3DS

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 1 Comment

– Make a new “Bonne Mecha” for the game
– Bonne Mecha are mechs controlled by the Bonne Family:

– Fans can’t make them from scratch
– Need to follow design documents that were at a staff meeting:

– English version of the contest not up yet
– Winning idea will be used in the game
– Winner gets his name in the credits
– Earn Dev Room Zenny
– Dev Room Zenny probably for the upcoming Dev Room SNS update
– Recap of the Bonne family:

Source

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii | 5 Comments

Miyamoto on how Mario become a character…

“If you look at the technology we have now we obviously have a bigger screen and there is a lot more space and you can do a lot more detailed artwork. But if you go back to (1981’s) Donkey Kong, it was a 16-by-16 (inch) screen area. The character I came up with to fit that best was this small little guy with a big nose and a mustache, the characteristics that would stand out in that medium. We created the game design first and then we put the characters in to fit that. With Donkey Kong, we have this gorilla who grabs this gal and runs away with her and you have to go chase the gorilla down to save the lady. And the game’s stage was a construction site, so we made him into basically a carpenter. …. With (1983’s) Mario Bros., we brought in Luigi and a lot of the game was played underground so we made him to fit that setting and, we decided he could be a plumber. The scenario dictates his role.”

Miyamoto on whether or not Mario has a hat because it was difficult to draw hair…

“The technology of the time really dictated how we did character design. If I gave Mario a lot of hair you have to animate it or it doesn’t look right. By giving him a hat we didn’t have to worry about that. We also didn’t have to draw his eyebrows, his forehead or any of these other things. It was just a really useful tool to help us emphasize what we were trying to do on this small screen.”

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Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 11 Comments

Update: According to one of our loyal readers, joclo, ONM stated in the magazine that the 3DS will “hit Europe by the end of March” and that there is “no specific date or price for us just yet – Nintendo of Europe will make its own announcement regarding that in due course.” Consider the listing in the scan below to be a guess, if anything!

Right now, I wouldn’t put much stock into ONM’s listing. I can’t remember any of the DS models launching in North America on a Friday. For all we know, it’s possible that Nintendo of America/Europe haven’t even finalized a release date yet. I’d like to find out soon, though!

Source

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii | 3 Comments

Iwata on 3DS hardware and software shipment figures/Miyamoto’s hobbies/Miyamoto’s DSiWare app…

“First, about the Nintendo 3DS software, you asked what the basis for our unit shipment forecast is. Please note that this forecast is Nintendo’s shipment number, so not all the 4 million hardware units and the 15 million software units are expected to reach consumers’ hands. Now that we are launching a new hardware device, for which people’s anticipation is fortunately high, and in terms of the current circumstance where a number of software developers with strong will to make the software for it are wanting to launch their software on or close to the launch date of Nintendo 3DS, we think that the company will be able to make that size of software shipment from Nintendo. In addition, since the retailers also have high expectations for this new hardware, we are expecting them to offer sufficient shelf space to showcase and sell a certain good amount of the software from the beginning. These are the reasons as to how we have come up with that software shipment figure.

I understand that your question was based upon a concern that the 3.75 tie ratio (software sales per hardware unit) will be too much for a period of just about one month from the hardware’s launch, but please understand that there is certainly a small time gap between when Nintendo ships Nintendo 3DS software to the retailers or to the third-party publishers and when this software is actually sold at the retailers, and, by taking into consideration the high expectations for this product before the launch, we have concluded that we would be able to make that shipment figure (sell-in). I hope you will understand this point.

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Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 2 Comments

The quotes below come from Satoru Iwata, who provided the following information at a recent investor Q&A…

“And, you said that you are yet to see the software lineup for Nintendo 3DS which can be compared to representative titles for Nintendo DS such as “nintendogs” and “Brain Training” that were announced around the time of the launch of Nintendo DS, which were originally not conceived as games. In fact, however, I think that we have already shown you a glimpse. For example, “AR Games” (temp; direct translation from the Japanese) that we showcased at Nintendo Conference 2010 is one of our new trials in such endeavors. How such new trials shall be materialized in the form of packaged software is something which will become important in the second phase of Nintendo 3DS proliferation. By now, because more Nintendo 3DS software which will cater to the needs of avid game fans has had a lot of public exposure, you may hold the impression that our Nintendo 3DS software lineup currently lacks such software (which has the potential to change the definition of video games). The company, of course, has been paying attention to such software. On the other hand, for those who seldom play video games, the fact that they can see 3D moving images on Nintendo 3DS itself must have a tremendous impact. I understand that those who have had hands-on experience feel the same way. So, Nintendo 3DS will probably be appreciated first with such functions, and then, as the next step, we will need to launch software that can expand the users.”

I personally find the prospect of AR games to be very, very exciting – Much more so than Nintendogs and Brain Age. It also helps that Nintendo will be bundling cards with each system.

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News | 2 Comments

The quotes below come from Satoru Iwata, who provided the following information at a recent investor Q&A…

“We have not announced the prices of Nintendo 3DS in the overseas markets, but when you look at the suggested retail price of Nintendo 3DS in Japan, you can see that there are some price differences with that of Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi in Japan. How the market can change with such price differences shall become important.

We have experienced several transitions from one platform to a new generation in the past, but the speed at which such transitions were made greatly varied in different markets. Perhaps, the quickest of all the nations in this regard is Japan. In terms of speed, the U.K. is outstanding in Europe. On the contrary, Germany is very slow in this transition. In the U.S., so many people respond to new platforms quickly, but as for the entire video game market there, it appears to move rather slowly because there are also so many people who respond to new offers very slowly. The U.S. is a big market with such dual natures. Given the difference in the speeds at which each market shifts to a new platform, how Nintendo should spend what amount of energy in order to launch and market many new Nintendo DS software titles must be slightly different from market to market.

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Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

We gave you a rundown about what Shigeru Miyamoto had to say about bringing both 2D and 3D Mario titles to the 3DS, but now his full remarks are available. You can see what he said below.

“This is not confined to Mario games, but when a game is made in 3D, we can make the players feel that the game is more alive, and the developers are able to incorporate more tricks for the players to enjoy. For its ability to provide the players with more choices or freedom in the gaming world, 3D is more suited.

On the other hand, there are also people who can’t stand even the slightly more complicated looks of 3D. In fact, with 3D games, game-play control has to become more complex. When the developers include all the functions in order to cater to the anticipated demands from the players who, as they gradually progress deeper into the 3D world, will want to do more and more, the game in the end inevitably will look extremely complex for the novice players. I mean, even though players will realize that the games are not complex when they actually play them, 3D games look complicated for those who see them for the first time.

From that perspective, as you indicated in your question, the consumer base of the “Super Mario” series has narrowed from when we launched “Super Mario 64.” However, we’ve been striving to make 3D games which can enable you to have the “I’m actually in the game field now” feeling and which can provide you with more fun options to choose from in the game field and, at the same time, which can be played by anyone. We’ve been developing the “Super Mario Galaxy” series with such a mission in mind. By launching “Super Mario Galaxy 2,” we have invited a number of people who didn’t use to play any 3D games to the world of 3D Mario, I think. Simultaneously, we have been making 2D games because leveraging upon and making improvements on 3D games alone cannot satisfy all the game players. We have made “New Super Mario Bros.” for Nintendo DS and “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” with such an objective. These 2D games are easy to understand and accessible to anyone. Even if the players only play for a short time, they can feel satisfied. After all, video games are not only about conquering all the stages. What is more important is the fun the players can feel as a result of the play. The 2D games have the advantage of delivering that sensation more easily to the players.

As for Nintendo 3DS, of course, we’ll be making both types of games. It’s not the issue of which is more attractive because each one has its own appeal. In the past 3D “Mario” games, and 3D “Zelda” games for that matter, if there were several floors at the same height, it was hard for the players to tell if each one of them was located with the same distance between them or if just one was further away and higher than the other floors. On Nintendo 3DS, you can readily understand the height and distance of the next floor in front of you. You can feel the difference by switching between the 2D and 3D modes. You might have had a hard time trying to jump on a stump or to hit a floating question-mark block in 3D Mario until now, but you will be able to do so easily on Nintendo 3DS. In addition, Mario and Link will both have more vivid presences. When I make games, I take great care of such details as the body weights of the players’ characters. When the character jumps, can the player feel the weight? When the character lands, does the land feel like it is acting as a cushion? How long should the character stand still in order for the player to feel the weight of the character’s body? I think about a number of such details. By making 3D games on Nintendo 3DS, such minute details can be felt, and the players can feel as if the world exists.

Talking about 2D games on Nintendo 3DS, those who have played 2D Mario so far can understand that the developers were unable to do a lot of tricks which made use of the depth of the screen. For example, when “Wiggler” or “Bullet Bill” fly towards you from a distance, if the developers try to incorporate the depth of the screen, you cannot tell if and when these characters hit you. But such tricks shall be available on Nintendo 3DS.

We have tried many things, including when we made games on Virtual Boy. We have some ideas for a “Mario” game which has depth in the screen. So, for both 2D and 3D games, we are excited to be able to make new tricks on Nintendo 3DS.”

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 1 Comment

Nintendo showcased trailers of three Hollywood movies on the 3DS when the system made its debut back in June. DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon, Warner Bros’ Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, and Disney’s Tangled were all available for viewing in 3D. Nintendo declined to discuss the feature at their Fall 2010 conference, but Satoru Iwata actually was asked about it at an investor’s Q&A session a few days ago. Although he said that “nothing concrete has been decided yet” about 3D movies on the 3DS, he did say that the company has “received a number of offers since” since E3.

“Finally about the movies, nothing concrete has been decided yet. When we demonstrated Nintendo 3DS for the first time in the world at the time of E3, we were allowed to showcase some 3D movie trailers from a few Hollywood studios (to people including many from the Hollywood movie industry), and we have received a number of offers since then. Therefore, I am certain that people in Hollywood are interested in this new product. Whenever we have shown Nintendo 3DS, almost without any exceptions, people have shown strong interest in it. We understand that many movie theaters will be able to show 3D movies, and a considerable amount of movie content is going to be made in 3D. When it comes to the opportunity for them to be able to show 3D movies, however, people in Hollywood currently do not believe that 3D television sets will be able to spread into ordinary households with rapid speed. I have the impression that they see Nintendo 3DS as a strong candidate to become the very first 3D device to be able to spread into the mass market in massive volumes. I’d like to discuss more details at some later time, when I will be able to do so.”

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 3 Comments

At E3, one aspect about the 3DS that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata pointed out was the system’s improved graphics over the DS. So far, what Iwata said seems to be holding true. A number of graphically impressive titles from third-parties have been shown over the past severals months, such as Resident Evil: Revelations and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater. At Nintendo’s latest investor Q&A, Senior Managing Director and General Manager of Marketing Division Shinji Hatano reinforced the idea that other companies are making graphically impressive games. Also, along with Iwata, the two explained that the upcoming portable is receiving a great deal of interest from third-parties in general, especially when compared to the DS’ initial support.

“Nintendo has been offering support to and collaborating with a number of software publishers inside and outside Japan. First about Japan, most of the publishers are interested in Nintendo 3DS and they are proactively trying to develop Nintendo 3DS software. As for the overseas publishers, I understand that I should talk not only about U.S. publishers but also about European publishers. E3 this year was the first opportunity for us to show Nintendo 3DS to many of the publishers. At that time, the Japanese publishers tended to have a higher appreciation than their U.S. counterparts. Then, the high appreciation and expectations from the Japanese publishers started to have a positive influence upon the mindsets of non-Japanese publishers and developers, I think. Our president mentioned the issue of graphical capability today. The American and European publishers are particularly interested in improved graphics, and many of them are independently researching this new 3D approach. I have not been able to see the most recent graphics, but I believe they have come to a fairly high level by now. It is true that at the time of E3 2010, these publishers were late in getting access to the relevant information, but Nintendo 3DS offers them the exact development fields that they are very good at, and the things they can do with this hardware must be exactly what they really want to do, so accordingly, I believe that they will develop something of a fairly high level. I cannot elaborate on the exact details today, but as far as I hear, the publishers are showing aggressive attitudes in developing for Nintendo 3DS, and I am personally looking forward to the outcome.” – Shinji Hatano

” I often travel abroad, so I have many opportunities to ask people in our subsidiaries about what our overseas software publishers think about Nintendo 3DS, and I know they have much stronger interest in it than when Nintendo DS was about to be launched. To say the least, our overseas publishers are not taking a passive approach to Nintendo 3DS at all. In fact, it is safe for you to think that they have been fairly proactive in thinking about this new hardware from the start.” – Satoru Iwata

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 10 Comments

A few months ago, Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida mentioned working together with Nintendo to help promote 3D. It’s true that the two companies are offering different experiences, but but at the end of the day, it’s necessary to get the word out about the technology. Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America, expressed sentiments similar to Yoshida’s in an interview with Siliconera. Dillie is hoping that Nintendo does well with the 3DS so that consumers become interested in 3D in general.

“Our perspective is they are doing something different and that’s what Nintendo does. They’ve got their own view, Sony has their own view. Our hope is they do it well because we’re big advocates of 3D. We need consumers to have good 3D experiences. I actually haven’t seen much of their technology. I know people are excited about it. I’ve heard a little bit that if you move your head a certain way you might lose the image. I just hope they do a great job, building a great 3D platform so people are interested in other 3D platforms. Because, collectively, we need to make sure a consumer has a good experience with 3D however they’re experiencing it so they have an interest in more 3D.”