This week sees a large and varied selection of titles being released for download on the DSi and Wii, from a Viking-themed DSi tower defense and WiiWare carnival minigames to the TurboGrafx16 port of the original arcade Street Fighter.

DSiWare
• Battle of Giants: Dragons - Bronze Edition - $8
• Sparkle Snapshots - $5
• Viking Invasion - $8

WiiWare
• "Aha! I Got It!" Escape Game - $5
• Carnival King - $7
• Family Card Games - $5
Wii Virtual Console
• Fighting Street (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM) - $8
• R-TYPE (Sega Master System) - $5

Nintendo's blurb on the games--all available from 9am PST--follows... Read more

Update: Nintendo has confirmed that new model will arrive in North America, where it will be known as the Nintendo DSi XL, during the first quarter of 2010.

Confirming earlier reports, Nintendo today unveiled a heftier version of the Nintendo DSi hardware that sports a larger profile, bigger screens and a much thicker stylus.

Dubbed the Nintendo DSi LL in Japan and DSi XL for Europe, the new model sports two 4.2" screens instead of the 3.25" displays of the DSi or the 3" displays of the DS Lite. A number of assets provided by Nintendo compare it to earlier models.

The Nintendo DSi LL will hit Japan on November 21 for 20,000 yen (~$219)--a slight premium over the region's current 18,900 yen (~$207) asking price of the regular Nintendo DSi. European availability will following in early 2010, with Nintendo only noting that the price is "expected to be higher than that of the Nintendo DSi."

Excitebike: World Rally, an updated version of the NES classic Excitebike, will be available for WiiWare download on November 9.

Announced via the Wii's online Nintendo Channel, the game has an enhanced 2.5-D look, a Track Editor, and four-player online multiplayer capability. More information, including the price of admission, has yet to be revealed.

In the meantime, check out the trailer.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

A report in Japan's Nikkei financial newspaper (reposted via NeoGaf) reveals that Nintendo plans to release a new iteration of the DSi with a whopping 4" in screen real-estate. That would make the new model's screen three-quarters of an inch larger than the current model. The story puts the release date for the updated DSi as later this year, with the price to remain at the same 18900 Yen as the one currently on store shelves. Whether it will see release outside of Japan remains under consideration.

The story attributes Nintendo's impetus to increase the screen size on substantial feedback from users. It also notes that the larger screen is meant to cater to older users who have expressed difficulty when gaming on the smaller screens.

There are probably more than a few folks besides older Japanese gamers who would think that in this case, bigger is better.

With Halloween just around the corner, Nintendo is breaking out emergency supplies of ghosts and ghoulies as no less than two thirds of this week's batch of North American Wii and DSi downloadable releases feature the undead in some form.

DSiWare
• PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff - $5
• SUDOKU - $2

Wii Virtual Console
• Golden Axe (Arcade) - $9
• Zombies Ate My Neighbors - $8
WiiWare
• Ghost Mansion Party - $10
• Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3 - $10

Read on for full details on all titles, which are available from 9am PST... Read more

Television mascot and Internet icon Domo-kun is the star of this week's batch of Wii and DSi downloadable releases, with a grand five DSiWare games seeing our fuzzy friend engaged in everything from white-water kayaking to becoming a rock star.

WiiWare
• LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias
• Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem
Wii Virtual Console
• RYGAR

DSiWare
• Crash-Course Domo
• Hard-Hat Domo
• Pro-Putt Domo
• Rock-n-Roll Domo
• White-Water Domo

The titles will arrive at 9am PST, while further details follow below... Read more

Quality trumps quantity in this week's batch of Wii and DSi downloadable titles with the release of splendid side-scrolling SNES beat 'em up Final Fight 2. You'll also find some attractive mythological DSi pinball and multiplayer WiiWare blaster Gravitronix.

DSiWare
• Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon

WiiWare
• Gravitronix
Wii Virtual Console
• Final Fight 2

Click on for Nintendo's rundown of the games, which arrive at 9am PST.... Read more

This week's regularly scheduled update to the North American Wii and Nintendo DSi Shop Channels may not be as loaded as weeks past, but ...Final Fantasy! It's a classic!

Wii Shop Channel
• Final Fantasy (Virtual Console - NES) / 500 Wii Points ($5)
• Word Searcher (WiiWare) / 500 Wii Points ($5)
Ninendo DSiWare
• Thorium Wars - 1,000 DSi Points ($10)

Per usual, expect all of this week's downloadable wares to be available here in just a few minutes, circa 9 AM PST / 12 PM EST. Details on all of the titles follow below... Read more

This week's North American batch of Wii and DSi downloadable releases sets its sights on mature gamers--people old enough to be excited by the prospect of Altered Beast, an updated Arkanoid or a strategy board game with Dragon Quest beasties.

Nintendo DSiWare
• Art Academy: Second Semester - $8
• Dragon Quest Wars - $5

WiiWare
• ARKANOID Plus! - $6
• DRiiFT Mania - $8
Wii Virtual Console
• Altered Beast (Arcade) - $10

Jump on in for Nintendo's blurb on the titles, which are all available now... Read more

Ending weeks of rumors and leaked retailer fliers, Nintendo today announced that it will be lowering the price of the Wii by $50, to $199, in North America this Sunday.

The price cut takes effect September 27. Competitors Sony and Microsoft have both recently dropped the prices of their consoles, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Another weekly batch of downloadable Wii and DSi releases, another WiiWare tennis. Thankfully MySims Camera, Last Ninja 2 and Nintendo's You, Me and the Cubes also arrive to shake up the routine of reality as we know it with a good jolt of weirdness.

Nintendo DSiWare
• Clubhouse Games Express: Strategy Pack - $5
• MySims Camera - $2

WiiWare
• You, Me, and the Cubes - $10
• Family Tennis - $5
Wii Virtual Console
• Last Ninja 2 (C64) - $5

Click on through for the skinny on the titles, all of which are available now... Read more

A new scheme announced recently by Nintendo will give European Wii owners Wii Points and Nintendo Virtual Console games as reward for helping others get online.

For "encouraging friends and family to get connected with their Wii," says Nintendo, the 'ambassador' and their connectee will both receive 500 Wii Points. A maximum of 10,000 Points are available to ambassadors, for connecting a grand twenty consoles.

All first-party Nintendo Virtual Console NES games will become free to ambassadors at the ten-console 'gold' mark, while twenty-console 'platinum' status is rewarded with every last first and third party NES, SNES and N64 Virtual Console game for free.

The European 'Connection Ambassador Promotion' begins in October, with no word yet on quite how it will be implemented nor whether it will expand elsewhere in the world.

Rumors of a price cut to Nintendo's Wii console is gaining credence as a purported advertisement for the mark-down has leaked onto the internet.

The advertisement--spotted by a Kotaku tipster--allegedly comes from Toys R Us, which pegs the new price at $199. The system has retailed for $249 since its launch in 2006.

The advertisement is supposedly due to hit the papers on the week of September 27.

Both Microsoft and Sony cut the price of their high-end consoles to $300 in August.

Monday means a new round of downloadable releases for the Wii and DSi are now available, though Nintendo has neglected to make its customary announcement. No doubt they are intimidated by Crash 'N The Boys hitting Virtual Console this week, pitting the underprivileged youths (left) against the dead posh Theodore "Todd" Thornley IV in rough street Olympics.

Nintendo DSiWare
• Art Academy: First Semester ($8)
• Oscar in Toyland ($8)

WiiWare
• Texas Hold'Em Poker ($6)
• Spaceball: Revolution ($8)
• Mart Racer ($8)
Wii Virtual Console
• Crash 'N The Boys: Street Challenge (NES) ($5)

Click on through for a smattering of details on the motley band of releases... Read more

2D platforming shooters are the order of the day, with both Super Return of the Jedi from the SNES and a new co-op-packing installment of the impossibly difficult Contra series being released in this week's batch of downloadable Wii and DSi releases.

Nintendo DSiWare
• Clubhouse Games Express: Family Favorites ($5)

WiiWare
• Contra Rebirth ($10)
• ColorZ ($7)
Wii Virtual Console
• Super Return of the Jedi ($8)

Come on in for further details on the titles, which are all available now... Read more

In addition to providing a release date for Wii Fit Plus, Nintendo also today revealed that new colors for the Nintendo DSi and Wii Remote are coming soon to North America.

September 13 will see pink and white editions of the $169.99 DSi hardware join the black and blue models already at North American retailers. Nintendo explained that "the two new colors give consumers even more options to personalize their experiences."

Additionally, the once white-only Wii Remote will be available in black "this holiday." The black Wii Remote will be bundled with a black version of the sensitivity enhancing MotionPlus add-on utilized by some games. A black Nunchuk will be sold sepearately.

At first glance, Tales of Monkey Island - Chapter 2 and Master System RPG Phantasy Star might seem the biggest Wii and DSi downloadable releases this week, but Puzzle League Express guarantees "maximum fun"--and you can't top maximum fun.

Nintendo DSiWare
• Puzzle League Express ($5)

WiiWare
• Tales of Monkey Island - Chapter 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay ($10)
• 3-2-1, Rattle Battle! ($5)
Wii Virtual Console
• Phantasy Star ($5)

All titles will be available today from 9am PST. Keep on reading for the full details and descriptions straight from the marketing mouth of Nintendo... Read more

A very light week for the DSi and Wii, with Nintendo's platforms receiving only three downloadable releases between the pair of them. Celebrity game of the week is Super Empire Strikes Back, a port of the SNES Star Wars platformer hitting Virtual Console.

DSiWare
• Pop+ Solo

WiiWare
• Mr. Driller W

Wii Virtual Console
• Super Empire Strikes Back (SNES)

All titles are available from 9am PST. Click on through for further details... Read more

The dawn of a new week brings with it the regular Nintendo Download update, supplying Wii and Nintendo DSi owners with the latest in downloadable wares and goodies.

WiiWare
• PictureBook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit ($8)
• Family Slot Car Racing ($5)
Wii Virtual Console
• The Revenge of Shinobi ($8)

Nintendo DSiWare
• Brain Age Express: Sudoku ($5)
• Guitar Rock Tour ($5)

All of the above should now be available from each console's respective Shop Channel. For more details on today's assorted goods, look no further than below... Read more

Today's Virtual Console re-release of Super Star Wars (SNES) was only the beginning, as publisher LucasArts today vowed that it will be bringing more of its console classics to the Wii's digital download service.

Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi will be joining Super Star Wars "in the coming weeks," with all three of the old-school Super Nintendo games going for 800 Wii Points ($8) a pop.

"Additional classic LucasArts games" were promised for the future, but none were named. Potential re-release candidates include Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64), Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (N64), SW Episode I: Racer (N64), Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures (SNES) and the long-expected Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES/GEN).

Though LucasArts has long ignored its library of vintage classics, the company has recently begun to embrace its heritage through remakes, revivals and re-releases.