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
That soothing, familiar blue light in your Wii should be flashing by now (if it's online, of course) announcing that the Nintendo Channel has been updated and that some new features have been added to it. Here's an user-generated video showing a few of these new features.
Official press release and set of features after the break.
It took a while, but it's finally here. If you live in America, you own a DSi, you don't use flash carts to play homebrew, and you desperately want to post your DSi-taken pictures on Facebook quickly, then you want to download the 1.4 firmware release for your handheld. Japan already has it. Europe already has it. Only the US were missing.
The update is slated to hit the States tonight (August 3rd, 2009) at 8PM EST.
Thank you GoofyStar for tipping us off to this Darkrai event! If you own a copy of Pokemon Platinum only, and not Diamond, and/or Pearl then this event is for you! Here are the instructions on how and when to get the Member's Card, so that you can visit Newmoon Island! These instructions were taken from serebii.net.
Japan: December 1st, 2008 to January 15th, 2009 America: August 3rd, 2009 to September 13th, 2009 Europe: 2009
Get the National Dex from Prof. Rowan
Visit the boy in Canalave City who suffers from Nightmares
Sail to Fullmoon Island and confront Cresselia, when it leaves it will leave Lunar Wing
Return to the Boy in Canalave, wake him up, then board the ferry at the Harbor Inn
You can now visit Newmoon Island! Darkrai Waits for you here.
How to Obtain Member's Card On the 3rd Floor of the Jubilife TV Station, you will find this couple. Normally he will ask you for a greeting for you to provide in battles however if you give him some keywords, he will activate the Mystery Gift function for you. The words are as follows:
Everyone Happy Wi-Fi Connection
Now, on the main menu, Mystery Gift will appear and will sport just one option at first, two if you have received a Wonder Card. You will usually choose the only option which goes to another menu that has three options and an exit; Get From Friend, Get From Wireless & Get from Wi-Fi Connection.
Choose: Get From Wi-Fi Get from Wi-Fi is exactly what it says on the tin. Using the DS's Wi-Fi Internet abilities, the game connects to the Internet servers and looks for any Wonder Cards that Nintendo has put up. The first use of this feature will be from September 28th to November 4th when Nintendo gives away the Secret Key to Obtain Rotom's Forms over Wi-Fi. After you have received the gifts, you need to pick it up from the man in the PokéMarts. This gives you the actual item in-game and the delivery man can be found in any of the small PokéMarts within Sinnoh so you can get it anywhere. Once the Member's Card is picked up at the Pokémart, Save your game!
N+ Update: iMatio, dropped us a big update, this event if for Platinum owners only, sorry for the excitement Pearl and Diamond owners .
N+ Update2: It looks like this event does open the ferry up for travel, so now you can visit the New Moon Island and hatch pokemon there to have a sweet "hatched at" location.
If you own a DSi and you live in Japan or Europe, then you're already up for a firmware update on your console. Firmware version 1.4 for the DSi is available for Jthese region's consoles as of a few hours ago.
Now, the 'biggest' update is the inclussion of Facebook connectivity, although Nintendo's listing also says it loads camera pictures a little bit faster. The update is slated to hit the US this fall.
UPDATE: This new firmware also renders all current flash carts unuseable with the system.
If you have WiiConnect24 enabled on your Wii, then you should have a blue light gleaming from the Wii disc slot. It's a simple update that claims to fix some stability issues; namely it fixes a bug that forces the user to watch the MotionPlus demo video every time Wii Sports Resort is played. As always, this update claims to fight hacked game saves, but in our tests, both the Homebrew Channel and Bannerbomb still work on 4.1. If you choose not to update, you may at some point be forced to anyway, as Nintendo likes to put these on software discs sometimes, meaning you won't be able to play until you update the software. This Wii Menu 4.1 update is for North America, and is already available in Japan.
I'm not posting them here because, well, these codes supposedly shouldn't be wandering around online (yeah, right!). The thing is, if you already own The Conduit and you didn't pre-order it, you noticed the three unlockable codes to be input into the game's extras and felt left out.
One of them unlocks a special edition ASE (announced as the GameStop pre-order bonus). A second code unlocks the ability to play as a suited Trust agent in the multi-player mode. A third one would unlock a Drone 'skin' for the single player campaign, allowing you to play as a Drone, whilst not affecting gameplay (that means you don't get special powers, just the ugly skin).
However, the third code was supposed to be launched with the pre-orders in Europe, and as you might remember, the game was pushed back on that region. So, the third code is still not officially released. But that hasn't kept Nintendo World Report from uncovering the 'secret' code and releasing it, alongside the other two which have been widely available throughout the Net by now.
Click here if you want the codes. Remember, they ARE case sensitive!
Turns out the rumor from earlier this week was true: Pokemon Gold & Silver are being remade for the DS, under the names Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver. I wouldn't be surprised if we got Pokemon Spirit Crystal somewhere down the line... Information is a bit sparse (because I can't read Japanese) but N+ will keep you updated as we learn more.
+UPDATE: IGN reports that "Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver will be coming to the Japanese DS this Fall." So we speculate a few months later it goes to North America, which would fall in line with "the holidays"
Earlier today at Satoru Iwata's keynote, Bill Trinen from Treehouse Group unveiled Nintendo's new storage solution for the Wii: the SD Card Menu.
Available now via the Wii System Menu 4.0 update, the SD Card Menu allows for support of SDHC card (up to 32 GB) and the ability to download titles directly to the SD card. The SD Card Menu allows for you to choose a title from a menu, and let it temporarily load to the Wii's memory, preventing long load times.
As mentioned above, the Wii System Menu 4.0 and the SD Card Menu are available now as a free update.
For those of us still playing Animal Crossing on the Wii, this is awesome! For those of you who haven't visited your towns in a while, stop in and check out your sweet bed-head and then log on to WiFi because today is the last day to get your Shamrock Hat! It almost slipped by!
Also in extremely related news, there is an official North American site dedicated to telling us about the DLC offer! Check it out!
N+ UPDATE:I guess this picture will automatically update when the new item is coming out! Kicky Sweet!
I've pretty much been waiting for this announcement to unleash the DSi updates that Khadgar and I have in store for everyone. So without further delay, here's another DSi update:
It's been a gaming generation since the Nintendo DS was first previewed at E3. The device has gone through one promotional display prototype and two major public revisions; the first shortly before launching and later the DS Lite, which at the time was like a dream come true from both a consumer and developer perspective. The more svelt 'Lite' was far more attractive, smaller, brighter, and took the DS out from the game drawer (where it was sitting on the PSP) and put it into purses and pockets. Excellent software at the time of revision helped propel the 'Lite' to the top of everyone's list for years - but nothing REALLY changed.
The DSi, after some careful thought can be considered the first true '1.5' update to a console - you know how people always joke about how:
[weakest next gen system] = [last gen system] x 1.5
It's not the 'DS 2,' but it practically is - I'm calling it the 'DS 1.9.' Continue reading as I explain why this means a shift in the industry from a developer standpoint.
In the press release for today's VirtuNAL Console Update, Nintendo included a hint at some surprises coming to the Wii Shop Channel. Here's the text which was buried within the press release:
In other news, the Wii-kly Update has a fun surprise coming soon for all our fans. We can’t tell you the secret just yet but maybe we’ll offer you some hidden clues. From AZ to NC, if you’re a fan, your applause could rattle your walls, windows, door. You might enjoy this news whether you live in a brick house or Vanderbilt dorm. Even people living along Route 286 in rural Pennsylvania ought to be excited. It’ll feel like a bunch of birthday greetings and, really, who could ask for more? But that’s about all we can say for now, so be sure to check future Wii-kly Updates.
Luckily, the fine folks on the Internet (specifically users of VGChartz, were able to decipher this cryptic message pretty quickly. It certainly seems likely that Commodore 64 games are on the way to the North American Virtual Console. Evidence?
Brick House is a song by the Commodores.
There is a Commodore city in Pennsylvania just off of 286.
The song "When I'm 64" by The Beatles has a line that says: "who could ask for more?"
The Commodores are the mascot of Vanderbilt University.
Route 64 runs from Arizona to North Carolina.
So, it seems another surprise has been ruined by the Internet. Great job, guys!
Just in case you're curious, Commodore 64 games have been available on the European Virtual Console since March 2008.
One WiiWare game, one Virtual Console game, and one surprise (more on that later).
Virtual Console
NEW+ Life Force (NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points):
This classic shooter, originally ported to the NES in August 1988, is a spin-off of the seminal Gradius series. Pilot the Vic Viper through six stages of intense action, alternating between horizontally and vertically scrolling environments, and take on wave after wave of enemies. Destroy particular enemies throughout the game (which takes place within the body of an enormous alien) to release power-up capsules and equip your ship with your choice of more powerful weapons, extra speed and shields. Utilize the power-ups carefully, though, as a fearsome guardian lurks at the end of each stage and won't be easily defeated. You can go it alone or bring along a friend to take on the challenge simultaneously. Do you have what it takes to save your planet?
The updated list of NAVC games can be found here, along with the PAL VC games here.
WiiWare
NEW+ Evasive Space™ (Yukes Company of America, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 1,000 Wii Points):
Launch a one-of-a-kind mission to rescue the stars. The universe is going dark, and it’s up to you, Konki the Stellar Guardian, to set things right. Dr. Dark Matter and his roving band of space thieves have stolen many of the Constellation Stones that make up the heavens. It's time to suit up, power up, recover the Stones and once again bring light to the night sky. Using the Wii Remote™ controller's unique pointer capabilities, simply point and thrust Konki through 20 dangerous time- and collection-based missions in the harshest of environments. Navigate through narrow, mazelike astral caves riddled with space worms, steam pipes and mining drills. Explore vast space stations while avoiding turret fire, mines and huge crushing gears. Weave through cluttered asteroid fields and gaseous planetary rings. Evade the hazards, pick up precious items and ship upgrades, and save the Constellation Stones before the night sky is lost forever.
The updated list of NA WiiWare titles can be found here, along with the PAL WiiWare titles here.
If you read N+ through our RSS feed, we have good news. We've updgraded our approach so that, frankly, we can get statistics on our sum of readers, and better serve you. If most of you subscribe and read on mobile devices, on a DS or Wii based reader, or through a regular web browser, we can do more to generate content that fits you better. So please update your subscription to our new feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/nplus so we can do more for you. Thanks everyone!
N+ moderators Khadgar and myself were lucky enough to receive two Nintendo DSi's with the Opera web browser preinstalled a few weeks back, and we've been putting them through some rigorous testing (literally - I dropped mine twice, and I never drop anything, so it must have been for science).
Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting daily on the DSi. We're going to cover EVERYTHING because it seems like no other blog did. Exclusive to N+ will be our unique coverage of the new DS Browser - because our DSi's (even though they are Japanese language versions) were sent to the sexy folks in Norway where they downloaded it for us from DSware before shipping to N+. This new version has obvious updates like no need for additional RAM, it becomes a 'channel' on the DSi home screen, and since it's software based there is potential for updates, like the Wii browser has seen (and will get again).
What we'll need from you is comments and feedback on what you want to see, so we get you the most interesting info. DSi compared to DS lite, in every way. New DS browser compared to Old DS browser, in every way. DSi compared to G.I. Joes, in every way. New DSi Browser compared to Opera Mini, iPhone, iPod touch, GBA, GameBoy Player, a cat named Skoo, etc., in every way.
So give us some work to do in the comments, tell us what you want to see, while we compile our data from the past weeks and we'll give you guys and girls something to read daily on the upcoming European and North American Nintendo DSi.
Also, follow @NPlus on twitter for kicky fast notifications of new posts or subscribe to our new N+ RSS Feed so we can get some stats to work with to better serve the community.
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