Mar 25

Wii to Support SDHC, Not a Hard Drive

Posted in: Games, gaming, nintendo, sd, Today's Chili, top, video, wii

During Nintendo president Satoru Iwata’s GDC keynote today, the company revealed that the Wii will finally get SDHC support (that means compatibility with bigger SD cards) through an update that’s available now.

With the new Wii Menu 4.0 update, you can download content directly from the Wii Shop Channel to your SD/SDHC, and the card will show on the Wii’s main menu. You can then open the card to see your content in Channel format (up to 240 SD Channels are supported).

Given that the SDHC format reaching 32GB (12GB more than the hard drive in the original Xbox 360), supporting the open standard sounds like a much better solution than a honking standalone box anyway—at least to me. Other thoughts? [Kotaku Liveblog Here]

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Mar 12

Patent Alert: Apple Looking into Wii-like Controller for Apple TV

Posted in: Apple, apple tv, patents, Today's Chili, wii

appletvwandpatent.jpg

Apple computers, meet the Wiimote. In a customary bit of patent digging, Apple Insider happened upon plans for a “wireless remote wand,” which would give users motion sensing controls over the Apple TV, a la Nintendo’s popular console.

The proposed device utilizes an accelerometer or gyroscope to control the system with three-dimensional movements. Also:

The wand may include an optical component for capturing images of the infrared modules, and may calculate its orientation and distance from the modules based on the captured images. In some embodiments, the electronic device may direct the infrared modules to identify the position of an infrared emitter incorporated on the wand, and may calculate the absolute position of the wand relative to the infrared modules.

Apple recently introduced a new version of the Apple TV, so I’m guessing we’ll have to wait at least a year for something like this to come to fruition–if in fact it ever does.

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Mar 05

The Beatles: Rock Band–Date, Pricing Revealed

Posted in: playstation 3, Today's Chili, wii, xbox

beatles999.jpg

I’m not sure who these “Beatles” are, but apparently a lot of people have taken to them. I think they might be new. Of course that hasn’t stopped them for getting their own video game. Harmonix and MTV have come together to bring the world a Beatles-centric version of Rock Band. The companies today doled out a few new details about the latest entry into the franchise, including a release date.

The Beatles: Rock Band will debut on September 9th (that’s 9/9/09, incidentally) on store shelves in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The game is being released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii. Accessories for the game include the guitar, bass, mic, and drums, with a limited number of instruments being modeled after the ones that John, Paul, George, and Ringo played.

The game will run $59.99, standalone guitars $99.99, and the Limited Edition Premium Bundle will cost your $249.99. No need to worry, though–the game is also compatible with all existing Rock Band instruments.

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Mar 05

The Beatles come to ‘Rock Band,’ instruments and all (update)

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, playstation 3, Playstation3, Today's Chili, wii, xbox 360, Xbox360

Do you love the Beatles? Do you love Rock Band? Are you ready to totally lose it? If you said yes, that’s good — because MTV Games and Harmonix have just announced a partnership with Apple Corps, Ltd. to bring the band’s music and instruments to the Rock Band universe. According to the PR, the game (which apparently lets you do all kinds of awesome Beatles-related rocking) will also premiere with a set of new hardware “modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career.” Right now they’ve just got a holder page up with a launch date of September 9th, but as soon as we get our eyes on the gear, we’ll let you know.

Update: Here’s some more information to cleanse your pallet. The game, known henceforth as The Beatles: Rock Band, will be sold software-only for $60 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii (note the extra Hamilton over the usual Nintendo pricing). The standalone guitars will be sold separately for $100, and if you’re opting for the Limited Edition Premium Bundle, featuring the game and all instruments, it’ll set you back $250. No word on pricing outside of US just yet. Despite the Rock Band branding, it’s considered a standalone title and no one is talking right now about any connectivity, downloadable content or transferring of songs between Beatles and other RB games. According to Joystiq, you’ll be able to rock out to 45 songs from the band’s 1962 to 1969 EMI catalog. Full press release after the break.

Continue reading The Beatles come to ‘Rock Band,’ instruments and all (update)

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The Beatles come to ‘Rock Band,’ instruments and all (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 05

Nintendo’s MotionPlus due out prior to Grand Slam Tennis, or June 18th

Posted in: controller, gaming, nintendo, Release Date, rumor, Today's Chili, wii

Stay with us here, okay? For the longest while, we’ve wondered when exactly Nintendo was planning on releasing its long-since announced MotionPlus Wiimote add-on. At long last, pieces are beginning to come together. According to EA Sports’ official Grand Slam Tennis page, said title will be available for the Wii on June 18th. Hop over to a recent Nintendo Power article about said game, and you’ll find producer Thomas Singleton asserting that the MotionPlus accessory is “due out prior to Grand Slam‘s release.” So, putting one and one together, we’ve come to the conclusion that Nintendo should ship its MotionPlus add-on prior to June 18th, or at least prior to whatever day Grand Slam Tennis gets delayed to. Logical?

[Via GoNintendo]

Read – Nintendo Power article
Read – Grand Slam Tennis website

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Nintendo’s MotionPlus due out prior to Grand Slam Tennis, or June 18th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 04

Video: Nyko Wand Wii remote flung wildly in Wii Bowling

Posted in: cebit, controller, Features, hands-on, nintendo, Today's Chili, video, wii

While focused on little gizmos like the Palm Pre at CES, we somehow missed the opportunity to play with Nyko’s Wiimote wannabe back in January. Thankfully, the peripheral company was on hand here in Germany with its full lineup, and we dropped in for a few snapshots as well as a hilarious visual demonstration of just how suitable this thing is at replacing bona fide Wiimotes. As you’ll notice in the gallery below, Nintendo’s version is just a smidgen taller while the Nyko edition sports a covered back that’s easier to grip; outside of that, however, the two feel generally alike when held. It should be noted that the Nyko reps had outfitted the actual Wiimote with its backing in order to prevent any unwanted LCD shatterings, and hey, we can respect that. We also threw in a few shots of the Wii Wand strapped inside the now-ancient Perfect Shot gun holster — for no other reason than to say we wielded a weapon on company time, really.

Gallery: Nyko Wand Wii remote flung wildly in Wii Bowling

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Video: Nyko Wand Wii remote flung wildly in Wii Bowling originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 26

Wii Comes Up Big in March

Posted in: gaming, nintendo, ps3, Today's Chili, wii, xbox 360

This article was written on April 22, 2008 by CyberNet.

wii family fun-2.pngAbout a month ago we took a look at how each of the consoles were still stacking up to each other in the U.S., and not surprisingly Nintendo was widely outselling the competition in both the handheld and console gaming markets. As March rolled on nothing much changed, except that Nintendo sold about 300,000 more Wii’s than the previous month:

  1. Nintendo Wii – 721,000 units
  2. Nintendo DS – 698,000 units
  3. Sony PSP – 297,000 units
  4. Microsoft Xbox 360 – 262,000 units
  5. PlayStation 3 – 257,000 units
  6. PlayStation 2 – 216,000 units

From what I hear the Wii consoles can still be quite a challenge to find stocked in stores, which means Nintendo has to be pulling in some good money. Last month the Wii didn’t have many of the top selling games which led many (including myself) to believe that consumers were content with having just the Wii Sports that the console ships with. Well, that may not be the case because Nintendo definitely knocked one out of the park with the Super Mash Brothers Brawl game:

  1. [Wii] Super Smash Bros: Brawl – 2.7 million units
  2. [Xbox 360] Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 – 752,300 units
  3. [Xbox 360] Army of Two – 606,100 units
  4. [Wii] Wii Play – 409,000 units
  5. [PSP] God of War: Chains of Olympus – 301,600 units
  6. [Wii] Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – 264,000 units
  7. [Xbox 360] MLB 2K8 – 237,100 units
  8. [Xbox 360] Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – 237,000 units
  9. [PS3] Army of Two – 224,900 units

And you know that April’s stats are going to be along the same lines because the long awaited Mario Kart for the Wii will be released on April 27th. Despite being released near the end of the month I think we can expect to see Mario Kart top the charts for April.

[via WinSuperSite]

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Feb 26

Nintendo’s Wii Classic Controller Pro ready to turn tricks in Japan

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

Now that you’ve had your fill of mocking amateurs with their Wii Classic Controllers, it’s time to prove your skills by going pro. Nintendo Japan just listed the Wii Classic Controller Pro that brings a bit of Dual Shock schlock to the dual-analog controller — that means grips and a two-row shoulder button configuration. It’s expected to hit Japan sometime this Summer which could mean a Christmas-time launch elsewhere should the stars align.

[Via Joystiq]

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Nintendo’s Wii Classic Controller Pro ready to turn tricks in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 03:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 26

Datel kicks the retro up a notch with Famicom Wii controller

Posted in: controller, nintendo, Retro, Today's Chili, wii

If dropping 80 bones on a Wii Super Famicom Classic controller sounds a wee bit insane, how’s about a Jackson for a Famicom Wii controller? Datel’s Old Skool Retro Controller (seriously, how great is that name?) works with any game that supports the Wii Classic Controller, and the unique “rapid fire” mode should really keep things interesting when firing up the Virtual Console. Can’t really go wrong at $19.99, right? Right.

[Via OhGizmo]

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Datel kicks the retro up a notch with Famicom Wii controller originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 25

Sony Playstation Lends Name to Skin Condition

Posted in: playstation, sony, Today's Chili, wii

In the dog eat dog world of video game consoles, you’re nothing until you’ve got a disease named after you, like, say Wiiitis. By that measure, the PS3 has finally come into its own, with the introduction of ‘Playstation palmar hidradenitis’. It’s got a ring to it, doesn’t it?

The condition was first diagnosed by UK scientists, after a 12-year-old girl visited doctors complaining of painful bumps on the palms of her hands. A compulsive gamer, the doctors advise the girl to step away from the console, and, like magic, the bumps disappeared after 10 days.

Sony issued a statement regarding the newly minted condition, stating,

As with any leisure pursuit there are possible consequences of not following common sense, health advice and guidelines, as can be found within our instruction manuals. We do not wish to belittle this research and will study the findings with interest. This is the first time we have ever heard of a complaint of this nature.

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