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Nintendo delays Wii U speed update until fall

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo, Wii U,

Wii U SPeed update fall

You know that Wii U system update that is supposed to speed up the console by a pretty big margin this summer? Well, in yet another misstep for Nintendo's latest home console, that update will not be arriving until the fall. Specifically, Wii U owners will be waiting until sometime "between the end of September and the beginning of October." There will still be a system update, but it will be a much less significant patch that simply addresses small stability issues and the standby download feature. The speed update was first announced in January, but we guess it isn't much of a surprise that Wii U owners are stuck waiting. Again.

Read More | Nintendo

Gallery: Nintendo delays Wii U speed update until fall


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Nintendo 3DS XL with 4.88-inch 3D display hits stores August 19 for $199

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Portable/Mobile,

Nintendo 3DS XL

This morning Nintendo unveiled the Nintendo 3DS XL (or 3DS LL in Japan.) The console takes everything about the standard Nintendo 3DS, and makes it bigger. What you end up with is a 4.88-inch 3D display on top, and a 4.18-inch standard touch display on the bottom. Buyer also get a free 4 GB SD card included. In Japan, the 3DS LL will hit stores on July 28th for about 18,900 Yen ($235) while us 3DS XL buyers will have to wait until August 19th to get in on the action, where it'll cost $199.

Read More | Nintendo

Gallery: Nintendo 3DS XL with 4.88-inch 3D display hits stores August 19 for $199


GDC 2011: New Mario title coming for 3DS, Ocarina Of Time 3D coming in June

Posted by Alex Lifschitz Categories: Adventure, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Platformers,

Mario Tail Logo
(Image courtesy of Destructoid.com)

According to the information from the Iwata keynote today at GDC 2011, there's a new Mario title on the way from the Galaxy team for the Nintendo 3DS. The placeholder logo has a tail attached, as pointed out by Iwata, claiming more will be revealed at E3 this year. According to him, the 3DS technology allowed Shigeru Miyamoto to address a fundamental problem with 3D location and platforming mechanics. I'd give more credit to Nintendo than to take the obvious route and link the logo imagery to the Tanooki suit, so expect a new game mechanic unique enough to warrant a logo slot.

Aditionally, it was announced that the 3D remaster of Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be hitting on June 7th. Along with 3D functionality, the game has recieved a graphical overhaul so it doesn't look quite as fugly as the N64 version. This will continue the Nintendo release strategy of using our childhoods to plaster their headquarters with money, and there's still plenty of time to hear more about the game before you decide to purchase it, so keep your eyes open for more coverage in the coming months.

Gallery: GDC 2011: New Mario title coming for 3DS, Ocarina Of Time 3D coming in June


GDC ’09: Nintendo Keynote: Wii 4.0, New Zelda DS game, more

Posted by Alex Lifschitz Categories: Adventure, Corporate News, Music, Nintendo, Wii,

Satoru Iwata

At the ass-crack of dawn, I got out of bed and hoofed it to Moscone South in San Francisco for the start of the GDC proper, kicked off by a keynote with one half of the fanboy’s wet dream, Satoru Iwata, president of the Big N. The line, as expected, was around the block, and I ended up passing the time by measuring my growing distaste for humanity before finally getting in and being seated. The talk, though, “Discovering New Development Opportunities,” was worth the wait. We laughed, we cried, we hemmed and hawed, and I’m not saying there were some tits, but I am certainly making the implication. Hit the jump for what you need to know about Iwata-san’s keynote, recorded moment by moment.

Click to continue reading GDC ’09: Nintendo Keynote: Wii 4.0, New Zelda DS game, more

Gallery: GDC ’09: Nintendo Keynote: Wii 4.0, New Zelda DS game, more


Nintendo DSi announced, larger screens, dual cameras, DSi Shop store

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Downloadable Content, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Portable/Mobile,

Nintendo DSi

Last week we talked about rumors of a new Nintendo DS, and this morning, those rumors proved to be true. CEO Satoru Iwata announced the Nintendo DSi at the company’s Fall presentation over in Japan, calling it a “third platform” for the company (where have we heard that before?). It looks fairly similar the the current DS Lite that we all know and love, but there are a few changes that make this one a worthy upgrade. First, it’s about 12% thinner, as it has given up its GBA slot. The screens are a bit larger, each being 3.25-inches in size. One of the bigger changes, though, is that the DSi features two cameras. You have one 3 megapixel camera on the outside of the unit, as well a front-facing camera on the inside so that you can take images of yourself.

The Nintendo DSi also has an SD card slot along with internal storage. You can save your photos right to the card, then put that card in your to pull it up in the Photo Channel. Nintendo is even launching the DSi Shop, an online destination for purchasing DSi software, similar to the Wii Shop. You use Nintendo Points, and content will be priced at 200, 500, or 800 points. 1000 points will be included with the purchase of the DSi. The unit will come in either white or black for the time being, and goes on sale in Japan on November 1 at ¥18,900 ($178).

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Nintendo DSi product page

Gallery: Nintendo DSi announced, larger screens, dual cameras, DSi Shop store


Iwata Believes Nintendo May Beat Earnings Estimates

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, Nintendo DS, Wii,

DS Lite Nintendo President Satoru Iwata recently spoke with Reuters after the launch of the Wii in Japan. In this interview, Iwata indicated that stronger than expected sales for the DS may help take Nintendo past their previous earnings estimates. There was some worry from both Nintendo and market analysts that the launch of the Wii might leech away sales from the DS; so far, it looks like that hasn’t happened. Instead, the momentum Nintendo has accumulated with the DS may be driving the popularity of the Wii up through a halo effect, much like Apple experiences with the iPod. It is still too early to tell if that is the case; consoles usually will see strong numbers at launch. Until the market has time to shake down, it will be hard to see how the DS and the Wii affect each other’s sales.

Read More | Reuters

Gallery: Iwata Believes Nintendo May Beat Earnings Estimates


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