Sure, Japan got them first, but here in North America we get the pink and blue Wii remotes on a day perfect for spreading love through pleasantly colored video game accessories. The two new colors come packaged in Nintendo's unique protective sleeve, which brings to mind intimate toys while also serving as a reminder about safe sex, while the bundled Wii Motion Plus accessory is perfect for reminding your loved one that just swinging it around randomly is only fun until someone loses an eye.

The announcement didn't specifically mention price, but we can assume they'll be in line with the current Wii remote / Motion Plus bundles at $49.99, or $54.99 at GameStop. Where's the love, GameStop?

We've mentioned Nyko's Wand controller several times in the past, somewhat fascinated by the promise of their Trans-Port technology, which allows for digital signals to be passed along the expansion port along with the Wii remote's standard analog ones. Interesting technology, but not the best selling point in the world. Now coming in pink, purple, and blue, on the other hand - that's a selling point. Not only are the candy-colored (licorice is a candy!) controllers pretty, they are safe as well, coming packed with matching controller condoms. Classy!

The four new colors are now showing up at Wal-Mart stores around the country with a suggested retail price of $29.99, with other retailers following suit soon after.

The new black remote controller will be available with a black Wii MotionPlus add-on for $50. The black nunchuk will sell separately for $20.

"The Wii Remote revolutionized not only how people play games, but also who plays them," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "The new color lets people customize their setup, and the controllers make great stocking stuffers for players of any age."

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says the Wii Remote chargers, distributed by Griffin International of Minneapolis, "can overheat, posing a burn or fire hazard to the consumer." About 220,000 of these scorchers were sold at Target, Toys R Us, Amazon.com and Best Buy.

Psyclone will be offering a replacement. Details at their web site.

220,000 Wii recharging stations recalled [MSNBC - thanks, Marcus!]

The mirror makes the hologram appear to be "floating" in air, while the Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display shoots focused ultrasonic waves to create the feeling of a holographic ball or holographic rain falling on one's hand.

The Wii Remotes? They're used to track movement — just one of many non-gaming use scientist people are finding for Nintendo's hardware.

Touchable Holography [University of Tokyo via @GreatDismal via Pink Tentacle]

The video above was shot by GameTrailers during Ubisoft's E3 demonstration of Rabbids Go Home back in June. The main game looks nothing like that. It's a third-person platformer exclusive to the Wii that's heavy on comedy. I played some of it and will have impressions later this week.

But as an aside I wanted to highlight this loony mini-game/side-amusement/whatever. The idea is that Rabbids, the comical protagonists spun off from the Rayman series, are alive in your Wii Remote. So the camera zooms in for an internal view. Once that happens — and as I experienced first-hand at a demo in New York last week — you can use the Remote to abuse the Rabbid.

Shaking the Remote causes the Remote on the screen to shake. Pressing any button makes those buttons move on the screen as if you're seeing the inside of what you're doing to the Remote. The Rabbid will become curious and wander to the button, attempting to imitate the click of buttons with its little yells.

Inside that Remote, apparently, are Rabbid torture devices. The game's writer, Gabrielle Shrager, put a clamp on the Rabbid's head and began squeezing it. She let me shake the remote hard to send the Rabbid caroming off the far end, near the pointer sensor.

She said you can feed the Rabbid a bomb.

The game's for kids with a creative and maybe mean streak, it seems. It made me laugh plenty.

I'd never played a mini-game set inside a game controller before. I liked it. Look for more impressions soon. The game's out on the Wii on November 3.

Associate professor of biomechanical engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Greg Walcott came up with the idea for a computer program that uses the wireless technology of the Wii remote to help teach proper cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques. The student team working on the program aim to have the program available for free download via the American Heart Association website this fall.

"The Heart Association's high interest in our students' innovations points to potential of this project and how it fits in with its desire to deliver reliable CPR education to the masses," faculty adviser Jack Rogers said.

The problem here is that this is a computer program and not a Nintendo Wii application, so the masses could largely ignore it. Perhaps Nintendo could reach out to help, offering the finished program as a free download to the console? You never know.

CPR to be taught via Nintendo Wii game UPI.com]

These guys used a control system written in Python to replace the arm's regular input (a joystick) with the Wii Remote's internal sensors. So you don't even need the IR pointer, they just respond to tilting.

Shame they didn't go one step further and invent a few little industrial moving arm games to go with it.

Using a Wiimote to control a 15-ton metal arm [Go Nintendo]

Save for the Wii Remote itself, those were pretty much the only options. Well, no! Now you can play Wii games with a PlayStation or PlayStation 2 controller with this fancy adaptor. Priced at ¥1,785 (US$18.50).

Wii用リモコンツナイデント [GAMETECH]

Mark over at Gizmodo has spent some quality time with three devices - the official Wii Remote, along with Nyko & Mad Catz's offerings - and after putting all three through their paces, shares his thoughts.

At the end of the day, the Wii Remote emerges as the device with the best performance. Not surprising. Yet it's worth considering that both competing devices are not only cheaper (Nyko's Wand is $35 while the Mad Catz Wireless Remote is $30), but aren't as shoddy as you'd expect, with only some IR issues on both remotes really holding them back.

Battlemodo: The Wiimote vs. The Cheap Knockoffs [Gizmodo]

Compared with Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, Sony Europe's Andrew House seemed much more non-fussed about the competition. I'm not unduly worried and I think the reason for that is that we've done a very good job with the PlayStation 3 as an overall value proposition without any motion control technology," said House.

Maybe it's the controller's long gestation period that has Sony relaxed? When asked how long the controller has been in development, I"t's been a while," the exec said. "If you want to track it back the team has been working on that since the days of the original EyeToy." For reference, the original EyeToy was first demonstrated back in 2002, going on sale the following year.

Sony's Andrew House Part Two [gi]

I don't think I could create an experience that truly feels interactive if you don't have something to hold in your hand, if you don't have something like force feedback that you can feel from the controller.

Oh. So we need controllers for people to play? If the goal is immersion, isn't simple gesturing more intuitive than holding a plastic remote and pretending its something else?

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto on Mario, Zelda, Project Natal and More [Game|Life via Infendo]

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata asks just that in the Iwata Asks column on Wii.com. Here's the exchange between Iwata and Nintendo R&D's Junji Takamoto :

Iwata: I suppose the obvious question is: if it offers such huge advantages, why didn't you use it in the Wii Remote from the very start?

Takamoto: We actually looked into the idea of including a gyro sensor at the very start of the Wii Remote's development. But the idea was rejected due to issues of both space and cost which attaching a gyro sensor would entail.

Iwata: I see. But gyro sensors are measuring devices that have actually been around for a considerable amount of time, aren't they?

Takamoto: That's right. They were originally called gyroscopes and were used to measure angle and rotation speed in rockets and the navigation systems of ships. But they were very bulky instruments.

Iwata: They're fitted in the noses of airplanes as well, aren't they?

Takamoto: Right. That's the sort of size we're talking about. And let's not forget that they were also extremely expensive.

You know what's also expensive? Buying all the peripherals Nintendo releases.

The Gyro Sensor: A New Sense Of Control [Wii.com Thanks, Swarmster!]

A Sony patent application has surfaced that details a variety of wireless input devices for controlling a PlayStation console, from a remote/wand device that slightly improves on current Wii Remote technology to smaller motion sensors that strap directly onto your fingers.

These devices are being associated with the PS2 because, well, there's a PS2 in the accompanying diagrams. But really, patent diagrams are just for show, so such a device could easily be for the PS3 (accompanying the PlayStation Eye, perhaps?).

Provided it ever turns up, that is. Remember: patents are filed for ideas. Some work and make it to market, most don't.

Sony Developing A Colorful LED Wand For The PS2? [Siliconera]

Fortunately, Ozzy's brush with eternal rest was only temporary, knowing Death's belly rub for no more than a few minutes. After the family dog was struck in the fuzzy temple during a game of, we assume, Wii Sports bowling, it was hastily revived with mouth-to-nose resuscitation.

The dog suffered from brain swelling and was sent into cardiac arrest after the incident, traveling only a short distance across the river Styx before being pulled back into the light. He's reported to be recovering and is expected to return to normal.

It's a sobering story that has a very clear message — wrist straps and Wii Remote jackets, people. We cannot stress this enough. That or prepare to be on the receiving end of a PETA protest and/or a dog haunting.

Tiny dog revived after being killed by flying Wii remote [9 News]

KNiiTTiiNG is a collaboration between artist Rachel Beth Egenhoefer and scientist Kyle E. Jennings. Rachel's interest in the intricate hand-movements involved with the art of knitting together with Kyle's desire to create a program to interface with the Wii remote and nunchuck controls resulted in a knitting simulator that simulates the actions of knitting and purling. You rhythmically replicate the actions of knitting using the controls as symbols scroll on the screen - K for knit and P for purl.

While KNiiTTiiNG currently remains an unofficial project, I wouldn't be surprised if a publisher apt to get in on the growing mature female Wii-owner demographic didn't snap this up soon. Yes, I am serious.

Kniitting [Official Web Site - Thanks Austinpoet!]

Apple files for digital theater, smart Apple Remote patents [Apple Insider, via VentureBeat]

As you can see from the packaging, GoLive2 really wanted to emphasize that kids are going to have fun with their Stix product. The boy is obviously having the time of his life, while the girl gets so overwhelmed with emotion on the back of the box she jumps, even though there are no games for the Stix 200 that require it. She's just that damn happy about being on a box cover. It's the little things.

The Nintendo similarities begin right when you open the box. Inside the box is another box, the sort of pleasant light blue you might find inside a Wii package. Opening that box reveals the two Stix 200 units, some batteries, the USB faux charging cradle, and a manual.

Let's look at the Stix compared to the Wii remote, shall we? As you can see, the design aesthetic is essentially the same. The trigger depression is a bit different, but otherwise the shape is pretty similar, if a bit larger than the Wii remote. The real difference is the face of the controller. They call it a touchscreen, but really it's just a touch-sensitive panel with LED lights behind it. Even the strap bears a striking resemblance to the Wii remote strap, going as far as having the fastener at the top sharing the same rectangular shape with the cut-off corner.

Once you have the whole kit out of the package, you connect the USB "dock" to the computer, a driver installs, and you are prompted to download some software from a website, which once again reminds you that you are about to have so much fun you won't know what to do with yourself.

Once the software controller loads you're free to head over to the GoLive2 Stix website, create an account, fire up one of dozens of free online games, and realize you are holding in your hand the most expensive replacement for a set of arrow keys ever.

See, the Stix 200 only features 2D movement. That means up and down, left and right. It is essentially a set of arrow keys with some extra buttons tacked on top. Let me clarify: it is essentially a set of slightly unresponsive, highly inconvenient arrow keys. GoLive2 does make a 3D version of the accessory - the Stix 400 - but seeing as I don't have that one, here we are. As for the games themselves... A truly horrible assortment of shovelware mini-games awaits you on the GoLive2 games page, mainly consisting of clones of already existing web games with the fun sucked out by requiring you to use this silly peripheral. I did manage to enjoy one game on the site for nearly 20 minutes, but that was the excellent flash classic Fancy Pants Adventures, which I could only play after giving up on the Stix controller and using keyboard controls instead.

The Stix 200 is a cheap imitation of the Wii remote that is trying to capitalize on the Nintendo system's popularity by allowing PC gamers to move themselves about the screen with a stick. Perhaps the 3D Stix 400 is a much better product, but after spending time with the cheaper model I'm not sure I would ever even consider giving it a go. I'd say nice try, but frankly it just wasn't.

Nintendo's corporate affairs VP Denise Kaigler confirmed to us earlier this week that the Wii Sports sequel is currently the only game that's confirmed to take advantage of the new sensor, but... what if? What if, say, Mario Teaches Sniping is coming down the line and requires the add-on? Will Nintendo release an updated Wii Remote, one integrated with the MotionPlus tech built-in?

Katsuya Eguchi, producer of Wii Sports Resort and MotionPlus subject matter expert, says the company is currently thinking about integrating it into the current remote.

"We're always looking at how hardware will evolve," Eguchi noted, adding that it's too early to confirm anything about a new standard Wii Remote. There's a possibility that MotionPlus may simply remain an attachment only and that it may be used with limited software.

Talking to Nintendo employees after the Nintendo Developer Roundtable, we expressed our concerns that the MotionPlus would fragment the user base, that it may be leading to an overcomplication of the inherently easy Wii Remote. We were told that the MotionPlus accessory may be packed in with more than just Wii Sports Resort to prevent that sort of split between users.

Addressing other concerns that the Wii MotionPlus might lead to more difficult games, ones that require increased precision, Eguchi said that his teams "are very aware of this issue and we're keeping this in our thoughts during our development."

That said, Eguchi noted that "We want a gaming experience where [the player feels] 'the more you bite, the more flavor you get'."

Wiispray turns Wii Remote into virtual graffiti spray can [Engadget]