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Nintendo

Nintendo Switch officially now the fastest-selling video game console ever

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Well, if there were still any more doubters out there unsure about the Nintendo Switch’s amazing first year, there won’t be now, as The Big N has just revealed that its latest video game console is now the fastest selling in US history.

Those world record figures? 4.8 million consoles sold in the United States since the Nintendo Switch’s launch on March 3, 2017, and a whopping 10 million sold worldwide. Speaking on the milestone, which saw Nintendo topple its own previous record in the US with sales of the Wii, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s President and COO said that:

“Fans across the country have experienced the joy of playing their favorite games at home or on the go. Now that many more people have received Nintendo Switch systems for the holidays, we look forward to bringing them fun new surprises in 2018 and beyond.”

The massive sales have no-doubt been fuelled by the super first year in terms of games released on the console, with both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey receiving huge critical acclaim.

Indeed, more than 300 games created by third-party developers have already launched for the system, including Doom and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, as well as Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers and Just Dance 2018.

Nintendo cashes in on nostalgia with SNES mini

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After the success of the NES mini, Nintendo is giving the same treatment to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System or SNES as it more popularly called. The original console was launched back in 1990 competing with the Sega Genesis.

A blast from the past but with modern sensibilities, the console is a miniature version of the original coming pre-loaded with 21 games and 2 controllers. Sadly, the cartridge slot is not real so you won’t be able to use any old cartridges lying around.

The list of games includes Contra III, Donkey Kong, EarthBound, Final Fantasy III, F-Zero, Kirby’s Dream Course, Kirby Super Star, Mega Man X, Secret of Mana, Starfox, Starfox 2, Street Fighter II, Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls n Ghosts, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Super Punch-Out, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Yoshi’s Island. Out of the list of popular titles, the biggest surprise is StarFox 2 which was canned in favour of the Nintendo 64 follow up.

As Nintendo has perpetually snubbed the Indian market, expect to tap your foreign sources or the grey market for the $80 console.

Nintendo Switch finally gets a launch date and price

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Nintendo Switch, the new console from the company will be launching in Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, US and major European countries on March 6. It follows the short lived Wii U console that failed to garner third party support and suffered from under-powered hardware. The system was first announced in October 2016.

The Switch takes a completely different approach by being Hybrid Hardware consisting of the console, dock and controllers. The main unit comprises of a 6.2″ LCD screen, audio jack, kickstand and slots on both sides into which the controllers can be attached. A slot is present for reading game cards. It can be detached and played separately thanks to the HD screen. The portable battery life will range from 2.5 to 6.5 hours depending upon the game. Charging will be done using USB Type-C port instead of a proprietary port.

The console will also be region free so software from all corners of the globe will run without any problems. Another major departure is that Nintendo will be charging for its online services like PlayStation and Xbox but for the time being the service will be free until Fall 2017.

Currently announced games for the console are Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Shin Megami Tensei 4, No More Heroes 3, Splatoon 2, Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Animal Moon with more getting announced soon. The list includes a lot of diversity and even ports of games that were unexpected.

Unfortunately since Nintendo refuses to have Indian presence, the only way to buy the console would be from third party re-sellers or the grey market at inflated prices no doubt.

Super Mario Run coming to Android

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With the iOS launch out of the way, Nintendo is getting ready to launch the Android version soon. The US division of the company announced on twitter about starting pre-registrations for SMR on Android with users getting notified when the game is available for download.

The iOS version came out on December 15 and since then has already gotten more than 40 million downloads with 2.8 million done on the first day. The runner game requires users to touch the screen to adjust the height of their jump while navigating obstacles and enemies. There are a total of 6 worlds and 24 levels in the game. Users are free to play the first 3 levels after which a payment of Rs.620 will unlock the rest. The game requires a constant internet connection to download data after every level.

To register, go to the Google Play Store page for Super Mario Run. The game is expected to be released something early next year.

Nintendo’s next gen console: a handheld hybrid?

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Nintendo has apparently started shipping software kits to developers to create games for Nintendo’s NX platform, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The current consensus is that Nintendo will release the NX in 2016 according to analyst David Gibson in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “We are increasingly of the idea that Nintendo might launch the NX in 2016 because of the softness of 3DS and Wii U.”

With Nintendo’s last console venture the ‘Wii U’ being a bit of a flop, their new console will apparently host the same graphic chips as seen on the likes of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. A portable console with the graphic capabilities of the current leading consoles could just put Nintendo back in the game.

Nintendo says it will reveal more details about its next-gen console but we’ll have to wait until next year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles to find out what Nintendo aims to bring to the gaming console market.

Whilst Nintendo has been massively out performed this year by the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Nintendo’s DS platform still performs extremely well topping 53 million units to date with the 3DS model.