Hasta La Gadget!

If you are still in two minds over whether to pick up a Nintendo 3DS or not, then you might as well give yourself a few days of waiting. Why do we say so? Well, this December 2nd, there will be a new launch from the house of Nintendo, where they will be rolling out a spanking new $200 (actually, it is $199.99, but who’s counting, really?) bundle that will come with a blue-black Nintendo 3DS XL handheld console inside, along with Mario Kart 7 already pre-installed. Talk about getting some kart racing mayhem goodness right out of the box!

This is definitely worth checking out, considering how the Nintendo 3DS XL already costs $200 as a standalone device, meaning you save $39.99 from purchasing a copy of Mario Kart 7 separately. Perhaps those who are very conscious about their spending, and would want to do so wisely this coming holiday season will give serious consideration to the Mario Kart 7 3DS XL bundle.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Ubisoft’s new survey could clue us in on what to expect in the next Assassin’s Creed title, All 6 Tomb Raider titles now available on Steam,

Nintendo‘s holiday gush continues, with the gaming company pushing out a new bundle this time preloading Mario Kart 7 onto the eye-friendly 3DS XL. The new, limited-edition system pairs the blue/black version of the larger glasses-free 3D handheld with a copy of Mario Kart 7  for $199.99, rather than the $240 you’d be shelling out if you paid RRP for each separately.

In fact, you’re getting the duo for the same RRP as the regular 3DS XL, which basically makes the game a freebie. It’s also saved to the handheld itself, meaning no need to carry around a separate cartridge; still, that does mean you can’t trade it in or swap it with a friend when you get bored of playing it.

Earlier this month, Nintendo revealed a flame red bundle centering on the original 3DS, and including a preloaded copy of Super Mario 3D Land. There’s also a bright yellow 3DS XL headed to Europe, while Japan gets a Charizard limited edition.

Meanwhile, Canada has a cut-price version of Nintendo’s Wii, the freshly-announced Wii Mini, priced at CA$99.99 but sacrificing internet connectivity and backward compatibility with GameCube titles in order to hit that price. Of course, most eyes are on the new Wii U, the next-gen console Nintendo is hoping will turn around its fortunes.

Nintendo 3DS XL Mario Kart 7 bundle races in for the holidays is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When the Android-powered, crowd-funded Ouya console arrives next year with a near-$100 starting price, it’ll be the cheapest new game console at launch in … well, ever. Of course, the big entrenched players aren’t just taking this lying down — Microsoft’s got a $99 version of its Xbox 360, albeit with a subscription-based subsidy, and Nintendo today introduced the Wii Mini, a $99 Wii console with a fewer abilities than its slightly larger forebear (exclusive to Canada for now, but we doubt it’ll stay that way). Neither of these initiatives is a direct response to Ouya, mind you, but the three choices will assuredly find themselves paired against the others in the minds of consumers.

As such, we can’t help but wonder where you’ll end up. Does Nintendo’s revamped, smaller Wii get you all worked up, or is it Ouya’s promise of open-source freedom that’s doing it for you? Perhaps you’ve got a custom gaming rig that makes all other options look like Playskool by comparison? Let us know in the poll below!

Update: That whole “voting” part of the poll below seems to not be playing nice with our new look. Alas, we’re working on a fix right this minute, and will let you know as soon as you’re clear to vote. Terribly sorry about that!

Update 2: And we’re clear! Cast votes to your heart’s content!

Continue reading Poll: Are you buying an Ouya or a Wii Mini?

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Nintendo

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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.

Nintendo has announced that TVii, the Wii U’s multimedia TV guide, will launch alongside the console’s Japan launch on December 8, while US and European users will have to until 2013 in order to get TVii functionality. TVii pulls data from Rovi’s G-Guide and lets gamers scroll through listings using the GamePad.

UPDATE: It’s confirmed that Europe will see the 2013 delay, but a solid release date for the US is actually still unknown. The last we heard, TVii was delayed into December, so it’s possible we may see it on the 8th along with Japan, but no official word from Nintendo on that yet.

Earlier this month, Nintendo announced that TVii was delayed into December, and would not coincide with the American launch of the console. However, the feature has been delayed once again for both US and European gamers to sometime in 2013. Japan gamers, however, will be able to take advantage of TVii right at launch.

However, one feature that Nintendo is charging for is the ability the Wii U’s GamePad as a television remote control in Nintendo TVii. Users who want this feature will have to pay a one-time fee of ¥100 ($1.22). A strange fee, indeed, but then again, gamers are paying double digits every year to watch Netflix on their Xbox 360, so it’s probably something that we don’t need to complain about too much.

The Wii U had a respectable launch week after its release on November 18, with over 400,000 consoles sold in the US during the first week. That’s a respectable number, and Nintendo may be close to edging Microsoft to the number of consoles sold per month, which Microsoft has held the crown for the past 20 months or so.

Nintendo TVii launching December 8 in Japan, US and Europe in 2013 [update] is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.