Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a sales juggernaut in the U.S. In fact, according to the latest data from NPD, the Xbox 360 led all consoles in sales for 24 months in a row. The console even was able to beat out the Nintendo Wii U in December – a surprising feat considering that console just went on sale in November and the Xbox 360 has been available for seven years.

The Xbox 360’s staying power in the U.S. is nothing short of astounding. In December, alone, Microsoft sold 1.4 million consoles in the U.S., indicating gamers see no reason to hold off on buying the device until the Xbox 720 launches later this year. Better yet for Microsoft, many of those folks sign up for Xbox Live, providing the software giant with a steady stream of revenue over the course of its lifecycle.

All of that success, however, has me thinking: why is the Xbox 360 – a console that, at launch, some thought would be trounced by the PlayStation 3 – so popular in the U.S.?

Perhaps the first reason is its core market. Microsoft isn’t trying to take on Nintendo’s more casual gamers. Instead, Microsoft has found a loyal following in the hardcore segment, where gamers like to play online, pick up shooters, and play for hours. To those gamers, the Xbox 360 is a device worthy of its success.

According to NPD, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was the most popular game in the industry last year. And for the fourth year in a row, the Xbox 360 version was the most popular option among U.S.-based consumers. That’s perhaps as much a testament to the console as it is its robust online-gaming service that delivers the features today’s customers want far more effectively than on competing consoles.

Speaking of competing consoles, is it possible that they’re causing the Xbox 360 to be so popular? Granted, the PlayStation 3 has sold more units worldwide than the Xbox 360, but let’s not forget that that is due mainly to Sony’s international success. In the U.S., the Xbox 360 is still the dominant force.

“Gamers became more wary of the PlayStation Network after the hacking scandal”

Perhaps that’s due to Sony’s sluggish online services. Although they’ve been around for years, Sony’s online services haven’t really caught on until recently. Plus, with the hacking scandal that rocked the platform, gamers became a bit more wary of the PlayStation Network.

The Wii and Wii U might also be pushing gamers to Microsoft. As mentioned, those consoles cater to a casual sector of the market – one that Microsoft doesn’t really care about. At the same time, hardcore gamers who have played the Wii and Wii U and try to stick with it have trouble. Like it or not, the consoles just aren’t capable of keeping their attention as much as the Xbox.

Finally, I think we should point to the Xbox 360’s strong library. For years now, it has offered just about every major franchise, and exclusives like Halo have kept customers coming back. Hardware might get all of the attention in the marketplace, but it’s software that drives customers to buy the consoles. And on that front, Microsoft is winning handily.

Of course, the Xbox 360’s success might be due to several other factors. Why do you think Microsoft’s console is so popular today?

Why is the Xbox 360 so popular in the U.S.? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you haven’t yet upgraded to Nintendo‘s newest console, the Wii U, and are still stuck on the original Wii, not all hope is lost. The company is still supporting the older console. Case in point: they just announced availability of Amazon’s Instant Video service on the Wii console, which is now available to download from the Wii Shop Channel.

Of course, Amazon is a little bit late on this one, especially considering that their Instant Video streaming service has already been available for the Wii U. In any case, it’s nice to see Amazon catching up with the times, and to see Nintendo still supporting their original Wii console with new content.

Amazon makes it fairly simple to get started with Instant Video on the Wii. Users can just download the app on their system, and then register it by going to Amazon’s website, where they have a special landing page specifically for Wii owners using Amazon Instant Video. You can register a new device or manage your current devices from the webpage.

Currently, Amazon Instant Video is only available in the US when it comes to using it on the Wii, and there’s no word on when or if the service is coming to other regions of the world, but we can’t imagine that either company wants to keep it exclusive to the US. However, we’re curious as to how long Nintendo will keep up its support with their now last-gen console.

Amazon Instant Video now available on Nintendo Wii is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In 41 days since its launch, the Nintendo Wii U managed to beat the Wii in sales by about $30 million. December saw Wii U sales numbers over 460,000, with a total of almost 890,000 units selling since its launch. This information comes from the NPD Group, with its report covering the time period from November 25 to December 29.

Thus far, Nintendo has raked in about $300 million from U.S. sales of the Wii U, compared to the $270 million or so it made with the Wii when it was at this stage in its life cycle. Overall, December proved to be a good month for the company, with it selling over 2.65 million hardware units total, as well as achieving some other notable milestones, including selling more than 580,000 copies total of New Super Mario Bros. U.

Likewise, the Wii console sold just under 475,000 units, bringing the all-time sales number up to 40.8 million. Following on its heels, Just Dance 3 earned the honor of being the tenth Wii game to sell over 5 million copies. The DS sold almost half a million units for an all-time total of 53 million sold, while the 3DS sold 1.25 million units for a lifetime total of 7.7 million.

Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing Scott Moffitt offered this statement. “While the Wii launch established new benchmarks in the United States, Wii U has surpassed its predecessor in perhaps the most important category: revenue generation. The demand for the Deluxe SKU, which was essentially sold out at retail this holiday, and the strong attach rate of New Super Mario Bros. U, shows that we have the value and the games to drive momentum in 2013.”

Nintendo Wii U sales trump Wii sales, 460,000 units sold in December is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve seen some impressive old-school video game controllers being used to play Android games, and today, we caught wind of another modification that uses the body of a Gameboy in order to play old-school games on a Galaxy Nexus.

Instructables user “alpinedelta” put together this mod as he wanted to play Nintendo emulators on his phone, but wasn’t a fan of the touch screen inputs. He didn’t just want to buy a commercial productthat would allow him to play games on his device, instead, he wanted to play his games on classic Nintendo hardware.

The modification combines the case of a Gameboy with the innards of a Wii remote to create a bluetooth controller that can be used on his Galaxy Nexus. The only issue he’s come across is the limit in the amount of buttons he can use to play games on any emulator that requires more than two buttons. So if you’re looking to play Street Fighter II or anything else that requires every button on its original controller, this mod probably isn’t the best idea for your gaming needs.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony CEO Says PS Vita Sales On ‘Low End’ Of Company’s Expectations, Microsoft IllumiRoom Concept Expands Your Game To Your Surroundings,

Nintendo quietly announced the Wii Mini recently. The console, which will be available in Canada for $100, supports over 1,000 Wii games, but lacks a host of important features, including backward compatibility with GameCube titles and the ability to connect in any way to the Internet.

Of course, Nintendo has said that the Wii Mini is the perfect value. The console is cheaper than the Wii and is smaller. Plus, it’s the perfect entry point for new gamers who don’t care about the old days and simply want to get their motion gaming on.

But perhaps Nintendo’s view on that is short sighted. One of the best aspects of the Wii is that it supports the company’s Virtual Console, a nostalgic repository filled with titles from its many popular devices. Old school gamers can get everything from the first Super Mario to the finest Legend of Zelda games downloaded directly to their consoles. It’s a wonderful thing.

Wii Mini owners, however, won’t have that option. Instead, they’ll be forced to sift through Wii games in the hopes of finding some gems that can match the classics available in the Virtual Console. Admittedly, there are some Wii titles that will appeal greatly to gamers. But before long, it becomes clear that save for first-party games, there isn’t a whole lot to like in the Wii game library.

“Under the guise of the “nice” company, Nintendo looks to drain every last profit from customers”

The more I look at the Wii Mini, the more I see it as a cheap way for Nintendo to generate some extra cash. After all, it’s undoubtedly cheaper to produce and the lack of Internet connectivity forces would-be Wii customers to the more expensive model. Once again, Nintendo has, under the guise of the “nice” game company that hides under Mario’s hat, looked like a big company looking to drain every last profit out of its customers.

Thankfully, the Wii Mini is only coming to one market for now, so Nintendo shouldn’t be viewed as unfavorably as some might think. However, what if the Wii Mini actually sells relatively well in Canada? Don’t expect it to take too long for Nintendo to bring the underpowered and unnecessary console to the U.S. and U.K. After all, if Nintendo thinks it can make some extra cash, why wouldn’t it?

For seasoned gamers, the Wii Mini looks like yet another example of Nintendo failing to understand the changing market dynamics. Gamers want more Internet functionality, not less. And despite the GameCube’s sub-par performance in the console market, backward compatibility still matters.

Nintendo is simply playing by the wrong rules. When gamers ask for more, Nintendo has been giving them less. And when gamers had hoped for better features, Nintendo has almost always told them that it knows better.

With the Wii, Nintendo seemingly knew better, since the console sold extremely well. But the Wii Mini is a different beast altogether. And despite Nintendo’s best attempts at showing why the Wii Mini is really necessary for customers, the company has failed.

Sorry, but the Wii Mini is one big, bad idea.

Nintendo’s Wii Mini Is One Big, Bad Idea is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.