WiiWare gets ready to tackle Xbox Live

Nintendo is launching 8 titles for the launch of its WiiWare store on May 20th. Included in this lineup will be favourites such as Mario and Final Fantasy games.

Since its launch, the Nintendo Wii has sold over 19million consoles, which makes it by far the best selling console of all time. However, it seems like the profit margin from these machines is low, and that WiiWare will allow Nintendo to begin really profiting from the installed base they have in the marketplace.

These cheaper downloadable games will have an arcade style to them, and should allow more casual gamers to add to their titles without forking out the cost of retail games. It should also provide a platform for smaller design studios to publish games without the budget required for the major releases these days. Cammie Dunaway from Nintendo said: "WiiWare is to the video game industry what independent films are to Hollywood. It lets developers experiment with new ideas and experiences."