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BusinessWeek looks at Nintendo’s odds in the next generation console battle, and suggests that the Wii console might be able to take marketshare from Sony’s Playstation 3. Keying off the success that Nintendo has had with the DS, BusinessWeek posits that the same advantages that the DS has over the PSP could lead to success in the living room.
The DS has been a phenomenon in Japan, dominating the PSP, and has started to take a lead in the US. The DS has taken off, according to the article, because of a few factors. First, content seems to be driving the portable. Titles like New Super Mario Bros. and Brain Age have been selling very well in all territories. Because of the types of content available, the DS has been finding new audiences.
The article also suggests that the DS is attracting more attention than the PSP because it is so different from traditional consoles. Dual screens and the touch-screen seem to be attracting the attention of more developers. The DS also presents a much more attractive price point.
BusinessWeek suggests that these same factors could drive the Wii to success against the Playstation 3. Nearly every advantage that the DS has also is present in the Wii. Pricing is definitely to Nintendo’s advantage, and the Wii has a unique control scheme, plus the Wii seems to be more appealing to developers, at least in Japan. The article hedges a little, emphasizing the differences between the markets. Hardcore gamers will not likely be swayed from the Playstation 3, but the truly hardcore will probably invest in more than one console. In addition, while PSP games have largely been either scaled down or ported versions of console games, the Playstation 3 is the main console. While a portable version of Playstation games may not be hugely compelling, most gamers are going to want a home console. Of all the analysis out there, no one really expects the Wii to outsell the Playstation 3, but Nintendo does appear poised to increase its marketshare. The Wii has enough buzz that it should at least sell better than the Gamecube, though sales at that level would be aiming rather low.
Read More 
| BusinessWeek
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“Clubhouse” Parlor Games for DS to Feature WiFi Connectivity
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Retro, Strategy,
Nintendo of Europe has posted some information on the upcoming 42 All-Time Classics (dubbed Clubhouse Games in the US and releasing on October 9th). According to their site, the game will feature access to the Nintendo WiFi Connection in addition to multiplayer single-cart play.
From the site:
You can play solo or challenge up to seven friends by sharing one game card. And if you don’t have anyone to play with, simply log on to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and find opponents across Europe or in the US. You can even chat to each other, PictoChat-style, while you play!
That last bit about PictoChat-style conversations sounds quite exciting. If the title is bargain priced (and I sure hope it is given the graphics and simple gameplay) then this game could give you a great way to chat with your friends across the globe. Currently, PictoChat on the DS only allows you to talk to people through direct DS-to-DS wireless connections.
The site also lists another first for Nintendo - the game will allow you to play with up to seven other players through Nintendo WiFi Connection (most other games max out at four). Given that the parlor games don’t depend on quick reaction time, this makes a lot of sense as lag won’t be an issue. Still, it’s nice to see some games that support larger numbers of players on the DS.
Read More | Nintendo of Europe via Nintendojo
Toys “R” Us has Mario-themed Decorations for Your Home…
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hot Deals, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Screenshots,
... your Animal Crossing home, that is! Earlier we ran this story about how you would be able to download exclusive items for your house by taking your DS to Toys “R” Us this week. Now, thanks to some postings on Nintendo.com, you can see images of just about all the decorations you can get. The items available are all Mario-themed and include a Piranha Plant, Question Mark Block, Fire Spinner Block, 1-Up Mushroom, Flag Pole, and Starman.
All in all, some pretty neat extras for your Animal Crossing house, especially if you want to show the world how big a Nintendo fanboy your virtual you is. I just wonder what people will get when they start selling this virtual furniture on eBay!
Read More | Nintendo.com
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Today’s Nintendo Wii Launch Rumor: October 2nd
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Rumors, Wii,
You know a company has succeeded in creating buzz for their product when people are going crazy just trying to figure out the launch date. Such is the case with Nintendo’s Wii, and the latest piece of launch-related speculation comes to us from the folks at GamingTarget. Nintendo, in a somewhat humorous press release of upcoming DS games, taunted “perhaps the secret to the launch information for Wii is somehow encoded in the text of this news item”
GamingTarget analyzes this as follows:
The fourth quarter begins on October 1. Now look at the list. At least one game is released every Monday in the fourth quarter except for the following dates: October 2, November 20 and November 27. November 27 is after Black Friday, so it’s out. November 20 is after the launch of the PS3, so that’s out too. That leaves us with October 2.
Read our full (and fully snarky) analysis after the jump ...
Click to continue reading Today’s Nintendo Wii Launch Rumor: October 2nd
Read More | GamingTarget
Annoy your Siblings! Put A DS To Sleep With Magnets
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Internet, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Nintendo DS,
The enterprising “Gamersunited” on YouTube must have been trying to stick his DS to the fridge, or maybe he thought the DS had a hard drive you could erase, or something. Anyway, somehow he discovered that if you place a magnet in just the right place on the back of your DS you can put it in sleep mode, even with the screens being open.
This obviously doesn’t have a ton of utility - anyone too lazy to close their DS before putting it to sleep isn’t going to be bothered with carrying a magnet around all the time. Still, a neat trick and maybe a good way to annoy your little brother that just won’t stop playing with his Nintendog.
Disclaimer: Obviously, holding magnets next to sensitive electronics is, in general, a bad idea. Try this at your own risk.
Read More | YouTube.com
LucasArts to Support “Every” Next-Gen Console (including Wii)
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, Corporate News, Nintendo, Simulation, Wii,
After using the Wiimote for sword-swinging in the Twilight Princess at E3, a lot of folks in the media began to think about how perfect Nintendo’s next-gen console would be for a lightsaber-based Star Wars game. At the time, however, LucasArts did not have any titles in development for the Wii and simply stated that they were interested in the possibility of developing for Wii.
Well, at Comic-Con 2006, LucasArts support for Wii started to sound a lot more concrete. According to sources at IGN.com:
During the Q&A session, a younger gamer took the microphone and asked if the company would be showing support for the newest motion-controlled Nintendo console. Sansweet’s responded simply by stating the likeness between the Wii controller and a lightsaber, followed by a statement that LucasArts would be supporting every next generation system.
It's too bad that Nintendo fans won't have a
Rogue Squadron come Wii launch-time, but the addition of eventual LucasArts support for their platform is more good news for the console.
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Nintendo Repairing DS Lite Hinge Cracks Free of Charge
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo DS,
While they haven’t admitted that it’s a widespread problem yet, Nintendo appears to be investigating the hinge cracks on DS Lites and repairing the issue free of charge, at least on a case-by-case basis. Nintendo’s press release states:
“In the U.S., the reported number of small cosmetic cracks in the plastic hinge of DS Lite systems represents less than 0.02 percent of the total units sold. This cosmetic issue in no way impacts the gameplay or integrity of the DS Lite. Nintendo stands behind the quality of our products and encourages DS Lite owners to contact our Customer Service Department if they are not happy with the functionality of their systems.”
The 0.02% number seems a bit on the low side (it’s probably only counting reported cracks), especially given that Kotaku recent poll on the issue reported 10% of users noticing the problems. However, Kotaku statistics could’ve been skewed as well by the fact that users with cracks would be more likely to respond to the survey.
The folks at Kotaku talked to a Nintendo rep about their own DS lite crack and at least in their case, Nintendo agreed to look at their handheld and replace or fix it if the unit was found to be defective (i.e., assuming the crack wasn’t caused by droppage). Nintendo is even sending UPS shipping labels out, meaning that the whole thing can be fixed without even paying shipping.
It’s good to see a company standing behind their product like this (even though it required a bit of pestering), especially with something that doesn’t actually affect the playability of the DS. Now just make sure it doesn’t happen again with the Wii, guys!!
Read More | Kotaku
Nintendo Fusion Tour Dates Found Hidden on Website?
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Rumors, Wii,
Nintendo may want to have a little “talking-to” with their web designer. First, GoNintendo.com found some hidden webpages under wii.nintendo.com placeholding for Fire Emblem Wii and Wii Music.
And now, Playfeed.com has found a hidden page under nintendofusiontour.com that may give the venues and dates for the tour, where the gaming public will be able to preview the Wii and listen to
“up and coming” bands. Going to this page shows a listing of tour dates and venues, starting on September 27th, but ending on November 23rd. This doesn’t exactly match up with the announced dates of September 27th - November 11th, but there are two possibilities:
1) Nintendo is already planning on “extending” the tour due to “overwhelming demand!” or
2) These are just the tour dates from last year. Did anyone actually go to the Fusion Tour 2005 and remember the dates / venues?
Still, if possibility 2) is the right answer, you’d at least think Nintendo would have the foresight to take this old page down. If this DOES end up being the full list, then I expect this page will be disappearing soon, so we’ve cleverly posted the list right here, after the jump.
Click to continue reading Nintendo Fusion Tour Dates Found Hidden on Website?
Read More | Nintendo Fusion Tour
What Does British “Anti-Standby” Law Mean for WiiConnect 24?
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Culture, Nintendo, Rumors, Wii,
Clubskill has pointed out an interesting kink in Nintendo’s next-gen plans. Recently, the British government passed a bill outlawing “standby” mode for appliances, after a government report found that roughly 8% of Britain’s energy use was accounted for by devices sitting around doing nothing. The problem for Nintendo is that the bill would appear to be directly at odds with the WiiConnect-24 service, which is supposed to be able to download new content to the Wii (among other things) while you’re not playing.
Obviously, UK gamers are currently going to be the only ones having to deal with this restriction for the time being (and we’re not even sure how it will play out yet… perhaps Nintendo can strike some sort of deal?). Still, with energy usage becoming an ever-greater concern, maybe this is a harbinger of things to come?
Read More | ClubSkill.com
Nintendo Fusion Tour Sept 27 - Nov 11, Cities TBA
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Rumors, Wii,
The Nintendo Fusion Tour—a “concert” that’s really a Nintendo marketing event with “up and coming” bands—will be back this year, according to the Billboard music website. The tour will be headlined by the “Hawthorne Heights” act and will give folks who couldn’t make it to E3 a chance to play with Nintendo’s new Wii console.
It looks as if Billboard may have broken the news early by accident. Going to www.nintendofusiontour takes you to a post on Nintendo.com that has the tour logo and a short notice saying only “More Information Coming Soon”. Hopefully, this page will be updated shortly so that we can get an idea of what cities will be previewing the Wii.
Read More | Billboard.com
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