Nintendo's Wii gets downloadable games
By Staff -- Playthings, 5/12/2008 2:14:00 PM
REDMOND, Wash.—Nintendo today launched a new service, WiiWare, that allows owners of its Wii game system to download Web-exclusive casual games directly to their console and to pay for those games using pre-purchased points.
According to Nintendo, WiiWare games are easy to download. Users go to the WiiWare section of Nintendo’s online Wii Shop Channel, find a game, redeem Wii Points—purchased either as pre-loaded cards from a local Nintendo retailer or via the Wii Shop Channel with a credit card—and start streaming the game’s code to their Wii.
New games, at various point values (with corresponding real-world prices of $5 to $15), will be added to WiiWare on Mondays. The newly launched Nintendo Channel on Wii will let people view videos of and read information about WiiWare games and other Nintendo products. Users also can see player opinions to help them decide what to play next.
The inaugural lineup of WiiWare games has six titles, including an exclusive Final Fantasy game (Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King), a blackjack title (V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack) and a game show-style trivia game (TV Show King).
The initiative is expected to give smaller, less financially flush software developers a chance to create games for Nintendo’s popular motion-sensitive game system.
“WiiWare is to the video game industry what independent films are to Hollywood,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing. “WiiWare lets developers experiment with new ideas and experiences. Combined with our collection of classic Virtual Console games, Wii provides one-stop shopping for the greatest games of the past—and the future.”
Pictured: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, from Square Enix
