Nintendo 3DS tops Xbox 360 in May, but Microsoft still rules home consoles

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While the Xbox 360 continues to dominate the U.S. console industry inside the living room, Nintendo’s handheld 3DS was actually the top-selling platform across hardware and portables for the first time ever last month. For the 29th consecutive month, the Xbox 360 was the top-selling at-home console in May, according to the latest numbers from… Read More…

Xbox 360 marks 28 straight months atop U.S. market; industry sales sink 25%

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Just days before we get our first look at the next-generation Xbox, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 continues to dominate the U.S. video game industry. The latest numbers from NPD market research firm are out and the Xbox 360 was the top-selling console in April, marking the 28th straight month atop the U.S. console market. Microsoft sold… Read More…

Nintendo courts smartphone apps, stays away from smartphones

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The headline today in the Japan Times is an attention-grabber: “Nintendo taps smartphone apps for console boost.” Finally, Mario and Zelda on your iPhone or Galaxy S3? Well, no. The story is about Nintendo’s attempt to convince app developers to port their smartphone (and tablet) apps and games to Nintendo consoles including the new Wii… Read More…

Nintendo’s digital sales on the rise as company stays focused on games

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While sales of Nintendo’s Wii U continue to suffer, it appears the move to digital games has been helping the company’s overall profit. Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime told GamesIndustry that digital sales are “soaring.” He said that of the 15 Nintendo-made games available on the 3DS eShop, 11 percent of sales have come… Read More…

Name that Tech Tune: Do you know this Nintendo game?

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Updated below with answer and winner. This week’s Name that Tech Tune challenge is on the tougher end of the spectrum, hand-picked by Nintendo remix musician The Icarus Kid for the on-stage taping of our GeekWire radio show this week. Given that, it probably goes without saying that it’s a Nintendo tune. However, it’s definitely… Read More…

VIDEO: What makes Seattle such an awesome gaming city

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The list of game development companies in the Seattle area, from Valve to PopCap to 343, is certainly impressive. And to show how awesome the Emerald City’s gaming scene is, GameSpot just put out a really well-done video showcasing the talent here. They spoke with several of the city’s leading game devs, from Pete Parsons… Read More…

Xbox chief: Main rivals are Nintendo, Sony, Apple and Google … but not Valve

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The competitive landscape for Microsoft’s Xbox console is expanding to include Apple and Google, but the company’s top game and entertainment executive doesn’t see Valve’s move into the living room as particularly competitive with what Microsoft is doing. That was one of the more interesting tidbits from media event on Microsoft’s Redmond campus yesterday. The… Read More…

Nintendo sued over 3D patent in 3DS handheld console

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Not only is Nintendo dealing with less-than-stellar Wii U sales, but now the company is being sued over 3D technology used in its 3DS handheld console. Reuters is reporting that inventor and former Sony employee Seijiro Tomita is suing Nintendo over 3-D images he claimed to develop. Tomita says that Nintendo used his patent without… Read More…

Nintendo wants WiiU.com domain, files cybersquatting complaint

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The latest sales numbers of Nintendo’s Wii U are not good, so maybe a new website at WiiU.com can help the cause. Unfortunately for Nintendo, someone else owns the WiiU.com domain name. And so today the company filed a cybersquatting complaint with the World Intellectual Property Forum to snatch it back. According to domainnewswire.com, WiiU.com was registered back… Read More…

Ouch: Nintendo sold just 57,000 Wii U’s in January, report says

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Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told Reuters last month that the sales of the Wii U, which debuted Nov. 18, were “not bad.” Well, new numbers show that it’s worse than that. CNET is reporting that Nintendo sold just 57,000 Wii U’s last month, barely 20 percent of what Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (281,000) sold during the same time frame. That’s also… Read More…

A gamer’s dream: ‘The Art of Video Games’ exhibit debuts Friday at the EMP (PHOTOS)

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If you’ve ever wanted to jump in a time machine and relive the 40-year history of video games, well, Seattle’s EMP museum is the place to do it. Opening this Friday is a kickass exhibit called The Art of Video Games. From the Atari VCS to Myst to the Nintendo Wii, the exhibit takes you through… Read More…

Not just dudes: 38% of Xbox users female, 51% have kids

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Microsoft wants you to know that not all of its users are stereotypical hardcore gamer bros. Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, shared some Xbox 360 stats during the D: Dive into Media conference in Southern California yesterday. Mehdi said that 38 percent of Xbox users are women, while 51 percent have kids… Read More…

It’s official: PlayStation is back atop the console market

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PlayStation is once again the king of the worldwide console market. Sony’s latest earnings report, issued Feb. 7, shows unit sales for the PlayStation home consoles (the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3) beating the competing machines from Nintendo and Microsoft for the title of best-selling home game console for the 2012 holiday shopping season. Combined… Read More…

Consumers spent $14.8B on video game content in 2012, down 9 percent from last year

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Just like the newspaper, book and movie industries, the latest numbers show the video game sector quickly moving to digital and away from physical forms of content. The NPD Group is out with its latest video game stats and total sales of physical video and PC software in the U.S. dropped 21 percent from 2011…. Read More…

Struggling Nintendo sells 3 million Wii U consoles, lowers forecasts again

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Nintendo’s quarterly numbers are out and the company managed to sell 3.06 million Wii U consoles worldwide during the holiday quarter, following the launch of the new console in November. Combined sales of the Wii and Wii U were about 5.3 million units in the quarter — together coming up short of Microsoft’s Xbox 360,… Read More…

Report: Chinese government could lift 12-year-old ban on video game hardware

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Execs at Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and maybe even Valve are licking their chops this morning at the latest news from China. China Daily is reporting that the Chinese government is in discussions to “opening up the game console market” to out-of-country companies. Since 2000, China has had a ban on the manufacture, sale and import… Read More…

Mario Kart, Zelda remakes coming to Wii U

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Some of Nintendo’s all-time great games are making a comeback. President Satoru Iwata announced today on a Nintendo Direct Webcast that a 3D Super Mario Series, Mario Kart and two Legend of Zelda games are all in the works for the Wii U. The GameCube game The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is being remade… Read More…

Teaming up: Nintendo merging console and handheld divisions to keep up with competitors

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For the first time in nearly ten years, there are some big structural changes happening at Nintendo. A report out from Japan-based Nikkei.com notes that Nintendo is combining its handheld and home console divisions with hopes to create “more innovative and attractive products.” Engadget has confirmed the news. 130 employees from the console development team will join… Read More…

Xbox 360 wins holiday season in U.S., marks two straight years atop market

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The Xbox 360 is champ once again. Microsoft’s console was the best-selling console in the United States last month, marking 24 consecutive months atop the video game market. NPD research firm released its monthly December’s statistics and the Xbox 360 sold 1.4 million units last month. Even though that led all consoles, it’s an 18… Read More…