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Today's hot video: Wiimote on PC acceleration reading
We're going to be honest with you: three out of the top five most viewed clips on YouTube today are gameplay videos of Tales of Destiny, but without knowing the Japanese language we have a hard time enjoying it. So we move on to the next top video (notice how we didn't say "hottest" in the headline), which is yet another Wii-related clip.The video is an early documentation from WiiLi.org, a group that is trying to figure out all the technical workings of the Wii remote, with the ultimate goal of creating a "live Linux CD that will allow the Wii to boot into a fully fleged Linux Desktop without the need of a modchip, or any hardware modification." You may not understand (or care to understand) their purpose, but let's be honest: their logo, a penguin dressed as Mario, is just plain adorable!The gurus are able to detect the accelerations (and it appears somewhat its orientation) of the Wiimote with their computer, but it is unclear to what extent they understand the wavelengths presented. Some might find it yawn-inducing, but it's a promising start.
Today's hottest game video: Wii-mote plus sweaty hands = SMASH
The top slot on YouTube is occupied by the DIY-erless Wii sensor bar video that we've already covered today, so we're sliding down to number two. Although the video tells us something we already know -- Wii-motes love to fly out of hands due to shoddy wrist straps and break things -- we love their Zapruder film-esque replay of the alleged event over and over. While people haven't started duct-taping these to their wrists yet, Nintendo can expect a brisk business in replacement straps sales. That's where the real money lies in these consoles, and we've finally uncovered the bitter truth. Check out the video after the jump while you scrounge for strap change.
Wii-osk in action at Gamestop
We visited a Gamestop in California last night, only to find a darkened Wii kiosk, which was very sad. Although it was almost made up for after we found a Gears of War console case, that thing is just flippin' sweet. Anyhow, digression aside, we asked the guy behind the counter when the Wii would be switched on, and he said "We need an ID." Stupid us replied with, "Oh, so someone from Nintendo has to come out and set it up? When will that happen?" And he said, "Uh ... no, dude. I need your ID." Clearly, we be geniuses.So we handed over our IDs and a major credit card (what's a minor credit card these days? Discover? Diner's Club?) and were handed two Wii-motes. He fired the system up and left us to it. They hold on to your plastic to make sure you don't run down the street laughing with their hardware in hand. The only game they had on display was Excite Truck, but we had a blast playing it and literally everyone in the store, which was oddly packed for a Sunday night, came over to watch us play.Quote of the minute from the whole experience by two teenage bystanders:Guy #1 -- "Dude, those graphics don't look that good ..."Guy #2 -- "Are you kiddin'? They look pretty good to me, and check out the badass controllers!"We assume he meant the Wii-motes and not us. Check out pix and video after the jump.
Today's hottest game video: New Wii promo trailer
Nintendo fanboys gushed all over YouTube (and their pants!) today at a new promotional trailer for the Wii. For those who have yet to pick up on the console maker's subtle formula for making commercials, we'll guide you through the process: Find a group of people of varying age, ethnic background, gender, and height. Give them all Wiimotes. Have them stare into the camera and smile while they wave their arms maniacally. If need be, splice footage as a means to explain why people may be shaking their arms maniacally at the screen (else the audience might think these Wiimotes are magically controlling us -- you, sir, will not make a marionette out of me). The video manages to splice footage of most of the high-profile launch titles, including the how-is-it-not-ready-for-launch Wario Ware Smooth Moves -- apparently the developers are taking some extra time fine tune the game's complex graphics.You might notice a dichotomy between the groups playing certain games. Wii Sports had a family of players, Excite Truck attracted a teenage audience of male and female. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Twilight Princess, however, were both played by the loner twenty-something male sitting in a dark room. Are you trying to tell us that our 80-year-old Irish albino grandmothers won't get a kick out of wielding two samurai swords in a Yakuza-inspired environment?Check out the video after the jump.
Wii-modeled TV remote modded for NES
Ingenious: the TV remote modeled after the Wiimote has become a game controller (more specifically an NES controller) again by way of some clever modding. Coupled with the NES controller turned TV remote, we have now restored balance in the cosmic gaming universe.We're still hoping one day some modern day Geppetto can turn one of these Wii-shaped TV remote into a real Wiimote. Continue reading for a video of the NES Wiimote in action.
Sunlight: Wii's biggest foe [update 1]
Nintendo Wii's sensor bar goes awry when confronted with natural light, according to a report by a "Warpstar Knight" on the Nintendo NSIDER Forums. The impressions, from OMBRENOIR17's September 14 visit to the Nintendo World Store (soon to be posted on Nintendo Gal), reveal that Mother Nature's carcinogen forced Metroid Prime 3 kiosks under curtains and completely shut down Wii Sports Tennis and Shooting Game. The kiosks returned to normal as soon as the bright star took a few steps back.It is as of yet unclear how garlic affects Wiimote functionality or load times.[Via Engadget][Update 1: A representative for Nintendo told 1UP, "our testing thus far shows no great risk of light interference when playing a game that relies on the pointer and sensor bar."]
Wii's first 3rd-party peripheral is a foam donut
French game publisher Ubisoft is the first company other than Nintendo to announce a peripheral for the Wii. The peripheral takes the form of a small, plastic racing wheel with a slot in the middle for the motion sensing Wii-mote, and is to be bundled with Ubisoft's GT Pro Series and 4x4: World Circuit racing games, although the simple design -- it's basically a foam circle -- suggests to us that it should "work" with pretty much any Wii racer. We'd imagine that the feeling would be similar to that of driving a car after the steering wheel had fallen off the column, and thus hilarity will no doubt ensue. On the one hand, the Wii-eel (Wiil?) could be a great example of the increased immersion that the Wii's controller will allow; on the other, Engadget HQ is chock-a-block with pointless pieces of plastic, so we're sure the novelty of finding a hunk of foam with every Wii game will wear off pretty damn quickly.[Via Joystiq]
PS3 pad loses DualShock name and vibration but picks up Wii-esque motion detection and wireless connectivity
In a shocking turn of events, the PS3 controller has gone from banamerang to wireless DualShock 3, except without the DualShock name and vibration.If you take a good look at the back of the new control pad (see the close-up above), you'll notice that the DualShock 2 brand name imprinted on the old controller has now been supplanted by a row of LED lights to show which input has been set, either wirelessly or via the wired USB recharge port. Sony's now the only name in-line for PS3 controllers either on the pad or in the press releases (see "the new PS3 controller").
