Items tagged with (tyo:7974)
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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,...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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,...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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."...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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,...
Read more...
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...
Read more...
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:...
Read more...
Tecent, one of the world's largest gaming companies and technology firms, has yet to permeate the US market in the way that it wants, which is one of the big reasons why it partnered with Nintendo earlier this year. A key part of that effort is to "learn the essence of making console games" from a company that knows a thing or two about releasing hit titles. Nintendo is not just adept at making hit games, it has discovered the secret to creating booming franchises around iconic characters, like Super Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong, to name just a few. This is perhaps best exemplified in Super Smash Bros., a wildly popular brawler where many of Nintendo's characters appear in the same game. "What...
Read more...
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still a few weeks away, in terms of where each one falls on the calendar. But as for the discounts that each ones bring, they are already starting to roll as retailers look to get a jump on the annual sales bonanza. So it goes for Walmart, where you can pick up a Nintendo Switch bundle at a tantalizing discount right now. Over at Walmart, there is a "Build Your Bundle" offer happening. You begin by selecting a Nintendo Switch console, either the version with neon blue and red Joy-Con controllers or the one with gray controllers. Once you have settled on a color scheme, you can select a game from a list of five choices, those being... Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ($56.99...
Read more...
Call it one small step for PlayStation 4 owners and one giant leap for gamers, as Sony has opened the door for cross platform gameplay. Or shall we say, opened it a bit wider—Sony actually relented to Epic Games around this same time a year ago by allowing an open beta enabling cross-play in Fortnite between the PS4 and Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. At first, Sony was resistant to the idea, citing the PS4's supposed superiority over other platforms as the reason why. Sony also admitted at the time that it was not a technical barrier preventing it from embracing open play, just that the "PlayStation [4] is the best place to play." Sony would later backpedal by saying "enabling...
Read more...
Apple has always held a vice grip on its App Store, and from its inception, only approved apps that meet the company's set of rules have been allowed to enter. Up to this point, getting around this meant having to jailbreak your iPhone. Well, not anymore—iOS developer Riley Testut has made available an alternative app store called AltStore that does not require jailbreaking your handset. It officially launches this Saturday, September 28, but he is offering up a preview straight away. It is compatible with even the latest versions of iOS, including iOS 13.1. Whether or not a future update breaks compatibility remains to be seen, but for now, it works. What's interesting about AltStore is...
Read more...
The Nintendo Switch Lite launched to retail a few days ago, and a subsequent teardown analysis gives hope Nintendo may have addressed a Joy-Con drift issue that can affect the original Switch and the more recently revised version. We also get to see what's involved in cracking open and performing a DIY repair on the new model. In case you have not been following, here's the deal—Nintendo released the original Switch console in 2017 to much fanfare. It was lauded for its dual approach to gaming, as it can be slid into a dock to game on the big screen or played on the go with its integrated display. Then last month, Nintendo released a revised version with better battery life. The Nintendo...
Read more...
Another ROM site is facing legal action from Nintendo, which is suing over "brazen and mass scale infringement" of its intellectual property (IP) rights. Filed by Nintendo of America, the lawsuit alleges the ROM site served up hundreds of thousands of illegal copies of Switch games, and half a billion 3DS games. "Defendants reproduce, distribute, monetize, and offer for download thousands of unauthorized copeis of Nintendo's video games. This includes games for nearly every video game system Nintendo has ever produced including hundreds of games for its recently released Nintendo Switch," the lawsuit states. The site is ROMUniverse, and according to the lawsuit, it offers a premium membership...
Read more...
Nintendo has already brought somewhat of a VR experience to its Switch console with the Labo VR kit (as shown above), but if you are hoping for a somewhat better implementation, you might be in luck. Well, maybe. A recently published patent design by Nintendo shows a design for a VR accessory that appears to slightly different than the Labo VR kit. It's also somewhat similar. Nintendo applied for the patent in February 2018, and it was published on August 22, 2019. The patent application describes a "3D image display system and 3D image display device," and there are accompanying design images. Here's a look at some... The images above depict a design whereby the user does not strap the VR accessory...
Read more...
