Archive for October, 2008:
Rumor: Nintendo Upping R&D Spending for HD Wii in 2011
A new version of Nintendo Wii, complete with HD graphics and a better storage option than the current edition of the console, is currently being pitched to various game developers and publishers by Nintendo with the intention of being released sometime in 2011, according to a What They Play report.
Apparently set to hit the market “by 2011″ the new device is said to be the true “next generation” Nintendo console, and far more than a simple refresh of the current hardware. Unlike previous console transitions from Nintendo, the new system will be presented as a true successor to the Wii, and is being dubbed by those that have seen the presentation as “Wii HD.” There is no indication if this will be its eventual name, but the nature of the transition has been characterized as similar to “the shift from Game Boy to Game Boy Advance,” where familiar, key elements were left intact while the core hardware was made more powerful. It is expected by all those that we have spoken to on the subject that the new device will retain the Wii name in part. — What They Play
Mario Meets Marriott
Looks like Nintendo’s favorite plumber and his friends are going to be crashing in style, as Nintendo has partnered up with Marriott and Renaissance hotels to bring the Wii to travellers in six locations.
The Wii™ experience is just beginning for Marriott and Renaissance guests, who can now choose from 20 games, including the popular Mario Kart™ Wii, Super Mario Galaxy™, and Wii Sports™ as well as the revolutionary fitness game, Wii Fit™. In a lodging industry first, Marriott International, Inc. is piloting a new specially built Wii hotel game system from Nintendo in select guest rooms and lounges.
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Tags: Mario Meets Marriott
Nintendo Registers Odd New Device: A Pedometer?
As is the norm with Nintendo of late, they’ve registered a strange new device, as seen above. To the optimistic, this is what a Nintendo Wii storage solution looks like.
But according to the chatter (the other link isn’t working for me) on NeoGAF, where it was discovered, it’s apparently a pedometer of some kind, it would likely work with Wii Fit in some capacity… or it’s Nintendo’s next step after Friend Codes to help keep children safe from 4chan and the like.
More likely, it would keep track of the number of steps you take for Wii Fit, so that Nintendo will know every breath you take, every move you make, and with every step you take… they’ll be watching you.
Rhythm Tengoku fan spinoff brings punchy musical fun to PC owners
While we all still wait patiently for Rhythm Heaven to arrive on US and European shores, Japanese fans are already hard at work on their own spinoffs - this video shows Karateka Mania, which sets the rhythmic pugilism of one of Tengoku’s most celebrated minigames to a J-Pop soundtrack. It looks a little more complicated than Tengoku’s fairly straight rhythms, though perhaps not quite as exacting.
Disaster: Day of Crisis Credits Revealed
It’s kind of funny: Disaster: Day of Crisis isn’t even announced for a US release yet, and some people have already beaten it in Japan. And to that end, as Duckroll of the NeoGAF forums discovered, the credits are now online:
Luckily, for those who may not want (or are unable) to watch, here are the “important parts”:
Director/Story: Keiichi Ono
Lead Design: Koh Kojima
Wii pedometer on its way
Engadget is getting itself in a froth about a piece of equipment which has been found on a European trademark registry site, and is putting two and two together and coming up with five, claiming that it’s a Nintendo pedometer. With little supplemental information about the peripheral it’s hard to say that it’s definitely what it looks (a bit) like, though there’s no noticeable Wii branding, and I’m not convinced it’s necessarily the next evolutionary step for Wii Fit - or indeed related to a brand new game. Besides, we’ve already got Wii Jog on the way.
Tags: Wii pedometer
Tom Thumb’s balance board revealed
Well, not quite. It’s just the latest set of must-buy/resist gashapon from Play-Asia, featuring a tiny balance board attached to a tiny Wii Fit by a tiny chain.
Nintendo Reviving Classic Franchise
Nintendo is looking to have a solid performance this coming Thursday. Every Nintendo fan is eagerly waiting for October 2nd to land and Nintendo to hold their precious conference. So far, the only major rumor circulating is the impending announcement of a redesigned DS, which will come equipped with MP3 playback, bigger screens, and SD card support. Of course, a new DS isn’t going to satisfy the Wii owners who are desperately in need of some new games and a storage solution for their WiiWare and Virtual console games.
Nintendo plans franchise revival at this week’s pre-TGS conference
Gamekyo is today suggesting that Nintendo has a surprise lined up for its conference this coming Thursday. While rumours continue to fly about a new DS model (with camera functionality and larger screens), it seems that Nintendo also has a game lined up.
Cancelled GCN Title Resurfaces in Wii Compilation
GameCube faithful who hoped Radio Allergy would give their system one last hurrah will finally be able to get their hands on the cancelled GameCube swan song.
Ultimate Shooting Collection, the aptly named upcoming Wii shooter compilation, will include Radio Allergy.
The latest screens of Ultimate Shooting Collection provide us with at least two interesting pieces of information: first, that UFO Interactive is using the “Radio Allergy” localization from O3’s failed Gamecube release of Radilgy. The situation with Radio Allergy makes us think that Milestone themselves, rather than O3, did the English translation and logo, otherwise UFO would have had to deal with O3 to publish their material.