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MotionPlus posts

Black Wii gets unboxed just in time for the darkest holiday

by Laura June posted Oct 30th 2009 at 6:39PM

Those lucky enough to live in Europe will soon (as in November 6th soon) be able to purchase a special edition of that black Nintendo Wii some of us have been drooling over for the past few months. Sure, it's just a regular Wii... but it's black, which is so much cooler. Well someone's finally gotten their hands on it and done an unboxing, and we have to say that it looks even better than it did in the press shots. The limited edition Black Wii bundle with Wii Sports Resort and a Motion Plus controller will run you around £164.99 in the UK, and those of us in the US? Well, we'll just have to make due with the black controller and nunchuk. There are a few more shots after the break. Hit the read link for the full unboxing and video.

[Thanks, Emilia]

Continue reading Black Wii gets unboxed just in time for the darkest holiday

Nintendo shipping black Wii to Europe in limited edition bundle

by Darren Murph posted Oct 20th 2009 at 10:06AM

Why, Nintendo -- why? Americans have been buying your underpowered, kid-centric console faster than you can ship 'em here for years now, and yet you ignore our innermost desires to see a Wii in some color other than white. Have we not made ourselves clear? Are our voices going unheard? Clearly, you've an ear for those in Europe, as folks in the UK and Ireland will be able to procure a dark Wii starting on November 6th as part of a limited edition bundle that includes Wii Sports Resort and a Wii MotionPlus dongle. The rest of mainland Europe will see the same bundle on November 20th, and as if that wasn't enough, a black Classic Controller Pro and a slew of black Wii accessories will also accompany the package for those looking to stock up. Naturally, there's no mention of a price, but considering that you'll pay anything to join the still-limited black Wii party, it (likely) matters not.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Black Wii Remote, MotionPlus add-on and Nunchuck arrive on November 16th

by Paul Miller posted Oct 14th 2009 at 9:58AM

We knew they were coming for the holidays, and now Nintendo's black Wii gear has some prices and a November 16th release date. The black Wii Remote comes bundled with a MotionPlus add-on -- obviously Nintendo doesn't want to risk too many more people picking up a controller without one -- and retails for $50, while the black Nunchuck (shown after the break) is all by its lonesome for $20. Unfortunately, still no word of a black Wii in the US to hang out with these finely tinted accessories.

Continue reading Black Wii Remote, MotionPlus add-on and Nunchuck arrive on November 16th

Wii Sports Resort bundle doubles-down with a MotionPlus pair: $60 on October 12

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 25th 2009 at 6:23AM

The Tokyo Game Show may be winding down but a few bits of information are still trickling out. Like this new limited edition Wii Sport Resort bundle with a pair of MotionPlus accessories. The bundle lands on October 12th for a penny shy of $60 -- saving you $10 if you bought the standard $50 Sport Resort with MotionPlus plus a second $20 MotionPlus separately. Hoozah?

Black Wii remote bundle coming to North America, no matching console in sight

by Ross Miller posted Sep 1st 2009 at 6:42AM

Oh Nintendo, you tease. You still won't give us that jet black Wii console bound for Japan, but you've got no problem giving us in North America a taste of the dark side with a black Wiimote and Motion Plus bundle, coming this holiday along with a black nunchuk sold separately. With any luck this is just the sign of things to come, and should the Wii's sales momentum drop, we're sure quite a few new colors will start shipping their way over here (light blue, anyone?). On the more portable side of things, the DSi will be adding pink and white to its repertoire on September 13th. Unless the House that Mario Built is feeling particularly nasty, prices should be the same as their pre-existing color counterparts -- you wouldn't put a premium on a palette swap, right Nintendo?

Gallery: Black Wii remote bundle coming to North America, no matching console in sight

[Via Joystiq]

How would you change Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus add-on?

by Darren Murph posted Aug 22nd 2009 at 1:11AM

It took the Big N right around a year to actually ship its Wii MotionPlus dongle after first showing it off at E3 2008, and now we're curious to know if you think the wait was worth it. We've already spilled our deepest, darkest thoughts on the $20 add-on accessory, but now that Wii Sports Resort is out (and still firmly lodged within your Wii's optical drive), we just can't wait another second to hear from end users. Are you pleased with the additional sensing capabilities? Has it enhanced your gameplay as you thought it would? What aspects would you like to see changed? You just paid a Jackson for a brick that attaches to your perfectly functional Wiimote -- don't miss your chance to pick it apart.

NEMS takes step forward, MEMS looking nervously over shoulder

by Vladislav Savov posted Jul 27th 2009 at 8:42AM

Just as it's starting to seem like MEMS motion sensor technology is gaining more widespread use, we're now hearing rumblings of activity from the developers of its eventual successor: NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems). To contextualize this discussion (and to give laypeople a shot at understanding), MEMS sensors are the magic behind the Wii MotionPlus as well as a stunning tech demo recently conducted on a Toshiba TG01. The nascent nano version promises even greater sensitivity, and now scientists from TU Delft in the Netherlands claim they have successfully measured the influence of a single electron on an 800nm-long carbon nanowire. Just detecting such an event is a feat in itself, while the ability to measure its effects can be used in a huge range of ways: from transportation and medicine to ultra-sensitive gaming controllers. While accurate comparisons between the Dutch breakthrough and current generation sensors cannot yet be drawn, we can confidently say that this marks an important step toward making our dreams of playing a nanoscale piano a gargantuan reality.

Wii Sports Resort impressions (and video!): MotionPlus killer app, or killer tech demo?

by Paul Miller posted Jul 23rd 2009 at 12:23PM

Sure, EA and Sega already have MotionPlus offerings on the market, but everyone knows the real kickoff for MotionPlus is Nintendo's first party title: Wii Sports Resort. We've spent some sweaty days with the product to get a real feel for all 12 games included (each with a few different activities to keep things fresh), and while there are certainly shortcomings to the depth of gameplay per activity, there's no denying that the package will liven up a party and rake in cash by the truckloads for Nintendo. Read on for our full impressions and some action-packed hands-on video.

Continue reading Wii Sports Resort impressions (and video!): MotionPlus killer app, or killer tech demo?

Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus selling well, and Wii Sports Resort ain't even out yet

by Darren Murph posted Jul 19th 2009 at 3:20AM

For a device that took a solid year to go from "debuting at E3" to "shipping," we're pretty surprised to see that Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus held as much steam as it did. With overall video game sales dropping in June for the first time since 2000 (when looking at year-over-year figures, anyway), the Big N still had a few hundred thousand reasons to smile. Aside from the 361,700 Wii consoles and 766,500 DS units that shipped in June, the company also managed to sell 169,000 Wii MotionPlus dongles -- and that's not including the ones that were packaged with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, of which 272,400 units were sold. The real kicker, however, is that the accessory's real partner in crime (that'd be Wii Sports Resort) has yet to be released. It's good to be king, ain't it Mario?

Engadget Podcast 153 - 07.03.2009: Independence Day edition

by Trent Wolbe posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 11:01AM

It's your holiday weekend America -- how are you going to spend it? We'll tell you how: by listening to Engadget Podcast 153 over, and over, and over. What better way to utilize your extra day off and barbecue-packed good times than by putting Josh, Paul, and Nilay on repeat for you (and your friends') enjoyment? Check out the 'cast this week as the boys explore the ups and downs of the Olympus E-P1, Dell's MID plans, and field a handful of questions from our handsome, intelligent, and just basically awesome listeners. You won't be disappointed.

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Virt - Katamari on the Rock

Hear the podcast

00:02:10 - Olympus E-P1 hands-on, test shots, and mini-review
00:10:26 - Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 gets officially detailed, priced for US market
00:14:22 - Wii MotionPlus impressions: it works, but so far the games aren't worth the fuss
00:24:45 - Dell working on iPod touch-esque Android MID, says WSJ
00:32:08 - Android 1.5 gets official SDK for native development
00:38:10 - Video: Mobinnova élan sporting a custom Tegra UI
00:47:30 - Video: NVIDIA Tegra's GPU gets busy with HD video and full-screen Flash -- Intel 945GSE shrugs, kicks dirt
00:47:30 - Verizon BlackBerry Tour unboxing
00:50:17 - BlackBerry Tour hands-on, wild sibling confrontation with Curve and Bold
00:53:00 - RIM CEO: "SurePress is here to stay"
00:57:00 - 13-year-old trades iPod for Walkman, reports on mysterious ancient artifact
01:04:55 - iPhone 3GS review
01:07:15 - Palm Pre review

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Wii MotionPlus review: it works, but so far the games aren't worth the fuss

by Paul Miller posted Jun 30th 2009 at 11:12AM

At first glance it's a little difficult to understand the necessity of another motion-sensing add-on. What could possibly be inside this particular block of white plastic that's not inside those other countless slabs of white plastic that Nintendo has already slathered on the Wii? Sure, we know in theory that the gyroscopes that MotionPlus provides allows the controller to truly orient itself in 3D space, instead of just sensing acceleration in various directions, and breaks some of that reliance on the sensor bar, but do those theoretical advances result in a true leap in gameplay? We tested it out with EA's new MotionPlus-enabled Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis -- the first such titles on the market while we wait for Nintendo to get its own Wii Sports Resort in order -- and we'd say the results are pretty inconclusive so far. Check out our full impressions after the break, along with enthralling videos of both games in action.

Major thanks to The Golf Club at Chelsea Piers for letting us test this out at their facilities, and to golf pros Herb and Marj for letting us waste some of their valuable time.

Continue reading Wii MotionPlus review: it works, but so far the games aren't worth the fuss

Nitho releases a plethora of Wii Motion Plus accessories

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jun 26th 2009 at 2:13PM

If your gaming experience seems a little underwhelming for want of little plastic Wii Motion Plus-compatible accessories, it looks like the gang over at Nitho has got your back. A quick trip over to the company's website reveals baseball bats, golf clubs, a revolver / nunchuck, charging docks, and more: all suitable for the make-believe Pete Rose, Arnold Palmer, or Chuck Norris in your life, and all in that boring white plastic that's become synonymous with the game system. We haven't seen a street date or price for these bad boys yet, but we're keeping our eyes peeled. PR after the break.

Continue reading Nitho releases a plethora of Wii Motion Plus accessories

Official Star Wars lightsaber and blaster accessories for licensed Wii Jedis

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 26th 2009 at 6:15AM

Hey, who doesn't have a desire to get down and nerdy with their Wii on occasion -- we respect that. But if you're going to pretend to hold the Wiimote like a lightsaber, you might as well go for the full-on, officially-licensed accessory. Oh, there are plenty of pretenders but nothing can feed your delusions of grandeur better than George Lucas' blessing. Yes, the lightsaber glows, and the cats at Bensussen Deutsch & Associates have plans for a matching blaster too. Unfortunately, the accessories don't make room for MotionPlus which is fine, we guess, since they'll be shipping with Star Wars - The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes -- a game that doesn't support MotionPlus anyway. How wude.

EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 with Wii MotionPlus now shipping

by Donald Melanson posted Jun 8th 2009 at 7:04PM

It may not seem quite as impressive now that Microsoft and Sony have shown off their visions of a motion-controlled future, but Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus is still as good as it gets when it comes to consoles today and, as promised, it's now finally shipping alongside the latest Tiger Woods game. That may not be exactly what Nintendo had in mind when it first unveiled MotionPlus way back at last year's E3, but the first-party wares won't be too far behind, with its own Wii Sports Resort title (and requisite bundle) still on track for a launch late next month. If you're up for a little golf in the meantime, however, you can pick up the Tiger Woods game bundled with Wii MotionPlus for $59.99, or the standalone game (still playable with the standard Wiimote) for $49.99.

Miyamoto "not worried at all" about Sony and Microsoft's motion controllers

by Nilay Patel posted Jun 8th 2009 at 4:08PM

Sony and Microsoft certainly turned the motion-sensing heat up on Nintendo at E3 last week, but it doesn't seem like Shigeru Miyamoto is all that concerned at the moment -- he just told the BBC that while he's "flattered" his competitors are "moving in the same direction," he's "not worried at all" about Project Natal or the Playstation motion controller because "they don't have the type of depth that we're able to provide with Wii Motion Plus." Snap. We don't know about that -- we certainly haven't been blown away by Motion Plus -- but we can see why Nintendo's not sweating it just yet: the Wii's a runaway hit and a pop-culture phenomenon, while Natal and the PSMC are still tech demos without announced ship dates or even final names. That said, it's clear that Microsoft and Sony don't intend to just cede this space to Mario and Co., so we'll see how Nintendo fights back -- we'll tell you right now that the Wii Vitality Sensor ain't gonna cut it.

[Via Joystiq]