If you thought you could play an Electronic Arts game on Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console without having an account on its Origin network then you are so very sadly mistaken. A change in EA's privacy policy reveals that Wii U users who want to play Wii U games online will need to have an Origin account and a "Nintendo Network ID." Of course, this also means that - by signing up for an Origin account - you give EA permission to collect your email address, Mii information, friend list, country, language, and date of birth.

Impulse Technology, a company that develops interactive exercise equipment, has decided it would be in its best interest to drop a patent infringement lawsuit it filed against Nintendo. In its lawsuit, Impulse Technology alleged that Nintendo's Wii console, Wii Remote controller, Wii Balance Board accessory and Wii Fit Plus software infringed on one of Impulse's patents (U.S. Patent No. 5,524,637). Nintendo claims that they dumped the lawsuit after an unfavorable ruling by Judge James Gwin of the U.S.

In Episode 25 of the Super Podcast Action Committee hosts Andrew Eisen and E. Zachary Knight talk about what happens when a fully funded Kickstarter project (in this case the game Haunts: The Manse Macabre) fails to become reality, the wisdom of knowing when to shut down a failing Kickstarter campaign (the focus of that topic being Loot Drop's attempts to fund the 'Old School RPG'), the latest on the "six strikes" copyright enforcement scheme adopted by U.S. ISPs, Andrew's latest video, and the horrors of using voice chat on Nintendo's Wii U.

Our own Andrew Eisen does his best to fit into Nintendo's new "I'm Not a Gamer" ad campaign for the Nintendo 3DS, with an ad of his own with the same message. You can check it out to your left and - assuming you like it as much as I do - you can subscribe to Andrew's YouTube Channel to see even more funny videos.

41-year-old Justin Success Brooks of the United Kingdom found out the hard way that it's not a good idea to mess with the folks at Nintendo. He has been charged with the "fraudulent sale of counterfeit Nintendo games," according to a report in the Croydon Guardian. Brooks was caught red-handed in an investigation conducted by Nintendo and the UK Interactive Entertainment association.

Earlier this week we reported that Foxconn - the company that helps build many of the products that are popular in the West from companies like Apple, Sony, Samsung, Microsoft and Nintendo - reported that it found underage interns working in one of its plants in Yantai, China. Today we have learned that that plant is responsible for assembling Nintendo products.

Nintendo announced this morning that it has slashed the price of the Wii to $129.99 in the United States. The lower-priced SKU also comes bundled with two games - Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort along with one black console, and a black Wii Remote Plus controller and Nunchuck - of course. The two games will be included on a single disc - just like they did with Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Look forward to seeing those packed-in discs for sale at GameStop in about a month....

When Nintendo first started advertising the newest Mario game for the Wii U - Super Mario Bros U - it claimed that the game was capable of being displayed in 1080p. It turns out that that little advertising bullet point isn't true, and now Nintendo is pulling the claim for any advertising related to the game.

A message on the game's official website stated:

"Experience Mario like never before... in full 1080p HD, only on the Wii U console!"

A "day late and 30 minutes short" would be the best way to describe Episode 23 of the Super Podcast Action Committee as host Andrew Eisen struggles with being sick and co-host E. Zachary Knight rails against the wickedness of the state of Oklahoma keeping his preferred candidate off the ballot. In between these trials and tribulations, Andrew and EZK talk about Kevin Butler being sued by Sony, Nintendo's non-gamer ad, the latest poll on GamePolitics, and troubles at the drive-in.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have decided to capitalize on the release of Pokémon Black and White 2 (it was released this Sunday) with the release of a game that depicts the abuse Pokémon might go through in their own special web game called Pokémon Black and Blue. Their catchphrase for the game is "gotta free 'em all."

The latest firmware update to Nintendo's 3DS hand-held gaming system has blocked the use of flash carts on the system, according to this Destructoid report. A firmware update, which was released last week for Nintendo's handheld has blocked flash carts on the system, according to a forum post on a device manufacturer's website.

Nintendo has revealed more specific release dates for the first wave of Nintendo Wii U titles available at launch or within the first quarter of 2013. The company says that at least 23 games will be on sale at around the same time the Wii U is released on November 18 (North America) including Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Skylanders Giants, Transformers Prime, Wipeout 3, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, FIFA Soccer 13, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition, New Super Mario Bros.

In a recent interview with Forbes Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime tried to calm fears that supply for the Wii U would not be enough to meet demand when the new console is released in mid-November.

I think I need a daisy for this. I seem to have entered a loop of "Nintendo loves me. It loves me not." While I am still excited for the coming release of the WiiU console, I am disheartened by the company's most recent news. It will continue its policy of region locking games.

In Episode 21 hosts Andrew Eisen and E. Zachary Knight ponder the excitement levels of the Wii U amongst early adopters, wonder why Walmart and Amazon are not stocking certain products like Kindle Fire and Wii U pre-orders, and look at twenty predictions on future consoles. It's fun for the whole family... Download it now: SuperPAC Episode 21 (1 hour, 13 minutes).

While many consumers are still deciding on whether to buy or not buy the Wii U this coming holiday season, Nintendo is busy making the choice to develop for the console as easy as possible for indie game developers. 

Because I’m a huge Nintendo dork with a one-track mind, I predictably posted a Wii U-themed poll this week.

Nintendo cut loose with gobs of Wii U info last Thursday including the console’s price and launch date.  If you missed it, the console launches in North America on Nov. 18th in two flavors: a Basic Set for $300 and a Deluxe Set for $350.

So, you getting one?

More details about the web browser you will use in the Wii U when it is released in November have been revealed, with some sad news for anyone that likes Flash: it's not supported. The news comes from footage of the Wii U's internet browser functionality that is part of the Japanese Nintendo Direct presentation.

While other retailers are loudly proclaiming that they are offering pre-orders for Nintendo's Wii U, one online retailer seems to be thumbing its nose at Nintendo's latest console and the consumers who might want to lock a purchase down early. Amazon is telling customers that pre-orders for the Wii U are "not available at Amazon.com at this time," and are providing no explanation why.

"The force is strong with this one," we imagine Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime saying about Wii U pre-orders today. Of course, in reality Reggie is on Terra Firma and not on some death star targeting Ewoks. Instead he says that Wii U pre-orders after yesterday's announcement are "very strong."

While you might think this is a no brainer, it's important to say out loud that if you trade in that Wii console prior to the launch of the Wii U on November 18, you will lose all of your Virtual Console games and Miis. The reason this needs to be said is because retailer GameStop is offering $50 off the price of the new console (via pre-order) to anyone who trades in their Wii system.

While the Wii U is backwards compatible, you will still need to have both systems in order to transfer all of your data and play those games you have already paid cold, hard cash for.

In all the hullabaloo surrounding various Wii U announcements this morning including release dates, pricing, and the launch line-up, Nintendo took the time to emphasize that it has no plans on abandoning the Wii. They still love the little system.

Nintendo and various third-party publishers have revealed the games that will be available in the Wii U's "launch window," or the period in between the system's launch on November 18 and March 2013.

Joystiq has compiled a complete list of those titles, which we have posted below. No big surprises except that Bayonetta 2 will make its exclusive debut on the system and seems to be no longer published by Sega. Details below:

Here's our obligatory post about Wii U. This morning Nintendo announced that its next console will be released on November 18, 2012 and will come in two different flavors at two dramatically different price points. The white basic Wii U will cost $299.99 and will come with a Wii U Gamepad, an AC adapter, and an HDMI cable. The black deluxe version will retail for $349.99 and will include a Wii U Gamepad, an AC adapter, an HDMI cable, more internal memory, a GamePad charging cradle, stands for the gamepad and console, and a copy of the game NintendoLand.

You don't have to be a member of the press to learn about the Wii U because Nintendo will be live streaming its press event tomorrow at 10:00 AM ET via its official Facebook Page. Mobile devices can watch the live stream press conference here..

Nintendo has scored a rank of "0" from the watchdog group, the Enough Project. Out of the 24 companies on its list, Nintendo was the only one to receive the lowest rank possible. The Enough Project is a watchdog group that follows the money trail of "conflict minerals" from the Democratic Republic of the Congo where warlords are fighting for control of the country.

In episode 15 of the Super Podcast Action Committee, Andrew Eisen and E. Zachary Knight talk about Harry Potter games, OUYA's Kickstarter success and pre-order, a dehydrated teen, piracy, free-to-play spending, and Nintendo and Sony's trouble getting third-party developers to love their hand-helds. Download Episode 15 here: SuperPAC Episode 15 (1 Hour, 5 Minutes).

Nintendo issued a press release this morning announcing that it has prevailed in a lawsuit filed by Copper Innovations Group, LLC. The lawsuit alleged that the Wii console and its controllers infringed on one of the company's patents (U.S. Patent No. 5,640,152). Judge David Cercone of the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh granted a summary judgment to Nintendo and further ruled that there was no need for a jury trial. Basically Nintendo proved that Copper Innovations Group's lawsuit couldn't pass the smell test.

Nintendo is apparently tired of not having a uniform login solution across all of its handheld and home console devices and has decided to do something about it. According to this Polygon report (citing a report from Nintendo World Online), Nintendo customer service representative David Marshall has confirmed that the company will implement a unified eShop account system for Wii U and 3DS.

Nintendo will be at Comic-Con 2012 showing off the freshly announced Nintendo 3DS XL, the company announced today. It will not be showing off the Wii U for some reason...