Jan 15

NPD: Wii leads video game industry to ‘biggest sales month ever’

Posted in: console, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, playstation, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, sony, Today's Chili, wii, xbox 360, Xbox360
Well, what a difference a couple of months and a holiday season can make. Just after finding that the video game console market shrunk by a fifth in October, NPD is now back with a new report that finds that December was the video game industry’s “biggest sales month ever.” Specifically, the group found that console sales jumped 4% compared to last December, with the Nintendo Wii unsurprisingly leading the way with 3.81 million units moved (up from 2.15 million the previous year). That’s followed by the collective DS offerings at 3.31 million and, somewhat surprisingly, the PlayStation 3, which racked up sales of 1.36 million (its first time cracking the one million mark) compared to the Xbox 360’s 1.31 million. Of course, no one’s expecting sales to stay at quite that lofty level, but NPD says that the spike in December sales might well indicate that 2010 could be a recovery year.

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NPD: Wii leads video game industry to ‘biggest sales month ever’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 15

Reggie Fils-Aime: Wii users don’t care for Netflix HD

Posted in: Movies, netflix, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, streaming, Today's Chili, wii

We seriously have to question the sanity of some of these high-ranking corporate types. Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America boss and fearless orator, has joined Andy Rubin of Google in claiming that his customers do not require a feature so prevalent nowadays that it has become close to a basic standard. While the Xbox 360 and PS3 are capable of streaming full HD movies from Netflix at no extra cost, Reggie has stated his belief that “there really is no loss for the Wii consumer” because “the vast majority” of Netflix streaming content isn’t HD anyway. Reiterating his longstanding, but never adequately explained, hesitance toward HD, Reggie has also claimed that the 26 million Wii console owners out there have voted with their wallets and will be quite happy to continue putt-putting along at standard def. Skip past the break to see him speaking his heresy with a straight face.

Continue reading Reggie Fils-Aime: Wii users don’t care for Netflix HD

Reggie Fils-Aime: Wii users don’t care for Netflix HD originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 13

Nintendo Wii Gains Netflix Streaming

Posted in: Media Players, Movies, netflix, nintendo, Today's Chili, wii

netflix

Joining the Xbox and PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Wii console has gained access to Netflix’s video-streaming service.

Netflix, a popular movie rental website, announced on Wednesday its agreement with Nintendo. Wii owners with basic Netflix accounts ($9 per month) can watch Netflix’s streaming movies and TV shows at no additional charge.

All Wii owners need is a disc containing the Netflix streaming software, which they can request for free at Netflix.com/Wii.

Console makers are embracing the opportunity to treat their systems as platforms. An internet connection and a software platform enables manufacturers and third-party developers to keep adding to the capabilities of a device, without having to rush major hardware upgrades to market each year. In addition to supporting Netflix, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have each opened online stories to sell downloadable games and other multimedia.

With these moves, the videogame industry is also defensively reacting to the rise of cheap smartphone games. For example, many popular iPhone games can be downloaded for as little as $1 — and sometimes even for free — through the iTunes App Store.

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Photo: pickledshark/Flickr


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Jan 12

Wii gets Netflix this Spring, disc required for streaming

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, console, netflix, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, stream, streaming, Today's Chili, wii

Hey humans! So Hastings was telling us the truth after all — the Nintendo Wii will be joining the other two game consoles to stream Netflix starting some time in early Spring. Like the PS3, a special Netflix “instant-streaming” disc will be required for the Wii, and it goes without saying that HD’s out of the question since the Wii itself can’t push above 480p. There’ll be no additional fees beyond Netflix’s usual monthly subscription. Time for a game of Mario Kart to celebrate, no?

Update: the Netflix sign-up page is now live! [Via Joystiq]

Wii gets Netflix this Spring, disc required for streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 09

Chances of Netflix on Nintendo ‘excellent,’ says Netflix CEO

Posted in: DS, netflix, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Today's Chili, wii
In case you missed it last night in the All Things D event — and frankly, given the length and general jejune of it, we wouldn’t blame you — Reed Hastings of Netflix took the stage and sat down with Peter Kafka. Here’s the takeaway: when Kafka asked him the chance of “getting on Nintendo,” Hastings replied, “our chances are excellent.” It’s not much, but after at least a year of hints and teasers, it’s by far the best confirmation we’ve got. Of course, he didn’t say which system, but let’s be honest… the only logical choice is DS, right?

Chances of Netflix on Nintendo ‘excellent,’ says Netflix CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 08

You Rock Guitar spotted at CES, we shred on video

Posted in: controller, demo, Features, gaming, guitar, hands-on, HandsOn, Music, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, peripheral, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, Today's Chili, video, wii, xbox 360, Xbox360

Surely you remember the You Rock Guitar from earlier this week. How could you forget, right? Well here on the CES show floor, we had the opportunity to rock out (gently, of course) with the lightweight, multitouch Guitar Hero / Rock Band controller — which just so happens to be platform agnostic. It’s got a plethora of settings and buttons, but it can actually double as a semi-legitimate guitar when plugged into an amp. For a music game peripheral, it’s about as real as it gets, though it’s hard to say if you’re better off dropping 180 bones on this instead of a standard controller and a swanky new Squier. Don’t take our word for it, though — jump on past the break and mash play.

Gallery: You Rock Guitar hands-on

Continue reading You Rock Guitar spotted at CES, we shred on video

You Rock Guitar spotted at CES, we shred on video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 30

Wiiwaa is the greatest Wii game ever made, we assume

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

Wiiwaa is a forthcoming Wii game which involves you cramming your Wiimote into the mouth of the bizarre stuffed animal you see… oh just watch the video after the break.

Continue reading Wiiwaa is the greatest Wii game ever made, we assume

Wiiwaa is the greatest Wii game ever made, we assume originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 29

Console scuttlebutt: multi-core CPU for next-gen PlayStation, Intel inside future Wii

Posted in: console, gaming, intel, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, playstation, playstation 3, Playstation3, processor, ps3, rumor, sony, Today's Chili, wii

We’re but three years removed from the US introduction of both Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3, and already the rumors are running rampant about the future iterations of both consoles. Two separate reports from Japan’s Impress touch on both units, with speculation and insider information on the former suggesting that Intel could be in talks with the Big N about powering the second Wii. Hard details are obviously tough to come by, but word has it that the two are mulling a GPU / CPU combo similar to the Larrabee; granted, we’d prefer something a touch more potent in the Wii 2, but we wouldn’t be shocked if Nintendo chooses the less powerful path yet again. In related news, it seems as if Sony could be looking for an alternative to its Cell CPU in the PlayStation 4, an alternative that involves some sort of “multi-core CPU.” Potentially more interesting is the notion that Sony’s next-gen handheld could be out before said console, which is loosely pegged for a 2013 release. We wouldn’t take any of this to heart just yet, but we’re pretty certain we can’t stop the dreamers from going too far.

Console scuttlebutt: multi-core CPU for next-gen PlayStation, Intel inside future Wii originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 22

Modder mods new fangled wireless keyboard to look like old timey one

Posted in: hack, Hacks, keyboard, mod, mods, peripheral, Peripherals, Today's Chili, wii
Before you laugh awkwardly at the weird sense of nostalgia this keyboard dredges up in your mind, let us introduce you to its wonders. Apparently modded by a Dutch man or woman courageous enough to admit that (like us) they prefer the pretty much extinct, giant, tactile-as-all-get out keyboards to newer, more streamlined models, this mod takes away the only gripe we ever had with such peripherals — namely, their wiredness. The enterprising DIYer’s taken a Logitech wireless Wii keyboard apart, mapping all the key codes along the way, thrown in a little basic soldering, wedged everything into the old keyboard and voila! Pretty magical, right? Well, okay — not really, but still — we sort of dig it. There’s a before shot after the break, and hit the source link for the poorly machine translated how-to.

Continue reading Modder mods new fangled wireless keyboard to look like old timey one

Modder mods new fangled wireless keyboard to look like old timey one originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 21

Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Fun Stuff

Posted in: Today's Chili, wii

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today’s bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the holiday season.

Still haven’t found just the right gift for that particularly hard-to-buy-for someone in one of the more neatly defined categories? Well, then look no further, ’cause we’ve collected a wide assortment of other products right here that may have little in common with one another, but will each undoubtedly bring a smile to the face of anyone that receives one of them. Just try to remember you’re not shopping for yourself.

Continue reading Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Fun Stuff

Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Fun Stuff originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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