Items tagged with DS
Nintendo said it's planning to disconnect its Wi-Fi Connection service for Wii consoles and DS handhelds on May 20, 2014. That means no more online play, matchmaking, or leaderboards for many Wii, Nintendo DS, and DSi games. In addition, users will no longer be able to share their own generated content, exchange in-game items, or download free add-on content or downloads such as new levels or in-game items. "We at Nintendo sincerely thank our fans for their continued support of our company’s legacy systems. Your enthusiasm for games made for these systems speaks to their longevity, and the passion of Nintendo fans," the company said in a statement. The announcement doesn't apply to more...
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Sony is halfway through an ugly restructuring period as it seeks to cut costs, consolidate markets, and turn its once-mighty television business around. That's a difficult proposition for any company, but the Japanese giant's recent earnings call was gloomy even under these circumstances. Modest upticks in Imaging Products and Services and Pictures were offset by heavy declines in gaming, home entertainment, and music. The company reported a $314M loss for its first quarter of fiscal year 2012 and cut forecasts for a number of markets. Sony pinned part of the blame on continuing economic turbulence in Europe and America, but investors weren't willing to accept this as the sole explanation. As...
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The newest 3D-flavored handheld from Nintendo may have sold like gangbusters on launch day, but purchases since then have fallen sharply. Current estimates indicate that the company has sold just 830,000 3DS'since the system's March debut. That's particularly significant once we include the 400,000 units Nintendo claims it sold at launch. Subtract those numbers from the total, and the 3DS may be struggling to break 100K a month. With game publishers like Sega already delaying titles in a supposed bid to improve sales farther down the line, the 3DS risks being caught in a downward spiral. Nintendo's price cut, which is scheduled to take place on August 12, may be enough to reverse disappointing...
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Nintendo has taken a page from Sony's playbook, even as the video game giant struggles to recover from the impact of its decision to remove Other OS support. The Free Software Foundation recently examined* the EULA and privacy policy Nintendo attaches to the 3DS; both are far more draconian than corresponding agreements for the DSi, DSi XL, DS Lite, or original DS. Let's start with the privacy policy. The two documents are organized differently; a careful comparison indicates that the DSi policy matches the 3DS policy on nine of the latter's ten points. The missing point (ix in the 3DS agreement) is the importance differentiator. It states that Nintendo may collect Personally Identifiable Information...
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After a strong initial release, sales of Nintendo's newest 3DS have slumped significantly. The company had planned to sell at least four million units by the end of its fiscal year, but only moved 3.61M. During his speech at the company's investor conference, company CEO Satoru Iwata said the latest handheld required a different approach. We have revised our scenario for diffusion and are making efforts to get the popularity of Nintendo 3DS back on track for the upcoming summer season... The value of 3D images without the need for special glasses is hard to be understood through the existing media. It is clear from our market research that many people feel that they 'want' and 'want to buy' Nintendo...
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The Sun has published a number of stories regarding Nintendo's new 3DS system, in an apparent attempt to convince its key market of cataclysmically retarded-but-literate individuals that the device is a biohazard. The 3DS is blamed for making people dizzy and sick, with scientific evidence accrued from Twitter. In one particularly awesome paragraph, the site states: "Some even reported seeing web pages in 3D after switching from the console to a PC." Under the circumstances, we're amazed The Sun didn't report on the overwhelming majority of people who, after playing on a 3DS, saw the entire world in 3D as well. Paint Chips: Now Available in White, Blue, and Moron So eager was the publication...
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What if your game console had a 3G wireless connection? What if your portable gaming handheld had one? It's a reasonable question to ask, and you have to assume that executives at Nintendo, Sony and the rest of the crowd are asking that same question. There's a clear and present demand for mobile data; Apple's iPad comes in a 3G version, and Amazon's Kindle has been a huge hit largely due to its 3G connection that lets users download new books anywhere that there's a cellphone tower nearby. So if those devices can thrive with 3G, why can't handheld gaming consoles? They probably can, and early talks about this are beginning. NTT DoCoMo, a large wireless carrier in Japan, is already interested...
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Apple's iPod touch and iPad haven't really been out long enough to determine their long-term place in handheld gaming. Sony's PSP and Nintendo's DS lineup are still the go-to handhelds when you think of gaming on-the-go, but there's no doubt that Apple is having at least a small impact on things. The App Store is filled with games, most of which are cheaper than the same titles on Sony's PSP and Nintendo's DS family. Regardless of your own opinions, it's clear that Apple has the attention of the other "major" game makers. Sony has in the past admitted that the iPad wasn't a threat to the gaming realm (possibly something to make themselves feel better), and now Nintendo is opening up with some...
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Oh, boy. 3D really might be taking over the world. In all honesty, we won't believe that until Google announces a 3D version of their search engine, but believe us, it's probably already in the works. Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another 3D announcement on the horizon, Nintendo (of all companies!) comes out and hits the world in the face with this one: a 3D version of the popular DS portable gaming handheld. As you may expect, Nintendo will be calling the system the 3DS, which just happens to work out really well for them. But what's interesting isn't that a company who broke new ground by introducing the world to motion gaming (with the Wii remote), but how it'll be done....
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Uniforms, tighter schedules, banning of cellphones; could school possibly get any less organized? We're sure it could, but the higher-ups at Nintendo want to affect schools in a positive way by introducing their products into them, of course. We have previously heard of Dance Dance Revolution being used in select Physical Education programs in order to get students to become active when they otherwise wouldn't, but we have yet to hear of any school making a sweeping measure to accept gaming consoles as a part of their teachings. Nintendo Game Designer, Shigeru Miyamotocredit: Associated PressShigeru Miyamoto, who has had a hand in some of Nintendo's most popular titles,...
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Do you know what happens when you sell millions upon millions of units with no signs of slowing down? A couple of things, really. First off, your investors rejoice. Secondly, the planet's most pervasive social networks wants everything to do with you. Starting this week, proud Nintendo DSi owners here in American and in Japan can access Facebook Connect right on their handheld, which is a definitely step forward in finally taking advantage of the Wi-Fi capabilities that Nintendo oftentimes downplays in its machines.Using an Internet-connected Nintendo DSi system and the Nintendo DSi Camera application, Facebook members can take pictures with either of the system’s two cameras and upload their...
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Gamers across the pond (meaning Europe and Japan, specifically) have been able to handle Nintendo's smallest and most powerful DS system yet for some time now, but at long last the pleasure is finally coming to those who call North America home. Starting this week, gamers with a thirst for more on-the-go fun can part with $170 in order to bring home the much hyped DSi handheld.Early reviews have found the upgraded device to be far superior to its two predecessors. The loss of the GameBoy Advance slot is a surefire downer for those who adore legacy titles, but pretty much everything else is a definite leap forward. For starters, the display panels are enlarged, while the overall casing is smaller,...
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Um, what? Frankly, that's the reaction we have after digesting an absolutely absurd -- and borderline comical -- new PR snippet from Sony. Given that April 1st is well behind us, we're left to believe that John Koller's statement regarding Nintendo's DSi launch is completely legitimate. For those unaware, the smallest and most powerful DS yet is launching today in the United States, and rather than just pointing out facts about the PSP's superiority (the ability to play back UMD movies, a long history of downloadable content, an expansive 16:9 display, etc.), Sony Computer Entertainment America's Director of Hardware Marketing had this to say: "If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader,...
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It's tough to fathom that it was 2004 when we were drooling over Nintendo's cutest, if not a touch bulky, handheld ever: the DS. Originally hailed for its groundbreaking usage of dual screens (one of which was touch-friendly), the system was a runaway hit from day one. Here we are, nearly five years later, listening to Nintendo gloat about an astonishing sales figure.On March 6, 2009, Nintendo shipped its 100 millionth Nintendo DS system, which includes the original DS, DS Lite and the DSi, which is out in Japan and coming soon to American shores. It took a grand total of four years and three months for global sales of the DS handheld to top 100 million, which is a milestone reached at the "quickest...
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