Get Ready for the Nintendo Wii 2

Nintendo could be revealing a HD successor to the Wii console this summer, according to new reports.

There hasn’t been a new gaming console since the launch of the Wii and PlayStation 3 in November 2006. However, Microsoft has breathed new life into its console, the Xbox 360, thanks to the Kinect. The Wii, which has been best the best-selling console for years, is about to lose its first place position.

While Nintendo intends to respond to the Xbox threat by cutting the Wii’s price next month, it looks like the gaming company has another trick up its sleeve: a brand new HD console. According to Game Informer‘s sources, Nintendo plans to unveil a new console at the E3 conference in Los Angeles in June or potentially sooner.

Very little is known about the rumored console, not even the name (Wii 2? Wii HD? Wii 360?), but it’s likely to be more powerful than the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3, according to Kotaku. Nintendo has apparently been showing off the system to third-party developers so they can prepare titles for the console’s eventual launch in late 2012.

The Wii captured the hearts and minds of casual gamers with its innovative controller system and its lower price point, but the specs and visuals of its rival consoles are far stronger, giving them greater longevity. Microsoft has also mitigated the Wii’s advantage with causal gamers, thanks to Kinect. Perhaps that’s what is driving Nintendo’s rumored decision to be first on the market with a new console.

Article: RSS via Mashable

Tags: Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Wii 2, Wii HD

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The Super Nintendo You Can Hold In The Palm Of Your Hand

And no, don’t make a Game Boy Advance joke, you smartass. Hyperkin’s Supaboy is an upcoming handheld unit that’s actually a Super Nintendo. Like, you have to insert Super Nintendo cartridges to play it.

Currently slated for a North American release, the Supaboy will play both American and Japanese carts. It also supports multiplayer, as you can either game alone using the in-built LCD screen or plug it into a TV, and use actual SNES pads (not inlcuded) to duke it out.

It runs on a rechargeable battery, giving n estimated 5-5.5 hours of battery life, and should be out this Summer.

There’s no word on price yet, but other Hyperkin SNES-compatible consoles go for between $60-70, so this shouldn’t be too far off that mark.

Article: RSS via Kotaku

Tags: Gaming, Hyperkin, Nintendo, Supaboy, Super Nintendo

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Nintendo Wii rumored to get price cut?

The Nintendo Wii has been around for a fair number of years already, and to date it has experienced just one official price cut. Good news for extremely late adopters who still do not own a WIi – from May 15th onwards, word on the street has it that the Nintendo Wii will experience yet another price cut, seeing the sticker price tag touch a new low of $150. This is $99 off the original price of $249 when the Wii first hit the market all those years ago, followed by a $50 drop to $199 in September a couple of years ago. Already 4 years in the market, will a rumored price cut, if it comes true, actually help boost the flagging sales figures of the Wii? Only time will tell, but we hope that quality titles on that console will be able to stem the tide, after being fed with shovelware for so long already.

Article: RSS via UberGizmo

Tags: Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii

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Game stocks shops with Tesco 3DS consoles

Pre-owned, never pwned

As pre-owned 3DS consoles line the shelves of Game, customers could be forgiven for thinking Nintendo gamers were unsatisfied with their purchase.

While this may be true in some cases – with complaints emerging about the 3DS effect causing eyestrain – it turns out the retailer has actually had its staff queueing up to purchase new stock from Tesco and is then selling it on in a bid to cover expected shortages and boost game sales.

So how does this box shifting work out for the customer? A 3DS can be picked up in Tesco for £175 when bought with any 3DS title for £35. Game meanwhile sells its new 3DS consoles at £220 and offers “pre-owned” consoles for £5-£10 cheaper. Hmm.

An internal document – snapped in a Bond-style spy capture and sent to Eurogamer -revealed that staff at Game were encouraged to take a trip to the supermarket and snap up all the stock they could get their hands on.

“Whilst we are unable to competitively match this offer in terms of a mint price, it offers a great opportunity to gain 3DS consoles and games for your store’s pre-owned stock.” reads the document.

It does go on to say how staff shouldn’t up-sell the consoles to customers and how the Tesco incentive was a non-mandatory mission. It also says such consoles shouldn’t be sold until regular stock has dried up.

Game has since said it only happened in small volumes in selected stores to build pre-owned stocks at the same time as its competitors. However, ardent gamers may well be happy to see this supermarket spree continue with stockpiles of frozen pizza and Red Bull available in Game stores.

Article: RSS via Reg Hardware

Tags: Game, Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Tesco

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N64Boy Advance is one fine lookin’ Nintendo 64 handheld

If you head on over to the Modded By Bacteria message boards you’ll find that forum member Hailrazer has put together a little somethin’ that he likes to call the N64Boy Advance. And like all successful mods, not only does the thing look good, it also boasts tweaks suited to the builder’s tastes: he uses a Gamecube joystick instead of one from a Nintendo 64 controller, he’s decreased the smaller trigger buttons (which our man hardly ever uses), and done away with the d-pad altogether (ditto). The case itself is an old Game Boy Advance carrying case (with the N64 board cut down to fit) and speakers, a 4.3-inch display, and a couple camcorder batteries thrown in for good measure. Of all the modes we’ve seen from Hailrazer, this might be out favorite yet! See for yourself after the break.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgyzuFMfJ4Q

Article: RSS via Engadget

Tags: Gaming, Hacks, Mods, N64Boy Advance, Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Video

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Nintendo 64 Emulator for Android Brings Mario Kart and Ocarina of Time to Your Phone

The only fitting response to Nintendo ragging on smartphone gaming is to release an N64 emulator on Android, isn’t it? Yongzh has recently released N64oid on the Android Market, complete with transparent on-screen controls (with the option to use the accelerometer as the analog stick for tilt control), or you can configure hardware controls, ideal if your phone has a physical keyboard. There’s also save/load support, which is a must for any serious gamer. In terms of game selection, Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong Racing, and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are just some of the titles shown in screenshots, and I presume there’s support for the popular ROM formats.

I’m actually kind of surprised to find these apps on Google’s official app store – there are all sorts of intellectual property complaints Nintendo could bring to bear. The iPhone App Store doesn’t allow this kind of thing at all, which is great for content providers like Nintendo, but not so great for end-users who want their 64-bit mid-90s gaming jollies on the go.

N64oid can be found over here costing $4.99. Yongzh has a few other emulators in both free and premium varieties if you’re looking for something a little older-school – Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, Atari, and Game Gear apps can all be found on his Market page.

Article: RSS via IntoMobile

Tags: Android, Apps, Emulator, Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo 64

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R4 working on hacked Nintendo 3DS

If there’s one thing you can be sure of whenever a new gaming console is released, it’s that hackers will have their way with it sooner or later and in the case of the Nintendo 3DS, it’s the former. The 3DS hasn’t even been on the market for a week, and some hackers have already devised a way for it to run R4 cartridges. In case you didn’t know what R4 cartridges are, they are special cartridges that can be used on the Nintendo DS to run pirated games and/or homebrew software. A new R4 cartridge hasn’t been released for the 3DS yet, but hackers have managed to hack the 3DS to enable the previous R4 to work on it. The good news (for Nintendo) is that not everybody is capable of hacking the device to make this a widespread issue but you can be sure that Nintendo won’t be sitting around for that to happen. Let the game of cat and mouse commence…again. Hit the break to watch a couple of videos that prove the R4 works on hacked 3DS devices:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXU2W0ZOyNo

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba8xtznXIzQ

Article: RSS via Ubergizmo

Tags: 3D, Gaming, Hacks, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, R4 Card, Video

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Nintendo 3DS sold out in less than 24 hours

To anyone who ever dismissed glasses-free 3D as a gimmick – the sales figures of the latest Nintendo console should put all doubts to rest, at least for people in Japan. Nintendo shipped a total of 400,000 units of their 3DS console to the retailers in Japan and the device went on sale last Saturday (February 26). In less than 24 hours, every single unit was snapped up from the shelves of those retailers. It’s pretty understandable since Nintendo basically has a cult following in Japan. It’ll be interesting to see if the rest of the world receives the console the same way. The Nintendo 3DS will be made available in Europe on March 25th and the US on March 26th. How many of you will be standing in line to get your hands on one in a few weeks?

Article: RSS via Ubergizmo

Tags: 3D, Gaming, Japan, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS

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Pre-order the Nintendo 3DS at Argos with free accessories and vouchers

Argos now have the Nintendo 3DS available for pre-order for £229.99 which also included a free accessory kit worth £20 and £60 worth of vouchers all included in the price. If your ready to put your pre-order in with one of the other retailers like Amazon or Play then you might want to reconsider to get yourself some freebies!

Article: Local via Go Gadget News

Tags: 3D, Argos, Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS

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Nintendo 3DS UK price: £229 says Nintendo staffer

UPDATE: The Nintendo 3DS is up on Game.co.uk for pre-order in both shades at £229.99.

The Nintendo 3DS UK price hasn’t been officially revealed with Nintendo saying that retailers will set their price points based on their recommended retail price. However, we just overheard a Nintendo staffer (the Nintendo staff badge was a big clue) telling a contact that the Nintendo 3DS UK price will be around £229 and that there will be “special deals” done. Of course, his information could be duff but we reckon that’s a good shout as we’ve heard from a source within a major retailer that he’s been quoted that price too – although Play.com is now listing it for £219.99. Click the headline and let us know, would you pay £229 for the Nintendo 3DS?

Article: RSS via Electricpig

Tags: 3D, Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS

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