Jun 05

Nintendo’s Iwata: Wii could be around for three, five, or eight more years

Posted in: console, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Today's Chili, wii

He’s still not firmly committing to quite as long a console lifespan as Microsoft and Sony have, but Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata has now dropped word that the Wii could be around in its current state for longer than some may have suspected. In a wide ranging interview with VentureBeat, Iwata responded to a question about console life cycles by saying that when it comes to timing for a new Nintendo console launch, “it may be three years from now, five years from now or eight years from now.” Iwata further went on to say that, “if we have an opportunity to make a new console, it will probably support HD,” although he disappointingly added that Nintendo has “not found a significant reason” to make the current Wii HD-compatible “at this time.”

[Via MCV]

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Nintendo’s Iwata: Wii could be around for three, five, or eight more years originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 04

Microsoft’s Kim lays out ten-year Xbox 360 lifecycle

Posted in: console, Microsoft, Today's Chili, xbox, xbox 360, Xbox360

It’s no secret that Sony’s has a ten-year lifecycle (or longer) in mind for all of its consoles, but Microsoft has so far been a bit less clear cut when it comes to talking about its long-term plans. That now looks to be changing, however, as Microsoft Shane Kim has told VentureBeat that the company “firmly” believes that the Xbox 360 “has a life cycle through 2015,” or exactly ten years since it launched. That minor revelation came in the same interview where Kim also discussed Project Natal at length, which, he notes, would fit “mid-cycle” into the Xbox 360’s lifetime, so who knows what Microsoft has in store for the 360’s twilight years.

[Via gamesindustry.biz]

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Microsoft’s Kim lays out ten-year Xbox 360 lifecycle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 04

Miyamoto: Super Mario Bros. Wii could be better, but the Wii’s too weak

Posted in: console, e3, gaming, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Today's Chili, wii

Look, it’s no secret that the Wii is comparatively weak. It always has been, and unless some magical, unicorn-approved firmware update hits in the near future, it always will be. The Big N’s Shigeru Miyamoto sat down at E3 this year with GameDaily and confessed as much, stating that he “would like to use Wii Speak more, but [in Super Mario Bros. Wii], the Wii processor is already being taxed.” He added that this was all “part of being a developer to work with the tools you have to create new and interesting projects,” but it certainly makes us wonder just how much more awesome this console could be with a specifications list fit for this millennium. Ah well, maybe we can actually look forward to native 1080p games from Nintendo next decade… if we’re lucky.

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Miyamoto: Super Mario Bros. Wii could be better, but the Wii’s too weak originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 04

E3: The Conny M2 Handheld Console

Posted in: console, Today's Chili

connym2.jpg

Not all of the consoles present at E3 this year were made by Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft–only roughly 99.9-percent of them. There was another console manufacturer on the show–Conny, a Chinese company was showing off a handheld called the M2, which, if the press material is to be believed stands for “multi-games, multimedia.”

The device has a 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen, which can be used with a finger or the included stylus. There are two cameras on the rear of the device–one for stills and one for video. The handheld can also play video and music. There’s also a built in accelerometer. Players can affect games by shaking the device or turning.
Perhaps the coolest thing about the M2 is that users can plug the console into a TV and use the device as a gesture-based controller for the action on screen.

The device ships with 100 games. More are available for download. The M2 has yet to come to the States, but Conny says it’s working on it.

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Jun 02

Sony Goes Official With Disc-Less PlayStation Portable

Posted in: console, gaming, Media Players, portable, psp, sony, Today's Chili

pspgo

Sony on Tuesday provided details on a smaller, flash-based version of its PlayStation Portable console, dubbed PSP Go.

Admitting the PSP Go was the company’s “worst kept secret,” Sony confirmed that earlier leaks previewing the device were legitimate. The main difference from the PSP? The PSP Go ditches Universal Media Discs, allowing gamers to fully rely on digital distribution to buy new titles.

The full specs are as follows:

  • Processor: 333MHz PSP processor
  • RAM: 64MB
  • Storage: 16GB flash memory
  • Display: 3.8 inches diagonal; 480-by-272 pixels; 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Sound: Built-in stereo speakers; microphone jack
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, Memory Stick Micro slot, analog video-out, microphone jack
  • Supported multimedia: Video (MPEG4, AVI); Music (MP3, MP4, WAV, WMA; ATRAC3; ATRAC3plus) and photo (JPEG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, PNG)
  • Weight: 5.6 ounces (including battery)
  • Dimensions: 5 x 0.65 x 2.7 inches (width x height x depth)

With the PSP Go, gamers will be able to purchase and download games via Sony’s online PlayStation Store, sparing them a trip to a brick-and-mortar shop. Sony said it plans to offer many of its future game titles through the PlayStation Store as well as in Universal Media Disc format.

Hitting stores Oct. 1, the PSP Go will cost $250.

See more images of the PSP Go below the jump. Also, visit Wired.com’s Game Life blog for more coverage of E3 2009.

pspgo2

psp-black_hand-c-copy

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Images: Sony


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May 03

Calrec’s Apollo digital audio console is an OLED-laden beaut

Posted in: audio, console, OLED, Today's Chili

We reckon a good 97% of you will never need an audio mixer of this magnitude, but regardless, Calrec’s digital audio console is a behemoth of knobs and sliders that should be easy on the eyes for just about anyone. Shown off at last month’s 2009 National Association of Broadcasters show, each control changes color to reflect the assigned function or group, and each has its own display for monitoring individual status. Above those rest large OLED displays and touchscreen monitors for even more feedback. Audiophiles can hit up the read link for all the specs, and be sure to check after the break for a full-sized shot. Now can someone figure out how to get Super Monkey Kong up and running on this thing?

[Thanks, Tom]

Continue reading Calrec’s Apollo digital audio console is an OLED-laden beaut

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Calrec’s Apollo digital audio console is an OLED-laden beaut originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 May 2009 01:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 17

Nintendo shares fall after surprising drop in Wii demand

Posted in: console, DS, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Today's Chili, video games, VideoGames, wii

Nintendo may have been denying any rumors of a Wii price cut earlier this month, but it looks like it could possibly be reconsidering its options if this latest sales trend keeps up. Apparently, sales in the U.S. for the month of March clocked in at around 601,000 consoles, or about a 17% drop from a year earlier. During the same period, however, Xbox 360 sales were reportedly up a healthy 26%, while PlayStation 3 sales dipped 15% — although, in sheer numbers, both were still well behind the Wii. That unsurprisingly didn’t make investors too happy, with Nintendo shares falling 6.6% on the Osaka Securities Exchange after the news broke, which accounted for it’s biggest drop in more than two months. Also contributing to the sell-off was a 19% drop in Nintendo DS sales compared to the previous year, although the company seems to be betting pretty heavily that the DSi will quickly turn those numbers around.

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Nintendo shares fall after surprising drop in Wii demand originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 10

Xbox 360 Elite bundle rumored to include Halo 3 and Fable 2 for $400

Posted in: console, gaming, Microsoft, price, pricing, rumor, Today's Chili, xbox, xbox 360, Xbox360

Don’t get all loony just yet — this one’s still a long, long way from panning out — but ArsTechnica has it from a reliable mole that Microsoft is gearing up to ship an even more attractive Xbox 360 Elite. One that comes bundled with hits Halo 3 and Fable 2 for the same $400 that the console alone runs you now. We already heard last month that Microsoft was considering phasing out the standard Elite in favor of bundled “limited edition” models, so that certainly jibes. Though, we will caution you that the last time Ars‘s mole spoke of console price drops, he / she didn’t completely nail it. While said mole did accurately suggest that a $400 PS3 would hit America before the 2007 holiday rush (it happened in late October of that year), the whole “$100 PS2” thing took a full two years to come to fruition. Then again, E3 is just around the bend…

[Via Joystiq]

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Xbox 360 Elite bundle rumored to include Halo 3 and Fable 2 for $400 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 09

Nintendo president squashes talk of Wii price cuts

Posted in: console, nintendo, Today's Chili, wii

Incredible as it sounds, it looks like Nintendo isn’t planning on slashing the price of the console it can still barely keep on store shelves. That word comes straight from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who’s attempting to clamp down on recent speculation that a Wii price cut could be in the offing, which seemed at least a tad more plausible considering that the manufacturing costs for the console have supposedly dropped significantly since its launch. According to Iwata, rather than trying to drive up sales numbers even further with a price cut, Nintendo will instead be putting “more energy and time into making better entertainment so that our products are going to remain in the top position in our customer’s wish lists” — and now with Disc Dog, in the top position in our hearts.

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Nintendo president squashes talk of Wii price cuts originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 29

Dreamcast SD adapter could make for homebrew magic

Posted in: console, gaming, hack, homebrew, Retro, sd, Today's Chili

9.9.99 will always hold a special place in our hearts, and so long as hackers are making the most of Sega’s last great console, we’ll continue to pay attention. Today, we’re doing our best to wrap our minds around the Dreamcast SD Adapter, which could be used to easily bring SD-based homebrew apps and emulators over to the console. It’s still a touch unclear what exactly the device would be used to deliver, but needless to say the potential is mind-boggling. Right now, the creators are feeling out the market to see just how many Dreamcast loyalists would be willing to hand over €20 ($26), so if you think you’re willing to pony up, tap that read link and let ’em know.

[Thanks, Craig]

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Dreamcast SD adapter could make for homebrew magic originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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