The holiday season is one filled with profit for the big producers of consoles and games. Most of the time, they begin hyping up their releases months before the start of the season. Things like special versions or collector's editions only serve to awaken the buyer’s enthusiasm. Preparing for the massive demand of units, producers are working over time to take advantage of the upcoming high sales. But in some cases, the overwhelmingly high demand can't be satisfied. Such was the case the previous holiday season for Nintendo. Their already big stock of Wii consoles and DS handhelds was depleted weeks before Christ... [read more >>] A short while ago, there were rumors going around that Nintendo would release a new version of their popular handheld console, the DS. Not any ordinary fresh version like the DS Lite, but one that would contain several distinct new features never present on Nintendo’s products. Features such as music playback capability or a camera were unprecedented for the Japanese company which only focused on gaming related consoles and products. Although they released a faint “No Comment” statement, it did leave the public wondering whether there really was something up Nintendo's sleeve. And now, at the Fall Conference of the c... [read more >>] Rock Band 2 is the sequel to one of the best selling music games out there, fighting a good battle against Activision Blizzard's Guitar Hero: World Tour. It was launched this September and came with the whole music library from the first game and with new songs which are available on the Xbox 360 Live Marketplace or on the PlayStation Network, depending on the console of your choice. Customers who bought the Nintendo Wii version were left hoping that Harmonix, the developer behind this popular title, would bring the much awaited DLC songs to their white and small console.After claims that the Wii's online capabilities aren&#... [read more >>] A couple of days ago, the Japanese website Nikkei Net announced that Nintendo would release during the holiday season a new version of their very successful handheld console, the DS. Not just any ordinary version, like the DS Lite, but one with a built-in camera and the possibility of music playback. Also, improved wireless capabilities are cited to be among the features of this version. All in all, the improvements could mean that Nintendo is taking its small console to new grounds, exploring things that haven't been done in the history of the company.Although nothing is official, this move could make a lot of sense. The DS, aft... [read more >>] Well after the first details on the Nintendo DS version of Grand Theft Auto, subtitled Chinatown Wars, appeared, some thought it might lack the controversy associated with any GTA title. Well, for those people, Dan Houser, one of the founders of Rockstar, the developer behind the GTA franchise, said, in a recent interview with Edge Magazine, that the DS title would feature a minigame based on drug dealing. Quite interesting stuff, I must say. Well, if they wanted to create controversy and shock the public, they will surely succeed with this move. He motivated this interesting gameplay choice by stating that they always wanted to bring this ... [read more >>] GTA IV is poised to arrive on the PC on November 18 with a host of improvements, some of them linked to the multiplayer aspects, which will be handled via Games for Windows Live, others related to the look of the game. And there is a lot of talk regarding the Nintendo DS GTA release, called Chinatown Wars, which is now under development at Rockstar.What people are not talking about is a Nintendo Wii version of Grand Theft Auto IV. It would be a gigantic success to pair up the motion tracking control of the Wiimote and the Nunchuk with the cool gameplay of GTA IV. Imagine how easy it would be to shoot while driving or handling a helicopter,... [read more >>] The GoNintendo site reveals that the latest issue of Nintendo Power magazine will contain the first features and details about Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. The game is exclusively developed for the Nintendo DS and according to these new details, it will take full advantage of the unique traits of the handheld console. From the D-pad to the Wi-Fi connectivity, no feature is left untouched by the developers who harnessed the full power of the Nintendo, a great thing for the players, who will enjoy a gaming experience worthy of the GTA name.First of all, it will be an M-rated game, portraying a cell-shaded, 3D story ... [read more >>] The United States International Trade Commission in Washington is asked to block the import of the Nintendo Wii game console and of the various Wii controllers by a company called Hillcrest Labs, which also seeks cash compensation for patent infringement from Nintendo. It seems like a ploy to get Nintendo to pay up the damages as it faces the possibility of not being able to sell the Wii in the United States.Hillcrest Labs issued a public statement regarding the lawsuit and says that "While Hillcrest Labs has a great deal of respect for Nintendo and the Wii, Hillcrest Labs believes that Nintendo is in clear violation of its patents and has ... [read more >>] Current-gen consoles are still years away from becoming "last-gen" according to analysts and sales figures, but this does not necessarily mean that work on the next-gen devices hasn't started yet. Although manufacturers usually love secrets and tend to deny everything until the last minute, it seems that Nintendo has a different strategy, since the company's president, Satoru Iwata, has just dropped a bomb: Nintendo Wii 2 (yes, the successor of the Wii) is in the works!Speaking with Forbes, Iwata said, "We are always preparing for the next hardware. We are under development. But the hardware is a kind of box that consumers relucta... [read more >>] Nintendo is again riding high, when it comes to financial results, with profits going up more than 33% to reach some 992 million dollars.Hardware wise the Nintendo Wii continues to be a success while the Nintendo DS is going through a tough period. The Wii is still the best sold console in the world, beating both the PlayStation 3 from Sony and the Xbox 360 from Microsoft by a wide margin. Overall sales during its lifetime are fast approaching 30 million and the first quarter of 2008 saw sales increase by 1.74 million units over the same period in 2007.Meanwhile, the Nintendo DS is struggling to keep sales equal to those of last year, with ... [read more >>] | 
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