Monthly Archives: November 2009

Nintendo Wii: EA Struggling With Multi-Platform Titles On Wii

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EA have admitted that they’re struggling with profitability on multi-platform ports for the Nintendo Wii.

The company cites the most recent edition of the Madden franchise as a shining example of this, with sales figures far from meeting EA’s initial expectations.

“To be honest, the Wii platform has a been a little weaker than we had certainly anticipated and there’s no lack of frustration to be doing that at precisely the time where we have the strongest third party share. We’re reaching out to Nintendo to find ways to partner to push third-party software harder. I frankly think they [Nintendo] need more beats in the year than what they get out of a first party slate to be able to have the Wii software platform perform as well as they would like.”

“Wii is where we’re missing it, I really do think that the opportunity exists to find different ways to partner with the first party [Nintendo] in this case to help establish in the minds of the consumer legitimacy of some of these other brands when they’re going out multi-platform because very, very few multi-platform titles are succeeding on the Wii so far.”

- EA CEO, John Riccitiello

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Nintendo DS: Zelda Spirit Tracks Turns DS Into A Spirit Pipe

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It’s been revealed that The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will allow you to play the DS like a woodwind instrument.

Nintendo have revealed that certain parts of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will require the player to blow into the DS microphone to use Links Spirit Pipe. The Spirit Pipe will apparently play an “essential role” in Zelda: Spirit Tracks, just as the conductor’s baton did in Zelda: Wind Waker and the flute did in Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

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Nintendo: Nintendo Appear Undecided On The Possibility Of Wii HD

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Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime clearly denounced the likely hood of the Wii HD in a recent interview with Game Trailers TV, but it appears Nintendo of Japan are openly undecided on providing HD support in the future.

“Since our division has been reviewing and developing a number of hardware, we are looking into many different things, including HD and SD… However, we have not come to the stage where we can announce which is the most appropriate means. Since an increasing number of the TV sets at home around the world are becoming HD today, it will be natural for a machine to be able to generate graphics that people will be accustomed to see on HD televisions. Since the ordinary TV programmes are now shifting to HD, moving to HD appears to me a natural flow.

“I believe that we should take the most appropriate balance,” he added. “We are not too much concerned about if the technology itself is the state-of-the-art or rather old-fashioned. If we can find out the most appropriate medium, between SD and HD, and flexibly move around them depending on the game’s contents, it will be good, I think.”

Famed Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto said: “As long as my way of making games are concerned, all I am concerned about technologies is, we probably cannot swim against the tide. The customers’ tastes will become more and more refined. Even today, many customers who have seen HD once say they cannot go back to SD.

He later added: “Regarding the question of SD or HD, it must depend on each software. For example, we have to ask ourselves if HD is really necessary to develop Wii Fit. Won’t HD be better for the games like Pikmin? The developers should choose the most appropriate graphical format depending on the software they make. To Nintendo, our theme is how we can prepare the SDK library to cater to the needs of the developers, with which the developers can more easily develop their games.”

- Nintendo

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Nintendo Wii: Legend Of Zelda Wii Might Not Make 2010

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President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, has warned that the eagerly awaited Legend of Zelda Wii might not make its widely expected 2010 release date.

“We haven’t committed to Zelda for 2010… so we’ll see how that continues to develop,” Fils-Aime told GameTrailers TV.

- Reggie Fils-Aime

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Nintendo Wii: Reggie Clearly States There Is No Wii HD

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Reggie Fils-Aime has clearly stated on Game Trailers TV: Nintendo Special that despite what Michael Patcher has lead us to believe, Nintendo are not going to be releasing a high definition version of the Wii.

“Michael [Pachter] continues to be the only one that believes this is going to happen,” the NoA president told presenter Geoff Keighley.

“I don’t know how forcefully we can say that there is no Wii HD.”

- Reggie Fils-Aime

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Nintendo Wii: UK School Offers Wii At Sports Lessons

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School kids who deliberately ditch their sports kits at home in an effort to avoid playing physical sports such as Rugby or Football are being offered a chance to play the Nintendo Wii at a select school in Gravesend, Kent.

They are great to use as a carrot on a stick to get lads disaffected with PE back into enjoying exercise. We have been picking out the youngsters who deliberately leave their kit at home – the ones who are trying to get out of it.

Nintendo Wii: Infinity Ward Doesn’t Think Wii Can Provide Their Multi-Platform Experience

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It appears as though Infinity Ward, the developers behind the Modern Warfare franchise, aren’t particularly interested on working on the Wii.

Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward’s community manager,  believes there’s just too much difference between the Wii and other competing platforms when it comes to delivering a spectacular cinematic experience.

“If we felt like we could deliver the cinematic experience we were going for on other platforms, then we would gladly move to that platform. Right now, we don’t think the Wii can deliver the exact experience that we’re doing. We like to be very equal across all platforms, and if it’s not equal then we won’t do it.”

- Infinity Ward community manager, Robert Bowling

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Nintendo Wii: Miyamoto Talks Wii MotionPlus For Zelda Wii

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The next iteration of the Zelda franchise for the Nintendo Wii will fully utilise the Wii MotionPlus peripheral according to legendary games designer, Shigeru Miyamoto.

“About MotionPlus. We’re implementing it so that players can feel like they themselves are holding the sword. In the previous Zelda (Twilight Princess) the targeting was based on the IR pointer. This time however, we’ll be using MotionPlus for a variety of more convenient targeting systems that will allow for more pleasant gameplay.”

- Shigeru Miyamoto

Source

Nintendo Wii: Netflix Being Tested For Nintendo Wii

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Netflix are currently testing out the streaming media service on Nintendo Wii according to an industry source.

StreamingMedias Dan Rayburn has stated in a recent blog post that he’s received numerous photos from an individual working on the Netflix project for the Nintendo Wii. He also claims that Nintendo are set to delay the service until early next year in an effort to showcase the service on the often talked about Wii HD.

“What I’m hearing is that Nintendo originally planned to bring the Netflix service to the Wii before the end of this year, which still might take place, but that Nintendo is also considering holding off on the Netflix service until they release their next generation Wii HD unit in early 2010.”

- Dan Rayburn

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Nintendo DS: Nintendo Considering 3G For Next DS?

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In a recent interview with the Financial Times Nintendo are currently considering adding free 3G to the next DS.

With the iPhone currently dominating the handset market, giving its plethora of users access to 3G Internet wherever they go, Nintendo’s current wireless access for the DS seems a little draconian. Nintendo is therefore considering adding an extra up front charge to their next iteration of the DS, in exchange for free lifetime 3G access.

“Only people who can pay thousands of yen a month [in mobile phone subscriptions] can be iPhone customers. That doesn’t fit Nintendo customers because we make amusement products. In reality, if we did this it would increase the cost of the hardware, and customers would complain about Nintendo putting prices up, but it is one option for the future.”

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