Nintendo-Scene

Battlebricks.com has developed a robot, out of Legos NXT parts, that bowls perfect games on the Wii. They have video of it happening as proof, and plenty of pictures.

Presenting a Lego NXT Wii Playing Robot that can bowl a perfect game:

You are looking at a Wii Remote mounted on a robotically controlled swing. A second motor is used to trigger the bowling, by first Pressing the A button and left arrow, and then holding down the B button, swinging, and finally releasing the B button.

Personally, I cannot think of a better way to combine two of the greater things in life. Legos and Video Games.

Discuss this topic in our forums.

        

An update to an earlier story concerning Wi-Ic’s new modchip, the Micro Sd Edition.

Wi-Ic has contacted a some Wii forums to clear up the confusion surrounding their new chip, the Wi-Ic Micro SD Edition. It turns out the chip does not run Wii homebrew, or any kind of independent Wii OS, as implied on their website. It is a simple DVD drive mod and the SD card is most likely used to store GCOS homebrew such as emulators.

Discuss this topic in our forums.

        

Wi-Ic is claiming to have a modchip with it’s own independant Operating System.

The makers of the Wi-Ic have released a new modchip, the Wi-Ic micro SD edition. Not much information has been released thus far concerning this new modchip, here’s a list of product specifications:

Multi-Function LED indicator
POST (Power On Self Test)
Install Diagnostic and Status
Failsafe Update
(recover after failed update)
Disc Channel (DVD)
Photo Channel (requires 1 extra wire)
Non-volatile configuration storage
Optional wire for full chip disable
ESD (anti static) packaging
RoHS compliant (PbFree)

It will be interesting to see if this is an actual replacement Wii OS, enabling homebrew, or whether this just a way to run GCOS ( a homebrew enabling Gamecube OS) without action replay. As more information is released, we will keep you updated.

Discuss this topic in our forums.

        

Nintendo is usually slow to combat modification of their consoles. But, it looks like it is going to be different this time around, according to an article at DigiTimes.com. The Wii has already been altered some and now Nintendo could be looking into ways to alter the motherboard again making it more difficult to install mod-chips.

The new Wiis, which are part of new shipments of the console, have an altered circuit layout that makes modification more difficult than in earlier versions. Users attempting to mod the new consoles using current modchips are very likely to damage the system, the sources pointed out.

Some providers of Wii modification services in Taiwan think Nintendo could adopt BGA (ball grid array) IC packaging to prolong the time needed by hackers to develop new modchips to at least four months. The longer waiting time would likely reduce the willingness of some users to modify the consoles, the sources noted.

Read the full article at DigiTimes.com

Discuss this topic in our forums.

        

Nima, from Wii-Network emailed Nintendo about the possibility of Individual Friend Rosters for the Wii. Nintendo responded to confirm their Friend Code Sytem, as seen on the DS, will be coming to the Wii.
Here is a quote from the email sent by R.M. Rickets of Nintendo:

I can confirm that the Friend Code system in the Wi-Fi Connection (WFC) service for Wii will be the same as it was for the Nintendo DS, meaning game-specific Friend Codes and a separate Friend Roster are used in each game where players can play with identified friends.

This is a much welcomed improvement over the interesting way in which we have had to deal with friends on the Wii. Nima, however, also makes a good point: Why not just make a universal Friend Code system? It seems to be working for the Xbox360, whom have set the standard for Next-Gen online gaming.

Discuss this topic in our forums.

        

According to SPOnG, improvements are coming to make the Wii’s browser a little more user friendly.

Nintendo’s giving the Wii’s Opera Browser an update before it starts charging you for it.

Following feedback about the browser, which is still in its beta version, Nintendo plans to streamline it. Most important, as far as SPOnG’s concerned, is the decision to have buttons that will instantly enter common strings of characters such as ‘www’ and ‘.com’. The decision will, we hope and pray, shorten the time spent watching your cursor judder across the screen frustratingly as you try to type.

The other updates, according to Nintendo, will be as follows, ‚ÄúImproved zooming and scrolling, an improved zoomed font, shortened start-up times, quicker access to ‘favourites,‚Äù and ‚Äú…an ability to hide the toolbar.‚Äù

The updated browser will be free until the end of June, when it will begin costing 500 Wii points on the Wii Shop Channel and sell for 500 Wii points (£3.50).

Discuss this topic in our forums.

        

The Wii has officially bridged the generation gap between America’s youth and it’s elderly. In this MSNBC story, retirees have picked-up the motion sensing controller to enjoy trips down Memory Lane, playing tennis and bowling.

Nintendo’s stated goal is to bring video gaming into the mainstream. Apparently, they’ve done more than that!

Japan’s Nintendo has been on a mission to expand the $30 billion global video game market far beyond the children and young males who make up its core consumers.

And the company, a former underdog best known for fun, high-quality games based on off-beat characters like plumbers — think Mario Bros. — has sent shock waves through game industry with the unexpected and runaway success of the Wii.

While we highly doubt that the 70-85 year-old was Nintendo’s targeted demographic, they’re living right if they got grandma to play. Who knows, maybe Samus Aran is an AARP member?

Discuss this topic in our forums.

        

According to Next-Gen.biz, the DFC speculates that the Nintendo DS could become the best selling game machine ever.

The Nintendo DS could very well end up being the best-selling platform in history, as the overall portable market is set to balloon to over $10 billion in 2007, according to DFC Intelligence.

“The DS has the potential to be the best-selling interactive entertainment platform ever,” said DFC analyst David Cole in brief teaser for the report, The Market for Portable Video Games.

Read more at Next-Gen.biz.

Discuss this topic in our forums.

        

There’s a new modchip on the scene, and the group behind it, InFeCtuS, are making some serious claims.

They claim the chip is able to work on the ps2, ps3, xbox 360 and the wii. Not only that, it does some pretty impressive things to each system it supports. Here’s the list of features:

WII SUPPORT:

Of course this is a free “bonus” in this mod because, we know, most of You wouldn’t install such a big and expensive chip on a WII, but being it free… it’s a good chance!

* WIIKEY / WIIFREE EMULATION: (under developement - 80% ready). This feature will allow you to play just everything you want on your WII.

XBOX360 SUPPORT:

* Allows to gain total access over the XBOX360 flash driver, so that you can read and write the internal flash of any X360 DVD READER in the market.
Everything can be managed with a very simple and user friendly PC software.
* FLASH ID realtime patching, your xbox360 cannot understand if there is any flash running other than the original one.
* GLOBE MODCHIP 360 100% emulation including ON / OFF LED
* NME 1.2 firmware emulation (at work 80% finished). Allow you to install the chip with few wires like NME.

PS3 SUPPORT:

* The first work to be done is to allow our users to flash directly the PS3 BIOS by USB. So no more problem with firmwares, you can install everything you want, when you want. All the complications due to firmware versions that cannot be downgraded will not bother you anymore.
This solution will be released in the next 4 weeks!
* Another new feature that we want to add is a REAL TIME patching of the firmware part that you want to be emulated from the chip. Being the 512Kb flash not enough to store a real dual firmware, we’ll have to wait for the first hacked firmware to understand if a “realtime” patching will be possible. In case we won’t be able to find more ideas, a new version of Infectus with a memory expantion bay will be released.

PS2 SUPPORT:

* Complete O2 MODCHIP emulation 100% with all functionalities (www.o2mod.com) - Included for FREE

SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT:

The possibility to manage the features using an easy software is one of the BIG advantages of this modchip solution!

* WIZARD help for the users: you will simply follow software’s instruction step by step, everyone would be able to install and manage the INFECTUS MOD.
* When you will be ready to install INFECTUS on a DVD DRIVE 078 XBOX360 FIRMWARE, the software will assist you with a 100% automated extraction of the key and the patch of new firmware.
* WIZARD configuration based on XML for an automatical update of last firmwares.
* X360 FIRMWARE checksum, the software will tell you if you are actually using the correct firmware (this feature is only available in WIZARD procedure)
* HELP section to allow an easy searching of X360 firmwares

I can only imagine having this installed in all my consoles at once. Two feet of wire trailing from each system, like some crazy electronic spider web. They also claim to have a wii firmware flasher coming out in the next 2 weeks. Of course, April Fool’s Day is in the next 2 weeks as well…

Discuss this topic in our forums.

        

According to reports at SPOnG.com, an anonymous tipster has confirmed NiGHTS is coming to the Wii and it is a new exclusive full game, not a VC release from the Saturn version.

Speaking to representatives close to the project, we were told in no uncertain terms that a new NiGHTS game is about to be uncovered. NiGHTS will launch exclusively for the Nintendo Wii platform.

‚ÄúYes, there is a new NiGHTS coming, and coming quite soon actually,‚Äù we were told today by a representative close to the project who agreed to speak with us under terms of strict anonymity. ‚ÄúIt’s a full game too, not a rehash of old NiGHTS for Virtual Console as some have said it might be lately. It’s a whole new game.‚Äù

I’m not going to believe it until I see it from Nintendo but this seems legit. It has so many possibilities with the Wii controller, if it is true, it should be a lot of fun.

Click thumbnail for larger view:

Update to “Chandra@ONM” Posts About Rumors Of Next Months Release

Discuss this topic in our forums.