Items tagged with (tyo:7974)
Nintendo announced it is expanding its online service for its Switch console, with a new membership plan arriving in about a month from now. Unveiled during the latest Nintendo Direct event, the upgraded plan (or add-on, really) will open up access to a collection of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games, in addition to the current catalog of NES titles. It's not yet clear how much the upgraded subscription tier will cost. As things stand, a Nintendo Switch Online membership runs $3.99 per month, with discounted pricing for longer commitments—$7.99 for three months and $19.99 for 12 months. There's also a family membership plan that runs $34.99 per year, for groups of up to eight people. It's...
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It's only been out a bazillion years (small exaggeration), but Nintendo has finally got around to implementing Bluetooth audio support on its Switch consoles, a feature that has been absent since the original model launched back in 2017 (hard to believe it's been almost half a decade already!). The ability to pair Bluetooth audio devices arrives by way of the latest system update. The Switch has always featured Bluetooth capabilities, but up to now was only used to connect the Joy-Con controllers. Pairing a set of Bluetooth earbuds or headphones has been frustratingly unavailable, at least natively—manufacturers have offered Bluetooth adapters for those who wanted to wirelessly pair a headset,...
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The folks at Nintendo are getting ready to serve up a free 'Winter Update' for its highly popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons game, and it can not get here quick enough. Fortunately, it is right around the corner. As in, Nintendo plans to push the update out on Thursday, November 19, which is now just a couple of days away. This could have just as easily been called a Holiday Update, because of two very distinct themes that will play out, those being Thanksgiving and Christmas. And it arrives just in time—the latest CDC guidelines point out that "small household gatherings are an important contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases," and many families are opting to skip getting together...
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Imagine a company that has the audacity to revive a handheld game system from 40 years ago, and do it at a time when there is a glut of new and powerful gaming hardware on the market, including the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, and a bunch of new graphics cards for PCs. That company could only be Nintendo, and what it has brought back into the limelight is a modern take on the ancient Game & Watch. Many gamers have fond memories of the original NES and Super NES, but the Game & Watch? The first version came out in 1980, before The Simpsons existed, and when a gallon of gasoline ran about a $1.20. A sort of precursor to the Game Boy, these were single-game handhelds with a LCD screen,...
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Emulation is not always easy. Just look at all of the brands trying to emulate the success Nintendo has enjoyed in the retro console space with its NES Classic and SNES Classic launches. But that is not the only kind of emulation we are talking about. As it relates to Nintendo, Yuzu is a popular Switch emulator, and after recently offering an online function, it quickly took it down. It is not entirely clear why exactly Yuzu's developers yanked the online component. There are multiple possibilities, though. One is that it might not have worked up to their standards. Or it could have proved difficult to manage and maintain, taking up resources that could be applied elsewhere in the emulator's...
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I have no idea what the official status of Halloween is this year (my kids are all grown), and specifically whether to expect trick-or-treaters. Either way, you can get in the holiday mood with a series of themes and crossovers, like the Haunted Hallows event Rocket League and Fortnitemares in Fortnite. And if Animal Crossing: New Horizons is more your speed, there are some Halloween themed islands and homes you should definitely check out. The image you see above is a delightful makeover by Twitter user @ryuryu_12mj, found at Dream Address DA-9999-3296-4057. Jack-O-Lanters abound among a pumpkin patch, as do other decorations. There is also a pumpkin carriage. The user said they converted part...
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Has it really been 35 years already since Super Mario Bros. first graced the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)? It sure has, which means two things: I'm old, and a celebration is in the works. Rumor has it Nintendo will be launching a Super Mario 35th Anniversary Collection, and that it will arrive on the Nintendo Switch in short order. Nothing has been confirmed as of this moment, but you just know Nintendo is going to do something—anything—to celebrate the occasion. I hope so, anyway. The persisting rumor is that both Super Mario 35th Anniversary Collection and Super Mario 3D World Deluxe will be getting their own releases, with Jeff Grubb from VentureBeat feeling confident...
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On hindsight, it seems incredibly shortsighted and silly to have ever questioned whether Nintendo's hybrid Switch console would be a hit, considering its comparatively under-powered specifications. We now know better. Lest anyone needs further proof, however, Nintendo just reported a gigantic uptick in operating profits in its latest earnings report, because of the Switch. Nintendo's operating profit skyrocketed to 144.7 billion yen (around $1.37 billion in US currency) in the three-month period ended June 30, 2020. That represents a massive 427.7 percent increase over the same quarter from a year ago, when the operating profit stood at 'just' 27.43 billion yen (around $260.2 billion). This also...
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We are all doing the best we can to stay sane during this time of self-isolation and social distancing, and if you are looking for a fun distraction, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a great escape from the real world. It is also getting another update. The upcoming Summer Update - Wave 2 will bring some features and goodies to the table, including cloud saves. Being able to save your progress to the cloud is a potential godsend, should you lose your Switch console, or if it gets damaged. By saving to the cloud, you would at least be able to recover your island paradise, if something bad were to happen to your Switch. "The island backup feature is separate from the Save Data Cloud functionality...
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Towards the end of April, Nintendo issued a notice saying login details for as many as 160,000 Nintendo accounts had been compromised as a result of a data breach. In actuality, the number of affected accounts is nearly twice as high—Nintendo this week provided an update on the matter, saying it has identified an additional 140,000 users accounts that "may have been accessed maliciously." The new figure is not part of a separate hack, but the result of Nintendo's ongoing investigation into the matter. As discovered in April, hackers were able to exploit Nintendo Network IDs (NNIDs). These were mainly relevant back in the days of the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, but could be linked to a Nintendo...
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Hackers recently targeted Nintendo Switch owners, leading to the recommendation that users enable two-factor authentication (2FA), which is generally solid advice anyway. In the aftermath of the hacking campaign, Nintendo is no longer allowing Switch owners to log into their Nintendo accounts through a Nintendo Network ID (NNID). Nintendo also confirmed how many accounts were compromised. According to Nintendo, around 160,000 accounts were hacked. On those accounts, hackers were able to see nicknames, genders, dates of birth, country/region information, and email addresses. Nintendo also acknowledged that hackers may have illegally made purchases on affected accounts using existing balances,...
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Nintendo has another hit on its hands with Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Switch. The game is proving a fun distraction from real world events, notably the Coronavirus pandemic, though it has been unofficially banned from China's e-commerce platforms after a Hong Kong activist used the game as a means of protest. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a real-time simulation in which the player assumes the role of a character who relocates to a deserted island after purchasing a deserted island package from Tom Nook. The player can decorate their island and invite others to visit. It's a simple premise, and one that has been resonating with gamers. So, what's the problem in China? Hong Kong activist...
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These are strange times we live in. Tom Brady is leaving the New England Patriots, most sporting events have either been cancelled or postponed, we're being told to social distance ourselves, and toilet paper is quickly becoming the new currency. Video games provide a respite from reality, though if you preordered a physical copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons from Amazon, check your email—it might be delayed. New Horizons releases on Friday, March 20, and is one of the most eagerly anticipated games so far in 2020. The other one is Doom Eternal, and as we reported on earlier, GameStop is releasing that game a day early (today) in hopes of spreading out the crowd, since it is due to release...
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Today's date is Mar 10, otherwise known as Mario Day (Mar10...get it?), and in celebration of this once-a-year event, there are some delightful discounts to be had on several Nintendo Switch games. Most of them feature the world's most famous plumber, though some of the game discounts also focus on his companions, such as Yoshi and Captain Toad. Price cuts from Nintendo are far more sporadic than from other publishers, so it is always nice when something like this happens. Some of them can be bought and downloaded from Nintendo's Switch eShop, others are available at places like Amazon and Best Buy. Sitting high on the list is Super Mario Maker 2. The popular sequel to the first Super Mario Maker...
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Historically, Sony has been loathe to fully embrace cross-platform multiplayer gaming, much the consternation of gamers. Who knows when or if it will pull a true 180 (to Sony's credit, it does support cross-play in some instances). When it comes to its PS4 Remote Play feature, however, a new survey hints that Sony might be more welcoming of competing consoles. PS4 Remote Play is a different beast than cross-play, of course, but it was to be supported by competing consoles, it would be an interesting twist (and a welcome one). As it stands, PS4 Remote Play allows gamers to stream PlayStation 4 games to their Windows PC, Mac system, Apple iOS (12.1 or higher) devices, and Google Android (5.0 or...
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A few years ago, Nintendo took a gamble on a hybrid game console, one did not come close to matching the raw power of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, but could be played on-the-go or plopped into a dock for big screen action. I am of course talking about the Switch, which has proven to be immensely popular. This raises the question, will there be an upgraded Switch Pro model, as has been rumored? Probably not. Nintendo president and chief executive officer Shuntaro Furukawa threw cold water on the rumor in a briefing with investors following the release of the company's latest earnings report. In no uncertain terms, Furukawa said there are "no plans" to launch another Switch console this year,...
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Nintendo may have take a swing and a miss with the Wii U, which failed to recapture the magic of the Wii and ranks as the company's worst selling console of all time, but the same is not true of the Switch. It continues to sell like gangbusters—Nintendo sold an additional 10.81 million Switch systems during the last quarter, and 52.48 million since launching nearly three years ago. The Switch will need to double that figure in order to surpass the original Wii at 101.63 million lifetime sales, but the hybrid console is well on its way. Just as impressive, the Switch managed to scoot past the venerable Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in lifetime sales—Nintendo pegs SNES...
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Admit it, at some point in your life (past or present), you have fantasized about jumping into a video game and interacting with whatever virtual world tickled your imaginative fancy. Many gamers who grew up playing on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) may have wished they could hop into the console and join Mario and Luigi in their efforts to save Princess Peach. Well, that might not be possible, but Nintendo is doing the next best thing by opening up an Super Nintendo World theme park at Universal Studios Japan. Nintendo describes the theme park as a "life size experience of the game world," with the promise of combining games and attractions with "the world's most advanced technology."...
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Are you looking for a gift idea (for someone else or perhaps to treat yourself)? If so, there are plenty of bargains out there. One that catches our eye today is the Nintendo Switch. Over on Amazon, you can snag one for $269.99, which is $30 below its list price. This is the latest version of the console, too. [EDIT: the Gray version is sold out and not available at the moment -- go here to get the Neon Blue/Red model for $269.00 after coupon, though note it will be in stock on January 19, 2020). If you are lucky, you might even be able to grab one for $239.99, though don't bank on that. Here's the thing—when you are signed into your Amazon account, there is a clickable coupon box that...
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Nintendo is fairly good at keeping secrets, so much as that is possible in the internet era, so it is not surprising that we have heard very little about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 since it was announced at E3 this past June. There just have not been many substantial leaks. In the absence of such things, however, Nintendo has shared some new new images of the upcoming game. What Nintendo in Japan has shared really amounts to a behind-the-scenes look at some of what goes into developing these worlds and landscapes. Or as the Google-translated text refers to them, they are "stage production" images. "Stage production is the creation of background graphics such as the terrain, sea,...
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This past Cyber Monday was Amazon's single biggest sales day ever, and it must have done well on Black Friday as well—perhaps a little too well, to the point of not being able to keep orders straight. Somehow or another, Amazon managed to replace a bunch of Nintendo Switch orders with seemingly random items, such as books, batteries, and even a pack of condoms. That's right, at least one person who ordered a Nintendo Switch from Amazon on Black Friday received a package of prophylactics instead. Granted, in the right hands a condom can be more fun than a Switch, but there is a definite price gap between the two. How exactly could this happen? Amazon is stumped at the moment, though it did...
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Google's ambitious cloud gaming platform called Stadia is only a few days away from launching to the public, and there are still many questions that have yet to be answered. That said, Google did answer some of them during an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit yesterday. One of them was in regards to which controllers will work with Stadia. Following the AMA session, Google updated its support pages to list exactly which controllers will (and will not) work with Stadia. Sony's DualShock 4 is one of them, as is Microsoft's Xbox One controller, both of which support USB and Bluetooth connectivity with Stadia on the desktop and through Pixel devices. Here's a look at the official list... Source:...
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