E3’s biggest loser? It’s Sony. They’ve been lagging behind for years overall, but to lose at hardware, their strongest suit? What a pity. More »
Good news for Nippon-based handheld lovers: from June 19, Nintendo will be selling the DSi at a new reduced price of ¥15,000 ($165), accompanied by a more affordable DSi LL, which lands at ¥18,000 ($198). That will make the jumbo portable console cheaper than the regular-sized one costs today, while the whole effort seems clearly aimed at maintaining the market for Nintendo’s classical wares after it blows all our minds with its 3DS debut at E3 in a couple of weeks. We look forward to it, we just wish this price cut would go global — Europeans need love too, you know.
Update: We’ve also just learnt Nintendo is bringing out a trifecta of new color options for the Japanese LL: blue, yellow and green jumbo DSis will be available on June 19, right alongside the price trim. Come past the break to see the other two hues.
Nintendo trims DSi and DSi LL prices in Japan, adds new color options for bigger console (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 03:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nintendo hasn’t been especially chatty about its upcoming portable system. Word on the device–currently known as the “3DS”–got out right around the time that the company was pushing its larger DSi XL in the US.
The next generation Nintendo portable, which is said to be set for an official unveiling at this year’s E3 in June, will feature 3D functionality, without the aid of glasses. According to a new statement by the company’s CEO, Satoru Iwata, the device will also feature a switch that lets users play its games in 2D mode.
The functionality, according to Iwawta, was incorporated into the device over concerns of the 3D’s effect children’s eye site.
Nintendo’s 2009 financial results have just been released and, shockingly enough, the company hasn’t been able to break its profit record yet again. In fact, annual net profit dipped — for the first time in six tenths of a decade — to $2.44 billion, a 12 percent drop from the previous fiscal year’s $2.79 billion. Sales of the Wii were down 21 percent year-on-year, but Nintendo still managed to shift 20 million units globally, so it’s not exactly all doom and gloom at Mario HQ. And while Microsoft and Sony are working on their own motion-sensing offerings, Ninty is reloading the only way it knows how — bringing the noir Wii to fashion-conscious Americans, and an all-new 3D portable console for the rest of us. Anyone willing to bet against Nintendo’s income sheet improving next year?
[Original image courtesy of Anarkyman]
Nintendo net profit declines for first time in six years, panic remains inadvisable originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 06:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
It’s bigger, it’s bolder, but is it really that much better? Nintendo’s heralded DSi line grew in more ways than one late last month, and now that you’ve had a handful of weekends to toy with yours, it’s time to answer one majorly important question: how would you change it? We found in our review that the DSi XL was a solid option for those without a DSi of any kind, but we didn’t feel that it was worth the $190 if you were just upgrading. For those that bought in, do you find yourself agreeing? Is the new size something you’re into? Would you have made it a touch larger / smaller? Is the screen up to snuff? Do you think Nintendo went far enough with the advancements? Open up in comments below — just keep it clean, okay? Your kids are probably reading.
How would you change Nintendo’s DSi XL? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 May 2010 02:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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As jaded as we are, we just can’t bring ourselves to criticize this. Produced by CTA Digital, authors of other questionable gaming accessories, the Puppet Pouch acts as a superfurry (and annoyingly cute) case for your Nintendo portable console. Coming with a felt interior and elastic straps to keep your Ninty nice and minty, it also offers a zipped compartment for storing games and accessories, as well as “puppet functionality.” That last bit means you can shove your hand inside it and use the little fella as part of your awesome ventriloquist act. Priced at $19.99, it’s available now, but we’ve just got one oustanding question — what animal is this supposed to be?
Continue reading Puppet Pouch puts fur on your DS / DSi, smiles on people’s faces
Puppet Pouch puts fur on your DS / DSi, smiles on people’s faces originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Until we reach the time when tattoos make checking blood glucose levels cool, we’re going to need another way to keep kids with diabetes healthy. And hey, kids love videogames, right? Bayer’s Didget is based on the company’s Contour glucose meter, but instead of connecting by USB it’s shaped like a Game Boy cartridge, enabling it to slot into a Nintendo DS or DS Lite. When kids upload their scores to a custom game (the less than thrilling sounding Knock ‘Em Downs: World Fair) they’ll unlock new characters and items, but there’s one fatal flaw in this plan: the system necessarily isn’t compatible with the DSi (or its XL brother) and we’re guessing the big cartridge slot isn’t due for a comeback in the 3DS. In other words, this meter is on a fast-track to obsolescence.
Bayer Didget blood glucose monitoring system does double-duty as a DS game originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
How the mighty have fallen. Where just last year companies like Apple and Nintendo were renowned for their ability to keep completely silent about impending hardware, these days the thrill of exposure and some media pressure go a long, long way. Now, if Computer and Video Games‘ sources are to be believed, Nintendo’s had another leak: an October release date for its autostereoscopic 3DS handheld in the UK. That’s well within the original “before March 2011” timeframe, and apparently a surprise for game publishers currently planning software for Holiday 2010. Besides, since Europe typically gets Nintendo systems after the US and Japan, some lucky dogs might get the system even earlier — we’ll let you know when we see it ourselves at E3 this June.
Nintendo 3DS may launch in October, say ‘UK industry sources’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Since Nintendo first asserted sole domination over the handheld gaming market with the release of the paperback-sized Game Boy in 1989, the company has striven time and again to make its pocket systems smaller, meeting fantastic financial success along the way. Nintendo did it with the Game Boy Pocket, the Advance SP, the Micro, the DS Lite and again ever so slightly with the DSi — the last even at the expense of backwards compatibility and battery life. Now, for the first time in the company’s history, it’s made an existing platform bigger, with questionable reasons as to why. Does the Nintendo DSi XL squash its predecessors flat? Or is Nintendo compensating for something? Find out inside.
Continue reading Nintendo DSi XL review
Nintendo DSi XL review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Above is the Nintendo Virtual Boy, 1995; not the 3DS.
After a succession of DS updates (the List, DSi, DSi XL, et al), Nintendo has finally revealed the successor to the popular handheld platform. Due out next year, the new system has been temporarily named the 3DS.
According to the few sparse details revealed by Nintendo, the new device will play 3D games, without the aid of special glasses. Beyond that, there’s not a lot of information available about the thing–including backwards compatibility, pricing, or titles.
Nintendo will release more information about the device at this year’s E3 in June.
Nintendo tried a 3D portable gaming system once before back in 1995, discontinuing the device a year later.
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