Satoru Iwata's keynote and the Game Developers Conference 2011

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has travelled to North America and will be making a keynote speech tomorrow at the 2011 Game Developers Conference. Nintendo have set up a new website specifically for the event where the presentation will be streamed live.

Iwata's speech is titled "Video Games Turn 25: A Historical Perspective and Vision for the Future." The topic will cover the history of Nintendo over the past 25 years including Mario's recent anniversary and of course the upcoming launch of the Nintendo 3DS.

For those willing to watch the keynote live, tune in at the times below...

Melbourne/Sydney/Hobart: Thursday 3rd March at 4:00am
Perth: Thursday 3rd March at 1:00am
Brisbane: Thursday 3rd March at 3:00am
Adelaide/Darwin: Thursday 3rd March at 3:30am

The Game Developers Conference is a massive event in the gaming community and is only rivalled by E3. Expect some exciting announcements to be made and stay tuned to Aussie-Nintendo where will have the event covered.

Source: http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/news/25464/

Nintendo 3DS launches in Japan, sells out 400,000 units

The Nintendo 3DS launched in Japan on Saturday, with the initial shipment of 400,000 units sold out by mid-morning and more stock promised before the close of the weekend.

The Nintendo 3DS portable gaming system hits North America on March 27, just about a month after yesterday’s February 26 launch in Japan. The new handheld promises glasses-free gaming on the go with a form factor that mirrors the company’s popular Nintendo DS. A reported 400,000 units shipped in Japan this weekend, and just about every one of them sold out in what can be described as a busy launch, though not overwhelmingly so.

Many stores saw line counts rise into the hundreds as shoppers gathered to pick up a mix of pre-order purchases and same-day sales, Andria Sang reports. The Yamada Denki Labi electronic retail chain offered only same-day sales; the store in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district had a line of 400 by 6am, a number that eventually grew to 900 by the time the retailer stopped issuing pre-order tickets. The scene was similar throughout Japan, with long lines and very little product left for the latecomers, though more shipments were expected to arrive before the close of the weekend.

The 3DS arrived in Japan with eight games available at launch, including Nintendogs + Cats, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, Combat of Giants Dinosaur 3D, Ridge Racer 3D, Samurai Warriors Chronicle, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Winning Eleven 3D and Puzzle Bobble 3D. Layton, Ridge Racer, Winning Eleven and Street Fighter were the most popular sellers among them according to Japanese gaming news outlet Famitsu (also via Andria Sang). North American territories will get 18 3DS games at launch, including every one of the Japan releases with the exception of Professor Layton.

Expect a similar scene here in the United States when the 3DS launches next month. The $250 handheld costs more than both the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 consoles, but the allure of glasses-free 3D gaming has helped keep excitement levels high. With Sony’s competing, and considerably more powerful, NGP coming closer to the end of the year, not to mention Nintendo’s well-established base of die-hard fans, it’s looking like the company isn’t going to have any problems hitting its target of 4 million units sold worldwide by the year’s end.

Source: digitaltrends

Nintendo 3-D Handheld Goes On Sale In Japan

Nintendo's latest game machine, offering glasses-free 3-D images, went on sale in Japan on Saturday ahead of a global rollout, and analysts say it promises to be the world's first 3-D mass-market product.

"I'm so excited," said 9-year-old Natsumi Miyasaka, clutching her brand new blue 3DS portable that her father bought for her.

Lines formed outside Tokyo electronics stores, although they weren't as long as some previous gadget launches, as Nintendo offered purchase reservations in advance.

The Nintendo 3DS, which costs 25,000 yen ($300) in Japan, goes on sale in Europe on March 25 for 250 euros, and arrives in the U.S. on March 27 for $250.

Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. is banking on the 3-D technology as sales momentum gradually fades for earlier hits such as the Wii home console and predecessor DS models.

Nintendo expects to sell 4 million of the 3DS machines through the end of March — 1.5 million in Japan and the rest overseas. The company is expected to have no problems meeting that target.

"It is the most comprehensive handheld gaming device from Nintendo to date, with high-quality graphics and online features," said Hiroshi Kamide, an analyst with J.P. Morgan in Tokyo. "I believe the 3DS will be the first mass-market 3-D device."

While 3-D technology for TVs has created a buzz, and 3-D camcorders are also gaining some attention, such products have not sold in big numbers so far, making for a tiny fraction of overall TV and camcorder sales. So selling 4 million 3DS machines in a month would be significant for a 3-D product.

The 3DS looks much like older DS machines, and has two panels. The top panel shows 3-D imagery, giving players an illusion of virtual reality, such as a puppy licking the screen from inside the machine. The bottom screen is a touch panel.

The device also comes with three cameras, and allows the user to take 3-D photos. It doesn't require the special glasses needed for 3-D theater movies or 3-D game consoles like rival Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3. They also don't require 3-D TV sets.

Sony is promising a new handheld code-named NGP later this year, but has yet to give pricing and the machine does not offer 3-D gaming.

On the downside are growing fears about the health effects of too much 3-D. Some people have gotten sick by watching 3-D movies or playing 3-D games.

Nintendo has issued a warning that the 3DS could harm the eyesight of children 6 or younger, recommending they play in 2-D. It also says users should stop playing if they become tired or start to feel ill.

Although more game software is expected to be ready by the Europe and U.S. launch dates, only eight games were ready for the Japan launch. But the machine comes with several built-in games and other features.

Such drawbacks didn't faze Toyohisa Ishihara, a 43-year-old engineer, who stood in line for two hours to get his 3DS.

"The images seem to pop out. There is a sense of a world spreading beyond," he said. "I can't wait to play it."

Compared to Westerners, Japanese are expected to use 3DS for networking, creating avatars, listening to music and other lifestyle enjoyment, rather than just for games — partly because of their long daily train commutes.

"The 3DS is moving in on the territory typically held by Apple products," said Ricardo Torres, editor-in-chief of GameSpot, an online gaming review site. "I expect Nintendo to sell 3DS as fast as they can get them into stores."

Source: npr.org

Preview: Hands-on with the Nintendo 3DS

By Brett Molina, USA TODAY

The battle in the handheld video game market is about to heat up.

Apple continues to make inroads with its line of devices and army of titles. Sony is preparing to launch the successor to the PlayStation Portable and a PlayStation phone later this year.

Then there's Nintendo, the current handheld champion thanks to the DS. The publisher will bring 3-D to the small screen with the launch of the 3DS on March 27.

Recently, Game Hunters spent some time with the 3DS and, so far, found it to deliver a fun and sometimes stunning experience.

The 3DS is very close in size to the DSi, which is impressive considering how much Nintendo has crammed into the 3DS. It's just over 5 inches wide and less than 3 inches thick when closed. It also weighs about 8 ounces.

Readers are likely aware of the two external cameras for 3-D images, the internal camera, circle pad controls, motion and gyroscope sensors, and the widescreen 3-D display with adjustable slider.

But the 3DS also sports some subtle yet interesting tweaks to the device's design. A flat panel sits underneath the touch screen where the home, start and select buttons reside. Since 3DS cartridges are slightly bigger than regular DS titles, the cartridge slot is larger too. The device also plays standard DS games for those users with a large DS collection. The 3DS adds a nifty extendable stylus, making it a bit easier to work with the touchscreen.

The 3DS home screen experiences a slight overhaul as well. Software choices are laid out a lot like apps on a smartphone, and users can tap certain icons to pull up the game or software they choose.

A scene from 'Face Raiders.'

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Nintendo

The Nintendo demo focused primarily on games, starting with Face Raiders, which is pre-loaded onto the device. Players start by snapping a picture of themselves. The face is then animated (similar to what JibJab does with e-cards) and slapped onto a propeller-powered contraption that floats around the screen. Players notch points by shooting down their flying faces.

The 3DS will also include augmented reality cards players view through the device's cameras for additional mini-games. The card features a block with a question mark, which users might recognize from the Super Mario Bros. franchise. After locating the card with the cameras and maintaining a certain distance, a box pops up initiating the game.

A scene from one of the augmented reality games for the Nintendo 3DS.

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Nintendo

The game was brief but fun to explore. A series of bullseyes pop up that players must shooter, culminating in a showdown with a dragon. Through the view of the 3DS, players will see the surface beneath the card move and bounce around. It's not clear how many of these cards are included, but the AR games are promising.

Of course, all this is happening in 3-D, so viewers will watch the dragon lunge toward the screen or the goofy flying faces in Face Raiders zip back and forth. The glasses-free 3-D works great, and the slider lets users tailor the 3-D experience to their liking.

I also viewed a movie trailer for the documentary Born to Be Wild in 3-D. It looked good, but it's still hard to tell whether the 3-D video experience delivers the same impact on a smaller screen.

Nintendo's demo included three launch titles: Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver and Capcom's Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, which Game Hunters will explore in separate previews starting Wednesday.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Steel Diver for 3DS
3DS LAUNCH TITLES: Nintendo confirms 18 games, prices

The success of the 3DS will likely hinge on how well Nintendo and other publishers or partners capture 3-D depth in games or video. If it's anything like this recent demo, then Nintendo could have an upper hand in the portable games battle.

Readers, looking forward to playing the 3DS? Also, feel free to ask any questions.