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A Wii Wheel With Stand
Posted by Brian Ashcraft at 9:00 PM on July 3, 2008
Know what that the Wii Wheel is missing? Something to ground it. The wheel's not attached to anything, so using it to play Mario Kart Wii hardly feels realistic (not that Mario Kart Wii is the apex of realism, but still). Japanese peripheral company JTT has a solution: The Wii Handle Controller Stand. Simply attach the Wii-mote to this peripheral steering wheel, which can then be mounted on the stand. The stand offers 120 degrees of movement, and the stand has suction cups to keep it in place. In theory sounds pretty nice -- wonder how it plays.
「Wii用 ハンドルコントローラースタンド」 [Game Watch Impress]
Nintendo's Japanese ads are smart. They don't just feature famous celebrities, but former-bikini-girls-turned-mainstream celebs. That's curvy cheesecake pin-up turned actress Eiko Koike on the new Wii Fit TV spot. Sure, the Nintendo ad isn't gratuitous in the least, but it certainly doesn't turn its back on Koike's most famous assets. This isn't the first bikini girl to shill Wii stuff. Earlier this spring, Swimsuit idol Aki Hoshino appeared in Mario Kart Wii spots in a mini-skirt.
Apparently, using anything other than disposable "crap-arsed gas station batteries" turns a Wii Wheel driving experience into that of a 1978 Datsun heading down to the shore. And no, that's not a desirable mod. Not for Don at videolamer, anyway. He swears that using the battery packs from the React Recharge Dock for the Wiimote reduces the 'Mote's weight and makes it drive off centre when placed in the Wii Wheel.
Called "Connection Tour 08", Nintendo will be traversing from Westfield shopping mall to Westfield shopping mall, showing off upcoming titles on its DS and Wii consoles.
Tired of putting your hands in the air and waving them like you care only about getting to the finishing line? Too lazy to craft your own stable Wii racing wheel out of everyday household items for us in Mario Kart Wii? Well then head over to Success-HK, where they have recently released the Blazepro Realistic Racing Wheel for the Wii. Using the magical power of suction cups, the Realistic Racing Wheel attaches to any smooth surface for that not-nearly-flailing-as-much feel, with the added benefit of giving your tired arms something to rest on. As a special added bonus, the wheel detaches from the base for air-driving action.
Nintendo's mascot racin' funfest Mario Kart Wii cannot be toppled, even by the crossbow powers of Link. Zelda's constant savior aimed for third on the Japanese sales charts with Link's Crossbow Training, Mario Kart Wii and Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G still holding tight at numbers one and two for the fourth week in a row.
The online competition heats up today as Nintendo introduces the first in a series of worldwide Mario Kart Wii tournaments. Every few weeks a new special tournament challenge will appear on the Mario Kart Channel, allowing players to attempt them as many times as they'd like for the duration of said challenge, with the best times sent to the worldwide rankings to see how they stack up to the competition. Challenges can range from simply getting the best times with a certain character to using specific control setups or collecting the most coins. The first tournament should be up today, challenging gamers to get the fastest time on the Mario Circuit...with a twist. This is a pretty nifty way to keep fans coming back to the game, allowing them to prove their Mario Kart prowess without 
Fun fact: I'm a total Mario Kart fanboy. For the record: Double Dash is my favourite (I know, I know). So I'm used to watching the Mario Kart series take small, baby-steps forward with each new version. In this case, I was expecting just that. Small steps forward. Mario Kart Wii, however, feels more like a step forward, a shuffle to the side then, after a brief pause, a tentative step back.
This is by no means the most scientific of measurements, but GTA IV for both Xbox 360 and PS3 is currently being outsold on Amazon by Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii and the Wii Wheel. Things to keep in mind: the Nintendo games are each single platform (effectively doubling their sales) and Wii Fit pre-orders may be more common than GTA IV pre-orders this close to GTA IV's launch (at this point, gamers may be more likely to just go to the store to get their Liberty City fix). Still, we didn't expect Wii Fit's pre-sale numbers to come out on top today on Amazon. At all.
