During a press conference last night, Pokemon Go was announced for smartphones. We heard that it was on track for a release next year, but now we have slightly more information.

The latest Ingress report reveals that Pokemon Go will be receiving a beta in winter 2015. Additionally, the title now has a more specific “early 2016” launch window. We’ll be receiving more information within the next few weeks supposedly.

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Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer can now be pre-loaded in North America. You can download most of the game now from the eShop, and then the full title will be unlocked after applying a small update.

It’s also worth noting that by pre-loading Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, you’ll get a free 3DS theme. This will be available once the game releases.

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NPD Group has released a listing of the top ten best-selling games in the U.S. for the month of August 2015. The results can be found below.

Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (Xbox One)
Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
Lego: Jurassic World (360, 3DS, Wii U, PS3, Xbox One, PS4, Vita)
Rare Replay (Xbox One)
Until Dawn (PS4)
Call of Duty: Black Ops Combo Pack (360, PS3)
Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4, Xbox One)
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)

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GamesBeat has reported some additional information from the August 2015 NPD report. According to the site, Nintendo has sold 600,000 copies of Splatoon in the United States. Additionally, the company “reported a 30 percent increase in sales for its 3DS handheld line for the eight months of the year”.

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Nintendo has sold over 7 million amiibo in the United States since the line launched last November, GamesBeat reports. That information comes from the August 2015 NPD report.

Back in May, Nintendo said that amiibo shipments were at over 10 million units worldwide. It was later confirmed in July that total sales were sitting at nearly 15 million.

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In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., IGN reached out to nine Nintendo legends for their fondest memories. The site managed to obtain comments from high-profile people like Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

Miyamoto’s pick? Super Mario 64. Here’s what he shared about that game:

“Of course, I’ve had many memories with Mario over the last 30 years, but the one that sticks out for me most was when we made Super Mario 64. I felt very fortunate to be able to work in a 3D space for the first time, take on this new technology, and have Mario be the character that helped bring it to life. And that we did that by working with 3D technology at a time when there weren’t many people doing it. So that was a very important moment with Mario for me.

“The other memory links back to my childhood. When I was younger I used to always like to make puppets and do puppet shows. When we made Super Mario 64, it was like I was able to do a puppet show with Mario in a 3D space. It’s been very fun for me to have these moments where the things that I’ve enjoyed from my youth have blended in with the work that I do in video games.”

Reggie’s choice was none other than Super Mario World. He mentioned the following about Nintendo’s SNES classic:

“My deepest Super Mario memory is with Super Mario World. I came into the Nintendo family in 1991 via the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and that console came with Super Mario World. I can still picture Yoshi’s Island 2 and the opening sequence to get a Koopa shell moving to the right and picking up my 1-Up. I also loved the various Yoshis – especially the Blue flying Yoshi and the Yellow sand-stomping Yoshi. I played and replayed that game with my sons and always kept it at 99 lives. I still have the cartridge, and a working SNES at home and in my office.”

You can find more comments from the likes of Takashi Tezuka, Bill Trinen, and more here.

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Starwhal is nearing its release on Wii U. The game is heading to the North American eShop on September 24, developer Breakfall announced today.

On Wii U, Starwhal will offer a new “Blastopus” mode. You can find information on that right here.

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Nintendo has opened the official North American Yo-kai Watch website. Access it here. You’ll find a trailer, information about the game, and various screenshots.

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In the latest Play Nintendo video, you can learn how to make your own “Super Star Cookies” inspired by the Mario series. Olivia Holt takes us through the process of creating them from scratch. The full video is attached below.

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SEGA has now published a full launch trailer for Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX, which you can watch below. The game is out now in North America and comes out tomorrow in Europe.

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