Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Well, just a few days after we received word you could register online for your new Dolby Pro Logic II-enabled version of Guitar Hero III, we finally get confirmation as to when you can expect your disc to arrive. Our previous placeholder date of "early 2008" now becomes "next month," as Activision confirms.

Seeing as now we know just how much money the Guitar Hero name is worth, we wonder what kind of financial detriment this whole debacle has been for the company? How much money is Activision going to lose in shipping out these replacement discs to gamers?

Nintendo has refined their Wiimote wrist strap design again, almost successfully removing all user responsibility for holding the controller. The newest revision has a locking clip that should keep the strap firmly in place. And if this doesn't work, it's time for Krazy Glue.

It's currently unknown if Nintendo is willing to send these out for free as they did with the original replacements, or if these will only be included with new Wiimotes. But if your current strap isn't constantly sliding off your wrist, you don't really need one of the new ones! Unless you just really want it to be more belt-like.

While most are satisfied with the sterile white casing of their Wii, many still pine for the variety of color options Nintendo originally promised. Gamers looking to add a bit of spice to their vanilla systems will welcome SHOCKii, a collection of replacement Wii cases from the same people behind the CHUCKii nunchuck shells and SHOCK DS Lite cases.

Singapore-based XTreme Enterprise has put up the first photos of their prototype "cool black" casing. The ABS plastic faceplate, buttons and controller panels manage to not look cheap at all, despite the planned pricing being equivalent to "a Wii/DS game." The final SHOCKii cases will be available in Astro Yellow, Dreamy Blue, Dynamic Red, Cool Black and Strat Clear.

When it comes to your Wii, have you had to replace anything yet? We're not talking about televisions here (let's hope you're not one of those victims), but actual system-related gear. Any controller malfunctions? We're particularly concerned about the cord connecting the remote and nunchuk -- it seems just a little short in moments of excitement, but maybe we flail a little too enthusiastically. What about the sensor bar? Any ripped cords or crushed plastic? Any problems with the system itself so far? Not anything that was broken out of the box, mind you, and not errors, but things you had to replace due to failure. Yeah, we know, it's specific. But we're curious about how long all these little items are going to last, since the controllers aren't exactly cheap. So how are they doing so far?

NDSCentral.com, which has long offered case-mod replacement shells for the DS and DS Lite, is getting ready to open up a new section for Wii case mods. Replacement shells for the Wiimote, nunchuck, and Wii unit itself are now available in black, red, yellow, blue, and translucent. Though the shells are covered in acrylic paint, as opposed to the high-gloss finish of the original units, the added color is just sure to go with your outfit. The shells for the accessories are quite cheap ($14.90 and $11.90 USD for the Wiimote and nunchuck, respectively), so if you're feeling iridescent, head on over.

(Don't forget to pick up a tri-wing screwdriver to affix the mod!)

[Thanks, Capt. Castellanos!]

You could simply turn on the unit and check for yourself, but that would mean depriving yourself of that hypnotic glow that fills your soul with abject bliss. No, come to us instead! We will keep you well-informed.

It's nothing earth-shattering, alas. Nintendo simply sent out a responsible message to all Wii-owners about the original pack-in wrist straps, still the subject of much debate. Along with a friendly reminder not to be a retard, the message also directs gamers to a website at which they can exchange their puny straps for the beefy, meaty kind. We love when companies take responsibility for their mistakes, but sometimes, they take too much responsibility ... damn friend codes.

Well, either demand for replacement wrist straps was higher than Nintendo anticipated, or they just decided the new console and everything that goes with it was just too pretty. Whatever the reason, some gamers are crying foul because their replacement wrist straps are arriving, and they're not quite what was expected.

In a word, they're ugly. At least, that seems to be the general consensus thus far. But whatever your opinion on the aesthetic qualities of the new new wrist straps, they're certainly different from what we've seen before. But perhaps there is a method to the madness. It's been reported that the new end pieces are rubber instead of plastic. Perhaps the were concerned about a new bevy of Wii-based injuries now that the breakage issue has been addressed. Have cries of "you'll Wii your eye out!" been averted? Either way, reports vary; some folks have the new, rubberized version, and some folks have the sleeker, Nintendo-fied replacements. So long as they work, we're mostly happy. How about you?