Hasta La Gadget!

CTA strikes again! The company known for its unorthodox (and rather silly) game controllers is back with a plastic drawbar / foot pedal combo that is supposed to be “very similar to a rowing machine you would find at the gym,” although we highly doubt it. Designed for games like Wii Sports Resort and Jillian Michaels’ Angry Sports Resort, this is something that would probably only enter your home as an ill-considered Christmas gift before gathering dust in the back of a closet, alongside your Bowling Ball and Football controllers. But we must admit, even if the company’s products are dubious, its infomercials are an endless source of entertainment. See for yourself after the break. As for the rowing machine, it’s up for pre-order now at Amazon, as if you care.

Continue reading Wii Rowing Machine aims to sculpt abs, achieves belly laughs (video)

Wii Rowing Machine aims to sculpt abs, achieves belly laughs (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Amazon  | Email this | Comments

When we heard that Nintendo and the American Heart Association would be making an announcement today, we (and most everyone else) assumed that it would have something to do with Nintendo’s forthcoming Vitality Sensor. As it turns out, however, it’s something altogether more surprising — the AHA has announced that it’s actually putting its stamp of approval on the Wii itself (as well as Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort). That’s obviously a first for a video game console, and fairly unprecedented for the AHA — as ABC News points out, the association hasn’t seen fit to put its seal on other “active” things like baseball bats. It apparently had some small incentive to do so in this case, however, as the organization says it will be receiving a cool $1.5 million from Nintendo over three years as a result of the partnership. Head on past the break to see the AHA president explain the arrangement.

[Thanks, Katie]

Continue reading Nintendo Wii gets American Heart Association’s stamp of approval

Nintendo Wii gets American Heart Association’s stamp of approval originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  ABC News, Nintendo / AHA  | Email this | Comments

We knew the Wii Controller Demo app (now known as “Wii Controller IME”) was close to being able to interact with Android in a meaningful way, but we certainly didn’t expect to see Average Joes playing Donkey Kong on their Nexus One devices this soon. Not that we’re kvetching or anything — and in fact, we’d argue that this landed at a perfect time for you hard-workin’ Android owners to give this all a spin over the weekend. Jump on past the break for a look at the setup procedure as well as bona fide proof that a Wiimote and Android can indeed work together for the greater good. Mind those coconuts, though.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Whoa, we just spotted that this app is actually pikipirs’ completely free Wiimote Controller app (available now to download in alpha), which just so happened to surface at about the same time as Ryan Frawley’s Will Controller IME (also available now). The more the merrier, right?

Continue reading Wii Controller Demo gets active, Android and Wiimote handle Donkey Kong on video

Wii Controller Demo gets active, Android and Wiimote handle Donkey Kong on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 May 2010 01:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Forums  |  YouTube (frankzua77)  | Email this | Comments

Nintendo’s 2009 financial results have just been released and, shockingly enough, the company hasn’t been able to break its profit record yet again. In fact, annual net profit dipped — for the first time in six tenths of a decade — to $2.44 billion, a 12 percent drop from the previous fiscal year’s $2.79 billion. Sales of the Wii were down 21 percent year-on-year, but Nintendo still managed to shift 20 million units globally, so it’s not exactly all doom and gloom at Mario HQ. And while Microsoft and Sony are working on their own motion-sensing offerings, Ninty is reloading the only way it knows how — bringing the noir Wii to fashion-conscious Americans, and an all-new 3D portable console for the rest of us. Anyone willing to bet against Nintendo’s income sheet improving next year?

[Original image courtesy of Anarkyman]

Nintendo net profit declines for first time in six years, panic remains inadvisable originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 06:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

Ryan Frawley still has a fair bit of work ahead of him, but his Wii Controller Demo app for Android sure holds an awful lot of promise. Available now for no charge (though a $1 paid version is available for those who dig his work), this here software allows Android users to create a Bluetooth link between their Wii remote and handset, and then log input information on the mobile’s display. As of now, there’s not a whole lot of value outside of Wiimote troubleshooting, but it’s a few lines of code away from being able to act as a controller for gaming. Just think — a Wiimote, your Android phone, an emulator, an HDMI output and four other nerds surrounding your television. Needless to say, we’ll be keeping a close eye out for updates coming to this one.

[Thanks, Jonathan]

Wii Controller Demo brings your Wiimote and Android phone 2gether, 4ever originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 May 2010 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Nintendo Life  |  AndroLib  | Email this | Comments