Hasta La Gadget!

The NPD Group’s gaming figures for June have made the rounds, and both Microsoft as well as Nintendo have something to crow about, albeit for very different reasons. Nintendo is the most eager to prove itself and says that the 3DS has hit five million total sales in the US since it reached gamers’ hands in the country. The tally doesn’t compete with the heady numbers smartphone designers are used to, but it’s a milestone for a handheld console whose prospects were dim until a sudden price cut fueled sales a year ago. Before Nintendo lets the 155,000 3DS units it sold in June get to its head, however, it’s important to get context from Microsoft’s own achievements: Redmond shipped 257,000 Xbox 360 units that month and has had the lead among all US consoles for the past year and a half. We’re in the dark on Sony data, although it’s important that just 90,000 Wii units traded hands in the same month — as clear a sign as any that the Wii U can’t come quickly enough for Satoru Iwata and company.

Continue reading NPD: Nintendo 3DS sales hit 5 million in US, Xbox 360 still claims the console crown

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

NPD: Nintendo 3DS sales hit 5 million in US, Xbox 360 still claims the console crown originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Having your console or handheld stolen is never a fun thing to deal with, but at least with Sony and Microsoft, recovering all of your downloaded apps and games once you get a new console is relatively easy. With Nintendo, data recovery is nearly impossible, as there isn’t much of an account system to be found on the Wii, DS, or 3DS.

Luckily for us, that’s going to change when the Wii U arrives later this year. Nintendo has announced plans to implement a unified account system with the Wii U, which will finally allow for data recovery if your console is ever stolen. There is a catch though – David Marshall, a Nintendo customer support agent, says that the company will require a “valid police report” before the data recovery process can begin.

Despite the police report requirement, this is still a step in the right direction. Nintendo knows that it has to fully embrace online gaming and all of the frustrations that come with it if it wants the Wii U to compete with the next Xbox and PlayStation, so it’s good to see that the big N is making it a bit easier for users to recover their downloadable games and apps should their console ever turns up missing. We’re sure there will be a number of users who are annoyed by having to send Nintendo a police report, but hey, it’s better than not having any access to your downloadable games at all.

[via GamesBeat]

Nintendo to finally implement data recovery for stolen consoles is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In the gaming world created and crafted by Nintendo, games make or break the company. When solid titles like Super Mario or the Legend of Zelda make their way to the market, consumers care. And in the process, they buy an awful lot of consoles.

When the Wii U launches later this year, Nintendo will need to rely on games in order to sell more consoles. However, in the past, the company has relied nearly entirely on first-party titles. In fact, the Wii’s third-party lineup was so sub-par that many folks (including myself) made it a last-resort gaming opportunity in the living room. Soon after the allure of motion gaming wore off and the first-party titles dried up, there was little else to enjoy.

For that reason, Nintendo must rely heavily on third-party publishers with its Wii U. The days of simply carrying a console over the finish line on the back of first-party games are over. Nowadays, in order for console makers to be successful, they’re going to have to deliver not only solid first-party games, but allow other companies to offer up outstanding titles themselves.

For Nintendo, playing nicely with third-parties has always seemed difficult. For years, third-party developers have criticized the company on everything from its hardware design to its seeming unwillingness to allow other games to shine. In Nintendo land, first-party titles still reign supreme.

“With the Xbox 720 and PS4 incoming, longevity is the name of the game”

But with the Wii U likely launching this year, to be followed by the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 either next year or in 2014, longevity will be the name of the game. And in order to stick it out until the bitter end, Nintendo must be able to foster strong relationships with third-party developers and urge them to bring their best and brightest games to the console.

At E3, Nintendo seemed willing to do so. Rather than spend too much time on hardware, the company focused on games and brought up several third-party developers to show off their latest and greatest titles for its new console. It was a good start. But let’s not forget that Nintendo had some backing at the Wii’s start, as well. And now, Wii owners are left wishing more solid titles would have been launched.

Of course, Nintendo fans would disagree with that argument. They would say that Nintendo’s first-party titles are really all customers need, but even in those cases where third-party games are on the ready, they hold up quite well. In fact, some Nintendo fans might go as far as saying that the Wii’s game library is just as deep (if not more so) than the Xbox 360’s or PlayStation 3’s.

But are we really supposed to believe that? If that was the case, the Wii wouldn’t see its sales slumping and Nintendo wouldn’t be having so much trouble keeping pace with its past successes. If the Wii had a deeper library, trust me: the gaming space would look much different.

Remember third-party developers, Nintendo. Believe it or not, you’re going to need them with the Wii U.

Third-Party Developers Will Make or Break the Wii U is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There were 36 playable characters in Super Smash Bros Brawl. Is that enough, or would it really be that much better if Nintendo managed to squeak a few more in? As it is, you had characters like Ness and Lucas, Diddy and Donkey Kong, and Marth and Ike that pretty much played identically. So for the next entry, Nintendo isn’t focusing on quantity.

It was confirmed at E3 2011 that Nintendo was working on a new Super Smash Bros game – an announcement that surprised no one. It was later clarified that the company has designs for both a 3DS game and a Wii U game to expand the franchise. Now, Super Smash Bros director Masahiro Sakurai, who gained a cult following before the launch of Super Smash Bros Brawl because of his constant teases and updates, is giving us a hint of what to expec.

“It isn’t a matter of ‘if the next game has 50 characters, that’ll be enough.’ There is a certain charm to games that have huge casts of playable characters, but they tend to have issues with game balance and it becomes very difficult to fine-tune each character and have them all feel distinctive,” Sakurai said in a recent Nintendo Power article.

[via ShackNews]

Super Smash Bros may have reached its character limit is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nintendo has added a new member to its team, a man who held a leading position at Disney’s video game department. Are you asking, “So what?” right now. You should be. Companies hire new people all the time, but what’s interesting about this situation is what Duncan Orrell-Jones is expected to bring to the table. He will be heading up the “development and evolution” of Nintendo’s digital strategy.

Let’s be honest. Nintendo thrived when video games were all about popping in a cartridge and getting immersed into a solitary experience. It blew away the competition. And it still does thrive in that space. The only problem is that gaming is becoming less and less about that. It’s now going online, it’s becoming social, and gamers demand instant access to new content – they’re even willing to pay for it. But Nintendo is not on their level. There is no Nintendo parallel to the PlayStation Network.

The Wii U will be Nintendo’s big chance to show that it has learned over the last five years about just how much the industry has shifted. It needs to have an extremely robust system of digital connectivity and distribution. We haven’t seen any evidence that it will meet that requirement, but hopefully it will be able to. The console’s Miiverse online social platform may be what it needs to compete against things like Xbox Live. For now, though, Nintendo isn’t saying much.

[via NWSource]

Nintendo’s latest hire is Disney video game exec is written by Mark Raby & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.