During the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Nintendo announced that it's much talked about WiiWare service will finally kickoff on May 12. "Through WiiWare, Nintendo hopes to offer developers a virtual laboratory that serves as a breeding ground for new games, which encourages great ideas that creators always wanted to develop," the company said. "The combination of low development barriers and unique game experiences found only on Wii should enable developers to try new ideas with lower risk in a quicker, more creative and affordable way."

Although an exact list of games was not provided, early WiiWare games will include Square Enix's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Frontier's "enchanting platform adventure" LostWinds and a new episodic game series from Telltale (the folks behind Sam & Max).

As for Wii Fit, which has been a great success in Japan (over 1.4 million units sold), Nintendo will bring the title to North America on May 19. Nintendo said that third-party publishers are already working on new games and applications for the included Wii Balance Board. Wii Fit will also provide its own Wii Fit Channel that enables users to check in each day to track their fitness progress through weight and BMI.

"We are excited to participate in the Game Developers Conference this year
to share with developers and consumers alike our upcoming unique services and products," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "We are hopeful that they will appreciate our offerings of WiiWare, Wii Fit and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which represent a trio that will continue to attract new players to the world of video games."