wii wheel
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Nintendo drops Wii price to $150 from May 15th, throws in a free Wii Wheel and copy of Mario Kart
Turns out our snooping was spot on -- Nintendo has just made official its intention to drop the suggested retail price of the Wii down to $149.99, and will additionally include a copy of Mario Kart and the Wii Wheel peripheral with all purchases of the console. They'll replace the current bundle of Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort games. The steering wheel, along with the Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk controllers, will match the color of the console you buy, whether it be black or white, and will also be available to buy separately for a scant $9.99. See Nintendo's full press release after the break.
Nintendo sued by exergaming company IA Labs
Was it something we said? No sooner does Nintendo close the book on the two-year-old Anascape suit than does the prolific peripheral manufacturer get slapped with another legal challenge. Gamasutra has obtained documentation of a lawsuit filed against Nintendo, on April 2, by exergaming company InterAction Laboratories, a.k.a. IA Labs, a.k.a. Powergrid Fitness, for alleged patent infringement. In typical dramatic legalese, the suit cries out that IA Labs has been "irreparably harmed" by Nintendo's violation of two of its patents through a long list of Wii products. Here goes: the Wii system itself and its primary controllers, the Wiimote and the Nunchuk, and the MotionPlus add-on; Wii Fit, its expansion pack, Wii Fit Plus, and its peripheral, the Balance Board; and the Wii Zapper. Phew! Are we forgetting anything? Oh, yes -- the Wii Wheel. Uh-huh, that circular piece of plastic is allegedly infringing upon a patent for either (1) "Computer interactive isometric exercise system and method for operatively interconnecting the exercise system to a computer system for use as a peripheral" or (2) "Force measurement system for an isometric exercise device." IA Labs claims that these two patents are used in a number of its products, including the Kilowatt Sport and Exer-Station controller. Both have won an award at separate CES events. If you're real up on your Wii peripheral pitches, you will recall the Sqweeze, a ThighMaster-esque device for your hands, developed by IA Labs and introduced in late 2008. While a PC version appears to be available, the Wii iteration never made it to market, perhaps evidence that the relationship between IA Labs and Nintendo soured long ago. Documentation from the recent suit reveals emails from 2007–2008 between the two companies, which had once been in talks for IA Labs to license its technology to Nintendo.
UK gets Sega All-Stars Racing wheel bundle
click to Sonic-size Sega has now revealed the promised racing wheel for the Wii version of Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. The wheel will be available as part of a bundle in the UK. It won't be available outside of European territories at all, which is unfortunate, as the All-Stars Racing wheel seems just a bit sharper than Nintendo's own peripheral. Get a closer look at the wheel and the bundle packaging in the gallery below. %Gallery-83448%
Joyswag: Excitebots (with Wii Wheel) [update]
Update: Giveaway has come to a close. Keep an eye on your inbox!It's that time again, folks, as we're set to gift one lucky reader with an Excitebots bundle (ARV $50)! This bundle comes with the game, and a Wii Wheel, so you won't be forced to play holding your Wiimote only like some kind of chump. Show your friends how lucky you are how awesome the site you frequent on a regular basis is by winning this Wii game starring robotic frogs, turtles, and ladybugs. But, before you enter, make sure you check out the rules below. Leave a comment telling us what animal would make the perfect robotic racer 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 Monday, May 25 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Excitebots Trick Racing (with Wii Wheel) for Wii ($50) For a list of complete rules, click here %Gallery-19823%
Engadget's recession antidote: win a copy of ExciteBots and a WiiWheel!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got a copy of Excitebots for Wii and a Wii Wheel on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! (One more photo after the break).The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) copy of Excitebots for Nintendo Wii and one (1) Wii Wheel. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, May, 8th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
More Club Nintendo goodies announced for Japan
While it prepares to wheel out Club Nintendo in North America later this year, Nintendo has decided to torture us one last time with stuff we can't have.Every year in Japan, Platinum and Gold members in the Japanese program get a free gift. This year, Platinum members have three to choose from, including the snazzy golden Wii Wheel you see above. This takes us back to GoldenEye's multiplayer, and us petulantly refusing to play unless we could steer Oddjob with the only gold-colored N64 controller in the house. Also up for grabs is a Super Mario Cap, which Nintendo reports is too big for girls and schoolkids (but not adult male bloggers), and a Club Nintendo Calendar 2009, which will be the only option for Gold members. That's better than our only option, which is to own nothing.All very lovely then, and all very out of our reach ... but for how long? Go past the break for a look at the cap and calendar.
Nice idea, terrible value: the Multiplayer Controller Set
A Go Nintendo reader spotted this on the shelves of his local Target: a "Multi-Player Controller Set" containing a Wii Remote, a Nunchuk, and a Wii Wheel. This kind of thing obviously makes sense to Nintendo as Christmas approaches (the season where Wii excels, some would say), and we could really get behind the idea of a good value bundle of second/third/fourth peripherals (still need a fourth Wiimote and Nunchuk at Casa de Greenhough!). It's just a shame that the price is such a sham: $74.99?! All three of these peripherals are available separately at Amazon for a total of $63.91 (which qualifies for free shipping), but here's the real laugh: you can buy an individual Wiimote, Nunchuk, and Wii Wheel for $74.97 at Target itself. D'oh! Knock at least fifteen bones off this and you've got our attention.%Gallery-19823%[Thanks, Sonic_13!]
Wii Warm Up: Peripheral issues
Wii peripherals have proven a profitable business for Nintendo, and a new member, the WiiSpeak microphone, will join this rapidly growing family later this month. In our experience, these accessories mostly enhance the games they support, and that's great and all, but it has been a while since we actually perched on our Balance Boards, or waved our Wii Wheel about to Mario Kart Wii, or Zappered zombies. When was the last time you played a Wii title with something other than a naked Wiimote and Nunchuk, and what was the game?%Gallery-23865%
New Mario Kart tournament debuts for Wii Wheel racers
A fresh tournament is about to spring on Mario Kart Wii fans. Starting September 1st and concluding on September 10th, this latest tourney is only for those that rock the Wii Wheel and will take place on the N64 Skyscraper Battle Stage. It's a straight up race, so you've got to bring your best time to the course, all the while dodging the explosive Bob-omb cars that are racing towards you. Sounds like a tense race!%Gallery-19823%[Via WiiFolder] A fan of Mario and the gang? You should check out our weekly feature, It's-a Mario World, in which we discuss Nintendo's portly plumber and the world he calls home. Or, if Mario Kart is your only reason for loving the guy, check out our week of features celebrating the franchise leading up to the release of the latest game right here.
JTT Wii Wheel serves Mario Karters of all heights
Japan Trust Technology has become the latest third-party company to offer an alternative to the perfectly-fine-as-it-is Wii Wheel. Unlike Nintendo's own effort, the JTT wheel comes with a steering column that attaches to surfaces through a combination of a suction cup and your disgusting saliva. We've seen third-party wheels add a steering column before, though this one also allows you to vertically swivel the wheel through 120°, like so.We've not a clue if this will ever see the light of day in the west, but if it does then JTT might want to reconsider the price: right now, this is retailing for ¥2,980, a.k.a. $28, a.k.a. three first-party Wii Wheels. That's hella pricey -- especially for something you can get for free!%Gallery-26753%%Gallery-20778%
Wii Wheel + Balance Board = racing simulator
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Revolutionary_WRX_Stage_1'; Nintendo Wii Fanboy's code monkey extraordinaire, Mike Sylvester, stuns us again. His latest Revolutionary column is a step-by-step process of turning the Wii balance board and Wii wheel into a racing simulator, with the aid of GlovePIE and a PC version of Need for Speed ProStreet. Feel free to try this at home.
Revolutionary: WRX Stage 1
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Revolutionary_WRX_Stage_1'; The training wheel project got me thinking about what more it would take to create a Wii racing rig that's as comprehensive as a traditional wheel and pedal gaming setup. The Wii Wheel provides analog control for steering, but not throttle and braking. The Wheel shell also blocks off the expansion port, so you can't use a Nunchuk's analog stick. It seemed like there was just no way to build a full set of racing controls around the Wii Wheel, but then I got my Balance Board and the wheels started turning in my head. How about a Wii Racing Xperiment?
Rev your engines with WRX
Not to be confused with rally-bred Subarus, WRX is a new project kicking off in next week's edition of Revolutionary. Tune in on June 18th to get the full scoop, but for now get a taste with this teaser video.
A DIY Mario Kart Wii training wheel
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Revolutionary_Mario_Kart_Training_Wheel'; Are you still struggling with the Wii Wheel in Mario Kart, despite everyone online who's kicking your derrière while using it? Nintendo Wii Fanboy's Revolutionary columnist Mike Sylvester has a rather, erm, revolutionary idea: a do-it-yourself training wheel to help add subtlety to your turning. Check out the article for more information; a video demonstration is embedded after the break.
Revolutionary: Mario Kart Training Wheel
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Revolutionary_Mario_Kart_Training_Wheel'; The Wii Wheel was supposed to make racing easy enough for anyone to jump right into a session of Mario Kart Wii with no prior experience with either traditional game controllers or the Wii Remote. When used properly, it works as expected. The trouble is that it's not always used properly. Watching your parents try to get through Wario's Gold Mine, you'll notice that they're sometimes holding the Wheel the wrong way, and it's making them drive off the track into chasms of eternity. This observation led me to examine how Mario Kart Wii's steering works and come up with a solution for keeping n00bs on track.
British magazine giving away free Wii Wheel
Here's something: despite our initial skepticism, we actually really like the Wii Wheel -- in fact, it's all we use now for Mario Kart Wii. The only downside? At $10 per wheel (or £7 in the UK), buying enough for four-player matches can get kind of pricey.So the way we see it, you have two choices: Go with one of our totally awesome (and totally free) homemade Wii Wheels (the option we'd recommend) or: Pick up the latest issue of NGamer, which comes with the above "free" wheel packed in. It's not technically free, obviously, because you'll have to pony up the £4.99 for the magazine, which optimistically suggests that the free gift is worth £7, meaning somebody in NGamer's accounting department may well be clearing their desk later this month. Incidentally, while NGamer is a UK publication, some of my U.S-based colleagues think they may have spotted copies in Barnes & Noble, so keep your eyes peeled and you too might save hundreds of cents.Update: Corrected U.S. price.%Gallery-20778%%Gallery-19823%[Via Go Nintendo]
Joyswag: Win our copies of Mario Kart Wii (and some launch swag)
[Update: Entry period is over, folks. We're contacting the winners by email, so go check!] Looking for some new wheels? How about two of 'em -- that's right, two Wii Wheels, and we'll even throw in a copy of Mario Kart Wii ($49.99 value) with each (and, if you're lucky, an "I Heart Kart" air freshener), as well as some miscellaneous swag from the NYC launch party (1 t-shirt, 1 sticker and one "driver's license," a $15 value). Just follow these five steps and a winner can be you! To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on any of the designated gallery pictures (one, two, three) with your favorite track from the Mario Kart series. You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec -- désolée!). Limit 1 entry per gallery picture, per person This entry period ends at 8:00pm ET on Friday, May 2nd. We'll randomly select the winners at that time (please check your email!). For a list of complete rules, click here. %Gallery-21747%
Wii Warm Up: Taking the wheel
Many of us have been hating on the Wii Wheel since it was first announced, and yet, since yesterday, we've spoken to tons of Wii owners who actually tried it ... and liked it. It was a mixed bag around here; some players (even longtime gamers!) loved it, and some found it less useful than some of the other control options. All we want to know is: did you at least try it, if you picked up Mario Kart, or did you skip it without even bothering?If it's a hit in your house, are you going to buy extra wheels (or possibly look for other solutions)?
Joystiq goes all out with Mario Kart Wii controller comparison
As we're all too well aware, Mario Kart can be serious business for some folks, and Mario Kart Wii will certainly be no exception, which makes the right choice of controller all the more important. Thankfully, our pals at Joystiq have now come through with a meticulous comparison of all five driving options at your disposal. That includes the Wiimote on its own, the Wiimote with Wii Wheel, the Wiimote / nunchuck combo, the Classic Controller, and the tried and true GameCube controller. Somewhat surprisingly, while the GameCube Controller and Classic Controller each helped to put in some solid times, Joystiq actually found the Wiimote / nunchuck combo to the best all around option, with it faring particularly well when using a bike. Lagging far behind, however, was the solo Wiimote (which they recommend to avoid at all costs), although the addition of the Wii Wheel did apparently did help to make things a bit more manageable. Hit up the link below for the full rundown.
The Mario Kart Wii controller showdown
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/The_definitive_Mario_Kart_Wii_controller_showdown'; There are five ways to handle your racer in Mario Kart Wii: Wii Remote solo, Wii Remote embedded in Wii Wheel, Wii Remote with Nunchuk, Classic Controller, and GameCube controller. But, removing all other variables, which control method is the best? Are there really limitations to not using the Wii Wheel? We decided to pull out the ever-trusty "scientific method" and determine, once and for all, the best kart controller.
