Tag Archives: ds

China’s complicated history with video games: when a ban isn’t really a ban

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A cubical shop in Huaqiangbei offering legit foreign game consoles.

Earlier this week, China Daily quoted an anonymous government source -- allegedly straight from the Ministry of Culture -- saying China is considering lifting a 12-year-old "ban" on game consoles soon. While it's was unclear how reliable the source was at the time, the Tokyo stock market sucked it up anyway, with Bloomberg observing a significant rise for Sony and Nintendo after the rumor was published. Then today we learned from Tech In Asia that Dongfang Daily followed up with two representatives from the Ministry of Culture, one of which said the department has never looked into lifting the ban, while the other person was more vague about the matter. But here's the thing: game consoles were never really banned in China. Allow us to set the record straight for you.

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Nintendo Q3 earnings show 3 million Wii Us sold, sales forecasts lowered again

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Nintendo Q3 earnings report show

Nintendo's Q3 earnings report is out, and it's sold just over 3 million units of its new Wii U console (at a loss) along with 11.69 million pieces of software. The other big news is that it's adjusted sales forecasts downward -- again, after it announced they were being cut back in October. However, since the flagship console is sold at a loss, while Nintendo is predicting 17 percent lower revenue, its prediction for net income has actually moved up by eight billion yen ($87 million).

It's not all bad news however, as it's showing about $160 million in net income for the year, compared with last year's losses. The 3DS has jumped up to 29.84 million sold, while the original Wii is within shouting distance of the 100 million number. Need more numbers? Hit the source links to check out all the sales data firsthand.

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Source: Nintendo Q3 earnings (PDF), Financial Forecast adjustment (PDF)

Nintendo moved more than 1.75 million consoles in November, hypes Black Friday sales

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Nintendo moved more than 1.75 million consoles in November

Kyoto's gaming giant isn't content with bragging about its Black Friday sales alone -- it wants the world to know how it did for the entire month of November. According to NPD data, Nintendo sold over 1.75 million hardware units last month, marking the company's 36th 30-day sales period since 2004 to breach the seven digit threshold. Although handheld consoles take up the lion's share of sales (910,000 units), the Wii U's 425,000 launch week accounts for almost a quarter of the total -- more than enough to secure its status as a "must-have" product, according Nintendo. Sure, the fledgling console didn't beat out its predecessor's first week, but Mario's alma mater optimistically notes that more than half of Wii U sales were accompanied by a copy of New Super Mario Bros. U. Slide on past the break for Nintendo's official November sales press release.

Continue reading Nintendo moved more than 1.75 million consoles in November, hypes Black Friday sales

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Nintendo reports continued first-half losses for 2012, is waiting on the Wii U

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Nintendo reports continued first-half losses for 2012, is waiting on the Wii U

Nintendo's reported its financial results for the first of half of the year, and things are still a little rocky. Net sales in the last six months have decreased 6.8 percent compared to the same point last year, while net income continues to drop, this time by 27,996 million yen. As of September 2012, Nintendo has now sold over 22 million 3DS units (three million more since last quarter), while the Wii remains just shy of the 100 million milestone, settling at 97.2 million units sold. Nintendo looks to be in a similar position to last year, with customers still waiting for the company's next big console to appear -- and the gamesmaker hoping they will. Laying blame at the strong yen, the company has dramatically cut its forecast for the rest of the year, down from 20 billion ($250 million) to 6 billion yen ($75 million), pinning its hopes on 3DS sales ahead of the Wii U's global launch later this year.

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Nintendo reports continued first-half losses for 2012, is waiting on the Wii U originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 03:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Nintendo 3DS XL now available in US, AC adapter included

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Nintendo 3DS XL now available in US, AC adapter included

That Japan-exclusive Pikachu clamshell might be slightly out of reach for US buyers, but starting today they can pick up a regular 3DS XL to the tune of $200. The oversized Nintendo handheld surpasses its predecessor in just about every category, shining through our review gauntlet with more battery life, a more comfortable grip and a more luxurious screen. On top of the usual fare, US buyers will also receive a power adapter, a necessary accessory that was oddly left out of the Japanese and European releases. Oh, and if you're looking for something new to play on that shiny hardware, New Super Mario Bros. 2 hits the US eShop today as well.

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PSA: Nintendo 3DS XL now available in US, AC adapter included originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Aug 2012 15:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NPD: Xbox 360 ruled a steadily declining video game empire in July

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Xbox 360 slim review

Microsoft must sometimes feel like its lead in the game market is a Pyrrhic victory. The Xbox 360 once again topped the NPD Group's hardware charts in July, claiming a near-majority 49 percent market share of consoles -- but the 203,000 units sold were a steep drop from the 257,000 units that traded hands in June, and a far cry from the glory days that would have given a victory more meaning. Nintendo and Sony haven't shared their own figures, although the analyst group notes that only Nintendo's 3DS and DSi had any kind of increase in the month. The industry as a whole was unmistakably feeling the combined effects of the pre-holiday doldrums and a console generation that's long in the tooth: hardware revenue was down 32 percent in the month to $150.7 million, while the games in question saw revenue dip 23 percent to $260.7 million. If you need a culprit, earlier reports for the second quarter had credited similar shifts to sales of physical game copies declining faster than digital sales could replace them. Hope remains in the usual fall spike; even so, the July figures suggest the big three platforms might be living on borrowed time.

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NPD: Xbox 360 ruled a steadily declining video game empire in July originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo DSi gets Matte Red and Matte Blue finishes, shrugs off sunshine glare

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Nintendo DSi gets Matte Red and Matte Blue finishes, shrugs off sunshine glare

If glossy handhelds covered in fingerprint mess aren't your thing, then Nintendo's recently-announced matte finish DSi consoles might appeal. The games maker took to Twitter to announce that both the red and blue options could arrive in stores by the end of this week -- presumably with that tempting $100 price tag. However, if you're holding out for some extra-large 3D gaming, there's still a few weeks to go.

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Nintendo DSi gets Matte Red and Matte Blue finishes, shrugs off sunshine glare originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo Q1 results: Wii sales cut in half since 2011, but 3DS sales more than double

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Nintendo Q1 results Wii sales cut in half since 2011, but 3DS sales more than double

Nintendo's results for the latest quarter reveal growth in profit for the Japanese games maker. Gross profit totaled 24.9 billion yen -- more than double that made from last year's Q1. Operating income remains negative, but substantially reduced since last quarter's statement -- presumably due to strong 3DS sales. Today's results tie in with the launch of both the 3DS XL and Nintendo's first downloadable titles for the 3DS, with sales of the handheld reaching 1.86 million units during the last quarter. Conversely, sales of the Wii have tailed off, with only 710,000 units sold in Q1, down from 1.56 million sold in the same period last year. Fortunately, according to the press release, Nintendo still aims to launch its Wii successor by the end of this year.

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Nintendo Q1 results: Wii sales cut in half since 2011, but 3DS sales more than double originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo 3DS XL review: bigger is better, but it’s still not quite enough

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Nintendo 3DS XL review Bigger is better, but not quite enough

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If you like your portable gaming three-dimensional, clam-shelled and big, then Nintendo's 3DS XL fulfills those broad, unconventional requirements. It's a design refresh that more closely references both previous generations of DS hardware (and the incoming Wii U) -- all while touting a substantially bigger, 3D-capable, parallax-barrier screen. Aside from a larger battery, the XL's internals rehash what we first saw over a year ago: the controls remain the same, with no addition of a (mildly) hardcore gamer-courting second analog stick. For what it's worth, the device does arrive with a 4GB SD card in-box (up from 2GB in the original), matching the approximate doubling in physical dimensions. 18 months is a long time in gaming, especially these days, and although 3DS sales have recently rallied against Sony's latest, we reckon the 3DS XL has double the appeal of its forebear. We'll explain why right after the break.

Gallery: Nintendo 3DS XL review

Gallery: Nintendo 3DS XL vs. Nintendo 3DS

Continue reading Nintendo 3DS XL review: bigger is better, but it's still not quite enough

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Nintendo 3DS XL review: bigger is better, but it's still not quite enough originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo debuts new 3DS variants in spicy summer colors

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Nintendo debuts new 3DS variants in spicy summer colors

While we're still itching to handle its bigger (and more stylish) XL iteration, that hasn't stopped Nintendo rolling out the acid colors for two Asia-bound handhelds. The 3DS in Cerulean (the bright blue one) and Shimmer (the hot pink version) will hit stores in Hong Kong and Taiwan, accompanying the launch of the 3DS XL in September. No word from Nintendo so far on whether it'll follow the Aubergine-hued model to the US .

Nintendo debuts new 3DS variants in spicy summer colors originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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