In one of the most unexpectedly practical ideas to hit the world of ridiculous Wii accessories, Power Play Corporation has announced the upcoming release of "Riiflex," a set of dumbbells designed to fit the Wiimote and Nunchuk inside. Just making the controllers heavier allows you to turn normal waggling into a workout! This item was announced back in January, and now it's available for preorder at an unfortunately hefty $34.95 price for two-pound weights, or $39.95 for four-pound weights.The Wiimote attachment features a hole in the front for the pointer, and both the Wiimote and Nunchuk holders allow access to the triggers. Of course, most dumbbell training courses consist mostly of repetitive motions targeting specific muscle groups, and not just, uh, waving one arm around while holding the other one still, but we still think this is a neat idea. Especially when compared to other crummy Wiimote shells!
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The Nielsen group has released a new report on usage of the three major consoles. Coming as little surprise, Nielsen's study has placed Wii in dead last, with the average player using the console 6.8 percent of the time during Nielsen's study in December, 2008. During that same period, those involved in the study played Xbox 360 10.2 percent and PS3 10.6 percent -- nearly double the Wii average. Clearly, the average gamer doesn't have the endurance necessary for long-term waggling.Wii also ranked the lowest in average days used over the course of the study, with users only partaking an average of 5 days (so much for that Wii Fit vow). The PS3 ranked second place, with users spending an average of 6.8 days days, which leaves us with Xbox 360 -- the top dog in this category -- with an average of 7.1 days.Lastly, Nielsen tracked the daily average number of sessions, and, again, Wii was last with 1.78 sessions, whereas the Xbox 360 and PS3 had much higher averages of 2.15 and 2.74 sessions, respectively. So, how would you rank your console usage?Source - Nielsen report (PDF) [via Edge]Permalink | Email this | Comments

Since first whispered eerily in our ears, we've been eager to have our pants scared off by the Tecmo/Grasshopper Manufacture collaboration, Fatal Frame IV. Now it seems like our slacks will be staying firmly buttoned. While Nintendo published the Wii-exclusive in Japan, the company has no intention of making a repeat performance stateside with Nintendo boss Reggie Fils-Aime telling MTV, "We are not the publisher of that title in the Americas."A Tecmo spokesperson put the lens cap on the scary sequel, telling IGN that Nintendo of America still holds the publishing rights, and its decision to not release the game means "the title will not be released in this territory." Read Tecmo's official statement: "As the owner of the IP, Tecmo feels very unfortunate that the fans of the series in North America will not have a chance to play the game, but respects the final decision made by Nintendo of America." If you could take a picture of our faces right now you'd see our jaws on the floor at bearing witness to Nintendo's own unique brand of horror.Source: Fatal Frame Never Coming to America?Source: Reggie Talks Wii: Not Paying For Exclusives, Avoiding The Japan Wii SlumpPermalink | Email this | Comments

European publisher Alten8 has announced one of the weirdest WiiWare titles yet -- which is saying a lot on the platform that features Major League Eating: The Game, Target Toss Pro: Bags and Pong Toss: Frat Party Games. Squibs Arcade isn't just a collection of Game & Watch/Tiger LCD-style games, it's a collection of fake LCD games, designed as boiled-down parodies of modern favorites. In the five released screenshots, we can see Gun Cogs, based on Gears Of War, as well as Crowd Wader, Jack a Motor, We're Fat, and Cardboard Axel Mush (Assassin's Creed, Grand Theft Auto, Wii Fit, and Metal Gear Solid, respectively). The collection will also include games called Clown, Button Basher, Fantasy Turn Base, Call of Honour, Lots of Levelling, and Regret the Fist. Alten8 will release Squibs Arcade in Europe in Q2, and will show the title at this week's WiiWare Media Summit in Frankfurt, Germany.In related news, there's a WiiWare Media Summit this week in Frankfurt, Germany!The press release also mentions that Luc Bernard's Eternity's Child is still on the way, within "the next few months."
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