Tag: nintendo
Nintendo full of itself – claims 99% of US video game growth is down to Wii and DS
It’s like the last days of the Roman Empire in Nintendo’s American HQ. Fresh from selling a record-breaking 3m DS units and 2m Wiis in America during December alone, the power-crazed toy company has now claimed it’s two machines are responsible for 99% of the growth the game industry saw during 2008.
Nintendo sent out a graph. This might mark the precise moment in time the company got too big for its boots.
The stat behind this ludicrous claim is that the US games industry took $3.35 billion…
Nintendo issues sniffy response to Greenpeace's environmental criticism
Every year or so, eco-terrorists Greenpeace compile a report on which technology companies are friendliest to the environment and which really aren’t. Nintendo and Apple routinely score very low, and Nokia routinely scores well, but this year, Nintendo has issued a wonderfully haughty response:
“Nintendo has not been badly rated by Greenpeace. Greenpeace chose to conduct a survey which graded companies based on the voluntary submission of information. Nintendo decided not to take part in the survey and were therefore ‘ungraded’.
“Nintendo provides detailed information regarding its compliance to environmental laws and directives via the Consumer Information section of the Nintendo website and therefore felt it unnecessary to take part in the Greenpeace survey.”
So there you go. Nintendo isn’t environmentally unfriendly, it just doesn’t want to play nice with Greenpeace. In all honesty, I’m not sure I blame them.
Greenpeace Report (via TechRadar)
Related posts: New MacBooks to contain LED backlit screens, boost Greenpeace’s opinion on Apple | Greenpeace accuses Nintendo of not playing eco-friendly ball, in Greener Guide to Electronics report
Remove all traces of joy from Christmas with the Radiohead NES remake collection
Some extremely talented but sadly misguided musician has taken it upon himself to recreate a load of classic Radiohead songs using only the NES sound chip. The resulting generational soundclash is an appealing MIDI-like collection of easy-listening tunes.
Here’s one example – a stirring interpretation of ‘No Surprises’ from that album everyone liked a few years ago.
If you like that, you might also like Paranoid Android, a quite superb version of Creep and…
WIN WIN WIN! – Nintendo DS and a copy of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance – last day!
Just a quick reminder that today’s the last day to enter our Nintendo DS competition. Want to pretend that your stylus is a mini-lightsaber? Now’s your chance!
It’s ridiculously easy to enter. Go here, fill in the form, and hit okay. Go do it now, in fact. Imagine how jolly your little kid (or you, if you’re sprog-free) will feel on Christmas day when he or she unwraps it.
Related posts: The Star Wars R2-D2 web-cam is also a VoIP phone, digital camera, remote control… | Eat ground pepper from the loins of R2-D2 with Think Geek’s Star Wars grinder
VIDEO: Lock and unlock your door with a Nintendo controller
Got an Arduino, a spare CD-ROM drive and an old NES lying around? How do you feel about making yourself a nifty security system out of it?
It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds, and Instructables has the ‘how-to’ guide. You’ll also need a webcam, small speaker, and a bunch of random wiring. Soon, you’ll be foiling would-be intruders with your geek skillz.
Nintendo Keyless Entry System (via CrunchGear)
Related posts: SentrySafe USB Fire-Safe – lock up your data | reNESED: an old Nintendo NES made new (but still old)
Squint at a classic book on your Nintendo DS
When you’re not crossing animals or looking after your Nintendog, you might like to brush up on a spot of classic literature with the 100 Classic Books software.
The application does exactly what it says on the box – lets you read a load of classic books on the pocket console.
While the DS’s screen is no match for the likes of the Sony Reader, BeBook, or Amazon Kindle, it might be worth getting if you want to enjoy a sneaky Dickens, Shakespeare or Melville on the Tube…
DSi sells 170,000 units in two days at Japan launch
A refreshed model of the Nintendo DS, featuring a camera and larger screen, has been selling well in Japan in its first couple of days on sale. More specifically, it has sold just over 170,000 units. That’s a decent amount for an only incrementally-changed version of a console that’s already owned by one in five members of the population – 23.6 million people.
Stores across the country were sold out, but iPhone-like queues weren’t seen because Nintendo didn’t really go for a media-friendly early-morning launch event. Many avoided queuing by reserving a unit beforehand and showing up later to pick it up. There’s no specific date for a western release of the DSi yet but, as previously reported, I’d be very surprised if it was later than next Spring.
Nintendo DSi (via PC World)
Related posts: New Nintendo DSi to hit the shelves in Spring ’09 | Nintendo DS to relaunch with a camera and MP3 player
ATTENTION NINTENDO: Half of all people in the UK are planning on buying a Wii this Christmas
Whoever’s in charge of Nintendo’s manufacturing facilities needs to get themselves a big stick and start poking – Nintendo’s Wii looks almost certain to be a sell-out across the UK again this Christmas.
A survey by the bean-management specialists at Moneysupermarket Shipping has found that more than half of people who’ve already decided what they’re buying this year are going to go through the LIVING HELL of trying to track down an in-stock Wii….
Void in life filled by Mario toys
It’s OK. This makes everything OK. No matter how much you have spent on Sonic The Hedgehog plushes and Transformers action figures over the last 10 years, there is always someone out there who is in significantly deeper. Whoever owns this is in over their head. There is no way back to normal society from here.
This little lot is what you would generously describe as “quite a few” Nintendo toys. There would appear to be some duplicates in the collection, but that just adds to the sense of deep, tragic waste of money and a life.
I mustn’t laugh too much. If you changed…
Wii Speak Channel: Nintendo announce release date
The 5th of December in Europe. The same day Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City is released. It’s going to be free, but you’ll need to be hooked up to Wi-Fi and sporting a Wii Speak microphone. Said microphone, surprise surprise, comes bundled with Animal Crossing…
