Nintendo Unveil Cool New Features at E3
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Nintendo unveiled a load of new accessories for its Wii console at the E3 Media and Business Summit yesterday, including new a sensitivity add-on for the Wii-mote controller, a heap of new games and voice communication over the internet.
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“They really have pushed the technology differentiation forward relative to what their competitors are offering. At the same point, [Nintendo is] expanding the titles and really showing that they do have strong third-party support out there,” said Michael Gartenberg, a JupiterResearch analyst.
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Something that will have fans of the Wii ? like myself ? who crack up at the times when you ?swear to god that you hit that ball?, or ?I was trying too turn but it didn?t work?, is the MotionPlus accessory for the Wii-mote. This little whit square plugs in to the remote, and in conjuction with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, provides a heightened tracking of the position of the players arm and orientation. According to Nintendo, this offers players a true 1:1 response in their game play.
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Along with the enhanced controller, Nintendo also revealed some new games.
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“Wii Sports Resort,” a sequel to “Wii Sports,” lets players indulge in new sporting pursuits, including “Sword Play,” “Power Cruising” on a water scooter and “Disc Dog.” The new title is available at no cost with the new Wii MotionPlus accessory and Wii Remote Jacket. The game is due to hit shelves in the spring of 2009.
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In keeping with the popular Xbox360 headset, Wii will sell a headset that enables players to Internet voice chat with their Wii Friends - person to person and room to room.
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“The whole microphone and enabling that sort of chat in the game - it’s very, very interesting to see, and it certainly pushes the bar forward. The key here is integrating the headset functionality into the experience of the game itself, and that’s sort of where it gets interesting,” Gartenberg said
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Other for the Wii, there is “Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party” that also uses the Balance Board, and “Call of Duty: World at War;” Coming to the Wii and DS is “Star Wars: Clone Wars”; for the DS, there is “Guitar Hero On Tour Decades,” “Pokemon Ranger,” available Nov. 10, “Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars,” set to debut this winter and a possible version of Will Wright’s upcoming “Spore” PC game ported for the DS.
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“They are showing that they really do have strong third-party support with some of the more important titles coming from the market, like ‘Jedi Knight’ and ‘Clone Wars,’ as well as ‘Spore.’ What we’re seeing here is that Nintendo has really proved the concept. They’ve proved they can capture the hearts and minds of consumers, and that becomes a no-brainer when you’re a developer. You want to get on that bandwagon. And that’s what we’re going to continue to see here,” Gartenberg pointed out.
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Nintendo also announced a few of its future plans for its portable game console, the DS. ?The company is working to make the device more than a simple gaming platform,? said Cammie Dunaway, vice president of sales & marketing.
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Already being tested are features that would provide air travellers with information on connecting flights or at which baggage claim they can find their luggage, the nearest ATMs and local restaurants. At Seattle’s Safeco Field, baseball lovers have been testing a feature that offers scores from live baseball games in other cities, baseball highlights and allows participation in an interactive trivia contest with other ballgame attendees and even lets users order food, the Seattle Ichi Roll, for instance.
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Another idea, currently being tested in Japan, is to use the DS as a replacement for a shelf of cookbooks. Nintendo plans to offer the “Cooking Guide” cookbook filled with international recipes and cooking tips in the U.S. in November.
“The DS is transforming itself from a device for gamers into a natural companion for everyone,” Dunaway said.
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