Hasta La Gadget!

The Wii Fit Plus game may not be bringing any new hardware with it, but it looks like there’s a few surprises in the game itself, not the least of which a new Segway mini-game that’s been developed in partnership with Segway itself. As you can no doubt guess, that’ll make use of the Wii Balance Board and Wii Remote to simulate what it’s like to ride on a Segway, with none of the embarrassment or potential pitfalls associated with actually riding one in public. Amazingly, however, they look to have passed up the opportunity for a Segway Polo game and instead opted for a simple balloon-popping game that also involves a “mole-like creature.”

Filed under: Gaming

Segway rolls its way into Nintendo’s Wii Fit Plus originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo’s E3 press conference hasn’t even started, and they’ve already slammed Sony. Impressive! The conference kicks off at 9AM PT—noon ET—but our liveblog is getting fired up now. Besides the New Wii Fit Motion Music Plus New Play Super 64, what do you want to see?

Archive below:

7:47 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Testing testing. We’re live t the Nokia theater with about an hour to kill before the Nintendo press conference.

7:50 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The smell: cold steel and coffee.

7:56 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
So, the Nokia Theater is nice, but it’s no Kodak Theater – the location of their e3 press conference last year. Feeling the sting of weak yen, Nintendo?

8:01 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
We were up late at a Microsoft party last night. Lots of free booze and Beatles Rock Band. Matt Buchanan threw back more than his fair share of water before not taking the stage and not humiliating himself.

8:06 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Bowie is playing, Young American.

8:06 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

8:16 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:
MGMT is playing. I feel so cool now.

8:17 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

8:22 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

8:23 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:
Guesses? Anyone? Drop your answers over on our liveblog post.

8:34 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

8:34 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
30 minutes until showtime. I’ve been playing Nintendo trivia on their big screen. Remember back when Coke sponsored that find the bottles pre-show stuff at movie theaters? I was SO good at spotting those inconspicuous red bottles on a white backdrop. So good.

8:38 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:
That was my brief experiment shooting behind my head with 5D Mark II’s Live View. The 5D made our Microsoft liveblog yesterday magically easy to shoot–I can’t wait ’til that kind of low-light power reaches entry-level cameras.

8:40 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
So what will we see from Nintendo? Wii Fit Plus seems like an absolute sure thing, along with a possible showing from Art Academy (a recent trademark Nintendo filed). Other than that? I’m guessing we’ll see some pretty big pimping of Wii MotionPlus. Nintendo announced the peripheral at least year’s E3, and now they need to sell the thing for $20 a pop.

8:41 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

8:45 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The answer to the question below? Mario. What did you win? Nothing. But the other big announcement we may see today is a new Mario title.

8:47 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
OMG, WIIMOTE SPOTTED ON STAGE!! WHAT COULD THIS MEAN????????

8:47 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

8:49 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Oh, and in case you like to watch two or more liveblogs at once (what, you don’t trust us?), check out the Kotaku liveblog. They’re good people.

8:49 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:
It kinda makes me sad that the best-selling DS game ever is Nintendogs.

8:55 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
I will say, Nintendo’s (LCD?) light strips are not so horrible looking. I mean, I wouldn’t want to decorate my house with them or anything. But for a techie press conference? Martha Stewart would approve.

8:57 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

8:58 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
5 minutes to takeoff. This must be what it feels like to await a space shuttle launch. Lotsa dudes. Weird smells. General discomfort. Top 40 pop music playing in the background. I don’t know where I’m going with this.

8:59 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
ARE YOU READY TO RUUUUMMMMBBBBLLLLEEEEEEE? Great. But be careful, Immersion might sue your ass.

9:02 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Now Nintendo is busting out the U2. What would Bono do if he were here? Get shown up my John Mayer if John Maysr were here, that’s what.

9:03 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt

9:03 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Nintendo has just put up their logo on every screen they’ve got on the stage. That’s…SIX NINTENDO LOGOS. Booya. Show is starting.

9:04 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Nintendo messages: “Everyone’s Game” “Connection” “Every Culture” “Every Contact” “Every Generation”

9:04 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
In other words, she has no motive to tell you the truth.

9:05 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
She’s talking sales, citing NPD and explaining why video games are the top dog. She’s using words like “consumers” and “industry.”

9:06 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
“Maybe you’ve noticed a woman on the plane playing a DS system.”

9:06 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Nintendo’s goal? “Create, surprise.”

9:07AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
She’s promising more innovation in game control, and innovation where “we thought there might not be any left.”

9:07 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
She’s teasing an icon in games now, probably Mario

9:08 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Yes, it was Mario. Montage of Mario.

9:08 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
They never figured out how to move Mario into the 4th dimension. That’s Nintendo’s surprise. Miyamoto has invented a new way to play Mario. New Super Mario Bros for Wii.

9:08 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:09 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Bill Trinen comes onstage. Senior Manager of Product Marketing.

9:09 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Ohh…and he’s promising more PLAYERS. Four people at once!

9:10 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Wow, this is neat. It’s like New Super Mario Bros, with Mario, Luigi and two Toads.

9:10 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
All the Wiimotes are being held like an NES controller, btw. There’s some waggling involved.

9:10 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:11 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Oooohh, helicopter hat! Oh, it’s called a propeller suit. Work on that name, Nintendo.

9:11 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The propeller suit makes sense because it launches players vertically, which allows players to stay on the same screen while flying. Remember raccoon Mario? He wouldn’t work for this.

9:12 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
All four players need to hop on the flagpole within three seconds. The game is competitive, with players trying to score the most points.

9:13 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
New Super Mario Bros Wii is on the show floor, will launch Holiday 2009.

9:13 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:13 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
“While Mario may be a big draw, he wasn’t big enough to pull all consumers…” Nope, for that, Nintendo had to appeal to fat people.

9:14 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Cammie is talking about changing Wii Fit. The result? Wii Fit Plus.

9:15 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
It seeks out a specific workout routine that’s “just right for you.” Six new strength and yoga routines. Gaps between exercises can be removed.

9:16 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:16 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The screens she’s showing look just like Wii Fit

9:17 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Oh, though they just showed a level in which you can hop over hurdles while dodging giant bullets, just like Mario. They showed that clip for roughly 5 seconds, sadly. Now they’re cutting to a montage of Wii stuff.

9:18 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Reggie Fils-Aime comes onstage. Nice cheers for Reggie.

9:18 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:18 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The vernacular of Nintendo is just so business minded. “Virally,” “mainstream culture.” It just feels so cold and calculated. Where is Miyamoto’s smiling face?

9:19 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Reggie is giving us a look at Wii game control options. Today, he wants to fully explain the “next advance” in game control. He’s talking about Wii MotionPlus.

9:19 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:20 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
He’s showing a side by side of the Wiimote and the Wiimote with the MotionPlus dongle. He’s explaining how different this little dongle feels.

9:20 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:21 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Reggie cued a demo reel of Wii MotionPlus. And…we see a closeup of someone playing ping pong in slow mo over a 3D matrix. So futuristic!

9:21 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Holy crap, now a samurai! Samurais like Wii MotionPlus!

9:21 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Now a guy pulled a bow and arrow? Wii MotionPlus might be dangerous!

9:22 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
OK, now just a golfer and some basketball. My kids can play with Wii MotionPlus after all.

9:23 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The video is over. “That’s how it works on video,” Reggie explains. But now they’re gonna demo it in real time.

9:24 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
They’re pushing “precision and depth” pretty hard. They want the mainstream to understand that Wii MotionPlus is BETTER than the Wiimote alone. So Nintendo is going to show up Wii Sports Resort, like they did last year, but focusing on precision controls.

9:24 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The Wiimote (with MotionPlus) represents a skydiver. The Wiimote is being rotated. The skydiver is being rotated. It works!

9:25 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:25 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Now the skydivers pull their chutes. There are no tragic accidents. The world is safe again. Phew.

9:26 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Read more on these games over at Kotaku, too.

9:26 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:27 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Now we’re in an archery range. It’s archery rangey.

9:27 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:27 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
It’s tough to tell how much accuracy come into play here, since not many of us are archery experts. Nintendo just missed the target onstage. Ha. OK, archery demo over.

9:29 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Now it’s time for some 1 on 1. Bill Trinen and Reggie share some awkwardly staged banter.

9:30 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
They’re having a 3-point contest. It really looks like they’re shooting baskets with the Wiimote, but it’s a one-handed experience. So the guiding hand isn’t part of the Wii Motion.

9:30 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
I bet this will drive the kids crazy though.

9:30 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:32 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The pace of this press conference is just so much slower than Microsoft’s two-hour announcement extravaganza.

9:32 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Red Steel 2 will only be playable on Wii MotionPlus. That will be a trend across a lot of the Wii, if MotionPlus can reach a decent install base.

9:33 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
(Note: that point on the install base was my point, not Reggie’s)

9:34 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Now we’re looking at Square’s contribution to the Wii, the upcoming Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers. That was a brief clip.

9:34 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
I’m sorry, I don’t get paid enough to cover Square Enix. Read more at Kotaku.

9:35 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:38 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Nintendo just called the DS line “the most lucrative” of Nintendo’s offerings. Great!

9:40 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
James Patterson Women’s Muder Club Games of Passion promises to bring pretty much everything in the game’s title to the DS. We’re watching a clip about it now. It looks like a series of minigames like Bejeweled mixed with snapshots of bad guys.

9:41 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
New clip: COP The Recruit. It looks like Grand Theft Auto, but you’re a good guy.

9:41 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:43 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
New clip: Style Savvy is intended for female “preteens and 20 somethings.” Models try on clothes and walk a runway. Suck on this Natal! Can you fit in these designer jeans?

9:44 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:44 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Now Cammie is talking about the Nintendo DSi, how it’s great, for everyone, yada yada. She plays a clip of people on the street, mostly women, talking about how great the platform is. This is just grueling.

9:45 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Total Nintendo DSi sales have surpassed 1 million units in the US since launch. Just so you know.

9:46 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
FlipNotes Studio, a neat sketching animation program, is coming to the platform this summer. It looked pretty neat, but they’re already on to something else.

9:47 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:48 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Nintendo is skimming through various DSi titles quickly now. The audience is asleep. Literally, I see two people in the audience who might be asleep.

9:49 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Beginning this summer, you will be able to take photos on the DSi and upload them to Facebook.

9:49 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:49 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Whoa, that announcement was out of nowhere. And now we’re gone from Facebook. We didn’t get any real look at the UI.

9:50 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:51 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Satoru Iwata comes to the stage! The crowd awakens!

9:52 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
BTW, I can almost promise that Sony’s press conference won’t be this boring. At least I’ll have some great zingers about the lack of dual analogs on the PSP Go!

9:52 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:52 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Iwata is explaining how Nintendo divides gamers into three groups: those who game, those who don’t and those who might.

9:54 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Between Japan, Europe and America there are 149 potential gamers. That’s like 149 million potential DS sales which would equate to enough money for Nintendo to buy the entire world and “win.” (Iwata didn’t explain the winning strategy with as much depth as I did. But my extrapolation is usually pretty accurate.)

9:55 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:55 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Oops, 149 million players.

9:56 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Iwata explains to us that veteran players and newcomer players are different, but we were all newcomers at some time in our life. We’ve heard Nintendo say this before. It’s actually a very wise outlook on gaming, imho.

9:56 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Oh, and read more on Iwata’s global conquest over at Kotaku.

9:58 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
So what’s next for Nintendo and the mainstream? Iwata is showing us an “entirely different way” of looking at games. Wake up, people. We’re cooking again.

9:58 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Wii Vitality Sensor

9:58 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
It tracks your pulse.

9:59 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The retirement homes are gonna love this, until the first Wii Vitality Sensor goes flatline.

9:59 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

9:59 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
The intent of the WVS is that you can see the “inner world” of your body, to “achieve greater relaxation.” NOTE: IT WON’T CURE CANCER!

10:00 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Wo while most games are meant to stimulate you, the Wii Vitality Sensor could be part of a game that helps you fall asleep.

10:00 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
I could win that sleeping game right now, without any fancy peripheral.

10:01 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
And Iwata leaves the stage. Cammie is back and she promises us “stimulation.” But I think she’s just recapping what we’ve already seen, stuff like the new Mario title.

10:01 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
“But, if you think that’s all the Mario news you can handle, you might want to think again.”

10:01 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
A second full 3D mario title is coming!

10:01 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
It looks like Super Mario Galazy 2. WITH YOSHI!!!

10:02 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
OK, Yoshi has saved this press conference. We’re talking dinosaurs. You can ride. In space.

10:02 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Otherwise, it’s just like Galaxy. The worlds and graphics could be an expansion pack they are so similar. Ooh, but now Mario sprouts flowers on some planets.

10:03 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
OK, we haven’t seen much more Yoshi since those first shots. I’m hoping for like, one of those levels like in Super Mario World where you can get Yoshi again and again.

10:03 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
And yes, it’s Super Mario Galaxy 2.

10:04 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

10:04 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Reggie takes the stage to bring it all home. He admits “I read the blogs, too…I know there are still people out there listening who are like, ok, great, but I want more.”

10:04 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
And he points out that, usually, it’s the third parties who are dropping the ball for hardcore gamers.

10:05 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
He’s showing a clip of The Conduit, which is a sci fi FPS. Ugh, I hate SD graphics mixed with Hollywood soundtracks. Just play MIDI.

10:07 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Reggie moves on to Capcom’s Resident Evil The Darkside Chronicles. There’s a lot of CGI in this clip, but the moments of gameplay are basically like RE4. Actually, it looks fantastic for a Wii title. Very sharp.

10:08 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
And last, he’s showing us Dead Space Extraction, the Dead Space rails shooter. I’m sure Kotaku is riffing on the game pretty hard. I’ll play this.

10:09 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
And with the third party games shown off, Reggie asks, “what about Nintendo itself? Could a new, edgier game be coming also from us?” “Absolutely.”

10:09 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
What is it? We’re watching a clip of an ocean, it goes to clouds. And….mountains…Team Ninja and Nintendo!

10:10 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
And it’s in space. METROID.

10:10 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Lots of prerender, but it’s a third person title. Fast action. Giant monsters. Grappling. Loud soundtrack.

10:11 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
Metroid Other M.

10:11 AM ON JUN 2 2009
matt:

10:12 AM ON JUN 2 2009
Mark Wilson:
And with that, Reggie wraps it up. We’ll be back in under an hour to blog Sony. See you then!

Today at E3 some seriously awesome Beatles Rock Band awesomeness was unloaded upon the world. In addition to getting a look at the full band set-up, confirming that you will, in fact be able to perform multiple vocals (read: harmonies), Harmonix also showed off the general in-game madness we can expect. We’re filled with glee to see that no corners were cut here, and we agree with Ringo’s estimation: the game is good. The Beatles: Rock Band will be released simultaneously for XBox 360, PS3 and Wii in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories. Check out the totally rad trailer, our first shot of the Ludwig drums and another screenshot after the break and in the gallery below.

Gallery: Beatles Rock Band trailer, screenshots, Ludwig drums unveiled at E3

Continue reading Video: Beatles Rock Band trailer, screenshots, Ludwig drums unveiled at E3

Filed under: Gaming

Video: Beatles Rock Band trailer, screenshots, Ludwig drums unveiled at E3 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How much would you spend to pull a faux ollie? How about $120? That’ll be the damage due according to GameStop where Tony Hawk’s Ride game with skateboard peripheral lists for $119.99 with a simultaneous Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3 launch on October 13th. Until then, grab some some griptape and mom’s salad bowl and get to practicing.

Filed under: Gaming

Tony Hawk’s Ride coming to GameStop October 13th for $120 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 May 2009 04:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, we have to admit a certain principled aversion to any console game that involves jumping, the flailing of the arms, cardio-whatever… anything, really, that Richard Simmons might approve of. It’s bad enough that we’re being asked to turn in our traditional controllers in for a balance board, but are we really supposed to believe that Electronic Arts — the company that single-handedly ruined our health during the 1980s as we stayed up for weeks at a time on the quest to save Skara Brae — could, or should, present the world with a “personal trainer in a box?” Well, if you’re one of those people, you’ll be happy to know that EA SPORTS Active for Wii is now available in retail stores Stateside, with worldwide release slated for May 22. Video after the break.

Continue reading EA SPORTS Active for Wii in stores now, taunting us with its toned abs

Filed under: Gaming

EA SPORTS Active for Wii in stores now, taunting us with its toned abs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 May 2009 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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