At the E3 Media & Business Summit today, Nintendo unveiled an enhancement for its iconic Wii Remote (Wii-mote) controller and new games that promise to further enrich and engage players around the world.

"Much has been reported about the 'expanded audience' for games, but what's really at play is an expanded experience," said both Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada's vice-president and general manager, and Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing, apparently at exactly the same time, as if the two were one voice, one mind... if localized press releases are to be taken at face value, at any rate. Alternately, neither are capable of speaking for themselves but are happy to sign off on the same quote written by an unsung PR copy writer, because they have better things to do, like work smarter, not harder. Freakishly, both went on to add "People of all ages having fun together -- whether in the same room or from remote locations -- puts smiles on faces and drives millions of new players into video game entertainment."

Anyway, the skinny goes like this:

Nintendo’s upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory for the Wii Remote controller is designed to more quickly and accurately reflect motions in a 3-D space, something critics hold as long overdue. A Wii MotionPlus dongle attaches to the end of the Wii Remote to augment the technology of the accelerometer and the sensor bar already employed by system.

Nintendo asserts that MotionPlus will allow for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion, where even slight movements of a user's wrist or arm will be rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play.

Essentially, the days of mere Wii-wanking are over.

Meanwhile, Nintendo also unveiled Wii Sports Resort, a sequel to Wii Sports, the popular game bundle with a Wii system (in North America). Wii Sports Resort is the first title to make use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which will come bundled in, along with a Wii Remote Jacket (Wii-prophylactic), much like Wii Play comes bundled with a second Wii-mote. Expected next year (Spring 2009), Wii Sports Resort is said to include new game experiences such as Sword Play, Power Cruising on a water scooter, and Disc Dog, a Frisbee tossing/fetching game.

Other Nintendo titles unveiled included Animal Crossing: City Folk, a quirky people simulator game except with quirky animals instead of people, and Wii Music, which will see the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers acting as one of 60 different air instruments such as violin, guitar, or cowbell (Yes! More cowbell!).

In the portable category, Nintendo took the opportunity to remind everyone that the Nintendo DS has sold more than 20 million units in North America and more than 70 million worldwide, then mentioned titles like Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades will be coming exclusively to DS this fall.