Wii Spot Podcast from WiiSpot.com

It’s currently widespread news that the Nintendo Ds is outselling its competitors, now Nintendo are reiterating that the Wii will follow suite in the home console market.

The president of Nintendo America the ever lovable Reggie Fils-Aime has stated in an interview with USA Today that the Ds is the clear winner in the battle of the handheld games consoles, to such an extent that the portable gaming device is outselling all of Nintendo’s competitors in a factor of five to one in its native Japan. Ever the outspoken member of Nintendo America he states “We are so far in advance of our handheld competitors that they’re not even on the map”.

With the phenomenal sales figures recently published by Nintendo in relation to sales for the Ds, it’s easy to see just what Nintendo have done to claim these figures. The two main selling points of the Nintendo Ds are that it was cheaper than the competition, but more importantly the games and the console itself screamed out fun, something games in general are noticeably missing at the moment. Nintendo know this, and subsequently are going after the same audience that snapped up the Ds, the consumers who aren’t enticed by fancy graphical effects but pure and simply want entertaining.

For those of you who are intrigued as to how Nintendo are set to take back a sizeable chunk of the home video games market via its forthcoming Wii console, Reggie helped sum it up perfectly by stating the following: “Our competitors are both going down the same path. Both believe that more and more performance with a higher and higher price tag are their keys to success,” he stated. “What do I see? I think our two competitors will trade share between them, while we go off and grab share in a completely different way”.

EA one of the dominant forces in the video gaming industry has issued a word of advice to Sony in regards to the company being far too complacent in light of Nintendo’s lead in the handheld market.

The head of development for EA, David Gardner told industry trade magazine MCV “I don’t think Sony can afford to sit back. They still have things they can do with the price and performance of the machine, things that they need to address.” He also went on to say “We must never forget that what we need to focus on is fun and so EA is putting more effort behind DS games, and creative ones that really take advantage of the hardware“.

All this does not bode well for the future of Sonys handheld device, as EA was once seen as a prominent figure in PSP development, but of late the company has “shifted its handheld priorities since DS began pulling away from PSP”. With sales figures for the Nintendo Ds currently on the up, it appears as if we shall be seeing even more support for the machine than we have previously seen. Though some gamers are reasonably weary of EA dominance of the market, and its reliance on yearly updates and sequels, this move can only help but strengthen the appeal of the Ds to a wider audience.

There are few gaming titles that can be considered a thoroughly relaxing experience, though the peaceful Harvest Moon series has always been one of them.

The rather popular farming simulator has been featured in this week’s edition of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, and all said and done is looking rather promising. Though not straying to far from the series original roots, the Wii version is looking to fit rather snugly in with previous additions of the series, but of course this title has one huge feature that’s lacking from previous games - the Wii’mote’.

The scans that Famitsu provided help show us exactly how Natsume plan to utilize the innovative Wii controller, with it taking the form of a scythe and a watering-can amongst other things. To do other simple tasks such as digging, all you will need do is raise the Wii’mote’ into the air as if it were a pick-axe and bring it down, which will inevitably cause you to dig a small hole into the earth with which to place crops.

As you can imagine, plenty of other activities have been planned for the game to help create an experience like no other. Things you are likely to come across in the game are: fishing, crop sowing, and milking, all of which help cultivate and bringing income into your little farm. With previous iterations of the series gaining more and more fans the world over, could this finally be set to become the first title to break into the mainstream in the same way as Nintendo’s Animal Crossing achieved on the Nintendo Ds?

Harvest Moon Wii Scan 1

Harvest Moon Wii Scan 2

Will this be the biggest console launch ever? If the list posted over at NWizard can be believed, you betcha! The following list is comprised of games that have been confirmed as launch titles by the publishers/developers.

Thinking back at all the other consoles I’ve seen launch, I can’t ever remember so many A-list titles being shipped at the launch. I mean Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime, Redsteel, Elebits, Final Fantasy… this could be gaming Nirvana on launch day. The only question that remains is, How can I afford to pickup the dozen games I want at launch!

So what titles are you going to pick up at launch? Keep in mind that this list doesn’t include titles reported to ship after launch like Mario Galaxy and Smash Brothers. Nintendo, you are going to make me broke!

Altus the developers behind the well received surgery sim Trauma Center, sent out a press release yesterday informing eager gamers that the title is still on track as a launch title for the Wii.

The game which is set to be an updated remake to the popular Ds title Trauma Center: Under The Knife, is set to be another addition to the ever growing number of launch titles expected to debut with the Wii later this year. The game itself is shaping up to become perfect fodder for the Wii, with the titles precise surgery cuts, and procedures handled with precision and care via the innovative control scheme of the Wii.

In the company’s press release, Altus stated: “First, Trauma Center: Second Opinion was confirmed as a launch title for Nintendo’s new, highly anticipated console—Wii, which is poised to take the video game world by storm in the fourth quarter of 2006. This robust “Wii-make” of Under the Knife features new graphics and, new surgical implements and operation types, a second playable character with all-new missions, multiple difficulty modes for gamers of all skill levels, and a revised control system that takes full advantage of the revolutionary Wii Remote and Nunchuk-style controller”.

With more and more titles being confirmed for the launch of the Wii, it’s certainly going to be a battleground for smaller developers to get their titles noticed amongst some of the bigger names. Altus shouldn’t have this problem here though, as the game is looking set to become another worthy addition to the Wii’s potential collection of classic, and truely innovative titles. Hopefully this will prove to be an all round must have title for the system, and not just with hardcore gamers.

Online rumours regarding Nintendo’s forthcoming home video game console the Wii, have showed no signs of slowing down of late.

This time the rumours come from the genuinely reliable gaming publication IGN, who at the time of speaking have pulled the related news item from their pages, presumably in the interest of protecting its sources. The first piece of information IGN have made publicly available is that the Wii is set to launch in two colours, black or white.

IGN’s sources also made the inevitable comments about the systems launch date, with their current predictions being either November 2nd or November 12th. Again, it has been widely speculated that the machine will make its debut in the wintry month of November, though as of the present no firm release date has been given by Nintendo.

In regards to the Wii’s retail price, the sources at IGN believe that the system will launch with a $229 price tag in the United States. This price point been branded around many times before, though many American gamers were expecting the revolutionary console to launch at $199.99.

Finally the last rumour that surfaced was in regards to whether or not the Wii will be region free. If the console is set to be region free as Ign have stated, then it would cause great celebration amongst console owners, who in the past have been shunned by the company in regards to some truly great titles.

As ever all these rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt, though that’s still not to say that they aren’t true…

The Mario of late has appeared in a range of sporting spin off’s, games such as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf are surprisingly good sports titles aimed more at fun than simulation.

It should come as no surprise then that Mario’s next sporting installment will come in the shape of a sequel to the well received Mario Striker title. Mario Strikers hit the Gamecube late last year and arrived just in time for the all important Christmas period, which helped Nintendo shift quite a few copies over here in Europe, where as most of you know football/soccer is definitely a much loved sport.

Rumors are now circulating that the sequel to the game isn’t just underway, but it shall appear in playable form at this years Leipzig games convention which is due to take place later this month. Rumors of previously unannounced Wii titles being shown at the event have been doing the rounds for a while now, and Mario Strikers could be the perfect game to show consumers just how much fun gaming on the Wii can be.

With next gen development costs soaring, can Nintendo really offer gamers a cheaper alternative?

Nintendo UK has confirmed to online gaming publication Gamesindustry.biz that the price of software for its upcoming Wii console will be inline with current gen pricing. The reason why Nintendo can still afford to price games for the Wii at a similar price to current generation games is mainly due to the non-complexity of the hardware, which in turn offers developers cheaper development costs.

This information falls in line with a comment EA recently made in regards to Nintendo’s potential pricing for first party games, which the developer and publisher guessed would be priced at around $49.99. This is coincidently $10 less than an Xbox 360 title, which will certainly help put the console in good light in the eyes of consumers.

It has been long rumored that Nintendo would be pricing its games cheaper than its competitors, with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stating to CNN Money back in March “I cannot imagine any first party title could be priced for more than $50.” This leads to speculation that other parties will be able to price their Wii titles differently, meaning we could see a slight increase in price in third party software.

According to a very recent artcile that has surfaced on 1up.com, it would appear that E3 is no more. Now there has been no offcial response and the E3 site still has dates up for next year but a quote from one insider within the industry said

“Costs have been getting out of hand. We’re talking double digit millions for some of us. But that’s not just floorspace, of course — it’s build, parties, hotels, flights. Security, particularly, has become a massive cost.”

We will more updates as we get them. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: E3 will take place next year but form this quote “focus on press events and small meetings with media, retail, development, and other key sectors.”  It would appear that E3 is now downsixiing. The ESA will have more news in the coming weeks and days. so keep checking here.

If there is one game that perfectly captures the potential of the Wii’mote’, it would have to be Red Steel.

Ubisoft and Nintendo clearly have high hopes of grandeur for this katana wielding title, as the aforementioned company’s look set to be pumping an excessive amount of money into the game. Reports are gathering that this title alone is set to become the most expensive third party Wii launch title. In-fact it appears that the development budget for the first person shooter/slash ‘em up has totaled up to a rather impressive 10 million Euros ($12.7M or £6.8 million). Which when put in comparison with other titles, these development costs are said to be almost double of a standard third party developed title for the Wii.

This information was made publicly available via a French radio interview, which alas was conducted by none other than Ubisoft’s Montreal team. The dev team also made mention of Red Steels single player game, stating that gamers can expect there to be roughly thirteen hours worth of gameplay in the finished title. This is certainly one third party title that Nintendo have been watching very closely, and the press alike. If Ubisoft can give users that feeling of immersion and interactivity whilst providing them with interesting set pieces, then this title will certainly give some of the first party titles a run for their money come the launch later this year.

Sickr 

Yesterday huge queues adorned many Japanese gaming outlets literally for one reason alone, the Nintendo Ds Lite ‘Nobel Pink‘ launch.

With the pink iteration of the original Nintendo Ds still selling extremely well worldwide (considering it has now been outclassed by its Lite successor), it was widely expected that the pink version of the Ds Lite would be released purely to send more feminine gamers into a frenzy, and by the looks of things it achieved just that, and possibly more.

Stores appeared to be over-run with gamers of all ages and gender, anxious to get their hands on one of these elusive machines. Though merely a cosmetic colour update, it almost appeared to unaware spectators that the launch was for a brand new console, mainly due to the unprecedented number of prospective Ds Lite owners out in force. This situation just goes to illustrate just how highly regarded the machine is in its homeland of Japan.

Sickr

The Nintendo Ds has become something of a status symbol, almost a fashion symbol for the consumers of Japan.

As we all know these factors combined with the consoles great array of games have helped shape the machines phenomenal success in its homeland. Though it has long been apparent that the Ds has secured the top spot, what wasn’t apparent was the fact that the console wasn’t only the number one piece of game hardware for the first half of 2006, but it was also the second best selling piece of hardware as well.

These statistics come courtesy of Enterbrain who are the wacky publishers behind the Japanese’es weekly gaming bible, Famitsu. In the company’s findings which were covered from 26/12/05 to 25/6/06 they showed that the Ds Lite officially came out on top as the best selling hardware sales, and believe it or not the original Ds came out second leaving the poor PSP as the contender for the unlucky third place.

In total Nintendo’s portable gaming device’s both the Ds and the Ds Lite are thought to have racked up 3.9 million units altogether. In comparison Sony’s handheld rival the PSP only managed to achieve sales of 1 million, which certainly left the machine choking on the dust it’s been gathering on all those Japanese store shelves. Nintendo on the other-hand are most likely cracking open the champagne bottles in celebration.

Sickr 

Ever the hush-hush company, Nintendo has recently seen a documentation leak which helps goes a long way to revealing just what we can expect from the Wii’s innovative controller.

Firstly for good or for bad the Wii’mote’ will run via two ‘AA’ batteries, this will help power the pointer, and enable the player to interact with their machine. With the two batteries inserted into the back of the Wii’mote’ it should secure the player with approximately 30 hours of battery life if you are purely using the controllers precision aim functionality. If on the other-hand the game you’re playing uses purely the accelerometer, then the Wii’mote’ will function for 60 hours on two ‘AA’ batteries. To help keep interaction flowing between the controller and the television the controller communicates between the player and the console via Bluetooth running on 2.4 GHz band.

Information has also been revealed in regards to the Synchro button which has been discovered under the consoles front flap. The purpose of the Synchro button is to identify the Wii controllers by assigning each controller with a wireless ID number. To explain how this could work - the user would press the Synchro button underneath the front flap on the Wii console, then the user would press the Synchro button thought to be located inside the battery compartment of the Wii’mote’. This would then allow gamers to simultaneously link up their four controllers to the Wii console without any interference between them, therefore securing a hassle free gaming session.

Last but not least one of the more interesting snippets of information which was revealed via the documentation was the inclusion of a ‘possible’ Wii camera embedded within the Wii’mote’, as according to the documents the controller can act much like an eye. This is possible by measuring the coordinates between 0-1023 on the ‘X’ axis and 0-767 on the ‘Y’ axis which in turns means that you’re subsequently receiving a mega-pixel image. Although it is currently unspecified if this data will be used to form a visual image, rumors have long been surfacing about the Wii coming equipt with an inbuilt camera, could this be the final prove we need?

Sickr 

It was announced yesturday that the Wii will be getting major support from the EA. EA already had two titles coming out for it (Madden, Call of Duty 3, and Need for Speed:Carbon) but look forward to playing such titles as The Godfather, Harry Potter, and Tiger Woods on the Wii later this year. I can already see great uses for the Wiimote in these games, using it to shoot a gun in The Godfather, a wand in Harry Potter, or a club in Tiger Woods. This is great news for the Wii and who knows who else will jump on board?

According to a news story on 1up, Andre Vrignaud (a Xbox Team Memeber) has openly praised Nintendo’s newest system. Here is the offical quote:

“It also shows a strong level of industry support for the direction Nintendo has taken with lower-cost hardware and their unique control scheme,” he says. “I’m actually a big fan of the Wii (although I’ll add my voice to the chorus and state they should have stuck with Revolution for a name). My time with it at E3 showed a lot of potential for new game ideas and new ways to play.”

It should be noted that this is not the first time some at Mircosoft has spoke well about the Wii. At E3 Peter Moore told the auidence at Mircosoft’s press conference that they could buy a 360 and a Wii for the price of PS3. It seems as time goes on more and more people are begining to take a liking to the Wii.