Logitech is looking to make the driving experience a tad bit more realistic on the Nintendo Wii with the introduction of the new Logitech Speed Force Wireless racing wheel. This is the first force feedback wheel for the Wii and will work with the upcoming EA title - Need for Speed Undercover (with Maggie Q!!).

The Logitech Speed Force Wireless wheel features a single piece design which is usable whether you’re sitting on your couch, arm chair, or floor. The design comes with a expandable lap rest which means you won’t need to clamp the wheel onto a desk or table. There’s also built-in gas and brake controls right on the wheel itself.

Connectivity wise, the wheel wirelessly transmits information over the 2.4GHz wireless spectrum. All you’ll need to do is plug the included USB wireless receiver into the Wii console and start driving away in your favorite game. The wheel is not entirely free of cables as you’ll need to plug in a power cord to power the device.  (what no battery powered wheel here?!?!)

The Logitech Speed Force Wireless wheel will be available in the U.S. and Europe starting in November (just in time for the holiday shopping season) for a price of $99.99.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Logitech, Speed Force Wireless driving wheel, Nintendo Wii

The revenue generating machine known as the Nintendo Wii keeps on chugging along as Nintendo announced fiscal first quarter profits surged 34 percent from the year-ago quarter. The company reported a profit of 107.27 billion yen (or $996 million U.S. dollars) during the quarter from April till June which was up from 80.25 billion yen last year.

The driving force behind the profits? The Nintendo Wii and associated game titles such as the new “Wii Fit” game.  Nintendo sold 5.2 million Wii consoles worldwide during the quarter which was 1.7 million than a year ago. 3.4 million “Wii Fit” games and 6.4 million “Mario Kart Wii” games were sold. Overall, sales grew 24 percent to 423.38 billion yen (or $3.9 billion) for the quarter. Yes.. that is a revenue generating machine.. actually a profit generating machine!

Overall, Nintendo has now sold more than 29.6 million Wii consoles around the world. Compare that statistic to Sony which has sold around 14.4 million PS3s and Microsoft which has sold around 19 million Xbox 360 consoles and it’s clear that the Wii is the reigning next-gen console champ. (though Next Generation is loosely applied here in our opinion)

Going forward, Nintendo announced that they are planning to sell 25 million Wii consoles and 28 million Nintendo DS devices for the fiscal year ending next March (2009). Since we’re on the topic of the DS, Nintendo DS sales dipped somewhat for the quarter - dropping 40,000 to 6.94 million units sold. Total DS sales now total 77.54 million devices around the world.

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Technorati Tags: Nintendo Wii, Profits surge

NPD Group announced on Thursday that the incredible sales of Grand Theft Auto IV did not translate to increased sales of next generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony. While 871,000 copies of GTA IV were sold for the Xbox 360 during the month of May, only 187,000 Xbox 360 consoles were sold during the same period. Meanwhile, 443,000 copies of GTA IV were sold for the PS3 with Sony selling 209,000 PS3 consoles during the month of May.

Now compare this to the Nintendo Wii which sold 675,000 consoles during the same time period - that’s more than the two other platforms combined. This is pretty incredible when you consider that GTA IV isn’t available yet for the Wii.

Yes.. the Wii continues to rock.

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Technorati Tags: Grand Theft Auto IV, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii

The final December video game sales numbers are in and Nintendo won the console sales race for the month of December. According to market research firm NDP, Nintendo sold 1.35 million Wii’s during the month of December while Microsoft sold a commendable 1.26 million Xbox 360 consoles. Sony held up the rear with 798,000 PlayStation 3 consoles for the month of December.

In terms of total installed base here in the US, Microsoft leads the way with 9.2 million units (it helps that Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 a year earlier than the rest). Nintendo has 7.4 million owners here in the US while Sony has 3.3 million.

While PS3 sales have certainly picked up over the last several months (heck I even bought one), the older PS2 is still outselling its newer more advanced sibling. The PS2 sold more than 1.1 million units in December compared to the aforementioned 798,000 PS3 units.

One other important note - it’s all about content. Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy was certainly helping to drive Wii sales (although a lot of consumers simply want a Wii since it’s 1) cheap and 2) fun) while Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, and Assassin’s Creed was helping the Xbox 360.

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Technorati Tags: Video Game Sales, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PlayStation 3

Are you still trying to find a Nintendo Wii for Christmas? I have a recommendation for you - forget about it. Consider getting some other gaming console for Christmas. Perhaps an Xbox 360 or even a PlayStation 3? There’s practically no way you’ll land yourself a Nintendo Wii console before Christmas unless you plan on buying one off of eBay. Don’t believe me? Read this blog posting by Daniel Terdiman over at CNET on his trials and tribulations of trying to find a Wii this week. For those of you with the Wii - make sure to take breaks between games of bowling or tennis this Christmas. Time for me to practice so I can thoroughly crush one of my friends this weekend.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Nintendo Wii, Christmas

This has got to be one of the COOLEST hacks I’ve ever seen for the Nintendo Wii remote. It’s by Johnny Chung Lee of Carnegie Mellon University and he basically he’s created what he calls a cheap electronic whiteboard system using the Nintendo Wii remote. The project utilizes the infrared camera built into the head of every Wii remote. What Johnny does is quite amazing and simple! He takes a few ballpoint pens, replaces the tips with IR lights, writes a bit of software, and instantly creates his infrared-based whiteboard system. What’s truly amazing is what he’s able to do with the system. He can take any surface - whether it’s the wall, the table top, or a real projector screen and use it as a way to manipulate objects on your computer desktop, or perhaps to write notes or draw objects.. or better yet - create an multi-touch interface similar to what you would find on the iPhone or on the Microsoft Surface. You can even download the software here. Check out the YouTube video for more info:

[Check it out via ExtremeTech]

Technorati Tags: Nintendo Wii remote hack, Wii remote, Johnny Chung Lee, Carnegie Mellon University

Nintendo Wii owners looking for a gun-like accessory will be happy to hear that Nintendo launched their new Wii Zapper accessory today in conjunction with two new custom-colored Nintendo DS portable gaming bundles.

The Wii Zapper accessory houses both a Wii Remote and a Nunchuck controller and is designed for games that require accuracy - such as shooting games. The Zapper comes with Link’s Crossbow Training and will sell for $19.99.

Nintendo also released two custom-colored Nintendo DS systems - the Gold edition Nintendo DS which comes with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and the Metallic rose Nintendo DS which comes with the “Best Friends” version of “Nintendogs”.

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Technorati Tags: Nintendo, Wii Zapper, Nintendo DS

Kyle Monson over at Gearlog.com has published a hands-on review of the upcoming Guitar Hero 3 for the Nintendo Wii. The game itself is due out on Wednesday the 14th which also means that Guitar Hero is now available on all the major platforms. Interestingly enough, the guitar controller integrates the Wii Remote right inside itself. You simply pop open the back cover, slide and plug in the controller and close things up. There’s also a video of the review here on YouTube:

Here’s a quote from the hands-on:

I gotta say, the game makes genius use of the Wii’s controller.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Guitar Hero 3, Nintendo Wii, Review, GearLog

Ever play a shooting game or a first person shooter on the Nintendo Wii and find yourself wishing you had something more like a gun/pistol than the Wii Remote? Well the folks at dreamGEAR have a solution for you. It’s called the dreamGEAR GameBlaster and it combines the Wii Remote and the Nunchunk controller into a single wireless gun. What’s particularly cool about the GameBlaster is its ability to pull apart into two pieces at the touch of a button. You can easily shift from a shooting stance to a throwing stance thanks to this capability.

The Wii GameBlaster is compatible with all light gun and first person shooter games on the Wii and features:

• Rotating barrel for complete control
• Break away design
• Usable by either left handed or right handed players

You can buy the GameBlaster here for $34.99.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: dreamGear, Game Blaster

Have a Nintendo Wii and looking to burn some extra calories off the waistline? How about getting a hold of Dancing with the Stars - Wii Edition. Chip Chick published a review of the game here on their site and found the following:

I had a great time playing Dances with the Stars. I think I even burned some calories. It’s not a hard game by any means it’s just a fun game.

Yes.. this could be the next party game for our household. Can you imagine what your friends will look like playing this game? That alone would be priceless (and great for Facebook or YouTube).

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Dancing with the stars, Nintendo Wii