This news should be causing more than a few smiles in Redmond as the news that the Xbox 360 beat out Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s Playstation 3 when it comes to worldwide sales for the first time ever.

It’s old news for for the Microsoft gaming console to beat out its competition nationally but it has never bested either one of them, let alone both, in the global gaming console marketplace.

The news of this champagne popping news came after Sony released its earning report yesterday which showed that the company had only sold 6.5 million units worldwide over the holiday quarter and when it combined with Nintendo’s sales of only 5.6 million for the Wii in the same quarter it showed both companies coming in behind Xbox 360′s sales of 8.2 million.

Now according to the team over at GeekWire this is the first time since 2006 that Xbox has lead worldwide holiday sales which is the same time that both the PS3 and Wii were just being launched.

Here’s the bigger news: The Xbox 360′s strong holiday quarter also put the Microsoft console ahead in worldwide sales globally for the full year of 2011, with 14.9 million units sold, compared with 14.1 million for the PS3 and 10.33 million for the Wii.

According to our data, compiled from historical earnings reports, it’s first time the Xbox 360 has topped the worldwide console market for a full year of head-to-head competition with the PS3 and Wii.

via GeekWire

Congrats to Microsoft and the Xbox team.

For the first time ever Xbox sales top Wii and PS3 worldwide is a post from: The Inquisitr

Back during all of that talk of Miyamoto “retiring”–which turned out to be not true–he stated that he was interested in creating a new, entirely original IP. Going by a statement Miyamoto recently made to ZoomIn, it looks like he’s already working on it.

“People have come to expect a lot from me. This certainly makes me feel some pressure,” he said. “But if you ask me, ‘Is it too much pressure to try to come out with something new?’ I have to say no, I’m enjoying myself. When I make something I always try to do my best.”

Miyamoto pointed out that while he’s working on something entirely new, he’s still very much involved in the development of Luigi’s Mansion 2 and Pikmin 3, both of which were announced back at E3 this past year, so fans of those series need not worry.

He also shared his thoughts on the push for realism in video games this generation, saying that he doesn’t really feel pressured to follow suit.

“Each creator has his or her own field for which he or she is particularly good at. I’m not saying that I am particularly bad at making the very photo-realistic video games. But when it comes to the realistic games, you have to create something familiar. I personally want to make something really different.”

Miyamoto didn’t drop any hints as to when we can expect to hear more about his “new project”, unfortunately. Hopefully we’ll hear something by the time E3 rolls around this coming June.

via IGN

Miyamoto confirms work on new ‘original’ game is a post from: The Inquisitr

While most tech gaming websites are busy handing out their picks for game and/or tech of the year, TorrentFreak has a “best of” list of its own: the top 5 most pirated games of 2011 on PC, Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii.

According to the site, the PC version of Crysis 2 takes the top “honors” (if you can call it that) for the year of 2011, having been downloading roughly 3,920,000 times. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which only came out last month, took second place with 3,650,000 downloads.

On the Xbox 360 side, Gears of War 3 took the top spot at 890,000 downloads, followed by, and this should be no surprise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 at 830,000 downloads.

if nothing else, the top 5 list is an interesting glimpse into how much piracy there is across all three platforms, and how much the piracy on each platform differs from the other. To see the full list of “winners” (losers?), look below.

Top PC Game Downloads on BitTorrent in 2011

1. 1. Crysis 2 (3,920,000)
2. 2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (3,650,000)
3. 3. Battlefield 3 (3,510,000)
4. 4. FIFA 12 (3,390,000)
5. 5. Portal 2 (3,240,000)

Top Wii Game Downloads on BitTorrent in 2011

1. 1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (1,280,000)
2. 2. Mario Sports Mix (1,090,000)
3. 3. Xenoblade Chronicles (950,000)
4. 4. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (870,000)
5. 5. FIFA 12 (860,000)

Top Xbox 360 Game Downloads on BitTorrent in 2011

1. 1. Gears of War 3 (890,000)
2. 2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (830,000)
3. 3. Battlefield 3 (760,000)
4. 4. Forza Motorsport 4 (720,000)
5. 5. Kinect Sports: Season Two (690,000)

Source: TorrentFreak (via Destructoid)

Here are the most pirated PC, Xbox 360 and Wii games of 2011 is a post from: The Inquisitr

We reported earlier this month that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has a nasty glitch involving the “Song of the Hero” quest which, when encountered, prevents you from progressing forward entirely.

Specifically, the bug occurs when you go for the Thunder Dragon Song in the Lanayru Desert first. If you talk to Golo the Goron while there, and upon completing the Thunder Dragon sequence, cutscenes vital to progressing the quest forward will no longer appear.

If this happened to you and you weren’t willing to start all over again, Nintendo is working on two options to get the glitch all fixed up. The first option is to send in your save data to Nintendo, where they’ll take the data, fix the glitch, and send it on back to you.

For the second option, Nintendo says it’s planning on releasing a “program” to address the glitch for those who have their Wii connected to the internet. The company didn’t elaborate on what said “program” means – for all we know, it could just be a patch – but Nintendo promises more information when the fix is ready to be rolled out.

Nintendo didn’t say when to expect the “program” to be released, so if you’re anxious to get back into Skyward Sword and don’t want to have to start over, hit up this link to find out more about sending your save data in for repair.

Nintendo working on a fix for Skyward Sword glitch is a post from: The Inquisitr

Nintendo sent out its release schedule for the first quarter of 2012 today, revealing release dates for the 3DS Circle Pad Pro add-on, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Tales of the Abyss and more.

Interestingly, Nintendo also says that the 3DS Circle Pad Pro will only be sold at GameSpot both at retail and online. Earlier this month, Nintendo announced a similar deal with Xenoblade Chronicles‘ release in North America.

Even if you’re not interested in the Circle Pad, there’s still quite a few titles in store for the Nintendo 3DS – but not so much for the Nintendo Wii and the regular ol’ Nintendo DS. To see the full release calendar, see below.

Nintendo 3DS

• Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 (January)
• Resident Evil: Revelations (February 7)
• Tales of the Abyss (February 14)
• Mario & Sonic at the 2012 London Olympic Games (February 14)
• Tekken 3D Prime Edition (February)
• Nicktoons MLB 3D (March)
• Horses 3D (March 6)
• NCIS The Video Game (March 6)
• Kid Icarus Uprising (March 23)
• Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater (Q1)
• Rayman Origins (Q1)
• CRUSH 3D (Q1)
• Funky Barn (Q1)

Nintendo eShop

• Colors! 3D (Q1)
• VVVVVV (Q1)
• NightSky (Q1)
• Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (Q1)
• Dillon’s Rolling Western (Q1)
• Kirby’s Block Ball (Q1)
• Mutant Mudds (Q1)
• Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH (Q1)
• Jett Rocket Super Surf (Q1)
• Mighty Switch Force (Q1)
• Zen Pinball (Q1)

Wii

• Country Dance™ Special Edition (February 1)
• Rhythm Heaven Fever (February 13)
• PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond (February 27)
• MLB 2K12 (March 6)
• Mario Party 9 (March 11)
• Karaoke Joysound (Q1)

WiiWare

• La Mulana (Q1)

Nintendo DS

• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 (February)
• Chess for Kids (February 14)
• NARABA: The Labyrinth of Light (February 21)
• NARABA: The Mysterious Palace Feb. 21
• MLB 2K12 (March 6)
• Silverlicious (March 20)
• Xia Xia (March 20)
• Gogo’s Crazy Bones (March 20)

Nintendo DSiWare

• Box Pusher (Q1)
• Cake Ninja (Q1)

Nintendo releases first quarter release schedule; 3DS Circle Pad, Kid Icarus dated is a post from: The Inquisitr

Back in September, Jonathan Blow, creator of indie hit Braid, said his next project, The Witness, most likely will not be coming to consoles. Apparently, Blow is reconsidering.

In a recent interview with Game Informer, Blow said that he and his team intend to release The Witness on PC and iOS initially, “and then maybe one of the consoles which has not been decided, and later to bring the game to all other platforms,”.

“We can only do a certain number of platforms at launch, because we’re small,” Blow explained. “A few months ago, I was doing all these interviews, and I didn’t think we were going to do a console at launch. But we’re hiring two more programmers, which has a huge impact on what we can do. So now the idea is open again, that we might do a console launch, but now what exactly that is depends on all sorts of business things that we just haven’t figured out yet.”

In the original interview in which he cast doubt on The Witness making it to consoles, Blow said that a console release was unlikely due to the hardware being dated.

“The kind of tricks we’d have to perform to get this game working on those platforms are such a lot of work that to port it over at this point is just not worth it for us,” he said in September.

The Witness is due out on PC and iOS in 2012.

The Witness may be coming to consoles is a post from: The Inquisitr

Earlier this year, Nintendo fans kicked off a campaign to convince Nintendo to release Xenoblade, among other JRPGs, outside of Japan. The campaign ultimately succeeded, and Nintendo eventually caved in and released it in Europe.

Now, it looks like Nintendo is gearing up to release Xenoblade Chronicles over in the US next year. The news first broke out when GameStop accidentally let the news out a little early, listing the game as an April, 2012 release.

Nintendo has since confirmed the news by way of a press release, in which they also revealed that Xenoblade Chronicles will be retail-exclusive to GameStop for $49.99. If you insist on not buying it from GameStop, your only other option will be buying it from Nintendo’s website directly.

Back in July, there was a rumor that Nintendo was wrapping up localization on Xenoblade Chronicles. The rumor also said that Nintendo was working on localizing The Last Story, another JRPG that Operation Rainfall was campaigning to have released outside of Japan, but Nintendo has yet to make any announcements for that one.

Regardless, this is great news for Nintendo fans. Now Nintendo’s last round of games for the Wii before the release of the Wii U isn’t looking quite so.. awful

Xenoblade Chronicles coming to North America next year, GameStop exclusive is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s been nearly five years since we’ve seen a new The Legend of Zelda title. Sure, we were treated to a pretty solid remake of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii, but fans were hungry for a new entry in the franchise. Enter The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

The Zelda franchise has rather consistently cranked out incredible games, some more than others admittedly, so it would be an understatement to say there are high expectations going into Skyward Sword. Judging by the reviews, it looks like there isn’t much to worry about.

Actually, that’s probably an understatement itself; the reviews so far have been overwhelmingly positive, with over 20 outlets giving The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword a perfect score. Nearly all consider it to be a more than worthy entry into the franchise, but it isn’t without at least a few flaws.

To see what a few reviewers have to say about Skyward Sword, you can check out a collection of rounded-up reviews directly below, ordered from lowest to highest score.

GameSpot – 7.5/10 (Read full review)

“The formula is beginning to show its age. There just aren’t enough new ideas to separate Skyward Sword from its predecessors, and the few additions come with mixed results. Even with many bright spots, Skyward Sword still feels like a nostalgic retread. Those yearning for something new will be disappointed, but anyone thirsty for another exciting adventure will find plenty to enjoy here. “ – Tom McShea, GameSpot

Giant Bomb – 4/5 (Read full review)

“Skyward Sword is simultaneously a very good Zelda game and a rather great adventure game. It has some of the most inventive dungeons the series has ever known, sports the most impactful changes to the combat since Z-targeting, introduces wrinkles to the Zelda mythology that will force fans to rethink the entire series, and will have you gawking at it constantly, 480p ‘n all. But the series finds itself facing an identity crisis, as it flirts with expanding what has defined the series without abandoning its charming but waning simplicity. Zelda doesn’t need to become something else to maintain relevance, but at a certain point, when “a brand-new great Zelda game” isn’t enough, there’s reason to pause.” – Patrick Klepek, Giant Bomb

Joystiq – 4.5/5 (Read full review)

“Somewhere within Skyward Sword slumbers the best Zelda game of all time. It is choked by a dozen hours of needless cruft; but it’s there, a masterpiece entombed by a misguided ambition to be the lengthiest game in the franchise’s history. It’s still an incredible game, but it could have been the greatest game ever made, and the moments that keep it from doing so are absolutely going to break your heart.” – Griffin McElroy, Joystiq

Destructoid – 9.5/10 (Read full review)

“It’s a very different Zelda game, one that will undoubtedly turn off some and absolutely enthrall others, but that’s part of what Zelda does best, right? Fans of the series are still debating which game in the series is the best, and the arrival of Skyward Sword won’t change that. Either way, there is no arguing that Skyward Sword is one of the most painstakingly crafted, lovingly developed titles in Nintendo’s long, illustrious history. If you like videogames at all, you’d be goofy to not give it a try.” – Jonathan Holmes, Destructoid

Eurogamer – 10/10 (Read full review)

“Skyward Sword feels like the Legend of Zelda game producer Eiji Aonuma always wanted to make. As director of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, he first pushed against then tried to imitate the towering Ocarina of Time; now he is simply and confidently stepping away from its decade-long shadow. It is the most formally inventive Zelda in a long time (admittedly, that’s not saying a great deal). But it’s the game’s carefree attitude, quick tempo and warm heart that do the most to make it feel new.” – Oli Welsh, Eurogamer

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: Review Round-up is a post from: The Inquisitr

Street Fighter II and its many iterations have already been released multiple times over on just about any platform you can think of, but not this one on this platform.

Capcom Unity announced over the weekend that the Genesis version of Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers is headed to the Wii’s Virtual Console in North America and Europe at some point in the (near?) future.

Interestingly, it won’t just be the genesis version of Super Street Fighter II. Capcom announced that online play is being added as well, so you’ll be able to trade Hadoukens, Shoryukens, Yoga Flames and more with your Wii pals over the internet.

Capcom didn’t say when we can expect the upgraded port to be released on the Virtual Console, just that it would be releasing in Japan first – and even that date isn’t known.

Lest you get confused from the 4,287 iterations (roughly) of Street Fighter II, this isn’t the more popular iteration, Super Street Fighter II Turbo. Still, it’s hard to complain with online play for a still solid classic fighter.

Source: Capcom Unity

Super Street Fighter II headed to Wii Virtual Console, online play included is a post from: The Inquisitr

For every scary story we get regarding technology and human interaction we also get some really cool ones that are making a real difference in people’s lives.

Today’s installment has to do with Nintendo’s Wii and people trying to recover from strokes. Thanks to a team of researchers at the University of Notre Dame stroke sufferers can now continue their rehabilitation at home with the help of remote therapists and Wehab.

Wehab is a a new “game” that utilizes the Wii Balance board to help those patients that are recovering from a stroke to regain control over their balance. This retraining is needed so that patients can perform even the most basic of tasks like walking and dressing.

In the past therapists would work with things like mirrors and guess work to see if stroke patients have made any progress but with the Wehab suite, which includes the Wii balance board and web cameras, therapists can now obtain data on the patient’s movements. As well the therapists can lead stroke victims through normal rehabilitation exercises on the Wehab which then collects all data with customized software.

While therapists have been using Wii games for some time as part of a rehabilitation regime it wasn’t a plug-in-play solution mainly because they were able to fine tune any of the games they used. AS well there was no way for them to collect and store data for analysis at a later time.

Wehab tries to correct these deficiencies and hopes to take the whole setup one step further by creating a take home version so that patients can continue their therapy which is important because of the many health care constraints faced by the patient.

“In the US, the payment system is tight on what and how long a stroke client can receive therapy,” says Jeanne Harper, a therapist at Skills 4 Living Therapy. “Stroke clients can get return of function months and years after their stroke, and often they do not get uninterrupted continuous therapy services, and often not coordinated services.”

Striegel’s solution is to incorporate cloud computing and internet access into Wehab’s design to allow the patient to perform rehab activities from the comfort of their home.

“You plug in the WeHab system to your TV where it automatically connects to the Internet via a 3G or 4G data connection,” says Striegel. “On first starting it up, you are connected to your therapist who video chats with you to answer any questions as you start your rehab in the home setting. Under the watchful eyes of your therapist who can see you and the readings from your screen, you are walked through balance therapy exactly like you experienced in the clinic.”

via Fast Company

Initial units are planned for 2012 and will be priced at around $1,500; which really a small price to pay if it means you can recover from having a stroke quicker and with improvement of your quality of life.

Here is a video demonstrating the Wehab:

The Wii continues to expand its footprint in the medical field now with homework for stroke victims is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword gameplay demonstration from Comic Con, Nintendo of America’s Bill Trinen dropped an interesting little tidbit to GameSpot.

As Zelda fans are already well aware, previous entries in the franchise had Link picking up an arsenal of weapons and gadgets to help him progress through dungeons. With Skyward Sword, Nintendo is going about the item approach a little bit differently.

Trinen revealed that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will feature an item upgrade system. In his adventures around the world of Skyward Sword, Link will find resources from monsters, bosses and, of course, treasure chests which he can then use to upgrade his gear.

“What we’ve done with the game this time that I think is a little different is we’ve built an entire upgrade system into the game,” Trinen told GameSpot. “Link has his traditional shield, but you actually get a lot of different shields in the game. You start off with a very basic one, and as you fight enemies you’re recover these treasure or artifacts that you then use as resources to upgrade your items.

“You can do that with the shield, you can do that with the beetle, and some of the other items that you have. You’ll be combining your collection of rupees and your collection of these resources and improve the items you have.”

If you’d like to hear the news for yourself, or if you just want to check out some Skyward Sword gameplay, check the embedded video below.

Source: GameSpot (Thanks, Destructoid)

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will have an item upgrade system is a post from: The Inquisitr

EA will be doing a little server cleaning next month – and by cleaning, I mean they’re shutting down multiplayer servers for several older EA titles.

Among the list of titles having their onlnie play axed is the orgiinal Skate, Army of Two and Battlefield 3 (the Xbox 360 version).

Here’s the full list of all online server shutdowns:

August 11, 2011 Online Service Shutdown

Army of Two (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Army of Two Demo (Xbox 360)
Battlefield 2142 Demo (PC)
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (Xbox 360)
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Demo (Xbox 360)
Medal of Honor Airborne (PSP)
Medal of Honor Heroes 2 (PSP, Wii)
NASCAR 09 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
NCAA Basketball 10 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
NCAA Football 10 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Need for Speed Most Wanted (PC, Xbox 360)
Need for Speed Undercover (PSP)
Skate (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 (PSP, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii)
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 Demo (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

October 1, 2011 Online Service Shutdown

Madden NFL 10 (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)
NHL 10 (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360)

via Game Informer

EA shutting down servers for many older titles next month is a post from: The Inquisitr

Over the past month, Operation Rainfall – a movement by Nintendo fans to get Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower localized in North America – has been picking up Steam, but Nintendo spoiled the party when they said the company has ‘no plans’ to localize the titles in North America. That may not be entirely true, however.

According to new information provided to Operation Rainfall by an anonymous source close to Nintendo of America, North American localization for Xenoblade is already complete, and The Last Story is next in line for a localization. Xenoblade localization finished up one month ago, and The Last Story “could begin in a month.”

Nintendo likely won’t be confirming this anytime soon, so we’ll just have to wait and see if this turns out to be true. I sure hope it does, though – as it stands, the Wii’s lineup this year is looking pretty grim.

via VG247

[Rumor] Xenoblade NA localization finished, The Last Story up next is a post from: The Inquisitr

Earlier this week, loyal Nintendo fans kicked off a campaign, dubbed Operation Rainfall, to convince Nintendo that it’s worth their time and money to port over JRPG titles Xenoblade and Last Story, as well as Ganbarion’s action-RPG Pandora’s Tower. Late last night, Nintendo responded to fans, but not quite in the way they’d want.

“We promised an update, so here it is. We never say ‘never,’ but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time. Thanks so much for your passion, and for being such great fans!”

As grim as this news may sound, this shouldn’t completely shatter the hope of Nintendo fans, although the news can’t come as a soft blow. “No plans” essentially amounts to “we have nothing to talk about right now”. Still, it comes off as a cold response after all the positivity shown by all participants of Operation Rainfall.

If you’re interested in joining up with a mass of other fans in the push to bring these titles over to North America, you can get more information here and through their website here.

Source: Nintendo’s Facebook (via Siliconera)

Nintendo: “No plans” to publish Xenoblade, Last Story, Pandora’s Tower in U.S. is a post from: The Inquisitr

What will likely be the final entry of The Legend of Zelda to grace the Wii now that the Wii U has been announced, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, finally has a release window: this holiday season. A holiday season release? Who’d have thought!

As part of the 25th anniversary of the Zelda series, Nintendo will be releasing a gold, Zelda-themed Wii Remote — which I assume will be a Motion Plus, but Nintendo didn’t say — at some point before or after the launch of Skyward Sword.

Nintendo’s also planning to celebrate Zelda‘s 25th birthday with a series of Zelda-themed concerts worldwide, as well as two music CDs. If you register your copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS over at Club Nintendo, you’ll get first dibs on the two CDs.

While Nintendo didn’t show a full-blown trailer of the game at their press conference earlier today, they have since released a brand new trailer for the game. See it for yourself below.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Coming This Holiday Season, New Trailer is a post from: The Inquisitr

Brian Kingrey is one lucky – and now rich – gamer. The 25-year-old from Hammond, Louisiana picked up a check for a million bucks after becoming the first person to pitch a perfect game in MLB 2K11, the latest annual update from videogame baseball specialists 2K Sports.

2K announced the contest earlier this year, revealing the competition would kick off on April 1st. It took Kingrey around two hours after the contest’s start to succeed. However, don’t go thinking Kingrey is a baseball nut. Speaking to Kotaku, he revealed: “This is the first Major League Baseball videogame I ever played in my life.”

To Kingrey’s credit, he came prepared. In the build-up to the contest he analysed real-life stats, averages, and pitcher strengths, and (obviously) played the game itself to death. He pulled off his feat with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Roy Halladay, pitching against the Houston Astros, apparently one of the weakest hitting teams in the game.

So any plans for that money, Brian? “We have picked out a new fridge already.”

‘Atta boy.

[Via Kotaku]

Gamer pitches perfect game in MLB 2K11, claims $1m prize is a post from: The Inquisitr

An ‘inside source’ close to Develop claims that the controller uses a front-facing camera system that can be used for ‘in-game images.’ Exactly what that means I’m not sure, though this thing is sounding closer and closer to a 3DS.

Develop’s source also repeated a lot of gossip that we’ve heard before – as well as a touchscreen and stylus, the mole claimed the controller has a ‘standard’ button layout. Frankly, the buzz around the Wii 2 pad seems to be eclipsing the actual console itself.

Anyway, if Nintendo can pack all this junk in a controller and sell it for the usual controller price of $35, I will be seriously impressed. Something’s gotta give! On June 7th, we’ll find out for sure with the Wii 2 unveiling.

[Via Develop]

[RUMOR] Wii 2 controller has built-in camera is a post from: The Inquisitr

In precisely *checks calendar* 25 days, we’ll be getting our first look at Nintendo’s next console, the absurdly codenamed Project Café. Considering the latest sales of the Wii, the unveiling is timely. April saw the little white console – once the undisputed king of American living rooms – suffer its worst ever monthly sales in the U.S.

By selling only 172,000 units last month, the Wii slipped behind the Xbox 360 (297,000) and PS3 (203,000). This vaguely feels like the beginning of the end, probably because Project Café/Wii 2/whatever is so close. However, the Wii’s small decline is not a tragedy for Nintendo. The console still leads its more powerful rivals in installed userbase, and there may yet be a Zelda-inspired bump before things wind down. Oh, and there’s that price cut, of course.

Of more concern to Nintendo will be the 3DS’s performance. In its first full month on sale, the new 3D handheld sold 194,000 units in the States. That compares to the 400,000 units it sold in March – and it did those figures in only five days, having launched on March 27th.

To me, it seems like Nintendo is paying for the 3DS’s hefty price tag and grave lack of content since launch. June is a little better with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, the e-Shop, and an Internet browser. Yet good games remain thin on the ground – as I sadly admitted yesterday, my 3DS has been out of action for weeks.

[Via Marketwatch -- image from here]

On the way out?: Wii endures worst ever monthly sales in U.S. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Wii still sounds like a daft name for a games console, but Ninty might top it with its new console: the Nintendo Feel. While that name is far, FAR from confirmed, a source close to Nintendo told Swedish site Loading that would be the moniker for the company’s next home console.

NeoGAF user Majine translated Loading’s article into English, and while this is (for now) pure rumor, there are some fascinating ideas/possibilities here:

“The revolutionary aspect will once again be found in the controller itself. We already know Nintendo is developing a controller with a built-in screen. [...] But this new “Screen-controller” brings another dimension – Feel. Our source uses the name “Nintendo Feel”

“Haptic technology is a form of tactile feedback used to simulate the experience of touching different objects shown on screen. The player can move their fingertips across a surface and clearly feel the difference between soft, smooth or rugged textures [...] anyone can suddenly realize the feeling of fur agains the fingertips would do for Nintendogs.

Intriguing stuff, and also … possibly not true – we find out for sure on June 7th!

[Via Loading and NeoGAF]

[RUMOR] Next Nintendo console gets a daft name (allegedly) is a post from: The Inquisitr

YouTube user FPawesome discovered that playing said trailer backwards revealed a famous song from past Zelda games – ‘Zelda’s Lullaby’! I’ve no idea how people find this stuff, but hell, I’m glad they do. The first video I’ve posted below shows the trailer played forwards then backwards, while the second video is ‘Zelda’s Lullaby’ in its entirety.

Every now and then, I get a little reminder of why I still love Nintendo.

[FPawesome, via Go Nintendo]

[VIDEO] WOAH: New Zelda song played backwards is … old Zelda song! is a post from: The Inquisitr