Everyone knows that the Wiimote is the ultimate controller for lightsabre games, well check this video out of someone playing Star wars with it.

Vid here --> http://youtube.com/watch?v=fpHcgkXp_4w ...

Video of someone with 2 Wii Remotes putting on a light show:P

Check it out on youtube here --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JPusdxIV60 ...

Video of someone with 2 Wii Remotes putting on a light show:P

Check it out on youtube here --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JPusdxIV60 ...

A new site has opened that lets Wii owners easily share names and Wii IDs

Check it out here --> http://wiishare.dotbooks.org/ ...

A new site has opened that lets Wii owners easily share names and Wii IDs

Check it out here --> http://wiishare.dotbooks.org/ ...

via latimes

As it geared up to promote its new Wii video game console, Nintendo of America Inc. looked to a group better known for nagging kids to stop playing video games: moms.

The Japanese game company merged viral marketing techniques with Tupperware parties in the months leading up to the Nov. 19 launch of Wii, which is pronounced "whee." Nintendo recruited a handful of gregarious, tech-savvy moms — whom it dubbed "alpha moms" — to share the console with their friends.

Linda Perry, who started a Yahoo parents' group called Peachhead, was one of three designated, and decidedly animated, buzz-makers in Los Angeles. She sent out chalkboards inviting 35 friends to "come out and play" in a bash at one of the city's favorite star haunts, the Chateau Marmont.

"Most people were like, 'I don't play games,' " said Perry, 41, of Venice Beach. But by the end of the night, she said, "everybody was playing it. People were working up a sweat."

Getting the Wii's TV-remote-style controller in the hands of non-gamers is a key element of Nintendo's strategy to broaden its appeal beyond the young men who usually can be counted on to snap up new game systems.

The Wii's simplified, wireless controller has motion sensing technology that translates a swing of the arm to the movements of a character's tennis racket on screen — and removes the intimidating cluster of buttons that can scare away the casual player.

"Our core presumption is if we could get someone to put their hands on the controller, they would be hooked," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications.

At a time when the media audience is fragmenting, it doesn't hurt to build a little enthusiasm with such grass-roots campaigns, said Peter Sealy, a former chief marketing officer for the Coca-Cola Co. who will teach marketing at the Peter Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

"I think you're seeing more of this, especially in those categories where word of mouth is a powerful motivator," he said. "The purchase of cars, fine wines, dining. You've got to get a buzz going."

Nintendo learned from its experience in Japan that it could succeed by developing games for a market its rivals largely ignored — adults over 30 and so-called lapsed gamers, who no longer have hours to devote to getting really good at a video game.

For example, Nintendo has sold more than 7 million copies of the game "Brain Age," with simple math problems and other memory exercises touted as a way for baby boomers to keep mentally sharp. About 35% of the people who bought the game — and the hardware to play it, the portable Nintendo DS — were first-time gamers.

"We were at the AARP convention in Anaheim in the fall," Harrison said. "I'm sure we were the only video game company there."

Similarly, Nintendo eschewed traditional television advertising for the Wii. Instead of blitzing programs like "Pokemon" or "World Wrestling Entertainment" bouts with commercials aimed at its core market — 6- to 24-year-olds — it opted for shows parents and kids watch together, such as "Dancing With the Stars" and "American Idol." It set up Wii consoles in malls to offer a hands-on experience to the curious.

"We knew that we could probably sell all the Wiis that we brought to the marketplace to boys between the ages of 9 to 24," Harrison said. "It wasn't a question of could we sell the product. But when it got into the house, through no matter what channel, are more people engaged in playing it?"

Nintendo hosted what it described as "organic events" in eight cities — Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Tonganoxie, Kan., and Austin, Texas.

The company hired a consultant to identify three sets of "ambassadors" in each city: a core gamer/loyalist who would sing the praises of the system to other gamers; a large multi-generational family, where everyone from the kids to the grandparents could take turns with the Wii remote; and an alpha mom, who would presumably spread the word at schoolyards, soccer fields and her neighborhood.

"The vast majority of people were not video game players, or had potentially a negative attitude about video games. But we identified them as people who were influential in their community," said Harrison of Nintendo. "One of the things we were concerned about was if we started advertising on television to this audience, they wouldn't pay attention. We felt like we had to open up the audience's willingness to hear from us before we started the TV advertising."

Nintendo is working to position the Wii as a chip-powered equivalent of the game board, so it won't disappear into a teenager's bedroom but will remain in the family room where everyone can play. That's why it enclosed a copy of the "Wii Sports" game with every console, so even the most technophobic family member could try one of the arcade-styled versions of bowling, tennis, baseball, golf or boxing. ...

via latimes

As it geared up to promote its new Wii video game console, Nintendo of America Inc. looked to a group better known for nagging kids to stop playing video games: moms.

The Japanese game company merged viral marketing techniques with Tupperware parties in the months leading up to the Nov. 19 launch of Wii, which is pronounced "whee." Nintendo recruited a handful of gregarious, tech-savvy moms — whom it dubbed "alpha moms" — to share the console with their friends.

Linda Perry, who started a Yahoo parents' group called Peachhead, was one of three designated, and decidedly animated, buzz-makers in Los Angeles. She sent out chalkboards inviting 35 friends to "come out and play" in a bash at one of the city's favorite star haunts, the Chateau Marmont.

"Most people were like, 'I don't play games,' " said Perry, 41, of Venice Beach. But by the end of the night, she said, "everybody was playing it. People were working up a sweat."

Getting the Wii's TV-remote-style controller in the hands of non-gamers is a key element of Nintendo's strategy to broaden its appeal beyond the young men who usually can be counted on to snap up new game systems.

The Wii's simplified, wireless controller has motion sensing technology that translates a swing of the arm to the movements of a character's tennis racket on screen — and removes the intimidating cluster of buttons that can scare away the casual player.

"Our core presumption is if we could get someone to put their hands on the controller, they would be hooked," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications.

At a time when the media audience is fragmenting, it doesn't hurt to build a little enthusiasm with such grass-roots campaigns, said Peter Sealy, a former chief marketing officer for the Coca-Cola Co. who will teach marketing at the Peter Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

"I think you're seeing more of this, especially in those categories where word of mouth is a powerful motivator," he said. "The purchase of cars, fine wines, dining. You've got to get a buzz going."

Nintendo learned from its experience in Japan that it could succeed by developing games for a market its rivals largely ignored — adults over 30 and so-called lapsed gamers, who no longer have hours to devote to getting really good at a video game.

For example, Nintendo has sold more than 7 million copies of the game "Brain Age," with simple math problems and other memory exercises touted as a way for baby boomers to keep mentally sharp. About 35% of the people who bought the game — and the hardware to play it, the portable Nintendo DS — were first-time gamers.

"We were at the AARP convention in Anaheim in the fall," Harrison said. "I'm sure we were the only video game company there."

Similarly, Nintendo eschewed traditional television advertising for the Wii. Instead of blitzing programs like "Pokemon" or "World Wrestling Entertainment" bouts with commercials aimed at its core market — 6- to 24-year-olds — it opted for shows parents and kids watch together, such as "Dancing With the Stars" and "American Idol." It set up Wii consoles in malls to offer a hands-on experience to the curious.

"We knew that we could probably sell all the Wiis that we brought to the marketplace to boys between the ages of 9 to 24," Harrison said. "It wasn't a question of could we sell the product. But when it got into the house, through no matter what channel, are more people engaged in playing it?"

Nintendo hosted what it described as "organic events" in eight cities — Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Tonganoxie, Kan., and Austin, Texas.

The company hired a consultant to identify three sets of "ambassadors" in each city: a core gamer/loyalist who would sing the praises of the system to other gamers; a large multi-generational family, where everyone from the kids to the grandparents could take turns with the Wii remote; and an alpha mom, who would presumably spread the word at schoolyards, soccer fields and her neighborhood.

"The vast majority of people were not video game players, or had potentially a negative attitude about video games. But we identified them as people who were influential in their community," said Harrison of Nintendo. "One of the things we were concerned about was if we started advertising on television to this audience, they wouldn't pay attention. We felt like we had to open up the audience's willingness to hear from us before we started the TV advertising."

Nintendo is working to position the Wii as a chip-powered equivalent of the game board, so it won't disappear into a teenager's bedroom but will remain in the family room where everyone can play. That's why it enclosed a copy of the "Wii Sports" game with every console, so even the most technophobic family member could try one of the arcade-styled versions of bowling, tennis, baseball, golf or boxing. ...

via metrowii

The British Chiropractic Association has advised people to warm up before playing the Wii games. They are advising people to consider the Wii session as a form of excersise and hence do a warm up and a cool down. Players can then avoid “stiffness and possible injuries.”

Exercises as suggested by BCA –

The BCA has developed a ‘Wii Warm Up’ to help users retain nimble fingers but avoid over exertion:

1) Shoulder Shrug – Slowly shrug your shoulders towards your ears. Hold for 2/3 seconds, and then relax. Repeat 3 times. Because it is easier to relax a muscle after you’ve tightened it, you will relax the muscles in the shoulder and allow the blood to flow into the arms.
2) Wrist Stretch – Slowly stretch the wrist backwards, hold for 2/3 seconds, then Slowly stretch is forwards and hold for 2/3 seconds. Repeat 3 times. This exercise prevents tightening of the wrists.
3) Make a Fist – Hold the arm at right angles from the elbow. Make a fist and tense it, and the whole of your arm. Hold for 2/3 seconds, then relax and let the arm flop to your side. Repeat 3 times. This will help the blood flow and tone the muscles.
4) Neck muscle stretch – Try to make a double chin, to stretch the muscles at the base of the neck. Hold this position for 2 to 3 seconds and repeat 3 times. Always stretch very slowly.
5) Lower back loosen – Stand with your feet shoulder width apart slowly circle your hips 5 revolutions to the right and then 5 revolutions to your left.
But remember warm up exercises shouldn’t be painful, so if they are stop!
Hutchful concludes “It is also important to take frequent breaks during a Wii session, at least once every 45 minutes for most people, but 20 – 30 minutes for those who do not exercise regularly. Don’t forget - pain is a warning sign, so if you feel any pain no matter how slight – stop!” ...

via metrowii

The British Chiropractic Association has advised people to warm up before playing the Wii games. They are advising people to consider the Wii session as a form of excersise and hence do a warm up and a cool down. Players can then avoid “stiffness and possible injuries.”

Exercises as suggested by BCA –

The BCA has developed a ‘Wii Warm Up’ to help users retain nimble fingers but avoid over exertion:

1) Shoulder Shrug – Slowly shrug your shoulders towards your ears. Hold for 2/3 seconds, and then relax. Repeat 3 times. Because it is easier to relax a muscle after you’ve tightened it, you will relax the muscles in the shoulder and allow the blood to flow into the arms.
2) Wrist Stretch – Slowly stretch the wrist backwards, hold for 2/3 seconds, then Slowly stretch is forwards and hold for 2/3 seconds. Repeat 3 times. This exercise prevents tightening of the wrists.
3) Make a Fist – Hold the arm at right angles from the elbow. Make a fist and tense it, and the whole of your arm. Hold for 2/3 seconds, then relax and let the arm flop to your side. Repeat 3 times. This will help the blood flow and tone the muscles.
4) Neck muscle stretch – Try to make a double chin, to stretch the muscles at the base of the neck. Hold this position for 2 to 3 seconds and repeat 3 times. Always stretch very slowly.
5) Lower back loosen – Stand with your feet shoulder width apart slowly circle your hips 5 revolutions to the right and then 5 revolutions to your left.
But remember warm up exercises shouldn’t be painful, so if they are stop!
Hutchful concludes “It is also important to take frequent breaks during a Wii session, at least once every 45 minutes for most people, but 20 – 30 minutes for those who do not exercise regularly. Don’t forget - pain is a warning sign, so if you feel any pain no matter how slight – stop!” ...