The specifics are the same as the NA version, up to four friends anywhere in the world talking to each other while their Miis wildly gesticulate all over the screen, only this time they do it in French, German, Italian, or any number of languages you may or may not be familiar with.

NINTENDO CREATES A NEW WORLD OF COMMUNICATION WITH Wii SPEAK CHANNEL

Wii Speak Channel and Wii Speak accessory will connect friends and family and herald the next evolution of social gaming

Socialising and communicating with friends and family has just got easier – and more fun – as the new Wii Speak accessory and Wii Speak Channel are launched for Wii across Europe on 5 December 2008.

Wii Speak enables people to connect to and communicate with friends using the free-to-use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection* in a way that is very socially inclusive. Wii Speak can be connected directly to the console and pick up the conversations from an entire room of people, meaning friends and families can all get involved in conversations, sharing gaming and social experiences together. It’s just like using a phone to make a call and chat with other Wii-friends: but with Wii Speak, everyone in the room can get involved in the conversation.

The new Wii Speak Channel, accessed from the Wii’s main menu, allows up to four console users – who can be anywhere in the world – to connect together to chat, or to share pictures and text messages at no extra cost. Once connected, the Wii Speak Channel brings user’s Miis to life: as users’ Miis represent them on-screen during their conversations. When players are talking to each other, their Miis also ‘talk’ to match the sound that is being picked up by the Wii Speak accessory.

Users have to share their private Friend Codes to be able to communicate with each other, which makes the experience safe and fun.

As well as enabling people to connect together through the Wii Speak Channel, Wii Speak also opens up a new world of social gameplay. The first game to use the full capabilities of Wii Speak is Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City, in which players can create and share their personalised worlds.

For the first time, friends can chat in the game and, as the action happens in real time and creates a world in which players celebrate real festivals and events, sharing the gaming experience over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on Christmas Day will be a uniquely magical experience, with characters and other players in the game all joining in the festive fun! Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City and the Wii Speak microphone will be offered as a bundle at launch, making a perfect gift for friends and family this Christmas.

In the future, Wii Speak will be incorporated into other Wii games, meaning that new opportunities can be created for social gameplay amongst the console’s fans.

Enjoy a whole new use for your Wii with Wii Speak and enjoy the chance to create – and talk about – the perfect world that you create in Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City on 5th December 2008, when they launch across Europe both as a bundle and sold separately.

there are no fees or subscriptions to pay (Usual broadband line rental and Internet Service Provider costs apply when accessing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection at home)

You've seen Rock Band's Stratocaster, but that's just a neat looking faux guitar. This drumkit looks amazing. I especially like how it comes with what looks to be a collapsible stand and includes four drum pads and a foot pedal. Heck, even that stainless steel microphone looks sexy. I wonder if it will ship with a stand for those guitar/singer people out there. Brian Crecente

Eds Note: Keep in mind that Harmonix hasn't finalized these mic/drums designs, and that these are prototypes. The guitar, however, is final.

Rock Band DRUMS! [TV.com, thanks everyone for the tips]

The microphone (pictured above) is for the Wii and PS2 version which will be more a karaoke style game called "High School Musical: Sing It!". The screens (if you couldn't tell by its dual screeness) is for the DS which is more of a musical rhythm game called, "High School Musical: Makin' the Cut". I guess going back to high school just this once won't be so bad. It would be nice to see friends again before marriage and kids. You know, back when they were fun to be around. Kim Phu

High School Musical - Screenshots & Wii Microphone Shown [DS-X2]

Boogie, Primeras Impresiones [RevoGamers via Go Nintendo]

OK, I know the idea of a headset that rumbles seem insane, but this new PS3 headset also has four mini-speakers in each earcup and a built in microphone.

The AX360 connects to the PSIII optical port to deliver optimum, Dolby certified 2.1 and 5.1 digital sound separation. For a radical and extreme gaming experience, the unit features eight strategically placed speakers, four in each ear cup. The external 5.1 audio controller amplifies each individual speaker and provides total audio control with inline adjustments for front, side, rear, and subwoofer. The integrated rumble effect also gives PSIII gamers a more realistic and immersed game play. ... With the AX360's removable microphone, PSIII users can utilize the featured VoIP and PC connections. The AX360 sound box can support two headsets to share in the chaos. Secondary headsets will be available for $59.99 MSRP.

While the extra headset sells for $60, the first one will set you back $130. Expensive? Yes, but it makes your head shake. Brian Crecente

Vista, Calif, Jan. 2, 2006 - TRITTON Technologies' AX360, one of the industry's first high performance Dolby Digital and Pro Logic certified digital gaming headsets significantly enhances the personal PLAYSTATION 3 gaming experience.

The Audio Xtreme (AX) 360 provides true 5.1 digital, 360-degree surround sound is available now for $129.99 MSRP through TRITTON's distributor network.

The AX360 connects to the PSIII optical port to deliver optimum, Dolby certified 2.1 and 5.1 digital sound separation. For a radical and extreme gaming experience, the unit features eight strategically placed speakers, four in each ear cup. The external 5.1 audio controller amplifies each individual speaker and provides total audio control with inline adjustments for front, side, rear, and subwoofer. The integrated rumble effect also gives PSIII gamers a more realistic and immersed game play.

"The PSIII is one of the most highly anticipated product launches in console history," said Chris Von Huben, president of TRITTON Technologies. "Every gamer has been told to turn down the volume, which takes away from the gaming experience. With the AX360, gamers can personally experience extreme HD audio, getting the most from games or Blu-Ray movies, without bothering anyone."

With the AX360's removable microphone, PSIII users can utilize the featured VoIP and PC connections. The AX360 sound box can support two headsets to share in the chaos. Secondary headsets will be available for $59.99 MSRP.

PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system unleashes a brilliant, high-definition entertainment experience. The Cell Broadband Engine represents a tour de force in parallel processing. Its built-in Blu-ray Disc drive delivers a whole new generation in high-definition gaming and unmatched digital media storage. Whether it's gaming, Blu-ray movies, music or online services, PlayStation 3 invites gamers to Play Beyond.

A reader recently got a chance to fill out a Guitar Hero 2 survey. The questions seem to hint at some pretty kick-ass things to come.

I've put a big chunk of the reader's email after the jump, but here's a summary of some of the interesting ideas hinted at:

Keyboard Hero or Drummer Hero, Guitar Hero II Expansion Packs for $30 with an extra guitar, Band-specific expansion packs, genre-specific expansion packs, a full-sized wood guitar controller, a microphone add-on for singing and playing (I like to call this the Crecente pack), a stand-alone amp, custom skins, motion-sensing controls, two-piece guitarto make it easier to transport, an effects pedal, higher level of customization which would allow you to put your face in the game, create your own guitar, download outfits, venue guitars and songs or create your own set lists, new guitar body shapes for the controller, like the Gibson Firebird or Kramer Striker.

Drummer Hero? Keyboard Hero? Microphone support? I think I'm going to pass out.

Keep in mind, despite my hyperventilating, that this all comes from an unseen survey. Which means it's highly speculative. The jump has a more detailed list of questions and such. Brian Crecente

Asked whether I intend to buy a Wii and/or PS3

Asked how likely I'd be to buy an expansion pack with new songs,
guitars, characters, etc. that requires owning the full game and
includes a guitar for $30 over the base price, one that does not
include the guitar, and the same two options for a version that
doesn't require me to own the original.

Asked my top three choices of band to be featured in an expansion
pack. Bands were: Van Halen, Guns n Roses, U2, The Killers, Led
Zeppelin, Jane's Addiction, Aerosmith, Green Day, Metallica,
Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, KISS, Rush, Eagles,
Coldplay, The Beatles, AC/DC, Alice in Chains, Black Sabbath, Jimi
Hendrix.

Then asked to rate my interest in each of above bands being featured
in their own expansion pack.

Then asked how likely I would be to purchase following themed
expansion packs: Country (like Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks and Toby
Keith), Ozzfest Edition (like System of a Down, Disturbed and
Sepultura), Southern Rock (like ZZ Top, The Georgia Satellites and
Black Crowes), Modern Hard and Alternative Rock (like Tool, Slipknot
and Foo Fighters), Hair Metal (like Quiet Riot's Bang Your Head,
Twisted Sister's I Wanna Rock, and Whitesnake's Here I Go Again), Rock
of the 60s, 80s Metal (like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Def
Leppard), Modern Metal (like Pantera, Lamb of God and Slayer), Warped
Tour Legends (like Alien Ant Farm, Anti-Flag and Weezer), Classic Rock
(like The Who's My Generation, Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar and
Santana's Black Magic Woman),Modern Punk (like Anti-Flag, Bouncing
Souls and Rancid), Grunge (like Soundgarden's Outshined, Smashing
Pumpkins' Siamese Dream and Pearl Jam's Alive), Christian Rock (like
King's X, MxPx and P.O.D.), Tour-a-Palooza (like Soundgarden, Stone
Temple Pilots and The Smashing Pumpkins), Old School Punk (like
Misfits, Dead Kennedys and Minor Threat), Rock of the 70s, Rock of the
80s.

Asked my opinion on how likely I would be to buy a new Guitar Hero if
it included the following hardware enhancements: Premium full sized
wood guitar controller, a microphone that allows you to sing and play
like a rockstar, a separate speaker that plugs into the console and
plays your guitar playing, custom vinyl skins of different graphics or
colors for the guitar controller, motion sending controls that would
allow your character to mimic your real-world motion for extra
power-ups and higher scores, a two-piece guitar that breaks down for
storage/portability, and an effects pedal for special sound effects.

Asked my opinion on features, like downloading your face into the game
to make the character look like you, building your own guitar hero,
downloadable characters, custom guitar creating, downloadable outfits,
downloadable venues, downloadable guitars, downloadable songs, and the
ability to create your own set lists.

Asked opinion on guitar shapes for future included guitars, including
Gibson Firebird, Flying V, Les Paul, SG, X-plorer, ES 335, and Kramer
Striker.

Asked about colors including Metallic (mirror), Red, Green, Cherry,
Orange, Black, Pink, Blue, Natural (wood grain), light blue.

Asked if I would be interested in a game that goes beyond forms of
guitars to the rest of the band, and then specifically asked about
games entitled Keyboard Hero and Drummer Hero.

What is this mystery sphincter below the warm, sweet slit into which you slide your Wii... game? NintendoGossip is wondering that very question.

Apparently, quite a few game companies received an E3 CD from Nintendo largely focussing on the Wii. The cover of the CD is the image to the right, showing the secret Wii slot open. As you can see, it looks like there's a secure digital slot there, as well as a strange oculus.

No one's quite sure what the latter is: microphone? Infrared eye? Headphone port? Built-in camera? Right now, it's a mystery, but it's fun to fantasize! Why not join us in the comment section and do just that. Florian Eckhardt

Wii secret slot picture [NintendoGossip]

Seaman Creator Crafting DS Game