Beyond Gaming

Part of the Mii Generation

I picked up the Wii a couple of weeks ago and finally had the opportunity to sit down and play a couple of the Wii Sports games.

So far, the system gets my thumbs up ...

'Swiit' Victory

The final numbers are in, and Nintendo can claim victory as its Wii sold more units than the PS3 and Xbox 360 during their respective launches.

PS3 to Stay in Short Supply

An analyst with American Technology Research has bad news for people interested in purchasing the PS3.

With European demand stretching supplies thin, analyst Paul-John McNealy says that it is likely that the PS3 will have limited availability in the U.S. through June 2007

No PS3 or Wii? Register at Amazon tomorrow

Amazon is giving an early Christmas present to gamers.  Consumers who want to pick up a PS3 (60 Gig or 20 Gig versions) or the Nintendo Wii can visit here to sign up for a random drawing being held Tuesday, December 19.  Those names selected will have the opportunity to purchase one of the hard-to-get systems.

You have to act fast, though -- you can only sign up for the drawing through 3:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday, December 18.

For those who aren't selected, BensBargains.net does a great job of tracking the availability of the PS3 and Wii at various online retail sites. The PS3 Finder and Wii Tracker are updated every 10 minutes.  I know these sites work because I used the Xbox 360 Tracker to get my system last year.

Good luck!

Nintendo has a Wii Problem

Just when things were looking bright for Nintendo, considering their success with the launch of the Nintendo Wii, the company announced a voluntary recall today for the connective straps used on their motion-sensored controllers.

There have been numerous reports of the straps breaking during gameplay, many while playing the Wii sports game, and according to Kotaku.com, the government has confirmed three minor injuries due to the problems with the strap.  First there was the dreaded Nintendo Thumb injury and now this!

The newer shipments of the game are equipped with stronger straps than the original shipments, so consumers shouldn't be worried about going to Best Buy this Sunday to pick up a system for Christmas. 

While this flub will cost Nintendo millions, I don't see it having any negative impact in the long-term. I still plan on picking one up soon.  How about you?