Apparent third-party Wiimote makes its purple debut

It's not the first third-party Wiimote we've seen, but if the very purple device you see above is what it purports to be, it could well be the very first to actually hit the market, albeit in Europe-only for the time being. Dubbed the "Riimote," this one comes to us from peripheral maker Snakebyte, which apparently isn't providing many details on the remote just yet but is promising that it'll be available in Europe on Feburary 8th for the not-so-bargain price of €39.99 (or just under $60).

Those slightly less nostalgic about a certain purple game console than some of us can also rest assured that the controller will also be available in basic black, although it seems you'll have to stick with the official gear if you want to keep everything coordinated.

Source: engadget.com

Wii Music: Details

Wii Music was first shown at E3 in 2006, and was hailed as one of the most innovative games at the conference. Classic themes like The Legend of Zelda’s overworld tune were conducted and performed by an orchestra of Miis, two Wii Remotes were used to play the drums and the trumpet could be played in an exaggerated jazz fashion by changing the angle of the Remote… and then everything went quiet. There were rumours that Wii Music had been cancelled to focus on other projects.

According to a translation, we will be seeing classic Nintendo themes as well as brand new ones. Over 40 instruments will be available, including folk and bass guitars, maraccas, marimbas as well as the option to conduct your orchestra (as Miyamoto did at E3 2006). Each of these instruments will include their own unique controls (including strumming a guitar with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and dual-Remotes acting as drumsticks), so there’s no need to worry about repetition. The gameplay revolves around play sessions, with six parts playable together (4 players and 2 CPU-controlled players).

Wii Music currently has a extremely vague release date of 2008.

Source: wiinintendo.net

Nyko's wireless Wii nunchuk wins CNET's CES gaming award

Nyko's wireless nunchuk peripheral was awarded CNET's best in gaming at CES this year. The wireless nunchuk "connects" through a dongle attached to the bottom of the Wiimote (seen above) and runs off two AAA batteries which allegedly provide 30 hours of use; the cost is $30 and should be out by late January or early February.

Nyko actually introduced many new peripherals at this year's CES. Coincidentally this would be the second year in a row that Nyko introduced a relatively useful product for the Wii, last year they came through with the Wiimote charge station which we're told has sold very well. Of course, not every Nyko product has to be reasonable, the Wii Party station is still one of the most atrociously awesome things we saw in the past year.

Source: joystiq.com

House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return - Video

Happy New Wiiar!!

Happy new year to all and best wishes for 2008!