3DS

3D
April 6, 2011
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Nintendo 3DS review: seeing double

By on April 6, 2011 at 11:50 AM.

Nintendo 3DS review: seeing double

The 3DS, Nintendo’s latest portable gaming platform and the first with a 3D display, made its U.S. debut on March 27th. Nintendo moved 400,000 units on launch day in Japan, and Amazon U.K. said the device broke console pre-order records as well. So, being the subway riding gamer that I am, I knew I had to find out what all this hype was about. I took it for a spin over the last week, staying up late trying to beat games and carrying it in my backpack to rock on the subway. And now, after a week of 3D gaming, it’s time to drop the hammer and see if the 3DS really is worthy of all that hype.

More →

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3D
February 27, 2011
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Nintendo 3DS launches in Japan, moves 400,000 units

By on February 27, 2011 at 2:40 PM.

Nintendo 3DS launches in Japan, moves 400,000 units

Living on the land of the rising sun? Well, we’re jealous because the Nintendo 3DS went on sale there this morning and Nintendo is said to have swiftly moved their initial 400,000 unit stockpile pretty swiftly (including pre-orders). Lines were said to be as long as 2,000 people deep for the ¥25,000 portable gaming system, but you can’t put a price on 3D, can you? Nintendo’s 3DS launches in the US on March 27th for $349 and is backward-compatible with previous Nintendo DS games including DSi games.

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Gaming
February 18, 2011
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NPD: Video game sales slide 5% in January, hardware down 8%

By on February 18, 2011 at 9:24 PM.

NPD: Video game sales slide 5% in January, hardware down 8%

Industry watcher NPD Group says sales of video game software in the U.S. declined by 5% year-over-year in January 2011, totaling $576 million. Console sales were down 8% to $324 million. On the back of continued strong sales of the Microsoft Kinect and PlayStation Move motion-based controllers, sales of video games accessories increased 6% year-over-year to $235 million. The only console to see growth in January was Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which sold 381,000 units — a 14.1% increase year-over-year. NPD ranked January’s software title sales as follows:

  1. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision Blizzard) – Xbox 360, PS3, Wi, DS, PC
  2. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft) – Wii
  3. Dead Space 2 (Electronic Arts) – Xbox 360, PS3, PC
  4. Little Big Planet 2 (Sony) – PS3
  5. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Majesco) – Wii, Xbox 360, PS3
  6. NBA 2K11 (Take-Two Interactive) – Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, PS2, PC
  7. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft) – Xbox 360, PS3
  8. Dance Central (MTV Games) – Xbox 360
  9. Michael Jackson The Experience (Ubisoft) – Wii, DS, PSP
  10. DC Universe Online: The Next Legend Is You (Sony) – PS3, PC

Overall, the U.S. gaming industry took in $1.14 billion excluding PC sales — a 4% slide versus the same month in 2010.

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Gaming
January 20, 2011
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Amazon, GameStop offering pre-orders of Nintendo 3DS

By on January 20, 2011 at 5:00 AM.

Amazon, GameStop offering pre-orders of Nintendo 3DS

Got yourself all jazzed up about the impending release of the Nintendo 3DS? Good news. Retailers Amazon and GameStop have begun offering pre-orders of the 3D portable-gaming system. In return for hammering in your credit card digits, and promising to pay $249.99 in March, you can reserve yourself the latest and greatest gadget from the Japanese electronics maker. Any takers? More →

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Gaming
January 19, 2011
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Nintendo officially announces 3DS U.S. plans; $249 on March 27th

By on January 19, 2011 at 10:06 AM.

Nintendo officially announces 3DS U.S. plans; $249 on March 27th

Good news for all those out there who are die-hard Nintendo fans. At a planned media event, the company officially announced its U.S. intentions for its 3DS portable gaming set. Launching on March 27th, the handset will have the same form-factor as the DSi and will be backwards compatible with both DS and DSi games. Nintendo noted that over thirty 3DS specific gaming titles will be available upon or shortly after device launch. The device will be available in “aqua blue” or “cosmo black” and will be priced at $249.99.

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Gaming
January 11, 2011
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Nintendo 3DS to be region locked?

By on January 11, 2011 at 3:04 PM.

Nintendo 3DS to be region locked?

A report filed by Korean gaming site RuliWeb claims that the upcoming Nintendo 3DS portable gaming handset will be region locked. The locking system on the 3DS will be much like the system used by DVD players and movie releases. The gaming console and corresponding games will have an embedded region code — the console’s region code will not be editable by the user. If the handset region and the game region do not match, gameplay is disabled. The publication cites the following conversation — purportedly between a customer and a Nintendo support staffer — as the source of its information:

There are no Region codes in DS and DS Lite, but DSi, DSi [XL], and 3DS have region codes. The region codes are installed in each game and the 3DS itself. … You can’t play if the region codes are different.

For example, if you play a Korean 3DS game with a Japanese 3DS system (or vice versa), you won’t be able to play at all.

A mild form of region locking is currently in use on the DSi and DSi XL consoles, albeit on DSiWare and DSi-enhanced titles only. The locking is, in all likelihood, an attempt to protect companies that have signed region-specific release deals with Nintendo. The company did not respond to requests for comment by several publications. More →

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Gaming
September 29, 2010
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Nintendo 3DS hitting Japan February 26, U.S. and Europe in March

By on September 29, 2010 at 7:09 AM.

Nintendo 3DS hitting Japan February 26, U.S. and Europe in March

Early this morning, Nintendo made the pricing and release date of the Nintendo 3DS very official. The company’s next generation mobile gaming set will begin shipping, in Japan, on February 26 for a cool 25,000 yen (~ $299). The device will be launched in cosmo black and blue; pricing and colors have not yet been set for the U.S./European launch. Hit the read link to check out Nintendo’s 3DS micro-site. More →

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Gaming
September 27, 2010
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German newspaper pegs Nintendo 3DS for November 11 in Japan

By on September 27, 2010 at 6:00 PM.

German newspaper pegs Nintendo 3DS for November 11 in Japan

A German newspaper has preemptively published the purported release date for Nintendo’s next mobile gaming system, the 3DS. The paper writes that the 3DS will be released in Japan on November 11 and will have a European release date sometime in the spring of 2011. The paper also states that Mario Kart 3DS, as well as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, will be two titles available when the device launches. Nintendo has a press event scheduled for September 29 in Tokyo, Japan; it seems like we won’t have to wait too long to find out if the publication is correct. More →

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Gaming
July 29, 2010
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Nintendo to unveil 3DS launch details on September 29th

By on July 29, 2010 at 11:36 AM.

Nintendo to unveil 3DS launch details on September 29th

Nintendo confirmed on Thursday that it is holding an event to announce the details of a new product on September 29th. This centerpiece product for this upcoming event is most likely the Nintendo 3DS, a 3-D portable gaming device unveiled by Nintendo earlier this year. If this supposition pans out, then we can expect Nintendo to announce the official launch date,launch markets, and pricing for this novel gaming device. Folks trying to adjust their budget to accommodate a purchase of the 3DS would be wise to consider the words of James Honeywell, Nintendo’s marketing manager, who hinted to Electric Pig that the 3DS will fall somewhere within the current DS pricing architecture. With the DSi available for £129.99 ($203 USD) and the larger DSi XL for £159.99 ($249 USD), we would expect the 3DS to hit that sweet spot between $200 and $250. Anyone looking to score a 3DS when it becomes available later this year?

[Via Kotaku] More →

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Breaking
June 15, 2010
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Nintendo announces the 3DS

By on June 15, 2010 at 1:21 PM.

Nintendo announces the 3DS

nintendo-3ds

Today at E3, Nintendo delivered upon its promise and announced the 3DS, the only device of its kind to deliver 3D imagery without requiring users to wear dorky special glasses. The portables secret weapon is its 3.5″ 3D display which users can adjust based upon their proximity to the screen for optimal 3D viewing; there will also be an option to disable 3D. Like the 2D DS, the bottom display is a resistive touchscreen and the front-facing camera remains unchanged. Another neat feature is the dual camera system on the backside of the main display which allows users to capture 3D images. There’s also a gyropscope, motion sensor, and Wi-Fi which apparently is able to download content in the background and sniff out a connection and log onto the web without your instructing it to do so. Pricing and a release date were not disclosed. More →

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General
May 6, 2010
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Nintendo's yearly profits drop, Wii sales fall

By on May 6, 2010 at 1:41 PM.

Nintendo's yearly profits drop, Wii sales fall

wii

Today, Nintendo posted its 2009-2010 fiscal earnings, and the Japanese gaming giant is beginning to stumble. For the first time in six years, Nintendo’s annual net profit fell, dropping 18% to ¥228.64 billion ($2.45 billion) in this fiscal year, which ended in March 2010. Nintendo blamed the slide on the appreciation of the yen, a late 2009 price cut on the Nintendo Wii, and the lack of strong game titles to drive the sale of hardware. Speaking of hardware sales…they lagged a bit, with Nintendo selling 20.5 million Wii consoles, down from 26 million in the previous year. The DSi showed a similar decline as Nintendo sold 27.11 million units, down from 31.18 million in the previous year. Despite the decline, Nintendo remained optimistic for the current fiscal year with a forecast of: ¥200 billion in profits, 18 million Wii units, and 30 million DSi units. The Japanese gaming company dismissed concerns over increased competition from the XBOX 360, the Playstation 3, and the Apple iPad citing its knowledge of the gaming business and its unique hardware, which appeals to a wide audience. Nintendo did not comment on the future of the Wii hardware, but did confirm the rumored 3DS, a new handheld gaming device that will allow 3D gameplay without the need for special glasses. More →

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Gaming
March 23, 2010
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Nintendo slides through the Nintendo 3DS

By on March 23, 2010 at 7:22 AM.

Nintendo slides through the Nintendo 3DS

3d-nintendo-logo

Sure it might turn out to be nothing more than an incredibly expensive fad, but whether you like it or not, 3D everything is going to continue to be shoved in your face for the foreseeable future. Case in point: The Nintendo 3DS (temporary name) which today was announced by Nintendo. Images, specs, pricing, a list of launch titles and just about anything else imaginable have been withheld, but we do know the 3DS is headed for a Q1 2011 release and that “games can be enjoyed with 3D effects without the need for any special glasses” and that the system “will include backwards compatibility so that software for Nintendo DS series, including the ones for Nintendo DSi, can also be enjoyed.” Nintendo has said it will give out further details this June at E3, but man, that’s a lot of time for Nintendo junkies to go sleepless. More →

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