Nintendo’s press conference started with a demo of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii. The next installment in the Legend of Zelda series features Motion Plus support, which allows for more precise controls. The game is still relatively early on in development, and the demo shown at E3 did have a few hiccups, nevertheless, it looked like a solid addition to the Legend of Zelda series. All the weapons and items you know and love will be present in Skyward Sword, along with a few new additions. There doesn’t seem to be any special “hook” to this game. The demo Nintendo showed didn’t show Link getting into a train, turning into a wolf, or traveling through time. We wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo announced some special element to the game later on, but for now, the game looks like a solid, no frills Zelda experience.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn for the Wii was also on display, and this game looks like a lot of fun. This time around, everyone’s favorite pink puffball will be interacting with, and manipulating the world around him with yarn. The game has a unique style, and all of the backgrounds look like cloth, and Kirby and his enemies are all made of yarn.The game seems to do a good job of blending classic platforming elements with interesting new yarn-based mechanics.

The star of the show was the Nintendo 3DS, which will feature a top screen capable of displaying full 3D images without the need for 3D glasses. The Nintendo 3DS will have a strong line up of games when it launches next year, with a wide variety of new titles, and some classic N64 remakes. Star Fox 64, and The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time will both be getting 3D makeovers. There will also be a new Professor Layton game, as well as a new Kid Icarus game.

Nintendo brought a strong lineup to E3 this year.  The Nintendo 3DS and the games it’s bringing with it are sure to mark a strong 2011 for Nintendo. We’ll be sure to bring you new details on everything Nintendo showed at E3 as they become available.

According to Destructoid, the two firms will showcase the Wii peripheral during an event in New York City tomorrow.

The Vitality Sensor clips onto the user’s finger and measures their pulse during play. The gadget was demonstrated at last year’s E3 by studio president Satoru Iwata.

Nintendo has previously announced that a game with a “theme of relaxation” is in the works. The next Legend Of Zelda title is also rumored to make use of the device.

The Vitality Sensor was originally expected to be unveiled at a press conference in July.

Product Description
Wii Sports Resort is an immersive, expansive active-play game that includes a dozen fun resort-themed activities. It maintains the wide-ranging appeal that attracted millions to the original Wii Sports.
Set off on a journey to a tropical island where an array of fun activities await. In Wii Sports Resort, the sequel to the engaging Wii Sports, you’ll discover a wide range of new sports and activities you can play anytime. Go head-to-head with you… More >>

Wii Sports Resort

His reasoning is that both the Wii and Move controllers are so alike, and the fact that the PS3 will allow to play games in HD and the Wii doesnt, basically means that Playstation Move is the Nintendo Wii HD that many gamers have been waiting for. Well he isn’t entirely wrong is he?

Eurogamer: What happened with The Agent?

Michael Pachter: When Microsoft paid Take-Two to make GTA IV non-exclusive… In other words, GTA IV was going to be a PS3 exclusive, but Microsoft paid Rockstar and Take-Two to make it a non-exclusive, and they paid them a lot. The number I’ve heard, and I’m sure this is right, is $75m, and that probably includes the funding for the first DLC packs too. It’s more than the $50m that people talk about.

And Sony – I’m not sure if they had a firm agreement but they may have had a handshake – said to Take-Two, “You’ve got to give us something else.” And the “something else” was a zombie game that Rockstar wanted to work on. But while Rockstar was in the planning phase, Dead Rising came out and Left 4 Dead was announced. Rockstar realised they were up against a saturated market and Valve, and, “What can we possibly do that will be any better than what Valve’s done?” They started again and that’s when they came up with the idea of The Agent, which nobody actually knows what it is. That is the back story.

There’s stuff that’s in the pipeline now, of course, but a publisher would be foolish to sign an exclusive deal. A developer could do it. I’ve told the Insomniac guys repeatedly. They don’t own the Ratchet & Clank IP or the Resistance IP but they’re such good developers. I’m like, “Why aren’t you guys doing multi-platform? Your games would sell.” As if those guys couldn’t create something – of course they could. It’s not like Sony came up with the art and graphics on Ratchet & Clank. The Insomniac guys are nuts not to do multi-platform. But they like their deal with Sony, so they’ll keep doing exclusives. LittleBigPlanet guys, Media Molecule, I feel the same way. What were they thinking selling to Sony? They must be Liberal Democrats!

Eurogamer: Let’s talk about E3. Who would you rather be: Nintendo, Microsoft or Sony?

Michael Pachter: It really depends on this 3DS and how good it is, because I don’t think Nintendo has anything else. Nintendo is on the verge of – certainly not dropping into third place or anything – losing its dominance, because I really truly believe that Sony Move is the Wii HD. I really believe it. That’s been my quote: I told everyone a Wii HD was coming this year, it just happens to say PS3 on the box. It is the Wii HD.

That’s a very easy upsell for Sony to say, “If you have a Wii and you really want to play high-def games on your new big high-def TV, we’ve got ‘em.” Sony is a winner and Nintendo is a loser on the console side, because the Wii Vitality Sensor isn’t going to excite anybody. But the 3DS will. If you look at Nintendo’s line-up, everything we care about is either out or known by now.

People are going to like Microsoft more than we expect. Microsoft isn’t concerned about the gaming community with Natal, they’re concerned about the gaming community’s mothers and girlfriends. I really do think the gaming press has completely missed the mark on this one, that Natal is not intended for you to get up there and pretend you’re holding a rifle and playing Call of Duty. It’s intended for your mum to use the frickin’ 360 to download a movie or watch Netflix and to make it less intimidating. The cool thing about Natal is the voice command. “Xbox on.” I mean, that’s cool. People will really like it when they see it and they begin to appreciate what it is.

But I will say Sony up, Microsoft neutral and Nintendo down on the console side.

If the 3DS is anything like those little 3D point-and-click cameras, because that screen technology is pretty cool and I’m sure it is that, it will really get people excited. Question is: what does it cost? If they get $189 for a DSi XL, do they think they’re going to get $300 for a 3DS? I don’t know. Maybe they will, but that’s a tough purchase for me. The 3DS is coming along at a really good time for them. I don’t think it’s good for the DSi XL. If they launch the thing [the 3DS] prior to holiday, I can’t imagine why anybody would buy a DSi XL this holiday.
Longer term, Nintendo does really start to look bad as Apple really starts to push the iPod Touch as a gaming device, and that’s happening this holiday. Again, the gaming press hasn’t figured it out. The gaming press doesn’t really understand the 12-year-old customer, nor do you guys care. Who plays DS games? Them, not us. Nintendo’s got problems this year but the 3DS will make them look great at E3.

That’s the manufacturer side. On the publisher side: Microsoft looks really good, they have a lot of content this year. People get psyched about Halo and Alan Wake will have just come out… Fable III. They have good content. I’m not sure who else anybody cares about. It’s all sequels: this year’s Call of Duty, etc. We’ve had a front-end-loaded year. We might see the Call of Duty action-adventure game but I don’t think anybody is going to get excited about that.

This is more a hardware show than in the past.

Eurogamer: Is Microsoft going to unveil an Xbox 360 Slim?

Michael Pachter: I’m certain that that is happening, I’m just not certain when. They told me a year ago, when I got my private Natal demo – a week before E3… I said something like, “Is this going to cost a lot of money? The big problem is retro-fitting every 360 and how are you going to get people to buy it?”

They said, and they said with great confidence, “We are going to pack it in every single Xbox 360.” A bundle? They said, “No, we are going to force people to buy it with every single Xbox 360.” And I said, “Oh that’s brilliant. That’s a great idea. If you could do it at a competitive price then the first year you’ll have eight million of them, the second year 16 million and after a couple of years it’ll be so ubiquitous everybody will make software for it. That’s smart.”

I’ve never heard them say that since. They didn’t say it at E3, they’ve never said it since. I don’t know if they still plan to do that or not. If they plan to do that, it makes sense to have… A current 360 costs them about $250 to make and the Arcade probably costs them $210 and they sell it for $200, so they’re right at break-even on the Arcade and making money on other SKUs.
If they can knock another $20 or $30 off the cost by using smaller components and smaller fans and cooler running components, get that cost down to $200 or $210 and then the Natal camera probably cost them $50 to make – they can actually bundle that whole thing and sell it at $299. That’s a pretty compelling offering. A lot of 360 owners will – especially guys who have the original – consider buying a new one. It will help them sell 360s.

I am certain that they’re working on a thinner model just to save money. They’d like to bundle Natal if they have the guts to pull it off and announce it at E3.

Eurogamer: What’s Apple up to?

Michael Pachter: The iPad, even though it looks like a super-large iPhone, actually has a pretty powerful processor. So the iPad is a PC. The quality of games you could offer on that are pretty amazing. The problem is, I can play Tetris on my laptop now, so I don’t really need to go buy another dedicated device to do that. Apple is not quite as ambitious as others think; they don’t think they have to dominate gaming tomorrow. They’ll work handhelds first. And then as all the kids who get iPod Touches graduate to iPhones and then to iPads, then they’ll start trying to encourage game development.

Problem is, Steve Jobs – who is certainly one of the greatest geniuses of our lifetime – has this odd phobia of buttons. Great. Guess what? We’re not going to be able to play flight sim games with no buttons. You have to provide the gamer the tools he needs to play the game. Nintendo carries it to the extreme with the Wii zapper and steering wheel and all that stuff. The controls have to fit the game. And the iPad can’t do that.

Michael Pachter is an analyst for Wedbush Morgan Securities.

Do you agree with Pachter’s views or not?

[Source via Source]

The main feature of the 3DS will be its ability to project a 3D image to users without requiring them to wear special glasses. Nintendo didn’t disclose how this would be done but it will most likely be with a screen that has a thin sheet of lenses in front of the main display panel. Such screens, already in use on at least on model of cell phone in Japan, focus a 3D image to a particular point in space and the user can see a 3D image if they are viewing from that point.

Glasses-free 3-D technology has been around for a while in computer monitors, laptops and televisions, but hasn’t proven as popular as the kind that uses glasses. That’s because glasses-free 3-D uses a lenticular screen (it’s covered with an array of tiny vertical lenses) to direct different images to each eye. It works, but only if you hold your head in the right position. That’s a serious limitation for couch potatoes staring at a TV across the room, but would be no problem at all for a handheld game console.

The Asahi Shimbun said that the screens would be manufactured by Nintendo’s longtime hardware partner Sharp. Nikkei said the screens on the 3DS (all DS devices have dual screens) will be no larger than 4-inches. Nintendo’s DSi XL has a 4.2-inch screen while the DSi has a 3.25-inch screen.

It will also have a 3D joystick and force feedback, and Nintendo is considering including an accelerometer so that the device will react to tilting, the report said. It will also offer improvements in wireless networking speed and battery life.

The first Nintendo DS was released in 2004. On March 28, Nintendo will release the latest (and apparently last) in the line of original DS players, the DSi XL, in the United States.

Nintendo has said the 3DS will launch sometime before the end of March 2011, but the Nikkei report narrowed the time-frame to the second half of this year. Nintendo of America said that it could not provide further comment on the Nintendo 3DS. Its Japanese parent company issued a terse English-language press release.

The Wii Fit Plus was put on the market in 2009 as an updated version of the original Wii Fit which made an appearance in 2008. It was pretty hard not running right out and buying one as soon as they hit the shelves. After all I was getting ‘sucked’ in with all the hype from bloggers and the media.

The Wii Fit Plus gave me a reason to want to exercise. It doesn’t even seem like exercise because it’s fun and there are so many different activities to choose from providing a big enough variety that I don’t find myself bored.

Here’s a list of some of my favorite activities you’ll find in the aerobics category:

Hula Hoop
Rhythm boxing
Free Step
Basic Run

That’s just a few of the activities found under the aerobics category and doesn’t even include the other three categories – yoga, balance and strength training. I tend to do mostly the games found under the aerobics category because those are the ones that give me the best workout and help to burn the most calories.

The fact that I can have fun exercising is a huge plus. But the other thing I love about the Wii Fit Plus is that it weighs me and tracks my information for me. I can even set up a goal of how much weight I want to lose every couple of weeks.

A couple other cool features are the fact that I get to customize my own workout routines and can save it for future use. It also allows me to track my steps for the day and set up a goal of how many calories I want to burn.

There are lots of other features I like but I want to spend a few minutes talking about a few things I don’t like about it. The first thing I’ve noticed is that the balance board sometimes doesn’t register my movement. For example when I’m doing the free step it takes a few minutes to catch up and count my steps. Not a huge deal but definitely annoying.

The other thing I don’t like has to do with the step aerobics portion of the game. When I want to increase my intensity I want to step a lot faster than the game allows. Again this isn’t a huge thing but it too is annoying. They should give you the option to speed it up (they do give this option but it doesn’t speed up much) to a faster pace than they allow.

So over all I give it a 10 out of 10 and recommend it especially if you’re just getting started in an exercise program and want something easy, convenient and fun!

MUM Lara Roberts has gone from well fat to Wii Fit after losing EIGHT STONE by working out with her games console. When she tipped the scales at 18 stone, Lara 38, struggled to climb the stairs and was embarrassed to have sex with her husband.

BEFORE - Lara at 18st

But a punishing fitness regime of an hour a day on her Nintendo Wii has seen her go from a straining size 22 to a slinky size 10 in a year. And the mum-of-two who felt like a “beached whale” now goes clubbing in killer heels and parades round the house in sexy undies.

“I feel like I’ve been reborn,” said Lara, of Farnborough, Hants.

She had always been slim until the birth of her second daughter, Paige, now eight, but she found it tough to lose her baby weight. She started comfort eating and got to the point of scoffing more than 4,000 calories a day.

“I’d have a cooked breakfast most days and cheese sandwiches and pizza for lunch,” Lara recalls.

“And I snacked constantly on biscuits and crisps and cakes and got through litres of fizzy drinks a day. Nothing could fill me up.”
Lara now admits that, although she put on a brave face about her size, she was desperately ashamed.

“While on holiday in Lanzarote, the family went on a camel ride but I refused – I was scared the poor camel wouldn’t be able to get up.”
“And I used to cringe when my husband Steve touched me, I felt horribly self-conscious and used to get breathless in bed from exertion.”

The turning point came for Lara when early in 2008, a friend told her she “never stopped eating”.

Too embarrassed about her weight to visit a gym or go out jogging, she bought a Wii Fit. “I knew if I didn’t do something, chances are I wouldn’t live to see my girls grow up,” she says. Lara started getting up at 5am every morning for a Wii Fit workout and ditched the comfort eating for a healthier diet.

AFTER - Lara lost 8st

A year later she now weighs just nine-and-a-half stone and jokes that pals of her daughter Abigail, 15, fancy her. She is even appearing on BBC 3 documentary I’m Hotter Than My Daughter next month.

“I’ve become a real exhibitionist,” she laughs. “And the best thing is the improvement in my sex life.

“As far as I’m concerned the Wii Fit saved my life.”

Via News of the world

I am very excited about the new addition to Nintendo Wii EA SPORTS Active coming out on November the 17th.

Keep going on your journey towards better health with EA SPORTS Active More Workouts, the next iteration from the EA SPORTS Active franchise, the proven fitness alternative for the Nintendo Wii. Stay motivated, with over 35 all new exercises and fitness activities that will challenge you and help you obtain results.

With all-new cool down/warm up stations, abdominal exercises and a 6 Week Challenge EA SPORTS Active More Workouts is a full body, complete workout experience and a great addition to the EA SPORTS Active family.

Game Features:
* Warm Up and Cool Down Stations – 4 new exercises designed to warm up your body before a workout routine and 4 cool down exercises designed to stretch the muscles after a workout and help maintain flexibility.
* Abdominal Workouts – 4 new workouts that target the mid-section and will help you tone your abdominals. All detectable by placing the Nunchuck on the leg strap.
* 6 Week Challenge – A total body, structured fitness plan that accommodates both experienced 30 Day Challengers and new users of EA SPORTS Active. It works out all major body parts, adapts to your level of fitness and lets you track your progress week by week. With the weekly check-in you can track your weight, calories and workouts and compare your progress to previous weeks.
* Compatibility with EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer- Get rewarded for your progress with EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer, More Workouts will transfer your details like age, weight, name and gender. It will also recognize your workout information from the previous 4 weeks with EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer, so you get to keep your trophies and completed goals.
* Fitness Book – Get fitness and nutrition tips from professionals with the included Fitness Book. This book will help you keep going on your journey to better health with tips, tricks and advice on good nutrition and fitness.

EA SPORTS Active More Workouts

What is it about?

Designed around the standard Wii Remote/Nunchuck tethered controller configuration, EA SPORTS Active‘s interactive fitness program is more focused on physical activities than previous ‘fitness’ titles for the Wii, but still challenges you to have fun while developing a more healthy lifestyle. Separated into the three sections of workout, nutrition, lifestyle, and other activity, the user’s experience begins with a pep talk from Bob Greene which quickly transitions into the beginnings of action as players set up profiles, choose a virtual personal trainer and enter baseline data like age, weight, gender, fitness goals, etc. Although the nutrition, lifestyle, and other activity sections add a holistic element facilitated by a mix of surveys and data input, building fitness through physical activity is the driving force behind EA SPORTS Active and as such the meat of the content resides in the workout section. Here players will find dozens of themed strength training and cardio workouts which can be customized as you choose and linked into circuit training routines. These routines are introduced and monitored by your personal trainer, and allow for ongoing player motivation via real-time feedback on your workout form, an approximation of calories burned and the ability to adjust levels of exercise intensity.

Accessories
Although activity in EA SPORTS Active flows exclusively through the combination of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck controllers, it also utilizes a few additional accessories to maximize the functionality of this configuration. The first of these included with the game is the controller leg strap. By attaching this to their upper thigh and then slipping the Nunchuck controller into it, players can utilize the Nunchuck controller’s motion sensing capabilities while it is connected to the Wii Remote to monitor their leg movements. This allows for cardio exercises like jogging and cardio boxing and strength training activities like squats. Also included with the game is a resistance band designed to increase the intensity of a variety of exercises such as bicep curls and shoulder presses and lifts. In addition, although not included, the Wii Balance board is compatible with many EA SPORTS Active workouts, but only as an optional added controller configuration.

Key Game Features:

* Active Fitness Made Fun & Easy – 20 minute circuits feature a variety of familiar activities that target upper body, lower body as well as cardio. Start off with a light jog, followed by bicep curls and get your heart beating with some cardio boxing.
* Benefit of a Virtual Personal Trainer – Your trainer will be the focal point of the experience guiding you towards your own version of personal achievement. Feedback will be given throughout your workout, keeping you on track to reach your fitness goals.
* The 30 Day Challenge – Take the 30 Day Challenge and experience tailor made 20 minute workouts to your level of fitness. Circuits will change as you progress each day, and EA SPORTS Active will track calories, intensity and progress throughout your journey.
* New Way to Play – Slip the Nunchuk into the specially designed leg strap and hold the Wii Remote in your hand to track your movements from both your upper and lower body. A resistance band is also included to increase the intensity of exercises such as bicep curls and shoulder presses.
* Workout Your Way – Circuits can be customized to your interest and fitness level. Choose your duration, intensity level & set your own goals for calories burned and workout score.
* Workout with a Friend – Burn calories with a friend as you both workout through routines together in a co-operative mode.
* Track Your Progress – Expand your Fitness IQ and keep track of your workouts inside and outside of EA Sports Active with the in-game Journal.
* Wii Balance Board Compatibility – Get more out of your EA SPORTS Active workout using a Wii Balance Board with added functionality for many of exercises.

Co-op Multiplayer Mode
Along with its single player experience, EA SPORTS Active also features a deep and entertaining two-player cooperative gameplay mode. Designed to tap into the time tested motivational factor of having a workout buddy beside you as crunch through reps and up your personal best, regardless of a player’s current fitness levels or future fitness goals, this mode is sure to enhance the level of fun of players at all levels.

My thoughts:

When Wii Fit came out I was really excited and really enjoyed it, especially the yoga section but the intensity and Sports Drills from EA Sports Active challenged me way more. Doing the 30 Day Challenge on medium helped me get back into a routine. The easy is really for beginners, for people that do not exercise. You exercise 2 days in a row then one day off which you can see on a calendar. If you can’t make it one day it will automatically re-calculate the schedule and will not actually make you feel bad for missing one day unlike all the other Wii fitness games. So I decided to only use it on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays. It takes about 20-30mn to complete a session and if you don’t think it is enough, you can re-do the session. Personally I just use another Wii fitness game so that I exercise at least one hour a day, 5 days a week.

You don’t have to have the Wii Balance Board but if you do, some of the exercises will require it but you still get a really good workout without it and you don’t get to use it that often, so if you don’t want to invest into the Balance Board, don’t bother.

I was not too impressed with the resistance band for some of the exercises. The intensity for some the exercise was just lacking. A friend of mine said the same thing and told me she bought and use a proper resistance band. So without giving it too much thought, I went and bought one too but because of the thick handles I could not hold the resistance band and the Wii Remote and Nunchuck at the same time.

Overall, it is one of my favorite Wii Fitness game. I am not goign to say it is fun. I enjoy exercising and always feel great after exercising but I still don’t see it as “fun”. Easy to follow, a bit annoying when occasionally the “virtual personal trainer” thinks you have not done your rep properly, but as I said, it is only occasional.

The Nunchuck wire was sometimes in my way so I might have to consider a Wii Nunchuk Cord Free Wireless Adaptor.

What I also really like is that if you have a weak area or injury or simply don’t like an exercise, you are able to see all the exercises you will do in either 30-day challenge mode or pre-set mode and you can simply un-check the exercises you can’t do. I had to stop doing some of the jumping exercises as they were just killing my knees.

You are not stuck to just the 30 Day Challenge. There are plenty of other workouts to chose from and some of the workouts are about an hour long. � Because I am using other Wii Fitness games regularly – and always trying the newcomers -� I just did not get chance to try a single workout or even to exercise with somebody else.

I give it EA SPORTS Active a 9/10.

I highly recommend buying the second strap to workout with someone else. It’s a great addition not so much for the resistance band but you need the strap to fit the Nunchuck.

Also look out for EA Sports Active More Workouts for Nintendo Wii..

Keep going on your journey towards better health with EA SPORTS Active More Workouts, the next iteration from the EA SPORTS Active franchise, the proven fitness alternative for the Nintendo Wii. Stay motivated, with over 35 all new exercises and fitness activities that will challenge you and help you obtain results. With all-new cool down/warm up stations, abdominal exercises and a 6 Week Challenge EA SPORTS Active More Workouts is a full body, complete workout experience and a great addition to the EA SPORTS Active family.

Release Date: November 17, 2009