WiiNintendo

12/23/06, Update: Now that the browser has been released, some new info has come up, check out my latest dump of browser data, HERE

First, one of the biggest questions is: What resolution will it display at?

Based on what’s visible while browsing the Wii Shop Channel using the Wii, then comparing that same screen via the Firefox browser using the “user agent switcher” extension, we’re able to tell you that the viewable area is: 608×456.

So, if you’re planning on having your site look it’s best in a Wii browser make sure it scales nicely to 608px wide or if you are “hard coding” an image or Flash game/application make sure it’s width is no greater than 640px. The browser will also be able to display 640×480 (This is consistent with the screen shot of google (that’s on the Wii Shop Channel) and with the videos.

Also, their own CSS file gave it away:
/* Limit page to 640 by 480 (NTSC TV resolution) */
/* Note: PAL resolution is 640 by 528 */
body {
/*width: 608px; height: 456px; */

So, although they say in their own file to limit page to TV resolution, their own “width” tag is “608px”, which is consistent with the image seen below:

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Images/Graphics:

The official “Wii browser button”:

The official “Wii browser button rollover state”:

The official “Wii browser button shadow”:

The official “Wii VC game release button”:

The official “Wii next button”:

The official “Wii back button”:

…OK, enough saying official, here are the some other graphic elements:

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Type Faces aka Fonts:

Looks like they use some sort of specific font call “Wii NTLG PGothic JPN Regular”, when viewed in a browser it ends up using a default font, but it looks more like a sans-serif font when viewed on the Wii:

font-family: “Wii NTLG PGothic JPN Regular”;
font-size: 28px;
color: #323232;
font-weight: bold;

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View the Wii Shopping Channel online (viewed locally, so need for any Firefox hacks…):

Main Screen:

Start Shopping!

The Help pages:

help page, main listing
About Wii Shop Channel
Virtual Console™
Downloading Software
Adding Wii Points
Account Activity
Settings
Parental Control
Q & A

Sonic pages:

Details
More Details
Rating Information
Download Confirmation
Download Confirmation 2
Download Software
————————————————————————————

Download “Wii Shopping Channel” Javascript and CSS files:

buttons.js
oss.js
shop.js
images.js
progress.js
sound.js
oss.css

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Lot’s more info being compiled, javascript performance, flash, sound, cursors, wiimote buttons, zooming, selecting, Wii Standards, AJAX etc.

Stay tuned for part 2, coming tomorrow!

The “parental control” update Nintendo sent out to Wii owners yesterday had a secret agenda…

Since the Wii Shop Channel is actually a website, some savvy Wii owners had used a PC-based DNS “hack” to fool the Wii into loading up websites in place of the Wii Shop site—effectively allowing Wii owners unrestricted Web access; although with no keyboard or on-screen input, these efforts were more for a sense of achievement rather than new functionality.

The update, we’ve discovered, fixes the Wii Shop Channel to stop this behavior, and also updates the Wii Shop Channel website itself to prevent it from being accessed by the Firefox web browser on the PC.

It is unknown if there were any other updates, but it seems to be localized to just the Wii Shop Channel, and the system information screen still lists the system version as 2.0U—as it did before the update.

Thanks Dean

Description: Once upon a time, in a small Japanese village, the Nintendo Entertainment System was born. The rest, as they say, is history. Really, really awesome history.

For only 19.99$ you can be the biggest Nintendo fanboy in a nerdy shirt, yeah:

nerdyshirts

It’s already been plotted via a graph so far, it’s only a matter of time before you can use your wiimote on your computer (Linux OS that is). Most of the Wiimote has been mapped, the sensor bar still needs fine tuning, but given some time it should be all working.

WiiLi is an ongoing project to create a live Linux CD that will allow the Wii to boot into a fully fledged Linux Desktop without the need of a modchip, or any hardware modification.

So, what’s Linux? Linux is an open-source OS. The various distros of it can work just like Windows or Mac OSX. However, one of the greatest differences between them is that Linux and most of its software is free. When run on a Wii, Linux will let you do lots of tasks normally confined just to a computer.

It’s a common misconception that Linux is a bunch of scary green text on a black window, but this isn’t the case. Linux is simple and intuitive.

More at http://www.wiili.org

According to a recent job posting on Ubisoft’s Web site, a senior game designer position is available for an upcoming Red Steel project.

However, the job posting notes two very different elements not found in the original Red Steel. The first is preferred work in the role-playing gaming genre, also known as RPGs, often allowing characters to level up or purchase different equipment. The second is online play, though the specifics are not mentioned as to if this means downloadable content or multiplayer online battle modes.

For more information on this finding, check Ubisoft’s job posting.

As if the mere notion wasn’t every Wii owner’s wet dream, MTV’s Steve Totillo sat down with Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime to discuss the possibility and find out if all the hopes and dreams of gamers out there were realistic. Turns out, Reggie wants to see the game grace the Virtual Console as well, as he replied “Suffice it to say we would love to see [GoldenEye on Virtual Console], so we’re exploring all the rights issues.”

Of course, the rights issues are varied and abundant. With Microsoft now owning Rare, the company responsible for developing the title, as well as Activision owning the rights to all of the Bond games, Nintendo could find themselves writing a lot of checks. However, judging by the desire the title enjoys from its many fans (undoubtedly heralding their arrival through battle cries of “GREATEST CONSOLE FPS EVAR!”) and the big boost to the Virtual Console the game would no doubt cause, we could very well see Nintendo cutting those checks sooner than later.

During the same interview with MTV, Reggie went into some more depth over the Wii:

Following the company’s recent announcement that 600,000 Wii consoles and 454,000 copies of Zelda: Twilight Princess were sold in the first 8 days in North America, Fils-Aime also commented that Red Steel, Rayman Raving Rabbids and EA’s Madden for the Wii were other top sellers for the console, as was Atlus’ Trauma Center: Second Opinion.

Defending Nintendo’s upcoming first-party Wii line-up in North America, which has WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Wii Play and Mario Party 8 debuting by March 2007, Fils-Aime commented to MTV of any perceived post-launch ‘drought’: “I wasn’t here for the GameCube launch, but there was a time period when there were no titles. There wasn’t even titles you could or could not sink your teeth into. Wii Play and WarioWare are going to be hugely fun titles.” He also noted that Super Mario Galaxy will debut some time between March and Christmas 2007.

Talking to MTV, Fils-Aime also criticized some of the Wii software launch reviews, particularly for Ubisoft’s Red Steel: “I think a lot of the reviews have been overly critical. Does it take you a few minutes to get used to the control scheme? Yes. Once you get used to it does it play extremely well? Absolutely. I think a lot of those reviews are overly harsh.” Regarding online play, Fils-Aime was direct, if not very specific: “For the consumer who is saying, ‘Gosh, when is Nintendo going to get on board with online play?’ The answer is very early in 2007.”

Finally, the Nintendo president ended by talking about his plans for the Wii’s game line-up into the future: “The piece that I am more and more involved in is really looking longer-term and making sure the full range of games are being brought to the Americas. Making sure we have core gamer games like Metroid, like Galaxy. Making sure we have our types of market-extension games not only for Wii but for DS.”

Via Nintendofanboy | Gamasutra

Two new Genesis games — Ecco the Dolphin and Golden Axe — are now available for download at 800 Wii points each.

We can’t be sure that these games didn’t go up some time after Super Star Soldier late last night, but it seems that they actually hit sometime earlier today. Combined with last week’s late launch of TurboGrafx-16 games on the Virtual Console, this makes two times that Nintendo has released new VC content on a day other than Monday.

Is this a sign that we should now expect Virtual Console launches to come at any time throughout the week, or is Nintendo just running into some early technical glitches in its “Virtual Console Mondays” plan?

You’ll know the answer as soon as we do.

[via Joystiq]

As the number one “threat” for children this holiday season, Stephen presents: the Nintendo Wii! The threat? “This is the most addictive video game ever made”.

Elebits will be one of the first few titles to take advantage of the WiiConnect24 feature.

Players will be able to create their own maps and send them off to friends over night. You’ll also be able to take screenshots which can be sent to friends; this might come in handy if you need to prove something.

There aren’t many titles announced for the Wii that currently take advantage of WiiConnect24, but at least you can add Elebits to the list.

My Official Nintendo component cables arrived today. Hooked it right up and started playing. The first thing that really jumped out at me was when I launched Zelda and saw Link on Epona, I was amazed. It’s sort of bitter sweet, it tends to sharpen the edges so much they become too defined, but it’s WAY better especially during motion. I took a whole bunch of screen shots.

Update 1: After playing Zelda for 5 hours after I took these pictures, I don’t think I could ever go back to the composite cables. The clarity was stunning, it felt kind of like a PC game the way things were so clean.

Update 2: SirVenom here. As of about Christmas ‘06, MadCatz is featuring our images to promote their component cables. See it here.

Some things to note: These pictures OFF of the TV and even with an LCD you get scan lines (which are apparent in picture 4 on the left, those are NOT in game, but something the camera pics up on.
Also, I do agree that taking pictures of your TV (even in a controlled environment, like I did) doesn’t do the pictures justice. I’ve come to learn that gamespot has some really great “captures” with rollovers, showing the difference:

This is on a Samsung 42″ LCD TV.

Click to Enlarge the pictures

COMPONENT ON THE LEFT | AV CABLES ON THE RIGHT

Get these cables and more at our Store:

Nope! This is rumor going around from a video marked wrong from E3, the video you see above is an early version of an airplane game, which will be featured in the up coming “Wii Motor Sports”