I am not claimining to be an insider, and you wont find any exclusives here but I do hope to give you all nintendo news worth knowing along with some editorials from both me and the other crew members.
I went into my HMV today to find that the Gamecube software had been condensed into 2 rows, in place of the games on the other rows there was high quality leaflets with info on the Wii, so of course I picked one up and have scanned it for you. Does this mean that the Wii is close, as they are promoting it, perhaps Wii will get a surprise launch???
Dodgy translation of a site with pics of a press event to show off the wii, DS titles. link
Today I went into Asda and looked at the gaming department only to find for this week only the DSlite will be priced at £10 less than RRP. I will be getting my Lite later today as a package from HMV with trauma center and brain age along with a accessary pack on a buy now pay later deal, so I can pay for it when I do get paid.
acording to many japanese retailers a pink DS lite is on the way around july 20th. This makes so much sense with the popularity of the pink DSphat and the popularity of the DSlite it seems a match made in heaven. has now been confirmed by nintendo.
In the up coming stormbreaker film, which is set to be released this summer, Alex Rider the kid spy will be using a red DS Phat for his gadget, in the book it was a gameboy, but it is great to know that they are keeping up with the times press release;
27 June 2006 - Experience espionage at its most thrilling as Nintendo announces a partnership with new teen spy movie, Stormbreaker.
Set to be the must-see summer blockbuster, Stormbreaker uses a Nintendo DS at the heart of the storyline, turning it into a gadget any super spy would be proud of.
Stormbreaker, taken from the first book in the best-selling adventure series by novelist Anthony Horowitz, features Alex Rider, a normal 14 year old teenager who lives with his uncle, a nondescript bank manager, or so it seems.
However when Uncle Ian Rider dies in mysterious circumstances, Alex discovers his uncle was in fact a spy who has been murdered by one of the most dangerous assassins in the world. Alex finds himself recruited by the Special Operations Division of MI6, and realises that by encouraging his hobbies his uncle has thoroughly prepared him for a career in espionage.
Linguist, scuba diver, mountaineer, crack shot and martial arts expert, Alex has all the attributes to make the perfect teenage spy. Armed with these skills and his own set of special gadgets, including a modified red Nintendo DS, Alex embarks on his first mission.
Featuring the cream of Hollywood and British talent, the Nintendo DS takes a starring role alongside big names including Robbie Coltrane, Damian Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Sophie Okonedo, Alex Pettyfer debuting as Alex Rider, Andy Serkis, Alicia Silverstone, and Micky Rourke.
Stormbreaker also stars Stephen Fry (“The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy”, “Wilde”), filling the role of top gadgeteer ‘Smithers’ who converts the already innovative Nintendo DS into an all encompassing tool to aid Alex in fulfilling his assignments.
See a whole new side to the Nintendo DS and hold on tight as Stormbreaker comes to a cinema near you across Europe in the summer of 2006.
After all the Pre-E3 hype for Ubisofts Debut title for the wii, Red steel turned out to be quite a disapointment for those who tried it. Well im sure you will all be happy to know they are reworking it especialy the sword play. details here
Well sure ltb0ngo may have his DSlite but for me it is a much sadder tale. What I had Planned to do was to go down to the HMV next to the place I work, go to an ATM, extract £120 and get a lite and a copy of brain training. Before leaving my house I checked on the Internet to see what my bank balance was... and it was £0.18. This confused me as I expected to see my earnings from the last 3 weeks in there, but they werent. So I decided to go down there anyway to ask at the place I work to see what was going on, after my 30 minutes bike ride I arrived only to be told that because I was not with the company at the start of the month I wont get paid till next month!!! Just to rub salt into the wound aswell, HMV had an offer on so that you get a lite and brain training for £110.
"The best-laid schemes o' Mice an' MenWhich to the unscotish of you means that no matter how much you plan ahead things are still likly to go wrong.
Gang aft a-gley,"
With only 5 members on the forum (4 of which are site moderators) and no new posts in months the forum has shut down. On a seperate note I have set up a freewebs site to host Reviews (yay), I am gonnna wait until I have done a GC, DS and GBA game review before I put in the Link on the side. If any readers would like to subit there own reviews, feel free to E-mail us with them.
Being poor :( I have no money to pre-order a DSlite, however I do get my first ever paycheck on the 23rd which is the european Lite release date (I think it is fate). So Yesterday I went into the HMV right next door to the JJB that I work at, to ask what my chance was of getting a Lite without a Pre-order. The guy then informed me that they were to get 32 whites and 80 blacks and hadn't filled out many preorders (It is situated in the Fort shopping park which is full of clothes shops with no rural area within walking distance so this is to be expected). I was shocked that there were to be more Blacks than Whites (not being racist) let alone at that ratio. Anyway, I dont think I will be in work on Friday, but I will probly make my way over to the HMV to spend my earnings for the last three weeks work.
I came across this nice little article which speculates what the new characters in the game moves might be, it is well worth a read link
| Microsoft - The 360's head start is enough | 10.78% |  | 8568 |
| Nintendo - The Wii will amaze everybody | 44.96% | | 35738 |
| Sony - The PlayStation 3 will be unstoppable | 22.75% | | 18085 |
| It'll be too close to all; all three will do well | 18.13% | | 14414 |
| All three will fail miserably; it's time for a crash | 3.37% | | 2677 |
| TOTAL VOTES | 79482 | ||
I saw this in EDGE magazine today and although I had no money to buy it, luckly someone else obviously did and scanned it so here it is.
It has been a slow couple of weeks on news, but i saw this on one of the UKs shopping channels. Is it me or does another company use that spelling of lite, i think they do games???
It turns out the post i made a few days ago was fake information but we can still hope that it comes true.
The patent tha was filed 6 years ago has just been granted and has some intersting points;
Title: Messaging service for video game systems with buddy list that displays game being played
Description: A messaging system includes a web server computer and at least two video game systems. Each game system is configured to connect to the web server computer via the Internet and to communicate status data indicative of an activity engaged in by a user thereof. The web server computer generates a session file indicative of user status and the status of each of two or persons on a buddy list of the user.
comentry by CR as i dont have a clue what it is going on about;
The messaging service client provides the user with an opportunity to create a user profile that is stored in the memory of network server…The user profile may contain any desired user-specific information including, but not limited to, an alias, first name, last name, gender, age, city, state, favorite game, favorite food, favorite sport, hobbies, recommended URL and notes…If desired, users may also be given an opportunity to indicate high scores and other accomplishments achieved on the game network or on stand-alone games. Users may also be provided with the capability of including in their profiles customized faces (images) made up of various user-selected features (e.g., a particular nose, mouth, mustache, etc.) in order to enhance the “persona” of the user. These customized faces may be included with messages. Users may even be provided with the capability of including in their profiles digital images of their own faces generated, for example, using a digital camera…The messaging service client allows the user to create a list (”buddy list”) of other users (”buddies”) with whom he/she wishes to remain in contact…The connecting user and his/her buddies can then communicate with each other on an individual basis and private chat sessions can be set up. These chat sessions are typically text-based, but it also possible to set up voice over Internet sessions between two users…
Each of the game systems includes an input device(s) that is usable by a user to create messages. In the case of a game console, an on-screen keyboard may be used and the game controls are usable to select characters from the on-screen keyboard to create messages. In another implementation, a separate keyboard (not shown) may be connected to the game console. In still another implementation, the input device may be a microphone to enable voice over IP communications. Voice over IP may be implemented within the messaging service.
According to the patent the system will have a View Associate List, Block List, User Preferences, Profile, Access, Status, Rules list, Alerts and Autostart Alerts. It also speaks about the possibility of a portable game console to use this (DS + Wii? sounds mindblowing).
Although Nintendo has always had this planned it seems with the Wii this is now possible. Keep in mind a motion-sensing controller was always planned for the Gamecube long ago. But with these revelations of a possible keyboard, a headset, a ability to most likely use SD Cards to upload pictures and an amazing instant messenger system, it seems highly likely this will end up on the Wii. The Wii just gets better.
DS;
Nintendo plans to supply 2 million DS units per month worldwide
Nintendo expects to sell through 16 million DS units by the end of the fiscal year, March 2007
Stats (for Japan):
32% of DS owners bought Animal Crossing
23% Mario Kart
14% Tetris
20% New Super Mario Bros
10 titles have shipped a million unitsOpera will be delayed a month… coming out in July now.
The Oneseg TV tuner will go on sale in Autumn and will cost “approximately half the price of the DS hardware” = ~8400 yen.
Nintendo aims to continue the Touch Generations series, with the balance between “non-games” and games being very important to them.
Pokemon will have wi-fi worldwide voicechat and be released around autumn.
Wii;“Although I will not call a certain sales goal for the Wii console, I can promise that we will reach sales clearly over those of the Gamecube.” Nintendo President Satoru Iwata (loose translation)
Mr. Iwata also stated that even if the Wii meets Nintendo’s sales projections, it will have little impact on Nintendo’s profit…as far as short term is concerned. (Meaning it will be sold at a loss)
The Wii’s official price and launch date will be announced by September
Shipping 4 million by the end of the calendar year (worldwide) and 6 million by the end of the finacle year which is april 1st 07
Pokemon Battle Revolution will be out a few months after Pearl/Diamond (around winter) and will link with the DS game.
New games (not just the emulated stuff) on Virtual Console could also be 500-1000 yen ($4.40-$8.80 or £2.37-£4.74 or 3.44 to 6.88 euros).
Main DS-Wii connectivity will be:
- touch-screen controller
- Wii = DS station, like the shop kiosks
- DS games can be expanded via Wii
Pokemon Wii:
Name: Pit
First Appearance: Kid Icarus
New Character
Known capacity: Multiple jumps
Name: Zero Samus Follows
First Appearance: Metroid Zero Mission
Veteran
Known capacity: transformation of the Gun into Whip
First Appearance: WarioWorld
New Character
Known capacity: Flatulence, “Wario Waft”
Name: Snake
First Appearance: Metal GEAR
New Character
Known capacity: Explosives
link
I dont know how I missed this but from E3 we have what looks like a trailer that ran while Metroid Prime 3 was waiting to start. This is awsome showing parts of the game that we have only heard about.
In an MTV interview with a nintendo rep the following info was revieled(click one of the links)
With the DSlite out selling the PSP by over 10-1 the DS is dominating everything along with the new super mario bros tallying at almost 900,000 copies in its first week. Nintendo rules all.
Nintendo has revealed its new gaming console, the "Wii", currently scheduled for release within 2006. Nintendo has redesigned its traditional game controller, introducing a new user interface that allows players to control characters by moving the controller up/down or left/right and activating an acceleration sensor. Satoru Iwata, CEO of Nintendo, shared his thoughts with us on his ambitions for the "Wii"; revolutionizing gaming console user interfaces in the wake of the highly successful "Nintendo DS".(Interviewers: Naoki Asami, ITpro Publisher, and Hiroki Yomogita, Silicon Valley)
Q: What led you to place emphasis on the user interface?
Iwata: Nintendo has spent several years tackling the question of how to increase the number of users who will enjoy playing games. Being a techie myself, I have no intention to discredit the importance of technology. Yet I was concerned that improving the graphical quality any further would not lead to more people playing games. This led us to focus on the user interface.
Q: Wasn't changing a 20-year-old controller design a bold decision for you?
Iwata: The current design for game controllers was determined by Nintendo, so some of our staff disagreed with changing it. Yet after some hands-on time with the prototypes, we knew we had a working formula. That is why I declared at last year's E3 that revolutionary interfaces will bring change to future games.
Q: Was the going rough or smooth while deciding on the current design?
Iwata: We initiated research on the elemental technology around 3 years ago, and had formed a task force team 2 years ago. Our software and hardware teams held joint discussions each week to explore possibilities. Interface tweaking is different from optimizing performance, for the former is largely subjective, and calls for actual testing. We created a multitude of prototypes.
Q: Why does your controller have a speaker?
Iwata: This feature was absent from the prototype a year ago – we introduced it fairly recently. We discussed what type of feedback the games should provide the user with. Households sporting 5.1 channel speakers will certainly be able to enjoy realistic sound, yet not all homes have such audio equipment. Adding a speaker to the controller will enable us, for example, to have it emit sound effects when hitting the ball in ping-pong, tennis or golf games. Q: I have had hands-on time with the prototype myself, and find it difficult to express the enjoyment I feel with it – or should I call it immersion – with words. Iwata: One of the issues we are faced with is how to convey its appeal to the users. For conventional games, showing innovative visuals on a TV screen would be sufficient advertisement. Interfaces cannot be represented numerically, and need to be actually used to be appreciated. Sony and Microsoft must be having their share of problems, as even though game consoles are sporting better graphical capabilities, most households only have SDTV sets, making them unable to enjoy the HDTV quality offered by the game console itself. Though I'm aware this may be misunderstood, Nintendo is not working on a next-generation console. "Next-generation" implies that the console is an extension of previous installments. We believe that extending our current line will not lead to larger markets, and could possibly even lead to smaller markets. We need to introduce innovative appeal if we want to increase the number of people enjoying games. Recent games have complex control schemes and a steep learning curve for the inexperienced. Those with little gaming experience prefer watching someone else playing to playing the games themselves. Such is the status quo today. That is why we hoped to create an interface that would appeal to anyone. Q: Wasn't there concern from developers with the innovative controller design? Iwata: Deviating from tradition is a bold move for anyone. When Nintendo opted for the dual screens for the DS, more people were shaking their heads and wondering what we were thinking, than commending us for the decision. Yet the market turned out favorable to the DS. We had successfully proven that it was possible to expand the market by changing the user interface. I feel that this had led to more people looking upon our new controller favorably. Q: Did Nintendo's disadvantage in the console market help in making this bold decision? Iwata: Nintendo once was the champion in the console market, yet is now the challenger. Challengers have a hard time getting the market to listen to them. Our intent was to revolutionize the user interface in the portable games market, where Nintendo is the reigning champion, and follow that up with the Wii's success in the console market. We have earned support for our user interface innovation much faster than I had expected, and this should help propel the Wii forward. Q: Is the "Virtual Console" concept proposed by Nintendo another step in the pursuit of simplicity? Iwata: When creating a packaged game to be priced at 5,000 yen, developers tend to feel the need to create a rich game. Yet it is possible to create a reasonably entertaining game in 2 months with a team of three. Offering such games for 500 yen over a network could lead to a reasonable number of people purchasing it. By offering an environment that allows this, we hope to encourage more developers to pursue basic yet enjoyable gameplay. Of course, content-rich games have their own merit, and I have no intention of discrediting them. Such games are important in their own right, and will continue to be in demand. Still – think about it – eating French cuisine or a full dinner each day would quickly lead to boredom, wouldn't it? You’ll want a simple bowl of rice and soup every now and then. Our intention with the "Wii" is to propose an alternate approach to gaming business, as the gaming industry is currently far too single-minded. Q: What will the Wii offer when connected to the Internet? Iwata: I'll give you a specific example we are planning for. Let's say your Wii is connected to the Internet in a mode that allows activation on a 24-hour basis. This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos for the DS, during the night, to the Wii consoles in each household. Users would wake up each morning, find the LED lamp on their Wii flashing, and know that Nintendo has sent them something. They would then be able to download the promotional demo from their Wii's to their Nintendo DS's. This will, of course, be possible in gaming stores too, but I think users will enjoy being able to do this within their homes. The key merit here is having promotional material delivered to your home, instead of having to go collect it yourself. Q: So you hope users will use their gaming consoles every day? Iwata: More and more users have concentrated periods of gaming following major releases, and stop playing for months once that is over. I hope the Wii, like the Nintendo DS, will have its power turned on every day. To lead users to do that, we need to offer something new each day. That is why we thought of a system that would allow us to change our offerings during the night. I feel that allowing the system to stay connected to the Net throughout the night is a valid application of semiconductor technology. We have nothing against advanced technology. Though many seem to feel that Nintendo is anti-technological, this is totally untrue. There are multiple ways in which you can apply new technology. Some design Formula 1 cars, others design hybrid cars. We have merely spent a lot of time discussing which approach would help us increase our customer base.Building on the success of the DS
At last months E3 games conference Wii was deffinatly star of the show boasting 6 hour queues, it has since then been awarded best in show by 37 outlets(link). With wall street screaming out at people to sell their stocks in sony(link) due to the falling prices because of the PS3 price plan. Aswell as this with Nintendo`s stock prices rising to the highest they have been in four years can we expect the Wii to go down a storm with people, latest poll`s seem to hint to;
| Yes, but I'm a big Nintendo fan | 39.2% | | 29443 |
| Yes, the E3 demos sold me on it | 18.82% | | 14135 |
| Maybe, I have to try one first | 23.4% | | 17579 |
| Probably not, I'm not a believer | 5.33% | | 4004 |
| No, I'd rather play my 360/PS3/PC | 13.25% | | 9951 |
| TOTAL VOTES | 75112 | ||
| Yes, the full $600 version | 22.69% | | 16643 |
| Yes, the limited $500 version | 4.19% | | 3077 |
| Maybe, if I see some good games | 15.05% | | 11043 |
| Probably not, it's just too expensive | 24.92% | | 18286 |
| No, I'd rather play a Wii/PC/360 | 33.14% | | 24316 |
| TOTAL VOTES | 73365 | ||
| All three | 6.62% | | 6257 |
| PS3 and Wii | 16.69% | | 15774 |
| PS3 and 360 | 5.28% | | 4986 |
| Wii and 360 | 13.18% | | 12455 |
| Just a 360 | 5.31% | | 5022 |
| Just a PS3 | 17.03% | | 16093 |
| Just a Wii | 27.57% | | 26052 |
| None of them | 8.32% | | 7865 |
| TOTAL VOTES | 94504 | ||
Nintendo is on tour again in the UK hitting concerts, I probably won't be able to make it to any of these so if anybody wants to report for me from one just email us on the using the email address from the side bar.
"Why did the Nintendog cross the road?"
We haven’t got a clue actually, but we hope you’ve got something better up your sleeves if you're planning to visit the Nintendo Comedy Café again this summer.
Like last year, the Café is making a whistle-stop tour of the finest music festivals on British soil this summer - Download, T in the Park, Guilfest and the V Festival - to bring you a rocking mix of gags and games.
The Nintendo Comedy Café is where you can witness the finest comedy talent while also checking out Nintendo's hottest summer releases like the Nintendo DS Lite!
But not only will we be playing host to some of the top comedians that the nation has to offer - you too can be the star of the show by getting up on stage and performing your best show-stopping gags.
And it gets even better. Step into our special Wi-Fi enabled Nintendo DS booths and you’ll have the chance to challenge rock stars to a game or two while they take a break from the music in the V Festival backstage area, in association with BT Openzone hotspot technology.
The new lighter, brighter version of the bestselling Nintendo DS, the Nintendo DS Lite, makes its festival debut this year and you can be one of the first to get your hands on it! With a sleek new white finish this is the most stylish and compact handheld console around.
There is also a massive array of new games to be played, with something for everyone, from the old school styled platformer New Super Mario Bros., to first-person shoot 'em up action Metroid Prime Hunters, and the chance to train your own puppy with Nintendogs.
So if you're planning to go down to Download or stop off for a drop of T in the Park this summer, visit the Nintendo Comedy Café for a soothing smoothie, rib tickling comedy, celeb challenges and great gaming entertainment.
What more could you ask for (except better jokes)?
Nintendo Comedy Café destinations
Download Festival - Donington Park, June 9-11
T in the Park - Kinross, Glasgow - July 8-9
Guilfest - Guildford - July 14-16
V Festival - Chelmsford, August 19-20
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