Apr 23

Japan getting Wii video service May 1st, complete with DSi connectivity

Posted in: DS, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Today's Chili, video, wii

We haven’t been hearing a whole lot about the planned video distribution service for the Wii as of late, but looks like folks in Japan will soon be able to try it out first hand, as the service is set to launch in the country on May 1st. Dubbed the “Wii no Ma Channel,” the service is rolling out with a little help from advertising firm Denstu, and includes both free and paid content, as well as some other various services and special offers from sponsors. Even more interesting, however, is word that a free DSi app will launch alongside the service, which will let you download video from the Wii to the DS, and even download coupons from advertisers, which can then be scanned directly from the screen. Head on past the break for a quick video overview — which, of course, doesn’t include any word of a launch ’round here.

Continue reading Japan getting Wii video service May 1st, complete with DSi connectivity

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Japan getting Wii video service May 1st, complete with DSi connectivity originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 23

Nintendo’s Game Boy turns 20

Posted in: ad, nintendo, portable, Today's Chili, video

In case you hadn’t heard, Nintendo’s trend-setting handheld, the Game Boy, just had its 20th birthday — and that’s no small thing for a game console. We won’t bore you with stories from our childhood about wasted time and missed opportunities spent chasing the dragon that was Tetris, but we will entertain the hell out of you with this vintage ad touting the system’s launch from way back in the totally excellent year of 1989. We know what you’re thinking: does the robot create the kid or just warp him there? And if he does create him, does that mean he’s some kind of metallic god? And does that mean that the kid kills god? And… why is the robot dancing? Hey — now you’re playing with power.

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Nintendo’s Game Boy turns 20 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 23

Video: WiiNxtBalance tools around, doesn’t fall down

Posted in: hack, mod, nintendo, robot, Today's Chili, wii

This little bot– the NXTway-GS — is a self-balancer, and he’s pretty cute, to boot. Thanks to some clever modifications, he’s now controllable via Wiimote. Using the LEGO NXT system, and some custom firmware, the little dude is connected to a computer via Bluetooth. The video of the robot in action is after the break — but if you want to see full instructions for making one of your very own — hit the read link. And may we suggest you slap a powdered colonial wig on yours?

[Via Hack A Day]

Continue reading Video: WiiNxtBalance tools around, doesn’t fall down

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Video: WiiNxtBalance tools around, doesn’t fall down originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 21

CSIRO’s patent lawsuits conclude with the final 13 companies settling

Posted in: HP, intel, lawsuit, Microsoft, nintendo, patent, Today's Chili, Toshiba, wi-fi, wifi

Looks like CSIRO‘s legal days are over — for the moment, at least. Having already reached an agreement with HP, the Australian government-funded research firm announced this week that it’s settled with the remaining 13 companies it sued for patent infringement, claiming it owned the rights to 802.11a/g. For those who haven’t been keeping track at home, that includes Dell, Intel, Microsoft, Nintendo, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Netgear, Buffalo, D-Link, Belkin, SMC, Accton, and 3Com. The details of any of the settlements are undisclosed, but as iTnews reports, it’s expected CSIRO ended up with some substantial monies now that the dust has settled. Chief Executive Dr. Megan Clark noted that it’ll continue to “defend its intellectual property,” so if you’re a high profile tech company who creates WiFi-equipped gadgets and hasn’t been served a lawsuit yet, we don’t blame you for being a little nervous right now.

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CSIRO’s patent lawsuits conclude with the final 13 companies settling originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 21

The Definitive Game Boy Timeline

Posted in: DS, feature, gaming, nintendo, Today's Chili, top

The Nintendo Game Boy—the most popular game console of all time—was born today, April 21, back in 1989. Here are its 20 years of history in a timeline that actually goes back to 1889.

Click on this image to access the full high definition timeline

[Data from various sources]

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Apr 21

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 lands in June, comes with MotionPlus

Posted in: nintendo, Sports, Today's Chili, video games, VideoGames, wii

Say it with us now: “Phew!” When Nintendo announced that its Wii MotionPlus dongle would be hitting US shelves on June 8th, we all wondered why Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo’s first MotionPlus-enabled title) was set to ship over a month later. Now, EA Sports has relieved worries that early adopters would have no software to use with their new toy by announcing that Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 will hit North America on June 15th. Better still, the Wii version will be available with a MotionPlus add-on bundled in for just $10 more than the standalone title (which will run $49.99). As great as all this is, Europeans still come out better, as they’ll also see Grand Slam Tennis ship in June with a MotionPlus packed in. Ah well — it’s just a peccadillo, we’ll let it slide this time.

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Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 lands in June, comes with MotionPlus originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 20

Nintendo moves 435,000 DSi handhelds during first week in US

Posted in: business, DS, gaming, handheld, industry, market share, marketshare, nintendo, sales, Today's Chili, us, usa

We already heard that the Big N managed to lighten its DSi inventory by 300,000 during the handheld’s first full weekend in America, and apparently another 135,000 procrastinators swooped in to grab one as the week finished up. Potentially more amazing, however, is the overall impact of Nintendo in the month of March. Last month, Nintendo systems accounted for just south of 60 percent (58.4 percent, if you must know) of all video game hardware sold in America. And yeah, that’s even despite a shocking 17 percent drop in Wii sales during the same 30 day window. Have we mentioned lately that things seem to be going quite well in the Mushroom Kingdom? ‘Cause they definitely do.

[Via Joystiq]

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Nintendo moves 435,000 DSi handhelds during first week in US originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 17

Nintendo shares fall after surprising drop in Wii demand

Posted in: console, DS, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Today's Chili, video games, VideoGames, wii

Nintendo may have been denying any rumors of a Wii price cut earlier this month, but it looks like it could possibly be reconsidering its options if this latest sales trend keeps up. Apparently, sales in the U.S. for the month of March clocked in at around 601,000 consoles, or about a 17% drop from a year earlier. During the same period, however, Xbox 360 sales were reportedly up a healthy 26%, while PlayStation 3 sales dipped 15% — although, in sheer numbers, both were still well behind the Wii. That unsurprisingly didn’t make investors too happy, with Nintendo shares falling 6.6% on the Osaka Securities Exchange after the news broke, which accounted for it’s biggest drop in more than two months. Also contributing to the sell-off was a 19% drop in Nintendo DS sales compared to the previous year, although the company seems to be betting pretty heavily that the DSi will quickly turn those numbers around.

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Nintendo shares fall after surprising drop in Wii demand originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 15

Nintendo not apt to add MotionPlus capabilities to older titles

Posted in: gaming, nintendo, sensor, Today's Chili, wii

Hey, you know what would be awesome? If you could actually use the MotionPlus dongle you’re going to pick up on June 8th. You see, there’s a 1.5 month gap between the US release date of the add-on and the first first-party title (Wii Sports Resort) designed to take advantage of it. ‘Course, we fully expect a few third-party games (EA’s Grand Slam Tennis, for one) to filter out beforehand, but what we were really hoping was for the Big N to provide patches for a few existing titles. Sadly, Mario has chimed in from the Mushroom Kingdom with this: “The Wii MotionPlus accessory is only for games that are designed to make use of its abilities.” Translation? You can forget about seeing MotionPlus support added to Mario Kart Wii… or Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal, for that matter.

[Via Joystiq]

Gallery: Nintendo MotionPlus

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Nintendo not apt to add MotionPlus capabilities to older titles originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 15

GBalpha announces Ranger GPS unit for Nintendo DS

Posted in: gps, nintendo, Today's Chili

There hasn’t exactly been a rush to flood the market with Nintendo DS-based GPS mods over the years — and when we have seen them, they’ve been largely DIY affairs. Looking to fill a niche that most reasonable folks assume does not exist, GBalpha has announced the upcoming release of Ranger, its new touchscreen solution for those of you wishing to saddle your handheld with navigation duties. If you’re curious, this bad boy sports a u-blox GPS module, 32MB extended memory, Google Earth map integration, and optional Mandarin and Cantonese voice prompts. Are you stoked? What if we gave you a price and a way to order it? Well, we can’t do that for you. Sadly, large swaths of the product website are mum on those details.

[Via Max Console]

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GBalpha announces Ranger GPS unit for Nintendo DS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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