Nintendo Wii Fanboy

In a bid to get his Wiimote-compatible music software Wii Loop Machine out on the market, Yann Seznec pursued funding from an unlikely source: popular BBC show Dragon's Den. For the uninitiated, Dragon's Den follows a similar concept to American Inventor -- hopeful entrepreneurs line up in front of unimaginably rich businessmen and beg for funding to assist their zany ideas, while we smugly laugh at their expense from the comfort of our armchairs.

Those of you in the UK who caught last night's edition of Dragon's Den may well have spotted the affable Yann selling his software to the miserable millionaires. Alas, like so many of the show's participants, Yann's excellent work didn't grab the imaginations of the dragons, though they did seem to acknowledge its potential. "I've got to give you credit," quipped businessman Peter Jones after watching Seznec waft his Wiimotes about to demo the software, "You look like a complete idiot, but actually, it sounded quite good." Charming.

[Update: YouTube video added, thanks Mouthsmasher!]

Although mediocre, Dancing with the Stars wasn't as terrible as we thought it would be. For a "dumbed-down Samba de Amigo," in fact, it wasn't half bad. That doesn't mean we're going to get our proverbial knickers in a twist over "part two", though.

Yes, the day has come for Activision to announce a sequel to the first game in the series, titled Get Your Dance On! this time around. You can dance as some B-list celebs such as Mel B, Apolo Anton Ohno, Joey Fatone and Jennie Garth, and pair up with instructors that only people who watch the show will have heard of.

Activision promises that the Wii version will have more refined controls than its predecessor, and will include "flair" moves that you can perform to get extra points (and to make yourself look extra silly, we're sure). Other than that, it's just Dancing with the Stars, so take it or leave it.

It still puzzles us that the BBC was so keen to make its (admittedly excellent and very popular) iPlayer catch-up service compatible with the Wii. Are there really that many Wii owners out there with internet-ready PCs who would opt to use the service on the Wii's slightly clunky Opera browser? Why not just use your PC to watch the latest editions of Gavin & Stacey and The Apprentice? You know: the one you're using to read these words, right at this very second?

Not only that, but the iPlayer on the Wii is hardly user-friendly. Text is so small that it's almost unreadable, loading times are hardly ideal, and the low resolution of the Wii's browser makes navigation awkward. Cue the intervention of WiiPlayer, a hacked version of the iPlayer that has been optimized for Nintendo's console, and is now available for use at http://defaced.co.uk/wiiplayer.

It won't work on your PC, and it goes without saying you'll still have to reside in the UK to use this, but WiiPlayer does do a sterling job, replacing the iPlayer's teensy text and browser-taxing layout with pleasingly chunky, Wiimote-friendly icons and a cleaner, less cluttered appearance.


[Via Tech Digest]

After its laughable coverage of Brain Training's "discriminatory" stance on accents earlier this year, the BBC had some work to do to get back in our favor. The feature above, part of a recent edition of flagship news program Newsnight, does just that.

Rather than automatically accusing videogames of having a negative effect on children (a default position for countless media outlets), the piece suggests that games have helped to produce brighter kids now than at any stage in history. Leading the charge for this side of the debate is Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad Is Good for You. Johnson contends that because so much modern media (the internet, interactive television, games) is no longer consumed passively, many children grow up to be "more creative, more dynamic." Later in the piece, he also suggests that games help us to believe that "complex problem-solving is fun."

There's some solid evidence to support Johnson's claims, most notably in the IQ scores of children, which have climbed considerably over the last century. Could computer games truly be assisting in making today's kids the smartest yet? We're not certain there's a conclusive answer to that, but it delights us to see the BBC covering the debate in such a measured fashion.

[Update: Not actually shown in the UK on Friday, as original post stated.]

Now we know what makes you people tick: the BBC. Our inboxes (and comments) have been flooded with news about the BBC iPlayer in one of our most-tipped stories ever.

If you're one of the five people who didn't send us this tip and don't know what's up, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) announced today that their iPlayer, which allows viewers to catch up with BBC shows online, is now compatible with the Wii. And yes, that means you'll be able to watch Dr. Who, EastEnders, and other such programmes on your TV to your tea-drinking heart's content.

Should this venture by the BBC become successful (which we think it will -- after the news was announced, the number of people using the iPlayer rose significantly), we wouldn't be surprised to see other major networks adopt their services to Nintendo's console.

That's not to say that the BBC isn't running into some problems with the idea, though. Right now, the network is quarreling with ISPs over who should pay the extra service costs. Even so, the player can be used as soon as today, with more polished video quality promised in the future. You'll probably also be relieved to know that the service is free, although it will cost you money to download Nintendo's internet channel if you haven't done so already.

The other catch? The BBC iPlayer is only available in the UK, for the time being, but BBC Worldwide is apparently working on getting an international player up and running.

[Via TVSquad; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Nintendo games just don't always seem to rake in the high scores bestowed upon games on other systems, but one Wii title this year ran away with all sorts of accolades -- and the year isn't over yet. This time, it's the panel of experts (their words, not ours; your opinions may vary) selected at BBC news weighing in with the top games of the year, and Super Mario Galaxy shows up on three of the four top-three lists. While many of the games we expect appear on the lists (Halo 3, Bioshock, The Orange Box), there are a few surprises as well ... but it's Super Mario Galaxy that shows up most often. Score one for us.

[Via NeoGAF]

Remember that British gamer Adam Mapleson who was shot breaking up a robbery at a train station last week? Well, he was discharged from the hospital, according to The Register, and has returned home after a week of treatment. The security firm that employed the lady who was being robbed, Loomis, is offering a £25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the thieves that shot Adam. You can see some rough drawings of the suspects here.

The story also points to an online Get Well card set up by the folks who frequent the Pure Pwnage forums. If you want to leave Adam a message, your best bet for him to receive it would be to post there.

Quick, check out your window and make sure you don't see any pigs flying!

Seriously though, where does this expectation come from? The future, apparently, as Peter O'Donovan from Gartner suggests. "We expect PS3 to outsell Wii and 360 in a couple of year's time," he says, with the kind of wide-eyed enthusiasm a new-born babe possesses, we imagine. Or, maybe he was drunk.

Regardless of our incredible ability to imagine the most ridiculous things, let's open the flood gates and see what you all think. The Wii is kicking the crap out of the competition now, but do you see them doing so over the next year or two, or even the life of this console generation? What will keep them on top, or topple them from the top of the hill?

[Via Codename Revolution]

BBC recently took a look at the control situations video games have been subjected to over the past 30 years or so. Everything from virtual reality set-ups on down to the original controllers for the NES and NES are looked at, eventually bringing us to the Wiimote. And while motion-sensing controls are not new to the gaming world, they have arguably been worth a whole lot less in the past when compared to today's Wiimote.

This, of course, brings us to a fork in the road, where one side leads to a path where the Wiimote will continue to be received as ground-breaking and usher in a new era of gaming through unique motion-sensing gameplay, and the other leading towards a dead end where past control schemes that have utilized motion-sensitive controls have been seen as nothing more than a novelty reside. Do you think the Wiimote will receive more and more praise as time goes on or do you think the fun of the console's launch line-up, along with accessibility of some of its games, will fizzle away soon?

As you can see in the above image, the BBC has their television hooked up to a Wii and are apparently getting their headlines from Nintendo's console. This was all discovered when a tipster wrote in to Game | Life informing them of this. What's even funnier is that it was taken from World Business Report on BBC World, which is pretty much as serious as a news program comes.

We think these little blurbs could be the result of BBC's previous request that people submit their own personal story of Wii love and launch day plans. Still, the comments made by these folks bring a tear to our eye, especially in the case of the first person.

The majority of the folks present are from the US, however one response comes from a man living in Toronto, Canada. General consensus seems to be that launch day most folk will be walking out of their respective retail outlet choice with a Wii under their arm and a big smile on their face.

Turns out, the BBC is very interested in the launch of the Wii in America. So interested that they're looking for people, just like you, who can document their experience for them. Particularly interested in household opinions that have never owned a console before the Wii, there is still plenty of things hardcore and casual gamers can offer. So, after submitting a 150 word piece about why gaming is important to you and why you're getting a Wii, you could have a shot at writing for the BBC.