This year’s ‘Call of Duty’ is coming to everything but the Wii U
If you were looking forward to playing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on the Wii U this fall, well, we have some bad news. It turns out that publisher Activision has made the decision that Nintendo’s latest console won’t see the futuristic shooter at all. On Twitter, a fan recently asked co-founder of Sledgehammer Games, CoD:AW‘s developer, if the title was coming to the Wii U and Condry replied that that wasn’t happening, and that his team is focused on launching for the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. “That was an Activision decision,” he wrote. This is despite the fact that CoD has appeared on the Wii U for the past two years and that a version of Advanced Warfare is coming to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which are similar in horsepower to Nintendo’s HD console.
This is a pretty big statement from Activision, and it echoes a similar, recent sentiment from Ubisoft: releasing Mature-rated games — even those in blockbuster franchises — on the Wii U isn’t worth the investment required. Even though CoD historically breaks entertainment-sales records on launch day for other platforms, a vast majority of Nintendo’s audience simply isn’t interested.
@1422644 no, no WiiU. That was an Activision decision. We are focused on XboxOne, PS4, and PC.
– Michael Condrey (@MichaelCondrey) August 20, 2014
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Nintendo
Via: Gamespot
Source: Michael Condry (Twitter)
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Pokémon Trading Card Game Online coming to iPad later this year
Remember that Nikkei report that said Nintendo was eyeballing mobile devices? The one that Nintendo immediately denied? It might be true after all — sort of. The Pokémon Company has confirmed that the Pokémon Trading Card Game Online will be available as an iPad app later this year. The app, a digital update of the 1996 trading card game of the same name, was spotted by Twitter user Josh Wittenkeller at a Play! Pokémon event. Nikkei’s original report suggested that Nintendo was planning to use mini-games on smart devices to lure gamers to its console products, and this definitely seems like a step in that direction.
That said, try not to get too excited: The Pokémon Company may be a wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo, but its operations pertain exclusively to its namesake product line. Moreover, the iPad app is merely a port of a game already available for free on the Pokémon website — Nintendo is definitely dipping its toe in water, but this doesn’t mean we’re going to see Mario on mobile any time soon. Still, investors have been nagging Nintendo president Satoru Iwata to experiment with mobile apps for some time; if The Pokémon Company’s foray into the space is a success, he could be swayed.
[Image Credit: Josh Wittenkeller]
Filed under: Gaming, Mobile, Nintendo
Source: VentureBeat, Polygon, Twitter
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The gaming industry is booming and Sony’s lead is growing
Earlier this week Sony announced that it’d sold over 10 million PlayStation 4s to date, but that isn’t the half of it: the company’s latest gaming console is once again dominating the sales charts overall. As Sony tells it, July marks the seventh consecutive month that the PS4 outsold Microsoft’s Xbox One. Hardware isn’t the only area Sony is trumping its rival either, as The Last of Us: Remastered led software sales last month by a “considerable” margin ahead of number-two-seller Minecraft on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The gaming sector as a whole is incredibly healthy, too. The NPD Group reports that even though software sales are down overall for July (something it attributes directly to the lack of an NCAA Football release this year), hardware is picking up the slack. Comparing life-to-date numbers of the PS4 and Xbox One to their predecessors, the new consoles are outselling the PS3 and Xbox 360 by almost a whopping 80 percent. That puts this July ahead of last by 13 percent in terms of total money spent in the area, according to NPD.
Nintendo seems to be doing pretty well, too, despite that massive $97 million loss. The outfit says that Mario Kart 8 has now sold over a million copies in the US alone, and the Wii U has increased year-to-date sales by 60 percent compared to 2013.
What about Microsoft? Well, Redmond’s lack of a formal announcement should speak for itself. When we reached out for a comment, a company spokesperson reminded us that the Xbox One sales numbers more-than doubled in June (still no word on what they doubled from) and that “this momentum” continued into July. And, well, that’s about it. When you look at how many Xbox One software-bundled systems that Microsoft is releasing this fall, just how far behind the company is to its main competition (Sony) should be pretty apparent — the firm’s desperate and essentially giving away some of its biggest games in the hopes that people will buy an Xbox One.
Filed under: Cameras, Gaming, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
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Filmmakers turn to Kickstarter to finish their Power Glove documentary
Controlling a computer with gestures is almost passé these days, but how quickly we forget that Nintendo and Mattel released a kooky gadget that basically let people do just that back in 1989. Now, a new Kickstarter project aims to revisit that most maligned of wearables: the Power Glove. Yeah, we know, it’s so bad… but that didn’t stop a trio of filmmakers from tracing the thing’s trajectory from Christmas must-have to disappointing punchline to cultural touchstone to repurposed creative tool. The documentary — lovingly titled The Power of Glove — has already been in the works for over a year, and there’s plenty to show for it in the team’s trailer (check it out after the jump). All they need to bring the project home now is another $15,000 to complete the final round of interviews and assemble the finished product, a process they hope to power through before the end of next year.
Via: Eurogamer
Source: Kickstarter
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Poochi the robot dog can talk with your 3DS (and play rock-paper-scissors)
You can count on Japan to perpetually push the idea of robot pets — and some of us are okay with that. Poochi is the latest effort from Sega Toys, and it can interact with with a downloadable app / mini-game on Nintendo’s 3DS. This particular robot pet series has been on sale in Japan (and the US) for several years, but this is a notable evolution: the blue and pink pet substitutes communicate with 3DSes wirelessly, translating yips and barks into, well, Japanese. It sings (the way a cartoon robot dog should), and can even play rock-paper-scissors with you if you’re feeling particularly lonely. Courtesy of the 3DS connection, there’s several more mini-games and even a Nintendogs-ish interaction screen — which is kind of confusing when the dog’s right in front of you in real life. Poochi has sensors on its back, nose and tail, and there’s handy color indicators on its face to indicate how it’s feeling. The robot (and companion app) launches today, priced at 6,000 yen — around $58. We’ve added the (surprisingly intense) TV ad after the break. We’re still waiting on an alpha-male version.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Nintendo (Japanese)
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‘Mario Kart 8’ couldn’t save Nintendo from a $97 million loss
Mario Kart on the Wii U is really good. Unfortunately it’s just one game — and it looks like it won’t be enough to rescue the Wii U’s sales. Nintendo apparently agrees, stating that its 9.9 billion yen loss was due to a lack of hit titles outside of the flagship racer. Matter-of-factly, Nintendo said:
“The operating loss was 9.4 billion yen because total selling, general and administrative expenses including fixed expenses exceeded gross profit. “
Which is, well, exactly how you work out an operating loss. The company is now betting on the power of Super Smash Bros. as well as the best-selling Pokemon series to improve results later this year. Wii U console sales have improved in the Americas and Europe: 510,000 units were sold worldwide in the last three months, compared to 160,000 in the same period last year. In Japan, however, Wii U sales have decreased year-on-year. Revenue was 8.8 percent higher than the same period last year and Nintendo is hoping its plans for a series of console-connected toy figurines along the lines of the hit Skylanders series will help to improve that bottom line.
Mario Kart 8 managed to sell 2.82 million copies so far, meaning that relative to Wii U console sales, most players already had the games console to play it on — and that it wasn’t quite enough to convince other consumers to buy what could possibly be a second console.
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Relive your NES glory days with a gamepad that feels like the real thing
We’ve ripped apart knock-off gadgets more than a few times, but there are moments where a company’s urge to mimic others will pay dividends. Take 8Bitdo’s recently released NES30, for example: the Bluetooth gamepad recreates as much of the NES controller’s design as possible while still keeping its feet planted in the modern era. The four extra buttons aren’t exactly true to the 1985 original, but the overall look and button presses are reportedly faithful to what you remember. Even if it’s not quite true to life, you might not mind given the very broad device support. The NES30 can talk to Android, iOS, OS X and Windows, and it can even double as a (fairly awkward-looking) Wii remote in a pinch.
Indulging your nostalgic side will cost you $40, and you’ll face the inherent risks that come from importing a gadget from overseas. However, it might be worth the effort — GBATemp.net forum member Ryukouki says that the NES30 is much-improved over its ancestor, the Famicom-inspired FC30. Nintendo may never make the mobile games you’d need to complete the experience, but this may be the closest you get to reliving those many, many hours spent playing Mario Bros. games in the family den.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Peripherals, Mobile, Nintendo
Via: GBATemp.net (1), (2)
Wii U update lets you shop without the gamepad, enables system transfer
Thinking of upgrading from that basic Wii U system to the deluxe 32GB package? Now you can — the latest system update for Nintendo’s tablet-toting console allows users to transfer data between systems… but it does so in a rather odd way. Rather than allowing users to sign out of their Nintendo Network ID account on their old console and simply log on to a new one, Nintendo’s system transfer process requires both Wii U systems to be simultaneously running in the same place at the same time. On the 3DS, this was an easy proposition, but for a home console like the Wii U, well, the solution seems a bit inelegant.
The update also updates the Nintendo eShop to allow navigation with the Wii Remote, Wii U Pro Controller or Classic Controller. This seems minor, but it’s actually a very convenient fix: until now, the Wii U digital store could only be navigated using the Wii U GamePad controller, despite having full button controls that would have translated well to the optional Wii U Pro Controller. It’s a good change — now if only Nintendo could bring the same controller compatibly to the console’s virtual Wii menu. In Japan, the update also adds support for NFC payments via Suica card, which is commonly used in convenience stores and train stations.
Source: Nintendo
Redesigned 3DS Circle Pad puts an analog stick under your index finger
Dual-analog controls are pretty standard these days — two analog sticks on either end of a control pad designed to fall directly under the user’s thumbs. Hori’s new 3DS slide pad accessory throws this notion out the window: it installs a second control pad on the same side as the handhelds primary input, putting the slider directly behind the console’s L button. The accessory is built specifically to accommodate Monster Hunter diehards, but it’s not as odd as it sounds: Japanese gamers have made a habit of modifying Nintendo’s analog accessory into obtuse and unexpected configurations. Hori’s layout is designed to allow players to move their character and manipulate the camera with just one hand, freeing up their right thumb for attacks and in-game actions. The accessory (available in both 3DS and 3DS XL variants) is available in Japan only, for now, to the tune of 2,980 yen.
Via: Siliconera
Source: Hori
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