At the E3 Media & Business Summit today, Nintendo unveiled an
enhancement for its iconic Wii Remote controller and new games that
promise to further enrich and engage players around the world. These
offerings build on Nintendo’s ongoing efforts to remove the barriers
between expert and novice video game players, an approach that has been
instrumental in creating a paradigm shift for the industry since the
advent of the Nintendo DS portable system and the Wii home console.
“Much has been reported about the ‘expanded audience’ for games, but
what’s really at play is an expanded experience,” said Cammie Dunaway,
Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing.
“People of all ages having fun together—whether in the same room or from
remote locations—puts smiles on faces and drives millions of new players
into video game entertainment.”
Wii Sports Resort is not just a simple sequel to one of
the world’s most popular console games, Wii Sports. It is
the first title to make use of another Nintendo advance, the Wii
MotionPlus accessory, which plugs into the base of the Wii Remote
controller to provide an incredibly realistic motion experience.
Scheduled for release in spring 2009, Wii Sports Resort includes
new game experiences such as Sword Play, Power Cruising on a water
scooter and Disc Dog, along with the new Wii MotionPlus accessory and
Wii Remote Jacket at no additional cost. The Wii MotionPlus enhances
precision and player immersion for the Nintendo-pioneered
motion-controlled gaming trend that has drawn millions of new people to
the world of video games.
On Nov. 16, Animal Crossing®: City Folk lets players move
into a fun community populated by quirky animals. Players can improve
their community, chat with the locals or just spend the day fishing and
collecting fossils. There is also the opportunity to catch a bus into
the new urban city area. Though you’ll never see other players in the
city, you can connect with them in new ways using WiiConnect24, such as
bidding on your friends’ items at the auction house or visiting the
Happy Room Academy headquarters to see the top-rated player house.
Another new feature in Animal Crossing®: City Folk is the
ability to visit friends’ towns and chat with one another using the new
WiiSpeak microphone. The WiiSpeak microphone is sold separately at an
MSRP of $29.99 and allows Internet voice chat among Wii Friends – not
just from person to person but from room to room.
Wii Music makes it easy for people to jam to tunes, even if they
don’t know anything about music. Wii Music transforms the
Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers into more than 60 different
instruments, including a violin, steel drums, electric guitar – even a
cowbell. Players strum, shake, tap and drum along to the music in a
pressure-free musical playground where there are no mistakes. They can
improvise on their arrangements by skipping a note – or adding 10. The
music always sounds great, but it’s up to players to come up with
creative arrangements that they can then send to friends and family who
have Wii Music. Those Wii Friends can then put their own spin on
the arrangement and send it back and forth over WiiConnect24. Wii
Music will be available in the United States for the holidays.
In the portable category, Nintendo DS remains on top. Nintendo DS has
sold more than 20 million units in the United States and more than 70
million worldwide. Third-party publishers continue to take advantage of
that installed base. Coming this winter exclusively to the Nintendo DS
is Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, a new entry in Rockstar
Games’ award-winning and hugely successful Grand Theft Auto
franchise. Activision’s exclusive Guitar Hero® On Tour: Decades
makes its anticipated debut this fall, as does a collection of wild and
wonderful critters from Electronic Arts’ Spore™ Creatures.
Source: Nintendo
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