Nintendo Life

Horse armour anybody?

Downloadable content, software updates and microtransactions are not things that owners of Nintendo systems have been hugely exposed to in the past, but things are about to change. With expanded online offering Nintendo Network on the cards for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, third party developers will soon be allowed to sell...

Rolling out the barrel

We all know The Legend of Zelda will come to Wii U, but whether it'll look as good as the Zelda HD Experience from E3 is another matter. Nintendo knows it has to deliver on the graphical front though, as president Satoru Iwata told investors. Explaining that not all Wii U games will take the ultra-realistic, high cost...

Add-ons a-go-go

It's a common problem in these days of overly crammed release schedules: wait around for a few weeks and you might find that the game you've just spent your precious pennies on is already considered old hat. The community has already moved on to the next title, nobody wants to talk about it any longer and, while it might still be...

A rose by any other name

When we saw Wii U at E3, we were pretty certain it was a console. We even saw people playing it in a home-style setting. So it's a home console, right? Wrong. Talking to investors after the latest financial results, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata suggested the company won't refer to it as a traditional home console: As for...

What's on the way?

Swapnote/Nintendo Letter Box is still compelling many 3DS owners to open their console every day to see what's new, and Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has hinted that there may be more to come from the app in the future. Speaking to investors, Iwata revealed that over 10 million notes were exchanged within four weeks of the app becoming available, but acknowledged the software..

Near Field Communication is go

Satoru Iwata revealed to investors that the Wii U controller will feature Near Field Communication (NFC) functions. The wireless technology is commonly used in non-contact transactions such as swiping travel cards and making credit or debit card payments. It's Iwata's description of the technology's applications, however, that most intrigues: By installing this..

That'd be handy

Nintendo has the infrastructure in place to allow full retail games to be downloaded to 3DS, but is still considering when and if to deploy it. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed at an investor briefing that Wii U will also share the same infrastructure — impressive considering Wii U uses 25GB discs — but the company is not yet decided whether it'll bypass retail or not:..

About time

While Xbox 360's Gamertag and PlayStation Network's PSN ID systems have allowed unique online identifiers for some time, Nintendo's 3DS, Wii and DS have lagged behind in the online space. Speaking to investors, president Satoru Iwata revealed Wii U will get individual user accounts for online services. Iwata said: Also for the Wii U, we are planning to introduce a personal account..

And much more

The mysterious Nintendo Network logo that surfaced last week has been explained at an investor meeting by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. As expected, the Nintendo Network is the company's new online infrastructure, but it spans far further than simply online matchmaking and eshopping. As Iwata tells it, Nintendo Network — which covers Wii U and 3DS — is a unified online platform..

No waiting here

As we reported yesterday, Wii U will launch in time for Christmas, with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealing to investors the company has learnt from the 3DS launch. Iwata told investors: For the launch of new hardware, it is, of course, regarded as a sort of requisite not to miss the critical year-end sales season. The company is aiming to firmly complete the development of..

Coming soon

Nintendo will release a new 2D side-scrolling Super Mario title for 3DS in the next financial year, president Satoru Iwata has announced. Speaking to investors about the upcoming titles for the console, Iwata said: Although there is no logo here, we are planning to release a totally new side-scrolling action Super Mario in 2D as a key title for the Nintendo 3DS in the next fiscal year..

Will we see any this year?

The late November 3DS system update will add the ability for developers to release downloadable content for games in the 3DS eShop, but Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed there'll be no Nintendo DLC until 2012. Speaking to investors after the semi-annual financial report, Iwata said: Nintendo will also offer something like this for the titles Nintendo publishes..

No laurel-resting here

Nintendo DS and Wii were hugely lucrative for many reasons, but part of their success is down to the innovative new games only possible on Nintendo's hardware: from Nintendogs and Brain Training to Wii Fit, these new genres really made the hardware into global phenomena. Of course, other hardware manufacturers and publishers soon caught up and Nintendo's advantage diminished,..

No laurel-resting here

Nintendo DS and Wii were hugely lucrative for many reasons, but part of their success is down to the innovative new games only possible on Nintendo's hardware: from Nintendogs and Brain Training to Wii Fit, these new genres really made the hardware into global phenomena. Of course, other hardware manufacturers and publishers soon caught up and Nintendo's advantage diminished,..

Changes planned?

The Wii U reveal at E3 2011 probably didn't go quite as Nintendo had hoped, with some confusion over exactly what the console is and how it works. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is keen not to make that mistake again though, and has revealed the console will be shown off in its "final format" at next year's E3. That could mean the machine itself will be altered, or we'll..

President comes out swinging

One of the most anticipated 3DS games is nearly here: Super Mario 3D Land releases in Japan next week, and Nintendo president Satoru Iwata expects it to ignite 3DS hardware sales. Speaking to investors after the company's quarterly results, Iwata revealed that since the price drop the 3DS is selling at a better pace than the DS in the same period of its life, stating:..

DLC, web, demos and more

At the recent financial briefing, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata discussed plenty of interesting new ideas to evolve the company's online strategy, revealing some big initiatives. Extra downloadable content for games will be available to game developers after the late November system update, letting studios and publishers update their releases with additional packs of..

Says Nintendo's business in hardware is vital

Following Nintendo's press conference in Tokyo, CEO Satoru Iwata conducted an interview with Nikkei about the future of the 3DS and Nintendo as a whole. Amongst expected talk of strong software line-ups and a Nintendo fightback, Iwata was asked, once again, whether Nintendo would be joining the smartphone market by publishing games on platforms such as..

So don't hold your breath

Since the Wii U's unveiling at E3 in June and the vague announcement of a 2012 release date, we've all been hanging on to find out exactly when Nintendo's next console will be available. We'll all have to keep hanging on though, as that information won't arrive until next year. Just as the 3DS release date was only confirmed a few months before launch, Wii U's price and..

A necessary evil

Rumours of Nintendo's new console started circulating before E3, and the system's basic concept leaked out long before Reggie Fils-Aime rolled the tape. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata spoke to investors recently and admitted that the console's big reveal E3 was a little earlier than then company would have liked. Iwata revealed that although the worldwide interest in what Nintendo..

Mail from the boss man

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata speaks to all the key players in Nintendo's company: investors, shareholders, developers and more all meet with the big boss to share concerns and discuss the industry's future. Iwata is a busy man then, but he still took the time to pen a letter to 3DS owners, thanking them for their purchase and apologising for the price drop. As translated..

But no word on what

Extra downloadable content is a fertile field for developers, allowing them to extend the appeal of their game long after it's left the charts. While some Wii games allowed for paid DLC under the system's "Pay and Play" feature, it was never really a big focus for the console, something Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is keen to change with the company's new machines..

"Very, very sorry"

As the 3DS only shifted 710,000 units worldwide between 1st April and 30th June, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is feeling the hit in his own pocket, cutting his own salary in half. Iwata isn't the only high level Nintendo executive taking a hit: Shigeru Miyamoto's salary will drop by around 30%, as will fellow that of managing director Shinji Hatano. Specific details were not..

Don't make him cry

Here in the West, lots of people like video games in which you shoot people. This is a fact. The war shooter genre, driven by the likes of Call of Duty and Battlefield, has become a huge industry in its own right, raking in countless millions of dollars worldwide every year. Don't tell Satoru Iwata this is the way all games are heading, though: he might start welling up. It is a..