Wii Fit Coming to the U.S. in May

By Geoff Duncan February 20, 2008

Wii Fit Coming to the U.S. in May

Nintendo has announced it intends to bring its Wii Fit exercise title to Europe and the United States, with a European launch on April 25 and a U.S. launch on May 19. The title has already sold 1.4 million units in Japan (where it went on sale December 1), and features a weight- and motion-sensing Balance Board controller users control with their body weight and stepping on-and-off to participate in the game. Wii Fit may help NIntendo push the Wii to still-more non-traditional gamers. With Wii titles already a hit with seniors and other new market segments, Wii Fit may enable Nintendo to tap into home exercise and fitness markets at all ages. Wii Fit will also be complemented by an online Wii Fit Channel that lets users check their fitness progress each day my measuring their weight and BMI.

NIntendo has also announced a new online game distribution service called WiiWare, which will give developers a “breeding ground” for new games, and Wii users a plethora of new games spanning a variety of genres. WiiWare users will also be able to vote for games using their Wii Points, pushing their favorites forward towards being “the next big thing.” Developers like Square Enix and TellTale, and Frontier are already on board with WiiWare. Nintendo expects to launch the first WiiWare games in the United States on May 12.

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Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

Nintendo is shutting down online services for 3DS and Wii U next April

Mega Man and Mario fight in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U,

Nintendo confirmed it will widely shut down online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games in April 2024, which will be just over a year after it discontinued the Nintendo eShop on those systems.
This deactivation of most of the online services for those platforms was revealed on X (formerly Twitter) and Nintendo's support site early Wednesday. "In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution," the message says. "We will announce a specific end date and time at a later date. Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned. We sincerely thank players for using the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software over a long period of time and apologize for any inconvenience."
Essentially, this means that after April 2024, you won't be able to use any online features in things like 3DS Pokémon games or Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U anymore. Nintendo does say in the Q&A section of its support article that people will still be able to play games offline and redownload updates and games from the Nintendo eShop for the foreseeable future. Pokémon Bank will remain unaffected, so it'll still be possible to transfer Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire all of the way to Pokémon Home. However, SpotPass support and other online-focused applications like Nintendo Badge Arcade will stop working entirely.

Just like the Wii U and 3DS eShop closure that caused a ruckus earlier this year, this move is a blow to game preservation and will forever harm some games not available anywhere else. While it's understandable that Nintendo might want to move on from these systems' dated online infrastructure, it's still a disappointing move for those of us who spent a lot of time playing games offline and online on these systems.

Gaming

Netflix games may be coming to TVs soon, as revealed by new iOS app

Selecting a game in Netflix Games.

It looks like Netflix might be expanding its gaming offerings to TVs soon, as a Netflix Game Controller is now on the iOS App Store. Netflix has yet to announce or comment on the purpose of the app, but a message shown when the app boots up confirms that it's coming.
Netflix has slowly made its way into the gaming industry over the past couple of years, acquiring studios and adding a dedicated game section to its mobile app that lets players download premium mobile games. The library includes some great games like Poinpy and Before Your Eyes, but has yet to break into the mainstream, likely due to its somewhat obscure availability. This new app, which was preemptively listed on Apple's storefront by Netflix and lines up with leaks from earlier this year, indicates that Netflix Games are coming to the TV.
The description for the app states that "this Game Controller app pairs with your TV and allows you to play games on Netflix using your phone or mobile device." After downloading and booting up the app, Digital Trends discovered two more messages asking players to "choose a game on your TV and follow the directions to connect" and that "Netflix Games on TV are in beta. Some devices may not be supported at this time."
All of this points to an impending beta rollout for games on Netflix's TV apps, which has not been announced yet. As such, we don't have any idea about which televisions or games the iOS app or Netflix Games on TV will support just yet. Regardless, this looks like a massive evolution for Netflix's gaming efforts, especially as it gears up to release a cloud gaming service.
Netflix declined to comment on the program when asked by Digital Trends, but it did refer us to previous statements it made about its intentions to break into cloud and TV game streaming.

Gaming

One of 2023’s most anticipated RPGs is coming to PS Plus on day one

The Solstice Warriors stand under a full moon in Sea of Stars' key art.

Sabotage Studio announced that its highly anticipated retro-style RPG Sea of Stars will be available as part of the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Game Catalog when it releases on August 29.
Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by classic games like Chrono Trigger, where the main heroes' powers are based around the sun and moon. Sea of Stars' distinct visual style and polished-looking gameplay has allowed this indie game to stand out alongside the liks of Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield, other RPGs that will release around the same time. Clearly, Sabotage wants to get this game in front of as many people as possible during this busy period for games, so it makes sense to put Sea of Stars on game subscription services.

It's in good company as a day one PS Plus Extra and Premium title, as it follows solid indies like Stray, Tchia, and Humanity. Sabotage also released a demo for Sea of Stars on PS4 and PS5 today so people can try a bit of the game early.
PS Plus Extra and Premium actually aren't the only subscription services that Sea of Stars will be on at launch. Previously, Sabotage had confirmed that the Xbox and PC versions of the game are launching on Xbox Game Pass on day one as well. So, if you have either of the major video game subscription services, you'll have ample opportunity to play the game across three platforms without having to pay for it. It will launch on Nintendo Switch, though, and you'll have to pay the full $35 price for it there.
Sea of Stars launches across Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium, and Nintendo Switch on August 29.