Nintendo cuts 3DS forecast and expects to report bigger year-end loss

Nintendo, struggling with the poor reception of its latest handheld gaming system, said Thursday morning that it would have a wider than expected loss for the full fiscal year.

Nintendo posted a 61 percent drop in its third quarter operating profit and forecast a 45 billion yen ($838 million) operating loss for the full year. That will be the worst financial performance in the Japanese company’s history and its first loss since it started reporting … Continue Reading

Nintendo confirms Wii U to launch by year end

Nintendo will launch its Wii U video game console — the successor to the wildly successful but aging Nintendo Wii — in the U.S. and other key markets in time for the holiday shopping season later this year.

Nintendo chief executive Satoru Iwata told reporters in Japan that the Wii U would be launched by the end of the year in the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan, according to Reuters.

Video game fans have been … Continue Reading

Wii-controlled robot pets cat in YouTube video; Internet’s head explodes

And now for something completely different: Here’s a video of a robot brushing a cat.

The bot, a Nao model hacked by clever software developer Taylor Veltrop, is controlled with a Nintendo Wiimote, a Microsoft Kinect, a head-mounted display and a treadmill. The setup is perfect for that special someone in your life who loves animals but is constantly stymied by crippling pet dander allergies.

Veltrop’s video shows three views: his, the view from the … Continue Reading

Nintendo: More than 4 million 3DS units sold in the U.S.

Nintendo said today it has sold more than 4 million units of its 3DS gaming handheld in the U.S., thanks to a big price cut and a wave of new software.

The strong surge during the holidays shows the 3DS isn’t dead, even though many wrote it off after its weak debut in March. In its first nine months, Nintendo said it sold more 3DS units than it did during the first nine months of … Continue Reading

Club Nintendo adds downloadable games to reward list

Club Nintendo has recently expanded their selection of rewards to include downloadable titles for the 3DS and the Wii.

One of the most common complaints leveled against the North American Club Nintendo, a rewards program for loyal customers, has been its lack of valuable content for members who spend their hard earned cash on Nintendo games. The Gold and Platinum rewards have ranged from calendars to life-size Mario hats over the past few years, but … Continue Reading

Game-breaking bug in Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword–how to avoid it

The formula for this year’s big games seems to be something like this: launch a blockbuster, include game-breaking bugs. Those who have played Skyrim can probably agree. The latest game to be hit with a major bug? The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

First the bad news: this bug is game-breaking. This means that if you are unfortunate enough to stumble onto this one, there is very little you can do. Actually, according to Nintendo, … Continue Reading

Nintendo to release fan favorite Japanese video game Xenoblade Chronicles in America

Nintendo today announced that it is finally bringing critically-acclaimed Japanese role-playing game Xenoblade Chronicles to American gamers after fans campaigned online for its release.

Xenoblade Chronicles is an open world RPG from developer Monolith Soft. It features a wide array of character customization options, a sophisticated combat system, a unique relationship-building system called Affinity, and more. The game launched in Japan and Europe earlier this year to unanimously positive reviews. Its Metacritic score currently stands … Continue Reading

Review: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword proves Nintendo hasn’t learned anything

While all eyes will soon be shifted to the Wii U, the Wii’s successor, Nintendo still expects there are “millions” of this generation’s console to be sold. If any game from the Japanese publisher/developer can move units off store shelves during the holiday season, it’s The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Not since the launch of the Wii in 2006 has there been a proper console Zelda release, and with more than 89 million Wiis … Continue Reading

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The making of the Xbox: Microsoft’s journey to the next generation (part 2)

Update: Don’t like page breaks? This two-part series is now available as an e-book for the Amazon Kindle.

Editor’s note: This story is the second of two pieces on the 10th anniversary of the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox video game console, which debuted Nov. 15, 2001. The narrative is based on recent interviews as well as my two books: Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft’s Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution, published in 2002; and The … Continue Reading

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U.S. console video games (finally) grow 1 percent in October

U.S. retail video game sales finally showed some life in October, when sales grew 1 percent from a year ago, according to market researcher NPD Group.

That comes after a 6 percent drop in September, a 23 percent drop in August, a 26 percent drop in July and a 10 percent drop in June, NPD reported.

The main reason for the boost was strength on the Xbox 360 platform and good sales for new titles … Continue Reading

Nintendo Wii U may support simultaneous usage of two controllers

Nintendo is working on upgrading the Wii U to support the simultaneous use of two tablet controllers, according to a story by  Develop Online, which cited an anonymous source.

Slated for a 2012 release, the Wii U is Nintendo’s sixth home console. It was unveiled during Nintendo’s press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011, and it is Nintendo’s bid to remain relevant in the age of high-definition gaming.

The direct successor to the Wii, … Continue Reading

With online sales growing, video game market to hit $81B by 2016 (exclusive)

Video game sales are expected to grow from $66 billion worldwide in 2010 to $81 billion by 2016, but that growth masks some profound changes that are happening in the industry. Namely, the world will shift from sales of games in physical stores to a wide variety of digital distribution methods, according to market researcher DFC Intelligence.

Online sales of games are the largest area of growth and could surpass retail sales as early as … Continue Reading

Disruption arrives for Nintendo as stock falls 20 percent

Nintendo shares fell 20 percent today as investors reacted to a huge unexpected loss in the first fiscal quarter ended June 30. The day before, the Japanese video game company cut its full-year forecast and slashed prices on its poorly selling 3DS handheld game player.

Nintendo’s stock closed at 11,190 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Nintendo posted an operating loss of 37.7 billion yen ($483.6 million) and said its operating profit would be 35 … Continue Reading

Nintendo ignores fans’ pleas to bring Xenoblade stateside

After a fan campaign asked Nintendo to release North American versions of Wii Japanese RPGs Xenoblade, The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower, the company on Thursday said it has heard the pleas but has no plans to localize the games.

All three titles are published by Nintendo in Japan, so the company has full control over where the games will be released. Two of the titles—Xenoblade and The Last Story—will be … Continue Reading

Nintendo: No Smash Bros. for Wii U any time soon

A sequel to Nintendo’s hit fighting game, Super Smash Bros., won’t come out on its next console any time soon, according to a column written in Famitsu by the game’s creative lead Masahiro Sakurai.

That could end up being a big bummer for Nintendo when the Wii U launches. Smash Bros. Brawl was a huge hit on the Nintendo Wii. It’s partially responsible for the Wii becoming a huge success with casual gamers and a … Continue Reading

Wii U priced near $600 on Australian game retailer site

How much will the Wii U cost? A hint might be found on EB Games Australia, which is pricing Nintendo’s next home console at $598 Australian dollars, or roughly $634 in US dollars.

Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto said Tuesday that the Wii U would not feature graphics significantly more powerful than current console generations. That’s because the Wii U was intended to strike a balance somewhere between bringing in high-definition graphics and remaining cheap and accessible … Continue Reading

Nintendo: Wii U not significantly more powerful than Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Nintendo’s next console, the Wii U, will not be significantly more powerful than the consoles in the current generation like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto said.

The new console will strike a balance somewhere between bringing in high-definition graphics and performance and remaining cheap and accessible for gamers, he said. The Wii was not a graphics powerhouse like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but the console was much cheaper and … Continue Reading

Interview: Nintendo president says Wii U is no iPad imitator

Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, introduced the Wii U game console at the E3 video game show before a crowd of thousands inside the Nokia Center in Los Angeles. The new console, pictured above, is smaller than an Xbox 360 and larger than a Wii.

Nintendo hasn’t revealed everything about the console yet. But we tried to pry a few details from Fils-Aime. It will use a 45-nanometer multicore microprocessor from IBM and … Continue Reading

This is the Wii U, Nintendo's Wii successor (video)

Nintendo revealed the Nintendo Wii U, the successor to the Nintendo Wii, today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Calif.

The first Wii was a huge success for Nintendo and started the motion gaming craze, leading Sony and Microsoft to also release motion controllers for their home gaming consoles. The Wii sold more than 86 million units total and was a smash hit with casual gamers. It has one of the widest install … Continue Reading

Microsoft to Kinect owners: you're going to Disneyland

Microsoft will unveil three new games for its Kinect device tomorrow at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles — one of which will literally be a trip to Disneyland.

The game will let players take a virtual tour of a carbon copy of Disneyland, a popular theme park in California that features Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Microsoft has rebuilt the whole experience of visiting the Magic Kingdom piece for piece, … Continue Reading