Information Update // Noticias Nuevas - Nintendo 3DS & PSVita

Information Update - Nintendo 3DS


1.- Nintendo has released a system update today for the Nintendo 3DS. The 3DS system update doesn’t bring any exciting features but it does improve system functionality and other adjustments.

More After the Break...

To manually update your Nintendo 3DS all you need to do is head to System Settings, Other Settings and select System Update.


Best Buy are now selling the fantastic Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver and Nintendogs + Cats for the ridiculously cheap price of $5 each with free shipping. I believe that you can also get the games in-store for the same price if you fancy taking a trip out. Bargain.

Finally the Nintendo 3DS messaging service which is titled Nintendo Letter Box is now available to download for the Nintendo 3DS eShop. The messaging application allows you to stay connected with your friends via StreetPass and SpotPass. You can send them messages, 2D and 3D drawings, as well as photos and sound effects all through your Nintendo 3DS.

According to Japanese publication The Nikkei the Nintendo 3DS is on track to cross the four million mark in Japanese sales by the end of the year. In an earlier interview Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that he expected the system to reach the four million mark within a year of its launch, or by the end of February 2012. Looks as though Nintendo is set to beat that by two whole months.

Nintendo UK has announced via a press release that it’s brought forward the release date for the family-friendly interactive board game Boom Street. The exciting new title for Wii Boom Street is out December 28th and offers the perfect opportunity to master your financial skills and make your millions.

Each of the boards are themed on favourite Mario and Dragon Quest locations, with fan-favourites such as Starship Mario from Super Mario Galaxy and Alltrades Abbey from Dragon Quest both making an appearance. You can play as your own Mii character or also choose to play as one of over 20 playable characters from the Mario and Dragon Quest franchises, including Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Yoshi, Slime, Platypunk and Stella.

2.- Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime briefly spoke to All Things Digital about what consumers should expect from Wii U. One of the things Fils-Aime did mention is that pricing for console will be priced substantially higher than Wii and that Wii U will mainly interest consumers who want to have the latest gadgets and have a higher disposable income.

The market is going to continue to differentiate based on the types of experiences that consumers want. As an example, if I’m the head of a household of a family of four, and my disposable income is $50,000 to $60,000, I’m going to continue to look at the Wii because of the software, and it’s a great entertainment device. For consumers who want to have the latest gadgets and have a higher disposable income, that’s for the Wii U.
We haven’t announced pricing or availability or any other details, but given the current pricing of the Wii, it’s not going to be there.
We’ve been very clear, the market is going to decide how long these products will coexist side by side. Our goal is to launch the Wii U and drive it into the marketplace, but it will speak to a different consumer than the one that is buying the Wii today during the holidays.

In a recent interview with All Things Digitial Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has criticised Facebook games stating that social gaming platforms like Zynga continue to deliver the same experience all the time and that doing the same thing over and over again is basically no longer fine. He also mentioned that there’s absolutely no chance that we will be seeing key Nintendo franchises pop up on the social network.

“The companies that will win in the social gaming space need to show an ability to provide the new and different experiences, and a way to monetize it. In the end, these are businesses that need to make money … We make games for Nintendo devices, and that is a competitive advantage for us. You can only play Mario on a Nintendo device, so from that standpoint, I wouldn’t expect to see our franchises on other platforms, and I would argue Facebook is a platform”

There are new scans from the latest issue of Famitsu in Japan that show off characters, Dream Eaters and locations in Kingdom Hearts 3D.

Nintendo in Japan has released The Legend of Zelda from the NES on the Virtual Console via the eShop. The game is now available for purchase to those who did not qualify for the Ambassador Program.

An interview with the developers of Zen Pinball 3D has revealed that the game will be making its way to the eShop in North America on January 12th. At the moment, the game has a score of 78/100 on Metacritic.

3.- PS Vita Software Lineup:

SCEA Launch Day Titles

Escape Plan (PSN Only)
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
Hustle Kings (PSN Only)
Little Deviants
ModNation Racers: Road Trip
Super StarDust Delta (PSN only)
UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss
wipEout 2048

Launch Window Titles
Gravity Rush
MLB 12 The Show
Reality Fighters
Unit 13

Third Party Publisher Launch Day Titles

Army Corps of Hell	Square Enix, Inc.
Asphalt Injection	Ubisoft, Inc.
BEN10 GALACTIC RACING	D3 Publisher of America
Blazblue: Continuum Shift EXTEND	Aksys Games Localization, Inc.
Dungeon Hunter Alliance	Ubisoft, Inc.
Dynasty Warriors Next	Tecmo Koei America Corporation
F1 2011	Codemasters
EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer	Electronic Arts, Inc.
Lumines Electronic Symphony	Ubisoft, Inc.
Michael Jackson The Experience	Ubisoft, Inc.
Plants vs. Zombies (PSN Only)	Sony Online Entertainment LLC
Rayman Origins	Ubisoft, Inc.
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen	Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only)	Drinkbox Studios
Touch My Katamari	Namco Bandai Games America Inc.
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3	Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition	Sega of America

4.- Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment and President of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, has faith in Sony’s dive into Augmented Reality gaming.

One thing I know about hardcore gamers is that they hate it when we try to shove new technology down their throats. There may be a perception that Augmented Reality is a gimmick, so we have to provide something that is robust and genuinely enhances the experience. You’re right that AR leans more towards a casual or a younger audience but I don’t think that’s a bad thing; I think that it helps PS Vita to be more relevant to a wider group of people.

Yoshida seems to have a great understanding of how to carefully go about implementing newer technology without going full-out to the point where it can come off as a gimmicky cash in.

They don’t just like this system but they absolutely love it. Sony’s Director of Hardware Marketing, John Koller, expresses his excitement for the Vita:

We think we have created unequivocally the best handheld gaming system ever designed. I think that when people get their hands on it, it is a beautiful, near-HD experience. A lot of people have called it a PS3 in your pocket. And I think that it is exactly what we wanted to get when we first started to design it three and a half years ago
He also went on to say that the Vita is a ‘PS3 in your pocket’. Now for some consumers who want a gaming machine on the go, having a home console like experience is not exactly what they’re always looking for, especially if you look at the last generation battle between the PSP and the Nintendo DS. Based off of sales numbers (Nintendo DS has sold nearly twice the amount of the PSP), the PSP did not have much going for it other than that the system was very powerful for its time, boasting PS2 like graphics on its high-end games, while the DS, with much less powerful hardware, incorporated an entirely new element by having two screens, with the bottom one allowing touch enabled input; this allowed for a unique experience for gamers on the go and according to sales numbers, attracted much more of an audience.

Fortunately though this time around, the PlayStation Vita not only has powerful hardware but also incorporates elements not seen in past gaming dedicated hardware, like 3G connectivity for example. The battle between Nintendo and Sony should be a much closer one this time around.

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Mister Gaga