To Nintendo, licensing Mii is identical to licensing Mario. If you read Iwata Asks interview series in website, you can understand how Mii was created in detail, so I hope you can read them if you have time. Mii is actually the result of more than 10 years of efforts.

Mr. Miyamoto, the inventor of Mii, himself has been saying that, 'In a sense, licensing Mii is same as licensing Mario — Nintendo should grant the license when we can conclude that the proposed project is worthwhile. Should we allow any and all the licensees to use Mii license for whichever projects, Mii's brand image will be hurt. Because we are not granting Mario license to any and all, we should not do so with Mii either.'

This is the current policy of Nintendo. So, at the software development stage, we are consulting with the developers as to how they would like to make use of Mii, and our Licensing Department handles on a case-by-case basis.

My Wedding Invitation [4CR]

Mission Bay Community Church

The Nintendo Wii looks new and is thought to have been stolen before January 1. It may have been a Christmas present. If anyone has devised these characters listed and the Wii has gone missing, then please contact us urgently.

They're quite tiny, measuring 2" by 3.25", and feature real Swarovski crystals. A Khorium Ore-nament will set you back $9.95 US for one, $24.95 US for three. Quite an adorable little spawn, isn't it?

Khorium Ore-naments [Paul Pape Designs via Wonderland]

NINTENDO SAYS 'CHECK MII OUT' WITH CREATIVE NEW CHANNEL FOR WII

Free Interactive Channel Lets Users View, Vote for the Best Mii Creations

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 8, 2007 � It's no secret that fans of Nintendo's Wii� system love their Mii� characters � those adorably cartoonish caricatures of friends and family members that can be used in games like Wii Sports�. Some of the more artistic fans have even taken it upon themselves to make Miis of celebrities, politicians and fictional characters. Nintendo supports consumers' creative spirit with the Nov. 11 evening launch of the Check Mii Out Channel. This free new channel can be downloaded from the WiiWare� section of the Wii Shop Channel by people who have their Wii systems connected to the Internet.

"The Check Mii Out Channel lets people show off their Mii creations and vote on those created by others," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "It's yet another way that we're building fun, interactive communities of Wii owners without charging them extra for the privilege."

In the Posting Plaza, users can submit, exchange or just browse Miis posted by others in their region or worldwide. The channel offers the ability to look at a random selection of 1,000 Miis or to see just the current or all-time favorites. Players have a variety of ways to search for specific Miis, including by the name of its creator or by a number specific to each Mii. Once users have found that "special Mii," they can even tag their favorites or import them to their own Wii systems.

The contest section of the Check Mii Out Channel challenges users to submit Mii creations to represent a specific person, character or theme. These could include historical figures (Abraham Lincoln or Vincent Van Gogh), fictional characters (the Tooth Fairy or the New Year's Baby) or descriptive themes ("the biggest bully ever" or "the overbearing boss"). Users can then vote on Miis submitted by others to determine the Mii that best fits the challenge. Each contest will generally last two weeks: one for creating and submitting Miis, and the second week for people to vote on the results.

The Check Mii Out Channel is the latest addition to other fun, interactive informational channels, such as the News Channel, Everybody Votes Channel and Forecast Channel. Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii�, Nintendo DS�, Game Boy� Advance and Nintendo GameCube� systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.4 billion video games and more than 420 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario�, Donkey Kong�, Metroid�, Zelda� and Pok�mon�. 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, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.

Along with the Mii integration, Sega has also confirmed four Dream events to be included in the game on top of the extensive lineup of real Olympic events. These take place in colorful, game-inspired stages laced with power-ups and special moves, appeasing the Mario and Sonic purists out there. There's a Dream Race on the Sandhill Race Course, Dream Platform Diving which sounds a bit like Pilot Wings skydiving, Dream Fencing on jungle beach, and Dream Table Tennis in a 'sci-fi wonderland'. Hit the jump for more details while I go tweak my Mii in preparation.

Mii functionality and Dream events confirmed for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has not only a massive line-up of real-life Olympic events, but SEGA can today proudly confirm that their much anticipated title also has a unique series of exclusive "Dream Events" to add to the mix.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has not only a massive line-up of real-life Olympic events, but SEGA can today proudly confirm that their much anticipated title also has a unique series of exclusive "Dream Events" to add to the mix. The Dream Events - which are both single and multiplayer - are based in colourful game-like universes that include objects and power-ups that will either improve a players game, or bring their opponent down.

The four Dream events featured are:
Dream Race (Sandhill Race Course) - Get on your marks for this intense power-up filled race course, made for either one player, or as many as four.
Dream Platform (Tropical Reef Diving Area - 10,000M Diving) - More like skydiving, soar through hoops and perform aerial tricks while avoiding obstacles and opponents to reach the finish line first.
Dream Fencing (Duel Wharf Fencing Beach) - With unique special attacks for each character, this jungle-inspired world offers the ultimate duel.
Dream Table Tennis (Speed Rally Table Tennis Stadium) - A sci-fi wonderland, this magical table tennis extravaganza offers a special ability for each character - so move fast!

Mario & Sonic At the Olympic Games also offers Wii users the ultimate gaming fantasy - the opportunity to play against their favourite Mario or Sonic character. Thanks to the unique interactive Mii features, players can bring their own Mii into the game as a playable character and compete as themselves in any of the Olympic or Dream events.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be in-stores across Europe on November 23, 2007 for Wii, and Q1 2008 for the Nintendo DS.

Nintendo trademarks reveal new products? [CVG]

Remember the bar Ashcraft posted about yesterday morning? The one that invited patrons to "COME IN & PLAY Wii w/ Mii on our 82" BIG SCREEN"? Unfortunately, all we knew about it at the time was that it was in Hoboken, New Jersey, which while interesting, doesn't really get our readers through the doors madly swinging Remotes in a drunken rage.

Fortunately, Nintendo was on top of things and was able to track down the bar. It's called McSwiggans Pub and despite the vague Irish motif sells hot wings and features a plethora of specials including Karaoke and Martini nights. Nothing on their site hints on the Wii night, so perhaps that was a one off. Someone in the area really should swing by and report back to us.

McSwiggans Pub

Plus foosball! It's got some foosball.

Check out tons of new screens in our gallery, then get informed, press release style. Michael McWhertor

EA turns soccer star Ronaldinho into CUSTOMIZED character for FIFA Soccer 08 on the Wii

Pass, Shoot, and Perform Trick Moves With A Flick of the Wrist

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - June 14, 2007 - FIFA Soccer 08 cover athlete Ronaldinho, one of the most talented and recognizable athletes in the world, will become the first professional soccer player to appear as a customized character exclusively for the Wii™, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today.

EA has created a unique character of the celebrated Brazilian International soccer star that will be playable in FIFA Soccer 08 on Wii. The Wii-exclusive Ronaldinho will host a game mode designed and created exclusively for Wii called Footii Party with Ronaldinho. With this mode, EA introduces unique party games - including Table Soccer and Shoot Off - where you can play as your self-created Mii™ character to unlock Ronaldinho and take on the champ. Each Footii Party game is created as a multiplayer, social experience designed to engage and entertain fans of all ages.

Ronaldinho commented on the character, "My character looks like he enjoys playing football and shares my passion for the game. This is important to me. Whether you are playing football on the pitch or my party games in FIFA Soccer 08 on the Wii, it should be a fun and enjoyable experience."

"When Ronaldinho steps on to the soccer pitch, he plays with passion and energy. We've brought that same spirit to FIFA Soccer 08 on Wii - it is fun, high-energy entertainment the entire family can enjoy," said senior producer Tim Tschirner.

The game's revolutionary FreeMotion™ controls help level the playing field for all players and turns FIFA Soccer 08 on Wii into a physical, social activity. It also provides gamers with a truly authentic soccer experience with more control than ever before. It's easy to pick-up and play and with the in-game Soccer Academy you can learn basic and advanced controls in more than 30 interactive tutorials. Each lesson teaches you how to master the FreeMotion controls and perform all the necessary movements to dominate on the pitch.

Play FIFA Soccer 08 to take your favorite team and players to Cup glory. Mesmerize defenders with authentic individual skill and play like a real soccer player. Now you pass, shoot, and perform trick moves all with a flick of the wrist. Dictate the play with all-new controls for through-passing and crossing, or control your goalkeeper in one-on-one situations to deny an onrushing striker.

FIFA Soccer 08 delivers complete authenticity with licenses for all of the world's top leagues, including MLS and Mexican 1st Division in North America, and 28 others from more than 20 nations. This year you can choose to play with one of over 570 licensed teams and more than 14,000 players to win glory with or against up to three of your friends.

FIFA Soccer 08 is developed by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. It is scheduled for worldwide release this fall on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Wii™, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, PC and mobile. FIFA Soccer 08 is not yet rated by the ESRB and PEGI.

For a tech news site, this seems a little late in coming, but Cnet.com is currently hosting a gallery of celebrity Mii images culled from around the web. Some of these I had seen before, but others were new to me and the majority of them are dead on. Some celebrities of note include Chuck Norris, Laurel & Hardy, Jack Black, Peter Jackson and Woody Allen. Also featured is Dave Curry's prize winning Zach Braff Mii (pictured) which took the grand prize in Kottke.org's Celebrity Mii contest. Curry was awarded with a little statue of his winning Mii which is also featured in the gallery.

So, if you are one of those folks that only recently got their hands on a Wii and are still exploring the wonderful world of Mii's, this little gallery is a great guide for getting some celebs to brighten up your Mii Parade.

I'm still waiting for some Mii DLC so I can finally make one that actually looks like me. Unfortunately for me, they don't have a mutton chop sideburn feature and that's a damn shame. Flynn De Marco

Wii creates celebrity Mii's [Cnet]

Twenty bucks for all this? Sign me up! No! Don't! That was sarcasm! I want nothing to do with it.

Thanks to all the fashion plates who sent this in. Michael McWhertor

Mii Love You Long Time [Nerdy Shirts]

While it has excellent advertising jingle potential, I completely fail to see any point to this device whatsoever. Seriously. You have a Wii, right? Otherwise you wouldn't have a Mii. Why would you need the go-between? The press release for the item says you can share your Mii over there internet...but why? If you really wanted to, there are free programs out there that will let you recreate your Mii in minutes online already, plus if you really wanted to share your Mii, Nintendo has provided for that.

My Mii Manager does come with a USB bluetooth receiver, allowing you to use your Wiimote and other bt devices on your PC, so that isn't a bad deal for $19.99. You can check out this and other slightly more useful products over at Datel's online store. I'm going to go be confused for a bit. Michael Fahey

Manage Your Wii Mii...

...It's easy with My Mii Manager!

April 10th, 2006 - Wii owners can now personalise their Wii Mii the easy way.

Datel's powerful Mii Manager software lets you edit your Mii on your PC. It's a doddle to use. Just import your Mii into the editor, then edit it until your heart's content. You can even share your Mii with Wii gamers from all over the world over the internet!

My Mii Manager has everything you need. There's the powerful Mii Manager software application for your PC, and a USB Bluetooth receiver to let you use your Wii-mote with your computer.

My Mii Manager is in the shops now, and costs 14.99 UK or $19.99 USA. It can also be bought direct at www.codejunkies.com or by calling 08456 010 015.

###

Some people want to completely customize their Miis, which is understandable, but the point of using the Mii software on the Nintendo is to make them look Nintendo. That's at least my favorite part, I already think of myself in real life as a Nintendo character, so it does as a bit of a shock in the morning when I wake up, look in the mirror and find out that I'm not. Kim Phu

My Mii Manager [Go Nintendo]

Awesome. Finding a future spouse willing to go along with a geeky plan like this, however, is priceless.

By the way, this does not count as a game cake post. Michael McWhertor

Mii Sculptures

While I find this philosophical look at life as a Mii amusing, it would have been way better if it featured Kevin with a porn stache. Brian Crecente

Like father, like Mii. Not only does that guy look smug, his Mii looks smug, too. Over at website I Still Play Games: The Mature Gaming Community Resource (yes, I know, I know), a bunch of people have posted pics of them with their Miis. It's kinda like when last year all those people posed with their Second Life or World of Warcraft avatars, and many discovered that some players like to have the opposite gender represent them in the virtual world. No, wait. It's nothing like that at all. Still, pretty neat and almost creepy how close the Mii likeness can be. Brian Ashcraft

Me and My Mii [I Still Play Games via Neatorama]

WeeWorld, the avatar creation licensor that filed a suit against Nintendo last year for (they say) infringing on their WeeMee trademark has asked a judge to dismiss the case "without prejudice." While you'd think Nintendo would be pleased to have this whole legal snag behind them, you'd be wrong. Nintendo's lawyers want the court to drop the case with prejudice and prevent WeeWorld from pursuing future legal action against the company. Look. It's technical.

Nintendo also wants some four-hundred grand in legal fees repaid to them. Maybe WeeWorld bit off more than they could chew?

Hit up Gamespot for additional details on the suit. Michael McWhertor

WeeWorld tries to drop Wii suit [Gamespot]

The Wall Street Journal has a pretty interesting story up about the surprise popularity of the Mii.

In it they talk about things like the Mii Station service that creates custom Mii for you for $5, Mii Plaza's virtual collection of thousands of free Mii, and a New York-based sculptor who will create an acrylic painted clay Mii of you for $250.

Ms. Villasenor, the Wii tennis fan, is taking her Mii mania one step further. She recently contacted an artist in Hong Kong who advertised Mii sculptures on eBay and asked him to make cake toppers of her and her fianc 's Miis to put on top of their wedding cake when they get married in September.

"It's a surprise for my fianc ," Ms. Villasenor says. She also plans to set up two Wii-playing stations at the reception so guests could play.

Yeah, I think when people start using your ideas to decorate their wedding cake you can assume you've got a pretty big hit on your hands. Brian Crecente

Look, It's Mii — on Wii! [WSJ]

quo

What's way funnier than creating Miis? Putting them in games! From a MTV interview at GDC with Shigeru Miyamoto:

With the popularity of the Miis, they've been having fun just fiddling around with Miis in the Twilight Princess engine. This is something our development teams do all the time once they get done with a game and start thinking about other ideas. It's kind of funny because you can see Miis running around in the [Zelda] world of Hyrule, but there's no telling that would ever actually come to fruition. It's just our team members having fun and taking off some stress after a tough development cycle.

There's also a clip (above) from the interview in which Miyamoto doesn't talk Miis, but Nintendo's success. Click the link below to read what he has to say about playing Mario with one-hand — Apparently a secret desire for many! Brian Ashcraft

Miyamoto Interview [MTV]

Yesterday, Nintendo sent Japanese Wiis a special present. Rather, two special presents. Miis of super famous comedian Sanma Akashiya and ex-tennis pro Shuzo Matsuoka. Writes Tokyo-based Kotakuite mrfluffykins (nice name!):

I found something rather odd when I turned on my Wii this evening. There was a message from Nintendo saying they were sending two new Miis, one of Shuzo Matsuoka (an ex-professional tennis player) and Sanma Akashiya (a famous TV talent). When I went to the Mii channel they popped in and started hanging out with all the other Miis. It's rather cool that Nintendo is sending random Mii presents, though I found their choice of characters a little odd.

Not odd at all! Both appeared in the Wii TV ads for Japan, which I just spent the last twenty minutes searching for on YouTube and turned up nil. Either my searching skins are rank or YouTube's search engine is almost as bad as ours. Anyone who finds it, post it in the comments, and I'll link on the front page. Until then, hit the link below for viewage. Brian Ashcraft

Sanma and Shuzo's Ad [Nintendo]

We posted the first new Mii Wii Commercial already, but this second is much better. If they weren't out the door so close to GDC I'd almost think they were in response to Sony's Home announcement. Brian Crecente

Having announced that there will be a new Mii Popularity Channel and having created a Mii commercial I think we can safely assume Nintendo understands the new-found power of their Mii. Brian Crecente

During today's keynote Shigeru Miyamoto announced a new channel that would allow people to compare their Miis in a popularity contest.

Today people are so taken with the Miis around the world. Im working on a new Mii channel.

With this channel we are going to let people compare the Miis they created in a popularity contest.

And you will be allowed to do this with people from around the world.

No pictures, dates or details were announced during the keynote, but I'm sure we will be hearing more down the line. Brian Crecente

LiveBlogging Nintendo [Kotaku]

The tee features a sweet Mii parade on the back, with three key Nintendo execs on the front. From left, there's Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aime. He's kicking ass just out of frame.

Detail and one more Nintendo exec Mii-ified after the jump.

Aaaaah! It's kind of horrifying. And who's that on the back?

Why, it's George Harrison! I think. The whole thing is suspect. All those grown men hanging around with younger Miis. People will talk. Michael McWhertor

From the piece:

But perhaps the biggest weakness of Miis at the moment is the lack of third-party support. According to EA producer Eric Chartrand, Nintendo hasn't released the necessary tools to put Miis into third-party games yet.

As Next-Gen's Blake Snow writes, it would indeed be wise to allow third-parties to integrate Miis into their games, and quickly. However, to the best of my knowledge, we've seen no non-Nintendo published software featuring Miis. Crude approximations? Oh yeah. Tons! Since Nintendo's latest console is just a few months old, we'll chalk it up to growing pains. And we'll ask Nintendo reps at GDC exacly when we can expect to see Miis outside of the company's own software. Michael McWhertor

Gamers Increase Control of Experience [Next-Gen]

Are you a Wii owner without a lot of free time, no design skills whatsoever, or absolutely no sense of self-image? Have you tried to create a Mii for yourself only to find it keeps ending up looking like Ron Jeremy? Well either you are Ron Jeremy, or you need the services of Mii Station.

Mii Station is a website that for the paltry sum of $5 will take a photo of your lazy ass and create a Mii of you using the photo as a reference. Once they are done, they'll send it to your Wii via your Wii ID. The FAQ assures us that the creators of the custom Miis are not working in a sweatshop somewhere, but rather actual authentic Japanese people...not those fake Japanese people you see at Wal-Mart all the time.

You'd have to be an extremely lazy bastard to shell out a fiver for this service, but I've learned never to underestimate the sheer amount of sloth that we as gamers can generate. Michael Fahey

Mii Station - Make Mii! - Thanks SB!

Now, to fire up my Wii, recreate the cast of the BBC version, then proceed to act smug and superior and act as if I'd created my Miis first. Michael McWhertor

Mii Madness [Flickr]

That's what one industrious sculptor is doing, giving the Wii obsessed a chance to see their digital bobbleheaded selves redone in handcrafted form.

Artist Mr. Thiel is apparently going to open up orders for an unknown number of internet users to submit orders for their own mini-Mii creations at an undisclosed price. Interested? Hit the link below to find out how to contact the poor sap willing to whittle you a Mii. Michael McWhertor

Get your Mii Sculpture... [via Joystiq]

Word has it that this Spore-fan created video of Will Wright Wii bowling (with pal Gabe Newell hanging out in the background), has been making the rounds among the Spore team. Yes it's silly, but I still want the Miis. Brian Crecente

Here's one way to protect your television—take your game of Wii Sports to an empty movie theatre. Pretty cool to see some Wii players dwarfed by their Miis. Michael McWhertor

Wii-diculous - Playing the Wii in a Movie Theater [YouTube via kottke]

The guys at Game Videos are back with part two of their celebrity Mii creation video. This time around we get such illustrious personalities as Osama Bin Laden, Hulk Hogan, Charlie Brown, Satan, Ugly Betty, Chuck Norris, The Beatles and even Sony superstars Parappa the Rappa and Un-Jammer Lammy.

Truth be told, this version is a little more show and tell than actual tutorial, but you can still figure out how to make them on your own with a simple press of the pause button. Flynn De Marco

Mii Celebrity How To: Part One [Kotaku]

I'm still busy trying to get my cat Rufus to sit still long enough to test out non-human head mapping. You know, for the furries. Michael Fahey

Kottke is having a little celebrity Mii contest.

To enter just make your Mii with the official Nintendo Wii editor, don't cheat, and email your little abomination to Jason over on the site by Dec. 11 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

You can enter up to two Miis and the prize has yet to be announced. I'm suspicious it might be one of those take-Jason-out-to-dinner prizes. Brian Crecente

Celebrity Mii Contest [Kottke, via Cathode Tan]

Everyone's favorite lippy Microsoft blogger Ozymandias files his Wii impressions. In a nutshell, here's what he has to say:

• "The controller works well — but for some genres. As I've said before, first person shooters and 'point to aim' just isn't this console's strength. It works, but there's a lag."
• "One feature I found super-compelling was the ability to create a mini-avatar, or 'Mii.' This is genius. I personally had way too much fun creating my little guy."
• "The online service isn't there yet — but to be fair, it also wasn't promised at launch as did Sony. Nintendo is still insisting on using Friend Codes (or Wii number) to identify yourself on the system. This sort of sucks. While they took some good leaps ahead of all of the competition in personalization with the Mii concept, this is a definite throwback."
• "Graphically the Wii won't blow your socks off. Even Zelda, probably one of the best looking Wii games, only ranges from 'ok' to 'very good' in my opinion. (Yes, I have the component cables.) My hope is that there will be enough games that don't need high-end graphics to enable the Wii to survive past the first couple of years."
• Zelda does start slow — fair warning. You have to spend literally two hours before it actually kicks in while they run you through what feels like a too long controller training level. I'll also add that the new controls don't add anything to the Zelda experience — frankly, they were tacked on to help sell Wiis. However, they also don't negatively impact the game experience so it's a bit of a wash.

Agree? Disagree? Discuss. We're all ears. Brian Ashcraft

Wii Impressions [Ozymandias]

This clever little Mii edit was done by professional blogger and Wii enthusiast Jason Kottke. Nice work, Jason. Michael McWhertor

The Upside Mii [Flickr]

eBayers obviously have no shame whatsoever. Chris E. sent us a link to his auction featuring hand-painted artwork of Nintendo's Miyamoto as a Mii. It's not Picasso, but it's not a bad rendition of Ninty's wonder boy at all. In fact, despite my misgivings, I put a bid down on it. Would look great in my computer room, AKA the only room in the house I am allowed to decorate.

The trouble is, the auction is obviously pirated. No, the painting isn't a fake, or stolen, or made of poison, but it is pirated nonetheless. If you need proof, here is a screen I took from the auction:

Yep, definitely pirated. Friggin' pirate right there. Not only that, but they reveal Super Blogger's secret identity as Brian Crecente, putting his loved ones in grave danger should his enemies ever find out. Michael Fahey

Nintendo Wii Miyamoto Mii Acrylic Painting [eBay]