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3DS and Rage are big winners of E3 2010 Game Critics Awards
Just one week after revealing the nominees of the E3 2010 Game Critics Awards, the numbers are in and the big winner is ... Nintendo's look-ma-no-glasses 3D handheld, the 3DS. But wait, the 3DS is just the Best of Show and Best Hardware winner! If you're looking for software, look no further than id Software's look-ma-crab-hands mutant-infested shooter, Rage, which took home the most awards in the show: Best Console Game, Best Action Game and Special Commendation for Graphics. If you think it must've been frustrating to be either Sony or Microsoft, both of which were busy showing off their newest motion-sensitive gadgetry, you'd be mostly right. Microsoft did have one small consolation prize: Dance Central, Harmonix's look-ma-no-coordination dancing game for Kinect, took the well-deserved Best Original Game and Best Motion Simulation prizes. None of Microsoft's first-party Kinect efforts and no PlayStation Move games, first-party or otherwise, made the list. Find the entire list of award winners, with links into our game pages for all of our coverage, after the break.
Masahiro Sakurai explains Kid Icarus' uprising on 3DS
Speaking to Techland, Kid Icarus: Uprising producer Masahiro Sakurai described how the new 3DS franchise revival came about. Essentially, all of the distinguishing characteristics of the game came into the picture separately. First, Sakurai decided that he wanted to make a shooting game for Nintendo's new handheld, which he knew would be more powerful than the DS. Then, according to Sakurai, "Mr. Iwata said, 'Maybe you might like to do some Nintendo franchise,' and I felt that if the match was good, then there's definitely room for that." Sakurai was thinking Star Fox, but "the game design incorporates a lot of different views; for example, flying and shooting sideways, or turning around and shooting behind -- and I felt that there were some restrictions with Star Fox in this regard." (Of course, Star Fox ended up on 3DS anyway.) It was only after coming up with the game concept that Sakurai learned of the 3D screen, and "quite by chance or luck, [Nintendo] found that to be a very good match with the gameplay idea." Sakurai also proved that he's basically as clueless as the rest of us about the renewed popularity of Pit, the protagonist of an inscrutable NES game about shooting mice, collecting hammers and being turned into an eggplant. "I think -- and you can recognize this from the original game, too -- that he has sort of this carefree, worry-free sort of air about him, and that, I think, provides a positive outlook for the player and relieves some of the stress that you get from more serious games." %Gallery-95653%
Marvelous plans new IP, 3DS Harvest Moon for next fiscal year
The reduction of new IP coming out of Marvelous Entertainment isn't as total as we'd heard. In a recent investor Q&A summarized by air-be and translated by Siliconera, the company revealed that it will have original IP in the next fiscal year, for "new hardware." The current fiscal year ends March 31, 2011. This hardware is likely to be something other than the 3DS. The company refers to that system explicitly when discussing its plans to release a Harvest Moon game on Nintendo's extradimensional handheld. That Harvest Moon game, by the way, also won't be ready until the next fiscal year, which means that you won't be planting crops deep into the ground -- with visible depth -- at the 3DS's launch.
Reggie confirms 2011 launch for 3DS on Fallon
Nintendo of America's towering president stopped by the set of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon yesterday, closing off the show's week long celebration of upcoming video games with a look at Donkey Kong Country Returns. After teaching Fallon the correct method of Diddy-maneuvering, Reggie Fils-Aime brought out the big guns: The 3DS, which he told Fallon would be coming out "next year." Oh, that thing you just heard? That was the sound of one thousand Christmases being simultaneously ruined. You can check out the Donkey Kong demo and Fallon's enthusiastic reaction to the handheld's glasses-less 3D effects in the video posted after the jump.
Yoot Saito teases possibility of Seaman on 3DS
If you were to take the entire 3DS lineup announced at Nintendo's E3 press conference last week, and roll all our anticipation for said titles into a single lump, it probably wouldn't match the scope of our excitement for this faintly teased remake. A fan of Yoot Saito recently asked the idiosyncratic game developer on Twitter about the chances of getting a new Seaman title on the 3DS. According to Andriasang's translation, Saito responded to this query by saying he couldn't mention specific details, but said fan should keep hoping for said game. The fan went on to (understandably) voice his excitement for the prospect of Seaman 3D, which Saito once again responded to, saying his development team would work to meet the fan's expectations. We know we've been hurt before (how's that Seaman 2 localization coming along?), but we could really go for a portable version of that scaly little sardonic bastard.
Warren Spector: 'The 3DS changed my life'
We've read (and written!) some positive write-ups on Nintendo's recently revealed, extra-dimensional handheld, but nothing quite so glowing as the latest blog post from developer extraordinaire Warren Spector. "The 3DS changed my life," Spector explained on his personal blog. We're still trying to tell if he was being sincere, or if he was just trying to come up with a title for the nerdiest Lifetime Original Movie ever made. "I can be pretty stubborn and when I decide I know something or I'm right about something, I don't often change my mind," he added. "Well, I just want to say I've been completely wrong about 3D all my life. I never got it before. Until now." The reason behind Spector's lack of 3D experience? He lost his ears in a tragic childhood biking accident, and has had no appendages upon which to perch special spectacles. Now we totally understand his enthusiasm.
Preview: 3DS 'Paddle Ball' tech demo
I know, I know -- a preview of a tech demo? In fairness, this one kind of blew my mind. Here's the skinny: outside of games we're assigned to play, there's rarely extra time while covering the controlled madness of E3 for Joystiq writers to check out something they're personally interested in ... other than the last day, that is. So, last Thursday, several of us who had yet to check out the Nintendo 3DS sneaked in a few personal moments with the device everyone was buzzing about. Upon first entering the 3DS area of Nintendo's E3 2010 booth, Nintendogs + Cats was available to pet, and an array of 3DSes with 3D trailers weren't too far away -- these featured everything from Mario Kart 64, which looked stunning, to a new Pilotwings title (hooray!). What impressed me the most, though, didn't star Mario or Chris Redfield or Solid Snake -- it was Pong. Alright, so, the Nintendo rep walking around the area with a 3DS chained to her waist (no joke) referred to it as "Paddle Ball," but for all intents and purposes, it was 3D Pong. %Gallery-95697%
Iwata talks third parties on 3DS, online functionality in investor Q&A
Nintendo showed off an impressively diverse lineup of first- and third-party 3DS titles at E3, including games like Metal Gear Solid and Dead or Alive that don't usually show up on Nintendo consoles. An investor asked Nintendo president Satoru Iwata about the new variety of content on the 3DS during an E3 Q&A, and Iwata revealed that the graphical capabilities of the system brought new opportunities for third-party games. "When we took the new Nintendo 3DS hardware and showed it to (third-party) publishers and developers, their feeling was that much of their content was something they could realize on the Nintendo 3DS system," he said, "and that's why we were able to announce the lineup that we did yesterday." If you build something with nice graphics, Hideo Kojima will appear eventually. Iwata also elaborated a little on Nintendo's plans for new "always-on" online functionality in the 3DS. It sounds like the whole online concept for the system is built around the Dragon Quest IX/Nintendogs "tag mode" idea, in which data is passively sent to the device when in contact with a Wi-Fi signal. "So up until now, much of the digital distribution focus has been on more of a 'pull type' where the consumer goes out, gets the content and pulls it to themselves," Iwata said. "With Nintendo 3DS, we're looking at a model that would be more focused around the 'push type,' where we're able to push information or content out to the device. And with a model like that, what it means is that because the consumer doesn't have to actively seek out the information themselves, it gives us a venue for creative new ideas of our company or of our developers to reach consumers much more easily."
3DS Resident Evil Revelations ... revealed in trailer
Capcom announced that Resident Evil: Revelations, the 3DS survival horror game, uses the same MT Framework engine that powers console games like Lost Planet 2 and Resident Evil 5. According to Capcom, the engine delivers stereoscopic visuals and "graphical quality comparable to consoles." You can judge for yourself in the trailer below. Of course, since it isn't stereoscopic, and there is as of yet no way of knowing whether these scenes are in-engine or pre-rendered, it's not exactly the most accurate representation of the 3DS's capabilities. It is, though, still a trailer for a new Resident Evil game, and as such it's loaded with entertainingly overacted dialogue. %Gallery-95705%
Reggie: 3DS launching in 'major markets' by March 2011
When Nintendo of Japan made its first terse, cryptic announcement of the 3DS in March, it offered a vague release window: "during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011." At the time, we assumed that this time frame applied to the Japanese launch only. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime kicked that assumption in an interview with IndustryGamers. "The one thing, for sure," Fils-Aime said about the 3DS release plan, "is that we will launch in all of our major markets by March 31, 2011." As for the specific release dates, Nintendo is still "making individual market decisions in terms of what's happening in Japan, what's happening in the Americas [and] what's happening in Europe." It's worth noting that the last two DS systems launched in the spring in North America: DSi on April 5 (2009) and DSi XL on March 28 (2010). Fils-Aime also reiterated that the design of the device seen at E3 is not final, so don't get married to the analog stick placement or those shiny paint jobs just yet.%Gallery-95697%
Nintendo 3DS will launch 'in all major markets' by March 2011, design still being tweaked
When Nintendo of Japan first announced the 3DS (think: way back in March), it promised a release of the portable by the fiscal year ending March 2011. Given the DS and DSi's six-month global rollout window, however, we weren't sure if that applied to the world or just the company's backyard -- sure, we've heard rumors of a UK release in October, but nothing's been confirmed. Cue Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime to give a definitive answer: "The one thing, for sure, is that we will launch in all of our major markets by March 31, 2011." Well, that about settles it in our mind. Fils-Aime also clarifies that what we saw on the floor is not the final design -- something that was mentioned during the press conference -- but we wouldn't expect anything more than slightly altered button placement (for its part, the official site lists "look," battery, pre-installed software, and supported languages as TBA). But hey, if you want to believe a third screen is possible, don't let us stop you from dreaming.
NIS America has a 3DS dev kit
Sometime in the near future, we could be treated to three-dimensional Prinnies exploding in our faces. Haru Akenaga, president of Disgaea publisher NIS America, told Siliconera that the company has received a 3DS development kit. Akenaga did not confirm any specific titles in development, or even that NISA had begun development on anything at all. But this can only lead to good things for people who want quirky, patently Japanese games with the appearance of depth. We've followed up with NISA to ascertain more details.
Iwata: 3DS likely won't sell below production cost
When we were ripped from the E3 3DS demo units by heartless Nintendo reps, our minds raced to calculate precisely how much we'd be willing to pay to take one home with us. The answer was ... unnerving, to say the least. While we still don't have an official price, we've got a slightly better idea courtesy of a recent VentureBeat interview with Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata. He says that the handheld will, unsurprisingly, cost more to produce than a DS does today and that it won't be sold below production cost. We don't know the current DS Lite production price, so determining a minimum price from that quote is tricky. But here's a little perspective: The original DS cost $150 at launch, the DS Lite cost $130, a price point it's still doing crazy numbers at four years later. Our gut's saying at least $200 for the 3DS, but we'd be thrilled to be proven wrong ... provided we're overestimating. Also of interest in the VentureBeat piece: Iwata says that the 3D tech in the system has been prototyped on the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance. Just imagine! There's an alternate reality where the Wii has six dimensions duct-taped together.
Nintendo 3DS uses DMP's PICA200 GPU
Instead of going with the rumored Nvidia Tegra chip to power the display in the 3DS, Nintendo has chosen a product from Digital Media Professionals. The Japanese hardware company announced last night that its PICA200 chip was selected by Nintendo as the GPU in the Nintendo 3DS. DMP boasts that the 200MHz chip can provide 15.3 million polygons a second, 800 million pixels a second, and can perform alpha blending, full-scene antialiasing, and other features that sound like they make nice graphics. Nintendo has yet to reveal the CPU or any of the other chips behind the 3DS, but at least we're starting to get an idea what's going on in there. After the break, check out a video made by DMP to show off the chip's abilities. Perhaps you can look at it on two monitors at once to get an idea of the 3D capabilities of the system, or wiggle your monitor back and forth.
Here's every 3DS screenshot released so far
They may not be visible in 3D -- or even represent every game announced for Nintendo's newest handheld -- but the screenshots of 3DS titles released during E3 week are plenty, and we've hunted down every last one so you don't have to. You'll find everything from Animal Crossing to Zelda: Ocarina of Time in the galleries after the break. If you think they look good now, wait until you see them in glasses-free, coming-out-of-the-screen action. We know -- it's going to be a tough wait.
Entelligence: The aftermath of E3
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. Last week's E3 show was pretty wild. All the major players upped their game quite a bit -- pun intended. Here's my breakdown of the show. Microsoft: The folks in Redmond led the way with an intro launch party featuring a custom performance from Cirque de Soleil. That was just to warm things up -- when it came to actual announcements, Microsoft took a two-tiered approach. On one hand it's building on the success of long established titles like Gears of War, Fable and of course, Halo. On the other it's taking the time to re-boot the Xbox 360 with Kinect, which brings controller-free gaming to the platform, as well as adding voice and gesture controls. I think Kinect is a major leap forward in the gaming experience that will appeal to both mainstream and casual gamers. With a streamlined new Xbox 360 and an impressive set of launch titles debuting alongside, Kinect is more akin to a console launch than a peripheral. Overall, I'd say Microsoft is in the lead post-E3 and very well positioned for holiday.
Nintendo 3DS to allow for game installs?
Here's an interesting little tidbit from Japan's financial newspaper Nikkei. According to an article translated by andriasang -- who also provided information this morning on a wireless ebook reader -- Nintendo's 3DS will be able to copy multiple games to internal memory and selected from the menu. Now, that can be interpreted in many ways. It could mean 3DS carts installing fully on the system à la Xbox 360's game install. Another -- and we think more likely -- interpretation is that games can be downloaded via some store and saved internally. At this point, however, we don't have any details on a 3DS online marketplace, and in an interview with Joystiq, the company's in-house legend Shigeru Miyamoto wouldn't comment on compatibility with current DSiWare. As for theoretic storage capacity, Nintendo still isn't saying how much internal memory is in the device, but we do know the SD card slot is still there. All this discussion, of course, is assuming the translation is correct, and since we're currently unable to verify for ourselves, consider all this a rumor right now.
3DS hardware shots in stunning 2D
After seeing games running in glasses-free 3D on Nintendo's black-magic powered 3DS, looking at old-fashioned "flat" images just isn't that much fun anymore. Still, these official photos of (the still-a-prototype) the 3DS itself -- in red and blue -- are pretty impressive. Emphasis on pretty. They'll almost make you want to reach into your screen to grab them, but we really don't recommend that. Having to buy a new monitor will kind of put a dent in that money you're setting aside to buy a 3DS. %Gallery-95697%
Devour these Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater The Naked Sample screens
Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater The Naked Sample may not have been a playable game at Nintendo's 3DS display area, but it was still one of the most impressive demos shown. It's like really being a terrified secret agent crawling through the jungle, totally checking out a big alligator and having knives thrown at you. These screens aren't even 3D. They aren't even in motion. But for 2D, static images of a non-playable 3D demo, we think these screens are pretty impressive. They show evidence of a lot of work -- Snake's sneaking suit appears to be a revised version of the sneaking suit he found in MGS3.%Gallery-95662%
Nintendo 3DS game cart pictured, wireless ebook reader on tap?
It was easy to get lost amidst all the attention surrounding the 3DS itself, but Nintendo also had an actual 3DS game cart on hand at E3 and, well, it looks pretty much like a regular DS cart (probably a good thing, since the two are compatible). About the only difference, it seems, is that small extra tab on the corner, and a slightly slimmer case that they'll come packaged in. In other overshadowed-by-E3 news, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has apparently told Nikkei that the 3DS' wireless connection could be used to automatically download newspaper and magazine articles (and books, presumably) which, when combined with the 3DS' ability to actively seek out and connect to any open WiFi network, could potentially turn into a Whispernet-like service from Nintendo -- something that Iwata has, incidentally, publicly mused about in the past.
