EDISON, N.J., June 19th, 2008 — Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, today announced Escape the Museum for Wii. Based on the popular online hunt and find game from Gogii Games, Escape the Museum is being developed by Majesco Studios and will be available in retail outlets this holiday for only $19.99.

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This is an excerpt from the Review of the Nintendo Wii game Zack & Wiki by USA Today

.. With more than 30 hours of game play, the puzzles can be played slowly over time. There are also minigames to explore. Plus, the game allows others to get involved as advisers who can draw circles around areas to investigate. This is a fun way for a parent and child to play together …

Full Review

More About: Review, Nintendo, Wii, Zack & Wiki

Hardware keyboard support, send to a Wii friend are key features of new
release

Oslo, Norway and Tokyo, Japan - October 10, 2007

Opera today announced
Nintendo has started distributing the much-anticipated new version of the
Internet Channel for Nintendo Wii. The Internet Channel now features
new ways to share, communicate and enjoy the Internet Channel by adding
support for a USB keyboard and enhanced ways to communicate with your Wii
friends.

Hardware support for any USB keyboard makes typing both easier and faster.
Simply plug any standard USB keyboard into one of the two USB ports on
your Nintendo Wii and you are ready to write email, compose blog posts,
comment in forums and much more. Also making text input more comfortable
are several new keyboard-specific shortcuts to be used with the existing
soft keyboard, such as using the “B” button on the Wii remote as a “Shift”
button.

“We believe this new version of the Internet Channel is even more engaging
and delightful for the users around the world than its predecessor,” says
Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. “Nintendo has always brought a new
perspective, fresh ideas and unwavering enthusiasm to our partnership. And
today, our combined efforts have given users more reasons to be excited.”

Send to a friend enables you to send links to your favorite Web sites - or
the one you are currently browsing - to your Wii friends whom you have
added in your Wii. You can also add a message to send along with the link.
When your Wii friend opens the message, they can immediately visit the
page in the Internet Channel.

The new Internet Channel for Nintendo Wii carries additional usability
improvements. Users can now copy information from a Web page and paste it
directly into the search field. Users may also store nine more favorites,
bringing the total to 56. Visit the Wii Shop Channel to download the new
Internet Channel today.

For Web Developers

The Nintendo Wii also embraces Web content and applications in a
revolutionary new way with the debut of Widget View Mode in the Internet
Channel. By surfing to widgets.opera.com users can browse Opera’s
collection of community-built, Opera-tested Web applications immediately
ready to run on the Nintendo Wii Internet Channel.

Widgets available now include calendars, news readers, Internet radios and
other fun applications. Users of Opera’s desktop browser will immediately
recognize their favorite widgets on this new platform. Web developers can
publish widgets on Opera’s website to make them available to Wii users.
For more information on creating widgets, please visit widgets.opera.com

Availability

The Opera powered “Internet Channel” is available as a free upgrade for
existing Internet Channel subscribers. For people wishing to subscribe,
the Internet Channel can be purchased from the Wii Shop Channel menu for
500 Wii points.

SNK to Release Classic NEOGEO Arcade Games on Wii™ Virtual Console™

Wall, NJ – September 12, 2007 – SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, the U.S. publishing arm of the SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION, today announced that the Company will release several of their greatest NEOGEO arcade games via the Virtual Console™ feature on Wii™. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download these classic games through the Wii Shop Channel. D4Enterprise, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, will manage the release of the titles.

Key NEOGEO titles will include “Fatal Fury,” “World Heroes,” and “Art of Fighting.” Each title is expected to cost 900 Wii Points. More titles will follow over the coming months.

About SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION
Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION (SNK) develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1978, SNK is one of the largest privately held interactive entertainment content providers in the world. Known for such franchises as THE KING OF FIGHTERS, METAL SLUG, and SAMURAI SHODOWN SNK continues to be an industry leader by focusing on their rich arcade history. More information on SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION can be found at www.snkplaymore.co.jp SNK PLAYMORE USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION with offices in Wall, NJ. It handles operations in North America including publishing, marketing, development and localization. More information on SNK PLAYMORE USA can be found at www.snkplaymoreusa.com

Rockstar Games announces Bully: Scholarship Edition for the Xbox 360™ and Wii

New York, NY - July 19, 2007 - Rockstar Games is proud to announce that Bully: Scholarship Edition is coming to the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo this Winter.

Both the Wii and Xbox 360 versions will retain the wit and deep gameplay of the previously released PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system title and will boast additional new content. Bully: Scholarship Edition takes place in the fictional New England boarding school of Bullworth Academy, and tells the story of 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins as he experiences the highs and lows of adjusting to a new school. Capturing the hilarity and awkwardness of adolescence perfectly, Bully: Scholarship Edition pulls the player into its cinematic and engrossing world. Universally acclaimed upon first release, Bully: Scholarship Edition is a genre-crossing action game with a warmth and pathos that is unrivaled.

Bully received a perfect “10/10? from Electronic Gaming Monthly and 1up.com and was heralded as “a great, well-crafted action game that has one of the best senses of humor around” by IGN.com. USA Today called it “a fantastic debut title by Rockstar Vancouver.” The San Francisco Chronicle wrote “Bully has no shortage of creative energy, offering an immersive boarding school experience that is imaginative, funny and filled with surprises.”

Come and explore the zealous joy, mirth, and torment of youth with Jimmy Hopkins and Bully: Scholarship Edition when enrollment commences this Winter.

For more information about Bully: Scholarship Edition please visit www.rockstargames.com/bully.

More About: Bully: Scholarship Edition, Wii

Nintendo applauds US government’s strong position against piracy in China

REDMOND, Wash., April 10, 2007 - Nintendo of America Inc. today announced its strong support of the U.S. Trade Representative seeking formal consultations with China regarding its failure to meet World Trade Organization obligations concerning intellectual property protection and enforcement in China. As part of its uncompromising campaign against international piracy, Nintendo continues to be an outspoken supporter of the U.S. government, given that more than 7.7 million counterfeit video game products from more than 300 Chinese factories and retailers have been seized during the past four years.

Despite aggressive efforts for the past decade, China has built itself to be the leading production site and exporter for counterfeit Nintendo video game products, and has the largest domestic consumption. Despite the millions of counterfeit Nintendo products seized from retailers and manufacturing plants in China through the years, there has only been one criminal prosecution. Numerous factories, where tens of thousands of counterfeit Nintendo products were seized, escaped with only trivial fines or no penalty at all. And often these production sites continue to operate after products are seized. In order to avoid punishment, many counterfeiters are sophisticated and keep stock levels below the criminal thresholds and avoid keeping sales records.

Each year Nintendo participates in the Special 301 process - the annual process by which the U.S. Trade Representative solicits views from the industry and makes judgments about the adequacy of intellectual property laws and enforcement in foreign countries. This year, Nintendo provided evidence to the U.S. Trade Representative regarding piracy in China, Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico and Paraguay. The piracy not only affects Nintendo, but also more than 100 other companies who independently create, license, market and sell Nintendo products. In 2006, the estimated loss due to piracy was $762 million.

“Nintendo will continue to work with the U.S. government while aggressively pursuing counterfeit Nintendo products in China,” says Jodi Daugherty, Nintendo of America’s senior director of anti-piracy. “We’re pleased the U.S. government is pushing China to comply with its trade commitments in an effort to protect the lifeblood of the copyright and trademark industries.”

Line Rider Wins Developers Choice Award For Innovation, This game was announced for the Nintendo Wii Console

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – March 8, 2007 – For something that started off as a school project, Line Rider™ is now in rarified company. inXile entertainment announced today that Boštjan Cadež, the creator of Line Rider has won a Game Developers Choice Award for Innovation, joining fellow Innovation award winners Nintendo’s Wii Sports™ and Capcom Entertainment’s Okami™. Both Nintendo’s Wii Sports and Capcom Entertainment’s Okami were also nominated for Game of the Year. According to the Game Developers Conference, the Innovation awards, handed out last night in San Francisco, recognize games that demonstrate true innovation, advance the state of the art, and push the boundaries of games as an expressive medium. Line Rider was honored as a game that is leading the way as the medium continues to evolve.

“I am honored to be bestowed with an award like the Innovation award,” said Boštjan Cadež, creator of Line Rider. “I started Line Rider as a personal project, and I never thought that my peers would become so enamored with it. I can’t wait to see the ways that Line Rider will evolve on the DS and Wii!”

Created in September of 2006, Line Rider was an immediate online phenomenon (www.official-linerider.com) , with over 15 million downloads within a three month period and thousands of videos posted on YouTube.com showing off users “custom” Line Rider tracks. In December of 2006 inXile entertainment announced that they had bought the exclusive rights to Line Rider and plan to release Nintendo Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ versions of Line Rider in 2007.

“The second that I saw Line Rider I knew that it was something special,” said Brian Fargo, chief executive officer of inXile entertainment. “For Boštjan to be awarded with the Innovation award along with huge titles from Nintendo and Capcom is a true honor, and only validates the fact that Line Rider is a great game and will be around for years to come.”

Described as a ‘toy’ by Cadež, Line Rider allows players to construct their own track filled with as many ramps, hills, and jumps as they can imagine utilizing a pencil tool. Once the player is done creating their course, they can send a virtual sledder down the route until he wipes out. The possibilities in Line Rider are only limited by physics and the player’s imagination with an almost endless number of variations and replay.

More About: Line Rider, Nintendo Wii

Wii HD in the Future??

Nintendo Of America president Reggie Fils-Aime commented an interesting quote in a USA Today article.

“Tough choices about not including a DVD player at the start, tough choices about not including high-definition capability at the start. That’s because we wanted a mass-market price, and we believe the market will validate those decisions come launch day on this Sunday,” Fils-Aime said.

The key phrase here is “at the start.” Wiis currently cannot play DVD movies, but Nintendo has already confirmed that a new model will be able to in the latter half of 2007 (in Japan at least). If we apply this logic to the “high-definition capability” statement, it seems that this might only be a temporary setback as well.

So there could be a major upgrade of the Wii to a next-gen HD format as well as a HD firmware update of 720p/1080i/1080p support once the format war becomes more clear.

source

More About: Wii HD, Nintendo, Wii

CALGARY, AB, November 6, 2006 - Zi Corporation (NASDAQ:ZICA) (TSX:ZIC), a leading provider of intelligent interface solutions, today announced that it has signed, exclusive licensing agreement with Nintendo Co., Ltd. to embed its predictive text input technology, eZiText, into Wii, Nintendo’s revolutionary new video games console. Wii launches on 19th November in North America, 2nd December in Japan and 8th December in Europe.

“Nintendo is a worldwide leader in video game systems and has a reputation for bringing innovative technology to the market,” said Milos Djokovic, President and CEO, Zi Corporation. “By embedding eZiText in Wii, Nintendo is empowering its customer with a more user friendly method for text input.”

“This announcement heralds the future use of eZiText outside of conventional mobile usage,” continued Djokovic. “The global gaming industry has become a worldwide phenomenon and is becoming an important new avenue for the distribution of our products. As such, we will continue to progressively pursue new gaming customers.”

Nintendo characterizes Wii as a console that “will revolutionize how people play games…it will entice new players into the world of video games by offering a variety of entertainment, information and communication channels.”

The announcement with Nintendo is the third entrance into the multi-billion dollar international gaming industry for Zi products and the second agreement with Nintendo, a well-known Japanese company and a global leader in video gaming. In 2005, Zi licensed its Decuma® handwriting recognition technology to Nintendo for use in the Nintendo DS handheld video game system. Also in early 2005, Gizmondo Europe Ltd embedded Zi Corporation’s eZiTap™ predictive text technology into a feature-rich handheld entertainment console.
Press Release

Reggie had an interview with USA Today about the future of the Nintendo Wii. You can read the interview below

Q: What made Nintendo try to do something dramatically different with the Wii?

A: Our focus is interactive game play, a whole new way to play, that puts fun back into this business. It allows everybody to pick up and play and isn’t focused on the core gamer.

Q: The Wii seems to emphasize the controller, not heavy attention on graphics. Is that by design?

A: That is exactly by design. Our visuals for Wii will look fantastic, but in the end, prettier pictures will not bring new gamers and casual gamers into this industry. It has to be about the ability to pick up a controller, not be intimidated, and have fun immediately. The trick is being able to do that, not only with the new casual gamer, but do it in a way that the core gamer gets excited as well.

Q: Microsoft has made the comment that people can buy an Xbox 360 and Wii for about the same price as a PlayStation 3. Would you mind terribly if that happened?

A: I’d much rather have the consumer buy a Wii, some accessories, and a ton of games, vs. buying any of my competitor’s products.

Q: A few years ago, Nintendo made a conscious decision to lie low when Microsoft introduced Xbox Live and began promoting its subscription online gaming service. In retrospect, does that look like a good decision?

A: I wasn’t here. What I can tell you is the way we’ve approached online play now is really with a view to the masses. With Nintendo DS (a dual-screen handheld player), for example, we offer free Internet play in a wide-ranging series of games. Our focus is getting as many consumers to enjoy that online experience as possible. And we’ve done that.

Q: You’re not pursuing a subscription model?

A: We view online gaming as essentially an enhanced way to enjoy the gaming experience and drive more sales of hardware and software.

Q: How do you extend your online strategy to Wii?

A: It’s the same premise. We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They’ll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you’ll be able to plug it in and go. It won’t have hidden fees or costs.

Q: What is your plan for getting folks who aren’t normally interested in video games to try the Wii?

A: We need to get the consumer to admire what we’ve done. We need them to say to themselves, “Wow, this new Wii console by Nintendo is really interesting!” And they need to try it. They need to get bought into the proposition.

Q: Your background is in marketing. Without divulging competitive secrets, can you characterize your marketing plan?

A: It’s going to be massive amounts of hands-on activity, as well as showcasing exactly how Wii games are different. We’re going to create advocacy. We’re going to make it so that everyone who tries the Wii experience talks to their friends and neighbors. It’s going to be a really provocative sight to be seeing teens and 20-year-olds and 40-year-olds and 50-year-olds talking about how different this experience is.

Q: What can you tell us about timing and price?

A: We’re well on our way to sharing all of that information with our retailers and our licensees. We’ll be sharing that information publicly later on.

Q: Can the Wii take Nintendo back to the top of the mountain?

A: Our goal is to have as many teens and young adults as we have 40-plus-year-olds excited about the platform. We’re trying to expand this business here in the U.S in a way that it really hasn’t been expanded … for the health of this industry.

Q: Sounds like you’re more focused on new customers and not necessarily taking share from the other guys.

A: The interesting thing is if you do expand the market, you do both. You grow the category, but you’ll also dramatically increase your market share. As an example, Nintendo DS in Japan outsells all of our competitors by a factor of five to one. We are so far in advance of our handheld competitors that they’re not even on the map. That’s all based on a market expansion strategy. And that’s what we’re looking to do with home consoles.

Q: How do you handicap your competitors; what worries you most about them?

A: Our competitors are both going down the same path. Both believe that more and more performance with a higher and higher price tag are their keys to success. So what do I see? I think our two competitors will trade share between them, while we go off and grab share in a completely different way.

More About: Reggie, USA Today, Nintendo Wii