In April 1989, Nintendo released the Game Boy. How time flies when you're having fun, because it's now April 2009, so a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" is in order for the venerable little machine.

Having sold around 120 million units in its 14-year production run (that's including sales of the Game Boy Color), the Game Boy gave way to the Game Boy Advance, which begot the Nintendo DS. Which isn't anywhere near as great because it's not called the Game Boy DS.

Being near-indestructible, easy to carry around and with plenty of battery life, the Game Boy saw off a number of competitors in its lifetime, from Atari's Lynx to Sega's Game Gear, before finally being retired in 2003.

It brought us portable gaming. It brought us Tetris. It brought us Pokemon. So drink up, old man, and enjoy your special month.

http://kotaku.com/5196311/happy-20th...tendo-game-boy ...

I must admit, it's been a while since I downloaded a game from the Virtual Console. Then again, it's been a while since a Nintendo 64 Zelda game was released on the Virtual console.

As a special treat for long-suffering European and Australian Nintendo fans, Nintendo will be releasing (or have already released, depending where you are) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask on Friday, the oft-overshadowed little brother of Ocarina of Time.

It's 1000 Wii Points, and should get you the weekend just nicel

http://kotaku.com/5196255/pal-virtua...s-majoras-mask ...

Capcom and Nintendo have announced a new, "Premium Edition" DSi console, to be released in conjunction with upcoming Ace Attorney title Gyakuten Kenji.

It's out in Japan on May 28, and a bundle including a special DSi - well, a regular DSi with Ace Attorney stuff on it - along with a copy of Gyakuten Kenji will go for ¥23,940 (USD$240). Not as Ace Attorney-branded as many fans of the series may have hoped for, perhaps (no green leather & oak frame lawyer's table motif, guys?) , but Capcom/Nintendo obviously felt the need to keep things simple.

http://kotaku.com/5196484/the-premiu...e-attorney-dsi ...

We know. You're a fighting game pro. Can't spare the time to blink while fighting, let alone juggle cords. Which is why you may want to take a look at Dream Arcades' wireless 360 stick.

It's a chunky, sturdy arcade stick, with the addition of being, well, cordless. The fact it's wireless is a pro. The fact it looks like a bad Chinese rip-off stick from 1998 is a con.

No word on pricing yet, but if you own a 360 and take your fighting games, and your wireless modern lifestyle seriously, preorders should open soon at the site below.

http://kotaku.com/5196365/360-arcade...-cuts-the-cord ...

Like we said, the Street Fighter IV National Tournament is the biggest SFIV tournament ever (not hard, seeing as its sponsored by GameStop). And this month, it reaches the business end, with the finals.

On April 18 in San Francisco, the 16 best Street Fighters in the United States will converge on the Fort Mason Festival Pavillion to engage in bloodthirsty combat. Every finalist will get a spot in the world finals, to be held in Vegas later this year. But the winner?

Well, the winner gets not only a ticket to the worlds, but also a Street Fighter IV arcade cabinet. Tasty. The action kicks off at 7pm, and it's open to the public.

http://kotaku.com/5196220/biggest-st...ver-the-finals ...

One for tech geeks, this. Guerrilla released on PSN a playable version of the 'Killzone in 4-D' tech demo, apparently used in a US TV commercial (featured below) to show off the game's impressive visuals.

The download, now entitled Behind the Bullet, gives you "an inside look at the making of the commercial, enabling you to take control and slow down the action, move the camera axis and pivot, hear audio commentary from multiple selectable sources such as the art director or technical director at Guerrilla Games."

And if you're a real geek, you can fiddle with "a variety of buffers and filters to see how every single frame of the commercial was created using the game engine technology," explains Sony. Screens of it in action are below.

What? I think it's cool. Don't judge me.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=212422 ...

Nintendo launches its revamped handheld console - the DSi - in the UK, hoping to maintain the global success of its portable device.
With more than 100 million Nintendo DS handhelds shipped around the world, there might not seem to be much of a need to tinker with the device that has become the dominant platform in the handheld console market.
Given the current rate of sales of the machine, it would be no surprise if the DS were to overtake the PlayStation 2's global sales of 150 million to become the most popular dedicated gaming platform of all-time.
Time warp
When Nintendo first launched the DS, its chunky, retro design and two-screen, touch screen approach - combined with the lack of a web browser and inability to play multimedia - baffled many observers.
Sony's sleek PlayStation Portable with its more advanced graphics hardware, UMD movie library, and connectivity with a PlayStaton 3 seemed the obvious victor in the handheld console race.
Wind the clock on four years since its launch and there is only one winner.
While the PSP has sold modestly well, the DS has steamrollered it - one key element in Nintendo's strategy to broaden the appeal of gaming. In 2008, 47% of DS sales in 2008 were made to women.
But there is a sense that the Nintendo DS is beginning to age.
Newer rivals - including more powerful mobile handsets such as the Nokia N81 and N96, as well as the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, with more than 30 million sales - are now serious contenders.
Nintendo's answer would appear to be the DSi.
At first glance you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the second generation DS Lite and the new machine.

The built in camera will only take pictures at 0.3 megapixel resolution
The DSi is slightly thinner, with 8% more screen size, but such external changes are generally more aesthetic than tangible.
So what else is new?
It has two built-in cameras, a SDHC card for more storage, the ability to record sound and playback AAC files, a web browser, a focus on personalisation through playing with audio and vision and a new DSi online shop, through which developers are being encouraged to "think outside the box" with new applications.
Limited functionality
The headline changes sound impressive, but the details reveal a disappointing lack of change.
The DSi can only play back AAC, not MP3, arguably the globe's common digital audio standard.
The two cameras are only 0.3 megapixels - so pathetic indeed that it makes the iPhone's famously poor 2 megapixel camera look like a Hasselblad.
Once again, Nintendo has changed the charging cable, so if you are an original DS or DS Lite owner, you won't be able to use your existing cable as a spare.
Own worst enemy
The internal storage of the device is just 256 megabytes - and applications have to run in this paltry amount of storage.
The DSi is no longer compatible with GameBoy Advance games either.
Nintendo are caught in a dilemma of their own making.
With more than 100 million Nintendo DS handhelds already sold, the company cannot afford to turn their back on this audience and encourage developers to create games that use the DSi as the starting template.
So there is unlikely to be much change to the core experiences that games for the Nintendo DS offer.
The changes will be at the fringes - through the DSi shop, and the possibility that some first-party games will be "enhanced" for the DSi.

Nintendo's first device - the NDS - sold over 150 million units
And while the Nintendo DSi largely stands still, rival devices are adding new features all the time: from accelerometers to near HD resolutions in your pocket, GPS and the combination of gaming with mobile communications.
Nintendo, of course, has been written off before, and it would be foolish to do the same again.
The company has successfully shown that simple, addictive games prove very attractive with users, without the need for technically clever controls systems or mobile communications.
But many observers were hoping the company would have gone a little further, a little faster.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7981041.stm ...

My wide-ranging interview with the president of Nintendo of America covered everything Wii from “Grand Theft Auto” and “Disaster Day of Crisis” to a recent patent and the danger of dropping Wii sales in Japan.
The following interview was conducted last week in San Francisco during the Game Developers Conference. I’ve interviewed Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, several times. So the mood remained light even as he occasionally danced around my questions. As ever, he was the picture of confidence, suggesting the grand potential of the Wii to sell a million units a month. (After reading this, be sure to check out my conversation with Fils-Aime about the Nintendo DS.)
MTV Multiplayer: If we’ve gotten to the point where we can have a “Grand Theft Auto” on the DS, how much progress does that bring you guys, Take-Two and gamers to getting a “Grand Theft Auto” on a Nintendo console?
Fils-Aime: I’ve said this — and it may have been in one of your interviews –from the get-go. I as a gamer — and Nintendo as a company — would love to see a new “Grand Theft Auto” on our home console. We think the volume opportunity is there.
MTV Multiplayer: Right. You said it to me a few years ago. It took five years to get a “Grand Theft Auto” on the DS. How long is it going to take for all the stars to aligned for there to be that kind of game? You’ve been talking to the publisher, right?
Fils-Aime: Our job is to create the installed base for that type of opportunity to be leveraged. It’s Take-Two and Rockstar’s opportunity to make the game.
MTV Multiplayer: You could give them marketing money. Isn’t that how Microsoft got those exclusive episodes on the 360?
Fils-Aime: We support publishers with marketing investment. We don’t buy exclusivity.
MTV Multiplayer: There was a patent unearthed several months ago for something called the “Kind Code” [Note from Stephen: I referred to the patent by the title Kotaku had used for a DVD-menu-like technology that would make it easier to play through of tricky adventure games]. This was going to be a way to pop in a Wii game and get extra menus. This was a real patent filed by Nintendo’s legal team. What can you say about it?
Fils-Aime: We don’t talk about patents and work in development.
MTV Multiplayer: You’ve got to add that: “We don’t comment on rumors and speculation and patents.” [laughs]
Fils-Aime: Obviously, it signifies that we have some technology that is unique and warrants protection. In terms of when that will show up in a game… nothing to share today.
MTV Multiplayer: A couple of titles fans wonder about the status of coming to the U.S. “Disaster Day of Crisis.” It’s been out for a long time and didn’t do so well where it came out. On the table for a U.S. release or off the table?
Fils-Aime: It is not on our announcement plan.
MTV Multiplayer: “Fatal Frame 4,” published by Nintendo in Japan. There’s been confusion and mixed signals about whether that’s coming to America.
Fils-Aime: We are not the publisher of that title in the Americas. So I can’t comment on it… I don’t know if it has a publisher.
MTV Multiplayer: What do you make of the fact that you guys are no longer the least expensive console? Has that applied any new pressure to what you’re doing? The 360 is cheaper than you guys.
Fils-Aime: On the Wii side? No. Our objective is to sell as many consoles as possible. Up until recently our biggest problem has been having enough product going into the marketplace. We’re getting closer and closer to where supply and demand are intersecting. That creates us wonderful opportunity to provide even more marketing to Wii. For us, what prevents us from selling 800,000, 900,000 or a million units a month is our own ability to supply the marketplace and drive our marketing. It is not our competition.
MTV Multiplayer: Some analysts are looking at the sales in Japan, which are flattening — it’s actually being outperformed by the PS3, which has had some strong software releases recently — the commentary is that Wii has reached its peak. The point is the Wii is not the dominant console in the weekly sales that we’re seeing there. What steps do you need to take in the United States to ensure the Wii doesn’t start getting outperformed weekly by the other consoles?
Fils-Aime: In this business, software sells hardware. In the U.S., we have the benefit of “Wii Fit” and “Wii Play” and “Kart” and “Smash” and Activision’s “Guitar Hero.” Looking to the future — “MadWorld,” “Conduit,” — we have a range of software that in our view will continue to drive momentum for Wii.
MTV Multiplayer: Do you think you’ll have a better fall of new games than you did this past fall? If there was one thing people were disappointed about for the Wii last year, it was that “Wii Music” or “Animal Crossing” didn’t excite the way other games had.
Fils-Aime: Stephen, I think that’s a great ...

The gaming giant told MTV Multiplayer what is true about the “Bob’s Game” story and what it recommends other amateur developers should do.
***
For the last few months, amateur game developer Robert Pelloni has made an Internet sensation of his quest to make an official Nintendo DS game. Pelloni claimed to have spent five years, on his own, developing a role-playing game for the DS. He called his work “Bob’s Game,” and posted video clips on his site to show how much he had accomplished.
Late last year, Pelloni let the world know that he was frustrated with Nintendo. He said he contacted the gaming company to obtain a DS development kit, so he could release his game officially. But, he claimed, the company reneged in providing him one.
In December he began a dramatic locked-room protest. His protest proved popular on gaming blogs and message boards. But the 100-day protest ended weeks early. After it ended, he wrote a creed on his website against Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime and other company officials, threatening to reveal secrets.
None of this elicited public comment from Nintendo, whose representatives declined requests I made during the protest for the company to explain its side of the story.
Pelloni also appeared uninterested in talking to the press, as he and I failed to schedule an interview despite repeated attempts. In January, he noted in our last e-mail exchange about setting up an interview that he had been “abducted by aliens.”
With neither side commenting, it’s been hard to figure out what really happened with “Bob’s Game.”
Last week, just days before Pelloni released a downloadable demo of his game (available through his website), I brought the matter up to Fils-Aime.
MTV Multiplayer: Since you were talking about hate that you get, I have to ask you about Robert Pelloni, maker of “Bob’s Game.” Did he actually contact Nintendo for a development kit? Did you guys just not fulfill his legitimate request for one? Or is there some other part of the story we’re not getting?
Fils-Aime: He did submit to be a licensed developer. We have an evaluation process. We evaluated the opportunity. We decided at this point in time that he did not meet the requirements to be a licensed developer.
MTV Multiplayer: Here’s a guy who programmed a game on his own and appeared to be developing a game he poured a lot of himself into. He seemed to be trying to go through just that one last hurdle to take his dream — to get a development kit and put his game out. Can other people who are inspired by that part of his story think that, if they pursued things that way, that they might have a shot? Or is there something about the basics of what I just described that would be the wrong path for an amateur developer?
Fils-Aime: My hope is that people would be inspired by the story of 2D Boy and “World of Goo“: professional developers knowledgeable about their craft who shared their vision with us and have seen tremendous success as a WiiWare title. I think that is the model for how knowledgeable developers should think about the opportunity with Nintendo. We love taking big ideas with small budgets and bringing them to life.
MTV Multiplater: So what did they do that…
Fils-Aime: We, unfortunately, cannot get into the details of Bob …
MTV Multiplayer: I understand that, and I’m not trying to corner you into details that you can’t share about what was wrong with [Pelloni's situation]. But I’m trying to clarify, for people who have a dream for a DS game, what path they might take. Kyle Gabler of 2D Boy was an ex-EA guy. So he had EA on his resume. Their game was a nominated for the Independent Games Festival. Those were some of the credentials they had going in. They weren’t a garage developer.
Fils-Aime: There are a ton of stories. “Tetris.” Just a guy out of Russia. “Pokemon” is another example. Before that was published in Japan, what was “Pokemon”? I think it’s fair to say that Nintendo has a history and a legacy of bringing novel, unique ideas to the marketplace.
MTV Multiplayer: So if I’m someone doing homebrew DS programming, I shouldn’t feel that my options are out?
Fils-Aime: My hope is that any developer who has a compelling idea will reach out to our licensing organization and share their idea and go through the process of becoming a licensed developer for the Nintendo platform. And we have a legacy of supporting that type of development.

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/...-on-bobs-game/ ...