Posts Tagged ‘Nintendo’

WiiU, The New 3D DS Game Pad That’s Breaking the Chains Between Wii and U for Upcoming Nintendo Games

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Nintendo has liberated not only a new tablet-like controller, but their players too, with the new WiiU 3D DS game pad that allows gamers to play using this controller with HD TV’s and right on the WiiU screen itself.  The tablet’s additional screen intensifies, embellishes, and collaborates with the action on the TV screen.  Nintendo announced at the E3 gaming trade show its plan to release its new console and the 6.2inch touch screen controller by 2012.

WiiU gives gamers the option of playing with the controller on an HD TV screen or on the controller itself.  The controller screen is used simultaneously with the main screen, providing alternate views of the game and the player from different angles.  The controller screen amplifies the game by putting the player as if he or she was in the actual setting.  It gives the gamer the ability to look around the entire game in 3D by just holding and moving the control in the space of the different angles.

The WiiU also allows players to game anywhere in the house that is somewhat close to the console—without a TV, while someone else is using the TV.  It is a 3DS, as well as a 3D DS, with an entire graphical advancement, which can be utilized while the TV is being watched by someone else.

The tablet-like controller consists of a finger-sensitive touch screen, a gyroscopic motion sensor, dual analog pads, a microphone, front and rear facing cameras, a cross-pad, buttons, and trigger buttons on the back.

The new WiiU can only be used with the new console.  It is not sold separately, only packaged with the system itself.  Keeping the price of this new console and controller down, along with convincing consumers the benefits and achievement of its portability are going to be the crucial factors of its prosperity.

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Another Trip to the Café

Friday, April 29th, 2011

In the few short days since our first article revolving around Nintendo’s newest creation, codenamed Project Café (though widely dubbed the Wii 2), updated information has already been released. This time, by the Big N itself.

First and foremost, Nintendo disseminated an official letter to the press which confirmed that the console will appear and be playable at E3, and that we can look forward to its release next year no earlier than the second quarter.

Secondly, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata commented on speculation of the system’s controller. Some rumors had purported that the controller would actually take the form of a tablet, much like an iPad. Iwata put that to rest, however, according to TechWatch. He told an analyst, “Whenever we make a new game console, we’ve done it without throwing away buttons and the directional pad. The reason for that [is] it’s better to have them, because buttons and directional pads benefit gameplay response. Taking this into account, Nintendo isn’t planning on completely ditching buttons, nor is Nintendo thinking of taking tablets as they are today and implementing them in a game console.”

Again, be sure to stay tuned to E3 coverage, which begins June 7, to catch Nintendo’s conference wherein the controller and everything else Project Café will be unveiled.

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Feeling Light and Sweet with Nintendo’s Project Café

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

The moment has arrived. Not officially, of course, but rumors are flying fast and hard about what is to be Nintendo’s next revelation: a home console with the codename Project Café.

Currently, the Nintendo console on the market, the Wii, is by no means on its way out. It’s been around for about four and a half years, which is still considered young in video game console terms. And yet, here we are, being teased with words of its successor, thanks to sources at GameInformer and IGN. What details have been leaked, exactly, you ask? Let’s break it down.

  • The console will be capable of full HD, perhaps even more powerful than the PS3 and X Box 360
  • Its CPU will be a custom-built triple-core IBM PowerPC chipset
  • It will likely be backward compatible with all Wii games
  • It will implement an entirely new controller, with a built-in touchscreen which will stream content directly from the console
  • The controller is rumored to have the form-factor of a tablet
  • Retail price will be in the $350-400 range
  • Console size will be comparable to the original X Box, but appearance will suggest a modernized version of the Super Nintendo
  • It will be revealed by Nintendo at this year’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo)
  • A 2011 release date is unlikely

Well, isn’t that tantalizing? From the sounds of it, Nintendo isn’t pulling any punches this round. With the Wii, they opted for a much wider audience and were not concerned with matching the HD capabilities of their competitors. Now it seems Nintendo is fixing their radar on the core gamer audience, who will no doubt be watching and listening intently during the E3 Press Conference. In only a short time Nintendo will put the cards on the table during the expo, which starts June 7.

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Nintendo 3DS Sales Soar Along with its Graphics

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Just as we expected, sales of the new Nintendo 3DS soared upon its launch on Sunday. Gamers flocked to stores like Best Buy and GameStop at 12:01 to pick up the first 3 dimensional, hand-held gaming system of its kind.

The 3DS promises a 3D gaming and video experience like none other. With the ability to not only give gamers a unique experience while playing; the 3DS will have the capability to stream movies straight from Netflix to your hand by summer time… no ridiculous 3D glasses required.

No official sales figures have been released however, Time reported that “Nintendo sold around 375,000 units last month during the handheld’s initial 48 hours on sale in Japan,” making it Amazon UK’s most pre-ordered item in history. As far as US sales go thus far, Lazard Capital analyst Colin Sebastian believes “preorders for the 3DS are roughly twice those of the Wii console during a similar time frame prelaunch.”

For the hand-full of stores offering midnight madness sales on the hand-held device, lines formed around the block. Patrons were treated to 3DS previews while waiting for their turn to purchase the latest and greatest technologically advanced gaming system.

But not all stores partook in the midnight festivities. Walmart chose to save the excitement for regularly scheduled Sunday morning store hours to open the flood gates for 3DS purchases. In true Walmart fashion, the superstore appealed to the masses through pricing deals. Wait, how does it go? Oh that’s right…“Save money, live better.” Anyway, Walmart’s angle is to allow customers to trade older DS models for $100 credits toward purchases of the 3DS. The only catch is all trade-ins must include AC power adaptors.

With a price tag of $250, is it worth it? Our geek pad here at eZanga had mixed reviews, but for the most part agreed that the 3DS is one-of-a-kind and will be for a while. The Netflix capabilities and altered reality gaming are big components in that conclusion. Justin England raved that the remake of the game The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time for 3DS “might be the best video game ever made.” Pretty convincing if you ask me!

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Nintendo 3DS Has “Iwata” Cool Stuff to Offer

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Okay, despite the fact that this article’s title is a terrible pun (congratulations if you get it), it describes Nintendo’s latest handheld perfectly.

Yesterday, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata addressed an audience at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. In his keynote, he revealed a few new tidbits of info about the 3DS. But first, let’s quickly review what we already know.

  • First and foremost, the top screen displays 3D image without special glasses
  • The bottom screen, continuing the trend of previous DS systems, responds to touch input
  • It is backward-compatible with all prior DS software
  • Two cameras are situated on the device, allowing you to take 3D pictures
  • A new messaging system is supported via Wi-Fi connection
  • There will be a Virtual Shop service (the offerings of which will include classic Game Boy titles) running soon after launch
  • It is packed with Augmented Reality games that interact with physical objects seen by the device’s cameras
  • Local and wireless multiplayer connections are supported by the all-new StreetPass and SpotPass modes

Now, back to the present. Nintendo announced at GDC that the 3DS will in fact support streaming of movies via Netflix by the summer. Whoa. The possibility of streaming 3D video in the palm of your hand…that is a very cool prospect. Not to mention that with the device’s own cameras, you can record and play back your own movies in 3D.

Nintendo also mentioned at the conference that, in conjunction with an AT&T partnership, the 3DS will have access to thousands of wireless hotspots after a software update in May.

Finally, Iwata teased the audience in typical Nintendo fashion with an official 3D Super Mario game announcement. With so much to offer right off the bat and so much more waiting in the wings, Nintendo 3DS hype is at an all time high. The system sold the entirety of its first shipment (400,000 units) already on Japan’s launch day last week. Will the US and Europe eat it up too? Most likely.

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