Nintendo 3DS Continues its Evolution with Mario Kart, Super Mario and the Nintendo eShop as Nintendo Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda

E3 Expo 2011

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–At the E3 Expo, Nintendo introduced a new paradigm for video games and home entertainment: Wii U™, a new console that includes a controller with a 6.2-inch screen. Adding a second screen to the living room creates a multitude of new video game experiences while offering families a variety of options to customize their entertainment.

“Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together”

Previously, video games played on a home console have been confined to the TV and offered identical viewpoints to each player in a multiplayer environment. Furthermore, watching TV and playing console games have been completely separate experiences. The new controller removes these boundaries, creating a more dynamic and fluid gaming and entertainment experience. Visitors to the E3 Expo will see firsthand the type of gaming experiences made possible by Wii U and the new controller such as:

In single-player games:
The new controller can display information on its screen that does not appear on the TV.
The information and viewpoint can also change in the new controller based on the orientation of its gyroscope.
In multiplayer games:
The player using the new controller can have a different experience than those looking at the TV. This will offer a wide variety of competitive and cooperative opportunities.

In addition to the 6.2-inch screen, the new controller also features an accelerometer and a gyroscope, a rumble feature, an inward-facing camera, a microphone and speakers. Adding these features to the Classic Controller™ button scheme – two analog Circle Pads, +Control Pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons and ZL/ZR buttons – will enable a breadth of game-play experiences while appealing to both casual and dedicated video game players.

Wii U combines motion-sensing game play with the ability to support full HD graphics. Each Wii U console will be partnered with a new controller and can also use up to four additional Wii Remote™ or Wii Remote Plus controllers. The system is also backward compatible and can play all Wii games and use all Wii accessories. The Wii console has sold more than 86 million units globally and greatly expanded the overall audience for video games. Wii U aims to expand that audience even further. Developers worldwide are already working on new games and experiences for the console.

“Wii U redefines the structure of home entertainment by fundamentally changing how the TV, the game console and the Internet function and interact together,” said Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. “The experience enabled by Wii U and the new controller takes players deeper into their games, while reaching out wider than ever before to be inviting to all kinds of gamers.”

Nintendo 3DS™, which lets users see 3D images without the need for special glasses, launched in the United States on March 27 and continues to evolve. Owners will find that their Nintendo 3DS experience is different every time they pick up the system, thanks to new content and updates delivered by Nintendo, by third parties and exchanged between users.

A new system update is now available for the Nintendo 3DS system. Users who connect to a wireless broadband Internet connection and install the system update will instantly gain access to the Nintendo eShop, which contains a variety of games and applications for download using a cash-based system.

Users can browse original 3D software, 3D Classics (select classic video games re-mastered in 3D), classic Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color games, and more than 350 games and applications currently offered for the Nintendo DSiWare™ service. Visitors can also see videos and screen shots for games, plus see how other players rank games.

The system update also provides Nintendo 3DS owners access to free items, including an Internet browser that can show 3D images on sites specifically designed to show 3D images, a download of a re-mastered 3D version of the NES™ classic Excitebike™ game (free until July 7) and Pokédex™ 3D, which lets users discover and view more than 150 Pokémon™ from the Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version games in visually engaging 3D.

Nintendo also announced a huge lineup of upcoming new and fan-favorite franchise games, many of which are playable on the E3 Expo show floor in booth 4922.

Nintendo 3DS: Super Mario™, Luigi’s Mansion™ 2, Mario Kart™, Kid Icarus™: Uprising, The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, Star Fox 64™ 3D, Animal Crossing™, Paper Mario™, Picture Lives!, The Rolling Western™.
Wii: The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword, Kirby™ Wii, Wii Play™: Motion, Mystery Case Files™: The Malgrave Incident™, Mario Party™ 9, Rhythm Heaven™ and Fortune Street™.
Nintendo DS™: Kirby™ Mass Attack, Professor Layton and the Last Specter™, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker™ 2 and Super Fossil Fighters™.

Nintendo kicked off its E3 Expo Presentation by announcing a number of initiatives to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. A re-mastered 3D version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time launches for Nintendo 3DS on June 19, while Wii owners will see the arrival of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in the 2011 holiday season. Additionally, Nintendo announced a tour of orchestral concerts featuring music from the beloved franchise. Additional commemorative activities will be announced at a later date.

For the duration of the E3 Expo, Nintendo will provide fans with exclusive videos and Nintendo content on the Nintendo Network. People can visit http://e3.nintendo.com to watch developer interviews, get all the information about new games and see coverage coming directly from the show floor. The same exclusive content also will be streamed through the Nintendo® Channel to Wii owners who have a broadband Internet connection.

If there’s a cooler Nintendo Wii out there, it’s this one. The black Nintendo Wii has been out in other countries for centuries now, but finally there’s a glorifying PR that clearly states May 9 as the day you’ll be able to grab a fully black Wii for $199.99 that comes with a copy of Sports Resort and the Motion Plus adapter for your spanking-new black Wiimote. So now it brings the question: give us one reason why you’d buy the white model over the new black one? You would? That’s alright, you’re welcome to buying the white one too, in its old and over-used white plastic coloring.

Nintendo to Include Wii Sports Resort, Wii MotionPlus with All New Wii Systems

Starting May 9, Wii Hardware Will Be Available in Black or White

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A great value in video games is about to get even better. Starting May 9, Nintendo will add new elements to the baseline Wii™ system package offered at retailers throughout the Americas. In addition to the intuitive, motion-sensing Wii Remote™ controller, Nunchuk™ controller and popular Wii Sports™ game that currently comes standard with each system purchase, every new unit will now also come packaged with Wii Sports Resort™ and the control-enhancing Wii MotionPlus™ accessory. In addition, consumers will be able to choose between two color schemes for the Wii console and included controllers: original white, or a new black option. The U.S. suggested retail price of the new system package will remain at $199.99. Pricing outside the United States will be established by the local markets, but offer similar consumer value.

“Nintendo leads the way in delivering rich motion-control gaming experiences at an accessible price point,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “By including even more of our top-quality hardware and software in the basic Wii system package, we’re extending that commitment to entertainment and value. Now more than ever, consumers can count on Nintendo to deliver inclusive fun and advanced motion controls at a mass-market price.”

Wii Sports Resort expands on the active-play fun of the original Wii Sports, with resort-themed activities such as wakeboarding, archery and swordplay. What’s more, Wii Sports Resort features the rich control enhancements of Wii MotionPlus, which allows users to dive in and enjoy precision motion-control excitement right out of the box.

Wii MotionPlus has set the standard in precision motion control by delivering an immersive, social experience unavailable on any other system. As of May 9, when both the Wii Sports Resort game and a Wii MotionPlus accessory will come standard with every new Wii console, people who purchase the system can experience this leading-edge video game technology from the moment they plug in and power up.

Previously unavailable throughout the Americas, the black version of the Wii console will offer all the groundbreaking features and functions of its white counterpart in a stylish new color scheme. Whether they aim to color-coordinate with other devices or simply love the way it looks, consumers throughout the Americas can add a black Wii console with matching black Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers to their home entertainment lineup. Additional black controllers and accessories can be purchased separately.

The Wii system launched in November 2006 and continues to attract millions of new and experienced gamers with its intuitive motion-sensing controls and inclusive game offerings.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about Wii, visit Wii.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.3 billion video games and more than 558 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at www.nintendo.com.

Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at press.nintendo.com, a password-protected site. To obtain a login, please contact Deanna Talamantez at 213-438-8742 or dtalamantez@golinharris.com. Users can receive instant Nintendo information by subscribing to the site’s RSS feed.

[Via Associated Press]

Continuing the “Holiday Gift Guide” is the Gaming category. I’m going to list the gaming consoles that your money deserves for this holiday shopping season. And of course the Xbox 360 is in there, why wouldn’t it be? Let’s begin with the Gift Guide for gaming, shall we?

Microsoft Xbox 360

I’m sure you knew this would be your best bet, wouldn’t it? What’s better is that there are different packages to choose from, and they’re all affordable. Netflix streaming, the latest (and best) games, Xbox Live Gold (you’ll have to pay for it though), and of course the HD graphics make the Xbox 360 one of the best gaming systems of all time. It comes in 3 different versions: the Arcade package for $199.99, $299.99   120 GB Elite version, and the $399.99 250GB Elite. It’s your choice. Compare all 3 consoles here, and buy it from different retailers here.

Sony Playstation 3 Slim

The PS3 Slim isn’t going to let the Xbox 360 get what it wants so easily. Packed with a 120 GB hard drive (a 250 GB is available also), DualShock 3 controller, PlayStation Network, and great games make the $299.99 PS3 Slim a good buy. Even though the game library isn’t fine tuned yet, remember Gran Turismo 5 is making its way soon. Did I forget to mention  Modern Warfare 2 is already out? Buy it from SonyStyle here, and compare the two versions here.

Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii. It’s so popular you probably know everything you need to know about it, any maybe (surely) have used it. Starts at $199.99, comes with the Wii Remote, Nunchuck controller, Sensor Bar, and a library of endlessly excellent games. Don’t forget Zelda and Mario. Just don’t forget also that there’s no HD;  one of the only deal-breakers. Buy it from different retailers here.

Sony PSP Go

It doesn’t quite feel at “home”, so to speak. High price tag ($249), unimpressive looks, and the major deal-breaker: You can’t play your UMD games because it’s digital only. If there’s one thing we know about the PSP Go, it’s it won’t sell very well at all. buy it from SonyStyle (cough) here. A better option is the cheaper, larger screened, UMD-compatible, and much more reasonable PSP-3000, which you can buy from Sony Style here for $169.99.

Sony PSP-3000

Nintendo DSi

A major improvement overall. 2 cameras (yes, two), one of which points to your face, is what makes the DSi so good. Yes, there aren’t many stuff to download off the store, but bigger screens, audio recording, web browsing, SD card expansion, and direct-game-downloads make the DSi a very popular and good option in the portable sector. Buy it from different retailers here for $169.99.

Next up in the Holiday Gift Guide: it’s secret. Yes, you’ll have to wait until it’s posted, but you can be sure it has to do with something very popular.

Well, after years of buying an over priced console, the Wii if officially going to be $199 instead of $249. Nintendo has confirmed it, and it is effective Sunday, so don’t buy your Wii till then! (But I wouldn’t buy a Wii anyway, a PS3 Slim is better.)

Anyway, now the Wii can go in combat with its enemies, namely the Xbox 360 and  PS3, both which are sold at reasonable prices.

So what do you think? Will the Wii win again the holiday season, or will the might PS3 with all the awesome games that are coming up will swallow the non-HD Wii?

Oh yeah, check out my new Twitter Connect button near the comment box, it’s cool!