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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At a time when many hard drive manufacturers are looking into producing SSDs (solid state drives) as a way to create a new market opportunity, Western Digital is dragging its feet. Claiming the company is open to entering the SSD market when it presents "appropriate opportunity," Richard Rutledge, Western Digital's SVP for marketing, recently shed a bit more light on the company’s position with regards to this segment of the market.According to Rutledge, "Western Digital enters markets that exist, announces products when they are available, and runs a tight model with opportunities greater than resources such that we take a controlled, methodical, sequential, incremental approach to product portfolio...
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NEW YORK (AP) — With e-book sales exploding in an otherwise sleepy market, Random House Inc. announced Monday that it was making thousands of additional books available in digital form, including novels by John Updike and Harlan Coben, as well as several volumes of the Magic Treehouse children's series. Random House CEO Markus Dohle said in a statement that "more people everyday are enjoying reading in the electronic format and Random House wants to extend our reach to them with more of our books." The publisher already has more than 8,000 books in the electronic format and will have a digital library of nearly 15,000. The new round of e-books is expected to be completed within months; excerpts...
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S3 Graphics recently announced its next generation Chrome 500 graphics processors and new Chrome 530 GT card. This new line comes with all of the A/V goodies you're after, including an on-board Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound processor and support for Blu-ray and streaming HD playback. These new cards also support DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0 applications. What’s more, the cards have GPGPU (general-purpose computing on graphics processing units) and ChromotionHD.To speed-up 3D and non-gaming functions, DirectX, OpenGL, and GPGPU applications can be processed with programmable shader cores. Because the cards support Microsoft DirectX 10.1+ / OpenGL 3.0, you’ll be able to experience the next level...
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OCZ Technology Introduces Intel Extreme Triple Channel Memory SeriesQualified by Intel for the Core i7 Processor and X58 Chipset Sunnyvale, Calif.—November 21, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the first of its Intel® Extreme triple channel memory series, qualified specifically for the Intel® Core™ i7 processor / Intel® X58 Express Chipset. Optimized for the Core i7’s triple channel mode and featuring Intel XMP profiles designed specifically to enhance the performance of the X58 Chipset, these new 3GB and 6GB kits ensure optimal performance via an ideal combination of low voltage...
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Samsung Now Producing 256GB Solid State Drive; Substantial Performance Gains Make it Best Overall Performing SSD for PCs Seoul, Korea - November 20, 2008: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing 256 gigabyte (GB) solid state drives for use in notebooks and desktop PCs. With the addition of the high-speed 256GB drive, Samsung now offers the most extensive line of SSDs in the industry with 8, 16, and 32GB SSDs for low-density designs and 64, 128 and 256GB alternatives for the higher densities.The new 256GB SSD more than doubles the performance rates of Samsung 64GB and 128GB SSDs to become the SSD with...
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We remember (and this will date us) when the first issues of PC Magazine, founded in 1982, came out. As time progressed, the magazine because huge, pushing 600 pages at the max if we remember correctly (and it's been a while), much of which was advertising. We recall looking at the tome once and trying to figure out how much was actual content. That was then, this is now. I'm assuming you don't need anyone to tell you how sour recent times have been for newspapers and all forms of print media. Blame it on the Internet. With many consumers simply going online for information, most of which is free, the age of print media is dying. On Wednesday Ziff-Davis, which recently exited bankruptcy, announced...
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Seagate Brightens This Holiday Season With New Colors for the FreeAgent® Go Portable Storage SolutionWith Six New Colors and a Special Offer on Movies, Music and Photos; the FreeAgent Go Portable Hard Drive is a Gift Loaded with Joy Seagate, the world's leading provider of storage solutions, unveiled today a gift idea that will keep on giving for years to come. Originally introduced in September with a choice of four colors, the new award-winning FreeAgent(R) Go portable hard drive is now available in all the colors of the rainbow, including: think pink, ruby red, solar orange, spring green, forest green, royal blue, sky blue, champagne gold, titanium silver and tuxedo black. The initial...
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After a quick search of Newegg’s site, we’ve found that Intel’s trio of initial Core i7 processors and an array of X58 Express chipset-based motherboards have been made available, just shy of two weeks since our launch article hit the web. The Core i7 920 (2.66GHz), 940 (2.93GHz) and Core i7 Extreme 965 (3.2GHz) are all selling for a small premium at the moment--$319, $599, and 1069, respectively—but the X58 motherboards are priced right in line with expectations. MSI’s offering is the least expensive at the moment at about $220, and ASUS’ flagship Rampage II Extreme is currently the most expensive at almost $400. Coincidentally, we’ve got MSI’s X58 Platinum and ASUS’ Rampage II Extreme in the...
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