wii

Wii U woes have already begun

What big feature will be missing from the Wii U on launch day?

Bad news for first-day Wii U buyers: the company has announced that the TVii service, which was promised to be available at launch, will now not be live until sometime in December. In addition, streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, and Amazon Instant Video will now be going live in the coming weeks. This is certainly a blow for Nintendo, which can't seem to get things ready for any launch -- you'll recall that the 3DS launched without access to the virtual eShop store, … Read more

The 404 1,167: Where we tell him about the Twinkie (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Hostess liquidates assets, Twinkies no more.

- Anti-stress stations in Italy let people pop bubble wrap.

- Homeless dude arrested for public charging.

- Nintendo ships incomplete Wii U, missing TVii service and more.

- NY good Samaritan treated like thief by cops, he says, sues for $1 million.

Bathroom break video: That's a big Twinkie… Read more

Watch out, Xbox 360: Here comes the PlayStation 3

Despite getting off to a slow start and being called into a question as a viable purchase option, the PlayStation 3 might just take the second spot in console sales after this generation is up.

Earlier today, Sony announced that it has sold 70 million PlayStation 3 units worldwide since the console's launch in 2006. The device hit that tally on November 4, meaning it's somewhere above the 70-million-units mark at this point.

Sony is now in striking distance of Microsoft. The software giant announced that as of September 30, it has sold 70 million Xbox 360 units … Read more

Wii U to ship incomplete, missing Nintendo TVii service and more

Just like the 3DS before it, Nintendo's Wii U console will ship with limited functionality, falling short of what the company promised would be available on launch day this Sunday, according to a Nintendo press release.

Most notable from the release is the absence of the Nintendo TVii service, the free program the company had said would be available from day one. TVii will be activated for the Wii U sometime in December. As you may recall, TVii is the live TV, TiVo DVR, and streaming service integration that aims to become the jumping-off point for your living-room entertainment. … Read more

Total gaming spending hits $2.87 billion in third quarter

The game industry suffered through a down period during the third quarter, new data from research firm NPD has revealed.

During the third quarter, total spending in the U.S. on video game products and services was $2.87 billion, down 1 percent compared with the $2.9 billion the industry generated during the same period last year. Physical sales, which includes game discs, hit $1.07 billion during the period, representing a 16 percent decline year over year. Consumer spending on used and rental titles hit $399 million.

Luckily for the industry, digital gaming helped prop companies up, with $… Read more

Here we go again: Expect Wii U shortages to last months -- analyst

Will the Wii U be hard to come by in its first several months of availability? At least one analyst thinks so.

Speaking to Bloomberg in an interview published today, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said that he expects the Wii U to be sold out during its first six months on store shelves. After that, he believes Nintendo will sell about 10 million units a year for the first couple of years.

If that sounds familiar, it's because a similar scenario played out with Nintendo's Wii. After that console launched in 2006, it continued to sell out with … Read more

Nintendo fans line up early for the Wii U

Thursday's CNET Update is ready for the next level:

Nintendo's Wii U goes on sale Sunday, and gamers are lining up early at the Nintendo World store in New York. The first in line is the Power Glove-wearing super fan Isaiah Triforce Johnson. He's been paid by corporate sponsors while waiting outside the store for nearly a month. Other fans began showing up on Monday and Tuesday.

This Nintendo World store will sell the first Wii U console at a midnight launch event. The system comes in two models, a Basic Set in white for $300, and … Read more

Nintendo Wii U draws eager fans ahead of Sunday launch

Apple isn't the only technology company that can command a line of hard-core fans.

With the upcoming Wii U console launching on Sunday, Nintendo fans have already started to line up at the Japanese video game maker's flagship New York store in Rockefeller Center.

The line wasn't long -- roughly a dozen people were there, with some hanging out inside the store. But the metal barricades were up and individuals had been camping out for the past few days. … Read more

YouTube app comes to the Wii in the United States

YouTube arrives today on the last major gaming console it's been absent from: the Nintendo Wii, with its installed base of 97 million units around the world.

For starters, the YouTube app for Wii will be available only in the United States. But Google plans on bringing it to other countries soon.

YouTube apps are now available on 400 million devices around the world, Google says. It previously came to the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, and has been announced as a partner for the Wii U, which makes its U.S. debut Sunday.

The new app can be found here.… Read more

Why the next Nintendo portable needs to be a tablet

The Nintendo Wii U comes out in just a few days, just in time for Thanksgiving-time shopping. Look at its signature feature: the GamePad. It has a 6-inch touch screen. It has a gyroscope. It has buttons. It's more than a little like a supertablet.

But it's not. I've tried using the Wii U. Nintendo's upcoming console is clearly a nod toward the fusion of handheld tablets with TV set-top boxes, a second-screen device if ever there was one. It can play games on its little screen even when the TV that the Wii U is plugged into is turned off or doing something else. And it can even move to another room and be used wirelessly. It's not a tablet, however. A lot of people will wish it were. And that's exactly where Nintendo needs to eventually head.… Read more