Nyko Invites Wii Gamers to Party

Nyko has made a name for itself producing accessories for the video game market, but the company may be taking a quantum leap forward in the leisure technology market with its forthcoming Party Station for the Nintendo Wii, demonstrated this week at the E3 conference in Santa Monica.

Building on the idea of a coffee table centerpiece, the Wii Party Station takes advantage of the social nature of Wii gaming and aims to ofer everything a group of ambitious Wii-philes need to enjoy a good round of gaming. The Wii Party station features slots for four Wii remotes, a storage drawer for accessories like the Nunchuck, and four LED displays allegedly for keeping track of game scores. But here’s where the Party Station starts to get out of hand: the unit also features four cup holders, a bowling lane-style hand blower for drying player’s palms and helping insure a Wiimote doesn’t inadvertently fly across the room. And the pièce de résistance? In the center, a massive bowl for chips and dip.

Nyko was showing a prototype at the show, and the company is still refining the product: hopefully they’ll include features like Wiimote charging and (dare we hope?) cooling capability in the cup holders. And that drawer may have to get big enough to hold a Wii Zapper. But the company hopes to begin offering the Party Station in time for the end-of-year holiday season, with a price around $25.

[What’s next? A gun rack for the Xbox 360?]