sony Australia & New Zealand, told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Wii is a core gaming device. It's a more fun, intuitive sort of product to pick up, where the PS3 is a broader entertainment solution; so you can have your fun, enjoyable gaming…but then you have a whole suite of other applications...such as Blu-ray media playback, the ability to access your music, access your photos and the interoperability with the PlayStation Portable.
"Gamers are extremely aware of what they're after and what they want. So gamers will already have a very good understanding of what PlayStation 3 offers versus what Wii offers and many of them will probably have both devices."
Sony Europe isn't losing any sleep over the wait for the PS3, either. Part of the reason for the delay, and for the small shipment numbers seen in the U.S. and Japan, is a difficulty in manufacturing the Blu-Ray laser diodes. But Paul Holman, vice-president of technology at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, says it would have been "messy" to offer a Blu-Ray player later as an accessory, as Microsoft has done with its HD-DVD player for the 360.
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December 5th, 2006, 14:04 Posted By: Darksaviour69
Four of the top five titles developed by Nintendo
Enterbrain has revealed software sales figures for the Nintendo Wii in Japan, with first-party developed titles leading the pack on the first weekend of release.
Wii Sports was the best-selling game, racking up sales of 176,880 units, with Wii Play reaching 171,888 units.
Fan-favourite The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was the third best-selling game, shifting 145,068 copies, way ahead of the number four game, WarioWare: Smooth Moves, which reached 63,086 sales.
Tecmo's Super Swing Golf was the only third-party title in the top five, selling 12,673 copies, while Ubisoft's Red Steel, a title receiving a lot of press in the US and Europe, sold just under 9000 units to become the eighth most popular launch game.
The software tie-in ratio for the home console stands at 1.69, with Enterbrain reporting over 372,000 Wii's were sold over the first weekend in the region.
Gameindustry.biz
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December 5th, 2006, 16:54 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
We used to love those old Fighting Fantasy choose your own adventure books. And like everyone else, we always cheating by keeping our fingers on the previous page we were on before seeing if we were about to fall to our deaths or get eaten by a giant scorpion.
Ian Livingstone said, "Fighting Fantasy built up a huge, worldwide fan base over the years (I was one - Ed!). We believe that players will really enjoy the adventures in a new way on DS and PSP. Fighting Fantasy's interactive structure is ideal for bite-sized chunks of gameplay which is important for these devices."
Co-creator Steve Jackson added, "We're convinced that innovative handheld versions will challenge and entertain a whole new generation of gamers - as well as existing fans - and will form the basis of a new portable gaming franchise."
The right development and publishing partners are currently being searched out. More soon.
For the record we loved Scorpion Swamp!
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December 5th, 2006, 16:55 Posted By: wraggster
Square Enix has confirmed that its DS remake of Final Fantasy III will be heading to Europe in spring 2007.
It will be the first time that European RPG fans have had a chance to play the third Final Fantasy instalment, which was originally released for the Famicom (Nes) in Japan a whopping 17 years ago.
The Nintendo DS revamp sees a complete 3D overhall of the game - which looks impressive even for the DS. Sqaure Enix has also incorporated the touch screen into gameplay somewhat, using it for spell casting, combat and exploration of the many dungeons.
We're currently hammering away on the US version, and we can confirm that RPG fans should be very excited for FFIII's long-overdue arrival. Look out for our review sometime in the run-up to release.
via cvg
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December 5th, 2006, 16:57 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
Nintendo's Wii mini-game titles Wii Sports and Wii Play have dominated the Japanese game charts, outselling all other Wii software - including Zelda.
According to Famitsu, Wii Sports - which unlike Europe and the US is not a hardware pack-in the Far East - topped Wii software sales over the launch weekend shifting 176,800 units, which means that over 47% of Japanese Wii owners picked it up with their console.
Wii Play did similarly impressive numbers in Japan this weekend, almost matching Wii Sports at 171,888 units sold - again, meaning that 46% of Wii owners snapped it up.
Surprisingly this leaves Nintendo's flagship launch title Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess lagging in third place having sold 145,068 units - that's an attach rate of 39% - still impressive numbers, but not enough to beat the mini-game champions.
Seemingly these numbers would also suggest that Nintendo's Strategy of attracting new audiences is working - at least in the Land of the Rising Sun, that is. Or, maybe Japanese punters just aren't excited about Link's latest? No, that can't be it.
Additionally, Famitsu also says that the Wii hardware itself managed to sell in the number of 371, 936 - basically confirming yesterday's reports that the console sold out of its 400,000 shipped units, and further suggesting that - with Nintendo of America's claimed 600,000 sold included - the Wii now stands at 1 million units flogged worldwide.
Here's the full list of Japanese Wii sales numbers, according to Famitsu:
Wii Hardware: 371,936
Wii Sports: 176,880
Wii Play: 171,888
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: 145,068
Odoru Made in Wario: 63,086
Swing Golf Pangya: 12,673
Ennichi no Tatsujin: 10,192
SD Gundam SCAD Hammers: 9,801
Red Steel: 8,823
Tamagotchi Pika Pika Daitouryou: 6,994
Elebits: 6,505
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December 5th, 2006, 16:59 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
Wii is a core gaming device while PS3 is a broader entertainment solution says Sony
14 CommentsSony's general manager for Australia and New Zealand has had enough of the negative PS3 press: "The Wii-type functionality is more just a sub-element of what the PlayStation 3 offers," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"Wii is a core gaming device. It's a more fun, intuitive sort of product to pick up, where the PS3 is a broader entertainment solution; so you can have your fun, enjoyable gaming ... but then you have a whole suite of other applications ... such as Blu-ray media playback, the ability to access your music, access your photos and the interoperability with the PSP", he added.
Wii launches across Europe this Friday.
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December 5th, 2006, 17:01 Posted By: wraggster
You may have spotted the brave chap dressed as a giant Wii Remote in our Japanese Wii launch report - the man who we've named 'Wii-mote Man'. Well, we've done some research and discovered Wii-mote Man's official website, and we love his cardboard controller-waving antics so much we thought we'd share them with you all.
Not even our own Mike Jackson - a man who regularly sports a pair of Mario and Luigi pants (we're told) - shows this much devotion for all things Nintendo. Though to be fair, we'd strongly discourage anyone planning to dress up as a giant Nintendo controller on the Tube this Thursday, as thing's are very different in Japan. Over here you'd probably get beaten up by a railway tramp.
If you spot Wii-mote Man anywhere else be sure to let us know!
Screens at CVG
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December 5th, 2006, 17:14 Posted By: wraggster
via kotaku
Meme or not, the DS does print money. As soon as Nintendo makes the handhelds, they are snapped up and devoured by Japanese people. And the Wii appears poised for much of the same. The handheld is such a juggernaut that some analysts worry it will actually directly compete with the Wii. Talking to Reuters, Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata pointed out:
Some analysts say the largest rival of the Wii is the DS. But if you take a look at DS sales in the United States in the Thanksgiving week, or DS sales in Japan in the week of the Wii launch, there has been little impact. The only impact felt was in the Nintendo coffers. Ka-ching!
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December 5th, 2006, 17:14 Posted By: wraggster
via kotaku
Meme or not, the DS does print money. As soon as Nintendo makes the handhelds, they are snapped up and devoured by Japanese people. And the Wii appears poised for much of the same. The handheld is such a juggernaut that some analysts worry it will actually directly compete with the Wii. Talking to Reuters, Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata pointed out:
Some analysts say the largest rival of the Wii is the DS. But if you take a look at DS sales in the United States in the Thanksgiving week, or DS sales in Japan in the week of the Wii launch, there has been little impact. The only impact felt was in the Nintendo coffers. Ka-ching!
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December 5th, 2006, 17:15 Posted By: wraggster
Via Kotaku
Maker of all things kawaii Sanrio has announced cuter than cute Hello Kitty and Charmmy Kitty decoration film for the DS Lite. The price is listed as open, but the Sanrio online shop is selling each sheet for 680 yen (US $5.90). Should go over big with little girls and Kotaku editors with pink DS Lites.
Screens Here
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December 5th, 2006, 17:17 Posted By: wraggster
In an article discussing the repercussions of the Playstation 3's March release date in PAL territories, the Sydney Morning Herald obtains a few interesting quotes from Sony's general manager for Australia and Middle-Earth. Though portraying the PS3 in a positive light is to be expected, the kind words aimed at a competitor's product are somewhat surprising -- especially when they make it sound better than Sony's own product to the uninformed reader.
"The Wii-type functionality is more just a sub-element of what the PlayStation 3 offers," says Nic Foster, clearly referring to motion sensitivity. "Wii is a core gaming device. It's a more fun, intuitive sort of product to pick up, where the PS3 is a broader entertainment solution; so you can have your fun, enjoyable gaming ... but then you have a whole suite of other applications ... such as Blu-ray media playback, the ability to access your music, access your photos and the interoperability with the PlayStation Portable."
Clearly, the objective was to express the PS3 as a device that encompasses everything the Wii has and more (and there are shades of truth in that), but instead of simply labeling it as such, the Sony man rattles off a bunch of features you're bound to read about on the box. For some, "more fun" might be all that matters in a gaming console and indeed, it's easy to see how straying off that path has made things more difficult for the PS3. Then again, the fact that we had to start that sentence out with "for some" implies that there's some balance to be found between pure gaming and valuable features. Wouldn't you know it, but Foster has a pretty good statement regarding that issue too.
"Gamers are extremely aware of what they're after and what they want. So gamers will already have a very good understanding of what PlayStation 3 offers versus what Wii offers and many of them will probably have both devices."
Well, it seems like we can all get along after all.
via joystiq
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December 5th, 2006, 17:19 Posted By: wraggster
Today's most-watched YouTube game video shows a Wiimote controlling a Windows PC mouse pointer. (Go here if you're looking for that other video.) The Bluetooth connection uses the freely available GlovePIE to make sense of the movements; download the software to try it out at home.
We're excited about the hacking and modding cultural movement; it seems bigger than ever. Hats off to the Wiili guys and anyone else who adds unintended features to our consoles.
Video Here -->
via joystiq
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December 5th, 2006, 17:28 Posted By: wraggster
The Gamecube Version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has now been released, heres the details:
features
aka. Zelda no Densetsu: Twilight Princess
The Japanese version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is only available through Nintendo's official Japanese online store
When Link travels to the darkened land of Hyrule, he transforms into a wolf and must scour the land with the help of a mysterious being named Midna.
Ride into battle against troops of foul creatures, using an incredible horseback combat system, then take on massive bosses that must be seen to be believed.
Many puzzles stand between Link and the fulfillment of his quest, so players must sharpen their wits as they hunt for weapons and items.
Characters include Link, Zelda, Midna and many others, both new and old.
description
When an evil shadow stretches from the heart of Hyrule to its peaceful borderlands, a young farm boy named Link must awaken the hero ... and the animal ... within.
Link, a young man raised as a wrangler in a rural village, is ordered by the mayor to attend the Hyrule Summit. He sets off, oblivious to the dark fate that has descended upon the kingdom. When he enters the Twilight Realm that has covered Hyrule, he transforms into a wolf and is captured. A mysterious figure named Midna helps him break free, and with the aid of her magic, they set off to free the land from the shadows.
Link must explore the vast land of Hyrule and uncover the mystery behind its plunge into darkness. As he does, he’ll have to enlist the aid of friendly folk, solve puzzles and battle his way through dangerous dungeons. In the Twilight Realm, he’ll have to use his wolf abilities and Midna’s magic to bring light to the land.
Besides his trusty sword and shield, Link will use his bow and arrows, fight while on horseback and use a wealth of other items, both new and old.
More info / buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1mwo.html
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December 5th, 2006, 21:58 Posted By: wraggster
The Wii's strong debut has been wellspring of recent good news for Nintendo, most recently with a near-sellout in Japan. However, some analysts felt that the "new-gen" console's success would come at the expense of the Mario factory's bestselling DS handheld. The logic was that, consumes with limited budgets would have to choose between the two this holiday season.
Such worries do not apparently weigh on the brow of Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's president. "Some analysts say the largest rival of the Wii is the DS," he told the Reuters news service. "But if you take a look at DS sales in the United States in the Thanksgiving week or DS sales in Japan in the week of the Wii launch, there has been little impact."
By the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2007, Nintendo now believes it will have sold 6 million Wiis and 20 million combined units of the DS and DS Lite. It currently predicts its annual profit will total 145 billion yen (around $1.26 billion), an increase of over 60 percent, with annual sales rising 45 percent to 740 billion yen (approx. $6.44 billion).
Iwata told Reuters that he believes there's a chance that Nintendo will top its already rosy outlook. "'Confidence' could be too strong a word, but there is an emerging possibility," said Iwata regarding Nintendo beating its forecast. "We had come up with the current earnings forecasts before we sold even a single unit of the Wii and when we were not so sure about the cannibalization effect between the Wii and the DS."
via gamespot
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December 5th, 2006, 21:58 Posted By: wraggster
The Wii's strong debut has been wellspring of recent good news for Nintendo, most recently with a near-sellout in Japan. However, some analysts felt that the "new-gen" console's success would come at the expense of the Mario factory's bestselling DS handheld. The logic was that, consumes with limited budgets would have to choose between the two this holiday season.
Such worries do not apparently weigh on the brow of Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's president. "Some analysts say the largest rival of the Wii is the DS," he told the Reuters news service. "But if you take a look at DS sales in the United States in the Thanksgiving week or DS sales in Japan in the week of the Wii launch, there has been little impact."
By the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2007, Nintendo now believes it will have sold 6 million Wiis and 20 million combined units of the DS and DS Lite. It currently predicts its annual profit will total 145 billion yen (around $1.26 billion), an increase of over 60 percent, with annual sales rising 45 percent to 740 billion yen (approx. $6.44 billion).
Iwata told Reuters that he believes there's a chance that Nintendo will top its already rosy outlook. "'Confidence' could be too strong a word, but there is an emerging possibility," said Iwata regarding Nintendo beating its forecast. "We had come up with the current earnings forecasts before we sold even a single unit of the Wii and when we were not so sure about the cannibalization effect between the Wii and the DS."
via gamespot
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December 5th, 2006, 22:55 Posted By: wraggster
via kotaku
A while back, MTV's Stephen Totilo had a whooper of an interview with Nintendo honcho Reggie Fils-Aime. There's been concern about how the Wii-mote eats batteries. But is Nintendo planning an internal rechargeable battery? Meh. Says Reggie:
I would love to see a third party do that, and that's something a third-party licensee can do a lot more efficiently than we can.
Reggie doesn't have time to fiddle with batteries, folks. He's BUSY. Worrying about things like why Elite Beat Agents has only sold 120,000 copies— as opposed to the 300,000 he had hoped for. Says Reggie:
I have to say I'm a little personally disappointed. The sales are strong and good. I personally thought it was going to be explosive.
See that? Elite Beat Agents: Personal. Batteries: Not.
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December 5th, 2006, 22:58 Posted By: wraggster
Regarding a recent post we made about Wii Virtual Console demos, Joystiq reader Jesse Morrison makes a great suggestion: why not offer a retro subscription service, a la GameTap?
The benefits. Nintendo would not have to worry about demos and, if they want to, still charge for original titles. By charging a monthly or annual fee and allow gamers to play as many titles as they want. They could even make a hierarchy of service plans where you can pay more if you would like to have many titles cached on your Wii at a time. Nintendo arguably has more potential than GameTap via its extensive back library and console integration, and since GameTap has managed to stay afloat, the business model has potential for profit.
Ownership. One mental stigma associated with subscription services is the feeling of ownership. As it stands with the current plan, however, we don't have full ownership. Each game is tied to the console itself, which limits you from
Bringing your games over to a friend's house
Retaining your game purchases in the event your Wii breaks
Transferring the titles over to the next generation Nintendo console
With a subscription service, you will only be penalized for the extra months you purchased, assuming the implemented system is still tied to the console.
Logistical issues. If Nintendo is worried about paying the IP owners of each title, how about set up a system based on the amount of downloads each title receives, as a percentage of the income earned from the subscription? Also, for those who have already purchased VC titles, why not offer them a discount or rebate via equivalent months of subscription? This, obviously, is where our proposal gets a little muddy.
Non-competition. By merit of console-specific Friend Codes, Nintendo has positioned itself not to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors -- namely Microsoft's Xbox Live. So why appear as an inferior version when Nintendo can provide a new way of handling online console services that can be touted as innovative (in the realm of consoles)?
Why it will never work. By selling games a la carte, the big N is likely poised to make more money by charging a good price for individual games of Console's Past. But how will long-term customer satisfaction fare if more than a few downloads turn out to be nowhere near as fun as one expects or remembers?
We are but simple-minded blogging folk making suggestions for the sake of opening discussion on the matter, so please critique and discuss away.
via joystiq
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December 5th, 2006, 23:00 Posted By: wraggster
Elebits blends simplistic gameplay with tiered difficulty which results in some seriously satisfying gameplay.
At first glance Elebits looks like Nintendo's Pikmin meets Katamari Damacy and in some ways that wouldn't be far from the truth. The little Elebit aliens resemble Pikmin and the gameplay is reminiscent of Katamari.
Essentially you look all over the current level you occupy in hopes of finding all kinds of Elebits. you zap them with your Wiimote and this in turn raises both the amount of weight you can lift and your Elebit meter. You need so many of a kind of Elebit in most levels to proceed.
Like Katamari when you roll the ball which increasingly gets larger and allows you to pick up larger objects, in Elebits the more you zap the bigger the object you can lift. You start with small plates and cabinet doors but can escalate all the way up to chairs, couches, and even entire houses.
The FPS style control scheme works perfectly in Elebits. The only thing that really detracts from the experience is some of the wonky physics. It's really annoying when you're trying to open a cabinet door only to have it open and then slowly close again. In essence, most doors of any kind require some finesse to open and keep open in order to find all the little hiding buggers.
Some may think this gameplay is a bit simplistic and repetitive and while it is at times, the developers have done a lot to mix things up. On some levels you can only break so many ceramics and on others you can only make so much noise while whipping things around. Also, don't forget there are bosses and the awesome Create-A-Level mode.
via gamebrink
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December 5th, 2006, 23:08 Posted By: wraggster
News from Play Asia:
Weekly Special: Konami's GBA™ classic Castlevania: Circle of the Moon at US$ 14.90 only - offer valid for 1 week
From the publisher: The year was 1830. Deep within the dreary halls of an ancient castle in Austria, an evil force was stirring. It had been many years since Dracula, Lord of Darkness, had been banished from the world of the living by vampire slayer Morris Baldwin. In the eyes of a dark-hearted woman named Camilla, it had been too long since Dracula stalked the land.
Camilla called for the return of Dracula, and succeeded in resurrecting that vile soul once again. With Dracula's return, the halls of his castle were once again filled with the most hideous creatures imaginable -- each determined to serve their master and feast on the blood of the living. One human in particular, an unlikely hero named Nathan Graves, was high on the undead's list of desired delicacies.
Armed only with his wits and a whip, Nathan set out on an impossible crusade to rid the world of Dracula's dark spirit for the last time.
Konami's GBA™ classic Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is now available as Konami the Best edition at discounted US$ 14.90 only. Also make sure to check out the two other Castlevania GBA™ releases Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, both also in stock at Play-Asia.com.
More Info --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...9-en-84-n.html
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December 5th, 2006, 23:18 Posted By: wraggster
Japanese Hackers have started on apps for the Wii, heres the info:
--what's WiinRemote
a program for moving cursor using Wii Remote on Windows PC.
(reading 3-axis linear accelerometer's value)
--how to use
1.connect Wii Remote to PC via bluetooth (how to connect)
2.launch WiinRemote.exe
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December 5th, 2006, 23:26 Posted By: wraggster
Hiroaki has released a Wii-Mote Application for OSX, heres the info:
What is DarwiinRemote?
DarwiinRemote is a tiny software which reads data from and sends data to Nintendo Wii Remote
Inputs
3-axis acceleration sensors
all buttons excpet power button on/off
Output
4 LEDs
Force Feedback
DarwiinRemote allows you to control other applications by using Wii Remote
but now only supports "AppleRemote" mode...
How to use DarwiinRemote
Launch DarwiinRemote
Press 1 button and 2 button of your Wii Remote simultaneously
Wii Remote becomes "discoverable mode" (4 blue LEDs are blinking)
Log drawer in DarwiinRemote reports "Wii Remote is found!"
When DarwiinRemote cannot connect to Wii Remote, disconnect bluetooth connection (press power button in seconds) and restart DarwiinRemote (will fix...)
Have fun!
Download
DarwiinRemote 0.1a released (6th Dec. 2006)
endian issue is fixed. now PPC users also playable (thanks Mark and Luke!)
Icon is added. (thanks truex!)
Key mappings
DarwiinRemote now only supports single mouse emulation and "AppleRemote" mode
Wii Remote Key mapping
Up
Up
Down
Down
Left
Left
Right
Right
A
Left-Click
B
Return (Play/Pause in FrontRow)
Minus
Command + Left (Volume Down in FrontRow)
Home
Command + ESC (Enter FrontRow and "Menu" button)
Plus
Command + Right (Volume Up in FrontRow)
1
Page Up
2
Page Down
To Do
Icon andUI (help me!)
Key mapping configuration
e.g. invoke AppleScript
Sensor calibration
IR sensor support
Extension Port support
Speaker support (it seems difficult now...)
Gesture Recognition
More stable codes ;-)
QC Custom Patch ;-)
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December 5th, 2006, 23:30 Posted By: wraggster
via wiifanboy
There have been rumblings about possible Wii shortages for the European launch for some time, but now they're growing louder, thanks to a few chatty GAME employees. GAME is a large video game (ya rly) retailer in the UK. Employees are whispering that, while a hardware shortage is expected, the UK may also see a shortage in games and accessories for the new Nintendo console as well -- Zelda is mentioned at the heart of the game shortages. Oh no!
Word is that the stores are putting the banhammer down on software-only purchases at launch. Apparently GAME stores are only selling software and accessories to those who are purchasing a console. That seems like a very strange way to do business to us, but hey, launches make people crazy. It's also rumored that GAME stores are canceling game preorders, so good luck getting the titles you want.
Our contacts across the pond are few -- can anyone confirm any of these rumors, or are they just so much noise?
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December 5th, 2006, 23:52 Posted By: wraggster
OMalone is the first abalone game playable on Nintendo DS
Features
Stunning graphics and sounds
1-player game against the NDS
2-player game on the same NDS
2-player game online, through wifi connection
up to 8 characters providing 8 different environments and different challenges
integration of omalone's statistics in WFCstatus software
windows version also available. play online agains everyone !
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December 6th, 2006, 00:00 Posted By: wraggster
via dsfanboy
Nintendo is holding one hell of a contest over the next 90 days (which began yesterday) where, each day, one lucky winner will be gifted with a DS Lite, DS game of their choice, as well as a GBA game of their choice. Obviously, the sweepstakes have some rules you're going to need to follow, so it's in your best interest to give them a read. Also, it should be noted that they do not specify which color DS Lite unit each winner will receive, however the contest graphic depicts the Onyx model.
More Info --> http://www.nintendo.com/sweepstakes?...GtR9e1uyIPX-5e
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December 6th, 2006, 00:15 Posted By: wraggster
While Electronic Arts' Japanese studio is hard at work bringing Sim City to the touch screen handheld system and toonifying Sims for the Wii, it is also working on a port of another popular EA franchise: Theme Park. The company made the announcement in Japan that the Bullfrog-created strategy game is being reproduced and retooled on the Nintendo DS for a spring release.
Theme Park puts players in control of, obviously, their own amusement park. The game will give players the ability to lay out their creation and manage the economics of it all to keep things running. Players can adjust the ticket and concession prices to keep attendees happy while raking in the bucks, and earned money can then be converted into liquid funds that can be spent on bigger and better attractions. The touch screen should make things easy to navigate in the game design as the original version of Theme Park was made for mouse control.
Previous console ports of the design had "Sim" attached to the branding, but according to the official release it seems as if Theme Park will be reverting to its original namesake on the Nintendo DS. The game will indeed be released in the US according to sources within Electronic Arts, and it's expected that the Spring 2007 release window will apply to the North American release of Theme Park as well.
Via IGN
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December 6th, 2006, 00:17 Posted By: wraggster
Next week Destineer will be making its Nintendo DS debut with an action game based upon the popular anime Fullmetal Alchemist. We've put a bit of time in the near final build of the game, and if you're into the whole Double Dragon-style brawler design you might want to keep an eye out for this game when it ships on December 14th.
The first thing you'll notice about the Dual Sympathy is the attention to presenting the series -- it's definitely aimed at fans as the developer has worked the character voices from the series directly into the menu system and certain portions of the game. You can even customize the game selection menu with specific character themes and have those options spoken by the actual character actor. Edward, Alphonse, Mustang, Winry, and Armstrong are represented here, announcing which item you've selected in the menu. It's a nice touch.
The game itself follows a nice feel of the series, segmenting the levels into "episodes" that follows a specific story arc for the Dual Sympathy tale -- we're not huge followers of Fullmetal Alchemist so we can't say for sure if the game accurately follows specific events from certain episodes or if this is an all-new script that makes references to past episode events. The story is told through talking head text windows, with the occasional sound bite leaking through the speakers.
The gameplay is essentially a really tight Double Dragon or River City Ransom design where players wander from left to right, or right to left, kicking and punching their way through the near endless assault of enemies. The game follows the two main characters, Edward and Alphonse, with Edward playable and Alphonse computer controlled at certain points of the game. Control is extremely tight and responsive, and enables players to select and pull off certain attacks via the lower screen's touch screen function.
Outside of the brawler gameplay is a selection of minigames that utilize the touch screen of the Nintendo DS. You'll arm wrestle, whack a homunculis, doodle over Fullmetal Alchemist artwork, and outrun a gigantic rolling rock like Indiana Jones. These are unlockable through the main game, so you'll need to prove your worth in the brawler before you can take part in these extras.
Via IGN
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December 6th, 2006, 00:20 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
The Wii has only been out for a few weeks, but the Wiimote has already been used as a baseball bat, a golf club, a steering wheel -- and, well, just about everything you can think of. With the Japanese launch, you can at last add biplane to the list. And not just any old biplane. Wing Island, from Hudson, shows just how capable Nintendo's new control device is at mimicking a biplane piloted by a man-sized bird.
Wing Island takes place on a chain of islands located in the world of man-sized, bipedal birds. You play as Sparrow Wing Jr., a young pilot who's decided to follow in his father's footsteps (the birds also have human limbs) and serve as a professional jack of all trades of sorts. Sparrow and his friends, Puffin Chirp, Crane Splendid, Swan Sweet, Hawk Old, and Owl Fatman take on jobs of all forms that require their expert abilities in a plane.
Bird-based background story aside, Wing Island hints at good things for future arcade-style flight games on the Wii. Your plane can be controlled exclusively with the Wiimote. You ascend and descend by tilting the controller in the corresponding direction. To turn, you rotate the remote left or right. The speed of your turning depends on how fast you rotate the controller. Acceleration and deceleration are handled with up and down on the d-pad.
You can also perform some acrobatic moves. Thrusting the controller forward gives your plane a burst of acceleration. Pulling the controller towards yourself results in a quick deceleration. Shake the Wiimote left or right, and your plane does a quick 180 turn.
If you have a nunchuck attached, you can make use of it as well. The analogue pad allows you to move the camera around, a useful feature for some of the missions. You can also use the nunchuck for the quick acceleration, deceleration and 180 degree turn as described above.
It took me just a couple of missions to get used to the control scheme (and for those who need additional help, the game includes a strictly optional step-by-step training mode). I'm not the biggest flight fan out there, but with this control scheme, even I was having fun. The gameplay is clearly on the arcade side of things, with sharp turns and no option for an in-the-cockpit view.
Wing Island makes use of this flight system for a mission-based story mode where you take on missions as (back to the birds) Sparrow and his friends. The game offers a variety of mission objectives set across separate islands. On the first island alone, I had to search for missing cows, fight a forest fire, drop crates off in specified locations, and destroy balloons on a flight path. You start off each island with a set of selectable missions, with new ones appearing once you've cleared these.
The biggest enemy in the missions, at least in the early ones that I played, was the time limit. While your plane incurs damage when striking walls and other obstacles, there's no threat of immediate destruction when flying haphazardly. The controls don't seem to include an option for firing, so dog fighting apparently won't be a part of this game.
Some missions have Sparrow flying all by himself. Others put you in control of a group of five planes. You have direct control over Sparrow, but the other planes follow your every move. You can change between three formations by tapping the A button.
There's lots of replay value in Wing Island's single player modes of play. Missions have some random elements -- random placement of cows or shipping targets, for instance. You can also replay missions for higher rank, resulting in more cash, which can be used to purchase new planes and parts for upgrading old planes. If you're tired of the story mode, the game includes a free flight mode, allowing you to fly through the islands free of mission objectives and time limits, and a trial mode, where you race against the computer or another opponent in split screen.
Wing Island won't do anything to convince you of the Wii's hidden visual powers, although it has a solid, glitch-free look, complete with the progressive output that's lacking in a few of the Japanese launch games. The game is also quick to get into thanks to minimal load times and minimalist presentation for the storyline. Most of the story sequences that precede missions are text based, with small still pictures. While this is a bit disappointing considering the curious background story and the hilarity that ensues when the birds do speak using their bird talk, it's good for those who just want to get into the skies.
Just as the early titles on certain next generation systems attempt to wow us with high tech visuals, the early titles on the Wii attempt to show off how the Wiimote can deliver new control schemes. Wing Island certainly does that, while delivering a fun, arcade-based flight game in the process.
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December 6th, 2006, 00:21 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
We've already reviewed Hajimete no Wii based off the Australian version, which is known by the game's clever English name of "Wii Play." So what's the point of writing about the Japanese version, which launched with the Wii on 12/2? Well, in addition to alerting you to the new movies and screens that we've posted, we wanted to emphasize just how great a choice the title is for those wanting to kick off the Wii experience for beginners and, surprisingly, gaming veterans alike.
Hajimete no Wii includes nine games, as described in depth in our review . Initially, you have access to just one of the games. Play it (even just for a bit) and a new game opens up. You'll be able to unlock all the games in just a few minutes of play.
As one might expect, the includes games are, on the whole, simple -- hence the Japanese surname, "Your First Step to Wii." The games provide a good introduction of the various ways in which the Wiimote can be used, both as a direct pointing device and as a replacement dummy device for everything from a table hockey paddle to a shot gun.
Despite the simplicity, the games offer a lot of hidden depth for those looking to go after high scores. They also show how to properly implement Wiimote controls, a lesson that that some of the other Japanese launch titles could benefit from. The solid execution makes us want some of these games expanded into full games -- particularly the pool and tank games. Add a few options, Nintendo, and you could sell these things for full price!
Hajimete no Wii is also one of the few games to make full use of your Mii collection. You can chose to play as one of the Miis in your library (even one that was sent to you). The Mii appears as your in-game alter-ego in some games. In the pool game, the Mii's face is a sticker on the pool ball. The table tennis game has other Miis in your collection appear as spectators, with the number growing depending on how long you can keep up a rally.
All this for 1,000 yen plus the cost of the included Wiimote. It's too bad that Nintendo couldn't get Hajimete no Wii ready for the American launch, but next year, when Wii Play sees release, if you find yourself in need of another Wiimote, this should be a no-brainer.
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December 6th, 2006, 00:40 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
With sixteen games launching simultaneously in Japan, there was bound to be a stinker in the bunch. Bandai Namco's latest adaptation of Tamagotchi has all the markings of a launch title that will soon be forgotten.
Tamagotchi Pika Pika Daitouryou (or Tamagotchi's Sparkling President, as the name translates to English) is a digital board game where you and up to three CPU or human controlled players attempt to become president. The player with the most popularity following a series of voting days wins.
Your popularity increases or decreases depending on how you perform on the board. Some spaces automatically take you through PR events, which serve to increase your popularity rating. One particular space, the "goal space," gives you a huge increases in popularity. The board also has shop spaces, where items can be purchased for decorating your office, also a good way to increase your popularity.
Some spaces require that you clear mini games in order to get popularity. The game has two types of mini games. A set of smaller "Gocchi Games," designed to mimic cheap LCD-based digital games, use the left, up and right buttons on the d-pad for controls. Full-fledged mini games make use of the Wiimote for direct control. The game has all the basics, including using the controller as a flashlight to search dark rooms and using it as a steering wheel. The minigames can be replayed separately from the main board game.
Each set of turns is considered one full day, with every seventh day set as voting day. The player with the most popularity on this day gets an emblem. Following all voting days, the player with the most emblems becomes president. You can set the number of voting days depending on how long you want the game to last. A seven day period takes about 30 minutes of play time.
Most of the time, Tamagotchi feels like only half a Wii game. The menus don't allow you to point and click to select options, something that feels strange after having played the Nintendo-designed Wii games. Almost everything is done in the old fashioned way -- selecting with the D-pad and pressing A to confirm. This is okay for some options, but there are times when direct pointer controls seem like an obvious choice.
Outside of the mini games, the Wiimote is used in only a few areas. In order to launch dice into the air for your next move, you slam the Wiimote down like a hammer. Bandai also managed one of the dumbest uses of the Wiimote I've seen so far. To switch to the statistics screen, you're required to strike the Wiimote down like a hammer. This has to be done with a surprising amount of force, or the game won't recognize the motion. In addition to just asking for an accident, this is inconsistent with the traditional controls found in the rest of the game.
Tamgotchi also has some presentation issues. You can't skip opponent turns, which means watching CPU-controlled players do even the most mundane tasks, like purchasing items in a shop. The only area of rival turns that you can skip is one you might want to watch: mini game play. Load times aren't much of an issue (I'll remind you of what happened the last time someone tried to launch a system with a board game), although there are a few awkward pauses here and there.
Visually, while the board is colorful and the Tamagotchi characters are as cute as ever, Bandai Namco clearly wasn't trying too hard. The game doesn't even offer progressive output.
In Japan, the Wii launched with six games that can be considered "mini game collections." Tamagotchi is probably the least interesting of the bunch. Japan made the first DS Tamagotchi game a platinum hit. That's unlikely to happen here.
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December 6th, 2006, 00:42 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
It would be a mistake to compare Kororinpa, Hudson's Japanese Wii launch title, with Sega's Super Monkey Ball. While both games involve rotating a maze around in order to guide a ball (or a monkey in a ball) to a goal, the Hudson title has some big differences.
Your goal in Kororinpa is to lead a ball from a start point to a goal point. Along the way, you're required to pick up gems that are scattered across the play field. Miss any of these, and the exit point won't open. You're free to restart the maze at any time, with gems that you've collected on previous tries remaining in your possession.
Unlike Monkey Ball, Kororinpa gives you full control over the maze. Using the Wiimote, you can make the maze rotate in all directions, even flipping it upside down. You'll find yourself turning the mazes in every which way in order to get past the many obstacles.
Mazes are full of variety. Some areas require that you guide your ball carefully down narrow pathways, making sure not to fall off the ledges. At other times, you have to rely on your ball's momentum to leap over obstacles. One stage that I encountered early on contained a section that felt like an actual walled maze.
The mazes are set in themed levels. The first stage is a forest setting, with the mazes made of wooden planks and leaves. The second stage is a candy land, with pretzels, bread and sweets serving as the walls and surfaces.
Koronipa brings a few physical twists to the formula. Some parts of the mazes have different surface properties, affecting the movement of your ball. In the forest stage, for instance, some areas are covered with sap, which slows your ball down. Other areas are covered in water and feel more slippery.
The game also includes a large selection of ball types, which also have surface properties that affect how they move. Some balls aren't even round. As you clear the mazes, you earn new balls which can be selected prior to the start of a level.
The big concern is, of course, the accuracy of the Wiimote-based controls. While the controls can feel a bit sensitive at times, on the whole, I haven't had too much trouble getting the mazes to move exactly how I want. I usually find myself holding the controller as if getting ready to throw a dart or a paper airplane.
I did die a whole lot as I made my way through the first twenty or so levels, though. Kororinpa's puzzles can be pretty tough, although so far I haven't come upon anything that I wasn't able to clear after a few tries.
The experience would be a bit better if Hudson had taken a bit more time with the title. There are some notable missing features, including a lack of real time camera movement. If you want to survey your ball's surroundings, you have to go into a menu. Strangely, the camera here is controlled not with the Wiimote, but with the d-pad!
The lack of visual finesse also doesn't help. This is one of the worst looking Wii games around, with no progressive support and visuals that look like they've been blown up to fill the screen. The visuals become glitchy at times, especially if you turn the maze in strange ways.
Kororinpa offers split screen two player support, vertical or horizontal according to your preference, with one player using the Wiimote and the second player using the nunchuck. I was able to try this out a bit and didn't notice any major glitching or slow down. In fact, I preferred playing as second player because the nunchuck actually feels better than the Wiimote at controlling the maze. Sadly, the nunchuck can't be used for single player play.
Outside of the main single player mode and the two player split screen mode, there isn't a whole lot to do in Kororinpa. The game doesn't offer additional challenges or puzzles, nor does it have any of the mini games that help extend the life of games like Monkey Ball.
With the basic presentation for the menus, the poor visuals, and the lack of options, it seems that Hudson rushed Kororinpa out for launch. Despite this, I've enjoyed the game so far, and couldn't stop playing once I started. Short load times and some intriguing maze design make this a fun distraction for early Wii owners, even if there aren't any monkeys in the balls.
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December 6th, 2006, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
Many of the early Wii titles put the new Wiimote controller to the test. Gundam Scad Hammers (to be known as SD Gundam G Breaker internationally) goes one step further. The Bandai Namco Japanese launch title is a true test of the longevity of the strap that comes bundled, and pre-attached, to every Wiimote. When playing this game, you'll want to heed the advice that starts off every Wii game and make sure that the strap is securely fastened.
In Scad Hammers, you take control of an SD-style Gundam unit in a fight against the ZEON army. Even without the Wiimote-based controls, the game feels a bit different from the usual Gundam fare. The fighting takes place from an overhead perspective. You play through 100 plus missions set in space, on the ground and under water, facing off against screenfulls of enemy mechs, ships and gun turrets.
Instead of standard missiles and guns, your Mobile Suit is equipped with a ball and chain as its primary weapon. Enter the Wiimote. All offensive moves in Scad Hammers involve swinging the Wiimote in some way. To perform a basic hammer-style attack, you swing the controller like a hammer. To swing your ball and chain around, you slash the controller left and right.
The game requires the nunchuck attachment, which you use to move your Mobile Suit around and jump during ground levels or dash during space levels. Standard buttons on the Wiimote are also used. Holding A down makes your Mobile Suit block. You perform a screen clearing super move by holding A and B down and swinging the controller around.
Above all else, you're encouraged to swing the Wiimote around like your life depends on it. The strength of your on-screen attacks correspond to the strength of your Wiimote swings. In order to get the strongest attacks, as indicated by a "Max Impact" registering on the on-screen power meter, you'll have to put quite a bit of force into your swings.
As you clear missions, you gather new items, which can later be equipped to your Mobile Suit for added attack and defense power. You also come into possession of up to 12 new ball and chain weapons, each with its own special attack, often providing even more ways to work your arm out.
Scad Hammers is missing a few things. There's no multi player play, no voices during the frequent dialogue sequences, and the levels (as you'll see in the new videos that we've posted) often lack music. Visually, the game offers progressive output (with Tamagotchi and Crayon Shin-chan not having this feature, I was worried someone in the Bandai Namco Group had a grudge), but it suffers from bland environments and slowdown when the screen gets busy.
While the game doesn't seem to be all that accurate in registering your swings correctly, due to the abundance of life and fuel power-ups, it doesn't really matter. Bashing away at screens filled with enemies is lots of fun thanks to the Wiimote mechanics. In fact, without the new controls, Scad Hammers looks like it would be pretty mindless and repetitive.
On the one hand, playing Scad Hammers for thirty minutes got my arm so physically tired that I had to take a ten minute break. On the other hand, isn't that the recommended way to play games anyway?
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December 6th, 2006, 01:55 Posted By: wraggster
Here's what you'll need:
- An SD adaptor such as SD Media Launcher or SD Gecko (Note: While SD Gecko is undoubtedly superior to SD Media Launcher, it doesn't come with any SD Media software).
- An SD card (It's compatible with SD cards up to 4GB. SDHC do NOT work).
- A computer with any type of SD card reader.
Adding applications/emulators is simple. Just copy the .DOL file onto the SD card. If you want everything to be a little more organized, then simply make folders for the different apps.
If you plan to make your own adapter, then follow this diagram courtesy of IamAbe:
Using Action Replay software
For those of you who have action replay software and wish to explore the world of homebrew on your unmodded Gamecube.
Here's what you need:
- A Gamecube SD card adapter
- An SD Card (same as the requirements mentioned above)
- Action Replay software and a Gamecube (obviously)
Software Needed:
SDLoad
The Tutorial (courtesy of Apocalyptic980c):
1) Plug your SD card into your computer, now using the link above get a hold of SDLoad. Firstly, you have to format the SD card to either FAT or FAT16. If you can't do this, return your computer to the store from which you bought it. After formatting it, run sdpatch.exe through the command line as follows:
sdpatch.exe (drive letter):/
Now copy SDLOADER.BIN to the root of the card. At this point you can load it up with emulators and what not as long as they are in .dol format . They can be in any directory as long as SDLOADER.BIN is in the root.
2) After installing the above insert SD card into SD card reader and plug into memory card slot A. Insert your action replay card into B and the disc into that place where discs go.
3) When AR boots up, pick the USA flag and then ADD NEW GAME. SDLOAD is the game name and push done. Then enter (m) as the code name. Enter the following code:
Then select ADD NEW CODE and name it SDLOAD.
Enter the following code:
Select the code named SDLOAD and check the box next to it, press start, and proceed to open and close the lid of disc drive when prompted. SDLOAD starts up and you can take it from there!
The Code Process is a one time thing and from then on you can enjoy the world of Gamecube Homebrew and Emulators on your console easily and without any modification.
Emulators for Gamecube that will work this way include emulators for Atari 2600, NES, Master System, SNES, Genesis, N64 (in progress), Neo Geo CD, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance!
Enjoy legal homebrew and emulation on your Gamecube!
Many thanks to Apocalyptic980c for the AR SDLOAD tutorial and Costis for his excellent SDLOAD Application.
Where to buy:
SD Media Launcher (US/UK)
Action Replay software (US/UK)
Support DCEmu and DIGG this News
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December 6th, 2006, 18:52 Posted By: wraggster
EA has released a few details on SSX Blur, the new instalment in the snowboarding series that's being developed at EA Montreal exclusively for Wii.
The Wii instalment of the much-loved snowboarding series was revealed last weekend on US TV, and if you haven't already you can watch the trailer yourself.
According to the publisher, Blur retains the series tricks and racing formula but the fun-factor is "amplified by the unique capability of the Nintendo Wii controller". It claims that the game features everything you'd expect from the franchise, "delivered in a totally unexpected way" and there's talk of the controls taking full advantage of the console "by putting you in total command of your skier or rider, on-the-ground & in-the-air, by translating every motion you make into the skills that create mountain legends."
"We wanted to take the soul of the franchise-the air, the speed, the tricks, the fun-and Wii-ify it," Alex Hyder, producer on the product, has explained. "You're going to see that reflected in the On-the-Ground & In-the-Air controls, the characters, the user interface, and every other aspect of this game."
Via CVG
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December 6th, 2006, 18:57 Posted By: wraggster
The UK version of the Wii Virtual Console has just gone live, and we've discovered a few significant changes from the its North American counter-part.
Apart from the puzzling swap of all of the game graphics, the UK version of Nintendo's download service has one title that those chaps across the pond can't get their hands on; the excellent SNES platformer Donkey Kong Country.
However it's not all good news for UK Wii owners; the recent US update to the Virtual console which added Donkey Kong Jr., Victory Run and Mega Drive titles Ristar and Columns - with the exception of Victory Run - doesn't seem to have made its way to our shores.
Nintendo UK was unavailable to comment on when we'll be getting these currently US-only Virtual Console titles, but we'll be sure to let you know when they get back to us.
via cvg
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December 6th, 2006, 19:00 Posted By: wraggster
via cvg
In preparation for the European launch this Friday, the UK version of the Wii Virtual Console has just gone live, and blighty gamers will be disappointed to hear that some downloadable retro games suffer from black borders and significantly slower game speed than their US equivalents.
Among the games reported to suffer from poor PAL ports on the UK Virtual Console are Sonic the Hedgehog and F-Zero.
We tested Sonic on our PAL system and low and behold the game does indeed sport a pair of black borders along the top and bottom of the screen, but even more worrying is that the PAL version of the game runs significantly slower than the US equivalent, somewhat hampering its speedy platforming gameplay.
For anyone young enough not to remember, this is down to 1980s Japanese and American game designers' failure to accommodate the extra 100 lines of the PAL display signal, resulting in a squashed and bordered view. Back before the days of 60hz options, the slower scan rate of the European TV system also resulted in slower-running games.
Bizarrely we also tried out Donkey Kong Country and Super Mario 64 - a game that suffered from a terrible PAL port - on our UK Wii, and they both matched the US Virtual Console versions with no borders and smooth-running gameplay.
When we contacted Nintendo UK regarding the issue it was unfortunately unavailable for comment, but we'll let you know when they get back to us.
UPDATE: You can now see Sonic's borders for yourself in our screen and Mario's full-screen conversion as well (ignore the dodgy Mac button).
Screens Via Comments
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December 6th, 2006, 19:06 Posted By: wraggster
Divineo China have in stock a load of newly released Nintendo Wii Games, heres the full listing:
Call of Duty 3 USA version
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 USA version
Elebits JAP version
Ennichi no Tatsujin JAP version
Happy Feet USA version
Kororinpa USA version
Madden NFL 07 USA version
Necro-Nesia JAP
Odoru Made in Wario JAP version
Rampage: Total Destruction USA version
Rayman: Raving Rabbids USA version
Red Steel USA version
SD Gundam: Scud Hammers JAP version
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature From the Krusty Krab USA version
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz USA version
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz JAP version
Super Swing Golf Pangya JAP version
Tamagotchi no Pika Pika Daito-ryo-! JAP version
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess JAP version
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess USA version
Trauma Center: Second Opinion USA version
Wii Sports JAP version
Wing Island JAP version
All available to buy at Divineo China
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December 6th, 2006, 19:23 Posted By: wraggster
via gamespot
What we heard: In April, gamers were pleasantly surprised when news broke that a Nintendo DS, Wii, and PC game based on the PBS art show The Joy of Painting was in the works. The show, which ran in the 1980s and early 1990s, was hosted by the late Bob Ross, who painted landscapes with "happy little trees" and "happy little clouds." Ross became a cult hero not only for his artistic abilities, but also for his soothing voice, brown afro, and amicable demeanor.
Little was known about the games except that they were scheduled to be developed by AGFRAG Entertainment Group, a small studio largely concentrating on PC flash games.
Unfortunately, the trees, mountains, and clouds won't be happy to hear that the game is currently in limbo. On the Bob Ross Game Yahoo Group, which the developers used to keep gamers up to date on the project, the following message was posted:
"AGFRAG is no longer involved in the development of ANY Bob Ross Game. Please contact Bob Ross Inc. for further information. Thank You." (emphasis in original.)
GameSpot contacted Joseph Hatcher, head of AGFRAG to confirm the message. Hatcher reiterated the previous statement, saying, "We will not be developing the game on any platform." Citing legal reasons, Hatcher was unable to give details of his company's decision. However, he did leave the door open for the game to live on. "We are not saying it is canceled in anyway," he told GameSpot.
Following his conversation with GameSpot, Hatcher updated the AGFRAG Web site with the following message:
"I'm sorry that we have disappointed so many people on a certain project. Please realize we did what we felt was best, with the cards that were dealt to us and the situation we were in. We have learned from the experience and we won't make the same mistakes twice. The companies we dealt with were
professional in every way and we enjoyed working with them while we did and appreciated the opportunities they presented to us. You won't hear anything about our next game until it's almost on shelves."
While it is possible that another developer may hop onboard, Bob Ross Inc. would be hard pressed to find another taker for what looks to be merely a cult project.
Bob Ross Inc. did not have any news of the game posted on its Web site as of today. Requests for comment from Bob Ross Inc. were unanswered as of press time.
Bogus or not bogus?: Unlike Bob's tranquil landscapes, the picture does not look good. Not bogus.
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December 6th, 2006, 20:35 Posted By: wraggster
Onakasuita have started on apps for the Wii, heres the info:
--what's WiinRemote
a program for moving cursor using Wii Remote on Windows PC.
(reading 3-axis linear accelerometer's value)
--how to use
1.connect Wii Remote to PC via bluetooth (how to connect)
2.launch WiinRemote.exe
New in this release
key repeat implemented
Download and Give Feedback Via Comments
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December 6th, 2006, 20:45 Posted By: wraggster
Been a while since we heard anything from the C&C DS Clone project, but today we have some news:
Like some of you have guessed my real job is taking up lots of time still, I'm working on the online code at work and we have another deadline coming up soon.. but I did start to work on the code again the other day and have still not managed to get over my problems with the fat system not initialising properly. I'm sure it's just a version mismatch of some kind. I need to get on the gbadev forums and check out what's going on and then hopefully I can carry on again.
The level editor was sort of put on hold until I got the main game going again so I could test the levels were being created properly.
Anyway some good news is that I have a month off over xmas so no doubt I'll be able to find plenty of time to work on this, and I'll also have the net again, so hoorah's all round
More info --> http://cncds_project.livejournal.com/
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December 6th, 2006, 21:14 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
Nintendo may be giving away a Wii version of golf with every US system, but those looking for a more filling experience have only one choice for now: Super Swing Golf, from Tecmo. The US version is due out in a few weeks, but in order to get a sneak peak at the final build, we played through a few holes in the Japanese version, which hit Japan opposite the Wii itself on 12/2.
We already shared with you a close-up look at Super Swing Golf, or Swing Golf Pangya, as it's known in Japan, back in early November (check out our preview for more). So the big question is, how has the final version come together?
Tecmo's development studio did a few things very right. The game supports Dolby Pro Logic II and progressive output. The non-Nintendo Japanese launch titles have, for the most part, avoided these. Tecmo has also made full use of the Wiimote as a pointing device during menus, another feature lacking from many of the launch titles.
Swing Golf does suffer from some of the problems one associates with a game that was rushed out for launch. Load times are a bit on the long side -- a surprising rarity for Wii games so far. Judging by the abundance of loud seek sounds during the loading, this looks like something that could have been refined had the developers had more time.
The game is also middle ground as far as presentation is concerned. Visually, the simple character models and occasionally choppy framerate, put Swing Golf in the list of Wii titles that do little to push the system's visuals beyond GameCube levels. The menu system is pretty bare bones and a bit tricky to navigate. The game lacks voices for its "Pangya Festa" story mode, an unfortunate omission in light of the cute the character designs.
Some of the control issues that we mentioned in our preview early last month weren't addressed for the final version. Swing Golf's selling point comes from its use of the Wiimote, and there's no denying that swinging the remote like a golf club adds a new layer of fun to the experience. But outside of that, the game does a bad job with button layout, making for some downright confusing moments.
We'll have a full review of the final US version closer to its release (now set for December 12). In the meanwhile, download our new gameplay clips, which we grabbed from the final Japanese version.
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December 7th, 2006, 12:52 Posted By: Darksaviour69
Console 'as rare as hen's teeth,' predicts leading High Street group
Ahead of the European launch of Nintendo's Wii, retailers have told GamesIndustry.biz that consumers without pre-orders are unlikely to secure a unit until the new year.
The level of demand for Nintendo's home console has been so feverish that DSG Group – the parent company of High Street retailer Currys and PC World, as well as dixons.co.uk – expects that even with four separate delivery's between now and Christmas, it does not believe it can satisfy pre-orders until 2007
"We're expecting to fulfil all pre-orders on the day," said Hamish Thompson of DSG. "We're continuing to take pre-orders but informing consumers that they probably won't be able to be fulfilled until after Christmas."
"We're expecting four deliveries between now and Christmas and we expect them all to go to pre-orders. If customers haven't already pre-ordered then they've probably missed the boat."
It's not just DSG's retail outlets that will have to cope with a shortage, with the firm predicting a similar story across both High Street and online stores, as Nintendo takes advantage of a gap left by rival manufacturer Sony
"Wii units at any retail outlets are going to be as rare as hens teeth before Christmas," said Thompson.
"With the delay of the PlayStation 3 in Europe, Nintendo has got a clear run this season," he added.
The Wii launches officially tomorrow, December 8th, across Europe. Many retailers are holding launch events, with specialist stores such as GAME and Gamestation holding midnight openings this evening.
Nintendo has chosen HMV as its official UK launch partner, with its flagship Oxford Street store opening at 11pm for a celebrity attended event.
GamesIndustry.biz will feature full coverage of the Wii launch throughout the day tomorrow, with retailer and consumer reaction to the new console.
gamesindustry.biz
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December 7th, 2006, 19:54 Posted By: wraggster
An official Nintendo spokesperson gave CVG the following statement:
"In Europe Nintendo is maximising all its resources to ensure that there is a good quantity of stock available in Europe for launch and a regular supply of Wii consoles steadily coming into the market from launch through 2007."
There's only a few hours to wait to see if Nintendo delivers the goods...
Insert from wraggy
Anyone who needs one should check out www.retrowarez.com who have the console, games and controllers in stock, tell them wraggster sent ya
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December 7th, 2006, 19:55 Posted By: wraggster
What a surprise we had this afternoon when we travelled down to HMV Oxford Street - the location of the official UK Wii launch event - only to find that not a single soul is queuing outside for Nintendo's new console... because they've all been sent home.
According to a HMV spokesperson, overcrowding ment that staff had to take down the names of the queuing Nintendo fans and send them off home to return later for their new consoles.
Launch festivities kick off at the Oxford Street store from 11pm tonight, when all manor of 'celebrities' are penned to show their faces, including Ian Wright, Jodie Kidd, Pat Cash and Ricky Hatton who will be on hand for Wii Sports face-offs.
Apparently HMV has already sold out of its 200 limited edition Zelda 'tins', which are to be given to the first customers in the queue today, who are now all probably having a nice bath - or more likely playing Nintendo DS round the back of the HMV Jazz section.
For exciting shots of where the Wii queue could have been, look to the right. We'll have a full report on the Wii launch tomorrow morning.
News via CVG
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December 7th, 2006, 19:56 Posted By: wraggster
On the eve of the European Wii launch, word has come from Japan that gamers are getting too excited with the Wii and accidentally throwing the Wii Remote towards their TV sets.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has acknowledged the issue and is preparing to hold an internal investigation.
"Of course before the launch of the Wii hardware Nintendo had a number of tests on the durability of everything including the strap," Iwata told reporters in Japan. "But our understanding right now is that even beyond our expectations people are becoming more and more excited playing with the Wii."
Shigeru Miyamoto added, "We are encouraging people to understand that you really don't have to be so excited but rather you need to understand the control and then you're going to be the best player.
"We are looking into the situation to see if there are additional methods to encourage people to kind of calm down so they would never throw away the controller itself."
Via cvg
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December 7th, 2006, 20:10 Posted By: wraggster
New from Divineo China
Wii Console (JAP version) $ 379.90
Classic Controller *OFFICIAL* for Wii $ 21.95
Nunchuk Controller *OFFICIAL* $ 24.95
Remote Control *OFFICIAL* for Wii $ 44.95
Component Cable *OFFICIAL* for Wii $ 44.95
AC Adapter 110V *OFFICIAL* for Wii $ 27.95
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December 7th, 2006, 20:13 Posted By: wraggster
At the rate all this Wiimote hacking is going, it looks like Nintendo's soon going to have more than just Wii users to contend with in its attempts to keep the darn things in stock, with this latest development sure to attract more than few curious PC users. The big advance here is support for the Wii's sensor bar (or candles, we suppose), which'll give you far greater control than previous Wiimote-only hacks have allowed, actually making it a decent alternative to a mouse for some tasks. Still skeptical? Check out the vid here -->
Via engadget
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December 7th, 2006, 20:17 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo is working on ways to try and help people not accidentally lob their Wii remote controls into expensive objects/other people's faces.
"Some people are getting a lot more excited than we'd expected," president Satoru Iwata told the Foreign Correspondents Club this week.
"We need to better communicate to people how to deal with Wii as a new form of entertainment."
The Wii remote has so far gone down very well in the US and Japan, but problems tend to arise thanks to the relatively flimsy strap used to fasten it to the player's wrist.
That and the fact that some people are just complete mentalists.
And so as Nintendo investigate, others mourn, and for some reason I still end up twirling mine around haphazardly, in much the same way I once broke my SingStar microphones. Oh well.
Nintendo Wii is due out tomorrow, 8th December, in Europe.
via eurogamer
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December 7th, 2006, 20:26 Posted By: wraggster
A modified version of DarwiinRemote with IR-based mouse movement by ian rickard, heres the details:
The big deal about this version is the IR-sensor based mouse movement. For synching, I found the synch button to be much more reliable than pressing 1 and 2 (which I actually never got to work). Still kinda buggy with the setup but once it's working it works good. If you have problems getting mouse mode to work, try turning the IR sensor off and on a few times and make sure you're pointing at a strong enough pair of IR sources AND you're far enough away from them (but not too far - 5 to 10 times the distance between them should work good). I worked a little bit on the random crashes, but couldn't come up with much. At least it shouldn't crash when it quits now. General rule of thumb: if it doesn't work, quit it and re-open it.
Heres More info abou this release:
DarwiinRemote is a tiny piece of software which reads data from and sends data to Nintendo Wii Remote. It detects all 3 axis sensors, all buttons (except power). You can modify which controller LED indicator is on, and send force feedback. Right now it only supports a basic front row control scheme.
Download and Give Feedback Via Comments
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December 7th, 2006, 20:28 Posted By: wraggster
More Wii news this time from Gamespot:
For Brits who didn't manage to pre-order a Wii, Nintendo's next-gen console, there is still hope--many stores have a percentage of their stock put aside for those willing to wait in line. However, the numbers of consoles available are rumoured to be low, meaning that many will likely go home empty handed.
The Wii is to be released in Europe tomorrow, December 8, and some stores will be open to sell the console at the stroke of midnight. Some fans, eager for units, have been camping out on Oxford Street in London's premier shopping area since December 5.
This will be the first European console launch for over a year, when the Xbox 360 was released, and with Sony's PlayStation 3 delayed until March, the Wii is bound to be on many a shopper's Christmas list.
In an e-mail to customers who had pre-ordered the Wii, Woolworths commented, "Nintendo has only shipped part of its promised stock for Nintendo Wii to all retailers within the UK." The message went on to reassure people that they would, however, receive deliveries of their pre-ordered console before Christmas.
Nintendo has promised a "steady stream" of Wii replenishment in the run up to Christmas, with plans to ship 4 million consoles worldwide, but also advised people to pre-order to avoid disappointment. Pre-orders on Amazon UK closed after just ten minutes, and orders for other retailers also sold out fast.
The official Nintendo launch event will take place at the HMV branch at 150 Oxford Street, London, and starts at 11 p.m tonight. Those waiting for a Wii there will have the chance to play Wii Sports against celebrities including ex-Arsenal and England footballer Ian Wright, model and presenter Nell McAndrew, ex-Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, and boxer Ricky Hatton. Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton will also be present.
There will one other event in London, at Game's Oxford Street branch. It will kick off at around 10 p.m. Music, entertainment, competitions and Wii pods to play on are planned. At midnight, there will be a countdown. Company reps told GameSpot that there will be extra consoles allocated for those waiting in line, as well as enough consoles to fulfill all pre-orders.
Game's Dawson Street, Dublin branch will also be open this evening.
Gamestation will be holding events at its Birmingham New Street and Edinburgh branches this evening--parties kick off at 10 p.m. with DJs spinning tracks, models serving food, and a "guest appearance" from Mario.
Over 200 other Gamestation locations across the country will be open at midnight for customers to buy the console. The company advises consumers to call individual stores for details. Some branches will have extra stock as well as those allocated for pre-orders.
Woolworths, Currys, Toys "R" Us, and PC World have all confirmed that their stores won't be opening at midnight. A spokesperson for Currys said, "We have no specific plans for extra promotion of the launch as there's so much excitement around the Wii already." Virgin has cancelled an event that it had planned for its Oxford Street branch.
The weather in London, which could dampen spirits considerably, can only be described as inclement, with heavy rain and strong winds. In Kensal Rise in North West London this morning, six people were hurt after a tornado ripped off rooftops, smashed windows, and ripped trees out of the ground. The forecast for the evening, according to the Met Office, is "severe gales." Severe weather warnings have been issued.
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December 7th, 2006, 20:32 Posted By: wraggster
Sorry to disappoint gamers who planned on importing Japanese games to play on their consoles, but Nintendo's Wii is definitely region locked. It's not enough to just take our word for it, so here's a video of a guy trying out a US Zelda game in his Japanese machine. We haven't seen choking this bad since Buckner.
Video Here --> http://www.youtube.com/v/RmkFWtfK4dY
via gizmodo
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December 7th, 2006, 21:11 Posted By: wraggster
A new release of the Nes Emulator for the GameBoy Advance has occured.
Cant tell you whats new .
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December 7th, 2006, 21:16 Posted By: wraggster
Hmm, not really involved with the Wii Linux Community but heres the news from retrothinking
Wowza!! The news making its way through the Wii development underground is that members of Wiili, the project to bring a Wii Linux Live CD to life, have been taking money donated to the project and keeping it for themselves! Naughty, naughty!
According to one source in the Wii development community, the offending members "made off like bandits", while another added that the project had "too much blue smoke". In addition, the Wii development channel #wiidev is calling for a boycott towards the Wiili project.
UPDATE: The project's site, WIILI.ORG, is back up, They have stated there has been "Lots of vandalism. We are protecting all pages so now only registered users can edit." Whatever that may mean.
Scene drama strikes again
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December 7th, 2006, 21:20 Posted By: wraggster
Info from the Official Site:
The DS Motion Card is a revolutionary motion sensor for the DS and DS Lite handheld gaming systems. It contains a 3-axis accelerometer and a single-axis gyroscope, and plugs into the DS card slot to enable full motion sensing on the DS and the DS lite.
It is the first tri-axis accelerometer that can be used for homebrew DS development, and the first and only accelerometer/gyroscope combination available for handheld gaming.
How it Works
The DS Motion Card contains a Kionix tri-axis accelerometer and single-axis gyroscope that communicate with the DS using SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) on the DS card.
The accelerometer measures acceleration in all directions (both gravitational acceleration and acceleration caused by a change in velocity). The gyroscope measures angular rotation rate (speed of rotation) around an axis perpendicular to the bottom screen of the DS.
Custom software turns the sensors on, reads the accelerations and angular rate, and controls the display based on the sensor readings. Functions to communicate with the sensors have already been written and are simple to integrate into any existing or new projects.
How to get one
The DS Motion Card is now available for preorder from dspassme.com.
What it can be used for
There are many uses for the DS Motion Card
Tilt Sensing
Motion Sensing
Twist Sensing
Gesture Recognition
Possibilities are endless
Games or applications can easily be written or modified to work with DS Motion Card, using the C code that is available from this website.
More Details
For more details about the DS Motion Card and to discuss the use of it, see the gbadev forum at http://forum.gbadev.org/viewtopic.php?t=11674
To use games with the DS Motion Card, you need to be able to run homebrew on your DS. See Dev-Scene.com for details. If you are using FlashMe, just plug the DS Motion Card into the DS card slot (slot-1) and plug your media cartidge in the GBA slot (slot-2). If you are using a Passthrough device, boot the DS with the Passthrough device, then remove the Passthrough device and insert the DS Motion Card. There are currently no emulators that support the DS Motion Sensor.
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December 7th, 2006, 21:24 Posted By: wraggster
New Mod coming soon for the Wii, heres the info:
Will the PulseVU interfere with the normal operation of the light bar?
No. Whenever the Wii wants to use the lights, the PulseVU is completely disabled and the Wii has full control.
Will this damage the LEDs over time?
LEDs are designed to be able to turn on and off rapidly, and are designed to last 100,000 hours. The PulseVU does not put the LEDs under any strain.
Can I do this through software, or must it be a hardware mod?
Until the software on the Wii is hacked, which may never happen, or may be years away, it is not possible to make software for it. So unless Nintendo releases an update to do these features, you'll have to install the hardware mod.
Can I return my Wii to Nintendo if there's a problem after installing this?
By opening any device, you void its warranty. To install the PulseVU, you must completely dissasemble the Wii, thus voiding the warranty. You should only perform this mod if you know what you're doing, because if you damage the Wii in the process, Nintendo most likely will not help you and you're stuck with an expensive doorstop.
How can I install a PulseVU into my Wii?
We will be selling manufactured units at this site by the end of the weekend, for just $20. If you're a programmer, you can instead build your own with the soon to be released source code and schematics.
Is the installation hard?
Not at all. Some soldering skills are required as there are 8 simple wires to solder to the motherboard. The small chip can be attached directly to the motherboard with double-sided tape. Installing this device will however void your warranty on the Wii.
The fade looks a bit flickery in the video. Is it really like that?
No. Because of the slow frame rate of the video, the camera picks up on the PWM used to dim the LEDs. To the human eye, it is perfectly smooth. Actually, the Wii's LED control is a bit flickery though.
What happens when there is no audio?
The PulseVU stays dim for 4 seconds between audio signals. If it receives no audio for more than 4 seconds, the lights turn completely off until it gets an audio signal again.
What if I want to turn off the PulseVU manually?
You can hold in the Reset button on the Wii for 4 seconds to turn on or off the PulseVU. You can do this whether the console is on or off, but be aware that if the console is on, it will reset.
What is the PulseVU made of?
It uses an ATtiny45, a NPN transistor, and a few passive components. The slightly commented AVR Assembler source code will soon be released along with the schematics.
Will you have more mods for the Wii?
Probably. We will also release guides on how to make easier mods, like how to make the light bar always on.
Can I have different colors on the light bar?
Yes, if you replace the existing LEDs. There will be guides here explaining how to do that later.
Will you release the PulseVU for other consoles too?
We certainly will. The Xbox and Xbox360 versions are just around the corner. There will also be a universal version that can be used in other devices too, such as a PC.
More info and a Video Here --> http://www.sickmods.net/index.php?site=wii
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December 7th, 2006, 21:27 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo Sweden has posted that the Wii Browser will be released on the 23rd of December in Europe.
No News on the USA Wii Browser launch at this time
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December 7th, 2006, 21:38 Posted By: wraggster
via wiifanboy
With the reasons why someone would go through such lengths to hook their Wii up to such a small television set nonexistent within any sane, rational-thinker's mind, we can't help but feel somewhat impressed by the end product. While someone couldn't possibly enjoy playing on that tiny set, it holds some value in its comical nature.
Video Here -->
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December 7th, 2006, 21:40 Posted By: wraggster
via IGN
Konami is bringing the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX to the Nintendo DS in February, in the form of Yu-Gi-Oh: Spirit Caller.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX's first appearance on the DS, Spirit Caller allocates players a room in the Duel Academy's Obelisk Dormitory, where the beginner duelists are housed. There, players encounter the Spirits of the Cards who make nice and accompany them at all times. Spirits will join players for card battles against the school's best duelists.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Spirit Caller makes a few changes to the gameplay that was established in Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour on the DS. Konami sped up the dueling system making for a faster game. The player's spirit guide will offer advice for school life and will play an integral part in the game's plot. A character edit menu allows players to create an onscreen likeness of themselves.
As Yu-Gi-Oh! is a Trading Card Game, players can dual against each other in one-on-one bouts courtesy of the Wi-Fi connection and can take on duelists anywhere in the world via a dedicated server.
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December 7th, 2006, 21:43 Posted By: wraggster
Via ign
Namco Bandai has announced Trioncube, a new puzzle game for the Nintendo DS. The game tasks players with rescuing a kidnapped princess from the protagonist's arch enemy, Hell Metal.
Player will embark on a journey across eight planets into the depths of space. As the captain of the space ship Penko, players will reach their goal by creating a Trioncube -- a series of 3x3 blocks which start a chain reaction to refuel the ship. The good captain must create as big a chain as he can before time runs out and the Trioncube is broken. The bigger the chain he makes, the farther distance his ship travels.
With four gameplay modes (Arcade, Story, Endless, and Vs), Namco Bandai hopes Trioncube will provide many an hour of fun for even the most seasoned puzzlers. Unlike typical block-based puzzle games where players try to quickly erase as many blocks as possible, Trioncube challenges players to create the ultimate 3x3 chain. As they progress through the game, players will have to use different strategies to deal with new shapes. Coins can be collected to purchase various Effects and Arts -- like sushi rolls, dogs, and tambourines -- as they travel the galaxy in the Penko.
Trioncube is scheduled for release throughout North America in February 2007.
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December 7th, 2006, 21:57 Posted By: wraggster
Lick has released a new version of his DS Ipod application, heres whats new:
It plays OGGs, VERY CHOPPY! Music->Songs->(your ogg file)->Play.
It's choppy because I haven't implemented sound timing yet. Screen turns off after 5 seconds (or when lid is closed).
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December 7th, 2006, 23:07 Posted By: wraggster
Finally MY US Wii has arrived, those basts at Customs charged me so im a little bit pissed but i wanted a us version of the Wii, i have Wii Sports and the Zelda Game, ill post pics and do a review of sorts later, now im off to play with my Wii 
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December 8th, 2006, 17:10 Posted By: wraggster
Hudson employee has kicked off speculation that classic shoot-'em-up R-Type may well be released for Wii Virtual Console next week.
In a post titled "INSIDE SCOOP! Unannouced TurboGrafx game coming to VC!" on official Hudson forums, the company's John Lee has teased with this: "Stay tuned! This upcoming Monday Dec 11th, there will be a new TurboGrafx game coming to your Virtual Console on the Nintendo Wii! It's a new one, which has not been announced yet. Best of all, it's one of the most requested games that fans want. Oooohh! Tasty!"
"Which one is it?", he added. "Here's a tip: All brain, no skull. All eyes, no nose."
Fans have pointed out that R-Type is the only unannounced game from Hudson that has been given an ESRB rating. Bonk's Adventure, Bomberman '93, Victory Run, Super Star Soldier and Dungeon Explorer, which have also been rated, have of course been previously confirmed for VC.
So will it be R-Type? Well, we don't have long to wait to find out.
Via cvg
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December 8th, 2006, 17:20 Posted By: wraggster
News from Divineo USA about the Worlds Best Flashcart for the DS at this time.
Yesterday, we received another shipment of DS-X. The quantity we received was just enough to fullfill *all* pre-orders. We have been told that we should receive another (larger) batch in 10-15 days.
For those who havent heard of this Flashcart heres more info:
The DS-X (DS-Xtreme) is a revolutionary storage, homebrew and media player flash cart compatible with all DS Lite and original DS consoles.
Offering a SINGLE unified solution which allows you to do the unthinkable and push the limits of Nintendo’s ™ top selling handheld console. The DS-X does NOT require the use of a passme, external memory or any unsightly GBA cart, just one intelligently designed piece of kit, the same size as an ordinary DS cart, giving an unrivalled experience to any DS enthusiast.
Its plug and play in its finest hour, an in-built USB port on the DS-X paves the way for you to communicate easily between the DS-X OS and your computer. Drag ‘n drop all your favourite media and homebrew as you please directly onto the included 4GBit (512-Mbyte) memory with minimal effort as the DS-X will be instantly recognized by your machine.
Specifications & extra information
Xtreme Functionality – One device, Limitless Opportunity:
- One single unified device, no need for GBA Cart, external memory or passme/flashme
- Functions as a flash cart, compatible with homebrew, media and other image files
- Plug ‘n Play, no PC software required allowing for some seriously sweet Drag ‘n Drop file transfer
- Intuitively designed custom operating system which is fully upgradeable
- Included 4GBit (512Mbyte) onboard flash memory
- Bespoke hardware design compatible with all current and future DS consoles, same size as original DS cartridge – does NOT stick out!
- Custom engineered components such as a High-Speed USB 2.0 mini-B connector and full sized EEPROM.
You can BUY this latest new flashcart for the Nintendo DS from Divineo Spain, Divineo Germany, Divineo USA, Divineo China, Divineo UK
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December 8th, 2006, 17:33 Posted By: wraggster
It's only a few hours since the Nintendo Wii has officially gone on sale in the UK and already Nintendo's new console is flying off the shelves around the country - especially at the official Wii launch event at HMV on Oxford Street.
Hundreds of Wii-hungry gamers queued at the store, and from what we saw at the twilight festivities - surprisingly more went home with Nintendo's new console than were disappointed by the lack of hardware.
News and screens at CVG
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December 8th, 2006, 17:34 Posted By: wraggster
The Nintendo Wii officially arrived in the UK last night, at HMV in Oxford Street, London, where the official launch festivities took place and gamers turned up in the hundreds for a chance of getting their hands on the new Nintendo hardware.
According to a HMV spokesperson almost 500 fans turned up for the event, where by midnight the queue already stretched along Oxford Street and around the corner - leaving us to ponder if the people at the back had even a fighting chance of seeing the shop counters before breakfast.
The store reportedly received over 1200 Wii-related phone calls yesterday alone - three quarters of which were from people wondering if they could get their hands on a console without pre-ordering.
Rolling up Oxford Street just before the main event at midnight, a white Wii bus unloaded a sprinkling of celebrities to show off their Wii Sports skills (or lack of) for the crowd, including virtual tennis hot-shots Ian Wright, Nell McAndrew, Ricky Hatton and Pat Cash.
First in the queue was 17 year-old Zelda fanatic Marwan Elgamal, who pitched up his tent at 5pm on Tuesday in order to guarantee a Wii in his house this weekend, which was finally handed over to him by Mr Wright at gone 12.
"I have been looking forward to this day for months!" Elgamal said. "Despite the cold and rain, it was well worth it - not only was I the very first person in the UK to own the Wii, but I also got to thrash Ian Wright in a game of Wii Sports!"
David Yarnton, General Manager at Nintendo UK said of the launch: "This is such an exciting time for Nintendo - since the launch of the Nintendo DS we have been committed to exploring a new approach and offering a more inclusive experience. The launch of Wii sees our commitment to innovation and bringing in new audiences taken one stage further, and we are overwhelmed with the incredible response we've received from the public - both young, old, male and female."
News and Screens at CVG
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December 8th, 2006, 17:36 Posted By: wraggster
Gamers purchasing Wiis in London this morning have been getting a safety warning from the Metropolitan Police in the form of a letter detailing safety guidelines for avoiding would-be muggers.
The safety warning - which is being given away with Wii consoles in London HMV stores - alerts Wii purchasers that their new console is "a highly coveted and exclusive device" and that "as such there could be criminal elements looking to try and take the machine."
"Thieves love an easy target [so] please keep your machine covered up and if you see anything suspicious on your way to the store or coming home then tell somebody," the letter reads.
The notice advises new Wii owners to avoid poorly lit areas on the way home from the shops, plan their routes home and to "walk facing the traffic so that the cars cannot follow you".
Safety Notice attached via Comments
Via CVG
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December 8th, 2006, 22:18 Posted By: wraggster
Something momentous has occurred in the world of videogames very, very recently... Oh yeah, that's it, Wii has launched in the UK. And a beaming Nintendo has been quick to inform us that within 12 hours of the console going on sale 50,000 units have been snapped up by punters.
This equates to one unit being sold every second. Well, it's actually 1.157 units but obviously you have to round down.
Nintendo UK's general manager David Yarnton has unsurprisingly said that the company is delighted with "the amazing response to Wii and that people of all ages and gaming experience are embracing the way that we are turning the industry on its head."
"With so many units sold it is great to see that people will be enjoying Wii with their families this Christmas. We are doing everything we can do to meet demand throughout Christmas and the New Year period", he added.
via cvg
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December 8th, 2006, 22:19 Posted By: wraggster
Following the UK launch this morning prices for Wii consoles have exploded on internet auction sites, flogging for as much as £500 on eBay.
Nintendo previously denied retailer reports that would-be Wii purchasers will be unable to secure a console without pre-ordering until next year, but - although internet Del boys will always try their luck - the significantly marked-up auction prices could certainly suggest a shortage of 'walk in and buy' consoles in the UK.
Nintendo announced this afternoon that Wii has already sold 50,000 units in the UK - one unit sold for every second the console has been on sale.
Nintendo told us that "there are trucks leaving the factory every day up until Christmas so the ebay vultures shouldn't get as much business as usual."
Don't panic - keep calling your local retailers.
Via cvg
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December 8th, 2006, 22:24 Posted By: wraggster
Article from Gamespot
Source: Straight from the horse's mouth...an official correction in a Nintendo press release.
The official story: Nintendo could not be reached for comment as of press time.
What we heard: When talking about the two recently released gaming consoles, Nintendo's Wii is largely regarded to be plentiful when compared to the scarce PlayStation 3. Even though Nintendo's console has sold out across the United States, gamers have found that getting a Wii has been much easier than purchasing one of Sony's new consoles.
Nintendo reported that 600,000 Wiis were sold in "the Americas" in its first eight days in retail, with almost half a million being sold in the United States. Shortly after the Wii's launch, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said Nintendo was on target to ship 4 million Wiis worldwide by the end of the year.
Yesterday, Nintendo sent out a press release touting the sales success of Nintendo hardware in November, saying that of the 3.9 million systems sold in the US in the month, 2.1 million (55 percent) carried the Nintendo brand.
The press release also carried the statement, "Despite spot shortages in some locations, well more than a million Wii systems will be available in the United States by the end of the year."
For those gamers still waiting to get a Wii for the holidays, well over a million Wiis is indeed good tidings. Unfortunately, Nintendo may accidentally be playing the role of Grinch.
About four hours after the initial press release hit the wires, Nintendo sent out an updated version with one major correction. In the head of the updated release from Nintendo's PR agency, a correction reads, "...we are advised [by Nintendo] that the fourth paragraph, last sentence which reads, 'Despite spot shortages in some locations, well more than a million Wii systems will be available in the United States by the end of the year,' should be disregarded. (Emphasis added.)
Two days after launch, Fils-Aime told Reuters that approximately 2 million Wiis would be available in the US by early January, with 1 million available in early December. But with yesterday's updated release, Nintendo doesn't seem too sure about that number.
Yesterday's European launch (remember--they don't get the PS3 until spring 2007) and last week's Japanese launch may be bad for American gamers. Nintendo could be feeling a pinch on supply and may be moving some units destined for the US over to those regions.
On the other hand, Nintendo could simply be covering its bases, not wanting to promise something it can't deliver in light of the incredibly high demand for the console.
Bogus or not bogus?: It's still speculative, but also very fishy. Rumor Control will abstain until we hear back from Nintendo.
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December 8th, 2006, 22:33 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamesindustry
"It feels amazing. I can't believe it's real."
Those were the words of 17 year old Marwan Elgamal from Wembley after he became the first person in the UK to pick up a Wii console. His wait began on Tuesday at 5pm, when he set up camp outside HMV's Oxford Street store, and finally ended at midnight last night.
"I'm a Nintendo fanboy, so I'll buy anything Nintendo. The Wii is just so different, and it just feels so great playing it that I had to be the first one to get it," he said.
"I've enjoyed myself so much during Nintendo games....They keep bringing the gameplay, so I'll keep playing. They're still bringing out titles for their hardcore fanbase and taking a different direction to the casual gamers, and it's just bringing everyone together."
That certainly seemed to be the case earlier on in the evening, judging by comments of a rowdy bunch of gamers who'd met that day and quickly made friends: "We're Wii buddies. We love each other. It's all about the Nintendo Wii, at the end of the day."
But what is it about the Wii they like so much? "Zelda," came the answer from more than one person. "It's all about the sensor thing, innit," said someone else. Other answers included, "Everything," and, "It's Nintendo. Every system has been a winner. Even the Cube."
For 19 year old Daniel Kirby from Kingsbury, the Wii became an essential purchase after he got the chance to play a demo as part of Nintendo's Wii Tour initiative.
"I've always liked Nintendo consoles, because they're always party-oriented and you can play them in big groups," he said. "I played it and I thought, 'I have to get my hands on this.' Because it's completely revolutionary. It's amazing."
There were two queues - one at the front of the store and another snaking down an alley alongside. At the back of the line was 21 year old Med, who was queuing at HMV despite the fact he works in a branch of rival high street retailer GAME.
"All staff are being cut off from the Wii. We're not allowed to buy one until we have some free stock, so I'm here," he said.
"But it's fun, there's a good atmosphere, and Ian Wright's going to be inside; it'll be nice to meet him. So I'm quite happy my company isn't going to sell it to me even though I work for them."
Inside HMV, staff were busy constructing Wii displays, bringing out stock and setting up a stage area where Ian Wright would later join Nell McAndrew, Pat Cash and Ricky Hatton to demo the console. And they were clearly expecting a sell-out, with one spokesperson saying, "If we have got any units left by the end of the night, I won't have done my job properly."
HMV's head of games, Tim Ellis, observed, "It's difficult to pull all the elements together and get your shops ready and things like that, and it's equally difficult for Nintendo as it was for Microsoft and it will be for Sony.
"You know what the frustrations are going to be. We knew six months ago that we weren't going to get enough stock, so you work with that. As long as we can give the public what they want over the next six months, then everyone walks away happy."
Back outside in the queue, talk turned to the software launch line-up - with Zelda top of the list for most of those looking to buy a Wii.
"I can understand why," said Nintendo UK boss David Yarnton.
"I've been playing Zelda on Wii, and it's fantastic. The musical arrangements on it, the graphics, the storyline - even if you're not a gamer, Zelda is the game to have."
That certainly seemed to be the feeling amongst those queueing. "To be truthful there isn't enough choice, but there is Zelda," one gamer said.
Rob, a 24 year old from Croydon, was also a little disappointed but still optimistic regarding the range of software on offer. "With the DS, it was a bit wonky at first - first party titles were really good, but third party titles were a bit hit and miss. But now they're starting to pick up, and I reckon the same will happen with the Wii, within two years or so," he said.
"Zelda's for the hardcore gamers really. I think those types of punters would have wanted more pure gaming," conceded Tim Ellis.
"Personally I'd have liked a few more new releases as I think we can handle them, but in the long run, I don't think it really matters on day one. It's the next six months."
Even those who felt the Wii's launch line-up was lacking seemed to feel it compared well to that for PlayStation 3. "Some of the games look all right, but there's nothing that really stands out and grabs me like Wii Sports and Zelda did," said Rob. So he won't be queueing up to pick up a PS3 in March? "I haven't got that much money."
Standing next to Rob was 25 year old Melinda from Sutton, also a skeptic when it comes to Sony's new console. "I'm a Nintendo fan. I used to like Sony stuff, but I'm a bit unsure about PlayStation 3. I hate the controller - it's not very ergonomic, and I don't like the new trigger buttons."
Meanwhile, the group of new friends down the line were still making noise and eager to offer their opinions on the Wii's other rival, the Xbox 360. "I burn that sh**. I buy one every week and I break it," offered one gamer.
But another confided, "To be honest, I'm going to get both - you've got to have a 360 and a Wii." One of his new friends chimed in, "It's either PlayStation 3 or 360, but I'll go for 360 because of the online service. The Wii can't compare with the 360's online service, but that doesn't mean the Wii is anything less. We love the Wii, that's it."
By now the photographers were in position by the doors of the shop, awaiting the arrival of Wright and company, and passers by were stopping to see what was going on - including Tom, 32, who was born and lives in England but whose family originates from Tokyo, and Ken, 30, from the Okayama prefecture.
Both said the Wii was already a hit in Japan, although they expected the PS3 to take the lead due to the strength of the PlayStation brand. But what about Xbox 360?
"The software for Xbox is not so attractive, and in Japan, many people already have a games console. Unless the software is attractive enough, why should we go there? I don't have any friends who own Xbox, while they own PS1, PS2, other consoles," said Ken.
Tom added, "I think a lot of hardcore gamers believe Microsoft is just out there to make a buck, and they're not out there because gaming is fun and they believe in it. I think that perception runs pretty deep."
But last night wasn't about Xbox or PS3, it was about the Wii - and at 11pm, things began to kick off. A minibus pulled up and out came Wright, McAndrew and Cash, wearing Wii-branded sports clothes and waving to the queue.
The first batch of shoppers were allowed into the store, and the celebs took to the stage constructed beneath a giant TV screen. First McAndrew and Cash played a round of Wii tennis, and then Ricky Hatton turned up to take on Wright at boxing.
They were happy to chat to journalists, and clearly primed to promote the Wii as a console for everyone. Former Lara Croft model McAndrew offered, "Even though I've had a connection with games in the past, I'm not very good at the games, so this is perfect for me."
Meanwhile, Cash was debating whether kids wouldn't be better off playing real tennis in the open air. "This is a step in the right direction," he said. "I'd prefer them to be playing tennis, but the other side of it is by playing games like this I think kids will go, 'Hang on, I'm going to try tennis.' That's a fantastic thing, so hopefully it'll work well together."
Back on stage, everything seemed to be going well until Marwan was invited up to talk about what it felt like to be the first person in Britain to get their hands on a Wii. "Which game are you most looking forward to?" Wright asked him. "Twilight Princess," came the reply.
"Is that a fighting game?", Wright said - only to be met with loud boos from the hardcore gaming crowd for his lack of Zelda knowledge.
Luckily it was time for the ten second countdown, and for Marwan to be marched off to the tills to pick up his Wii. Afterwards, he echoed the crowd's sentiments with regard to Wright's comments: "Everyone should know what Zelda is. It should be illegal that nobody knows what Zelda is."
But never mind - Marwan had his Wii, and a copy of Twilight Princess, and a taste of fame. So was he glad he spent all those hours waiting outside in the cold? "I'm glad I did it, and I'd do it again."
It seems unlikely that Marwan will be doing it again for the launch of PS3, self-confessed Nintendo fanboy that he is. But come March, there will be yet another queue of gamers waiting to get their hands on a new console - and undoubtedly, yet more stock shortages as Sony struggles to meet the demand. For now, though, as those in last night's queue said, it's all about the Wii.
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December 8th, 2006, 22:35 Posted By: wraggster
via gamespot
While most in the game industry view the Wii's unconventionally shaped controller as something unique, there's one company that has a different view of the device.
Interlink Electronics, Inc., a California company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of interface devices, on Monday filed a complaint against Nintendo's US subsidiary, Nintendo of America, accusing it of patent infringement. Interlink's products include devices to assist in PowerPoint presentations, conference room keyboards, and portable speakers.
Interlink filed its complaint, first reported by Kotaku, in US District Court in Delaware.
The complaint alleges that the trigger on the bottom of the Wii controller infringes on Interlink Patent No. 6,850,221 (Trigger Operated Electronic Device), which the company secured on February 1, 2005. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata first presented the Wii controller to the public not too long after that date, during the 2005 Tokyo Game Show.
The drawings (above) which accompanied the patent application--first filed on September 17, 1997--do look suspiciously similar to the Wii trigger, but in the filing, Interlink offers scant detail of exactly how Nintendo currently infringes on the '221 patent, stating only that, "Nintendo has made, used, offered for sale and sold in the United States, and continues to make, use, offer for sale and sell in the United States one or more controllers which activities infringe, induce others to infringe, and/or contributorily infringe the '221 patent."
The complaint seeks a jury trial and damages to determine the amount of "loss of reasonable royalties, reduced sales and/or lost profits as a result of the infringing activities."
This lawsuit brought by Interlink recalls the legal wrangling Microsoft and Sony found themselves in when Immersion Corp. brought lawsuits against those two console giants. Back in 2003, Immersion hauled those console makers into court, alleging patent infringement of Immersion's "haptic" technology which allows gamers to feel controllers vibrate as they react to on-screen action. Microsoft eventually settled with Immersion, while Sony went to the mat, suffering defeat at the bench and paying Immersion Corp. more that $80 million in damages.
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December 8th, 2006, 22:37 Posted By: wraggster
The industry-tracking NPD Group released its retail numbers for November yesterday, and US sales were up nearly 15 percent over November 2005. It was good news for the industry after October's sales figures--predicted by analysts to show a percentage increase in the double digits--were unexpectedly flat.
In an investor's note discussing the NPD's numbers today, Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson said the off month was due to consumers holding on to their wallets in anticipation of a big November. "It appears there was a meaningful pause in spending in front of the launch of the PlayStation 3, Wii, and lots of AAA software in November," Wilson said.
However, few of those AAA software sales were for games on the new systems, as Wilson noted that PS3 and Wii games weren't flying off the shelves as much as expected. The tie-ratio--the average number of games sold per system--was 1.1 for the PS3, and 2.1 for the Wii. Wilson blamed the low numbers on people buying the systems on their own to turn around and sell them for a profit.
Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter also pointed out the tie-ratios, calling them "record lows" for new consoles. Despite that, Pachter expects the Wii and PS3 to play a significant role in year-over-year sales growth of 7-10 percent for the month, so long as Nintendo and Sony can get enough systems to retail and "the eBay effect" is suppressed.
For people who did pick up games with their new systems, Wilson said the best-sellers on the Wii were The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Red Steel, and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, in that order. Far and away the best-seller on either new system, Twilight Princess sold enough copies to spin in 86 percent of Wii systems sold in November.
On the PS3, the biggest mover was Resistance: Fall of Man, followed by Madden NFL 07 and Call of Duty 3, respectively. NPD figures show that Resistance sold a little more than one copy for every three PS3 systems on the market.
via gamespot
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December 8th, 2006, 22:40 Posted By: wraggster
At last! Nintendo's innovative, convention-busting Wii has landed, spreading motion-sensitive joy and wonder across the land. Just make sure you keep hold of that Wii-mote...
So, to welcome the console's first wave of games, we've gathered together our reviews of the launch games you need to know about.
Simply click the game you want and our fabulous words will tell you everything you need to know about your chosen title. We'll be bringing you more Wii reviews in the run up to Christmas but, until then, enjoy our roundup of what Nintendo's got in store for all you early adopters.
Call of Duty 3
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Madden NFL 07
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Need for Speed Carbon
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Red Steel
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
Wii Sports
News/reviews over at Gamesradar
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December 8th, 2006, 22:49 Posted By: wraggster
Senor Iwata, hold off on the Wii Remote strap inquisition. It might not be necessary.
The Australian market (and I'm presuming the European one as well) is already receiving Wii Remotes with "next-gen" straps.
Those included within the Wii console itself are still the wispy, accident-prone type that first shipped in the US and Japan. But the strap in my Wii Play bundle? It's noticeably thicker.
Screenshot Via Comments
via kotaku
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December 8th, 2006, 22:50 Posted By: wraggster
via kotaku
Munich. Germany. Reader Julian gives the skinny on the Wii launch, writing:
The center of Munich was overrun by a group of about 200 Wii-hunters, who ran from store to store during cascading opening hours. Apart from a couple of people being there since 2am, most showed up 1 hour before store-opening. Many passers-by very bewildered at the crowds of people — something you rarely get in Germany. Some stores had 20 Wiis in store, some had only 3, so there were many unlucky people. What is interesting is that in all stores that I saw NFS Carbon and COD were not selling any copies... Love it. German Nintendo fanboys/girls doing their part to freak out the locals.
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December 8th, 2006, 22:53 Posted By: wraggster
EB Games is now selling the steering wheel for the Wii separately. The wheel sells for just under $20. Not bad for a cool little controller. Though I suppose it's really just a chunk of plastic that you snap a remote into. Hmmm, maybe it's overpriced.
via kotaku
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December 8th, 2006, 22:56 Posted By: wraggster
Via joystiq
Taking a break from watching obscure Japanese commercials, the fine fellows at Bits Bytes Pixels & Sprites recently poked their noses into the various nooks and crannies of Hudson Entertainment's website. Along with a vague smell of bacon, they discovered the product pages for two, as yet unannounced Virtual Console games. Though there's no mention of a release date, Alien Crush and Dungeon Explorer are both set to appear on the Wii's TurboGrafx-16 emulator.
Memory refresh: Alien Crush sees you playing pinball on the faces of some rather menacing aliens, whereas Dungeon Explorer adequately equips you with tools clearly intended for hacking and slashing. Presumably, you also get to explore dungeons in the company of a "knome." If either of these floats your cup of nostalgia, be sure to check back with us on Monday -- there's a decent chance they'll become available then.
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December 8th, 2006, 23:19 Posted By: wraggster
New Wii Game from Play Asia:
Price: US$ 49.90 (~25.58 GBP)
features
All your favorite Barnyard characters from the movie
Replayable action-packed games based on the wild antics of Otis
Open-world gameplay through areas seen in the movie
Unique controller functions - steering cars, swinging golf clubs, throwing darts, shooting a tomato gun at coyotes, and more
Up-rez'd graphics including 60 fps, progressive scan, and widescreen support
All-new mini-games and customization options
description
Enter the world of Nickelodeon's newest adventure and bring the Barnyard movie to life. Battle the coyote invaders, tee up for a game of golf, target the bull's-eye with your flying chicken and race downhill on your speedy bike. Players will be able to explore a fully interactive, 3-D world and prove they have what it takes to be the biggest party animal of them all.
More info / buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1poh.html
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December 8th, 2006, 23:57 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Price:USD 10.06
High quality cable included
Superior Picture quality
High Transmission Rate
Stereo Sound
Suitable for most video devices
Improved standard graphics
S-Video and Audio Video cable
Stereo sound
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December 8th, 2006, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Price:USD 6.71
Product Features of Nintendo Wii Wii Cooling Fan
Lower the temperature of the console
Prolong console's life
Get power from USB ports, no extra power adapter is required
More Description of Nintendo Wii Wii Cooling Fan
Plug the cooling fan into the USB port o the Wii console, it will strongly lustrate the temperature to keep the console cool.
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December 9th, 2006, 00:02 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Price:USD 3.35
Product Features of Nintendo Wii Wii Dust Prevent Cover
Prevent dust goes into the Wii Console
Prolong the console's life
More Description of Nintendo Wii Wii Dust Prevent Cover
Prevent dust goes into the Wii console in order to prolong's life and gurantee the console runs smoothly.
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December 9th, 2006, 00:04 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Price:USD 5.03
Hold Wii controller accessories
Protect your Wii consoller
Convenience to carry
The Wii Controller Carry Bag allows holding and protecting your Wii-mote and Nunchuk controller when they are not being used.
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December 9th, 2006, 00:14 Posted By: wraggster
Davr has released a driver for the Wiimote in Linux:
Heres the details:
Our good friend e-Hernick is working on a "driver" for linux to use the wiimote (The controller for Nintendo's Wii). I say "driver" in quotes, because it's not really a driver, as it doesn't have any kernel-mode code. In fact, it is simply a python script.
e-Hernick sez: "OH YEAH! I am now controlling the XORG MOUSE with the WIIMOTE IR, with the use of my very own wiimotulator.py!"
I haven't personally tested it, (mainly since I don't have a wiimote). But it looks neat.
Download wiimotulator.py
Requirements: Linux 2.6 with evdev and uinput, Xorg 7.0 with evdev BlueZ, PyBluez 0.9.1, a Wiimote, 2 IR emitters of some sort (even candles work apparently!)
Heres the news from the newest release:
UPDATE: to version 0.0.2alpha. Now supports mouse buttons: 1 = left click, 2 = right click.
UPDATE the second: to version 0.0.3.0 "Eager Beaver". e-Hernick sez: "GOOD NEWS EVERYONE, *** My WiiMote Driver for Linux, WMD 0.0.3.0: Eager Beaver *** has now been released! It now has better documentation, and you can easily change the actions associated with the keys! Get it here and tell me what you think!"
64bit users:for 64bit linux, you could try changing line 729 from:
STRPK_INPUT_EVENT = "LLHHl"To:
STRPK_INPUT_EVENT = "LLHHi"
UPDATE the third: to version 0.0.3.9. No specific info on what has changed.
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December 9th, 2006, 00:57 Posted By: wraggster
Via BBC
Nintendo says it wants to revolutionise gaming with its Wii console. Gamers can now control the action with a motion sensitive remote control, called the Wiimote - but does the novelty wear off quickly?
Included with every Nintendo Wii is a copy of Wii Sports, comprising five different sporting activities - tennis, baseball, bowling, boxing and golf.
In an age of high-definition gaming with photo-realistic character models and intricately-realised buildings and models, it is a real throwback to put a Wii disk into the machine and see the cute, colourful graphics with crudely drawn figures and decidedly retro look to the interface.
The Wii is certainly no visual powerhouse and the limitations of the images are shown up even further when played on a HD television.
But for the vast majority of gamers with standard definition TVs, the Wii's limitations graphically can be overlooked if the games themselves are fun and involving.
The different sports are a mixed bag of entertainment - all are fun in their own way but some are clearly more involving than others.
A clickable guide to the Wii
Gone are the days when you would have to learn a series of complex button combinations to pull off that sliced volley, home run or chip shot; instead the Wiimote can be used as a virtual bat or boxing glove.
Gamers are advised to fasten the safety strap to their wrist and it is advice worth following - during hectic sessions the Wiimote can easily slip out of your hand.
And it is worth making sure you have plenty of room in which to play: my wife and I literally came to blows when boxing and I managed to swipe a lamp shade during one frenetic tennis match.
WII SPORTS
Format: Nintendo Wii
Graphics: 6
Sound: 7
Gameplay: 8
Enduring appeal: 6
Overall: 7
The sport games are more mini-games than fully-featured titles. There is a disappointingly limited range of options for each sport - just one course for golf, no variation in the bowling or baseball games and only a few rounds of action in the boxing.
The success of the games stands and falls on the ability to truly control the on-screen action with the Wiimote and in this regard the Wii is a mixed success.
There is a learning curve with all new games and control systems but I had the distinct impression that often the action on the screen was only loosely connected to how I used the controller.
For a game bundled with the console, Wii Sports does a great job of introducing people to the concept of using the new controller without ever really pushing the envelope.
Certainly it will prove to be an entertaining party game - and it has the distinction of being the first videogame I have ever managed to persuade my wife to play.
She was impressed with the simplicity of the controller but often frustrated that a swipe of the remote did not always translate into a stunning backhand or long, straight drive.
But she was playing games. And if Nintendo can persuade my wife to play games then winning over the world's non-gamers should be straightforward.
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December 9th, 2006, 01:05 Posted By: wraggster
Onakasuita has updated his app for the Wii, heres the info:
--what's WiinRemote
a program for moving cursor using Wii Remote on Windows PC.
(reading 3-axis linear accelerometer's value)
--how to use
1.connect Wii Remote to PC via bluetooth (how to connect)
2.launch WiinRemote.exe
New in this release
calibration implemented
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December 9th, 2006, 12:51 Posted By: wraggster
Shortages of Nintendo Wii consoles around Europe have left some gamers who pre-ordered the new machine frustrated.
Nintendo, which has already launched the machine in the US and Japan, said it expected to sell out of Wiis on the first day of sales.
More than four million Wiis will be shipped globally this year, and 50,000 were sold in the UK in 12 hours.
BBC News has been e-mailed by gamers disappointed that pre-orders for the machine have not been fulfilled.
More than 1,200 Wiis have gone on sale on online auction site eBay in the UK within hours of the launch. The highest price for a console so far has been £500.
Simon Ball from Wales e-mailed the BBC News website to say he had failed to receive his ordered Wii.
He said: "I pre-ordered the Nintendo Wii from Play.com on 15 September along with some software.
"I have been informed today that it is unlikely my order will be fulfilled before Christmas. Incredibly they have dispatched the game we ordered to accompany the console."
'Not shipped enough'
Claire Inglesby from Liverpool wrote: "I pre-ordered the console in November from Woolworths website for my son's Christmas present.
"I received an e-mail today informing me that as Nintendo had not shipped enough I might not receive my order.
Many shops opened at midnight for the launch
"So the fact that I had the foresight to pre-order and not disappoint my son means very little as they obviously expect me to camp outside Woolworths for days on end."
David Yarnton, general manager, Nintendo UK, said: "We are doing everything we can do to meet demand throughout Christmas and the New Year period."
A spokesman for Woolworths said there were problems getting stock from Nintendo.
The UK chain has said it expects to fulfil all pre-orders for the machine by next Tuesday or Wednesday.
He said: "Demand has far outstripped supply and we are delighted to have been able to secure a significant amount of consoles for our customers before Christmas."
Woolworths were not able to confirm if they would receive any more stock once pre-orders had been met.
Currys, PC World and Dixons have said they will deal with outstanding pre-orders in "strict chronological order".
Nintendo has warned people to be careful with the Wiimote
In a statement from the retail group, it said: "When we reached the point in the pre-ordering process when demand exceeded anticipated supply, we made it clear to any customers choosing to join the list after that date there were no guarantees that we would be able to fulfil their orders prior to Christmas."
Rob Lowe, UK product manager for Wii, said: "There is a good chance it will sell out on Friday.
"Judging by the feedback we have had from the retailers I would say you would be lucky to get one on Saturday," he said.
Response to the Nintendo Wii's release has been very positive among consumers and journalists.
The console costs £179 and includes a motion-sensitive controller shaped like a remote control.
The so-called Wiimote can be jabbed, swung, waved and turned to imitate a range of real-life motions that are represented on screen.
Nintendo hopes that simplifying the control system will make games consoles less intimidating to non-gamers and more accessible and immersive for hardened players.
via BBC
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December 9th, 2006, 12:53 Posted By: wraggster
Wii owners in the UK will soon be able to put any "Stars" they have collected on Nintendo's official website toward the cost of Wii Points - the currency used to buy Virtual Console games.
When you first log on to the Wii Shop with your new console, you'll be asked to "link your account" to the one you have with Nintendo-Europe.com.
"By linking your Wii Shop Channel account to your online Nintendo membership, you will be able to enjoy additional benefits in the near future," the website explains.
"Not only will you then be able to purchase Wii points in the Stars Catalogue, you will also get Stars for your Virtual Console purchases upon completing a small survey."
Stars are points redeemed by using codes included with Nintendo software sold in the UK. You get some with the Wii itself, too.
In the past Nintendo's made things like games available to people with lots of Stars, but typically there's no physical merch available on the website, just MP3s and wallpaper - leading to a lot of people slagging off the system. Nice to see it finally getting some proper use, eh?
We'll let you know when this all comes into play. Wii points retail at about GBP 14.99 for 2000 points, with Virtual Console games split into price brackets based on their system (e.g. 500 for NES, 800 for SNES, 1000 for N64).
via eurogamer
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December 9th, 2006, 12:56 Posted By: wraggster
Good Q&A Article from Gamespot:
Midnight on December 8 saw the first gamers in the UK being able to get their hands on a Nintendo Wii console. GameSpot spoke with Rob Lowe, Nintendo UK's product manager for home consoles, about the launch.
Rob Lowe
GameSpot: Do you think the Wii launch has been a success?
Rob Lowe: I think it's probably the biggest launch we've ever done, in my history at Nintendo. The DS launch was amazing, but I think this one here at HMV and the one down at Game is just incredible. The buzz is amazing.
GS: Do you think your approach of marketing consoles that appeal to everyone is paying off?
RL: I hope so. Time will tell. Obviously you've got the really hardcore Nintendo fans here from day one. They all seem really chuffed. I've noticed they all seem to be getting Zelda with it as well. But we hope in the long run, in the years to come, that we'll appeal to a much broader audience, get older people and female gamers in as well. I've been chatting to the Game guys down there, and they've said that one in 10 of the people there were girl gamers. That's good, you don't often see that at a launch day, so we're really chuffed about that.
GS: Do you think the future of consoles is the kind of "Swiss army knife" approach of the PS3 or just a dedicated game console?
RL: Obviously, being the Wii product manager, the latter. I think the key is trying to very much get as many people into gaming as possible, because if you've got the same people playing over and over you're only going to reach the same people over and over again. And even though they're great and they're our core audience, if we can appeal to a much broader audience, then that can only be good for the games industry, and the breadth of games that wouldn't normally be produced, like Brain Training [known as Brain Age in the US], Wii Sports. So yes, definitely, we think that's the future.
GS: Is Nintendo trying to lose the image that its products are just for kids?
RL: Definitely. We know that we appeal to children with our games, but we've always tried to be a company for everybody and especially with the Wii and the DS we've really tried to accentuate that. I think when you see something like Brain Training that appeals to 30-, 40-, 50-year-old people, obviously that's not kids playing that. So we very much want Nintendo to be as broad as possible.
GS: Why does Europe always have to wait until last with these launches?
RL: Oh come on, that's not fair! A week later than Japan and three weeks later than the US, that's not bad! I think you're asking the wrong games company [that question].
GS: Why was the decision made to region lock the Wii?
RL: Well, there were a number of reasons for that. Obviously in the UK you've got Wii Play coming out and in America they haven't got Wii Play--we try and cater for different audiences. We have to localise all of it in loads of different languages: America is just English and Japan is just Japanese, which is why it takes a little longer here. Also we always have specific software for specific regions, so we try to keep it that way. Obviously, it helps against game piracy as well. There are a number of reasons why. But I don't think it will be a problem, because a very, very small minority of people import games anyway.
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December 9th, 2006, 13:00 Posted By: wraggster
via kotaku
If you found yourself drooling over the Swarovski crystal covered pink DS Lite designed by Paris Hilton we posted a few weeks back, then not only is their something wrong with you, but there is also a spark of hope, as one is now up for auction on eBay UK. I am assuming the seller simply had too much taste to keep the item for himself.
He also mentions that only 20 of these were made, a fact that I cannot seem to back up from any source. Everyone knew it was limited edition, but only 20? For an item this spectacularly fabulous? Come on. There's gotta be a warehouse full of these somewhere, and that warehouse needs to be bombed.
I do like how it comes with spare crystals and a glue kit, as if they expect someone to actually play this monstrosity and not lock it in a vault deep underground somewhere so it never hurts anyone again. The auction starts at approximately $670, with a buyout of $1465, depending on which conversion rates you believe. A small price to pay to save humanity from shiny pink doom.
Screen Via Comments
Ebay Auction
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December 9th, 2006, 13:08 Posted By: wraggster
Finally the English Speaking version of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin has been released and remember all DS games are worldwide region free, heres the details:
features
Two new playable characters, each with their own unique style of play and abilities
Strategically switch between characters in the heat of the action
Call on your partner and execute Summon Attacks to decimate your enemies
Collect items, weapons and magic as you explore the castle
Explore several environments new to the series, such as the Desert, abandoned cities and more
description
Celebrating 20 years of vampire hunting action, the legendary Castlevania series is back with an all-new action packed adventure. Take control of two heroes, Jonathan Morris, a vampire killer and his close friend Charlotte Orlean, a girl with tremendous magical ability. Amidst the chaos of World War II, two mysterious sisters emerge, working to resurrect Dracula and David and Charlotte are all that stand in their way.
Buy Here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1d81.html
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December 9th, 2006, 13:19 Posted By: wraggster
New US version Wii Game released, heres the details:
Rapala Tournament Fishing lets players embark on all new angling adventures in 16 of the world's most desirable fishing locales utilizing authentic gear from Rapala, the world's largest manufacturer of fishing lures and #1 fishing brand in the world.
Buy Here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1po9.html
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December 9th, 2006, 13:42 Posted By: wraggster
Via liquidice
vkapadia has posed several scripts for GlovePIE, a Windows program which lets you use the Wii-Mote as your mouse, or to control games on your PC. You will need to successfully connect the WiiMote to your PC using a compatible bluetooth adapter first. Once you have GlovePIE and the wii-mote successfully connected, download one of the following scripts (right click and save-as) and then load it into GlovePIE.
Scripts for using the Wiimote in Windows with GlovePIE:
WiiMouse IR
Point with your Wiimote and click! REQUIRES SENSOR BAR
Chances are, this is the one you want.
WiiMouse Accel
Tilt and rotate the Wiimote to control the mouse.
WiiMouse IR Relative
Moves the mouse based on the Wiimote's position relative to the center of the screen.
Two WiiMice
Connect two Wiimotes to control two mice. REQUIRES SENSOR BAR
WiiMouse IR Odd Bar
Before version .24, some sensor bars were not functioning properly. REQUIRES SENSOR BAR
Generic Joystick Driver
This uses the tilt/rotate as two axes, and all 11 buttons to emulate a joystick. REQUIRES PPJOY
Nintendo 64 Emulator - Ocarina of Time
A little awkward, but not too bad.
Nintendo 64 Emulator - Goldeneye (basic)
All buttons are digital in this script.
Nintendo 64 Emulator - Goldeneye (advanced)
In this, there is analog control support.
Nintendo Entertainment System Emulator
Basic controls for an NES emulator. Turn the Wiimote sideways for this one.
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December 9th, 2006, 13:50 Posted By: wraggster
Via Deadketchup
UPDATE, Thanks Hawq
0.4a is out now:
-Certain roms did not function any more of with a bad interpretation of opcode HALT. It is now corrected.
-Addition of a menu allowing the posting of the framerate.
- Large profit speed (real time on much of plays)
- New module CRT which brings the support of the overscan (Thank you Demoniak)
- Beginning of a design for the keyboard
- Finely of configuration (green monitor color)
- The sound functions (but there remains a problem of envelope of volume)
Download and Give Feedback & Compatibility Reports Via Comments
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December 9th, 2006, 13:52 Posted By: Sektor
REminiscence is a rewrite of the engine used in the game Flashback from Delphine Software.
REminiscence was coded by Gregory Montoir.
This Nintendo DS port was coded by Sektor and uses code from GPF's REminiscence DS port.
v0.23- Added a version with GBA_NDS_FAT from picodriveDS 0.1.6. Use this on MMD, EZ4 and SC miniSD. Untested.
- Support for Italian language files.
- Updated libcartreset to 0.72 (fixes return to menu on SC Lite). Return to menu only works on libfat version.
- Level select. You can now scroll through level codes on the password screen. Up/down for skill, left/right for level.
Todo:- Improve sound and music playback quality
- Speed up cut scenes and fix cut scene glitches
- Make fonts easier to read (scaling issue)
- Sleep when lid is closed
- Add cheats
You will need the data files from the PC DOS version of the game. Copy the Flashback files to X:\data\flashback\data\ , replace X: with the drive letter of your DS media device.
To hear music, you need the mod.* files from the Amiga version. They should be named like mod.flashback-introb , without a .mod extension.
It should work on M3CF (tested), GBAMP and Supercard. Backup anything important before using any homebrew that writes to your media device. I haven't had any file corruption but I haven't tested every device and backups are always a good idea.
DS controls:
----------------------------------------------
d-pad move Conrad
A draw/holster gun
B talk / use / run / shoot
X use the current inventory object
Y display the inventory / skip movies
L display the options
R toggles fast mode
High automatic jump, run then release direction arrow
- Sektor
- www.GTAMP.com/DS
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December 9th, 2006, 14:11 Posted By: wraggster
via dsfanboy
What the blurry image above is showing you is yet another mod for the DS Lite. Gamer Grandpasmurf found a tutorial on AcidMods that helped him put blue LED lights underneath transparent buttons that he purchased on NDS-Central. To demonstrate their glowing power, he filmed himself playing Final Fantasy III. They seem to work great and no real damage was done to his DS. Call it the angle of the camera, but we find these a little too bright for our taste.
Video Here -->
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December 9th, 2006, 14:12 Posted By: wraggster
Kirby has a wide array of powers, among them the little known aura that inspires complete adoration. Who could look upon the puff and not smile? In that, most of us agree. But there's something that no one can agree on when it comes to the newly released Kirby: Squeak Squad -- and that's the difficulty of the game. Sure, reviewers may be extolling Kirby's virtues, but the list of virtues is not quite the same from one write-up to another.
Yahoo! Games - 70%: In terms of difficulty, this is one of the easier platformers on the DS ...This game definitely catered to the less patient and less experienced DS owners. Mini-games are another beloved aspect of Kirby titles, but Squeak Squad's are disappointing: Play a variation on bumper cars, engage in speed eating, or avoid bombs in a treasure hunt. Even the prospect of multiplayer competitions can't add much longevity to these quickly cast-aside diversions.
Cubed3 - 90%: ...people oft complain that Kirby's adventures are far too easy, thus do not manage to scale the heights of Mario's platform games. They generally point out that it is especially due to the fact that he can inhale fresh air and then just float along at the top of the screen until the end of a level. However, this really is not the case with Squeak Squad as the levels are extremely intricate, housing so many secrets that it is practically impossible to find them all on your first play through. There are eight worlds in total, broken down into separate levels, with a final boss at the end of each one. Altogether there are 37 stages, seven hidden ones and eight boss battles. The main stages and boss battles alone should be enough to keep the average gamer happy, but thankfully for those Kirby masters out there, much more is added on top of this to make the package truly complete.
GamePro - 80%: The only thing we didn't like about Squeak Squad is that it's a tad on the easy side. To say that it's forgiving is an understatement. Food, which replenishes your health, is readily available and the bosses don't put up much of a challenge. Also, the cartoonish visual style might turn off more mature gamers who like their games to have a little hair on their chests. But there is no denying the ineffable charm of this title and gamers looking to give their DS a workout should gobble this one up like it was made of sweet, sweet candy.
via dsfanboy
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December 9th, 2006, 14:19 Posted By: wraggster
Heres whats posted on the official site
The interesting “thing” about posting “news” is the expectation that is inevitably incurred or assumed or created from the “news” post. In the past dealing with situations that require some sort of feedback, has always led to more situations requiring more intense and frequent feedback. You see this not only in smaller business such as Ds-X but in some of the largest corporations out there today. Many of the larger companies simply choose to ignore or stay silent, and in some ways I can see why, but is this the correct move ? In the recent days there has been some interesting debates in our internal structure with respect to what we should and should not say, especially in times of high anticipation and stress. Personally I am very much in two minds, every time we have said something either formally here or informally in our forums/support system, it has ended up in simply creating more anticipation and more situations. I guess the heart of the problem stems from not being able to give hard facts and figures, in the time frame expected by the general public. Why not ? Simple, we are all human, and in every aspect of a business we deal with multiple humans, people like you and me, all of which have their way of working and your own way of thinking.
Production Delays.
Since I have covered a lot of this in both our support system and forums, I will briefly highlight the situation here. In order to eliminate/reduce the plastic mold quality issue we experienced in a very small % of the initial units shipped, we made some changes to quality control in our supply chain. These changes we though would be actioned quickly and cost very little in terms of delays, as it turned out we were very wrong ! . The changes resulted in some major confusion with customs and the final assembly plant in China. Long story short, we ended up in a situation with 0 production for about 1 month. Yeah, for those of you who are in the industry and know what time of year and how recent our launch is .. that’s a very big OUCH. This panic month is now over and things are back on track.
Universal updater:
This is probably the most heated internal debate. The reason for delay: Perfectionism . The temporary win32 release posted below, was an internal compromise. Technically we could have released a universal updater that would have done the job for the 1.0.2 update. However it would have needed an update to do any further updates. Hence the debate. Release a half done incomplete universal updater, that would need to be updated the very next release, or delay. Now comes the interesting part of this post:
The Ds-Xtreme: What is it that makes this product so unique, and at the same time so complicated and difficult to fully grasp.
Well the answers lie in the same “Perfectionism” that was mentioned above. From concept we set some very tough to meet goals. The toughest of all was the integrated hardware design. From our very fist announcement we advertised a key feature that I think very few (if any) of our users have caught on to. I think the quote was “ Fully updatable hardware” to explain this I need to get into some technical insight of the DS-Xtreme design, so here goes.
What’s inside that tiny package. ?
The DS-Xtreme is made up of multiple levels of integrated systems. From a distant view it’s a piece of hardware running some software. Bring on the magnifying glass and it becomes a lot more. There are 3 main parts to the design each very much individually updatable and reconfigurable.
THE DS-Xtreme OS
The most obvious and the only part updated so far is our DS side operating system, this is by far the most complicated and advanced operating system put together for any such device to date. The heart of the OS is the skinning engine. No other device available can offer anything near what the DS-Xtreme OS offers currently. While we hopped this would be taken advantage of from day one, it seems we need to incentivise this avenue more in order to prove just what exactly can be done with this unique and highly advanced skinning engine. (more about this incentive later) While the OS is critical to the correct operation and seamless integration of the complete package, it is only part of the design.
THE onboard CPU
Running internally at 48Mhz , with exceptionally low power consumption there is a tiny CPU running our customized firmware. This little beast is currently in charge of USB and basic memory management.
THE FPGA
Field Programmable Gate Array. What is this ? Well this ingenious piece of hardware is the sole reason devices such as this as well as many other integrated electronics exist today. In a very basic nutshell this is a device that can be programmed to become almost any configuration of electronics or logic in hardware. It is extremely fast, and very flexible. Today you can have it to handle communication and encryption routines, tomorrow you can have it take care of memory management and complex audio decoding. Its limitations are very much based on the physical size of the internal fabric. An interesting side note: At time of launch we were only using a little over 50% of the available fabric, and that’s with very little optimization. We could have easily opted to go for half the cost of the FPGA and put a device half the size.
Now comes the original statement “ fully upgradeable “ .. One of the requirements was that we leave the door open to be able to completely reprogram each subsection, including the FPGA. Take a quick look at most designs out there, very few if any allow their FPGA to be updated, there are many reasons for this, most stemming from security of IP. We opted to go against the grain and take the route that best benefited our customers and not ourselves. The reason? Simple, we in this for the long haul, the Ds-Xtreme is still a baby, barely able to crawl, its has a lot yet to offer , and in the coming year or so, we hope to prove this. Yes right now its core features are amazing and ground breaking, but in six months when other devices hit the market, we want our customers who have paid good money for their device to feel that they have invested in us and our design , not just spent some hard earned cash on a disposable unit. Yes we will have multiple products, but NO we will not let our “older” designs die off in just a few months with lack of support or updates. We will strive to prove that contrary to today’s “norm” for consumer devices, there is still a way to roll out new hardware and keep old hardware updated and running with the latest features and benefits. We don’t believe it’s fair to doll up a device sell it as is, and then make a simple software change and bring out a new “updated” device. This obviously stands true for what is physically possible with the hardware present.
To wrap up the FPGA talk, picture this, the FPGA device sitting inside your DS Xtreme has enough “room” to fit a complete ARM9 core and can be clocked at over 300Mhz !. While we would never venture into such an extreme implementation ( simply cause there is no room left over for anything else J) it does go to show just how much power is locked inside that tiny package. Yes ! by simply plugging your DS-Xtreme into your PC and performing a complete update we could re-program your device into something completely different . With a click of a button its even possible to completely implement one of the most popular and state of the art cpu architectures out there today. (and run it at 10 times the speed your ds is running at ;-) ) So the doors are open. Our challenge is massive, but we believe in our concept and we will succeed to make each and every one of our customers proud to own our design and be part of our belief.
Together with our skilled and talented staff, and more importantly the skill and brilliant talent of the open source community, we all have a lot to look forward to. In an effort to spear head the development and support for the DS-Xtreme, we have allocated the first sample units to the many interested parties who have shown their talent in the development scene.
For the thousands of you who are currently having fun with the DS-Xtreme, how about some experimentation with the skinning engine? Yes I know a lot has to do with us dragging our feet in releasing the skin preview app. (again that damn perfectionism ! ) but its perfectly safe to mess with the skin in the default folder. Worst case you simply remove the folder and the internal backup copy will take effect ;-)
For those who havent heard of this Flashcart heres more info:
The DS-X (DS-Xtreme) is a revolutionary storage, homebrew and media player flash cart compatible with all DS Lite and original DS consoles.
Offering a SINGLE unified solution which allows you to do the unthinkable and push the limits of Nintendo’s ™ top selling handheld console. The DS-X does NOT require the use of a passme, external memory or any unsightly GBA cart, just one intelligently designed piece of kit, the same size as an ordinary DS cart, giving an unrivalled experience to any DS enthusiast.
Its plug and play in its finest hour, an in-built USB port on the DS-X paves the way for you to communicate easily between the DS-X OS and your computer. Drag ‘n drop all your favourite media and homebrew as you please directly onto the included 4GBit (512-Mbyte) memory with minimal effort as the DS-X will be instantly recognized by your machine.
Specifications & extra information
Xtreme Functionality – One device, Limitless Opportunity:
- One single unified device, no need for GBA Cart, external memory or passme/flashme
- Functions as a flash cart, compatible with homebrew, media and other image files
- Plug ‘n Play, no PC software required allowing for some seriously sweet Drag ‘n Drop file transfer
- Intuitively designed custom operating system which is fully upgradeable
- Included 4GBit (512Mbyte) onboard flash memory
- Bespoke hardware design compatible with all current and future DS consoles, same size as original DS cartridge – does NOT stick out!
- Custom engineered components such as a High-Speed USB 2.0 mini-B connector and full sized EEPROM.
You can BUY this latest new flashcart for the Nintendo DS from Divineo Spain, Divineo Germany, Divineo USA, Divineo China, Divineo UK
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December 9th, 2006, 14:53 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
According to a new Famitsu Marketing survey, Sony's PlayStation Portable is getting walloped in Japan by Nintendo's DS. In November alone, the PSP sold a mere 86,000 units compared to nearly 550,000 DS Lites. More shocking are numbers for the first 11 months of the year, which show that Nintendo may have all but closed the door on PSP in Japan. The DS and DS Lite have sold more than 7.5 million units so far this year, with PSP selling just 1.6 million units.
Further troubling for Sony's portable system are its software sales in comparison to Nintendo. PSP has sold 2.8 million games to date this year, while Nintendo has sold 27 million games. This is what is referred to in business as a clobbering.
The battle is a bit closer in the U.S., though Nintendo retains a strong lead month-to-month. In November, likely the busiest sales month of the year, twice as many DS Lites were sold as PSPs.
Publicly, Sony has shown nothing but confidence for the future of the PSP. Despite having weaker sales numbers compared to DS, the PSP had a strong year in terms of quality software. Nine of the twelve PSP games to receive a 9.0 or higher from IGN were released in 2006.
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December 9th, 2006, 15:01 Posted By: wraggster
via ign
I previously thought Bandai Namco's Tamagotchi was the worst of Japan's sizable Wii launch lineup. Then, I played Spike's Necro-Nesia. If you want a Wii horror adventure game where you kill screenfulls of insects... well, if you can do without the insect part, you can still play Resident Evil 4, you know.
Necro-Nesia somehow manages to do everything you don't want to do when using the Wiimote. It's like a guide to making a Wiimote compatible game using reverse psychology. All Wii developers should play this and think sarcastic thoughts.
The control scheme gets the part about moving your character with the nunchuck analogue stick right, but the part about using the system's fantastic new pointing device as a means of surveying your surroundings was somehow translated into players slashing the device in order to make the main character evade enemy attack. This move doesn't use any of the Wiimote's positional information -- you always get the same evasive dash to the right no matter how you swing the device (a left dash can be done by shaking the nunchuck). They made a control device for this type of input years ago. It's called a button, and there are a bunch of them that could have been used for this maneuver to free up the Wiimote for something more useful.
That's just an example of what's wrong with Necro-Nesia's control scheme. Why is a button as prominent as C used for switching your flashlight on and off? Why are the controls for slashing with your weapon and throwing rocks so complicated? Why do you still have to go into a menu in order to select weapons and items when there's a toggle button that's limited to just two items? Why do the controls switch to Resident Evil tank controls when you're inside a cabin?
And on the note of whys, why do the insects leave behind money exactly?
Crappy controls make me throw my Wiimote. Stupid videogame logic makes me do something much worse: swear while throwing my Wiimote. So, you're trying to escape this bug-infested island. But you're not the first! Some previous adventurer was kind enough to leave notes at strategic locations, providing details on the background story. These notes also serve as the starting point for puzzles of varying stupidity. "By the way, I dropped my lighter somewhere in the area." Maybe by finding the lighter -- say, by defeating this enemy spore point -- and lighting the lantern in the cabin, something will happen.
How you progress through the game, by finding the required lighter or whatever other absurd quest you're given, is the best part. All you do is walk around until you see a yellow dot glowing on the map. This indicates where you should go next for things to happen. So, you go there, and things happen. Necro-Nesia is a game about finding yellow dots.
The only redeeming factors with Necro-Nesia are its story and characters, but only because you'll laugh at them. The opening sequence sees Ray, the main character, arrive on a bug-infested island with his friend Mike and his love interest Michelle. This island has lots of rare bugs, as Michelle points out (do make sure and download the intro video from our video page). Uh-oh! It seems that Mike has the hots for Michelle too, and he decides to confess to her right there on the spot.
The only thing missing is the crappy English voice acting. Someone should pick this title up, give it the worst translation ever, and release it in America under a new "B-Game" label.
Unless you're planning on making fun of it, Necro-Nesia has nothing going for it. Visually, it has progressive output, but the bland colors and poor insect models would look bad on the Cube.
Necro-Nesia might suddenly get better once I've advanced beyond the 3 hour mark, but I'm not planning on finding out (I just couldn't take it anymore!). Years from now, if someone should ask you to name the worst title from the Wii launch, you can't go wrong with Necro-Nesia.
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December 9th, 2006, 15:03 Posted By: wraggster
via ign
With Bandai Namco's Ennichi no Tatsujin, I've at last played all 16 of the Wii's Japanese launch titles. I'd like to say that I saved the best for last, but that's definitely not the case. In fact, looking just at all the mini game collections in the launch, I started off with Wario: Smooth Moves, then went on to Wii Play, Crayon Shin Chan, and Tamagotchi, in that order, before finishing off today with what appears to be the worst of the bunch.
Crayon Shin Chan and Tamagotchi aren't all that great, but at least they attempt to put some fluff around the mini games. Ennichi no Tatsujin makes no such attempt. The entire game involves selecting a mini game and playing through a series of challenges.
As detailed in our early preview, the mini games include 10 events you might find at a carnival. On the plus side, you'll find some events that you won't find in any other mini game collection. I was excited about the idea of making crepe and takoyaki and folding balloons.
Some of the games offer some interesting ideas. The balloon game, for instance, plays somewhat like a slow Taiko Drum Master, only you twist and bend the controller and nunchuck when prompted, creating balloon shapes.
Most of the mini games are poorly implemented, either with bad controls or boring ideas. The takoyaki game requires that you move and twist the Wiimote in order to pour out batter and flip the little takoyakis, but problems with the motion recognition make this frustrating. The crepe game has you spread batter over a hot plate, wait for the wrapping to heat up, then add toppings, taking care to not include anything on your customers' bad list. The batter controls might work okay, if you weren't twisting the Wiimote around in the air.
Ennichi no Tatsujin shows some of the growing pains Japan seems to be having with the Wii. Button placement is confusing -- instead of the standard B button to cancel and go out to menus, or even the + or - button that's used in some games, you're required to hold down the 2 button for a couple of seconds. You'll find no load times once you get into one of the ten gaming areas, but actually moving between events requires a few seconds of loading both on the way in and on the way out.
With its barebones presentation of ten mini games, Ennichi no Tatsujin reminds me of Nintendo's Wii Play. Only minus the fun, and the bundled Wiimote.
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December 9th, 2006, 15:46 Posted By: wraggster
The Nintendo Wii`s greatest new game now has a guide to help those who need a bit of help along, heres the details:
features
Pages: 432
Written specifically for the Wii version!
The complete Twilight Princess compendium
Exclusive maps for every dungeon in the game, plus all hidden dungeons mastered–including the infamous Cave of Ordeals!
All Golden Bugs, Poes, Pieces of Heart, Fairies, Rare Gold Chu locations, dig spot caverns, overworld and dungeon treasure chests, and every major Rupee location in the entire world revealed!
Complete walkthrough showing the optimal path to take! Grab all the best items at the earliest possible points!
Outrageously fast times, cunning techniques, and secret unlockables for all mini-games!
Giant double-sided map poster inside!
Multiple methods for fighting against all of Hyrule's dark denizens!
Learn when and where to search for every item, upgrade, character, and dungeon. Includes how and where to fish for the legendary 27-inch Hylian Loach!
Dozens of combat, gameplay, and healing tricks, plus easter eggs you won't believe!
description
When Twilight Threatens, Prima Guides the Way
Buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1rcy.html
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December 9th, 2006, 20:06 Posted By: wraggster
The Nintendo Wii Review
Where to buy
Play Asia
Amazon UK
SuccessHK
Description (thanks play asia)
The cool look: The new console boasts high-quality materials and a smart, compact design, approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together. It will come with a silver stand that makes the system a welcome, artistic component of any multimedia setup, whether it's displayed vertically or horizontally.
Backward compatibility: The new console plays all games from the current Nintendo GameCube™ generation.
The secret weapon: The console also will have downloadable access to 20 years of fan-favorite titles originally released for Nintendo64™, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System™ (SNES™) and even the Nintendo Entertainment System™ (NES™).
Easy expansion: A bay for an SD memory card will let players expand the internal flash memory.
Two disc formats, one slot: Instead of a tray, a single, innovative, self-loading media bay will play both 12-centimeter optical discs used for the new system as well as Nintendo GameCube™ discs.
The specs: The system boasts 512 megabytes of internal flash memory, wireless controllers, two USB 2.0 ports and built-in Wi-Fi access. A worldwide network of Nintendo™ players can gather to compete in a comfortable, inviting environment. Revolution's technological heart, a processing chip developed with IBM and code-named "Broadway," and a graphics chip set from ATI code-named "Hollywood," will deliver game experiences not previously possible.
The stars: Introduction of a number of new franchise properties will add to the world's richest stable of stars, including Mario, Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Donkey Kong and Metroid.
Wireless freedom: A number of Wi-Fi-enabled launch titles are in development that will employ Nintendo's newly announced wireless gaming service, Nintendo™ Wi-Fi Connection. A worldwide network of Nintendo™ players can gather to compete in a comfortable, inviting environment.
Freedom of design: A dynamic development architecture equally accommodates both big-budget, high-profile game "masterpieces" as well as indie games conceived by individual developers equipped with only a big idea.
An Introduction
I paid a lot for my Nintendo Wii as it is a USA Version console and with shipping and customs charges, But for me a US version is better for me as games are cheaper and accessories in the long run.
What do you get
The Nintendo Wii comes in a fairly small box and when you open it has what can be explained as shelves, in the shelves comes the Nintendo Wii Console which is roughly the size of a DVD Case and 3 times the depth, theres a stand and also an extra plastic bit that fits under the stand to make it steady, theres the sensor bar and small stand that can either be fit above your TV or below it, i stuck the sensorbar to the top of the TV.
Because it was a US Wii i had to buy a Step down transformer, so if you do import a console then make sure you buy the transformer. You get one Wiimote and one Nunchuka controller.
The Controllers
Before i go any further, you have to throw away everything you remember as a gamer because Nintendo have rewritten the book with the Wiimote and Nunchuka Controllers, gameplaying with these controllers will change the way gaming is forever.
The first time you play Tennis (wii sports), Boxing, Baseball, Bowling and Golf you will have realised what all the fuss was about, using a controller the normal way will never give you the same feeling as using a Wiimote.
Lets just say that the controllers on the games where they are utilised perfectly and youll believe your in the game and remember theres no crappy wires to get in the way, sure youll have to change the AA batteries in the Wiimote every once in a while but if i was you i would buy some 2500MAH Rechargeable batteries, then your only paying out the once.
One thing to note is that you must use the strap, maybe for adults they wont need it but for teenagers and children you dont want a Window breaking or the TV getting smashed. A firm grip on the Wiimote should be made clear to everyone who plays with it.
The Console
The Wii is a nicely compact console thats similiar in size to a PC DVD Player, to insert Games you just push into the slot and the Wii sucks the game in (for want of a better explanation).
On the front of the Wii you have the Game Slot, Power, reset and eject buttons and also an hidden compartment with a Sync button which when you add new controllers you must press the sync on both controller and console. Theres also a SD Card Slot in the same compartment.
On the side of the console theres 2 more hidden slots and behind them are 4 Gamecube Controller ports and 2 Memory Card Ports.
So the Wii is Perfect for Gamecube Games and will have no problems with the classics you like on that console.
Also on the back of the console is Broadband ports but when you have Wifi in the console you really dont need them, get a wireless router 
The Graphics
In time the Wii will be pushed to the extreme on the Graphical Front, but at the moment you could say these are Gamecube Style Graphics but look more polished. One look at Zelda tells you that the graphics can be excellent, Dont expect PS3 graphics but they are still very good.
Console Accessories
On the controller front you have the Wiimote and Nunchuka but you also have the Classic Contoller which looks like a Snes controller of old, perfect for the Virtual Console Games. Already theres a racing game with a wheel that you stick the Wiimote in, Future accessories will hopefully include a Lightsabre attachment for Star Wars games but to be honest the skys the limit with the Wiimote controller.
Booting Up etc
On booting the console up you get the standard Nintendo Health and Safety warning, just press A to get past that. The main screen has little windows that you press to get to each section, i had the Wii Sports game in the console so it showed Wii Sports, Mii, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Forecast Channel and News Channel.
At the bottom of the screen you have Wii Options and Wii Message Board.
When you try to go to the Wii Shop Channel it will ask for connection details, as i had a wireless router it found it quite easily, funny thing was it found 3 other networks too, must be quite a powerful wifi finder on board .
Setting up the connection was very easy for me but maybe those who use wired broadband will find it a bit harder, best to get someone round who knows what they are doing than to spend hours getting frustrated.
You are also asked to give a name for your console and confirm the area of your Wii, i had to stick to USA as my country because it had no option for the UK but that must be down to the fact its a US console.
The News and Forecast Channels arent operational at this time but i suppose they will be a great way for Nintendo to alert you to future Wii games, very clever way to advertise .
The Mii Channel is your personal 3D avatar of sorts and you can take hours and make one to fit your needs, great for kids and people who like the personal touch, it has tons of features and options so making a cartoony version of yourself shouldnt be too hard.
The Photo Channel grabs photos from your Mobile phone although i didnt try that out or indeed an SD Card, again the features were great allowing you to zoom in and out and the photos were presented in thumbnails but decent sized ones allowing you to view them at ease. The photo channel can also be used to watch movies on SD Cards if they are in the right format.
The Wii Shop Channel is where you go to purchase your Virtual Console games, this is where the Wii console is off to another winner, the weekly release of say 3 new games that can be games from the Snes, Nes, Nintendo 64, Megadrive and PC Engine make this a killer feature for retro fans, prices are from £5 upwards so make sure your buying a game you really want. You can also buy new channels at the Wii Shop, on entering you get options including the Virtual Console and Wii Ware, i couldnt go any further at this although clicking on Wii Ware told me that the Internet Channel is coming soon and using the Wiimote has a mouse and you should have a decent way of browsing sites.
There is a great guide to show you though how to buy new games for the Virtual Console. It shows you which controller is compatible etc.
Overall Impressions and Score Rating
Nintendo since the Super Nes for consoles have released 2 good systems but both the N64 and Gamecube failed to capture the market but i feel that Nintendo with a console that isnt the most powerful have invented a machine that has gameplay in a way that has never been done before.
The fact that you dont need to be a gamesplayer to play the Wii Sports titles is an indication of what the future holds, familys can have parties and heres where Nintendo have got it right. This is a console aimed at Gamers and non gamers and the Virtual Console lets us Oldies play Retro classics from yesteryear and not to mention the FREE worldwide play unlike Xbox Live where you pay for that service.
Having Gamecube Hardware and ports also means that Backward compatability is there too and for newcomers to the Gaming scene a chance to play some of those excellent releases on the Gamecube.
Graphically it cant match the Xbox360 or PS3 but Nintendo dont need to worry about that because they have a console with gameplay attibutes that no console can match.
I have played consoles and computer games from 1980 onwards and ive never came across anything like this if Nintendo and others can release games and accessories to really make full use if the Wiimote then you are looking at the winner of the Next Gen console war, as it is if you are a serious gamer then i suggest you buy the Wii to go along side your 360/ps3.
Without a shadow of a doubt this is the console of the year in my eyes. Nintendo finally have repeated the amazing success of the DS Lite but in a Console form, who knows what tricks Nintendo have for us with DS- Wii functionality ?
Now if i was to give the console a mark out of 100 i would give it a 92% with only the graphics not comparing to the other next gen consoles but this is an experianced not to be missed, make sure you get Wii Sports and Zelda too , a few points are also knocked off for the region lock on games, luckily for the Gamecube you have the Freeloader but the Wii doesnt have one yet, but lets hope someone makes one
Homebrew Possibilities
Already the Wii can play Gamecube Homebrew and Emulators for the Gamecube using the SD Load/Action Replay Method but we dont know yet if that way can access the full wii capabilities. Wifi Homebrew gaming on a worldwide scale will be awesome if/when it happens
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December 9th, 2006, 21:34 Posted By: wraggster
The SHOCK Replacement Cases for DS Lite have now been released, heres some pics of the cases in the colours available:
  
  
The saying goes, if everybody looked the same, we'd get tired of looking each other and the same goes for the Nintendo DS Lite. It's time to Shock! your DS Lite and give it a unique and vibrant look wherever you go via Xtreme Enterprises range of SHOCK! DS Lite replacement cases. Manufactured with the highest quality in mind, SHOCK! are a range of stellar replacement cases for DS Lite suitable for a fantastically aesthetically pleasing
makeover of Nintendo's handheld or as a replacement to damaged or defective
original casing. Every SHOCK! case is created with rigorously durable ABS
material which will ultimately preserve the shockingly wonderful appearance for the entirety of the handheld.
Specifications & extra information
SHOCK! cases included everything required for a complete overhaul of your DS Lite. As standard the following is included in every professionally boxed case:
- Top and bottom casing, complete with battery compartment
- All buttons (both triggers, left control pad, right buttons, start/select and power/volume)
- GBA front cover
- Screwpads
Prices are £ 19.95
Buy them at Divineo UK
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December 9th, 2006, 22:32 Posted By: wraggster
Datel the makers of Freeloader for the Gamecube and many other console products have posted that they are working on a Freeloader for the Nintendo Wii:
If you have one of the later versions of Action Replay or FreeLoader for GameCube, you can use it on your Nintendo Wii when playing GameCube games. It won’t work with Wii – titles – it’s a GameCube product after all – but those who trade in their Cubes and invest in a Wii can carry on playing their imported GameCube games with FreeLoader and enhancing the experience with Action Replay.
“But will there be a FreeLoader or Action Replay for the Wii?”, we hear you cry. “We want to play multiregion Wii games, and bust them wide open too!” All we can say at present is watch this space – we’re working on it, and if it’s possible, you’ll be the first to know.
Awesome news from Datel, the sooner the better for me
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December 9th, 2006, 22:42 Posted By: wraggster
Heres the details from Datel:
WiFi MAX is your ticket to the exciting world of online gaming, and it couldn't be simpler to use. Just plug your USB WiFi dongle into your internet-enabled PC to create a Wireless Access Point. You can then connect to the internet and play online-enabled multiplayer games with DS and Wii gamers from all over the world. Just the thing if you don't have a wireless router! Best of all, WiFi MAX supports up to five ‘local' DS gamers at a time, so you and your mates can all play online at once with no loss of speed!
Don’t forget, there’s more to the Nintendo Wii’s online service than playing games. You can also download additional material such as new levels, skins, artwork and even retro games! That’s right – Nintendo is gradually making its back-catalogue classics for old Nintendo machines such as the NES, SNES and N64 available to Wii owners through the Virtual Arcade service. And with WiFi MAX, you can download them through your broadband internet connection! Just think what you’ll be missing out on if you don’t take your Wii online…
As WiFi MAX operates on the Wireless G standard, it's five times faster than an ordinary WiFi connection, and if you use our USB cable and dongle stand (supplied), you can position your dongle to maximise WiFi range. If you have other WiFi-enabled devices capable of using the internet, such as laptops or PDAs, you can take them online with WiFi MAX too. It's the ultimate device for internet surfing without a WiFi router!
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December 9th, 2006, 22:44 Posted By: wraggster
Info from Datel:
With MAX Memory 1GB SD Card you can store all your gamesaves and more! It's the ultimate memory solution for use with your Nintendo Wii. At last you can store gamesaves, images, music and downloads, safely and securely.
As every console gamer knows, you can never have too much memory space to store your gamesaves. Luckily, you can cram on a huge amount of data onto a 1GB card – enough to preserve all your gaming glory! Best of all, MAX Memory 1GB SD Card comes preloaded with some bonus Powersaves for the greatest Wii titles. These are gamesaves with built-in cheats which harness the power of Action Replay, the world’s best-selling game enhancer. Give yourself Infinite Lives, Infinite Health, All Levels, All Weapons and more!
MAX Memory uses high quality, solid state flash memory chips, so it’s extremely reliable and won’t let you down like some low-quality flash solutions. Its 100% secure digital technology means you never lose data.
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December 9th, 2006, 23:04 Posted By: wraggster
Hiroki has released a new version of DarwiinRemote for the MacOSX:
DarwiinRemote is a tiny software which reads data from and sends data to Nintendo Wii Remote (aka. Wiimote). DarwiinRemote allows you to control your applications by using Wii Remote.
Heres the latest news:
Hi all!
DarwiinRemote 0.3 is released!! This version supports IR sensor and motion sensor calibration. Enjoy!
For developers:
I plan to divide Wii Remote Framework from DarwiinRemote.app. By using the framework, you might be able to use Wii Remote in your projects easily. It will include some additional functions such as various analyzing method like gesture recognition.
What do you think about this plan? I'm still not sure whether I can do that, please help this project if you interest.
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December 9th, 2006, 23:12 Posted By: wraggster
News via isnoop
You might recall an application I wrote earlier this year called MacSaber. If so, my new Cocoa application should be quite familiar.
Hiroaky just released a handy bit of code that adapts the Nintendo Wii’s “WiiMote” wireless controllers for use on the Mac. I have taken his idea and merged it with the magic that made MacSaber to bring you a new breed of audio Lightsaber simulator.
This application looks and works just like MacSaber, but the input device is the WiiMote instead of your Apple laptop. I plan on adding more features including more visual response and multi-controller capabilities soon, so check back again later.
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December 10th, 2006, 02:30 Posted By: wraggster
Via Kotaku
And I'd always thought of the Dutch as an easy-going kind of people. These two sure aren't.
The Wii shortages in Europe look like they've taken their toll on some people's grip on reality, with the last remaining Wii at the MediaMarkt store in Zwolle, in the Netherlands, going to the winner of an impromptu bout of fisticuffs (well...some shoving and grappling, at least).
While on the one hand it's kind of sad seeing people reduced to this kind of behaviour, it does beg the question: how awesome would it have been if the initial PS3 shipment allocations went down like this? Lines are for pussies, real men fight for their consoles.
Video Here
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December 10th, 2006, 02:33 Posted By: wraggster
Heres an excerpt
Here's the gist of Wii gameplay: The system is motion-based, meaning that the actual movements of two controllers are translated into sword parries, baseball bat swings, steering wheel motions and so forth. The primary controller is a remote that is held in your right hand. The remote has a directional pad, A and B buttons, and the equivalent of START and SELECT buttons; and if you turn the thing sideways, you have what functions like an old 8-bit NES controller. (For Wii racing games, you hold it sideways and rotate it from an imaginary center-point like you would a steering wheel.) If you point the remote at your TV, you'll find a moving icon (or crosshair, in shooting games) that serves the way a mouse cursor would on your computer. This is how you generally navigate start screens. The remote rumbles—nothing new. But it also communicates with you through a tiny speaker. It talks, whirrs and reminds you that it's your turn in, say, a game of bowling. And it boasts a power button, too, allowing you to turn off your unit from your seat. I should also note here that I've exhausted the two AA batteries required of two of my four controllers already.
For some games, you're required to attach the remote to a smaller, left-hand controller that Nintendo is asking us to call a "nunchuck." The nunchuck interacts with the remote via a three-foot cord and features two more trigger buttons, plus an analog stick. This comes into play in first-person shooters, Madden, or any game where you have to use two control pads. In Call Of Duty 3, for example, you move your infantryman using the nunchuck's stick, and point the controller at the TV to maneuver his eyesight and aim.
Finally, there's the gaming unit itself, a snazzy white casing that is about the size of three DVD cases stacked onto each other; and a pencil-sized receiver that is placed on top of your TV. (The later is what your controllers interact with.) The console physically echoes Nintendo's previous system, the GameCube, in its minimalism, but is actually quite complicated. I was pleased to learn I wouldn't have to run an internet cord into my living room as the Wii has built-in wireless internet access. (I was slightly less pleased that it took just short of an hour to configure my wireless connection.) The Wii also plays GameCube games and can interact with GC controllers; and it has a port for SD memory cards. My editor pointed out that Wii doesn't come with a component cable and complained of being forced to go directly to Nintendo to buy one, but that has yet to bother me.
Full article Here
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December 10th, 2006, 03:02 Posted By: wraggster
Clive posted this news:
Ok, so here's something new you can do with your wiimote. So me and My brother came up with an Idea how to controll Winamp on PC using Nintendo Wii remote, Check this out @ Youtube
and here's instructions in english how to do this by yourself.
http://www.consoletech.org/sekalainen/wiiremote.html
Credits:
Karri Junttila For developing the idea and making this possible
Petri Junttila For Posting the video and making the instructions how-to
Brought you by Team Consoletech
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December 10th, 2006, 03:47 Posted By: wraggster
News from Mollusk
Ok, here’s the first verison, with very little FAT support… It works on no$gba, but takes like 30 seconds to load up because of the FAT init code (I’ll eventually release a version without it)
On DS, I could only test the FAT using my MK2, no idea how it’ll react with other hardware…
Simply click on the SAVE button to save the image, simple enough… It creates a new bmp file every time you save (GFXer000.bmp, then 001, etc…) because I got lazy and didn’t want to add the file explorer+keyboard just yet…
First Alpha release, don’t expect too much…
On my MK2 the miniviewer doesn’t work, but it worked on emulator and maybe EZ1 (not sure). I’ll see that later on, I’m getting tired of this already ^^
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December 10th, 2006, 12:39 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo has retracted a statement made by Reggie Fils-Aime, who said yesterday that Nintendo would be shipping one million units to the United States by the end of the year. We tend not to pay particularly close attention to the estimates that the "big three" console manufacturers make about how many units they expect to ship. Particularly with the new generation of consoles, these targets have more often than not been missed when applied to the real world. But given Nintendo's relative successes this time around, this particular retraction could tell us one of two possible things about the situation that Nintendo currently finds itself in. Either they're having manufacturing issues (possible), or they're diverting units to the rabid masses over in Europe (we'd like to think this is equally likely). There is a third possible scenario: Reggie thought it would be fun to get the press to put a nice round figure of one million behind the Wii launch, which would bring us neatly back to the reason why we don't take these kind of announcements very seriously.
via engadget
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December 10th, 2006, 13:03 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamescentral
I finally received my component cables from Nintendo and I am going to tell you all about my results.
First, for all of you that don't have the component cables yet the wii is capable of working with widescreen settings in 480i but 480i is natively a 4:3 ratio (640x480). So how does this work. Basically the wii sends out a (640x480) image that it knows your TV is going to stretch so the image it sends out is kind of squished and ready to be stretched by your widescreen TV.
What does this mean? This means if you don't have your component cable and you run your wii in 480i Widescreen things will lose clarity. Try running it 4:3 and you will see the difference.
Once you get your component cables there is good news! The Wii outputs anamorphic, EDTV 16:9 DVD Quality at 480p (720x480). 480p is not natively a 16:9 ratio it's a 4.5/3 ratio and has 12.5% more pixels than 480i. Most DVD players will output 480p in 16:9 by stretching it and then sending the image to the display. Instead the Wii outputs the full (720x480) resolution and lets the TV handle it. Luckily 480p (720x480) is easily converted to a 16:9 ratio by your screen with no resolution loss.
Let's take a look at a couple of pics I snapped that really capture this. 480i with rca cables first, then 480p, click to see full scale:
One thing that I was not expecting was how much brighter the colors looked as well. Makes sense since component cable has separate wire for red blue and green. You can easily see this in the pictures. The other benefit of course is less jaggies and more detail that I was expecting. In my personal opinion the 480p looks very hi def and I am no longer worried about the wii's graphic capabilities. Some of the levels in monkey ball are amazing and I am sure Super Smash Brothers and Super Mario Galaxy are going to look fantastic. We are talking about a system that is still twice as powerful as the GameCube.
Screens at the link above.
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December 10th, 2006, 18:09 Posted By: wraggster
New from Divineo UK are the following accessories for the Nintendo Wii:
REMOTE CONTROL *OFFICIAL* FOR WII £ 38.95
Nintendo Wii Nunchuck Controller add-on (Wii) £ 19.95
CLASSIC CONTROLLER *OFFICIAL* FOR WII £ 19.95
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December 10th, 2006, 18:13 Posted By: wraggster
New from Divineo UK
Each glove has in its own words:
Stylish, tactile protective grip to personalise your Wii Remote. This is the Red (replace with colour of choice) version, and includes a Red (or whatever matches the version) wrist strap.
The gloves are £ 6.95 each and come in Pink, Red, Black, Blue.
No screens or photos at this time.
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December 10th, 2006, 18:16 Posted By: wraggster
via engadget
For all of those people out there who didn't manage to grab a Wii at launch -- and probably won't be able to until next year -- there comes a moderate form of compensation in seeing what crazy Wii-themed mods people who did have come up with. The latest to pop up is one that retro-loving Nintendo fans will surely appreciate: a fully functional Wiimote Power Glove, complete with working finger buttons. The burst of nostalgia at seeing the Wii-glove in action is definitely enough to last us until the next Wii shipment, although we can't quite shake the nagging concern that this guy must have spent a whole lot of time not playing his Wii in order to create it.
Check out the screenshot Via comments
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December 10th, 2006, 18:26 Posted By: wraggster
Via codename revolution
2007 is looking like a really hot year for the Wii. Many Nintendo published titles are on their way and although more titles are still yet to be announced, for now here are the Top 10 games to get next year!
1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Two Words: Wi-Fi Connection.
2. Super Mario Galaxy - The legendary series is ready to make a comeback. Galaxy promises to be what Mario 64 once was.
3. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - The last game in the Prime trilogy is sure to be a hit. The original Metroid Prime for the Gamecube is currently the No. 3 top rated game of all time according to Gamerankings.
4. No More Heroes - If enough hype is generated for this game, it could be a smash hit. With free-roaming “GTA” style and RPG elements, the game looks promising.
5. Super Paper Mario - Mix the RPG series with a bit of old-school nostalgia and you are looking at a solid title.
6. Madden NFL 08 - Madden NFL 07 was a fantastic game for the Wii. Sure it’s “another” Madden, but this time around it’ll be a Wi-Fi compatible game and it’s expected to have improved visuals and controls.
7. Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn - The RPG from Nintendo is a sequel to Path of Radiance and should offer a more simpler control mechanism and great graphics.
8. Spider-Man 3 - A Movie game? Yes, in fact Spider-Man 2 was perhaps the greatest movie game in the last generation. The Wii version is considered more of an exclusive version. Perhaps we’ll be swinging through the streets of New York with our Wii-motes!
9. Disaster: Day of Crisis - We may barely know much about it, but it looks to be a third-person title in the likes of Resident Evil with mind-blowing physics.
10. Sonic and the Secret Rings - We know that Sonic games have gone down the drain over the years with the exception of Sonic Rush, but the Wii version was a hit back at E3 and it could be the game Sega needs to keep the franchise alive!
Agree or dont agree, let us know
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December 11th, 2006, 09:49 Posted By: Kramer
Fans may have waited years for Link's latest outing in Twilight Princess, but according to the latest edition of overseas magazine Game Informer, the next epic adventure may come sooner rather than later.
The mag writes, "Our sources tell us that the next installment in this series has been deep in development for around a year," but adds, "It's highly unlikely that Nintendo would release two Zelda games a year apart, but don't be surprised if this game comes up sooner than you think."
Link's next Wii adventure won't be coming before Nintendo DS owners are treated to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass though, which had previously been delayed until early next year. GI
These claims remain totally unconfirmed, so don't hold your breath. But, be sure to stick by for more on the future of now states that the game will instead be released in mid-October of next year, while others suggest that it'll undergo a reworking during the extra time. Zelda.
Via The Hylia
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December 11th, 2006, 16:50 Posted By: wraggster
920,000 units sold in November in North America puts DS at the top of the sales chart for November, even beating sales of the newly launched Wii console, when people were camping outside shops to get their hands on the new console.
We wonder if everyone sat in Wii launch queues bought DSs just for something to do while they wait. 600,000 Wii's were snapped up by eager gamers last month, making for a hugely successful launch for Nintendo, but with the DS still owning the world as if no other games consoles exist, Nintendo already has plenty to celebrate.
Even the Game Boy Advance looks to be having a great Christmas, selling 642,000 units in November. There are surely more GBAs in the world than there are people by now, but somebody's still buying them, clearly.
According to Nintendo, it sold more than 2.1 million systems, including GameCube and Wii, of the 3.9 million consoles purchased in total in the month. Good times for Nintendo.
via cvg
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December 11th, 2006, 16:50 Posted By: wraggster
920,000 units sold in November in North America puts DS at the top of the sales chart for November, even beating sales of the newly launched Wii console, when people were camping outside shops to get their hands on the new console.
We wonder if everyone sat in Wii launch queues bought DSs just for something to do while they wait. 600,000 Wii's were snapped up by eager gamers last month, making for a hugely successful launch for Nintendo, but with the DS still owning the world as if no other games consoles exist, Nintendo already has plenty to celebrate.
Even the Game Boy Advance looks to be having a great Christmas, selling 642,000 units in November. There are surely more GBAs in the world than there are people by now, but somebody's still buying them, clearly.
According to Nintendo, it sold more than 2.1 million systems, including GameCube and Wii, of the 3.9 million consoles purchased in total in the month. Good times for Nintendo.
via cvg
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December 11th, 2006, 16:54 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
Industry legend Warren Spector has revealed to CVG his admiration of Nintendo's Zelda series.
In an interview to be published later in the month, we asked the brains behind the likes of Deus Ex what his dream videogame would be.
"The answer depends on my mood. Honestly, there are times when Zelda (pick one of 'em - ANY of 'em) is as close to perfection as I need to get. I swear my blood pressure drops when I hear the Zelda soundtrack. And I never feel as heroic, as much a part of something epic and important, as I do when I'm pretending to be Link," Spector replied as part of his answer.
And he's not alone. Nintendo has delivered what many regard as some of the greatest videogames of all time with its Zelda titles, and most recent release Twilight Princess has received heaps of plaudits - including a hefty round of applause from us.
Along with querying Warren Spector about his dream videogame in the interview, we asked him about his current top secret project underway at his new company Junction Point Studios and plenty of other stuff.
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December 11th, 2006, 16:57 Posted By: wraggster
More on the Stars into points news, this time from CVG
Finally, those pointless Star points awarded to members of Nintendo-Europe.com can be put to good use; Wii Points cards will soon be made available to purchase through the Stars Catalogue.
It's about time something cool appeared on it - apart from the occasional game, which tends to disappear in seconds, the Stars Catalogue is mostly filled with rubbish desktop pictures and midi sounds which no-one wants to exchange points for. So we're sure the Wii Points cards will be popular when they turn up on the system. Nintendo, however, were unable to disclose a date this would happen.
Even better, when you register your Wii with the Wii Shop Channel, you will be given the option to link your Wii Shop account with your account on the official site by entering your email address. Do it, because Nintendo has revealed that you will earn Stars for every Virtual Console game you download.
Wii Points, in case you don't already know, are used to purchase games from the Wii's Virtual Console, with 2000 Wii points costing around £15. NES games cost 500 points, Turbografx games are 600 points, Mega Drive and SNES games are 800 and N64 games cost 1000.
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December 11th, 2006, 16:58 Posted By: wraggster
via cvg
Super Probotector, Castlevania IV and R-Type bound for December UK release. Oh yes!
If you're as big a retro Nintendo fan as we are, December 29 can't come soon enough because a December release schedule for the Virtual Console on the Wii has revealed that Super NES classics Super Probotector: Aliens Rebels (AKA Super Contra) and Super Castlevania IV will be made available for download on that day in UK.
That's not the only surprise - the Turbografx version of R-Type will also be out on that day too, which is awesome. On December 15 Alien Crush, an amazing pinball game on the Turbografx will also hit the virtual console.
These games come as a pleasant surprise after Nintendo's initial December release list made no mention of these titles - which is particularly sweet in a era where we're more used to great games being delayed, not released unexpectedly.
Meanwhile, the US Virtual Console servers will be graced with Ice Hockey (NES), Gunstar Heroes (Mega Drive), Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Mega Drive) and Alien Crush later today.
The full European Virtual Console release schedule for December 2006 is as follows:
Virtual Console games available from 8th December 2006:
Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)
F-Zero (Super Nintendo)
Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo)
Mario Bros.
The Legend of Zelda (NES)
Donkey Kong (NES)
Wario's Woods (NES)
Sonic the Hedgehog (MEGA DRIVE)
Altered Beast (MEGA DRIVE)
Golden Axe (MEGA DRIVE)
Ecco the Dolphin (MEGA DRIVE)
Bonk's Adventure (Turbografx)
Super Star Soldier (Turbografx)
Victory Run (Turbografx)
Bomberman'93 (Turbografx)
Dungeon Explorer (Turbografx)
Virtual Console games available from 15th December 2006:
Urban Champion (NES)
Solomon's Key (NES)
Pinball (NES)
Columns (MEGA DRIVE)
Gunstar Heroes (MEGA DRIVE)
Ristar (MEGA DRIVE)
Dr. Robotonik's Mean Bean Machine (MEGA DRIVE)
Alien Crush (Turbografx)
Virtual Console games available from 22nd December 2006:
Donkey Kong Jr. (NES)
Soccer and Tennis (NES)
Space Harrier II (MEGA DRIVE)
Toe Jam & Earl (SEGA MEGA DRIVE)
Military Madness (Turbografx)
Virtual Console games available from 29th December 2006:
SimCity (Super Nintendo)
Super Probotector (Super Nintendo)
Super Castlevania IV (Super Nintendo)
Baseball NES)
Ice Hockey (NES)
R-TYPE (Turbografx)
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December 11th, 2006, 17:20 Posted By: wraggster
Released today at Play Asia:
Compatible with GBA™, NDS™, GBA SP™, GB Micro™, NDS™ Lite
No Region Protection
Price: US$ 49.90 (~25.78 GBP)
features
Also compatible with Game Boy Micro, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP
Includes built-in headphone socket for crystal clear stereo sound
Simple on-screen interface including Repeat and Shuffle modes
Two themes available for on-screen interface: standard and Mario
Simply 'drag and drop' songs from PC to SD card, dividing artists or albums into folders as desired
Store approx. 240 songs on a 1Gb SD card (SD card not included)
description
With Nintendo DS you're already used to gaming on the go; now you can listen to music on your travels too, without the need to carry around extra equipment.
The Nintendo MP3 Player is not much bigger than a Game Boy Advance Game Pak but, when slotted into Nintendo DS's GBA cartridge port, turns your handheld into a full-featured music player. Simply select tracks and adjust playing options with the easy on-screen interface and play your tunes through the DS speakers or headphones.
The Nintendo MP3 Player uses common SD cards to store music; simply transfer songs to SD card via a PC and you're all set in seconds - no software, no converting, no fuss!
Buy Now over at Play Asia
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December 11th, 2006, 18:56 Posted By: wraggster
Heres a question to guage the reactions of all Wii Fans,
What Are the Virtual Console Titles You most want to See ?
Ill do mine by system
Nes
Nes Open Golf
Snes
Super Mario World
Mario Kart
Genesis
Megalomania
Nintendo 64
Starcraft64
Whats the Games you would most like to see ?
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December 11th, 2006, 19:01 Posted By: wraggster
via engadget
In what already has the makings of a per-console must, an arcade-style joystick has been built for the Wii, and has quickly made its way onto those mean eBay streets. While it lacks that certain nostalgia of its Xbox 360 Street Fighter-based counterpart, the Wii joystick prototype does manage to look quite a bit less ghetto -- matching the Wii pretty well for looks, though it dwarfs the console in size. The custom controller plugs in via a GameCube plug, so it's backward compatible with GameCube games while you wait around for the Wii lineup to fill in. Of course, the joystick is a natural fit for Virtual Console titles, and while at 10 pounds it might not quite pull off that minimalism of the Wii Classic Controller, the legit arcade components worked into this thing should be welcomed by purists. Unfortunately, there's only one of these floating around so far, so unless you can wait for these kids to build more of 'em, you had better start freeing up a bit of PayPal cash for an eminent eBay purchase.
Screenshot Via Comments
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December 11th, 2006, 19:11 Posted By: wraggster
Via Insert credit
With a global simultaneous launch (or near to it) a lot of people ignored the Wii's japanese release titles, concentrating instead on the games actually available to them, and a very nice little Hudson release has slipped through the cracks. It's called Kororinpa, and is the game you'd see if Taito said to Hudson "Hey, make a 3D Cameltry!" No one really seems to be aware of its existence - even in japan it received a very, very limited release, and that's a shame. As you can see, I think it's groovy.
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December 11th, 2006, 19:24 Posted By: wraggster
Via kotaku
Word is spreading that, like you could on the 360 before the Live Gods rained down their terrible vengeance, the Virtual Console has a little workaround in place to let users from different regions access content not otherwise available in their part of the world.
It's not quite as globally comprehensive as the 360's was, however, as it seems to only have been tested on PAL units: Australian consumers can switch their login details to the UK, which while sharing the PAL system actually has a slightly different Virtual Console lineup (Aussie owners should now be able to access the Turbografix titles, for example)
Heres what was posted at Neogaf
Australian Wii owners can change their country settings to United Kingdom and access the Turbografix titles.
Once downloaded, you can change your settings back and the game channels remain.
Bonks Adventure FTW!
Get in quick before this loophole is closed.
Sorry if old...
Interesting, i wonder if this can be done on other regions ?
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December 11th, 2006, 19:40 Posted By: wraggster
This is for USA Wii Users, via Kotaku
Nintendo is adding Ice Hockey, Gunstar Heroes, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and Alien Crush to the Wii Shop Channel at 11 a.m. Eastern time today. Hmm, I'm not sure about these:
Ice Hockey (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Ice Hockey is hard-hitting, fast-action competition that re-creates all the excitement of the sport from faceoffs to penalty shots. Players pass the puck and shoot to score while using defensive tactics, including fake shots and ice brawls to crush adversaries. It's up to the player to find the best strategy to win the game - finesse or power.
Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): The Gunstar 9 planet was peaceful for many years until the vicious dictator, Colonel Red, kidnapped the Gunstar twins' older brother and used mind control to make him
his slave. Players face many different enemies and bosses while battling to stop the dictator from unleashing "Golden Silver the Destructor" with apocalyptic consequences.
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)r. Robotnik is stamping out music and fun in Mobius with his giant robotizing Mean Bean Steaming Machine. Before he turns all the citizens of Beanville into robots, players must save the day by gathering up beans in matching colors and defeating Robotnik's guards.
Alien Crush (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Alien Crush is a fan-favorite pinball game that features a sinister sci-fi theme. Play through a two-level playing field that comes to life with pulsating alien creatures.
Rack up a high enough score, clear the board of these extraterrestrials and discover secret bonus stages. The game features realistic pinball action, complete with a tilt function and two selectable soundtracks. Do you have what it takes to fight back against this alien infestation?
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December 11th, 2006, 19:58 Posted By: wraggster
Finally a MASSIVE release for the Gamecube, heres the details
features
When Link travels to the darkened land of Hyrule, he transforms into a wolf and must scour the land with the help of a mysterious being named Midna.
Ride into battle against troops of foul creatures, using an incredible horseback combat system, then take on massive bosses that must be seen to be believed.
Many puzzles stand between Link and the fulfillment of his quest, so players must sharpen their wits as they hunt for weapons and items.
Characters include Link, Zelda, Midna and many others, both new and old.
description
When an evil shadow stretches from the heart of Hyrule to its peaceful borderlands, a young farm boy named Link must awaken the hero ... and the animal ... within.
Link, a young man raised as a wrangler in a rural village, is ordered by the mayor to attend the Hyrule Summit. He sets off, oblivious to the dark fate that has descended upon the kingdom. When he enters the Twilight Realm that has covered Hyrule, he transforms into a wolf and is captured. A mysterious figure named Midna helps him break free, and with the aid of her magic, they set off to free the land from the shadows.
Link must explore the vast land of Hyrule and uncover the mystery behind its plunge into darkness. As he does, he’ll have to enlist the aid of friendly folk, solve puzzles and battle his way through dangerous dungeons. In the Twilight Realm, he’ll have to use his wolf abilities and Midna’s magic to bring light to the land.
Besides his trusty sword and shield, Link will use his bow and arrows, fight while on horseback and use a wealth of other items, both new and old.
Buy the best reason to own a Gamecube this year here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...-j-70-4l1.html
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December 11th, 2006, 21:00 Posted By: wraggster
Play Asia have posted the release of several new items for the Nintendo DS, heres the list:
Kirby Outgoing Bag DS Lite (blue) US$ 14.90
Kirby Outgoing Bag DS Lite (pink) US$ 14.90
Kirby Pouch DS Lite (black) US$ 14.90
Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary JPN US$ 48.90
Ryuusei no RockMan: Dragon JPN US$ 48.90
Ryuusei no RockMan: Leo JPN US$ 48.90
Ryuusei no RockMan: Pegasus JPN US$ 48.90
More Info --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...9-en-84-n.html
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December 11th, 2006, 21:34 Posted By: wraggster
Article via Liquid Ice
I was playing around today with the Mii data that is found in the wii-mote. There are 2 blocks of Mii Data, but we're not sure if it alternates between the two, or if it uses both. The data is a hash, so it's not as simple as changing the hex bits to change the look of your Mii. There is a way to update the CRC on the data and it's being investigated now. Here is some Mii Data from the WiiBrew Wiki thanks to Marcan and other hackers on IRC EFnet #wiidev:
I have been testing these codes using Simple HID Write. It's some sample program for Delphi programmers, but until someone else writes a more specific app for doing this stuff, it works. You can download it from here if you want to check out what your Wiimote's Mii data looks like.
To read Mii Data block 1:
Report ID: 17
Command: 00 0F CA 02 EF
To read Mii Data block 2:
Report ID: 17
Command: 00 12 BA 02 EF
Info for writing the data block is here:
http://www.ch0p.com/wiiki/index.php?...ng_and_Writing
Can someone put together a quick app that will read and write data from the wiimote mii data storage to a file on the computer? Big Red Pimp posted this Wii-Mote Test app which is close, but still does not fully support Mii Data.
Next step: figure out how to rewrite the hash to make our own mii with the info here, but this comes much later, for now it would be neat to be able to trade mii data block with other wii hackers as an easy way to bus multiple wii's around to other wii consoles without messing with friend codes and emails.
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December 11th, 2006, 21:46 Posted By: wraggster
Whoah this may piss Nintendo off, cant verify this works or not and in no way shape or form is anyone to post links to downloads or sites with downloads but this could be an awesome way to get into the system for homebrew, heres the info posted from the hacking:
Needed:
- Nintendo Wii
- SD Memory Card
- Saved Channel *Included*
Instructions : Access your SD card and place the file named 'private' onto the drive. Take the card out of your system and place it in the Wii. Navigate to your Wii memory management settings and find the section that is labeled 'Channels'. You will find two tabs inside, one for your Wii and the other for the SD card. Select the SD tab and you will find the saved channel present. Copy it to your Wii and you will be done.
If you enjoy it, purchase it yourself. Wii did!
So is this the way in for Homebrew on the Wii lets see where this hacking takes us or is it a load of rubbish, let us know via comments.
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December 11th, 2006, 22:36 Posted By: wraggster
Zelda fan site The Hylia is reporting, by way of Game Informer issue 165, that Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is going to be subject to a rather lengthy delay. Apparently, Phantom Hourglass won't be hitting retail shelves until October of 2007, much longer than the previous push to early 2007 the game received.
via dsfanboy
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December 11th, 2006, 22:40 Posted By: wraggster
ttursas has again updated his homebrew game for the DS, heres whats new:
Here's what's new in v0.1.9:
* The machine gun bullets have as good collision checks as the missiles.
* Made the menus look nicer.
* The mines get activated when there are no planes near them.
* You can collide with your own mines.
* Added auto rotation to the plane selection screen.
* All bullets and particles that occupy only one pixel on the screen are now rendered.
* Reorgazined the play menu screen.
* Added two new multiplayer modes: deathmatch and 10 kills.
* The HUD shows now 0 if you are out of ammo.
* When in plane selection screen, or while the game is paused, the master volume is 50% of the normal.
* Added "VICTORY!" and "DEFEAT" messages to the network play (and DEFEAT replaces the old GAME OVER).
* Cleaned up the HUD (and redrew PAUSE).
* You cannot pause the game during a network match anymore.
* Added bombs.
* Added free EWRAM, and the free ARM7 time to the hidden debug screen.
* The plane selection view is now in perspective.
* The HUD shows again the number of the remaining lives (if they are relevant for the current game mode).
* Added line-of-sight to the AI bots, and the turrets now fire at the closest plane that is firing that they can see.
* Added a little random to the AI turrets' targetting.
...
The next release could come out soon as Markus is working on the editor and the
export/import stuff as I type this. The IDGA pub night is once again next Tuesday, and
we'll be there once again testing the game in a totally unsuitable enviroment. Nintendo's
having some Wii demo stuff there, so it might turn out to something pretty interesting!
Download and Give feedback Via Comments
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December 11th, 2006, 23:11 Posted By: wraggster
EZ Flash have announced their Slot 1 flascart solution for the Nintendo DS, heres the features:
Players have been using GBA cards to play NDS games for a long time. From
CF card to microSD card, it seems there are plenty of choices
available. But virtually they are all based on an immature technology and they are only a compromise solution. Not only the flashing your DS to gain booting support, but also frenquent
software upgrades are needed to mend the ROM for supporting new
games. Those are nightmare to players who just want to fucus on games and
all of these inconvenience are caused by the imperfect technology.
The nightmare is becoming history now. "Flashme, Passme,
Convert" will fade away from player's life. Because a real mature
SLOT-1 solution is provide by EZTEAM. EZ-FLASH V, a product using the mature SLOT-1
technology, no need "Flashme, Passme,Convert" anymore.
You can focus on playing game without worrying anything. More than that,
EZ-FLASH V's multimedia function provides more choices for players.
EZ-FLASH V is the output of EZTEAM's expenrience from GBA era. EZTEAM never give
up to technology difficulties in the 4 years. Highly secured quality
assurance, active improvements on defects, respect to the user's
opinions-all these efforts aim one goal: to satisfied the players. Only by
doing this can the EZ brand survive.
EZ-FLASH V features
1:1 original card size，side loading.
Using MicroSD(Trans Flash) as external storage. cheap and variety usage.
Direct boot, no need another boot card or flash your DS. EZ5 also can be used as bootcard.
Moonshell integrated bootloader, direct watch DPG movie, listen MP3, read TXT book in loader.
Bootloader can be full customized. included skin and function. bootloader sourcecode almost full opened.
Dual read mode: CLEAN and HYBRID. CLEAN means just drag the rom to card and play. HYBRID means EZ5 supporting the modified rom for further function, include softreset and cheat. it also provides improved compatiblity, such as boost the readspeed. no lag can be feeled even you have a low speed microsd card.
Perfect FAT system support, automatic generate saver file. multi saver function available.
Using hardware flashchip saver. never lose your save.
Loader upgradable
Homebrew support, IO lib will release on launch.
Screens Via Comments
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December 11th, 2006, 23:24 Posted By: wraggster
via IGN
Today, D3Publisher announced Puzzle Quest: Warlords for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS handheld systems. Puzzle Quest incorporates role-playing and strategy elements with classic puzzle-based gameplay.
"We believe consumers will enjoy the combination of much-loved gameplay styles incorporated into Puzzle Quest and find the game to be a compelling choice for casual or on-the-go gamers, as well as offer a great challenge to more seasoned gamers," said Michael Scharnikow of D3. "Puzzle Quest can be enjoyed in either long or short doses of gameplay for a casual, yet also deeply satisfying and immersive, gameplay experience."
Puzzle Quest forces gamers to create their own hero in order to save the land of Etheria from the evils that threaten it. In order to complete this quest, players must battle in turn-based, head-to-head puzzle games in one of three distinct gameplay modes: Single-player pits gamers against the computer AI in a series of 150 quests, Instant Action allows gamers to jump in and immediately play continuous battles to level-up characters without the need to participate in quests, finally Multiplayer lets players take on opponents via wireless connectivity on both handheld systems.
Puzzle Quest: Warlords for both the PSP and Nintendo DS will ship to North American retailers in March 2007.
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December 11th, 2006, 23:28 Posted By: wraggster
Via IGN
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings isn't the only DS-based Final Fantasy game set for display at this weekend's Jump Festa event in Tokyo. Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates will also be at the event. Even better, unlike the movie-only presence for Revenant Wings, the publisher will be delivering a playable version of Ring of Fates.
In addition to this news, Square Enix has opened up a teaser site for Crystal Chronicles. The full website will open shortly, presumably in time for the Jump Festa's December 16 start.
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December 11th, 2006, 23:29 Posted By: wraggster
via ign
Square Enix has been shy on details and screens for Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, one of its big Tokyo Game Show surprises. At long last, the silence has come to an end. Thanks to the latest issue of Famitsu, we have a few additional gameplay and story details.
As originally reported, Revenant Wings focuses on the further adventures of Vaan and Panelo. Following the events of FFXII, Vaan has grown some, and is working as an air pirate. Panelo is Vaan's girlfriend, and also serves as his navigator.
Revenant Wings takes place in Remless, a large island chain that floats above FFXII's Ivalice. The Eagle race of winged Hume creatures reside in this world within a world. These creatures have short lives of around 40 years. So far, we know of one particular Eagle, a young soldier named Llyud who ends up meeting Vaan and Panelo.
In addition to these story details, Famitsu also provides first details on the game's battle system. The battle system looks like it has some real time strategy elements to it. Vaan and his party -- the Famitsu screenshots show up to three allies -- face off against enemies directly on a 2D map. Your party members automatically attack their nearest enemy. It's up to you to tell the characters where to go and select a target if you wish. You also use the stylus to draw the area of attack for magic attacks.
Based on the screenshots in Famitsu, Revenant Wings looks like it's completely 2D, with lots of sprites, effects and color. The screens also make references to a "Gambit" system, suggesting FFXII's artificial intelligence system will make it over.
We weren't able to see any shots of the game's dual screen support, but director Motome Toriyama provided a few hints. The second screen will be used to help display data, which can't all fit on a single screen. You'll be able to switch the two screens between top and bottom.
Revenant Wings is still being flagged with a TBA release date. But with a new trailer expected to debut at next week's Jump Festa in Tokyo, we expect the Japanese release to not be too far off.
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December 12th, 2006, 03:03 Posted By: wraggster
via kotaku
In order to wash the taste of the Sony PSP viral marketing video from earlier out of your mouth, I present you with Wii Boy, the story of a man who uses the power of imagination to overcome hardship.
The video reminds me of when I was a kid, and all the other kids had Go-bots and Transformers, and all I had was rocks. I would pretend they transformed into robots, and I was happy. Then Tonka made Rock Lords. *******s. Pretty sure this isn't a viral ad, seeing as a real viral ad would use a real Wii in it...or maybe they know I know that, and used a fake one to throw me off. Man, the internet sure is complicated.
Video here -->
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December 12th, 2006, 03:16 Posted By: wraggster
via joystiq
We (still) have a Wii problem despite stronger controller straps as once again we're reminded that common sense does not come standard when playing Wii. Just read the below account as one guy gets hopped-up on liquid courage and allegedly nails his girlfriend in the eye while playing Zelda resulting in the purple growth monstrosity you see above. Amazingly, it was followed by a smile instead of a night on the sofa.
In the boyfriend's own words: "After guzzling a copious amount of 'wife beater' (Stella Artois), I returned home to find the girlie in mid battle with a Zelda 'Boss'. In my inebriated state, it was instinctual to become her knight in shining armour. I proceeded to take the controllers off her and fight the beast myself. Unfortunately, my courage was far greater than my skill. Having taken a good kicking, Liz then tried to intervene with disastrous results. She approached me from the side, appearing from my blind spot, whilst I was performing a slashing movement. I hit her with full force right in her eye!"
For reals? Possibly, but if the dude wasn't swinging the remote with his left hand hitting her in the right eye, someone has some explaining to do.
Screenshot of the injury via comments
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December 12th, 2006, 12:08 Posted By: Darksaviour69
More than 100,000 units shifted during opening weekend
Nintendo and Chart Track have confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that the Wii has become the fastest-selling home console ever, with 105,000 systems already sold.
Last week, Nintendo announced that consumers snapped up 50,000 Wii units within 12 hours of the console going on sale.
The tills continued to ring over the next two days, making the Wii the first console to sell more than 100,000 units during its opening weekend.
In contrast, the GameCube saw sales of 52,000 consoles in the first weekend after launch, while the figure for Xbox 360 stood at 70,000 units.
Of the 14 software titles launching with the Wii, six made it into the all-formats top 40 - including Zelda, which debuted at number 5. Other popular titles included Wii Play and Ubisoft's Red Steel.
It was also a great week for Nintendo's handheld, with around 110,000 DS units sold, and 14 games in the top 40.
gamesindustry.biz
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December 12th, 2006, 17:12 Posted By: wraggster
News from Divineo China
We have added the ultra low price Kingston 1GB Micro SD card, compatible with Cyclo-DS and other devices .
More info
Official Kingston MicroSD card, 1GB capacity.
Each Kingston microSD comes with an SD adapter that gives you the convenience to use it as a full-size secure digital (SD) card in SD-enabled devices
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December 12th, 2006, 17:15 Posted By: wraggster
New from Divineo China
Overview of the product
Available in 5 colors, the Triple Function Power Pack gives your NDS Lite all the power it needs for over 40 hours of gameplay! Its smart design let you choose from 3 different power sources with a little switch. Easy to install and to use, it is a must have for long gaming sessions away from home!
Specifications & extra information
- 3000mAh mega power pack
- Triple source of power for NDS Lite
- Emergency power supply function
- 40 hours of gameplay
- Compatible with original or third party console battery packs
- Compatible with original or third party power supply
- Compatible with AA size normal, alkaline or rechargeable batteries
- 3 hours for a full charge (one by one process)
- All in one design, easy to set up and use
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December 12th, 2006, 17:25 Posted By: wraggster
New from Divineo China
Overview of the product
Available in 5 clear colors, the multi function box for NDS Lite let you store safely your console and accessories in total safety. It also comes with 2 silicon finger touch pens and a NDS lite screw driver. Its design is especially made to hold perfectly stylus pens, console, GBA SP and NDS game card, extra batteries!
Specifications & extra information
- 4 types of inner trays to hold console or various accessories
- Protects your console against scratches and shocks
- Built in polycarbonate armor inner tray
- Stores: 2 GBA SP cards, 8 NDS Lite cards, battery cover and screwdriver, 3 stylus pens, 2 finger touch pens, 1 extra battery, NDS console and an additional 8 NDS Lite cards on another tray.
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December 12th, 2006, 17:28 Posted By: wraggster
News from eurogamer
Reports from magical lands off beyond the seas suggest that Nintendo has quietly upgraded the flimsy Wii remote strap without telling anyone.
Photographs have emerged comparing the cord that attaches the wrist-strap to the base of the Wii-mote sold in the US/Japan with one sold in the Australian market - with the latter noticeably thicker.
Nintendo UK declined to comment on the photograph. "We are evaluating the wrist strap to determine how to minimise the risk of breakage when a player lets go of their controller during enthusiastic gameplay," a spokesperson told us. TRY SWAPPING IT FOR A FAT ONE.
As for Europe, it's anecdotal, but neither of my Wii remotes has the thicker strap, despite my being a fat-handed dork prone losing his grip who could've done with one.
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December 12th, 2006, 17:39 Posted By: wraggster
via eurogamer
Dragon Quest IX will be a Nintendo DS title, and is due out sometime in 2007, Square Enix has announced in Japan.
Given the series' massive popularity over there, the company's decision to make the next epic instalment for the diminutive Nintendo handheld is likely to cause a stir. For example, this paragraph, which wouldn't be here otherwise.
Developed by Level-5, who did the last PlayStation 2 title, Dragon Quest VIII, and are also working on PlayStation 3's White Knight Story, the ninth DQ RPG is subtitled "Hoshizora no Mamoribito", which is translated as something like "Defender of the Starry Skies" according to 1UP.
It will be done in 3D, with action-oriented battles and network options that will see up to four players teaming up. Series creator Yuji Horii has reportedly spoken of his desire to make a game that's "a true part of the series" and not simply a spin-off in the vein of other Nintendo DS RPGs based on renowned home-console series.
The game's said to be quite a way along, with a playable demo shown off at the game's unveiling in Japan, while Famitsu has a pair of screenshots demonstrating bright, handsome 3D RPG visuals more akin to the game's recent traditions than the top-down battling typically associated with the two-screen handheld.
Square-Enix's event in Japan also saw the unveiling of card-battler Dragon Quest: Monster Battle Road, according to reports.
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December 12th, 2006, 17:41 Posted By: wraggster
Via Gamesradar
Sega will release a brand new version of its classic space shooter, Alien Syndrome, for Nintendo Wii and PlayStation Portable in Summer next year, the developer-cum-publisher has revealed today.
As Earth Command Trooper Aileen Harding - or just Aileen to her friends, natch - Alien Syndrome hurls you into a action-orientated, RPG-lite universe of derelict spaceships and weird alien worlds, with a host of weaponry and upgrades scattered liberally around to assist you in your quest to blast and bash a hostile horde of alien beasties.
Alien Syndrome on Wii uses the motion-sensing controllers for combat in a similar way as Zelda - you'll be wafting the Wii-mote to hack up aliens, for example - as well as tinkering with items and hacking into computers. While PSP will feature Wi-Fi co-op multiplayer for up to four space cadets to pummel their way through the extraterrestrial resistance in several different modes.
Alien Syndrome was a classic late 80's space shooter that spawned across more than 10 formats, including Game Gear, Master System, and NES, as well as hitting PS2 in Japan as Vol. 14 of Sega's Ages 2500 series. And, no, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the recent announcement that Sega will be making games inspired by the Alien film franchise. So no confusion there then...
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December 12th, 2006, 19:13 Posted By: wraggster
Divineo China have posted that the G6 Lite Flashcart for DS is back in stock.
For those who dont know what a G6 Lite is, heres the info:
The G6 Lite *ENGLISH* is the flagship product from G6 Flash. It has internal memory and comes with 4G memory card (1G = 1 Giga bit = 1024 bit ). It supports both DS and GBA games but also includes emulators for playing FC, NES, SNES, GB, GBC, PCE, SEGA-MS & GG. The unit has a built in media player for playing the following formats:
- Dolby AC3 audio frequency file (*.AC3)
- target's file of DVD video (*.VOB)
- wave form sound file of Microsoft (*.WAV)
- MPEG-1 Audio Layer-2 file (*.MP2)
- MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 file (*.MP3)
- Real media file (*.RA, *.RM, *.RAM, *.RMVB)
- MPEG-1 media file (*.Mpeg, *.Mpg)
- MPEG-2 media file (*.M2V)
- Windows media file (*.AVI, *.ASF, *.WMA, *.WMV)
- VCD video file (*.DAT)
- QuickTime media file (*.MOV)
- MPEG-4 media file (*.AVI)
- DivX media file (*.AVI)
The G6 Lite also has a built in PDA program with full english menus
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December 12th, 2006, 19:22 Posted By: wraggster
Your Wii-made Mii persona will be used as your playable character in the Wii version of Animal Crossing, and any accessories or clothing collected in-game will be available for your Mii to wear in other Nintendo Wii titles, according to US games magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly.
These hints were dropped in EGM's most recent rumour column, although Nintendo's eagerness to use Mii characters in other Wii games - Wii Sports, The Sims Wii, WarioWare Smooth Moves - suggests that there may be a shred of truth to the speculation.
But we're not convinced it'd be a wise move. Animal Crossing's charming and beautifully cartoonified visual style is one of the series' strongest assets. If Animal Crossing on Wii shares the same, much less attractive style as The Sims Wii, we're sure there'll be hordes of 'Crossing fans lining up to give Nintendo a piece of their minds. And we'll be right at the front of the crowd.
The ability to transfer your bits and bobs - perhaps enabled by a firmware update - is a nice touch. But please, if you're listening Nintendo, don't compromise Animal Crossing's fantastic visuals by turning it into just another Mii vehicle.
via gamesradar
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December 12th, 2006, 19:27 Posted By: wraggster
via kotaku
Some people just don't get along with wires. I'm not fussed, they've never done anything to me personally, but I've also seen men boil over with rage just looking at a phone line.
So I can understand why stuff like this has not only been sorted out, but engineered and shifted to retail in under a month. It's a wireless Wii sensor bar, which will do everything your regular sensor bar does, only more conspicuously and at the cost of batteries.
For $25, you can probably do without one. Then again, some people have gaming rigs that look like an Escher painting, and this will come as welcome relief
More info --> http://www.wirelesssensorbar.com/
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December 12th, 2006, 19:33 Posted By: wraggster
Heres the latest weekly special from Play Asia:
Get ready for an original game experience as players tilt Yoshi through topsy-turvy worlds brimming with adventure.
When Bowser starts wreaking havoc on Yoshi’s Island, a book spirit named Hongo traps the entire island within the pages of a storybook. Only by locking Bowser away can Yoshi convince Hongo to release the rest of the island, so he sets out to progress through the chapters of the book...
Each course is controlled by a spirit. One loves money, one who loves fast things, one who loves friendliness, one loves strength, etc. They will set out guidelines for the course, such as collecting fruit to free a certain number of Egglings, finshing a course before time runs out, finding a certain number of coins or destroying -- or, in a particularly clever twist, not destroying -- a certain number of enemies. By satisfying that spirit’s requirements, players pass the course.
Yoshim, being Yoshi, can jump and stick out his tongue to eat fruit or enemies, but the main feature of the game is the tilt mechanism. By moving the Game Boy Advance SP side to side, players tilt the world around Yoshi, causing enemies to roll around, swinging ships and pendulums and bouncing items all over the place. An impassable wall will become a climbable slope, or a rolled-up carpet will become a long platform. Each environment requires players to master not only button presses but also tilt movements to progress.
Nintendo's Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (aka. Yoshi Topsy-Turvy) for Gameboy Advance™ is now available at unbeatable US$ 9.90 only.
Game features:
By tilting the Game Boy Advance SP, players will turn the environment around Yoshi to knock over enemies, swing pendulums, and help Yoshi run up walls and leap huge pits.
All of Yoshi’s Island is trapped in a storybook, and only by meeting the challenges of each chapter will players succeed. Collect coins, defeat enemies or race for the finish to satisfy each course’s conditions.
As usually, this weekly special is valid for exactly 1 week (if not sold out earlier) and this time limited to a maximum purchase of 1 unit per customer. As a small restriction, please also notice that you cannot use any further discount coupons along with this special offer.
Buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...9-en-84-n.html
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December 12th, 2006, 19:37 Posted By: wraggster
New release for Wii:
Bleach: Wii Shiraha Kirameku Rinbukyoku is based on the popular Japanese anime series and marks the first game of the series so far released on any of the next generation systems. Bleach Wii is a one-on-one fighting game with unique aspects resulting from Nintendo's Wii Remote controller.
While you move your character with the Nunchuk, the real action is done with the Wii Remote. Wave the controller like a sword to perform various attacks (slash back and forth for normal attacks, slash downward for high strikes and other special moves such as uppercuts and more).
More Info here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1loi.html
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December 12th, 2006, 19:38 Posted By: wraggster
New DS Game released, heres the details:
Naruto: Shinobi Retsuden is a 3D fighting game for Nintendo DS™, based on the popular anime series. The game has been developed by the makers of the Naruto Gamecub™ series Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen (Naruto Clash of Ninja outside of Japan).
Confirmed characters in this game include Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Hatake Kakashi, Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga and more. Naruto: Shinobi Retsuden supports Wi-Fi battles.
Buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1nw7.html
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December 12th, 2006, 19:47 Posted By: wraggster
New Jap Wii Game release:
Rayman Raving Rabbids is the edgiest and most off-the-wall gaming experience in the history of the Rayman franchise.
This new Rayman game features the funniest, zaniest, wackiest antics ever when hordes of nasty bunnies invade Rayman’s world and he is enslaved and forced to participate in a series of gladiator- style trials. In order to win his freedom, Rayman must entertain and outwit these crazed, out-of-control bunnies.
More Info --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1loo.html
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December 12th, 2006, 20:06 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Star Trek: Tactical Assaultchecks you out to the final frontier. Kirk is in command, and the Klingons are the bad guys. Choose powerful Federation and Klingon warships and outthink your opponents to succeed. Play through the era that started it all, with this classic Star Trek game. Play through either the Federation or Klingon campaigns in single-player mode or go head-to-head against a friend in wireless multiplayer action.
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December 12th, 2006, 20:07 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Kirby's back and ready for a bellyful of adventure, in Kirby Squeek Squad. When someone steals some strawberry shortcake, the pink powerhouse sets out after them, learning new skills. All the classic floating, jumping and battling of a classic Kirby game are here, but with a massive boost. You'll mix and match abilities that Kirby copies, by using the stylus to drag them together inside Kirby's belly (located on the touch screen). The powers themselves now have the ability to affect the environment, as well as foes. Burn trees and grasses with the Fire ability, freeze water with the Ice ability. In sub-game mode, this game also features multiplayer fun for up to four players, using either Multi-Card or DS Download Play over DS Local Area Network.
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December 12th, 2006, 20:53 Posted By: wraggster
via gizmodo
What do you get when you take a TiVo, a Super Nintendo, and two drunks? A Super NinTiVo. These guys took a working TiVo unit and shoved it inside the body of a Super Nintendo. Hence, Super NinTiVo. Everything works afterwards, even down to the IR receiver—which they had to order another of because they broke the first.
The only downside is that..
the hard drive doesn't actually fit in the unit, so it just sits bare-assed on the outside.
Screens Via Comments
more info
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December 12th, 2006, 21:46 Posted By: wraggster
Via wiifanboy
Elebits, the launch title (before Metroid Prime 3 was pushed back) this blogger wants the most, has finally released and we can now go hunting for those tiny little critters, tearing apart kitchens and gardens as we do so. We're quite sure, based on our time with the title at E3 and what has been shown since, that we're going to love it, but what about the rest of the game reviewing world? What do the critics think of the game?
Game Informer - 70%: "The tactile sensation of pointing at a popcorn cart and flinging it into the stratosphere is interesting and fun, but simple movement and navigation will occasinally be a needlessly frustrating obstacle." [Jan 2007, p.106]
IGN - 83%: "If you're looking for a visual stunner, Elebits is not for you. But if you just want a really fun outing that's every bit as original as it is engaging, I think Elebits is your game. This title is destined for sleeper status."
Gamebrink - 89%: "A solid title that uses the Wiimote and Nunchuk controls extremely well. If you're not in it for the offline 4 player multiplayer, which isnt all that great, or the level building then this is probably a rental. Though, if you want to get perfect rankings on all the levels youll likely want to make it a purchase."
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December 12th, 2006, 21:50 Posted By: wraggster
Article via Busy Gamer News
Many Wii gamers trying to get online via Wi-Fi have been thwarted by some 5-digit errors (51330, 52130). What's funny is that often the Wii system updates will download fine, but try connecting a minute later to accept the User Agreements for Wii Shop and you'll be denied. Here are some tactics that may help you solve the problem:
Make sure your router is on the list of supported hardware
Update your router to the latest firmware
Reboot your router
Switch your router to broadcast on channel 1 or 11
Adjust your router settings to allow both 802.11g and 802.11b, if supported
Avoid using microwave ovens, cordless phones and other 2.4GHz devices while connecting
Move your router closer to your Wii or use a repeater to extend its range
Change the MTU setting to 1400
Manually configure your router with your Wii's MAC address
Assign a manual IP address, DNS servers, etc.
Spend $35-45 on a Wi-Fi USB Connector for your Windows XP PC (sorry, no Mac version yet)
Wait for the Wii LAN Adapter (due in January)
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December 12th, 2006, 22:39 Posted By: wraggster
Chirst has posted some new maps for his Maps for DS application for the Nintendo DS:
Some new maps for AMAP4DS:
- AMAP4DS-Genève-Transports
- AMAP4DS-Stockholm-Subway
- AMAP4DS-Yokohama-Subway
- AMAP4DS-Zurich-S-Bahn
- AMAP4DS-Zurich-Tram
Free download on my homepage:
http://www.andreani.net/ds/
Christ
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December 12th, 2006, 22:59 Posted By: bobslack
MoonBooks is an extension of my Literary Greats library on cd project you’ve probably not heard of. These books are in the public domain and are formatted specifically for use with the fabulous MoonShell for the Nintendo DS.
I’m hoping this project, and any others like it will expand upon the interest programs like Brain Age has created in the video game industry, and cause Nintendo or some other company to release something like MoonShell (or any other text viewer) to the general public, as the books are already available and freely (and legally) available.
So basically... books in the public domain specifically formatted for use with MoonShell.
Oh yeah... here's the url: http://moonbooks.stonecypher.net
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December 13th, 2006, 01:53 Posted By: wraggster
via joystiq
1UP speculates that Street Fighter II is coming to a Virtual Console near you, this according to a recent ESRB rating approval of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior for Wii. Does this mean the game will hit the Virtual Console? Not necessarily, but it's unlikely Capcom would release a single game compilation specific to Wii. The ESRB's database also includes Kirby's Adventure, Kid Icarus, PilotWings and Punch-Out for Wii with no release dates accompanying the approved ratings.
If true, the expected $8 emulated Wii port wouldn't support online play, widescreen, or any new game modes, all of which Street Fighter II': Hyper Fighting on Xbox Live Arcade does for only $2 more ($10). So which is better; a "purist" $8 version on Wii, or the added meat and potatoes one for $10 on XLA?
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December 13th, 2006, 02:07 Posted By: wraggster
ttursas has again updated his homebrew game for the DS, heres whats new:
Here's what's new in v0.2.0:
* Added another multiplayer mode: 40 seconds (with a timer in the HUD).
* When a multiplayer match begins, "GO!" is displayed on the screen.
* Moved "VICTORY!", "DEFEAT", "GO!" and "PAUSE" a little up so that they don't cover the plane.
* After pressing "CONNECT!", "READY!" or "END!", the user cannot select anything in the
menus for one second. This is to prevent accidental double clicking.
* Bombs and mines didn't score kills, fixed that.
...
Not that much, but that's all for a while. I'll be preparing myself for my holiday, and taking that
holiday, so no more Wright Flight updates for the next three weeks. See ya!
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December 13th, 2006, 02:29 Posted By: wraggster
So it's no surprise that developers look to games like Pokemon for their own inspirations, and that's exactly what's going on with D3Publisher and its upcoming Nintendo DS adventure: Fossil League: Dino Tournament Champion. Also known as Dino Grand Prix in Japan, this D3Publisher release will hit stateside early next year, and the company let us tinker around with the localized version that it had on-hand at its holiday event last week.
Fossil League's design follows the Pokemon layout almost to a T. Instead of collecting and battling random and original creatures, you'll be collecting and battling dinosaurs from all across the different prehistoric eras. And in this case, D3Publisher can get away with staking an "educational" slant for the design since all the creatures have scientific evidence backing that they existed on the planet at one time or another.
The whole idea is to traverse the past and complete your Dinopedia by collecting dinosaurs for your army. There are more than a hundred different dinosaurs to encounter in this game, all rendered in 3D during battle sequences where players pit Dino against Dino to win fights and strengthen their creatures. You'll not only use the touch screen to command your dinos in battle, but you'll also play archeologist on the touch panel by using the stylus to excavate fossils you stumble over along the way.
Like Pokemon, you'll be able to fight against other players wirelessly on other local Nintendo DS systems, but you won't be able to trade collected dinos with one another. Bummer.
via IGN
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December 13th, 2006, 02:30 Posted By: wraggster
Who knows what events led to the creation of Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. But there it is, a game that crosses puzzles game like Bejeweled with the strategy role-playing genre. It's an interesting concept, like splicing Dance Dance Revolution with a Zork text adventure. The game showed up at a recent event in San Francisco, held by D3 Publisher to show off its upcoming titles.
At first, Puzzle Quest looks like a typical RPG. Players choose a character among a pool of different types, as well as a gender and name. From there, the game dumps the newly formed character on top of an overworld map. Again, players will notice this looks a lot like a typical RPG setup complete with towns and castles. But here's where things shoot off in another direction. Instead of traveling the land and entering towns, players simply click on towns to bring up an options menu. They can visit a number of shops, receives quests or do whatever else happens to sit in the menu. Since the demo on display took place at the start of the game, there was only one quest available.
Full article at IGN
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December 13th, 2006, 02:36 Posted By: wraggster
via ign
Good news, Wii fans - Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is coming to Nintendo's wand-waving console early next year and the European version will boast an all-new battle arena and six extra fighters that don't feature in the US version. The game - developed by Spike - promises more of the same 3D acrobatic scraps the series is famous for, although rather than hammering buttons to swing a punch, gamers must lash out with the nunchuk to plant one on the face of their opponent.
Over 100 characters, including Goku of course, are squeezed in the game, along with 15 destructible environments. Nine game modes include standard single and multiplayer bouts, as well as a story mode that introduces RGP-lite elements to the mix. However, what we're most looking forward to are the real-time transformations in which players switch from one character to the next in-game when they've taken a bit of a battering.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is already out on PlayStation 2 but is coming to the Wii in March next year.
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December 13th, 2006, 10:41 Posted By: jefklak
First announced on gbadev.org forums. I'll quote everything right here, for the lazy.
I grew tired of the only-one-screen-usage of DS Doom 1.0.0 and hacked along myself, adding a zoomable automap on the lower screen together with a whole lot of pretty features. I've had plenty of contact with the DS Doom developers WinterMute and TheCuckster and hoped I could apply the changes to SVN... Well until now, don't hear anything from them. I guess they don't like the changes or my code is too dirty or something, although wintermute was planning on creating an SVN account. Ah well.
You can download the 1.1.0 sourcecode and mess with it yourself, if you like to. I don't really care anymore, good luck with it. I've marked all my changes with comments "// Jefklak [date] [description]".
At least let me distribute this version so other people beyond myself can enjoy some more Doom on the Nintendo DS.
Download link, screenshots, more info, ... -
http://www.jefklak.com/Guides/Doom-DS
readme/changelog quote
1.1.0: (23 Nov. 2006)
1. Enabled automap mode on the lower DS Screen! stats are displayed on the lower screen too. Option can be set in config file.
* Automap set to autofollow
* Zoom IN/OUT: hold B and press L/R accordingly
2. Implemented Power save mode! Closing the DS will set DS Doom in
* Engine stops running and game will be 'paused'
* Screen and Sound system powered down to save battery life
* LED blinks to indicate save mode
3. Disabled LED blinking when playing.
4. On DS Lite, Change Brightness in-game! hold B and press SELECT.
5. Displays loading/saving messages (can take a while)
6. Options/General menu
* cheat code option
* console mode option
* swap DS screens option
* All options can be set manually in CFG!
7. Options menu: fixed Y/N (press select/A to emulate Y key)
8. Exit Doom code, powers off the DS device
9. NDS icon attached (G6, DSX, ... cartridges)
10. Saving: automatically label slot with profile (select a save slot with SElECT. When the name appears, press SELECT again or A to confirm - this will save the game.
11. In DOOM II, enable regular Shotgun to weapon cycle
12. Other minor fixes and tweaks
Please enjoy.
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December 13th, 2006, 14:41 Posted By: Darksaviour69
Wii Play and Legend of Zelda most popular titles
Nintendo has announced that the Wii console has sold out in Europe, with 325,000 units snapped up in the two days following last Friday's launch.
That means the Wii now holds the title of fastest-selling home console in history across Europe - and not just in the UK.
First-party launch title The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a big hit with consumers, shifting 240,000 copies over the launch weekend - meaning 74 per cent of those buying a console also bought the game.
Mini-game collection Wii Play, which comes bundled with a remote controller, was bought by more than 50 per cent of Wii purchasers
"Wii has become an overnight success in Europe with people of all ages rushing out to get their hands on the console," said Nintendo Europe marketing director Laurent Fischer.
"Even at this early stage it is clear that Wii is delivering on its promise to expand the gaming market, with a uniquely diverse audience all keen to experience the sensation for themselves."
Due to high demand for the console shop shelves remain empty at present, but Fischer pledged, "For those who were unable to buy Wii during the launch weekend, rest assured more stock is already on its way.
"We are doing everything possible to ensure that a steady supply of Wii units is shipped to stores across Europe throughout December and into 2007."
The arrival of the Wii was heralded with a launch event at HMV's flagship branch last week.
"The demand for Wii has been truly amazing, and the official launch at our Oxford Street store was one of the biggest events we've ever staged there," said Tim Ellis, head of games for HMV.
"HMV has received á huge amount of customer pre-orders - beyond anything we've ever seen before, including from family shoppers as well as dedicated Nintendo gamers.
"This suggests that while Wii is obviously one of the must-have items this Christmas, it also has the potential to appeal to a huge mainstream audience over the longer-term." (For more from Ellis, read our exclusive interview.)
The Wii launched in North America on November 19, where 600,000 consoles were sold in the first eight days following launch. It's also proved to be a hit in Japan, with the territory's allocation of 400,000 units flying off the shelves on day one.
Gameindustry.biz
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December 13th, 2006, 14:43 Posted By: Darksaviour69
8.5 million units now sold across Europe
It's not just the Wii which has been performing well recently - Nintendo's handheld has also been breaking some records of its own.
New figures released by the company show 515,000 DS units were sold across Europe last week. That's the highest number for any week in the handheld's history and, according to Nintendo, the most any console has ever sold in seven days.
In total, 8.5 million DS units have been sold in Europe since the console launched in March 2005, and that figure is set to get a further boost as the festive season gets underway.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at GAME's midnight opening for the launch of the Wii last week, the retailer's chief executive, Lisa Morgan, said, "What's so great about this Christmas is there's such a wide choice of things for consumers to choose from. The Nintendo DS, for example, is selling so well - the pink DS Lite is just flying out the doors the minute it hits the shelves."
GamesIndustry.biz
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December 13th, 2006, 20:53 Posted By: wraggster
It seems that the ESRB website has exposed more of the classic titles Nintendo has planned for the Virtual Console on Wii, with Street Fighter II: The World Warrior turning up on the listings for Wii.
It would appear to be becoming a trend for the ESRB site to reveal potential VC titles, after a selection of titles including Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, PilotWings, Pro Wrestling, Punch-Out, and Wild Gunman appeared briefly on the database last month.
PilotWings and Punch-Out are still there and we're looking forward to those, so whoever's holding up the ball - get a move on!
via cvg
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December 13th, 2006, 21:06 Posted By: wraggster
By using Glovepie the PC Driver for the Wiimote Controller you can now control Google Earth, heres more details from coulston
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December 13th, 2006, 21:08 Posted By: wraggster
Guess what! Grandparents and baby boomers want tech products like Nintendo DS for Christmas, according to research commissioned by, er, Nintendo.
The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive by telephone in the US, claims that - to within a three percent margin of error - 52 percent of grandparents and 68 percent of baby boomers would quite like a "technology product" for Christmas.
Apparently at least half of that group said that they would quite like a portable videogame system (like a DS Lite, hint hint) this year.
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Harris Interactive apparently conducted the survey by ringing up 1,025 adults over 18, and weighting responses for age, sex, geographic region and race to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.
"Sampling error for the sub-samples of parents (n=654), grandparents (n=399) and baby boomers (n=380) would be higher and would vary," if you're interested. "However, that does not take other sources of error into account."
Like the fact most grandparents actually don't want you to worry about getting them anything for Christmas. That's what mine said. Are they saying my gran's a liar? Watch it, Nintendo.
via eurogamer
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December 13th, 2006, 21:25 Posted By: wraggster
via gizmodo
While he waits for Nintendo's newly-reinforced Wiimote straps to find their way stateside, here's a guy who created his own solution involving a handcuff he picked up at a local S&M shop. That's right, he's handcuffing the remote to his wrist, ensuring that a flying controller won't explode his TV set or nearly poke out an eye.
Good thing that handcuff has a panic button to instantly release it in case the key is lost. Having a Wiimote handcuffed to your wrist might be kinda hard to explain at the office the next morning.
Screenshot Via Comments
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December 13th, 2006, 21:37 Posted By: wraggster
Via joystiq
Six months ago Nintendo sent an informal email to Weyerhaeuser, a Washington paper company, asking about the availability of their wii.com domain. Subsequent offers and counteroffers followed before a final purchase was made. So how much did Nintendo end up paying for the fancy domain name to be used by their newest console? Redding reports: "How much? That, apparently, will remain a mystery. Terms of the financial agreement dated Aug. 8 included a nondisclosure clause, demanded by Nintendo, to which Weyerhaeuser agreed."
Dang it! Non-disclosures always take the fun out of high-stake purchases. Still, one domain tracker estimates the URL could have easily gone for anything between $5,000 to $250,000. But if Weyerhaeuser effectively played its "hard to get" card while giggling like a school girl crushing on the star quarterback, we'd expect that sum to be upwards of seven digits. You?
- i wish i owned the domain
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December 13th, 2006, 22:06 Posted By: wraggster
2 New slot 1 Flash Carts for the DS have been announcec, heres the info on each:
R4 - Info
2nd generation storage device (no booting tool required)
Flush fitting slot 1 card
Uses MicroSD card, FAT16 or 32
Supports any MicroSD card speed with no lag in game.
Supports Clean ROM, drag and drop. Works on any OS
Built in NoPass
Automatically detect save type
Save directly to MicroSD card, not to onboard chip
Supports Moonshell and other homebrew
User friendly skinnable interface. Touchscreen or button operation
Supports rumble pak and memory pak
Media Gamer DS - Info
The Media Gamer is a cartridge with a slot for a Micro SD card, making storage of media files and back-up Nintendo DS games easy. It has it’s own firmware operating system, which means the warranty of the Nintendo DS is not compromised – simply plug and play. Just move the desired files onto the Micro SD card.
The Media Gamer supports:
* Back-up games
* Homebrew games
* DPG Video files
* Mp3 files
* Picture files
* Home-made programs
More news as it comes in
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December 13th, 2006, 22:10 Posted By: wraggster
via ohmaccho
While DarwiinRemote supports IR Sensor, we couldn't use IR without Wii Sensorbar. This video which I made shows how to make a Sensorbar by youself.
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December 13th, 2006, 23:13 Posted By: wraggster
Onakasuita has updated his app for the Wii, heres the info:
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December 13th, 2006, 23:48 Posted By: wraggster
Great news for fans of Supercard, they are to release a Slot 1 version of their Flash Cart, heres the known details:
Using MicroSD/TFlash Flash Memory Card
Plug 'n Play ( No need for FlashMe )
100% Clean Rom Support, Do not need any Convertions
Drag 'n Drop
Hardware save support, Unlimitated storage, support FAT, FAT32
High speed R/W system, support high speed flash memory card, without any slow down
The best hardware design compatible with all current and future DS consoles, same size as original DS cartridge does NOT stick out!
Micro firmware designed, and extended skin which is fully upgradeable
Very Interestiing
thanks gerard for the info.
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December 14th, 2006, 02:05 Posted By: wraggster
MikeGBA has released a great looking racing game for the Nintendo DS, heres the translated info:
Presentation:
A play of race on NDS
History:
11/12/2006: version beta 0.1 - Engine 3D decoration
resumption of the graphs and map of WP racer gba (temporary)
How to play:
For the moment, you have the control of the camera 3D, left RIGHT ARROW keys/, A to move back, B to advance and L and R to go up or go down.
Ca already makes it possible to have a total outline of the circuit.
Other information:
The graphs of this demonstration will be replaced by new objects 3D (with the height of the NDS… ), the racing cars will be also full 3D, etc…
All the decoration and objects 3D will be carried out under 3dsmax. Dailleurs if a grapheux 3dsmax wants to join the TEAM, No concern!!
The current demonstration was tested on DS-X, m3, G6 and supercard (for the latter one needs patcher the Romanian one)
Here is, good test!!
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December 14th, 2006, 07:34 Posted By: wraggster
Kevin C and HtheB have released a fixed version of their MSN Clone for the Nintendo DS, this version fixes the Handshake Problem that stopped many from connecting.
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December 14th, 2006, 11:34 Posted By: Darksaviour69
With most shops clearing out there Gamecube stocks, it seems to be getting harder to find games, especially new games, and not pre-owned.
Retowarez still have many new Gamecube games left, and are selling at clearance prices, like Simpsons Hit And Run: for £9.99. I have used them personaly, and found them to be very good, and helpfull.
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December 14th, 2006, 11:56 Posted By: Darksaviour69
More than 32,000 units sold in four days
First it was announced that the Nintendo Wii had become the fastest-selling home console in the UK, then Europe - and now it's breaking records in Australia, too.
GfK Australia has published new figures showing that 32,901 Wii units were sold in the four days following the console's launch on December 7. During launch week, the Wii made up 43 per cent of all videogame hardware sales in the territory.
That means it sold faster than any other home or handheld console, edging past the Xbox 360 - which shifted 30,241 units during its opening weekend - and the PSP, next in line with a figure of 27,055 units.
The software attach rate for Wii stood at 1.5 units per console - so towards the lower end of the scale, GfK conceded. But, the company observed, Nintendo's machine does come bundled with the Wii Sports game, which wasn't accounted for when calculating the attach rate.
Earlier this week, Microsoft published Xbox 360 sales figures for the same period, with regional director David McLean stating that the launch of the Wii had not had a negative impact.
Gameindustry.biz
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December 14th, 2006, 16:38 Posted By: Darksaviour69
The employees at the big box stores have really clammed up about the 17th, but it's the world's worst kept secret. A BB employee showed me the Wii's on order for all the local stores (DC Metro) and it looks like they all had an order for 18-24 units in the system. Add this to the 50 (or possibly 40) units that all BB stores will receive on the 16th and the total is going to be a minimum of 58 (18+40) to (24+50) 74 units per store. Plus whatever else they're squirreled away. I know they *were* expecting more on the order of 80 units/store to come in on the 16th, but I have no idea if Nintendo is going to be able to deliver. Here's the supposed word to hold until the 17th for BB
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December 14th, 2006, 17:58 Posted By: wraggster
If nobody offered you a WII as a gift yet, don’t despair! You can get instead a WII wrist-strap and whistle for your phone or keys. When blowing the whistle, it will emit a nice WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Screens Via Comments
via akihabra
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December 14th, 2006, 18:04 Posted By: wraggster
Not uncommon for the company, Sony has once again talked down the competition this morning, calling Nintendo's Wii a "novelty".
The comments come from SCEA's senior director of corporate communications Dave Karraker, who in an interview with the Wall Street Journal said "We feel very confident that the PlayStation fan is going to wait until they can get a PlayStation 3. If they do pick up a Wii, it's as more of a novelty."
Of course back at this year's E3 show (RIP) in May, Sony was praising Nintendo for its console's bold new direction, but we're sure the phenomenal European launch numbers has forced the company to change its tune.
The PlayStation 3 is officially penned for launch in Europe in March 2007.
via cvg
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December 14th, 2006, 18:05 Posted By: wraggster
Mercury Meltdown Revolution will be right at home on Wii, being a game all about tilting platforms to guide a blob of mercury to the goal.
Players will tilt the Wii Remote to get their mercury through the 150 fiendishly tough levels in the Wii version, which will also undergo graphical enhancements.
Mercury Meltdown is a fantastic and dangerously addictive game on PSP, and being as the game was originally designed for a tilt controller for PSP that was unfortunately canned, we'll finally get to play the game as it was always intended on Wii.
Screens at CVG
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December 14th, 2006, 18:07 Posted By: wraggster
via cvg
We were hoping Wario Ware: Smooth Moves would reach our shores before Christmas but with only 11 days to go, that appeared unlikely anyway. But an early January release date isn't too bad.
We've already finished an English version of the game and can confirm that it's absolutely brilliant, so when it does arrive we suggest you go mental for it. Check back for the full review just after Christmas.
Nintendo has also confirmed Excite Truck's European release date, set for February 16.
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December 14th, 2006, 18:29 Posted By: wraggster
via gamesindustry
Data trackers NPD have published new figures for videogame accessory sales in the US, revealing that Nintendo sold 270,000 Wii remote controllers during the month of November.
In the same period, 153,000 nunchuk peripherals were also sold, while consumers snapped up 476,000 Wii consoles.
Nintendo's handheld is also continuing to prove a hit - the third most popular accessory for the month was the NDS Lite Starter Kit, racking up sales of 154,000.
Microsoft's HD-DVD add-on for Xbox 360 hit the shops on November 7, and 42,000 units were sold over the course of the month. The second best performing accessory overall was the Xbox 360 wireless controller, with 251,000 units sold, while 84,000 consumers bought the 360 Play and Charge kit.
The Sixaxis controller for Sony's PlayStation 3 fared less well, shifting 98,000 units. However, 152,000 of Sony's PS2 Memory Cards were sold, and Nyko also shifted 100,000 units of its third-party version. Gamers also bought 186,000 Dualshock controllers for PS2.
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December 14th, 2006, 18:34 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
Ladies and gentlemen, you might want to sit down; flagship Xbox 360 RPG Blue Dragon has outsold the recently released Zelda: Twilight Princess - and all other Wii software - in Japan.
The latest Media Create Japanese chart puts the Mistwalker RPG at number four in the top selling titles in Japan for December 4 through 10, which has managed to shift a respectable 80,000 copies in the country giving it the number two all-time 360 sales record behind Dead or Alive 4.
Blue Dragon has received a considerable level of hype in Japan, largely thanks to the fanbase surrounding Dragon Ball Z artist Akira Toriyama who designed the characters in the game, and a special edition Japanese Blue Dragon 360 bundle which some Japanese retailers reported to have sold out of within minutes of opening pre-orders.
Meanwhile Nintendo's latest Zelda has shockingly dwindled all the way to number 17 in Japan, only a week after it was bested by mini-game titles Wii Sports and Wii Play during the Far Eastern console launch. You could speculate that perhaps quantaties of the game - and especially the Wii hardware - have become near-impossible to secure in Japan, but we'll have to wait and see how the numbers perk up in the following weeks.
So could this be a turning point for Microsoft's console in the Far East? We'll let you know how far it is up the top ten next week.
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December 14th, 2006, 18:42 Posted By: wraggster
The Wii has been cracked open, its entrails spilled, its blood consumed and its organs dissected, categorised and sold off to the highest bidder. The market value for each is as follows:
Graphics chip: $29.60
CPU: $13.00
DRAM: $7.80
Optical disk drive: $31.00
Power supply: $11.30
Manufacturing cost: $19.50
Cost total: $158.30
Wholesale price: $195.99
If these guys have done their sums right, Nintendo are making just under $40 profit on every Wii sold. At such an early stage of the consoles development, and with sales so healthy, that's good news for anyone at Nintendo that's involved in the counting, or spending, of money.
via kotaku
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December 14th, 2006, 18:45 Posted By: wraggster
Got a Wii? Got A Christmas tree with lights? Got them next to each other?
Yeah, you might want to move them, if you haven't wised up and done so already.
The blinking and flickering of Christmas tree lights plays havoc with the Wii Remote and sensor bar, causing all kinds of problems. BBPS has a few reports up, and I've seen it personally at a mate's place as well; the cursor jumps all over the place and your connection keeps dropping out, and occasionally the Wii won't detect the Remote at all.
While this is an annoyance to anyone with a small apartment who can't move their tree and/or Wii, for others this should be an opportunity. A gold star to the first person who can rig up their Christmas tree's light sequencing so it can kick someboy's ass at Wii Tennis.
via kotaku
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December 14th, 2006, 18:47 Posted By: wraggster
Searches for Nintendo's Wii outnumbered those for both PS3 and Xbox 360 last week according to figures released by web analytics firm Hitwise. But game systems as a whole made up six of the top 10 most searched-for items as the holidays approach. The top electronics queries rounded out by iPods were as follows:
Nintendo Wii
iPod
Wii
iPods
iPod Nano
iPod Shuffle
PSP
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
Xbox (?)
via joystiq
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December 14th, 2006, 18:52 Posted By: wraggster
Video Here --> http://www.youtube.com/v/OFBbK5QuF5E
One of the Authors of the WiiAction Input Library gives us a video demo on the upcoming software library called the WiiAction Input Library. This will allow game developers to easily integrate wii-mote control into their games with code that will be familiar to existing DirectInput programmers.
via liquidice
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December 14th, 2006, 18:55 Posted By: wraggster
The Linux driver for the WiiMote controller has been updated,
Latest version is WMD 0.0.4.15
Heres the info from the author:
It has advanced, multi-mode, adaptive, distance-dependent, predictive, smoothed pointer control.
It has advanced, fully scriptable graphing capabilities for accelerometer data
As well as primitive motion analysis
The ability to map any Wiimote button to any key, key combination or mouse button.
The ability to configure all the parameters that tweak every algorithm
Download at link above
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December 14th, 2006, 19:02 Posted By: wraggster
News from Talismoon (press release)
Hi!
It’s been a short while since we last made contact. Talismoon has been hard at work on making many new peripherals for avid console tuning fans out there, and here’s a first look at our debut onto the Wii™.
Talismoon Evolve for Wii™ are a series of complete replacement shells for the Nintendo Wii. Gamers can now create their own limited edition consoles without the need to wait years into the lifecycle of the console! Each case will be of distinct high quality and comes with everything needed for an easy installation.
But that’s not all. Talismoon hope to take customization of Nintendo® products further just as has it done with the Xbox 360™. Wii Evolve cases will have a few special features that will allow convenient installation of future tuning products from Talismoon or even third party companies!
Many colours will be available from early January, however until that time comes enjoy a preview at our ‘Black Katana’ concept (attached).
Screenshot Via Comments
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December 14th, 2006, 19:05 Posted By: wraggster
News from hiroaki
Hi all,
We've just released a new version of DarwiinRemote.
This version supports battery status and fixes some bugs. Please use this version for all users.
The most important feature for developers is that DarwiinRemote has been divided into 2 parts, App part and Framework part. Now you can use WiiRemote Framework in your projects independently.
Heres more info about DarwiinRemote
DarwiinRemote is a tiny software which reads data from and sends data to Nintendo Wii Remote
Inputs
3-axis acceleration sensors
all buttons except power button on/off
Output
4 LEDs
Force Feedback
DarwiinRemote allows you to control other applications by using Wii Remote
but now only supports "AppleRemote" mode...
How to use DarwiinRemote
Launch DarwiinRemote
Press 1 button and 2 button of your Wii Remote simultaneously
Wii Remote becomes "discoverable mode" (4 blue LEDs are blinking)
Log drawer in DarwiinRemote reports "Wii Remote is found!"
When DarwiinRemote cannot connect to Wii Remote, disconnect bluetooth connection (press power button in seconds) and restart DarwiinRemote (will fix...)
Have fun!
Download Both HERE
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December 14th, 2006, 19:16 Posted By: wraggster
Onakasuita has updated his app for the Wii to13B, must be a slight bug fix over last nights release.
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December 14th, 2006, 19:29 Posted By: wraggster
DWedit has released a new version of the NES emulator for the GBA (works on Nintendo DS too), heres whats new:
This build is extremely buggy, but Battletoads and Wizards and Warrior 3 no longer have graphical glitches in the main character animation.
There's a major bug in how it selects the tileset to display when a game starts up, so keep changing games until it boots the game properly.
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December 14th, 2006, 20:21 Posted By: wraggster
Alekmaul has released a new version of his excellent Colecovision emulator for the Nintendo DS, heres whats new:
Version 1.1 of the 12/10/2006
* Addition of the NinjaDS supports (tested) and max Media, EZ4 (not tested)
* Addition of the G6Lite support via GBFS
* Indicate me on my Web site ( http://www.portabledev.com) or by email (alekmaul@portabledev.com) if that functions on botre linker/chart flash, I would add your name to the screen “thanks” in the next version
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December 14th, 2006, 20:24 Posted By: wraggster
The coder behind the Command And Conquer DS Clone Project has posted an Early Test Version, heres what he says:
I've not ordered any new hardware yet as the new offering from the Super Card guys looks to be around the corner and I want to see if it's any good or not first. I've been wrestling this my current gear and it's driving me mad. I've still not found an effective work around, but after lot's of formatting, copying and recopying I can generally get the roms to work, but then the data is corrupted, very rarely do I get both rom and data ok at the same time.
It looks like I'm going to have to rely on you guys for now! I can't test my code on my hardware or emulator (crashes) so here we go, the first uploaded test, though it is complete arse ;p I'm interested to see here whether the fat system initialises and whether it can read from the other file in the zip. If successful hopefully the next test will be the GUI pages.... and then a map?
If it loads ok you should see a screen like below. When you hit the 'A' button the green block will advance a pixel to the right (just shows input works). If you press the 'SELECT' button the debug menu will appear. If it's working correctly the debug menu should look like the one in the screenshot.
Download and Screenshot Via Comments - Test Away and Give as much details as possible
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December 14th, 2006, 20:41 Posted By: wraggster
One day after the surprise announcement of Dragon Quest IX for the DS, Square Enix is all set to drop another bombshell. According reports out of Japan, the next issue of Jump Magazine will contain news of two new Final Fantasy Tactics games.
The PSP will be getting Final Fantasy Tactics: Shishi Sensou, an updated version of the original PlayStation classic. Square Enix is adding new jobs and some slick cell shaded movies, but aside from that, it's unclear what kind of improvements we can expect.
The second project is a bit more mysterious. Nothing is known about this game, except for its title: Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Fuuketsu no Guurimore. We don't even know its target platform. Jump is promising an update down the road.
Both projects fall under a series of projects that Square Enix refers to as "Ivalice Alliance," Ivalice being the name of the world in which both Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII take place. Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings, a DS offshoot of this year's PS2 blockbuster, also falls under this project.
We've yet to see the Jump report for ourselves, but with the annual Jump Festa comic/videogame show scheduled to kick off on Saturday in Tokyo, we're hoping to get a look at both new projects shortly. We'll be back later this week with whatever details we can dig up at the show.
Via IGN
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December 15th, 2006, 02:12 Posted By: wraggster
J5892 has updated his Guitar Script, heres the info:
Hey,
This is version 2.0!
There is now support for chords, and arpeggiating.
The youtube video is
It requires 2 wiimotes.
Script code attached in text file
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December 15th, 2006, 02:20 Posted By: wraggster
Carl Kenner has released a new version of his GlovePie Input Emulator which basically supports a lot of different Hardware and enables you to use say a WiiMote Controller as a Gaming Controller on your PC
Heres whats new in this release
Better Wiimote support, with calibration.
Heres more details:
GlovePIE stands for Glove Programmable Input Emulator. It doesn't have to be used with VR Gloves, but it was originally started as a system for emulating Joystick and Keyboard Input using the Essential Reality P5 Glove. Now it supports emulating all kinds of input, using all kinds of devices, including Polhemus, Intersense, Ascension, WorldViz, 5DT, and eMagin products. It can also control MIDI or OSC output.
In the GlovePIE window you type or load a simple script. For example to control the WASD keys with a glove:
W = glove.z > -50 cm
S = glove.z < -70 cm
A = glove.x < -10 cm
D = glove.x > 10 cm
You can also use GlovePIE to play Joystick-only games without a joystick, or keyboard-only games with a joystick. Or you can use it to create macro buttons for complex keystrokes.
You can even use it to control multiple mouse pointers with multiple mice.
System Requirements
You will need:
Windows 98 or above (Windows 2000 or above to emulate keys in DirectInput games or use multiple fake cursors - Windows XP or above to get input from multiple mice or keyboards individually or to read some special keys).
DirectX 8 or above.
There is other optional software you might need for certain features. See the download page for links to download them. Joystick emulation requires PPJoy. Speech requires SAPI 5.1 with microsoft recogniser.
You don't need any special hardware.
Hardware Supported
Nintendo Wii Remote (Wiimote)
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December 15th, 2006, 02:21 Posted By: wraggster
By that, we mean they're bright. And colorful. And all sort of the same. But hey, that's the downfall of all puzzle games -- not a lot of variety when it comes to the screens. When it comes to gameplay, however, all that matters is the sweet, sweet puzzle action -- and the Bust-A-Move franchise promises to deliver that to the Wii next year.
screens here
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December 15th, 2006, 02:29 Posted By: wraggster
News from Francesco
If you are interested, now you can download from freepascal SVN the fpc compiler for Nintendo DS. In a couple of hour/days/weeks I should provide a package for download and, maybe, a new FPC4GBA too, who knows... =D
Stay tuned!
http://itaprogaming.free.fr/
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December 15th, 2006, 02:31 Posted By: wraggster
via dsfanboy
And with the screens come the new details. We've already heard that the battle system for FFXII: Revenant Wings will be a simplified version of that in FFXII proper, with specialized stylus functionality -- now we see it in (still) action. Now we also know there is no battle screen -- all fights take place in real time, and the player uses the stylus to position characters for battle. Sounds like a lot for the DS to handle, and we can't wait to see it in action
Screens Here
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December 15th, 2006, 02:40 Posted By: wraggster
New release from Tassu:
It's a 3D racing game called Whee! DS. I didn't give much thought for the name, so feel free to suggest a better one.
When you select New Game, you only have one track to play and you have to win that one to unlock the next one. There is infinite number of tracks to unlock and every one is a bit more difficult then the previous one.
Use D-Pad for steering, [A] for acceleration and [B] for brake/sharper turning, [L] and [R] for items.
This game uses SRAM for saving and doesn't give a warning or anything like that before formatting, so be carefull. Sorry for being so lazy
Please tell me what you think of it. Is it too difficult/easy/ugly?
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December 15th, 2006, 04:16 Posted By: gunntims0103
news via m-net
Nintendo's Wii game console has broken Australian records, selling 32,901 units in its first week, toppling the previous Aussie sales record held by Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Figures for New Zealand are less exact, but local Nintendo distributor Softprint Interactive says that since going on sale December 7, the $500 console has achieved 75 per cent of the 7000 Xbox 360s sold here in March.
It's the same the world over; demand exceeded supply in the Americas with 600,000 Wiis sold within eight days, while UK gamers bought one Wii a second following its midnight launch, eventually snapping up 50,000 in its first 12 hours. In Europe, 325,000 consoles sold in its first two days.
So game is most definitely on, with the Xbox 360, PS3 and now the Wii all available and battling for market supremacy.
While we won't see it in New Zealand until March 7, the PS3 finally hit stores in the US and Japan mid-November. Manufacturing issues had plagued the console's release with the main culprit being production of the system's blue laser diode, eventually causing shortages of the console and delaying its release in Europe until March 2007.
But don't underestimate the Sony; since entering the market in 1994, the company has been the leading console vendor. The PSone shipped over 100 million units, a record broken only by the PS2. Sony envisions similar results from the PlayStation 3, except this time the console is more than a game - it's a multimedia hub for the home.
According to Ovum technology analyst Carl Gressum, "Sony has made two brave bets with its latest console, namely the Blu-ray disc drive, and the Cell processor, both of which are new and untested technologies. Over time these technology choices might be what brings Sony back into the game. However, for now, one has to question whether Sony might have been better off using more mature and established technologies."
Despite this, Sony is sticking to its projections of 2 million PS3s shipped by the end of 2006, and 6 million worldwide by March 2007 when the console is launched in Europe (and New Zealand).
Microsoft on the other hand has had a year's head start on the competition. By the end of Q3, the Xbox 360 had sold 6 million units, compared to the projected 4 million Wii shipments in December 2006 alone.
Microsoft has also added video download services to the 360, but Gressum feels this is unlikely to significantly impact on demand during the holidays; saying that the 20GB hard disk is hardly sufficient for video downloads. He adds that there is scepticism about the new HD DVD drive add-on; the Xbox 360 simply generates too much heat and noise to be a viable movie player platform.
However, he says Christmas should see be the best Xbox 360 quarter ever, with shipments reaching or exceeding 4 million units worldwide.
So with the big guns settling in for a heavy-weight stoush, light-weight Nintendo has surprised everyone by entering the next-generation console race with the oddly named Wii. And it's different. The Wii uses revolutionary movement sensors in its slim hand-held controller that relay movements directly to the game, allowing gamers to interact directly and instantly with the graphics. Swing the controller and hit a tennis ball, punch out and floor your attacker. No more sitting idle for hours, furiously tapping buttons, this game is meant to be active and involving.
It's a brave move and the latest figures say it's paying off. Nintendo Australia's Vispi Bhopti says the console is tailored to get non-gamers into gaming. He says the Wii Channels, due to launch in the New Year, will keep non-gaming sectors hooked on console. He explained that by logging on to the Wii Channels with the Wii controller, console owners will be able to watch Nintendo news, weather and internet programmes on their TV.
Games writer and editor of Netguide magazine Jorin Seivers says Nintendo is definitely aiming at a more mainstream audience, especially women. "The controller is very intuitive with fewer buttons and the imagery is very ‘cutesy'.
"The physical aspect of the game will also appeal more widely. You can actually build up a sweat with this thing," he says.
Gaming is a huge and often cut throat business, but we at m-net are picking that for the holidays, expect Nintendo to steal the show.
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December 15th, 2006, 04:20 Posted By: gunntims0103
news via gwn
Accessory manufacturer Talismoon show off their upcoming black replacement shell for the Nintendo Wii.
Talismoon Evolve for Wii are a series of complete replacement shells for the Nintendo Wii.
"Each case will be of distinct high quality and comes with everything needed for an easy installation.
But that’s not all. Talismoon hope to take customization of Nintendo products further. Wii Evolve cases will have a few special features that will allow convenient installation of future tuning products from Talismoon or even third party companies!"
Many colours will be available from early January, however until that time comes enjoy a preview of their ‘Black Katana’ concept above.
Dec 14, 2006
screen via comment
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December 15th, 2006, 04:23 Posted By: gunntims0103
news via clubskill
Reggie Fils-Aime, President of Nintendo of America, has recently stated in an interview on an American television station that he would like to see the popular Grand Theft Auto series appear on Nintendo's latest videogame console, the Wii.
Having sold millions of units across the globe, the Grand Theft Auto series has been an international success story for the PlayStation, PC, and Xbox. The latest in the series is set to arrive on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2007.
Reggie Fils-Aime stated that Nintendo has done all it possibly can to convince Take-Two, publisher of the Grand Theft Auto games, to create a game of the series for the Wii system, but it is now down to the publisher to make a decision.
The publisher has worked in Nintendo's favour, often publishing games for Nintendo systems, including an exclusive Game Boy Advance version of the original Grand Theft Auto game in late 2004.
We'll learn more about their choices in the New Year.
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December 15th, 2006, 17:06 Posted By: wraggster
Via CVG
After news circulated that Nintendo has ordered the recalling of three million Wii Remote wrist straps worldwide, CVG contacted Nintendo for the details. It turns out they aren't recalling them at all, but are starting a replacement service for anyone concerned.
"As of Monday, anyone who has any problems or concerns about the integrity of their Wii Remote wrist straps can call Nintendo Customer Services for a replacement strap" confirms the Nintendo spokesperson.
"This is not a product recall", he goes on to stress. "The current wrist strap is fine - it has passed all safely standards and does the job. This is simply a precaution because we are aware of the concerns over their safety. All new Wii Remotes and Wii consoles will ship with the new, thicker wrist strap."
An email sent to CVG from Nintendo shortly after that conversation, gave further reasoning to Nintendo's precaution: "Even though the original straps are perfectly adequate for normal play, we can't control the exuberance of players."
Clearly, it's all those over-excited, sweaty-palmed 10-year-olds' fault. Calm down, guys.
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December 15th, 2006, 17:11 Posted By: wraggster
Via cvg
A faulty batch of DS Lite chargers in Japan have been recalled by Nintendo after an overheating issue has raised safety concerns.
A statement on Nintendo's Japanese site identifies the batch of power cables affected, and calls for them all to be returned, with a replacement sent to everyone affected.
No serious malfunctions or incidents have been reported, so we assume this is simply a precaution taken by Nintendo. It has been confirmed that these issues do not affect European and US territories.
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December 15th, 2006, 17:12 Posted By: wraggster
Having to enter separate friend codes for each and every online game on DS is a pain in the ass, but it was assumed this wouldn't be a problem on Wii, with a friend code tied to each console. Now it seems we could be wrong...
A preview of Pokémon Battle Revolution - the Wii's first online game - on IGN reveals that the game has its own separate code system, and new numbers must be traded and registered to play against friends.
Granted, this could just be an early version of the game with a placeholder code system. Maybe this is an isolated case, and other games will simply use the console's friends list, as we expected. Or maybe we're clutching at straws, hoping desperately that we won't have to go through the same 12-digit-code-entering hell we go through on DS.
Nintendo wasn't available for comment at time of writing. More soon.
via cvg
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December 15th, 2006, 17:17 Posted By: wraggster
via gotfrag
Upon looking for a Wii at a regional Toys-R-Us store (which has been a constant effort), we happened by a very friendly, very chatty undisclosed manager. After talking to him a bit, the manager revealed a few things in light of the Wii consumer frenzy. He would go on to state that if they [the customers] would "just listen," they could get a "better system" in a few months.
A "better system?" As he would soon explain, Nintendo will be "relaunching" the Wii console sometime before or at the beginning of Spring 2007. The launch, which is said to see many different colors for the Wii system (as seen at E3), will also be accompanied by a hefty price drop from $250 to $200. For those that believe such a drop would be too radical, keep in mind Miyamoto's own statements that the original plan was to develop a system under $100. Also note that it is undetermined if the "better system" statement includes technical upgrades to the Wii, as recent rumors have suggested.
Currently, this is just word of mouth as it has yet to be confirmed by Nintendo, and no one should realistically expect any sort of confirmation until after the Holiday season (which was said to be the reason behind the original $250 tag). Though it does indeed deserve further investigation, especially considering we have yet to see the black, red and green Wiis shown off at E3, making the absence of color diversity very conspicuous during the Holidays; begging one to ask: "Why else would Nintendo hold them back?"
Many have speculated how well the Wii would do post-Holiday launch, and the idea of relaunching the system with more colors and an even cheaper price tag sounds like Nintendo's game. Coincidentally, this also coincides with Nintendo's already confirmed plan to kick-start WiiConnect24, the Wii's online service, with the release of several multi-player online games around Spring. Also coincidental (this one perhaps more unintentional), is the fact that the Halo 3 public beta test will also start around the same time.
We're not exactly chalking this one up as farce, but we've definitely called the rumor patrol in. These are still unsubstantiated claims by a source that is only human, thus not immune to misinterpretation and bad information... and even greed amidst the Holiday rush. Though as if it had to be said, the prospect of a $200 Wii and expanded color selection would be more cause for celebration among Nintendo fans.
Nintendo was unable to be reached for comment by press time.
Update: Wii Dissected; $158 Unit Cost - As it has been pointed out in light of recent discoveries, Nintendo could theoretically drop the price of the Wii to $200 and unbundle Wii Sports to make a profit margin for each unit that is relatively the same, albeit with more units sold, leading to the possibility of more games and accessories purchased. An interesting thought, for sure. But merely a thought.
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December 15th, 2006, 17:35 Posted By: wraggster
New from Linkers4u.com
Product Features
Fits into NDSL Slot2 without any stick out.
Supports NDS and GBA software
Run games at full speed.
Compatible to SuperKey, SuperPass, Max media Launcher...etc.
More Description
The microSD-to-NDSL Multi-Media adaptor is specially designed for NDSL consoles, it can run GBA/NDS softwares on your NDSL console with full speed, it can also let you warch movie, read e-book, listen to the music and view image on your NDSL though a microSD card.
Price is $33
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December 15th, 2006, 22:46 Posted By: wraggster
via cvg
Wii isn't a health hazard, it's people getting carried away. Following this morning's announcement that Nintendo will supply new Wii Remote wrist straps to anyone with concerned about the safety of their straps (or HDTVs), CVG was quicly contacted by radio station London LBC to comment on the 'recall'.
Turns out it wasn't a recall at all but wait until the mainstream press cottons on to all those pictures on the internet of teary-eyed 10-year-olds with black eyes and smashed TV screens - they'll have a field day.
It's a shame that Wii is being penalised for the excessive actions of an over-excited and clumsy few that have somehow managed to launch the Remote into the air while playing Wii Sports.
But it's not the Wii's fault. Nintendo top man, Satoru Iwata, addressed the situation when the console first launched in America, saying: "Before the launch of the Wii hardware Nintendo had a number of tests on the durability of everything including the strap, but our understanding right now is that even beyond our expectations people are becoming more and more excited playing Wii."
Some of readers clearly agree, as Mr-A-Hulse, pondered :"How over-excited do you have to be to chuck your Wii-mote with enough force to break free of your grip and still have the momentum to sever the strap and then smash the glass on your TV?"
Fellow CVG reader Wayneo1, stated: "Surely you need to be a Grade-A tw*t to throw your wii-mote at the TV." Or maybe just a slightly clumsy child, as I unfortunately found out my 11-year-old sister managed to throw the Remote at the ceiling during an over-energetic game of Wii Sports Bowling.
My uncle also achieved smashing his pet cat in the face playing the same game. The poor thing took a full-force bowl straight to the jaw. Ouch.
If this is the damage people can accomplish now, we dread to think what will happen during Christmas, after mum and dad have had a few glasses of wine and demand a go on Wii Sports. Carnage...
But it doesn't have to be that way, as Shigeru Miyamoto has already stressed: "We are encouraging people to understand that you really don't have to be so excited but rather you need to understand the control and then you're going to be the best player."
He's absolutely right - you don't need to play Wii Sports like you're Roger Federer. Controlled arm movements, or even gentle flicks of the wrist work just as well.
Here at CVG, as well as over a million other Wii owners, we've played Wii for many hours and never once sent the Remote bulleting across the room or clouted anyone in the face. Some people clearly just need to calm down.
Enjoy the Wii this Christmas but remember you don't have to launch yourself across the room during Wii Tennis. That way you won't wreck your house or kill a pet.
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December 15th, 2006, 23:00 Posted By: wraggster
via insertcredit
Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana will be the next big chapter in the popular action RPG series after Seiken Densetsu 4, though this time it's taking the form of an S-RPG with 'real-time strategy battles.' Like Children of Mana, it'll be a Nintendo DS game, but Brownie Brown is developing the project this time and they want to give the stylus some proper use, it seems.
The site has been up for a few weeks now, but a system section with screens was added today. It's a nice-looking (and sounding) website indeed, with artwork-based wallpapers to download. This is also the week where Square-Enix has unveilled/shown some important projects for Nintendo's dual-screened handheld, namely Level 5's Dragon Quest IX, Final Fantasy - Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings and Final Fantasy Tactics A2 ~Fuuketsu no Grimoire~. 'Tiny' future, we're afraid.
More info at link above
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December 15th, 2006, 23:03 Posted By: wraggster
via kotaku
The Associated Press, it seems, has backed away from calling Nintendo's product replacement plan for the Wii Remote Strap a recall.
Instead of just changing the headline we used, I decided to do a little fact checking. By law, any consumer safety issues that crop up in the U.S. has to be reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Hopping onto their site I found at the top a listing for the replacement program, something they call a "corrective action," according to a quick call to the commission.
According to the commission only about 2 million of the straps were affected. The report says that Nintendo has received reports of cords on wrist straps breaking, including "three reports of minor injuries not requiring medical attention." All of the incidents, according to the commission, occurred while gamers were playing Wii Sports.
The commission goes on to say that all Wii systems purchased after Dec. 11 should have the new 1.0 mm cord, while systems purchased before then have the .6mm cords. All remotes purchased separately before Dec. 18 have the old cords, according to the report.
Nintendo sent along this official statement about the "corrective action."
Nintendo has a long tradition of delivering high-quality products and excellent customer service. The Wii Remote is meant to be gripped, and the wrist straps are a secondary measure. We have found that some consumers get more excited playing Wii Sports than we could have imagined. This resulted in a very small number of wrist straps breaking. We have replaced the broken wrist straps and continue to reinforce with consumers the safe and fun use of our products. Through its voluntary wrist strap replacement program, Nintendo is offering a stronger wrist strap free of charge to consumers by calling 800-859-4519 or by visiting support.nintendo.com.
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December 15th, 2006, 23:22 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Red Steel is an exclusive Wii launch title that takes full advantage of the console's innovative controller and puts players directly into the action. Your fiancée has been kidnapped and her father - a Japanese mafia kingpin - murdered by a rival gang. The only way to save your loved one and defend your honor is to journey from Los Angeles to Japan and confront the Tokyo underworld.
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December 15th, 2006, 23:38 Posted By: wraggster
via wiiexperiance
After giving Zelda:TP on the Wii an 8.8, Gamespot goes and gives the GameCube version an 8.9. The sound category is the one that got an extra point, but they seem to give the edge to the Wii version in the GC review despite the lower score in the end.
From the review:
Graphically, the GameCube version is roughly identical to the Wii release. The main difference comes from a lack of 16:9 widescreen support, resulting in many of the story sequences being letterboxed when viewed in 4:3.
Ok so the Wii version supports widescreen and the GC version does not - score one for the Wii.
The combat controls are more conventional on the GameCube, since you won’t be shaking the controller around to attack (though if you’ve already played the Wii version, expect to feel dumb when you start to shake your WaveBird and wonder why nothing’s happening), but the Wii controls actually end up feeling more precise in a direct comparison. It’s easier and faster to aim your arrows, boomerang, or other targeted items using the Wii Remote. It’s easier to move the camera around with the Wii Remote, too. While the GameCube controller is more precise when it comes to swinging your sword, the easier aiming and spin attack make the Wii version’s combat controls superior, even though they have a few issues of their own.
And the Wii version has better controls overall due to ease of aiming and..
On the Wii, you execute a spin attack by shaking the Nunchuk controller attachment. After you perform the move, there’s a downtime when you can’t spin, and the Wii speaker makes a noise to let you know when it’s available again. The GameCube version works the opposite way. Instead of being immediately available, you have to charge up the spin attack by holding down B. This is how it’s been done in previous Zelda games, so it’s not a huge deal, but having the spin attack available at a moment’s notice makes it a significantly more useful maneuver on the Wii.
The spin attack is more useful in combat on the Wii. Strange that they scored the Wii version lower than the GC version even if by .1. Honestly, I think the game deserves over a 9 easily, more around a 9.6. Especially if they are handing out 9.0’s to tripe like Perfect Dark Zero.
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December 15th, 2006, 23:40 Posted By: wraggster
via mcv
Nintendo's UK boss David Yarnton has topped off a record-breaking first week for Wii by promising "regular and multiple" stock top-ups of the console for retail in December.
Despite having sold 105,000 Wiis in the UK and 325,000 sold across Europe in its debut weekend, Yarnton told MCV that Nintendo’s work on Wii isn’t over yet.
“We’re still committed to shipping four million units globally by the end of 2006,” said the ebullient Aussie. “We are continuing to work with our customers to make regular and multiple shipments across the UK in the coming days and weeks in order to manage the unprecedented demand for the biggest global launch of a console the industry has seen in the last decade.
“This is just the start and we still have a lot of work to do to build on the launch success.”
Yarnton went on to highlight the Wii debut as an important landmark for a console’s launch.
“Breaking the UK record for a home console launch is obviously pleasing for us but also highlights what great shape the industry is in for us to be able to reach such a massive number.”
And the retail response has been fantastic, added Yarnton: “The retailers I have spoken to are over the moon not just with Wii but with DS too, many commenting it has been their biggest launch and biggest weekends ever.
“They have commented how the launch has helped their business in what has been a tough time.”
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December 15th, 2006, 23:41 Posted By: wraggster
via ign
With an impressive degree of promptness, Nintendo made good on its promise of regular Virtual Console updates for its Wii console, every Friday in Europe. Arriving practically bang on the stroke of midnight this morning, the first batch of releases unleashed since the Wii's launch last Friday offer some formidable old-skool classics, including the superb Gunstar Heroes, Ristar and Alien Crash.
Today's eight-strong line-up is as follows: Urban Champion (a Euro-exclusive right now, even if it's not particularly good), Solomon's Key and Pinball for the NES, Columns, Gunstar Heroes, Ristar and Dr. Robotonik's Mean Bean Machine from the Mega Drive's illustrious past and, rounding things off, Alien Crush on Turbografx. If you're in need of some purchasing guidance, follow the links for some considered opinion, courtesy of our US brethren.
In the spirit of completeness then, cast your eyes below for that full roster and any extraneous details that seemed like a good idea at the time. Like say, how many Wii beans you'll need to plant for those magical time trees to reach fruition.
Virtual Console European Releases, Friday 15
NES - 500 Wii Points
Pinball (1986)
Solomon's Key (1990)
Urban Champion (1986)
TURBOGRAFX - 600 Points
Alien Crush (1989)
MEGA DRIVE - 800 Wii Points
Columns (1991)
Dr. Robotonik's Mean Bean Machine (1993)
Gunstar Heroes (1993)
Ristar (1995)
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December 15th, 2006, 23:49 Posted By: wraggster
via wiifanboy
The first glitch for Wii Sports: Tennis has come in and, when diving for an unplayable ball far to the outside of the court, the opponent Mii became stuck in the crowd and resulted in a two-on-one match up. We didn't get footage of the shot leading up to the glitch, but thankfully the fine fellow responsible for the glitch thought to grab the camera for the rest of the match.
video here -->
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December 16th, 2006, 00:15 Posted By: wraggster
Via DSlua site
DSLua has returned with a new group! Sypherce, Daltonlaffs, and I (Jeremysr) wil be developing DSLua from now on. And right now we are releasing DSLua 0.6!
The new features are a wifi function library, auto-starting a script (behaves like an actual DS homebrew program), new system and stylus functions, and a microphone library.
It has also been compiled with much newer versions of PAlib and devkitPro, and as a result lua programs run much faster now.
DSLua still comes in CF and GBFS flavours. But now the CF version uses LibFATDragon and comes with grey, green, and blue versions, like DSorganize. This makes it compatible with lots of homebrew devices.
We also wrote a documentation. It comes with DSLua 0.6 but there is a link to an online version on the menu to your left.
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December 16th, 2006, 00:20 Posted By: wraggster
Tassu has posted another DS Homebrew game today, heres the info:
This is a really fun 3D multiplayer action game. There's no single player game, only two players on one DS. The point in the game is to hit the opponent and then run away before he/she hits you back. I'm sure everyone knows what a game of tag is all about.
Player one moves around with the D-pad and player two moves with A, B, X and Y. Double cklicking makes the tagged character charge forward. Both players have 120 seconds time. When youre tagged, the clock starts counting down and the player who runs out of time first loses.
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December 16th, 2006, 00:25 Posted By: wraggster
It Seems that DSxtremes days as the only decent Slot 1 flashcart are over, heres the details about the new SLot 1 cart from M3:
The same size as an original DS cart
NoPass Functionality
Uses MicroSD card (TransFlash) as storage.
No PC Software/drivers required
Standard FAT system support
Supports different speed micro SD cards.
Upgradable Firmware ( OS / Bios / Kernel )
Touch Screen control & robust skinning support
Homebrew support , IO lib will be released on launch
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December 16th, 2006, 00:36 Posted By: wraggster
tommip has posted a new Pop the balloon game on the palib forums, heres the info:
Popping game... my first allmost finished attempt to make a game, just pop the bubbles
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December 16th, 2006, 10:03 Posted By: wraggster
New from Play Asia:
features
Pages: 432
Includes Cloth Overworld Map
The complete Twilight Princess compendium
Exclusive maps for every dungeon in the game, plus all hidden dungeons mastered–including the infamous Cave of Ordeals!
All Golden Bugs, Poes, Pieces of Heart, Fairies, Rare Gold Chu locations, dig spot caverns, overworld and dungeon treasure chests, and every major Rupee location in the entire world revealed!
Complete walkthrough showing the optimal path to take! Grab all the best items at the earliest possible points!
Outrageously fast times, cunning techniques, and secret unlockables for all mini-games!
Written specifically for the Wii version
Multiple methods for fighting against all of Hyrule's dark denizens!
Learn when and where to search for every item, upgrade, character, and dungeon. Includes how and where to fish for the legendary 27-inch Hylian Loach!
Dozens of combat, gameplay, and healing tricks, plus easter eggs you won't believe!
description
Our way of celebrating the latest edition in the massively popular Zelda universe: Prima guides the way throughout the latest edition of Zelda spanning just under 450 pages of a hardcover guide. Written specifically for the Wii version of Twilight Princess, Prima will give you complete and multiple strategies for slice-and-dicing each enemy that can be encountered, and reveal every piece of treasure, every major Rupee location, and all the best items. Complete with a Cloth Overworld Map, and Hours upon Hours of Gameplay advice. This is the complete Twilight Princess compendium, for the complete Zelda fan.
Buy Here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1pid.html
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December 16th, 2006, 10:03 Posted By: wraggster
New from Play Asia:
features
Pages: 432
Includes Cloth Overworld Map
The complete Twilight Princess compendium
Exclusive maps for every dungeon in the game, plus all hidden dungeons mastered–including the infamous Cave of Ordeals!
All Golden Bugs, Poes, Pieces of Heart, Fairies, Rare Gold Chu locations, dig spot caverns, overworld and dungeon treasure chests, and every major Rupee location in the entire world revealed!
Complete walkthrough showing the optimal path to take! Grab all the best items at the earliest possible points!
Outrageously fast times, cunning techniques, and secret unlockables for all mini-games!
Written specifically for the Wii version
Multiple methods for fighting against all of Hyrule's dark denizens!
Learn when and where to search for every item, upgrade, character, and dungeon. Includes how and where to fish for the legendary 27-inch Hylian Loach!
Dozens of combat, gameplay, and healing tricks, plus easter eggs you won't believe!
description
Our way of celebrating the latest edition in the massively popular Zelda universe: Prima guides the way throughout the latest edition of Zelda spanning just under 450 pages of a hardcover guide. Written specifically for the Wii version of Twilight Princess, Prima will give you complete and multiple strategies for slice-and-dicing each enemy that can be encountered, and reveal every piece of treasure, every major Rupee location, and all the best items. Complete with a Cloth Overworld Map, and Hours upon Hours of Gameplay advice. This is the complete Twilight Princess compendium, for the complete Zelda fan.
Buy Here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1pid.html
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December 16th, 2006, 10:10 Posted By: wraggster
Awesome new release for the Nintendo Wii:
features
Seven incredible Metal Slug games: Metal Slug 1, Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 4, Metal Slug 5 and Metal Slug 6
Arcade perfect port of each title
Pick-up-and-play, non-stop action
description
Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of METAL SLUG by joining the METAL SLUG team on 7 separate adventures that span across the life of the franchise in this definitive collection.
Wicked fun. It's hard to describe Metal Slug Anthology any other way. You don't have to be a tried-and-true fan of the Metal Slug series to go after this game, just a fan of fast-paced, challenging games.
The Anthology comes loaded with seven arcade-perfect Metal Slug titles, and the only thing missing from the arcade experience, outside of a roll of quarters, is a joystick. However, SNK Playmore gave Metal Slug Anthology gamers a choice of six different control schemes to choose from.
Buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1pod.html
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December 16th, 2006, 10:13 Posted By: wraggster
New from Play Asia:
features
A "revolutionary" new twist on hide and go seek
Full interactivity with any object in the environment
Hundreds of Elebits to search for and find
Gain additional abilities as you capture more Elebits
description
A revolutionary game of hide and seek! Search high and low for mischievous little Elebits using the innovative features of the Wii Remote™ controller to push, pull, lift, throw and interact with anything and everything in the environment.
buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1pom.html
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December 16th, 2006, 10:16 Posted By: wraggster
Awesome new game for the Nintendo Wii released today at play asia:
features
Wii Unleashed – Dig deeper into the power of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck through survival tactics that include driving, shooting, jumping, balancing, climbing, grenading, and Far Cry’s ever-popular Feral attacking.
Weapons – Choose from a variety of weapons in a struggle to endure the rebel-infested jungle. Take down an unsuspecting victim from behind with a machete or meet the fight head-on with your machine gun.
Vehicles – From ATVs to hovercrafts, pickup trucks to Jet Skis, drive over, around, and through vicious combat situations.
Interactive Environments – Utilize the lush, tropical surroundings to your advantage, using stealth to sneak through the foliage past unsuspecting rebels.
Unleash the Wrath – Feel what its like to be the predator, not the prey, as you unleash the beast within. Jump higher, run faster, and slash with more fury than all of your enemies combined through the animalistic feral abilities unique to the Far Cry series.
Multiplayer – Challenge your friends in Far Cry: Vengeance’s frenetic Chaos mode as you battle to be the last person standing.
description
Far Cry®, the award-winning franchise, makes its debut on Nintendo’s revolutionary Wii™ console.
The game that changed the way first-person shooters are played is set to combine its renowned gameplay with the groundbreaking Wii technology.
Through the eyes of Jack Carver, use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck to drive, shoot, slash, jump, and climb your way through a rebel-infested, tropical hell.
Your mission? Survive.
Buy Here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1poj.html
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December 16th, 2006, 10:19 Posted By: wraggster
KIller golf game released for Nintendo Wii, heres the details:
features
The Super Swing: The Wii Remote controller provides a new level of gaming interaction, sensing motion, depth, positioning and targeting dictated by the movement of the controller.
Revolutionized Graphics: Improved character texture and molding and the newly designed costumes bring this title to life in this uniquely designed fantasy world.
Single Play Modes: Hit the links in Single Mode to play through Story Mode, Free Mode, or Challenge Mode. In Story Mode, the game proceeds along with the story of each character and will diverge according to the results of the match.
Multiplayer Modes: Try out Battle Mode to take on others in Match Play, Stroke Play, and Party Play.
description
Super Swing Golf takes advantage of the power of the Wii and provides a rich, newly designed, casual golf game that revolutionizes the way video game golf is played, putting the player in control of the club and the course!
Super Swing Golf's style and character turns the grand old walk of golf on its head. From its ingenious costumes to its freaky caddies, Tecmo's first Wii effort distances itself from the stuffiness associated with golf tradition.
The gameplay in Super Swing Golf, however, does a great job of mixing style and fun with golf simulation. Although players can use special shots on occasion and some courses house some unusual obstacles, the golf itself and course design will challenge those who are really into golf sims.
Buy Here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1pon.html
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December 16th, 2006, 12:10 Posted By: Azuran
http://www.acortech.com/Generic_ES-3...d-3219645.html
Compatible with GlovePIE and includes BlueSoliel.
At time of posting, $8, free shipping. I ordered it Monday morning, got it Friday afternoon. I have been enjoying it with my wiimotes ever since! Just passing the word through here in case anyone was looking for a value-conscious way to get bluetooth on their PC.
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December 16th, 2006, 16:05 Posted By: wraggster
via engadget
We're sure you've spent an hour or thirty in Zelda by now, and maybe you've tightened up your bowling and golf games in Wii Sports, but face it: your most notable Wii achievement so far is that Mii avatar you've been tweaking these past few weeks. The good news is that while your most recent dungeon exploits might not translate so well to some sort of torso covering garment, Mii on a Tee happens to be a quite aesthetically pleasing way of showing off your Wii fanboyism. Unfortunately, at £19.99 (about $35 US) these things aren't exactly free -- though there's no use worrying about that, we know you can't resist.
More Info
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December 16th, 2006, 16:20 Posted By: wraggster
New from SuccessHK
Good Protection
Special Cutting Design
NDS Cartridge Slots
Available colors: Clear / Clear Black, Please mark in remarks column
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December 16th, 2006, 16:30 Posted By: wraggster
via the herald
LIVING IN THE shadows of two bigger, meaner consoles, the Nintendo GameCube has often been overlooked as a viable gaming alternative.
Still, with its bargain price, steady diet of kid-friendly titles and the occasional show-stopper game that thrust it into the limelight, the little box that could has had a decent run with the big boys these past five years.
And now as Nintendo fully ramps up its Wii marketing onslaught, the GameCube takes a bow and for all intents and purposes, exits stage left.
It’s a shame it didn’t have a more glitzy year to commemorate its retirement, but 2006 wasn’t without its moments. Here’s a bit of what caught my eye in the last year:
GAME OF THE YEAR
Runner Up No. 3: Harvest Moon: Magical Melody (Natsume)
Expanding on the success that was Animal Crossing, the cutesy characters and addictive chores really sparkled in this harmless little title. The presentation might have screamed preschool, but the gameplay found here was surprisingly engrossing and helped launch similar games like the Viva Pinata series.
Runner Up No. 2: Mega Man X Collection (Capcom)
Proving that there’s still some life in 2D gaming, this title boasted all six of the Mega Man X titles plus a new bonus game, ensuring players’ fingers and hands would be sore for weeks to come. Younger gamers loved the gameplay and the older set welcomed the walk down memory lane.
Runner Up No. 1: Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts)
Even the most sceptical of gamers was won over by this inspired mash-up of two of childhood’s most endearing franchises. The attention to detail and great use of humour combined with the kind of action and adventure only Star Wars can provide made this game a colourful distraction with something for everyone.
Grand Prize: The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
It’s fitting the GameCube’s final great game would be one featuring one of its most iconic franchises. While heavily touted as a Wii launch title, this game packed almost the exact same masterpiece into the GameCube version. One of the most anticipated games on any console in 2006, Twilight Princess delivered the goods and then some in a staggering 50+ hour epic that ranks up there with any other Zelda game to date.
Honourable Mention: Chibi-Robo (Nintendo)
Small in size but heavy on the charm, this was a guilty pleasure of a game, a title you could just pick up and play without a care in the world. Quirky and unique, Chibi-Robo managed to turn a mundane homestead into a world of wonder, and players were keen on reaping the rewards.
SHAME OF THE YEAR
Stinker Award: The Ant Bully (Midway)
This hopeless exercise in mediocrity is a classic example of how Hollywood’s infiltration of the video game industry can choke the creativity out of game development. A plea to game studios: just because you CAN turn a movie into a video game doesn’t mean you have to. Please think of us gamers and not just your bottom line!
Dubious Mention: Super Monkey Ball Adventure (Sega)
Bright colors and loud noises might entertain newborns but they sure don’t make for a great gaming experience. Frustrating enough to drive away even the most resolute of players, this simian-laden nightmare of a platformer marked a precipitous drop in what was once a respected franchise.
HIGHS & LOWS
Biggest Surprise: Where’s Mario?!
It’s amazing to think that it’s been over a year since Mario starred in a GameCube game. Last seen in Super Mario Strikers, Nintendo’s ambassador to the world spent 2006 starring in a plethora of Nintendo DS handheld titles before popping up all over the Wii’s Virtual Console in games of yesteryear. He’s due back on the Cube sometime in 2007 in Super Paper Mario, but his absence was keenly felt during this console’s farewell tour.
Biggest Letdown: So Many Ports, So Little Interest
A staggering number of releases on the GameCube in 2006 were originally developed for other consoles and ham-handedly ported to the GameCube in a most unceremonious fashion. It’s hard to blame studios for obeying the whims and forces of the video game market, but when the majority of new GameCube titles are available to play in better form on other platforms, that leaves a lot of Nintendo loyalists out in the cold.
OUTLOOK
Nintendo might not have officially retired the Cube, but they’re definitely tuning up the band and getting a cake ready.
With a sharp decline in third-party releases in 2006, the determined push behind the Wii and boundless development opportunities on the handheld front, fans of the GameCube don’t have a lot to cheer about as 2007 draws closer.
Despite a relatively low sticker price, a healthy game library and rich character history, the GameCube will soon be fighting just to remain on shelves in many retail outlets as the next-gen slowly becomes current-gen and display space becomes limited.
With the PS2 well-posited to become the "cheap" gaming alternative of choice, the Cube will undoubtedly find itself detached from televisions across the nation and reduced to the roles of hand-me-down gift, flea-market mainstay or novelty relic.
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December 16th, 2006, 16:31 Posted By: wraggster
via cnn
Jaana Baker is no klutz -- note her second-degree black belt in tae kwon do. She's also an avid video gamer who puts out a Web-based comic called "Level 99" in her spare time.
So how did Baker end up launching the controller of her new Nintendo Wii (pronounced "we") right into her 37-inch TV? Like some other owners of the new game console and its motion-sensitive wireless remote, Baker took the freedom to move a little too literally.
A particularly spirited round of Wii bowling caused her to lose her bearings before unleashing what she had hoped would be a perfect strike.
"It was like a loud crack," she said, recalling the moment the "Wiimote" glanced off her coffee table, snapped its wrist strap and hurtled into her flat-screen TV. "It was kind of surreal, actually. I thought I was dreaming at first."
It appears that Baker is not alone. In recent weeks, the Web has been alight with reports of excited gamers losing their grip on the Wii's controller or smacking their arms into nearby objects.
After issuing a general "calm down" to its customers a week ago, Nintendo Co. has responded by quietly beefing up the controller's fabric wrist strap, spokeswoman Beth Llewelyn said. (Full story)
And while most executives would cringe if their flagship product suddenly became associated with shattered electronics and the occasional flesh wound, some observers say the lighthearted buzz could deliver a perfect shot of viral marketing.
"What it says is, this thing is so fun that people get carried away," said Adrian Ho of the advertising agency Fallon Worldwide. "A progressive brand manager would look at that and say, 'You know what? Actually, that's pretty good.' "
Wii sales lead competitors
The offbeat stories certainly don't seem to have hurt sales. The market research company NPD Group estimates that U.S. consumers bought 476,000 Wiis in the two weeks following its November 17 launch. That beat Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 console, which sold just under 200,000 units in roughly the same period amid widespread shortages.
Some analysts, like P.J. McNealy at American Technology Research, say the Wii isn't exactly a direct competitor with the PS3 because Nintendo purposely avoided getting into a war over which system has the hottest graphics.
Instead, Nintendo has focused on capturing customers outside the traditional niche of quick-fingered young males by playing up the Wii's ability to get people swinging their wireless controllers like swords, baseball bats or golf clubs.
That's why the missiles began flying. The Wii's popular sports games, included with the console, appear to be the main instigator of lost grips on the devices that look like TV remotes, Nintendo of America's Llewelyn said.
"It's kind of this novel way to play, and I think people are just figuring that out and may have gotten a little overexcited when they were playing," Llewelyn said.
Takes a flaying, keeps on playing
That's what happened to Jessica Chobot, a writer at gaming Web site IGN.com, who sprained and cut a finger on her right hand while trying to rally for a comeback victory in Wii baseball.
In the excitement of trying to put a little something extra on her fastball, Chobot said, she got a little too close to her thick wooden coffee table.
"You obviously don't need to go through all the motions, but I did because I was frustrated, and smashed my hand along with the Wii controller right into the table as hard as I possibly could," she said.
The impact sent a few Wii parts flying, but the remote lived up to Nintendo's reputation for durable hardware and quickly snapped back together.
"The controller still works, and that's the important thing," Chobot said, adding that her finger seems to be mending well.
Llewelyn said Nintendo has only verified a few scattered instances of Wii remotes flying because of faulty wrist straps.
"Because of the nature of the Internet, of course, it gets magnified so one or two occurrences becomes 2,200 experiences," said Billy Pidgeon, an analyst at IDC.
But the company might take heart that gamers seem to be blaming each others' klutziness more than they're criticizing Nintendo's design.
"On one hand, obviously we love that people are talking about our system. But we prefer when it's talking about the great game play experience," Llewelyn said. "Fortunately, I think that's what everybody is really talking about."
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December 16th, 2006, 16:37 Posted By: wraggster
DWedit has released a test build of GoomBa the Gameboy Colour emulator for the GBA and also the DS.
Here's the test build of Goomba color, very buggy
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December 16th, 2006, 16:59 Posted By: jojotjuh
from http://eng.supercard.cn
Update(2006.12.15):SuperCard DS(ONE) Released, Slot 1 perfect solution
As the first extra flash memory game cartridge, SuperCard team has been working in developing new features in the past three years. With the simple but practical functions, SuperCard has gained a great popularity of gamer in the world. After a long period of development, our team finally come up the new version -- SUPERCARD DS(ONE), which is the best Slot 1 solution.
Click to enlarge
Main Feature:
# 1. Plug 'n Play(No FlashMe, No PassMe, No convert).
# 2. 100% Clean Rom Support. 100% game capatibility.
# 3. no PC software required, just Drag 'n Drop file from PC to flash memory card.
# 4. Hardware save support. Easy to backup and exchange save with other players.
# 5. support FAT/FAT32 up to 32Gbits flash memory card. Flash memory card can be used on other digital products, save money.
# 6. Blue-Light engine included. Support High speed flash memory card without any slow down.
# 7. DS original cartridge size, the perfect solution of slot 1.
# 8. TFlash/MicroSD slot Push'n Push design, easy to use.
# 9. Micro firmware designed, and extended skin which is fully upgradeable.
# 10. MoonShell built-in design. Can play MP3, Ogg and DPG2 directly in SuperCard DS system. Capatible with DPG0/DPG1. It also support eBook and view picture. It's a real multimedia system.
# 11. TWO mode design:
# Standard mode: 100% Capability when copy clear roms into MicroSD for playing directly
# Super mode: support RESET, cheat code, save to flash memory card directly.
Addidtional Functions:
# Can be used as a SuperKey.
# Inter-play with GBA slot.
# Support SC Rumble Series as a rumble PAK.
# There is a SuperCard DS software(Super Mode need to use), you do not need to use it at standard mode. But if you use the software, SuperCard DS can support more powerful functions, such as RESET, cheat code, infinity save space etc (can support save more than 4m in the feature).
Here is the AD of SuperCard DS(ONE)..press here
also , they immediatly have released a IO fat driver for homebrew fat support added in this post
as soon as we hear a shop has them in stock we will post news
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December 16th, 2006, 17:28 Posted By: wraggster
The coder behind the Command And Conquer DS Clone Project has posted an 2nd Test Version, heres what he says:
Ok time for the second test! But don't get too excited about this one, I doubt very much it will work first time. This one should show a few test GUI screens like the one pictured below but it will probably just come up with two white screens. This will be the first proper test of the file system in use and also a different graphics mode (Mode 5). I've only ever tested this with Dualis so I can't be sure it'll work on the real thing.. but fingers crossed
.
Download and Screenshot Via Comments - Test Away and Give as much details as possible
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December 16th, 2006, 17:43 Posted By: wraggster
via ign
Square Enix has at last started to share details on the new DS entry in the Crystal Chronicles series of Final Fantasy offshoots. These first details on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, come our way via the latest issue of Famitsu.
For those who were concerned that the drop in system specs from the GameCube to the DS would result in dumbed down gameplay, we've got some good news for you. Ring of Fates actually adds some complexity to the original Crystal Chronicles gameplay system, thanks to a fully 3D world. Differences in surface height | | |
