GDC 08: WiiWare info, new Japan services, more details

Nintendo’s made a couple of big announcements at the GDC 2008, including their plans to offer add-on content and other services for Wii Points. But Nintendo has a couple of other things in store for the platform, including new WiiWare games, an expansion to the Wii message board, and more. Check out the full article for more details.

It’s going to be an exciting year for the Wii as Nintendo’s Takashi Aoyama revealed what’s in store for the console during the 2008 GDC. Besides offering new downloadable content for Wii Points, they have some other things in store for the console as well.

First of all, here are some more details about the upcoming WiiWare games. To make full use of the Wii’s 512 MB storage unit, WiiWare games will be compressed for faster download. These games will only be expanded once the user plays the game.

WiiWare manuals, on the other hand, will stay completely online and can be viewed anytime, even before playing the game. Like Virtual Console games, WiiWare games can be downloaded again and again, and can also be moved to an SD card.

One of the first games that Nintendo will release for WiiWare is LostWinds. It’s a side-scroller game where you control gusts of wind to affect the objects on screen, including enemies and even your own character.

In Japan, Nintendo recently launched a TV listings channel. This is in line with their plans to keep the console relevant to the whole household, and not just for gaming. However, it’s not yet known whether they will offer the same service outside of Japan.

They also launched the Nintendo Channel in Japan, where users can rate any game they’ve played, and view stats of any game. Likewise, the Wii will also be able to analyze user stats (like play history) and will be able to offer them recommended titles.

The Wii’s message board is also being expanded. Users will now be able to send timed messages or automatic responses. They will also be introducing a red Wi-Fi logo to indicate games that have charges to make sure players won’t be sideswiped by hidden charges.

Yep, it’s going to be a full year for Nintendo this 2008. We can expect WiiWare to be up this May with 100 new titles on the get go. Hopefully the other services they’ve released in Japan will also be offered in other regions. We’ll keep you updated, so check back for updates.

Via Gamasutra