Wii System In Stock

Nintendo Disappointing Fans: Smart Business

Earlier this week, Nintendo crushed the hopes and dreams of an untold number of fans when it shut the door on bringing Japanese Wii games The Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles and Pandora's Tower to the U.S. This, despite an impressive grassroots effort to convince the publisher otherwise.

To rub salt in the digital wound, Nintendo will release Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story in Europe later this year.

We've experienced this with portable games for years. The superb DS title Ouendan

It certainly doesn't seem that way. Publishers like Nintendo and Sony need a dedicated fan base, so logic denotes that these companies should do everything possible to appease them, yes?

Not always. Keep in mind that this is, first and foremost, a business. All too often, publishers release sequels and ports "for the fans", and we watch as these titles slip into the bargain bin.

Bottom line, a few thousand people on the Internet don't necessarily lead to breaking even, or at best, making a profit.

Like DS, Wii is on the way out, with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword the final hurrah, just as Pokemon Black and White were the DS' swansong.

Nintendo should not risk spending money bringing these strictly Japanese titles to the U.S.A., when this country routinely snubs its nose at Japanese role-playing games that don't bear the words "Final Fantasy", especially to a dying system that's stock has dropped faster than Tiger Woods' golf career.

The only way fans can make a difference is with their wallets, and it doesn't seem like enough of them shell out the dough to keep games like this relevant in the west.

Does this mean Nintendo will lose support? Yes, but only a handful of people. Bottom line, if you're passionate enough about Nintendo to demand a game like Xenoblade Chronicles, then the publisher already has your money. You'll buy the next Mario game like everyone else.

Nintendo unveils the Wii U system | College Stock Pro

Los Angeles (CNN) — Nintendo is taking the idea of the “second screen” to a new level.

The company on Tuesday showed off a prototype gaming system called Wii U, which consists of a smartphone-like remote control that works with its existing Wii gaming system to let gamers play on two screens at the same time.

The controller has a touch-sensitive, 6.2-inch screen — kind of like a giant Android phone — that players can use to zoom in on TV images and to interact with games that show up both on the remote control and on the television.

For example, in a video demo of the system, which Nintendo showed off during a press conference at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, a player puts his finger on a throwing star on the remote control’s screen. With a swipe, the player throws this weapon at the TV screen across the room, and the object shows up there immediately — as if it really flew through the air.

The Wii U remote also connects to the Internet, allowing users to essentially throw photos or videos from the controller onto the television.

Nintendo executives say the Wii U is just a prototype. They did not offer details about when the system will be available in stores or how much it will cost. Only one game is officially in the works for the system: “Lego City Stories,” which Nintendo is developing in partnership with TT Games, the company said.

Still, Nintendo is banking on the fact that Wii U will change gaming.

Executives compared the Wii U’s release to the 2006 debut of the Wii, which was the first system to let players control games with movements of their bodies instead of clicking at buttons on hand-held controllers.

“It’s a system we will all enjoy together but also one that’s tailor-made for you,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo America. “Is it unique, unifying, maybe even utopian? The answer is also yes to all of this.”

He added: “It’s different from anything you’ve played before. It’s infinitely complex and yet perfectly simple at the same time. It can change the way you game personally, and it can change the way you interact with family and friends.”

The new system is also an attempt by Nintendo to capture hardcore gamers, who have shied away from the company’s family-friendly titles. The remote includes lots of hardware buttons — on the right left and back of the control — in order to allow these more traditional gamers to play complicated games.

Wii For Dummies

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