News: April 2007 Archives

Sometimes it's not too clear what is going on behind the scenes with a company as large and multi national as Nintendo. At the moment though, one thing seems clear from their weekly 'slow flow' approach to games - about three new releases to the virtual console each week with a very slow trickle of first party titles at the moment.

It would seem that Nintendo are content for the time being to rely on the Virtual Console to keep gamers entertained, looking to third party developers with brand names such as Disney's Cars and SSX Blur to fill the void of Nintendo Wii games.

There has been a chunk of releases from Nintendo themselves to release the machine, but since then a large proportion of the Wii gaming fraternity feel as though they're waiting for that killer title - that Metroid or Mario game which will make them never want to put the Wii down. But I ask you, is that how the Wii has even been designed to play? Or, could it be that this is the ultimate 'pick up and play' video games console in the lounge, with far less emphasis on long sessions of dedicated gaming?

If we're waiting for something that will never happen, we won't feel satisfied. However, we know that titles are coming which the more hardcore gamer can relate to. We're just not convinced that there will ever be the Wii throng of dedicated gamer titles of days gone by that we're used to. Is that a bad thing?

We don't think it is, but undoubtedly there will be some gaming casualties in the process of any change in the way we play video games.

Nintendo's president acknowledged the shortage of Wii consoles was "abnormal" and has promised that production is being boosted to increase deliveries by late May / June.

Nintendo's sales nearly doubled for the past year (including Wii and DS sales).

Whilst it's healthy to see an admitted mistake, it would appear that even Nintendo themselves couldn't have predicted the high and continued demand for the Wii across the globe. Things are looking good for would-be Wii purchasers though, with the promise of more Wiis flooding the shelves some time fairly soon.

Now, let's have some games?

It may have slipped past the attention of some, but gamers with good memories today will be smiling as they realise that April 27th 2006 was the day we first learned a new word.

Wii.

Oh yes, there was laughter. A lot of laughter in fact, mostly aimed at Nintendo. The PR firm handling Nintendo wares told us that within two minutes of the announcement of the name change from Revolution to Wii, phone calls containing nothing but pure laughter were coming in to the desks of the agents. The fools; they've done it this time! Naming their console after a toilet act. That's torn it, we all said.

Well, who's laughing now?

Within a year, the terms 'Wii', 'Mii' and talking about playing games with your 'remote' have become normal for most of us. Sure, there's still headlines taking full advantage of the toilet humour wherever they can, hoping to catch a passing eyeball or two in the process. I can't say I blame them - that's marketing for you.

But within 12 little months, what some thought would be the death knell for Nintendo has turned into one of their most solid success stories, rivalled only by the staggeringly popular DS/DS Lite in recent years.

There are questions still being asked about the lastability of the Wii, especially with hardcore gamers. In the next 12 months, we should see a pattern emerging that will tell us if the Wi is going to be the cash cow of this generation, or if PS3 still has something up it's sleeve. Personally? I'll be watching to see if Blu-Ray dominates the DVD as the new audio/visual format. If that happens, this is a race between three excellent machines.

If it doesn't ... Sony are in trouble this time around and Nintendo will be laughing all the way to the bathroom ;)

Today, Nintendo's annual financial report was tendered to the press. Amongst the information to hand was the following:

"In less than five months since introduction, the company sold 5.84 million of its new Wii home video game systems globally, virtually every one snapped up immediately by consumers, along with nearly 29 million Wii games. Wii has taken a step toward becoming a cultural phenomenon, appealing widely to both avid and previously disinterested game-playing audiences.

For the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2007, Nintendo projects sales of 14 million Wii systems and 55 million games worldwide."

Well! That's strong talking from the big N for sure. But do they have fair reason to justify their projections? Calling the Wii a 'cultural phenomenon' is no small statement and the article goes on to talk about how dominant the DS has become, too. It seems this is the generation for the first time since the SNES where Nintendo have played their cards right down the line - and so far are winning.

We think that yes, this fiscal year has been one of Nintendo's cultural strongest. They have captured gaming in a new way and it is undeniable that something special is happening. The questions though are there; will it last and if so, how long for? Will the new PS3 and its development prove damaging for Wii in the months to come? Will the competition start to heat up as prices for X360 and PS3 slip down to meet the Wii? Will that even happen?

As far as we can see, if it doesn't happen and prices don't significantly fall for PS3 especially, the 'PS2 effect' of 'lots of games' won't be enough this time around the block. In short, most people already have a PS2 and 'lots of games' if that's who they are. The new breed of gamers behind them don't have the money for a PS3 - in fact I don't have the money for a PS3.

I'd say its check, not check mate. Time will tell, but the ball is well and truely on the court of Sony (and Microsoft!) to see how they can respond to Nintendo's staggering success in the next fiscal year. I would say Vista is a suitable distraction, though ...

It's time for a press release from the department of "Oh - ya' think?"

The Wii is as effective as more traditional videogames for burning calories, but players are running the risk of injury by not warming-up properly, according to British experts.

"Gamers should treat a 'Wii session' like any form of exercise and warm-up adequately beforehand to prevent stiffness and possible injuries," said Tim Hutchful, from the British Chiropractic Association.

"Any unaccustomed exercise or activity lays yourself bare to problems that could occur from prolonged periods of active movements, so treat it like a gym work-out, warming-up and cooling down."

The advice about warming up seems to be a good one, but let's remember that all these reports are based off early Wii gaming, and mostly of the playing of Wii Sports - a very active title where the clue is in the name.

When gamers apply common sense to their Wii gaming, as with anything else it becomes safe. You wouldn't generally leap around in your lounge, ducking and diving for hours without a break - so why would you consider acting that way just because you have a small device strapped to your wrist?

The fact is that the Wii is a revolution in gaming and as with all new things, it's going to take time for players to adjust and learn what their limits are. Just as we know that playing any video game solidly for hours on end is bad for your eyes and general health, so we already know that over doing it on the Wii can be dangerous for you and those around you.

Just play safe as you would with anything else (such as dance mat games - remember the press fiasco when people first started falling off them or the mats twisted up on the floor into tripping hazards?). We think it's mostly fuss about nothing and that it's great to see gamers using the Wii to work up a bit of sweat!

It's a Wii blog - of course it's going to be talking up the Wii, right?

Well, no. Not really. If it's bad Wii news or a bad review, we're going to print that as well. But with that in mind, it's all good news for Wii owners at the moment. But not just Wii owners, Nintendo are pretty happy with their sales figures.

PlayStation 3 worries are not easing up, as the Wii continues its performance in the gaming charts through March. In the US, sales of video games, hardware and accessories rose 33% year over year to $1.1 billion. Who is on top? Nintendo's Wii.

Wii has notched more than 1 million systems sold in the US this year, while Nintendo's DS stands just under 1.25 million. The Wii remains the fastest-selling console in more than a decade (based on NPD sellthrough information). So far this year, Nintendo has sold more video game systems than all other manufacturers combined. Sony sold 280,000 PS2s and 130,000 PS3s in March, Nintendo sold 259,000 Wii systems, and Microsoft sold 199,000 Xbox 360s.

However, Wii sales were down 23 per cent on the previous month. One could say that it's certainly not over yet. At the end of the day, the on-going gaming support for the machines, as well as their price tags, advertising approaches and technological uses will attract gamers to one or more machines. In an age where many gamers can and will afford to purchase more than one games console, it's never over. The Wii is in a very strong position but must remain open to modern technologies that will advance gaming and not lay on the laurels of the past in the form of Virtual Console success.

Company NTT DoCoMo have announced a cellphone with a motion sensor that will let gamers play games using motion - the cornerstone of what makes Wii gaming great.

The D904i allows users to wield the phone like sword to control game play rather than pressing on the keypad, as well as other motions that mimmick Wii gaming.

To lure more game fans, the Japanese operator also introduced two other phones, made by Sharp and Matsushita, which uses a camera to detect motion. Games are among the most popular downloads for mobile phones in Japan, where most of the users are signed up to third-generation (3G) networks.

It's no surprise that technology coming initially out of Japan should continue to flow from there, after all the Wii isn't the sole machine allowed to develop motion sensing for games. What will make or break the cellphone industry using it will be whether or not your averege phone user will want to find a space to create such actions within - a Wii is typically located in a lounge of sitting room whereas mobile phone users are often on the go.

Whether or not someone sitting on the bus wants to risk taking out the little old lady standing next to them with a blazing uppercut remains to be seen.

News today confirms that EA are bringing their highly successful Sims 2 Pets game out on a Wii near you, so meow for joy!

There will be more than 22 dog and 15 cat breeds which the player can tweak to his or her heart's contentment, and point-and-click control using the Wii remote has been assured. This is good news for PC purists, who like their Sim gaming to feel like it does on their beloved PC.

A 'PC feel' version of The Sims 2 Pets on a console will be a bit of a first. Despite the fact that this title is already out on almost every format known to man, the game differs quite a lot on these other console formats, especially the DS where it uses the touch pen ability to create a totally different gaming experience. Don't get us wrong, this is a good thing. However, if so far you wanted your Sims action to feel the way it does when you firsty played it - on a PC - then today's announcement is for you. Point and click is very much bound to mice and pointers - something that only the Wii, PC and the Mac at this time can really offer in our view. The DS comes in very close with it's own innovative stylus controls, but the DS Pets version chose a different path. This Wii version will be the first real chance for PC gamers to experience a Sims game on a console that will 'feel' the same way it does when they played it on their PCs.

Planned for release on 22nd June 2007, Sims 2 Pets promises to bring laughter and fun to the Wii in the form of man's most adored furry friends.

Some Wii owners have been asking if they'll be expected to shell out 500 Wii points come June 30th when Nintendo have announced they will start charging for their Opera Wii browser.

We put this question to Ninty and the response was simple: NO.

If you download the free, full Opera browser before June 30th, you will never be charged for it and will keep it for the life of the console. If you do not, then after June 30th 2007 you will be charged 500 Wii points (£3.75p in UK money) to purchase it through your Wii's online connection. The old, free beta version of the Opera browser will also cease being available after June 30th 2007.

So it's definately a case of the early bird catches the free worm! Shop now, avoid paying later.

It seems that recognition of Nintendo's success so far with their Wii console (as well as the continued run of handheld joy that is the DS Lite) reaches into the games industry's elite - something that eludes many hopefuls and just never transpires for some. In great form at last night's awards ceremony in London (UK), Nintendo clinched four awards including the Grand Prix.

It would be hard to deny that much of this recognition is due to the Wii's success. A console shrouded in much doubt and still today with divided love/hate fired at it; the Wii seems to have proved to the critics it is a strong contender in this bout of the never ending console war.

So if you're a Wii owner this morning - hold your head up high! You're in the champ camp and whilst some may say it's but a moment in the sun whilst the PS3 gathers pace, the industry has recognised that something small, white and special is happening with gaming right now and Nintendo are the cause of it all.

Isn't it nice to just hear some good news, for a change? Have a great Friday!

We weren't sure what to make of the latest in a long string of articles concerned with the wii's effects on health. In short, it seems absolutely amazing that some people wish to class as a bad thing 'using the wii only burns 40 per cent more calories' than sitting using a tradional game pad!

The Times Online today published an articled named 'Er, Nintendo, Wii have a problem'. Whilst presenting some interesting facts and views, it seemed clear to me that one essential ingredient was missing. Common sense. Let's go over exactly what didn't get the lime light:

1. During gaming, the Wii warns you to play in a safe environment, check for anything that you could knock into in the playing area and gives you warnings to take breaks.

2. If you take regular breaks from your gaming and don't binge on it for hours at a time, you won't get RSI or any similar aches and pains. The same rule applies to any and every physical use of your arms and hands.

3. Comparing the Wii to a real sport is useless. If gamers wanted to use that slot of their time to play real tennis, they'd be out doing it. The whole point is that it's game time, it's indoors, and yet you're still able to get up a bit of a sweat...but only as much as you want to.

4. Smaller movements are just as effective at playing the games, if you take the time to experiment with your own style. Impaired, tired or just plain lazy users can play in a manner which suits their lifestyle.

5. Playing on the Wii brings differing levels of fitness and ability together. I've played golf with my Grandma on the Wii ... how else was that ever going to happen?!

Asking Nintendo to tell kids to go out and play real sports instead of picking up a Wii is like asking any company to promote something that has nothing to do with them at all.

Wake up, buck passers! It's not a games publisher's job to teach kids self respect, or to get them involved in sports or outdoor life. It's yours and yours alone. If they play too many games, put your foot down and take them out to do something. For the other extreme; don't wrap kids in cotton wool either, let them graze their knees and climb trees. Don't threaten to sue a games company because your kid ached a bit after exerting themselves playing a video game.

What we need more of, is balance and common sense. Most things in moderation are good for us, and active gaming certainly should be included in this. After all, Wii remotes are really no more active than using a dance mat!

A new report emerging today suggests that playing your Wii could contribute or even cause back ache, 'tennis elbow' and other injuries. At this time there's little evidence being put forward and we'll try to get more on this later as the story develops, as well as comment from Nintendo.

In short, playing the Wii solidly for two hours has not given our gaming gurus any trouble - and one gamer has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / M.E. In short, we're dubious about this new report and we'll be contacting the Times to clarify it's comments if we believe them to be entirely spurious. Watch this space.

In the meantime, we'd like to hear from you - have you ever experienced Wii-made injuries?

The final version of the Internet Channel has been available for free download from 12th April 2007 until 30th June 2007, after which it will cost 500 Wii Points. Once downloaded, the Internet Channel is free for the lifetime of the system.

The new upgraded version of the Opera powered browser offers these brand new features:

ZOOM – The Internet Channel features two types of zoom: manual and automatic. The automatic zoom was first introduced in the trial version and allows users to select a point with the Wii Remote and zoom into that point at an auto-detected level. Manual zoom now gives the user the option to zoom the entire page at self-determined intervals.

SCROLL – To help users understand their scrolling motions, a new scrolling display guide has been added to the Internet Channel that indicates the direction and speed of the scroll. In addition to scrolling by pressing the B Button, users can also use the +Control Pad, enabling four-directional scrolling. This allows users to scroll the screen without having to point the Wii Remote at the TV.

SEARCH – A Search button has been added to the Start Page and to the browser toolbar. Users are given the choice of Yahoo! and Google search engines. The selection can be changed at any time.

MULTIPLE CURSORS – The Internet Channel now displays the cursors of multiple Wii Remotes. Only the first Wii Remote can select an item, while the other Wii Remotes can point out interesting content on the screen.

HIDE THE TOOLBAR – Users are now given the option to display or hide the Toolbar in the settings menu.

RESPONSE TIME – The Internet Channel now sports improved performance and response time upon start-up when loading the Favorites list.

It's not every day a national conference that takes over two Butlins sites for a total of three weeks gets a mention on a gaming blog. But Spring Harvest, an Christian festival open this Easter at Minehead and Skegness were quite open in the use of Nintendo's Wii to help entertain the 11-14 age bracket known as Distinctive.

"It was something that the kids could just get up on stage and play," commented team member Hero. "Due to the interactive nature of the Wii, it became a lot more fun because it was competitive. Fishing and bowling was something simple that all the kids could enjoy, without having to actually hurt any fishes or swing any bowling balls!"

And we agree. With the sensor bar firmly taped to the base of one of several giant screens, the games were able to be viewed by 500+ young people whilst players competed in mini games. Interestingly though, several team members were seen commenting on how they'd like to 'have a go' in between sessions.

It's easy for a Nintendo fanboy or girl to rave on about the success of their favourite games company - but EA and other major players in the industry are having to rush out their A list titles for Nintendo Wii in the wake of staggeringly successful sales.

"This is fun, this is going to do better than we expected..." admitted former EA Chief Executive Lawrence Probst a month ago (he has since retired with oodles of cash).

One analyst commented that games companies had expected PlayStation 3 to dominate the market based on the success of PlayStation 2!

They obviously didn't take into account that at the time of PS3's release, the Xbox 360 was already on sale and targetting a similar gaming demographic, as well as the Wii's innovative tack on gaming. Also remember that Millionaire's Only price tag for a PS3!

If you've heard of the Wii 60 movement, then you'll understand why we firmly believe that you don't need a PS3 for your gaming glories - a 360 and a Wii (or a game-ready PC and a Wii) are really all you'll ever need this generation... coupled of course in the handheld department with a sexy DS Lite!

As more and more classic titles are added every week to the Wii's Virtual Console, ask yourself this - how much have you spent so far on these retro games?

It would appear that many gamers over 20 are opting to purchase a run of Virtual Console classics in oppose to shelling out a larger sum of money for one, modern game. The attraction of the games of yesteryear cannot be denied, it seems. We wonder if this will continue, or if the title choice is likely to stagnate, allowing new games to shine once again.

'I'm just really waiting for Mario Galaxy...' commented one gamer over 20. 'In the meantime, the voting channel's it for me.'

We'll investigate the impact of these classics further but as far as we're concerned, this is a second life for the arcades and retro titles.

EA's Montreal wing have announced that brand new innovation title Boogie will be released exclusively on the Wii‚Ñ¢ in 2007. Boogie is a new music & rhythm-based game that takes advantage of the Wii controls to get gamers playing and dancing in their living rooms.

“We’re creating something new and different for gamers of all ages to enjoy; the complete party package where gamers can dance as well as sing,” said Alain Tascan, EA Montreal.

EA are telling us that Boogie will have you & I dancing, singing and starring in our own music videos. We're unsure at this time exactly how singing will be incorporated, since the Wii remote doesn't have a mic (sob...such a mistake! Ed). Watch this space and EA will share their secret, we're sure. As part of a long history of innovation on Nintendo consoles, Boogie will join the likes of Donkey Konga in a parade of new 'ways to play' on Nintendo machines.

There is a species of online maggot that attempts to drive traffic to their blogs by deliberately rocking consensus opinion and stating something baldly outrageous.

The hope is that aggravated people will disseminate the outrageous statement - via Digg, Slashdot et al - and create a tidal wave of traffic to the site to put the miscreant bang to rights.

It's essentially a troll, in other words. And that's exactly what the low wattage dimwit Paul Thurrott is doing when in a recent blog entry he described the Nintendo Wii as "a joke".

So whatever you do - don't give him the benefit of traffic he doesn't deserve. Treat his opinions like an unwelcome pus-filled whitehead or a piece of skin dying between your toes. Leave it long enough and it will go away. Tease or worry it and you will make it worse.

The free trial of the Opera internet browser for the Wii has been up and running for a couple of months now. April 13th however, will see the full version launch with an array of new features.

Many of Opera's special features are not enabled in the current beta version of the Wii browser. The full version will bring us all up to speed with the following:

* Improved zoom and scrolling functions

* Improved font for zoomed text (more sharper & crisp)

* Faster load times and easier, quicker access to Favourites

* Auto-hide toolbar

* Display cursors from multiple Wii remotes (although only Player 1 can
actually click links...?)

* Search button on the toolbar

* Preset shortcut keys, such as a "www" button and ".com" icons

Improvements have been aided say Nintendo, by user input from the beta. Always nice to see the big guys listening to the little guy.

The full browser is set to be released on April 13th, and like the trial version will be free at first. As of June 30th however, the browser will only be available at a cost of 500 Wii points in the Wii Shop (£3.75p). At the cost of a retro NES title on the Virtual Console, it seems reasonable to expect the browser to be robust and updated in the future with further versions. Watch this space!

The Wii continued its role as 'the little console that could' by outselling both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 in the US in February.

According to market analysts NPD, Nintendo sold around 335,000 Wiis during the month - easily beating Microsoft's tally of 228,000 Xbox 360s and Sony's total of 127,000 PS3s. In fact it was only 20,000 shy of outselling Sony and Microsoft combined.

Of course it helps that the Wii is way cheaper than its more powerfully-specced rivals but it still indicates the sheer broadness of the plucky console's popular appeal. It really is the only Next Gen console that's breaking through to the mainstream at the moment. And it scotches the recent intenet 'meme' that the Wii was stagnating.

The running total for all the consoles' installed US base is:

Microsoft Xbox 360: 5m units
Nintendo Wii: 1.86m units
Sony PS3: 1.1m units