Nintendo 3DS System Update Adds Online Store and More

Nintendo offers free re-mastered 3D version of NES classic Excitebike for limited time.

Press Release

Nintendo of America has announced that the first major system update for the hand-held Nintendo 3DS™ system will be available in North America the evening of June 6, Pacific time. By installing the free update via a wireless broadband Internet connection, Nintendo 3DS users will have access to an Internet browser and the Nintendo eShop, which contains a variety of new content, including Pokedex™ 3D, an application that lets fans see Pokemon™ characters in 3D.

To celebrate the grand opening of the Nintendo eShop, Nintendo is offering the NES™ game Excitebike™ re-mastered in 3D as a free download until July 7 for anyone who installs the system update. Upcoming Virtual Console™ content available in the Nintendo eShop includes Game Boy™ games Super Mario Land™, Alleyway™ and Radar Mission™. New content will be added to the Nintendo eShop on Thursdays.

The Nintendo eShop is a digital store for Nintendo 3DS owners that provides access to a wide variety of downloadable content, such as original 3D software, classic games that have been re-mastered in 3D called 3D Classics, Game Boy and Game Boy Color "Virtual Console" games in their original 2D glory, and more than 350 Nintendo DSiWare™ games. Visitors can also view video game trailers, screen shots and product information for games, including those available at retail locations.

Nintendogs + Cats sells 1.7 million, Pokemon Black & White top 11.5 million

Nintendo reveals Super Mario Galaxy 2 has moved 6.36 million; Donkey Kong Country Returns reaches nearly 5 million, Super Mario All-Stars hits 2.2 million.

owing its earnings report yesterday, Nintendo has released supplementary information that reveals sales of some of its biggest titles. Among the data are sales figures for Nintendogs + Cats, which is now officially the first platinum game for the 3DS with 1.71 million units sold. Of those, 460,000 were bought in Japan and 1.25 million were picked up in other territories. The game's three versions--French Bulldog, Golden Retriever, and Toy Poodle--are counted as a single title by Nintendo.

The information sheet also revealed sales for a number of new titles on Nintendo's other platforms. During Nintendo's last fiscal year, which ran from April 2010 to March 2011, the top DS games were Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. The twin titles, counted as a single game, sold a combined 11.51 million units globally.

New Nintendo Console Confirmed

Wii successor revealed and playable at E3 this June.

Nintendo Japan tonight confirmed it will release a new game console in calendar year 2012. It will be announced and playable at E3 this coming June.

"We will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles," the company said in a brief statement. Nintendo did not reveal any additional details.

Multiple sources tell IGN the console - dubbed Project Cafe - will be "significantly more powerful" than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and be backwards compatible with current Wii software. The console will also utilize a new, tablet-shaped controller. Sources say it will have a 6-inch touch screen display, dual analog sticks, and has the ability to stream content directly from the console.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Bloomberg News, "We would like to propose a new approach to home video game consoles" with the Wii successor. He added, "It's difficult to make 3-D images a key feature, because 3-D televisions haven't obtained wide acceptance yet."

Source

Nintendo Reports 46% Profit Fall

Q3 profits take a hit as company makes way for 3DS.

Nintendo saw a 46% fall in its quarterly profits, with the dwindling sales of the Nintendo DS in the face of its immediate successor and the rising threat of Sony in the handheld market cited as reasons for the decline.

Nintendo has cut its sales forecasts for both of its consoles available on the market, with predicted sales of the Wii cut to 16 million units from 17.5 million for the financial year while the DS takes a hit from 23.5 million to 22.5 million.

Reuters is reporting that Nintendo's operating profit stands at 104.6 billion yen for the quarter, which sees a fall from the 192.3 billion yen from the same period a year ago.

The news comes in the immediate aftermath of Sony unveiling its PSP successor, the NGP, and mere days after Nintendo finalized its launch plans for the 3DS.

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Nintendo CEO Promises Continuous Stream of 3DS Releases

System won't be seeing lull experienced by past Nintendo systems.

Game consoles usually see a post launch software lull. But this won't happen with 3DS. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata told Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper that plans are in place to make sure the 3DS gets a constant stream of software.

Said Iwata, "It's important that you be able to supply software with no pause. With the DS and Wii, following the titles that were released at launch, the momentum dropped when there was a gap in software releases. We're making plans so that this type of thing won't happen."

Mario All-Stars US Bound

The 25th Anniversary collection is indeed heading our way just in time for the holidays.

Well, now we don't have to be jealous of Japan and Europe anymore, as Nintendo of America has finally revealed that the Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition bundle is coming to North America.

The Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition will be available in limited numbers for $29.99 on December 12th. The bundle will include a disc with Super Mario All-Stars (the Super NES game that featured Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels redone in 16-bit art), as well as a soundtrack CD and an illustrated booklet.

The soundtrack disc will feature music and sound effects from every game considered part of the Super Mario franchise.

Source

Survey: Japan Wants to see Super Mario in 3D

Nintendo games and other old favorites are top picks for a 3D upgrade.

 

A recent online survey by the Goo Research firm (translated by What Japan Thinks) asked 1,072 Japanese internet users which video games they would like to play on a big-screen 3D television. The sample was mostly female (68% vs. 32%) and included respondents from all age groups and every region of Japan.

The big winner was the Super Mario series, not a huge surprise given the character's iconic status. The Mario Kart series was the second most popular answer, the first of several high profile racing games to make the list. The Final Fantasy series in third place was the sole RPG franchise on the list.

In an unrelated yet similar survey, 483 people were asked what 3D movie they wanted to see in theaters this fall. Nearly half (49.1%) said "none." The most popular movie (at 15.1%) was Resident Evil: Afterlife.

The complete rundown of game series follows: