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BBC wrote:Home and independent game makers are getting a chance to put together titles for Nintendo's Wii console.

The hi-tech firm has released a set of game-making tools called WiiWare that give budding game makers the data they need to use the console and its innovative controller.

Wii owners will be able to download the games through net channels accessible via the console.

Nintendo said the first games would be available for download in early 2008.

Fresh ideas

Anyone wanting to use the WiiWare tools will need a basic knowledge of programming, said Nintendo. The tools let people start creating their game on a PC but it must be fine-tuned on the console itself.

The company said it expected game makers to use the Wii's motion sensitive controller to create "fresh takes on established genres".

"Independent developers armed with small budgets and big ideas will be able to get their original games into the marketplace to see if we can find the next smash hit," said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president in a statement.

Once quality tested by Nintendo, games created using the WiiWare tools will be put on the Wii Shop channel so owners can download them.

Wii owners must spend points to get the games. Owners buy Wii points by credit card or by purchasing cards in stores.

The move by Nintendo follows a similar initiative by Microsoft. It has made a express version of its XNA game making tools available for students and hobbyists so they can craft titles for the Xbox.

Nintendo wrote: SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 27, 2007 - The search for the next ingeniously ground-breaking video game has begun. At a private developers conference this week, Nintendo announced the introduction of WiiWare, a game-creation service that will allow developers large and small to create new downloadable video game content for sale by Nintendo through the Wii Shop Channel of the hot Wii home video game system. WiiWare paves the way for smaller, more creative games to make their way to the public at lower prices, without any inventory risk to developers. The first WiiWare content will launch in early 2008.

"Independent developers armed with small budgets and big ideas will be able to get their original games into the marketplace to see if we can find the next smash hit," says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "WiiWare brings new levels of creativity and value to the ever-growing population of Wii owners."

The possibilities for WiiWare are limited only by the imaginations of developers. WiiWare provides game creators a simple method by which they can get their games to the public. This approach, combined with the remarkable motion controls of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, will give birth to fresh takes on established genres, as well as original ideas that currently exist only in developers’ minds. The reduced barriers to development provide developers the freedom to create and an inexpensive, clearly defined path to reach consumers who will ultimately determine which game will become the Next Big Thing.

WiiWare will be posted on the Wii Shop Channel. As with current Wii Shop Channel offerings, users will redeem Wii Points to download content. It will support a variety of pricing options. Details about that and upcoming projects will be announced at a later date. For more information about Wii, visit Wii.com.

MRDOD wrote:Oh man, I can see the people who make free flash games moving to the Wii.

I wonder if Nintendo has rights to the content or not?

Qwerty 42 wrote:This is huge for anyone wanting to get into the industry.

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:It's new for the Wii and that's all that matters.

Man, I don't even know what you actually said, with your APIs and XNAs.

Ace Pace wrote:Nothing really new... Microsoft has a similar deal with XNA and..weirdly enough, was actully first on the scene with APIs to control and utilise the wiimote.