First things first, NIntendo have done the inevitable and unvieled a storage system for saving and playing WiiWare and Virtual Console games straight off, rather than transferring them all constantly from your Wii memory to your SD card and so on. The solution? The ability to play the games straight from an SD card.

    Although it wasn't the rumoured holographic storage system, it is still a great way to solve the current space issues, since the cards are cheap and easy to get hold of. The biggest card size you can use is a 2GB one, which is still great since you can currently only store approximately 260MB on the Wii system (since the other half if its memory is used for system updates and the news/forecast/shop/photo/mii channels).

    The update is still a long way off though, with a projected release of next Spring (dammit - Tetris Party, Alien Crush and three more StrongBad episodes will have arrived by then...).

    In more Wii channel news, Nintendo have confirmed that the launch of WiiSpeak will also see a new channel where you can talk to three friends absolutely free! The channel will feature Mii's that "talk" for you, and will be released as soon as WiiSpeak reaches stores.

 

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    Next on the agenda is Nintendo's game that "everybody has been waiting for". The rumoured game which triggered rumours earlier this week was set to be based around an old title. With many looking forward to the imminent announcement of a new Kirby or Kid Icarus title, dissapppointment ensued as the game turned out to be Punch Out!!

    Though the original NES and SNES titles really weren't that bad, it is still not as great as a new Kid Icarus title would have been.

    To make up for this slightly not-as-great-as-we'd-have-expected announcement, Nintendo also showcased another sequel to a popular retro game, this time with Sin & Punishment. Nobody saw a Wii sequel coming, but we are very excited since the original N64 title was stinking brilliant, and available now for 1000-1200 points on the Virtual Console.

 

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    The new games didn't end there though, with a Wii version of Another Code on it's way. The DS game was apparantly pretty good, but we never played it so couldn't tell you ourselves. Also coming soon are some classic GameCube Wii remakes, starting with the original Pikmin title, and followed closely after by Donkey Konga Jungle Beat. The games will be basically the same, but with Wii optimized controls and (we presume) some slightly upscaled graphics and budget pricing (Hopefully, us UK peoples shouldn't pay a penny over £24.99). Miyamoto did suggest a new Pikmin title during E3 week a while ago, so let's hope that this wasn't it.

 

    To round up the announcements, Nintendo have also unvieled plans for a 3D version of Picross (goodness knows how that'll work), a slightly retro-style WiiWare game called Cave Story, another downloadable title where you must stretch and bounce some rubbery friends called Boingz in order to take them home, a sequel to the Wii casual title Endless Ocean (AKA Forever Blue), the third title in the Mario and Luigi handheld RPG games and a brand new DS version of WarioWare, hopefully expanding on the depth the original, Touched!, offered.

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    But wait a second... did we forget to mention a little something? It can't have been anything big... Oh wait, that's right:

    That's right folks, the rumours of a new DS were true. This one is once again an improvement on the original, but if you weren't tempted on getting a lite to replace your original DS, you're gonna have to give this model a spin.

    The DSi features a wide range of new features, such as a smaller scale and slightly larger screens. This means that GBA compatibility is out the window, but it will instead be replaced with downloadable content an SD card storage. Taking a leaf our of the Wii's book, the redesign will feature similar "channels", such as Mii and Photo Channel equivalents, but also a DS shop where you can purchase games from 200-800 Nintendo Points (not Wii points). Rumours are firing around saying that these titles will be both new and old, with Game Boy game surely being on the menu.

    Another major feature about the new system is the fact that there is a built in 3MP camera, allowing you to take your DS around instead of your digital camera, and then play with the pictures on the Photo editor. The PSP doesn't look like much of a rival to Nintendo now though, as there is also going to be the opportunity to surf the interweb straight out of the box!

    All of these features sound simply excellent, and so far the DSi has been shown off in black and white colours (as with the lite's official launch in the UK). It may not look brilliant, espcially with that funking great big camera lens on the hinge (or at least, that's what it looks like), but in the new model the power button is to be relocated to be in the opposite position to the star/select keys, and the usual DS logo appears to be missing from the lid as well. The sound quality is supposed to be improved over the previous iterations of the console, making it perfect for Elite Beat Agents and MP3's, though we are concerned about how Guitar Hero will work since there is seemingly nowhere for the controller pad to slot in - surely the major downfall of this model (rumble features are currently also unconfirmed - which is a shame since the current rumble pak is great for when you're playing the applicable games).

    The console is out shortly in Japan at the equivalent of about £100 - the same price as a lite in the UK, so expect a £120 figure coming into play when the system gets its release in Europe next Spring.

 

    In another side note, Nintendo have confirmed that their Club Nintendo website (already available in Europe and Japan) will have launched in the US by the end of the year, allowing users to recieve gifts for registering their Wii or DS games.

 

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    Takotu Of Magic; Dynamic Zan; Spawn Smasher; Cosmic Walker; Let's Tap - a brand new mini game compilation where you need not touch the remote to play