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Welcome to another edition of Industry Chatter; where rumors fly Big Bertha on an empty stomach. Here’s a look at some of the latest and greatest from the video gaming industry.
Don’t Forget to Check Your Ambassador Status!
First, let’s begin with a minor PSA for those 3DS folks. For those of you with a Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo has released a nifty little tool to determine whether or not you are a 3DS Ambassador. I recommend that everybody who had logged onto the 3DS Store or performed the System Update before August 11th at 11:59pm check on their status just in case. You also may be asked to identify what region you are in as well. (This test is only available to our American readers, Australian readers can check their ambassadors status here. Sorry Europe, nothing for you yet. -Ed.)
The title of 3DS Ambassador, which is possibly part of the apology for early adopters paying such a hefty price for the system pre-price cut, gives those lucky gamers (including yours truly) the ability to download twenty free Virtual Console Games. Only ten of the titles have been announced, but there are more to come so stay tuned.
Price Cut Fallout: Part the First
As we all know, Nintendo 3DS underwent an $80 price cut recently. With the new and more affordable price, Nintendo is already seeing an improvement in sales. President Reggie Fils-Aime, already admitted that he probably should’ve had better first-party launch titles, but seems optimistic on the 3DS sales post-price cut.
Target has already confirmed that sales have been going up, despite not expounding any data to Industry Gamers. Meanwhile, Japan has had a huge success between the week of August 8-14 post-price cut, having their second most successful week other than the launch week in late February. While GameStop’s numbers were released recently and showed a sales dip all around; President Tony Bartel states that he believes that the price cut of 3DS will bode well for the platform in the coming months. So perhaps all the doom and gloom was all for naught after all.
More Titles Added to Nintendo Selects Range
For those of us who like to game but also prefer to save a buck, Nintendo has added new titles to its special Nintendo Selects line. The Nintendo Selects line, which has first-party games released at a surprisingly affordable $19.99 (US), has decided to add 4 more classic titles to its collection, effective August 28th. These titles include classics such as Super Mario Strikes Charged, Super Mario Galaxy, Punch-Out Wii, and Super Paper Mario.
Now you can play Super Paper Mario for $20! Though that would mean you hadn’t played it yet! Go, go play it now.
Other games included in this Selects lineup, released in May, include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Wii Sports, and Super Mario Sluggers. Perhaps now I can go out and buy back the Super Mario Galaxy I sold out of a need for a few extra bucks for Super Mario Galaxy 2 (which I still believe is the better game).
Wii U: Key to the Future?
With so many mixed reviews and thoughts on Nintendo’s upcoming platform, the Wii U, it’s hard to figure out what type of role it will end up playing during its release, which is still unknown but predicted for late 2012. However, the International Data Corporation has a very optimistic point of view on the matter, as stated by the International Business Times who are calling it not only a good thing, but also the key to the future of gaming.
The collector of the data, Lewis Ward, states that while consoles have taken a downfall recently, he believes that the industry will make a bounce back in early 2012. He thinks that the resurgence would be because of Wii U and its release which will begin the wave of console gaming’s resurgence. Of course, this also hinges on if Microsoft and Sony decide to release their sequel consoles within the years afterwards. Nobody is quite sure how this will pan out, but it will at least be interesting to watch.
Big Nintendo Announcement Coming Next Month?
One last piece of news before we wrap up as Andriasang report the Japanese rumor mill is going into overdrive about an upcoming Nintendo event. Suggestions that the company is set to drop a bombshell are attributed to the fact that Nintendo’s share purchase rate has recently surged and whisperings of a press event to coincide with the Tokyo Game Show. Obviously Nintendo doesn’t take part in TGS but they did host their own stand alone event last year so could they do it again? All we know for now is that September 13th is the current word on the street and that the announcement involves the 3DS. What could they be announcing? A new Zelda? A new Mario? Pokémon Grey or a new IP? One thing’s for sure: we’ll all have to wait a bit longer to find out.
All in all, Nintendo is starting to show some signs of life in all aspects of its sales and consoles, however it could also be something like the last stand for the company as well. It’s all within the eye of the beholder. Personally, I’m hoping for the signs of life being a good thing. And that’s all for this week’s Industry Chatter, we’d love to hear your take on these stories so be sure to share your thoughts in the comments!
