WiiConnect24
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Nintendo of America retiring several Wii online services on June 28th
Earlier today, Nintendo announced that several of the original Wii's online services will fade to black in the console's homeland. Adding to the carnage, the company confirmed that us yankees are far from exempt. Starting on June 28th, the Forecast Channel, News Channel, Everybody Votes Channel, the Check Mii Out Channel and the Nintendo Channel will all be taken offline. Wii Message Board and data exchange between friends are scheduled to get the axe as well. Now before you start contemplating trading in your system for its leaner, disconnected successor, we should note that the Wii Shop Channel will remain online. So there's still time to snag a copy of Super Mario 64 from the Virtual Console for nostalgia's sake.
Nintendo to retire Wii network services in Japan, including the Weather Channel
No one disputes that the Wii is old, but old enough to retire? It seems so, at least in the case of a number of its internet services, which Nintendo has scheduled for closure on June 28th. An End of Life notice to Japanese customers reveals that a total of six channels will be put out to pasture, including News and Weather, as will the the ability for Wii Friends to exchange data over Wii Connect24. It's not clear whether these terminations will apply globally, and in any case Nintendo explicitly says that other key services will continue for the time being, such as the Wii Shop Channel. Nevertheless, the latest iteration of the Wii -- the Wii Mini -- wasn't able to connect to any internet services from the outset, so it certainly seems like the game company wants to shift its focus to the future -- and maybe that isn't such a bad idea. The source link has further details along with the obligatory "sorry to everyone" message.
Mix Superstar: WiiWare's first music creation utility
The DS has a couple of music creation apps, including two Korg titles and the DSiWare app Rytmik. Now, you'll be able to assemble the dance track of your dreams on Wii, thanks to Digital Leisure. The publisher is releasing Mix Superstar on WiiWare sometime this year. Mix Superstar contains over 1,000 royalty-free samples that you can assemble into your own tracks, with the addition of vocals from a USB mic or Wii Speak. Songs can be downloaded or sent to friends via WiiConnect24. New loops can be purchased as DLC. Check out a trailer for the musical toy after the break. [Via GoNintendo]
Revolutionary: Playing. Creating? Sharing!
Every (other) Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities. Custom level creation in console games has come a long way. It used to be, if you wanted to share a track that you built in Excitebike, you had to invite friends over to play your creation on your cartridge, until you powered off your NES and the track was lost forever. Nowadays our levels can be saved to internal storage, and shared by removable media, or across the internet to survive for posterity. It's a feature that's fully supported by all consoles this generation, and big games are highlighting it amongst their bullet points. System sellers like Halo 3, LittleBigPlanet, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl are trojan-horsing the concept of custom level creation into the consciousness of the console-consuming collective. Former Sony exec Phil Harrison popularized the term "Game 3.0," but we'll be taking a look at how it is playing out on Nintendo's platform.
Wii Warm Up: The coming 'surprise'
Possible megaton alert! Cue the excitement -- or the yawns; your mileage with these announcements-about-announcements may vary. NoA President Reggie Fils-Aime dropped a not-so-subtle hint that we'll be seeing something special on our Wiis come September. A surprise, and just for us! He even says it'll be a good surprise; awesome, says us, because that's the best kind. It's probably not the Check Mii Out channel, because he was talking about that in the same breath in his interview with Game Head's Geoff Keighley. So what could it be? Perhaps an early peek at WiiWare? Some of you thought such a thing could be possible (though not quite that early). A channel we haven't heard about? Maybe demos? Get your speculation on.
Nintendo UK rep responds to rumors of WiiConnect24 damaging consoles
It only took a couple of days before Nintendo was ready to respond to reports of WiiConnect24 damaging consoles. The response, which comes from a nameless UK source, states "we've had no reports in the UK of anything like this happening." Yes, but what about gamers in the other territories that are reporting issues?Now, you guys know we're incredibly paranoid about our Wii, treating it as the beautiful piece of technology it is. But, surely many of you have been using the service with no problems whatsoever? Maybe some of you have developed problems? For us, we're just going to play it safe because, really, the service hasn't done that much for us, anyway.
Is WiiConnect24 damaging your system?
Apparently, many a gamer are stating that leaving their Wii console connected to Nintendo's WiiConnect24 service is damaging the system. Now, we aren't ones to say "we told you so," but ... we told you so. Perhaps our Wii is still very much alive and kicking because of our paranoia? Or maybe these folks just had bad consoles to begin with? Whatever it is, the ones reporting these issues of damaged pixels showing up on their TV (due to overheated GPUs) all have one thing in common: leaving the console in Standby mode.Are any of you having issues?[Via VG Chartz]
Pokemon takes Wii online in US
Seven months, six days, in the year 2007. With Pokemon Battle Revolution being released, that will be how long Wii owners have waited for an online game. Had Nintendo waited until the normal Tuesday release schedule, they could have enjoyed triple 7's and some massive Luck bonus. No such, uh, luck.Though Microsoft launched headfirst into online console gaming with Xbox Live and Sony fully jumping in this generation, Nintendo has been more reticent in their approach. Prior to Wii, just one console title utilized a modem: Phantasy Star Online I & II for GameCube. The Nintendo DS has a rather strong lineup of WiFi-enabled titles, but like the Wii system there are friend codes that must be swapped by both parties in some fashion outside of the game. (Random online play is possible through a matchmaking system, but you cannot save a random opponent's information for a later challenge.)A few more online Wii titles are coming on the horizon: Battalion Wars, Super Mario Strikers and potentially Metroid Prime and Smash Bros. Brawl. Notice anything missing? Various third-party developers have claimed that Nintendo early on had not provided code for online play, but we know Electronic Arts has managed to incorporate online into its upcoming Madden 08.[Update: The details of Metroid Prime and Smash Bros.' online capabilities are currently unconfirmed. Wording modified to reflect that.]
No More Heroes may go online
Online swordfighting of the most violent proportions on the Wii? Perhaps. Game developer Suda 51 (Killer 7, Contact) has told CVG that he is "very interested in online play" but that its inclusion in the upcoming Wii title No More Heroes is still up in the air.No More Heroes is about Travis Touchdown, a character inspired by Johnny Knoxville, who wins a beam katana via an internet auction site and joins an assassin's league by killing the 11th best (named after a Beatles song associated with Charles Manson). Other assassins you must face off in the free-roaming city of Santa Destroy include a Japanese school girl reminiscent of Go-Go from Kill Bill, a superhero assassin named Destroyman and a French-born assassin named after a French softcore porn actress. Sound crazy enough? We think so. Suda 51 has also said he wants to make the game "as violent, or even more violent than Manhunt 2!" No More Heroes is being planned for a Summer 2007 release in Japan and late 2007 / early 2008 for North America and Europe. The latest trailer, from GDC 2007, embedded after the break.
Reuters late to the party, asks about Wii online
Reuters has tossed their hat into the online argument arena, citing concerns many of us share in regards to the Wii and online gameplay. Mainly, the concern of when are we going to get to play our Wii online? And, in attempting to tackle the subject, they instead fall face first into the mud. What we found interesting about the piece was a little factoid that the article's author Kemp Powers tossed in.He says that "more than 50 percent of Wii consoles in the United States are connected online." Of course, that means near 50 percent (as in just over) of these consoles are connected online, but can that be correct? That's a pretty big chunk of Wii owners out there and, frankly, it makes us that much more angry that Nintendo has yet to get us online and playing each other. It's really kind of embarrassing, if you think about it. But then again, that's not Nintendo's main focus, and we knew that going in. Still stings though, doesn't it?
Analyst: hackers to target online consoles this year
And so we're raising the Console Terror Alert Level to intense orange-red, based on very credible, detailed information on a non-specific threat.A security analyst for Australia's Computer Emergency Response team (who, contrary to the emergency response phrasing, don't get their own vans with flashing lights and sirens) has warned that, due to the online integration of new game consoles, he expects hackers to soon target your Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles."I haven't seen any malicious code that is specifically designed to run on a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox but I would expect it is not very far away," he said. CVG notes that these predictions come after the Xbox Live account hack fears, though those turned out to be nothing more than some idiotic customer service reps being talked into divulging info over the phone.Given that Xbox Live titles are tied to the original console and gamertag only, we'd say the possibility of a theft of your games and / or save files very unlikely. Not only that, but the peer-to-peer transfer of files over any of the console's self-contained networks is not possible. (In this sense, the PS3 and Wii are more vulnerable by merit of having a web browser.) There is always a worry over any medium where you have to enter financial or personal information (in this case your credit card), and the Xbox 360's inability to let you erase that card information has been chronicled in the past. However, the likelihood that you will be the victim of a console hack (and not in the traditional sense) without instigating it through your own console modding is, in our estimations, very slim.
Big Brain Academy screens, WiiConnect24 details
It breaks our hearts to see that only a few games on the Wii's roster support Mii integration and WiiConnect24. Nintendo's lack of third-party cooperation might be to blame, but at least the company will be implementing both features with Big Brain Academy for the Wii. Users will be able to import their Miis when creating a student profile, solving the game's reflex puzzles with their customized characters. According to the latest issue of Nintendo Power, WiiConnect24 will allow other people's Miis to wander into your game, equipped with the student profiles of their creators. You will also be able to test your brain against theirs in any of the multiplayer modes. We're going to be pretty depressed if our friends' Miis turn out to be much smarter than us. At least we have our wit! There's always that, right? Big Brain Academy won't be coming out in the US until June 11, so there's still some time to hit the books and get your brain in shape. Jeux-France has several dozen screenshots of the game in action along with some Mii artwork. Check past the post break for a few of those images.
Japanese Wii owners to receive some celebrity Miis
Turns out America isn't the only place that Nintendo is using the appeal of Mii creation to market their console. In Japan, Nintendo is enlisting the aid of Japanese celebrities Akashiya Sanma (the man with the immaculate cheek bones) and Shuuzou Matsuoka to generate buzz amongst the public. Sanma, who is a comedian and TV celebrity, and Matsuoka, a one-time tennis pro, will both have their Miis sent to Japanese Wii owners through the WiiConnect24 service. Could Nintendo could be on their way to doing this in regions outside of Japan? [Via Joystiq]
Wii power consumption almost immeasurable
In the interest of science (and fanboy flame wars on forums), HCW compared the power consumption of the current crop of consoles and discovered that the Wii might just use less electricity than your electric can opener. Just for fun, they also tossed in a mid-range PC. As you can see from the above graph, the PS3, PC and Xbox 360 use incredible amounts of electricity, however the Wii comes out to about $1a month in cost if you leave it plugged in. If you have WiiConnect24 turned on, you're faced with a bill of around $7 a month.[via Joystiq]
Square Enix: friend codes kept FFXI from being on the Wii
We've all had, and still have, problems with friend codes. Nintendo's system of a string of convoluted numbers that differ from game to game on the DS has been the focal point of many a fanboy's rage. When we first heard the Wii was to have console-specific codes, we thought Nintendo was starting to understand our frustration. Then we were told that Pokemon Battle Revolution would have its own code, shattering dreams of easy-to-use online functionality.What does this have to do with Square Enix? The company's Senior Vice President Hiromichi Tanaka feels our pain and, during an interview with Cubed3, states that such a system held the company back from bringing an online game (such as Final Fantasy XI) to the Wii. Tanaka exclaims that his company is currently in talks "resolving this point of contention."Does this mean that we could see FFXI on the Wii? Sure, anything is possible, however it isn't likely. Even with the increased support Nintendo is receiving from the company once again, we doubt it'll be enough to make them change their ways. Here's to hoping Square Enix manages to talk some sense into Nintendo.[Via Joystiq]
Godzilla 'Unleashed' on Wii, DS, PSP
Atari is preparing to wake its sleeping giant. Following a pair of mediocre appearances that culminated in 2004's Save the Earth, the Godzilla franchise will return to terrorize Wii later this year. Godzilla Unleashed, being developed by Pipeworks Software, will be the third installment in Atari's monster brawl series, which began on GameCube with Destroy All Monsters Melee (2002).According to Pipeworks, the single-player mode will group the game's monsters into four factions, each following a distinct narrative path. Meh, who cares? The real draw is destruction, and Pipeworks is promising plenty of that, boosted by years of progress and the chaotic tantrums afforded by the Wiimote and its Nunchuk sidekick. "Godzilla can be walking in one direction, attacking with his claws in another, firing his weapon in a third direction, and swinging his tail at a rear target all at the same time," boasted the developers. Whoa.Pipeworks also confirmed plans to utilize WiiConnect24 and support 480p resolution and 16:9 displays. Versions of Godzilla Unleashed are also being developed for DS and PSP.
Wii Warm Up: to Standby, or not to Standby
Don't get us wrong, we trust Nintendo. However, the idea of our system being in Standby mode frightens us to new levels of fear. We worry about going to bed with the Wii in Standby mode, only to be awaken in the middle of the night by a bright, horrible sight. One that has our Wii in flames and melting a slow, horrible death.We're sure it's absolutely safe to leave the Wii "off" with a yellow light on the power button, but our irrational fears have caused us to make sure our system is totally off every night by first changing the Standby mode feature through the Wii's settings into the off position and holding down that power button until we see that beautiful red light. That got us to thinking; could we be complete loons or are their others out there in the world who worry about the longevity of their system and the effects the Standby mode might have on it just as we do? Do you Standby?
Spring 2007 to bring Wii price drops and color choices?
Well it seems the bevy of Nintendo news just isn't slowing down, as the past 24 hours have seen DS / DS Lite power adapters recalled, Wiimote straps deemed unworthy, the truth (right?) behind how much loot Nintendo's pulling in on each Wii sold, and now we've got a potential price drop on our hands. Not even waiting for the backlog of lines that form each morning as Wii hopefuls stand vigilantly and await their prize to calm down, the big N just might have next year all mapped out already. While we've heard whispers of Microsoft knocking a few bucks off the Xbox 360's price, we aren't exactly sold on Nintendo cutting into those (questionably) sweet profits so soon after launch. Nevertheless, a very talkative Toys 'R Us manager apparently let a "few details" about the Spring 2007 plans "slip," insinuating that Nintendo would be "relaunching" (saywha?) the Wii for $200 and in a variety of colors to boot. Notably, this is about the time the firm will start pushing its WiiConnect24 service, but if sales keep up, the company shouldn't have to lower prices to entice folks to hop on in. While we can't entirely dismiss the (admittedly exciting) claims, we've really nothing substantial to go on here, and until we get confirmation from someone other than a retail store overlord, we're taking this one with a dash of salt.[Via Digg]
Six degrees of Nintendo Wii
Here's the story of how I got my roommate on MTV. Sort of.The statement gets hazy when you ask where (the official MTV Games blog) and in what regard (his Mii representation). Since MTV is a huge, New York-based media firm and my roommate and I are simple college students living in the Southeast, these events were pretty humorous for us. Let's go through the steps.We did like everyone else when we first got our Nintendo Wii: we spent hours recreating everyone we knew into Mii characters. Thus, my roommate Philip made his avatar, Big Poppa, and unknowingly set it to Mingle with others in the Wii address book. Following the handy flow chart, Big Poppa traversed through our Wii to Joystiq Editor Chris Grant's Wii, which then proceeded to sneak into the Mii parade belonging to MTV Games Reporter Stephen Totilo.The mystery of Big Poppa's identity became the topic of Totilo's November 28 entry, "Do Wii Know You?," which turned up in our daily travels. After an elated response from the flesh-and-blood Big Poppa, who proceeded to contact Totilo himself, the mystery was finally solved (see December 6, "Wii Found Big Poppa," approximately halfway down the page).For those of you who are interested, you can peruse Big Poppa's work (real name Philip Kisubika) as a writer for our college newspaper, Red and Black. Though we are enjoying this six degrees phenomenon, we have yet to see any of Totilo's Mii creations show up in our parade. Have you experienced the six degrees of Nintendo Wii phenomenon?[Image Credit]
Checking out Elebits and WiiConnect24
So now we know that Elebits is going to have all sorts of WiiConnect24 features -- but what's it like? How's it look? We know how these questions burn inside you, because we burn, too. Luckily, we dug up a few screenshots of trades in action. Check after the jump for the electric (and devastatingly cute!) new screens.
