The Mario-red, limited edition Wii bundle includes the console itself, together with a copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a red Wii Remote Plus controller, Wii Sports and a red Nunchuk controller.  It’ll be priced at $199.99.  Meanwhile the Mario-red Nintendo DSi XL bundle comes with Mario Kart DS and is priced at $179.99.

As for the Wii Remote Plus controller – which integrates a regular Wiimote with a MotionPlus add-on – that will be $39.99 on its own or included in all hardware bundles from November 7 onwards.  The FlingSmash bundle will be $49.99.

Press Release:

Nintendo Announces Red-Hot Bundles, New Wii Remote Plus Controller

The Best Video Game Value for the Holidays Just Got Even Better

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo has everyone’s holiday shopping list covered with an array of great new products. These include Mario™-red, limited-edition Wii™ and Nintendo DSi XL™ system bundles that celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros.™ game on the NES™ and a new Wii Remote™ Plus controller that has Wii MotionPlus™ motion technology built right in. Nintendo already offers tremendous video game value, and these products will make it even easier for shoppers to find fun at a great price. All new products go on sale in North America on Nov. 7, and the limited-edition products will be available while supplies last.

“Whether shoppers want to add a cool new look to their gaming setup or expand their supply of controllers with an exciting game, Nintendo offers a great value for the holidays,” said Marc Franklin, Nintendo of America’s director of Public Relations. “For anyone who is still on the fence about whether to join the world of video games, we’re offering many fun, easy, economical ways to get involved.”

The lineup of products launching Nov. 7 includes:

Red Wii Bundle: This limited-edition Wii hardware comes in beautiful red to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game. The bundle includes New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii and a new red Wii Remote Plus controller, in addition to all the other included items, like Wii Sports™ and a red Nunchuk™ controller. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $199.99.

Red Nintendo DSi XL Bundle: This special-edition Nintendo DSi XL bundle is also red in honor of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and features three iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics. The bundle comes with Mario Kart™ DS, which looks gorgeous on the extra-large screen. That’s in addition to the pre-loaded software of Brain Age™ Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $179.99.

Wii Remote Plus: This new controller combines the original, iconic Wii Remote™ controller with built-in Wii MotionPlus functionality. The compact Wii Remote Plus controller offers players precision motion controls all in one unit. It becomes the new standard Wii controller, and will be available from now on in all Wii hardware packages and bundles, as well as sold separately at a suggested retail price of $39.99.

FlingSmash™ Bundle: The new Wii game combines the hands-on fun of tennis with the nonstop action and instant gratification of pinball. It requires use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, so it seemed natural to bundle it with the new Wii Remote Plus controller. For a suggested retail price of $49.99, shoppers get to enjoy both the game and the controller in one package.

Remember that Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://wii.com or http://www.nintendodsi.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.4 billion video games and more than 565 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.

The controller actually pictured on the packaging doesn’t look particularly changed from the original Wii Remote, but it’s a small image and we’ll have to wait until the real thing arrives to see what aesthetic changes – if any – have been made.

MotionPlus increases the motion-sensing accuracy of the original Wii controller, snapping onto the handset’s peripheral port.  FlingSmash is known to require the adapter, which would certainly imply that the bundled Wiimote has MotionPlus technology integrated inside.

The game itself has seen its estimated release – Summer 2010 – come and go, and there’s nowspeculation that development of this new controller version could be the reason for it.

The most obvious possibility, of course, is that Nintendo have integrated their MotionPlus technology into the new controller.  Currently available as a snap-on accessory, MotionPlus increases Wiimote accuracy in certain games that support the system.

Alternatively it could simply be a different design of internal hardware, with manufacturer Hon Hai Industries (aka Foxconn) streamlining the build process so as to save money on each controller produced.  We’ll have to wait until later in the year to find out for sure.

[via Engadget]

That extra accuracy will mean that upcoming titles supporting the MotionPlus will be far better at tracking gamer movement.  At launch, said-titles will include Virtua Tennis 2009, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, Grand Slam Tennis and Wii Sports Resort.  All are sold separately, though Nintendo will be offering a bundle of Sports Resort and the MotionPlus for $50.

However, the hackers who have already found the Wiimote to be a useful motion-controller for their own projects will also likely find some use from the MotionPlus.  Long-time SlashGear tipster Robert Oschler points us to the WiiLi modding community, who are looking to develop a low-cost telemetry suit (where you move, and the robot moves with you; as opposed to in the video below, where movements are triggered by gesture recognition).  Currently telemetry suits are expensive and specialist; the MotionPlus could be the first step in turning that around.

At launch, said-titles will include Virtua Tennis 2009, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, Grand Slam Tennis and Wii Sports Resort.  All are sold separately, though Nintendo will be offering a bundle of Sports Resort and the MotionPlus for $50.

The MotionPlus introduces true 1:1 response to the Wii.  That is, gestures with the controller made in real-life are mimicked proportionally within the game environment.  Early hands-on feedback suggest it works very well, but if you have four controllers to outfit it could – at almost $80 – be an expensive upgrade.

[via CrunchGear]

You will be able to get your hands on the MotionPlus Wiimote starting on June 8th in the U.S. for $19.99. The whole goal here is to make movements more precise in-game and to allow you more functionality within the 3D world of the games like rotation.

The game that’s built for this attachment is called Wii Sports Resort, but that won’t be released until July 16th. However, you can purchase both at that time for $49.99. Not too bad. However, we might just have to pick this gadget up before then to give it a try.

Along with the super cool MotionPlus controllers, a new game is coming out as well called Wii Sports Resort, which is designed to utilize all of the bells and whistles of the new remotes.

The new remotes are designed to be very accurate. We don’t know pricing information as of yet, but we do know that while the U.S. is getting the controllers in July, Japan has a whole extra month to enjoy them with a June release date.

[via Kotaku]

“No date was ever announced for MotionPlus – so technically it can’t be delayed” Nintendo statement

A Nintendo spokesperson informed gaming site CVG that, since the company had held off on ever confirming a release date for the MotionPlus peripheral, it was impossible for it to be delayed.  The much-publicized June target was unofficial.

Of course, this neither confirms nor denies whether Nintendo engineers are struggling with the MotionPlus, problems initially described as “a few hiccups”.  It also leaves us in the dark as to an actual release schedule.

The Wii MotionPlus promises to increase 3D movement recognition accuracy in the Wiimote controller, using the accelerometer and sensor bar to more precisely track arm position and motion.  According to Nintendo, the aim is true 1:1 response in gameplay.

According to the rumors, however, Nintendo will miss their original June release target and both the MotionPlus and the Wii Sports Resort title will be pushed back until later in the year.  No specific dates have been mentioned, and Nintendo themselves are yet to comment on the situation.

[via Kotaku]