We know you don’t need an incentive to whip out your DS and join our LAN…but just to heat things up a bit Core Gaming has sponsored some cool prizes for our next get together.

So better start warming up your stylus because we have awesome Wii lanyards and Wii peak caps up for grabs.

Join us at the Twin Falls Spur in Kloof this Friday, the 29th of August at around 7. See how you fair against the El33tonline team and the Rebound crowd in Mario Kart Wii, Metroid Prime Pinball, Tetris and even Brain Training.

And remember, if it looks like fun, it is fun!

Core Gaming revealed some interesting South African sales figures at the recent launch of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This data, provided by GFK Statistics, gives us a clearer indication of how the console race is being run in SA.

Total gaming and Home Market Share

Let’s start by taking a look at the total gaming market in SA. Home consoles led the charge in Quarter 4 of 2007 with 87% while handheld consoles trailed with 12% and the remaining 1% was allocated to other. Quarter 1 of 2008 saw handheld consoles gaining slightly with 15% but home consoles still dominated at 83% and other remained at 1%.

Moving ahead to Quarter 2 of 2008, home consoles still lead with 74% while handheld decreased to 10% and other increased to 15%. Matthew Grose, General Manager of Core Gaming Systems, speculated that the other category could include mobile gaming.

Turning now to consider the Home Market Share related to second generation and third generation consoles (called previous generation and next generation consoles for the purposes of this article), it is clear that the next generation consoles lead the race and that their lead is increasing each quarter.

Quarter 4 of 2007 saw the previous generation and next generation consoles facing off pretty equally with the previous at 48% and next gen at 52%. However, by Quarter 1 of 2008 the next gen consoles had pulled away with 58% in comparison to previous gens 42% and Quarter 2 of 2008 saw next gen increasing this lead to 65% while previous gen trailed with 35%.

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Yesterday at the launch of Super Smash Bros. Brawl we got the chance to sit down with Matthew Grose, General Manager of Core Gaming Systems, and ask some hard-hitting questions.

So, without further ado, straight from their mouths to your eyes.

Titles and pricing

The first question was regarding why we haven’t seen DS titles that have already been released in Europe arrive in South Africa yet. Titles specifically mentioned include the popular Phoenix Wright series and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Interest was also shown in Professor Layton and the Curious Village, which has not yet been released in Europe to the best of my knowledge, but which Core Gaming has luckily received one copy of to try out and which they describe so far as addictive. Grose answered that Core Gaming’s strategy is to bring the historical titles into SA first so these titles will follow after the back titles have been released here.

Next up was a query about the pricing of both the Wii and DS. Grose explained that Core Gaming works out the prices based on the European market. Core Gaming is given European prices and must add import charges as well as their own and retailers’ margins to the pot. He assures us that our prices are within 10% of Europe and reminds us that we should only look at European prices, not those of America or Japan.

Each time the exchange rate has increased, Core Gaming has absorbed this loss, bearing in mind that the exchange rate has just started to come down over the past week and that they have been dealing with fluctuating exchange rates since the Wii and DS were launched here last year. Both retailers and Core Gaming have been slashing their margins in an attempt to stay true to the consumer.

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We attended the launch of Super Smash Bros. Brawl in Johannesburg yesterday. The event was held at the offices of Core Gaming, with the company choosing to focus on smaller groups to launch a title rather than a large crowd. In doing so Core Gaming hope to focus more on the game being launched and address questions from the gaming media directly. This is a concept that I am sure the gaming community will embrace since we can raise concerns, ask questions and generally have our voices heard.

Four groups of roughly eight gaming media met, two met yesterday and two will be meeting later today. In addition the Nintendo Team will be winging their way down to Cape Town next week to showcase the game to the media there. As usual Core Gaming took good care of us, with a large flat-screen TV with SSBB set up, lavish food and drinks and a briefing about the game, the line-up for the rest of the year as well as interesting sales figures and a rundown of E3 which members of Core Gaming also attended. We also walked away with review copies of key upcoming titles so look out for reviews of these soon.

After the brawling had simmered down between the attending media and members of Core Gaming, it was down to serious business. Matthew Grose, General Manager of Core Gaming Systems, began by highlighting Nintendo’s continued dedication to draw in new gamers as well as lapsed gamers, dubbed the Blue Ocean Strategy. He believes that a growing catalogue of games as well as retailers restrategising to make their gaming spaces larger and more interactive will help Nintendo achieve this goal.

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Wii Fit has become something of a global phenomenon since its launch, with consumers from around the world eager to get the product into their hands and homes. This popularity comes despite the new health and fitness game from Nintendo, the brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto, being dogged with supply constraints from the get go.

It seems that even Nintendo did not anticipate the warm welcome the game would receive. According to Matthew Grose, General Manager of Core Gaming Systems, Wii Fit sold out in the UK within a week while Europe’s stock was cleaned out in two weeks. South African stock disappeared off the shelves within three to four weeks and both retailers’ stock and Core Gaming’s warehouse stock is now exhausted.

Grose estimates that roughly 8 000 units have been sold in South Africa to date and attributes the higher sales figures in the UK and Europe to pre-ordering and internet sales, a phenomenon which has yet to take off in SA. You have only to read numerous media reports to know that the US was not exempt from the problem, with most retailers selling out of stock within a few hours of it arriving at stores and many gamers still not able to locate a copy today.

Grose believes that sales figures in PAL territories were driven by the fact that the game was launched in Europe before the US. However, Nintendo soon switched the manufacturing supply over to the US, leading to rising demands across Europe and the UK. He reassured us that the manufacturing has just been switched back to PAL, so we should see more stock hitting the shelves soon and a greater continuity of stock as well.

Grose also pointed out that the attachment rate of Wii Fit is currently about 20% (ie. 20% of Wii owners own Wii Fit), something which Core Gaming expects will increase to 40% once there is a continuity of stock here.

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Core Gaming has confirmed that Nintendo plans to bring Nintendo Online Services and Wii Connect 24 functionalities to South Africa. Although we are not sure when the much anticipated online services will arrive here, Core Gaming believes that it will be in the “near future.”

According to Matthew Grose, General Manager of Core Gaming Systems, bringing online services here is a big undertaking that involves administration and logistics efforts from Nintendo of Europe, Core Gaming as well as the Film and Publications Board. “We are working hard to make this service available and will definitely keep you informed as soon as we have an idea about timelines.”

Grose added, “From my side - WC24 is a massive priority and we want to offer this to the SA community to highlight and showcase true Wii potential.” However, he urged us to bear in mind that it is “largely Nintendo of Europe driven.”

Core Gaming also had to liaise with Nintendo of Europe with respect to Club Nintendo and the Stars Catalogue which launched in South Africa in late June. Despite starting small, more elements are winging their way to the Stars Catalogue soon. It seems as if the adoption of the Stars Catalogue was just the beginning for South African Nintendo gamers, and could be used as an indicator of how quickly Wii Connect 24 can happen.

Many South African gamers are connecting to the online services by logging in through another country but Core Gaming does not know how many gamers are currently utilising online features in this way.

Earlier in the year Core Gaming (Nintendo’s representatives in SA) launched Wii Fit across South Africa. Not content to just see us in action at the Wii Fit launch event, Core Gaming challenged media to participate in the “25 Day Wii Fit Media Challenge.”

Journalists left the event with a Wii and a copy of Wii Fit, which includes the new Wii Balance Board, determined to put the latest health trend to the test. The challenge was simple, improve your fitness and Body Mass Index (BMI) in 25 days, but the rewards were great.

The four media who most improved their Wii Fit Age and their BMI rating would get the chance to donate the Wii review console, a copy of the Wii Fit game and Wii Balance Board to a charity of their choice.

“The plan was to put Wii Fit to the ultimate test,” says Matthew Grose, General Manager of Core Group. “We asked journalists to complete their Wii Fit workout, a programme tailored to their individual fitness needs, for the challenge period, and to report back to us with their findings. We were certain the proof would be in their overall fitness improvement.”

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Four new Nintendo DS games will soon be landing on South African shores.

According to the SA Nintendo website, 42 All-Time Classics, Metroid Prime Hunters, Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl as well as Super Princess Peach will be available “in the very near future.” This is great news for Nintendo fans and a sign that Core Gaming is looking to expand the DS gaming portfolio.

We have contacted Core Gaming so stay tuned for more details and specific launch dates.

Until then, here is a taste of what the new games are all about.

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We have been in touch with Core Gaming to discover the latest Nintendo news for South African gamers.

The great news is that The Nintendo Team has quite a few games lined up for release over the next couple of months. It is not long to go now until you can start brawling with a mid-August launch pinned to the popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

You can also look forward to a number of back titles for the Wii and the DS which will be rolled out from August to September. The list includes big hitters such as Super Paper Mario, Battalion Wars 2 and Fire Emblem 2: Radiant Dawn.

Some other really exciting news is that Nintendo has secured the distribution rights for Namco Bandai’s Family Ski for the Wii. Gamers will be able to hit the slopes using the Wii Balance Board as soon as the beginning of August.

We hope to get the reviews of these games up soon so stay tuned.

In case you haven’t noticed, a new Nintendo of SA website launched over the weekend.

Apart from a fresh coat and a sleeker design, the great news is that South African gamers can now join Club Nintendo and access the Stars Catalogue. The Stars Catalogue enables gamers to register Nintendo products and games to earn Star Points which can then be traded for cool Nintendo goodies.

Star Points can also be swapped for Wii Points which can be used to purchase Virtual Console titles in the Wii Shop Channel. Although the Wii Shop Channel has not yet launched in South Africa, this is one step closer to that goal.

Gamers will receive a bonus 250 Star Points for initial registration while registering your Wii console and Nintendo DS will earn you 1000 Stars and 500 Stars respectively. If you register your games you will receive 100 Stars for games that cost less than R400, 200 Stars for games that cost between R400 and R550 and 250 Stars for games that cost over R550.

Gamers can already trade Star Points for several Nintendo wallpapers including Metroid, Bowser and Animal Crossing which will set you back just 50 Star Points.

Journalists attending the press launch of Mario Kart Wii were in for a big surprise and a big challenge! Once we had all been given the chance to get behind the steering wheel and the buzz had quietened down a bit, we were told the good news.

Core Gaming was giving us journalists a chance many gamers would only dream about – a competition was on the go and the prize up for grabs was enough to motivate even the most casual gamer to sit up and take notice. The prize was none other than a year’s free supply of Wii games. Yes, you read that correctly, a year’s free supply of Wii games.

It was at this stage that I wished another member of the El33tonline team had attended the launch, a somewhat more seasoned Mario Kart racer, if you get my drift. But as anyone who has ever played Mario Kart will know, a race is not won until you actually cross that finish line. You could be in first place up until a couple of metres before the finish line, only to get taken out by a red shell and your friend whiz past you to take what should have been your spot on the podium. I guess what I am trying to say in essence is this, I did stand a chance and already my stomach was quivering at the thought of racing and possibly winning.

But you must understand that we were racing with the best of the best, not only in the gaming industry, but against two South African Go Kart Champions. Real life ones I mean.

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El33tonline attended the media launch of Mario Kart Wii at an event held in Johannesburg yesterday. Core Gaming Group, Nintendo’s representative company in South Africa, invited us to pit our racing skills not just against our fellow gamers but against some of South Africa’s top Go-Karting champions.

Upon walking into the venue, The Cigar Bar at the Wanderers Club, you were faced with two large screens, both running Mario Kart Wii of course.

As usual The Nintendo Team had outdone themselves, with the event running smoothly, tasty food and drinks to go around and the volume turned up real loud to help us indulge in a little Mario Kart Wii racing.

Matthew Grose, General Manager of Core Gaming Systems, briefly introduced us to the game before setting us loose on the racetrack, but not before we were each issued with a Wii Driving Licence of course.

After participating in a bit of healthy competition on the race track and catching up with two South African Go Kart Champions (Fabienne Lanz and Jennifer Murray), we headed off to begin our racing at home with a copy of Mario Kart Wii tucked firmly under our arm.

Head over to a detailed look at the launch with more pictures.

Yesterday Core Gaming held a launch event for Mario Kart Wii in Johannesburg.

Matthew Grose, General Manager of Core Gaming Systems, said a few words about the success of Wii Fit since its launch across South Africa roughly a month ago.

He confirmed that Core Gaming has now sold through its stock of Wii Fit and predicts that the stock retailers have will be sold out by the end of the weekend.

Wii Fit launched in Europe on the 25th of April and according to Grose sold out within two weeks. Stock problems have also been reported following the launch of the game in North America on the 19th of May.

With this in mind, my advice would be to head off to a shop today if you want to get your hands on a copy of this game.

Head over to our previous coverage of where to buy Wii Fit or check out our Wii Fit 25 Day Challenge for more information on the game.

While The Nintendo Team had confirmed that Mario Kart Wii would launch in South Africa in mid-May, an exact date had yet to be announced.

A quick glance at Nintendo’s website shows that it has been updated to reflect that Mario Kart Wii will be racing on to South African shelves on the 29th of May. That’s just next week you know!

Mario Kart Wii is the latest installment in Nintendo’s popular racing series and marks the series debut on the Wii. The game includes dozens of characters (each with his or her own collection of customised vehicles), 16 new courses as well as 16 classic courses from previous Mario Kart titles. It features numerous online options including the ability for up to 16 players to compete online while up to four can race on one console.

In addition gamers will be able to race either karts or motorbikes and can choose to race as their Miis. The game even boasts a new Mario Kart Channel which allows players to compete in tournaments, check rankings, keep tabs on friend’s online activity and download ghost data.

Expect our review of the game as soon as we have careened around the Mushroom Kingdom. We will keep our ear to the ground for a price and let you know soonest.

First up apologies for not having kept you up to date on our progress in the Wii Fit Challenge, I was never good at writing in diaries!

As you can see we are well into our Wii Fit Challenge, over halfway in fact. In a way it is going to be disappointing to finish the challenge since it has served as a great motivator to step on to the Wii Balance Board and fit exercise into my busy daily routine. However, with that being said I will admit that it is much easier after a hectic day to start up the Wii and engage in some heart-raising (although it can sometimes be hair-raising as well) activity than head off to the gym in the chill of early winter.

I have been a bit more adventurous of late, trying a few more of the yoga poses and cursing at my wobbly stomach in the process. There are some very interesting names for yoga poses including Palm Tree, Warrior and Downward Facing Dog. The Balance Board keeps on asking me if I am noticing that my tummy is firmer, it really is a bit direct that board, especially when it asks me if I find myself tripping often.

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