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Next generation Wii controller to feature 6.2-inch display, turn living room into giant DS?
E3 is getting close, just two months away now. As such the next-gen Wii console rumors have heated to a boil. One of the most interesting bits of tattle originates from Kotaku. The gaming site's sources claim (with impressive specificity) that the new 8-button controller features a screen pushing a whopping 6.2 inches, two analog sticks, and a camera. The new Wii console (sometimes called the Wii 2, Wii HD, or simply "Project Cafe") is said to support the new controller in addition to Wii Remote-style controllers for backward compatibility with existing Wii games -- at the moment, however, it's not clear if that implies support for existing Wiimotes. But why the giant display? Here's Kotaku's take: The 6.2-inch screen will receive data wirelessly from the Nintendo console and presents an array of options, from putting the player's inventory or map on the controller screen, to allowing players to combine it with the controller's camera to snap photos that could be imported into a game or even turning it into some sort of glorified viewfinder (we're unclear about whether the camera on the controller points at the player or can be outward-facing; we've heard both - maybe it swivels?). In other words, you can think of the new controller-plus-console combination as a modern Dreamcast system or "glorified mega-DS," as Kotaku puts it, where the TV is the top screen and the handheld controller is the lower touchscreen. If true then we'll likely hear the official first word at E3 which kicks off on June 7th. Update: IGN has its own set of "sources" confirming many of these details. Could this be a Nintendo rumor that pans out, for once? We should know in just over a month.
Nintendo of America patent shows off unreleased motorcycle game concept
Every night, before we loose ourselves from the moorings of the conscious world, we say a short prayer that a game developer will realize the potential in a relaunch of Sega's arcade almost-classic, Harley Davidson & LA Riders. Our wishes haven't been granted yet, but a recently uncovered patent (.pdf) shows that Nintendo of America came awfully close to creating something similar to Sega's Easy Rider-esque masterpiece. The patent depicts a motorcycle (and/or Jetski) racing game controlled using the Wii Balance Board and Wiimote. Twisting and turning the remote accelerates and turns the bike, while leaning on the Balance Board allows the player to take sharper turns. It's unclear whether the game depicted is still in development, but we'll keep our fingers crossed regardless. Hey, it beats buying and riding an actual motorcycle, you know. Those things are like, super dangerous.
Kinect hacked to work with Flash, Wiimotes, we can't imagine what's next (video)
It's safe to say that, on the console gaming front, the Wiimote and the Kinect are competitors. But, take a step away to the world of PC gaming, and suddenly they can get along like old chums. That's what's demonstrated in the video below, created by YouTuber demize2010, which shows Call of Duty controlled by Wiimote, Nunchuk, and Kinect, enabling reloads, knife attacks, and peeking around corners. But wait, there's more! The Blitz marketing agency has worked up a demo in which the Kinect can be used with a Flash interface, which doesn't look too dissimilar from what Microsoft uses on the Xbox. This could open the door to fancier websites -- if indeed any large number of PC owners ever actually wind up buying a Kinect. Both videos can be seen below.
Kinect Hacks: Dive into Max Payne
Jack Schofield is quickly becoming our very favorite Kinect modder, largely because he keeps adding more games to his catalog of backwards-engineered, motion-supported classics. Check out his video to see how a Kinect and Wiimote can be used to make Max Payne even radder.
Mad Catz releases Sonic-branded inductive Wiimote charger
Do you need to re-energize the power cores of your Wii Remotes in the raddest, most attitude-fueled way imaginable? The latest product from Mad Catz (PDF) is right up your alley: It's a Wiimote induction charger featuring Sonic the Hedgehog. At $49.99, it's probably not the most cost efficient way to refuel your gaming peripherals, but it is the ... um, bluest. What's great about the charger's Sonic-centricity is that it not only possesses form, but also has quite a bit of function. See his hand, there? That's not a peace sign -- that's him telling you how many controllers the charger can hold. He's such a helpful little devil, isn't he?
Sonic the Hedgehog will charge your Wiimote inductively, but he won't like it
He may be flashing a peace sign, but you can tell from the look in his eyes that Sonic isn't exactly thrilled to be doing anything to support Nintendo. This is the cat that made blast processing a reality, whose addiction for gold rings is legendary, and who hasn't starred in a truly great game since, well, since Sega stopped making hardware, now reduced to this. Look at him, perched atop a mock floating platform, brown and tan checkerboard base with a green top where you can set your Wiimotes for charging without stripping them of their prophylactics. Though the press release makes no mention of this, we were led to believe that this is not actually powered by your AC outlet, instead by the spirits of fuzzy little squirrels and rabbits trapped within, making this $49.99 figurine from Mad Catz all the more nefarious.
Walmart loses its mind, offers third-party Wii Remote and game for $35
Walmart's apparently spread its retail dominance over so much of the country that it no longer has a need for your usual economic motivators like ... um, profit. The store is offering shoppers a $35 bundle which includes either a Nyko-brand Wii Remote or a Power A Wii Pro Pack (which we demoed earlier this year), and their choice of one out of a list of pre-selected games. At that price, you'd expect the bundled games to be shovelware, but the inclusion of Epic Mickey, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2 might convince you otherwise. We don't know how long this deal will be available, but considering you can purchase a Wii Remote, Nunchuk and a game for less than the standard retail price of a Wii game by its lonesome, we're going to wager that it won't be available for very long at all.
THQ uDraw Gametablet for Wii review
There comes a time when fiddly buttons and D-pads just don't do it anymore, a time when you need a little more control. Nintendo was first of the current generation to show its hand with the fling-sensitive Wiimote, and of course Sony and Microsoft are both now doing similarly intended things with the PlayStation Move and the Kinect, respectively. Now THQ is trying to do its own little new thing by launching the $69.99 uDraw Gametablet on the Wii, supplanting the wavy wand with a stylus. Next logical step in gaming? Tool to unleash a torrent of creativity? Half-baked third-party accessory? Read on to find out. %Gallery-107435%
Apple TV hacking: Wiimote footage
Do you remember about a year ago when we showed you a Wiimote working as an iPhone input device ? Jump forward to the new era of Apple TV 2. Developer hacker Tom Cool from the #awkwardtv channel on irc.moofspeak.net has cross-compiled that demo for the ATV 2. You can see it in action in this newly posted YouTube video. Like the keyboard hack we posted about a few days ago, this mod is based on activating a custom stack (via Matthias Ringwald's BTstack implementation) that enables the Apple TV's built-in Bluetooth functionality. The Wiimote communicates over Bluetooth to the Apple TV unit, and displays a virtual representation that concurrently mimics the Wiimote's orientation. We're still a bit ways off from full Wii-style gaming on the Apple TV 2, but it's getting closer every day as this demo shows.
Sunflex Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ does integrated MotionPlus, third-party style
It looks as if we've located the proverbial "ugly stick": behold the Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ Wii controller. It's not the first third-party Wiimote to have built-in MotionPlus, in fact, Nyko beat Nintendo's own upcoming Wii Remote Plus to market with the Wand+. Still, the Sunflex's Premium Remote XL+ has a certain lack of stylistic direction that may surpass even the drab gray Wand+ for the title of "ugliest Wiimote." The Snakebyte, which includes USB-rechargeable batteries in addition to its traditional duties, is out now for $35, $5 under Nintendo's pricetag.
Nintendo: 65.3 million Wiimotes sold in US
Nintendo announced an unusual statistic today: 65.3 million Wii Remotes have been sold in the US since the system's 2006 launch. That includes the 30.41 million Wiimotes included in system bundles sold in the country to date (according to NPD data gathered by Nintendo), along with the 12.92 million controllers sold in Wii Play bundles. Of the standalone Wiimotes, the white model has sold by far the most, at 18.56 million -- which makes sense, given it was the only option for the first three years of the system's availability. The black Wiimote, introduced in November 2009, has sold 2.44 million units; while the pink and blue versions released on Valentine's Day 2010 have sold 467,500 and 465,200 units, respectively. They will all be obsolete on November 7.
Wii Remote Plus hits Europe on 5 November
While we've already seen it get official in Japan, Europe is first from the gate with an official launch date for the new Wii Remote Plus: November 5th. Unfortunately, we've not been given a price. What we do know is that it will launch in the four colors shown above and integrate into a single Wiimote what used to required a separate Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus add-on. Too bad Nintendo's pricing and availability announcement strategy isn't as simple.
Shinobii's table tennis bat for Wii hitting shelves soon for $70
Remember that prototype Wii tablet tennis controller that was reviewed (and adored) recently? You know -- the one that had no official maker and no official release date? Turns out that very device is made by Shinobii Technologies, and the outfit is finally coming clean with a bona fide version that's suitable for public release. The TT Champion Bat is said to be a true 1:1 replica of an actual table tennis paddle in both size and weight, and the electronics required to interact with the Wii console are all integrated; in other words, this is your Wiimote when playing a tennis or ping pong title. There's also a rechargeable battery within to keep things humming along, and best of all, it'll soon be available online and at traditional video game retailers throughout the EU and North America for $69.99. Hello, stocking stuffer. %Gallery-105235%
Wii Remote Plus and FlingSmash launch in Europe in November
Nintendo will release the Wii Remote Plus, which combines a Wii Remote and MotionPlus add-on, in Europe on November 5 -- six days before the Japanese release date. The new controller will be available in black, white, pink and blue. Nintendo has yet to announce a price, but the price in Japan is equivalent to a normal Wiimote, so it'll probably be a similar deal in Europe. If you want to get a Wii Remote Plus early, and if you have the money, a red one will be included with the Super Mario Bros. anniversary edition Wii on October 29. If you'd like to pick up a game with your Wii Remote Plus, but not a whole system, you'll be able to buy a FlingSmash bundle on November 19.
Lego Wiimote bricks your Wii faster than tainted homebrew
You love Lego don't you? Those tiny bricks of colorful acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic are what keeps you going in-between George Lucas' fits of cinematography. Then check this out, the official Lego Play and Build Remote for Nintendo Wii. Of course, only bits of the remote are suitable for Lego brick you silly silly man, otherwise it wouldn't be compatible with standard chargers and attachments like the battery cover and Wii MotionPlus. Still, if you can imagine playing Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga using nothing but The Force and this controller then you're already half way home to living the dream -- a journey you can complete on October 16th for $39.99.%Gallery-104954%
Wii Remote Plus dated for Japan, bundled with Wii Sports Resort
The Wii Remote Plus, which almost unimaginably crams MotionPlus tech into a standard-sized Wiimote, has been dated and priced for Japan. The controller will be released on November 11 for ¥3,800 ($46) -- the same price as the normal Wiimote -- and will be available in five colors: white, black, blue, red and pink. A red Nunchuk will be released, as well. The old Wiimote will ostensibly be phased out, as Nintendo will also begin bundling the Wiimote Plus with Wii systems on the same day. Additionally, Andriasang reports that the Wii Sports Resort bundle, which originally included the MotionPlus attachment, will feature the Wiimote Plus beginning on -- you guessed it -- November 11. The bundle will retail for ¥5,800 ($70).
Nintendo announces Wii Remote Plus with built-in MotionPlus tracking
As a follow-up to this morning's announcement, we now have some shots of Nintendo's colorful new Wiimote. Still no extra details, but what we do have is confirmation from Nintendo that they are indeed building the Wii Remote Plus, which combines a Wii Remote with its Wii MotionPlus gyro add-on into one Wii Remote-sized package. We spotted the controller in a FlingSmash bundle last week, the telltale "smile" text below the Wii logo, and now all we really need is a price and a launch date. Hopefully we'll be getting all of these colors when this lands in the US as well, but since this is a Japanese presentation that Nintendo is making this announcement, we can't be too sure.
Nintendo Wii Remote Plus with built-in 'Plus' tipped in FlingSmash bundle?
We've been expecting a Wiimote with built-in MotionPlus for a while now -- after all, Nyko already builds the Wand+ with those succulent MotionPlus gyros built-in. Still, Nintendo has seemed slow on the uptake, outside of a mysterious FCC berth in May, so we were surprised to see this upcoming first party, MotionPlus-required FlingSmash title arrive on a GameStop order page with "Wii Remote Plus inside!" emblazoned on the box. Interestingly, the product description still mentions attaching the MotionPlus "accessory" to your Wii Remote, but the Wiimote in the picture does look just slightly different than normal with a curved bit of text below the Wii logo, and when Eurogamer pinged Nintendo Europe about it, a spokesperson said the Wii Remote Plus "is real" but "We have nothing to announce on this at the moment." Hopefully this all clears up soon enough so that millions of Wii owners can have an excuse to buy a new game in the noble name of hardware procurement.
Wii Ping Pong paddle reviewed, loved, unavailable for purchase
We've seen our share of downright silly controllers for the Wii (we're looking at you, CTA), and we were expecting more of the same, but we'll be darned if no less an authority than self-avowed Wii Sports Table Tennis addict Paul Govan (from Gamepeople.co.uk) hasn't given the Wii Sports Table Tennis Bat high marks all around: it's weighted like a proper paddle, the build quality is decent, comes with a battery and a charger and, most importantly, it "replicates all the features of [the] Wiimote and MotionPlus perfectly." Unfortunately, the reviewer states that this is a prototype from an as yet unnamed Chinese manufacturer, and has no idea when they might become available. Way to harsh our buzz, man.
Nyko Wand+ review
For demanding gamers, initial excitement upon procuring a Nintendo Wii was quickly dampened by disappointment: the durned Wiimote wasn't nearly as precise as we'd all hoped it would be. It took a couple of years for Nintendo to step up and fix the issue, releasing the MotionPlus and finally making the Wiimote work for sword-fighting games and the like. But, that left us all stuck with a dongle hanging off the bottom, causing compatibility issues with many early peripherals. The Nyko Wand+ is the solution, putting the MotionPlus right inside a stock-size controller, as it should have been in the first place. In some ways, it's better than first-party. %Gallery-101535%