Nintendo patent: handheld device with infrared camera/distance sensor
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 38 Comments
Since September 2014, Nintendo has been filing patent applications in Japan for a handheld device with infrared camera/distance sensor. These are now being published in the west as well.
The first patent is about how objects/user’s hand gets detected, whereas the other ones are more about the concept. The third is also similar to the second patent, but emphasizes how gestures/distance can trigger vibration and sound output. Infrared camera and distance sensor, gesture recognition, and distance measuring are all a part of the patents. One example even includes a projector and GPS receiver.
If you’d like to read more about these recent patents, head on over here.
More: patent
Digby, Lottie amiibo pre-orders up on Amazon
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Amazon is taking pre-orders for a couple of amiibo. You can reserve Digby here and Lottie here. Both release on March 18 for $12.99. If you have Prime, you’ll get a 10 percent discount.
Previously, Digby was only sold as part of the Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival bundle. Lottie has only been a Target exclusive for several months.
Pokken Tournament Early Access Competition – meet the trainers
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos, Wii U | 1 Comment
A new video from Nintendo shows the different trainers participating in the Pokken Tournament Early Access Competition. The lineup includes Justin Wong, Eric “Esam” Lew, Reepal “RIP” Parbhoo, Will “DK Will” Walsh, Justin Flynn, Shaun “Fab” Swain, Nairoby Quezada, and “Tasty Steve” Scott. Check out the video below.
More: Bandai Namco, Pokken Tournament
Ditto-themed Pokemon merchandise to be sold in Japan next month
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 8 Comments
On March 26, reservations will open for some new Ditto-themed Pokemon merchandise, followed by the actual release on April 2. Pikachu, Clefairy, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle versions will be available.
Two different items are being prepared: dolls and keychains. The former is priced at 1,200 yen each while the latter costs 800 yen each. Reservations will be at Pokemon Centers in Japan and Amazon.
More: Pokemon
New Ace Attorney anime promo
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos | 5 Comments
A new 30-second promo video is in for the Ace Attorney anime, which is debuting in Japan next month. Take a look at it below.
More: Ace Attorney, anime, Capcom
Video: “Celebrate Mar. 10 Mario Day!!”
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Random, Videos | 5 Comments
Tomorrow is March 10… which Nintendo is officially calling “Mario Day”. You’ll get “Mario” after combining “Mar” and then “10” (or “IO”). Clever, right?
In any case, Nintendo put up a new video to promote Mario Day. That can be found below.
More: Mario
A look at all of the Animal Crossing wave 4 amiibo cards
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Images | 0 comments
Nintendo updated the Japanese Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer with images of every Animal Crossing wave 4 amiibo cards. You can get a look at each one above.
More: Amiibo, Animal Crossing
Sonic’s 25th anniversary SXSW panel will include a “special reveal”
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 11 Comments
It was confirmed last week that Sonic the Hedgehog will be having its own panel at SXSW later this month. An additional blurb from the expo teases “a special reveal” that will be made for the series’ 25th anniversary.
Here’s what it states:
“Yuji Naka (Sonic Original Creator), Takashi Iizuka (Head of Sonic Team), Roger Smith (Voice of Sonic the Hedgehog), Mike Pollock (Voice of Dr. Eggman), Austin Keys (Sega), Aaron Webber (Sega)
25 years had to go fast, and here we are today wondering where it all went. Join the original creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, along with the amazing production heads responsible for bringing the franchise to life, for an in-depth analysis of where Sonic came from and where he’s heading going forward. A special reveal will be made as part of the celebration for this anniversary milestone.”
TSSZ News actually says that the reveal won’t be a new game. If it’s something else, I’m not quite sure what it could be!
More: SEGA, Sonic the Hedgehog, SXSW
Pokken Tournament Championship Series promo
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos, Wii U | 0 comments
A new video promoting the Pokken Tournament Championship Series has now come online. We’ve attached it below.
The Pokken Championship Series World Qualifiers will be held at the European Pokemon National Championships. UK National Championships will run on May 14 and May 15, while in Germany this will be held on May 21 and May 22, and Italy on June 11 and June 12.
More: Bandai Namco, Pokken Tournament
Zelda: Link’s Awakening team started work on the game before receiving permission
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 12 Comments
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening started out as an idea for a modified version of A Link to the Past for the Game Boy. In the end though, that never came together. Link’s Awakening was ultimately born from, as Game Informer puts it, “an unsanctioned after-hours passion project for members of the Link to the Past team.”
Director Takashi Tezuka told the site:
“The main programmer wanted to challenge himself to create a Zelda experience on a portable system to see what he could do, and I was into the idea. We just had a passion to try and do something interesting. We didn’t really have permission to do it necessarily. We were just playing around.”
“Once we got it to a certain level of creation and completion that we wanted to show, then we took it to the company and got permission to continue developing it. But initially it was just a little pet project of ours. Because we started it that way – just making a game we wanted to make – it may defy Zelda conventions. It might have interesting characters and situations we may not have had otherwise.”
During an Iwata Asks discussion for Phantom Hourglass, Tezuka made a comment about how the experience of creating Link’s Awakening was similar to “making a parody of The Legend of Zelda.” He clarified these comments with Game Informer, in which he said:
“When we say parody, I’m not sure where that word comes from because maybe there are translation issues. With Zelda games we usually plan them out, every detail is considered. With Link’s Awakening, we were working on that after our other work was done. Kind of like a club of people who loved Zelda and got together to make it. It has a different feeling for that reason.”
