Nintendo has recently announced the release of game development tools for their popular Wii gaming console.  (Nintendo is expected to sell almost 18 million Wii’s this year, compared to 11 million of Sony’s PS3s)  The game creation service, called WiiWare, will allow developers to create simple games and sell them through the Wii Shop Channel.  Nintendo’s goal is to create more games for the console by enticing independent developers.  This will in turn drive demand for the console itself.  Nitendo’s move follows a similar announcement by Microsoft a few months ago. 

For Nintendo, extra revenue from games is just icing on the cake as the company’s business model revolves around console sales.  This is in stark contrast to Sony’s model which loses an estimated $240 per PS3 sold, in the hopes of making it up on games.  (Microsoft makes an estimated $75 on their Xbox 360 console.)  The Wii’s innovative motion sensing controller has already made it a target for hackers who have created a number of enhancements and extensions for the technology.  It will be interesting to see what kinds of innovations will be created as these hackers and developers get free reign on game creation.