Welcome to The After Math, where we attempt to summarize this week’s tech news through numbers, decimal places and percentages
We’ve been getting our first unfiltered experiences with Google Glass this week, which makes it the perfect time to go over some of the salient points up until now. At the same time, Apple sold more hardware, more apps and made even more money — it was largely another good quarter for the Cupertino coffers. Add in a million-second game show and there are more than enough numbers to play around with in this week’s After Math.
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Buried amongst Nintendo America’s amusing (and often silly) Direct presentation from today comes news of the next iteration of its popular lifestyle experience: Wii Fit U. Outside of a few brief screens and a very vague first half of 2013 release window, not much is known about the updated title save for one bit — an included pedometer. Functioning much like the Fitbit, this additional peripheral will, presumably, be clipped to users’ clothing, gathering movement data that will eventually be transferred to the Wii U console. Health-tracking is fast becoming a crowded space, so it’s no surprise the Big N would want to extend that plastic scale’s functionality with some real-world info. We’ll keep you updated on any further news as it’s released.
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Nintendo
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When first-person shooters made the transition to consoles from PCs over a decade ago, they weren’t very good. Or even just good. Despite being today’s go-to genre for blockbuster console game franchises (Call of Duty or Halo ring any bells?), the first-person shooter got a rough start on consoles. Game developers — used to the precision allowed by a mouse/keyboard setup — had no idea how to design shooters with console gamers in mind. Early approximations like Nintendo 64′s GoldenEye and Perfect Dark from Rare were held up as the gold standard for years, while PC gamers snickered and stuck with their superior control mechanics.
Bungie’s sci-fi shooter Halo: Combat Evolved heralded the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox in 2001, and it marked the end of Nintendo’s short-lived console FPS dominance. The first Halo game and its developer Bungie Studios are to thank for the modern console FPS — a streamlined, slower version of its PC progenitor that stands on its own. In the decade since Halo: Combat Evolved launched, Bungie and many, many other game development studios have honed and perfected FPS gameplay on consoles, to the point where it’s the leading sales genre in the US (for the past five years, with the exception of 2008, according to NPD). Nintendo, however, has taken a back seat in this genre — starting with the GameCube and even more so with the Wii, Nintendo eschewed first-person shooters for the better part of the last decade. Beyond the company itself not publishing or developing within the genre (the lone exception being its Metroid series), third-parties mostly offered watered down ports for the last two Nintendo consoles.
Gallery: Nintendo Wii U GamePad / Pro Controller vs. Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 controllers
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Peripherals, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
Editorial: Why America’s most popular gaming genre likely won’t work on Nintendo’s new console originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nintendo will finally make its Wii U available to customers this November, after having previewed the next-gen console for over a year now, the company announced at a press event today. The Wii U will come in a $ 299.99 Basic version in white with 8GB of onboard storage, and a 32GB Deluxe model in black for $ 349.99. It’ll hit the U.S. on November 18 and Europe on November 30.
The console will ship with one of its signature GamePads, the touchscreen controller that looks and behaves a bit like a standalone mobile console or a tablet, and which gives gamers an added element of play, either via second-screen content or via the ability to play games on the handset instead of the TV.
Early response to the controller device has been lukewarm, with many criticizing its battery life (three to five hours) and how it can’t operate as a standalone device without the Wii U base, something Sony is capitalizing on by making the Vita a second-screen device for some PS3 games. Another concern was that originally, each console only supported one GamePad at a time; Nintendo, however, has since said that the Wii U will ship with support for two GamePads at once. Wii U owners can also connect up to four Wii Remotes at once, and your existing hardware for the original Wii will be compatible.
For Nintendo, this is a huge launch. The company ran into trouble early on with its last hardware release, the 3DS, which started slowly even though it gradually gained steam. But following the blockbuster success of the Wii and Nintendo DS, it was a considerable wake-up call. The gaming giant posted its first loss in three quarters in July, owing to a 3DS that still wasn’t generating income despite an uptick in sales. Some credit the rise of mobile gaming as one of the reasons behind Nintendo’s flagging fortunes.
Depending on how the Wii U fares, we could see drastic changes at the Japanese game company. Shareholders have pushed Nintendo to consider becoming a platform-agnostic game publisher in order to get out of the thin-margin hardware game and bring lucrative brands like Mario to iOS and Android devices. The Wii U could be Nintendo’s last big chance to prove that it can still move hard goods, not just beloved gaming icons.
We know what you’re likely thinking: “I want this. I want it now” — or, you know, something along those lines. Unfortunately, don’t expect this transparent beauty to show up at retail stores when the supersized 3DS launches later next month, as it’s nothing but a mere demo unit. The see-through XL was recently used by Nintendo to showcase the handheld’s guts during a Q&A session on its website, and while it’s currently just an extra-large test dummy, it could potentially be a sign of big things to come. We wouldn’t hold our breath, though, so for now you’ll have to be satisfied with one of those opaque options you have to choose from.
Filed under: Gaming
Nintendo’s transparent 3DS XL poses for the camera, makes you wish you had one originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Did you miss any of the magic that was the Nintendo pre-E3 press event? Great news: it’s now online in pre-recorded form, so you can watch it to your heart’s content. Using the Wii U controller as a TV remote? The Wii U Pro Controller? The unveiling of the Miiverse? It’s all there, friends. Experience the magic after the break.
Continue reading Nintendo’s pre-E3 press conference video is now available — relive the magic again and again
Nintendo’s pre-E3 press conference video is now available — relive the magic again and again originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jun 2012 19:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Are you ready for E3? Too bad, it’s already here, a couple of days early, thanks to the overzealous folks at Nintendo, who just couldn’t wait until Tuesday to hold their press event. The company is holding a pre-E3 event, helmed by president Satoru Iwata today at 6PM ET. The broadcast will likely revolve around games, but perhaps Nintendo had more surprises than it could contain in a single event. Find out by following along here.
We’re liveblogging Nintendo’s pre-E3 press event today at 6PM ET! originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Now that Nintendo’s 3DS slide pad is hitting shelves in Japan, it appears that Mr. Blurrycam managed to get in on at least one owner’s unboxing. Glance at the contents strewn about above and you’ll notice what looks to be a copy of Monster Hunter, the secondary joystick-adding peripheral itself and an included wrist strap. According to Andriasang, the owner reports that the add-on is stated to last a whopping 480 hours on its single AAA battery, which makes the thought of dealing with its screw-secured compartment sting a bit less. Folks in the US will still have to wait until February 7th to experience the joy of 3D and dual analog sticks for themselves, but in the meantime, you can hit the source links below for more insight.
Nintendo’s 3DS slide pad gets unboxed in Japan, reveals massive 480 hour battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Another day another liveblog, but not just another company. Today it’s Nintendo that will be keeping us rapt with anticipation, and with any luck the big man, Reggie Fils-Aime, will be taking us on quite a ride. Will we see the unveiling of Project Cafe? Will Nintendo tell us just how its 3DS is going to compete in a PlayStation Vita world? Could we finally get that Nintendogs and Paper Mario mash-up we’ve been waiting for? We’ll be going live shortly, at the following times below:
06:00AM – Hawaii 09:00AM – Pacific 10:00AM – Mountain 11:00AM – Central 12:00PM – Eastern 05:00PM – London 06:00PM – Paris 08:00PM – Moscow 01:00AM – Tokyo (June 8th)
Continue reading Live from Nintendo’s E3 2011 keynote!
Live from Nintendo’s E3 2011 keynote! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’re here live in NYC at Nintendo’s 3DS press preview event, where Reggie Fils-Aime is scheduled to give a short presentation to kick things off. We’re hoping to learn some pricing and availability details — and possibly hear a word or two about 3D and the eyesight of younger gamers. After that, it’s time to party, right? We’ll find out.
Continue reading Live from Nintendo’s 3DS preview with Reggie Fils-Aime
Live from Nintendo’s 3DS preview with Reggie Fils-Aime originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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