Daily Roundup: Google’s smart contact lens, President Obama on the NSA and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Rumored HTC One sequel
Bloomberg sources claim that the follow-up to the HTC One, the M8, will be released in late March. Click on through for more information about the launch and its rumored double-camera setup.
Google’s smart contact lens
Google’s developing a smart contact lens that can measure glucose levels from your tears, offering diabetics a pain-free way to keep tabs on their health. Click through for more information.
Citation for driving with Glass dismissed
Google Glass early-adopter Cecilia Abadie received her second ticket for wearing the headset while driving, but this time it was dismissed because there was no evidence she was operating Glass during transit. Follow the link for the whole story.
President Obama speaks out on surveillance
In a speech today, President Obama addressed concerns surrounding the NSA’s data collection and surveillance programs. While the NSA won’t stop gathering private information anytime soon, Obama is putting a few restrictions in place to prevent governmental abuse. Click the link for all the details.
The Engadget Show 49: CES 2014 wrapup
Grab a wearable, switch on the ‘ole curved TV and fire up your favorite 3D printer. We came, we saw, we conquered and now we’re ready to distill it all for you in the form of some high-quality video content. We’re not going to suggest that it’ll replace the seemingly endless stream of posts we’ve churned out over the past week or so, but if you’ve got a cocktail party full of guests you need to impress tonight, it’ll help you drop some serious CES 2014 tech news knowledge on their collective heads.
We’ve pulled together some top editors to offer up an abbreviated view of tech’s biggest show of the year, charting trends in old standby categories like HDTV, mobile, tablets and cars, to emerging spaces set to define the changing face of the show for years to come. Oh, and we’ve also tossed in some fun video of the show’s gadgets, because, well, it wouldn’t be much of an Engadget Show without that sort of thing, now would it? Toss in a bit of video of your long-time host getting a bit welled up the end, and you’ve got yourself a little thing we like to call The Engadget Show 49.
‘Til we meet again, Engadgeteers.
Filed under: Announcements, Cellphones, Desktops, Cameras, Displays, Misc, Gaming, GPS, Handhelds, Home Entertainment, Household, Laptops, Meta, Peripherals, Podcasts, Portable Audio/Video, Robots, Tablets, Transportation, Wearables, Wireless, Storage, Networking, Science, Internet, Software, HD, Mobile, Alt, Apple, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft, HTC, Nokia, ASUS, Google, Amazon, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, LG, AMD, Intel, Blackberry, T-Mobile, HP, Dell, Acer, NVIDIA, Nikon, Canon, Facebook, Nintendo
Microsoft: Xbox One is #1 in the US for December with 908,000 consoles sold
Microsoft and Sony already went head to head with worldwide sales numbers for 2013 and while the PS4 rode is out front there (4.2 million to 3 million), the Xbox One apparently sold more systems in the US last month. December figures from the NPD group arrived today, and Microsoft is touting 908,000 sales for the XB1 that put it atop the next-gen videogame systems, and 643,000 for the Xbox 360. That puts it third overall on the home hardware list and first for its generation of hardware. Per Joystiq, Sony’s response to the data is that the PS4 remains “cumulative leader for next-gen sales” since its launch November 15th, a week ahead of the Xbox One.
Nintendo hasn’t released specific data yet, but the 3DS was the highest selling console overall for both the month of December and all of 2013, and Liam Callahan of the NPD said the Wii U enjoyed its “highest month for unit sales.” The NPD’s release has more details about software, where GTA V took the crown overall for 2013, ahead of Call of Duty Ghosts, Madden NFL 25 and Battlefield 4. Microsoft is also pointing to those numbers, saying the Xbox One took six of the top 10 spots for next-gen game sales, and total software sales of 4.8 million to PS4′s 4.2 million. Now that fans have plenty of sales numbers to represent why their chosen next-gen game system is the best, the rest of us can get to the exciting business of waiting for the first round of major software updates.
NPD: Xbox One and Xbox 360 were the top selling consoles for each generation in the US in December. 908k (Xbox One) and 643k (Xbox 360)
– Larry Hryb (@majornelson) January 16, 2014
Some good #NPD SW facts: #XboxOne YTD 2013: 4.8M retail games vs. 4.2M for PS4. COD & BF4 both sold better on #XboxOne.
– Aaron Greenberg (@aarongreenberg) January 17, 2014
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
Source: Xbox News Wire, Joystiq
Nintendo slashes 2014 sales forecast for Wii U from 9 million to 2.8 million
It’s not even financials season yet, but Nintendo is trying to lower expectations in advance. In a statement today, it’s announced that it’s reassessed unit sales for its flagship Wii U console, shaving hacking it down from 9 million for April 2013 – March 2014 to just 2.8 million — less than a third of the original estimate. It’s also less than the number of Wii Us that Nintendo sold in its launch year. That was 3.45 million, if you’re counting.
The revised predictions are due to disappointing hardware sales during the holiday season and that’s having an understandable knock-on effect on software sales too. Nintendo now predicts that instead of selling 3.8 million titles, the numbers will be around half of that: 1.9 million, which is at least an uptick from 2013. Alas, it’s still an across-the-board bad news sort of announcement, however, with forecast console sales for the original Wii and the 3DS also bumped down in the process. (Nintendo now expects to sell 13.5 million 3D handhelds, down from 18 million.) This will all hit the company’s financial results, with the games maker now expecting to announce a 35 billion yen ($336 million) loss, with part of this being put down to marked down Wii U consoles, something that Nintendo didn’t predict would happen back in March 2013.
Source: Nintendo (PDF)
Nintendo is spending more on R&D as Wii U’s star continues to fade
Nestled inside Nintendo President Satoru Iwata’s statement on those brutally slashed sales forecasts , he touched on what the company is doing to (hopefully) reverse the current downward trend. Research and development is apparently getting some heavy support, with the Nintendo No.1 saying that’ the company is strengthening both the existing “development structure” as well as “new research and development activities.” Will that entail Nintendo’s next console, heavy-duty improvements to the existing Wii U, or just a new fitness dongle? We don’t know and Nintendo isn’t giving us much for our imagination to run on just yet, but it sounds like the company’s planning for a brighter fiscal future. Now, let the flights of wild fancy begin.
Source: Nintendo
Tell-all explores the Wii U’s development problems
It’s no secret that some game developers dislike the Wii U — performance issues, limited internet features and relatively slow console sales have made it tough for companies to justify support. But have you ever wondered what, exactly, went wrong? Wonder no more, as an anonymous developer has just shared many of the gritty details with Eurogamer. The insider claims that the sluggish CPU has been a concern since the beginning, and that the programming tools (not to mention feedback from Japan) have been sub-par. Nintendo’s inexperience with online services is also very clear. The company created chaos for Wii U developers with network code that only arrived at the last minute, and a key team hadn’t even tried PlayStation Network or Xbox Live before the Wii U’s launch. Price cuts and high-quality first-party games have helped Nintendo since then, but the source suggests that the firm can only do so much to court third-party developers entranced by more powerful hardware.
Source: Eurogamer
Nintendo boasts ‘record-setting’ 16 million 3DS game sales in 2013
Nintendo’s handheld business is booming right now, and the company has the stats to prove it. In its annual overview released today, the company says it sold a record-breaking 16 million 3DS games in 2013, which translates to a 45 percent increase over last year. US consumers played a big part in Nintendo’s bumper year, accounting for 11.5 million of Nintendo’s 35 million 2DS and 3DS lifetime sales. Despite its precarious financial situation and a recent ruling requiring it to share some of its 3DS sales revenue, Nintendo reckons it has plenty more left in the tank: “We’re not slowing down in 2014,” says Scott Moffitt, Nintendo’s EVP of Sales, “the best days of Nintendo 3DS are still to come.”
Source: Nintendo (BusinessWire)
Nintendo forced to pay a share of every 3DS sale to another company
While Nintendo’s Wii U console sales may continue to frustrate, its handheld gaming business offers hope of a better future. But even as its 3DS and 3DS XL consoles continue to outsell their rivals, Nintendo will have to come to terms with sharing a percentage of each sale with another company. In December, the company was told it must pay 1.82 percent of the wholesale price of each 3DS sold after it was found guilty of infringing on patented camera technology owned by Tomita Technologies. It means that Nintendo could pay up to $3 for each unit, for as long as it continues to sell the console. Given it sold 2 million 3DS and 3DS XLs last quarter, putting the current lifetime total at 35 million, demand for the handhelds is still strong. Nintendo’s already paid Tomita a $15 million damages award, but it faces the prospect of sending Tomita smaller payments well into the future.
Via: Kotaku
Source: Law 360
Wii Fit U hits retail January 10th, still won’t work unless you use it
Come January 10th, Nintendo’s tardy Wii Fit U will hit store shelves at a handful of price points and configurations — all with the intent of making both you and your wallet lighter. If you missed out on last generation’s fitness-game craze, a bundle with the software, a Wii Balance Board and Fit Meter fitness tracker will cost you $90. Just need the new game and a Fit Meter? That’ll set you back $50, while individual Fit Meters go for $20 each. Luckily, if your pocketbook is already thin, The Big N is still running its trial-to-full-game-conversion promo if you download Wii Fit U from the eShop and sync a Fit Meter. That $30 discount only lasts through January though, so running to the store might be a good idea.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Nintendo
Via: Joystiq
Source: Nintendo
Nintendo put limits on 3DS StreetPass sharing so it can add features later
StreetPass data swaps are handy for 3DS owners who want to expand their games with other players’ content, but they limit the number of new people you can accept at any one time. Ever wonder why that is? As it turns out, Nintendo has been futureproofing the service all along. The company’s Kouichi Kawamoto tells Kotaku that the 10-player connection cap in StreetPass Mii Plaza leaves headroom for larger data exchanges. While Kawamoto isn’t saying what additional info gamers could send to each other, he notes that Nintendo will only lift the cap if it decides that there’s nothing more to add. There aren’t any current plans to raise that ceiling, he says. The news will no doubt frustrate players tired of clearing their StreetPass queues, but it does hint at an eventual reward for their patience.
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Nintendo
Source: Kotaku
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