Nintendo's Wii sales are down considerably, which has caused Nintendo to post their first loss ever. Nintendo lost about $533 million, on weaker than expected Wii sales, and a strong yen. Nintendo sold 9.8 million Wii systems, down from over 15 million sold last year. Nintendo is expecting to return to profitability in fiscal 2012, thanks to a weakening yen.
Nintendo's Wii sales are a strong indication that this generation of systems is over; the Wii U is expected to usher in a new generation of consoles, and help their ailing console sales. Likewise, Apple's iPhone and iPad sales are taking a big bite out of the company's bottom line, as their traditional model for portable systems is changing dramatically. Cutting the price of the 3DS cut into Nintendo's bottom line significantly.
This comes just a day after Nintendo announced upgrades and new games for their newest portable system, the Nintendo 3DS.
Nintendo's Satoru Iwata has announced during the Nintendo Direct conference that folders are coming to the 3DS homescreen. The new firmware was released on April 25th.
Nintendo is working quickly to address as many difficulties as possible with the homescreen. Each folder can contain up to 60 items.
Also demonstrated was the new Animal Crossing game, New Super Mario Brothers 2. On the Wii, a new Kirby collection was demonstrated.
Nintendo has been relying heavily on price cuts and remakes of classic titles on their latest handheld system, to make up for their slow launch. Their continued improvement is a good sign.
Some of the classics already released for the 3DS include:
- Mario Kart, which allows players to hang glide, move underwater, and more. Mario Kart for the 3DS was all new, and a good addition to the series.
- Star Fox also has been released. It's a straight port of the classic title, but plays in full 3D.
- Super Mario Land 3D is a ground breaking title available for the Nintendo 3DS. Super Mario 3D Land was created entirely from scratch for the Nintendo 3DS. While Nintendo faced some Peta backlash about the Tanooki Suit on display in the game, it was a Holiday smash hit, lauded by critics and players alike..
- Kid Icarus is the most recent classic title, and seems to play like Panzer Dragoon.
Nintendo has the games - let's hope they can get the home screen right next month.
Nintendo released the following information about the update and the new titles; exerpts from the release are below:
Nintendo fans will have no shortage of reasons to celebrate this year, thanks to a wealth of upcoming games and content for both the Nintendo 3DS hand-held system and the Wii console. Nintendo today revealed plans to launch New Super Mario Bros. 2, a new side-scrolling Mario adventure for Nintendo 3DS, this summer. Later in the year, Nintendo will mark the 20th anniversary of the Kirby game series with a special compilation game disc for the Wii system. Other content on the way includes a system update for Nintendo 3DS, re-runs of the popular Kid Icarus anime videos as well as the May 20 launch of Mario Tennis Open.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a traditional side-scrolling adventure game featuring Mario, Luigi and loads of other favorite characters from the popular Mario series. The game was created specifically as a pick-up-and-play experience that can be instantly enjoyed by players of all skill levels on the Nintendo 3DS system. The game will launch across North America in August.
“A new Mario game and a big Kirby celebration will help make 2012 an especially great year for Nintendo fans,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Whether they’re playing at home on Wii or using Nintendo 3DS to have fun on the go, players can look forward to experiencing some of our biggest franchises in exciting ways.”
On April 25, a system update for Nintendo 3DS will give users new functions to explore. By downloading this update, users can create folders on the system’s HOME Menu to organize their content. This new feature is designed to make it easier than ever for players to access their favorite downloadable games, videos and demos. With this update, users will also get helpful recommendations in the Nintendo eShop for titles they may like. Other elements of the system update include the ability to update select software, such as a Mario Kart 7 update coming in mid-May that will resolve shortcut exploits in the game.
Also for Nintendo 3DS, a recent series of Kid Icarus anime videos will return to the Nintendo Video service starting April 28.
For even more hand-held fun, Nintendo fans can look ahead to the May 20 launch of Mario Tennis Open for Nintendo 3DS, which invites players to step onto the court with Mario and his friends for fast-paced tennis action and a mix of remarkable new tennis challenges. Players can play as their own customized Mii characters and choose from approximately 200 special items, including rackets and tennis gear that not only enhance their character’s appearance but also modify their abilities. Players can also suit up their Mii characters with outfits that both resemble and offer the skills of popular Nintendo characters. They can also swing into action in local and wireless Internet multiplayer modes that let families and friends play together.
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