To be honest, I’d almost begun to think North America wasn’t going to see a DSi price drop.  While other countries saw the price fall, ours had remained steady throughout the summer, with no indication that Nintendo would lower either the DSi or DSi XL MSRPs any time soon. However, today Nintendo made it official: the DSi will now retail for $149.99, and the DSi XL for $169.99: a $20 drop.

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Nintendo today announced they will be bringing a 3D version of their portable system sometime during the fiscal year ending March 2011. Nintendo’s goal is to create a system in which “games can be enjoyed with 3D effects without the need for any special glasses.”  Being dubbed the “Nintendo 3DS” will be backwards compatible with any DS and DSi game. They plan on announcing more at this year’s E3 held on June 15 but already people are speculating on how the system might work.

Some are thinking they will use the face-tracking technology which has already been used in a DSi game 3D Hidden Picture. The game uses the built-in camera to detect where the player is and shifts the game’s viewing perspective based on that.

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Recently, Nintendo’s CEO, Satoru Iwata, announced that WiiWare will be offering downloadable demos before the end of this month. This will include the online stores for both the Wii and DSi platforms.

Iwata realizes that the overall sales of the WiiWare games are very low while XBLA and PSN sales are very high. He believes offering demos will increase the WiiWare sales, but it may not be the ultimate solution. For now, only a small number of games will be offering a free demo. Nothing was mentioned as to if Nintendo will increase the amount of demos offered in the future.

This could be the beginning of more powerful marketing for the WiiWare store. Perhaps not enough to compete with XBLA and PSN, but it’s a start for sure.

[Source: Gamasutra]

Last week’s update was great (Lost Winds: Winter of Melodias!) and while this week’s update may not be nearly as exciting, perhaps in some ways it is even more so.  Why?  Because Zombies Ate My Neighbors is finally available via Virtual Console.

Yes, it is a weird game, but you just don’t see stuff like that made anymore.  Back when Zombies were “real,” man.  Now I just have to wait for them to release Duck Tales.

The third episode of Tales of Monkey Island is finally available, and if you haven’t already played it on PC, you OWE it to yourself to get this version.  Trust me.

Check out a video of Zombies Ate My Neighbors and the full list of releases hitting your Little White Box today.

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The reception for Nintendo’s latest DS hardware iteration, the Nintendo DSi, has been somewhat mixed among fans. What generally  garnered praise about the hardware, however, was the increased size for the two screens. For all of its uses, the screen size on the original DS was somewhat limiting for both entertainment and control value, and the DSi aided this cause greatly.

It seems now that Nintendo is looking to increase the size even further, up to an astounding four inch (at least) diagonal size. For reference, the standard DSi has 3.25 inch screens, while the DS and DS Lite have three-inch screens.

The latest version of the DSi is expected to have all of the features of the original DSi, and to be sold in stores alongside the original DSi.

[Source: Report: Nintendo To Launch Larger-Screened DSi This Year]

Things are really starting to look up for Nintendo’s latest iteration of their popular handheld, the DSi.  Last week saw the US release of two new colors for the device, which is now available in Black, White, Pink, and Aqua.  Also revealed last week was the system’s first episodic game, the fan-favorite Shantae (who previously appeared in a GameBoy Color game), which will be making an appearance on DSiWare in three installments, the first of which, subtitled Risky’s Revenge, will be available this winter.  The game got extensive (6 pages) coverage in the current issue of Nintendo Power, in which WayForward revealed the series will be both individual, smaller games while still being a unified whole.  Players who purchase all three episodes will be rewarded, as their inventory will carry over from one episode to the next.  Although no pricing has yet been discussed, this promises to be a great game with a high gameplay value, and will truly be comparable to many retail titles in quality, something currently lacking in most DSiWare games.

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If you already bought a DSi but haven’t yet claimed your 1000 free DSi points, you might want to get on that.  Or, if you have been putting off buying a snazzy new DSi, you might want to hurry up and make the purchase already (especially now that you have 2 more color choices).  Why?  October 5, 2009 (at 12PM PST) is the last day to claim the free points, which you can use to download a free game(s) from the DSi store.  1000 points is roughly $10, so it’s nothing to cry over if you miss it, but still, free is free, right?

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Mondays are depressing, even if we get the new WiiWare line-up, which this week included such awesomeness as Tales of Monkey Island: The Siege of Spinner Cay and Phantasy Star I, so to make us all feel better, Nintendo has given us a new round of announcements to help make our week go by a little faster.

First up:  Have you wanted to get a DSi, but aqua and black just aren’t your thing?  Well, you’re in luck: on September 13, you can get your grubby little hands on a one of two new shades: Hot Pink or White.  Both new colors are still matte and will be available for the usual $169.99.

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With Nintendo’s still freshly revitalized DSi steaming up store shelves, everyone else most certainly had to be present to the party. And by everyone else I mean the DSi’s fashion consultants of the world–accessory kits! With it’s sleeker design, yet buxom new screens, both your and your neighbor’s kids have all to do to protect your investment while of course using to the best of its intended functions.

Penguin United has been kind enough to allow us to do a review for one of their latest in essential needs for keeping your DSi safe, stylish, and functional at any given moment with their 10-in-1 Essential Travel Kit for DSi in which I’ll splurge the deets on how this kit holds up when hitting the road.

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It’s official:  Nintendo’s newest iteration of their dual-screen handheld has officially outsold, in its first three months, all previous current generation Nintendo systems.  At a 1.7 million units, the DSi has beat out the original DS (1.38 mil), the DS Lite (1.07 mil), and even the Wii (1.52 mil).

That leaves Nintendo pretty satisfied with the mark the DSi is making in the market, despite its higher price tag ($169.99, versus the DS Lite’s $129.99 and the DS’s $149.99).  Apparently, that camera was a bigger selling point than I imagined.

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Each copy of Band Hero DS will include a rubberized “drum grip” peripheral that will attach onto your DS Lite. It’s supposed to better replicate rapid drumming than the touch screen. Unfortunately for new DSi adopters, this drum grip, like the guitar grip controller that will also be included with the game, will not be usable with the DSi.

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Everyone knows the old saying – “Two heads are better than one.”  For the most part, it’s true.  Get more people thinking about something, and everyone benefits – you get more and different opinions that might help you shape the way you think about… well, anything.  It’s with this mindset that we go into our very first Two Brains Review, where pseudopseudo and Molotov Cupcake have had a meeting of the minds to discuss Rhythm Heaven for the Nintendo DS/DSi.

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Nintendo Co. Ltd. President Satoru Iwata announced the approximate release dates for Wii Sports Resort in Japan and overseas. During a lunch meeting Iwata spoke of Nintendo’s worries regarding the Wii’s sales in Japan, saying that the Wii is in its “most unhealthy situation since its launch in Japan” because of decreased demand for the Wii. To boost these sales, Iwata said Wii Sports Resort would be released in June in Japan and in July in overseas markets.

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With only a few days left before the new Nintendo DSi handheld hits stores in the US and Europe, I thought I’d answer the burning question: should you upgrade to the newest version of the DS?

Because the decision is ultimately a subjective one, I thought I would summarize the pros and cons of the DSi and the DS Lite to help you make your decision, if you haven’t already.

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