Rumor Alert: Nintendo "Project Cafe" Specs

Are these the leaked specs of Nintendo's next true HD console code name "Project Cafe"?

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Nintendo: "Project Cafe" will be shown at E3

Details of Nintendo's new console, including its name, have not yet been revealed. But Nintendo said it “will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.”

Nintendo appears to have made a brief statement in a bid to squash rumours. Many reports have speculated on – and in some cases claimed to know from viable sources – the details of the Wii 2’s all-important control scheme.

The company statement, issued to investors, read: “Nintendo has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed the Wii, which the company has sold 86 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011.” It is rumoured that the Wii 2’s internal codename is ‘Project Cafe’.

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Nintendo "Project Cafe" to Introduces “Screen Stream” Technology HD Controllers

The cat's out of the bag,  Nintendo is hard at work on a Wii successor that will actually use modern specs and technology; well kinda.  The internet is ablaze with wild speculation and rumors of Nintendo's PS3/360 HD killer "Project Cafe"(Nintendo and HD in the same breath).

Besides having modern specs that will compete even surpass the current HD champs Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox360 the most intriguing thing about "Project Cafe" will no doubt be the controller.

Nintendo builds consoles around innovative control schemes that just happens to change the way we play and interact with Video Games.    

It would seem that the Wii 2/Project Cafe will make use of integrated “Screen Stream” technology which will send players the game directly to their controller, displaying the action on built-in HD touch-screens. Each player will have a separate image connected to their part in the game, while the TV will be able to display each camera angle or turned off altogether.

Capable of splitting the images to four controllers and their 1080p HD displays, the hardware uses a special custom triple-core processor with an IBM PowerPC chip-set, similar to the one found in the Xbox 360. This will allow it the ability to be faster than Sony’s PS3 NVIDIA 7800GTX.

It seems Nintendo may be onto something again with a clever and innovate way to interact with games.  Does Screen Stream Technology sound fucking cool or will it be the half-ass attempt to attract all the core-gamers Nintendo have lost over the past decade that fizzles in a few years.

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Alert Shoppers: Fight Night Champion, Beyond Good & Evil HD

The following list covers all of the game software we know to be available -- across all platforms and regions -- for the week ending March 5th, 2011.

Games Released in the United States:

Nintendo Wii:
- Bit.Trip Flux (online)
- Chuck E. Cheese's Sports Games
- Rango: The Video Game

Xbox 360:
- Beyond Good & Evil HD (online)
- Fight Night Champion
- Rango: The Video Game

PlayStation 3:
- Fight Night Champion
- Rango: The Video Game

Nintendo DS:
- Busy Scissors
- Mahjong Journey: Quest for Tikal
- Minute to Win It
- Puzzle Expedition
- Rango: The Video Game

PC:
- Fate of the World (online)
- The Flying Dutchman
- Perfect World International: Genesis
- Rift
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution

EA's Fight Night series sequel Fight Night Champion debuts on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America this week, joining the multiplatform animated film tie-in  Rango.

A remake of Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil headlines downloadable offerings on the Xbox 360, while Wii owners will soon see the final entry in Gaijin's Bit.Trip rhythm-action series.

Games Released in Europe:

Nintendo Wii:
- Bit.Trip Flux (online)
- uDraw Pictionary
- uDraw Studio

Xbox 360:
- Beyond Good & Evil HD (online)
- Fight Night Champion

PlayStation 3:
- Fight Night Champion
- Hyperdimension Neptunia

Nintendo DS:
- Hidden Photo
- Hollywood Files: Deadly Intrigues
- Lost Identities
- Pokemon Black Version
- Pokemon White Version

PC:
- Rift
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution

Nintendo's latest Pokemon series sequels Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version make an early English-language debut in the UK this week, arriving two days in advance of their scheduled stateside release date.

Games Released in Japan:

Xbox 360:
- Fight Night Champion

PlayStation 3:
- Fight Night Champion
- Samurai Dou 4

Nintendo 3DS:
- Shanghai 3D Cube
- Super Monkey Ball 3D

Nintendo DS:
- Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars Blue
- Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars Red
- Tobidase! Kagaku-kun Chikyuu Daitanken! Nazo no Chinkai Seibutsu ni Idome!

PlayStation Portable:
- Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy
- Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto - Ginga Bishounen Densetsu

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Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Trailer

After the break you'll find Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, and I suggest you check it out soon before Square pulls it from YouTube.

Video of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

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PS3 Leads Japanese Hardware Sales Again

Sony PS3 beating the competition in Japan is becoming a trend if not the norm

A 13,000 increase in weekly sales saw Sony’s home console overtake Nintendo DSi, which took second place ahead of PSP-3000.

Sony’s handheld platform managed to outsell Nintendo’s when taking into account sales of all models, despite the fact that PSPgo sales dropped more than half during the portable’s second week on the market. Sony needs to lower the price of the PSPGo, I really do not understand their logic.

Weekly hardware sales (previous week):

PS3 - 48,925 (36,061)
DSi - 37,421 (37,517)
PSP – 33,784 (34,911)
Wii - 31,810 (28,888)
PSPgo - 13,992 (29,109)
DS Lite - 5,515 (6,902)
Xbox 360 – 4,679 (6,047)
PS2 – 2,066 (1,966)

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NPD September: PS3 on Top surprise surprise

The combination of a new hardware model and lower price made PlayStation 3 the best-selling home game machine in the U.S. for the month of September 2009 for the first time ever, the NPD Group reported today. Sony was able to sell 491.8K units 32.4K units short from unseated the Nintendo DS with 524.2K units.

Total sales of videogames in the U.S. were $1.28 billion dollars, up 1% from last September.

U.S. Hardware Sales, September 2009:

Nintendo DS 524.2K

PlayStation 3 491.8K

Wii 462.8K

Xbox 360 352.6K

PSP 190.4K

PlayStation 2 146.0K

Top 10 Software Sales, September 2009:

1. Halo 3: ODST (360, Microsoft) 1,520,000


2. Wii Sports Resort (Wii, Nintendo) 442,900


3. Madden NFL 10 (360, Electronic Arts) 289,600


4. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS, Nintendo) 258,100


5. The Beatles: Rock Band (360, MTV) 254,000


6. Madden NFL 10 (PS3, Electronic Arts) 246,500


7. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (360, Activision Blizzard) 236,000


8. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3, Square Enix) 212,500


9. Guitar Hero 5 (360, Activision Blizzard) 210,800



10. The Beatles: Rock Band (Wii, MTV) 208,600

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Wii Price Cuts Get 'Very Strong' Response

The recent $50 Wii price cut has given Nintendo’s console a notable sales boost ahead of the holidays, especially paired with the recent launch of Wii Fit Plus.

Although it's a little too soon for specific figures, "The consumer response has been very strong to the price reduction," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime tells the Financial times.

"There are literally millions of consumers out there who want a Wii and had been on the sidelines," he says. "They’d been waiting for that little nudge to go out and pick it up - the price decline, the sampling, the launching of key software like Wii Fit Plus - we believe it’s what’s pushing them over the edge to get into the category."

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Nintendo the 'World's Best Company' to work for

Nintendo is the best company in the world, according to new rankings from the publication BusinessWeek.

Nintendo topped other notable and respected companies including Google, Apple, and Amazon.com. Technology, telecommunications, and internet companies peppered the top 40 list, which also included construction, petroleum, medical, and other industries.

The "World's Best Companies/Global Top 40" list was compiled for BusinessWeek by management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, which ranked companies by not only their sales, market cap, and value, but also more abstract traits like a focus on innovation, strong leadership, and a clear vision for the future, BusinessWeek said.

Not only is Nintendo kicking it's competitors ass in sales it looks like it's the place to be if you want in on the video game business.

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Japanese Charts: PS3 Sales Decline Pokemon Sells like Gold & Silver

Sony saw a dip in PS3 sales to a respectable 51,055 units shipped. For the second week in a row, Pokemon Soul Silver and Pokemon Heart Gold led Japanese charts, as the new slim PlayStation 3 hardware experienced a mild decrease. Total sales of Pokemon Souls Silver & Pokemon Heart Gold where 443,133 units. Microsoft is still trying to gain some sort of traction in Japan with only 4,965 total units shipped.

Tales of Vesperia for Sony PS3 also made the top three with 216,593 total units falling 6000 short from the number one spot. Sony sales will spike tremendously this holiday season due to the release of a 250GB PS3 bundle, Uncharted 2, and Final Fantsy XIII in Japan. From the looks of it, Sony may be making some serious head way to catch up with the Xbox 360.

DSi 66,073
PS3 51,055
PSP 21,073
Wii 16,698
DS Lite 13,555
Xbox 360 4,965
PS2 2,723

LW	TW	Title	Publisher	Platform	Weekly Sales
1	1	Pokemon Soul Silver	Pokemon Co.	DS	222,579
2	2	Pokemon Heart Gold	Pokemon Co.	DS	220,554
NEW	3	Tales of Vesperia	Namco Bandai	PS3	216,593
NEW	4	Jikkyou Pawapuro Pro Yakkyuu Portable 4	Konami	PSP	104,377
NEW	5	SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu Goddess of Destiny	Square Enix	DS	91,547
3	6	Tomodachi Collection	Nintendo	DS	72,629
NEW	7	Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tag Force 4	Konami	PSP	50,697
NEW	8	Ys VII	Nihon Falcom	PSP	33,349
4	9	Dragon Quest IX	Square Enix	DS	32,603
NEW	10	Idolm@ster: Dearly Stars	Namco Bandai	DS	30,786

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Sengoku BASARA Samurai Heroes for PS3 & Wii

Today at TGS Developer Capcom, announced two new games, one of which happens to be a PS3 exclusive, and the other a new IP for the Nintendo DS. The games announced were, Ghost Trick a supernatural Puzzle Mystery for the DS, and the second game announced was, Sengoku BASARA Samurai Heroes, also know as Devil Kings in the US. Devil Kings has always appeared on the Playstation platform, and this new installment would be the third in the franchise, and Capcom has made some much need adjustments to the series.

Capcom have also recruited Hiroyuki Kobayahi as Producer, from the Devil May Cry series. The story mode for both the Wii & PS3 version will remain the same, and for the first time Devil Kings will have online co-op play, which is exclusively on the PS3. Devil Kings 3 is set to release in North America and Europe in 2010.

Via:[Press Release]

Press Release:


Sengoku BASARA Samurai Heroes, Ghost Trick Coming to North America and Europe in 2010
TOKYO, JAPAN — September 24, 2009 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, announced today that two titles on display at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show will be coming to North America and Europe in 2010. New Capcom titles Sengoku BASARA™ Samurai Heroes and Ghost Trick (working title for North America and Europe), displayed to the Japanese gaming public for the first time in Tokyo, will be making the transition to western gamers next year.

Sengoku BASARA Samurai Heroes, the latest in Capcom’s popular samurai action series, makes it first appearance on both the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Wii™. Set during a tumultuous period of Japanese history, Sengoku BASARA Samurai Heroes allows players to take up the swords of more than a dozen fierce samurai warriors in huge battles against hundreds of opponents. Players will be able to unlock playable characters, as well as supporting generals who will make it easier to command and lead armies with the ultimate goal of re-writing history to rule all of 16th century Japan. The action is fast-paced and stylish, taking combat cues from producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi’s other big series, Devil May Cry®. The game’s main campaign will be the same on both gaming platforms, with the addition of online co-op for the PlayStation 3.

Ghost Trick combines mystery, logic puzzles and the supernatural into a new experience on Nintendo DS. Part adventure game, part puzzle game, Ghost Trick’s gameplay will challenge player’s brains while its distinctive art style and character designs courtesy of members of Capcom’s Ace Attorney® series, will please the eye. In Ghost Trick, players become Sissel, an amnesiac ghost who must use his ghostly powers to protect the lives of several people while attempting to uncover the secrets behind his own untimely demise. Sissel can “possess” items within the world, such as flicking a switch to shock an unwary assassin or floating a bike through the air to scare mortals and even rewind time by four minutes to prevent further deaths.

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Wii drops console price to $199

It's official, Nintendo has cut the price of the Wii to $199.00 On the heals of Sony's recent price cut and introduction of the PS3 Slim price cut to $299,00 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 Elite dropping to $299.00 with additional $50.00 off. Nintendo was obviously under press to follow suite with it's motion control cash cow.

Nintendo Wii, is falling into place as the entry level of choice for new gamers. With these recent price cuts, this will open the doors to many future Xbox 360 and PS3 owners.

Via:[USAToday.com]

Via:[press release]

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Square Enix's Wada Sees New Nintendo Console coming 2011

Nintendo looks like they will be upgrading the Nintendo Wii match the competition with HD graphics and more horse power. Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada expects Nintendo to release a new console by 2011.

Wada told the Financial times he feels Microsoft's Project Natal is "fantastic and could become standard," the exec feels new motion control devices from Sony and Nintendo are unlikely to have a major impact.

"Present game machines already have a lot of functions: they are a network terminal, a Blu-ray or DVD player, and a gaming machine," said Wada. "Compared to these three pillars, the [new motion] controllers are quite limited, so the impact may be small. They are an extension of the gaming function."

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Nintendo Wii Price Drop Coming Soon

During the month of August, the internet was increasingly dominated by leaked retail flyers showing console price drops. Or, at least it was until Sony unveiled the $299 PlayStation 3 Slim on August 18 and Microsoft announced the $299 Xbox 360 Elite on August 26, confirming the leaks.

With the PS3 and 360 Elite now just $50 more than the Wii and with Nintendo experiencing their first sale slump, analysts have been predicting that it isn't a question of if Nintendo will drop its console's price, but when it will. The answer to that question may have been solved today, when Kotaku reported it had obtained an advance copy of a Toys R Us flyer (pictured) which will be included in newspapers starting on Sunday, September 27. In the retailer's distinctive font, the flyer declares "Wii Price Cut! $199.99 (Was $249.99).

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The Love Affair is Over Wii see sales Decline 39%

Sales of the Nintendo Wii has slumped and analyst is predicting the trend to continue. With Sony and Microsoft enjoy the benefits of the newly implemented price cuts, Nintendo may be facing the pressure to cut the price of the Nintendo Wii very soon.

Wii sales were 227,400 during August, down 39 per cent year-on-year, and the downward spiral is set to continue next month, unless Nintendo offers fresh deals or lower prices to consumers.

"With the core PS3 and Xbox 360 models priced only USD 50 higher than the Wii, we expect year-over-year sales of Wii hardware to continue their annual declines until the company either changes its bundle or lowers price," said Pachter.

"Wii unit sales are 50 per cent below last year’s level over the last five months, and we think that September sales will repeat the pattern."

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Nintendo Wii Most Reliable Game Console

SquareTrade, the largest independent warranty provider in the world has declared the the Nintendo Wii is the most reliable console on the market. Squaretrade compared malfunction rates the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox360 and the Sony PS3 and found that the Wii is the least likely to turn into a mini Chernobyl. The Nintendo Wii had a failure rate just one-fourth of the Sony PS3 and one-ninth of the Xbox 360.

SquareTrade also provide great news for all Xbox 360 owners, the study found with the introduction of the "Jasper" chipset in late 2008 has helped solved the Infamous RROD problem which has plague Microsoft since the debut of the Xbox 360.

Now many may argue that people obviously play their Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 way more than people play their Wii. The Ps3 and 360 has a steady and still growing community of hardcore gamers so they tend to play a lot more. The Wii tends to lean and cater towards a more, casual, family-based demographic.

After accounting for usage, the Wii still ranked the least likely to fail, with a 0.31 percent failure rate per day of use. The Ps3 on the other hand failed 75 percent more frequently and the 360 lagged far behind with a 435 percent(not a typo) the failure rate of the Xbox 360.

Via:[advfn]

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Sega serving up the goods at TGS 2009

With GamesCom out of the way, there's still another games event on the calendar: the Tokyo Game Show. For this year's TGS, Sega will be showing off a pretty balanced lineup that includes handheld sequel Valkyria Chronicles 2, the PS3 and Xbox 360 RPG End of Eternity, and PS3 exclusive Yakuza 4. Here's the complete list:

* The House of the Dead Overkill (Wii)
* Bayonetta (PS3/X360)
* Chin Sports (Wii)
* Let's Make a Pro Soccer Club! 6 Pride of J (PSP)
* Phantasy Star Portable 2 (PSP)
* End of Eternity (PS3/X360)
* Puyo Puyo 7 (Wii, NDS, PSP)
* Valkyria Chronicles 2 (PSP)
* Yakuza 4 (PS3)

Note that according to Andriasang, Yakuza 4 isn't listed at the official site but is included in press materials Sega handed out hence its inclusion.

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Wii Internet Channel is Free as in free

Nintendo Makes Wii Internet Channel Free, and better yet Offers Refunds

Nintendo sent a message to Wii owners late last night announcing the Nintendo Wii Internet Channel would no longer cost 500 Wii Points to purchase and if you had spent money to add the channel to your library, you're being offered a refund that can be applied to any NES game in the Virtual Console marketplace.

You won't be able to purchase an NES game until the promotion begins in late October.

The news also comes with word that the Internet Channel has been updated with a newer version of Adobe Flash, allowing users to access more websites than before. Many are reporting Facebook loads properly now, in addition to improved accessibility for a number of video-based websites.

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