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Nitho releases a plethora of Wii Motion Plus accessories
If your gaming experience seems a little underwhelming for want of little plastic Wii Motion Plus-compatible accessories, it looks like the gang over at Nitho has got your back. A quick trip over to the company's website reveals baseball bats, golf clubs, a revolver / nunchuck, charging docks, and more: all suitable for the make-believe Pete Rose, Arnold Palmer, or Chuck Norris in your life, and all in that boring white plastic that's become synonymous with the game system. We haven't seen a street date or price for these bad boys yet, but we're keeping our eyes peeled. PR after the break.
Official Star Wars lightsaber and blaster accessories for licensed Wii Jedis
Hey, who doesn't have a desire to get down and nerdy with their Wii on occasion -- we respect that. But if you're going to pretend to hold the Wiimote like a lightsaber, you might as well go for the full-on, officially-licensed accessory. Oh, there are plenty of pretenders but nothing can feed your delusions of grandeur better than George Lucas' blessing. Yes, the lightsaber glows, and the cats at Bensussen Deutsch & Associates have plans for a matching blaster too. Unfortunately, the accessories don't make room for MotionPlus which is fine, we guess, since they'll be shipping with Star Wars - The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes -- a game that doesn't support MotionPlus anyway. How wude.
We know you'll need it: the Wii MotionPlus instructional video
With the release of the Wii MotionPlus, Nintendo has apparently placed how-to videos with applicable games to instruct its customer base on how to attach the accessory. Destructoid took the opportunity to upload the video, which walks a fine line between airplane emergency video and a tape that would be played in "health" class.Dtoid notes that the real horror is that once the three-minute video starts ... there's no way to exit (not even the glorious Wiimote's Home button will save you). So, if you really need to know how to shove, slide and thread your components inside the Wii prophylactic, please feel free to watch the video after the break.
Exclusive blue Wiimote, Nunchuk and MotionPlus for lucky Wii Sports Resort visitors
It seems that the door is beginning to creak open for alternate-color Wii systems and accessories. First, Nintendo finally announces a Wii in a new color scheme (black), and now, less than two weeks later, the company has announced another color for the Wiimote and Nunchuk -- and the first new color for the MotionPlus. However, this is going to be a little harder to come by.From June 25 to August 31, Nintendo will give away exclusive light blue Wiimotes, MotionPlus attachments and Nunchuks (and a matching jacket, of course) to five thousand Japanese Club Nintendo members who register copies of Wii Sports Resort. Not that Nintendo needed to offer any kind of incentive to sell Wii Sports Resort.[Via GoNintendo]
Hands-on: Red Steel 2
After the awkward and misguided mess that was Ubisoft's Red Steel, it must sound like damning praise to say, "Well, the sequel's much better." After all, Nintendo's newfangled MotionPlus attachment has come to save the day, introducing one-to-one movement and finally delivering the sword fighting extravaganza that all those energetic Wii players have been enjoying in the commercials. Unfortunately, MotionPlus' binding to Red Steel 2 doesn't feel particularly effective in combating the original game's flaws. It's a miss, like sticking a band-aid on someone's knee after they've been poisoned. If the MotionPlus makes a fundamental difference to the gameplay, it's not immediately apparent within the framework of a pretty insipid combat system.%Gallery-51378%
EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 with Wii MotionPlus now shipping
It may not seem quite as impressive now that Microsoft and Sony have shown off their visions of a motion-controlled future, but Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus is still as good as it gets when it comes to consoles today and, as promised, it's now finally shipping alongside the latest Tiger Woods game. That may not be exactly what Nintendo had in mind when it first unveiled MotionPlus way back at last year's E3, but the first-party wares won't be too far behind, with its own Wii Sports Resort title (and requisite bundle) still on track for a launch late next month. If you're up for a little golf in the meantime, however, you can pick up the Tiger Woods game bundled with Wii MotionPlus for $59.99, or the standalone game (still playable with the standard Wiimote) for $49.99.
Miyamoto "not worried at all" about Sony and Microsoft's motion controllers
Sony and Microsoft certainly turned the motion-sensing heat up on Nintendo at E3 last week, but it doesn't seem like Shigeru Miyamoto is all that concerned at the moment -- he just told the BBC that while he's "flattered" his competitors are "moving in the same direction," he's "not worried at all" about Project Natal or the Playstation motion controller because "they don't have the type of depth that we're able to provide with Wii Motion Plus." Snap. We don't know about that -- we certainly haven't been blown away by Motion Plus -- but we can see why Nintendo's not sweating it just yet: the Wii's a runaway hit and a pop-culture phenomenon, while Natal and the PSMC are still tech demos without announced ship dates or even final names. That said, it's clear that Microsoft and Sony don't intend to just cede this space to Mario and Co., so we'll see how Nintendo fights back -- we'll tell you right now that the Wii Vitality Sensor ain't gonna cut it. [Via Joystiq]
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: The Legendary Starfy
Now that the whirlwind of E3 is over, Nintendo is getting back into the swing of updating the Nintendo Channel with less exciting content than last week's big reveals. This week, it's all about the release of MotionPlus and The Legendary Starfy, with plenty of video content for both. Sadly, we don't have a demo of the latter, which we were really hoping for. But, hey, you can at least play Ant Nation. That's something, right? Right?
Motion control wars: Xbox 360 and PS3 are playing catch-up with Wii next year, who will do it right?
It doesn't come as a surprise that Sony and Microsoft are hard at work at motion controls for their respective consoles: Nintendo is eating their lunch. The Wii's incredible appeal with the average consumer -- due primarily to the accessibility and charm of its Wiimote motion controls -- has also created an annoying divide in the industry (real or perceived) between consumers who use embarrassing gestures to control meaningless mini-games, and those who memorize incredibly complex control schemes to control deeper and more "mature" experiences. There's been a small amount of crossover, of course, but since Sony and Microsoft have lacked most of the gestures option, a majority of it has taken place on the Wii -- the inclusion of an accelerometer in Sony's Sixaxis controller has had little impact on gameplay, and Sony's EyeToy 2 has had even less impact on the average gamer. Of course, that's all about to change next year, with the emergence of the Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's PlayStation motion controller. Typical thinking would suggest that Sony and Microsoft will be attempting to capture a slice of the casual gaming market that the Wii has so well dominated, while also expanding on the Wii's capabilities at serving the hardcore gamer -- some capabilities which Nintendo itself is attempting to add to the Wii with the even more imminent MotionPlus add-on. So, does anyone here have what it takes to serve up the next generation of gaming controls to everybody, or do cost considerations and the current state of the console wars dictate an ongoing rift in the market? Let's weigh our options...
InvenSense gloats about world's first 6-axis MEMS-based motion sensing solution
We tell ya, some proud folks work at InvenSense. After boasting last year about its Wii MotionPlus-powering IDG-600 motion sensor, the company is set to gloat once more at E3 this year. The cause for celebration? Its 6-axis motion processing solution, which it's calling a world's first. Said solution weds its IME-3000 3-axis accelerometer with its IDG dual-axis family of gyros in order to produce a wicked small 6-axis motion sensor. In theory, at least, this creation is small enough to add MotionPlus-like capabilities to smartphones and other ridiculously small devices, with even TV remotes holding the promise of one day letting you "roll through" the EPG. Currently, the only big-name devices utilizing 5- or 6-axis motion functionality is Logitech's MX Air Mouse and the aforementioned MotionPlus accessory, but obviously InvenSense is hungry for more. Too bad that DSi already launched, right?
Ask Joystiq Nintendo: StarBlade edition
This week, we take a brief look at a Japanese Virtual Console Arcade game that is quite a bit cooler than expected. At the current rate of one game per week, who knows when this game will reach us (or if), but at least in this case the implications it carries outweigh the game itself.If you want us to use old games as evidence for new trends (or ask us anything else), send an email over to asknintendo AT joystiq DOT com! [Image via The Arcade Flyer Archive]
Wii Sports Resort features ... golf and table tennis?
Nintendo of Japan's new commercials for the Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort use some very slick high-speed camera footage to illustrate the realistic motions used in, among other things, table tennis and golf. New in-game footage found in the commercial reveals that two of Resort's new minigames will be retreads of things seen in previous titles -- table tennis was covered in Wii Play, and golf, of course, appeared in the original Wii Sports. Nintendo must be very confident that MotionPlus improves these games significantly. We still don't know how many games will be included in Resort, but if two of them are going to be encore presentations, there had better be a lot of games. We totally understand Nintendo wanting to take a second crack at table tennis, we must admit, because Wii Play's version is not where it's at.%Gallery-27709%[Via N-Europe]
Analysts predict over ten million sales for MotionPlus
Both Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter and EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich expect the Wii MotionPlus peripheral to achieve sales of around ten million units in the US and Europe. The two just disagree on how long it will take. Pachter believes that the sales will happen early on, driven by bundles of early MotionPlus compatible software: "I think around 20 percent of Wii owners in the US and Europe will have bought Wii Sports Resort, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 or EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis," Pachter told Edge, "so that's around eight million." He added, "I think another two million will buy MotionPlus with new consoles."Divnich thinks three million units will sell through this holiday season, but it will take an additional year to achieve the ten-million-plus level of sales. "For the Wii MotionPlus, we currently expect the install base to reach over 11 million units by the end of Nintendo's next fiscal year in March 2011, a 15 percent penetration."Both analysts think Red Steel 2 is a risk that could pay off for Ubisoft. "Red Steel 2 may come along at precisely the right time, around when people are ready for another [MotionPlus] game," Pachter said. "The risk is really more a function of competition, compounded by the risk that Ubisoft could make a bad game." Both analysts believe that Red Steel 2 will be bundled with a MotionPlus.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10: The video tour, Wii edition
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 will be hitting all major consoles and handhelds, but the Wii MotionPlus really makes it stand out on Nintendo's flagship game unit. It offers a greater degree of club control than we've ever seen in a game, though don't expect it to make you a better golfer ... unless you can somehow graft a Wiimote onto your club. You can check out Tiger's WiiMotion Plus in action here, and then head after the break to see new videos depicting the Live Tournament mode, as well as the new golfers and courses in the game.%Gallery-63036%
EA Sports MotionPlus games coming out a week early
EA just released some awesome news for people hoping to have something to do with their MotionPlus peripherals when the device comes out on June 8. The company announced that the release dates for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis are being bumped up a week, to match the release of the MotionPlus.Even better, the Tiger Woods/MotionPlus bundle is also coming out on June 8, so the peripheral will be available with a game from day one. Nice of EA to step up and do what, for some reason, Nintendidn't. Surprisingly, despite now being available alongside the MotionPlus, EA probably won't be able to boast the first game to support it -- or even the first tennis game. Sega hasn't announced an official date for Virtua Tennis 2009 beyond "June", but GameStop currently lists June 2.%Gallery-47656%
Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus accessory up for pre-order
With June 8th barely a month away, we're finally seeing Nintendo's long (long!) awaited Wii MotionPlus dongle hit the pre-order stage. Right now at Amazon, eager Wiimote swingers can get in line for $19.99, or if you're feeling frisky, you can also pre-order Wii Sports Resort and / or Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. So, who's down for making their controller the most expensive one on the market when fully equipped?Update: Good news, gamers. EA Sports just announced that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis will now be released on June 8th alongside the Wii MotionPlus dongle.
Peter Moore says EA Sports is 'under-performing' on the Wii
In the past, Peter Moore has hinted at the tenuous relationship between the company he helms (EA Sports) and Nintendo's three-DVD-wide home console (the Wii). Yesterday, the leader of the highly athletic development studio fully acknowledged EA Sports' lackluster sales performance on the Wii in an interview with Eurogamer, stating, "when I look at the attach rate on the Wii of our software to where I think we should be, we're under-performing still, we need to do much better."Moore is hoping to claim a few extra slices of that sweet Wii pie with the studio's upcoming MotionPlus-infused sports titles, Tiger Woods 10 and Grand Slam Tennis. Of course, we can't have a story about Mr. Moore without one of his trademarked Awesomely Ostentatious Quotes: "Those two titles couldn't come at a better time for us, nor for Nintendo quite frankly." Oh, yeah. That one's going up on the fridge.
Red Steel 2 is MotionPlus exclusive, cel-shaded
As you probably already know, the latest issue of Nintendo Power blows the doors off of the recently announced sequel to the Wii's slightly disappointing, sword/gun-toting FPS launch title, Red Steel. Now that the mag has landed in a few quivering, anticipatory hands, more details about Red Steel 2 are beginning to surface.First and foremost, the title will apparently be cel-shaded -- hinted at by the sole piece of concept art we received yesterday, and confirmed by a number of scans which are beginning to creep onto the internets. Also, we recently got confirmation from Nintendo Power itself that the game will be "Wii MotionPlus exclusive," a phrase we can only interpret to mean "you need a MotionPlus dongle to play it." (Are you guys comfortable with calling it a dongle? That's such a lovely word. Don-gle.)We'll let you know when we hear even more facts about the game. And by facts, we don't mean "my brother's girlfriend's sister's stepmom goes to a beauty parlor where she read about Red Steel 2 while waiting for her bouffant to dry."[Thanks, Fernando Rocker!]
Red Steel 2 goes to the Wild West, adds MotionPlus support
Red Steel 2 is real ... and it's not really what we were expecting. The June 2009 issue of Nintendo Power will feature Ubisoft's Wii-exclusive sequel, and the cover reveals two things: MotionPlus makes wielding the sword feel "as real as you'd always dreamed!" Red Steel 2 seems to take place in the Wild West ... with swords. WTF? Now, before you freak out, let's not forget that the Wild West and the East have merged together quite successfully in the past. If Red Steel 2 turns out anything like the Charles Bronson / Toshiro Mifune mashup Red Sun, it should be the best game ever made. Check out the cover after the break.[Thanks, Fernando Rocker]
The rather uneventful (yet somehow exciting) evolution of Wii MotionPlus
Some recently unearthed European legal filings show us the timeline of development for Wii's MotionPlus. Well -- it shows us what could have been, anyway. The image, starting to the left, shows the oldest version, with an insanely hideous curve that was dispensed with in favor of an outwardly leaning shape in the next iteration, while the far right shows what we essentially ended up with: a tiny little lip that some theorize may be a design element intended to help keep the jacket in place. We'll say this much: we sure are glad they didn't use that initial design. Yuck![Via Joystiq]
