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Nintendo prepares to kill off Aqua Blue 3DS, dump it in a watery grave
Anyone that bought Nintendo's 3D portable early on may have laid their hands on an endangered species. The original Aqua Blue model will cease production soon, according to Nintendo Japan's official site. In a full list of the 3DS's ever-increasing color options, the original has been tagged (above, top left), stating that it'll no longer be made, although there's no official date for the literal end of the line. Its turquoise coat didn't cost all that much, right?
Nintendo to pull the plug on 3D TV service in Japan
If you were still holding out for those 3D-erific videos of cute dogs and sumo wrestlers for your American 3DS via Nintendo's "Itsu no Ma ni Terebi" service, bad news just got badder. In short, it's not coming. Ever. In fact, worse than that, the service will take its last look at the rising sun on the 20th of June, as Nintendo has announced that it's shuttering the service one day short of a year since it launched. There is mention of occasional content coming to both 2D and 3D devices via the Nintendo Video service, but if we didn't know better, we'd suggest this is Kyoto's way of saying "I'll call you".
Nintendo patent application tech tracks your DS from above, serves as tour guide
Nintendo is already guiding you through the Louvre with a 3DS, but a newly published US patent application takes that kind of tourism to a very literal new level. Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto's concept describes a way to direct lost tourists by beaming position information through an overhead grid of infrared transmitters to a mobile device (portrayed as a DS Lite) held by the confused visitor below. The handheld then talks wirelessly to a server that lights up floor displays with maps and directions, and a helpful app on the device lets visitors pick their route while they read up on sightseeing tips. Like with any patent, there's no certainty that Nintendo will act on the idea and start wiring up museums with IR blasters, but the January 2012 patent may still be fresh in a frequently inventive mind like Miyamoto's.
Nintendo 3DS turning purple on May 20th, takes a bruising from the ugly stick
Pink, red, aqua and black not good enough for you? Fine. Have a purple one -- if that's what you really want. On May 20th you can pick up this Grimace-hued Nintendo 3DS for the usual price of $169.99 alongside Mario Tennis Open. Hoping for something a bit more subtle, perhaps a nice clean white or a nice two-tone gray? Tough. You're getting purple.
Nintendo aims to flog 18 million 3DS, up to 10.5 million home consoles this fiscal year
All eyes are on Nintendo, now that it has revealed losses of $460 million. Buried in all of the financial paperwork were the revelations that it sells the 3DS at a loss, its plans for digital distribution and its projected sales figures for this year. It aims to flog 18.5 million 3DS handhelds and 10.5 million Wii consoles by March 31st 2013. But wait, what about the Wii U? That figure actually encompasses both old and new hardware, so it is either hoping for a sharp fall in Wii sales or a tough opening for the new baby. It's a bold pair of figures that relies upon how well New Super Mario Bros 2, Animal Crossing and the new hardware capture the public's imagination in a time when people are tightening their belts (especially if they've been using Wii Fit).
Nintendo confirms that it's selling 3DS at a loss, expects that to change
Ever since Nintendo slashed the price of the 3DS, there's been plenty of speculation that the gaming giant has been selling the portable console at a loss. The company acknowledged that fact during its disappointing earnings report, stating, "its hardware has been sold below cost because of its significant price cut in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012," something that's uncharacteristic of the company's past operations. But as with its fairly unfortunate financials, the company plans to turn things around, adding, "Nintendo expects to cease selling it below cost by the middle of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013."
Nintendo reports first annual operating loss, Apple to blame
Nintendo has reported its first annual operating loss ever. The company lost US$454.4 million from 2011 to 2012. The Wii is a few years old now, and the company's latest handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, hasn't been selling near as well as it was supposed to. Nintendo claims it'll turn sales figures around quickly, however. Prices on the 3DS are set to drop, which should prop up sales of that device, and Nintendo is also planning to release a new console unit called the Wii U within the next year. Why are we posting about this on a blog about Apple? Because while there are a lot of factors involved here, much of this loss is directly the fault of the company from Cupertino. It's true that the reception to the 3DS was poor, and that third-party software for all of Nintendo's platforms has been lacking for a few years. But Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch have invaded the handheld gaming sector that Nintendo used to dominate, and as a result, Nintendo will have to change its strategy a bit. You should never count Nintendo out. It's changed industries a few times already (the company originally started by selling trading cards in Japan), and if Apple takes all of its handheld share, there's no doubt Nintendo will find something else. But this is a huge sign that Apple has carved a big piece of the handheld gaming industry out for itself. [via Engadget]
PSA: Nintendo 3DS firmware update now live in North America
If your 3DS' home screen is looking a little too cluttered, then today's your lucky day. Nintendo is rolling out the firmware update that adds folders to your folder. (You've gotta fold the console closed, geddit?) The only other change evident so far is a redesigned eShop interface that makes better use of the screen's real estate, but pssh, who cares? It's all about the folders for us.
3DS firmware update promises folders, less cluttered home screens on April 25th
Are all those ambassador games crowding your 3DS' home screen? Sit tight, Nintendo's got a fix. During the outfit's Nintendo Direct conference livestream, head honcho Satoru Iwata announced that folder organization is coming to the 3DS. Fastidiously organized gamers can expect the firmware update to land on April 25th, bringing with it the joy of creating directories, stuffing them with up to 60 items and ascribing them fitting names. Iwata also detailed a handful of upcoming titles, including New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Tobidase Doubutsu no Mori (or, "Leap out Animal Crossing") for the 3DS and a Kirby compilation for the Wii. Follow the source link below for a full playback of Iwata's spiel, or check out Joystiq's coverage of the event for more details.
Nintendo puts 3DS in the Louvre, France remains generally indifferent
Sharing a birthplace with Arséne Wenger, Jean-Paul Satre and Jules Verne, the Louvre is France's most prized national treasure. In partnership with Nintendo, the museum finally replaced those cumbersome handheld guides with 3DS units a fortnight after the anticipated March launch. The consoles will provide a variety of tours, offering detailed lectures around the entire museum, or the Cliff's Notes edition for the lazy connoisseur. Shigeru Miyamoto popped up to demonstrate that you can examine HD snaps and 3D images of the sculptures on show, just in case looking up and seeing it in the flesh stone would be too traumatic.
Shigeru Miyamoto admits he's a fan of Angry Birds, just like the rest of us
Mario and Zelda (amongst others) creator Shigeru Miyamoto was in Paris to promote the launch of the Nintendo 3DS as a guide in the Louvre. While company executives have previously dismissed and decried smartphone gaming, Miyamoto was asked about his favorite non-Nintendo game and for the first time, admitted that Angry Birds is his favorite. He said that he can tell Rovio is "having fun developing the game" and that it has a "very creative side," that was "inspiring us to try even harder, and create even more unexpected new things." Except for those moments when he steps into the hallway for a spot of pig-smashing, as you do.
Nintendo 3DS outselling four Sony devices in Japan, now has 65 percent of the market
The latest figures from Japan's Media Create are in, showing that last year's trend has been fully reversed. Now the consumers are hungry for Nintendo's 3DS, given that it shipped 121,921 units in the week ending April 1st. That put it comfortably ahead of the PlayStation 3 (23,771), PSP (18,356) and PS Vita's (12,105) sales combined. The stats reveal that the 3DS is now accounting for 65 percent of all hardware sales in the country, a marked turnaround from when the console's future looked gloomy. Meanwhile, the biggest selling game was Kingdom Hearts 3D for Nintendo's newest handheld, which managed to shift over 200,000 units in just seven days.
Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft: three very different takes on portable gaming at GDC 2012
Tim Cook says the darnedest things. Why, just last week Apple's head honcho suggested that iPad users are ditching their home consoles in favor of Cupertino's favorite slate. Bold words, ones that can't be sitting well with the gaming industry's big three. Steady thy rifle, hardcore gamer, Cook has a point: the console wars have shifted irreversibly. Gone are the days of bickering over somewhat similar 16-bit consoles and their supposed lack of "blast-processing"; today's gaming armies wage war with wildly different artillery. In the pursuit of your mobile gaming dollar, Nintendo toed a traditional line with a new twist. Sony, on the other hand, seems to have bundled every input method it could get its mitts on into its next-generation portable. Microsoft, however, puts the "mobile" in mobile gaming, echoing Apple's own approach with an Xbox Live platform that eschews dedicated hardware to float across Windows Phone devices as a "feature."Take a step back, and suddenly it seems like the major players of consumer gaming aren't even driving on the same track. This war isn't about the "most powerful" console anymore; it's about creating the right experience for today's gamer. We ducked under the unspoken truce of last week's Game Developer Conference to get a bead on Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony's portable gaming strategies. Read on to see what they're doing to differentiate themselves from the competition.
February's gaming sales a mixed bag: up for the month, down for the year
At this point, every time NPD releases its numbers, the video game industry collectively holds its breath. The last couple of months have not been kind, as hardware sales continued to drop. But, in February there was finally some good news -- console sales were 87 percent over January. More impressively, that jump only falls to 62 percent if you exclude the Vita. Still, after so many disappointing months, even that stratospheric jump left sales 18 percent lower than the same period last year. Even when taking software into account sales were down 20 percent -- with the industry as a whole raking in just $1.06 billion last month, down from the $1.33 billion the previous February. Individually there was good news for companies, though. Nintendo saw Super Mario Galaxy cross the five million mark, while all of its consoles (the DS, 3DS and Wii) all saw more than 50 percent spikes in their sales compared to January. Meanwhile, Microsoft held on to its number one slot by moving 426,000 Xbox 360s. Hit up the various source links for more info.
Nintendo 3DS hits 5 million units faster than DS, the world goes 'huh?'
While it had a rocky moment in the middle, some heavy price-cutting and top-drawer games helped the system sell five million within a year in its native homeland. According to Nintendo, these are legitimate sell-through figures and as predicted, make the 3D-capable console Nintendo's fastest selling console to date. You can take a look at some (translated) self-congratulatory backslapping from Nintendo below.
Nintendo Wii joins the Hulu Plus watch party
Sure, we knew it was coming, but now Hulu Plus has officially arrived for the Nintendo Wii, letting you stream "current-season hit TV shows such as... New Girl and Vampire Diaries" in all their high standard-definition glory. We know, you're already caught up on all that New Girl action, but The Biggest Loser's latest win will look even juicier in gorgeous 480p SD resolution, so head on over to the colorful Wii Shop Channel to get your $7.99 monthly Hulu fix. Or, if you're not keen on paying for your teevee, you can download a two-week free trial of the service anytime within the first month of availability. And what about that 3DS version? You'll need to wait until "later this year," unfortunately. Full PR is just past the break.
Nintendo Slide Pad for 3DS review
First impressions stay with you. Take our first look at the Nintendo 3DS, for example. Our first thought? "Hey, where's the second analog stick?" Given all the gaming genres that benefit from it, it's almost unthinkable for a major portable console to launch without an extra analog stick. It's like Mario without the mustache, Charlie Sheen without the tiger blood or Donald Trump without the dead marsupial or whatever the heck that thing is on top of his head. Unfortunately, Nintendo decided to release the 3DS without that second analog. So folks who want to get their dual stick groove on right out of the box can only hope the Big N has a change of heart when it eventually releases the 3DSi Lite XL Advance. (We're just kidding about the name, of course, but you never know...) In the meantime, Nintendo's got a peace offering of sorts to tide by 3DS owners: the Circle Pad Pro. Slated for a February 2012 release in the US, we got our grubby hands on its Japanese equivalent, the "Slide Pad" during a trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. So is it worth the $20 price of admission? Read on to find out.
Nintendo officially announces Nintendo Network, promises personal accounts for Wii U
Nintendo's third quarter financial briefing just spilled the beans on the recently spied Nintendo Network, causing Nintendo fans everywhere to collectively sigh, "It's about time." Company head honcho Satoru Iwata says the network will offer "competitions and communication among users, as well as the sales of digital content," and in the case of the Wii U, will introduce personal user accounts. Iwata stopped just short of confirming that the Nintendo Network will end the company's policy of tying downloaded titles to Nintendo hardware, rather than individual users, but mentioned that it packed an infrastructure that supports not only add-on content, but fully downloadable retail games as well."This concept was built into the design of the Nintendo 3DS, and we already have the necessary infrastructure," Iwata said, "We will prepare the same infrastructure for the Wii U. However, we have not decided the concrete timing of when we will start it." Iwata pointed to Mario Kart 7's community building features and DLC offerings in the upcoming Theatrythm Final Fantasy as an early look at how the Nintendo Network is trying differentiate itself from the outfit's existing Nintendo Wi-Fi connection services. Hit the source link to read Iwata's briefing for yourself.
Nintendo releases quarterly earnings report: 61 percent drop in profit, grim forecast
Nintendo released its latest quarterly earnings report this morning and, as with last quarter's report, there's not a whole lot to celebrate. The company posted profits of ¥40.9 billion (about $631.6 million) for the October - December period, representing a 61 percent quarterly drop. That's especially disappointing, considering that this period has traditionally been strong for Nintendo, which had previously forecast an operating profit of ¥1 billion (around $12.9 million). Those forecasts have since changed, however, with the manufacturer now predicting a ¥45 billion ($580 million) operating loss for the full year, ending March 31st. Nintendo blames the poor showing to sagging 3DS sales, which have forced it to slash prices. Also on Thursday, President Satoru Iwata told reporters that his company plans to release its new Wii U console across the US, Europe Australia and Japan in time for the 2012 year-end holiday season. Read the report in full, at the source link below.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy box points to first paid DLC for Nintendo 3DS
3DS owners have been waiting (and waiting) for a chance to take advantage of a downloadable content market, and while Nintendo already accomplished the tough part (read: launching it) a few days back, there's still been no word on when paid content would make an appearance. Pushing those freebies aside is Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, which is seemingly destined to be the first 3DS title in existence to offer up enhancements in exchange for a few yen. The box here is actually an "early retail dummy unit," though the verbiage on the back makes quite clear that downloadable material will be available at a cost. Furthermore, there's a heretofore unseen Nintendo Network badge on the front, which may be a new look for the existing Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. At any rate, the game is scheduled to ship on February 16th in Japan, after which all of this will-it-won't-it drama will presumably be cleared up.
