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Faulty Controller Straps!

November 25th 2006 01:13

Here on Kotaku, as well as everywhere else on the net, it seems, Wiimote straps are breaking left and right. There's been TVs killed, walls smacked into, probably even an unfortunate fluffy animal bonked on the head.

It would certainly seem there's some manner of manufacturing fault with at least SOME of the controller straps. Whose fault is it that the TV is broken? It's an interestingly grey legal area, certainly.

There sure is an easy solution, though... wear two straps at the same time.

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Updates and News

November 24th 2006 02:00

Yes, it's been a ridiculously long time since the site has been updated. Blame my laziness, and the turmoil of a new job and uni exams. But exams are over, I'm settled into my new cushy job, and ready to start writing for SBP again. I'm really going to try to post daily info and news now, even if it only serves the purpose of keeping my fingers busy.

So, the Wii has been released in the US, just in time for Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales periods. And this site pretty much missed all of the hype and launch-day antics, such as they were.

But I'm definitely going to at least attempt to count down the remaining fortnight til the Wii's Australian launch, then go absolutely crazy in a torrent of reviews and whatnot. For now though, here are some snippets of news courtesy of Kotaku, Joystiq and GoNintendo... the Nintendo Associated Press, by another name:

Kotaku's latest post is a GameVideos snippet, on the creation of Celebrity Miis... Hitler, Jesus, Iwata. Even poor ol' Jack Thompson makes an appearance, though I'm sure he'd say that Raving Rabbids promotes gross animal violence.

Joystiq, as one may expect, have a highy speculative article on possible 'enhancements' for Virtual Console games. Rather than being bug fixes for old games, they think, the enhancements will be more along the lines of online multiplayer capability for the Mariokarts and other games we've come to love. Seems a bit far-fetched to me, but I certainly wouldn't complain if it were the case. PC emulators have supported online play for quite some time (though undoubtedly illegally so) though it's been problematic at best. This could be a real boon for the Wii - a properly integrated system that rises above what's offered by emulators, with an online community and scoring system a la Xbox Live...

The IT section of The Australian (of all the places) has a nib that focuses on third-party support for Nintendo. Doesn't really contain all that much info apart from stating the obvious that there really are quite a few third-party companies out there making Wii (and DS, I guess) games, but it's thought provoking nonetheless. Nintendo were renowned for their distaste for third-party interaction back in the days of yore, but they certainly seem to have picked up their game in recent years. Red Steel, Rayman, Elebits... these are just three of the many third-party games for the Wii that seem decent. Of course there are some generic ones (GT Pro Series, anyone?) but that's to be expected. On the list of games that are exclusive to the Wii, too, there is quite a high percentage of non-Nintendo investiture. How will this continue in the future? Will Nintendo drop the ball again? Or will the Wii's third-party market become as strong as, say, Sony's (for the PS2/3)? Only time will tell, I think.

Can't find a Nintendo-branded component cable for your shiny new Wii in the shops? Oh well, that's no problem... make your own! It looks a little chaotic, though... the mad scientist in me would've used a length of ethernet cable and some soldering to cheat and convert a composite cable into a component one. Or, most likely, it'd turn out poorly. Very poorly.

Kotaku, in their infinite kindness, have a mirror of the Wii Sports cover that was released (by Nintendo themselves, I think?) a while ago on the 'net. Now, you don't get a real DVD case and cover for Wii Sports when it's shipped with the console, only a paper sleeve. For the obsessive-compulsive amongst us, though, this cover, when printed out, gives some semblance of consistency to your ever-growing library of Wii games.

OK, so this is a slightly odd video. Rabbits cooking turkey in a laundromat, and then dancing. Sounds like some great fun. Raving Rabbids is going to be one of the titles I pick up at launch, just for the crazy mini-game aspect of it.

That's it for now, but expect a post tomorrow, if not later tonight.

Thanks, folks!

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The Wii Party

October 31st 2006 23:56

So, I played the Wii last night.

And I liked it

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My Wii preorder, First virtual console games, Wii demo units

October 19th 2006 00:36

So, I dropped down to Myer and pre-ordered myself a Wii yesterday. $600 worth of vouchers (though I probably won't use any of them, other than the game and controller ones) and a free copy of GT Pro Series II, also known as GT Wii. It seems like a pretty generic racing game, and from the gameplay videos the car collision physics leave a little to be desired. However, the main drawing point for me of GT Wii is Ubisoft's 'steering wheel' shell for the Wiimote - designed by Thrustmaster, of countless PC joysticks fame - which I'm sure you've all seen before:

The Wii's steering wheel attachment

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Australian Wii preorder list

October 9th 2006 02:02

OK, here's my attempt at a list of the current state of Australian Wii preorders. If you know more than I do, or have another store to add to the list, leave a comment or drop me an email. I'd be more than happy to credit your contributions...

Myer
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Wii retail packaging, accessories

October 9th 2006 01:41

Engadget recently posted up a heap of Wii retail packaging and accessories packaging, that's apparently destined for US Target stores:

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Wii console, controller & bundle pricing, Aussie-Nintendo news roundup

October 5th 2006 06:41

A cross section of the latest and greatest bits of news, all courtesy of the wonderful Aussie-Nintendo.com:

Nintendo will offer a wired Ethernet kit for the Wii, if you don't have access to wireless LAN or 'net.
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Homebrew DS browser, Zelda string music...

October 3rd 2006 05:10

DSFanboy report on a homebrew DS browser in development. Now, I'm pretty sure everyone knows about the Opera DS browser. Simple - buy the browser, plug it in, surf the net. 'Homebrew' software for the DS isn't a topic I've covered so far, and it's a little more complicated than plug-and-play, most of the time. The majority of homebrew software runs from a device plugged into the GBA slot of the DS - the equivalent of a USB flash drive plugged into a computer. 'Homebrew' applications - that is, independently-made games, software, et cetera - can be transferred from PC to the device (the device's memory is usually comprised of a CompactFlash or SD card) and then run on the DS itself as if it were code running from a DS cartridge. Apart from the obviously illegal copied-game scenarios, there is a lot of software that has been created for the DS that increases its functinonality. MoonShell and DSOrganize are two of the main players in the homebrew market. DSOrganize basically converts your DS into a touch-screen-capable PDA, with a calendar, music player, file browser, scribble pad... the lot. Moonshell is a music and video player that uses the touch-screen for playback control. I invested in a Supercard (a common format of homebrew device) some time ago, and it's been well worth the purchase price - most of which is taken up by the cost of an SD card. So yes, hopefully the homebrew community will continue to thrive around the DS, including this hopefully-capable, hopefully-realised homebrew DS browser.

And THIS is Legend of Zelda being played by a string quartet. God, does life get any better

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Wii preorders, DS Lite casemod

October 2nd 2006 00:48

Vooks.net have a decently comprehensive list of the available Wii preorders in Australia, covering Myer, Toys'R'Us, EB, Gametraders, and several more. It's a good place to start if you want to compare the different deals available to consumers.

And THIS is an awesomely shockingly well-done DS Lite case mod. Ever wanted an Artic-Ice-esque (yknow, the Game Boy with the clear case?) DS Lite? Then look no further.

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DS prices, Toys'R'Us Wii deal, Opera Wii details :)

September 26th 2006 23:33

Yeah, it's been a while, but's been relatively quiet from Nintendo recently - at least in comparison to the furore surrounding the Wii's launch...

The best pricing deal on DSes - black and white - seems to be at Target at the moment, at $179. Though if they're out of stock of the black, it's highly likely a JB HiFi in the area will pricematch or possibly even beat others' prices - I know that I got my DS for ~$20 less than Myer were selling them for, simply because I talked to the guy and was friendly

The Futuretronics 15-in-1 pack is now relatively cheap, $39 at all Myers. This pack has some good and some pointless things. The screen protectors are an absolute boon and really do a good job of protecting the screen from unintended scratches and dust, as well as feeling better to stab (there's more material to push against, rather than straight onto the DS's thin screen). The game cases and the headphones are rather gimmicky though, but some people might use them, if only for the headphones' iPod-esque fashonista looks

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November 2006

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October 2006

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