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Nintendo points don't transfer between Wii, DSi
The new Nintendo Points cards will force you to pick a platform when it's redeemed. Siliconera reports that the House of Mario currency will not go into one main Nintendo piggy bank for the user, but will need to be redeemed for either DSWare or WiiWare titles.Another way of putting it is that consumers won't be able to transfer points between the Wii and DSi after activating the cards. It's a shame really, we certainly expected a more 21st-century solution (i.e. an all-purpose Nintendo account) from the company which brought us the brilliant 16-digit friend code system.[Via WiiFanboy]%Gallery-33459%
Reggie Fils-Aime denies Wii HD rumor
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime sat down with VentureBeat on the heels of last week's DSi announcement, and while he didn't drop any major bombshells, he did put the kibosh on those Wii HD rumors, saying that they were "pure rumor and speculation" and that Nintendo wouldn't show off upcoming models to devs as the rumors claimed. Reggie also downplayed the talk that Nintendo is going head to head against Apple, saying that Ninty's always "viewed ourselves as competing in a larger entertainment space." That's the end of that for now, we suppose -- but Reggie didn't close the door on either rumor entirely, and his closing comment that Nintendo's good fortunes "makes us the most paranoid people in the world"certainly keeps possibilities open. Hit the read link for the full interview.
What Sony's John Koller thinks about the DSi
So what does Sony think about the newly announced DSi, the main competitor to Sony's PSP Brite in Japan this holiday season? We didn't even have to ask -- because Sony's John Koller, director of hardware marketing, approached Gizmodo directly in hopes of discussing their side of the story. Does this new iteration provide enough differentiation from its predecessor? "Nintendo has kind of a history of these [moderate] kinds of updates, and even with DS Lite, there was a lot of discussion, 'Is that enough?' And they seemed to do pretty well there."How will the DSi fare? "I can see the DSi being successful. The DS lite was obviously very successful. Will DSi do well with [the DS's] demographic? It probably will. Will it be a product that expands their user base [beyond] under 12? I'm not sure." Unfortunately, Koller did not directly address how the DS's hardware refresh compares to the PSP's hardware refresh. But it did seem like Koller was giving a backhanded compliment to Nintendo's handheld -- it will do reasonably well, but you'll only be selling it to children again. How do you guys feel? Do these hardware refreshes matter? Or is it ultimately software that determines the winner?
DS Daily: Bummed about the GBA
Yesterday, we presented a feature that said goodbye to all of the great things the GBA slot can be used for on the DS Lite. As you all know, the new DSi says sayonara to the GBA slot. What we're wondering is, what will be the most missed aspect of that GBA slot for yourself? Will you miss not being able to play Guitar Hero: On Tour on your DSi? Are you sad to see your gigantic library of GBA games is not supported by the new device? What will you miss most about the GBA slot?%Gallery-33709%
Nintendo Points non-transferable between Wii, DSi
To allow for the fact that the DSi will feature an online store, Wii Points were recently renamed to Nintendo Points.Despite this rebranding exercise, Nintendo has revealed that you won't be able to transfer points between its new handheld and the Wii. In other words, if you buy a Nintendo Points card and use it to purchase (say) DSWare, you'll have to spend any remaining Points from the card on DSi downloads (and vice versa). This also means you won't be able to transfer any 'spare change' Points from the Wii to your DSi, meaning you're stuck with the 100 Points that have been on your Wii account since about March 2007. THERE'S ALWAYS A SPARE 100 POINTS ON OUR WII. They sit there, silently mocking us.Anyway, the above slide, dug up by Siliconera from Nintendo's Media Summit presentation, highlights the point emphatically enough: you won't be able to transfer Nintendo Points. Gallery: Nintendo DSi
Nintendo: DSi is region-locked
Those of you who intend to import a DSi from Japan next month may wish to revise your plans, as Nintendo has now confirmed that all DSi software will be region-locked. "DSi software (software that is only compatible with DSi) is region-locked, e.g: European DSi software can only be played on European DSi consoles," stated Nintendo's spokesperson to CVG, brutally driving a stake through our dreams of ever playing Japanese DSWare.There are elements of the DSi that are region-free -- you'll be able to surf the 'net wherever you are in the world, exchange photos with friends in other regions, and still play non-local DS games on the DSi -- but it looks like we can forget about importing Japanese DSi software. It simply won't work.Nintendo's messenger says this is because the DSi "embeds net communication functionality within itself" and provides "net services specifically tailored for each region." The fact that each region has unique age limits is also mentioned. What a thoroughly depressing start to the week! We're off for coffee and extra donuts.%Gallery-33263%
DSi-only software is region locked
Nintendo's decades-long streak of region-free handhelds is coming to a close. In a statement to CVG, the company confirmed that Nintendo DSi-only cartridges and downloadable content will be locked to the region where you buy the Nintendo DSi. Web browsing, photo sharing and playing DS games will be region free, but US gamers hoping to import the console between now and "well into 2009" will probably have to brush up on their Japanese to enjoy the best new features.We're not too worried, though. Something in our gut tells us that SD card slot will give region-unlocking ninjas in the homebrew community an easy "in."
Goodbye, GBA
While the DSi isn't going to be a factor for those of us in the U.S. and Europe until next year (unless you're importing), we're already gathered in a solemn knot and singing a dirge in honor of the Game Boy Advance. Nintendo's last juggernaut was supposed to be alive and kicking, healthy as can be, and part of a three-pillar strategy for Nintendo's control of the gaming universe. Instead, we're preparing to bid farewell to those fat cartridges, and with them, a bevy of DS/DS Lite accessories, add-ons, and extras. If you're trading in or selling a DS to fund a DSi purchase, you'll be gaining a lot ... but today, we're here to mourn everything you're going to lose, and if you've bought a lot of DS accessories, you stand to lose a lot if you don't keep a DS or DS Lite around. Step right into the gallery to kick off the tour of tragedy, or slip past the break for a moment of song in honor of the death of the GBA slot. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; }
DS Daily: Ware Down
We don't know exactly what kinds of experiences Nintendo has in mind for the DSi's DSWare, beyond Brain Age variations: the rigid pricing scheme makes us think that Nintendo is exerting more control over this service than on WiiWare, or at the very least they have different plans. We're guessing it may have more applications than WiiWare (which has pretty much only the browser).But for fun, let's assume it's a service for downloading games, just like WiiWare. Are there any WiiWare games you'd like to see adapted to the small screens? Defend Your Castle? Orbient? Anything as long as it isn't Protöthea?
Nintendo: DSi won't immediately replace DS Lite in U.S.
While there's been a fair amount of excitement and buzz over the recently announced, camera-equipped upgrade to Nintendo's best-selling handheld, it seems that the big N doesn't want American gamers to neglect the DSi's older, lensless sibling. In a recent interview with Game|Life, Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo's VP of sales and marketing (and world-renowned snowboarding expert), explained that the DS Lite has "huge, untapped potential" in the U.S. -- potential that the company hopes to tap before replacing the Lite with the new shutterbugish model.Dunaway explained Nintendo's hopes to bring America's DS Lite sales to a level the company has come accustomed to in Japan, where one in every two households owns the handheld. While the DSi isn't due out in America until "well into 2009", Nintendo hopes to bolster Lite sales by allowing the two versions to "coexist for some period of time". Hey, as long as the DS Lite doesn't go all Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son, we're cool with it.
DS Daily: Will you get it?
Disappointed as you may be (or not) about the delayed release of the DSi in the United States, at least it gives you time to save up the funds to snag one ... if you're planning on getting one at all, that is. Will you? If so, are you going to wait for the official release wherever you are, or will you import from Japan? Gallery: Nintendo DSi
DSi announcement didn't keep Nintendo stocks from falling
Despite revealing a new DS iteration -- the first since February 2006 -- Nintendo's shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange dropped 3.7 percent to 39,500 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Bloomberg notes that the stock has dropped 41 percent overall n 2008, compared to the past two years where it doubled in each of those. Comparatively, Sony's stock has dropped 51 percent this year.While much can be attributed to the global economy at the moment, equity researcher Yoku Ihara said the DSi reveal "didn't exceed investors' expectations ... the stock market was so bearish that the news didn't hlep the shares gain." In other news, the console maker is still paying people to pay other people to count its ridiculous amounts of money.
Team 17 boss wary of DSi features
When the DSi was unveiled, the DS Fanboy offices were filled with nothing but whooping and hollering, for Nintendo managed to actually improve on what we considered was the closest to perfection a handheld device could be. The DS Lite has great screens, is smaller than the Phat and has a huge library of great games. How could Nintendo even improve on that? Well, they did, with the DSi, but one individual sees the new handheld as an avenue for pirates to perform their dastardly deeds.Team 17's studio director Martyn Brown has been eyeing up that SD slot as a potential source of piracy. "Adding an SD slot makes a bunch of sense for downloadable content given the way things are going," Brown said. "I just hope they've done something to counter the mass piracy that exists via the R4 on the Lite. It scares me that with an SD card input, that might leave it even wider open that it was on the original device." He brings up a valid point, but we guess we're just going to have to wait until Nintendo reveals more about the security features of the handheld.Either way, we're sure the homebrew community will have a field day once it releases to Japan in November.%Gallery-33263%
Reggie: DSi not in North America until 'after April'
Before G4's Dan Hsu spoke to Reggie Fils-Aime about the DSi, the closest estimate we had for a North American release date was "well into 2009." Reggie has narrowed the window a bit, saying that because of strong DS Lite sales (Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G hasn't happened here to distract people from the DS), the DSi launch is "going to be in our next fiscal -- so, certainly after April."He then went on to downplay the immediate importance of DS Shop downloads in North America, in a way that we can't help but read as stating the obvious given that we won't be able to buy anything to play DSWare until "down the road:"We believe that as we continue to drive sales for DS hardware in total, the biggest opportunity's going to be on packaged software. Down the road, with the DSi Shop and downloadable software, certainly will be a growing opportunity and something developers are excited about, but it really is much longer down the road."%Gallery-33263%
Nintendo's mystery pedometer linked to DS "fitness game" (updated)
Hey, remember that odd Nintendo pedometer we spied the other day? Well now we've got a possible explanation for its existence. According to info from our homeboys at Joystiq and some dirt we've dug up, the device -- dubbed the Life Rhythm Counter -- will be tied to a fitness game for the DS (and new DSi, we assume). The hardware will sell for ¥1800 (or about $17), and the game will be the first title to allow Wii Miis to be transferred to the handheld. Needless to say, the entire Engadget team has begun rigorous training to prepare for the totally raw competition which will commence once this device / game is available.Update: It turns out the game is called Walking Can Tell Your Life Rhythm DS (translated from Japanese, of course), and we've got video after the break showing it (and the hardware) in action.[Via Joystiq]
DSi hitting Europe spring 2009
Click to enter our DSi gallery. Reggie could only offer an incredibly vague "well into 2009" when asked about the North American launch date for the Nintendo DSi, but Nintendo's European arm has been a little more specific. Over at the official site, the company says the DSi will hit Europe in Spring 2009, instantly bringing hope to North Americans who may have feared a release at the wrong end of 2009. It would be highly unusual if Europe received a piece of Nintendo hardware months before the U.S, so we're suddenly more optimistic about seeing this in North America soon ... ish.%Gallery-33263%[Thanks, Metaknight!]
PSP is number 1 in Japan the first half of 2008
During the past few weeks the PSP's sales have been less than ideal, but Sony's portable is still on top in Japan for 2008 ... so far. According the Enterbrain, the PSP has sold 1,583,731 units the first half of the year in the land of the rising sun. The PSP's main competitor, Nintendo's DS, sold 1,314,919 units during that same period. Nintendo's portable is still way ahead of the PSP in terms of lifetime sales though -- 23,484,680 units of the DS were sold versus the PSP's 10,157,757 units sold.In the software arena, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G is in second place with 1,602,386 copies sold. It was beaten by yet another Nintendo product, Mario Kart Wii, which sold 1,744,387 copies.With the PSP Brite launching in about two weeks and DSi launching in a month, the two handhelds' struggle for dominance in Japan will truly begin. Now we gotta ask: who are you rooting for?
Reminder: The DSi is lite on GBA slots (it doesn't have any!)
"Oh, who cares about that thing?" you ask aloud, paying no heed to your alarming habit of vocally addressing the internet. "I can't wait to get that newly announced Nintendo DSi! I don't need no G'bah slot." You pause briefly, ignoring the dire grammar in your previous sentence in favor of concocting something humorous. "I say G'bye to it. Oh, that was clever." It wasn't. And you're pathetic.Also, you might just be a tad hasty. As MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo points out, there are several things you won't be able to do on Nintendo's wondrous new device. No Game Boy Advance games -- but will those be offered for download from the DSi store? -- and certainly no rumble cartridges. There won't be any room for your collection of weird-peripheral games either, with Arkanoid losing its paddle pizazz and Guitar Hero: On Tour bidding farewell to its frets. Though the DSi won't arrive in the US until "well into 2009" and, despite its technological tweaks, be unable to magically transform every DS Lite out there, publishers will no doubt have to start planning new games and, oh yes, new peripherals. We're looking at you, Activision (and we've contacted you about it).
DSi Shop to open with Brain Age 1 & 2
At its media summit today, Nintendo announced that the DSi Shop, a digital distribution vendor compatible with the new DS model, will launch with two capable titles: Brain Age 1 and ... Brain Age 2. "Retooled," of course, Reggie promised. With combined sales of well over 10 million units, the pair was an easy choice to lead the new service. Risky business this is not.
Nintendo DSi hitting US 'well into' 2009
We heard last night that we wouldn't be seeing the DSi in the States until next year, and now Reggie has confirmed the damage: no DSi until "well into calendar year 2009," which sounds disturbingly like the holidays to us, but hopefully he's just implying a few months in. We would hope Nintendo would be following the pattern of the DS Lite, which hit Japan in March of 2006, and made it Stateside in June, but Reggie says DS Lite sales are still strong in the US -- which means it's basically our fault that we don't get a shiny new toy for Christmas.
