3D printer madness!

Ok, so there are a couple of unexplained bumps and grooves on the Nintendo Wii Classic pad.  You just can’t put out a product like that and expect people to leave it alone.  So someone has gone and made a guess at what the mysterious appendages are for…

I made a clip that connects the Nintendo Wii remote with its brother, the “classic controller.” It’s my best guess at what the mysterious unused button and associated slots are for on the classic controller. The part has been featured on video game websites such as Kotaku & Joystiq, as well as Digg & Engadget.

While the video game side of the story is probably of little interest to you all, what I think is interesting (as a MechE & a Make subscriber) is that I used my lab’s stereolithography rapid prototyping machine to make it. With the aid of some calipers, I was able to draft up the solid model in CAD in about an hour. I sent it to the machine, where it made the part in about 2 hrs with absolutely no supervision (i.e., I was able to go off and do my “real” work).

In my opinion, this kind of application of reverse engineering is what makes the prospect of having desktop 3D printers so exciting in this Web 2.0 world.

So what can we really tell from this?  I need a 3D printer!!!

Source: [makezine]

New MySims info

The Sims franchise has been kicking about on one system or another for quite a while now.  There hasn’t been much in the way of info on the Wii version, MySims, but the Official Nintendo mag has had a little peek up it’s skirt.  So to speak.

Obviously the game characters are now cute, in line with Nintendo law.  The game opens as you might expect, in a poor old town where you live in a modest little house.  You can create to you hearts content to make the characters look just how you want them to, right down to tatoos.  You get to wander around more in this game, with the magazine explaining,

“By using the relationships menu you can keep tabs on who likes you, who thinks you could do with a wash, and who wouldn’t spit on you if you were on fire”

Hmm, if only we could do that in real life.  Actually maybe we’re better off not knowing.  There will be 80 characters in the Wii version and around 30 in the DS one.   Sounds good so far.

Source: [officialnintendomag]

Wii Play on sale

It’s not often that Europe get’s a release before the US, btu Wii Play is one such game.  Wii Play has been out here for ages, but it only gets released to our US pals today.  Already number one on Amazon, the title is helped in no small part by the addition of a Wiimote in every pack.  Which is nice.  The games are pretty limited, but if you remember that it cost $49.99 with a Wiimote you won’t go far wrong.

Link to the Past today?! No.

 It’s still not here folks.  In spite of the fact that the Zelda title made it to Virtual Console wekks ago we are still waiting.  In the meantime a couple of goodies have been released today.  First up is Excitebike, nicely timed to coincide with the Wii release of Excite Truck today.  Another NES title debuting today is Kirby’s Adventure.  500 points each folks.

That’s not all folks – we also have R-Type III, the excellent shooter from ye old SNES days (800 points) and the Turbo Grafx title New Adventure Island (600 points).  Maybe Zelda next week?  Hmm, maybe.

It’s REALLY quiet today-let’s bowl!

As Microsoft might say, wow.  It’s really quiet today.  The Wii scene is sleeping folks.  Only mildly interesting thing to say is that the Wii is getting a bowling game.  Which is as far as I can see, it really doesn’t need.  Brunswick Bowling is coming nonetheless, ansd here is what to expect,

“The game features bowling centers, all set up after real Brunswick locations. There will be a Career Mode, where players can work their way up from an amateur to the professional ranks all during a year’s worth of bowling tournaments. There will also be a Multiplayer Mode for up to four people.”

No word on how much this is going to cost, but with Wii Sports in everyones collections it’s hard top see how many people would pay for another bowling game.  Surely if you are that into bowling you would just go, well, bowling?  I’m not the world’s biggest fan of he sport though, so maybe I’m missing something.

Source: [gamedailly]

Okami – it’s a no says Capcom

Both Eurogamer and N4G are reporting that Capcom UK have denied that Okami is in development for the Wii with this statement;

“There are no plans for Okami on Wii at this time,”

Of course these things can change, but it’s hardly surprising that the rumour of Okami on the Wii was no more than that.  It’s a shame, because as swan songs go, Okami is one beautiful way for the PS2 to make way for the new generation.

Source: [n4g]

SSX to run at 60fps

IGN have interviewed Eric Chartrand from EA.  They discussed the upcoming and very cool looking SSX title on the Wii.  Chartrand confirmed the engine is a recycled one,

IGN: What engine is the game is running on? Is it a modified version of the last SSX engine or something different?Eric Chartrand: The engine is a modified version of SSX On Tour, but we have improved the frame rate to 60 fps in single player mode.

Sounds good to me!  The visuals in this game look pretty good, and reports suggest that even with the standard (awful) video setup the graphics look lovely.  Coolio.

Source: [ign]

Sadness details

This might just be the Wii game I am looking forward to most. And it seems to be the game that has the least amount of information available. CVG have come up with some more details though. You play Maria, who has just survived a terrible train crash. She must look after her younger brother, Alexander, who lost his sight in the same crash. So far so normal. But then Alexander begins to act strangely…I need this game!!!  More new as I get it folks.

Source: [cvg]

Wii tweaks

Litle bit of patching on the Wii today.  Mario Kart 64 and Military Madness both have patches available for free in the Shop Channel.  These fix some issues with the virtual console titles, incuding an bug in Mario Kart involving the character selection screen.

Another system update is also available, prompted if you download the new Everyone Vote channel.  This adds more information about where you stay so UK players can now choose from Scotland, England, Ireland or Wales.  This may also be used on the News channel, as Nintendo has promised greater localisation for that channel.

Wii gets philosophical new channel

Now I challenge anyone to have predicted this one.  The new Wii channel which is now available for free from the Shop channel is a voting one.  Yup, Everybody Vote is a new channel on the Wii that allows you to vote on the important things in life, like do you prefer egg boiled or fried?  Do you prefer eating or sleeping?  No, I don’t understand it either!

There are worldwide and regional polls, and you can also predict how you think the vote will go.  Over time you can discover how close to the majority of people your opinions are.  Hard to see where Nintendo are going with this, but hey, they aren’t wrong very often!