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Played live on the floor of Galloping Ghost Arcade on 8/23/2016, Pete completes the game on 1 credit with a final score of 1,379,630
By Tom Phillips Published 01/11/2016
[/size]Nintendo will end Wii U production this Friday, multiple sources have confirmed to Eurogamer.At the last official count, as of 30th September, Nintendo had shipped 13.36m Wii U consoles. The Wii U's final tally will likely now be only slightly more.
For comparisons sake, GameCube sold 21m. N64 sold 32m. Wii sold 101m.[/b]
Nintendo's Japanese production line will shut down for the last time this week after the final deadline for orders passed yesterday, Eurogamer understands. Only a small number of further orders were placed.Wii U launched back in November 2012 and quickly shifted a couple of million units, although sales have been steady to slow ever since.The last year or so has seen Nintendo, behind the scenes at least, shift its focus to the future. The company's upcoming Nintendo Switch console is still four months away from launch.Nintendo has said it won't reveal more Switch details until an event on 13th January, although Eurogamer has pinned down the fact it will have a 6.2" 720p multi-touch screen.We've contacted Nintendo for comment.
In this week's episode, John Linneman examines Nintendo's phenomenal Metroid Prime. With the series originally designed as a 2D platformer, the Metroid titles enjoyed huge success on NES, Game Boy and SNES - but there was no Metroid title for Nintendo's first true 3D console, the N64. In truth, it seemed that the platform holder just didn't know how to evolve the franchise.
A collaboration between Nintendo and the then newly formed Retro Studios, Metroid Prime is a technical masterpiece for the GameCube - a 60fps mostly first-person adventure that sees the platform holder dare to radically evolve the franchise to make the best of new technology. It's a fascinating story and one we're happy to share with you.
http://www.gamespodcast.de/2016/10/23/runde-81-ft-teut-weidemann-nintendo-switch/
The following information comes from Teut Weidemann, one of the first German professional game developers. He worked at Rainbow Arts, Microsoft USA, cdv Software Entertainment, Ubisoft and more. It does not seem that Mr. Weidemann is working on the Switch himself, but he is in contact with devs that have dev kits.
* Switch screen is a touchscreen that supports up to 10 points of interaction
* current dev kits are running on older hardware specs
* Switch may be based on the new Tegra X2, which is quite a jump from the X1
[strong]Cool, another source suggesting Pascal. And I'm gonna assume when he says Tegra X2 he means Parker.[/strong] Going from a base Parker chip, what are the likeliest modifications we're going to see? I've read before that Denver cores have no business being on a console, so I imagine they'd go.
Another source calling it X2, however, I can understand why they would. The Tegra Parker was made for auto-driving cars, ergo it's name (IT'S A CAR PUN!). So calling it X2 makes more sense, but it's probably the exact same thing as the Parker, albeit with custom assets for the Switch (more focus on GPU than CPU functions maybe?).
[strong]It's actually named Parker after Peter Parker. The X1 was Erista (Wolverine) and the next one will be called Xavier.[/strong]
Nvidia have been using superhero codenames since Tegra 3/Kal-El.
"Worst" case scenario is it X1 as base with heavy customization, maybe that's why some devs are saying it's probably closer to X2, which wouldn't be a surprise since Nintendo went all out including active cooling, something I never thought they'd include.
he main issue with X1 is that it uses the 20nm fab process which is pretty much obsolete with everybody skipping it and go for 16nm.
Parker itself (the current official name for X2) gets 750GFlops in FP32, 1.5TFlops in FP16. It's unknown exactly how much game code can be FP16 (and it would vary wildly game to game), but speculation puts us at somewhere between 20%-50% being possible in FP16. I don't think that translates exactly to up to 1.12TFlops, but it should perform a decent amount better than the 750 number indicates.
Nice so we could be looking at something quite close to XB1 which is 1.3TF right?
In pure flops? No, that would be unlikely. It's possible in this type of form factor but it's likely too expensive for what Nintendo wants to charge.
But Nvidia typically has better tools and software that end up getting better performance out of their hardware, at least on PC (which is apparently where we get the whole "Nvidia flops are better than AMD flops). We don't know if that will be the case on a console though.
So we really don't know what the real world performance will be, but it's likely much closer to XB1 than Wii U.
I think it will be fully custom and probably better than parker to be honest. With some of the things they learned building Xavier.
Chips! A Tegra X2 would be an industry leading chip if the NX were to use it.
Buuut, there's a new rumor percolating that some dude on a Brazilian forum leaked the NX concept a while ago, and that it's radically modular. Screens, controller parts, additional processing units, whathaveyou, allowing you to build from a basic touch unit up to a current gen console depending on your proclivities and budget. Extreme skepticism is warranted, but going whole hog in this direction would be quite a curveball, and would fill in some of the missing pieces we all seem to be detecting about the Eurogamer leak.
From Eurogamer's latest article today:Still finding this hard to believe, in order for TegraX chip Nvidia had to win a Semiconductor contract, which they have none. So I doubt the console will be nvidia based let alone the handheld.
"Once again, Nintendo has chosen the road less travelled. Assuming it's based on the Tegra X1 processor, NX will be considerably more powerful than Wii U, but it won't match PlayStation 4 or Xbox One for grunt, even as those machines are set to be superseded by more powerful hardware refreshes. (There's a chance it will get the Tegra X2 instead, about which little is known - but that's pure speculation on our part, and it wouldn't fit Nintendo's usual preference for mature, cheap parts.) "
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-07-28-nx-is-different-and-different-is-nintendos-best-option
A Japanese financial report seems to point to a new Nintendo handheld console codenamed the MH.
Pointed out on NeoGAF, a Yahoo Japan finance story on Nintendo's current business practices seems to out the existence of the new hardware. Our translation reads:
"The driving force up until now has been new business from "health services, theme parks and mobile games etc", but will switch over to the next generation game system (NX) and next-gen handheld game device (MH (temporary name)."
Japanese report code names Nintendo's next handheld: MH
A report on Yahoo!'s Japanese-language finance site mentions Nintendo's plans for a new handheld device and even gives it a codename, but it isn't clear if this is a 3DS successor or a piece of hardware attached to its next console.
This unit, described in the report as a "next-gen handheld game device," is codenamed MH. It could be a stand-alone unit, a unit that cooperates with the NX but is sold separately, or the unit that controls the console. Or something else altogether.
In October, the Wall Street Journal reported that the NX would include "at least one mobile unit that could either be used in conjunction with the console or taken on the road for separate use."
Nintendo didn't comment on its plans then and probably won't now. Still, Polygon has reached out to a Nintendo of America representative to ask what's going on.
not 3d realms, Real3D.
another verion of their logo:
Hint: They used to be the graphics company owned by an absolutely massive U.S. defense corporation. Real3D designed the graphics tech for arcade hardware, for Nintendo's major *rival* in the early-mid 1990s. When Real3D shut down, ATI got most of their graphics engineers & patents. Of course, ATI eventually merged with AMD, where many of these people from those older graphics companies still work.
You are correct about artx and SGI.
90's Arcade Racer Hits The Pits For Name Change, No Longer Listed For Wii U Release
Gentlemen, (don't) start your engines?
The long-awaiting 90's Arcade Racer has been given a new name - '90s Super GP - but it appears that the title is no longer coming to the Wii U.
The product page on the Nicalis site lists the formats as Xbox One and PS4 only, along with a release date of Fall 2016 - that's three years after the original release window of late 2013.
The game's Kickstarter campaign ended at the start of 2013, and a Wii U release was confirmed when developer Antonis Pelekanos - also known as Pelikan13 - partnered with Nicalis. In an interview with Nintendo Life, Pelekanos claimed that the Nintendo version would launch alongside the other editions of the game in "late 2013", but that never happened.
A 2014 launch was then mooted but also missed, and fresh footage - showing the gorgeous visuals and smooth frame rate on Wii U - was released in 2015 to prove the project was still very much alive.
We've contacted both Nicalis and Pelekanos to get clarification on the news and will update this article when we hear back.
- Only the upper 'nubs' of the sticks move. The bottom part is static (kind of like the circle pad, but it moves along the bottom 'sphere'.
- The rollers on the top feel and look pretty much identical to a mouse scroll-wheel. Though I do don't believe this will be the final design.
- Haptic feedback is feels like Apples 'taptic' engine. Not like regular rumble.
- 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom
For those of you hungry for some leaks, there's a guy on reddit who claims he has access to the NX's operating system. He says he's part of a group contracted by Nintendo to find exploits in the OS to run unsigned code (homebrew).
According to him, the OS build for NX compiles for ARM, and there's another build which compiles for PowerPC (likely for a Wii U OS update). There's also drivers for Google Fi, which he says lends credibility for a portable device. It also makes heavy use of Material Design in the OS.
https://np.reddit.com/r/NintendoNX/comments/3xuumg/rumor_nintendo_to_unveil_nx_in_january_at_ces/cyasp1u
Of course, this is the internet and you'd be a fool to not take this information with a grain of salt. But judging from his post history, he seems like he knows what he's talking about. It's certainly believable enough, and reads like it's relevant developer information as opposed to wild fan speculation. Take it or leave it, I guess.
Nintendo slipped 5% in Tokyo after Nomura Securities said the mysterious new console NX, to be unveiled this June, will cannibalize the existing sales of 3DS and Wii U.
According to analyst Junko Yamamura, Nintendo will make NX available by 2016 year-end’s shopping season. Nomura expects Nintendo to announce the “concept” sometime between March and May, unveil the actual console in June, and launch it between October and November. “We think the NX will start to boost operating profits in 18/3, when it will have been on the market for a full year and will have a line-up of software titles, which carry high operating margins.”
A long time ago, Unseen64 was just a shell of itself. It was hosted on the notoriously bad Xoom.it hosting service, and looked pretty much like a 90’s website horribly made with Microsoft Frontpage. However, as old as Unseen64 looked back then (it was 2004!), it wasn’t the first site dedicated to unreleased games maintained by Italians. That particular accolade belongs to The Strange (and Rare) Videogame Pics Page, created by Fabrizio Pedrazzini
For years, the only available information on the Taito WOWOW was limited to this report from the 1992 Tokyo Toys Show, via French videogame magazine, ‘Console+‘:
Another alliance between publishers and manufacturers has been established in Japan. It’s about JSB (that controls the satellite channel Wowow), ASCII and Taito.
A prototype has been developed. It’s small and equipped with a CD-Rom player. The basic idea is innovative: it’s about distributing games via satellite, like the streaming of TV programs, and to charge only the time really spent to play.
The other interesting thing about the console is that the games that will be released to the public will be the same of the arcade versions, with the video and audio quality of the originals.
The first games available will be Darius, Bubble Bobble and Parasol Stars…
A released date has not been disclosed yet.
Q: How the WOWOW project started? What was the idea behind it?
YS: Japanese administrator had a plan of data broadcasting. Meanwhile, I wanted to deliver games to home television set. And I happen to know, JSB is trying to combine CPU and memories on its satellite receiver. I talked to JSB and project started.
Q: Why there was a partnership with the broadcaster JSB and ASCII corporation?
YS: JSB has their own satellite and its channel, ASCII has developing satellite data communication systems.
Q: Could you describe me in details your role in the WOWOW project?
YS: I was a manager of new technology R&D in TAITO at this time. I directed some of Taito young engineers and develop/designed this wowow game console, include hardware, sample game programs and menu selection programs.
Q: The console was based on some specific arcade hardware?
YS: I selected and modified arcade video game hardware because I used to it.
Q: How the satellite connection worked? How did you use the satellite: to download games, to stream games? How did you pay for the service?
YS: JSB satellite had not only video broadcasting channel but data stream channel also. Taito send date stream to JSB satellite base(which was located near Tokyo) through RJ45 connector and JSB transfer these stream to satellite. Home receiver detect these data flow and store it into receiver memory. If subscriber select game play, on memory game program will run. We responsible to the game delivery, JSB responsible to satellite communication and ASCII responsible data interfaces. We intended to collect the game subscriber fee through JSB.
Q: What games were planned for the console? Were there mostly arcade ports?
YS: We have to think about the game memory size. Small size was best and I planned to use some early 80’s arcade games (they are small size). As a demonstration and presentation game, we modified and minimized the game ‘Darius’.
Q: Were there any exclusive games designed for the console?
YS: We modified the ‘Darius’ only as a game. We developed menu selection software which had original graphics and sound also.
Q: Why the project was cancelled? Too much competition? Technical problems? The satellite technology was not good enough?
YS: We had two reasons to suspend this project. One: Data transferring speed was not enough and many error correction packets eat up these precious data speed. User should wait more than several minutes to download one small game. And if we try to broadcast several games at the same time, the download time needs more time. Second: At the beginning, JSB intended to combine game hardware in the home satellite receiver. However, memory was expensive and all combined receiver made the cost estimation very high. 5 years later, Nintendo absorbed satellite music company ‘St.GIGA’ and started their satellite download business in 1995. The data stream was almost same structure that we designed. Nintendo use their game console with special satellite game equipment, however, Nintendo did not make good success on this business. They had similar difficulties that we encountered before.
Q: When the console was canned, it was on early stage of development of it was almost completed?
YS: Project was suspended at the early stage. We made presentation and demonstration for newspapers, administrate people and so on. The demo was good, however it was difficult to plan good future satellite game business and I decided to suspend it.
