Crave

The Wii is coming to...Sports Authority?

(Credit: Nintendo)

You might be used to buying your video game consoles only at an electronics store, but all that will soon change. National sports retailer Sports Authority announced Tuesday that it will start selling the Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit Plus in its stores.

Aside from being able to pick up a Wii and Wii Fit Plus, consumers will also find Sports Authority stores that boast a Wii "interactive fitness experience." The section of the store will have "knowledgeable fitness trainers allowing customers to try Wii and Wii Fit Plus before they buy."

While it's certainly interesting to see a Wii being used by a fitness instructor in a sports store, Sports Authority said it believes that it will help set it apart in the marketplace. According to the company, users will now be able to "satisfy their fitness- and sports-gaming needs under one roof."

But just how much of a benefit Wii Fit actually affords its users is up for debate. Sports Authority might claim that it helps users "achieve better health," but a recent study (PDF) from the American Council on Exercise found that the game offers a "very, very mild workout."

That could throw a wrench in Sports Authority's plans as it attempts to make the case that the Wii and the Wii Fit Plus make sense next to other products designed specifically to improve the health of its users. As appealing as it might be to some, Nintendo's game might not be able to stand up against fitness-focused products.

Regardless, Sports Authority has thrown its support behind Nintendo's console. The Wii and the Wii Fit Plus will be available in 102 stores starting on Thursday. It will be rolled out to remaining company stores by spring 2010.

Correction at 4:50 a.m. PDT November 18: Cammie Dunaway incorrectly described Wii's October sales figures compared with other next-generation game consoles. Wii sales were nearly the total of its rivals combined.

Stung by lower Wii sales and a couple of down quarters, Nintendo may be a bit off its game this year. But Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing, keeps focused on the company's strengths and positive numbers.

The recession and a paucity of blockbuster titles have taken a bite out of the overall video game industry this year, with revenue down from record levels in 2008. Nintendo certainly hasn't been immune. For the first half of the year, earnings fell about 50 percent from 2008, while Will sales dipped.

Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's
executive VP of sales and marketing

(Credit: Nintendo)

In the midst of this atmosphere, I spoke on Thursday with Dunaway, known to many video game buffs for her high-spirited appearances at E3.

Though I asked Dunaway about the company's revenue decline, lower console sales, and potential competition, she continually championed Nintendo's assets, including its Wii and DS consoles and recent popular games like Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus, as well as new titles like Super Mario Bros.

Dunaway's optimism about Nintendo may have been borne out by the latest results. Though overall video game revenue fell in October, the Wii bounced back to recover its spot as the top selling console, according to NPD.

Last month, Nintendo sold 507,000 Wiis, compared with 320,600 Sony PlayStation 3s and 249,700 Microsoft Xbox 360s. Coming in second in video game hardware sales was Nintendo's portable DSi and DS Lite, with gamers scooping up 457,000 units.

Four of Nintendo's titles also did well in October, finishing in the top 10. The company sold 232,000 copies of Wii Fit Plus alone, and 209,000 of Wii Fit Plus bundled with the Balance Board. Wii Sports Resort scored with 179,000 copies sold, while Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for the DS found 169,000 new customers.

I spoke with Dunaway by phone before before NPD released the October sales figures. But she certainly knew ahead of time that the numbers would look good for Nintendo.

Q: The question on everyone's mind is Nintendo's performance this year. For the first half, earnings were down about 50 percent. Sales for the Wii have dropped. Your president, [Satoru] Iwata, recently admitted that sales of the Wii have stalled. What do you pin as the reasons for this downturn, both for the company and for the Wii itself?
Dunaway: Let's talk about the U.S., and let's break it down into the separate platforms. So, speaking first about the Wii--what's important to understand is that in 2008, we sold 10 million units of the Wii, which was a record for any console ever in history. And so it's a high mark.

What's also important to understand is that the pacing of our software this year was quite different than it was in 2008. In 2008, our big titles were released early in the year. And this year's huge title, released a few weeks ago in October, Wii Fit Plus, is doing quite well. And then arguably, the largest title of the year, New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii, only releases Sunday [November 15]. So we believe that going into the holiday season, consumers will continue to look for the products they see as representing the best value and the most fun.

Now on DS, we also had a record setting year last year, selling over 10 million units, and we are actually 16 percent above that pace year-to-date in 2009. So the combination of DS Lite and our new product DSi is really resonating with consumers.

Then on software, here in the U.S., our software for both Wii and Nintendo DS is actually up over a year ago. So despite the fact that our big titles are yet to come, we still have had a good year overlapping a tremendous year with our software.

Can you talk about some of the new titles Nintendo has in store for the holidays and next year? You mentioned Super Mario Bros. is a key title for the holidays. Are there others?
Dunaway: Looking to some of the additional titles for the holidays, New Super Mario Bros., for the first time enables four people to play a Mario game together. And it is going to be something that provides tremendous challenge to experienced gamers, and something a brand new gamer can jump in with their friends and family and enjoy. So that one will be a monster hit.

We also on the DS side have a new Zelda title--Zelda Spirit Tracks--coming on December 7. And Zelda titles are always strong performers, and it's a franchise that loyalists look forward to, line up to get copies of. And it's a title that we also think expanded market consumers will enjoy because of its heart. It's really about solving puzzles and going on an adventure, which is something that really anyone can have a good time doing.

Then as we go into next year, while we haven't announced timing, we have announced that we'll be launching a new Pokemon Gold and Silver, which has broken all records on its launch in Japan. [We're also launching] a title that will be great for loyalists called Sin & Punishment and a title called Endless Ocean that really provides a wonderful family experience on the Wii.

Sales of the Nintendo Wii have been flagging lately, and the number of quality titles coming out for this generation's best-selling system seems to be getting thinner every month. What better to fix everything than Mario? New Super Mario Bros. sold over 19 million copies for the DS, and now the Wii sequel has arrived just in time to give a breath of life into the little white box. We've been quite bullish about this new game after multiplayer hands-on and single-player sessions earlier this year. Now, after playing the final boxed version all weekend, did it live up to our lofty expectations? Our takes are below.

Scott:
Nintendo wisely chose to make its headlining release this holiday a marquee game for its most popular mascot. The surprising part was putting the whole game in 2D.

After the success of 3D Mario games, including Super Mario Galaxy, dating back to 1996, the decision to make New Super Mario Bros. Wii a 2D game could be considered baffling. But it's actually a somewhat brilliant move: for all of Galaxy's incredible visuals, it's not instantly accessible to older casual gamers. SNES-era Super Mario is, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a better-rendered, 16x9 wide-screen retro-update to the classic series that effectively ended with Super Mario World. The game's all-new levels and clever updates to the game mechanics make this an excellent sequel for the Mario ultrafans.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii--photos

Much like the DS game New Super Mario Bros., Mario and much of his environment are composed of 3D graphics moving in 2D, lending a much smoother look than sprite-based retro gaming. For single-player fans, the eight-plus worlds and many secrets are actually pretty difficult, and offer plenty of value. Throwing in four-player co-op through the whole game transforms Mario into an experience more like Super Smash Bros. as players compete for power-ups in ways that are often downright mean.

Two other multiplayer modes offer different ways to play the single-player courses, and, sadly, none of the multiplayer is online. Still, the 2D arena offers some of the best multiplayer play that the Wii has ever seen, and that, combined with the mainstream family-friendly feel, could catapult New Super Mario Bros. Wii to the very top of the Wii's best-sellers' list. ... Read more

(Credit: Zoink Games)

Wiimote gone missing? You might want to check inside that orange and purple stuffed monster in your kid's room. If Bobby's been playing the interactive game WiiWaa, he had to shove the controller down the monster's throat. The player bounces and slingshots the little guy around as an onscreen version moves in kind across a colorful landscape of forests and bridges. It's a cute concept, but we feel kind of bad for the puppet who's forced to swallow a gadget and then get shaken into a stupor.

WiiWaa is a creation of Swedish game developer Zoink Games, though Zoink's currently sparse site doesn't post a release date--only a video of the stuffed animal getting repeated concussions.

(Via designboom)

(Credit: 505 Games)

Talk about shades of Cabbage Patch Kids. The rather unsettling Baby and Me Wii game brings baby to life in a child-rearing sim that not only ships with a Wiimote-ready doll, it's in a detestable color that a certain mouthless cat has made commonplace. But more disturbing is the prospect of this ending up as a replacement baby for some people.

Game-wise, this one utilizes motion control to prompt the doll to laugh, cry, or gurgle, though coming out of the Wiimote's teensy speakers, this can only project in an eerily disembodied way. There are eight game modes with Wii Balance Board support(!!), which further enables this little hellspawn mannequin to be burped, rocked, fed, and taught to walk.

Honestly, what will they think up next, breast pumps? This special edition has a November 10 release destined for the Australian market only.

(Source: Crave Asia via Aussie-Nintendo)

Start your own Fab Four with The Beatles: Rock Band.

(Credit: Target)

If you're a fan of A) music, B) The Beatles, C) Rock Band, or D) looking silly (I kid, I kid), you've no doubt had your eye on the recently released Beatles Rock Band bundle.

It normally sells for $159.99, but Amazon is offering The Beatles: Rock Band Value Edition for $99.99 shipped. It's available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

The bundle includes the game itself, natch, along with three "instruments": guitar, drum set, and microphone. You can optionally add two more microphones and sing three-part harmonies, which sounds pretty cool.

However, much as I love the Beatles (who doesn't?), I don't really get into games like this. Of course, they obviously have their audience, and GameSpot positively loved The Beatles: Rock Band.

Walk into any Best Buy, Target, or the like, and you'll pay full retail price for this bundle. Shop online and you may be able to find it for as low as $130. Needless to say, $99.99 is a mighty sweet deal. Definitely worth considering as the holidays grow near.

This month in games: November 2009--photos

View the full gallery

Sure, October impressed us with some top-notch video game releases, but historically November has always delivered some of the most anticipated titles of the year. This November is no different, and as 2009 goes out with a bang, we highlight 11 of our top picks for the month.

RPG fans are set for the rest of the year as Dragon Age: Origins has already dazzled us with its thrilling story and addictive gameplay. God of War fans will be pleased to know that both original PS2 games will get the HD treatment on November 17 in God of War Collection.

Speaking of November 17, most of our slideshow features games releasing that day. Left 4 Dead 2, Tony Hawk RIDE, and Assassin's Creed II all ship that day.

There's plenty more to look forward to in November including what's arguably the most anticipated game of the year, Modern Warfare 2. Make sure you check out our slideshow for our complete list. What are you going to be playing this month?

Episode 56 of the Digital City, where we discuss Apple's plans for a monthly iTunes TV subscription service; Joey wonders why everyone puts up with poor iPhone service (hint: it's the social utility of shared experiences); and Scott finds out how much laptop $350 can buy.

It's also a mixed bag for Nintendo, with Wii sales down 50-percent over last year, and a lukewarm reception to the larger screen on the DSi XL handheld -- but at the same time, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and targeted games such as Style Savvy may bring in holiday shoppers. Finally, check out a hands-on look at DJ Hero, and see Scott rock a trucker hat straight out of 2003.

Related links:
>>DJ Hero: Hands-on
>>Laptop bargain-hunting: What can you get for $350?
>>Nintendo's new big-screen DSi XL

>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!

Bonus -- Hands-on video with DJ Hero:

(Credit: CNET)

It appears all the bacon sandwiches and soda have finally caught up with our very own Justin Yu as he is once again not with us for the show. Instead, we are graced by two special guests.

For the first half of the show our buddy Sean Cullinane stops by to help us understand why there are a lot more Phillies hats being worn in New York City today than Yankees hats and to pick apart our Motorola Droid review sample. What this phone lacks in style points it makes up in weight--it's the heaviest cell phone we've ever held!

For the second half of our program Natali Del Conte joins in for some calls from the public and a discussion about Netflix streaming coming to the Wii. Also, we announce our winner of the Ratch & Clank Favorite Weapon contest!

All this and much more on today's 404.

EPISODE 456