Jun 07

Sony’s PlayStation Vita: a closer look (update: burning questions answered)

Posted in: e3, hands-on, sony, Today's Chili, video

We told you what Sony’s PlayStation Vita felt like, but here it is in the glossy plastic flesh — all five-inches of vibrant OLED display, two cameras, dual analog sticks, twelve buttons, two capacitive digitizers and a D-pad. Check out the gallery below for some close-up shots, and hop on past the break for some video footage of the quad-core handheld in action.

Update: Sony just answered a few burning questions for us — mainly about those mysterious ports we spotted on the bottom and top. Apparently those top port covers will hold one slot for the official PSVita game cards, and another slot for regular removable media for downloadable content and saves, and the port that’s occupying one of those places will be removed. Meanwhile, the large socket at the bottom is a “multiport” that provides power, connectivity and might do video-out. We couldn’t get any firm details about the AT&T 3G partnership, by the way, but we’re told that there will be a special cellular plan of some sort. As you’d expect, Sony’s also not talking battery life, but a developer told us that — with the exception of graphically intensive titles like Uncharted — the company’s shooting for parity with the original PlayStation Portable.

Gallery: Sony PlayStation Vita hands-on

Continue reading Sony’s PlayStation Vita: a closer look (update: burning questions answered)

Sony’s PlayStation Vita: a closer look (update: burning questions answered) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

Sony’s PlayStation Vita: a closer look (updated with video!)

Posted in: e3, hands-on, sony, Today's Chili, video

We told you what Sony’s PlayStation Vita felt like, but here it is in the glossy plastic flesh — all five-inches of vibrant OLED display, two cameras, dual analog sticks, twelve buttons, two capacitive digitizers and a D-pad. Check out the gallery below for some close-up shots, and hop on past the break for some video footage of the quad-core handheld in action

Gallery: Sony PlayStation Vita hands-on

Continue reading Sony’s PlayStation Vita: a closer look (updated with video!)

Sony’s PlayStation Vita: a closer look (updated with video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

Kinect Star Wars hands-on: Engadget and Joystiq get in touch with the Force

Posted in: e3, kinect, Microsoft, Star Wars, Today's Chili, xbox, xbox 360, Xbox360




We’ve been waiting for nearly an entire year to carve up battle droids with a Kinect-controlled lightsaber, and we got the chance last night, donning virtual Jedi robes alongside our friends at Joystiq and calling upon our inner midi-chlorians in a series of brief co-op fights. The interactive demo of Kinect Star Wars version is a fairly scripted affair — your light side avatars automatically dash from encounter to encounter with the occasional cutscene between, without any prompting from you, and when you get into a melee, the computer controls which enemies you face as well. Still, there are quite a few maneuvers available once combat begins in earnest. You can swing your right hand to swipe with the lightsaber, bring up your left for a powerful Force Push, jump to flip over hapless destroyer droids, step forward to dash directly at a foe, and tilt your body to dodge and flip. There’s a bit of a delay between the time you gesture and the time the game recognizes your actions, but it generally seemed to follow our saber strokes, and a product manager tells us a lag fix is inbound. Long story short, we can’t tell you quite yet if your 1:1 slicing fantasies will be fulfilled.

Kinect Star Wars hands-on: Engadget and Joystiq get in touch with the Force originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

Nintendo Wii U console eyes-on

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

Sadly we weren’t able to get our hands-on the new console that’s going to come along with the Wii U controller. Every operational unit is clad in shimmering Lucite and locked away. But, from what we can see peering through the glass it’s more or less a curvaceous Wii. It’s a little bit chubbier, maybe a hint taller, but the design is much the same: glossy white and a big disc slot. Nintendo definitely isn’t giving up on physical distribution for this round. All that we can see beyond that is a power button, a reset button, a red sync button, and a little flip-down door much like on the Wii. What’s behind the door? Memory cards? More buttons? Magic? Feel free to speculate wildly in comments.

Gallery: Nintendo Wii U Console Eyes-On

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Nintendo Wii U console eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! (video)

Posted in: e3, handheld, hands-on, nintendo, Today's Chili, touchscreen, video, wii

We just elbowed our way through the crowds and managed to get our first hands-on time with Nintendo’s revolutionary new controller, the Wii U. As you can see in the images, it’s a rather different thing than even the company’s typically unusually styled contraptions. The dominant feature is the center-mounted 6.2-inch touchscreen, which actually looks really good. We’d expected Nintendo would cheap out to keep costs low, but that doesn’t appear to be the case, at least not in our first impressions. Join us after the break for more details.

Gallery: Nintendo Wii U Hands-On

Continue reading Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! (video)

Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

Nintendo’s New Console Wii U and Its Crazy Touchscreen Controller

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

Nintendo’s new console is called Wii U, and it’s got a full touchscreen controller that looks almost like a stretched out, tabletized DS with twin analog sticks and full motion controls. It is insane. Updating live. More »

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Jun 07

The Wii U controller, revealed! (video)

Posted in: breaking news, controller, e3, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, official, Today's Chili, video, wii

Whoa! The rumors turned out to be true: a 6.2-inch screen will be built into the controller for Nintendo’s next-generation Wii U console. It’ll also feature a microphone, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, dual analog controls, two shoulder buttons and two triggers, a front-facing camera, a stylus, and yes, it’s a touchscreen, too! Satoru Iwata was careful to forewarn that the Wii U’s controller was “not designed to be a portable game machine,” even if it shares some characteristics with handhelds. You will, however, be able to game and video chat even without a TV. Screen resolution isn’t given yet, but the display ratio is stated as 16:9, matching every other widescreen in your living room. Check the video after the break while we go try to hunt down some hands-on time with this multifunctional new beast of a controller.

Gallery: Nintendo Wii U Controller

Controller30Controller 2Controller3Controller 4Controller 5

Gallery: Nintendo Wii U press images

Continue reading The Wii U controller, revealed! (video)

The Wii U controller, revealed! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

The Wii U, Nintendo’s next console (video)

Posted in: AMD, breaking news, console, e3, gaming, nintendo, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, official, Today's Chili, video, wii

Coming in 2012, Nintendo’s next home console will deliver “deeper game experiences” that aim to offer “something for everyone.” And it’ll be called the Wii U! A variety of new controls will be made available by that crazy new controller with a 6.2-inch touchscreen embedded in it. Most importantly, you’ll no longer be tied to a TV to enjoy your home consoling action — the Wii U controller can handle your gaming session when the television is needed for other purposes, while a built-in front-facing cam will let you video chat from anywhere too. Notably, you won’t have to use the 6.2-inch behemoth if you don’t want too — the Wii U will be compatible with all current-gen accessories and software. Yes, your expansive Wii collection will play on the U version of the console as well. We’ve also seen some decidedly high-def visuals from Nintendo showing off the Wii U’s graphical prowess. See video of the unveiling after the break!

Batman: Arkham City, an Assassin’s Creed game, Dirt, Ghost Recon Online, Tekken, Metro Last Light, Aliens Colonial Marines, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, and Darksiders II all got a mention as coming to the Wii U. Yes! EA’s John Riccitiello just said the Wii U will deliver “brilliant HD graphics.” Finally, the Wii is going HD!

Speaking of HD, the fact sheet from Nintendo informs us that the Wii U can pump out 1080p video over HDMI. It’ll also be compatible with component, S-video and composite cables. There’ll be “internal flash memory” of unspecified quantity, which will be expandable via either an SD card or external USB HDD. IBM is, as with the original Wii, once again responsible for providing the processor inside. Four USB 2.0 slots are made available, while game media will be served up on “proprietary high-density optical discs.” There’s also another, worthwhile, reminder that the Wii U will play Wii games and their optical discs without a problem.

Update: We just got word from the folks at Kotaku that Nintendo game designer Katsuya Eguchi has revealed the Wii U’s proprietary disc format will hold up to 25GB of data.

Update 2: And now we have the final piece of the puzzle: the Wii U’s graphics will be handled by a “custom AMD Radeon HD GPU.”

Gallery: Nintendo Wii U

Gallery: Nintendo Wii U press images

Continue reading The Wii U, Nintendo’s next console (video)

The Wii U, Nintendo’s next console (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

Live from Nintendo’s E3 2011 keynote!

Posted in: 3ds, console, DS, e3, LiveBlog, nintendo, Today's Chili, wii
Another day another liveblog, but not just another company. Today it’s Nintendo that will be keeping us rapt with anticipation, and with any luck the big man, Reggie Fils-Aime, will be taking us on quite a ride. Will we see the unveiling of Project Cafe? Will Nintendo tell us just how its 3DS is going to compete in a PlayStation Vita world? Could we finally get that Nintendogs and Paper Mario mash-up we’ve been waiting for? We’ll be going live shortly, at the following times below:

06:00AM – Hawaii
09:00AM – Pacific
10:00AM – Mountain
11:00AM – Central
12:00PM – Eastern
05:00PM – London
06:00PM – Paris
08:00PM – Moscow
01:00AM – Tokyo (June 8th)

Continue reading Live from Nintendo’s E3 2011 keynote!

Live from Nintendo’s E3 2011 keynote! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 07

Nintendo announces gold Wiimote for Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Posted in: e3, Today's Chili, wii
Nintendo just announced at E3 that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii is “finally done,” and it also revealed that it’ll have something of a surprise to mark its release this holiday season: a limited edition gold Wiimote. That, of course, comes with MotionPlus built-in, but details (including a price) are unfortunately a bit light otherwise. We’ll let you know more as we get it.

Nintendo announces gold Wiimote for Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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