wii u

The Wii U's troubles attracting gamers won't be solved by a price cut, Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata argues.

Speaking to reporters in Tokyo yesterday, Iwata acknowledged that Wii U sales disappointed last year, but he didn't necessarily feel that dropping the price of the $299 basic set or the $349 deluxe set would do the company much good.

"We are already offering it at a good price," Iwata said, according to the Associated Press.

Nintendo yesterday announced its earnings for the nine-month period that ended December 31. Although it was able to turn a slight … Read more

Nintendo had a rough end to 2012, and the situation might become a bit more difficult in the coming months.

The company today announced its earnings (PDF) for the nine months ended December 31. During that period, Nintendo generated 543 billion yen (about $6 billion) in revenue, dropping 2.4 percent compared with the same period in 2011. Despite that decline, Nintendo was able to muster a small profit of 14.5 billion yen, up significantly from the 48.4 billion yen it lost a year earlier.

The Nintendo 3DS handheld game player was the highlight of the company's … Read more

To enhance the appeal of the Wii U, Nintendo plans to re-release several cherished classics, including the epic The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for GameCube, with snazzy high-definition graphics. Below, we present a set of images that show off the HD remastering of the game next to the original version that debuted in 2003.

Prepare yourself for lots of dynamic lighting and bloom when Wind Waker HD hits later this year. … Read more

In one of the company's regular Nintendo Direct Webcasts, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced several new games for the Wii U console, including remakes and new entries from the Zelda and Mario franchises. The Wii U is also adding a new version of its Virtual Console classic game shop, and a smartphone app for its Miiverse social network. Perhaps more importantly, spring and summer system software updates promise improved performance, especially for the Wii U's slow menus and software launching.

New Wii U games announced Since the October 2012 debut of the Wii U, the system's launch … Read more

Nintendo's current corporate structure separating consoles and handhelds will be replaced, according to a new report.

Japan-based news outlet Nikkei is reporting today that Nintendo plans to combine its handheld and console divisions by February 16. The combined team will have 280 employees, made up of 130 employees from the console side and 150 from handhelds.

According to IGN, Nikkei reported that the team members will be organized by their specialties, including circuits and design. Engadget reports that it contacted a Nintendo spokesperson, who apparently confirmed the news.

Nintendo has faced some trouble over the last couple of years … Read more

Is the Wii U having some trouble getting off the ground?

Research firm NPD Group yesterday announced U.S. game sales for December. And although the research firm won't reveal hardware unit sales on its own, Microsoft reported that for the 24th month in a row, it has held the No. 1 spot in the U.S. in console sales, with 1.4 million units sold. Nintendo, meanwhile, announced that its Wii U mustered 460,000 unit sales.

Historically, new consoles have generated massive demand, allowing them to beat out older competitors in unit sales. However, that's not … Read more

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said in an interview published today that the Wii U's sales aren't bad.

"At the end of the Christmas season, it wasn't as though stores in the U.S. had no Wii U left in stock, as it was when Wii was first sold in that popular boom," Iwata told Reuters in an interview published today. "But sales are not bad, and I feel it's selling steadily."

There does appear to be a slightly different scenario playing out with the Wii U. When the Nintendo Wii launched in … Read more