wii sports
Latest
Latest Nintendo software sales report features large numbers
Look, we get just as tired of seeing Nintendo's remarkably high software sales figures every few months as you do -- that's why, this time around, we're going to do things a little differently. We're just going to add up all the life-to-date totals for the company's biggest titles, and just drop them in one big chunk. Ready? Okay, here we go: 247,780,000. Well, that sure didn't work. Fine, we'll break down each of the games highlighted by Nintendo's recent financial report (warning: .pdf link) and post their FY2010 sales and life-to-date sales after the jump. (Fun fact: All of the Wii games actually have "Wii" in the title. It's like the Nintendo 64 days all over again!)
Nintendo celebrates DS, Wii, software sales milestones in Europe, U.S.
Across two of Nintendo's biggest markets, the US and Europe, the house that Mario built has managed to get a lot of its hardware and software into customers' hands, reporting huge sales milestones and a very prosperous December. In Europe, the DS is now the best-selling video game console of all time, surpassing the 40 million mark in the region. The Wii now tops 20 million, becoming the fastest-selling console in the region since its release three years ago. There's also some data on Nintendo's games to chew on, including Wii Sports Resort, which sold five million since releasing in July, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which just reached 2.5 million units sold. As for the States, Nintendo's been raking in equally impressive amounts of cash here. In December, three million Wii consoles were purchased and the DS set "a new all-time calendar-year U.S. sales record for any console or hand-held system." You know, just like the company did last year. Also, New Super Mario Bros. Wii had quite the stellar showing in the U.S., achieving lifetime sales of four million units in the region. In short: Nintendo is pretty much the same as always. Source - Nintendo UK press release Source - Nintendo of America press release
Cyber Monday deals roundup: Core i7, HDTVs, SSDs, free Droid Eris
In Soviet Bulgaria, we don't have Cyber Mondays, but from what we've been told this is a pretty bargainous time of the year. HP starts us off with a pair of coupons on its dv8 Core i7 notebook, one of which drops the 18.4-inch laptop to just $899. There are also deep 50 percent discounts on its printers, but only the Photosmart Premium All-in-One remains after the two cheaper models sold out. Click the Logic Buy link below to get in on the action. Amazon has the older Modern Warfare at $29.95 and Uncharted 2 at $40 flat for the PS3, Garmin's nuvi 260W at a cent under $115 (or half price), and plenty of discounts on DVDs, gadgetry and even clothing. Best Buy keeps pace by offering the same price on the Garmin nav unit, as well as 10 percent discounts on Apple's iPod range. Walmart is kicking off a whole Cyber Week with a Sony Bravia 32-inch HDTV priced at $398 and a $249 Nintendo Wii Value Bundle, which includes Wii Sports, sporting peripherals, and a choice of free game. If you're more interested in computer components, Newegg's $30 mail-in rebate on the 120GB OCZ Agility SSD will net you the drive for $289, our favorite of a plethora of deals at the online store. And finally, Dell is offering the Droid Eris for free when taking out a new Verizon Wireless account, which is at least $30 cheaper than you can get it anywhere else. Time to get clicking! Read - Amazon Read - Best Buy Read - Dell Read - Logic Buy Read - Newegg Read - Walmart
Nintendo Mall Experience tour heads cross-country next week
Nintendo must've had some luck with its Great Lakes and Wii Sports Resort tours recently, as the company has announced the Nintendo Mall Experience tour. Starting next week through December 20, The Big N will be stopping at shopping centers across the country to get some of its Wii and DS titles in the faces of holiday shoppers. On the Wii side, Nintendo will show off its top three games for the holiday season: Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Fit Plus. For the handheld crowd, Nintendo will be pushing the new Style Savvy, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Head past the break for the full list of stops on Nintendo's Mall Experience tour.
Police Wii Bowling team issued stern rebuke
You know, policing can be a tiresome, thankless task -- that's why we weren't all that surprised when Polk County's finest were caught on camera at the scene of a Florida drug raid engaging in a reported nine hour Wii Sports tourney. As you'll recall, investigators raided a home back in March on the lookout for drugs and stolen items -- which they found, along with weapons and that infamous Nintendo game console. Fans of police accountability will be pleased to note that when all is said and done, eleven members of the multiagency task force were eventually disciplined with a letter in their permanent records and a couple hours of re-training. According to Polk County sheriff's Chief of Staff Gary Hester, all of those involved "were all remorseful, upset with themselves, [and] apologetic," except one officer who finally bowled a perfect game: "It was totally worth it. The Dude abides."
Wii-playing police receive slap on the wrist, strict talking to
Look, if people are going to eschew their work day in favor of having a gaming tournament, we're the first to sympathize. In the case of those in the business of protecting our lives from murderers and financial institutions though, we find it hard to offer much solace. So when eleven officials from several Florida agencies were caught on videotape playing games a couple months back and the story caught on internationally, we were hopeful that those found guilty would maybe, you know, actually receive some form of punishment. Instead, the Lakeland Ledger reports that the offending officers will suffer such retribution as ... a few hours of retraining? The names of the officers are even being withheld due to their "undercover" status at the time. Lakeland sheriff chief of staff Gary Hester goes as far as to say, "We are learning from our mistakes ... I think we handled [the investigation] properly." He then hurriedly rushed back to a game of Street Fighter IV in progress against a competing police department. ... Okay, we made up that last part.
British NHS lauds Wii Fit Plus for flabby bum-busting potential
You know, we've been pretty skeptical about the whole "fit" part of the "Wii Fit" phenomenon, and for good reason: as studies have shown, the health benefits of gaming, whether you're sitting, standing, or faux-bowling, are minimal at best. Still, for a number of consumers at home and abroad, the game conjures up notions of leading an active lifestyle. So perhaps it is no surprise, as the Telegraph reports, that Britain's National Health Service is using it to promote its Change4Life initiative -- even going so far as to allow the company to append the Change4Life logo on its upcoming Wii Fit Plus release. And how about those who cry foul -- specifically, those who point out that the deal includes Nintendo shelling out money to help promote the NHS-funded program. See how one might get the idea that this is a "pay to play" affair? To the government's credit, it does stress that it's endorsing an exercise, not a video game system. "Active video games, where kids need to jump up and down or dance about as part of the game, are a great way to get kids moving," a spokesperson said. Rob Saunders, the British spokesman for Nintendo, had this to say: "If you are worried about your bingo wings or your flabby bum, the game will give you specific exercises to target those areas." Bingo wings? Flabby bums? Why didn't you say so in the first place?[Via Yahoo]
Black Wii system going to Europe as part of Wii Sports Resort bundle
Nintendo UK will release the black Wii system on November 6, as part of a limited edition bundle including matching Wii Remote, Nunchuk, and MotionPlus peripherals, and both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. This bundle will be available elsewhere in Europe on November 20. Along with the black bundle, Nintendo is releasing the black Classic Controller Pro accessory. No price has been announced for any of these items. Nintendo of America has yet to announce any plans to release any of these items -- in fact, it has announced that there are no plans. But, really, it's waiting until every holdout gets impatient and buys a white system.
HSN teaches valuable lesson about Wii accessory safety
We were certain -- absolutely certain -- that the epidemic of fractured television screens which cropped up with the release of the Wii had passed. Everyone's heard the horror stories, seen the blackened eyes and witnessed the ruined electronics, we thought. Everyone now knows the methods of avoiding Wiimote accidents during their exuberant Wii Sports bouts, we thought. The Home Shopping Network recently proved the inaccuracy of this observation. The hilarity unfolds in the video after the jump. While some might grimace at the fate of the poor television featured in the video, remember that they're charging $330 for a Wii and 15 completely unnecessary controller attachments. Call it an accident, if you'd like -- we call it Karma in action.
Wii Sports Resort bundle doubles-down with a MotionPlus pair: $60 on October 12
The Tokyo Game Show may be winding down but a few bits of information are still trickling out. Like this new limited edition Wii Sport Resort bundle with a pair of MotionPlus accessories. The bundle lands on October 12th for a penny shy of $60 -- saving you $10 if you bought the standard $50 Sport Resort with MotionPlus plus a second $20 MotionPlus separately. Hoozah?
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]
Video: Drug raid turns into 9 hour Wii bowl-a-thon
Know what's more alluring to the five-O than glazed confectionary goods? Nintendo's Wii, apparently. Or at least the lure of bowling without all the heavy lifting. See, a team of undercover cops raiding the home of a convicted Florida drug dealer was smitten enough by the console to quit their search and fire up Wii Sports for a bit of taxpayer fun over a period of, oh... about nine hours -- unaware that the home security system was recording the whole thing. Your dose of self-righteous indignation can be found after the break.[Thanks, Maurice]
Police raid home, raid occupant's Wii Sports leaderboards
Police are good at three things: protecting; serving; and bowling. During a recent raid in conjunction with several Florida agencies, officers came across the occupant's Wii console and, instead of ignoring it and going about their day, decided to turn the little white box on and throw down in some bowling with Wii Sports. What they didn't notice is that the occupant had a secret security camera set up that filmed every strike and gutterball, MSNBC shares. Busted!Head past the break to watch the video.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Wii Sports Resort: The lost games
In an email interview with Wired, Wii Sports Resort producer Katsuya Eguchi revealed that, beyond the twelve events included in the final game, even more were planned that didn't quite make it in the game."We considered fishing and a water slide activity before deciding on the final twelve events," Eguchi said. We're having a hard time imagining a controllable, skill-based water slide game, which may have been one reason it didn't end up in Resort. "As for more unconventional concepts, we created a pretty fun prototype of kendama, a traditional Japanese toy, that just didn't fit the game's theme." So, a toy didn't fit the "resort" theme, but fighting with fake swords was completely appropriate? Working at Nintendo is complicated.
Wii Sports Resort lands in one million US homes
Nintendo's tropical minigame getaway, Wii Sports Resort, has managed to entice one million gamers in the US, the publisher has announced. Debuting July 26, it didn't take the game long to reach that number (it sold 508,000 in July), and we're sure that we'll be writing another post like this one in a month or so when the game reaches two million in sales. Anyone taking bets?
Papercraft recreates Wii Sports Resort's Wuhu Island
You know, we often wonder why we don't have a large, flammable recreation of Wii Sports Resort's Wuhu Island sitting on our desk, but then we remember most of our work is done while being chained to a laptop in some random dungeon in Philadelphia. While we may be starved for sunlight (not to mention just plain starving), seeing things like this piece of papercraft gives us hope. Hope that we can make cheap pieces of art when we're finally so malnourished that we can slip out of our shackles. Hit up the gallery below for more Nintendo-inspired papercraft, including this awesome Wolf Link.%Gallery-22769%
Nintendo: No plans for Wii Sports Resort bundle
Having released a new (and popular) Wii Sports, it seems fairly obvious that Nintendo would start bundling that with Wii hardware, right? Well, Nintendo rarely does the obvious. In an interview with Toronto Thumbs, Nintendo of Canada's Matt Ryan dismissed the idea of a new bundle in the near future. "The long-term plan is difficult to say, but I can tell you that there are no plans to make Wii Sports Resort what is packed in with the Wii purchase," Ryan said, adding "What is in the Wii box will remain the same." In case you couldn't pick up the subtext, he reiterated "Wii Sports Resort will not replace Wii Sports."Why not? Ryan described Resort as "more full-on software that you're used to purchasing at retail at that price point," while the original Wii Sports is "designed to show off what the Wii Remote can do." Although Japanese consumers have had no issues with buying separate copies of Wii Sports.Normally, we'd just assume that there is a plan for a bundle, but Nintendo doesn't want to talk about it -- except that there haven't been official bundles for Wii Fit or Mario Kart Wii. Like we said, Nintendo avoids the obvious.%Gallery-27741%
Wii Sports approaches 50 million copies sold
In a supplement to Nintendo's earnings statement yesterday, the company released some sales numbers for top-selling games in the last quarter. Four Nintendo products sold over one million copies between April and July, only one of which was a new release anywhere in the world during that time.Pokemon Platinum on DS, which came out in North America in March, right before the quarter started, moved 1.91 million copies in Q1, for a life-to-date total of 5.66 million worldwide. It was an even better quarter for the Wii's evergreens. Wii Fit sold an additional 3.6 million copies, bringing its LTD to 21.82. Mario Kart Wii sold 2 million, making its total 17.39 million. And Wii Sports sold an additional 1.91 million copies, bringing its total sales number to a ridiculous 47.62 million, including copies sold in hardware bundles.And that's why there's a sequel.Source (PDF)
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%
