Joystiq

$70 Zelda: Skyward Sword bundle includes gold Wii Remote Plus

JC Fletcher — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:20:00 EST

You'll need a MotionPlus or Wii Remote Plus to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. If you don't already have one, don't worry: Nintendo will offer the game in a $69.99 bundle, which includes the limited-edition gold Wii Remote Plus first seen at E3. If you don't want the fancy (and exclusive) Wiimote, the game will still be available as a standalone, for $49.99.

The initial print run of both versions, out November 20, will include a CD of performances from the upcoming Zelda 25th anniversary concert. So don't make too much noise when you go to that concert, or you'll ruin our CD. Thanks!

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$70 Zelda: Skyward Sword bundle includes gold Wii Remote Plus originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect + Wii Remote + Vuzix Hack: a 'VR' first person shooter

Andrew Yoon — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:30:00 EST

You've seen a number of Kinect hacks. But have you seen one that integrates a Wii Remote Plus and Vuzix headset? And has you shooting weird floating anime heads with paintballs? Probably not. Developer Nao_u certainly deserves props for this ingenious, but impractical, use of motion gaming.

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Kinect + Wii Remote + Vuzix Hack: a 'VR' first person shooter originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FlingSmash review: Just a fling

JC Fletcher — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:00:00 EST

In general, I don't believe in factoring price into an evaluation of a game's quality. The artistic and entertainment value of a game is completely separate from its, you know, value. But there was basically never a point during my time with FlingSmash that I wasn't thinking about how it was about right at $10 -- which, if you take out the $40 that a Wii Remote Plus would cost on its own, is its effective cost.

In my defense, Nintendo must have looked at it the same way, since it is only selling the game in bundles with controllers, despite all indication that it was originally conceived as a "normal" retail game (it's been in development at least since October of 2008, when it was announced at Nintendo's media summit, and the E3-era box art showed it being sold separately from the MotionPlus). The production values are nice, but it bears the design hallmarks you'd expect from a budget game: it's extremely brief (like three hours), it's shallow, and it's built around one reasonably insane idea. Luckily, FlingSmash falls on the "stupid fun" side of the superficiality continuum I've just invented.

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FlingSmash review: Just a fling originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Remote Plus vs. Wii Remote

JC Fletcher — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:55:00 EST

Our press copy of FlingSmash -- like all copies of FlingSmash -- included a black Wii Remote Plus controller, the new version of the Wiimote with MotionPlus inside.

We immediately got it out and compared it visually against a plain old Wii Remote, and now we can determine with scientific* precision that it looks exactly like a regular Wiimote -- except for the "Wii MotionPlus Inside" label under the Wii logo. You can see the (complete lack of) difference for yourself in our gallery.

The one thing you can't see in the gallery: the difference in weight. We didn't have a kitchen scale handy, but informal testing (i.e. picking them both up) revealed no perceptible difference in weight. The fact that the added hardware doesn't change the controller in the slightest suggests that the MotionPlus was a placebo all along, increasing the sensitivity of controls by making you think they were more sensitive. Either that or the gyroscope is really small. We're not ruling anything out. FlingSmash and the Wii Remote Plus will be out November 7 in North America.

Gallery: Wii Remote Plus vs. Wii Remote

*actually not scientific at all -- we pretty much just looked at it.

Wii Remote Plus vs. Wii Remote originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Red Wii and DSi XL bundles, Wii Remote Plus, and FlingSmash in North America Nov. 7

JC Fletcher — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:29:00 EST

After keeping us in suspense for a couple of weeks, Nintendo of America has finally announced the Super Mario Bros. 25th anniversary hardware bundles for North America. Both the red Wii and DSi XL systems will arrive on November 7.

The $200 Wii bundle includes New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports, and a red Wii Remote Plus. Neither the package nor the press release mentions anything about the special versions of the NES Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong included in other regions. The $180 DSi XL bundle includes Mario Kart DS, and comes pre-loaded with two Brain Age Express games and Photo Clock.

The Wii Remote Plus, combining a Wiimote and a MotionPlus, will be released the same day for $40, in white, black, pink, and blue. It will be the standard Wii controller from now on, included in hardware bundles. FlingSmash will also come packed in with a Wii Remote Plus -- it's out the same day for $50.

Gallery: Super Mario Bros. 25th anniversary systems

Gallery: Wii Remote Plus

Red Wii and DSi XL bundles, Wii Remote Plus, and FlingSmash in North America Nov. 7 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Remote Plus and FlingSmash launch in Europe in November

JC Fletcher — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:40:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Nintendo will release the Wii Remote Plus, which combines a Wii Remote and MotionPlus add-on, in Europe on November 5 -- six days before the Japanese release date. The new controller will be available in black, white, pink and blue. Nintendo has yet to announce a price, but the price in Japan is equivalent to a normal Wiimote, so it'll probably be a similar deal in Europe.

If you want to get a Wii Remote Plus early, and if you have the money, a red one will be included with the Super Mario Bros. anniversary edition Wii on October 29. If you'd like to pick up a game with your Wii Remote Plus, but not a whole system, you'll be able to buy a FlingSmash bundle on November 19.

Wii Remote Plus and FlingSmash launch in Europe in November originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Remote Plus dated for Japan, bundled with Wii Sports Resort

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:40:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

The Wii Remote Plus, which almost unimaginably crams MotionPlus tech into a standard-sized Wiimote, has been dated and priced for Japan. The controller will be released on November 11 for ¥3,800 ($46) -- the same price as the normal Wiimote -- and will be available in five colors: white, black, blue, red and pink. A red Nunchuk will be released, as well.

The old Wiimote will ostensibly be phased out, as Nintendo will also begin bundling the Wiimote Plus with Wii systems on the same day. Additionally, Andriasang reports that the Wii Sports Resort bundle, which originally included the MotionPlus attachment, will feature the Wiimote Plus beginning on -- you guessed it -- November 11. The bundle will retail for ¥5,800 ($70).

Wii Remote Plus dated for Japan, bundled with Wii Sports Resort originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iwata confirms Wii Remote Plus

Randy Nelson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 03:30:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confirmed that the company is indeed developing the Wii Remote Plus, integrating Wii MotionPlus into a much handier all-in-one design. No release details, but FlingSmash hits Japan on November 18 and the device has been spotted as a pack-in with the game Stateside.

Iwata confirms Wii Remote Plus originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Wii Remote Plus' shown on FlingSmash packaging

JC Fletcher — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Though Nintendo's quirky, somewhat under-the-radar throwing game FlingSmash doesn't seem like the most likely partner for the launch of a new accessory, it would appear that's exactly how Nintendo is handling it. The GameStop listing for the Artoon-developed Wii game shows that it's bundled with a "Wii Remote Plus," and still due November 7. Given FlingSmash's MotionPlus requirement, we can safely guess that the Wii Remote Plus is a Wiimote with the MotionPlus already all up in it -- a trick we've seen from third parties.

Nintendo confirmed the existence of the controller to Eurogamer, declining to offer any more details. No GameStop listing was found for just the controller, leading us to suspect that FlingSmash was always intended as a pack-in with the Wii Remote Plus (its Wii Play, so to speak) -- which neatly answers the question of why Nintendo would make FlingSmash a full-priced retail game. We're contacting Nintendo for more details, since it probably knows a bit more about its own release plans than GameStop.

Update: Nintendo has "nothing to announce at this time," a representative told Joystiq.

'Wii Remote Plus' shown on FlingSmash packaging originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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