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Nintendo's Pokemon getting an iOS app
Nintendo has been careful not to support Apple at all with its iOS initiative -- though mobile devices are huge in Japan (and a lot of Japanese companies have found success even on the North American App Store), the general feeling out of the video gaming giant seems to be that Apple's iPhone and iPod touch is a threat to Nintendo's huge handheld gaming legacy. But here's an exception to that plan -- the Pokemon team plans to release an official iOS app in Japan. The app will be called Pokemon Say Tap? BW, and rather than a full Pokemon game, the app will be a rhythm title, where Pokemon cards appear on the screen and you have to tap them to a certain beat. It's hardly the port of Super Mario Bros. that we've been looking for (and it's likely we'll never see this app in the US), but as far as I know, this is the first actual release from anything Nintendo-related on the iOS side of things. The company's been less-than-complimentary on what Apple has done to their gaming market so far, but it's tough to ignore the audience that Apple's iPhone has created, and this is the result of that. [via Joystiq]
Wii pay-per-view programming introduced in Japan
Not only are we still waiting for the TV Guide Channel that Japanese Wii users have been indulging in for the better part of two years, but now Variety is reporting that Nintendo has teamed up with a dozen corporate partners to tease us with a Japanese pay-per-view service for the console. Premiering last Saturday, Wii no Ma (Wii's Room) currently has 120 titles, including episodes of Sesame Street and Pocket Monsters, available for prices ranging from ¥30 - ¥500 ($.35 - $5.63). According to Variety, titles can also be viewed on your Nintendo DSi handheld, a device known for its sonority and large, appealing display. No word yet on when we can enjoy a Stateside version, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear something. In the meantime, there's always PlayOn.
