Master Nintendo Wii

Mike Keller

Jan 14, 2009 6:26 pm

 This past holiday season, Big N’s little white console dominated the competition once again. Largely due to its family-friendly appeal and relatively low price, Nintendo Wii sales haven’t lost momentum since its 2006 release. However, for hardcore gamers, the Wii has always left a bit to be desired. Last generation graphics, few adult games, weak online community, and lack of DVD movie playback are just a few of the things that have led me and many other twenty-somethings to oft-favor a certain other console. However, with my recent discovery of the Homebrew Channel, I can mark one up for the Wii. I know it’s old news for some, but for those of you who always wished that glowing blue drive could play your games as well as your movies, it’s now easier than ever. Here’s how to it, no warranty voiding mod-chip required.

First of, the things you need are:

•A Wii with system version 3.2.

•A FAT/FAT32 formatted SD card (no bigger than 2GB, as the Wii can’t read SDHC cards).

•An SD card reader/writer (or a USB device that can act as one, such as a digital camera or digital photo frame).

•”Zelda: Twilight Princess” for Wii (random, I know, but you should really own this anyway).

•The “Twilight Hack” (a modified Zelda save game that runs the Homebrew Channel Installer).

•The Homebrew Channel Installer.

•”DVDX,” a Homebrew app needed for the Wii to read DVDs from the drive.

•”MPlayer,” a Wii port of a media player that plays commercial DVDs.

There are essentially two main tasks here: installing the Homebrew Channel, and installing the DVD player. I’ll start with the HBC.

1) Insert your SD card into your reader and copy the “private” directory of the Twilight Hack onto it. Also copy the Homebrew Channel “boot.dol” file.

2) Insert the SD card into your Wii and delete your Zelda save file in the Wii File Manager (start a new game if you don’t already have one). If you care about your saved game, you can first copy it to your SD card and copy it back after you’ve installed HBC.

3) Before inserting Zelda into your Wii, flip it over and take note of the text on the inner ring. It will either read “RVL-RZDE-0A-0” or “RVL-RZDE-0A-2” – both versions will work, but you need to make sure you apply the correct hack (RVL-RZDE-0A-0 requires TwilightHack0, RVL-RZDE-0A-2 requires TwilightHack2, both included in the package).

4) Switch to SD view in your Wii File Manager and copy over your correct version of the hack.

5) Insert your Zelda game disc and start the game. You should see the Twilight Hack save game. Select it to start the game. Once you can control Link, walk backwards (weird, I know) until the Homebrew Channel installer starts. After a minute or two, the HBC will be installed and can be accessed just like any other Channel on your Wii.

Once you have the Homebrew Channel up and running, you can now install Read the rest of this entry »

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Carnival Games made millions for Take Two. Surprisingly, it happened to be one of the more popular shovelware titles. And in the tradition of shovelware, Vir2L Studios and N-Fusion Interactive are hard at work on the upcoming mini-game compilation game for the Nintendo Wii, appropriately named Medieval Games.

It’s one of the "hours of fun for the whole family" affairs, and features mini-games that include battling dragons, jousting, tournaments and participating in other medieval events. It supports up to four-players and allows for gamers to select from a list of hokey characters such as a knight, a princess, a bard or a wizard. Hoo-ray! (And that’s sarcasm, in case you didn’t know.)

The game is scheduled to release sometime in 2009, exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. So that gives hardcore gamers plenty of time to start dusting off the motion-sensing machine. For more information about Medieval Games, feel free to visit the Official Vir2L Studios Website or N-Fusion’s Official Website. And I’m going to speak on their behalf in saying that it’s a pity they went from Frontlines: Fuel of War to Medieval Games. Anyway, for all your other gaming needs, feel free to stay tuned in with Blend Games.

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by Nick Breckon Jan 12, 2009 7:15pm CST tags: Nintendo, Analyst

EEDAR games industry analyst Jesse Divnich believes that Nintendo’s strong holiday sales were the only reason the industry avoided the full effects of the current economic recession.

"Simply put, Nintendo saved Christmas," proclaimed Divnich in a research note today.

"Nintendo Wii and DS software unit and dollar sales will account for over 50 percent of all games sold in December. Without these sales, the industry would have likely felt the full wrath of the recession."

Added Divnich: "We believe their simple-to-use design, cheaper and wider variety of software titles, and the ‘hot effect’ [already] in place on both systems all played a role in driving both the Wii and the DS to the top of their segments."

The full NPD sales lists for the month of December have not yet been released. EEDAR’s expectations were released in a handy chart (above).

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Sales for the Nintendo Wii have exploded since 2006 when it was released and they don’t seem to be slowing down. In fact in many parts of the world there is still more of a demand for them than the supply. In areas where they haven’t been released yet people are paying for them on the black market. Many people in Canada are on a waiting list to get their hands on one.

The company itself didn’t even envision it being as popular as it is. While they did anticipate being highly successful they also knew they had some stiff competition from both the Xbox and Playstation 3. However, there are many benefits that the Nintendo Wii offers that those don’t. The fact that anyone from the age of 3 to 105 have played the games successfully really says a great deal about the Universal use of it.

Even though Nintendo doesn’t need it, many celebrities and professionals around the world have admitted to playing the Wii. Some of them you wouldn’t expect such as Queen Elizabeth II. Others include tennis pro Serena Williams, movie writer and director Steven Spielberg, and comedian Conan O’Brien.

Some believe that Nintendo wasn’t sure of themselves at all with the Wii. They assume that is why they limited distribution of them in the beginning. It was a smart move though in the event Read the rest of this entry »

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When you are searching for a home gaming system it can be extremely difficult to decide which one to buy. You want to make sure you are going to get plenty of benefits for your investment. You won’t have to worry about that with the Nintendo Wii as it was made to be very durable and family oriented. With an initial investment of about $250 you will get the gaming console, the Wiimote, the nunchuck attachment, a sensor bar, the built in sports package with five games.

You can buy additional accessories and games separately for it. These will vary in cost depending on what you want. You will be able to use games from the Nintendo GameCube with the Wii as well. This means if you can get your hands on those games for a low price or you already own the GameCube those games aren’t going to be just collecting dust. Even many of the GameBoy games can be set up to use on the Wii. Of course the Nintendo DS games can be used as well.

The Wiimote is one of the most advanced features you will find with the Nintendo Wii. It allows you to control many different aspects of the gaming activities. You will also find the system comes with a Read the rest of this entry »

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Curious about Wii Games Download?  Read on so we can take the mystery out of Wii Games Downloads for you.

Ok, so it has been a little over a week since Christmas, are your arms starting to feel better after playing boxing on the wii?  The technology behind the Wii is awesome but for an old guy like me that is out of shape it can sure remind you that you have muscles that you completely forgot about.

And if you got a Wii Fit, how many days was it until you could stand up strait again.  Another reminder that I am not so young anymore and a few pounds around my stomach that should not be there.

But now that the kids have had the Wii for a week are they getting antsy for more games?  The attention span of the kids today seems to be at an all time low.  So they are probably already bored with the games they got for Christmas and wanting more.

The games for the Wii are not cheap either.  Mostly in the $35 to $65 range.  The cost adds up really quick.  But what if there was a way to signup for unlimited game downloads for the Wii.  And what if that price was about the cost of the lower end games?  Does that sound interesting?

I am sure that you are interested now.  And that was not a trick question.  There are a few sites on the internet now that offer unlimited game downloads for the Wii.  These same sites also offer movie downloads, music downloads and more for the Wii.

So I can hear it in your head now, so what is the catch?  We have personally tried out 2 different sites now that offer unlimited downloads and both were great.  No tricks or gotchas.

Both sites offer an annual subscription and a lifetime subscription.  Since we were skeptical too we signed up for just the annual subscription.  Both sites were $39 for the year.  Not a bad deal considering there are literally thousands of games available for download.  And there is no limit on the number of games you can download during your subscription.

We are so excited about the Wii and these cool downloads that are available now that we have created a site just for the Great Wii Downloads.  And we will also occasionally throw in some wii tips and tricks as well.  So are you still curious about Wii Games Download?  If so come and visit us and we will help you the best we can.

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Posted Dec 31st 2008 5:30PM by Brian White
Filed under: Industry, Microsoft (MSFT), Sony Corp ADR (SNE)

Although Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) sell fine gaming consoles, both companies still are far behind competitor Nintendo Co., Ltd (OTC: NTDOY). The small white box known as the Nintendo Wii has outsold both competitors since it was released over a few years ago and, month after month, it proves its sales dominance over far more capable and advanced consoles. But, as gearheads and feature freaks continue to not understand, better doesn’t translate into popular. While the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 compete on many levels from polygons to high-def audio, the Wii provides engaging gameplay. And, it appeals to more than thumbstick junkies.

It’s not that the Wii is the best gaming system ever. It just has mass appeal where the other two do not. It also, for the longest time, had a price advantage at $249. While both Sony and Microsoft made numerous price drops and bundle reconfigurations to try and compete on price, the Wii has remained steady at $249 and has handily outsold the other two. Is it really that good? Numbers don’t lie. Sony, as an example, spends so much making the incredibly advanced Playstation 3 that it may never make any money off the console itself, no matter how hard it tries. Same goes for Microsoft, which probably loses less money per console than Sony. The "making money with software and royalties" gambit and losing a ton on the hardware itself is dicey and will continue to be so.

What to do? Not much — the Nintendo Wii has sold 43.75 million units over the last year, to 26.49 million Xbox 360 units and 18.82 million Playstation 3 consoles. Could Nintendo — of all console makers — cause Sony to give up on the Playstation 3 and just cut its losses? Microsoft has the bank to continuing competing, but Sony can’t stand around and lose tons of money (again and again) on each Playstation 3 sold. The Wii may not be the most powerful or best-looking console, but that does not matter. It engages and creates return customers again and again. That alone will keep it shining for years to come.

Popularity: 21% [?]

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There has been quite a bit of buzz about the Nintendo Wii Fit which is exercise for your body. However, this home gaming console also offers some fabulous games that will exercise your mind. One of them is called SafeCracker. If you are determined to win the game without reviewing any of the cheats it is going to take you quite a while to accomplish this goal.

Make sure you have a memory card ready so you can save the word you have done. There is just no way you are going to complete this particular Wii game in one setting. It doesn’t matter if you have all day to do it either! Safecracker involves a mansion with 35 safes located in various locations throughout it.

If you love to solve puzzles and to play video games, then Safecracker for the Nintendo Wii may be just what you are looking for. You can move it along at a pace you are comfortable with. This game is going to be challenging though and it is going to exercise your mind. However, it will also Read the rest of this entry »

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 Posted: Dec 28, 2008 07:58 PM

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38 Comments by Griffin McElroy Dec 27th 2008 12:00PM

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Rhythm

The long-fabled capability of the Wii version of Rock Band 2 to download new tracks is regrettably tardy — when the feature was confirmed in October, it was promised to arrive in unison with the Nintendo-fied rhythm title. However, purchasers and holiday recipients of the game have likely already discovered that no DLC is currently available, leading to an onrush of hatespeech on the Rock Band community forums.

Harmonix quickly swooped in to ease the frayed nerves of the inflamed masses — they promised that the content is "in the final testing stages" and will be available "as early in 2009 as possible." Coming in the first salvo of tunes is the free 20-song pack that Rock Banders enjoyed earlier this year, as well as 30 downloadable tracks from the original Rock Band DLC library. We might be able to find it within ourselves to forgive the delay — but only if Buffett makes the cut.

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