New Wii-Design!

Appears Nintendo want to squeeze every last penny from the Wii before next years release of the Nintendo Wii U but does this redesign also spell doubts about most of us getting the Wii U well before the end of next year?

Regardless this version is a slimmed down and actually not backward compatible version on that it will not work with previous Gamecube accessories etc as does the existing Wii design.  This version also sits horizontally.  It will be out for Christmas which coincides with the also exciting news that the new Zelda Skyward Sword game will be released on November 18th.

There will also be a number of new bundles of the new design version.

MB

New Xbox Live Features & Windows Phone Features

With Gamescom in full flow, Microsoft have dropped a few tidbits for Xbox Live and the new Windows Phone Mango Platform coming next month.

These include;

• “Avatar Awardables: Like achievements—but wearable. Once unlocked, these items will automatically appear in your avatar closet and can be worn on your avatar’s sleeve as a badge of honor. “Chickens Can’t Fly,” a forthcoming Xbox LIVE release, will be among the first titles to feature them.
• Game Add-ons: In the Xbox LIVE title “Beards & Beaks,” players can purchase extra mushrooms and other items from within the game using Microsoft Points. In the months ahead, keep your eyes out for more titles in Marketplace that let you buy in-game add-ons and downloadable content like extra weapons or levels.
• Parental Controls: The next release of Windows Phone gives parents more control of what content their child can access on Windows Phone, including M-rated (Mature) games. The first M-rated Windows Phone title, “Splinter Cell: Conviction,” is scheduled to arrive in the Marketplace later this fall.
• Fast Async: A new Xbox LIVE service coming this fall that improves gameplay for multiplayer, turn-by-turn (or asynchronous) Windows Phone games.”

Check out Windows Phone Blog for more…

MB

Nintendo 3DS TV Launch

Nintendo has confirmed its 3DS TV service will go live in Japan tomorrow via a new app, “Itsu no Ma ni Terebi”,  from the Nintendo eShop.

The content will be provided by Fuji Television/Nippon Television and will be produced specifically for the 3DS service with shows available free, albeit, free with feature adverts.

The 3DS TV service has also been promised for Europe.  When the 3DS was first unveiled, Nintendo announced deals Sky & Aardman Animation.

MB

Nintendo Wii U May Be More Powerful Than The Best

Kotaku are reporting that the Nintendo Wii U may actually be pretty powerful, more so than the Xbox 360 and PS3.  And this is coming from developers who are working on new games for the console.  This may therefore be much more reliable than the usual random sources.  Check out the article to read more.

MB

Ghost Recon Online Trailer For The Wii U

A Ghost Recon Trailer has appeared on the web for the Wii U. See the You Tube release above.  Looks pretty cool, apart from the acting!

MB

Nintendo Chief Say They Could Have Done Better Announcing Wii U

My Nintendo News has reported that the Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has confessed that he believes the company could have done better in their announcement of the Wii U.  The main problem according to the source is that they spent too much time concentrating upon the controller.  This left the watching world bemused and confused.

“Because we put so much emphasis on the controller, there appeared to be some misunderstandings,” he said. “We should have made more effort to explain how it works.”

“We haven’t made any kind of blunder, but I should have shown a single picture of the new console, then started talking about the controller,” he continued. “The console is not drastically different, and Wii U is about the controller. The console itself will be almost invisible.”

Iwata said that the press was also to blame, noting that it’s not possible to see how important the Wii U console is unless you’ve actually given it a try.

“There have been two groups of people writing about our announcement – those who have been able to experience the Wii U, and those who have not, and are simply writing about it from wire stories and pictures,” he mused.

“They cannot see how this can be a game changer. It reminds me of 2006, when we introduced the Wii for the first time. Here in LA, people enjoyed it, but in Japan, the atmosphere was very different. It seems to be the same this year.”

“What Wii U will offer is very different, but I believe we have the strong potential to change the entire format of videogames and of entertainment.”

– Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata

Lets us know how your received the news at E3.  We thought it all looked pretty great but be good to hear from you.

MB

Kinect Will Be Much More Prevanlent In The Future

Asked about Kinect support in Microsoft titles, Gamespot report that , Game Studios boss Phil Spencer remarked:

“There are some things that just seem to make navigating and playing games much easier…in the end, you’ll see all first-party games using some form of Kinect functionality.

“Whether it’s voice in Forza or head-tracking in Forza, which you wouldn’t say is somehow turning the Forza gameplay experience on it’s head,” he continued. “Rather, it’s just using the advantages of what Kinect brings to make the experience better. So I think there’s some specific examples where Kinect makes everything better.”

Lets us know your thoughts in the comments.

MB

Hands On With Wii U

Kotaku have posted a hands on video with the Wii U.  Check it out below.

MB

The Future Of Playstation

This weeks E3 was a glorious event celebrating what is now a very established, powerful and in our opinion joy giving industry.  But some have noted that Sony seemed to stand in the shadow of Microsoft and Nintendo.

For the Microsoft Xbox 360, it quickly became the year Kinect appears to be coming of age and in to it’s own with now support spilling in to mainstream gaming title such as Mass Effect 3 and a Star Wars branded game.  And they were not the only ones.  Indeed, the Fall due upgraded dashboard with voice recognition, Live TV and greater Kinect interactivity alone was a major message behind what Microsoft see as the future of gaming.

Nintendo came out with that controller!  The Wii U and it’s controller signals intent by Nintendo alongside being embraced by mainstream game titles alike to bring Nintendo in to the Living Room Hub game with features like video calls, touch screen drawing and a console which does not have to dominate the TV!

Sony indeed did bring out the new PS Vita which marked their next move forward in to portable gaming.  But that is a market that is becoming increasingly competitive with even Apple getting in on the act through the impressively growing array of gaming titles for iOS devices and indeed reports today that AppleTV and an iOS device such as an iPad may start to even compete directly with the Wii U concept.  Android and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play are further diversifying the portable gaming market and creating some huge choices for the consumer.  And the Nintendo 3DS!

Now a year in the games industry is not a great deal of time and next year it would not surprise any of us if Sony hit us all with a Playstation 4.  But where will the PS4 fit with Kinect taking control of the no controller needed environment and Wii U bringing the interactive gaming experience with a motion control and multi view gaming to a new level (check out the golf shot from the Wii U promo video).  Sony are capable of bringing something special that we can not think of but Xbox is catching up Sony for content on the Entertainment front outside of gaming (video playback, music hub, TV, social networking etc).  They may feel (as hinted by the Playstation 3D gaming TV set they announced – which is pretty neat) that the future of gaming console wars is to be fought over the 3D market but I am not convinced this is going to universally catch on with movies and TV nevermind gaming.  There is still resistance to having to wear a 3D pair of glasses to get the best experience.  Sony still has the edge on Blu-Ray but is this a move to protect their investment in the format?  Downloads and content streaming are increasingly where the market is moving.

And while Sony are looking at the PS4, Microsoft will surely already be looking ahead too.  Where this will all take us, we will have to wait and see, but it is hard to see where the PS will catch up and indeed overtake the Xbox.

Next years E3 will certainly be very interesting!

MB

Mario Kart 3DS E3 Trailer

As always, when Nintendo release Mario Kart for a console or handheld, I have to have it, check out the trailer below and see why!  Check out the hand gliders!

MB