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Nintendo to release new white Gamecube controller

White Gamecube controller

Look out, world - is about to unleash a brand new Gamecube controller. Yeah, you read that right. What’s old is now new again. The “new” controller will be the exact same design as the original Gamecube controller, except this one will be white, and the cable length will be a good 3 meters. Now, if it isn’t obvious to you why Nintendo is doing this, let us spell it out for you. It’s white so that it matches , the cable is longer than the original because people are sitting farther away from their televisions than they were 8 years ago, and the only reason they are even releasing a Gamecube controller in the first place is because of how massively popular Super Smash Bros: Brawl has become. Let’s face it - playing that game with a Wiimote, or even Wiimote-Nunchuk combo is horrible compared to the joy that the controller brings.

Our wish? That Nintendo would make a Gamecube controller that plugs into the Wiimote instead, keeping it wireless.

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Nintendo Wii Controllers

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Go Nintendo


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WALL-E GameCube case mod is awesome

WALL-E Gamecube mod

Allow us to introduce you to what just might be the cutest case mod we’ve ever seen - a GameCube made to look like WALL-E. We are sure this was no easy feat, what with the usage of acrylic paint, metal, plastic, and even plexiglass. If you haven’t heard, WALL-E is the star of the next film, WALL-E. Yeah, we know. Anyhow, the little robot was cute enough in the movie’s trailer - even more so in GameCube form. We knew ‘s little-box-that-could still had some sort of value left in it.

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Bit-Tech forums


Button Mash the Pounds Away with Gamercize

GamercizeWith obesity—especially amongst kids—growing by leaps and bounds, we think this is a great device for gamers young and old. It’s Gamercize Sport, an exercise device that hooks up to your video game console. The catch? The controller only works while you’re exercising. If you stop moving, the controller stops working, so if you want to reach 100% completion on Vice City, you’re literally gonna have to sweat it out. You can hook up Gamercize to your own exercise machine, or purchase their Power Stepper or Mini Cycle. Currently Gamercize is only compatible with PSOne, PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox, however look for Gamercize Pro-Sport in the future, for use with the , and Nintendo . Gamercize Sport is available for $80 USD.

Read More | Gamercize via UberGizmo


Game Releases For The Week Of 6/25: The Darkness, Pokemon, And Transformers

Pokemon Battle Revolution

Some big name titles are hitting this week, including the much anticipated The Darkness for both Xbox 360 and PS3. Transformers is bound to be a big seller by virtue of its name and the number of platforms that it’s coming out on. And Pokemon Battle Revolution for Wii is going to sell a scientifically accurate 1,432,345^100, or in other words, a metric crapton.

Click to continue reading Game Releases For The Week Of 6/25: The Darkness, Pokemon, And Transformers

Read More | Gamasutra

Play Smash Bros. Brawl With Four Different Controllers

Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Fighting, Nintendo, Wii,

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Wario

If you haven’t already heard, then you’ll be excited to know that in addition to the previously-confirmed GameCube controller compatibility that Smash Bros. Brawl will feature, you’ll also have three other controller options: Wiimote + Nunchuk, Wiimote turned on its side, or the Classic Controller. This was confirmed on the official Smash Bros. DOJO!! website on Friday, and while details weren’t included, we can infer a few things based upon this news. The fact that the Wiimote only has the 1, 2 and A buttons on its face that are within easy reach (I doubt gameplay itself would require any use of the + or – buttons) and the B trigger underneath, the controls will have to be fairly simple. The news post alludes to more news coming on how exactly the controls will work with the Wiimote, but expect some sort of motion control to be involved. It’ll be interesting to see how the different control schemes mesh with one another.

Read More | Smash Bros. DOJO!!

Gamefly Adds Fast East Coast Shipping, More Availability Info

Gamefly Logo Living in SF, I’ve never had a problem with the turn-around times for getting new games from Gamefly. Since it only takes about 3 days between sending in my played games and getting my next game, I’ve found the 3-game plan to be more than worth its cost. Still, Gamefly was hampered by the fact that it only had one shipping facility, in Los Angeles, CA. That all changed this past week when Gamefly opened up their second shipping facility in Pittsburgh, PA. This warehouse will serve the east coast and some inland states, including “CT, DC, DE, IN, KY, MD, MI, NC, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, and VW (sic)”. I can only assume that VW stands for Vest Wirginia.

In addition, Gamefly has been adding several other tweaks to their website, including an improved “availability” ranking in your GameQ. Items in your Q will now show whether the availability is “Now” (will ship immediately), or “High”, “Medium” or “Low”, or “Very Low”. High means there’s a 75% chance that your game will be available to ship, Medium 50%-75%, and Low 25%-50%, and Very Low 0%-25%.

Finally, Gamefly appears to be doing some work on improving their web interface. Games in your Q will now display a blue “In Q” button (instead of the standard “Rent it!” button) if a game is already in your Q. Unfortunately, the “In Q” button only shows up when you navigate to the specific game page, and does not appear on any list pages (a la NetFlix). Clicking on the “Rent it!” button for a game already in your Q still results in the annoying “This game is already in your Q!” pop-up box, but hopefully they’ll be fixing that soon.

Overall, some much welcomed improvements! Now, just find a way to ship me Guitar Hero 2 for rental, and I’ll be a happy camper 😉

Read More | GameFly.com

GDC: Eiji Aonuma Talks Zelda

Twilight PrincessThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess represents somewhat of a rebirth for the franchise, and its creator, Eiji Aonuma, talked about how the turnaround came about. While the Zelda series has certainly hit more high notes than other series, Wind Waker and Four Swords represented a sales disappointment for Nintendo. According to 1up’s report on Aonuma’s talk, the Japanese turned away from Wind Waker because of its complexity, while US audiences couldn’t seem to get past the cartoony look. Nintendo was determined to turn this around with Twilight Princess and the return to a more realistic look was only part of the equation. A number of the design decisions, such as the dual world and the Wii remote controls are discussed by Aonuma, giving some great insight into how Nintendo turned the feedback they were getting from Wind Waker into the massively popular and critically acclaimed Twilight Princess.

Read More | 1up

Play Wii “Virtual Console” Games with an NES Controller

Retroport controller for Wii

Just look at all the merchandise regarding retro video games (T-shirts, toys and the games themselves) and you’ll know that gamers are one nostalgic bunch. Now from Retrozone comes the Retroport, a device that plugs into your beloved Wii and lets you use your old-school NES controller to play its Virtual Console and GameCube games. Yes, now you can play NES games with an NES controller…on your Wii. Heaven! We’re also hyped for the SNES version, coming soon. Both are $19 USD, and if you buy a second controller (for multiplayer games), it ships free.

 

Read More | Retrozone

Wii Super Paper Mario Screens, Now Widescreen

Super Paper Mario

Famitsu is showing off a few new screenshots from Super Paper Mario for the Nintendo Wii, now in widescreen mode. Given that Wario Ware shipped with only a 4:3 display mode, hope for true widescreen gaming goodness abounds. The game definitely looks sharp in its transition to the Wii from the Gamecube, with the screens showing off the 3D mode and Mario and Bowser in battles. The game is scheduled to hit the United States on April 9th, with the Japanese release following on April 19th.

Read More | Famitsu

NPD December Numbers: $3.7 Billion, PS2, DS Dominate

DS Lite December’s NPD final numbers have been released, and the video game industry as a whole did remarkably well, selling over $3.7 billion during the final month of the year. According to a GameDaily report, this puts industry growth year-over-year at 27.8%. In hardware, the biggest seller overall was the Nintendo DS, moving over 1.6 million handhelds. This was followed by Sony’s “last-generation” console, the PS2, which sold an amazing 1.4 million consoles sold.

For the current generation of consoles, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 lead the pack at 1.1 million sold through December, followed by Nintendo’s Wii with 604,200 sold and Sony at 490,700. Supply constraints clearly impacted both Nintendo and Sony for their next generation offerings; Nintendo’s worldwide launch stretched console supply impossibly thin, and production issues kept Sony from pushing as many consoles to market as they would have liked. Microsoft has to be happy with their totals, maintaining their lead in the face of new competition, and the continued success of the PS2 helps take the sting out of Sony’s meager PS3 launch.

On the software side, Microsoft’s Gears of War continued to sell well and moved more than 815 thousand units, and clearly helped drive sales of the Xbox 360. Guitar Hero II was a huge seller for the Playstation 2, and the combined sales of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii and Gamecube moved over one million sold; Zelda for the Wii continued to have a huge attach rate with Wii console buyers, selling 519,200 units against more than 600,000 consoles.

Overall, each of the three console manufacturers has something to brag about for the month of December, and while the relative sales are interesting now, this is just the beginning of the next console war; most analysts are predicting that the holiday season for 2007 will be when consumers will see how the competition really shakes up.

Read More | GameDaily

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