Confirmed: Nintendo Wii U out for Christmas

Nintendo has announced a rough release date for the Nintendo Wii U, reigning in the launch to this side of 2013. But can a holiday launch tip the balance in Ninty’s accountants’ favour?

The Nintendo Wii U has been floating around looking for something resembling a release date ever since it debuted last year at the E3 gaming expo. Now, thanks to Nintendo Japan CEO Satoru Iwata, it has one.

At an earnings conference in Osaka, Japan, Iwata revealed that the Wii U will ship in time for the holidays this year in all major territories, including the UK. The launch is primed to soak up the majority of this year’s Christmas console sales and to help Nintendo return to profitability, after a year that’s seen them dip into the red for the first time ever.

If the Wii U can sell in equally monstrous numbers as the original Nintendo Wii, then the gaming behemoth should be fine… Even if efforts from Sony and Microsoft are just around the corner.

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Tags: Gaming, Gaming Console, Nintendo, Video, Wii U

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Super Mario Land 3D trailer and images released

Super Mario Land 3D might be a month away from release, but that doesn’t stop Nintendo from building up hype about the game. The company has just released a whole bunch of screenshots, renders and a video trailer for the game, and it sure looks fantastic. Then again, when was the last time you were down by a Super Mario game? It’s about time the 3DS got in on the Super Mario action anyway!

Super Mario Land 3D looks like it’ll have a mix of good ol’ classic elements in addition to new abilities and twists in gameplay to make it fresh. From the throwing fireballs after eating flowers, the classic “Tanooki” raccoon suit that gives him a tail to dodging enemies in three dimensions – it looks like it’s going to be a whole load of fun for everyone. Check out the game trailer and hit the source link for more screenshots and renders of the game. Who’s excited about Super Mario Land 3D?

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Tags: Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Super Mario, Super Mario Land 3D, Video

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Play Wii games on your Android tablet

Are you interested in being able to play Nintendo Wii on your Android tablet? We’re not sure why you would want to do that, perhaps for novelty value? Well either way, Obiwan222222 has come up with a way to play your Nintendo Wii from your Android tablet via network streaming.

Now for those of you who aren’t familiar with Obiwan222222, he’s a modder who seems to love his Wii quite a bit. So much so he has gone and made Wii games playable on the PSP, the iPod touch, and now it looks like he has brought the Wii over onto Android tablets, or to be more specific, the wildly popular ASUS Eee Pad Transformer.

Through the use of an Android app called Splashtop, which basically connects to your computer via VNC, and through the keyboard dock of the Transformer, he attached an Xbox 360 wireless controller. He then loaded up the Super Mario Galaxy 2 game on his PC via the Dolphin emulator, and voila! It appears that the game is up and running just fine.

Naturally there would be some lag since you’re not playing the game directly from the tablet, but based on the video (below), it appears to be playable. Interested in setting up something similar for yourself? Watch the video below for a demonstration and an explanation.

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Tags: Android, Asus, Eee Transformer, Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Tablet PC's

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Nintendo 3DS sales soar after price slash

Nintendo’s price slash to the 3DS looks to have reignited interest in the glasses-free 3D gaming handheld, with sales in Japan reportedly flourishing after the discount took effect. According to figures reported by Famitsu, Nintendo shifted 214,821 3DS units in the week between August 8 and August 14 after having dive-bombed in the months following the device’s launch.

In fact, it’s suggested, Nintendo sold more 3DS units after the price cut than it did in the second week that the console was actually on sale. Not quite as many as the very first week of Japanese availability – which came in at 371,326 units – but impressive numbers nonetheless.

Nintendo cut the 3DS by 10,000 yen to 15,000 yen in Japan, as part of a global discounting promotion intended to build the device’s userbase. Officially US pricing dropped to $169.99 earlier this week, though many retailers had jumped the gun and slashed the sticker price early. According to an open letter to 3DS early-adopters by Nintendo president Saturo Iwata, apologizing for the “dramatic price drop”, the sudden change was prompted by concerns that, without suitably broad market adoption, developers would begin to ignore the 3DS altogether.

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Tags: Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS

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The Wii U, Nintendo’s next console (video)

Coming in 2012, Nintendo’s next home console will deliver “deeper game experiences” that aim to offer “something for everyone.” And it’ll be called the Wii U! A variety of new controls will be made available by that crazy new controller with a 6.2-inch touchscreen embedded in it. Most importantly, you’ll no longer be tied to a TV to enjoy your home consoling action — the Wii U controller can handle your gaming session when the television is needed for other purposes, while a built-in front-facing cam will let you video chat from anywhere too. Notably, you won’t have to use the 6.2-inch behemoth if you don’t want too — the Wii U will be compatible with all current-gen accessories and software. Yes, your expansive Wii collection will play on the U version of the console as well. We’ve also seen some decidedly high-def visuals from Nintendo showing off the Wii U’s graphical prowess. See video of the unveiling after the break!

Batman: Arkham City, an Assassin’s Creed game, Dirt, Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Metro Last Light,Aliens Colonial Marines, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, and Darksiders II all got a mention as coming to the Wii U. Yes! EA’s John Riccitiello just said the Wii U will deliver “brilliant HD graphics.” Finally, the Wii is going HD!

Speaking of HD, the fact sheet from Nintendo informs us that the Wii U can pump out 1080p video over HDMI. It’ll also be compatible with component, S-video and composite cables. There’ll be “internal flash memory” of unspecified quantity, which will be expandable via either an SD card or external USB HDD. IBM is, as with the original Wii, once again responsible for providing the processor inside. Four USB 2.0 slots are made available, while game media will be served up on “proprietary high-density optical discs.” There’s also another, worthwhile, reminder that the Wii U will play Wii games and their optical discs without a problem.

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Tags: Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Video, Wii, Wii U

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Nintendo Hacked: Server Visited Without Authorization

Nintendo said that one of its server was accessed without authorization. The company stressed that no personal information was lost, but did not elaborate on the breach or the security vulnerability. Nintendo is probably still investigating the breach, but has recognized that “it is a fact there was some kind of possible hacking attack.” This come just before the E3 gaming expo (we’ll be there tomorrow) where Nintendo will unveil a new Wii console.Sony had previously been the victim of a much larger scale attack that did expose millions of user accounts and ended up costing tens of millions of dollars and frustrated users who could not access the service. As of late, Sony was still under attack and a smaller-scale breach has been reported this week. Sony is working with the FBI and other government agencies to trace the perpetrators of the attack.

One hacking group (Lulz security) said that it was behind the Nintendo breach and exposed one server configuration file as proof. However, they said that it was just a technical stunt and that Nintendo was not a target for a more serious attack.

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Tags: Gaming, Hacked, Nintendo, Security

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Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii in the works

Some folks just can’t get enough of Super Mario, the world’s most lovable and recognizable plumber. While some people just end up playing the same old games again, in anticipation of the next one, others decide to take things into their own hands. Like the group behind “Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii”. A bunch of dedicated fans, modders, developers, and homebrew gamers are working on a successor to the original game on the Wii.

Their reasoning behind starting the project is because Nintendo is set to unveil their new console at E3, it’s likely that they won’t be working on pushing out new games for the Wii anymore, especially not such a high-profile game like Super Mario. And so, the team is putting together a game using Nintendo’s original art and designs to make it look as authentic as possible. However, they will be crafting new gameplay mechanics, power-ups and over 100 new levels.

The game is scheduled to be released on November 16th, and will be distributed in a downloadable format that any Wii capable of homebrew software should be able to play. There’s no word if Nintendo will order a cease and desist of the project, but if you’re looking forward to playing the game, keep your fingers crossed. Watch the trailer for Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii:

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Tags: Gaming, Newer Super Mario Bros. Wii, Nintendo, Super Mario, Super Mario Bros, Video, Wii

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Nintendo 3DS sales hit 3.61m: 2010 net income down 66.1%

The Wii 2 may be off in 2012, but Nintendo is also talking about its current range, including sharing sales figures for the 3DS. According to the company’s latest financial results [pdf link], Nintendo sold 3.61m 3DS along with 9.43m games to play on it; that pales in comparison to the DS, which Nintendo sold 17.52m of and almost 121m games.

Nonetheless, sales for hardware and software overall were down in comparison to the previous year, with net sales for the twelve month period up to 2012 being 1,014 billion yen, down 29.3-percent, and net income of 77.2 billion yen, down 66.1-percent year-on-year.

The Wii, which will be replaced next year, sold 15.08m units worldwide, while 171.26m Wii games were sold. An extra 24 titles joined the list of “million sellers” for Wii – taking the total to crack that figure to 103 – while two of the 3DS games also broke the 1m barrier.

Nintendo maintains production is unaffected by the Japanese earthquake, though warns that indirect impact is likely. The company expects to sell 16m 3DS handhelds this coming year, as well as launching the Nintendo e-Shop download store for the console.

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Tags: Financial Results, Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii 2

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Nintendo Confirms Wii Successor For 2012

Nintendo has officially confirmed it will launch a successor to its vastly popular gaming console Wii in 2012.

Nintedo has sold 86.01 million Wiis from 2006, when the console was launched, to the end of March 2011. However, in 2010 the company sold only 15.1 million Wiis – a 25% drop from 2009 when it sold 20.1 million units globally.

The company also revealed its yearly financial results for 2010, marking a big drop in net profit which was $825 million – 66 percent less than in 2009.

The declining Wii sales paired with the shoddy financial results make this a perfect moment for Nintendo to announce the next version of Wii. A “2012 launch” is as vague as launch dates come, but Nintendo promised to have a playable unit, as well as more details and specifications of the upcoming Wii model, at the E3 Expo, which is held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.

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Tags: E3 Expo, Financial Results, Gaming, Gaming Console, Nintendo, Wii

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Nintendo Wii 2 “Stream” leaks: HD and Touchscreen controllers in late 2011?

Leaked details aplenty around Nintendo’s next-gen console to replace the Wii, believed to be codenamed Project Cafe, with IGN reporting on rumors that the Wii 2 will use innovative controllers with integrated “Screen Stream” technology that can stream games direct to an integrated color touchscreen. Mock-up images of the potential hardware – which may reach the marked as the Nintendo Stream, it’s suggested – have been discovered by NeoGAF, meanwhile, showing a somewhat retro, SNES-style console that’s said to be around the size of an Xbox 360.

Screen Stream will, it’s said, take the 1080p display the new high-definition Stream is capable of, and split the four individual views of multiplayer games, squirting one to each player’s controller. The TV can then show different camera angles or even be turned off completely. There’s also the possibility of “Virtual Console Games” similar to the tiny titles playable on SEGA’s DreamCast controllers.

As for the main hardware, Nintendo is said to be using a custom triple-core processor based on IBM’s PowerPC chipset, similar to the Xbox 360, though with higher clock speeds than the Microsoft console. It will be paired with a revamped version of AMD’s R700 GPU, expected to be faster than the PS3′s NVIDIA 7800GTX-based graphics chip. Foxconn is handling production.

The Wii 2, or Stream, could reach the market as early as mid-October 2011, though it’s possible that Nintendo could hold off from releasing the HD-capable console until early 2012. That would allow developers to build up a catalog of titles to take advantage of the Screen Stream technology. Pricing is believed to be in the region of $350 to $400.

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Tags: 1080p, Gaming, HD, Nintendo, Project Cafe, Wii, Wii 2, Wii Stream

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