Nintendo reveals new Wii peripherals
E3: Wii Speak, Will Motion Plus to be released in fall, spring
By George T. Chronis -- Video Business, 7/15/2008
JULY 15 | LOS ANGELES—Aware that its competitors have labeled the Wii's success a consumer fad that will fade, Nintendo of America used its E3 event here today to reveal new products to entice consumers in the months ahead.
Nintendo's Wii Motion Plus plugs into the regular Wiimote.
To keep other videogame systems playing catch up in motion-sensing controllers, next spring, Nintendo will introduce the Wii Motion Plus, a module that fits into the base of the Wii controller, known as the Wiimote. The add-on provides precision sensing of hand movements for much more exact game controls.
The Wii Motion Plus will ship bundled with Wii Sports Resort, the follow-up to the hit launch title Wii Sports.
For third-party developers who are just getting the hang of supporting the original Wiimote, the Wii Motion Plus adds a further learning curve and gives Nintendo's future first-party titles a head start in supporting the new functionality.
Nintendo showed off what the extra precision adds to the gameplay experience using Wii Sports Resort's beach-themed mini-games.
Another new peripheral for the Wii, the Wii Speak, will arrive this fall bundled with Animal Crossing: City Folk. Dubbed a "community microphone," the Wii Speak adds voice communication options to the system and can be supported by other games in the future.
Nintendo also showed off new titles that integrate the Wii Fit's balance board controller. From Ubisoft comes the Wii exclusive Shaun White Snowboarding and Nintendo's Wii Music. Both titles are set for fall release. The latter uses all available Wii controllers to play music instruments in a band.
Upcoming fall third-party titles that look to take unique advantage of the Wiimote include Lucas Arts' Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: World at War.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-aime said there are currently 246 titles for the Wii and that 19 third-party games have surpassed 400,000 units in sales.
Citing U.S. Nintendo DS hardware sales that are 12% above 2007 and U.S. DS software sales that are 29% more than last year, Fils-aime confirmed three strong DS titles for the holidays: Nintendo's Pokémon Rangers, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and Electronic Arts' Spore Creatures. Spore Creatures is expected to attract a strong female following.
Nintendo executive VP of sales and marketing Cammie Dunaway reported that the percentage of women DS users in the U.S. has grown from 30% in 2005 to 48% today.
