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Wii-mote

breaking

Nintendo Introduces Wii Motion Plus


Nintendo's just announced Wii MotionPlus, an accessory for the Wii Remote. The add-on attaches to the bottom of the Wii-mote and more accurately traces motions in 3-D space by better orienting the controller. Hit the jump for the full press release details.

We expect Nintendo to divulge more at its E3 press conference tomorrow.

More »

Forget Dicks

When Spore Wii-mote Monsters Attack!

Back when we posted the Spore Creature Creator created Xbox 360 controller, that was a pretty big deal! Well, if only because everyone was too busy making Penis Monsters. Seems like folks have moved onto other creative endeavors — like the Wii-mote, for example. A quick search turns up twenty or so Wii-mote monsters, all of varying skill level.

Hit the jump for a look at more.

More »

rumor

Wii Castlevania Later This Year?

While Konami Castlevania dude Koji Igarashi has expressed hesitance about the Wii and the Wii-mote in the past, apparently he's warmed up to the Nintendo platform! Comic book mag Preview has let it slip that the franchise is getting a Wii title released this fall. The info slipped while Preview was giving the skinny on the PR campaign for the comic based on PS2 game Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, stating the the comic book will be "cross-promoted with 2008 video game releases, which include games for Nintendo Wii and DS (Fall 2008)". Unconfirmed and unsurprising, really.

Castlevnia Comic [Badger Comics via CVG]


microsoft

Shane Kim Clueless About Xbox 360 Newton

Xbox honcho Shane Kim is back with more talking! This time he goes on and on for something like four paragraphs talking about motion sensed. Does that confirm the rumored Xbox 360 Wii-mote clone? "I've never heard of a motion sensing controller," he replies. According to Kim: More »

wii

Hudson Bringing Tetris to WiiWare

This summer, Hudson's bringing Tetris to WiiWare. Hudson's hooked up with Tetris Online to make the worldwide online WiiWare version possible, complete with up-to-six players. The game will also have Wii-mote specific controls as well, apparently. Hudson's hoping that the game is a smash — to the tune of a million downloads. Yeah, we can see that, no problem.

journalism

Do People Still Accidently Throw Their Wii-motes?

People are still having problems operating their Wiis? Apparently! While we were under the impression most had figured out that a simple wrist flick would suffice, Baltimore news station ABC 2 drops this bombshell: Some people are getting HURT while playing with their Nintendo Wii. From the ABC piece, complete with bad Wii puns and everything:

But as ABC2 News Investigator Joce Sterman found out, it also shows you there's a big difference between playing the game on the field and in your living room. The grace, the skill. There's a reason the professionals are getting paid to play. It's simply not as easy as it looks. And as we've found, there's a big difference between reality and wii-ality...

Welcome to 2006! The piece even has helpful tips like "take a break while playing" or "don't let go." Some people call this "advice," but we'll dub it "common sense." So, thanks!
Wii Have a Problem [ABC via Eurogamer] [Pic]

ea

Wii-mote Gets Rad Nerf Blaster Peripheral

Hidden the depths of EA's financial report is this: A Nerf Wii-mote gun doohickey. It doubles as both an actual Nerf gun and a Wii-mote gun peripheral. Details are scant, but it looks like it's connected to EA's in-development title Nerf N-Strike, which we brought word of earlier. Would we buy this? Yes, yes we would.
Nerf Wii-Mote [ShackBlog]

peripherals

Better Than The Wii-mote Controller?

Not happy with the Wii-mote? Motus Corporation is working on a Wii-motesque controller for consoles and PCs. Dubbed the "Darwin," the controller has better and more realistic control says the manufacturer thanks to greater gyroscope and accelerometer complexity. The company has built super realistic controllers for golfers to practice their swing, and this background gives an edge says Motus. Apparently, the Darwin aligns itself with magnetic north and knows where it is in space. The Darwin will be out later this year and retailing in the US $79 ~ $99 ballpark.
Darwin Controller [Giz]

keitai

The Wii-mote Do It Yourself Japanese Phone

A DIY type took a WILLCOM cell phone and turned it into a WiiLLCOM brand phone. Geddit! His button additions are purely cosemtic, but very, very cool. This fella also created a Game & Watch cell phone as well, which you can check out at his site.

More Projects Here [Giz Japan]

medicine

Wii-mote Makes Better Surgeons

Before your doctor puts you under the knife, it might be good for him or her to put the Wii under it. A US study showed that surgeons in training who warmed up with Wii games like Marble Mania scored higher on virtual surgeries than those who didn't. American doctors at the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Arizona are now creating software that will allow surgeons to practice using the Wii-mote. Says Dr. Kanav Kohel, one of the physicians involved with the project:

The whole point about surgery is to execute small, finely controlled movements with your hands, and that is exactly what you get playing... But you don't gain a lot from swinging an imaginary tennis racket.

Tell us about it.
Surgeons Are Better [Telegraph via Next Generation] [Pic]

clips

Motion Controller Inventor May Sue Nintendo Over Wii-mote

According to a GoNintendo tipster, former Midway employee Patrick Goschy, seen in the video above, and possibly unnamed parties may file suit against Nintendo for patent violation related to a motion controller he and other Midway Games employees created. Those patents—Motion simulator for a video game and Video game system having a control unit with an accelerometer for controlling a video game—were filed in 1999 with the US Patent & Trademark Office. The demonstration video of Midway's "Velocity Controller" was shot in the summer of 2000, apparently when the heat got to Mr. Goschy, forcing him to break out the short pants.

For the record, we're basing this story on a GoNintendo tip based on a local television broadcast that we've yet to uncover (UPDATE: that local Fox News piece is now online). I implore you to take it as rumor for now, but enjoy yet another potential Nintendo lawsuit from someone looking to get a healthy paycheck from the console manufacturer. Thanks, for the heads up tipsters!

Ex-Midway employee plans to sue Nintendo for Wiimote/Nunchuk idea [GoNintendo]


clip

Southwest Airlines Remind All to Fasten Wrist Straps

Leave it to an airline to make a smart Wii parody. We laughed out loud.

japan

Club Nintendo Wii-mote Box in the Vinyl Flesh

More Club Nintendo stuff! Endless! Tired of seeing the Wii-mote left strewn around the house, Mrs. Bashcraft ordered this vinyl Wii-mote holder from Club Nintendo. Granted, this is way cooler Club Nintendo stuff, but this was free. There's another exciting pic of this exciting Club Nintendo product after the jump. Go ahead and click if you dare!

More »

wii-mote

Okami Wii "Exact PS2 Port"

So, the Wii is getting a straight up PS2 port with tacked on waggle, and that could be a really great thing or a really not-so great thing. Since Clover Studios is now kaput, studio Ready at Dawn will be handling the migration and even used Clover's original code due to time constraints. Ready at Dawn president Didier Malenfant stressed how committed he and his team are to staying true to the original. Says Malenfant:

The game on Wii is going to be an exact port of the PS2 version and I think that's what fans of the franchise want to see. This game has such a huge following throughout the world that people would probably send us death-threats if we messed it up by trying to add things that don't have their place in the Okami universe. Being huge fans of the franchise ourselves, we made sure that Capcom also wanted to stay true to the original before signing on to do this... To this day the graphics of Okami are some of the most awe-inspiring ever seen in a video-game and I know it sounds cliche but you don't want to fix something that's not broken.

We're not so concerned about Ready at Dawn's ability to port Clover code — Ready at Dawn is a very competent studio. We're worried about the controls. Malenfant assures that Okami and the Wii-mote are a "perfect combination" and feels "absolutely awesome." That's what they're really selling here, playing Okami with the Wii-mote. Is that enough to ensure a purchase?
Okami Port Interview [IGN via Siliconera]

cushiony shield

Wii Remote Jacket Hands-On


Sometime between the time I woke up and wrote this, the postman brought two complimentary Wii-mote Jackets. While North America won't see the Jackets until October 15th (or thereafter), Japan's already getting them. Nintendo's shipping them from Kyoto, so it might take a day or two to filter through the entire country. Besides the actual Jackets, the package includes instructions how to use the Wii-mote Jacket and reminders to hold the Wii-mote snug. As we previously reported, the Wii Remote Jackets provides "cushioning for the Wii Remote for people who might accidentally throw or drop their Wii Remotes while playing games." So how's it feel? More »

free stuff

Get Yer New New New New Wii-Straps For Free

For those still flailing wildly during Wii Sports, good news. Nintendo has released the fourth version of its Wii-mote strap and giving them away. For free! Remember, these have little lock thingy that keeps the strap from loosening. Nintendo's packaging the updated straps with its products and is also giving out four per serial number to those who need them. How nice of them! Just provide the necessary info on the Nintendo site. I'm curious: Do people continue to swing their Wii-mote around all crazy like?
Request one here [Nintendo via Infendo]

molyneux thinks

LIVE Will Have More Impact Than Wii-mote

Peter Molyneux? Microsoft fanboy. Hey, he gets checks from them! When Microsoft bought his Lionhead Studios, it officially made Molyneux a Microsoft employee. As a Microsoft employee, he's got to do his fair share of grandstanding. Take this Molyneux insight, for example:

All I can say is that Microsoft is an incredibly smart company and I never fail to be impressed by just how clever they are. Don't forget this is the company which pioneered LIVE which I believe will ultimately be far more impactful on video games in the long term than something like the Wii controller.

So write that down, kiddos! Giant Peter Molyneux says Xbox LIVE will hae a greater long-term impact than the Wii-mote. Agree? Disagree? Whatever!
Fable 2 Interview [CanalJuegos]

lion sex

Logitech Mating Wii-mote and SIXAXIS?

The people sure love that Wii-mote. It's maybe about perfect, right? Nope! "If you couldn't improve on it, we wouldn't be in business," says Logitech's Chris Spearing. The peripheral maker thinks it can one-up Nintendo and made a serious contender. The company is planning to announce a new Wii periph that *may* challenge Nintendo's remote. And how the hell could they do that? By mating the Wii-mote with the SIXAXIS. Or something. Spearing explains:

Having the motion-sensing in the SIXAXIS, that really works for some games. And for the Wii — you've seen people rush out and buy the Wii for that realism, if you're swinging a tennis racket, you know how to do it. Hopefully we'll be at the forefront of pushing that further, combining some of the two.

Oh. Alright. You do that.
Wiimote Rival? [GamesIndustry]