nintendo

The 404 1,156: Where your cell phone is sick (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Another reason not to buy books: Hackers installed credit card readers at 63 stores across the country, New York City included.

- Attention New Yorkers: It's officially time to freak out about Hurricane Sandy.

- SDSU study confirms that five-second rule is pretty much bull.

- A license plate frame that defeats red light camera flashes.… Read more

Nintendo chief: We'll sell the Wii U at a loss

Nintendo won't make a dime when it starts selling its Wii U next month. In fact, it may lose a few.

Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata said yesterday in an earnings call with investors that the Wii U "will be sold below cost." Iwata didn't say how much of a loss Nintendo is taking on the hardware, though the device's more powerful components and GamePad controller likely drove costs up.

The Wii U will launch on November 18. A basic set featuring the hardware and GamePad will cost customers $299.99. A deluxe set that adds … Read more

Nintendo posts another huge loss, but the blood loss is slowing

Nintendo reported (PDF) a 6.8 decline in revenue to 201 billion yen ($2.6 billion) in the six months ended September 30. It also lost 28 billion yen during the period, though that was actually better than the 70.3 billion yen it lost a year earlier.

Nintendo's troubles were caused mainly by the Wii, whose sales fell off a cliff. Last year, Nintendo sold 3.4 million Wiis during the six-month period; this year, sales plummeted to 1.3 million. Wii software sales slumped to 23.7 million units -- a steep decline from the 36 million … Read more

Nintendo touts Wii U's tablet-like controller in new U.K. ad

Nintendo last night unveiled its first Wii U television commercial for the U.K.

The commercial, which aired during the country's "Homeland" show, offers a lighthearted look at the console and how Nintendo aims to change gamers' experience with its new hardware.

The commercial first demonstrates how the GamePad controller -- which, as you can see in the image above, resembles nothing so much as a medium-sized tablet with joystick buttons -- can extend gameplay by letting users virtually throw items to the television screen and see more of a game's surroundings. Nintendo was also quick … Read more

The 404 1,151: Where we got these BlackBerrys, man (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- BlackBerry becomes a source of shame for users.

- Mental Floss asks: How did the Game Genie work?

- Schools across the country ban Flaming Hot Cheetos.

- Speaking of: 10 things you never knew about Flamin' Hots.

- Newsweek to shut down print edition and go all digital.

- Extra Life: Play games to raise money for local kids.

Bathroom break video: Gold-plated Canon copy machine.

Episode 1,151 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video

Xbox Music service has its limits

Monday's CNET Update wants to keep rockin' in the free world:

Today's tech news roundup looks into the limitations of Microsoft's new music-streaming service, Xbox Music. It debuts on the Xbox 360 on Tuesday, but aside from a 30-day trial period, it won't come free. The streaming service, which syncs music across devices, costs $10 a month to be used on the Xbox 360 and on Windows Phone 8. There will be a free ad-supported version for Windows 8 PCs and tablets, but playback time is limited to 10 hours a month after the first six … Read more

Gaming's abysmal September: Sales down 24 percent

The video game industry had a rough time in stores last month.

During September, total U.S. video-game industry sales, including physical game discs, consoles, and accessories, hit $848.3 million, down 24 percent compared with the $1.1 billion the industry generated during the same period last year, research firm NPD Group announced yesterday.

The hardware sector of the industry suffered through a similarly troubling period as sales slumped 39 percent year-over-year to end the month at $210.9 million. Software sales were down 18 percent from $609.7 million last year to $497.4 million this year. Accessories … Read more

Nintendo does Wii U teardown; talks HD, multicore chip

Nintendo Chief Executive Satoru Iwata recently sat down with a handful of engineers to discuss what went into his company's Wii U. And before long, the discussion turned into a teardown.

Dubbed "Wii U: The Console," the discussion centers on the technologies that make the Wii U tick. And chief among those technologies might just be the device's multicore CPU. According to Nintendo, this is the first time it has used a multicore CPU, though the company stopped short of saying how many cores are actually in use.

The Wii U is based on a multichip … Read more

Mario coin converter gives answers for ailing economy

We've finally found a solution to our global economic woes, and it turns out it's been hidden in that old plastic gray box that turns up at yard sales every summer. That's right -- the old-school 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System, and more specifically the megahit game Super Mario Bros. 3, which is filled with huge gold coins.

Lighthearted real estate site Movoto came up with a way to calculate the estimated value of one of those not-quite-fully-round medallions through a little fuzzy math, and the results are enough to make an 8-bit Ben Bernanke sit up and salute.… Read more