Today is being marked as the official day that the Wii overtook the Xbox 360 in total console sales. As you can see above, the console is still losing in the U.S. market, however due to its popularity in Japan, was able to edge out the Xbox 360 and claim the top spot. With the console releasing last November, its continued shortages only make this feat that much more impressive.
By know you have probably all downloaded the updated version of the Wii internet browser. If not, I recommend you do it very soon. Seeing as for now, this upgrade is free. But come June, the upgrade will cost 500 Wii points.
After playing around with it for a while, I see some great improvements, especially for a wider tv, black bars have been removed, etc.
Here are some handy button combos to make your couch surfing that much easier:
B Button + Left Arrow = Search
B Button + Right Arrow = Enter web address
B Button + Up Arrow = Reload
B Button + Down Arrow = Favorites
B Button + (+) key = Page forward
B Button + (-) key = Page backward
Been a while since i posted some Wii news on here... What's new... A couple of games, Wii Play and Throma Center are my last 2 purchases in local stores. I have picked up a few VC games hough... here is a list of the ones i have so far. Fun to play these with the classic controller. I remember being better at Super mario bros. though. :(
Here's a new trailer for the upcoming Mario Wii game, possibly called, Mario Galaxy. Enjoy!
2 Wii modchips will be hitting the scene this weekend
The Wiija Wii modchip
And the CycloWiz Wii modchip
Both mod chips seems a little sketchy. I will wait until I hear some reviews before I make any decisions.
then you can slap your Wii game into your drive and make yourself a backup. The program and creators are here.
Be prepared to leave your PC on for quite some time, because it takes over 50 hours to copy a game, also, there is no way to play your backup yet. There are quite a few rumors of a Wii modchip called xenowii (<- link might only work on firefox and linux, let me know), that is currently under development. From what I have read and watched (below) the Wii and the gamecube have very similar copy protection, and the xeno team was the first team to create a mod chip for the gamecube. So it is very plausible that they will be creating the very first Wii modchip as well.
Here is a conference on Wii vs Gamecube security. It is very technical, and the jokes are very... technical. But I found it an interesting watch anyway.
Wow, this is a weird one. A 28 year old Rancho Cordova woman has died from her participation in a radio contest to win a Wii. Some clever monkey at station KDND 107.9 out of Sacramento, thought it would be hilarious to hold a "Hold your Wee for a Wii" contest (get it?). Contestants were given water to drink and whoever could drink the most without peeing, would get the Wii.
According to one contestant, the lady in question, Jennifer Strange, drank at least five 8oz bottles of water in the first hour and even more afterwards, but no one knows for sure how much exactly she consumed. The coroner said that early investigation showed signs that her death might have been caused by water intoxication. It should be noted though, that this is NOT the official word as of yet, just the preliminary findings.
I think the saddest part of this story is that Mrs. Strange was trying to win the Wii for her three children. Another strange death surrounding America's obsession with the new generation video game consoles. I must say, the mind reels.
If anyone sees this in a store, could you flag where you saw it... i would like to get a better look at it and maybe pick it up.
THis is coming out this Tuesday... Who's getting this? I read somewhere that it will use Miis in a few games. I think that This and Wii Play are my next 2 purchases.
If someone see a great deal in a flyer somewhere, let up know.
Are upgrading your Wii Component cables really worth it? Benoit and I each say yes, but you no longer have to take our word...
Video test of Composite vs Component
Upgrading from 480i to 480p makes quite a noticeable difference if your tv can display the 480p resolution. The contributors here at Mii Space say go for this upgrade.
Perhaps this is old news for most of you out there, however, Ferda and I have recently been able to get an automatic strike in the 10th frame of the power bowling training game. Getting a strike here is nearly impossible without this trick since there are 99 pins!
It's quite simple, really. As you progress throughout the training game, the number of pins increase and so does the width of the lane. And on the final frame (10th), move your mii all the way to the right side, and line yourself up with the blue barrier. You might have to aim slightly to the right as well, and maybe place some spin on the ball so it won't roll off. Now what you want to do here is throw the ball high enough to ride all the way down the barrier and fall off at the end. If it falls off the barrier to either side, left or right, the trick doesn't' work. So if you've done it correctly, the ball will 'hit' the little red light at the end of the lane and you should hear a small 'click'. After that, a large explosion happens, shaking ALL the pins to the ground.
Hello automatic strike!
Notes: I haven't tested this with left-handed bowlers, as far as I know, it only work with right-handed bowlers.
[Thanks to Darryl for showing me this]
Awesome streaming music Site for the Wii.
Introducing FineTune for Wii
This is not for games, but for music. But it is very well done. It is tailored to the Wii and very clean. I've played with it for a bit, and it seems to work a bit like Pandora.com. You can input the name of a band or musician you like and it will pipe out similar music. You can also listen to some preset playlists.
Shooting Range, a point-and-fire game of target practice in the Duck Hunt tradition
Billiards, a simplified variation of nine-ball with stunningly realistic physics that uses your Wii Remote as your pool cue
Find Mii, in which you scan the crowds to find the right Mii - Miis you and your friends created make an appearance
Tanks!, where you command a toy tank on a miniature battlefield in a gauntlet of 100 missions
Other games include Pose Mii, Table Tennis, Fishing, Charge! and Laser Hockey
Assured purchase for mii!
Techies might want to keep an ee on these 2 sites. Looks like people are taking a liking the the Wiimote and it's bluetooth connectivity.
http://wiihacks.blogspot.com/
http://www.wiili.org
For both PCs and Macs.
One of the reasons i find this one soo funny is that every time Cinthia goes to bed after playing Elebits, she complains on how when she closes her eyes, she sees little blue Elebits everywhere. Heheheh!
Wii Sports Accessories via Gizmodo
But where are the boxing gloves, and bowling ball?
I am not usually one to push my opinions on other people - (unless of course when referring to the ever-touchy Media Center vs MythTV debate) - however, I do have some advice for my fellow Wii owners concerning the virtual console on our beloved Nintendo Wii:
Wii Points (used to buy virtual console games) are not free, they come at a price: 2000 points for $20 US. Add exchange, provincial and federal taxes - and you are getting close to 30 big ones.
Typically, judging from what Nintendo has offered us so far, games range from 500 - 1500 points. So that $30 can be burned up quite quickly in buying just two games. I'm not a cheap-o, I just want to remind you that many of these games you probably already own (Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros). If you stop and think before buying, you might remember that you can save yourself some cash for future Wii releases if you just take out that old NES, dust it off, and blow cartridge for five minutes.
Thank you - that is all.
I put two links to cool Wii game sites in java. Homebrew on the Wii will likely grow in the next few months.
Anyone know of sites which would carry flash 7 games?
I also got a Wii on release day.
I was unable to find a pre-order and decided I would show up early and line up for a Wii.
My first instinct was to go to a small out of the way store (Loblaws Superstore Electronics department), so I called them the day before, and they informed me they had 6 Wii's.
After calling the local Walmart and finding out they had about 50, I decided I liked the comfort of the Walmart return policy better than Loblaws, I found out they were recommending everyone show up two hours before the store opens to get one, so I decide I should show up 3 hours early, unfortunately, they open at 7.
On a separate note, not having put the Nintendo release in my calendar, I also scheduled a party/gathering at my house the night before release, midnight rolls around and the party subsides, and I go to bed, and the alarm seems to go off right away.. look at that 3:00.... ok, lets get moving, it's cold out (colder than it is now in January I think) , I get a chair, a book, a coat and scarf, tuque, etc... and head out the door.
I get to Walmart, and look at the time 3 frickin' 30, My first glance at walmart and it looks empty, with a few cars in the parking lot. I think wft, am I the only one here?
Then I roll around to the other doors, and have the opposite reaction... crap that's a lot of people!
I get in line and talk to a few people, and find out they think I am 38 ish, I decide I want to know a more accurate number, and I walk through the line saying hi, and asking how many Wii's will be purchased in their group,
I find myself at #41 (or around 41 I'm not 100% sure anymore)
The consensus in the line is that there are 60ish Wii's in the store, Walmart would not give an exact number, I assume to keep the end of the line more civil.
The line doubles in size between 3:30 and 6:30, many people are showing up and leaving
7:00 rolls around, Jenn brings me a coffee from Timmies, and Walmart starts letting us in 10 at a time.
I end up getting my Wii, another controller and numchuck and Zelda. Yay.
(then get Rayman later)
As you may have read from super_ap, James and Ferda have also been lucky enough to have purchased a Wii.
Ferda was at Walmart one morning when they made an announcement that a shipment of Wii's had just arrived. Ferda dropped everything and ran to the electronics department and got in line. Hello fun new toy!
We currently own Wii Sports, Elebits, and Monkey Ball. I think Wii Sports and Elebits are getting the most play time so far. In fact, we are completely hooked on the fitness test part of Wii Sports. It's almost become a daily challenge for us to improve our Wii Sports Fitness Age.
Speaking of my Wii Sports Fitness Age, I am pleased to report that I scored a 21 last night. I destroyed my way through 3 random events of bowling, tennis, and baseball.
What's your Wii Sports Fitness Age?
If you don't have yours, visit the Official Nintendo Site.
Wii humour on the ... ahem... injuries.
So far, i am very pleased with my purchase. i had never tried it before and upon reading some reviews, i ordered it. It's some kind of tetris clone game with a twist. It was apparently the last game released on the original NES. It stars Toad from Mario Bros fame.
A great puzzler.
My rating: 7 out of 10 Mario Stars
Good thing I waited because during Xmas holidays, I found a set by MadCatz for $25 at EBGames. Returned the unopened cables the next day. Been happier ever since.
Are they worth it? For me - definately. Given that I play on a Plasma and that the cable that came with the Wii was a single yellow RCA... I can definately see the difference - especially on Zelda. If you have a regular TV without 480 output; i wouldn't bother.
There is am... Story thus far with the Wii for me is that I picked it up on November 19th (release day baby!!!). My console was pre-ordered at EBGames in early October by Cinthia's dad. We didn't have any problems picking it up on release day.
Games purchased on launch day: Wii Sports, Zelda, Marvel Alliance, Rayman, Super Monkeyball.
I also picked up an extra controller and nunchuck (thank goodness!)... these things sure are hard to come by!
I have since picked up Elebits and bought 2 Virtual Console games: SMB and Warrio's Woods.
My Wii Console #: 8371 6078 9549 4402
That's it for now.
What's it all about?
The Wii (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Wii
Manufacturer Nintendo
Type Video game console
Generation Seventh generation era
First available North America November 19, 2006
JP December 2, 2006
AU IT December 7, 2006
EU December 8, 2006
CPU IBM PowerPC-based[1] "Broadway"
GPU ATI "Hollywood"
Media 12 cm Wii Optical Disc
8 cm Nintendo GameCube Game Disc
System storage 512MB Internal flash memory
GameCube Memory Card
Secure Digital card
Connectivity Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
USB 2.0 x2
LAN Adapter (via USB)
Online service Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
WiiConnect24
Virtual Console
Wii Channels
Units sold Worldwide: 1 million+ as of December 7, 2006[2]
United States: 476,000 as of December 1, 2006[3]
Japan: 823,311 as of December 24, 2006[4]
Europe: 325,000 as of December 13, 2006[5]
Australia: 32,901 as of December 10, 2006[6]
Backward
compatibility Nintendo GameCube
Predecessor Nintendo GameCube
The Wii (pronounced as the pronoun "we," IPA: [wiː]) is a video game console released by Nintendo. The console was previously known by its project code name of Revolution, and is the successor to the Nintendo GameCube. Although Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3,[7] as part of the seventh generation of gaming consoles it competes with the other two on some levels.
A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. Notable among the console's internal features is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while consuming very little electrical power.
Nintendo first mentioned the console in the 2004 E3 press conference and later unveiled the system at the 2005 E3. Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show.[8] In the 2006 E3, it won the first of several awards.[9] By December 8, 2006, the console completed its launch in three key markets.
Let's see where Wii will go with this...
Matt, James, Ferda, Cinthia... Wii can now play...
By all means, feel free to modify this site to your liking and invite Wii friends to join in...
