The wireless, pressure-sensitive Wii Fit “balance board”, which costs £70 — with another £180 for the Wii console that links the board to your TV — encourages users to follow the on-screen personal trainer as he stretches, runs and does yoga.

It ranks users’ performance and weight loss. If you put on weight or have a hangover, it asks you what you have been eating and drinking. If you skip your daily exercise sessions, your avatar, called a Mii, falls asleep on screen in front of you.

It may sound good, healthy fun but it’s serious business, too. Miyamoto, senior managing director of the Japanese gaming giant Nintendo, believes that the race to create increasingly powerful video-game processors, offering ever more extreme shoot ’em up games, will not generate long-term growth.

There are only so many teenage geeks in the market “and if we go on only appealing to them, we’re going to have a very hard time”.

So, while Sony and Microsoft slug it out in a battle for processor power with their Playstation and X-box consoles, Nintendo is concentrating on slower but more practical and, it claims, enjoyable interactive games to lure “people who would never imagine they would buy a computer game”, said Miyamoto.

“We want to broaden the definition of what a video game is, to create games for people whether they are five or 95, whether they are men or women.”

The latest sales figures for Wii suggest that Miyamoto is on to something and that the market for video games is far bigger than analysts had previously estimated.

Wii Fit has been out in Japan for five months and has become the fastest-selling game there, shifting 1m copies in the five weeks after it was launched. Almost half of Japanese consumers who have bought Wii and Wii Fit had never bought a video game before.

In its annual results last week, Nintendo revealed that its global sales last year rose by 73%. The company sold almost 20m Wii consoles worldwide, bringing the total to nearly 25m since its debut in November 2006. It expects to sell a further 25m over the next 12 months, along with 177m Wii software units.

Miyamoto would not say how many Wii Fits would make their way into British hands, but he clearly hopes for a similar performance to that in Japan.

Britain is the strongest market for Wii outside Japan, beating even America. Nintendo has sold more than 2.5m Wii units since the console was launched, making it the market-leading home video game. It is also the fastest seller, topping 1m units in only 38 weeks.

“In Japanese households suddenly new conversations are springing up between fathers and mothers, fathers and daughters, talking about Wii Fit,” said Miyamoto. “We would love that to happen in Britain.” HMV is already predicting it will be this year’s bestseller.

Isn’t there a risk, though, that consumers will think that running on the spot in their living rooms is ridiculous and just go outside or join a gym?

“Spending too long, staying in and playing any video game is not good,” said Miyamoto. “I always tell my children to get out on a sunny day and I, myself, went jogging in Central Park yesterday. But I do my stretching on Wii Fit. They work together.”

Perhaps. But isn’t letting your TV tell you what to do all a bit Big Brotherish? Won’t consumers get so cross with the machine that they will end up hurling it out of the window?

“We thought they might, but the evidence from Japan is that they get cross with themselves — not the machine. They don’t blame the game.”

Miyamoto is so convinced we will be willing slaves to the Wii work-out that he is already moving on to the next stage: web- enabled Wii Fit. Balance boards will be hooked up to the internet to enable users to compete live against anyone, anywhere. If Miyamoto has his way, we’ll all be doing press-ups at dawn and comparing ourselves with millions of others.

That really is scary.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...null&offset=12 ...

News/release from ron/Dreamcast.es


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During a nearly one-year period, Frank Buchanan allegedly made about 192 purchases on two credit cards at various stores.

What was out of the ordinary, however, was that the 30-year-old Buchanan also allegedly had about 183 refunds on those cards.

The rural Albert Lea man's transaction history, authorities say, demonstrated an obvious purchase-return pattern mainly involving video games at multiple stores in numerous southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa cities, including Austin and Rochester, according to a criminal complaint filed this week in Mower District Court.

Overall $23,178 in refunds was credited to Buchanan's accounts during that period, the complaint says.

Buchanan's alleged scam consisted of buying video games from stores, repackaging the containers with blank replica game discs, returning the fraudulent games for a refund and selling the original games on eBay, an online-auction site. From October 2006 to January 2008, Buchanan auctioned off about 447 video games on eBay for roughly $19,562, the complaint says.

Buchanan is charged in Mower District Court with three felony counts of theft by swindle alleging he obtained credit for fraudulent merchandise at area Target, Wal-Mart, ShopKo and Kmart stores.

One count alleges Buchanan got about $12,373 worth of credit through his scheme from Dec. 1, 2006, to May 31, 2007; another is for about $6,836 in credit from June 1, 2006, to Nov. 30, 2007; and the last is for about $3,969 in credit from Dec. 1, 2007, to Feb. 28, 2008.

Buchanan, who is summoned to appear June 9 in court, allegedly did his video-game scam at retail box stores throughout the region, including Mankato, Winona, Albert Lea, Fairmont and Mason City, Iowa.

On Feb. 27 law-enforcement officers from Austin, Albert Lea, Freeborn County, Mower County and the U.S. Postal Service used a search warrant at Buchanan's home along U.S. Highway 65.

Authorities seized about 41 items related to Buchanan's fraud scam, including a heat-sealing packager, an array of computer equipment and a journal listing Buchanan's purchases and returns with dates and stores, the complaint says. They also found numerous sealed and unsealed video games with purchase receipts attached to each game.

Buchanan allegedly admitted to starting the scheme in late 2006.

In a police interview, Buchanan allegedly said he opened and removed the video games at his home. He would scan the game, print a label on a disc, place the fake game disc back in the box and repackage the game with a heat-sealing machine, the complaint says.

Austin police detective Mark Haider began investigating Buchanan's scam after getting a fraud report Oct. 8, 2007, from a Target loss-prevention agent who said the store was the victim of a video-game return scam done by Buchanan, with the help of his mother, for several thousand dollars.

Buchanan's mother Dorothy Mae Buchanan, 68, who lives with him, is charged with a single felony count of theft by swindle (more than $1,000) for allegedly helping her son with the illegal activity from October 2006 to January 2008 in Austin.

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmana...?a=339478&z=28 ...

Following Nintendo's latest fiscal results, Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian noted that Nintendo may consider a "refresh" to its DS handheld if sales continue to slow down.

"Nintendo expects to ship 28M DS handheld units in F2009, a decline from 30M units shipped in F2008. The forecasted year-over-year decline in DS hardware shipments in its fourth year on the market is in line with our expectations. We expect DS unit sales in the U.S. of 6.4M in 2008, and continue to believe our forecast may be conservative. According to its press release, Nintendo plans to accelerate DS sales momentum with further penetration into the consumer mass market and by introducing new software and services for the platform. Moreover, we believe Nintendo could launch a refresh of its handheld platform if sales momentum does not continue," Sebastian said.

He also noted that Nintendo's new projection of 25 million Wiis shipped in the new fiscal year implies a monthly production boost to 2.1 million units, which is consistent with what he recently told GameDaily BIZ regarding Nintendo's production plans.

Additionally, despite the first-party dominance on the Wii, publishers continue to flock to the console, Sebastian said: "While software sales on Nintendo Wii continue to be driven to some extent by first-party titles such as Wii Play, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy, we note that many third-party software publishers continue to increase development pipelines for Wii titles. This is consistent with our analysis of title economics that suggests that publishers should be able to tolerate lower retail pricing and attach rates on the Wii to a certain extent without sacrificing title profitability."

http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/ne...ardware/?biz=1 ...

Yes, Europe. It's shocking, but Mario Kart Wii comes out in North America tomorrow. But, y'all are probably over the latest real kart simulator and have moved on to enjoying Wii Fit. The continent where the history comes from already reviewed Mario Kart Wii many moons ago and rated it a perfectly competent experience. What do the American outlets think? Pretty much the same thing.
IGN (85/100): "Every player is going to have their own love/hate relationship with Mario Kart Wii, but in the end the game does so many things right that it'd be foolish not to give credit where due. Online seriously raises the bar for Nintendo, trumping even Smash in a big, big way. ... It isn't the best Mario Kart in the series, but it's a must-play experience on Wii, and standard-setting offering as far as online, channel support, and connectivity are concerned. Now if you'll excuse us, we've got some online stats to obsess over. "
GameTrailers (84/100): "Generally, video game franchises move forward with each successive release. In this case, Mario Kart for the Wii has taken a few steps forward, and one huge step back. This is the first case of Nintendo not finding a happy medium between accessibility and servicing hardcore players. Yet if you get a group of people together on a Saturday night to play you'll be the only one complaining. While the competitive spirit may be quelled, there's no denying that the foundation here is solid, and the addition of bikes, tricks, and online play are all positives that no one can deny."
GameTap (80/100): "Mario Kart makes a good case for connecting the Wii online, too. Via the Mario Kart Channel, you race other gamers from around the world in an eight-driver contest; you can even see which countries they represent. This is the way to go for multiplayer karting. ... But online or off, you can't go wrong with Mario Kart. If this is your first experience or you've been absent for a while you're in for a treat. If you're a grizzled MK vet at least you can pit your skills with racers around the world--and still have something to grumble about. "

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/26/me...-kart-wii-wii/ ...

Is it too early to say that we're beginning to see a pattern develop here? We know that a mere handful of reviews for Rockstar's latest opus have been published, but should the current trend continue, Grand Theft Auto IV could be the subject of more perfect scores than 1976 Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci. Yes, IGN recently dropped the suspiciously non-embargoed first online review for the title, giving it a 10 out of 10 (on both platforms) and evoking the wrath of the Nintendo Defense Force, calling GTA IV "the best game since Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time."

The seven-page, five-thousand word review (and accompanying video review, after the jump) praises the game's art style, the immersive backdrop of Liberty City, the "Oscar quality" story and the "refined" gameplay. The enamored reviewer even commends some of the quirky extra features included by Rockstar, such as Niko's multipuropse cellphone, or the in-game use of alcohol: "You don't have to drive drunk," the reviewer exclaims, "but it's fun to give it a try." Great, now we can look forward to public backlash towards the game's DUI-endorsing write-ups, as well.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/26/ig...er-perfect-10/ ...

Is it too early to say that we're beginning to see a pattern develop here? We know that a mere handful of reviews for Rockstar's latest opus have been published, but should the current trend continue, Grand Theft Auto IV could be the subject of more perfect scores than 1976 Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci. Yes, IGN recently dropped the suspiciously non-embargoed first online review for the title, giving it a 10 out of 10 (on both platforms) and evoking the wrath of the Nintendo Defense Force, calling GTA IV "the best game since Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time."

The seven-page, five-thousand word review (and accompanying video review, after the jump) praises the game's art style, the immersive backdrop of Liberty City, the "Oscar quality" story and the "refined" gameplay. The enamored reviewer even commends some of the quirky extra features included by Rockstar, such as Niko's multipuropse cellphone, or the in-game use of alcohol: "You don't have to drive drunk," the reviewer exclaims, "but it's fun to give it a try." Great, now we can look forward to public backlash towards the game's DUI-endorsing write-ups, as well.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/26/ig...er-perfect-10/ ...

Immersion, the same folks responsible for adding haptic technology (force feedback from touch panels, pretty much) in a fleet of Nokia handsets, could be looking to do the same with Cupertino's one and only. While VibeTonz isn't specifically mentioned by name, a recent report (which should certainly be filed as a rumor for the time being) is suggesting that bigwigs from both outfits are in ongoing meetings "over licensing and implementation issues of iPhone haptics." Interestingly enough, this news is flowing hot on the heels of Immersion appointing Clent Richardson as president and CEO; if that name rings a bell, he previously spent five years pretty high up the ladder at Apple. Of course, all the signs pointing to yes doesn't mean anything in and of itself, so we'll just twiddle our thumbs a bit longer and hope to have some feedback for 'em soon enough.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/26/a...ogy-on-iphone/ ...

You used to play videogames all night. Your Quake prowess was unmatched; your skills at Command & Conquer unparalleled. You have a gaming history that stretches back beyond the PlayStation generation to the SNES, Megadrive, Amiga and ZX Spectrum. You were there at the dawn of gaming.

Tick-tock... Time passes. You've quietly come to realise that you're not the hard-core gamer you used to be. Even your Xbox 360 Gamertag seems far too 'sensible'. How do you know that a mid-life gaming crisis is setting in? Watch out for these warning signs…

You prefer playing against the computer

Online gaming against real people has become depressing – it exposes your faded, spoon-sharp reflexes and you abhor the trash-talk from 12-year old fanboys. You prefer playing offline against the computer because a game's algorithms are slightly more predictable. And, once you master the scripted patterns of play, you stand a real chance of being good… of actually winning. And that feels great, doesn't it? Ranking second-bottom on a multiplayer leader board doesn't.

You only play when your girlfriend is out

Because you only have one high-def TV and to play videogames on it while she's at home is 'selfish' and not something the two of you can do 'together'.

You believe that winning isn't everything

It's the taking part that counts. Obviously. And that's not because you're not good at games. You are. But you've found that there's more to life than spending five hours every night killing all of the Templars in Assassin’s Creed. The fact that you can't find the last three Templars is irrelevant.

It's been days, not hours since you last switched on your console

Because things keep getting in the way: TV, movies, books, going out to restaurants, shopping, going down the pub, DIY, dinner parties, the gym, more DIY, your girlfriend/wife/boyfriend [delete as applicable]… oh, and having a job.

You’re the oldest person trading in games at GameStation

So you lie about why you’re there. "It’s, ahem, my son's birthday. I'd like to trade these in for Guitar Hero please…"

You like your Xbox 360 and your PS3 equally

Being a more 'mature' gamer means you have more disposable income, so you can afford the luxury of owning a PS3 and an Xbox 360. So you've become the gaming equivalent of the United Nations, calming accepting the virtues of both consoles to the deaf ears of Xbox zealots and Sony fanboys (who simply ignore you and carry on their slanging match regardless). Because when you stare at those side-by-side game comparison shots on CVG, you can't see the difference. Maybe the PS3 palette is lighter… maybe… Of course, your eyesight could be failing…

You fondly remember a ‘golden age’ of gaming
You lament the current glut of videogame sequels and often talk fondly of an innovative 'golden age' of gaming. You remember Manic Miner, good ‘ol Chuckie Egg and the Ultimate games on the ZX Spectrum. You played Sensible Soccer the first time around on the Amiga, Elite on your mate’s BBC B, and finished Sonic The Hedgehog on the Megadrive. Happy days… But when modernised versions of these gaming classics turn up on Xbox Live, your excitement quickly evaporates. You quickly realise that, by today’s standards, those cherished oldies are now shallow, repetitive and not much fun.

You avoid playing on the Wii because it’s too much effort

There's no denying that the Nintendo Wii is a revolutionary games machine but… well, it does require a lot of effort. Aren't there times when you just want to slouch into a comfy sofa with a traditional joypad? Times when you can't be arsed with all that wiimote waving and waggling? It's way too energetic – a 20 minute bowling session in Wii Sports is almost akin to a full workout.


Your FPS experience consists of spawn, run, die... spawn, run, die... spawn…

The reflexes that served you so well in GoldenEye and Quake seem to be two seconds slower than everybody else these days. You think 'fire', 'jump', 'spin', 'run', 'collect spinny power-up', but your fingers press 'fire' (and pause), 'fire' (and pause), 'spin' and… no, I actually meant 'jump', and – oh, I’m dead. Either you're slowing down, or today's hard-core gamerati are faster than you ever were.

You find the idea of videogames based on board games perfectly acceptable

Anyone for a game of Carcassonne tonight? The wife's out until 10pm and I'll be online after I've had my dinner…

You've pre-ordered GTA IV but don't mind if it doesn't turn up on launch day

Wednesday's just fine. Really. You're a bit busy at the moment, anyway. In fact, you probably won't get a chance to play GTA IV until the weekend. You're also not bothered by the prospect of downloading the DLC for GTA IV either. You'll never finish the main game anyway.

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming...e-gamer-329291 ...