Nintendo DSi Debuts to iPhone-like Sales in US and Europe
ds posts
Nintendo Considering Video on Demand for the DS via the Wii?
Nintendo's Wii, while thoroughly trouncing the competition in overall hardware sales, is way behind both the PS3 and Xbox 360 when it comes to media playback. Nintendo is about to take a step forward on that path with its Wii no Ma Channel, which will offer a variety of on-demand video, including cartoons and other family programming -- in other words lots and lots of Pokemon. Now, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is indicating that he wants that video to come to the DS, too, saying, "If the Wii and the DS are connected, it should be possible to download video through the Wii and take it with you on the DS." He also said Nintendo is "going to do it differently in a Nintendo-like way." Given the way that Nintendo's handling of online play is "different" from the competition's, you can expect to be punching in 16-digit codes every time you get an urge to watch someone else catch 'em all. [Warning: Read link requires registration][Via Joystiq]
'Personal Trainer: Walking' Bringing Pedometers to Nintendo DSi
Nintendo Bringing Classic Books to DS Handheld
The collection, which as of now is only slated for release in the U.K., comes in partnership with publisher Harper Collins. It will contain works from Shakespeare, Dickens, and Jane Austin, among others. The console's touch functionality will be used to allow gamers to turn the page with a sweep of the finger, but we're inclined to think that the tiny 3-inch screens will not be particularly well-suited for reading text. While the screens on Amazon's Kindle or Sony's Reader are perfect for long stares as you absorb chapter after chapter, the DS's LCDs aren't quite so readable. Still, if it gets your kids into the classics a little younger, it's worth a shot. [From: Telegraph.co.uk]
Nintendo Unveils Dual Camera DSi Portable
The DSi has an SD slot and internal storage -- we're not sure how much at the moment -- but photos can be taken directly to the Wii Photo Channel on the card. Nintendo's also launching an online "DSi Shop," which will sell content directly over WiFi, including a free browser app and "DS Ware" game -- and the company will offer free wireless connectivity at "Nintendo Zone" hotspots located in Japanese McDonalds. The shop will take the newly-renamed Nintendo Points (formerly Wii Points), 1000 of which will come free with the handheld until March 2010, and content will be priced in 200 / 500 / 800 point brackets. The DSi will come in white or black finishes, and will cost ¥18,900 ($178) when it launches in Japan on November 1st -- the rest of us will have to wait until next year.
Update: We've added the official Japanese DSi site link, check it out!
Update 2: We've also added a gallery (as you can see below).
Update 3: Our brothers at Joystiq have done a comprehensive spec-check of the DSi compared to the PSP-3000 and iPhone / iPod touch. Be sure and take a gander.
Update 4: You can now watch Nintendo's DSi demo video after the break, and trust us, it rules.
Update 5: Engadget Japanese tells us that only one display is touch-screen.
For more DSi goodies, check out the gallery at Engadget.
Nintendo Launching Camera-Equipped DS By End of Year?
Cell Phones, Computers, iPod, iPhone
Colleges Handing Out iPods to Incoming Freshman
However, some educators do worry about the distraction such devices provide. Students already carry cell phones and laptops with them, but an iPhone or iPod touch provides a level of distraction comparable to a laptop or the quick and quiet access of a cell phone.
Most expert agree that mobile electronics will play a bigger role in education, but that the movement is still very much in its infancy. Schools and teachers have experimented with lectures on iPods and Zunes, software on Nintendo DS's, and iPhone specific applications. What, if anything, will stick to the wall? We're not sure, but it is an exciting time to be an educator or a student. [From: NY Times]
Video Games, Top Lists, Summer Fun
Top 10 Portable Games for Long Trips
Summer is a time to escape -- to the beach, to the countryside, to the other side of the world. And for those of us who just love our down time, there's plenty of it (mostly spent on flying on planes, riding in cars, and laying on beach chairs). So we've compiled a list of the best portable games for Sony PSP and Nintendo DS to pack in your bag this summer; whether you're looking to hit the baseball diamond or the bustling streets of Tokyo, we've got just the digital escape. Oh, and here's a little tip: if your PSP is your handheld of choice, you might want to invest in the PSP Extended Life Battery -- especially, for owners of the new model PSP, for whom it will nearly double your battery life (old PSP owners only get a 20% jump).
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 (PSP)
For years -- since the original PlayStation days, in fact -- Sony's cartoonish 'Hot Shots' series has been one of the best golf games around. Open Tee 2 continues the tradition, with 24 playable characters, 12 courses, and more than 300 different options for clothing, hairstyles, clubs, and more. There's a 16-player online mode, clothing/item boosts, and, most importantly of all, an impressively realistic golf experience. The number of unlockable items is bananas, and the load times are much better than those in the original Open Tee. There's something slightly obsessive about playing a virtual golf game on your way to play golf, but we won't tell anyone if you won't.
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 (PSP)
For years -- since the original PlayStation days, in fact -- Sony's cartoonish 'Hot Shots' series has been one of the best golf games around. Open Tee 2 continues the tradition, with 24 playable characters, 12 courses, and more than 300 different options for clothing, hairstyles, clubs, and more. There's a 16-player online mode, clothing/item boosts, and, most importantly of all, an impressively realistic golf experience. The number of unlockable items is bananas, and the load times are much better than those in the original Open Tee. There's something slightly obsessive about playing a virtual golf game on your way to play golf, but we won't tell anyone if you won't.
Totally '80s Synthesizer Being Developed For Nintendo DS
Korg and AQ Interactive are developing Korg MS-10 -- a portable version of the vintage music synthesizer, designed specifically for the Nintendo DS. It's a synth, drum machine, and sequencer, all controlled with the DS stylus and touch screen. For those who want stats (from the official Web site):
In addition to the two analog synth simulators and drum module, a 6-track/16-step sequencer enables precise control and provides a wide range of musical possibilities. Several units can be connected and played together through a wireless link, and this and other features make the Nintendo DS and KORG DS-10 almost limitless in their application -- they can take you places that no single synthesizer can.
No promises yet, but we're gonna go out on a limb and say this will be the best handheld console-based music studio ever created. It's set for a Japan-only release in July; while's there's no official US release date, DS cartridges have no regional lockout, so you'll be able to rock out on your honky DS no problem.
From Crave
Related Links:
Romantic Geek Proposes Via Homebrew DS Game
When his girlfriend, Tammy, reached a certain score, the screen cleared and ring made out of the game's namesake jewels lowered on to the screen. Of course, waiting near by with a ring, was Bernie.
Congratulations to you both on the engagement! And Bernie, you're an unbelievable dork. And we love you for that.
From Joystiq
Related links:
Audio/Video, Computers, Video Games
Disney Uses Nintendo DS as Interactive Guide to the Magic Kingdom
The quite extensive application called 'Disney Magic Connection' features not just maps, but GPS for locating the nearest bathrooms, ATMs, and other amenities, as well as estimated wait times at rides and attractions, and, of course, games to help you kill time on those lines.
Currently, 'Disney Magic Connection' is only available preloaded on DS systems provided by Disney, but that may change when the program moves out of the testing phase.
From Engadget
Related Links:
Video Games, Editor's Picks, Domestic God / Goddess, $50 and Under, Holiday Gift Guide
Cooking Mama 2
As fans of the original already know (and the rest of you can probably surmise), Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends ($30) is a game about cooking. The original game Cooking Mama Cook Off came out for the Nintendo Wii, but the follow up has gone all handheld. In Cooking Mama 2, you use the Nintendo DS touch screen to complete recipes that are divided into steps -- usually involving rice, fish, and chopping. Lots of chopping. So, for example, you'll wash the rice, swirl the rice around, cook the rice, chop the ginger, remove the scales from the fish, fillet the fish, steam the fish...and so on. All with the stylus. Though much of the food is of the decidedly Japanese variety, you'll make white trash favorites like hot dogs and pizza as well. There are loads of recipes for the aspiring chef; we must say, after a week of playing this game, anyone's cooking ability (or at least knowledge) will get a swift kick in the apron.
From Majesco
Nintendo Targets Women & Grandparents
Nintendo has been selling out of its little white Wii console since its release late last year, and sales of the DS Lite portable have been equally stellar. At last week's E3 video game conference, Nintendo demonstrated that sales of both systems have been fueled largely by groups that aren't typically seen as, well, gamers. Making the systems as accessible to non-gamers as possible was one of the key design concepts when Nintendo designers were piecing the systems together. According to Nintendo's own research, that work is paying off.
From the DS and success of general-appeal games like 'Nintendogs' and 'Brain Age' Nintendo has managed to boost the portable gaming side of things. Portable gaming consoles now account for 50 percent of all video game system sales. That's up from 30 percent in 2002. The DS alone makes up for half of those sales, while Nintendo's older handheld, the GameBoy Advance, makes up most of the remaining half. Though it has been gaining steam lately, that still leaves the PSP with very little market share.
Thanks to those games on the DS and the pick-up-and-play nature of the Wii, Nintendo has managed to break long-standing industry standard demographics as well. For example, women make up an impressive one third of Nintendo gamers compared to about 20 percent for the competition. Likewise, while game companies typically target young males, half of all men over 50 have tried the Wii. This expansion of the gaming industry has resulted in an amazing 56 percent increase in sales of games and game hardware compared to last year in the U.S., and an even more impressive 114 percent increase in Japan.
With the DS being seen as a tool for seniors to ward off dementia, and the Wii getting more and more recognition as a healthy and fun way for everyone to game, by next year the mainstream gamer may indeed just be ... mainstream.
Related Links:
Which Video Game Console Will Rule This Year?
We have just limped back from E3, the video game "Media & Business Summit". This conference, held in Santa Monica, CA, was an intense four days of seeing and playing all the video games that will come out for the next year. Sounds horrible, right?
We took some time to digest what the major players -- Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft -- had to say, and our verdicts are in. Some of the results are surprising.
Tim Stevens: Nintendo Wii
Each year the "big three," Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, try to out-do one another with major announcements that make the E3 crowds go "ooh" and "aah." Each year someone is crowned a winner. When compared to years previous it's hard to pick a winner, with nobody really clearly out-doing the others. However, of the three, Nintendo's Wii had the best showing, with a selection of great games due out before the end of the year like 'Super Mario Galaxy,' 'Metroid Prime: Corruption,' and 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl.' Sony's PS3 and Microsoft 's Xbox 360 dazzled with visually amazing games, but Nintendo's got the gameplay squared away.
Sure, the Zapper isn't too enticing and the Balance Board is perhaps a bit niche (Yoga gamers??), but if nothing else these are signs that Nintendo is still taking risks, even if they're still relying on their core franchises like Mario and Zelda. With any luck, some third-party producers will get in on the party by next year's show.
We took some time to digest what the major players -- Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft -- had to say, and our verdicts are in. Some of the results are surprising.
Tim Stevens: Nintendo Wii
Each year the "big three," Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, try to out-do one another with major announcements that make the E3 crowds go "ooh" and "aah." Each year someone is crowned a winner. When compared to years previous it's hard to pick a winner, with nobody really clearly out-doing the others. However, of the three, Nintendo's Wii had the best showing, with a selection of great games due out before the end of the year like 'Super Mario Galaxy,' 'Metroid Prime: Corruption,' and 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl.' Sony's PS3 and Microsoft 's Xbox 360 dazzled with visually amazing games, but Nintendo's got the gameplay squared away.
Sure, the Zapper isn't too enticing and the Balance Board is perhaps a bit niche (Yoga gamers??), but if nothing else these are signs that Nintendo is still taking risks, even if they're still relying on their core franchises like Mario and Zelda. With any luck, some third-party producers will get in on the party by next year's show.
'Napoleon Dynamite' Video Game. Sweet!
Crave is showing off a game that's been a long, long time coming. Napoleon Dynamite is finally making an appearance in a video game and it's a suitably bizarre one to compliment the generally bizarre film. The game, due out for Sony's PSP and Nintendo's DS handhelds, is basically a collection of silly little mini games that are, on their own, fun but not really all that captivating. However, as in games like 'Wario Ware' and 'Rayman: Raving Rabbids,' when you combine enough of these little diversions together and you can create a fairly addictive experience.The DS version will ship with 24 games while the PSP will have 30, making it the one to get. The games are all connected to the movie in some way, like one that has you flinging lasagna at Tina the llama (while she tries to spit it back at you). Another pits you against Uncle Rico in a football tossing contest. And, of course, you'll also make Napoleon dance -- 'Dance Dance Revolution'-style naturally. The games are simple but fun and all share the same big headed cutout visual style that's equally cool.
'Napoleon Dynamite' doesn't have a firm release date yet, but fans of the film will definitely want to check this totally sweet game out whenever it shows up on store shelves.
Related Links:
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
