DeNA wants you to stream your Android phone to the world
Japanese mobile game company DeNA has launched an app called Mirrativ that lets you livestream anything and everything that’s happening on your phone. Think of the app as a mix of Periscope and Twitch — yes, there are plenty of ways to stream your face and your games to the world, but with Mirrativ you’re not limited to just either-or. DeNA is also targeting a broader range of uses than just gaming. What else might you like to stream? Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, DeNA’s Junichi Akagawa says that users could perhaps browse online stores while seeking “shopping advice” from followers, or read news articles and share their thoughts on the topics.
The app is is currently in public beta, and DeNA is restricting streaming to a few hours a day while it works stuff out. Viewing streams is akin to other services — you can comment or show appreciation and it’ll show up on the streamer’s end live, just like in Periscope. Unfortunately, there’s no archive for streams just yet, so once an event’s over it’s over.
“I think this is the first app that allows users to broadcast everything happening on the their smartphone device through the Internet,” Akagawa tells the Journal. He’s not right, as Sony added Twitch and YouTube streaming to its recent Xperia devices last month, but Mirrativ works across a wide range of Android devices. DeNA is also working on a similar app for iOS, although given the closed feature set Apple provides developers with it’s tough to imagine the experiences being identical cross-platform.
If you’re wondering where you’ve heard the name DeNA before, wonder no longer. It’s a big deal in Japan, where it’s behind some huge mobile titles, and also runs an online gaming platform called Mobage, which is a rough equivalent of Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus. It’s such a big deal that Nintendo has partnered with it to create mobile games and build its next-generation online services, taking a 10-percent stake in the company at the same time.
Mirrativ is available in the Google Play store now, and you can keep tabs on when the streaming starts each day over on the company’s Twitter.
Filed under:
Mobile, Google, Nintendo
Source:
Mirrativ (Google Play)
Tags: dena, google, mirrativ, mobilepostcross, nintendo, streaming, twitch, youtube
‘Splatoon’ is getting a 61-tune soundtrack in Japan
If you’ve even had a small taste of Splatoon, you know that the inky shooter is defined as much by its upbeat, irreverent music as its bright, Nickelodeon-circa-1995 visuals. Nintendo clearly knows this, too — it’s planning to release Splatune, a whopping 61-song original soundtrack. Most of it (37 tracks) will be straight-up music, but there will also be 10 jingles and 14 pieces based on sound effects. That’s a lot, especially when you consider that many big-name movies don’t get such a lavish treatment. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny to an importer if you want a copy, though. Nintendo is releasing Splatune as a ¥3,200 ($27) two-disc album in Japan (where CDs are still huge) on October 21st, and there’s no word yet on a release elsewhere.
Via:
Siliconera, Eurogamer
Source:
Famitsu (translated)
Tags: gaming, music, nintendo, soundtrack, splatoon, splatune, videogames, wiiu
ICYMI: Massive Minesweeper, Android 4 BlackBerry and more
Today on In Case You Missed It, I’ve replaced Kerry Davis in a sinister plot to take over the show while she’s on vacation drinking Angry Orchard by the lake. In actual news, we celebrated Windows 95’s 20th birthday with a throwback to “The Rachel” in a promo video for Microsoft’s famed OS, starring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry. In related, all be it more panic-inducing news, someone’s made a giant game of Minesweeper to drive you bat shit crazy. A Brazilian vlogger gave us a glimpse of the world’s most popular operating system on one of the world’s least popular phones. And, finally, someone with a whole lot of time on his hands came up with the ultimate way to sink your battle ship.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd. And if you just want to heap praise on your handsome guest host, feel free to hit me up @mr_trout.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Gaming, Software, Microsoft, Nintendo
Tags: Android, BlackBerry, ICYMI, incaseyoumissedit, mario kart, microsoft, minesweeper, nintendo, video
Nintendo is once again open to movies based on its games
Nintendo has lately been willing to license its characters for movies (see Donkey Kong’s appearance in Pixels), but it’s been a long time since there was a flick based on its characters — maybe it’s still having traumatic flashbacks to Super Mario Bros. from 1993. Whatever the reasons, it might just have a change of heart. Shigeru Miyamoto tells Fortune that the firm is thinking “more and more” about including movies as part of its strategy. He used to see movies as passive content that was at odds with gaming, but a shift to treating Nintendo as an “entertainment company” has once again raised the prospects of movie adaptations.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll see motion pictures soon, if at all. Nintendo put the kibosh on rumors of a Zelda movie just this year. However, such a move wouldn’t be surprising. The company’s traditional console-based gaming business isn’t making a lot of money right now, and it’s branching out into other areas (such as smartphone games) in hopes of improving its fortunes. Movies would not only add revenue, but boost the profile of its games if done well enough.
Filed under:
Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Nintendo
Via:
IGN
Source:
Fortune
Tags: gaming, hdpostcross, licensing, movies, nintendo, shigerumiyamoto, videogames
Nintendo patent hints at a return to disc-free game consoles
Nintendo has said little about what its future NX console will involve (besides not running Android), but one of the company’s recent US patent applications might be a hint as to what it’s planning. The would-be patent, filed this February, talks about a “stationary game console” that uses only hard drives and external cards for storage — the first time a TV-based Nintendo system would go without discs since the Nintendo 64 from two decades ago. As the company explains, the rise of broadband makes optical drives obsolete. Why include a disc reader when any game you want is just a download away?
There aren’t any big clues as to the NX’s hardware, and there’s no guarantee that this amounts to a Nintendo roadmap. It could easily change its mind if it decides that it needs Blu-ray or another format to handle large releases. However, a disc-free system certainly makes sense, especially for a system that might not ship for another year or two. While all the big TV game consoles currently ship with disc drives, it’s no secret that the technology is on its way out — it’s slow, complicates game updates and adds to the cost of a system. Ditching plastic media would let Nintendo embrace the future while keeping its historically low hardware prices.
[Image credit: Jeff Daly/Invision for Nintendo/AP]
Source:
NeoGAF
Tags: console, gaming, nintendo, nx, patent, uspto, videogames
The top 18 gaming products you can buy right now
In general, gaming hardware has a bit of staying power, at least until you get seduced by a next-gen console. The latest update to our buyer’s guide included many carryovers from last time, although we saw fit to spin off both Sony’s and Microsoft’s respective cameras as their own entries. For the PC gaming set, we swapped in MSI’s latest laptop powerhouse, the GT80 Titan, which offers top-of-the-range options and the satisfying clack of a mechanical keyboard. Also, we had to include Nintendo’s latest 3DS XL; with face-tracking 3D, new buttons and Amiibo support, it’s better than ever. You can find the whole lineup in the gallery below, but if you want to see some picks in other categories, our complete buyer’s guide is always ready and waiting for you.Slideshow-314027
Filed under:
Gaming, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
Tags: buyersguide, engadgetbuyersguide, gaming, gifts, microsoft, nintendo, sony
The Pokemon fighting game you’ve been waiting for hits Wii U in 2016
Hold on to your Poké Balls — Pokkén Tournament, the Pokémon fighting game that debuted in Japanese arcades this year, is heading to Wii U in spring 2016, worldwide. Pokkén Tournament is in development at Tekken and Soulcalibur studio Bandai Namco, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. As reported back in August 2014, Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada and Soulcalibur producer Masaaki Hoshino are leading the project. Pokkén Tournament takes a realistic approach to Pokémon (as realistic as it can be, at least) in an attempt to turn the franchise into a serious fighting game. It looks positively buttery in the first trailer, though note that the footage is taken from the arcade version of the game, rather than the final Wii U build. Also note the new Pikachu Libre challenger. Also also note the second video we’ve included in this post. You’re welcome.
Filed under:
Gaming, HD, Nintendo
Tags: BandaiNamco, Fighting, FightingGames, hdpostcross, nintendo, Pokemon, pokken-tournament, pokkentournament, thepokemoncompany
Nintendo drops the 2DS to $100
Anyone who’s been holding out for a new Nintendo handheld, we really hope you didn’t buy a 2DS last night. Nintendo has dropped the retail price of the 2DS — its dual-screen, non-3D handheld — from $130 to $100. The 2DS is a single plastic block (no clamshell) with two screens, an analog pad, directional pad, four action buttons and a stylus, and it plays most of the games available on the 3DS and DS. The $100 2DS includes a digital copy of Mario Kart 7, just like the former, pricier version.
The 2DS launched in October 2013 for $130 and by January, Nintendo had sold 2.1 million units. The sales came despite the fact that its announcement in August 2013 was widely received with amused bewilderment, to say the least. As it turns out, the 2DS is a handy little system for players who don’t care for 3D gaming, and now it’s a tad more affordable.
Ah, the sweet scent of video game price cuts. Prepare yourselves — the holidays are coming.
Filed under:
Gaming, HD, Nintendo
Source:
Business Wire
Tags: 2ds, hdpostcross, MarioKart7, nintendo, PriceCut
Unofficial Amiibo can use data for any Nintendo figurine
Haven’t had any luck scoring the Amiibo you need to unlock certain goodies in a Wii U or 3DS game? A very, very unofficial accessory might help. Axiogame’s Amiiqo device uses an Android app to load the data from any Amiibo (it can store up to 200), including those that already have some gameplay under their belts. The company isn’t shy about the true purposes of its $89 gadget, either. While you can use the Amiiqo for a “personal backup,” it’s really meant to both grab bootleg Amiibo data and help you cheat. It even comes with info for 10 characters out of the box.
To put it mildly, the Amiiqo is swimming in dangerous legal waters. While you’re not swiping the figurines themselves, you are using code that you aren’t supposed to have. We’ve reached out to Nintendo to gauge its stance. However, it won’t be surprising if the console maker cracks down. After all, Nintendo is barely profitable even with the mania that surrounds the Amiibo scene — it’s hard to imagine the company willingly giving up some of its statuette revenue.
Filed under:
Gaming, Peripherals, Nintendo
Via:
Eurogamer
Source:
Axiogame
Tags: 3ds, amiibo, amiiqo, android, axiogame, gaming, nintendo, smartphone, video, videogames, wiiu
‘Super Mario Maker’ lets you record custom sounds in Mario levels
Prepare for joyful levels full of farts, curse words and all manner of silly sounds. When it launches for the Wii U on September 11th, Super Mario Maker will feature an option to add custom, recorded sounds to your own Mario levels, alongside pre-recorded noises and musical notes. That’s just one feature shown off in a seven-minute overview video Nintendo released today. Check out how you’ll edit levels, make music, use Amiibo, add perfect long jumps and unlock new elements in a handful of Mario universes. Maybe start perfecting your animal noises now.
Filed under:
Gaming, HD, Nintendo
Tags: hdpostcross, mario, mariomaker, nintendo, supermariomaker, WiiU
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