While it's no Rock Band or Guitar Hero, Nintendo's Wii based music offering is still pretty fun. The game drops today and should provide hours of clean musical fun for you all. Below is the official press release. For detailed info on this game, see Wii Music on PPN Studio.

NINTENDO'S WII MUSIC LETS PLAYERS UNLEASH THEIR INNER MAESTROS

Unique Music Game for Wii Focuses on Improvisation, Creativity and Fun

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 20, 2008 - The sound of trumpets, the clash of cymbals and the thunder of drums herald today's launch of Wii Music™. Just as Wii Sports™ attracted millions of new players to the world of video games and Wii Fit™ showed people that fitness could be fun, Wii Music creates a whole new genre in video games, one that lets players have fun experimenting with music as they strive to produce fun, masterful arrangements.

"Music is a universal language that inspires and moves people," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "Wii Music provides a fun way for people to play together and be entertained while building a fundamental understanding of musical themes and rhythms. Wii Music can motivate people to learn real instruments or enhance their appreciation of musical performances."

Wii Music brings more than 60 instruments to your living room, where you're free to experiment with them in a variety of different ways. Unlike other music video games, Wii Music lets you put your own spin on songs. It's all about improvisation, creativity and fun. The goal is to explore your inner musician to find creative and interesting new blends of instruments, tempos and styles.

To play each instrument, you use the motion-sensing abilities of the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers to mimic the real-life motions of instruments: bow a violin, strike a vibraphone or pluck a sitar. The controllers know if you're playing fast or slow, hitting the notes gently or really jamming. Musical novices can understand how to play and start carrying a tune instantly, while people who are really into music will have fun creating mixes, rearranging tunes and sharing them with friends.

Songs in the Wii Music catalog can be rearranged with different instruments for a virtually endless variety of sounds. Imagine putting a reggae spin on Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" or turning pop favorites like "Every Breath You Take" or "Please Mr. Postman" into heavy metal tunes. The song list contains everything from American classics like "The Entertainer" to international favorites like "La Cucaracha." Video game fans will find several Nintendo favorites, like the themes from Super Mario Bros. ™, The Legend of Zelda™ and even Wii Sports.

Wii Music builds on the social gaming trend that Nintendo has pioneered. Not only can up to four musicians jam together on the same song, but once you've created your masterpiece, you can send it electronically to friends and family members who have Wii Music so that they can bask in your musical mastery. After they've had a listen, they can take your arrangement and add their own flavor to it with new instruments or a different tempo and send it back to you. This allows you to jam together even if you are miles apart.

Finally, Wii Music includes a variety of mini-games that let players create music videos, conduct an orchestra, play in a handbell choir, test their musical ears or even rock out on a virtual drum set. Drum Mode lets you use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers as drumsticks to play like you have a real-life drum set. Drummers who purchase Wii Fit separately also can use the Wii Balance Board™ accessory as virtual pedals for the bass drum and the hi-hat cymbal. But the basic Wii Music experience does not require any extra accessories. All 60+ instruments and 50+ songs are included at an MSRP of just $49.99.

Remember that the Wii™ console 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.

For more information about Wii Music, visit www.wiimusic.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.7 billion video games and more than 470 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii and Nintendo DS, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. 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.

Legendary Nintendo Composer Koji Kondo to Perform Live & Meet Fans!

2007 Game Developers Conference to Present World Class Concert Event & Festival

SAN FRANCISCO - February 20, 2007 - The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is proud to present Video Games Live as its special closing night ceremony. After a sold out performance at GDC last year in San Jose, Video Games Live returns once again with a new show for 2007.

Video Games Live is an immersive concert event featuring music from the biggest video games of all time accompanied by a full orchestra and choir along with completely synchronized state-of-the-art lighting and massive video screens. Exclusive video footage and music arrangements, solo performers, electronic percussion, live action and creative interactive segments combine to make Video Games Live the most successful video game concert in the world. The concert will take place at the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium on Friday, March 9th at 8 p.m. Tickets are available online at: LiveNation.com.

Legendary Nintendo composer Koji Kondo will be making a special appearance at the event and is scheduled to perform one of his favorite melodies from his long and storied career. Joining Nintendo in 1984, he has worked on such beloved franchises as Mario™, Zelda®, Star Fox® and many more.

"There is clearly no game music more recognizable around the world than the themes that Mr. Kondo has created over the years." said Video Games Live executive producer and co-creator Tommy Tallarico. "What an incredible honor to have such a true legend in the gaming world join us on stage to celebrate video game music and the wonderful industry surrounding it."

Other special San Francisco performances to include:

• Martin Leung the Video Game Pianist to debut a brand new classic video game arrangement
• A rare special acoustic performance by the original LucasArts composers performing a medley of classics including Monkey Island, Outlaws and Grim Fandango
• On stage performance by voice-over legend Dee Baker who appears as characters in SpongeBob SquarePants (TV), Teen Titans (TV), Viewtiful Joe, Halo 2, EverQuest II, Doom 3, Tales of Symphonia, Arc the Lad, Final Fantasy X-2, Metal Gear Solid 2, Kingdom Hearts & Spider-Man
• Incredible guitarist (and video game artist) Chris Kline aka "vertexguy" debuting his live synchronized Contra "Jungle Theme" rock-n-roll presentation.

Other events consist of the ever popular pre-show festival stating at 7:00pm which includes game competitions with Guitar Hero™ II and Space Invaders on a customized Dream Authentic arcade cabinet. Prize giveaways include a Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS Lite and Guitar Hero™ II sponsored by Advanced Media Network and over 250 classic arcade games donated by Dream Authentics. Other pre-show festivities include a costume contest where audience members will come dressed as their favorite video game characters. Finalists to be judged on stage by the audience. 1UP.com will have a special booth in which they will be supplying personalized ID's and a chance to win a Nintendo Wii. Other show sponsors and prizes provided by Intel, Ex'pressions College, the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), Music4Games.net, the Grammy/NARAS P&E Wing & ASCAP.

Prizes will be given away throughout the evening during several audience-interactive segments, starring one of the most beloved classic arcade games of all time, Frogger, as well as a live Space Invaders contest. This unique interaction with a live symphony has only ever been attempted and performed at Video Games Live. Grand prize includes a $2,500 Intel laptop.

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HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS HEADLINES NINTENDO FUSION TOUR

Annual Fall Tour Showcases Hot Bands and Great Video Games

REDMOND, Wash., July 18, 2006 – Music lovers and video game fans will converge in venues across the country this fall, as the fourth annual Nintendo Fusion Tour gets underway. The tour, headlined by emo-rock band Hawthorne Heights and produced by Live Nation, will visit some 40 cities nationwide between Sept. 27 and Nov. 11. In addition to live music, each venue will showcase the hot-selling Nintendo DS™ Lite and provide a sneak peek of Nintendo's upcoming console, Wii™.

"Video games are as important to the pop culture landscape as music," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The Nintendo Fusion Tour has become a launching pad for the best in entertainment, from the hottest new bands to the best upcoming Nintendo products."

Hawthorne Heights will lead the bill, which also includes Relient K, Emery, Plain White T's and The Sleeping. Many of the band members grew up playing Nintendo games, and the Nintendo Fusion Tour brings their two passions together.

"Nintendo always picks great rock bands, and we are happy to follow in that tradition this year," says Hawthorne Heights singer JT Woodruff. "But mainly, I am an old-school video game nerd. I still have my NES with over 500 games. I love everything Mario, and I accept no substitute. Bring on Wii!"

With their debut, "The Silence in Black and White" shipping platinum and "If Only You Were Lonely" at gold status, it has been a whirlwind year for Hawthorne Heights. After television appearances on Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live, the cover of magazines like Billboard and Alternative Press, a chart-topping alternative radio hit with "Saying Sorry" and video omnipresence on music television, the band has made legions of fans. See their new single, "Pens and Needles" on MTV's Total Request Live this summer.

Gotee/Capitol recording artist, Relient K, will release their fifth full-length album this Fall. Relient K have come a long way from their high school days in Canton, Ohio where they wrote some of their first songs in a Wendy's break room...They have headlined Warped tour, been nominated for Grammys, had singles in The Billboard Top 40 charts and have had three Gold records in a row. Matt Thiesen, lead singer for Relient K, says of the tour; "I RC Pro Am really Excite Bike about this Rampage of a tour."

For Seattle-based Emery, being on the road isn't a way of life... it's THE way of life. Through years of pedal to the metal touring, Emery has amassed an undeniably loyal and dedicated fan base. With their well known frenetic, sweat soaked performances, and after selling over 200,000 records, the guys in Emery won't be pulling back their weighty passionate rock anytime soon.

Chicago quintet Plain White T's are bringing energetic power pop and heartfelt lyrics to a whole new generation of young rock enthusiasts. With over 5 million total plays on MySpace.com and nearly 200,000 devoted friends, they are riding an unparalleled wave of frenzied word-of-mouth buzz. The Plain White T's are known for their passionate and dynamic live set that always gets the crowd moving, and their show-stopping acoustic hit, "Hey There Delilah," will have every girl in the audience singing along at the top of their lungs during the Nintendo Fusion Tour.

The Sleeping hit the studio in February 2006 with Michael Birnbaum and Chris Bittner at Applehead Studios (Coheed and Cambria, Straylight Run) to record their Victory debut, "Questions and Answers." The songs are packed with undeniable hooks and contemporary textures, but their sonic landscapes are a lot like atmospheric and progressive bands from the 90's like Incubus and At The Drive In. Doug Robinson, vocalist, said, "Our influences are really, really all over the place. We listen to everything from Nine Inch Nails to The Police to The Mars Volta; somehow we were able to take four diverse musical opinions and craft them into one interconnected album." From breakdowns to bongos, The Sleeping forges its own path and has a lot of depth that is often neglected by many fledgling bands.

Past Nintendo Fusion Tours have featured top bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, My Chemical Romance, Story of the Year and Evanescence. For ticket availability, the latest tour information and news about the Nintendo Fusion Tour, visit www.nintendofusiontour.com. The site will be updated as complete details about this year's tour become available.

Circuit City is the exclusive retail partner for the Nintendo Fusion Tour. The Nintendo Fusion Tour is being booked this year by Jeremy Holgersen and Mike Mori at The Agency Group.

About Nintendo:
The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems, and upcoming Wii™ console. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 375 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. 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.

About Live Nation
Live Nation is a leading live event, venue and digital distribution company focused on creating superior experiences for artists, performers, corporations and fans. Live Nation owns, operates and/or has booking rights for 153 venues worldwide and produced more than 29,500 events in 2005. Live Nation operates more than 60 web sites globally. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV." For more information regarding Live Nation and its businesses, please visit the company's web site at www.livenation.com.

Nintendo Fusion Tour: Exhibition of New Music and Video Games Will Hit Dozens of Cities

REDMOND, Wash., July 27, 2005 – The country’s best blend of cool music, hot video games and raw energy soon will visit a city near you. The 2005 Nintendo Fusion Tour kicks off its fall tour on Sept. 28 in Detroit, and will play nearly 40 other U.S. dates before the tour wraps up on Nov. 23. Each venue on the tour will be outfitted with video game stations, where concertgoers can check out new Nintendo products like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Nintendo GameCube, the hot new Game Boy micro and games for the hot-selling Nintendo DS.

"We’re giving both music and video game fans an incredible fusion of entertainment," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications.

Fall Out Boy headlines the tour, and joins other bands The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack, Boys Night Out and Panic! At the Disco. Fall Out Boy’s new album, From Under the Cork Tree, has recently been certified gold since its release two months ago. The first single, “Sugar, We’re Going Down,” has been racing up the modern rock charts, while the video has been getting heavy play on MTV, including a No. 1 rank on TRL. Chicago’s favorite sons have come a long way since their indie debut on Fueled by Ramen Records in 2003.

"We’ve been fans of Nintendo since the days of Excitebike and Kid Icarus," said Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. “We are excited to be a part of the Nintendo Fusion Tour because of the diverse offerings it gives our fans. While they check the bands out, they also get the chance to check out some new video games. Besides, we have all always been video game nerds anyway."

The Nintendo Fusion Tour is produced and marketed by branded live entertainment specialists Clear Channel Entertainment Properties, which also produced the last two Nintendo Fusion tours. The music magazine Blender is signed on as an exclusive sponsor of the tour. The 2004 Nintendo Fusion Tour featured My Chemical Romance and Story of the Year, while the 2003 headliner was Grammy-winner Evanescence.

During the tour, Nintendo will host an exclusive sweepstakes to win a limited-edition, Nintendo Fusion Tour-branded Game Boy Micro.
For ticket availability, up-to-date tour dates, and ongoing news about the Nintendo Fusion Tour, tune your browser to www.nintendofusiontour.com.

Nintendo Co. will begin selling an adaptor for its DS and Game Boy Advance handheld game players to allow them to play music and video, the company said, matching a popular feature on Sony's portable game machine.

Nintendo is in a heated battle to defend its dominant position in the lucrative handheld market against new competitor Sony Corp., which launched the PlayStation Portable (PSP), its first ever mobile game device, on Dec. 12 in Japan.

Nintendo's DS, launched in the United States on Nov. 21 and in Japan on Dec. 2, has been flying off the shelves but the PSP has generated an equal level of buzz among game fans, in large part because it can also play back music and movie files. The DS, which by itself is strictly a game device, will be able to play video in the MPEG-4 format and songs in the MP3 format by inserting a memory card into the new adaptor, which is plugged into a slot in the machine.

The adaptor will also work with the DS predecessor, the Game Boy Advance SP.

About 58 million Game Boy Advances have been sold worldwide. The DS is off to a strong start, with shipments expected to reach 2.8 million units by the end of the year.

"Someone could record a TV program on a memory card and then watch it the next day on their way to work on the train," said Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa, adding that it would allow for playback of CD-quality sound, depending on the transfer rate.

The company will start selling the adaptor in February 2005 in Japan for about 5,000 yen ($47.47, £25), Minagawa said. That is roughly the difference between the price of the DS by itself, at 15,000 yen, and the PSP, which sells for 19,800 yen before tax.

The device will be displayed at the Panasonic Center, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.'s showroom in Tokyo for current and future products, on Thursday. Nintendo has a game corner on the first floor of the facility.

Minagawa said Nintendo had no immediate plans to sell the adaptor overseas. The company quietly put a notice about the device on its Website on Wednesday without notifying media or issuing an official news release.

www.nintendo.co.jp