Fancy getting a sneak peek at the wireless controller that's expected to launch with the Wii port of Rock Band from Harmonix? You're in luck - the FCC has recently picked up a couple of documents regarding the controller. More details on this are available in the full article.

Having some problems with the Wii Nunchuk's cord while playing Wii Sports? Here's something that you may want to check out: a wireless nunchuk. Using this wireless device will eliminate the need to tether the nunchuk to the Wiimote, making it easier for gamers with long arms to flail around. More details in the full article.

Video game violence is the topic of the day once again, as the National League of Cities (NLC) announces a talk to take place this April 17.

The talk is titled "Media Violence and its Impact on Children", and will be a round-table discussion on matters like research reports on the impact of media violence on children, the entertainment (video game) industry's efforts to help improve awareness of game violence, and the ongoing public policies being used in light of game violence.

Indianapolis Mayor and NLC President Bart Peterson is expected to start the session, with several other noted personalities expected to hold their own panel discussions throughout the day. Some noted panelists expected to arrive include the Entertainment Software Rating Board's (ESRB) Patricia Vance, the Common Sense Media group's James Steyer, and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) group's Kevin Martin.

The Media Violence and its Impact on Children discussion will be remembered as the fulfillment of a promise Peterson made on the day of his NLC presidential inauguration last year. As part of his inaugural speech, Peterson said that "I don’t expect us to find clear-cut, irrefutable answers to the questions posed today … but we will be in a better position a year from now to talk with parents and our other constituents about media violence."

The talk will be held this April 17 (Tuesday) at The Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, at 350 West Maryland Street, Indianapolis.

In a new article over at the First Amendment Center, Craig Smith mentions a new attempt to acquaint televised violence with pornography. Unfortunately, such a thing may also have repercussions on the gaming world, since it does happen to be a form of televised violence, in some sense.

This time, however, it's not from any legal body, but from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) itself. According to Smith's commentary, the FCC "sent a valentine" to Congress, seeking to censor violence on television.

Hatched in the bowels of the FCC, this report argues that it would not violate the Constitution to equate violence with indecency, which the FCC already has the power to regulate. All it would take is an act of Congress giving the FCC the power to move forward with its censorship agenda.

Here's the catch: is there really a connection between televised and real violence, and can the former induce the latter? That's the question asked by Smith in his article, and even cites some studies that say this isn't the case. While it isn't directly related to gaming, just remember: videogames are televised, and they can be violent. That's the very thing that creates the tenuous connection between the FCC's attempt and gaming life.

While the Truth in Video Game Ratings Act by Senator (and 2008 presidential aspirant) Sam Brownback is still picking up steam, legislators backing the bill appear to have gained a new ally. The Parents Television Council (PTC) group has recently announced that in line with its advocacy for family-friendly television, it is now backing Senator Brownback's bill.

Twenty percent of the complaints lodged against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) were filed through the PTC. Gamers in particular may also recognize this group when it campaigned alongside the Commercial Free Childhood group (CCFC) to have M-rated game ads removed from buses in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago (that leaves alcohol, cigarette, and R-rated movie ads...).

Getting back on topic, current PTC president Timothy F. Winter said via press release that they were siding with Senator Brownback, further noting that they saw a "clear conflict of interest" when game producers intentionally left out game segments they did not want to be reviewed. This move signals the PTC's early frays into the world of videogaming, with its earlier campaigns most visible in monitoring television shows. It remains to be seen how this will affect the pending bill, all the more in light of recent attempts at gaming legislation, or the ESRB's recent call for full-time raters.

Yes, this isn't related directly to the Wii, but it's news related to gamer culture in some odd manner (the need to get consoles and contests that reward people with hot, in-demand consoles) so we're posting this anyway. Tagging this under off-topic.

Wired News reports that the FCC's lax oversight of the terrestrial radio industry may have contributed to the tragic and infamous "Hold your wee" incident. Donna Halper, a radio consultant and Emerson College journalism instructor, expounds:

There was a time when radio stations had to be more responsible ... and understood they had a public-interest obligation, that they're supposed to operate their stations in the public interest

...I understand regulation is a dirty word, and a lot of people feel like having the FCC all over us was so oppressive. But it prevented stuff like this from happening.

Lawyers representing Jennifer Strange - the contestant who died after entering the "Hold your Wee for a Wii" contest at the Sacramento radio station KDND-FM - is calling on the FCC to pull the license of KDND-FM.  However, observers note that FCC action is unlikely.

Jennifer Strange's death due to water intoxication is the latest in a string of radio contest mishaps stretching back to the early 90s that went without FCC punishment.

Halper notes:

The only time the FCC rouses itself is to enforce obscenity laws...

...I'll bet (a listener's death) would have caused the FCC to get involved immediately. It might have caused the station to get fined or at least scrutinized. Let's face it, somebody died. You would have had a lot of 'splainin' to do.

It's just sad when disc jockey joke that someone might die, and they do.

Schadenfreude is a b***h, and so are SmashMy. Ipods, 360s, PS3s, and now the Wii (although it wasn't the two Wiis they were hoping for). And so they ceremoniously purchase their Wii, hurl it into the ground, and take the sledgehammer to it. At least when PopSci bricked their Wii, (a) it was unintentional, and (b) at least they got some use out of it.

Yeah. These guys really don't believe in Santa.

If you want previous coverage of the SmashMyConsole extravaganza (Victor's title, his idea), link here for the PS3 destruction, and here for the Xbox 360 meeting its demise. We're really thinking about emailing the Angry Nintendo Nerd to ask if he can unleash his ranting on these guys, but someone else in the staff room's suggesting we save up the money to hire Agent 47 instead. Or perhaps, they should smash their own Wiis... erm, okay.

We'll end with one of the Angry Nintendo Nerd's trademark lines (one we can post here without incurring the wrath of the FCC). They're scum. We're wondering what happened to the DestroyMyVirtualBoy guy...