Hasta La Gadget!

There are two great things about Nintendo embracing a connected future for gaming: it allows Nintendo to release DLC for its games (more on that in just a minute) and it also allows the company to track gameplay data and give us the insane statistics we all crave. For instance, did you know that 3DS gamers across the globe have collected 300 billion coins in New Super Mario Bros. 2? That’s a lot of coins, and to celebrate Nintendo has released new DLC for New Super Mario Bros. 2 that’s free for a short time.

If you’ve been a lifelong Mario fan, then this DLC is definitely for you. It takes levels from the old NES-era Mario games and remakes them for New Super Mario Bros. 2‘s Coin Rush mode. Officially dubbed the “Gold Classics Pack,” the DLC pack contains three courses inspired by levels in the original Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3. The first course in the pack brings together the first two levels of Super Mario Bros., while the second course will be familiar to those of us who played Super Mario Bros. 3 non-stop when we were kids. For the third course in the pack, we’re going back to Super Mario Bros. for a romp through Bowser’s castle, ending with a battle against the meanest Koopa the Mushroom Kingdom has ever seen.

Nintendo has already won major points by revisiting classic Mario level, but even better is the fact that this DLC will be free through January 31, 2013. Once February arrives, the DLC will cost $2.50, which really isn’t bad when you consider how much some publishers like to charge for DLC. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed the DLC in a new Nintendo Direct Mini stream, which also you tells you how to go about downloading the Gold Classics Pack. Check out the video below.

The DLC is available starting today, so have at it. At the very least, make sure you use SpotPass to nab the DLC before it becomes a paid download on February 1, 2013. What do you think of this latest DLC offering for New Super Mario Bros. 2 – is it nice to see classic levels re-imagined, or were you hoping for something different?

New Super Mario Bros 2 DLC remembers the plumber’s past is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

You might recall musician Diwa de Leon from his entertaining and amusing performances of the Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Galaxy music. Well, Diwa is back, and this time he’s formed a new musical group – the Mini Mario Orchestra.

And the first performance of the Mini Mario Orchestra? Well, you’d think he’d play a bunch of music from platformers, but to keep us on our toes, Diwa has decided to do an awesome medley of RPG themes instead – all while dressed up as Mario, and playing each and every instrument himself:

Now wasn’t that special? Mario playing the Dragonborn theme from Skyrim and the Main theme from Mass Effect seems a little out of place, but it’s still pretty great. I only wish he would have played some more tracks from the Paper Mario series. I’d think that would be more appropriate.

If you liked what you saw (and heard,) be sure to swing by and comment on the video’s YouTube page, and let Diwa know what other tunes you’d like to hear from the Mini Mario Orchestra. Personally, I’d like to hear the Casino Night theme from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

European consumers will be getting a special edition Pikachu 3DS XL by the end of the year, but if you’re in the mood for something a little more immediate, you’ll probably enjoy this next Nintendo Direct reveal. Nintendo announced today that a number of its first-party 3DS titles are now available on the European eShop, including Super Mario 3D Land, Star Fox 64 3D, Mario Kart 7, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

Never fear, US 3DS owners – you’ll be getting these games too, just not today. Nintendo says that all four of the titles listed above will be launching on the US eShop on October 18, and each will set you back $40. True, you could probably find each one of those games for less at a brick and mortar store, but if you want to download from the comfort of your home, it’ll have to be at full price.

All of these are must-haves for 3DS owners, though some of them aren’t particularly new. While Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land offer players entirely new experiences, Star Fox 64 3D and Ocarina of Time 3D are (obviously) remakes of the famous N64 games. That said, both have been given a graphics boost on the 3DS, along with some added features – an improved multiplayer mode in Star Fox 64 3D, along with the Master Quest and Boss Rush modes in OoT 3D – so they’re still worth checking out.

Hopefully these are the first in a long line of Nintendo retail releases on the eShop. We’ve had plenty of older Nintendo games pop up on the eShop, but retail 3DS games are an entirely different beast. If Nintendo keeps this up, we have a feeling that our wallets will be running on empty more often than they usually are.

Nintendo 3DS titles now on eShop in Europe, US eShop in two weeks is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Those cords on vintage video game consoles sure got in the way whenever you weren’t playing. They were long enough that they always got twisted up and tangled everywhere. So if you have a bunch of old Nintendo controllers, you might as well use all of that cord length to make some art.

That’s what artist Erika Iris Simmons (aka iRI5) did in a series titled ‘Ghost In The Machine’. Extending the series of cassette tape art we saw a couple of years back, she now uses the cords from old game controllers to create characters including Mario, and Link as well as Pac-Man. Some were recently for sale in a gallery exhibition for $2,000(USD) each. Not a bad profit margin for controller cable doodles.

Check out the rest in her gallery. She makes some pretty awesome stuff.

[via Geekologie]

This week Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata spoke via live streaming video to the whole world straight from Japan on what the Wii U would be bringing the world – in pricing and release information form. There are two sets that have been revealed thus far, one of them being a basic set, the other bring a Premium Set, each hitting Japan on December 8. The Premium Set has been set for 31,500 yen while the Basic Set will cost you 26,250 – roughly converted, that’s right around $350 and $300, but the final prices for the USA will likely be closer to $300 and $250 when all is said and done – and what’s inside each package, you may ask?

The Wii U Premium Set has been revealed in Japan as containing a Wii U console, AC adapter, Wii U GamePad (one unit), GamePad AC adapter, and HDMI cable – with the console having 32GB onboard storage right out of the box. The Basic Set, on the other hand, has that same set of gear but with 8GB of onboard storage instead – and there’s more!

The Premium Set also includes a membership to the Nintendo Premium Network. This membership gives you 10% off of digital software purchases and will have additional benefits listed soon! The Premium Set also includes bonus bits such as stands for both the GamePad and the console itself. Of course each of these accessories are able to be purchased on their own.

NOTE: have a peek at our 2012 hands-on with Wii U as well as our 2011 E3 Wii U hands-on for sweet Nintendo action!

The stands as well as new iterations – new colors, that is, of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk will be available too. There’s also a new Sensor Bar set for a new price coming up too, each of these shown in the gallery below complete with Japan-based cost for now. There’s also a Wii U Pro Controller launching in black and white for 5,040 yen – that being right around $50 USD, and the whole lot will be available at essentially the same time – soon!

In addition to pricing and release information, this short press conference also showed off a couple elements we’d seen a bit of in the past like HUD data and map information on your controller instead of up on the big screen. Also revealed were a couple new games – New Super Mario Bros. U and NintendoLand. The Mario title, said Iwata, will be the first Mario title to launch with a Nintendo home console since Super Mario 64 all the way back in 1996.

Stay tuned to our Wii U tag portal for more information as it’s released throughout the day – there’s still a USA-based press conference on the way!

Wii U pricing in Japan set at around $300 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.