Hasta La Gadget!

Nintendo is notorious for releasing awesome limited edition hardware abroad, but here in the US of A, we tend to get the short end of the joystick. Case in point, the house that Mario Miyamoto built is releasing a Charizard-themed 3DS XL on December 15th in Japan for ¥18,900 ($237). Available exclusively at Pokémon Center stores, aspiring buyers will need to complete an order form and win (yes, win) a drawing for a chance to purchase one of these beautiful monsters. Winners will have from December 15th through January 14th to claim and purchase their prize. As for you unlucky entrants, you’ll have the opportunity to indulge in one of America’s favorite pastimes — buying Nintendo collectibles online at an extremely high markup.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Nintendo

Charizard 3DS XL burns through Japan’s Pokémon Centers in December, snag one if you’re lucky originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you live in Japan and aren’t already red-shelling on a Pokémon or risqué edition 3DS XL, maybe one of these three new bundles will inspire you. For the minimalists: the Monster Hunter Tri G bundle complete with all-black 3DS XL (known as the LL in Japan), releasing November 1st for 21,800 yen (approximately $280). Following one week later (on the 8th) is the Animal Crossing: Jump Out bundle with white and pattern handheld, setting you back 22,800 yen (approximately $290). And, for the same price, the pièce de résistance of the trio — a New Super Mario Bros. 2 bundle with black and embellished red XL, expected November 15th. If you’re the importing type, or just want to see how good the Japanese got it, then check out the gallery below and pick your favorite.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Nintendo

Nintendo releasing three new 3DS XL bundles in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo rather quietly announced that it’ll be bringing the Circle Pad Pro to its colossal 3DS XL handheld. The release doesn’t go into the specifics beyond confirming the eventual arrival of the accessory, which adds a second analog stick (and a few more centimeters of heft) onto the already roomy device. There’s no word on pricing or availability, with both currently marked as “undecided,” but hopefully the company will make its mind up before the start of the holiday season. The original Circle Pad add-on cost ¥1,500 ($19.50), so we expect this will run about the same amount. It’s unclear thus far if the device will launch outside of Japan, but we expect to hear more shortly.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Nintendo circle pad for 3DS XL announced in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn’t nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we’re getting our game on — and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!

It’s time to balance out that daily grind at school with some well-deserved leisure. Fortunately, many of our choices walk that fine line between work and play — if you’re willing to stump up some more cash beyond a normal laptop, you could get something capable of handling the latest PC titles. Some of our other choices may be a harder sell in the education stakes, but we all need some stress relief, right? And with bigger consoles nearing the end of their life cycles, there’s never been a more wallet-friendly time to get involved. Jump in after the break for our favorite gaming choices. If all your money’s been earmarked for learnin’, then you should certainly enter our sweepstakes. Leave a comment after the break for a chance to win, and visit our giveaway page for all the details.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: gaming

Filed under: Gaming

Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Supersized screens may be the centerpiece of Nintendo’s 3DS XL, but a new Iwata Asks interview reveals that its top display packs some new anti-glare tech too. Takashi Murakami, from the company’s Mechanical Design Group, notes that each of the LCD’s three glare-prone layers were specially treated to reduce reflectivity from the original 3DS’ 12 percent, down to three. According to head honcho Iwata, anti-reflection coatings have been on the Big N’s radar since the GameBoy Advance era, but were typically abandoned because they were too pricey. The Q&A session also confirmed something we noticed when we put the handheld through the review gauntlet — the larger display increases the parallax effect, which translates to a deeper looking 3D experience. If your current handheld’s screen bounces too much light for your liking, the XL can take its place starting August 19th in North America.

Filed under: Gaming

Nintendo 3DS XL sports less reflective screen than its predecessor, improved parallax effect originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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