Update: Yomiuri Shimbun notes: “it is believed that the system will use a Sharp 3D LCD panel.” Meanwhile, Mainichi Shimbun says that Nintendo has briefed developers on the system and as expected, software will be made available for launch.
This information comes from Nikkei, which is generally a very reliable source of information. Just to be sure, though, I’m marking these details as speculation…
– Analog Stick
– vibration pack
– tilt sensor under decision
– wireless connection speed up
– battery life up
– smaller than 4″ screen
“I don’t understand the technology behind a 3D display that doesn’t require glasses. If it’s so easy to do, why would Samsung put out 3D HDTVs that require glasses? My guess is that Nintendo has figured something out that is either very cool and advanced, or is a gimmick, and until I see it, I really won’t know. What’s interesting to me is that Nintendo is so bold. It seems that if 3D on portable devices was easy, Apple would have beat them to it. If they truly pioneer a technology, my guess is that Apple will mimic the technology. Without a real breakthrough in game play (as happened with the DS), I’m not sure that this device will do much more than serve as a replacement for current DS owners.” – Wedbush Morgan analysts Michael Pachter
I can see 3D being a big hook and selling point for the 3DS. But we’ve heard rumblings of other features being included, like an accelerometer. I have a feeling that Nintendo will have a lot of tricks up their sleeves for this system.
Sega’s Takashi Iizuka on why Sonic 4 has taken so long to come about…
“Ever since Sonic Adventure was released in 1998, Sonic has evolved into a game which is faster and features new actions for Sonic. On the other hand, the sense of speed from side scrolling means that the popularity of ‘classic’ series still remains high. Even now a lot of fans enjoy playing those classic games via the Wii’s Virtual Console. The aim for Sonic 4 is to provide a ‘new classic series’ using modern techniques that have only been around for the past few years for fans from all around the world who love the ‘classical’ series.”
Iizuka on how long the game has been in development and what separates it from other Sonic titles…
“About a year including concept development. As this is a downloadable title, the data size and price is very different from a packaged title. We just focused on old school classic game content to minimise data size and price.”
DS HW Total
30,030,434
DS SW Top 3
1. New Super Mario Bros. – 5,767,262
2. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl – 5,766,571
3. Animal Crossing: Wild World – 5,133,862
Believe it or not, Nintendo’s next handheld system has been confirmed. This information comes before a real, true official announcement was made. The main attraction with the upcoming portable is that it will be capable of producing 3D experiences without the need for glasses. You can check out a few other details below…
– New portable hardware
– Successor to the DS (unlike the DS Lite/DSi/DSi XL)
– Will be officially announced at E3
– Backwards compatible with DS, DSi
– Releasing before fiscal 2011
March 23, 2010
To Whom It May Concern:
Re: Launch of New Portable Game MachineNintendo Co., Ltd. (Minami-ward of Kyoto-city, President Satoru Iwata) will launch “Nintendo 3DS”(temp) during the fiscal year ending March 2011, on which games can be enjoyed with 3D effects without the need for any special glasses.
“Nintendo 3DS”(temp) is going to be the new portable game machine to succeed “Nintendo DS series”, whose cumulative consolidated sales from Nintendo amounted to 125million units as of the end of December 2009, and will include backward compatibility so that the software for Nintendo DS series, including the ones for Nintendo DSi, can also be enjoyed.
Ever since The Conduit was announced back in mid-2008, developer High Voltage was put right on center stage, with every Wii developer taking note on what they were doing, and how they were achieving it. For the first time in the console’s lifetime, it seems that Wii owners would be getting a fully-equipped “next-gen” (term used VERY loosely) shooter experience that wasn’t behind in terms of tech or online capabilities. Hype for The Conduit was so huge that it seemed nearly impossible for the game to truly deliver what was being idealized, and, as it turns out, it didn’t. The game released in summer of 2009, sold a measly 400,000 copies to this date, average critics scores usually congregating around 70%. No, surely High Voltage Software did not entirely deliver with The Conduit, but for having developed the engine alongside the game, it’s not as bad as one may think. Regardless, a mediocre game is a mediocre game, and The Conduit is no exception.
Videos
Nintendo Week 3/22
WarioWare D.I.Y. Masahiro Sakurai made it too
America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s Get Cooking How are the recipes created?
Monster Hunter Tri Qurupeco Video 1
Monster Hunter Tri Qurupeco Video 2
Monster Hunter Tri Gobul Video 1
Monster Hunter Tri Gobul Video 2
WarioWare D.I.Y. Tutorial – Intermediate Lesson #1
WarioWare D.I.Y. Tutorial – Intermediate Lesson #2
Trauma Team Walk-Thru – Endoscopy
Infinite Space Gameplay Video 1
Infinite Space Tutorial Video
Red Steel 2 Payne Video
Rooms: The Main Building Info Video
Again Info Video
Drift Street International Info Video
Demos
Rooms DS
Battle of Giants: Mutant Insects
Deca Sports DS Cheerleading Demo
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
Deca Sports DS Ping Pong Demo
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Disney The Princess and the Frog
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
Bakugan Battle Brawlers
James Patterson Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion
WiiWare
Cave Story (1,200 points) – 220 blocks
DSiWare
Libera Wing (800 points) – 122 blocks
Drift Street International (800 points) – 74 blocks
Game & Watch: Chef (200 points) – 14 blocks
Game & Watch: Judge (200 points) – 14 blocks
Game & Watch: Mario’s Cement Factory (200 points) – 14 blocks
“As soon as we completed Super Mario Galaxy, we thought we weren’t able to include a lot of the new ideas that we really wanted to. As soon as the project was over, we started making something that we might call version 1.5. We did things like moving or adding stars to levels that were already available. As we made progress with this 1.5, we realized that there were too many things to fit into a version 1.5. That made us realize we should start from scratch and make Super Mario Galaxy 2. That’s how we started working on the game…. Usually we wait until the advent of new hardware, but for this time around, because there were so many ideas we were not able to include in the first volume, we thought we should make a sequel to that.” – Shigeru Miyamoto
I don’t think something like Super Mario Galaxy 1.5 would have sat well with fans. It’s definitely a good thing that we’re getting a full-blown sequel with new levels, new ideas, and new mechanics.
