Nintendo isn’t ready to divulge how much Switch will cost. However, president Tatsumi Kamishima did say today that the company is listening to what consumers expect when setting price. He also reiterated that the system won’t be sold for a loss.
Kimishima also mentioned that Nintendo is planning on shipping two million Switch units this fiscal year, which ends in March.
Just as we’ve heard over the past week, there will be no announcements regarding specs and price this year.
Nintendo has reported its earnings release for the second quarter of fiscal year 2016.
First, here’s a look at hardware for the quarter:
Getting down to some of the nitty-gritty:
And some analysis and comments from Nintendo:
During the six months ended September 30, 2016, we saw strong trends for the global release of Kirby: Planet Robobot. On the hardware side, Nintendo 2DS saw sales growth. The release of the smart device application Pokémon GO led to increased sales of software in the Pokémon series released in the past and drove the Nintendo 3DS family hardware sales growth, particularly outside of Japan. The sales volume for hardware this period was 2.71 million units (19% increase on a year- on-year basis), while software held steady with the previous year at 19.23 million units sold.
For the Wii U console, we have decided to ship 0.8 million units this fiscal year, based on our forecasts of comprehensive demand for Nintendo hardware. Activity has conformed to our expectations from the start of the fiscal year, with hardware sales volume of 0.56 million units (53% decrease on a year-on-year basis). There were no hit titles this period to compare with Splatoon and Super Mario Maker last year, so the software sales were 8.3 million units (33% decrease on a year-on-year basis).
Pokemon GO updated earlier this week, but it is now receiving another update for some minor bug fixing. The new iOS version is version 1.13.4 and Android is 0.43.4.
Trainers, Pokémon GO is being updated to version 0.43.4 for Android and 1.13.4 for iOS with minor bug fixes.
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) October 26, 2016
Miitomo has gotten another Miitomo Drop stage. Players can live the dream of being a train conductor with clothes from the new “Career change! Dream Jobs #3” stage.
Available items include:
– Train conductor hat (set)
– Train conductor uniform (set)
– Train conductor pouch (set)
– Train outfit
Users can select Miitomo Drop stages from the Shop tab. Miitomo coins or game tickets are needed to play.
This week’s 3DS eShop charts are as follows:
Software
1. Mario Kart 7
2. Pokemon Yellow
3. Pokemon Red
4. Monster Hunter Generations
5. Severed
6. Pokemon Blue
7. Super Mario Bros. 3
8. Super Mario World
9. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice
10. Gurumin 3D
11. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
12. Chase: Cold Case Investigations
13. Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
14. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
15. Zelda: A Link to the Past
16. Dragon Quest VII
17. Azure Striker Gunvolt 2
18. EarthBound
19. Breath of Fire
20. Mega Man X2
Videos
1. Pokemon Sun/Moon Special Demo Version Video
2. First look at Nintendo’s new home gaming system
3. Evolved Forms Starter Pokemon – Pokemon Sun/Moon
4. Version-exclusive Pokemon – Pokemon Sun/Moon
5. More Ultra Beasts Debut – Pokemon Sun/Moon
6. Severed E3 2016 Trailer
7. Yo-kai Watch 2 TV Spot
8. Yo-kai Watch 2 Overview Trailer
9. Get a Special Munchlax – Pokemon Sun/Moon
10. Yo-kai Watch 2 E3 2016 Trailer
11. Pokemon Sun/Moon – Demonstration – E3 2016
12. Ultra Beasts & Aether Foundation – Pokemon Sun/Moon
13. Disney Magical World 2 – Nintendo Direct Trailer
14. Pokemon Yellow Trailer
15. Gurumin 3D Trailer
16. Starter Pokemon for Pokemon Sun/Moon Revealed
17. Yo-kai Watch 2 – Exclusive Jibanyan Medals
18. Pokemon Rumble World Trailer
19. Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice Trailer
20. More Pokemon Revealed for Pokemon Sun/Moon
Source: 3DS eShop
Were you concerned that Nintendo showed most of its big cards with last week’s Switch announcement video? Well, don’t worry: the company may still have a surprise or two in store for its new system. A Nintendo spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal, “We haven’t shown everything.”
Switch’s debut trailer did reveal several important aspects. Rumors of it being a hybrid device are confirmed, and we also know that it features cartridges and detachable controllers. In terms of the known quantities, Nintendo will need to talk about Switch’s launch lineup, price, and details about how the system works before March.
Unfortunately, it sounds like we’ll need to wait until the beginning of next year for the next big news update. This is something that the Nintendo spokesperson reconfirmed to the Wall Street Journal.
Thanks to Jake for the tip.
A couple of new 3DS themes are out now in Japan. Here’s the lineup:
– New Game! – Game Start! – 200 yen
– New Game! – Today’s Your Job – 200 yen
– New Game! bundle – 300 yen
Nintendo is going back to Zelda’s roots with Breath of the Wild. Today, the company issued a new post on its Japanese website to show how its new Switch / Wii U game compares in some aspects to the original.
Nintendo prepared four different comparisons. They’re as follows:
– Old man: found right away in the original game and in Breath of the Wild; gives you a sword in the original Zelda, but nothing in Breath of the Wild; in Breath of the Wild you have to manage weapons yourself such as by stealing them from enemies
– Spectacle Rock: two rocks form the shape of glasses in both games, but it now looks more like a mountain than just a rock in Breath of the Wild
– Raft: used to navigate water in the original Zelda, also in Breath of the Wild by using the Korok Leaf; it’s an important tool in very cold rivers that you can’t swim in
– Skull shape: shape of a skull appears in Zelda’s final dungeon and in a certain enemy hideout in Breath of the Wild; in Breath of the Wild, you can even use the skull shape to your advantage by having the lantern inside one of the skull eyes to fall, cause an explosion, and instantly wipe out the enemies inside
Here are the four comparison shots:
The special Halloween event in Pokemon GO is officially live. Some changes have been made to the gameplay as part of the promotion, and a new warning screen can even be seen.
Through November 1, caught Pokemon net players six Candies, which is double the normal amount. You’ll also get two Candies rather than one for each Pokemon you transfer to the Professor. On top of that, Buddy Pokemon will award Candy four times faster than they usually do, and you’ll receive twice the Candy you’d normally get when hatching Eggs.
Some Pokemon are also now more common. These include Zubat, Golbat, Gastly, Haunter, Gengar, Drowzee, and Hypno.
Thanks to Tetroy C for the tip.
