You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nintendo’s Wii U was probably launched with the best of intentions, but unfortunately the console has been struggling since its launch, with retailers such as GameStop calling the sales of the console “disappointing”, and with Nintendo executives blaming the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake as one of the reasons the console was not selling. Nintendo’s President recently stated that price was not the issue (although they did just cut the prices as of yesterday), and when asked by Kotaku, if the name of the console could be the problem, Nintendo’s America president, Reggie Fils-Aime was quoted as saying, “The challenges we’re facing with Wii U are not issues of the name.”
So if price is not an issue, and if the name is not an issue either, what could be it? According to Fils-Aime, “The issue is the lack of a steady rate of software launches to motivate the consumer to drive buzz and engagement and to highlight the wide variety of uses of the GamePad. That’s the issue.” His statement is right on the money as it was recently reported that publishers aren’t that willing to hop aboard the Nintendo bandwagon these days. We’re not sure what Nintendo can do to turn things around, but hopefully with upcoming releases such as Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, things will start to look up a bit for Nintendo.
Nintendo Admits Wii U’s Issue Is Lack Of Steady Software Launches original content from Ubergizmo. 
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With the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 due to hit shelves across the world soon, it’s not exactly surprising to hear the competition openly sound off on the incoming consoles. Especially when it’s someone as outspoken as Nintendo of America’s COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “It’s all about the games. The competitive systems have announced their launch lineups. I’m allowed to say ‘meh,” Fils-Aime said in an interview with IGN. The Nintendo head added that he feels confident in the Wii U’s title lineup, noting, “We’ve got Zelda. We’ve got Mario. We’ve got Donkey Kong. In addition to great titles like Pikmin 3 and Wonderful 101, I feel very good about our lineup, and I feel very good about the value proposition we’re putting out there for the consumer.”
Both the Xbox One and PS4 will have more than 20 titles available at launch, which is on par with what the Wii U’s launch was back in November of last year. The only problem is Nintendo’s flagship has been seeing less and less support from third-party developers, making the console a harder sell for gamers worldwide. Perhaps, Nintendo’s hoping to turn the tide with its recent announcement that the Wii U’s going to be a little cheaper starting September 21st, though only time will tell how successful that strategy turns out to be.
Via: VG247
Source: IGN
Nintendo unveiled its Nintendo 2DS yesterday, leading many people to take to their social network of choice to ask their followers and fans if yesterday was April 1st. No – yesterday was not April 1st and the Nintendo 2DS is a real product that will be made available on October 12, and according to Nintendo, if you’re reading this, it’s highly likely this device isn’t for you. (more…)
Nintendo 2DS Targeted Towards ‘Very Young Kids’ original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Now that we know The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will be available in the U.S. on October 4, we just have to wait a little over a month until Wii U owners can relive the classic Legend of Zelda game in all of its HD glory. If you consider yourself a true Zelda fan, you probably have already beaten The Wind Waker and are expecting to breeze through this game as well. Unfortunately, the game won’t be as easy as you think it’ll be if you play it on “Hero Mode.”
Nintendo has upped the difficulty of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD by including Hero Mode, which is a nicer way of saying hard mode. If you decide to take Nintendo up on their challenge, you’ll take double the amount of damage you normally would take when an enemy attacks Link, and you also won’t receive any recovery hearts through cutting down grass, breaking pots, or any other method. We’re not entirely sure if this also means you won’t be be able to recover your damage when you defeat a boss, but we guess we’ll have to just wait and see for ourselves in October.
The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Trailer Shows Off ‘Hero Mode’ original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Nintendo’s announcement of the Nintendo 2DS is one of the most surprising developments in the gaming world this year. As an entry-level variant of the Nintendo 3DS, the 2DS can play all 3DS games and thousands more DS games. But unlike the 3DS and the 3DS XL, the 2DS can’t be folded. It’s upper screen also can’t display stereoscopic 3D, hence the lose-lose situation regarding its name. It’s an honest name, but for some people it will be like being told that a Honda Bivic exists. And it’s a Civic.
According to Kotaku, the 2DS’ screens are the same size as the ones on the 3DS. The lower screen is still a touchscreen and the 2DS will also come with a stylus. But as you can see its Circle Pad and face buttons are on the upper half of the device. I think the buttons were shifted up so that the shoulder buttons – which are at the top of the device – will still be within your index finger’s reach while your thumbs are on the Circle Pad and face buttons.
Aside from the “slate” form and the lack of a stereoscopic 3D display, the 2DS has a few other deficiencies compared to its big brothers. For one, it only has a mono speaker, but you can still get stereo audio via its headphone jack. It also has no physical Wi-Fi switch; you’ll have to toggle that from within the menu. So it’s a lesser device, but that means it also has a lower price. It will only cost $130 (USD), $40 cheaper than the 3DS and $70 cheaper than the 3DS XL.
*Update: Kotaku also shared Nintendo Europe’s nifty comparison chart (pdf) between all three 3DS models.* The Nintendo 2DS will be available on 10/12/2013, which is also the day Pokémon X and Y are released. That timing should help push units right from the get go; it will be enough for many people to see that the 2DS can play the latest Pokémon game. But only time will tell if Nintendo’s questionable naming scheme and hilarious yet also depressing decision to ditch their system’s main feature will pay off.
Will customers think that there are 2DS games? Or that the 2DS can’t play 3DS games? Will developers still care about the quality and functionality of stereoscopic 3D in their 3DS games? Will Nintendo finally realize that they have to come up with a practical naming scheme for their devices? Seriously, why didn’t they just name it the 3DS Jr.?
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nintendo has unveiled the latest entry into the 3DS family of devices. This one will be arriving as the Nintendo 2DS and as the name would imply, this one is not 3D. The Nintendo 2DS will be available beginning on October 12 and those looking to make a purchase will be able to choose between […]
This week the folks at Nintendo have announced that they’ll be giving the Wii U a tune-up just in time for the release of both the Sony PlayStation 4 and the Microsoft-made Xbox One. This reboot of sorts is not one of hardware, but of price: the Wii U Deluxe Set will be cut down […]
Nintendo’s current position in the home console market is not exactly an encouraging one, as they have certainly fallen behind Sony and Microsoft in the graphical stakes, where their Wii U has not managed to light up the imagination of the masses in the manner that Nintendo would have wanted. From September 20th onwards, it seems that Nintendo will be rolling out a Deluxe version of the Wii U system that will be accompanied by a price cut by $50, which means that the Wii U Deluxe Set will now cost $299.99 a pop instead of $349.99 previously.
This new price point would make the entry into the next generation gaming console market even easier for the masses, not to mention introducing even greater value to the masses. Not only that, the Wii U is starting to have a stronger lineup of Wii U games that will comprise of Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, EarthBound, New Super Luigi U, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Super Mario 3D World and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Would this lower price point make it easier for you to take a leap of faith into the next generation gaming scene, or do you still want to wait for the PS4 as well as Xbox One to hit the market before making a decision?
Wii U Deluxe Set Price Cut Announced original content from Ubergizmo. 
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