Video Game Console | featured news

The Wii U’s main selling point is a new touch-screen controller that is a cross between the iPad Mini and a traditional video game controller.

Nintendo announced Monday that it is dropping the price of its Wii console to $130 in the United States as it prepares to sell the next-generation Wii U in a little over a month.

Few people saw the Wii coming. In the weeks before Nintendo’s video game console hit stores on November 19 2006, critics called it underpowered, gimmicky, and a potential flop. But six years later the family-friendly, motion-sensitive Wii is the undisputed leader of its console generation, with nearly 100 million units sold worldwide –about thirty million more than either of its competitors, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3.

Nintendo's upcoming Wii U gaming console will start at $300 and go on sale in the U.S. on Nov. 18, in time for the holidays, the company said Thursday. A "deluxe" version will sell for $350. It will be black instead of white and include extra features such as more memory, a charging stand and the game "Nintendo Land."

For Apple and Zynga, this E3 was a magical event. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all retreated within the crumbling walls of aging franchises and spin-off sequels. Under attack from mobile and social games, the Big Three console vendors are stumbling through the year 2012. Nintendo had a notably disappointing Wii U showcase and Sony’s Vita lacks the powerful slate of new titles it needs. We may be drifting towards a scenario where Nintendo shrinks to a rump company focusing only on portable gaming – and knocks out Sony’s PS Vita in the process.

Nintendo has sold 4.5 million 3DS units, its latest hand-held device, in the U.S., setting what the company said was potential momentum for its next big product, the Wii U console.

It’s astounding to think that just a few years ago, the Nintendo DS and the PSP were the lone mobile devices that gamers had to choose from. It must have been nice for Sony and Nintendo, to only have each other to compete with.

With the upcoming launch of Sony's PS Vita in the UK, Europe, and North American markets, Ewan Spence reckons that far from being the last gasp of a traditional model, the Vita is going to be welcomed by gamers with open arms.

It's rumoured that Nintendo's next console, Wii U, will have a full-blown App Store, with content far beyond Nintendo's current offerings.

Microsoft is launching a new interface for the Xbox 360 game console, borrowing the tile-based “Metro” look that started on the Zune music players, moved to the Windows Phone software and will spread to PCs next year with the arrival of Windows 8. The new version of the software will be downloaded to all users starting December 6.