Our faces lit up this morning after seeing this image on Famitsu's site. Surely, this was it: Nintendo's long-awaited solution to the storage woes of every Wii-owning geek and otaku on the planet. Alas, no. After scrambling for a machine translation of the accompanying kanji, our hopes were emphatically mangled. This is no HDD unit, but a portable air conditioner the "Nintendo WiFi Network Adapter." Once again, life had thrown us a cruel curveball. Happy Monday morning, us.
Anyway, if you struggle to get your Wii or DS online (and we know from experience that it can be fiddly), then this dinky wireless LAN router is for you. It can be used with the Wii, the DS, your PC, and other devices, and will be available on Nintendo's Japanese homepage from September 18th, priced at ¥5,800 (US$53). There's no news yet on a launch outside Japan, though as the Nintendo WiFi USB Connector was discontinued late last year, a western release would be a safe bet.
Hit the break for three more images, one of which depicts the adapter's three modes: "Router," "Bridge" (for connecting to your Wii or DS via another router), and "Auto" (which automatically switches your network). As for our ongoing storage issues, we're still waiting, Shiggy/Reggie/Satoru ...
Wii Sports Resort might not be the only title to showcase the Wii MotionPlus when the dinky add-on launches next spring. GameSpot went hands-on with The Conduit at PAX 2008, and revealed that the shooter will feature MotionPlus support. The Conduit is currently set for a March launch, so has this new information also inadvertently dated Wii Sports Resort and the MotionPlus?
Whether it has or not, MotionPlus for The Conduit is Pretty Big News -- so much so, that we're afraid it may overshadow some of the other eye-catching details in GameSpot's report. These include:
In the final game, High Voltage hopes to have a completely customizable head-up display, in which any HUD element can be dragged and dropped to different parts of the screen.
There will be nine missions in total, with the singleplayer campaign lasting "about ten hours."
Cut scenes won't be used; rather, the story will be developed through news or radio broadcasts, much like the Half Life series.
Some projectiles can be guided using the cursor, which sounds a lot like the Nikita launcher in Metal Gear Solid, automatically making it ZOMGAWESOME.
Nyko's Wing is the first truly wireless Classic Controller alternative (that isn't actually a GameCube controller): instead of a short cord, it communicates with the Wiimote via a wireless adapter. Unfortunately, it also looks about as comfortable to use as the Turbo Touch 360. The patriotic-looking Wing runs on two AAA batteries, and can even recharge them while playing via a USB cable. Nyko has yet to release any price or release date for this controller.
What's so weird about a wireless Classic? It may not connect to the Wiimote with a wire, but it's still connected. You still have to have the Wiimote sitting next to you (which isn't really a problem). The controller communicates wirelessly with the Wiimote, and then the Wiimote communicates with the Wii. It's like a relay for your button presses. We want one like GameCyte's preview copy.
We are all about the mediocre pop star/music game tie-ins today! Following Natasha Bedingfield's peddling ofBoogie Superstar, our heads were turned by these eye-catching axes. If you didn't already know (I'll confess -- I didn't), the blonde toothpicks pictured above are Aly & AJ, a pair of sisters who are also "teen rock stars" and now official partners of PDP, the company behind the plastic instruments they're clutching.
Aimed at the tween and teen markets respectively, these controllers are compatible with both Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and will be available from mid-October for $70. The one on the right doesn't look that enamored with hers. Unless that's her giving the camera some rock chick 'tude.
A fresh tournament is about to spring on Mario Kart Wii fans. Starting September 1st and concluding on September 10th, this latest tourney is only for those that rock the Wii Wheel and will take place on the N64 Skyscraper Battle Stage. It's a straight up race, so you've got to bring your best time to the course, all the while dodging the explosive Bob-omb cars that are racing towards you. Sounds like a tense race!
A fan of Mario and the gang? You should check out our weekly feature, It's-a Mario World, in which we discuss Nintendo's portly plumber and the world he calls home. Or, if Mario Kart is your only reason for loving the guy, check out our week of features celebrating the franchise leading up to the release of the latest game right here.
We had two questions upon watching this footage of a Roomba being controlled by a Balance Board:
What the heck is a Roomba?
Why?
Google answered the first for us -- apparently it's a robotic vacuum cleaner or something, which we now want -- while the second is explained to us by hacker "Ron" Tajima. Through endearing Engrish subtitles, we learn that Ron has a dilemma: he wants to surf, but also needs to clean his floors. Hey, happens all the time to us. His solution? Hack the Balance Board so that it controls his Roomba, allowing him to "surf" the Board while also vacuum cleaning his way to lint-free carpets.
We especially like how "Surfin' USA" is played in the background while Ron wobbles away, just to make it really feel like actual surfing.
Gallery: Peripherals that paved the way for the Balance Board
For those of you who've been tracking Quantum of Solace over at The Stiq, you know that most of the worthwhile things to discuss about the game have come from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Well, it would appear that Activision isn't leaving Wii owners out to dry, as some cool features are being utilized in the Wii version of the title.
For one, there will be multiple control schemes. Gamers can use the tried-and-true Wiimote and Nunchuk setup, or they can bust out their Zapper and play with that. On top of that, Activision has also confirmed the game will feature online multiplayer, as well as 4-player split-screen local multiplayer, which is exclusive to the Wii installment.
Activision is also hard at work to make sure the game is no graphical slouch. Seeing as how the engine behind the game is the same used in Call of Duty 4, we're sure Quantum of Solace will have some lovely visuals.
That is, if you live outside of Europe. Konami has told our cruel overlords at Joystiq that North American gamers need not worry, as Rock Revolution is "still on track for a fall 2008" release, despite rumors that say otherwise. They also detailed some stuff about drum compatibility.
If you're playing Konami's title with another drum set, the game will automatically configure to that specific set. For example, when using the Rock Band drum set, the game will switch to four on-screen notes and five when using the Guitar Hero: World Tour set. Konami expects their drum set to be compatible with the competition via a patch after release.
We've known about WiiSpeak since E3, but it could have turned out to be quite different -- in name, at least. Siliconera's Spencer Yip has discovered a pile of trademarks registered by Nintendo in Japan from July 2nd - 4th, which he surmises are alternate names for the WiiSpeak device (considering E3 began on July 14th, Nintendo obviously left it late to settle on what to call its microphone add-on!).
These trademarks include "Wii to Wii," "Wii2Wii," "WiiFriend," "WiiTalk," and the final name, "WiiSpeak." We quite like "WiiTalk," but we're pleased Nintendo didn't opt for "Wii2Wii," which smacks of TXT MSG speak, which we despise.
What do you think of Nintendo's shortlist? Do you have any other suggestions outside of their ideas, or do you feel they chose the right name?
Wii Remotes eat batteries. It's a fact we've long granted as simple, stark truth -- but what to do about it? Wii owners have a lot of solutions at hand, from simply sucking it up to elaborate rituals with charge stations, rechargeables, and even voodoo rituals (or so we heard). Got a Balance Board? There's a whole new battery dilemma for you ... and with Wii MotionPlus on the horizon, and its battery-destroying potential, if you don't already have a plan in place for handling the coming battery power crisis, it might be time to consider some options.
Don't worry -- we're here to help. We've explored several solutions in the past, and now we're back with a look at an all new charging apparatus: Penguin United's 4X Quad Charge Station. PU is so proud of being able to charge four remotes at once that they boasted of the ability twice in its name!
Jokes aside, it's a solid option that comes at a price some might consider hefty. But hey! It charges four remotes at once.
G4 apparently has the "hot word," which we're assuming means "unfounded rumor", that Activision is looking to toss another peripheral into the Guitar Hero World Tour mix. They're reporting that Neversoft's Brian Bright spilled the beans, stating that he "wouldn't go into detail about what it will be," but that it's "specifically for the game's Studio mode." Hm, interesting ...
Our cruel overlords at Joystiq have contacted Activision for clarification on the whole issue. Popular opinion seems to be that it's a keyboard of some type, but we'd like to think the game will feature something a bit more old school, like the guy in the image above. We're just weird like that.
As much as we love our Wii, it's not exactly creaking under the weight of great racing titles. There's Game Night favorite Mario Kart Wii, which isreally fun, but that already comes with its own wheel, which works surprisingly well. And after that, we have (in order of GameRankings.com score) Excite Truck, MX vs. ATV Untamed, Speed Racer, and Cars, followed by fourteen other depressing drives.
None of which is intended as a slur on Logitech's new force feedback wheel for the Wii, which actually looks and sounds excellent. Releasing in November for $99.99 (!), the Logitech Speed Force Wireless features built-in gas and brake controls, a comfy-looking expandable lap rest, a wireless USB receiver and, naturally, full force feedback.
It would seem the final maraca attachments for Samba de Amigo on the Wii have been leaked over at Amazon (you can catch an eyeful above, obviously). For those of you who've been following the title, you already caught a glimpse of the earlier version. We guess those were just prototypes. Personally, we dig the red.
Amazon has a date on these for September 23rd, along with a price of $14.99, should you need that extra pair for some multiplayer action. Obviously, the game will release in a bundled form for those of you that absolutely need these hunks of plastic with your game.
Introducing InterAction Laboratories' Wii Sqweeze. Recently demonstrated by CEO Greg Merril, the device has two rubber grips that "allow for shoulder abduction and adduction." Supposedly, the thing was demonstrated with some kind of bow hunting PC game. As of right now, it's only in the prototype stage, but InterAction Laboratories promises native Wii compatibility sometime in 2009, which is the launch window for the peripheral.
Nintendo kept the Wii MotionPlus a secret from everybody for as long as possible, a move that resulted in grumbling from certain third-party developers.
That hasn't diminshed enthusiasm for the tiny add-on, however. During an interview with Gamasutra, Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat couldn't praise the MotionPlus enough (even though he admitted having some doubts at first), enthusing about how the peripheral would make gaming feel "seamless," and arguing that it could only lead to a more immersive experience. "It's one thing to have your brain interpolating what you're doing," gushed Mallat, "[but ] it's another thing to not need that interpolation work."
Elsewhere in the interview, Mallat expressed his view that Shaun White Snowboarding was a "must-try" and described developing Dogzas "psychologically very exciting." Hmm.
Wii Remotes 
