Nintendo Wii Fanboy

A fairly dreary, rubbish "rainbow," admittedly, but a rainbow of sorts. These 'chuks are all part of Nyko's new Kama range of wireless nunchuks, and are classified as gray, black, pink, and gold (the one on the right, apparently). They also happen to be limited edition, and that's probably why Nyko is happy to charge us $35 per nunchuk, a considerable mark-up on the $20 you'd pay for a standard wired Nunchuck (how passé!). The gray ones are up for sale now (there's 300 of them to go round), and the other colors will follow in the coming days (the black and gold are the rarest, numbering only 150).

Nyko already has a wireless nunchuck out on the market previously released a wireless Nunchuck adapter, so we don't doubt that these would also do the job nicely. However, unlike the adapter, this is a standalone wireless Nunchuck. No messy cords to bundle up. But $35 for a peripheral that will clash with our lovely white Wiimotes? We'll pass on this one.



[Via Siliconera]

[Update: Update: Corrected a few errors in the article. $35 is the standard price for all of Nyko's Kama wireless nunchucks: the limited edition Kama line of nunchucks cost the same as Nyko's standard Kama Wireless Nunchucks soon to be released.]

Much to our delight, SNK's Neo Geo Stick 2 for the Wii will retain that classic black look of the original and PS2 controllers, foregoing the predictable white case that Hori opted for. Jeux France has uncovered several photos of the arcade stick, unboxed and beside its packaging, and it is gorgeous. Leaving one of these displayed on your coffee table sends a clear message to your visitors: "This guy is serious business." Just make sure not to break up that illusion by letting them see your Chewbacca bedsheets -- you don't want people to think that the business you're serious about is living like a twelve-year-old.

Back on topic, the Neo Geo Stick 2 supports both Wii games and Virtual Console titles. Retailers in Japan won't begin selling the arcade controller until April 10th, but you can preorder one now from import shop Play Asia for as cheap as $59.90. Step past the break for more photos from SNK's product page.

When we last previewed Xtreme Enterprise's replacement shells for the Nintendo Wii, we only caught a glimpse of the prototype faceplate and side panels, leaving us to wonder how the completed product would turn out. The Singapore-based company finally released photos of the assembled casing earlier today, daring us to find a flaw with the SHOCKii's design. We think you'll agree after seeing them that there isn't one to be found.

The shells are constructed with composite polycarbonate and ABS plastic, fitting together exactly like the Wii's original frame. Xtreme Enterprise has had a lot of time to perfect its process, using the same material for its Nintendo DS and nunchuck replacement casing. You can pre-order the full replacement shells in five different colors: Cool Black, Dreamy Blue, Strat Clear (semi-transparent), Dynamic Red, and Astro Yellow. All of the cases are priced at $69.90.

Head past the post break for photos of the SHOCKii's Cool Black shell.

Gamespot UK recently had a Q & A session with Lionhead's Peter Molyneux (Populous, Black & White). Lionhead Studios, who was acquired by Microsoft last April, has also developed such hits as The Movies and Fable. During the interview, the console wars debate came up and Peter's response was surprisingly Wii-positive, but of course he couldn't help but cram some praise for the 360 in there as well. As for Sony, he said:

GSUK: There seems to be a backlash mounting against the PlayStation 3, while the Wii seems to be going from strength to strength. How do you think the next-gen console war is going to stack up?

PM: Well, I have been through console wars before, but this one strikes me as particularly interesting. Nintendo has done a great job of convincing us that next gen is about game play rather than high-tech specs. Microsoft has done an incredible job of expanding games online and making them more mass market. Sony, in my view, seems it has been rather more lazy with their message. How all this pans out really depends on one thing and that is the brilliance of the titles that appear on each platform over the next two to three years. Marketing the hardware is nothing compared to the games that run on it, so I expect the system with the greatest games on it to end up on top.

Everyone has been very supportive of the one-two punch combo of the Wii and Xbox 360, leaving Sony to stew in their own stolen juices, forgetting that Microsoft is in fact the competition for Nintendo as well. Just like Reggie said in his USA Today interview, he'd rather see consumers buying the Wii, along with some games and accessories, over buying both consoles and creating an opportunity to sell more of his competitor's product. We couldn't agree more.

NIBRIS' Piotr Orlowski emailed 4cr and dropped an odd bit of news pertaining to their upcoming title Sadness. Turns out, the game is to be displayed primarily in black and white. Bold move for the developer who has nothing but concept art to show for their game. So have they dug too large a hole for themselves? Can gamers be all that accepting of this direction in presentation?

"Nibris decided to follow Nintendo’s path, which definitely fights the stagnation which has occurred in video games, and creates new trends. With this move, we want to create a unique environment, which is only available in Sadness[...]"