Nintendo: seeing 'Red' for Christmas down under?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Sunday, 24 October 2010 13:09

Your IT - Entertainment

Despite Microsoft's Xbox Kinect and Sony's Playstation Move, Nintendo's original motion sensing Wii is still a force to be reckoned with, as is Nintendo's main mascot Mario, whose 'Super Mario All-Stars' 25th Anniversary Edition is set to come down under, probably sooner rather than later, but will the Red Wii and DSi XL follow too?

Although Nintendo faces an all-out attack with its major competitors now offering motion sensing systems to compete against the Wii, with both Microsoft and Sony still offering HD graphics over the Wii's SD offering, Nintendo is striking back for as big a chunk of end-of-year sales and profits as it can.

Releasing a limited-edition Red Wii bundle overseas, which includes the 25th Anniversary Super Mario All-Stars pack, and a Red Nintendo DSi XL overseas (but not yet announced in Australia), Nintendo is banking on the enduring power of Mario to power-up sales as much as possible.

The 'Super Mario All-Stars' 25th Anniversary Edition has received a G-Rating from the Australian Classification Board, something that hints very strongly that Nintendo will soon be releasing it in Australia, possibly also in the Red Wii bundle.

Super Mario All-Stars comes in a case which contains a cornucopia of Nintendo nirvana: Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels.

There's a booklet within celebrating Mario's 25 years, and an audio CD with well-known Mario music from the various Mario titles, and you'd expect any Australian version would contain these extra goodies also. 

While the Red bundles are yet to be announced in Australia, Nintendo Australia has announced that it will be offering a new standard Wii bundle, from October 28, that comes with the original Wii Sports, the Motion-Plus enabled Wii Sports Resort game (with 15 more sports), the NunChuk attachment and the new Wii Remote Plus with a built-in Motion Plus adaptor for the same price of AUD $299.95.

Also from October 28, the Wii Remote Plus will be selling on its own for AUD $69.95 and will come in pink, blue, black and white, while the Classic Controller Pro will also be available in white and black, standalone for AUD $34.95.

So, how will Nintendo do against its motion-capable competitors this year? Please read on to page 2'¦