Iwata: I HAZ BIG NEWS

Today was a big day. Well, it is yesterday already, but on October 2nd Nintendo had a big good ol' fashioned media summit. Here is the rundown of the bigger, most noteworthy things:

New DS!

The DSi looks like Nintendo's attempt to revitalize the DS market. It is still tops in the US, but it has been supplanted by the PSP in Japan (mobile gaming is a much bigger deal over there).

Key elements:

3 Megapixel Camera
Internal Memory for storage
SD Card Support
Expanded online features:
A online store where you can buy original software just like WiiWare and Virtual Console on Wii

House of Nintendo's Take:

A solid move, and should be great for those who either don't yet have a DS or who have an old DS "phat" (the original model) and need some incentive to upgrade.

The con is that it doesn't support the GBA slot... and that stinks. Backwards compatibility is always good, but this had to be sacrificed to gain the new, slimmer design.

New Punch Out Game for Wii

HUGE. A brand new iteration of the Punch Out franchise, perhaps the one classic Nintendo property other than Kid Icarus (sadly, a noshow here either though it is most certainly being developed).

House of Nintendo's Take:

It looks awesome, but we frankly don't know much about how it will control. It really ought to use Motion plus, if it goes the motion route, or just go with buttons. But not using motion for a Punch Out game seems ridiculous. Is balance board support possible?

Sin and Punishment 2 for Wii

For those who don't know, this is a sequel to an N64 game... that never came out in America! This title proves the viability of Nintendo testing out new IP on Virtual Console or WiiWare, then "graduating" the game to a full blown title if it succeeds.

Gamecube Games Released with Wii Motion Control Support

These include the Metroid games with motion control. A good, low risk move.

That's the big news, as this blogger sees it.

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