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Last year at CES, Nyko unveiled the Wand, its take on Nintendo’s Wiimote. This year, the peripheral maker’s big item is … abracadabra … the Wand — with one exciting addition! The $40 Wand+ is a single, self-contained unit that includes MotionPlus compatibility. The device still supports the crazy Trans-Port stuff, like the original Wand does, which means that Wiimote buttons can be automatically remapped to buttons on other Nyko accessories, including its gun controller.

Nyko has also introduced two variants of its cookie-inspiring Charge Base IC remote charger: a version of the original in black and a new one that can accommodate four Wiimotes.

For PS3, the company has designed a new version of its Intercooler made to bulk up Sony’s Slim model, and the Media Hub Slim, a combination of a tiny remote control and a USB hub.

The Wand and Charge Base Quad IC are due in stores this March. The Intercooler will be available next month for $19.99, and the Media Hub Slim will retail for $19.99 when it’s released in April.

Nyko reveals Wii Wand with built-in MotionPlus, more at CES originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to a press release summing up Microsoft’s CES 2010 keynote that dropped just before Ballmer took the stage, the company will be releasing Project Natal in “holiday season 2010.” We heard earlier today about what year the future controller would be arriving, but now, folks, now we know during which group of months it’ll be arriving at retail.

The release explicitly states that the still-codenamed Natal project is “scheduled to be available in holiday season 2010,” adding that Natal “is only the most recent example of Microsoft’s work creating natural user interfaces.” With any luck, by E3 we’ll have an actual name and maybe even a specific month for when we’ll get to check it out at home! Until then, we’ll have to get by with the inspirational video about Natal’s origins created for today’s release, embedded above.

Microsoft says Project Natal coming ‘holiday season 2010′ originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recent Famitsu magazine scans have surfaced, revealing new Ultra Combos for Super Street Fighter IV’s world warriors and friends. As an added bonus, Eventhubs has actually translated the descriptions of the attacks, so you can get a better idea of what you’re squinting at. Chun-Li’s Kikosho fireball returns, and now Ryu has a “Metsu-shoryuken” — a super-powerful Dragon Punch, duh. Most interesting, however, is Cammy’s new Ultra Combo: the “Cammy Quick Combo” — or “CQC” — a counter move.

The Famitsu issue also features images of new alternate costumes for the upgraded fighting game — Chun Li’s, above, is the most visible from the scan. Thankfully, GameTrailers has posted a much clearer, wha-wha-wha-wooorld exclusive look at the costumes in action, along with some of the new Ultra Combos and rival battles, embedded after the break.

[Thanks, Will]

Continue reading New Super Street Fighter IV Ultra Combos, alternate costumes revealed

New Super Street Fighter IV Ultra Combos, alternate costumes revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’d hoped that after investing 60 hours of your life, you could hang up your sword and catch a breather until the next BioWare RPG, but, oh no, the Darkspawn did not simply disappear. Thankfully, today’s announcement of Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, a retail expansion to IGN’s & Spike’s RPG of the Year Joystiq’s “4th Best of 2009,” has been accompanied by this video pep talk. After all, you have quite the task ahead of you.

Awakening will be released March 16 for $39.99 on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. A copy of the original Dragon Age: Origins is required to play.

Dragon Age Awakening trailer: just as He foretold originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer mode has already sucked you in, but just imagine what would happen if you added an invigorating soundtrack to all those bullet-soaked moments? Well, guess what: The game’s soundtrack composer, Hans Zimmer, recently indicated in a Facebook note that the “soundtrack album is in the works.”

That’s right — soon you’ll be able to take the orchestrated drama from the single-player campaign and import it into a looping death march beat. But hey, at least your folks will be glad you’re listening to classical music, right?

Modern Warfare 2 soundtrack in the works, Zimmer says originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA Canada’s Jason DeLong told Game Informer that he expects to see games become cheaper in the future, at least per initial investment. “I think that we’re going to start to see — maybe not in the next year, but in the near future — games go down the route of smaller up-front experiences and lower prices at the beginning,” DeLong said, “and then the ability to extend the game through episodic material or future feature material. I think that’s a direction we’re probably heading in.”

So that doesn’t mean that games will be cheaper, in the long run — it means that DeLong sees the potential total price of a game spread between a disc or initial download and follow-up expansions. It’s sort of like what EA and BioWare are already doing with Dragon Age: Origins — except Dragon Age sells for $60 to start. DeLong added that keeping people playing in the current economy is “going to be an interesting creative problem for us to solve.” So then, problem solved?

EA producer predicts cheaper games … more premium extras originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN reports that Electronic Arts has acquired the license for Midway’s NBA Jam and has assigned EA Canada’s Vancouver studio to a reboot of the franchise. The game’s original creator, Mark Turmell, who currently works at EA Tiburon as a senior creative director, is allegedly collaborating on the project, which, according to ESPN, will “ship to retail exclusively for the Wii.”

With no other platforms mentioned in the report, the story sounds a bit off. However, 1UP, which has partnered with ESPN on the sports network’s video game wing, has suggested XBLA and PSN versions of a new NBA Jam are also in the works, though that is not corroborated by the original report.

We’ve contacted EA and Turmell for confirmation and details. EA Sports will allegedly announce the game later this month.

Rumor: EA Sports creating new NBA Jam originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA Sports president Peter Moore recently restated the publisher’s commitment to golfer Tiger Woods in a blog post, despite the once pristine athlete’s incredibly public fall from grace. Moore reaffirmed that EA’s relationship with Woods has always been “rooted in golf” and that the company “didn’t form a relationship with him so that he could act as an arm’s length endorser.” As for Tiger’s penchant for prowling, the executive concluded, “Regardless of what’s happening in his personal life, and regardless of his decision to take a personal leave from the sport, Tiger Woods is still one of the greatest athletes in history.”

EA told Joystiq in early December that it plans to stand by Woods. The sports superstar may be losing other endorsement deals, but as GI.biz notes, EA Sports put convicted rapist and ear connoisseur Mike Tyson on the cover of Bite Fight Night: Round 4, so what’s a little philandering between friends and business buddies?

[Via GI.biz]

Moore reiterates EA Sports commitment to Tiger Woods originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We no longer have to rely on Google-translated rumors about retailer listings regarding an upcoming Dragon Age expansion. EA has officially revealed Awakening, the first retail expansion for Dragon Age: Origins, due in stores March 16 for $40 — and it’s up for pre-order on GameStop now. (There’s no word on a downloadable version.)

Awakening takes place after the (many) events of Origins, putting the player in the role of a new Grey Warden Commander, or simply an old, imported character from the main game, taking on new monsters, like the Inferno Golem and the Spectral Dragon, in a new area of the world called Amaranthine. The expansion features an increased level cap, new items, new spells, the ability to “re-spec” attributes, and five new party members with whom to bond.

It seems odd that the DLC delay and the expansion announcements would coincide so closely, though we don’t think it’s a matter of BioWare trying to starve people for Dragon Age content so that the expansion would appear more attractive. We can’t think of any other explanation than “it’s a weird coincidence,” though we’ll attempt to clear it up with BioWare.

Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening announced, dated March 16 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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