Tag: Hardware - Page 23
News Europe Joins the Red 3DS Ranks on 30th September
You won't be left out
Here's a little slice of information you may have missed in all the Monster Hunter 4 excitement: the red 3DS is winging its way to Europe at the end of the month. The newly-rechristened Metallic Red console launches on 30th September, in honour of Nintendo having sold one million 3DS consoles since its launch in March,...
News 3DS Sales Jump 260 Percent in US After Price Drop
Jumps to second place
The much talked-about 3DS price drop had the desired effect in the United States, helping to shift 235,000 units of the machine in August. Of those sales, 185,000 machines sold after the price drop on 12th August, a 260% increase on the same period in the July. The upped sales were enough to take it to second place in the...
News Flame Red 3DS Heats Up Australia from 22nd September
Just Europe left
Brace yourself Australia: you're getting a new 3DS colour in three weeks. The Flame Red machine heads Down Under on 22nd September, retailing for $AU249.95. It follows the red console's North American launch on 9th September and its Japanese appearance back in July. Europe is still waiting information from Nintendo but it seems...
News Could the Wii U Controller Do Full Body-Tracking?
Miyamoto drops an intriguing hint
Nintendo of Europe has just published the Iwata Asks Wii U discussion first made available just after E3, and while it's the same discussion as before something intriguing stood out on a second reading. Shigeru Miyamoto touches on Wii Fit's future when enhanced by the new controller. Although the original created...
News New Wii Design Could Go As Low as £80
Retailers gear up for Christmas
The new look Wii is coming to Europe, and comes with Wii Sports and Wii Party but no GameCube support. It's now come to light that Nintendo isn't expected to drastically reduce the console's trade price, but that retailers may still drop the machine to as low as £79.99 in the run-up to Christmas. A Nintendo...
News Rhythm Heaven Wii & 3DS Take Japan Chart Top Spots
A good week
Last week 3DS sales leapt in Japan after the console dropped from 25,000 Yen to 15,000 Yen, and it's still ruling the roost this week according to Media Create's figures. The console sold 105,639 units to sit pretty at the top of the chart, outselling all other consoles combined. It was still a sharp decline from the previous week...
Rumour Nintendo Preparing Dual Analogue 3DS Revamp
Add-on for current consoles too
French site 01net has sparked up another intense round of rumour milling with its latest rumour that Nintendo is currently preparing to unveil a new design of the Nintendo 3DS. 01net's anonymous source claims the company will show off a new version of the console that downplays the 3D aspects and introduces a second...
News New Wii is No Smaller Than Before
Just cheaper
The new look Wii console will lose GameCube compatibility, which prompted some to presume the console will be more compact, but Nintendo has revealed the console is exactly the same size as its predecessor. The Nintendo website listed the box contents, and specifically states: The newly configured Wii console retains the same physical...
News Wii Owners Encounter Xenoblade Disc Read Errors
Not a good start
Xenoblade Chronicles released across the UK and Europe today, but some Wii owners are reporting difficulty getting their consoles to recognise the game. Our own Marcel van Duyn has reported disc read errors when attempting to load the game, despite the console only being newly replaced by Nintendo after the notorious Super Smash...
News Current Wii Model to be Discontinued
Wave goodbye to your GameCube ports, forever.
Earlier today Nintendo announced that a new Wii design would be available before Christmas in the UK and Europe. Part of the redesign was to lose GameCube support including both the backwards compatibility to play GameCube games and use of the GameCube controllers for Wii titles. Nintendo has now...
News First Photo of New Look Wii Console
Not really much different
Anyone expecting a huge change for the upcoming Wii redesign might be disappointed that the console has only undergone a slight alteration, as Eurogamer's first image proves. The console's box art shows the machine lying horizontal for the first time on a Wii hardware box, with the console logo displayed on the front too...
News New Look Wii Released This Christmas
Backwards compatibility for Gamecube cut
Nintendo will release a new-look Wii console in the UK this Christmas, reports Official Nintendo Magazine. The console will be part of a new package that includes Wii Party and Wii Sports, and will be a white Wii slightly redesigned to sit horizontally rather than vertically. Nintendo has also revealed it'll...
News Wii U Controller Patent Reveals Interesting Features
Fingers crossed for a mini George Foreman grill
At this stage in the game, Nintendo has officially revealed relatively little about the specifics behind the upcoming Wii U and its controller technology. Apart from the standard features one would come to expect from any brand of console controller, we know the Wii U's will also sport a 6.2-inch touch...
News Flame Red 3DS Reaches North America on 9th September
Hot stuff?
You knew it would happen sooner or later: the snazzy Flare Red 3DS console is leaving Japan and coming to North America next month. The new colour machine — renamed to Flame Red — launches on 9th September alongside Star Fox 64 3D, with retailers and publishers re-pledging their support for the console in advance of its price cut. Are...
News Nintendo DS Sales Figures Make Wii's Look Tiny
More big numbers
The Nintendo Annual Report Wii sales figures were impressive, weren't they? 86m Wii consoles sold with over 716m games sold as well. The DS sales figures dwarf those big numbers, though. Worldwide, the DS family of consoles — that's DS, DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL/LL of course — has shifted a massive 146.42m units. An estimated...
News Japanese 3DS Sales Slump Coincided with Price Cut Announcement
No doubt sales will pick up again soon
How do you temporarily halt sales of the 3DS? In Japan's case at least, an announcement of a price cut that will come into effect the following month will do it. According to Media Create and as reported by Andriasang, the 3DS sold about 16,415 units during the week that ran from 25th to 31st July in Japan...
News Nintendo Will Announce Wii U Release Date Next Year
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...
News From April to June, Nintendo Only Sold 700,000 3DS Consoles
That's worldwide
We knew 3DS was off to a slow start, but the bigger picture is becoming clearer thanks to Nintendo's latest financial report. The company reveals that in the three months before June 2011 the console shifted just 710,000 units around the world, with 4.53 million software units sold. By way of comparison, the legacy DS system —...
News 3DS Gets Big Price Drop in Japan Next Month
Shaving zeroes
The 3DS has had a sluggish sales start so far but Nintendo is hoping to give the machine a kick start in Japan with a huge price drop effective 11th August. The recommended retail price will drop from 25,000 Yen (around $317 / £196) to 15,000 Yen ($190 / £117), a huge decrease this early in the console's life span. A similar price...
News EA Sports Working Closely with Nintendo on Wii U's Online
Vice president happy with Nintendo's attitude
Nintendo has expressed its own dissatisfaction with its online efforts and it's clearly one area that will need to be tackled with the upcoming Wii U. When Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime spoke to Forbes, he talked about implementing a more flexible online system that will appeal to...
News Boost Your 3DS Battery with Hyperkin's Powerplus
Squeeze more juice
The 3DS's battery life isn't the best around, but Hyperkin's newest accessory will keep the power light at the end of the tunnel on a little longer. The 3DS Powerplus is a rechargeable 1800mAH battery pack that nearly doubles the console's battery life, slotting onto the console and charging via USB, and is available now for...
News 3DS Double Sales in Japan After Star Fox and Flare Red Launch
The Fox effect
Star Fox 64 3DS hits the West on 9th September, but it's already out in Japan and has given the console's sales a sizeable boost. Between 11th and 17th July, the game shifted 32,475 units across the country, putting it in sixth position behind two PlayStation baseball games, Taiko Drum Master Portable DX on PSP, Puyo Puyo!! on DS and...
News Nintendo Refuses to Confirm GameCube Downloads on Wii U
No denying either
Yesterday we reported that GameCube games could come to Wii U via WiiWare, and Nintendo has now released an official (and very carefully worded) statement to Destructoid: To clarify the capabilities of the Wii U system: As correctly stated, Wii U will not play Nintendo GameCube discs, however Nintendo has not made any...
News Vigil Games Talks Darksiders II and Tricky Wii U Development
Staff members have high opinions of the console
The action adventure game Darksiders II for the Wii U won't look any better than the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 versions, but not because it is unable to do so. Jay Fitzloff, marketing manager at THQ's Vigil Games spoke to Video Gamer about how relatively easy it was to get the the visuals to match the...
News Miyamoto: "Wii U is an Attractive Environment for Developers"
Nintendo's duty to create new ways to play
With the Wii U poised to setting a new paradigm in the way a controller is related to its console, Nintendo is clearly keen on setting itself apart from its competitors once again. In an interview conducted by French newspaper Libération, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that if a generation of consoles are...
News Miyamoto Talks the New Generation Behind the Wii U
Expect new heroes on the console
General manager at Nintendo EAD Shigeru Miyamoto spoke to French newspaper Libération after the events of E3 and gave a little insight into the development of the Wii U and how there's a new generation of designers emerging. When Libération asked Miyamoto if he was the brains behind the Wii U's hardware design, he...
News Ocarina of Time 3D was Second Best-Selling Game of June
United States figures are in
Although The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D launched in the middle of the month, 11 days was all it took for the Zelda remake to establish itself as the second best-selling single-format game for the month of June. According to independent market research company NPD Group, more than 283,000 copies of the game were...
News EA Founder Criticises Nintendo's "Feudal Dark Age"
Evil overlords clash
EA founder Trip Hawkins isn't afraid to speak his mind, doing just that at a recent games conference in San Francisco. Hawkins criticised Nintendo for ushering in a "feudal dark age" with its hardware, in which "developers don't own the land they're tilling," a reference to Nintendo's licensing and...
News Videogame History Museum Needs Your Donations
Needs to raise $30,000
In the UK, the Retro Computer Museum just moved to a new home, and now the Videogame History Museum over in Silicon Valley needs to raise funds for its own bricks-and-mortar initiative. The non-profit charity needs to raise $30,000 to build itself a permanent building in which to house its classic coin-ops, consoles and gaming...
News Nintendo Researching Mobile Phone Possibilities
Don't rule it out
In the days of the Game Boy, the idea of a portable telephonic device that also contained a powerful games console was a complete pipe dream, but here in the 21st Century the smartphone market undeniably overlaps with Nintendo's handheld consoles. Never one to be bullied out of its own game, Nintendo has conducted considerable...
News Iwata: "We Must Continue to Combat Negative 3D Rumours"
Giving the president a headache
Despite carefully worded health advice from Nintendo itself, not to mention supporting advice from eyesight specialists, there still seems a negative perception of the Nintendo 3DS console's stereoscopic capabilities, partially fuelled by certain disreputable media outlets. A recent shareholders meeting at Nintendo...
News Wii U is Technically 3D-Ready
Check that off the list
While it may have taken Nintendo a few years to jump on the HD bandwagon, it seems the company doesn't want to be in a position where it finds itself being left behind again when it comes to the latest trend in consumer technology. In an interview conducted by Mercury News, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata clarified the focus...
News Retro Computer Museum Now Has a Permanent Home
Rooted in Leicestershire
The Retro Computer Museum just recently celebrated its third birthday on Sunday, and along with the anniversary announcement came the news that the museum now has a permanent home in Leicestershire. Now the museum has a fixed address, it should hopefully mean events and exhibitions will be more frequent. The exact location...
News Iwata Tells Shareholders "Core Gamers Will Accept Wii U"
And here's why
The Wii may not have attracted many core gamers despite decidedly hardcore games such as Monster Hunter 3 (Tri~), but Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is keen the console's successor will do better. Asked at a recent shareholders meeting "will core gamers accept Wii U?", Iwata outlined his belief for why the previous console...
News Wii U Striking Balance Between Performance and Price
Won't "dramatically" outperform PS3 and 360
With rumours of the Wii U's technical specs being significantly higher than those of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it's easy to pin our hopes up too high and expect something that simply isn't. After Shigeru Miyamoto's conversation with GameSpot at E3, it only sounds even more realistic that we should...
News Nintendo to Update Wii U Prototype Hardware in Coming Weeks
SEGA patiently waiting
Nintendo sent out early Wii U technical specifications after E3, but the system's technical specifications are still mostly unknown, partly as developers aren't yet working on final hardware. SEGA Europe's managing director of development Gary Dunn told Eurogamer it's expecting to receive updated prototype hardware in June or...
News Wii U Won't Support Blu-ray or DVD Playback
So don't bother trying
With news that the Wii U won't be compatible with GameCube games, and that the console's proprietary disc format is able to hold an amount of data that rivals the PlayStation 3, we naturally wonder if the console will be able to play Blu-ray Discs, or even DVDs. At this year's E3 analyst Q&A session, hopes of being able to...
News Take a Closer Look at the Wii U Console
See it from behind
You've had your first look at the Wii U console, but we know you want to see Nintendo's new white box from all angles. While the machine was locked away pretty securely at E3, enterprising Japanese site Inside Games has snapped photos from the front, back and side to show exactly what's included. The back will be of most interest,...
News Wii Sold an Estimated 236,000 Units Last Month in U.S.
Were any of them purchased by yourself?
The latest figures from market research firm NPD shows Wii sales in the United States last month were higher than expected, and conversely, 3DS sales have dropped compared to the previous month. Equity research company Wedbush Securities predicted that Nintendo would sell 225,000 Wii consoles in the month of...
Rumour Wii U is 50% More Powerful Than PlayStation 3
The chips are up
Wii U's IBM Power processor is capable of some pretty good-looking visuals, with full 1080p output, but how powerful is the console overall? We don't know for sure, but one analyst thinks the machine will knock Sony's PlayStation 3 into a cocked hat. Arvind Bhatia, from firm Sterne Agee, told Industry Gamers: Some of the developers...
News Wii U and Its Controller Near Their Final Form Factor
Reggie Fils-Aime talks design and tablet trend
Although the aesthetic design of the Wii U controller may look similar to tablet devices, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime points out that the company is not trying to tap into the tablet market. During a VentureBeat interview, Fils-Aime spoke about Wii U's development and how it took...
News Over 1 Million 3DS Consoles Sold in Japan
Software sales aren't too bad, either
The 3DS is approaching its forth month on the Japanese market, and video gaming magazine Enterbrain has reported that the handheld console has reached an important milestone in terms of hardware sales. It's taken the 3DS 13 weeks to surpass one million domestic sales, slightly slower than the original DS which...
News Miyamoto: "3DS Could Be a Convenient Wii U Controller"
Ah, the possibilities
With Nintendo considering the prospect of making Wii U games that use more than one of the new controllers, it's apparently possible that we could even be using the 3DS as an additional controller too. During E3 2011, Shigeru Miyamoto was asked by Switched On whether gamers would be able to use two of the touch pad Wii U...
News Wii U Uses 25GB Discs and Lacks GameCube Compatibility
Good news, bad news?
Along with the unveiling of Wii U at E3, Nintendo subsequently revealed further details regarding the technical specifications of the console. There is, however, plenty we still don't know about Wii U and with a scheduled launch in 2012, we can expect these unknowns to be revealed slowly like a season of Lost. A couple of things...
News Wii U Games Using Two New Controllers Being Considered
The more the merrier, right?
For all the questions that Nintendo's appearance at E3 2011 answered, many more new ones have arisen. Nintendo EAD designer Katsuya Eguchi is working on a five-player Wii U prototype game that utilises just the one Wii U controller and four regular Wii Remotes and Nunchuks. Is this because the Wii U controller will have...
News Wii U Hopes to Rectify Problems that Wii is Experiencing
Terms like "core" and "casual" pop up, again
Without getting into semantics, the Nintendo Wii was and still is a huge success. With all the people that the console managed to please, there's naturally a percentage of people it failed to win over. With Nintendo's next console, the company hopes to fix several issues that come as a result of being...
News Wii U Touch Screen is Resistive, Not Capacitive
Lost? Let us explain
The 6.2" screen in the centre of the Wii U controller is likely to use the same resistive technology that features in the DS and 3DS consoles, rather than the more advanced capacitive system used in modern smart phones and Apple's iDevices. Hardware images released by Nintendo show a stylus being used on the touch screen,...
News Wii U's IBM Power Processor Means Business
Companies hook up again
IBM has been providing chips for Nintendo consoles for years and will continue to do so, as the two are joining forces once again to power next year's Wii U. IBM's Power microprocessor will run the console, though neither IBM nor Nintendo has given any clock speeds or solid figures, other than stating it's a bespoke chip for...
Fact Sheet Wii U - 1080p HD Confirmed, No BluRay
Nintendo embraces HD in 2012
After announcing the Wii U earlier today Nintendo has now revealed some details of the hardware behind the new system. As expected the console will be a full HD console with 1080p/720p output via HDMI, it will also feature a multi-core PowerPC processor which may be comparable with Xbox 360. As always Nintendo has tried...
News Nikkei Corroborates Previous Wii 2 Controller Rumours
Japanese newspaper chimes in
On Tuesday, Nintendo will take to the stage as it delivers its presentation at this year's E3 expo, at long last revealing details on the Wii's successor. So naturally, there's just enough time for more rumours to be backed up by another source. Japanese newspaper Nikkei reports that the console could launch as early as...
