N +

The game was highly expected ever since it was announced, analysts predict it will be a smash hit (which is not such a strange thing to believe in the first place), it is featured on our own N+ design, and pretty much everyone who owns a Wii should get this game according to multiple reviews (and if you don't own a Wii, it is a pretty good reason to go out and get one) even if it does lack online multiplayer. As of yesterday, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is officially out in the US and most of America (yeah, America is a continent, NOT a single country ¬.¬).

How many of you already got a copy? How many are eagerly awaiting to get one? I, for one, can't wait to get it. All the friends I know who own a Wii want it badly. But will it really be the hit analysts predict? I think so.

Remember the 'gag clause' they put into Miyamoto's contract? Well, Nintendo should review that. Shiggy has done it again and went on to 'spill the beans' on an interview granted to GameLife, stating that the next Legend of Zelda game for the Wii will in fact make use of Motion Plus for a more realistic experience.

n this (installment of the series), we're using MotionPlus to make you feel much more like you're actually fighting while holding a sword in your hand. In the previous game, you aimed at things by pointing at the screen, but this time we'll use MotionPlus to create a much more convenient targeting system and a more pleasurable playing experience.

Now, I get how Motion Plus could help swordplay, and call me paranoid if you like, but how would you improve AIMING by removing pointing at the screen and using the add-on instead?

Nintendo, however, has yet to make an official announcement on this, so things are a little unclear as to whether the game will only use Motion Plus as a complement or if it will be mandatory to be able to play it, so stay tuned...maybe the announcement will come at next year's E3 (boom, baby! ).

It's a harsh world out there, right now... Especially if you're a videogame company such as Nintendo. Although sales did go up with the recent price cut, the measure didn't boost sales enough to reach past levels (which is a bad thing as a specific, but in general Nintendo did manage to rake in billions in profit). But don't take it from me, take it from THE MAN himself.

Wii has stalled. We were unable to continually release strong software, and let the nice mood cool. We were unable to show a new game to become 'the next thing.' In the game market, once you’ve lost the momentum, it takes time to recover. - Satoru Iwata

So, Nintendo's president blames the lack of good software (and would you rebate that?) and has stated that while sales went up with the price cut, it wasn't enough to recover from the low ones from the first half of the year. But he has hope: he expects to sell 20 million consoles by March 2010 (maybe with Wii 2? ).
Via GamesIndustry.

It seems Nintendo is getting ready to unveil an online surprise for its fans, or so teases Denise Kaigler, Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs in IGN's Nintendo Minute while commenting on the positive response the new Nintendo Channel has been getting.

We're working on a little surprise for those who connect their Wii to the Internet, so keep your eye on the Nintendo Channel for that announcement to come in the near future.

What do you guys think? Could this be that the Connection Ambassador Program is finally coming to the US? Could they FINALLY get more games to use WiiSpeak (or give it better functionality than the dreadful WiiSpeak channel)? Could they be getting rid of Friend Codes?! Personally, I think it'll have something to do with video streaming...

This is a rumor that has been around for a few days now, but yesterday it became a very much discussed topic on the net, the rumor: there is a DSi successor already in the works, and it will be released by the end of 2010 (that's next year, folks!).

Nintendo, according to the 'anonymous sources' quoted on BSN's report, is already working on the next DS handheld console and is planning to release it by the end of next year (probably just in time for the Holiday rush).

To fuel the rumor even more, there's also talk about nVidia's newly announced next generation of their single-chip solution, Tegra (available early 2010) will be the processor of choice for Nintendo's new baby. This came in as a result of nVidia's CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang's bold remarks that Tegra would account for 50% of their revenues in the next few years. nVidia and Nintendo partnered up last March to allow Wii developers to have access to nVidia's PhysX SDK, so the possibility of a new partnership is not so out of place. And the cherry on top is the rumor that, should the next DS use Tegra, it would be DS compatible. (pictured DS is a fan concept)

Via GamesIndustry.

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It's official: Nintendo loves Japan (I wonder why ). In just a day, the company announced a couple of Wii bundles, a new Pokémon game, and two new WiiMote colors for the region. Is this fair? No, it's not. (Well, maybe it is after seeing the colors)

Nintendo announced that it will be releasing a new Pokémon spinoff, titled Pokepark Wii: Pikachu's Big Adventure. And, you guessed it, it's a mini-game compilation. The game, categorized as an action title, consists of your beloved monsters performing at different events inside a theme park.

As for the bundles, retailers will have different bundles for two games: Tales of Graces (available December 10th) and Samurai Warriors. For the first bundle, it will include a white Wii, a white Classic Controller Pro, and of course, the game. For the second bundle, you get a few other choices. You can have the game with a black Wii, a black Classic Controller Pro, and a postcard, or just the game and the Controller, but if you're feeling wealthy and already own a Wii, you can opt for the Treasure Box which includes the game, a Controller, a figurine, soundtrack, and artbook.

The WiiMote's colors are going to be blue and pink, and will be available just in time for the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii on December 3rd.

I have NO idea why Nintendo loves to send me those update messages at midnight...alas, they keep doing it. Anyway, this time it was to let us know that the Wii has a System Update waiting: Firmware 4.2

Now, the weird thing is, Nintendo hasn't even announced this yet! That's right, it just hits your system and no official release is made. As such, there is not much information on what exactly this 4.2 update does exactly... Obviously, it attempts to override any form of hacking, homebrewing, or illegal software loaders (and according to reports, it does so fairly well, deleting the ever-famous Homebrew Channel and all custom IOS installed in tampered Wiis). Any more info will be made available as soon as Nintendo remembers to actually acknowledge this update.

UPDATE: Now, to access the Wii Shop Channel, Firmware 4.2 is mandatory.
UPDATE 2: Joystiq readers report that, although the update is intended to combat modded consoles, it is actually 'bricking' totally legit ones!! No specifics have been given as to which specific conditions affect the bricked Wiis, but Nintendo reps have stated that should this happen to you, you can send it in for a free repair (as long as the console is unmodded, of course).
UPDATE 3: Recent reports claim that Nintendo has NO WAY of repairing Wiis that have been bricked because of the update, short of replacing the entire motherboard. :O