Nintendo today announced that Mario Kart Wii will launch in North America on Sunday, April 27, a few weeks after Europe's April 11 release.

The game ships with 16 new courses, 16 old ones and the ability to race online alongside 11 other players. Also included is the Wii Wheel controller shell, which holds the Wii Remote.

Japanese electronics manufacturers Sharp and Hitachi, makers of the LCD screens used in the Nintendo DS, are under investigation for price-fixing, the Times Online reported today.

The headquarters of both companies were raided by the Japanese Fair Trade Commission yesterday in an effort to gather potential evidence of an illegal price-fixing arrangement.

Sharp, the original supplier of Nintendo DS screens, was joined by Hitachi when demand for the DS skyrocketed a year after the handheld's release.

While both companies confirmed the probe, neither issued any further comment on the investigation. The Japanese government recently enacted a "whistle-blower law" which grants legal immunity to the first company within a price-fixing cartel to come clean.

During a morning session at the Game Developers Conference, Nintendo network administration manager Takashi Aoyama announced a new program that will see Wii users being charged for service while using Wi-Fi enabled games.

Aoyama referred to the program as "Pay and Play," and noted that games supporting it will be marked with a new red Wi-Fi logo to ensure players are not mistakenly charged. No details were provided on the program, though it was noted that Wii Points will serve as the method of payment.

The network guru also mentioned that a new data compression solution will soon take care of Wii storage concerns, shrinking software to a tiny size until needed.

Nintendo today confirmed earlier rumors by announcing a Cobalt/Black version of the DS Lite, which the comapny describes as "like a black T-shirt with a splash of color."

The dark blue color marks the seventh shade the system has received since its inception, and stands as the next logical step on the color wheel following Polar White, Coral Pink, Onyx, Crimson/Black, and the limited-edition Gold and Metallic Rose.

The newly painted systems will hit stores on February 10.

New sales data released by Nintendo illustrates the company's fiscal year third quarter performance, broken down in hardware and software sales by region.

Nintendo's Wii hardware made its strongest showing at retail in the Americas, but software sales were around 15% higher in Europe. Meanwhile, DS hardware sales were strongest in Europe for the third quarter, but software sales in the Americas were roughly 45% higher.

Additionally, in transcripts of Nintendo's third quarter report meeting translated by Develop, the company said that it believes that the underperformance of third-party software on the Wii is only temporary, citing the console's short time on the market for in-house development's advantage over third-party software.

"Our software sales percentage is currently high because our internal teams teams know the Wii's special characteristics best, and they started development quite a bit before the Wii's release," the company said. "However, we believe ... Read more

Nintendo has announced that sales for the first nine months of its current fiscal year topped $12.3 billion and that its profit exceeds $2.4 billion--nearly double those of the same period from last year.

The company attributed the jump to extremely strong sales of its Wii and Nintendo DS hardware and software. Over 24.5 million Nintendo DS units have been sold across the past nine months, with the Wii selling in excess of 14.29 million during the same time frame.

Based on these figures, the company now expects the fiscal year's sales to total $15.2 billion, with $2.5 billion of that being profit. In all, the company has sold... Read more

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter is predicting that Nintendo will report sales of $5.28 billion in its Q3 report on January 24, and raise its fiscal year 2008 sales outlook above its current value of $14.5 billion, Gamasutra reports.

Global DS and Wii hardware sales during the third quarter, estimated around 12 million and 7 million respectively, were cited for the boost in projected yearly earnings. "Nintendo's recent financial performance has been spectacular and we continue to believe its FY:08 guidance is conservative," said Pachter.

Japanese commercial research company Enterbrain also reported that Nintendo sold 5,019,337 Wiis in Japan since its late 2006 launch. As of December 2007, the total North American install base for the Wii was over 7 million.

Meanwhile, Sony's PlayStation 3 has enjoyed a boost in sales worldwide... Read more

The Walt Disney World resort is currently testing the use of the Nintendo DS as a Wi-Fi-enabled interactive guide, map and informational tool for guests attending the park.

Initial details of the program were provided through members of WDWMagic via an instructional pamphlet, which is mirrored here.

WDWMagic poster SewIn2Disney recently participated in the testing phase and brought back several more details, including word that the software is distributed on large cartridges that surround the bottom of the DS with padding. SewIn2Disney also discussed the path-finding feature of the software, which helps people find the fastest route to a specified location.

This lastest non-traditional application of the DS comes as part of Nintendo's recently announced intention to expand the handheld's practical, non-gaming functionality. Previously, Nintendo had introduced tour guide service for the DS in certain Japanese museums as well as Seattle's Safeco Field, where fans equipped with a DS can use the portable system to watch replays, order food and drinks, and browse scores and trivia.

Nintendo was reached for comment, but has not responded as of this writing.

Riding a wave of strong software releases and still-fresh hardware offerings, the North American console video game market grew a massive 43 percent in 2007, according to new numbers released today by the NPD Group.

Overall industry sales totaled a record $17.94 billion--compared to 2006's take of $12.53 billion--with software making up $8.64 billion of the pie. The highest-selling games list, which doesn't factor PC software sales into the mix, was unsurprisingly lead by Bungie's Halo 3, followed up by Nintendo's remote-including Wii Play.

The top ten software titles follow, listed in order of units sold:

1. Halo 3 (Bungie, Microsoft Game Studios, X360) - 4.82 million
2. Wii Play with Wii Remote (Nintendo, Wii) - 4.12 million
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, Activision, X360) - 3.04 million
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Neversoft, Activision, PS2) - 2.72 million
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo EAD Tokyo, Nintendo, Wii) - 2.52 million
6. Pokemon Diamond Version (Game Freak, Nintendo, NDS) - 2.48 million
7. Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports, Electronic Arts, PS2) - 1.90 million
8. Guitar Hero II (Harmonix, Activision, PS2) - 1.89 million
9. Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft, X360) - 1.87 million
10. Mario Party 8 (Hudson Soft, Wii) - 1.82 million

Consoles hardware sales topped out at $5.12 billion, with Nintendo again leading the competition. The yearly numbers are as follows, with life-to-date totals... Read more

A recent US study found that surgeons performed better after playing the Nintendo Wii prior to surgery, the Telegraph reports.

Dr. Kanav Kohel and Dr. Marshall Smith of the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Centre in Phoenix, Arizona asked eight surgical residents to put in an hour playing games on the Wii before performing surgery with a training tool that simulates a patient's body in 3D. Scores of those residents that warmed up with the Wii were 48% better than those who didn't.

Some games were more useful than others. Hudson Soft's Kororinpa Marble Mania (Wii), which requires more precise movements of the Wii remote, was noted by researchers as having a greater impact than games that prompt faster, broader movements like Nintendo's Wii Sports.

Researchers are developing specially designed software for the Wii to better meet the needs of doctors looking to tune their skills at home—Atlus' Trauma Center series apparently doesn't fit the bill.

Nintendo of America has announced its partial software lineup for the first half of 2008, which includes a handful of firm release dates for titles whose release windows had been previously unknown.

For the Wii, Nintendo lists the recently delayed Super Smash Bros. Brawl for March 9, as well as a spring release window for both Nintendo EAD's Mario Kart Wii and TT Games' LEGO Indiana Jones. Ready at Dawn's port of Clover Studios Okami and Artepiazza's Opoona are both scheduled to hit retail shelves on March 25, with Nintendo's Wii Fit is slated for a release in the second quarter of 2008.

On the DS side of things, Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles will be released in February. Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword will be available on March 25, and Destineer's Homie Rollerz, perhaps the most thrilling mention among the lineup, will drop on February 5.

For more details and dates, feel free to scope out full Wii list and the whole DS list.

Update: Engadget has received a comment from Goschy's wife, who claims he is not yet planning to sue Nintendo over the matter.

Original story: Patrick Goschy, former Midway staffer, invented the Wii Remote ten years ago.

At least that is what he intends to prove when he takes Nintendo to court soon. Unlike similar cases, Goschy says he has the patent proof to back up his claims, in addition to hard evidence--evidence that has already spread to the internet.

A brief YouTube video, exhibit A, shows a pantsless Goschy demonstrating the device with the help of Ready 2 Rumble Boxing on a Dreamcast. For your evidentiary enjoyment, this video is viewable after the link. ... Read more

Nintendo announced today that Denise Kaigler will serve as Nintendo's new marketing VP, replacing Perrin Kaplan after her departure in late December.

Kaigler, who most recently served a 16-year gig as head of global corporate communications at Reebok, will be setting up shop at Nintendo's new Bay Area offices in Redwood City on February 18.

Additionally, Bill van Zyll, formerly a director of finance for the Whirlpool Corporation (yeah, that Whirlpool) will be heading up Nintendo of America's Latin America division as director and general manager.

Captain Olimar, protagonist of Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto-designed Pikmin series, is the latest character to be revealed as a playable character in the upcoming Wii fighter Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As usual, the announcement was made by series designer Masahiro Sakurai on the game's official site. Olimar fights with the aid of his small, plantlike Pikmin companions, which he picks from the ground. A snippet of newly-arranged Pikmin music from Brawl is available on the site.

Along with the Olimar reveal, this week's updates contained details on Multi-Man Brawl, a single-player challenge that pits a character up against... Read more

During last night's Technological & Engineering Emmy Awards in Las Vegas, Nintendo received its second Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

This time around, the company was honored for its motion-sensitive Wii Remote and the Nintendo DS's touch screen.

Last year, Nintendo was recognized with an Emmy for the introduction of the now-standard directional pad, an award that was shared with Sony for its design of the DualShock controller. At the time, many questioned why the Wii Remote was not recognized as well.

"The pioneering interfaces for Wii and Nintendo DS reflect our long tradition of seeking new ways to enhance the gaming experience for users at every level," said NoA executive VP Don James. "We're grateful for this award and thank the academy for honoring us a second time."

Though Nintendo will eventually allow Wii owners to download DS demos and transfer them to the portable system, those plans do not include whole games, as was indicated earlier this week.

"In the future, the Nintendo DS will be able to receive demo versions of some DS games from Wii, but not the entire game," Nintendo informed Gamastura.

"The demo will be erased once the Nintendo DS is turned off," the company continued, allaying any hopes of a potential storage device to store and execute multiple demos.

Nintendo DS owners will eventually be able to acquire both demos and whole games from the Wii, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime informed The New York Times.

The games and demos will presumably be downloaded through the online Wii Shop Channel and then transferred to the portable via the wireless capabilities of both systems.

Though word of downloadable demos comes as little surprise--DS Download Stations located at retailers already allow such functionality and Nintendo previously announced it would come to the Wii someday--the inclusion of full games is a bit more surprising.

It is unknown if that full games bit refers to digitally distributed versions of existing games, compatibility with downloaded Wii Virtual Console titles, or... Read more

To fight the ever-persistent Wii supply problems, Nintendo of America and mega-retailer GameStop have instituted a raincheck program to help customers acquire the much sought-after system.

Under the program, GameStop customers who pay for the system in full between December 20 and 21 will, supply permitting, receive a voucher that can be redeemed for the console in January. Traditionally, GameStop only allows customers to pre-order unreleased products.

Despite retailers selling nearly a million Wii in November, the system is still incredibly hard to come by. Over a year after launch, potential owners will still line up overnight outside retailers for their chance to buy one--a practice that is usually only seen when a system is first released.

Sales of Nintendo's top-selling DS have surpassed 6 million units in 2007, according to Nintendo's internal sales data through November 30. Based on these figures, the company has pre-emptively but assuredly claimed the title of "the year's top-selling video game system."

"There's no letup in sight," said Nintendo of America marketing VP George Harrison in the announcement. "Nintendo DS appeals strongly to both core and casual gamers, and its momentum is set to propel us into 2008."

As previously announced, the DS's sales of 653,000 units during Thanksgiving week beat the company's previous Black Friday week sales of 600,000 Game Boy Advance consoles. The DS has progressively sold more units each year following its launch in 2004, according to Nintendo.

Nintendo has repeatedly expressed its lack of foresight in planning for the high Wii demand this holiday season. Due to the console's general unavailability in stores, the company has pulled Wii advertising spots on TV and in other media in the UK, replacing them with ads for the company's handheld DS.

"We have been running the campaign all year round, but we want to take a responsible stance this Christmas and not fuel demand," a Nintendo rep told MarketingWeek.

The ad campaign, produced by London-based marketers Karmarama, will run in 2008 when retail supplies of the Wii increase. Nintendo recently raised its current fiscal year forecast, estimating 17.5 million Wii consoles will be sold through March 2008, up from 14 million.