Crenk » wii

Sega Classics Return and with a Twist

Augusto Alvarez — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:19:23 +0000

Already remembering good old days with Golden Axe? Well, Sega is going to take you back with a new console that will include several classic games, plus some other new games that you will be able to play with their accelerometer controllers (yes, with movement sensors).

Sega Zone is the name of the new console, which will have included classic games like Sonic and Knuckles, Ecco the Dolphin, Golden Axe or Alex Kidd. Besides those, there are going to be included as well 30 games more (16 sports and 14 arcade type).

These 16 sports games included will be able to play with the full functionalities of the wireless controllers with movement sensors, just like Nintendo’s Wii.

For now, the console will be released in the UK only, but we are assuming that if it has a good response there, the availability could appear worldwide. And here comes the coolest part: The price will be 50 pounds (around €57).

Here are some screenshots:

Nintendo Wii’s Classic Controller Upgraded

Luis Sandoval — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:26:25 +0000

The Wii still has the oddest shaped controller out of the 3rd generation consoles. Some would say it’s more of a wand than it is a controller. Using the motion sensor, most games rely on your movement of the controller-wand to interact with the games. In theory there are great games out there that the controller-wand would be extremely functional. Aside from the sports games and games requiring shooting, games requiring sword-like fighting make this an excellent accessory.

But what happens when you just want to hold a solid controller in your hands?

The long Wii controller is awkward when playing games like Mario or any other platformer, so Nintendo finally decides to change the formula with their own controller design. No longer leaving controller design to third party developers, Nintendo introduces the Wii Classic Controller Pro. Updating itself from the original design, the new Pro controller offers double trigger button to offer more options to the left and right of the controller. Taking the model of the Playstation controller, this new design has rubberized bottom grips for a more sturdy grip.

This new accessory will retail for $20 and is expected to be released in April.

Wii Classic Controller Pro is an upgrade to the previous classic controller design.

Nintendo Wii to Have Netflix Streaming Video and Movie Service Live Very Soon

Steven Finch — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 08:58:08 +0000

Nintendo Wii has done really well in the game console market, but its still a long way behind Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 when it comes to adding other services and features within the platform. Playstation 3 has blu-ray movie playback capabilities as well as online connectivity through the Playstation Network while the Xbox has a high-definition movie store and also an online chat facility. And yes, both the PS3 and Xbox also have Netflix service.

Nintendo has announced that they will now be adding Netflix service to its Wii console to enable video streaming, according to a report from the NYT.

The new Nintendo Wii feature will allow Netflix subscribers to choose from a catalog of older movies and TV Shows through their Nintendoo Wii and watch them immediately on their connected TV.

When the new feature goes live, Nintendo Wii owners using broadband Internet connection at home and who have been subscribe to Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service for the last 9 months can use the new service without incurring any additional cost. But before Nintendo Wii users can watch the movies, they will have to use a free software disc from Netflix which they need to put into their consoles.

Magic Motion: Wii Remote for Your TV

Dean Sherwin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:47:03 +0000

I guess it was only a matter of time before motion gaming made it’s impact on other areas of entertainment. Although this one doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Instead of playing games with the Magic Motion remote (although you can do that too) you can use it to change your TV station.

As you can see from the video below, the HDTV is easily controlled by the remote in a similar way to how you control the home screen on the Wii console. All of the options are big to compensate for hand shaking. As is the cursor. You can easily navigate through the various TV menus and select what program you want to watch.

Obviously, there will be some compatibility issues with things such as Digital TV Boxes and DVD players but I think as we enter an era of PC-TV combination – this kind of technology will be the norm.

Check out the hands-on video here.

80 of Female Gamers Love Playing The Wii over PS3 and Xbox 360

Steven Finch — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:01:12 +0000

Nintendo’s resident name jotter-downer and kiester-kicker recently divulged to BMO Capital Markets attendees that the Wii is outperforming its rivals when it comes to female gamers. According to its estimates (via Kotaku), 80 percent of the female console gaming crowd prefers Wii over the alternatives. With an estimated 11.7 million female console gamers in the Americas — it’s important to note this data of Nintendo’s doesn’t take into account DS owners or PC users — the figure comes out to roughly nine million ladies waggling their way into the fun zone.

Black Nintendo Wii Limited Edition Is Coming To Europe Very Soon

Steven Finch — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:13:02 +0000

It has been announced that the Black Nintendo Wii tat is currently only available in Japan will be heading to Europe on November 6th.

The unit will feature the black console and matching WiiMote, Nunchuk and MotioPlus peripherals. Nintendo is also throwing in Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, some nice additions, although we still don’t have a price for the whole bundle.

Nintendo also plans to eventually offer the black colored Classic Controller Pro, although that peripheral won’t be available as part of the package.

While the bundle will go on sale starting November 6th the “general release” date won’t begin until November 20th.

Unfortunately Nintendo is still sitting behind their plans to only sell the white version of their system in the U.S

Wii Cyberbike: Stay In, Save The World

Steven Finch — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:13:02 +0000

After the hydraulically controlled Afterburner cockpit, this is the biggest game controller I’ve ever seen. The new Cyberbike is a static cycle such as you might find in your local gym, but instead of zoning out to BBC news or MTV, you get to control a little Eco crusader, cleaning up pollution or some such by collecting packets from around a 3-d map on your cycle powered helicopter, or racing around cartoony looking tracks on a more conventional bike. It sounds a bit like a sweaty version of Pilotwings to me… You can also hook the cycle up to MarioKart on the Wii, although it’s not yet clear whether your pedal speed will reflect how fast your Kart will go.

If you’re one of the millions who bought a Wii fit, then this is probably right up your alley; I know I’d much rather use my own exercise bike at home than deal with the butt-sweat of a hundred unknown strangers on the bike seat down at the gym, but then I don’t like going to the public pool because I know the water I invariably swallow has most likely washed past some pensioner’s genitals before it gets to me. Another bonus is that you don’t have to freeze your butt off outside or dodge traffic on city streets. If only they had rigged the bike to have an electrical output so you could heat your house or power the Wii while you cycled then you could really save the world while you played the saving the world game.

I’m hoping that the Cyberbike will inspire other manufacturers of exercise equipment to produce Wii compatible machines – there was a rowing machine called the super GyRo back in the 90’s that had a stab at doing this (you could play a game where you tried to escape from a shark, a bit like the bleep test where you ran across the gym at school), but it would surely be easy to build a game to plug into your concept II computer – hell, there’s probably an app for it already.

Mooch: P2P Video Game Trading

Steven Finch — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:37:12 +0000

Mooch has just announced that it has launched its peer-to-peer video game trading website to the public. Mooch provides video game players and owners an affordable and simple way to trade their old and used video games.

Instead of exchanging used titles at retail stores for a fraction of the original price, Mooch subscribers can enter a list of the games they have as well as the games they want, and Mooch’s patent-pending trading engine goes to work. Each step of the trading process is intelligently automated, including finding potential trades, balancing each trade, and even allowing users to print postage directly from the site.

A limited number of free accounts will be available during the beta period. Following the free beta, membership to Mooch will require an annual subscription fee of $19.99.