The Wii MotionPlus, a long-awaited hardware add-on that provides more precise controls, has a new release time frame of June for Japan and July overseas.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata made the announcement to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, Kotaku reports. Along with the MotionPlus extension, Nintendo will release Wii Sports Resort, a collection of minigames that takes advantage of the more accurate controls. Specifically, the MotionPlus is believed to offer "1:1" motion, meaning that the player's movements can be mimicked exactly on the screen.
Gaming blogs have been wondering about the MotionPlus ever since the company unveiled its spring and summer line-up and left the add-on off the list. The MotionPlus was originally scheduled for the spring.
It's possible that Sony's recent triumph over Nintendo in March console sales forced the latter company's hand. This announcement brings new buzz to the Wii, but affords Nintendo a grander reveal in the future, for whenever the company gets around to official release dates.
Meanwhile, Iwata said Nintendo won't be partaking in a price war. "A price cut in a difficult economy cannot really excite the market and drive up sales," he said, according to ABS-CBN. "As of now I really don't think that a price cut is a good option for us."
