New Online Game... for Japan

If you liked Jump Superstars, than you might want to take a look at Bleach. Bleach is also based off of a Shonen Jump manga series. On top of all that, Bleah will also be available to be played on the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. It is very doubtful though that the game will ever reach America without being imported though.

Source: Project Coe

- Shadyltd7

Prepare to be Flushed Away

According to DS-X2, Dreamworks is designing a computer animated movie to hit the DS and numerous other systems. This is clearly a very unique move for the DS.


"This agreement with DreamWorks Animation SKG is a significant milestone for D3Publisher of America and for our new operation, D3P Europe," stated Careen Yapp, vice president of licensing and businessdevelopment for D3PA. "Our blueprint for success has always included both original intellectual properties, as well as licensed titles from top entertainment companies. Flushed Away will be a key title for us in 2006 and we are very pleased to be working with the DreamWorks
Animation team to deliver a fun gaming experience that expands on the computer animated feature film." - D3Publisher

Source: DS-X2

- Shadyltd7

DS Sold Out... Again...

As we all a few weeks ago the Nintendo DS sold out in Japan. Well just days after the DS Lite was announced the Nintendo
DS sold out in Japan again. The system can not be found in stores anywhere through out the country.

Source: DS-X2

-Shadyltd7

Dragon Quest on the DS

Nintendo has added Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest as a game to be be heading to the DS. No other details have been released at the moment but we will keep you posted as more develops.

Source: Gaming Evolution

- Shadyltd7

Preview

Check out our latest preview of Resident Evil: Deadly Silence

-Ultimate Zelda Guru

Answering Questions

Here on DS Update we try to make things for interactive and as innovative as possible. As the latest feature on DS Update we are now announcing our latest feature. DS Update will now be taking calls to answer questions, take feedback, and everything involving the video game spectrum. The system will require all calls to be made over Skype and Ultimate Zelda Guru will be the first staff member to be taking calls. You can contact me by my Skype user name of mattshellder. Good questions may also be further developed into a full length audio feature on DS Update. We will later announce times when I, or someone else, will be around to take calls. Although you can feel free to call anytime and hope that someone is by the computer. Also please let us know what you think of the feature so we know whether to keep it or not.

-Ultimate Zelda Guru

Famitsu Analyst

In a recent issue of Famitsu, a Japanese gaming magazine, Senior Analyst Eiji Maeda of the Daiwa Institute of Research made some interesting predictions. The predictions came that the Revolution will launch for no more than 260 USD (30 000 yen) and the PS3 would launch for 350 USD (40 000 yen). Maeda also predicted that the Revolution would launch in June for Japan, and Nintendo has been pushing for globally close launch dates. It is also predicted that the Revolution will launch with more titles than the PS3. Good news to Nintendo fans' ears, but keep in mind this really has no effect on anything. I personally believe in a fall release for the Revolution in North America, but we will see.

Source: Nintendojo

-Ultimate Zelda Guru

Brain Training North America

It appears the Japanese craze, Brain Training series, will be hitting North American shelves soon. The first title in th franchise will be known as Brain Age: Train Your Brain In Minutes A Day, hitting US shelves on April 17. The sequel will follow on May 30, with the moniker Big Brain Academy. Inspired by Professor Ryuta Kawashima, the 'non-game' franchise clocked over a million sales for each of its three titles in Japan, helping inspire the country's DS frenzy in 2005.

Source: Revo-Europe

-Ultimate Zelda Guru

Nintendo and Saga

Nintendo has now made a new partner in Saga, a magazine aimed at people in their fifties and older. Nintendo of Europe has partnered with the magazine for an advertising campaign to promote the release of the Brain Training game. The idea is to try to sell the game to the aging population. The magazine has a monthly circulation of 1.2 million and more than a 2 million readership.

Source: Revo-Europe

-Ultimate Zelda Guru

Nintendo Announces DS Lite

Nintendo's first conformation of a DS redesign is finally here! Under the name of DS Lite. The system is currently being touted as two-thirds the size of the original and 20% lighter aw well as that it will have brighter backlit screens. The system's slated for launch in Japan on March 2nd with a retail price of ¥16,800 (about $145).

1|2

Source: engadget

-Blackmajik

New Metroid Prime Info

The details on the different battle modes in Metroid Prime Hunters game have been released. There are 7 different battle modes and they will be the best online.

Battle - the classic Deathmatch known from various first-person shooters. Everyone's your enemy in this mode.
Survival - Just like the Battle-mode, but this time you'll get a limited amount of lives. Get killed to often and it's game over for you and off to the spectating mode.
Bounty - Bring the Octolith-artifact to your base and score points. Of course you're also allowed to blast everything that's moving on your way finding the Octolith.
Defender - Like King of the Hill from other first-person shooters, you're assigned part of the map and it'll be your task to defend that part.
Prime Hunter - Play hide-and-seek, as one player is assigned to be the Prime Hunter. Kill the Prime Hunter to become the Prime Hunter yourself. He who manages to stay the Prime Hunter for the longest time wins.
Capture - Capture the Flag on the Nintendo DS. Team up with another players, try to steal your opponents' Octolith and bring it to their base.
Nodes - Several nodes are scattered throughout the map. Get close to one to get it activated on your account and score points. He who claims the most nodes wins.

Source: DS-X2

Weekly Japanese Chart Sales

Here's the weekly Japanese chart sales for the week of January 9.


Software
1 DS DS Training for Adults: Work Your Brain 2
141,307 Nintendo

2 DS Animal Crossing: Wild World
50,032 Nintendo

3 DS DS Training For Adults: Work Your Brain
49,774 Nintendo

4 DS Mario Kart DS
39,182 Nintendo

5 PS2 Gun Parade Orchestra
35,709 SCE

6 PSP Monster Hunter Portable
34,937 Capcom

7 PS2 Kingdom Hearts 2
32,880 Square-Enix

8 DS Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
29,639 Nintendo

9 DS Gentle Brain Training
25,780 Nintendo

10 DS Tamagotchi Corner Shop
24,550 Bandai


Hardware
1 PlayStation Portable 57,686 132,757 190,443
2 Nintendo DS 54,284 91,379 145,663
3 PlayStation 2 39,076 80,886 119,962
4 Game Boy Advance SP 9,982 17,443 27,425
5 Game Boy Micro 6,341 11,818 18,159
6 Xbox 360 6,107 7,477 13,584
7 GameCube 5,465 13,423 18,888
8 Game Boy Advance 233 564 797
9 Xbox 119 156 275

Source:M-Create

-Falco8

Reggie on the DS and Revolution

News.com has released their interview with Nintendo's VP of sales and marketing, Reginald Fils-Aime. In the interview, he talks about the Nintendo DS, the Revolution, his resolution, and Nintendo's future.

(On his resolutions for 2006) "The first [resolution] is keeping our eyes on the prize. This industry is about entertainment, and in the end, he with the best games wins. So at Nintendo, we're focused on putting the most entertaining products into the marketplace. The second resolution is keeping the mass in the mass audience. The world is fragmenting all around us, and many companies are making their products too exclusive and expensive for the general consumer."

(On Revolution pricing and the third resolution) "The next-generation console from Nintendo, code-named Revolution, will cost less than $300. Our third resolution is to stop turning away new players. This industry has become more and more focused on the niche, and at Nintendo, we've opened our systems to a wide range of consumers. Whether it's consumers older than 35 or female gamers, we've attracted them with "Nintendogs" and "Animal Crossing," so we've resolved to bring as many new consumers into this industry as possible.

(On the DS vs. the PSP) "The DS is outselling PSP across the world. The DS is also generating huge buzz in the blogosphere. The fact is, we have a number of not only worldwide but even U.S.-centric million-unit selling games, and Sony doesn't. We have games that are successfully expanding the audience for gaming for DS, and that's not true for Sony. The buzz for the DS is huge and growing, and the most anticipated handheld titles are on our platform, not on Sony's."

(On the Revolution launch titles and E3) "We'll be showing a lot of titles at this year's E3, and we think that's where consumers will get a flavor for the full range of titles and the full range of activity that we will have for our launch window."

(On how Nintendo consoles will do in 2006) "We will sell more units than Xbox 360 did here in the United States in our launch window. I mean, in December, we sold more GameCubes in the United States than Microsoft sold 360s, and Revolution will do better than that. We expect a gangbuster year for DS in 2006. I think that's because we've successfully launched the Wi-Fi Connection for Nintendo DS. We've had more than 10 million connections to the servers on a worldwide basis and over half a million unique users in a short seven-week time frame."

Source: GC Cafe

-Falco8

best male enhancement

Revolution Wi-Fi talks at GDC

On March 20, the Game Developer's Conference will begin, and Nintendo will also be there. Takao Ohara, who worked at Nintendo since 1988 and is now the head of the NWC poject, will be speaking about the Wi-fi Connection, its implementation on the DS, what went right and wrong on the DS, and how it will work on the Revolution. It might be a possibility that he might reveal some details about the Revolution's download service, but we hope that he does.

Source: Revolution IGN

-Falco8

Rumor: Sega on the Revolution?

IGN has gotten their fingers on some information about a new Sonic game is in the works, but the game won't be a port of the Sonic game that has been already announced for the PS3 and the Xbox360. It seems that the title will rather be a new original game that will utilize the Revolution's controller, and IGN also reports that the title is being produced by Sonic Team members, including Sonic creator Yuji Naka. Remember that this news is just a rumor, but no doubt that we will see a Sonic title on the Revolution someday.


Source:Revolution IGN

-Falco8

Nintendo Getting A Bit Cocky

Yeah you heard right, Nintendo, the most modest\quiet company out of the 3, (Unless you count tiger electronics aka Gizmondo) has dissed the PSP and its sales.

Fils-Aime: I disagree. The DS is outselling PSP across the world. The DS is also generating huge buzz in the blogosphere. The fact is, we have a number of not only worldwide but even U.S.-centric million-unit selling games, and Sony doesn't.

We have games that are successfully expanding the audience for gaming for DS, and that's not true for Sony. The buzz for the DS is huge and growing, and the most anticipated handheld titles are on our platform, not on Sony's.

In ways, I agree with what Fils is sayin', however, lets just hope Sony doesn't take this offensively, As it is basically... the truth.

Source: News.Com

-Whiplash

Final Metroid Prime Hunters Boxart

Nintendo has just released the final Metroid Prime Hunters boxart for North America! The other hunters in the background was a very nice touch.
Metroid Prime Hunters Boxart

Source: DS-X2

-Secret322

Nintendo DS "Art" Community.

For those of you that don't know, there is a growing scene on the nintendo DS Art Community, 100's of people have grabbed they're stylus's and taken to the pictochat feature, to create some interesting designs So if you want to get drawing, and even ANIMATING, then go straight to DSArt

-Whiplash

New NDS Design "Hoax"

Unfortunatly, It seems that Lik-Sang had it wrong, and they had been "Led on" by the "Japanese Informant" that was telling them the information, as Nintendo have officially stated -

'But a Nintendo spokesperson has dismissed the reports, describing them as "pure rumour and speculation." However, although a redesign will not be revealed as soon as has been rumoured, it seems highly likely that Nintendo will unveil a new, more compact DS at some point in the near future.'

So nay, we shall not have our brave new DS yet, but that gives time for them to work hard on it and who knows, It may just be the PSP killer.

Source: GamesIndustry

-Whiplash

DS Revision Info

Lik-Sang has told us that Nintendo will announce the information about the Revised DS on January 16, which is this Monday. I hope you all have this day off like I do to witness the new DS in all its shiny glory. I will keep you updated on this as it developes.

Source: Lik-Sang

Germany to get the Revolution in 2006

GameFront.de has reported that Nintendo's next-gen console, codename Revolution will be released in Germany somewhere in 2006. This further confirms that the Revolution will be released in 2006 in Europe.

Source: Nintendo Centrum

-Falco8

ArtDink looks for Revolution Programmers

ArtDink, a Japanese developer, are looking to hire programmers for the next-gen consoles, and here are the positions that are available:

-Five Large-Sized MMORPG development charge programmers
-Three PlayStation 3 development programmers
-Three Nintendo Revolution development programmers
-Three Nintendo DS development charge programmers
-Three CG designers (3D experience needed)

The Japanese developer has made only one game in US and that is Tactics Ogre for PlayStation.But they have games like the A-Train series, A Ressha de Ikou 7 series, and more.

Source: Revolution IGN

-Falco8

Weekly Japanese Chart Sales

Here's the weekly Japanese chart sales for week January 2nd.

Hardware
1. Sony PSP [132.757]
2. Nintendo DS [91.379]
3. PlayStation 2 [80.886]
4. Game Boy Advance SP [17.443]
5. Gamecube [13.423]
6. Game Boy Micro [11.818]
7. Xbox 360 [7.477]
8. Game Boy Advance [564]
9. Xbox [156]

Software

1. More DS Brain Training (Nintendo, NDS)
290.000 [705.000]
2. Animal Crossing : Wild World (Nintendo, NDS)
133.000 [1.515.000]
3. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo, NDS)
115.000 [951.000]
4. Prof. Kawashima's Brain Training : How old is your brain ? (Nintendo, NDS)
114.000 [1.272.000]
5. Mario & Luigi : Partners in Time (Nintendo, NDS)
98.000 [231.000]
6. Kingdom Hearts II (Square Enix, PS2)
83.000 [968.000]
7. Nintendo DS Logic Puzzles (Nintendo, NDS)
63.000 [998.000]
8. Tamagotchi Connection : Corner Shop (Bandai, NDS)
62.000 [846.000]
9. Pokémon Mysterious Dungeon Blue (Nintendo, NDS)
57.000 [630.000]
10. Pokémon Mysterious Dungeon Red (Nintendo, GBA)
49.000 [607.000]

Source: M-Create

-Falco8

Nintendogs Gets Awards

"In 2005 Nintendogsâ„¢ established itself as an unforgettable pop-culture phenomenon. The revolutionary puppy trainer program ended 2005 among the top video games of the year. Highlighted in publications like The New York Times, USA Today, Time magazine and Parade, Nintendogs continues to prove its appeal to gamers and people of all ages. Continuing its ground-breaking excellence in 2006, Nintendogs also won a "2006 Innovation Award" from PC World.

The title was the recipient of a number of awards and was featured on year-end gift lists that included:

PC World: Nintendogs wins a '2006 Innovation Award'
Associated Press: Nintendogs is a 'Best Game of 2005'
BusinessWeek: Nintendogs featured on 'Best Products' list
Entertainment Weekly: Nintendogs highlighted on 'The Must List'
Chicago Sun Times: Nintendogs is on the 'Game Of The Year' list
FamilyFun.com: Nintendogs is No. 1 in the "Annual Video Game Toy Test"
These accolades along with numerous others bolstered Nintendogs' status as a 'must-have' video game from Nintendo. Nintendogs has surpassed sales of 1.5 million units since its U.S. launch in August."

Source: Nintendo

-Falco8

ATI talks about Hollywood GPU for Revolution

Revolution Report interviewed ATI's Public Relations Manager for Consumer Products, John Swinimer about the Revolution's GPU chip, codename Hollywood. Revolution Report talks to Swinimer about heating concerns, a new kind of graphica chip or the existing flipper but modified, Hollywood finished and more. Here's some parts of the ATI interview:

"Revolution Report: A number of Web sites have inferred that Revolution will be significantly inferior graphically. While it certainly seems like Revolution won't output in HD, is it safe to assume that Hollywood will not feature a comparable polygon count or the same amount of graphical effects as the Xbox 360's GPU?

Swinimer: What I can say is that ATI is focused, as is Nintendo, in making [Revolution] a great, gaming entertainment platform. I know that a lot of journalists are very focused on specs. It's the big thing; as a geek, I look for that too. The key thing to keep in mind is that Nintendo, with ATI's help, is trying to create a game console where you don't have to look at [specs].

From a broader perspective, we share in Nintendo's position that this console will be devoted to the general gamer. When you have a game developer developing [for] this, the goal is to ensure that they don't have to worry about the complexity that is required to develop the games by making them "jump through hoops." That was one of the benefits of working on the GameCube; developers were saying that it is quite easy to develop for and there are not a lot of complexities so they could produce titles easily. That being said, we want consumers to look at the game, play the game and be involved in it. We are doing our very best to make this Nintendo gaming experience the very best it can be.

Revolution Report: Is Hollywood finalized? If not, when is work expected to be finished?

Swinimer: I know that Nintendo has committed to 2006 availability. Certainly, game developers need some time to start developing games for it. I can't say anything more than that."

If you want to read the full interview, click here.

Source: Revolution Report

-Falco8

Online Survey on Revolution's Virtual Console

It looks like Nintendo is doing an online survey about the Revolution's Vitual Console.

The online survey asks participants questions about how they want the Revolution's Vitual Console to work. One of the questions were about the pricing models, the first one was to pay a one-time fee where you can get unlimited access to the classic games, the second one, the gamers could rent a game for a limited time, and finally the third one is where you could subscribe to a service and have unlimited use of the older games as long as you maintain your subscription.

Source: Nintendojo and Joystiq

-Falco8

NGC magazine info fake? That's not what NGC Saying

Last week, Eurogamer reported that they received confirmation from a Nintendo rep that NGC news article was false, even though the Nintendo rep denied the article. Now NGC magazine has made a rebuttal statement saying,

"The news came from somebody senior at Nintendo who, admittedly, probably shouldn't have let it slip before E3. But they did, and we would have been crazy not to print it. Next thing you know, instead of a brilliant news exclusive, we've got somebody else at Nintendo issuing a carefully worded non-denial, and various sites that specialise in rumours are telling the world that NGC is not to be trusted. So to clear things up, that news piece wasn't a load of bull - it's direct from the people who are making the game."

It looks like the people at NGC magazine are mad at what the Nintendo rep reply to their news report on Twilight Princess can be played on the Revolution using the Revolution's controller. Although, looking at this rationally, Nintendo never said that the rumour was false, just that they did not issue the news.

Come back to DS Update for more related news.

Source: DNRS

-Falco8

Electroplankton a Best Seller on Amazon

Amazon has reported that Electroplankton for the Nintendo DS has topped everything. The musical DS game has beaten such popular like World of Warcraft, Animal Crossing: Wild World, and Sid Meier's Civilization IV, but Nintendo was afraid of releasing Electroplankton through the retail stores in the US, it seems the game is selling very well.

Source: DS-X2

-Falco8

Tetris boards DS and Wi-Fi!

Tetris, the most addictive puzzle game, will be coming on the Nintendo DS. Tetris DS will support up to ten players with one card, now this will be the first a DS game will support over eight player on DS download play, and the game will get the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection treatment as the game will support up to four players online. A point system will be used for online players to make ratings.

Tetris DS will have six different game modes which are based on Nintendo's classic franchises like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. Some of the modes will support the Nintendo DS' touch screen capabilities. The game is set to be released March 20.

Source: Nintendojo

-Falco8

New Worms: Open Warfare Info

THQ and Team17 has dated the game to be released in March 20, 2006, but until then here's the factsheet on Worms DS.

Features:

-A full overhaul of the balancing of weapons and AI engines

-Streamlined menu system and play modes, tailored especially to suit the needs of mobile gamers, plus the addition of mid-mission saves for the first time means that gamers on the move needn’t lose the progress they've made in either single or multiplayer games.

-Multiplayer mode allowing up to four players using one unit (hot seat).

-Multiplayer mode via the wireless link technology allowing connection of 4 units.

-Worms features a huge collection of favourite Worms weapons.

-5 all-new graphical themes, with randomly generated landscapes

Source: DS-X2

-Falco8

New Metroid Prime Info

Nintendo has reported that if Metroid Prime Hunter is a big success, some of the five bounty hunters will have a game of their own. The main story take place on five planets with 25 areas, where Samus has to collect special Alimbic artifacts from the other bounty hunters. If one of the bounty hunters captures one of the artifacts, You must go to your ship, force the other bounty hunter down on a planet and steal the artifact. Each bounty hunter has their own ship and the ships are closely modelled on the corresponding bounty hunter's armor. The storyline is taken place between Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime: Echoes, and the game is set to be released March 20th, 2006, so get ready until then for multiplayer mayhem.

Source: Revolution Europe

-Falco8

Reviews

Two new reviews are in, a review of ATV: Quad Frenzy by Matthew Prunty, and a review of Animal Crossing: Wild World from a public viewer, Cal-Cal. Check them out.

-Ultimate Zelda Guru

Electroplankton Website!

Finally the Electroplankton Website is up. To see it press here to see all the microscopic plankton playing wonderful music.

Source: DS-X2

-Secret322

A VR Revolution?

New Information has surfaced, Showing that Nintendo might be more interested in a Virtual Revolution.

Straight from IGN; "Info begins to roll in from CES and while the show has only begun, interesting news is already breaking. A technologies company called eMagin has already shown off a sweet piece of hardware for gamers everywhere known as the Z800 3D Visor. The visor, which basically looks like a pair of sunglasses with a hint of Virtual Boy, can be used to watch a video signal in stereo much like Nintendo's previous VR system.

Technology like this has already hit arcades via the Beachhead franchise, and while this is still very new to the market (available since last July) Nintendo has already shown interest, purchasing numerous units directly from eMagin. Does this mean Revolution will be VR? Will Nintendo send us into the new age of gaming with full 3D worlds that can be explored by the turn of a head? That remains to be seen. While the specs do support most PC machines and could be used for console control in the future it is a long shot to assume Nintendo is integrating this into Revolution based on these facts alone. eMagine's own Bruce Ridley has hinted at console support, however, stating that the company is talking to all major console marketers about the headset.

More news as it develops."

The "Nintendo ON" Video may have been closer to the truth than we thought.

Source: IGN

-Whiplash

DS Tops 13 Million Mark; Sold Out in Japan

Nintendo of Europe has announced that they have sold 3.5 million DSes last year. If you add up Europe, US, and Japan's DS units, Nintendo has topped the 13 million mark worldwide! Over at Europe, Nintendogs sold 1.6 million copies and Mario Kart DS has sold 800,000 copies since its release.

But since the Nintendo DS has been doing so well in Japan, Most stores has ran out of stock. Nintendo of Japan posted an official apology notice about the Nintendo DS shortage. On the notice, it stated that they underestimated the demands for the Nintendo DS the week before Christmas, the stores will be resupplied on a weekly basis, and Nintendo plans on manufacturing more Nintendo DS by the end of the year.

Source: Nintendojo

-Falco8

New DS?

An article from Famitsu tells that Nintendo is making a revision of a system. It did not specify which system but storekeepers think it is a revision of the Nintendo DS. The hardware is said to be released in the Spring of this year. So keep your hats on cause the DS might just get even better.

Mad Catz take interest to the Revolution's controller

IGN got to interview Kern Corrigan, Senior Product manager at Mad Catz, and it seems that he and Mad Catz will be making peripherals for the Revolution at launch. Here's the interview:

Bozon: First off, what did you think when you first took a look at the Revolution controller? Was it a welcomed change, or did it simply offer up more challenges for your teams?

Kern: The first glance of the Revolution controller inspired a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. On paper it seems an ordinary remote control. In use, it is a captivating control scheme that connects the gamer to the play in extraordinary ways. The challenges arise when trying to define who will play the new system, how will they play it, and where can Mad Catz improve that experience? Mad Catz views these challenges as opportunities and is excited to offer a broad array of products to support the Revolution.

Is there any fear of difficulty in integrating new accessories for the Revolution? In short, how friendly is the system to work with if you have had the chance? If you haven't had hands-on time, do you foresee any issues with creating new innovative accessories for the controller, specifically in the expansion port at the bottom of the core remote?

Clearly every system has technical issues to address and the Revolution is no different. One key to creating new innovative accessories for the Revolution controller is to maintain close relationships with Nintendo. Mad Catz has established a strong relationship with Nintendo and will work to maintain those relationships in order to support development efforts. A second approach is to employ our expertise gained through past console launches to solve technical issues. The team will employ a blend of the two strategies to overcome engineering challenges, including the expansion port, to provide Mad Catz Revolution peripherals at launch.

What does the future hold for Revolution? Do you see the possibility of creating custom controllers for specific games for Developers/Publishers, or does Revolution's advanced technology tie your hands more than open doors?

The Revolution has great potential for game specific controllers. Anything you swing, point, fling, or flick is fair game. The possibilities are endless. The challenge is to partner with the appropriate Developers/Publishers to create a compelling integration of controller features and game play. With that integration the controller will have the "hook" needed to gain retail support and consumer interest. Mad Catz anticipates the new technology will open many new avenues of mainstream gaming and looks forward to participating in the development.

Does Nintendo's controller limit what can be done for controller production, specifically with the core remote and the technology inside it? Will you be attempting to create the core remote, or simply look to creating new expansions on Nintendo's core controller?

The release of the Nintendo Revolution will be a major milestone in the video gaming industry and as such Mad Catz will support the system launch with a complete array of quality peripherals. This will include core controllers as well as a variety of supporting products. As a top 3rd party gaming peripheral manufacturer, we owe to the market and consumers a wide range of differentiated product options to choose from. It is our responsibility to fully utilize our technological expertise and resources to make this happen.

Nintendo has given information stating that a shell controller will be used to play mainstream games for Revolution. Any plans on supporting that play-style as well?

Mad Catz is dedicated to providing peripherals that meet the needs of the gamer. The shell controller is an excellent way to link the new system to the mainstream crowd and is thus in the launch plan for the Revolution. With that in mind, we may find the shell controller to simply be a bridging controller that pulls the mainstream gamer to the Revolution which then ultimately leads to mass adoption of the Revolution's innovative control system.

Can you give us some examples of types of Revolution peripherals that you might be interested in making? How might they work?

Mad Catz is excited to offer a full line of Revolution peripherals. We are particularly interested in leveraging unique Mad Catz styling with wireless and motion sensing technology to further strengthen our core controllers for the console. Beyond those core controllers, we are evaluating wheel, arcade stick, dance pad, and other unique input solutions. The challenge is to maintain close relationships with Nintendo to seamlessly integrate these solutions into the Revolution platform.

Which Mad Catz peripherals have done the best on previous systems? Are you adapting any existing product lines (such as Micro Con for example) for the Revolution?

As a leading third party peripheral company, Mad Catz has had excellent success with its controllers for previous systems. Clearly Nintendo wishes the Revolution to span all demographics and become a mass market solution to video gaming. With such a disparity among gamers there is an opportunity for a variety of controllers. One possibility under evaluation is, of course, a Revolution version of our very popular MicroCon. We have received a tremendous amount of consumer support for the product since it has clearly satisfied a large segment of the consumers who demand the differentiated value that our MicroCon can deliver. MicroCon is a prime example of us as a consumer good manufacturer, stepping up to satisfy the need of a particular segment of the market and deliver the customized value. The tradition will continue with the next generation consoles.

Nintendo is obviously stressing its Virtual Console service. Can we expect to see Mad Catz NES, SNES or N64 controllers for Revolution as well?

The library of Nintendo games being offered via the Virtual Console is impressive. Mad Catz will support these games with our core controllers and investigation into retro controller shells is currently under way.

Is it going to be more difficult for you as a 3rd party company to work with Revolution since many products in the past were "Universal" for all three systems such as racing wheels, fighting sticks and dance pads?

As with previous console launches Mad Catz intends to offer a full line of Revolution specific products. The Revolution poses many challenges to the development of these products given the unique interface. We view these challenges as opportunities and look forward to providing innovative solutions to meet the gamers' controller needs.

How have Nintendo DS and Cube accessories been received by gamers? Did this encourage/discourage you from supporting Revolution over PS3 or the 360?

Mad Catz Nintendo DS and GameCube accessories have been very well received by the market. We are encouraged to continue this success by supporting Nintendo's new platform. As one of the largest video game peripheral companies in the world, Mad Catz has the resources, talent, and experience to support each and every console in the market. Of course, each next generation console market size will be different from others. However, we believe that the overall success of the next generation video game industry will be most effectively achieved by collective success of all the consoles ultimately through market expansion. Our goal is to provide a wide range of values to our consumers whenever and wherever we can. We take every console seriously.

Any other comments that you would like to make about the Revolution or your philosophy on the upcoming years?

Mad Catz applauds Nintendo's bold stroke to appeal to the mass market beyond hardcore gamers. This is a great opportunity for the entire industry to expand the overall size of the existing market.


Source: Revolution IGN

-Falco8

Europe sees a Revolution Release Date on 2006!

Nintendo of Europe has announced in a holiday greeting e-card that the Revolution will be released also on 2006! Now this is great news for the European gamers, as they are the last to get a upcoming system or game. Here's the letter confirming the Revolution to be release this year:

"We've already been given a sneak peek at its potential with the revelation of the groundbreaking one-handed controller with motion-sensitive technology. We already know that Revolution will let you play all your Nintendo GameCube titles and also a back catalogue of downloadable Nintendo classics. But if you think that's all there is to know about Revolution, think again... 2006 is going to be very interesting indeed."

Still Nintendo hasn't released the release date for the Revolution, so Europe might have a chance to get the Revolution first before USA or Japan. Until then, stick to DS Update on this exciting news.

Source: Nintendo of Europe, Revolution Europe

-Falco8

Wi-fi USB Connector hits the shelves!

When Nintendo announced that they would be sending all their franchises to the world of online gaming, they also told us that we would be doing this wirelessly. Here, the problem for some people was that they didn't have a wireless access point but this problem was solved through help from Buffalo by producing a USB wireless fidelity connector that you could just slot into your computer, install the needed programs and play against people from across the world.

But then, another problem appeared. This wi-fi connector would only be available online, from the Nintendo.com shop. But Nintendo did tell us one thing, that if the connectors sold well they would send them off to sell them in stores all over. I guess this must have happened, as Nintendo have now distributed their connectors to stores all over America. With more than 400,000 users of the Nintendo Wi-fi Connection, this must have been the right route to take. This number will probably increase even more now.

It's available from shops for just $39.99. Hurry and get online, all you people without a wireless access point.

Once again good news for Nintendo fans. Like they said if you do not have a rounter go buy one now!

Source: N-next
-SPORTS1

Nintendo's Hand-Held Systems Buck The Holiday Trend

In the U.S. and Japan, Portable Games Post Big Numbers

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 3, 2006 – Nintendo's 15 years of unsurpassed leadership in portable video gaming continued unabated through the 2005 holiday season. Sales figures show that Nintendo's dual-screened Nintendo DS™, fueled by hit software and new global Wi-Fi capability, has sold approximately 4 million units to date in North America alone. Combined with Game Boy® Advance, the world's most popular portable video game line, Nintendo now enjoys a combined U.S. market share of 78 percent.

Nintendo also reports U.S. sales of Mario Kart® DS, released on Nov. 14 and featuring live, global Wi-Fi competition, has topped the 1 million mark in just seven weeks. And Nintendogs™, made for Nintendo DS, has surpassed sales of 1.5 million units since its U.S. launch in August.

"At a time when some sectors of the video game industry are softening, Nintendo DS and the Game Boy Advance line remain shining stars because of their fun experiences and innovative game play," notes Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "It's important to note that these strong figures represent Nintendo hand-held units and games that consumers have purchased and are now enjoying at home or wherever they like to play."

The Nintendo DS launch title Super Mario® 64 DS has sold 1.3 million units in the United States alone. Other DS games that are enjoying dramatic success in the United States include WarioWare™: Touched! and Advance Wars®: Dual Strike.

The strong U.S. performance of these titles has been mirrored in Japan, where in just more than one year from its Dec. 2, 2004, launch, Japanese consumers purchased more than 5 million Nintendo DS units. This makes the Nintendo DS the fastest-selling video game machine in the history of the Japanese video game market. In addition, Nintendogs, Animal Crossing®: Wild World and the two games in the brain-training series (Brain Age and Brain Flex) achieved sales of more than 1 million units each. This is another record in Japan, as an unprecedented four titles have surpassed 1 million units sold in just more than one year from the launch of a system. In addition, Mario Kart DS and WarioWare: Touched! also are nearing the 1 million sales mark in Japan.

All around the world, players have been competing on the new Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection wireless gaming service. Within seven weeks of the service launch more than 10 million game connections have been made and more than 550,000 unique visitors have connected globally.


Good news for Nintendo. Keep up the great work.

Source:pressnintendo
-SPORTS1

New Contact Info

The makers of Killer 7, Grasshopper Manufacturehas updated their website, and it looks like the game will have Wi-Fi capibilities, as there's a Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection logo on the site. Also on the site, the developers answered some questions about the game and then the question came up about a possible US version, they simple answered, "There is question with the European-American versions."

Stay tuned to DS Update for more news about Grasshopper Manufacture's new DS game "Contact".

Source: DS-X2

-Falco8

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years to all our faithful visitors. This will be another great year for the Nintendo DS and the release of the covited Revolution!

-Secret322

Revo Cheaper Than 360

It has been confirmed by Mr. Iwata that the Revolution will be cheaper than Microsofts new Xbox 360. We think that the PS3 more expensive than the Revolution but it has not been confirmed. So the Revolution might be the cheapest console on the market. The final price wont be released until E3.

Source: Revo Europe

-Secret322