02/14, 11:30am
Sony targets adult gamers, mobile users with Vita
Sony on the eve of the PlayStation Vita's first US wave has kicked off a record $50 million ad campaign to recapture its place not just from Nintendo but from Apple. The most Sony has ever spent on any PlayStation launch in the US, the campaign includes both online spots as well as traditional billboards and TV spots. Where PSP ads focused on younger gamers, though, Sony's new Vita ads (below) will focus on adults, where the allure is to "never stop playing" PS3-level games while on the road and with others.
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02/13, 10:45pm
Nintendo gets Mobiclip for vide streaming
Mobiclip quietly confirmed Monday that it had been bought out by Nintendo. The new subsidiary of the console giant didn't explain details, including the value of the deal or what it would be producing with Nintendo's help. The company has been making primarily video codecs for the console universe, including Microsoft and Sony.
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02/05, 11:25pm
PS Vita on smooth track according to Sony
Sony in its results call Friday was confident that the PlayStation Vita was selling well so far. Having moved slightly more than 535,000 units in its first three weeks, according to Media Create data, company CFO Masaru Kato didn't see "any problems" with results so far. The comment came even after shipments had dipped to just over 18,000 in January and had been mostly steady since.
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02/01, 7:45pm
3DS has free Wi-Fi hotspots in 21 countries
Nintendo has inked a deal with free-hotspot.com to offer free Wi-Fi service to Nintendo 3DS owners. The arrangement will provide the hand-held game console's users with free access to over 5,000 Wi-Fi hotspots. These are dispersed within in 21 European countries.
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01/30, 8:45am
Nintendo 3DS Pearl Pink hints US on February 10
Nintendo hoped to seize on Valentine's Day by putting out a stand-alone Pearl Pink version of the 3DS. The gaming handheld, previously available only in a bundle for Americans, will be available by itself. It had been available in Japan as early as September.
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01/27, 12:50pm
Wii U may launch under a different name: source
Nintendo is reportedly considering changing the name of its upcoming game console, the Wii U. The reason for this internal mulling, CVG heard, is supposedly due to the confusion with the 3D and 3DS, which Nintendo found to be too similar in the public eye. It supposedly fears the same would happen with the Wii U and its existing Wii.
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01/26, 11:50pm
Nintendo Network to accompany 3DS and Wii U
Nintendo's Friday briefing in the wake of its tough quarterly results has confirmed that it plans to at last go head-to-head with Microsoft and Sony in a persistent online gaming network. Just called Nintendo Network, it will let gamers download chat and play with each other without needing friend codes in addition to getting game add-ons. On the Wii U, gamers will have personal accounts, presumably letting them transport their Mii, downloads, and other preferences across systems.
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01/26, 5:20am
Nintendo to report first annual loss in late March
Nintendo’s quarterly earnings report out today (pdf) shows that company’s fourth quarter profit, normally a strong suit, collapsed by 61 percent compared to the same period in 2010. The company is now well on track to report a larger than expected annual loss, marking the first time it will have been in the red. Part of the gaming giant’s fortunes will rest on its Wii sequel, the Wii U, which Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said will reach the US and other key markets for the crucial holiday season 2012.
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01/18, 8:20pm
PS Vita sales continue to drop
New Media Create data has made clear that the PlayStation Vita isn't yet threatening most other consoles or smartphones. After a blockbuster launch in December, it has tapered off for a second time in a month to just 18,361 systems as of January 15. Every console's sales dropped off sharply in the same period, but it still sat behind Sony's seven-year-old PSP, the PS3, and Nintendo's 3DS.
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01/17, 10:35am
IDC sees 3DS and Vita surviving Apple and Google
Dedicated handheld gaming systems like the Nintendo 3DS and Sony's PlayStation Vita will trigger a "rebound year" that fends off iOS and Android, IDC estimated on Tuesday. A wave of revenue stemming both from the new hardware and from game sales attached to it was expected to last through 2012 and 2013. While Nintendo and Sony might still sell fewer units and fewer games, the frequent $30 to $40 prices of their games would trump the dependence on cheap or free titles on smartphones and tablets.
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01/03, 10:20am
Nintendo Wii U may lure iOS devs and e-books
Quickly coming on the heels of talk of a full Wii U app store is a rumor late Monday of Nintendo actively courting iOS developers. The gaming giant was said by a developer talking to Forget the Box to be offering "assistance" porting apps for Apple's platform to the Wii U. The titles would by necessity played on the controller's 6.2-inch touchscreen.
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01/03, 8:40am
Nintendo more than recovers from early 3DS slump
Nintendo returned from holiday with word that it had shipped more than four million 3DS systems in the US. The milestone, which it reached in nine months, was enough to outsell the Wii over its own intro period. Nintendo had already passed four million in Japan just days earlier.
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12/29, 9:55pm
Handheld outfitted with snakeskin
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has teased a special edition Nintendo 3DS featuring a snakeskin-texture housing. The customized gaming handheld is said to be borne of direct collaboration with Nintendo and created to celebrate the upcoming release of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D for the platform.
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12/28, 3:40pm
PS Vita sells just 72K units in first full week
Sales of Sony's recently launched PS Vita handheld games console have cooled significantly, the latest numbers from Japanese site 4Gamer.net reveal. The first full week of the console's being on the market saw just 72,479 Vitas find homes, a marked decrease from the 321,400 units sold in its first two days on the market. This puts the system in fifth place after the 3DS, the Vita's predecessor the PSP, Nintendo's Wii, and Sony's PS3, respectively.
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12/28, 7:30am
Nintendo opens up to DLC for the first time
Nintendo has joined [sub. req.] its competition in offering paid DLC for its 3DS gaming titles. Users now have the option of purchasing additional levels and other downloadable content for games where offered by developers. The first 3DS game set to get the treatment is Fire Emblem.
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12/27, 7:55pm
Sales picking up after early trouble
Nintendo has reportedly sold more than 4 million of its 3DS gaming handhelds in the local Japanese market, according to data collected by Famitsu. The device is also said to have reached sales of more than 510,000 units for the holiday shopping week that ended on Christmas day, setting a new record for weekly sales across the globe.
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12/22, 7:00pm
NPD tracks smartphone and digital gaming at last
The NPD Group in a rare step began tracking some of the contributions of non-traditional gaming to the industry for the first time. It estimated that about $1.64 billion came from "other content," which includes mobile games as well as direct downloads and social network games, generated $1.64 billion in revenue. The growth made it larger than the traditional software side of the business, which dropped to $1.3 billion
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12/17, 3:40am
PS Vita has strong start in Japan
Sony had an upbeat launch for the PlayStation Vita in its home country of Japan. The 7AM launch saw thousands in line with volumes closer to that of an Apple launch, including 600 at Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo's Akihabara district and 300 at Bic Camera in the Ikebukuro district. At the official event at Shibuya Tsutaya, where Sony executives including company president Kaz Hirai were hosts, the first buyer was an unidentified 33 year old northerner.
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12/16, 2:05pm
Nintendo 3DS coming to Louvre as visitor guide
The Louvre museum in Paris just revealed that it will use Nintendo's 3DS portable game console to guide visitors through its collection of art. The 3DS will replace its audio guides starting in March, which are so far used only by four percent of its 8.5 million yearly visitors. The French museum will become the first to do so, and Nintendo will supply 5,000 of its consoles for the cause.
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12/15, 7:55am
PS Vita Japan launch already spoken for
Sony on Thursday said that it had sold out of the PlayStation Vita in Japanese pre-orders. Not due to go on sale until Saturday, the handheld game system triggered lines that saw its initial batch spoken for. It did have a significant amount of time to sell stock, having started pre-orders on October 15.
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12/15, 5:40am
Early 3DS adopters get free games this Friday
The promised free games for Nintendo ‘Ambassadors’ will be ready for download this Friday. Users have reported receiving SpotPass notifications informing them of the arrival. Nintendo instituted the ‘Ambassador Program’ when it decided to dramatically slash the price of the 3DS console after less than six months on the market following poor early uptake.
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12/13, 10:35am
Nintendo 3DS gets right analog add-on in US
Nintendo on Tuesday confirmed that its Circle Pad Pro add-on for the 3DS would becoming to the US. The right analog stick and shoulder button hybrid should reach the US on February 7 as a GameStop exclusive. It will carry a relatively low price at $20, although it won't come with extras.
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12/09, 6:45pm
NPD charts huge device sales, flat cash in Nov '11
New NPD data has shown runaway gaming hardware sales in November that could signal a minor revival in the face of iOS gaming. Nintendo saw a resurgence as it moved 795,000 3DS units in the US during the month, or about double what it has in recent months. It still managed to sell 350,000 DSi systems, leading it to about 1.15 million handheld gaming systems in one month.
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12/08, 1:15pm
Shigeru Miyamoto not stepping down: Nintendo
Nintendo is vehemently denying reports that its main game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, is stepping down to a lesser role at the company, said a Thursday report. Miyamoto is responsible for popular franchises like Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda, and his stepping down would not be good news for the company. In an interview with Wired, Miyamoto said he will retire from his current position and work on something small by himself.
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12/01, 5:10pm
Total Immersion teams with Intel on AR in chips
Total Immersion, which specializes in augmented reality, has teamed up with Intel to bring AR features like gesture recognition to the chipmaker's future products. Total Immersion marketing chief Antoine Brachet revealed to Reuters and others on Wednesday that products could reach consumers in as soon as three years, depending on consumer response. This would allow digital information such as text, graphics and games to be overlaid atop screens and allow users to interact with them.
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11/28, 11:05pm
Nintendo 3DS sales jump 325pc based on Mario
The launch of key Mario and Zelda games helped catapult Nintendo 3DS sales, the company's US President Reggie Fils-Aime declared Monday to USA Today. The week of November 6, just before Super Mario 3DS Land arrived, the handheld saw its sales jump 325 percent. The launch of the game itself saw sales jump 49 percent again over those already boosted figures.
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11/28, 11:15am
Nintendo to ship two Nitendogs bundles Dec. 4
Nintendo just introduced two upcoming 3DS bundles. The systems are available in pink only and thus meant for girls, giving them the choice of nintendogs + cats: French Bulldog and New Friends or nintendogs + cats: Toy Poodle and New Friends games. They arrive in stores on December 4 and are priced at $170, or the same price as the standalone 3DS system.
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11/23, 1:55pm
Early Black Friday sales for gamers go live
Early Black Friday deals for gamers have started early and include a $145 Nintendo 3DS at Target and a $199 Xbox 360 bundle at Sam's Club. The usual price for a 3DS is $170, making the discount relatively steep for a system that's otherwise the same as usual.
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11/21, 9:25am
Nintendo 3DS gets Zelda, Mario bundles this week
Nintendo confirmed some rumors and brought two special edition 3DS bundles to the US. The previously Europe-only Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D bundle includes both the game and a unique black 3DS with the Hyrule logo, and other trim elements, in a gold hue. A more conventional Super Mario 3D Land bundle mates a regular red 3DS with the new Mario platformer.
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11/17, 10:45am
Nielsen shows kids, teens want iPad for Christmas
Apple virtually controls what kids want for Christmas this holiday, Nielsen found on Thursday. Among US children aged six to 12, 44 percent wanted an iPad. The company also swept the top three, with the iPod touch at 30 percent and the usually unobtainable iPhone at 27 percent.
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11/11, 8:50pm
NPD says 3DS at 1.65m sold, Xbox 360 at 393K
New NPD data for October on Friday showed Nintendo recovering some of its pace in mobile but still in a struggle with Apple and Microsoft. The 3DS had reached 1.65 million systems shipped to the US since it reached the country in March and was on track to break the original DS' first-year sales record. With 720,000 units left to go by March 2012, the company expected a rush of holiday sales and the winter to tip the balance.
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11/09, 1:50pm
Flurry shows Apple and Google in control of games
Smartphone OS platforms from Apple and Google now make up the majority of mobile game revenue in the US, Flurry said in a new study. Both year-to-date figures and estimates give Android and iOS a combined 58 percent of money spent on games in 2011. Nintendo would now be a minority by a significant margin, at 36 percent, while Sony's PSP would be just six percent.
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11/08, 3:15pm
Nintendo dates Zelda 3DS bundle for Europe
Nintendo will honor the 25th anniversary of the Zelda game series with a special edition 3DS bundle. Paired with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, the game, the handheld console itself sports a black exterior accented with a gold Hyrule symbol.
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10/28, 12:15pm
Nintendo will only show final Wii U at E3 2012
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata during an investor discussion regarding the $923 million half-year loss suggested that the Wii U wouldn't arrive until the end of 2012. He anticipated that the finished version of the console would show at E3 2012, a year after it was first unveiled. As Nintendo rarely ships at E3 itself, the timing points to a holiday release as more likely than mid-year.
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10/26, 6:05pm
Nintendo may lose 1.32b based on Android
Nintendo might post a loss for the first half of its fiscal year twice as high as what it predicted, Japan's Nikkei newspaper said Wednesday [subscription required]. The game console maker is expected to face a $1.32 billion loss for the period between April and September, nearly twice the $722.4 million it had estimated. Some of the loss would come from a $525.38 million foreign exchange difference given its dependency on North American and European sales, but most would come from poor performance.
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10/25, 12:50pm
Nintendo details DSi XL bundles for him, her
Readying for the holiday shopping season, Nintendo revealed two new DSi XL handheld console bundles. The first is a pink or blue console paired with Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem, along with the preloaded DSiWare titles Photo Clock, Brain Age Express: Math, and Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters.
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10/22, 5:30am
Nintendo announces three Mario-themed 3DS'
Nintendo has continued its aggressive marketing to boost sales of its 3DS handheld gaming console by announcing a new range of 3, rare, Mario-themed 3DS editions. There will only be 1000 systems sold of each Mario theme, although with no word on whether they will make it outside of Japan. Members of Club Nintendo who purchase two Nintendo games this Christmas will be able to enter a special draw to have a chance of winning one of the new console designs.
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10/21, 9:20am
Nintendo 3DS and Wii to get Hulu Plus streaming
Nintendo wrapped up the week with plans on Friday to add Hulu Plus to the 3DS and the Wii. Both will get the unlimited TV streaming access sometime before the end of the year. Access should cost the same $8 per month as it does elsewhere.
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10/13, 11:20pm
Nintendo crosses 50m DS mark with good 3DS sales
Nintendo saw some hope return to its mobile gaming on Thursday after it crossed a historic milestone. Based on NPD September data, the DS line passed 50 million lifetime sales since its launch in 2004. This helped cement its position as the bestselling game console in history, Nintendo claimed.
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09/13, 8:40am
Nintendo 3DS gets slew of Tokyo Game Show extras
Nintendo used the run-up to the Tokyo Game Show to add a wide range of extras to the 3DS to keep interest up. Gamers everywhere will get an update in November that lets them use the twin rear cameras to record 3D movies, addressing one of the most common requests since the system shipped at the start of the spring. Also coming with the update is an unspecified eShop upgrade and extra content for those who have finished the dungeons and all the other challenges in the StreetPass Mii Plaza.
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09/08, 7:50pm
Microsoft claims Xbox 360 leads August 2011
Microsoft claimed one of the longer unbroken video game console sales streaks in recent memory as the Xbox 360 was once more the top-selling console in the US, according to NPD data. August sales bounced back from July's low point and hit 306,000 of the systems. Nintendo added that the 3DS price cut made a meaningful impact and saw sales jump to 235,000, about 185,000 of which were after the August 12 drop to $170.
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09/07, 8:20am
Could be bundled with Monster Hunter 3G
Rumors of a second analog d-pad for the 3DS may have found their source. An article in Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu indicates that the upcoming Monster Hunter title for the Nintendo 3DS will require a second analog d-pad. The article features pictures of a cradle-like attachment that adds the second d-pad and also a second right shoulder button to the 3DS.
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09/05, 11:15pm
GameStop could sell iPads, iPhones soon
GameStop could take the unusual step of becoming an Apple reseller as a way of staying relevant in the modern gaming world. A rumor Monday claimed that the store would soon sell iPads, iPhones, and iPod touch players. Quick checks from 9to5 found that GameStop had just started Apple device trade-ins this week, likely in an attempt to keep up its focus on selling used goods over new.
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08/23, 12:45pm
Nintendo working on 3DS analog stick add-on?
A French, gaming-oriented site, 01net, claims it has heard from sources about the future of Nintendo's 3DS portable gaming console. For one, the source says Nintendo plans to add an add-on joystick accessory to the console, which will cost about $10 and attach to the right side of the device. Whether it will interfere with the closing of the device and thus need to be removed in order to do so isn't known, but likely.
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08/17, 8:55am
Nintendo Wii Family Edition to bow before Wii U
Nintendo is planning a sendoff for the Wii in at least Europe with a new model. The Wii Family Edition has a new, slightly streamlined design meant to sit on its side rather than the vertical layout the Wii has been known for. The design will lower the price to an unknown level and primarily shed support for legacy Gamecube accessories and games, although it will still have both Wii Sports and Wii Party in the box.
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08/16, 12:15pm
Nintendo sees 3DS price drop work in short term
Early results from Nintendo's 3DS price drop suggest that the cuts have had their planned effect in at least the short term. In the past week, sales in Nintendo's home of Japan shot up from under 50,000 a week to 215,000 after customers lined up to get the glasses-free 3D console at its much cheaper 15,000 yen price. Nintendo had only managed 109,000 for the entire month of May in the same country, Enterbrain said.
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08/11, 7:35pm
Xbox 360 leads July 2011 despite low games
New NPD data has given the Xbox 360 the lead in a market that was the worst since October 2006. Microsoft's console moved 277,000 units in July, just half of what it managed in June, but was still enough to outsell Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Wii. While NPD didn't have hard data for the other systems, the lead was going to lead to the greatest year in the Xbox's 10-year history, Microsoft said.
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08/11, 1:20pm
Walmart, Target, Best Buy drop 3DS price early
Nintendo's significant price drop of its 3DS console that's scheduled to go live tomorrow is being pre-empted by some retailers. This includes retail Walmart and Target stores in the US, though the web pages for the portable games console do not yet reflect the change. In Canada, Best Buy and Costco have already dropped the price to $170 from $250, which is a 30 percent price drop.
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08/11, 8:10am
Nintendo faces pressure to port to iOS
Nintendo has been facing calls Thursday to drop its policy of developing only for its own systems and support the iPhone. Following a steep 3DS price cut to make up for slow early sales, Stats Investment Management fund manager Masamitsu Ohki argued that Nintendo should either "buy its way" into the iPhone's platform or else make something of its own. He along with others is believed to have seen the Pokemon wing's plans for an iPhone game, and Nintendo's refusal to follow suit, as a sign of a disconnect with the mobile strategy.
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08/10, 10:55am
Tied to US launch of Star Fox 64 3D game
Nintendo is bringing a new color to the 3DS lineup. In addition to black and blue, the company will be offering the console to US gamers in a previously Japan-only Flame Red. Nintendo has timed the availability of the new version to coincide with its launch of its Star Fox 64 3D game on September 9.
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