Over on Facebook, Nintendo is sharing brand new screenshots from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that will “be exploring the Hyrulian landscape”. Images will continue to be released up until launch. We have the first one above.

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Wario originally envisioned as a German character

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 8 Comments

Wario has some interesting origins that some may be unaware of.

In the Japanese version of Mario Kart 64 and Mario Party 1/2, Thomas Spindler voices the character and speaks one line of German. According to Spindler, Wario’s premise “was that of a German character and those responsible for the voice-overs at Nintendo back then intended him to speak German.”

Spindler actually wrote about this in a YouTube video last year. However, it wasn’t until this week that fans spotted the comment. Glowsquid translated his remarks as follows:

“This is 100% correct. Wario speaks German: he says (or rather, *I* say) ‘So ein Mist!’ The recording was done in a studio of the former Nintendo head office in Kyoto (not the new Nintendo premises in Kamitobaguchi), under the direction of Mr. Takashi Tezuka. Back then, I worked on the script for another Nintendo project with my French friend and colleague Julien Bardakoff (who voiced Toad/Kinopio). My company T.S. Word Co.Ltd. also translated and edited the German script for Star Fox which can be verified in the credits of Star Fox 64. The concept behind Wario was that of a German character and those responsible for the voice-overs at Nintendo back then intended him to speak German. I hope that this resolves the issue once and for all.”

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Kirby 25th anniversary concert announced for Japan

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 5 Comments

To celebrate Kirby’s 25th anniversary, special concerts have been announced for Japan. Two events are currently planned. In Tokyo, the concert will be held on April 16. Another event in Osaka is set for June 18.

It goes without saying that the purpose of the concert is to host performances of Kirby’s music over the years across various games. Moreover, it sounds like some developers will be speaking. Special goods will also be sold, though details are coming later.

Taizo Takemoto will be conducting the concert. The Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra and Osaka Symphony Orchestra will be performing.

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Rumor: Switch makes use of NVIDIA’s Maxwell architecture

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Rumors, Switch | 86 Comments

According to a GamesBeat report, Switch will be making use of NVIDIA’s Maxwell architecture for its graphics as opposed to the chipmaker’s newer Pascal technology. The site writes that Wii U’s lack of success prompted Nintendo to move quickly, and avoid waiting on the updated Pascal version of the graphics technology. Had Pascal been pursued, Switch would not be able to launch in March as currently planned. The chip would have required a redesign to fit within Nintendo’s “mobile, low-power constraints” as well.

GamesBeat goes on to say that “Switch doesn’t have as much visual horsepower as the PS4 when played on a television, and it may not be able to handle 4K graphics, either.” It’s unclear if Switch is weaker than the Xbox One since “performance may be close.”

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Pokemon GO was searched for more than anything else on Google in 2016

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 3 Comments

Switch and the NES Classic Edition were among the most-searched consumer-electronics tech products of 2016. But how about in general?

Believe it or not, Pokemon GO was the most-searched term this year. In the United Kingdom, it held on to the second spot. Pokemon GO was number four over in the United States. Combining all of the data in various countries reveals that the mobile hit was number one overall.

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Media Create sales (12/5/16 – 12/11/16)

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS, News, Wii U | 26 Comments

The latest Japanese hardware sales from Media Create are as follows:

PS4 – 85,218
New 3DS LL – 67,247
2DS – 33,439
Vita – 22,314
New 3DS – 7,887
PS4 Pro – 7,499
Wii U – 4,656
Xbox One – 1,245
PS3 – 853
3DS – 314
3DS LL – 88

For comparison’s sake, here are the hardware numbers from last week:

PS4 – 110,318
New 3DS LL – 53,414
Vita – 20,141
2DS – 17,623
PS4 Pro – 8,032
New 3DS – 7,432
Wii U – 4,718
PS3 – 704
3DS – 368
Xbox One – 256
3DS LL – 92

And here are the software charts:

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Seasons of Heaven teaser trailer, full video coming next week

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Switch, Videos | 8 Comments

A teaser trailer is now online for Seasons of Heaven, the indie Switch-exclusive announced last week. You can watch it below.

As shown in the video, the full trailer will be released next Monday.

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New Japanese Tank Troopers trailer

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, Videos | 4 Comments

Nintendo has uploaded a new Japanese trailer for Tank Troopers, spanning seven minutes in length. Have a look at it below.

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More details on the My Nintendo Switch events, including confirmed cities

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 13 Comments

Earlier today, we heard that Nintendo started to send out invitations to select My Nintendo members for a hands-on Switch event. Now we have additional information about the locations and more.

First, the lineup of confirmed cities and their dates are as follows:

New York – January 13 – 15
Washington, D.C. – February 10 – 12
Chicago – February 17 – 19
Los Angeles – February 24 – 26
San Francisco – March 3 – 5

You’ll notice that each city has opportunities available for three days. Nintendo says Friday and Saturday are invite-only, while “Sunday is open to the public on a first-come, first served basis and no registration is required.” Those who attend can also bring along one guest.

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Select My Nintendo members being given the opportunity to try out Switch before launch

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 34 Comments

Nintendo has started to send out emails to select My Nintendo members in the United States about an opportunity to try out Switch prior to launch.

The message states that another email from Eventbrite will be coming soon, which will have “full details” about the event and opportunity to register. Tickets will be provided “on a first come, first served basis”.

It’s unclear what the criteria is to be sent an invitation. Your location likely plays a role, however.

We’ve included the full email message below.