wii

Where are all the Wiis?

Well, it's been a nice couple of months since the launch of the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3. After the predictably massive crowds and instant sell-outs of the systems on launch day, stores have had plenty of time to restock and get the new next-gen systems back on their shelves. Unfortunately, that hasn't quite been the case.

The Nintendo Wii is still almost impossible to find, and this is a surprising frustration for guys like me who decided not to wait in line for hours to get one at launch. After some legwork and a number of … Read more

Nyko's new Wiimote charging station

The Nintendo Wii is fun, but its controller eats up batteries like nobody's business. Once you get hooked on Wii Sports or Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, you'll probably spend as much on AAs as you spent on the system itself before you even notice. Finally, peripheral manufacturer Nyko (not to be confused with R2-D2 manufacturer Nikko) has unveiled a solution.

Kotaku and GameTrailers recently posted a video highlighting some of Nyko's upcoming products. Most of these gadgets were lackluster, like stylii for the Nintendo DS or fans for the PlayStation 3, but one device shown above … Read more

Console browsing: Not there yet

Is it possible to have a positive Webware experience on something besides a PC? Cell phones and small handheld Internet devices don't cut it with their tiny screens and awful browsers (at least until the iPhone arrives). So what if you could use that nice bandwidth you get at home and combine it with that large HDTV sitting in your living room? That question has recently been answered with Nintendo and Sony's more recent gaming consoles: the Wii and the PS3, respectively. Microsoft's Xbox 360 doesn't have a browser, likely because of the company's failure … Read more

Good Man meets Billionton

Many people spend the entire week at CES trolling the three main halls occupied by such companies as Samsung, LG and Sony. They all have huge booths--Samsung took the cake with 2,500 square feet--and tons of products to fill them.

But the international hall in the Hilton is far more interesting. It's populated by hundreds of small companies grouped by nationality. Most are from Asia, but there are also sections for Denmark and Australia.

First, there is the sheer variety of names: Best Rainbow Technology (appliances), Billionton Systems (LCD panels), Nice Fountain Industrial (cables), Millionway International Industrial (GPS … Read more

Orb MyCast: Stream to your Wii

It's not out of its beta stages yet, but the Nintendo Wii version of the Opera Web browser already has some gamers getting very creative. Using the Orb streaming media program, a Wii user managed to stream video from his PC to his Wii. Orb is a program that turns computers into streaming media servers, so users can access their movies and music through any compatible Web browser.

Though originally intended for streaming media to portable devices such as laptops, PDAs, and cell phones, this Wii compatibility presents some fun, new opportunities. Much like the Xbox 360's Windows … Read more

More ways for Wii to fly off the handle

If Hong Kong-based Brando were a little kid, he'd be the one in the back row of the classroom getting everyone else in trouble. That, at least, is what the gadget maker seems to be doing (wittingly or otherwise) with its "Sports Pack" of accessories for the Wii.

The innovative "Wiimote" of Nintendo's new game system has gotten the company in some legal trouble with people who blame the device for gaming-induced injuries. Now Brando comes along with a set of attachments to the wireless remote, including pint-sized versions of a tennis racket, golf … Read more

Web apps start hitting the Wii

Now that Nintendo's coveted Wii is equipped with an Opera browser, the gaming console is now capable of all kinds of Web-based fun! One of the cool gimmicks that I'm pretty pumped about is the fact that you can now control iTunes with your Wii remote. It's possible thanks to the Dot.Tunes application, which can stream music from your iTunes library to any number of devices: other computers, Web-enabled cell phones, and PSPs. On the Wii, you can use the Opera browser to access Dot.Tunes, which has a Flash interface that you can navigate with … Read more

Roomba, meet the Wiimote

Already bored with playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on your new Wii? You might try using using the console's already legendary remote to control a household robot.

One person who did just that is a young man named Chris Hughes, who hacked the Roomba vacuum cleaner so that he could make the rugbot do his bidding. And he's posted the modified source code online so that you can do the same.

Hughes, who bears a strong resemblance to Matt Damon, offers a quick intro to the Wii-Roomba hack in a YouTube video that can be found … Read more

Wii, Wii, Madame

Media sites are watching how we consumers spend our money this holiday season. And it looks like a double victory for the tech world.

First, online sales are up more than 25 percent from last year. Consumers are apparently comfortable now with last minute online buys.

Second, HD flat screens and Nintendo's Wii were both big sellers this season. This week tech gadgets will have to compete with even more heavly discounted general merchandise.

I'm hearing some analysts on CNBC today saying brick and mortar discounters were not even making a profit on the flat screens they sold. … Read more

Nintendo slapped with suit over Wii strap

File this under "c'mon, you had to see it coming." Just days after Nintendo announced that it would voluntarily exchange 3.2 million Wii remote straps due to reports of the parts breaking and even causing bodily harm comes news of a lawsuit against the company.

The nationwide suit seeking class action status was filed by law firm Green Welling in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington. "Nintendo's failure to include a remote that is free from defects is in breach of Nintendo's own product warranty," the law … Read more