Wii Sports Resort Message Board

The outside world doesn't know a whole lot about what is really going on in North Korea—how the people actually live and what they do. One thing we can prove, however, is that at least one North Korean citizen has played the Nintendo Wii.Read more...

Starting today, Super Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Sports Resort are just $29.99 each. That's the value equivalent of paying $10 for a non-first-party Wii game. Imagine how cheap they'll be when the Wii U's successor has been out for almost a year! Read more...

#wii This November, Nintendo is rolling out a new bundle in Japan. The white or black Nintendo Wii will come with a regular Wii Remote Plus and a Nunchuk as well as a pink Wii-mote Plus and a copy of Wii Party. More »

#japan In Japan, Nintendo is releasing new hardware bundles this month, and a new hardware color next. More »

The Wii is now $169.99 USD at most U.S. retailers (Best Buy, Target, Amazon) as of this week. Budget minded Wii owners will also be happy to know that two Nintendo games, Wii Party and Wii Sports Resort, have also had their prices slashed a cool ten bucks. Both are $39.99 USD, Nintendo of America has announced. Oh, the savings! More »

The Wii isn't the only Nintendo product experiencing a price drop. The House of Mario announced today that Wii Sports Resort and Wii Party will have a suggested retail price of $39.99 beginning April 25. The $10 software drop and Wii hardware price cut come in the wake of rumors that Nintendo will announce a new console at E3.

According to Nintendo, Wii Sports Resort, which includes the Wii MotionPlus attachment, has sold over 10.7 million units in the US since 2009. No sales figures were given for Wii Party, meaning it's likely considerably less than its Resort cousin.

Well folks, it's not quite May 15 just yet, but it seems that big box retailers have already begun offering discounts on the Nintendo Wii, dropping the price from $200 to $170. It's not exactly a full-on, official price drop -- not yet, at least -- but it certainly looks like one is imminently approaching.

As indicated last week by a leak at Target and corroborated by listings on the websites of GameStop, Toys 'R Us, and Best Buy, various versions of the Nintendo Wii console bundle are being offered for $170 as of today. Best Buy even got in on the action a bit early over this past weekend. However, if what we've heard about an official price drop in mid-May for the Nintendo Wii is true, then you may just want to wait another few weeks and save yourself a full $50.

#wii Last year, Nintendo released Wii Sports Resort, and the bundle featured the Wii MotionPlus add-on. But in 2010, Nintendo is now phasing in the Wii RemotePlus with its on-board Wii MotionPlus. What does that mean for Wii Sports Resort? More »

The Wii Remote Plus, which almost unimaginably crams MotionPlus tech into a standard-sized Wiimote, has been dated and priced for Japan. The controller will be released on November 11 for ¥3,800 ($46) -- the same price as the normal Wiimote -- and will be available in five colors: white, black, blue, red and pink. A red Nunchuk will be released, as well.

The old Wiimote will ostensibly be phased out, as Nintendo will also begin bundling the Wiimote Plus with Wii systems on the same day. Additionally, Andriasang reports that the Wii Sports Resort bundle, which originally included the MotionPlus attachment, will feature the Wiimote Plus beginning on -- you guessed it -- November 11. The bundle will retail for ¥5,800 ($70).

The Wii Remote Plus, which almost unimaginably crams Motion Plus tech into a standard-sized Wiimote, has been dated and priced for Japan. The controller will be released on November 11 for ¥3,800 ($46) -- the same price as the normal Wiimote -- and will be available in five colors: white, black, blue, red and pink. A red Nunchuk will be released, as well.

The old Wiimote will ostensibly be phased out, as Nintendo will also begin bundling the Wiimote Plus with Wii systems on the same day. Additionally, Andriasang reports that the Wii Sports Resort bundle, which originally included the MotionPlus attachment, will feature the Wiimote Plus beginning on -- you guessed it -- November 11. The bundle will retail for ¥5,800 ($70).

The games go head-to-head and we pick a favorite.

#competition Are you the best Wii gamer in the country? Nintendo gives you a chance to prove your mettle in the first-ever Wii Games: Summer 2010, and it all starts in the cradle of civilization: New Jersey. More »

Are you ready to totally destroy some people on vacation who felt like trying out a Wii game? Get to your local mall or Six Flags next month! This summer, Nintendo is holding a Wii Games: Summer 2010 competition, with initial matches held throughout the country, culminating in a final showdown in Los Angeles.

The five events to get way too serious about include Wii Sports Resort's Basketball and Bowling, Wii Fit Plus's Hula Hoop Challenge, New Super Mario Bros. Wii's Coin Battle, and Mario Kart Wii's Time Trial. The schedule and locations can be found at the competition's official site. Not anywhere near one of those locations? A "home version" will soon be available on the site, so you can try out your inappropriately intense game and trash talk on your own family.

Remember when you first played the Rowing event in Wii Sports Resort, and wished that there was some way you could simulate the tactile feedback associated with dragging a paddle through water? Peripheral manufacturer CTA Digital, which brought us the 8-in-1 Wii Sports Kit, the Wii Remote Dumbell Set and the 9-in-1 Wii Sports Kit, has created a device which fills your very specific need: The Wii Rowing machine, currently available on Amazon for $34.99.

Check out a video demonstration of the peripheral after the jump. We know you're probably a little bit dubious, but what you don't know is that you can also use it to do sit-ups. It practically pays for itself, in the sense that having a tight, rippled abdomen counts as its own form of currency.

#wii Like a box of Cheerios, boxes for Wii, Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort will soon feature a seal of approval from The American Heart Association. That means, really, truly, these video games could be good for you. More »

Nintendo of America announced a strategic partnership with the American Heart Association this morning, effectively adding the AHA stamp of approval to all retail boxes of Wii Fit Plus, Wii Sports Resort, and the Nintendo Wii itself. "The brand serves as a chance to remind people about the benefits of a healthy approach to living and how active-play video games can be an integral part of a healthy lifestyle," the partnership's official website explains.

In addition to the marketing partnership, the AHA and Nintendo will host a "multidisciplinary summit of representatives from a variety of fields ... to take a closer look at the synergies and benefits of active-play video games," entitled the "Innovation Summit." No details have been provided on when and where said summit will occur. Finally, various "active-play Nintendo video games" will be available to play at select "Start! Heart Walk" events this fall.

Also, no, Nintendo hasn't explained the Vitality Sensor yet.

As an addition to its overall earnings report, Nintendo has released a list of first-party million-sellers from its last fiscal year (ending March 31). Many of these games, including Wii Sports and Wii Fit, have been out for years, but still managed to sell more than a million units over the last four quarters!

On DS, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver have sold an astonishing 8.4 million copies -- 3.78 million in Japan, where the game's been out since September, and 4.62 million outside of Japan in just a few short weeks of availability before the close of the fiscal year. Nintendo's Japan-only Tomodachi Collection sold 3.2 million copies, and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box moved a respectable 2.43 million copies outside of Japan. Even Style Savvy, which has a somewhat low profile in North America and Europe, sold 1.21 million copies in those territories. As for two perennial bestsellers, Mario Kart DS and New Super Mario Bros. each sold over three million copies outside of Japan in the last fiscal year.

Nintendo's marquee 2009 Wii titles, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, sold more than 10 million units each in North America and Europe alone; and worldwide, those titles sold 16.14 million, 12.65 million, and 14.7 million copies, respectively, through the fiscal year. But if you think those are big numbers, think again. Thanks to Wii Sports being bundled with the Wii system outside of Japan, the game now totals 63.46 million units sold. Heck, even Link's Crossbow Training (bundled with the Wii Zapper) broke a million sold in the last fiscal year.

Head past the break for the complete list of million-sellers from Nintendo's fiscal year ending March 31, 2010.

Source [PDF] - Supplementary information about earnings release [Nintendo]

Nintendo of America has finally announced the availability of a new colored Wii for North America. First spotted in a leaked GameStop ad, new Nintendo Wii bundles -- available in black or white -- will include a Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort. This is essentially the same bundle that has been available in Europe since late last year (pictured above).

The enhanced bundles will be available at retail stores beginning May 9th for the same price as the current Wii package: $199.99. While it may not be the price drop some have been waiting for, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime thinks the new bundle adds even more "value." In a press release, he stated: "By including even more of our top-quality hardware and software in the basic Wii system package, we're extending that commitment to entertainment and value. Now more than ever, consumers can count on Nintendo to deliver inclusive fun and advanced motion controls at a mass-market price."

#wii The black Wii console, which we already knew was coming, has today been officially revealed by Nintendo of America. It'll still be $199, and include not one game, but two. More »

#nintendo GameStop stores' monthly poster shipment includes this lovely advertisement for the rumored black Nintendo Wii, bundled with Wii Sports, Wii MotionPlus, and Wii Sports Resort. More »

#nintendo When will North American Wii owners finally have a sleek black console that matches their black Wii Remote, Nunchuk and Classic Controller? Maybe as early as May, according to multiple retail sources. More »

#retail No disc - game, CD, DVD, whatever - sold more in 2009 than Modern Warfare 2, in the U.K. anyway, where the game bested phenomena such as Lady Gaga and Susan Boyle, and standbys like James Bond and Harry Potter. More »

What is Project Natal's "River Rush" game, you ask? Well, it sounds an awful lot like Wii Sports Resort's canoe-paddling game, albeit minus the whole "physical controller" thing. Hollywood writer James Gunn (Dawn of the Dead, Slither) got to demo the game at a media preview held by Microsoft recently in Los Angeles, where the company was showing off its latest consumer offerings -- from Project Natal to the Courier to Halo: Reach (Gunn says he "was slaughtered instantly and numerous times by the Microsoft employees playing when they're supposed to be working" of Reach) -- and couldn't help but share his feelings about the experience with the world via his blog.

Gunn describes River Rush as "a game where you stand side by side in a river raft, so it's two people playing at once ... to move right, you have to step right; to move left, you have to step left." The game also features a jumping mechanic that, as you might guess, involves players actually leaping into the air. "As you rush down right rapids, you have to jump up and slap floating stars in the air -- the whole raft jumps up every time you do." You'll forgive our reticence, but it only takes one life lesson to learn that jumping into the air blindly near friends and expensive technology almost always results in bad memories. We've asked Microsoft for more information, but the chances of that before the company's E3 press event are about as likely as us going upstream without a paddle.

[Thanks, Jonathan Dixon]

Target is stepping up to match Walmart's $199 Wii bundle, which contains both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. While it won't come in a single box like Walmart's bundle, Target is offering a free copy of Wii Sports Resort with MotionPlus (normally with every Wii system purchased starting April 11. The retailer is also offering select Wii games including Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll and the inexplicable Just Dance for $30 each.

Though it's hardly competing with the pre-order deal Amazon has, Target also has a bonus offer for Splinter Cell: Conviction on Xbox 360, in the form of a one-month Xbox Live card with purchase.

The thing about Wii MotionPlus is that there haven't been a whole lot of games supporting it. Outside of last summer's Wii Sports Resort (and upcoming Red Steel 2 and Flingsmash) there's really only some sports games utilizing the tech. According to a recent interview with Reggie over at MTV Multiplayer, it's because Nintendo isn't really pushing for any kind of control scheme from third parties.

"What's unique with Nintendo is we don't force our developers to stick to a particular type of control scheme, and you've seen that -- everything from the new Metroid title to be single remote driven to FlingSmash utilizing the Wii MotionPlus," he said. "So it's all about what's right for the game." While we're inclined to agree with the latter part, we still wonder why nothing is using MotionPlus -- especially since it's something that greatly improves the core functionality of the Wiimote. And considering almost everyone has MotionPlus by now (or soon will, if they're Walmart shoppers looking for a great bundle), why not develop with MotionPlus in mind?

As for more MotionPlus games from Nintendo, Reggie teases "more titles that are coming" and that it "continues to be a core part of what we do." So, the take away is this: even though Nintendo just released a new piece of hardware, it's not too worried about supporting it with content -- kinda like every other peripheral the company has ever released. Yeah, we're talking about you, Wii Speak!

Walmart just announced an exclusive Wii bundle, containing both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, as well as the necessary MotionPlus attachment. It'll be available in stores today, and on Walmart.com this Sunday. There's no reason not to pick this one up instead of the normal Wii package: this new bundle sells for the same $199 price!

According to Walmart, it'll only be available "while supplies last," which, given the history of the Wii platform, could be a surprisingly short time.

Update: FYI, we were informed by a Walmart representative that the bundle contains "one normal Wii console you would purchase -- comes with all the same components -- for $199, except that you're getting Wii Sports Resort (with the packaged Wii MotionPlus)." Still quite a deal!

Do you live in the UK and dream every night about the possibility of one day voting on a people's choice game of the year award? Right, us neither, but if you're into that kinda thing, UK retailer GAME is holding the second annual GAME British Academy Video Games Awards at the London Hilton on March 19 and you can vote for the awards show's top "honour." Sure, you can't actually buy tickets and attend or anything crazy like that (the event is live-streamed online, in fairness), but you still have just over a month to put in your vote for one of the 10 games in the running -- games that were chosen from a list comprising "the top selling games of the year sold in GAME stores."

At the very least, voters will automatically be entered into a contest to win a "Sony Home Entertainment Package," so, if nothing else, there's always the possibility of winning a Sony ... something (or somethings). Click through or glance a few inches up for the people's choice award contestant list.

Total software unit sales declined eight percent globally.

We've seen some pretty comprehensive breakdowns of how the U.S. gaming industry performed last year -- however, industry analysis firm GfK-ChartTrack recently compiled a sizable amount of data to inform us how the whole planet did. In short, the planet did okay. U.S. sales faltered somewhat, the U.K.'s past-gen console sales sunk like a rock (or, rather, an original Xbox), and Japan stayed afloat upon a makeshift raft of Nintendo DS RPGs. The worldwide best-selling game of 2009 was (you'll never guess) Modern Warfare 2, with 11.86 million units sold. The runners-up were all proud members of the casual Wii suite: Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Fit Plus, and plain ol' Wii Fit. For more details on how the gaming industry did across this great big terrestrial mass we call home, check out MCV's analysis of the statistics.

Look, we get just as tired of seeing Nintendo's remarkably high software sales figures every few months as you do -- that's why, this time around, we're going to do things a little differently. We're just going to add up all the life-to-date totals for the company's biggest titles, and just drop them in one big chunk. Ready? Okay, here we go: 247,780,000. Well, that sure didn't work. Fine, we'll break down each of the games highlighted by Nintendo's recent financial report (warning: .pdf link) and post their FY2010 sales and life-to-date sales after the jump. (Fun fact: All of the Wii games actually have "Wii" in the title. It's like the Nintendo 64 days all over again!)