News
30 CommentsGameCube-inspired Wired Fight Pad coming to Wii U and Wii this year
By Samit Sarkar on May 21, 2014 05.21.14
Performance Designed Products (PDP) is launching a new Nintendo accessory inspired by the original GameCube controller, the Wired Fight Pad, the company announced today.
The Nintendo-licensed device will work with both the Wii U and the Wii. It must be plugged in to the extension port on the bottom of a Wii Remote in order to function. Players will be able to use the Wired Fight Pad in Wii U and Wii games that support the Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro, as well as in some Virtual Console titles. PDP has yet to release an image of the Wired Fight Pad.
According to PDP, the Wired Fight Pad will "feature fan-favorite Nintendo characters" including Mario, Yoshi and Princess Peach. PDP is making an entire line of Wired Fight Pads, each themed to a particular character. A...
News
32 CommentsChild of Light leaps to PS Vita July 1
By Dave Tach on May 20, 2014 05.20.14
Child of Light, Ubisoft Montreal's role-playing game set in fairytale world, will arrive on PlayStation Vita July 1, Ubisoft announced today.
Set in the world of Lemuria and "inspired by the watercolor artworks of The Golden Age of Illustration," Child of Light blends elements from Japanese role-playing games like turn-based combat with reimagined fairy tales. Its art style is a product of the UbiArt Framework, which also powers games like Rayman Legends and Rayman Origins with concept art.
You can read Polygon's Child of Light review for more on the downloadable game, which is available now for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U and Windows PC. Press play on the Overview video below to see it in action.
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News
6 CommentsCourt dismisses lawsuit against Nintendo after patents invalidated
By Dave Tach on May 19, 2014 05.19.14
A U.S. District Court in Texas granted a joint motion to dismiss Wall Wireless' patent lawsuit against Nintendo after the patents in question were were dismissed by the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office.
U.S. patent 6,640,086, "Method and apparatus for creating and distributing real-time interactive media content through wireless communication networks and the internet," was filed Sept. 25, 2001. Attributed to inventor Corbett Wall of Taipei, Taiwan, it covered using "an apparatus like a cellular telephone to create a message by singing into the apparatus or by pressing buttons on the apparatus as he listens to background music presented by the apparatus."
Wall Wireless filed suit Feb. 13, 2009 alleging that Nintendo "has been and now is directly infringing and/or inducting...
News
45 CommentsWatch Dogs hidden camera prank wows and terrifies its targets with convincing tech
By Dave Tach on May 16, 2014 05.16.14
Watch Dogs, Ubisoft's upcoming open-world game, imagines a world where the phone in your pocket can control everything from cars to street lights, and a video from the developer pranks people into believing that the technology is real.
Press play above to see how the magic of futuristic technology wows its unwitting participants ... and then does something else to them.
Watch Dogs is scheduled for a May 27 release on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Windows PC. A Wii U version will follow at an unannounced date. For more on the game, be sure to read and watch our interview to hear developers explain why a delay was best for the game. You can also check out Polygon's analysis of the game's special editions.
Analysis
301 CommentsMario Kart 8 will likely be the worst-selling game in franchise history, here's why
By Dave Tach on May 15, 2014 05.15.14
The Mario Kart series has long been a sales leader, ranking as the second-best selling game on Nintendo's last three hardware platforms, but even if every current Wii U owner bought the next installment, Mario Kart 8, it would still be the second-worst selling game in franchise history.That's because there are only 6.17 million Wii U consoles in gamers' homes, and that's fewer than the number of copies that all but one previous Mario Kart game sold. The only way Mario Kart 8 could sell more would be by driving gamers to buy new consoles. And that's certainly one of the things Nintendo hopes will happen.
In a recent financial report, Nintendo cited Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. as the Wii U's "two main drivers" for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015. The company expects to sell...
News
47 CommentsDutch tech company hits Nintendo with another patent infringement suit
By Alexa Ray Corriea on May 15, 2014 05.15.14
Nintendo is the subject of another recent patent dispute, in which Dutch technology company Koninklijke Philips is accusing Nintendo of infringing on two of its patents with the Wii and Wii U's motion controls.
According to court documents, Philips states that Nintendo's technology infringes on Philips' own research into interactive systems using remote motion control and detection to operate a device. Philips' suit against Nintendo includes two patents — one for motion control, and another for wireless devices that can be remotely controlled by a second device.
The suit also specifically states that Nintendo's Wii, Wii Remote and Wii Remote Plus controllers, Nunchuk, Balance Board, Wii U console, Wii U GamePad, Wii Mini and Wii MotionPlus technology are all in violation. The second...
Top Games
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Watch Dogs
- Platforms: Win, 360, PS3, Wii U, PS4, Xbox One
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
- Release Date: 2014-05-27
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Destiny
- Platforms: PS3, 360, PS4, xbox one
- Publisher: Activision
- Developer: Bungie
- Release Date: 2014-09-09
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Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- Platforms: Mac, Win, iOS, Android
- Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
- Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
- Release Date: 2014-03-11
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Dark Souls 2
- Platforms: PS3, 360, Win
- Publisher: Namco Bandai
- Developer: From Software
- Release Date: 2014-03-11
News
16 CommentsDragon Quest 10 overseas localization 'under consideration'
By Alexa Ray Corriea on May 12, 2014 05.12.14
Square Enix is considering bringing massively-multiplayer online role-playing game Dragon Quest 10 — which has seen great success in its native Japan — to overseas markets, according to the company's recent financial report.
Dragon Quest 10 — which launched in Japan only for Wii in 2012, Wii U and PC the following year and Android this past winter — is listed in a set of slides detailing overseas business with a focus on Asian territories beneath Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn. A Realm Reborn launched worldwide last August for PlayStation 3 and Windows PC and last month for PlayStation 4. The MMORPG is slated to launch in mainland China this summer as part of published partnership with Shanda Games Group, a Chinese online games operate that also publishes Square Enix's Million Engi...
Video
83 CommentsNintendo demonstrates Wii U GamePad quick start menu
By Jenna Pitcher on May 08, 2014 05.08.14
Footage shown during Nintendo's financial results briefing today demonstrates the quick start menu for the Wii U GamePad.
The quick start menu allows players to load a recently played software title without having to go to the console menu first. The feature is slated to roll out as part of the Wii U system update planned for early summer. According to a tweet by analyst David Gibson in attendance at the briefing, the system update will go live in June and will speed up start up by 20 seconds.
"The integration of this feature is almost complete, and this is how it will actually work on the Wii U system," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said during the briefing today. "We will deliver this update to Wii U owners when we update the Wii U hardware either before or during summer."
As...
News
53 CommentsNintendo to develop and release new consoles for emerging markets in 2015
By Jenna Pitcher on May 08, 2014 05.08.14
Nintendo plans to develop and release new game devices to emerging markets beginning next year, the company's president Satoru Iwata told Bloomberg in an interview today.
"We want to make new things, with new thinking rather than a cheaper version of what we currently have," Iwata said. "The product and price balance must be made from scratch."
Iwata reiterated in the interview that Nintendo won't sell its games on smartphones, saying "We have had a console business for 30 years, and I don't think we can just transfer that over onto a smartphone model."
According to tweets by analyst David Gibson in attendance at Nintendo's financial results briefing today, Iwata said that charging $30-60 for a game in emerging markets is difficult. Emerging markets need something special to reach...
News
33 CommentsNintendo reveals NFC Nintendo Figurine Platform for Wii U and 3DS
By Jenna Pitcher on May 07, 2014 05.07.14
Nintendo will release a line of Skylanders-style near field communication action figurines and video games for Wii U and 3DS codenamed Nintendo Figurine Platform this year-end sales season, president Satoru Iwata announced during its financial results briefing today.
The figurine can read and write game data across many titles, enabling players to "customize your NFP to raise or train your own Nintendo characters." According to tweets by analyst David Gibson in attendance at the briefing, the company demonstrated technology by showing a Mario figurine being used across several games.
"And it has been designed to be compatible with multiple software titles for Nintendo platforms," Iwata said. "In other words, the figurines, which consumers can buy and collect, are going to work with...
Video
19 CommentsNintendo's record of releasing Mario Kart games is pretty consistent
By Colin Campbell on May 07, 2014 05.07.14
Eighteen months after the U.S. launch of Wii U, Nintendo is just about ready to release its newest game in the Mario Kart racing franchise.
Mario Kart 8 arrives on May 30, offering go-carting action for local and online multiplayer. For Nintendo, the launch of a Mario Kart game to bolster newish consoles has become a tried and tested strategy, as shown by this trailer, released today, which looks at the history of the franchise.
Super Mario Kart launched in North America in 1992 (the U.K.-sourced video names the European release date of 1993) one year after the arrival of the Super Nintendo. Mario Kart 64 came along in 1997, just five months after that console's launch. GameCube owners had to wait two years for Mario Kart Double Dash, which arrived in 2003. Mario Kart Wii was launched...
News
213 CommentsNintendo posts $456 million annual operating loss
By Jenna Pitcher on May 07, 2014 05.07.14
Nintendo posted a 46.4 billion yen operating loss ($456 million) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, the company announced today in its fiscal earnings, marking the third consecutive annual operating loss for the company.
Nintendo's net loss was 23.2 billion yen ($228 million), down from last year's net income of 7 billion yen ($71 million). Net sales for the year were 571.7 billion yen ($5.63 billion), a 10 percent decrease from the year before, with 394.7 billion yen ($3.89 billion) of that figure from overseas sales.
In January, Nintendo revealed that it expected an operating loss of 35 billion yen ($335 million) for the fiscal year, lower than the originally projected operating income of 100 billion yen ($958 million). Posting its second consecutive annual operating loss...
News
3 CommentsReport: Nintendo settles lawsuit alleging ROM chip patent infringement
By Dave Tach on May 06, 2014 05.06.14
Nintendo and Creative Integrative Systems agreed to settle a $7 million lawsuit in late March, Law360 reports.
Creative filed suit in 2010 alleging that Nintendo used ROM chips that infringed on U.S. patent 5,241,497. Published in 1993, the patent concerns efficient chip architecture. Creative claimed at least a two percent royalty per chip manufactured using the patented technology in Nintendo DS and Wii systems. Chip manufacturers Macronix International Co. and Macronix America were also named in the suit.
James Pak of Baker & McKenzie LLP, which represented Nintendo, told the publication that the parties reached "a confidential agreement."
We've reached out to Nintendo for details and will update this article with more information as we receive it.
News
2 CommentsScram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails hits North American and European Wii U eShop May 15
By Jenna Pitcher on May 06, 2014 05.06.14
Action platform game, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails, will launch on the Nintendo eShop for Wii U in North America and Europe on May 15, U.K.-based developer Dakko Dakko announced today.
Scram Kitty's story revolves around intelligent lab rats who have overrun a space station, imprisoned all cats and have their sights set on ruling earth. Equipped with an anti-grav spinboard, the rail-riding platformer takes players on a ride around the on-rails universe to liberate the felines. Scram Kitty's neon-lit world is populated by rats in cannon-equipped flying saucers, mines and power-ups.
The game utilizes Wii U's GamePad while gameplay is broadcasted on the TV accompanied by extra animations and graphics. Players use the directional sticks to control the spinboard's momentum and the...
News
4 CommentsTransformers: Rise of the Dark Spark arrives June 24
By Jenna Pitcher on May 04, 2014 05.04.14
Upcoming Transformers title, Rise of the Dark Spark, will launch for Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on June 24, publisher Activision announced.
Rise of the Dark Spark features four-player co-op survival mode Escalation from High Moon's Transformers games, new defense and leveling systems, as well as more than 40 different playable characters across both Bay's Transformers films and the Cybertron universe.
Those who pre-order for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PC through GameStop in the U.S. and EB Games in Australia will receive Weathered Warrior Pack DLC. The pack consists of new Decepticon characters Thundercracker and Skywarp for use in Escalation and new two new weapons — the distortion field-generating Glass Gas...
News
36 CommentsNintendo is more than a video game company, Iwata says
By Owen S. Good on Apr 28, 2014 04.28.14
Nintendo "is a company that can do whatever it wants," company president Satoru Iwata said in an interview, elaborating further on the "quality of life" platform vision he set for Nintendo back in March.
To Diamond.jp (via CVG) Iwata said he intends to change the perception of Nintendo as solely a video game maker, but acknowledged that the perception exists in part because so many Nintendo employees approach their work that way.
Still, invoking his late predecessor Hiroshi Yamauchi, Iwata said that while Nintendo is innately "an entertainment company and should never be anything else," Yamauchi "didn't necessarily think 'entertainment equals video games.'"
Entertainment, Iwata said, "is there to improve people's quality of life. ... At the start of this year, I finally figured that...
Video
1 CommentSee Skylanders Trap Team's new Trap Masters, villains and portal in action
By Michael McWhertor on Apr 23, 2014 04.23.14
Skylanders Trap Team features a new gameplay mechanic that lets players trap the action game's villains, thanks to an all-new portal accessory, and recruit them to fight alongside an all-new batch of Skylanders heroes. In Skylanders Trap Team's first trailer, how the new interplay between video game, action figure and accessories function is explained in a most fantastical fashion.
The Toys for Bob and Beenox-developed Skylanders sequel is due Oct. 5 on a wide variety of console and handheld platforms. Skylanders Trap Team will support all of the existing Skylanders toys, and will add more than 50 playable heroes. The game will ship with a new base accessory, the Traptanium Portal, which is included in a starter pack that will sell for $74.99 and comes with two traps, a Trap Master and...
News
12 CommentsSkylanders Trap Team coming Oct. 5 with a new twist and a new portal
By Brian Crecente on Apr 23, 2014 04.23.14
Three years and three iterations into the short and absurdly successful lifespan of Skylanders, Activision and developers Beenox and Toys For Bob are hoping to reinvent the toys-meet-video game franchise with yet another twist.
Where the original Skylanders game allowed players to place an action figure onto a toy portal and inject the character into a video game, the follow-ups brought over-sized action figures and figures that can be taken apart and mix-and-matched.
In October, Skylanders Trap Team will bring the ability not just inject toys into a video game, but to take a video game character and drag him kicking and screaming into the real world, sort of.
"We're going to leap forward once again and redefine how kids play," said Eric Hirshberg, president and CEO of Activision...
GameSpy shutdown taking Borderlands, Civilization titles offline 'temporarily'
By Samit Sarkar on Apr 22, 2014 04.22.14
The impending shutdown of online-service provider GameSpy Technology will "temporarily" take Borderlands and some Civilization games offline as publisher 2K Games moves them from GameSpy to Steamworks, while nearly 20 other titles will lose online support, 2K announced today.
GameSpy Technology, which provides the online back-end for dozens of games, announced earlier this year that it would close May 31. On that date, 2K said today, online service for eight different games will "temporarily" be halted as the publisher migrates support from GameSpy to Valve's Steamworks platform. The titles in question are Sid Meier's Civilization 3, Civilization 3: Conquests, Civilization 3: Play the World, Sid Meier's Civilization 4, Civilization 4: Beyond the Sword, Civilization 4: Colonization, C...
News
13 CommentsNew Fatal Frame title coming to the Wii U
By Jenna Pitcher on Apr 22, 2014 04.22.14
Tecmo Koei and Nintendo are developing the next iteration of horror adventure series Fatal Frame for Wii U, the companies announced according to Famitsu.
A release date or title was not revealed, according to a translation by Gematsu, who reports that Tecmo Koei plans to expand upon the Fatal Frame IP with a series of multimedia projects. The projects include a live-action film that is in production with Kadokawa Corporation "for a fall release" and directed by Mari Asato (Bilocation).
A comic by writer Shin Kibayashi (Kodansha, Kindaichi Case Files) is also in the works and a novel from author Eiji Otsuka (Multiple Personality Detective Psycho, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service) is slated for an August release.
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly recently launched on the PlayStation...
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