Nintendo-DSi
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DSi sees itself pass 3 million sold in Japan
High atop the tallest building in Tokyo, The Eye of DSi watched as its might power swept the land of the rising sun. Enterbrain announced today that Nintendo's watchful handheld has passed the 3 million unit sales mark on the island nation. As Gamasutra notes, Nintendo expects the DS line to sell 30 million units this fiscal year, ending next March. As of June, the DS has sold 107.75 million units total worldwide since its pudgy birth. Nintendo also has Dragon Quest IX to thank for the increased sales.
Nintendo DSi Facebook connectivity coming to North American tonight
Hey North America, jealous of your Japanese and European friends who've already got Facebook integration on their DSis? Fear not, Nintendo of America's announced that firmware 1.4 will be pushed out tonight after 8:00PM ET -- in other words, any time now. We still haven't gotten the update yet, but let us know if and when you've got better luck! [Via Joystiq]
NintendoWare Weekly: Overturn, Sexy Poker, Tecmo Bowl
This week is a special one for Nintendo fans. Not only do we finally see an end to the Virtual Console drought, but we also get fighting robots and a new Art Style game. Oh, and then there's Sexy Poker, Gameloft's odd strip poker game for WiiWare. We guess the company never heard of Google image search?%Gallery-35205%
DSi v1.4 firmware happening now in Japan, bringing Facebook connectivity along for the ride
Back at E3 2009 it was announced that Nintendo would roll out the capability to upload photo to Facebook from the DSi. Well, we're hearing from Engadget Japanese that that firmware updating is now occurring. It's a pretty minor update which includes the aforementioned ability to upload photos to Facebook, and brings a faster "image display speed" in the DSi's camera. We're sure there's some behind the scenes tweaking going on too, right? No word on when this update will hit elsewhere, but we'll keep our eyes on our DSi until it happens. You know, for work. Check out Engadget Japanese's video of the upgraded features after the break. [Via Joystiq]
Nintendo's Q1 fiscal results show sales slump
Nintendo released its latest financial earnings report for the period ending June 30 (Q2 to us, but fiscal Q1 to those business types at the house Mario built) ... and it could've been better. Don't be fooled: Nintendo still managed to make profits across the board, but compared to the same period last year, profits weren't nearly as dramatic.First, let's talk DS. Nintendo revealed lifetime sales of the DS has reached a whopping 107.75 million units and that the new DSi has managed to reach a respectable 6.68 million. Hardware sales for this quarter were lower than last year, however, as Nintendo revealed it only sold 5.97 million handhelds compared to the 6.94 million sold in 2008's fiscal first quarter. Even software was down quite a bit, with a mere 29.09 million units of DS software flying off store shelves this quarter compared to the more impressive 36.69 million of last year.On the Wii side, Nintendo revealed lifetime sales have reached 52.62 million units, but that 2009 console sales were down as well. Nintendo reported that during this year's fiscal first quarter, the company could only unload 2.23 million Wiis compared to the 5.17 million it sold during this same time period last year. Software on the platform also took a hit, as Nintendo recorded only 31.07 million units managed to find consumer's homes compared to the 40.41 million of last year. It's important to note that last year's sales were significantly boosted by the releases of Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit.So, as one can guess, Nintendo saw its massive profits shaved down quite a bit this past quarter. With all of the dips in hardware and software sales, Nintendo saw its net sales drop a staggering 40 percent to ¥253.4 billion ($2.65 billion) compared to last year's ¥423.38 billion ($4.43 billion). Nintendo also saw a drop in its operating income, which fell from last year's ¥119.19 billion to ¥40.4 billion ($1.25 billion to $422.5 million), a decline of 60.61 percent. So ... who do you call when your money-printing machine is on the fritz?
NintendoWare Weekly: Monkeys, Musketeers and more Sudoku
Just as expected, today marks the release of the first episode of Tales of Monkey Island on WiiWare. If comical puzzles aren't your thing, there're also puzzles of the humorless variety in a bit of Sudoku for the DSi. Or, if you're looking for some swordplay -- without the insults -- there's a new WiiWare game featuring The Three Musketeers. Oh, and it would appear Nintendo has run out of steam on the Virtual Console, as this week marks the second in a row where there has been no new Virtual Console game. Hey, Nintendo, looking for an idea of what to release next? How about that game starring the boy from Onett?%Gallery-64680%
DSi dipping its toes into 10,000 lakes
Nintendo will be on hand at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota this year to promote the DSi, with a pimped out tour bus we're sure Xzibit had a hand in designing. The festival, during which Nintendo will show off the capabilities of the DSi to patrons, lasts from July 22 to July 25 and takes place at the Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes. It's odd, because Nintendo makes no mention of letting folks play any games, so we guess attendees will just have the handheld's camera and its sound-messer-upper thingy to toy around with.For full festival details, head past the break.
Pop developer making non-game DSiWare apps
Nnooo, creator of Pop, is working on a series of DSiWare productivity downloads called myLifeCollected, designed to make your life easier. If you didn't know Nintendo-related news you were going to complain about today, it's already made your life easier!The first app, called myNotebook, is a 32-page virtual notebook with auto-save and ink color features. Users can select lined, square, or blank backgrounds for each page. Pricing and release date have yet to be announced. Nnooo is planning to make myNotebook available in three different color varieties when it comes out.For those of you waiting for Pop + Solo (What? We liked Pop), Nnnoo says that it's been submitted to Nintendo for approval.[Via GoNintendo]
NintendoWare Weekly: My Life as a Darklord
This week, Square Enix's WiiWare follow-up to My Life as a King finally releases. We've heard favorable things about My Life as a Darklord, but could it be worth 1,000 Wii Points? While we can't answer that yet (mostly because weekly content doesn't unlock until 12pm ET), we will say that if it's anywhere near as fun as My Life as a King, it's probably going to be worth keeping an eye on.%Gallery-48531%
NintendoWare Weekly: Bit Boy!! brings the bits
This week's biggest release is undoubtedly Bplus' Bit Boy!!, an odd title that pays homage to the various bits that make up gaming's past. Bit Boy!! runs the gamut from gaming's humble beginnings during the 4-bit era, all the way up to the last generation's 128-bit capabilities. The goal is to rescue Bit Boy Kubi's pals, who've been imprisoned across the various worlds.
Watch the DSiWare Game & Watch games
Nintendo has videos of the DSiWare releases of Game & Watch games on its DSiWare site. Famitsu also has screens. In both cases, though, there aren't really any surprises. The presentation is pretty straightforward: an authentic recreation of the game on the top screen, and a logo on the bottom screen. That's perfectly fine with us, because the games look like they're supposed to. Even though no announcement has been made about a North American release, we much prefer this delivery method for Game & Watch games over the Club Nintendo method. It's cheaper to just buy a DSi and then grab these for two bucks each than to buy a bunch of other stuff and then use points from those purchases.
Translucent XCM Eye Candy case encourages licking of DSi
Oh sure, the DSi was the definite hotness when it sprung onto the scene earlier this year, but if you're growing somewhat bored of the same old camera + touchscreen action, why not spruce things up with an all new exterior? The case you're looking at above does require the disassembly of your console, and thus, you can kiss your remaining warranty goodbye. Frankly, we view the sacrifice as thoroughly worth it, as XCM's Eye Candy shell is practically guaranteed to get more eyes, fingers and tongues on your machine. And really, who wouldn't want that?[Via Boing Boing]
Electroplankton makes weird noises on Japanese DSiWare this week
Nintendo continues to release bite-size portions of old DS games as DSiWare games, which may rankle some, but we think its latest broken-up DS game makes a lot of sense. The company plans to release Electroplankton in Japan as ten individual 200-point downloads, each consisting of one of the "plankton" instruments from the "game."This Wednesday, Tracy, Hanenbon, Nanocarp, and Beatnes will be available on Japan's DSi Shop. On July 22, Rec Rec and Lumiloop will be released. Finally, in August, Sun Animalcule, Luminaria, Marine Snow, and Volvoice will be available.This could be the perfect venue for creator Toshio Iwai to release future musical toys. Could Electroplankton continue this way, with new instruments being released periodically? It's probably not wise to hope for anything that isn't a segment of an existing game, but it's possible!
NintendoWare Weekly: Bit.Trip: Core becomes 100th WiiWare game
Folks, it's time to break out the party hats and noise makers because, just as expected, Bit.Trip: Core is the 100th WiIWare game to release on the service. Why, we remember our little pal doing finger paintings and learning to ride a bike like it was yesterday. They grow up so fast!
NintendoWare Weekly: Water Warfare in for a Reel Fishing Challenge
It wouldn't be Monday without new games to download across Nintendo platforms. This week's highlight is definitely Hudson's first-person soaker, Water Warfare. It's a neat concept, but we really think Hudson could've spent some time tightening up the graphics on level three.%Gallery-48416%
VC Friday: Hudson Powers Up
This week in Europe, Hudson Soft has one release on all three Wii download services. That's a pretty impressive feat, even if the individual games don't seem that exciting. We suppose 50 sudoku puzzles for 200 points is nice, and SimEarth is a good game.The Hudson releases are joined by Taito's Puzzle Bobble/Bust a Move update and by Altered Beast. Now, we love Altered Beast more than most people (by which we mean we love it some), but 900 points for the arcade version? What's that about? WiiWare: Puzzle Bobble Plus! (1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Water Warfare (1-2 players offline, 2-8 online, 800 Wii Points) Virtual Console: Altered Beast (Arcade, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points) SimEarth (Turbografx-16 CD-ROM, 1 player,800 Wii Points) DSiWare: Sudoku 50 for Beginners (1 player, 200 DSi Points)
See dead people in this Ghostwire trailer
A Different Game released a new video for Ghostwire, showing example gameplay of the "augmented reality" DSiWare title. In this game, reality is "augmented" in a way that makes you look more like a person who freaks out randomly on the street, as you are constantly surrounded by ghosts even in the daytime. Constantly. The use of the DSi's secondary camera to provide a rear view of more ghosts seems especially cruel.We wonder if people who play this a lot start to feel like there are already ghosts all over the place, and we just don't see them without our DSi systems.[YouTube video via NintendoRaw]
Preview the Flipnote Studio site
The Japanese version of Flipnote Studio, called Ugoku Memo-Chou, integrates with a special version of Japan's Hatena blog site, allowing users to upload, share, and view videos made using the DSiWare animation app. Soon after the launch of the Japanese site, Hatena put up a partially translated version of the Ugomemo Hatena site as a preview of the eventual North American version.The site has been somewhat of a work-in-progress since then, with some extra pages translated, including the explanation of the premium Ugomemo Hatena Plus service, and some content remaining in Japanese. It's a sign that we'll be able to share our insane sprite sheet flip books and cute Mario animations immediately after the service launches, whenever that happens.[Via GoNintendo]
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Summer of DS
Nintendo is planning a full-on assault of DS advertising this summer, evidence by this week's Nintendo Channel updates. In following around one family, the TV spots will show they they keep them from taking a detour into Boredsville during their vacation through use of the DS and DSi. Of course, as with just about any Nintendo DS advertising campaign, all we see them playing is some Brain Age and Mario Kart. But, hey, it's worth watching alone for the hilarious put-downs of one Garret Morris, trust us.For the rest of this week's updates, head past the break.
The Price is Right goes gaming, gives away DSi pack
It seems as though every day there's more mainstream saturation for Nintendo products. Why just the other day, we spotted Drew Carey offering a decently tasty Nintendo DSi bundle during the "Showcase Showdown" portion of his (well, not really his) gameshow, The Price is Right -- should the contestants guess the right price, of course. Though titles like Lord of the Rings: Conquest and, unsurprisingly, The Price is Right game were among those offered, DS staples like New Super Mario Bros. and Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword also made their way into the fray. We know, we know, the question on all your minds is of course: Did the contestant win? You'll have to see yourself over at the CBS website, folks! [Via GoNintendo]
