Pulse2 Technology and Social Media News » Nintendo

Google’s April Fools Joke Is Maps 8-Bit For NES

Amit Chowdhry — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:07:41 +0000

Google Maps is available on desktops, smartphones, tablets, GPS devices, etc. However Google Maps has not been available on NES until now. Google Maps 8-bit can be used on your home NES system, but you may have to blow on the cartridge first. Solid April Fools joke, Google. Check out the video below:

Nintendo Wii U To Get An App Store

Amit Chowdhry — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:40:21 +0000

Nintendo is preparing an app store for the Wii U console according to sources with News Corporation’s The Daily. The app store for the Wii U will not be like the DSi or Wii stores. The Wii U store will go beyond what Nintendo has right now and will offer a wide variety of game apps. Netflix and other apps that are on the Wii already will also be offered. [The Daily]

Nintendo and Sony No Longer On List Of Companies That Support SOPA

Amit Chowdhry — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:50:39 +0000

The list of supporters (PDF) of the Stop Online Pirate Act (SOPA) has been updated. it appears that Sony and Nintendo have both dropped out, which indicates that they are not directly in support of the bill as a company any more. Both of these companies were endorsing the bill back in November. Likely the two companies saw the outrage that Internet advocates have made about the bill and decided to no longer be associated with SOPA. [Electronista]

Nintendo’s Next Console, The Wii U, Can Switch Games Between Handheld Controller and TV

Amit Chowdhry — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:32:20 +0000

The next Nintendo console is a handheld device called the Wii U. The Wii U is a set-top box that is interlinked wirelessly with a tablet-style controller. The Wii U controller is the size of a paperback novel. The interlinking means that you can switch the game back-and-forth between the TV and the controller.

The controller has the standard Nintendo dual thumbstick, trigger buttons, and stereo speakers. The screen of the controller is touch-based and it has an accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone, rumble support, and inward-facing camera.

The handheld controller has the ability to use a stylus on the touchscreen. The controller also supports multi-touch so you can play with multiple people on the same screen.

The controller has a motion-tracking system that interacts with the game displayed on the TV screen. An example that Nintendo showcased was using the Wii U controller as a catcher’s mitt to grab a ball. Another demo that Nintendo showcased was placing the Wii U controller on the floor to act as a tee stand when playing golf. You can see the golf ball displayed on the controller before swinging to hit it.

The Nintendo Wii U is expected to be released in 2012.

[PCW]

Nintendo Website Server Gets Hacked Temporarily

Amit Chowdhry — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:45:14 +0000

Over the weekend one of Nintendo’s website servers got hacked temporarily. The hack attack was less severe than the hack that affected Sony’s PlayStation Network. The hack that Nintendo was hit with did not lead to the leak of sensitive information or cause any operational damage.

The hacker group Lulzsec claimed responsibility to breaking into some of Sony’s websites and stole customer information. The same group posted data on the Internet claiming that it was one of Nintendo’s “server configuration files.” Lulzsec said that they were not targeting Nintendo but they said that they hope Nintendo plugs the gap.

[WSJ]

Web Browser and Online Store Getting Added To Nintendo 3DS On June 7

Amit Chowdhry — Thu, 12 May 2011 22:12:48 +0000

Nintendo has announced that the next 3DS update will be available on June 7th. The Nintedo 3DS will have a web browser and E-Shop added to their consoles through the update. The E-Shop will allow users to download new mini-games and classic Nintendo games. The Nintendo Wii uses the Opera browser so it is pretty likely that Opera will be used for the 3DS also. [BusinessInsider]

Nintendo Launching A New Wii In 2012

Amit Chowdhry — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 01:47:02 +0000

Nintendo Co. Ltd. said that they plan on launching a Wii console successor in 2012 as they recently reported a slump in profits. Nintendo is expecting that profits will be remaining flat in the current financial year. Nintendo plans on demonstrating the Wii replacement at the E3 game show on June 7 in Los Angeles, California.

Nintendo is facing major competition from smartphone and tablet companies that include Apple and HTC. Today Nintendo revealed a quarterly profit of 12 billion yen. This is down from 59.9 billion yen one year earlier. Nintendo sold 86 million units of the Wii since they launched in 2006. For the year that just ended, Wii console sales have fallen to 15.1 million units from 20.1 million one year earlier.

“We have decided that it is best to let people experience it for themselves at E3,” stated Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata. “It will offer a new way of playing games within the home.”

[Reuters]

Nintendo Sold 400,000 Units In First Week Of U.S. Launch

Amit Chowdhry — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:11:20 +0000

Nintendo has announced that they have sold 400,000 of the 3DS units in the first seven days of launching in the U.S. The 3DS retails for $249, which may have caused some consumers to hold back on being early adopters. Nintendo sold about 2.5 million Pokemon games in March. The older DS console outsold the 3DS by 60,000 units. “Both Nintendo 3DS and the Nintendo DS family had a strong month, indicating that Nintendo has something for everyone,” stated Nintendo of America senior director of corporate communications Charlie Scibetta. [VentureBeat]

Optometrists Approve of the Nintendo 3DS

Amit Chowdhry — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 02:33:00 +0000

According to manufacturer’s warnings, the 3-D screen on the Nintendo 3DS shouldn’t be used by children 6 or under. But optometrists say that it is a good idea for kids to try and use the 3-D screen. It won’t do any harm to them and it may help them catch vision disorders early on.

“The 3DS could be a godsend for identifying kids under 6 who need vision therapy,” stated Michael Duenas, the associate director for health sciences and policy for the American Optometric Association in an interview with USA Today.

The 3DS is available in Japan and will be for sale in the U.S. on March 27th for $250. It has two screens with the top screen showing 3-D images without the need for special glasses. A pair of cameras on the 3DS can be used to take 3-D pictures. If your kid cannot see the 3-D effect on the 3DS, then it is likely that he or she has a vision disorder such as amblyopia (“lazy eye”) or a smaller eye problem that can affect reading.

3D technology viewing systems sends different images to the left and right eyes, which creates an illusion of depth. Optometrists say that these systems can help isolate the problems that have to do with the ways that eyes move. These problems aren’t caught by optometrist eye charts. These problems are easier to fix before age 6 when the visual system in the brain is nearly finished developing.

According to the American Optometric Association, only 15% of preschool children get an eye exam to catch these sort of problems. “This has presented my profession, optometry, a wonderful opportunity,” stated American Optometric Association president Joe Ellis.

Nintendo Rejects Mario Theme Use For Justin Bieber Movie

Amit Chowdhry — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:29:02 +0000

Nintendo has rejected use of the Super Mario Brothers theme song for the movie Never Say Never. Never Say Never is a concert documentary of pop artist Justin Bieber. Bieber was a YouTube celebrity before Usher had signed him to his label.

The Never Say Never director John Chu wrote a tweet this past Saturday that said “aw C’mon Nintendo! Y won’t u let us use the Mario theme for 15 secs in the @Justinbieber movie…talk about free advertising passed up. Oops.” Nintendo had allowed the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World to use The Legend of Zelda theme song for their movie. What does this mean? Either Nintendo doesn’t like Justin Bieber or the Super Mario Brothers theme song is too valuable to allow movies to sample.