Right before April Fool’s day, Hyperkin, the famed accessory firm that created the Game Genie, unveiled a new peripheral that transforms smartphones into fully-functioning Game Boy handhelds.

Labeled the Smart Boy, the peripheral was previously dismissed as an April Fool’s Joke. But Hyperkin reveals that the company used the annual holiday as a disguise for a marketing ploy, and it was just testing the waters to gauge interest.

It looks like Hyperkin is satisfied with the Smart Boy’s reception because the device is currently in development.

“As this is only a conceptual design, features may be removed or added in its current development stage,” the company said on its Facebook page.

Only iPhone 6’s will be compatible will the device so far, but there are plans to include other smartphones in the future.

The Smart Boy will only be compatible for iPhone 6’s at the start, but it’ll support other mobiles in the future.

Essentially the Smart Boy is a hollowed out dock stylized like a Game Boy with two different slots. The front slot secures the smartphone in place, which acts as the handheld’s screen. In the back you’ll be able to slide in cartridges just like the original model.

Game cartridges will slide in the back of the dock, making a sort of strange hybrid controller fashioned after Nintendo’s namesake handheld.

Hyperkin promises that all official Game Boy and Game Boy Color game cartridges will be compatible with the device.

The Smart Boy looks, feels and functions just like Nintendo’s popular early 90’s handheld, featuring an 8-way D-Pad along with the A and B buttons. Plus it also features its own 5-hour battery that “can be charged through the phone itself”.

Hyperkin might have a hard time getting licensing rights from Nintendo regarding Game Boy tech and games playback.

While Hyperkin might be on board for this idea, Nintendo most assuredly is not.

The beleaguered Japanese gaming giant is infamous for their restrictive reign on their official products, and we might see Nintendo try to shut down the Smart Boy.

On the other hand Nintendo could learn something from the device. Since the company has confirmed it’ll be making smartphone games after all, a mobile-compatible peripheral like the Smart Boy could help make mobile gaming more accessible.

Touchpad screens are great for navigating websites and using apps, but they’re bad for trying to play platformers like Super Mario Bros. that take quick reflexes and coordination.

The post The Smart Boy Transforms an iPhone 6 Into a Game Boy appeared first on VR World.

April 1st’s new Nintendo Direct is pretty hefty, and Nintendo has made some pretty sizable announcements throughout the showcase.

Join us as we take a look at the most exciting reveals and highlights from the coverage, including Nintendo 64 and DS games coming to Wii U’s Virtual Console (finally!) along with new Amiibo waves, a standalone NFC scanner for 3DS and 2DS handhelds, a brand new Animal Crossing and footage from the Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem crossover.

Other goodies include a confirmed Mario Maker release date, a poll for future Super Smash Bros. characters, a Splatoon Amiibo three-pack, new portable “Amiibo cards”, an amazing new trailer for the 3DS Fire Emblem game, and more.

Without further adieu, let’s jump right in starting with the Wii U Virtual Console news.

The Wii U’s Virtual Console presence is getting a much needed expansion with N64 and Nintendo DS games.

Wii U Virtual Console News

One of the biggest announcements during the showcase was that Nintnedo 64 and DS games are officially coming to the Wii U Virtual Console.

This represents a huge opportunity for the company to expand its beleaguered cross-platform digital service, which is actually quite underwhelming in its current state.

The Wii U will have a variety of different layout options for both N64 and DS games.

But how will Nintendo 64 and DS emulation work with the Wii U Gamepad?

Nintendo will provide a host of dual-screen options for both platforms, so the same screen is mirrored across both the TV and Gamepad. But some games will be different and use your TV as the main screen, allowing the Gamepad or Pro controller to be used as the controller.

Other games will use “both screens as one connected screen”, meaning the Gamepad will be an accessory screen rather than simply mirrored.  As for Nintendo DS emulation, users can flip the Wii U Gamepad vertically to simulate the handheld’s dual-screen layout.

Custom button mapping is supported across N64 Virtual Console games.

Also Nintendo 64 games on the Virtual Console will let you map your own buttons for customized control schemes, which is a great option considering how different the Gamepad is from the original N64 controller.

The first Virtual Console games will be Super Mario 64 and Yoshi’s Island DS both priced at $10 and are available now on the Wii U’s Virtual Console shop.

Nintendo 64 games will be priced at $10-12 whereas Nintendo DS games will cost $7-10. But if you already own the games on the Wii’s Virtual Console and transfer them over to your Wii U, each game will be reduced to $2.

Other Wii U VC games include:

• Yoshi Touch & Go (DS) - April 9 – $9.99

• WarioWare Touched! (DS)- April 9 – $9.9

• Donkey Kong 64 (N64) - April 16 – $9.99

• Mario Kart DS (DS) - April 23 – $9.99

• Paper Mario (DS) - April 30 – $9.99

The post Nintendo Direct Wii U And 3DS Announcement Wrap-Up appeared first on VR World.

Remember when the internet exploded with reports of a live-action Netflix series based in Hyrule? Not only did it look like we’d see the iconic fairy tale world come to life before our eyes, but it looked like the show would have distinct Game of Thrones elements to boot.

Imagine a Legend of Zelda TV show with real-world actors reenacting some of the most storied events in gaming history. The IP is prime source material to tap, providing a rich vein of interweaving lore, iconic characters, and unique locales for any expanded medium.

Ahhh…it seemed to good to be true. And why? Because it actually is to good to be true.

In a recent interview with TIME, Nintendo (TYO: 7974) president Satoru Iwata pretty much put an end to these reports.

“As of now, I have nothing new to share with you in regard to the use of our IPs for any TV shows or films, but I can at least confirm that the article in question is not based on correct information,” the Japanese executive told the publication.

Ouch. Why would Nintendo be against expanding the Legend of Zelda IP into new territories? There was a brief cartoon that ran for a single season back in 1989, but since then, there has been nothing at all outside of games.

We’ll just leave this here just in case you still think the Zelda cartoon was all bad.

It looks like Nintendo wants to channel all of the Hyrulian hype into the games themselves, and not risk any sort of expansion to other mediums like film and television.

If you can only get Link’s adventures in game form, it provides a steady stream of guaranteed revenue–which is something Nintendo could use.

Plus there’s the worry of over saturating the market. Most of us wouldn’t believe it to be true, but there probably is such a thing as too much Zelda, and Nintendo knows that the franchise still burns bright even after all these years.

Although we won’t seen Link in a TV show any time soon, he’ll star in the new Zelda Wii U exclusive coming later this year.

Hopefully we’ll see Iwata and his overseas gaming giant come around, but that might not happen until Nintendo gets back on its feet. Even then it would be rare to see them break the near 20-year absence of Zelda content outside of games…but you never know.

I mean who thought we’d ever seen Nintendo embrace mobile gaming, or move outside of its own consolidated hardware? Times are a changin’, and that might mean we’ll see Link on the big screen or streamed across the net.

But Iwata affirms that won’t happen any time soon. Considering there’s a brand new Zelda Wii U game coming this year, I think that’s okay.

The post Zelda Netflix Show Not Happening, Says Nintendo appeared first on VR World.

Details are less than scarce about the Nintendo NX,  the Japanese gaming giant’s new venture into gaming hardware, but that isn’t stopping EB Games Australia from opening up pre-orders anyway.

Although Nintendo hasn’t actually even revealed what the NX really is, the overseas retailer will let you pre-order the Nintendo NX at select in-store locations.

We’re guessing that EB Games isn’t actually taking any money but is sort of testing the waters and letting customers sign up on a pre-pre-order list of sorts. A pre-list for pre-orders. I hope this trend of cashing in on hype this early in the game doesn’t catch on.

If they are actually taking any money, it’s probably a lower sum deposit rather than being able to pay off the whole thing right away. Also a price point might deliver some info on what to expect with the system, but at this point Nintendo might not even know what the new finalized hardware will look like.

Little and less is known about Nintendo’s (TYO:7974) new next-gen hardware solution, and the company’s sneaky announcement yesterday ignited a firestorm of hype and speculation across the gaming sphere.

The big question is “what is the NX”? Is it a smartphone, a handheld, or even a new console with motion-controls like the Wii or maybe a GamePad accessory like the Wii U?

What we do know is that the NX is a gaming platform “with a brand new concept”, a concept that’s actually pretty revolutionary and actually very un-Nintendo-y.

NX will interact with Nintendo’s newly revised online service-possibly akin to a subscription-based service like Xbox LIVE or the PlayStation Network, possibly related to the new Nintendo Club–that actually unites Nintendo hardware with PCs and Android and iOS smartphones and mobile devices.

According to company president Satoru Iwata, Nintendo and DeNA will “jointly develop and operate a new membership sevice that encompasses smart devices and dedicated video game systems”.

For the first time ever Nintendo is embracing hardware outside its line of first-party gaming systems; but that’s not it, they’re also making games specifically for mobile platforms. Mario on mobile is coming after all.

Nintendo has tapped renown Japanese mobile games company DeNA to bring its iconic line of IP’s to iOS and Android devices.

DeNA is infamous for its popular games laden with microtransactions, and based on the widely-gouged Pokemon Shuffle, we might see “Mario on mobile” accompanied with steep free-to-play style monetization structures.

Also it looks like you won’t be able to play your beloved NES classics on smartphones, at least with DeNA at the helm: company president Satoru Iwata said that “only new original games optimized for smart device functionality will be created”.

But maybe we’ll still get a Virtual Console-like experience with the membership service?

Oh and what about amiibos?

Certainly the NX will do something fancy with those, too, considering Nintendo has moved 3.5 million amiibos so far, right? Let’s also ask ourselves if the NX will have some sort of exclusive interactivity with first-party hardware like the New 3DS or the Wii U.

In any case, it’s still too early to tell what Nintendo has up their sleeve. Yesterday’s press conference was just a confirmation that the beleaguered Japanese gaming giant is embracing the future, and it’s definitely made plans for the long haul.

Regardless of what the NX is or how much it costs, there are undoubtedly millions of gamers who will eagerly shell out their cash to pick it up.

But we should probably wait until we actually see the system in action before we buy it, right?

Via Destructoid

The post You Can Already Pre-Order The Nintendo NX appeared first on VR World.

The next gaming platform from Nintendo (TYO: 7974) will be called “NX”, company executives revealed at a press conference on Tuesday.

Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata was light on details, but he said the platform would be an entirely “brand-new concept” that is likely to incorporate multiple platforms as Nintendo recently announced it would be bringing its IP to smartphone and tablet based gaming platforms. Nintendo also announced a partnership with Japanese mobile studio DeNA to bring these games to mobile platforms.

Watch Nintendo’s press conference here:

“As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename ‘NX’,” Satoru Iwata said on stage.  “It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project, but we hope to share more information with you next year.”

As details of Nintendo’s new hardware platform are non existent at the moment, it’s impossible to speculate with any certainty at what the company might or might not do. While Nintendo’s Wii console was a smash hit, the follow-up, the Wii U, was something of a dud. There have been some solid titles for the platform, but it did not capture the market in the same way the Wii did. In many ways its possible to draw parallels from the Wii U to the Gamecube; the Gamecube came after the smash hit of the N64 but lived in the shadow of the Playstation 2 and Xbox.

On stage Nintendo’s Iwata said that more details on the console would be available next year. A release date is currently unknown.

The post Nintendo Announces New Platform Called ‘NX’ appeared first on VR World.

In a very special Xenoblade-themed Nintendo Direct, the Japanese gaming giant showcased a half-hour of straight gameplay footage for the upcoming Wii U exclusive JPRG Xenoblade Chronicles X.

The footage gives a delightful overview the RPG’s expansive battle system, which is a real-time action-based active system very much akin to the combat mechanics found in the original Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii.

Fighting sequences are pretty immersive, painting a distinct picture of being able to drop in and out of combat within the game’s wide-scaled environments. The UI is sleek and MMO-like, featuring a hotbar with various abilities balanced out by active cooldowns, as well as a dynamic party-based system for strategic and tactical battles.

Combat will be fluid and different characters will have “Arts” (as Gamingbolt notes these are very similar to Monado Arts featured in the first game) which are color-coded skillsets determined by various battle stances and techniques. There are four different kinds of arts: fighting, shooting, support and weakening.

Combos are an important part of combat, and you’ll be able to thread together attacks between various party members for spectacular high-damage finishing moves.

Plus every character has a sort of Limit Break-like Super Saiyan-esque boosted-damage status called an “Overclock”, which can raise damage output and unlock various other abilities.

Apart from combat sequences, the new 30 minute video gives us a decent glimpse at Xenoblade Chronicles X‘s class change system, and gamers can expect to see a multitude of different jobs and classes each with their own set of unique roles and abilities.

Nintendo still hasn’t revealed a release date for North America and Europe, and hopefully we’ll hear something on that account soon. I don’t know about you but I’m incredibly hyped for this game, and it looks to be a strong contender for 2015’s best RPG of the year.

Since were betting some of you don’t speak Japanese, Cheesemeister3k translated some of the more important facts from the video:

• Last time, we introduced Planet Mira. This time, we’ll explain the battle system. Tatsu can’t battle, so has to stay at home.

• You’d be in trouble without Tatsu. Need info? Ask him. You won’t get any info without him. He’ll keep things going smoothly.

• Now introducing beasts near NLA (New Los Angeles). Switch between sword and gun for simple attacks, activated by auto attack.

• More advanced techniques are called arts. They’re categorized into fighting, shooting, support, and weakening arts.

• Be careful when using arts: you have to wait a certain amount of time before you’re allowed to recast the same art.

• It’s important to balance usage of auto attack and arts. Soul Voice lets you communicate with your party to use specified arts.
• Soul Voice settings let you plan out strategies in advance of battle. The characters will use the ones you select
  Combos increase damage. Learn arts to generate combos. Doing a combo will let you deal 1.5x damage. Hit from behind.

• Shooting from above or below will increase your accuracy. You can target parts of an enemy to break defenses piece by piece.

• Double recast, waiting for the recast meter to refill a second time after becoming available again, will boost arts strength.

• You can bring your fallen party members back by resuscitating them. You can use auto attack while waiting for double recast.

• Overclock Gear reduces recast waiting times. Using the same arts consecutively ups damage. Triple recast is stronger still.

• Enemy Icons display their level, other info. An eye indicates visual search. A bolt means seismic sensitivity (tread lightly).

• Enemies with a circle around the eye icon hunt in packs, and will call others when they see you.

• Equipment. Weapons come in melee and shooting varieties. Armor: helmets, body armor, left arm, right arm, and leg armor.

• As you use weapons and armor, the supplying company will develop new equipment products for you.

• Equipment slots allow you to customize your weapons and armor with stat-modifying items.

• Leveling up. Gain experience not just from battle, but by finding treasure, etc. Unlocked the arts in your class to open more.

• Choose which class and set of arts to unlock and change to.

• You can form teams of 4 characters. Here’s Ilina. Guin has youthful strength. Doug uses heavy equipment, and is kind.

• This is Lao. Many characters will surprise you with what they bring to battles.

• How are you supposed to fight this big robot? Use your battle skills to win. There’s another weapon at your disposal: dolls.

• Next presentation will be about Dolls

The post Xenoblade Chronicles X Gets New 30 Minute Combat Trailer appeared first on VR World.

UPDATE: Walmart is already sold out of the golden Mario amiibo online courtesy of your friendly neighborhood scalpers.

The figure sold out in less than 15 minutes, and there are already eBay listings ranging up to $100 for the exclusive amiibo. Apparently Walmart stealthily opened pre-orders for the figures shortly after the news broke, meaning just about no one is going to be able to get their hands on yet another amiibo.

This really can’t be the way Nintendo intended for this to work, and the cycle of collectible madness continues while people continue to take full advantage of the .

Original story as follows.

If you thought the days of hitting F5 obsessively and making daily phone calls to your local amiibo shops were over, Nintendo has other plans. The amiibo craze is just getting started, and Nintendo has just revealed yet another retailer exclusive to make your collection even more jealousy-inducing.

Nintendo of America has announced a special Gold Edition Super Mario amiibo figure that’s exclusive to Wal-Mart.

The golden Mario amiibo figure will launch alongside the release of Mario Party 10 on March 20, 2015 for a price of $12.96, but we can all expect its market value to skyrocket once the pre-orders instantly sell out. We’ll also see a second wave of Super Mario amiibos launch on the same day.

The Super Mario Gold Edition will be the third Mario amiibo to date, and is planned to be compatible with the same games as the original figures–Mario Party 10, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros., etc.

If that wasn’t enough amiibo news, Nintendo has announced that a limited edition “new wave” Mario will be bundled with select copies of Mario Party 10. As if amiibos weren’t limited enough.

Demand for retailer-exclusive amiibos has skyrocketed, and pretty much anywhere you go you won’t be able to find any Meta Knights, Shulks, Rosalina and Lumas, Lucarios or the ultra-coveted Villager. Super high demand has led to exhorbitant eBay auction prices, adding more pressure to the collectibles craze.

Be sure to hop on over to the Amiibo sub-Reddit to be notified as soon as pre-orders go live. These things have a way of selling out within minutes, and Nintendo won’t be getting any more stock in any time soon.

Oh, and what about silver Mario? Hmmmmmm.

Below we have a copy of the full press release from Nintendo:

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Mario has always been golden in the minds of his fans. On March 20, Nintendo will launch the Super Mario amiibo—Gold Edition, a shiny gold-colored Mario figure that arrives on the same day as the Mario Party 10 game for the Wii U console. The Super Mario amiibo—Gold Edition will be sold exclusively at 3,000 Walmart stores in the U.S. at launch at a retail price of $12.96.

Nintendo’s amiibo are interactive toys that come to life in compatible games in different ways. This new golden figure represents the third Mario amiibo. The other two Mario amiibo are:
• The original ‘fireball’ Mario from the Super Smash Bros. series.
• A new ‘wave’ Mario from the Super Mario series available on March 20, for a limited time bundled only with Mario Party 10.

The new gold-colored Mario amiibo is compatible with multiple games that support amiibo. For example, Mario Party 10 features a new amiibo Party mode that players can only access by tapping their compatible amiibo figures on the Wii U GamePad controller to customize them and bring them into the game as board pieces. Players can also save items to their amiibo, then use them strategically.

Or players can train their amiibo to supercharge its stats and expand its abilities in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U or Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. The full list of compatible games and amiibo can be found at http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/compatibility.

Source: Nintendo PR
Via: NeoGAF 1, 2

The post Golden Mario Amiibo Confirmed, Will Be Walmart Exclusive (Sold Out) appeared first on VR World.

Monolith Soft has released a hefty amount of new Xenoblade Chronicles X info on the game’s official Japanese website, revealing a bunch of new pictures of New Los Angeles, the planet Mira, characters, quest arcs…and much more.

As Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the most anticipated games of the year, any little scrap of info is enough to send nerds like myself into a hype-fueled flurry of excitement.

But once again Japan has one-upped the Western world’s style of teasers by unleashing a volley of new tantalizing images and info on the game, painting a clearer picture of Monolith Soft’s new magnum opus.

First off let’s take a look at character creation options.

Character Creation & Customization

Monolith Soft affirms that players will have the chance to create their own specific “Avatars” by customizing various staple features like eye color, skin color, height, hair color/style and more.

Players will also be able to customize their Avatar’s voice, and the website has a nice little preview of audio voice samples across both male and female heroes.

The character page has also been updated with in-depth dossiers on Xenoblade Chronicles X‘s in-game cast, which we have listed below.

Note that the descriptions are based on loose Japanese-to-English translations, and this probably isn’t the full list of characters.

• Elma – BLADE leader, known for her calm and insightful judgement while in and out of battle.

• Lynlee – As a genius engineer, Lynlee serves as an invaluable mechanic for the BLADE outfit.

• Tatsu – Appears to be a quirky alien indigenous to the planet Mira, very cheerful and has an innocent demeanor.

• Van Damme – BLADE commander who served as a chief engineer for the interstellar immigrant ship Moby Dick and leads the expedition forces on the planet Mira.

• Irina – Dedicated blade operative, known for her skills in the previous Doll Corps outfit.

• Guin – Young devout fighter who served in the Doll Corps alongside Elma and Irina.

• Nagi – Served as the captain of the crash-landed Moby Dick interstellar ship, currently serves as a high-ranking military executive on New Los Angeles.

• Maurice – Appears to be the president or administrative politician on New Los Angeles, acting as a chief member of the bureaucracy for the new frontier.

• Player Character (Avatar)

Planet Mira

Now let’s take a look at the game’s major fantasy world, Planet Mira. The planet is separated into five distinct major continental zones: the Forgotten Canyon, White Tree Continent, the Luminous Forest, the Black Steel Continent, and finally the Primal Wilderness.

In an effort to colonize offworld zones, Earth sent off the interstellar transport ship called the Moby Dick to look for prime life-sustaining planets.

The Moby Dick soon crash landed upon one such planet, Mira, and after two months, formed New Los Angeles (NLA) which served as the bastion of humanity in the foreign world.

Throughout their journey, players will explore Mira’s five regions in full open-world style, coming across a number of fantastic and sci-fi creatures along the way.

According to the brief introduction, players will be able to “seamlessly” traverse the world of Mira, hopping from continent to continent as they progress through the storyline.

The areas themselves are so incredibly bizarre and truly bring a sense of pure sci-fi mastery, melding wonder, splendor and curiosity together to breathe life into yet another world that’s rife with amazing style.

The sheer scope and “otherworldliness” of the planet says volumes about the game itself, and remains one of my most anticipated desires: I can’t wait to roam and carouse the regions, basking in their titanic strangeness and take in their weird alien vistas complimented with towering tentacled monstrosities and other alien flora and fauna.

New Los Angeles – The Hub of Humanity

New Los Angeles (NLA) is a city-state that acts as the major hub for human life on Mira, and is the headquarters for the BLADE military operation that protects the colony from on-world dangers.

NLW is actually the residential area from the first Moby Dick ship transplanted into the world itself, making it quite symbolic, and the city spearheads all efforts to cultivate the alien planet to make it a “second Earth”.

The techno-industrial futuristic city is sectioned off into four different areas: the BLADE area, industrial area, commercial area and residential area.

But NLA isn’t just about high-tech machines, ships and military outfits: it has a stylish side with tropical palm trees and sun-lit squares that emulate the upscale city on Earth, making it quite appealing. NLA also features beautiful gardens and parks that are perfect for evening strolls, designed to make colonists feel right at home.

Players will be able to visit these areas at their leisure, and possibly do some shopping here and there on their days off.

BLADE and the Eight Factions

BLADE is the primary military faction in Xenoblade Chronicles X that’s charged with protecting the citizens of New Los Angeles and spearheading the frontier efforts for the planet.

BLADE operatives are thrust into the most dangerous and hazardous missions in order to secure zones as well as explore and scout out various regions of Mira’s five continents. Military officials are charged with taking on hostile alien forces in direct combat encounters, while collecting information and key supplies along the way.

Members of the elite military task force also have to search Mira for “life points”, a sort of ethereal life force/essence, which might be the key in resurrecting or sustaining part of New Los Angeles’ populace that remains “asleep”.

The translations are a bit iffy, but it looks like a portion of the Moby Dick’s immigrants have been placed in a type of suspended slumber (possibly a sort of death state) and can only be brought back with “life points”.

BLADE has eight distinct Unions (or departments, sort of like guilds) that players can affiliate themselves with throughout the game.

Every Union has its own unique line of quests and missions, and completing them earns players a “Union point” which can be spent in ranking up their standing in the particular faction.

One of the main benefits of choosing a Union is that you get “Union support”, which could possibly be various upgrades like weapons and armor, or perhaps a specific skill increase.

Additionally you’ll be able to change your Union affiliation within the game, and you’re free to choose any Union you like.

Quests

Xenoblade Chronicles X will feature a number of different quest arcs similar to any open-world RPG, including main story quests and side quests.

The Japanese site also mentions something called “Kizuna Quests”, which the translations roughly say are “made in the wake of new encounter”. These could be found peppered across Mira, outside of the fortress-city of New Los Angeles.

Additionally the site shows off the in-game mini-map which looks pretty amazingly dynamic. And if you ever get lost in the game, you can call upon a magical “navigation ball” that points you in the right direction, leading you to items and quest locations.

Last but not least, we have a new batch of Xenoblade Chronicles X artwork for you to feast your eyes on. Check below for some glorious sci-fi paintings!

And if you can’t get enough Xenoblade, check out 25 minutes of in-game footage that showcases off Monolith Soft’s RPG mastery in action. Even if you’ve already seen it, it’s good for another view (or another twenty).

The post Xenoblade Chronicles X World Areas, Customizations And More Revealed appeared first on VR World.

New footage showcases the graphical and performance upgrades in Nintendo’s (NTDOY) recently announced New 3DS handheld, revealing some eye-opening results.

A new video has matched a side-by-side comparison of the New 3DS exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles 3D against the original Wii release, giving an excellent perspective of what gamers can expect with the port as well as the New 3DS’ overall performance.

Although the video is less than two minutes long it delivers some substantial results, and you might be taken away at how good the New 3DS looks when compared to the seventh-generation console.

It’s not better, but it’s close, and that says something about the new system.

And since Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is the first known New 3DS exclusive, it might set the precedent for future releases.

Only the New 3DS XL model is making its way to North America; the smaller variant is exclusive to overseas markets.

Thanks to its upgraded hardware specs like a faster CPU and beefier RAM, the New 3DS can achieve much more than the current 3DS models including rendering higher quality textures and shadows, improving load times, face-tracking as well as improved 3D functionality.

It’s also worth mentioning that only New 3DS exclusives will be able to tap into the new handheld’s performance upgrades–regular 3DS titles will work as they did on their native system and won’t reap the benefits of the new hardware.

Below we have a quick spec comparison of the New 3DS against the Wii for perspective:

New 3DS specs

• ARM11 MPCore 4x @ 268MHz (one reserved for OS)
• 4x VFPv2 Co-Processor (vector processors, like SPEs in PS3)
• 256MB FCRAM
• 10MB VRAM
• Screen resolution (Top) 800 x 240 / (Bottom) 320 x 240

Nintendo  Wii specs

• CPU speed – 729 MHz
• CPU cores – 1
• GPU speed – 243 MHz
• System RAM – 88 MB
• Resolution – 480p

Nintendo’s New 3DS releases this Friday, Feb. 13, 2015 for a $199 price point, and is limited to the XL model in North America.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, on the other hand, is slated to launch on April 10, 2015 exclusively for the New 3DS.

The post Xenoblade Chronicles 3D: New 3DS vs Wii Comparison appeared first on VR World.

Being a gamer in the West pretty much means we miss out on a lot.

Whether it’s overseas exclusives like Dragon’s Dogma Online, first crack at multi-region games, or incredibly detailed cover art, Japanese gamers often have it made.

And the new Xenoblade cover art just rubs it in even more.

A new listing on Amazon Japan shows the overseas box art for Xenoblade Chronicles X in all of its supra-sci-fi Gundam-y glory.

As far as epic covers go, this is yet another staple to add in Japan’s already ample library of amazing video game box art.

Could we see this titanic masterpiece make its way West this year? Or is this cover destined to be yet another expensive collector’s item?

Only time will tell, but Japan will get their hands on Monolith Soft’s sci-fantasy epic in April whereas the rest of the gaming world will have to wait for an official 2015 release date.

Also just in case you missed it, check out our glimpse at 25 minutes of Xenoblade Chronicles X gameplay footage below. It showcases battles, New Los Angeles, and much more.

And don’t forget to drop by our Xenoblade Chronicles X coverage for more info on the Wii U exclusive, including install size, peripheral support, and even the Japanese exclusive Wii U bundle.

The post Xenoblade Chronicles X Japanese Box Art Revealed appeared first on VR World.

Nintendo has released a new 25-minute block of glorious Xenoblade Chronicles X footage that is sure to tantalize and raise your hype factor for the Wii U exclusive a thousandfold.

As revealed by the developers at Monolith Soft, Xenoblade Chronicles X isn’t a direct sequel to its Wii predecessor, but rather a “spiritual successor” to Xenoblade Chronicles, and that the two games are unrelated in a direct way.

New info has also come to light regarding the game’s online component, which Monolith Software’s Tetsuya Takahashi describes as a “loosely connected” experience. Xenoblade Chronicle X‘s online features won’t be as dynamic as a traditional MMO, but despite the “feeling of solidarity” players can trade, interact and quest together.

Cheesemeister3k, a Twitter user well-known for his translation of many Japanese games, revealed that players will be able to team up in parties of four to tackle adventurous quests in the online mode.

Up to 32 players can be “passively” linked to chat, trade items and share information back and forth. The in-game city of New Los Angeles will serve as a multiplayer hub as well.

Cheesemeister3k also confirmed that Xenoblade Chronicles X has a massive 22.7 GB install size for downloads, and that the game supports Wii U Pro Controllers, GamePads and USB keyboards as far as peripherals.

#XenobladeX supports GamePad, #WiiU Pro Controller, USB keyboard. Miiverse support. Off-TV play. 720p. pic.twitter.com/doXkkkLoxj

— Cheesemeister (@Cheesemeister3k) February 6, 2015

#XenobladeX is 22.7GB to download. Better get an external HDD. pic.twitter.com/lc8BcfxDsw

— Cheesemeister (@Cheesemeister3k) February 6, 2015

Other staples like Miiverse support, off-TV play and full 720p resolution have been reported as well.

Destructoid reports that Xenoblade Chronicles X is set in a planet named Mira with five separate continents that will be featured in-game: Forgotten Canyon, White Tree Continent, Luminous Forest, Black Steel Continent and the Primal Wilderness.

Apart from its landmasses, Monolith Soft’s new Xeno game is truly massive in terms of content. To put its sheer scope into perspective, Takahasi confirmed that the most recent playtest check took over 300 hours to complete.

“But even [after 300 hours], there were still things in the game that weren’t played through to completion,” Takahashi adds.

If that wasn’t enough, Japan is getting a special limited-edition Xenoblade Chronicles X Wii U bundle priced at ¥ 35,000 (~$294) that includes the following:

• Black 32GB Wii U
• Matching Wii U GamePad
• Xenoblades Chronicles X physical copy
• Xenoblade Chronicles X art book
• Xenoblade Chronicles X special map
• ¥1,000 ($8) prepaid Nintendo card stylized in Xenoblade design

Last but not least we have a gallery of awesome concept art for you to feast your eyes on. I personally have these amazing pieces as mobile wallpapers, and every day I’ll change them up to revel in their beautiful brush strokes and fabulous colors.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is scheduled to release April 29, 2015 in Japan and sometime this year in North America and Europe. It will be exclusive to Nintendo’s Wii U console.

The post Watch 25 Minutes of New Xenoblade Chronicles X Footage appeared first on VR World.

Japanese games giant Nintendo (ADR: NTDOY) and video streaming titan Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) have teamed up to make a live action series based on The Legend of Zelda, reports the Wall Street Journal.

WSJ claims the source for the news as a “person close to the project”, and that Netflix is working tightly alongside Nintendo to bridge the game between fantasy and reality and breathe real life into Link’s adventures to be featured as part of Netflix’s original programming.

Nintendo is notorious for safeguarding the Legend of Zelda IP, locking adaptations after a brief one-season animated series back in 1989.

The show would be set in the franchise’s definitive medieval fantasy world of Hyrule, replete with the standard Hero’s Journey archetype and no-doubt filled to the brim with series canon lore and characters.

Photo credit: Rei Suzuki, Deviant Art

Interestingly enough WSJ also reports that the source claims the live-action LoZ show would be in the vein of Game of Thrones‘ grand fantasy style, only more “kid/family friendly”. The streaming service is now looking for writers to pen the show.

It would be interesting to see Link cross over into the real world–for decades gamers have brought the iconic Hero of Time to life in the form of cosplay, but a real-life adaptation has always been up to our imaginations to sort out.

With a veritable galaxy of source material that spans winding, diverging paths and branching story arcs, Netflix and Nintendo certainly have a massive armament of lore to work with–but WSJ also affirms that Nintendo’s finicky nature could lead to the project being cancelled while it’s still in development.

Also there’s the possibility that the live-action show could be limited to Japan, as Nintendo could be including the adaptation as part of Netflix’s move to the Land of the Rising Sun this fall.

Hopefully this is true, and hopefully Netflix’s Legend of Zelda epic will make its way overseas to the United States, where the franchise is eagerly consumed by millions of fans.

Featured image credit: The Real Link, Deviant Art

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Yesterday Nintendo (TYO: 7974) announced the Nintendo Creator’s Program, an initiative that “shares” a portion of advertising revenue with YouTubers who showcase the publisher’s content.

Under Youtube’s copyright policies Nintendo previously took in all ad profits generated by all user-created content that featured footage of their games, across all generations–from NES to Wii U.

The new program opens up an avenue for YouTubers to finally earn from their Nintendo videos, and on the surface it looks like a good idea. But at a closer glance the new policy looks like it goes against the viral nature of YouTube in an attempt to earn revenue.

With the new model the publisher pays out 70% of ad revenue to registered channels and keeps 30% for itself. That’s not such a bad split. But the real problem is how long it takes to be paid.

The new policy clearly outlines restrictions, rules, and rather unappealing red tape for interested YouTubers.

According to the FAQ, it can take “up to two months for payments to be sent to your PayPal account”, meaning Nintendo doesn’t pay out until it gets its revenue. And like most agreements of this nature, Nintendo holds the right to adjust these rates at any time.

Those are hardly agreeable terms. But if you want to earn cash on your Nintendo-based content, you have no choice.

Ontop of that, YouTubers only have access to a limited pre-approve list of games. Super Smash Bros., Nintendo’s huge cash crop, is noticeably absent from this list.

This new plan could have number of chain reactions that could very well sabotage the company as well as Nintendo-specific YouTube videos.

To understand how the Nintendo Creator’s Program could backfire, we have to take a quick look at Youtube’s current gaming trends, and how they impact the gaming industry.

Super Smash Bros., a franchise that helped bolster Nintendo’s recent earnings, can’t be monetized by YouTube videos.

‘Let’s Plays’ are a win for gamers and publishers alike

Let’s Play videos are extremely popular for many reasons, and quite honestly they are a win-win scenario for both gamers and publishers/developers.

In a viewer’s perspective, the genre is not only entertaining but informative, as gamers can see any particular game in action. As every LPer has different playstyles, watching multiple videos on the same game can answer a ton of questions as well as provide the viewer with a solid grasp of the game’s quality.

You get to see the game in action, see how the LPer reacts and interacts within the game’s world, essentially providing an entertaining preview.

In the perspective of publishers, Let’s Play videos are pretty much “free press”. If a high-profile LP’er like NorthernLion or perhaps even Total Biscuit plays your game on their channel, odds are people will be interested–even if the game is portrayed as bad.

And of course positive sentiments lead to sales. But more importantly, YouTube is a massive outlet for exposure, which is the life’s bread for any game developer or publisher. In many ways LP’ers are unsanctioned PR reps, and gamers have formed a strong bond with their judgements.

As more and more YouTubers commit to Let’s Plays, the more exposure and content is generated, fueling an aspect of the games economy that’s been present for quite some time.

Going viral

Despite it’s apparent “good” intentions, the Nintendo Creator’s Program forcibly jeopardizes the established YouTube-gaming society, and shows just how out of touch the company is with the current trends of the gaming industry.

Nintendo’s empirical reign over its own content is technically just within the margins of the law, but being “right” in this case only threatens to break gamers’ trust as well as alienate LPers.

The company trying to inherently control and profit from every single monetized video is reminiscent of the ISP and cable lobby trying to profit from Netflix traffic, and it’s caused an uproar within the gaming community.

But what’s so bad about the initiative? What’s so wrong with Nintendo wanting to make money off of content it rightly owns? When you buy a game, after all, the publisher is “leasing” you the right to play the game.

Essentially the program goes against basic tenets of the spirit of YouTube in itself, a sort of free-roaming gamer-centric public platform focused on a nexus of ever-churning content.

Anyone can make a YouTube video, and anyone can play a game. That’s the beauty of it; Let’s Plays are so accessible, and give millions of people an outlet for creativity as well as a means to share their experiences.

Thanks to YouTube’s inherently viral nature, it’s responsible for propelling games into mega-stardom. Games like Minecraft, for instance, exploded because of the ever-growing wave of user-created content. In many ways YouTube feels like the very spirit of indies.

When Nintendo put huge restrictions on what LPers could and couldn’t make money off of, it seriously hurt this spirit. Nintendo came in and clamped down an iron gate over videos.

And now they’ve lifted the gate, only a little, but they reserve the right to have it crash back down at any time.

Amid questionable moves, Nintendo has seen success with its Amiibo line of figures.

Pushing LPers away

The infamous YouTube celebrity PewDiePie, who rakes in millions every year thanks to his fame, completely disagrees with Nintendo’s approach.

“This is why a tiny one man indie game like Minecraft could grow into a 2.5 billion dollar deal,” Kjellberg said. “That’s 2.5 billion… Made possible largely because of YouTube!”

PewDiePie goes on to make a superlative point that specifically outlines how Nintendo’s current plan can backfire.

Kjellberg notes that the move is like a “slap in the face” to YouTube channels specifically devoted to Nintendo games, and ultimately LPers will naturally gravitate away from focusing on Nintendo titles.

“I also think this is a slap in the face to the YouTube channels that does focus on Nintendo game exclusively.

“The people who have helped and showed passion for Nintendo’s community are the ones left in the dirt the most. And finally, when there’s just so many games out there to play. Nintendo games just went to the bottom of that list.

“Everyone loses in this scenario that Nintendo has created. That’s why I’m against it.”

This of course reduces exposure for the Japanese console-maker, and Nintendo needs all the exposure it can get.

Many LPers live off the money they make from ad revenue. It’s a serious profession to them, and they have an obligation to their fans. In many ways it’s like being a one-man TV show; host, writer, author, screener and every other job rolled up into one.

So when a publisher comes in and starts mandating full control over your proceeds, making you sign a contract just to get paid, it’s only natural to simply pull away and move on.

But the most disappointing factor is that Nintendo has unwittingly sabotaged its own playerbase, hurting its own devoted and dedicated YouTubers in the process.

The Nintendo Creator’s Program is a step in the right direction. That has to be said. But it also has to be said that the company should never have tried to completely administer control over its own content within the free-market basis of YouTube, which resulted in the alienation in many content creators and fans alike.

Nintendo has so much to gain from the free exposure that YouTube’s LPers offer, and it’d be wise to simply embrace this model without trying to rake in a quick buck. Yes Nintendo owns the games. And yes they can legally do this. More importantly, yes, they need the money.

Even still, the company should be encouraging anyone and everyone to make YouTube videos based on their games, simply for the love of the brand itself. Sure they’ll rake in some cash, but when the cost is pushing away a good portion of popular games personalities and loyal fans, is it really worth it?

This confused plan shows that Nintendo is still detached from its own changing industry, and is yet another example of the company’s clandestine approaches, and if it’s not careful, it could very well crumble its own niche market.

The post Will Nintendo’s New YouTube Monetization Policy Backfire? appeared first on VR World.

For the past six years Nintendo has rewarded its fans with a one-of-a-kind loyalty program. With the Nintendo Club millions of fans collected coins just like Mario to spend on special rewards.

The best part about it was that anyone could be a member, and that you get coins with every Nintendo purchase, from 3DS and Wii U games to consoles.

Sadly Nintendo will be discontinuing the Nintendo Club, and as of July 1, 2015, all of your hard-earned coins will be wiped clean.

Below we have a schedule that reveals the cut-off date for registration, coin redemption, and more.

Club Nintendo program discontinuation schedule

1/20/2015 Products released after this date are not eligible for registration with Club Nintendo

3/31/2015 Last day to earn Coins, register products with Club Nintendo, and sign up for new Club Nintendo membership

6/30/2015 Last day to redeem Coins or access your account on the Club Nintendo website. Club Nintendo program shuts down at 11:59pm PT on 6/30/2015.

Be aware that you have to register any Club Nintendo PIN’s by March 31, 2015 regardless if the particular code is past that date. So let’s say your code expires in August 2015, you won’t earn the coins if you don’t redeem it by the cut-off date in March.

To  make sure you spend all of your existing coins Nintendo plans to add “dozens of downloadable games and a limited quantity of exclusive reward items” starting in February. Also as a token of appreciation, the company is giving all club members a free copy of Flipnote Studio 3D.

What if you’re an Elite or Gold member? Nintendo affirms that your free Elite gift will be delivered sometime this April, and more info will be posted here when it’s announced.

But all is not lost: Nintendo plans to continue their rewards structure with a brand new loyalty program.

The new program is likely timed with the announcement of Nintendo’s New 3DS models that are set to release in North America and Europe on Feb. 13.

Unfortunately it appears that old Nintendo Club codes might not earn coins in the new rewards club, so the codes found in older 3DS games probably won’t carry over.

I for one hope Nintendo devises a way to let older Nintendo Club codes work with the new program. It’s not very fair if a gamer buys a new copy of Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and isn’t able to use the PIN to get rewards.

Another interesting prospect is the possibility of Amiibos earning coins in the new rewards program, which would give gamers even more incentives to pick them up.

For more information on the discontinuation on the Nintendo Club check out this FAQ.

The post Nintendo Club Discontinued To Make Way For New Rewards Program appeared first on VR World.

Just yesterday Nintendo made a confirmation announcement that their new line of 3DS handhelds would release early next month across North America and Europe.

The two new handheld variants were showcased during the company’s Nintendo Direct simulcast, the generic New 3DS and the larger New 3DS XL, leading to an exciting new chapter in the Japanese console-maker’s history of handhelds.

But one announcement quickly stifled that excitement, leading to an entire region of Nintendo fans to call out in dismay: the smaller New 3DS model won’t be making its way overseas to North America.

Only the bigger New 3DS XL model will be available in the region.

The basic New 3DS model (left) won’t be coming to North America upon launch, instead users will get the New 3DS XL model (right).

The basic model sets itself apart from its larger counterpart in many ways besides being more compact: it has interchangable faceplates that allow owners to fully customize its appearance, sports a Super Famicom-style color scheme to boot.

But why is Nintendo holding out? Why won’t North American Nintendo aficionados not be getting the New 3DS when it launches in February?

Speaking with Kotaku on the matter, Nintendo of America delivered the following PR-speak “responses”:

“Different territories make their own business decisions regarding individual products and timing. We think New Nintendo 3DS XL makes the most sense for our market.

“Nintendo makes different systems at different price points for a whole range of consumers, and New Nintendo 3DS XL simply expands those choices even further.”

New 3DS handhelds will no longer come with an AC adapter in North America, and will be sold separately from now on.

If that wasn’t enough, Nintendo revealed that the New 3DS XL won’t be packaged with an AC adapter in North America.

Huh. You’d think Nintendo would want to pack in the very thing that’s needed to power your handheld, considering the devices don’t have swappable batteries.

Nintendo of America’s President Reggie Fils-Aime confirms that any previous adapter from the Nintendo DS line is compatible with the New 3DS systems, but still, this move adds insult to injury.

Why did Nintendo opt out of this incredibly necessary inclusion? It’s simple: they just wanted to save money, and avoid “raising the cost of the hardware”.

“New Nintendo 3DS XL uses the same AC adapter as any Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo DSi system. Rather than raise cost of New Nintendo 3DS XL by charging consumers for a component they may already own, we are giving them the option to only buy if they need an AC adapter.”

For $199, you’d think Nintendo could at least include an AC adapter.

Sadly this trend has already been instituted in Japan and Europe for quite some time. Nintendo is just now phasing these inclusions out for North America, and I doubt they’ll ever be included again.

In any case, the company hasn’t outright said that the regular New 3DS variant won’t ever show up on North American shores, but for now, it’s missing in action.

The New 3DS XL will be available starting Feb. 13, 2015 for a price point of $199.

The post Nintendo Reveals Why The New 3DS Isn't Coming To The U.S. appeared first on VR World.

Update: NeoGAF reports that the special edition Major’s Mask 3DS XL handheld will not come with Majora’s Mask or an AC adapter.

Original article is as follows.

Nintendo’s New 3DS XL will be released across North America and Europe on February 13, 2015, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime announced today.

The announcement comes off the heels of a recent leak that pinpointed this exact date for the handheld’s release.

No details of a North American release of the regular New 3DS (the non-XL flavor) were announced during today’s Nintendo Direct, and it appears that only the New 3DS XL will be available in the United States.

The New 3DS XL is essentially a re-branded handheld with beefier processing power, a more streamlined design, a teeny C-stick that duals as an extra analog stick, new ZL and ZR shoulder buttons and “Super Stable 3D” capabilities.

On the other hand, the smaller New 3DS systems are unique in that they have inter-changable faceplates that allow gamers to customize their device. These models sport the same upgraded specs to boot.

The New 3DS handhelds also have a built-in NFC to support Nintendo’s new line of Amiibo figures.

Priced at $199, the New 3DS XL will play all existing 3DS games along with upcoming titles. In a truly puzzling move, Nintendo has opted not to package the new handhled with an AC adapter–but previous device adapters will work.

The New 3DS XL will launch in two flavors, “New Red” and “New Black”, along with a variety of special edition variants like the Majora’s Mask edition (which comes with a copy of the remastered N64 classic) and a Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Edition that comes with a pre-installed copy of the game.

Nintendo said nothing about releasing the smaller New 3DS across North America, meaning U.S. gamers will miss out on customizable faceplates and will be stuck with the default New 3DS XL skins.

All in all Nintendo’s “new” hardware line seems like an unnecessary re-branding of the company’s signature handheld line. For quite some time Nintendo’s 3DS systems have kept the beleaguered Japanese games maker afloat, and the introduction of this new line will only confuse consumers even  more.

Why Nintendo of America wouldn’t launch the smaller New 3DS in the U.S. is confusing in itself, considering gamers would love the chance to customize their own handhelds on a whim.

It’s a strange move, but it’s not surprising, as Japanese gamers get access to a number of exclusive games and hardware never released overseas.

In any case, it’ll be interesting to see how this gambit plays out. I forsee the “New 3DS” line replacing its predecessors the same way Nintendo ultimately phased out its original DS line. The gimmicky Ammibo figurines will no-doubt play a large role integrating with these new handhelds.

But instead of streamlining redundant systems and unloading its withering coffers on re-branded hardware, Nintendo should work on bolstering the Wii U. Maybe these New 3DS systems will interact more dynamically with the Wii U in the future…

The post Nintendo's New 3DS XL Handheld Coming To U.S. In February appeared first on VR World.

At the inagural The Game Awards, Nintendo’s Eiji Aonuma and Shigeru Miyamoto showcased a brand new gameplay demo for the new Legend of Zelda game on Wii U.

Originally announced at E3 2013, Zelda Wii U features a dynamic open-world depiction of Hyrule, taking on a more epic grand-fantasy type of feel. Players will be able to explore the massive in-game world and interact with the environment in new ways, and experience new dynamic combat mechanics to boot.

The new gameplay demo takes place in real-time and highlights a number of pretty interesting never-before-seen features including new modes of transporation like the sailcloth.

The sailcloth is straight out of Skyward Sword and is very much akin to a hang glider, letting Link fly through the air and seamlessly travel after jumping off high precipices.

Epona makes her triumphant return as well, and serves as the primary method of travel in Hyrule. While riding Epona players won’t have to worry about running into trees or obstacles as the game automatically avoids them to give a more “natural” feel.

Link can vault off of Epona’s back and shoot arrows in slow-mo while in the air, adding a new layer of depth to combat.

The gameplay footage depicts control of Epona as easy and fluid, and at one point Aonuma remarks that players will barely have to press the Wii U gamepad to move her. This frees up your hands to do a variety of things like scouting the region by changing the view, or even plotting your course on the map via the Wii U gamepad.

Link can also engage in combat while on horseback, including swinging a sword and shooting arrows. Our stalwart elfin hero can also vault off Epona’s back in a spectacular flip and fire arrows at enemies while he’s in the air.

The game goes into slow-mo when vaulting off horseback to give you time to aim, making combat engaging and rather stylish.

Zelda Wii U uses the gamepads innovative touchscreen as a second-screen map, letting gamers plot waypoints and check their location at any time.

Using a spyscope Link can scout his surroundings and look for interesting areas. Even here Nintendo innovation shines through, as gamers can use the Wii U gamepad’s gyroscope to move the lens around.

Zelda Wii U’s map system is also incredibly dynamic.

Utilizing the Wii U gamepad’s touch interface, players can plot their own waypoints and zoom in and out of regions on a whim. Aonuma remarks that the game world is pretty massive, and that it’d take Link a long time to traverse Hyrule on foot.

There’s a number of little features that bring new depth to the in-game world as well: Miyamoto spotted some insects writhing on a rock while Link rode by on Epona, as well as some apples in the trees. Aonuma reveals that Link can “pick and eat” these apples, and we might even be able to hunt the animals as well.

Thanks to the dynamic weather and time effects, players will come across some pretty immersive vistas throughout Hyrule.

Although the gameplay trailer clocks in at a brief four minutes, it shows a wealth about Link’s new journey. The in-game world is spectacularly dynamic, filled to the brim with natural effects, flora and fauna, and region-specific environments like wooded hinterlands and sunny lakes.

And there’s breathtaking vistas that look right at home in games like Skyrim.

Zelda Wii U is currently slated for a release sometime in 2015, and Aonuma affirms that “all of the staff members are working together and doing their best”.

At the closing of the footage, Miyamoto reveals that his new Star Fox Wii U title will be released in 2015 as well–actually before the Zelda Wii U release.

The post Zelda Wii U Gets New Gameplay Demo, Coming 2015 appeared first on VR World.

[Photo: Famitsu]

Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox One console recently launched in Japan on September 4, and so far the all-in-one system has been met with markedly lukewarm reception in the Japanese market.

A lowly 23, 562 consoles were sold in the first week of launch availability, Famitsu reports, making it a considerable flop. In comparison, Japan’s Xbox 360 launch saw more than 60,000 units sold back in 2005.

What attributed to this lack of sales? As Kotaku reports, a handful of big-name Japanese retailers resembled vacant ghost-towns during the Xbox One’s midnight launch.

So far the Xbox One exclusive Titanfall leads Japanese game sales charts for the console with 22,416 copies sold, followed by the sensor-ready Kinect Sports Rivals at 14,191. Interestingly enough Dead Rising 3 has only managed to push 7,330 sales. Note that these figures include Titanfall and Kinect bundles, as well as the cheaper Kinect-less option.

Despite matching the PlayStation 4’s price, Japanese gamers don’t seem too keen on Microsoft’s all-in-one console.

Traditionally PlayStation and Nintendo brands have dominated the Japanese gaming markets, and this trend has carried over to the new generation of consoles.

Both Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Nintendo’s Wii U saw stellar launch sales with upwards of 300,000 units sold, and both systems still have strong regional sales to this day.

It’s also worth noting that Japan has the cheapest Xbox One so far at 39,980 Yen ($383) for the Kinect-less bundle, which happens to match the region’s price of the PlayStation 4. Even still, other factors like lackluster exclusives and console-specific performance have deterred Japanese gamers thus far.

Microsoft Japan even went so far as to exclude major next-gen releases like Batman: Arkham Knight from its roster, effectively making it a PlayStation 4 exclusive for the region. This trend is unsettling and will undoubtedly contribute to the lax of sales as gamers choose the system with a more diverse lineup.

The Xbox One will launch in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and India on Sept. 23, but release dates for China and South Korea have yet to be confirmed.

Japan is just one of the 28 countries that comprises Microsoft’s global market focus for the next-generation console, with other Asian countries like Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and Singapore slated for a console launch on September 23. China and South Korea have yet to receive an official release date.

The launch in India, for example, may mirror Japan’s ill reception thanks to the Xbox One’s costly 39,900 rupee ($661) price tag in the region. And that’s without the Kinect–the sensor bundle will boost up the price to an astonishing 45,990 Rupees ($760).

It will be interesting to see if Microsoft’s expansion to the Asian market proves to be a fruitful endeavor, and what–if any–incentives they offer for the region. So far it seems their approach isn’t working, and the higher price tag along with a lacking lineup of games acts as a major deterrent.

To win over this region and improve their standing, Microsoft will need to adapt to the specific needs and desires of each market, rather than their current broad strategy. This includes region-exclusive titles–something that both Nintendo and Sony understand extremely well–as well as other features that are tailor-made to Asian gamers.

The post Microsoft’s Xbox One launch flops in Japan appeared first on VR World.

According to sales numbers compiled for 2013, Sony has overtaken Nintendo to be the #1 game console seller in the world, combining both mobile and stationary consoles. Considering the PlayStation 4’s wild success this comes as little surprise. According to Nikkei’s numbers, Sony beat Nintendo out by selling 18.7 million units of their consoles, which include the PS4, PS Vita and PS3 globally in fiscal 2013. That’s even with a huge 20% decline in PS Vita sales primarily due to the staleness of the platform and mobile gaming taking more market share.

This is in contrast to Nintendo’s 16.3 million, which can almost entirely be attributed to the company’s Nintendo DS platform, because their WiiU sales have more than tanked, to very few people’s surprise. Their 70% projection cut alone should have been a major indicator of Nintendo’s complete ignorance of the real situation. However, there is still no denying the success of the various Nintendo DS lines of products that they continue to sell in the many millions. This will likely mean we should see a console announcement from Nintendo relatively soon in order to burn the WiiU from the collective consciousness as fast as possible.

Sony’s other competitor, Microsoft even though they fell to #3 still had a fairly strong year considering that they don’t have much in terms of mobile gaming platforms. That fact is both a blessing and a curse for the company because they are now in third place in terms of shipping consoles with 11.6 million consoles, even though they grew 16% as a whole year over year. This fact alone indicates how absolutely gangbusters Sony’s PS4 sales have been in order to relegate Microsoft to 3rd place after growing 16% year on year. While plans of an Xbox One mobile console are possible, but unlikely, there is still a good chance we could see Microsoft do something like they did with Surface or a gaming surface.

Ultimately, the companies with mobile consoles suffered some pretty significant losses, but Sony’s PS4 lifted them above the rest and resulted in a record year for the company. In fact, this year marks the first time in 8 years that Sony has been in 1st place in terms of console sales, which should indicate how strong Sony’s PS4 sales really have been.

The post Sony Passes Nintendo and Microsoft to Take #1 Spot appeared first on VR World.

Nintendo says they’re working on new hardware, and that they are actually already working on new hardware in most cases immediately after they’ve released the most current version. There appears to be no let up in Nintendo’s aspirations to release new hardware, which seems a bit surprising considering how disastrous their Wii U sales have been. Back in January, Nintendo was forced to cut their full year projections for the Nintendo Wii U by over 70%, which made a lot of investors lose faith in Nintendo’s business plan. However, Nintendo continues to move forward even though they posted a loss of $225 million for the full fiscal year of 2013 (ended March 2014).

The problem with this is that it overlooks Nintendo’s fundamental weakness that some of their competitors have overcome. They refuse to allow their vast library of characters and properties to be licensed out to platforms outside of Nintendo’s own hardware platforms. After all, if Nintendo is so convinced that the game experience is superior on their hardware they should have no issue allowing their games to move to other platforms. But that simply isn’t the case, as indicated by Nintendo’s recent request to pull a Nintendo Gameboy emulator from Apple’s appstore. If you look at one of Nintendo’s historic competitors, Sega, they had posted a profit of $300 million and they don’t even have any hardware business to sell to consumers.

Nintendo can and should update their console to be competitive (or better than) the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and they should find ways to keep their portable consoles relevant in the era of smartphones and tablets. But at the same time, they need to embrace iPhone and Android users that are going to want to play their games on their phones and tablets. Nintendo quite literally has a potential market of almost billions of people if they actually open their eyes to the possibilities. Nintendo did really well with the Wii, but they fell flat on their faces with the Wii U and anyone watching from afar could have (and probably did) call it. Nintendo is not a bad company, and they’re not poorly run, but they really need to remember what their core business is, and it isn’t selling hardware. I’m a huge hardware geek, and I actually hate to see companies go software only but the truth is that Nintendo doesn’t need to get rid of their own hardware, they just have to support other platforms.

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