Take-Two Interactive announced they are supporting the Wii (when they hadn't supported the GameCube) due to the lesser development costs. The president said it costs between 20%-50% what it costs to make an X-box 360 game, so they can broaden their portfolio with less risk.
Fils-Aime said the company is still planning to release about 30 titles by the end of the calendar year. That's about 20 fewer than Nintendo is releasing in Japan, which Fils-Aime said is because some games "may make perfect sense in Japan but we don't think in our marketplace have a lot of potential."
Ummmmmmmmmmmmm... As much as I love My Wii, and Reggie as a spokesman, I simply don't accept that CONTRA (III), SUPER MARIO WORLD, and Donkey Kong Country don't have a lot of potential in the USA.... Super Castlevania? They get that too (Hell I don't read Japanese, but I would try their Fire Emblem) Reggie, I got Wii points I want to spend on your stuff. Make it happen.
I think the Wii is a healthy addition to have along with a 360 or PS3, but not so much a direct competitor to them among the 18+ crowd.
Ironic then that my 60 year old Parents wouldn't look twice at a 360 or a PS3, but want a Wii for themselves (after after playing WiiSports). Unless of course I miss read that and you meant the Wii was the only one targeted at the +18 demographic. Truth is Nintendo is the only one not focused exclusively on the core 18-35 demographic.
They are also on the Wii version -- but the review doesn't even mention that there's a wii port.
Though I do feel it's stupid to ignore a system in a supposedly unbiased publication. The Wii units didn't go out to anyone to review games or content until sometime this month. This is well past the press date for any Magazines to be printed through Christmas, so online sources are going to have to fill your news until 2007. Despite not being able to comment much on a game they couldn't play they should have at least acknowlaged it's existance; and promised features.
Even if only 1% are busted, that's still a considerable number of machines.
The number I heard was "less than 1%", which even at 1% is better than most. Average Consumer electronics range between 3%-4%, and the early batches of PS2's hit 13%. It's like Dead pixels on LCD's. They happen in manufacturing, and the manufacturer will fix it under the warranty. Nintendo also offers a 90 day extension to their 1 year warranty if you registered the system.
Nintendo claimed that the 'Firmware itself' didn't cause the error, but exposed a hardware defect. That's why they are sending people new Wii's, rather than Firmware disks to reflash them.
The biggest shock was how much my in-Laws loved playing over Thanksgiving. The two non-gaming ~60 y.o.'s picked up every minigame they were exposed to immediately... The biggest sign that Nintendo had succeeded in doing what it was supposed to was when "Okay, we'll try it for a while" turned into "well, if you don't mind, could we".
Ironically I had the same experiance. My mom saw a comercial and asked me to bring the Wii over so she could try tennis. I set it up, and My dad did well at Golf / Boxing, my Mom for Bowling / Tennis (none of us are big on baseball). Not only did they ask to try it, but when the neighbors came over, my parents goaded them into giving it a try.
I honestly think Nintendo is onto something big here.
Since there is no actual contact with anything and therefore no resistance I find it hard to believe that anyone could get injured simply from waving the remote around in a natural manner.
It is possible to hit things unintentionally. There is a bit of 'creep' in your movements that's why I place the coffee table between players while boxing. In general it's avoidable, however I'm sure someone who's too competitive for their own good could get a torn rotator cuff pitching in WiiSports Baseball. At that point though, they need to stop playing competitive.... anything.
In the past I've noticed most, not all, younger guys wouldn't be caught dead buying a game cube, or any of the previous Nintendo offers, as they we're "kid's games".
This is the same stupid stereotyping.
Nintendo got shackled with a detremental image and it's been difficult to shake. It does exist however, and people WILL buy a product based on Aestetic Design (remember the iMac?). There is a Reason the Wii, and the DS Lite look very 'Apple inspired' they want to change their image.
Nintendo has always had the best Offline 'get some buddies on a couch' multiplayer games out there. That was why you would buy a Gamecube over the others. The PS2 has some of the best Single player games, and X-Box live still trumps anything else out there. So far this gen doesn't look much different (besides Sony losing more exclusives)
Does anyone know if it is possible to configure/calibrate the Wii remote or IR sensors over the TV so that you cannot just sit on the couch and flick your wrist, but actually have to move the remote around a few feet in either direction?
Nope, you cannot. The rub here is because the IR sensor they have doesn't detect motion. That is soley for the laser pointer / lightgun function. I can't imagine any of the WiiSports games would play particularly well from the couch, but I suppose it's possible. The basic method of getting people off the couch is the old fashioned "Quit being an asshat, and stand up!"
Do the Wii remotes have rumble? I've read reviews about how boxing and golf feel weird due to no feedback, even a small bit of rumble would help to make it feel more real and also help you gauge your response.
The reviewers must have had it turned off in the settings, as it was always in the design. It is in the final product, and works great. The nunchuck attachment also has a motion sensor so you use that and the Wiimote for boxing.
When you get a solid hit (e.g. a homer or a double), there is a short rumble in the controller.
Depending on your background noise you might have missed something else. The CRACK of the bat as it hits. There is a speaker in the remote for these types of applications. You get VERY immersive feedback in Wiisports Tennis, and Baseball for this reason.
I had to order the component cables direct from Nintendo for use on my GameCube. In fact, I still have them. I wonder if they are compatible with the Wii?
Nope. Even if they did, look at your GameCube component cables again. Notice anything missing? If you could use them on the Wii, you wouldn't have sound. Anyway, they are currently on backorder, but the Component Wii cables are on Nintendo's online store and run $30 + shipping.
1) The Wiimote takes 2 AA batteries. Energizer make great 2500 mAh rechargeables, I recommend them highly.
2) Mileage varies by games. I'm getting away with 4 Wiimotes and 2 nunchucks total. When in doubt you can get the nunchchuck later.
Ok, now jumping in on the previous conversation about the games. Madden is hella fun, and they put ALOT of thought & effort in the controlls. You want to throw a pass, you throw a pass. Stiff arm? You just do it. Catch a pass? Throw both hands in the air like you're catching it. Tackle? Thrust both hands forward like you are playing '2 hand touch football'.
It actually has MORE content, and game modes than any other version of Madden out there. The only thing it's missing is online modes, but I suspect we'll see that for '08. If you like (American) Football, even if you weren't big on Madden, It's worth a rental to try out.
This begs the now cliche question: Why not just go outside and play the actual sport?
Honest anwser, because you may not be physically able to. My mother loves Tennis, but now has bad knees and can't play anymore. She really got into WiiSports Tennis, and My dad liked the golf game. My parents (who are retired and don't play video games) now want a Wii.
Neither were most of the PS2 launch titles, yet there they were at launch and only playable on a PS2 so they count. Rayman for the Wii was also designed from the ground up around the Wii controler and is extremely fun.
Re:Wiimote motion is more than Sixaxis Tilt...
on
NY Times Review of PS3
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· Score: 2, Informative
I believe you'd agree that Sony's engineers are competent enough to understand the capability of the wiimote right?
Actually no. Sony said Rumble was removed as it 'obviously would interfere with the motion sensor', despite Nintendo doing it with the Wiimote, and 3 years ago with Warioware twisted.
I haven't yet played a game that uses the sensor bar / laser pointer controls in a good, fun, intuitive way.
Pick up Rayman. Some of the games are on-rails shooters like House of the Dead. It isn't particularly ground breaking, but it is a real good implimentation of a 'light gun game'. Controls are spot on, and the Bunnies are hilarious. This game has a great sence of humor and the mini games included are more hits than misses.
Sony launches a console, Microsoft has a console that's been out for a year. Why do we expect Microsoft's console to sell as many?
Granted it bucks the trend, but the DS Lite has been selling over 100,000 units per week in Japan since Nintendo has been able to make over 100,000 systems per week for Japan.
the controls should dissolve. it should become entirely about the gameplay. and the wii controller, in many cases detracts from gameplay.
Ok, Traumacenter's hit and miss. a Stylus acting as a scalpel is MUCH more natural and intuitive than a laser pointer, but using the Nunchuck as a defibrillator Is natural and intuitive and couldn't be convincingly be done on the DS. For Trauma Center (and a number of Monkeyball mini games) it's Hit and Miss. Some controlls are superb, while others are barely functional. This is something I expected with 1st gen software with the controller.
However in MOST cases I found (as you put it) 'the controls dissolving' and being completely second nature. My learning curve for every Wii sports games was infinitesimal. The controls were intuitive and I didn't think about what I was doing, so much as 'I just did it'.
The sensitivity setup feature is really cool; it displays an image of the sensor bar's IR LED's from the Wimote's IR camera. You can easily tell if the Wimote is picking up reflections or if the bar is blocked from some angles of view.
Where is this option? I readjusted the sensor bar, and things are running great now, but I would like to know if there are any 'blind spots' that I haven't discovered yet.
Wiimote controller is a far more drastic change from its predecessor.
Oh, I agree. The Wiimote is an order of magnitude more sophisticated than both traditional controllers and the Sixaxis. I'm just saying that Sony tried to copy the Wiimote, but they simply 'don't get it'.
Although tilt sensing also appear to be new feature introduced by both sixaxis and wiimote, the difference between sixaxis and wiimote, quoting someone else, is that motion sensing is an option on sixaxis, but it is a requirement on wiimote.
Yes, the PS3 has a tilt sensor as does the Wiimote. Sony calls it a motion sensor, but it isn't a motion sensor in the way the Wiimote is. If you can keep the Sixaxis controller perfectly level (don't tilt it) you can move it from the floor to the ceiling of your room and it won't notice the difference. Likewise if it's on your couch vs. right in front of the TV. The Wii gauges where it is in the room as well, and how it moves.
When I have two systems, I'd like to be able to use my content on either
Personally, I hope that happens too. It's DRM'ed so I would at least like the posibility of locking it out on 1 Wii, so I can play it on another (only 1 concurrent use) or lock my copy out so I can 'loan it' to a friend.
Controls / graphics / Sound... = Well done. The thing that I think of most in Rayman though, is Laughing. It has a great art direction, the bunnies through their various actions and the mini-games are so fun/weird/WTF!? you can't help but laugh and have fun. It is a very lively and funny game.
it demonstrates that while Nintendo can't print money like they could in the NES games, they still have a model that moves a LOT of units."
They heydays of the NES are gone, but they can print money. The DS is doing phenominal worldwide. If you check the above chart, there are 15 DS games that sold over 1 million copies.
Keep in mind the NES had a 6 year life before the SNES came to market, and they released games for another 2 years afterwords. The DS just turned 2 years old.:-P
Slashdot Mirror
Take-Two Interactive announced they are supporting the Wii (when they hadn't supported the GameCube) due to the lesser development costs. The president said it costs between 20%-50% what it costs to make an X-box 360 game, so they can broaden their portfolio with less risk.
Ummmmmmmmmmmmm... As much as I love My Wii, and Reggie as a spokesman, I simply don't accept that CONTRA (III), SUPER MARIO WORLD, and Donkey Kong Country don't have a lot of potential in the USA.... Super Castlevania? They get that too (Hell I don't read Japanese, but I would try their Fire Emblem) Reggie, I got Wii points I want to spend on your stuff. Make it happen.
Ironic then that my 60 year old Parents wouldn't look twice at a 360 or a PS3, but want a Wii for themselves (after after playing WiiSports). Unless of course I miss read that and you meant the Wii was the only one targeted at the +18 demographic. Truth is Nintendo is the only one not focused exclusively on the core 18-35 demographic.
So was Nintendo; and Atari before that.
Though I do feel it's stupid to ignore a system in a supposedly unbiased publication. The Wii units didn't go out to anyone to review games or content until sometime this month. This is well past the press date for any Magazines to be printed through Christmas, so online sources are going to have to fill your news until 2007. Despite not being able to comment much on a game they couldn't play they should have at least acknowlaged it's existance; and promised features.
The number I heard was "less than 1%", which even at 1% is better than most. Average Consumer electronics range between 3%-4%, and the early batches of PS2's hit 13%. It's like Dead pixels on LCD's. They happen in manufacturing, and the manufacturer will fix it under the warranty. Nintendo also offers a 90 day extension to their 1 year warranty if you registered the system.
Nintendo claimed that the 'Firmware itself' didn't cause the error, but exposed a hardware defect. That's why they are sending people new Wii's, rather than Firmware disks to reflash them.
Ironically I had the same experiance. My mom saw a comercial and asked me to bring the Wii over so she could try tennis. I set it up, and My dad did well at Golf / Boxing, my Mom for Bowling / Tennis (none of us are big on baseball). Not only did they ask to try it, but when the neighbors came over, my parents goaded them into giving it a try.
I honestly think Nintendo is onto something big here.
It is possible to hit things unintentionally. There is a bit of 'creep' in your movements that's why I place the coffee table between players while boxing. In general it's avoidable, however I'm sure someone who's too competitive for their own good could get a torn rotator cuff pitching in WiiSports Baseball. At that point though, they need to stop playing competitive.... anything.
This is the same stupid stereotyping.
Nintendo got shackled with a detremental image and it's been difficult to shake. It does exist however, and people WILL buy a product based on Aestetic Design (remember the iMac?). There is a Reason the Wii, and the DS Lite look very 'Apple inspired' they want to change their image.
Nintendo has always had the best Offline 'get some buddies on a couch' multiplayer games out there. That was why you would buy a Gamecube over the others. The PS2 has some of the best Single player games, and X-Box live still trumps anything else out there. So far this gen doesn't look much different (besides Sony losing more exclusives)
Nope, you cannot. The rub here is because the IR sensor they have doesn't detect motion. That is soley for the laser pointer / lightgun function. I can't imagine any of the WiiSports games would play particularly well from the couch, but I suppose it's possible. The basic method of getting people off the couch is the old fashioned "Quit being an asshat, and stand up!"
The reviewers must have had it turned off in the settings, as it was always in the design. It is in the final product, and works great. The nunchuck attachment also has a motion sensor so you use that and the Wiimote for boxing.
When you get a solid hit (e.g. a homer or a double), there is a short rumble in the controller.
Depending on your background noise you might have missed something else. The CRACK of the bat as it hits. There is a speaker in the remote for these types of applications. You get VERY immersive feedback in Wiisports Tennis, and Baseball for this reason.
Nope. Even if they did, look at your GameCube component cables again. Notice anything missing? If you could use them on the Wii, you wouldn't have sound. Anyway, they are currently on backorder, but the Component Wii cables are on Nintendo's online store and run $30 + shipping.
1) The Wiimote takes 2 AA batteries. Energizer make great 2500 mAh rechargeables, I recommend them highly.
2) Mileage varies by games. I'm getting away with 4 Wiimotes and 2 nunchucks total. When in doubt you can get the nunchchuck later.
Ok, now jumping in on the previous conversation about the games. Madden is hella fun, and they put ALOT of thought & effort in the controlls. You want to throw a pass, you throw a pass. Stiff arm? You just do it. Catch a pass? Throw both hands in the air like you're catching it. Tackle? Thrust both hands forward like you are playing '2 hand touch football'.
It actually has MORE content, and game modes than any other version of Madden out there. The only thing it's missing is online modes, but I suspect we'll see that for '08. If you like (American) Football, even if you weren't big on Madden, It's worth a rental to try out.
Honest anwser, because you may not be physically able to. My mother loves Tennis, but now has bad knees and can't play anymore. She really got into WiiSports Tennis, and My dad liked the golf game. My parents (who are retired and don't play video games) now want a Wii.
Neither were most of the PS2 launch titles, yet there they were at launch and only playable on a PS2 so they count. Rayman for the Wii was also designed from the ground up around the Wii controler and is extremely fun.
Actually no. Sony said Rumble was removed as it 'obviously would interfere with the motion sensor', despite Nintendo doing it with the Wiimote, and 3 years ago with Warioware twisted.
Pick up Rayman. Some of the games are on-rails shooters like House of the Dead. It isn't particularly ground breaking, but it is a real good implimentation of a 'light gun game'. Controls are spot on, and the Bunnies are hilarious. This game has a great sence of humor and the mini games included are more hits than misses.
As a general rule 'Most' suck. Fine, but Zelda rocks, and there are other exceptions...
Granted it bucks the trend, but the DS Lite has been selling over 100,000 units per week in Japan since Nintendo has been able to make over 100,000 systems per week for Japan.
Ok, Traumacenter's hit and miss. a Stylus acting as a scalpel is MUCH more natural and intuitive than a laser pointer, but using the Nunchuck as a defibrillator Is natural and intuitive and couldn't be convincingly be done on the DS. For Trauma Center (and a number of Monkeyball mini games) it's Hit and Miss. Some controlls are superb, while others are barely functional. This is something I expected with 1st gen software with the controller.
However in MOST cases I found (as you put it) 'the controls dissolving' and being completely second nature. My learning curve for every Wii sports games was infinitesimal. The controls were intuitive and I didn't think about what I was doing, so much as 'I just did it'.
Where is this option? I readjusted the sensor bar, and things are running great now, but I would like to know if there are any 'blind spots' that I haven't discovered yet.
Oh, I agree. The Wiimote is an order of magnitude more sophisticated than both traditional controllers and the Sixaxis. I'm just saying that Sony tried to copy the Wiimote, but they simply 'don't get it'.
Although tilt sensing also appear to be new feature introduced by both sixaxis and wiimote, the difference between sixaxis and wiimote, quoting someone else, is that motion sensing is an option on sixaxis, but it is a requirement on wiimote.
Yes, the PS3 has a tilt sensor as does the Wiimote. Sony calls it a motion sensor, but it isn't a motion sensor in the way the Wiimote is. If you can keep the Sixaxis controller perfectly level (don't tilt it) you can move it from the floor to the ceiling of your room and it won't notice the difference. Likewise if it's on your couch vs. right in front of the TV. The Wii gauges where it is in the room as well, and how it moves.
Personally, I hope that happens too. It's DRM'ed so I would at least like the posibility of locking it out on 1 Wii, so I can play it on another (only 1 concurrent use) or lock my copy out so I can 'loan it' to a friend.
Controls / graphics / Sound ... = Well done. The thing that I think of most in Rayman though, is Laughing. It has a great art direction, the bunnies through their various actions and the mini-games are so fun/weird/WTF!? you can't help but laugh and have fun. It is a very lively and funny game.
They heydays of the NES are gone, but they can print money. The DS is doing phenominal worldwide. If you check the above chart, there are 15 DS games that sold over 1 million copies.
Keep in mind the NES had a 6 year life before the SNES came to market, and they released games for another 2 years afterwords. The DS just turned 2 years old. :-P