Nintendo

World’s most expensive games console – the Wii Supreme

By Darren Quick

17:53 December 21, 2009 PST

Looking for a gold-plated games console to go with that gold-plated iPhone? Then you might be glad to hear that the folk at Goldstriker International have turned their gold dipping attentions to Nintendo’s Wii to produce the Nintendo Wii Supreme. The extravagant creation is once again the work of Stuart Hughes, the man responsible for the iPhone 3GS Supreme. Read More

Raising a child with Wii

By Jenna Meade

15:17 November 19, 2009 PST

Wii has a knack for turning everyday activities into stimulating interactive games. We’ve seen cooking and yoga work their way into people’s consoles and Nintendo hasn’t stopped there. The company's latest creation - Baby and Me - allows anyone to play mom and raise a baby through their Wii console. Read More

Nintendo DSi LL upgrades to larger screens and stylus

By Jeff Salton

23:51 November 1, 2009 PST

A new model Nintendo DSi console is being launched this month in Japan with larger 4.2-inch dual screens and a larger stylus. The DSi LL will be bundled with three DSiWare titles pre-installed – a dictionary and two brain training games, and a large and smaller touch pen. It will, however, have the same resolution as the previous DSi. Nintendo says the battery can last around four-five hours in extensive use mode and approximately 13-17 hours in energy-saving mode. These are around 25 percent improvements over previous models. Read More

Wii 2 details leaked – full HD support and a 2010 release?

By Paul Lester

18:09 October 30, 2009 PDT

The rise and rise of the Nintendo Wii continues unabated and we’ve seen all manner of weird and wacky accessories released over the last year. With everything from bowling balls to exercise bikes popping up to complement associated games, it’s no surprise the console is a big hit with those who like gadgets and gimmicks, but aside from the MotionPlus we haven’t seen anything genuinely revolutionary since the original motion-sensitive controls... so it looks like it's up to the next-gen successor to truly re-imagine the Wii’s potential. Read More

Cyberbike brings an exercise bike to Wii’s growing army of peripherals

By Paul Lester

17:40 October 14, 2009 PDT

Most sane people would agree that cardiovascular exercise is a pretty boring way to get fit and, unless you’re working out with a friend, a little extra visual stimulation would rarely go amiss. The Nintendo Wii has already had a decent crack at bringing a bit of fun to boring routines with the Wii Fit and EA Sports Active, and seems to have picked up one of the minigames from the latter as the subject of its latest peripheral revolution. Read More

High definition universal gaming cable for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii

By Jeff Salton

19:42 August 23, 2009 PDT

Gamers with more than one high definition console should be able to take full advantage of the new Blaze 3-in-1 component cable, with three connectors that enable you to use a single, high quality cable for Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo Wii. Read More

Nintendo DSi launches April 5 in the United States

By Darren Quick

06:13 February 19, 2009 PST

February 19, 2009 The third iteration of the all conquering Nintendo DS will be released in the US on April 5. The new Nintendo DSi, which has been going gangbusters in Japan where it was launched on November 1 last year, crams even more goodies into a package about 12% thinner than the Nintendo DS Lite. Built-in features include two VGA (0.3 megapixel) cameras, SD card slot, a new DSi Sound application and a new DSi Shop application, which is similar to the Wii Shop Channel. Read More

New Mégane Coupé to get video game introduction

By Darren Quick

00:05 October 21, 2008 PDT

Move over motor shows, it seems that video games are becoming the platform of choice for manufacturers wanting to throw a spotlight on their shiny new wares. Citroen is using this tactic to showcase its latest concept car and now Renault has announced that video game fans will be the very first to get behind the wheel of its new Mégane Coupé in the latest installment of Electronic Arts’ popular Need for Speed series: Need for Speed Undercover. Read More

Wii Music aims to take music gaming to the masses

By Darren Quick

21:07 October 20, 2008 PDT

While music based rhythm games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band let players let out their inner Rock God, Nintendo, like they have done for the majority of their Wii titles, have aimed for a different demographic with Wii Music. With the standard lead, bass, drums and vocals combo pretty well catered for, Wii Music has widened the net by bringing more than 60 instruments to your living room. And unlike other games where the object is to hit the right note at the right time, Wii Music lets you put your own spin on songs. According to Nintendo, it’s all about improvisation, creativity and fun. Read More

Game Console Online Content set to boom

By Jack Martin

20:58 September 4, 2008 PDT

It’s a wireless world we are living in, and the next decade will see countless changes in the way we access, consume and pay for what we want. Further evidence of this arrived today in the form of Parks Associates’ forecast revenue streams for online content and services for Internet-connected game consoles. The research company expects the three game console manufacturers (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo) to be generating over US$8 billion in global revenue by 2013. The anticipated increase in revenue is expected to come from digital video distribution, downloadable games and content, virtual worlds and avatar-based microtransactions, multiplayer gaming services, and dynamic in-game advertising. Read More

New Wii accessories launched

By Darren Quick

11:54 July 17, 2008 PDT

July 17, 2008 In news for Wii users– we know there’s a lot of you out there - InvenSense Inc., a provider of MEMS-based motion sensing solutions for image stabilization, dead reckoning navigation, 3D remote control, and gaming devices, has announced that its IDG-600 multi-axis MEMS rate gyroscope has started shipping in mass production quantities to Nintendo for its Wii MotionPlus accessory. The upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player's arm position and orientation. In the new Wii Sports Resort, for example, the ability to throw a disc through the air and control the angle of flight is now possible. Read More

Wii Fit Reviewed

By Tim Hanlon

22:11 May 20, 2008 PDT

Making exercise fun is something that Nintendo has tried before. In 1986, they licensed Bandai's Family Trainer peripheral for the NES and launched it worldwide as the Power Pad. In the 90's, they created the Exertainment system - essentially an exercise bike with a SNES inside. Both products were capable of raising your heart rate, but offered little else in the way of improving your health or building good habits. Wii Fit sees Nintendo's honed skill in software and peripheral development come together for another crack at the holy grail of software - making exercise fun. Read More

Nintendo's Wii Fit hits US stores

By Emily Clark

20:14 May 19, 2008 PDT

We've come a long way since VHS was the new kid on the block and sweating it out in front of Cindy Crawford’s “Buns of Steel” fitness training video was all the rage. As the next generation of technology-enhanced personal training, Nintendo has released Wii Fit, a “game” incorporating over 40 activities that challenge users in areas ranging from yoga and aerobics to strength training and balance. Read More

"Brain Age 2" released for Nintendo DS

By Emily Clark

17:18 August 21, 2007 PDT

August 22, 2007 Nintendo has launched its second release in the burgeoning world of brain games in effort to attract non-gamers to pick up the controller. Brain games are designed as exercise for our grey matter based on the notion that our neural systems are constantly changing throughout life and that effective instruction can actually alter brain function. Read More

Analysts: Nintendo DS will penetrate 89% of Japanese households by 2011

By Loz Blain

June 26, 2007 A Nintendo in every pocket? The phenomenally successful Nintendo DS handheld gaming console is comprehensively trouncing the more powerful Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) around the world - but nowhere is Nintendo mania more alive than in Japan, where on current sales and penetration figures, a key industry analysis firm has forecast that 89% of Japanese households will have a Nintendo DS by the year 2011. What a stunning figure! Read More

Geometry Wars: Galaxies coming to Nintendo Wii, DS

By Tim Hanlon

May 22, 2007 Geometry Wars first appeared as a mini-game in Project Gotham Racing 2 for the Xbox, and much to the surprise of the developers, people loved it - enough to warrant a HD sequel on the Xbox 360. Geometry Wars: Evolved was the first game released on Xbox Live Arcade, and to this day remains the cheapest, and arguably, best game available on the service. Finally, Nintendo fans are set for a taste of the hellishly frantic action. Read More

Nyko Wii Charging Station simultaneously recharges two Wii remotes

By Tim Hanlon

March 3, 2007 - In this day and age, disposable batteries are environmentally irresponsible, yet remain a desirable retail item due to convenience and price point - and those of our readers with Wii's or Xbox 360's will know how many AA's regular use of these consoles can chew through. This makes us a little surprised that Nintendo left this one up to the third-parties, but equally glad Nyko have stepped up to the plate with their Wii Charging Station. Read More

New Wii channel - Everybody Votes

By Tim Hanlon

February 14, 2007 - Nintendo launches a new channel for the Wii Menu today, the Everybody Votes Channel, which allows up to six players per console to vote in regional and worldwide polls...a tired premise with an interesting touch - the ability to predict the results of the polls, and track your accurate predictions in a "How Tuned In Are You?" section. Read More

Turn your Nintendo DS into an acoustic guitar

By Tim Hanlon

February 6, 2007 While music games have typically been geared towards vicarious rock-stars, and not garnering much interest from those who can already play an instrument as a result, Plato's Hiite Utaeru DS Guitar M-06 for the Nintendo DS turns the genre on it's head. Essentially an acoustic guitar simulator, you're obviously not going to be able to belt out the riff for Ironman in its full glory - but if you're looking to further your knowledge of music theory (or show off your real skills on the weirdest acoustic guitar on the planet) this is a great deal more likely to tickle your fancy than games like Guitar Hero. Read More

Nintendo Australia adds four games to Wii Virtual Console line-up

By Tim Hanlon

Nintendo Australia today added four more titles to the Wii Virtual Console service, comprising of Sega Mega Drive games Comix Zone, Bonanza Bros. and Gain Ground, and the NES game Gradius. This brings the total number of games available to 36 - read on for the entire list, complete with recommendations from our Games Editor. Read More

Call of Duty 3 (Nintendo Wii) Review

By Tim Hanlon

December 14, 2006 The shooting scenes in Rayman: Raving Rabbids proved that on-the-rails shooters work very well on the Wii, which as well as whetting our appetites for a port of Virtua Cop or Time Crisis, led us to have fairly high expectations of how a first-person shooter (FPS) would fare using the Wii Remote. Call of Duty 3 is the first Wii FPS we've had our hands on - and it's a bittersweet experience. Read More

Turn your Nintendo DS into a wireless MIDI controller

By Tim Hanlon

November 28, 2006 Music on the DS has just taken a giant leap beyond musical games like Electroplankton, thanks to the efforts of German programmer and musician Tob. Previously, using MIDI with the DS required getting geeky with a soldering iron - now the DS's internal WiFi card can be used to wirelessly send/receive MIDI to and from a "server" running on a PC. Read More

Nintendo reveals new controller for Revolution game platform

By Mike Hanlon

September 16, 2005 Nintendo will break with more than 20 years of video game history by abandoning the traditional controller held with two hands and introducing an all-new freehand-style unit held with one hand for the next generation Revolution game console. Nintendo claims the new pioneering interface is highly intuitive and will allow players to run, jump, shoot, steer, kick and score far better than with the previous controller. Unveiled in his speech today at the Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said, "the feeling is so natural and real, as soon as players use the controller, their minds will spin with the possibilities of how this will change gaming as we know it today." Read More

And then there were three: Nintendo shows its hand

By Mike Hanlon

May 18, 2005 Nintendo last night unveiled its contender for the heavyweight clash of the games console – called Nintendo Revolution. Surprisingly, very few specifics of the Revolution internals were disclosed – there will be wi-fi networking, wireless controllers, two USB 2.0 ports, and DS memory card slots but no details of the processor and graphics chips upon which the machine is based other than that the microprocessor will be an IBM developed with Toshiba. Like the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Revolution will be backwards compatible with previous game systems though the unlike Sony and Microsoft, the Revolution will be able to play Nintendo games from the last two decades. The company was also clear to point out that unlike its competitors, it does not seek to be the centrepiece of the loungeroom.

The Revolution is the successor to the Nintendo GameCube that finished a distant third in a field of three in the current generation of game consoles and the company’s future is dependent on the success of the machine. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2 billion video games and more than 336 million hardware units globally, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario and Donkey Kong and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid, Zelda and Pokemon. Nintendo appears set to continue to target a younger audience than its competitors and the Revolution looks set to have a lower price point too. Read More

Wireless plans for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance

By Mike Hanlon

Motorola and Nintendo have announced a joint venture that will enable wireless, multi-player, portable gaming for up to five people over a radio frequency (RF) link. Motorola's high-speed, low-power 2.4GHz radio frequency chipset will be used in an adaptor accessory for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance... Read More