We pretty much had confirmation that Guitar Hero would be coming to the Wii back in February this year when Activision CEO Mike Griffith let slip this little bit of information:

The key difference in our strategy versus the prior cycle, is that in addition to full support on Sony and Microsoft platforms, we will aggressively target the Nintendo platforms consistent with our multi-platform strategy and Nintendo’s expected growth. In fiscal 2008, we will double our offerings on the DS and the Wii, including Spider-Man, Shrek, Transformers, and Guitar Hero.

The naughty CEO wasn't actually supposed to mention that the interactive guitar-playing game would be coming to the Wii, causing a little bit of controversy as to whether Griffith actually knew what he was talking about. However, a small nugget of information has come in from the May issue of Ngamer which states:

Cult rhythm game Guitar Hero is on its way to Wii. It comes with a guitar-shaped controller and plays convincingly enough to make you think you're making real music. Hopefully we'll get the actual guitar, and not a pretend remote/nunchuk version.

For those of you that are thinking the last sentence contradicts the first, remember that it says a guitar-shaped controller is included, so it could be a Wiimote/Nunchuck ripoff that just looks like a remote. I guess we'll just have to wait for more details to come in before we make an assumption.

The PEGI rating for Wii Sports may say 7+ but that doesn't stop this 22 month old gamer from stickin' it to the man! He may not be great at talking, but the video of this toddler has been circling the net recently and shows just how innovative the Wii is, with anybody and everybody having a go! Tennis is no match for the kid that has yet to reach 2 years old, and we have the pleasure of saying that he's really enjoying it! The kid even has fun trying to figure out how to skip the replays - he's got no time to waste.

Aside from this video being quite funny, there is also a serious note attached. Although this kid does seem pretty bright for his age and may even become the next Roger Federer (who knows?), this proves that Nintendo have succeeded in making a user-friendly experience for all the family, including younger relatives.

I remember supervising young family members with my PS2 years ago, and the minute you left the room you'd hear your name being called because they didn't know how to do something. However, the Wiimote  and Nintendo's console manage to overcome all the problems faced by less intuitive gamers.

  

One criticism of the Wii which comes from fans of other next generation consoles is that it is technologically inferior to both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. If you look at the insides of the 3 next-gen consoles then this is technically true. The PS3 and X360 have more processing power both in CPU terms and in graphical power, but of course the Wii makes up for this with innovation, the Wii remote ("Wiimote") and a vast range of games you wouldn't find on any other console.

Today Geoff Thomas, producer at Radical Entertainment in charge of developing Scarface for the Wii, has defended Nintendo's console, saying "The Wii has a lot of horsepower under the hood and we're making full use of it." Whilst some of the Wii game graphics have been disappointing, it does take developers a little while to get to grips with the full power of new consoles, and as Thomas went on to say:

We've overhauled our graphics engine to get the most out of the console by updating all of the shaders responsible for rendering the environment, vehicle, and characters. In many ways Scarface looks sharper on the Wii than it does on the PS2 and Xbox.

If all goes to plan, Scarface will be one of the best-looking Wii games to date, challenging games such as Red Steel. We'll be looking out for this game when it is released this summer, but just remember people: it's not the size of the package that counts, it's how you use it.

New information from analysts at Screen Digest today says that only a small amount of next generation console titles will be profitable due to an "increasingly difficult environment" for developers.

This increasingly difficult environment comes from the increasing complexity in games development, and although from the gamers point of view, great next-gen titles such as Gears of War and Call of Duty 3 only come with million dollar investments, it is estimated that investments in next-gen game projects is not likely to make a return on profit before 2008.

To cost cut, developers have been forced to release games on many different platforms and producing games based on popular movies amongst others. This could mean poor quality games in the future, because as true gamers will know, there's nothing worse than a game which has been badly ported to another system.

The big guns, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony have tried to circumvent a developer shortage by expanding their own personal game studios, with Sony 2,200 development staff across 14 studios; with all but one of these studios working on PS3 titles. On the subject of the next gen console war, Screen Digest report author Ed Barton said:

While the previous generation was quickly dominated by Sony's PlayStation 2 across all major territories, this time we anticipate a more competitive situation where market share is likely to be split on a territorial basis.

Hopefully the investment of the big three console manufacturers in development teams should enhance next-gen gaming, but as for the independent publishers and studios, it's going to be a bit of a struggle to stay afloat during the following years which will be critical to their survival.

Nintendo of America have today smugly stated that the Wii was the No.1 selling videogames console in the United States in January, and are proud to call the Wii "the fastest selling new-generation home system."

The independent NPD Group (an organization that provides global consumer and retail information to manufacturers) states that Nintendo sold 435,503 Wii systems in the USA for January, more than any other video games console in the region.

The title of "the fastest selling new-generation home system" comes as the Wii has sold 70% more systems than any other new video game system has in its first January of availability during the last 10 years. Impressive heh?

Nintendo has gone from strength to strength with their consoles, with the DS platform selling nearly 239,000 hardware units and more than 2.4 million software units. The combination of Nintendo's home and portable consoles has been revealed to account for 46% of the total market sales for gaming systems.

Finally, Nintendo have said that they will continue to ship units as fast as they can make them, with most consoles selling out straight away.

With the 2007 line-up looking strong for both the DS and the Wii, Nintendo are making a lot of headway in the next generation console market with the help of gamers just like you - keep it up!

Finally someone has got round to making a Wii-browser-specified website to allow you to use AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) on your Wii browser. There's already been MessengerFX to allow MSN messenger users to contact friends for free online using their Wii, and some of you may have noticed that AimOnPsp works on the Wii browser too, but of course this has been designed for the PSP and therefore doesn't have the full functionality of a Wii-specified AIM client.

So the guys behind AimOnPsp decided to make WiiAim. For the Wii, by users of the Wii. WiiAim will come with a completely new customized interface designed to work well within the Wii browser. The first fully-compatible Wii browser version of AIM is on the way, and since the teaser site is already up the real thing can't be far away! We'll tell you when it's up.

Gamestop have listed a challenger to Ubisoft's Wii wheel accessory. This one's made by the slightly less popular accessory manufacturer, Intec. The Intec 'Wii Racing Wheel' looks very similar to the Ubisoft version except for a few subtle differences.

You might expect the well-known Ubisoft brand to come up with the best design but Intec just might've beat 'em to that. The first thing you notice about the Intec wheel is that it matches the color of the Wiimote! No more clashing colors in the middle of your games.

The color mismatching on these steering wheels are probably the least of your worries when looking to buy one of these - so the question stands: which one is better? Well, as you can tell from the picture, these accessories are basically chunks of plastic designed to accommodate the Wiimote - color coded or not.

However, we can tell you that the Intec one features "non-slip, ergonomic side grips, and ultra-light materials for extra comfort", which means that this one uses plastic and a bit of rubber to keep your hands from slipping. If you search for "Wii Wheel" on Gamestop you get the two wheels, one above each other - with the Ubisoft one selling for US$ 19.99 and Intec for US$ 9.99.

It's your choice which one to buy but you'd have to admit, the US$10 savings on Intec is enticing. All you have to do is wait until February 15, 2007 for them to start shipping their Wii Racing Wheel.

Have you guessed which one it is yet? We can't keep it a secret any longer!

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, arguably one of the best games in the series, is now available for your virtual console needs. All you need is a Wii, a high speed internet connection and a few Wii points (800, to be exact) to get it on your system!

As for the story, here's a basic rundown. An evil magician named Agahnim's been kidnapping young maidens to break the imprisoning seal on Ganon. As Link, you've got to venture into twisting mazes, shadowy forests, and dark palaces to rescue the missing maidens, as well as Princess Zelda.

You wouldn't want to keep Zelda waiting, would you? Don't forget to check back for the next big virtual console release next week!

  

Today we have uncovered even more evidence to support the theory that Ubisoft will be bringing Driver:Parallel Lines to the Wii courtesy of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). For those of you that don't know, the ERSB are the guys that sit back, play games, and provide it with an age rating. A cushy job we know, but at the moment we're rather liking these guys for divulging this information.

We first suspected that the game could be coming to the Wii back on Christmas day, and more rumors were again circling the net in regards to the game yesterday.

The game has appeared on the ESRB's official website, which may be completely unofficial, but can also be held as reasonable proof that the Wii will see  Driver:Parallel Lines eventually. The ESRB don't mess around with titles that aren't being released.

You can find Driver:Parallel Lines on the PS2 and Xbox at the moment, but expect the Wii version to be graphically detailed, sharper and more intense than the older generation titles. Again company bosses declined to comment on the game but with all the rumors flying around backed up by an organization as large as the ESRB - it's pretty much confirmed.

Analyst Michael Pachter has today said that a sequel to the highly successful Bully (also known as Canis Canem Edit in the UK) is very likely. The games analyst, whose job is to predict market trends, told Game Politics, "I thought it would be stupid, and it was fun; I thought it would get poor reviews, and it got solid 90s; and I thought it would bomb, while it now appears to be a million unit seller."

The game's really fun, with many features that make it distinctively Rockstar - minigames, races, and a fighting technique all similar to that of the Grand Theft Auto titles.

Of course, you may be thinking why we're posting this news here when Bully was a PS2 game. Yes it was, but if a second Bully title is in the pipeline then you can bet your life savings that it would be a next generation title. It may be coming to the Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, or possibly the PSP.

A portable Bully game would certainly cause friction in the playground and give another reason for the re-emergence of the videogame violence debate. We don't like to speculate too much. After all, this is an analysts view and is in no way confirmed; but after such a successful PS2/Xbox debut it makes sense for a sequel to be made. What do you think?