Jul 30

PlayOn media server now serving Wii customers (in beta, anyway)

Posted in: console, contest, download, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Opera, Software, Today's Chili, wii

We knew good and well that the fine folks over at MediaMall were toiling away in an attempt to bring internet TV content from YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, CBS, CNN and a host of other sources to Nintendo’s white-hot Wii, but there’s just nothing like hearing that intentions have become reality. Based on an email from MediaMall support to a particularly curious user, the “latest version of PlayOn includes a beta version of Wii functionality in it.” Naturally, the company’s doing its darnedest to keep this under wraps for now, but we’re eager to get legions of Wii users testing it out and reporting back with performance evaluations. The note does mention that quality will be lower than on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 due to the inherit hardware limitations on Nintendo’s baby, but hey, you knew that going in, right? Hop on past the break for the letter in its entirety, which includes instructions on getting this going on your console.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

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PlayOn media server now serving Wii customers (in beta, anyway) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 15

Wii remote enrolled in student-developed CPR training program

Posted in: nintendo wii, NintendoWii, remote, Today's Chili, wii

Taking a more passive approach with the Wii remote than, say, operating a 15-ton grapple or saving your friends on Tatooine, a team of biomedical engineering undergraduates at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been developing a companion CPR training program. Using the controller’s built-in accelerometer, it tracks hand position as you practice those vital life-saving maneuverings, charting depth and rate of compression to give you a more accurate performance reading than the conventional Resusci Anne mannequin. The American Heart Association is sure impressed: it just pledged a $50,000 fund to UAB for the continuation of the project. The software’s expected to be complete early fall 2009, with an open source download being released on the AHA website. No telling what these crazy kids’ll accomplish once MotionPlus gets its time to shine.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]

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Wii remote enrolled in student-developed CPR training program originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 14

Black Wii packaging looks as good as its contents

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

We’ve already gotten quite a few glimpses of Nintendo’s forthcoming black Wii but, with that August 1st launch date in Japan now fast approaching, things are now starting to get even more real. Real like packaging. Of course, while the box is nothing more than a black version of the existing Wii packaging, we have to agree with our pals at Joystiq and say that it only makes the system all that more intriguing. Unfortunately, there’s still no word on a release ’round here, but we assume / hope that’s only a matter of time considering the reception this thing has received.

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Black Wii packaging looks as good as its contents originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 04

GameStop hits the sauce for the 4th, offers up bizarre Wii bundles

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

Are you in the market for a “Summer Fun” Wii bundle to get your Independence Day started right? Oh, yeah? Fantastic, ’cause GameStop has just the packages for you. For the low, low price of $249.99, the aforementioned bundle consists of a Nintendo Wii console, a water gun and… wait, what? Amazingly enough, GameStop has seen fit to bundle a $0.25 water gun with a Wii and call it a bundle; heck, it’s even limiting them to two per household. If that’s not strange enough for you, there’s also the Pirate Tattoo bundle and Take a Bath with a Buddy (a rubber ducky, just so we’re clear) bundle. Talk about really taking advantage of that whole “freedom” thing.

Read – Summer Fun bundle
Read – Pirate Tattoo bundle
Read – Take a Bath with a Buddy bundle

[Via Joystiq]

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GameStop hits the sauce for the 4th, offers up bizarre Wii bundles originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 25

CinemaNow launches Wii movie streaming service in Japan

Posted in: Japan, Movies, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, streaming video, StreamingVideo, Today's Chili, wii

CinemaNow, the company that’s over the years brought streaming content (and often Frisbees) to such varied devices as the Samsung P2, various Dell PCs, and the Xbox 360, has announced that it’s partnering with Fujisoft to deliver flicks to the Nintendo Wii. The service will initially launch in Japan, subjecting our friends to the East to such Paramount Pictures fare as Hotel For Dogs and Madagascar 2: Return of the Sassy Cartoon Animals, but we’re fairly confident that a Stateside launch is in our future. In related news, cult film director Tommy Wiseau is reportedly negotiating with Chintendo to bring his inadvertent comedies to the Vii game platform.

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CinemaNow launches Wii movie streaming service in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 22

Black Wii, blue controllers spotted in the wild, behind glass

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

We’ve already seen both the black (or kuro) Wii and blue Wii remote and nunchuck in the form of promotional photos, but it looks like both braved the trip to this past weekend’s World Hobby Fair, where they were on display for all to see, but not touch. As you might expect, there aren’t a ton of surprises but, as Joystiq notes, the contrast between the glossy and matte portions on the Wiimote and nunchuck is much more noticeable on the black version (pictured after the break), and the black Classic Controller Pro also looks like it has an extra coat of gloss compared to the white version. Unfortunately, it looks like Nintendo is still saving word of a release date ’round these parts for another day.

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Black Wii, blue controllers spotted in the wild, behind glass originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 15

Nintendo unveils light blue Wii remote with MotionPlus, for select Japanese Wii Sports Resort owners only

Posted in: Games, gaming, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, remote, Today's Chili, video games, VideoGames, wii

Just great, more hue-enhanced Wii hardware that we in North America will very likely never get. After teasing us with that kuro (i.e. jet black) Wii and matching classic controller, Nintendo’s announced a light blue sleeved Wii remote, nunchuk, and motion plus set that’ll be given out to five thousand members of its Japanese Club Nintendo program who have registered Wii Sports Resort. Historically, Club Nintendo gifts have only made their way stateside via unofficial channels, so if you’re desperate for a non-white peripheral and using paint is absolutely out of the question, we suggest you keep a close eye on eBay and hope the House that Mario Built takes a cue from its portable line sooner rather than later.

[Via Joystiq]

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Nintendo unveils light blue Wii remote with MotionPlus, for select Japanese Wii Sports Resort owners only originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 12

Nintendo Wii sets record as fastest-selling console in the US

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

The Wii has already set more than its share of sales records, but it looks like Nintendo has now claimed another big one, with the latest NPD figures indicating that the Wii has become the fastest-selling console ever in the United States. That milestone was apparently marked when the Wii sailed past 20 million consoles sold after just 31 months on the market, although that number is of course just a small part of the more than 50 million consoles shipped worldwide which, incidentally, has already made the Wii the fastest-selling console in the world.

[Via Joystiq]

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Nintendo Wii sets record as fastest-selling console in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 05

Nintendo’s Iwata: Wii could be around for three, five, or eight more years

Posted in: console, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Today's Chili, wii

He’s still not firmly committing to quite as long a console lifespan as Microsoft and Sony have, but Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has now dropped word that the Wii could be around in its current state for longer than some may have suspected. In a wide ranging interview with VentureBeat, Iwata responded to a question about console life cycles by saying that when it comes to timing for a new Nintendo console launch, “it may be three years from now, five years from now or eight years from now.” Iwata further went on to say that, “if we have an opportunity to make a new console, it will probably support HD,” although he disappointingly added that Nintendo has “not found a significant reason” to make the current Wii HD-compatible “at this time.”

[Via MCV]

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Nintendo’s Iwata: Wii could be around for three, five, or eight more years originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 04

Miyamoto: Super Mario Bros. Wii could be better, but the Wii’s too weak

Posted in: console, e3, gaming, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Today's Chili, wii

Look, it’s no secret that the Wii is comparatively weak. It always has been, and unless some magical, unicorn-approved firmware update hits in the near future, it always will be. The Big N’s Shigeru Miyamoto sat down at E3 this year with GameDaily and confessed as much, stating that he “would like to use Wii Speak more, but [in Super Mario Bros. Wii], the Wii processor is already being taxed.” He added that this was all “part of being a developer to work with the tools you have to create new and interesting projects,” but it certainly makes us wonder just how much more awesome this console could be with a specifications list fit for this millennium. Ah well, maybe we can actually look forward to native 1080p games from Nintendo next decade… if we’re lucky.

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Miyamoto: Super Mario Bros. Wii could be better, but the Wii’s too weak originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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