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Rumor: No Euro Wii price cut, new bundle to include both Wii Sports games, MotionPlus
Just like we saw earlier this year with the PlayStation 3 Slim, the rumor mill is churning at breakneck pace -- though this time around a possible Nintendo Wii price cut rather than a slimmer console. Aside from multiple retailer listings and today's alleged internal Best Buy memo, MCV reports that a "retail source" told it the UK won't be receiving the same price cut that North America and Japan are expected to receive. Instead, the current model will be given the bundle treatment.GamesIndustry.biz spotted the new bundle on ShopTo.net -- it has since been removed, though an image and a shell of the page still exist -- which includes both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort as well as a MotionPlus attachment, for the same £199.99 ($326.76) the system is priced at now. If it is true, at least UK Wii buyers will be getting a bit more for their pounds. It's not quite the Duck Hunt/Super Mario Bros. with a Zapper combo of yore, but it'll have to do.Source -- No Wii price cut for UK [GamesIndustry.biz]Source -- New UK Wii bundle leaked [MCV]
Black Wii remote bundle coming to North America, no matching console in sight
Oh Nintendo, you tease. You still won't give us that jet black Wii console bound for Japan, but you've got no problem giving us in North America a taste of the dark side with a black Wiimote and Motion Plus bundle, coming this holiday along with a black nunchuk sold separately. With any luck this is just the sign of things to come, and should the Wii's sales momentum drop, we're sure quite a few new colors will start shipping their way over here (light blue, anyone?). On the more portable side of things, the DSi will be adding pink and white to its repertoire on September 13th. Unless the House that Mario Built is feeling particularly nasty, prices should be the same as their pre-existing color counterparts -- you wouldn't put a premium on a palette swap, right Nintendo? [Via Joystiq]
How would you change Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus add-on?
It took the Big N right around a year to actually ship its Wii MotionPlus dongle after first showing it off at E3 2008, and now we're curious to know if you think the wait was worth it. We've already spilled our deepest, darkest thoughts on the $20 add-on accessory, but now that Wii Sports Resort is out (and still firmly lodged within your Wii's optical drive), we just can't wait another second to hear from end users. Are you pleased with the additional sensing capabilities? Has it enhanced your gameplay as you thought it would? What aspects would you like to see changed? You just paid a Jackson for a brick that attaches to your perfectly functional Wiimote -- don't miss your chance to pick it apart.
Get a MotionPlus with NHL 2K10 in Canada
Nintendo has already, to the surprise of many, partnered with EA to bundle MotionPlus peripherals with sports games. Now, according to a Canadian retail listing, the company is collaborating with another third party on a bundle. Futureshop lists an NHL 2K10 package featuring 2K Sports' hockey game (and its utterly terrifying box art) and a MotionPlus, for $69.99 (about $63 USD). Amazon.ca also shows the same bundle at a $10 discount. These seemingly Canada-exclusive bundles will ship concurrently with the standalone release on September 15. [Via GoNintendo]
Wii Sports Resort puts MotionPlus in over 600,000 European homes
We knew that Wii Sports Resort was selling well in Europe. Today, Nintendo told GamesIndustry.biz just how well: over 600,000 copies in its two weeks of release, even more than have sold in North America. That's not only good news for the game, but also for the prospects for future MotionPlus use -- the more the game sells, the more of the Wii audience has the device, and the more likely developers are to support it. Who knew that a sequel to a ridiculously popular game could also be popular? Somebody should tell all the struggling publishers like EA and Activision about this. %Gallery-68619%
Wii Sports Resort sells over 500K in US
Even Miss Cleo could've predicted this one. Nintendo's follow-up to console pack-in Wii Sports has done exceedingly well, as Nintendo has revealed Wii Sports Resort has managed to sell over 500,000 copies in the US since its July 26 release. Combined with the game's strong sales in the UK, it's safe to say Nintendo has a bona fide hit on its hands. Waitaminute, did we just type that? A Nintendo game managed to make money? We must be stuck in the Twilight Zone again.
Joyswag: Wii Sports Resort + 2 MotionPlus adapters [update]
Update: Thanks for playing, folks! The giveaway has come to a close and we'll be selecting our winner via email, so keep an eye on your inbox!That's right, folks! Joyswag coming your way again, this time with some Wuhu Island action. One lucky winner will walk away with Wii Sports Resort (including MotionPlus) ($50 ARV) and one additional MotionPlus controller ($30ARV). So, let's get down to it! Leave a comment telling us where your best vacation was and why You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 11:59 am ET on Wednesday, August 5 At that time, we'll randomly select one grand-prize winner to receive Wii Sports Resort (including MotionPlus) ($50 ARV) and one additional MotionPlus controller ($30ARV) For a list of complete rules, click here Good luck!
NEMS takes step forward, MEMS looking nervously over shoulder
Just as it's starting to seem like MEMS motion sensor technology is gaining more widespread use, we're now hearing rumblings of activity from the developers of its eventual successor: NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems). To contextualize this discussion (and to give laypeople a shot at understanding), MEMS sensors are the magic behind the Wii MotionPlus as well as a stunning tech demo recently conducted on a Toshiba TG01. The nascent nano version promises even greater sensitivity, and now scientists from TU Delft in the Netherlands claim they have successfully measured the influence of a single electron on an 800nm-long carbon nanowire. Just detecting such an event is a feat in itself, while the ability to measure its effects can be used in a huge range of ways: from transportation and medicine to ultra-sensitive gaming controllers. While accurate comparisons between the Dutch breakthrough and current generation sensors cannot yet be drawn, we can confidently say that this marks an important step toward making our dreams of playing a nanoscale piano a gargantuan reality.
UK chart get: Tourists flock to Wii Sports Resort
Now that Nintendo has finally started chartering some flights to lovely Wuhu Island, folks have been eager to snap up Wii Sports Resort for their very own ticket. In the UK, Chart Track data shows the follow-up to 2006's console pack-in is quite the popular little piece of software, as the sequel earned the top spot on last week's All Formats chart. Strong start, but will it have the staying power of Wii Fit?Last week's winner, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has thus been bumped down to the second spot, with EA's other darling, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, snagging bronze.%Gallery-27709%
Nintendo won't make Wii MotionPlus a new standard
Nintendo converted Times Square into a tropical island getaway for a day to celebrate this coming Sunday's launch of Wii Sports Resort, the first sequel to Nintendo's flagship Wii title. We had a chance to chat with Bill Trinen, product marketing manager for Nintendo of America, while overlooking the festivities below. He told us that in spite of the advances made by Wii MotionPlus, he doesn't see Nintendo enforcing it as a new standard. "I don't think that we would or that we would necessarily require other developers to do so either," Trinen said. "Something like Wii MotionPlus and whether or not you want to incorporate that is more of a creative decision that's up to each individual developer.""I think it certainly suits specific types of games, but it may not make sense to include Wii MotionPlus in every game," Trinen continued. "For example, if you look at the motion controls of New Super Mario Bros. for Wii that's coming out this holiday, it's not the kind of control that requires or would really benefit from more precise movements. So it doesn't make sense for a development team to spend time implementing something that's going to enhance the end experience. I do think over time, we're going to see a lot of developers taking a look at it and finding things they can do that they couldn't do with the standard Wii Remote and we're going to see those experiences come to life."When asked if Nintendo had any plans to revise the standard Wii Remote to include Wii MotionPlus tech, Trinen replied, "those are all good ideas. We've thought about all that as well. At this point, we're really just focused on launching Wii Sports Resort and obviously getting Wii MotionPlus off to a good start and getting it to the hands of as many of the Wii consumers as we can. And from there, once it becomes time, we may look at what other options are available."Check back tomorrow for our full video interview with Bill Trinen and VP of corporate communications, Denise Kaiger, as they talk about Sony and Microsoft's motion efforts, the Wii Vitality Sensor and if Pikmin 3 is still happening.%Gallery-68619%
Wii Sports Resort impressions (and video!): MotionPlus killer app, or killer tech demo?
Sure, EA and Sega already have MotionPlus offerings on the market, but everyone knows the real kickoff for MotionPlus is Nintendo's first party title: Wii Sports Resort. We've spent some sweaty days with the product to get a real feel for all 12 games included (each with a few different activities to keep things fresh), and while there are certainly shortcomings to the depth of gameplay per activity, there's no denying that the package will liven up a party and rake in cash by the truckloads for Nintendo. Read on for our full impressions and some action-packed hands-on video.
Review: Wii Sports Resort
Upon my initial skydive into Wii Sports Resort, I expected the game wouldn't wow me much. I'd seen it during various stages of its life and played it many times. Now that I had the final product, I expected it would hold little in the way of surprise. But as I started unlocking games and playing more, I found myself losing track of time. Many of us know that a great game can just suck you in and you can easily lose hours mining it for all of its glorious, fun riches. Wii Sports Resort was no different for me. %Gallery-27709%
Wii MotionPlus sells nearly 500K units before Wii Sports Resort releases
We've got another week until Wii Sports Resort hits retailer shelves, but as per the recently released June NPD numbers, we already know that the Wii's MotionPlus has moved nearly half a million units. Ars Technica dug up the numbers of individual units sold for the peripheral attachment (169,000) as well as the numbers for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 sold w/ MotionPlus (205,000) and found that, a full three weeks before the July 28th release of Wii Sports Resort, the peripheral add-on is already in 374,000 consumers' homes.We all know the old adage "Good software moves hardware," but in Nintendo's case, apparently "barely any software" is enough.[Via Engadget]
Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus selling well, and Wii Sports Resort ain't even out yet
For a device that took a solid year to go from "debuting at E3" to "shipping," we're pretty surprised to see that Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus held as much steam as it did. With overall video game sales dropping in June for the first time since 2000 (when looking at year-over-year figures, anyway), the Big N still had a few hundred thousand reasons to smile. Aside from the 361,700 Wii consoles and 766,500 DS units that shipped in June, the company also managed to sell 169,000 Wii MotionPlus dongles -- and that's not including the ones that were packaged with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, of which 272,400 units were sold. The real kicker, however, is that the accessory's real partner in crime (that'd be Wii Sports Resort) has yet to be released. It's good to be king, ain't it Mario?
Wii Sports Resort's E3 2008 demo completed in three months
When we first saw Wii Sports Resort last year, all Nintendo had available were three of the game's events: swordplay, power cruising, and Disc Dog. It turns out that those three (quite polished) events are pretty much all that existed at the time. In the latest Iwata Asks interview, the Wii Sports Resort team reveals that they didn't have anything but the idea of maybe doing another sequel until three months before E3 2008. Above, you can see what had been done: a MotionPlus test involving a virtual toy.As usual, the Iwata Asks interview is full of surprisingly forthright discussion about the inner workings of Nintendo, including the team (and Shigeru Miyamoto) expressing its elation about a MotionPlus delay that allowed for more work on Resort, everyone's relative confusion at Miyamoto's "Wuhu Island" franchise idea, and, best of all, Miyamoto's deceptive methods of team motivation.At one point, Miyamoto announced in an interview that golf would be in Wii Sports Resort, and that the MotionPlus would allow backswing to control the strength of the swing, instead of just speed -- and the team had to rush to actually put golf in the game afterward. Later, he describes how he faked a directive from Satoru Iwata to add an extra game mode. And apparently a programmer couldn't demonstrate the archery feature for Miyamoto because he was too nervous to aim the bow properly.Shigeru Miyamoto sounds like kind of a jerk, actually.
Fight Night Round 4 knocks out its UK chart competitors
So it turns out Fight Night Round 4 is a real hit over in the UK. A real hit. That's a joke. What isn't a joke is that the game is enjoying a second week at the number one spot, despite competition from Tiger Woods Pro Tour 10, which debuted at number 2. We say "competition," but no matter which one you buy the money's still going in EA's pocket -- something that doesn't happen when you buy Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which surged from number 6 to number 3 this week.The bundling of Wii MotionPlus with Tiger Woods doesn't seem to have impacted too much on sales, as it debuted at number 4 in the Wii charts. Grand Slam Tennis -- which is also bundled with MotionPlus -- swapped places with EA Sports Active, jumping from number 3 to number 2. None of which seem to be able to get close to that other Wii peripheral, Wii Fit, which sits comfortably at the top of the Wii chart, as usual.
Sony patents more motion tech, uses everyday objects
We'd be lying if we didn't say we're a bit worried about the future of gaming controllers. Between the Nintendo's MotionPlus, Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's ... erm ... motion thing, our precious game pads get more and more antique looking every day. And according to a recent patent filed by Sony that Siliconera found, our precious controllers have one more thing to fear: everyday objects. That's right, friends -- in the future, we could be using our real-life keys to open doors, our swords to slice up fools, and our guns (not outside of the US) to shoot up the screen "accidentally." The patent shows off a PlayStation Eye-based system that can recognize 3D objects and use them in-game based on various actions taken by the player -- something Microsoft claims it's Natal is also capable of doing. Various household items will be affected in different ways, the example given being a U-shaped object that, when turned upwards, becomes a sword, versus a U-shaped block when facing downwards (think Halo's Covenant Energy Sword). Apparently the system is able to scan a whole mess of objects and store them in a databank for future use. Like so much future tech we've seen recently, we're taking this one with a full truckload of salt until we get some face time.
Engadget Podcast 153 - 07.03.2009: Independence Day edition
It's your holiday weekend America -- how are you going to spend it? We'll tell you how: by listening to Engadget Podcast 153 over, and over, and over. What better way to utilize your extra day off and barbecue-packed good times than by putting Josh, Paul, and Nilay on repeat for you (and your friends') enjoyment? Check out the 'cast this week as the boys explore the ups and downs of the Olympus E-P1, Dell's MID plans, and field a handful of questions from our handsome, intelligent, and just basically awesome listeners. You won't be disappointed. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Virt - Katamari on the Rock Hear the podcast 00:02:10 - Olympus E-P1 hands-on, test shots, and mini-review 00:10:26 - Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 gets officially detailed, priced for US market 00:14:22 - Wii MotionPlus impressions: it works, but so far the games aren't worth the fuss 00:24:45 - Dell working on iPod touch-esque Android MID, says WSJ 00:32:08 - Android 1.5 gets official SDK for native development 00:38:10 - Video: Mobinnova élan sporting a custom Tegra UI 00:47:30 - Video: NVIDIA Tegra's GPU gets busy with HD video and full-screen Flash -- Intel 945GSE shrugs, kicks dirt 00:47:30 - Verizon BlackBerry Tour unboxing 00:50:17 - BlackBerry Tour hands-on, wild sibling confrontation with Curve and Bold 00:53:00 - RIM CEO: "SurePress is here to stay" 00:57:00 - 13-year-old trades iPod for Walkman, reports on mysterious ancient artifact 01:04:55 - iPhone 3GS review 01:07:15 - Palm Pre review Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Engadget gets in-depth with the Wii MotionPlus
Like trying to watch a foreign language film on a tiny TV, it seems that our buddies at Engadget can't figure out if they've got problems with the Wii MotionPlus technology, or just the way it's being used. The site recently did an exhaustive hands-on with Nintendo's new add-on, the fruits of which you can see here.The best implementation/demonstration for the super-sensitive tech seems to be manipulating an e-frisbee in 3D space, which is almost too precious and appropriate for our brains to comprehend.
Wii MotionPlus review: it works, but so far the games aren't worth the fuss
At first glance it's a little difficult to understand the necessity of another motion-sensing add-on. What could possibly be inside this particular block of white plastic that's not inside those other countless slabs of white plastic that Nintendo has already slathered on the Wii? Sure, we know in theory that the gyroscopes that MotionPlus provides allows the controller to truly orient itself in 3D space, instead of just sensing acceleration in various directions, and breaks some of that reliance on the sensor bar, but do those theoretical advances result in a true leap in gameplay? We tested it out with EA's new MotionPlus-enabled Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis -- the first such titles on the market while we wait for Nintendo to get its own Wii Sports Resort in order -- and we'd say the results are pretty inconclusive so far. Check out our full impressions after the break, along with enthralling videos of both games in action. Major thanks to The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers for letting us test this out at their facilities, and to golf pros Herb and Marj for letting us waste some of their valuable time.
