Nintendo 24/7

4,000 parents cross Europe have been surveyed about video games, and game content. An astounding 75% of parents said that they were concerned over the content of games, while 43% didn’t know of the PEGI ratings system (U.S.A’s ESRB), and 44% think that games should be kept to an hour a day. The study also found that 63% of children played games without any supervision. Can the parents really be that concerned when they aren’t even monitoring what their children are playing?

Meanwhile adults are threatened with possible censorship of the games!

According to Nintendo, the Japanese market will soon be getting a full licensed DS cartridge that will accept microSD memory cards, allowing for the legal viewing of video, images, music and texts on the handheld.

The cartridge, dubbed the DSvision will be the same size as a normal DS game and fit into Slot-1 of the DS or DS Lite. Users will also have the ability to use a download service to download TV shows and e-books.

The DSvision will come packaged with the cartridge, a 512 MB microSD card, and a microSD-to-USB adapter for the relatively cheap price of 3,980 yen ($36 USD). There are already tons of devices like the DSvision, but none are licensed by Nintendo because they make pirating of DS games very easy.

“We are keeping a close eye on the products and studying them. But we cannot smash all of them,” a Nintendo spokesman said, referring to the R4 and M3 cards currently sold.

To be honest however, I feel like this will just give people a legal alternative to begin pirating with but at least Nintendo will get the money for the DSvision itself. If you cant beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Source:
Dailytech

Nintendo has said that the Virtual Console service for Wii has so far generated JPY 3.5 billion (USD 33 million / EUR 22.3 million/ UK 16 million) for the company.

Shinji Hatano, licensing director for Nintendo, revealed the figure during a recent press conference to mark a collaboration with NTT for broadband internet access for the home console, reports IGN.

According to Nintendo, 7.8 million items have been downloaded over the service, which offers old games from Nintendo and other publisher’s back catalogues, priced between EUR 5 and EUR 10.

Nintendo is showing signs of moving a up a gear in the online department as it teams up with Japanese telecoms provider, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT), to promote Wii’s online capabilities in Japan.

The firm is regarded as the trailing party against Microsoft and Sony when it comes to online integration and gaming, but this new deal is part of Nintendo’s effort to boost the Wii’s online service, in preparation for the launch of WiiWare (Wii Software over here) - a new game download service - next year.

NTT will offer discounted internet start up packages and set-up help for Wii users, in the hope of utilising the Wii’s fast-growing user base to help boost the penetration of its fibre optic internet service.

NTT East senior exec VP, Tetsuo Koga, said: “I hope our fibre-optic service becomes as popular as the Wii. I think we have won a powerful ally to hit our target to boost fibre-optic subscribers to 20 million by the year ending March 2011.”

By RACHEL KONRAD REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — A top Nintendo Co. executive said holiday sales of the Wii game consoles have gotten off to a “fantastic start” but warned Tuesday that Wiis would be scarce through the end of the year.

Nintendo sold 350,000 Wiis in the U.S. last week, when many stores were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, compared with 300,000 the previous week in the U.S.

It was unclear if last week’s sales broke a Nintendo record. During one eight-day period in late November 2006, when the Wii debuted, consumers throughout the U.S., Canada and Latin America purchased more than 600,000 units sold.

The company is on track to sell 17.5 million Wiis in the fiscal year ending March 31. Last fall, Nintendo executives predicted they would sell 14.5 million Wiis.

They were producing roughly 1.2 million units per month at the time.

Nintendo has ramped up production to about 1.8 million per month, but its manufacturers cannot increase production again, said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, who spent Friday and Saturday spot-checking Wii supplies at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Best Buy Co., GameStop Corp., Target Corp. and Toys “R” Us Inc. stores in Erie, Pa., and Redmond, Wash.

“I couldn’t find a single Wii system on the shelves — literally as I was walking into a Wal-Mart at 11 a.m., someone was walking out with the last one,” Fils-Aime said in an interview at the company’s new Redwood City office. “Consumers are buying every game we can put into the system.”

Fils-Aime predicted a new sales record the week before Christmas, despite being “very concerned” about the U.S. economy and the rising price of gasoline. About 40 percent of Wii sales have been in North America and Latin America, while 35 percent were in Asia, primarily Japan, and the rest came from Europe and the Middle East.

He dismissed speculation online that the Kyoto, Japan-based company — maker of Pokemon and Super Mario games — is deliberately constraining supply of the $250 console to generate buzz.

“A shortage benefits no one,” he said. “We’re disappointed. This was all about how we didn’t accurately estimate demand. We need to be more bullish about the potential for the Wii.”

Unlike consoles with joysticks that players operate with their thumbs, the Wii responds to the user moving a wand-like wireless controller strapped to a wrist.

Wii games including tennis and bowling appeal to children, parents, hardcore gamers and even senior citizens.

Sony Corp.’s top-line PlayStation model, with an 80-gigabyte hard drive, costs $499 in the U.S., down from the original price of $599. A new low-end model with a 40-gigabyte drive will go on sale Nov. 2 for $399.

Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 costs $350 in the U.S.

The Wii has been a tremendous boost for Nintendo.

In the quarter ended Sept. 30, it more than doubled its sales to $6.1 billion from a year earlier, when the Wii had not yet launched.

Nintendo has sold 5.5 million Wiis in the U.S. since the console went on sale.

(This version CORRECTS comparison data, which is for broader geographic region than the U.S.)

The Wii is on an absolute charge in the US, as Nintendo reveals that an astonishing 650,000 consoles were sold in just the first two weeks of November.

In what Nintendo says will be the best month of sales since the console launched in November last year, the company sold 300,000 units on the first week of November, and an even more staggering 350,000 last week.

According to IGN, NOA name taker Reggie Fils-Aime “couldn’t find a single Wii system on the shelves”, after a weekend of spot-checking in major retailers. “Literally as I was walking into a Wal-Mart at 11 a.m., someone was walking out with the last one,” he said.

Nintendo is currently producing 1.8 million Wii consoles per month, but shortages continue regardless. Despite that, Nintendo is looking forward to what could be a record-breaking month.

The Internet Rights Forum, a French lobbying group, has issued new guidelines for online game publishers and legislators.

Along with proposing an on-screen timer to let players know how much time they are spending online, the group is proposing changes to the ratings system for online games according to a PC World article.

Currently, European publishers use the voluntary PEGI rating system with categories based on recommended ages such as 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+, and 18+. Because online games may expose players to text messages and conversations beyond the control of publishers, however, the Internet Rights Forum wants to strengthen the ratings system.

The group is proposing that games which allow text messages cannot be rated 3+ or 7+, and can only be rated 12+ if the game’s text messages are moderated by an adult.

The Internet Rights Forum also wants publishers to guarantee that age ratings will apply to in-game advertisements, and to put warnings on packaging if an online game contains ads.

Some of the groups’ recommendations could be applicable across Europe, according to spokesman Laurent Baup, while others specifically address French laws restricting hate speech or defining intellectual-property rights.

The Internet Rights Forum plans to create a Web site for parents and teachers, warning about the risks of online games, that should launch early next year.

Still not jealous over all of the awesome bonuses Nintendo Japan has been giving its customers as part of the Club Nintendo rewards program? Well, get ready to say no friggin’ way!

Nintendo has announced three free bonus items that it will be giving to its platinum members of the Club Nintendo service this year. Those customers with platinum status–meaning they purchased enough Nintendo products between 10/1/2006 and 9/30/2007 for over 400 Club Nintendo points–will be able to select one of the following items:

1. Wii Super Famicom Classic Controller: A Wii controller attachment that looks exactly like a Super Famicom (the Japanese Super Nintendo) controller; available at the end of April 2008.

2. Super Mario Galaxy OST Platinum Version: Two CDs featuring 81 songs, all fully orchestrated; available at the end of January 2008.

3. Club Nintendo Calendar 2008: A set of two tabletop calendars. Set for delivery at the end of December.

The ones most clamored for right now is–you guessed it–the Wii Super Famicon SNES controller and the Super Mario Galaxy OST, in that order.

Apparently there is still no love stateside for the Nintendo fans, as the EU is not part of the Club Nintendo’s network as yet. Doesn’t mean we won’t see those items being sold on eBay or Amazon once they’re shipped to those lucky club members.

Yesterday Nintendo released the highly anticipated Wii Zapper, a shooting accessory for the Wii Console. The Wii Zapper gains it’s controls by users snapping in the Wii Remote and Nunchuck into designated spots. With the Wii Zapper coming in just around $20… it seems well worth the price.

Included in the box with the Wii Zapper is “Links Crossbow Training“. The box gives the following description of the game…

Take aim and blast bull’s-eyes with a squeeze of the trigger, then test your skill against moving targets. Once you know the basics, defend Link against an onslaught of enemies, or use the control stick to track your targets through the world of the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. With the Wii Zapper in your hands, you’ll be a master marksman in no time!

When I first saw images of the Wii Zapper, I thought this would be awesome for “horror” games… much like the classic “House of the Dead” arcade game. I mean if you’ve played Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles or seen the trailer you know that game has that look and feel. Also, they’ve recently announced that House of the Dead franchise will be releasing a title for the Nintendo Wii. So get some practice in - you’ll soon have hoards of zombies to kill.

Much like Wii Sports, Links Crossbow Training comes in a paper case. Personally, I can’t stand this… call me old fashioned, but I prefer the plastic DVD cases. The good folks over at TheCoverProject.net are their to help with this matter. They have a “custom cover” designed specifically for the game.

A chronic shortage of Nintendo’s popular Wii console could mean disappointment for those putting it at the top of their Christmas list.

The BBC has learned that high street retailers are struggling to keep up with demand for the console, which has been in short supply for months.

Websites such as Wii-consoles.co.uk have been set up to help shoppers find out when stock becomes available.

Nintendo said it was “doing everything possible” to keep up with demand.

Its push to fill the shelves in time for Christmas will see it ship an extra 3.5 million consoles globally. It is not known how many extra consoles will make it to UK shelves.

In April Nintendo estimated a yearly shipment of 14m units, but that has now been raised to 17.5m.

Despite this, the gaming giant admitted that not everyone who wants one is guaranteed a Wii this Christmas.

“The demand for Wii hardware globally has been unprecedented and higher than Nintendo could ever have anticipated,” said a spokeswoman.

“Nintendo is now in a position in which seasonality demand trends are being broken, therefore the demand for Wii hardware is constant throughout the whole year globally. Due to this phenomenon it is possible that the demand for Wii hardware may outstrip supply,” she said.

Slow trickle

From the high street, the message is very similar.

“Although we’re receiving regular deliveries from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft and getting the products onto the shelves as fast as we can - it’s possible that demand will outstrip supplies on some products, for example the Nintendo Wii, which has been hugely popular all through the year,” read a statement from high street gaming specialist Game.

“We’re posting daily updates on our website at www.game.co.uk/stock to give customers the latest news on availability, and will continue to do everything possible to help our customers find the consoles they want.”

Woolworths said that it was receiving a “slow trickle of stock every week” and also advised customers to keep an eye on their website.

“The Nintendo Wii consoles have proved extremely popular with our customers and have been flying off the shelves whenever we get new stock in,” said a spokeswoman.

Website meltdown

As a result of the huge demand, prices are beginning to be hiked, especially among smaller retailers with larger retailers bundling the console with several games.

“It is very hard to buy a Wii console now without two or three games bundled in with it, which can push the price up to around the £300 mark,” said Darren McKillop, the man behind Wii-consoles.co.uk.

Mr McKillop said that when stock did come in retailers were struggling to cope with the flood of traffic on their websites.

“In some cases their ordering systems let them down and they end up taking orders for stock they don’t have and yesterday a major online retailer announced they had the Wii in stock and their website suffered a virtual meltdown as half the country tried to buy a Wii from them,” he said.

Wii-consoles.co.uk had seen a five-fold increase in traffic since the last Wii shortages at the beginning of the year, said Mr McKillop.

He predicted the stock shortages would last well into the new year.