Nintendo will be adding a few new features to their 3DS eShop.  This November update will include downloadable add-on updates to existing games, limited-play demos, sleep mode downloads and a web based eShop.  I’m really excited about the web based eShop.  It will be so much easier browsing the increasingly growing number of titles in the eShop versus the endless scrolling and searching on the small 3DS screen.  It seems like Nintendo 3DS will be getting lots of updates this November.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: 3DS, eshop, Nintendo

Nintendo improves the 3DS eShop originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2011 at 1:30 pm.

Nintendo announced another update for the 3DS.  And it’s a pretty impressive update.

1) The 3DS will be able to capture 3D video.  You can shoot up to 10 minutes of 3D video at a time.
2) You’ll be able to transfer batches of data from one 3DS to another.
3) Nintendo added stop motion photography.
4) StreetPass will get an update with map feature and also a sequel to the Find Mii game.
5) HuluPlus will be added for those that don’t like the selection in Netflix.

This free update will roll out in November.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: 3DS, Nintendo

Nintendo 3DS getting another big update originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 23, 2011 at 9:00 am.

Most gamers would agree that having a left and right circle pad is necessary on a game controller.  The problem is that Nintendo released the 3DS with only one circle pad.  It works fine for most games but now game designers are making more complicated games that require a second circle pad.  And that’s why Nintendo decided to make a circle pad attachment for the 3DS.

As you can see from the magazine photo.  The problem with the circle pad attachment is that it’s hideous.  The attachment makes the slick looking 3DS bloated and seemingly uncomfortable to hold.  Plus it looks like the circle pad is smaller which means extended periods of gaming will be uncomfortable.

I just hope this is a prototype version and that Nintendo will make a better looking attachment.  Any Japanese readers want to help translate and summarize that magazine article?

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: 3DS, Gaming, Nintendo

Nintendo’s 3DS Circle Pad Attachment originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 9, 2011 at 10:00 am.

Nintendo releases 59 LCD based handheld electronic games. Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, these LCD screened games include a clock and an alarm.
Ancestor to:  Nintendo 3DS

In 1980 Nintendo released a handheld electronic game including a clock and alarm hence the name Game and Watch.  Between 1980 and 1991 Nintendo released 59 different retail  titles. Some models had a hinged double  screen design  where the action either went on simultaneously on both screens  or where gameplay extended from one screen to the other. Interestingly enough this clamshell design continued on with the Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advanced SP model and is still a feature of the current Nintendo 3DS.  The units used LR4x/SR4x button style batteries for power.

Each Game and Watch  was only able to play one game, due to the use of a segmented LCD display being pre-printed with an overlay. The speed and responsiveness of the games was also limited by the time it took the LCD to change state.

Movement was accomplished via either up to 4 buttons ( many games only had two buttons, left and right )  or a cross joystick and generally there was only one action button ( if one at all ) .  Each game came with 2 difficulty settings Game A or Game B, Game B normally being the faster and more difficult version.  While Nintendo characters such as Mario and Donkey Kong were the mainstay of the games , Nintendo also licensed a number of other popular franchises including Mickey Mouse, Popeye and Snoopy. The maximum high score that could be displayed was 999 even if the game was clocked.

Do you remember ? : Somewhere in a box at home I still have my original Game and Watchs. There’s Donkey Kong, Green House, Manhole , Mario Cement Factory and Oil Panic. As a social experiment I should get these out and give it to my kids ( 13, 16 and 17 ) and see how long the “static” game play can hold their attention.

I do remember that because the screen was LCD based you needed to have light to view the screen properly, so sneaking a quick game to try and clock it just that one more time when you were supposed to be sleeping involved trying to hide the light from the flashlight as well.

It’s strange how things come around. I’m always at my kids to turn off their DS or Ipod and try to engage them in normal conversation however my mother still reminds me to this day ( in fact she reminded me again less than a week ago ( sheesh get over it mum, it was  31 years ago  )) of a trip we took away where all  my sister and I  did was play our Game and Watches.  Do as I say, not as I do !  :)

Memories folks, that’s what this series will be about. Please share yours  :)

 This is the first ( and hopefully not the last ) entry in the Do you remember? series, a chance to “show off ” to the younger Gadgeteers the “cutting edge” technology that some of us ….ummm more experienced Gadgeteers had in our day, to show the progression and ancestory of the technology we use today and just a chance to reminisce……. I remember when I were a lad………

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: DoYouRemember, Nintendo

Nintendo Releases Game and Watch LCD Handheld – Do you remember? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 24, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Nintendo had two successful products, the DS/3DS  and the Wii, with each one of them provides its own benefits. The Nintendo 3D/3DS offers a two screen gaming experience and focuses more on hard core gamers. The Wii, on the other hand, is focused on the broader demographic and has provided more social experience when using its motion controls. As we reported earlier this month, Nintendo introduced its new gaming machine, the Wii-U, at E3. Nintendo presented a peak into the new console capabilities, but left us with many questions regarding the gaming experience we might get.

Nevertheless, if you watch the press release closely, you will see that they seed many clues on their plans and intentions. They started the presentation of the Wii-U by asking how can we bring the 3DS experience to the living room. Later on they showed the 3DS and the Wii-U side by side when discussing the intention of several game developers to develop their future games for the 3DS/Wii-U platform. When looking at the platform side-by-side, the Wii-U looks like a bigger version of the 3DS. Last, EA Sport said that finally Nintendo will have a console in the living room that can fit the hard core gamers needs.

Therefore, it is safe to expect that we may get the 3DS experience in the living room using the Wii-U, but in high-definition. On the other hand, the Wii-U has some advantage over the 3DS console: (1) it can work with the Wii controllers, (2) it can work using the Wii-U screen only (no TV mode) and (3) the two screens are not attached together. It will be interesting to see how the game developers will use those capabilities for their games, while it means that those games won’t be compatible with the 3DS. How the game developers will take advantage of the new platform, your guess is good as mine. What do you think?

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Nintendo

Nintendo wants to bring the 3DS experience to the living room using the Wii-U originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 24, 2011 at 4:47 pm.

Nintendo has just unveiled its new 2012 Wii-U console.  The new console will have a speedy IBM Power-based multi-core microprocessor, internal flash memory, HDMI and many new features.  But the main attraction of the Wii-U console would be the new controller.  The new controller has a built-in 6.2 inch touch screen along with the standard button controls plus two analog circle pads.  But that’s not all, it also includes a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, rumble feature, camera, a microphone, stereo speakers, a sensor strip and a stylus.

That’s some super duper controller.  But you might ask what would it be used for?  Nintendo demoed a game which plays like hide and seek tagging.  The player with the new controller has a top down view of the map area and runs around and hides from the other 4 players with the regular Wii controllers.  The other 4 Wii controller players will be viewing on the tv screen trying to seek out their hidden friend.

The new controller can also act as a stand-alone gaming unit which makes it feel like a big screen gaming tablet.  Apple better watch out…gaming with buttons still trumps multi-touch screens.

It’s a pretty interesting way of gaming and I can’t wait to see how it is going to change the way we interact within the games.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Nintendo

Nintendo unveils new Wii-U console originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 9, 2011 at 9:00 am.

Last year, we reported that Nintendo planned to introduce a new game console that will support 3D displays without the need of special glasses. In the Nintendo keynote at the Game Developers Conference 2011, Satoru Iwata president and CEO of Nintendo announced that 3D content that will be available for the Nintendo 3DS. Beside recording 3D movies on the device, the Nintendo 3DS will feature streaming video from Netflix, including 3D video content. Nintendo will offer a special 3D video channel that will include movie trailers, music videos, and comedy shorts. As for gaming, Nintendo announced a Super Mario game for the 3DS, that will be further detailed at the E3 expo this June. Nintendo will introduce an eShop, where you will be able to download games to the device, including 3D-remastered classic games. The Nintendo 3DS device will be available in the US on March 27th and will have a price of $250. Nintendo is working hard to offer interesting 3D content for the device. Do you think 3D games and movies are the next buzz?

The full keynote is available here.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Nintendo

Nintendo will offer 3D content for the Nintendo 3DS originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 6, 2011 at 5:40 pm.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Nintendo have announced the release of their latest handheld gaming system, the 3DS.  It will be a 3D ‘glasses-free’ version of the DS/DSi, allowing full 3D play without the need to wear any 3D head gear.

The ‘hot off the press’ information direct from Japan has informed us all that the 3DS will be set for a full unveiling at E3 in June 2010.

Although there has been no official word on the hardware to be used (yet!), Nintendo have added that the 3DS will be compatible with all of your old favourites from the DS and the DSi.  So fear not, you won’t have to start building up your collection from scratch!

The official launch of the 3DS is expected to be around March 2011 (Probably in Japan first) so it’ll be a good year before we get to see it properly.

So, who wants one??

[Via Engadget]

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: 3DS, Nintendo

Nintendo announces the 3DS originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 23, 2010 at 7:28 am.

Since the release of the first DS back in 2005, Nintendo have sold more than 100 million handheld games consoles worldwide.  And now they’re back with a bigger and better version, the Nintendo DSi XL.

With a choice of three colours, Dark Brown, Wine Red and Natural White, the XL will still incorporate all the features of the DSi, including dual screens, however the screens will be 93% larger than that of the current DS, at 4.2 inches across.  The XL will also feature a wider viewing angle (which Nintendo say will create better social gaming), built-in games and a pen stylus which is easier to hold than previous models.

The battery life is expected to last slightly longer than the DSi, at around 16 hours and, it’s also slightly heavier, weighing in at 314g.

Release dates for the XL are still a little vague, but they’re expected to hit the shelves in the U.K. around March 5th, with the U.S. following suit a few days after.  The cost for an XL will be slightly more than a DSi, at around £150 ($230) but sites such as Amazon are offering a pre-order service allowing you to get your hands on one as soon as they’re released, plus they’re offering a discount if you order now.

Filed in categories: News, Portable and Console Gaming

Tagged: Nintendo, Spotlight Gadgets

Nintendo DSi XL coming soon! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 23, 2010 at 10:00 am.

For someone who hates video games as much as computers, I’ll admit that the Wii Sports Resort game is kind of fun.  To add an even more realistic and fun experience to the Wii Sports Resort game, check out this set of attachments in the CTA Wii Sports 8-in-1 Pack.  They glom onto the Wii remote and/or nun-chucks to add some interesting physics during game play.  While add-ons such as these are produced by several manufacturers and are readily available in brick & mortar stores (I initially purchased the “Nerf” brand for example) I stumbled onto the Wii Sports Pack only when browsing through Amazon and was impressed at just how many accessories it sports (ha) compared to those available in stores.

The Wii Sports Pack contains eight different attachments (compared to about three for the typical brick & mortar sets that are readily available) including a sword and archery bow.  The sword option alone made me hit the “BUY” button.  Think I made a good impulsive purchase?

The Wii Sports Pack contains the following attachments:

• Sword
• Oar (yes an Oar)
• Bow
• Wakeboard Controller
• Golf Club
• Table Tennis Paddle
• Jet Ski Controller
• Flying Disc

It also contains a god-awful upper and lower piece of molded plastic packaging the size of Alaska that displays the items in a gaudy (though, I must admit, effective) manner fit for a carnival.  But it’s still a cool set.

Although no one will tell you (and in fact one of the reps at a popular electronic store whose name rhymes with “Pest Pie” neglected to tell me), the Sports Resort (and other Wii games) require you to occasionally point at the screen with the remote in order to advance or select items on the screen at the beginning and ending of a game.   If the add-on attachments cover up the infra-red portion of the remote, then you cannot easily access these selection options and you have to remove the attachment, point and click at the selection, and then re-attach the attachment.  This is the main problem I had found with the store-bought attachments: they covered the infra-red beam and made the games clunky and annoying.

In contrast, the Wii Sports Pack attachments have a cut out to allow for this point-n-select action that is needed to navigate certain menus during the course of the games.  That is a huge factor to keep in mind when considering these various attachments.  I had to return a few sets of attachments to brick & mortar stores due to this oversight before I found the Wii Sports Pack.

This brand of attachment does not have the infra-red cut out.

In contrast, the Wii Sports Pack accessories do provide an infra-red cut out

Now although the attachments in the WSP have a cut out for the infra-red beam, it can still be a little difficult to get the pointer to the correct spot all of the time (see the video at the end of this review for an example of trying to perform a point-n-click maneuver with the Sword attachment).  But this was not a huge problem as I walked through each of the games with the various extensions.  The fun factor was not adversely affected.

Some of the attachments (for example, the sword attachment) are built such that they will support either a naked remote (i.e. a remote without the rubbery skin or grip that comes with the Wii console) or a remote that is outfitted with a skin.  I found, however, that when using a remote with the rubbery skin that I had to push really hard to get it into the attachment and it was difficult to get a good fit.  Without the rubbery skin, an adapter or spacer is provided to hold the remote within the attachment.  This option, though, was not always a tight fit, and could make some of the sports moves (most notably with the sword) and made sword fighting sloppy.  I ended up using the rubber cover and squashing it into the sword attachment.  I really like the sword fighting games, by the way, and highly recommend them.  I plan on getting a weight vest to wear for extra cardio action (no, not to pretend it is a set of armor).

So what is the final score for the Wii Sports Pack?  Buy it!  Yes, it has a few faults, but this is the best alternative I’ve found to the brick-n-mortar versions which are limited in the number of attachments and don’t have the infra-red beam cut out.

Here are shots of each of the attachments . . .

Sword attachment -- buy the sports pack just for this alone

Archery -- second reason to buy the sports pack (also see video below of the archery attachment in action)

Wakeboard grip - game is so so, attachment makes it more fun

Paddle - game is fun, so is paddle

Oar - game is challenging, remote can slip in the handle, so you might want to use the rubbery skin without the spacer adapter

Golf club - game is fun, club makes it very fun

Let’s see a few of the attachments in action

Video demonstrating the point-n-click menu selection process with the sword attachment, a little clunky, but achievable:

Video demonstrating the use of the archery bow, pretty fun:

Video demonstrating the flying disc, a little hard to get used to:

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Nintendo, Wii

CTA Wii Sports Resort Pack 8-in-1 Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 16, 2010 at 5:08 pm.

Do you have a box of old 8-bit Nindendo cartridges from the 80′s? Wanna relive countless hours of childhood fun? You’re in luck because ThinkGeek is selling a $49.99 color NES handheld system. It runs on 4 AA batteries and is guaranteed to make you the envy of all your geek buddies.

Filed in categories: Portable and Console Gaming

Tagged: Gaming, Nintendo, Spotlight Gadgets

8-Bit NES Handheld Gaming System originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 13, 2009 at 11:41 am.

In case you’ve spent the last few months looking for Osama Bin Laden over in the Khaiber Pass, or don’t keep up with gaming news, then this one’s for you. There are several nice upgrades in this 3rd gen product including an app store, two built in cameras, and some groovy photo editing software. You can check the full story here.

Filed in categories: Portable and Console Gaming

Tagged: DSi, Nintendo

Nintendo DSi Launches Today in the U.S. originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 5, 2009 at 5:42 am.