GadgetReview

Remember just a year ago, when Wiis were almost impossible to find in stores and you could make a pretty fair chunk of cash by selling one of these hot little properties on eBay?  Well, a year makes a pretty huge difference, and now, there’s a Wii in most every home that wants one.  Of course, this has posed a whole new problem for Nintendo.

The company that could do no wrong just this time last year, is now facing–get this–a forty percent drop in quarterly revenues, and no immediate indication that things will get better.

Admittedly, there were only so many units they could ever sell, period–who really needs TWO Wiis?–but Nintendo exec Satoru Iwata thinks he’s got the answer: it’s all about the games.  People are starting to realize that there aren’t a whole lot of good, high-demand games for their system.  After all, you can only play so many Wario Ware titles before you start to lose the point.

But I’m with him on that one–the Wii needs more games. And not just big mini-game collections, either, but actual GAMES.  They’ve got a great platform, if only they’d do something with it.

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In what will continue to baffle me as to why certain regions get certain bundles, just announced is a new Wii bundle headed to Europe.  Nintendo will be releasing an all black Wii bundle on November 6th in the UK and November 20th for other European territories.

The limited edition bundle will include all black matching Wii Remote, Nunchuk, and MotionPlus peripherals, and both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort.  In addition to this bundle Nintendo is releasing an all black classic controller pictured above.

No prices have been mentioned as of yet but Nintendo of America has said that they have no plans to bring this bundle stateside.

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In an age where high-priced gaming peripheral bundles are becoming standardized purchases, Nintendo is set to release something huge.  Enter the Nintendo Wii CyberBike.

Packed with the new Wii game Cycling Sports, this might be the most expensive controller we’ve seen yet.  While no price has been determined it’s too bad Nintendo doesn’t release this for the holiday’s as it would be a great way to burn off some of those Christmas calories.  This bundle is set to release sometime in January of 2010.

The game itself has some environmental leanings as you try to clean up the earth controlling a variety of vehicles including a Gyrocopter.  The CyberBike has also been noted to control the Mario Cart game on the Wii.  Could we see this at some trendy LA gym in the future?

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We all know that Nintendo has been looking to chop the price of the Wii down to about two hundred bucks soon, but what you may not know is that Dell Home is planning to undercut THAT.

If you’ve been trying your best to stay neutral in the great console wars, you may not want to straddle that fence any more–Dell Home’s price for a new Wii?  A hundred and seventy five bucks.

Oh, and even better–shipping is free.  When you get there to take a look, click on the link that says “ON SALE NOW, Click to see YOUR price” otherwise you’ll be paying full price.

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When the Wii first came out we were all pretty wowed by the innovation and novelty that the Nintendo console brought.  Today we aren’t as easily impressed.  Lack of high-profile titles and 480p resolution is definitely approaching tepid and it’s about time Nintendo does something about it.

According to the Square Enix president Yoichi Wada, Nintendo has plans to bring an HD version of the Wii along with an improved motion controller to the masses by 2011.  By that time the percentage of HDTV’s in homes will have increased and I’m sure the public will be ready.

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It’s no secret that Nintendo will be releasing an all black Wii this summer, but it’s always nice to fan the flames of pre-launch jitters with some packaging.  As you can see, and previously reported the controllers will also be finished in an all sexy black.  Unfortunately, price has yet to be revealed but I can’t imagine that Nintendo is stupid enough to add on a tariff for a different finish.

Of note, I was at my local Costco (Culver City, CA) yesterday and all they had in stock was the Wii Nintendo Sports edition.  That’s right, no Xboxes or PS3s were in sight.  So maybe those rumors about a new Xbox and PS3 are true.

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A new Video on Demand service will be coming to the Wii console sometime in 2009, so says the folks at Nintendo. Both of the competing consoles, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, have similar services but the Wii has the potential to trump them all with their staggering online statistic: 40% of the 35 million Wiis sold are connected to the internet. Let me emphasize, that’s 14 million potential subscribers to the online service, enough to power-up Superstar Mario into the intergalactic stratosphere of digital nirvana.

Along with this commitment, Nintendo needs to seriously address the storage situation. A measly 2GB SD card will simply not be enough to make it a viable media center. Let’s hope Nintendo addresses this issue and comes up with an elegant, intuitive, and efficient service.

Announcement in a nutshell according to Wired.com:

• Nintendo will partner with Japanese advertising giant Dentsu to create the service, which will offer videos through the Internet.
• Nintendo will start offering VOD in Japan in 2009 during a trial period at first, then it will expand to other countries.
• VOD options means it’s highly likely that a large storage accessory will be announced soon. Currently, the Wii offers 512 MB of internal flash memory storage, plus up to 2 GB-4 GB in an external SD card. That’s fine if you want to order up a few 23-minute TV shows, but something much larger will be needed for movies.
• The two companies will develop original programming for the Wii, which will be made available through the net. The company is considering developing videos for free but some (or many?) will be available for an as-yet-undisclosed fee.

[Wired.com]

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Description:

Inspired by the Spider-Man film trilogy and the classic Spider-Man comics, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe challenges players to defeat and then join forces with notorious movie nemeses including Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom and Sandman, and embark on an epic quest to overcome a worldwide evil threat. Throughout the game’s original story and thrilling battles, fans control Spider-Man and one of numerous Super Hero or Super Villain sidekicks and master unique fighting moves and styles while switching between characters to execute team combos and defeat foes. For the first time ever in a Spider-Man game, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe features a unique co-op mode in which a friend can join the game at any time and take control of Spider-Man’s sidekick as they battle through the game side-by-side and replay favorite levels. Uncover a variety of hidden items scattered throughout the game which unlock collectables, powers and mini-games.

Buy it: Spiderman: Friend or Foe Nintendo Wii Video Game – $15