Nintendo has turned around and said that there are plans to introduce a DVD capable Wii in Japan later next year. This move goes back to original plans from the Wii about it being able to play DVDs. This was later removed from the Wii because Nintendo said standalone players are now widely available at low cost.

Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz, a spokesperson declined to comment on when the new machine will hit the shops, but did confirm, “There are currently plans to release a version of Wii in Japan featuring DVD playback.” He also added “There are currently no plans to bring this model to Europe or the US.”

Too bad, I’d love to have a DVD Wii :/

Source: Gameindustry.biz

Electronic Arts (EA) along with the in-flight entertainment company DTI Software announced a plan today to provide multiple airlines with in-flight versions of their games. This will be largely headlined by the popular Sims 2 game, while other titles will be those pulled from EA’s Pogo.com.

The Pogo.com titles available at the launch of this program will be Poppit, Word Whomp, Phlinx, Tri-Peaks Solitaire, Harvest Mania, Tumble Bees, Great Escapes Solitaire and Turbo 21. Pogo.com was acquired by EA in 2001.

DTI Software is reportedly partnering with 60 airlines, many of which are international. Other video game companies, including Atari, Hasbro, and Jamdat already provide games for in-flight entertainment.

In-flight entertainment is becoming a crucial part of the business, so adding to their collection of options is clearly a benefit. Airlines like Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue use their personal television and music services, while others must seek third-party sources.

After months of speculation, Nintendo has finally announced the last details of its next generation video game console - Wii. The Wii wil be released on November 19 of this year, and will go on sale at $250.

The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess remains the company’s flagship title, and a copy of Wii Sports will be packaged with each console. Like the GameCube before it, the Wii will once again not be launching with a Super Mario title. Nintendo expects to have 25 to 30 titles available for the console by the end of the year (just in time for Christmas, perhaps?).

Games included in Wii Sports include tennis, golf, baseball, and more, all of which utilize the Wii controller’s motion sensitivity. Each system comes with just one controller, and also includes a nunchuck attachment.

If you’re looking to pick up a Playstation 3, also on sale in November, good luck. Nintendo will be shipping approximately 4 million Wii units to the US by the end of the year, while PS3’s shipped to the US will be nearly half of that number.

The Nintendo Wii will also be much more affordable than the PS3, which will cost at least $500 for the lowest level model.

The battle of the game consoles is just beginning. Which one will you be buying? (or hoping to buy? or maybe hoping to receive as a Christmas present?)

The F.E.A.R. Combat download will offer the entire F.E.A.R. multiplayer experience which includes:

• 19 multiplayer maps
• 10 game modes
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• The ability to download custom user content (maps and such)
• Punkbuster support

F.E.A.R. Combat users will be able to play against other Combat users and retail F.E.A.R. users as well.

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Microsoft announced plans Wednesday to release versions of classic 1980’s video games, including such titles as Pac-Man, Frogger, and more.

The video games will be offered through XBox Live Arcade, an online service that allows people to download free trial games and then buy them for $5 to $15.

Beginning this past Wednesday, Microsoft will offer a game every Wednesday for the next five weeks, including retro games updated with higher-end graphics and innovative new ways to play together.

The first game that will be offered is Frogger. Microsoft currently has 20 arcade titles available online, and hopes to have 50 titles by the end of the year.

Over the past couple weeks, more details have emerged regarding Microsoft’s still-in-development, so-called “iPod Killer”.  The device now has a code name (Project Argos), and we know that the project is being headed by Vice President J. Allard. Furthermore, we know that a family of XBox-branded handheld, WiFi-enabled devices are in the works.  So could Gates’ iPod killer be not only a competitor to Apple’s iPod, but also to Sony’s PSP?  Hmm..sounds like a darn good possibility at this point.

The fabled device would potentially not only play music and videos, but would also be WiFi enabled and include the famed XBox gaming platform.  As of yet, iPod doesn’t have games, and the inclusion of such could sway a few consumers towards the Microsoft product.

It’s likely that we will find out something more official at the financial analysts meeting on July 27, after the Q4 earnings results.  While I don’t have any inside sources on this one, the Seattle Times seems to think that an annoucement will be made at the meeting.