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Nintendo Licenses Handwriting Recognition Software for DS Handheld

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 26, 2005 - 4:53am.
Calgary, Canada - Zi Corporation, a developer of intelligent interface technologies, announced on Wednesday that Japanese games firm Nintendo has licensed its Decuma handwriting recognition software for use by developers creating titles for its Nintendo DS handheld game system. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The DS features a touch-screen interface that can be written on with a special stylus pen.
tags: Nintendo | Handwriting Recognition Software | DS Handheld |

Nintendo to Offer $53 USB Wi-Fi Connector for DS Handheld

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 5, 2005 - 11:17am.
Redmond, Wash. - Nintendo announced on Wednesday that it will ship a Wi-Fi USB connector for its handheld DS video game console in North America on Nov. 14. The $53 connector will allow DS owners who have DSL or cable broadband, but no wireless home network, to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection network for free online gameplay. Titles enabled for online play through the DS include "Mario Kart," "Animal Crossing," "Wild World," "Metroid Prime Hunters," and the upcoming "Tony Hawk's American SK8Land." The Wi-Fi USB connector will also go on sale in Europe on Nov. 25.
tags: Deals | Nintendo | DS Handheld | USB Wi-Fi Connector |

Nintendo Cuts Price of DS Handheld to $129, Delays "Zelda" Release

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 16, 2005 - 9:32am.
Redmond, Wash. -- Nintendo of America on Tuesday announced a $20 price reduction for its Nintendo DS handheld, which will now sell for $129. The company added that it plans to release "Nintendogs," its virtual pet game that has sold 700,000 units in Japan since its launch, in the U.S. on Aug. 22. Other upcoming releases on the dual-screen DS this year include "Advance Wars: Dual Strike" (Aug. 22); "Trace Memory" (Sept. 26); "Metroid Prime Pinball" (Oct. 24); and "Mario & Luigi 2," set for release in some time in the fourth quarter. Nintendo will also launch a Wi-Fi wireless gaming service for the DS later this year. Meanwhile, the company also confirmed that it will delay the release of its anticipated "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" title for the GameCube from Christmas until some time in 2006.
tags: Deals | Nintendo | DS Handheld | Zelda |

Nintendo Ships 500,000 Units of DS Handheld for Japanese Launch

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 2, 2004 - 4:59am.
Tokyo -- Nintendo announced on Thursday that it has shipped 500,000 of its new DS handheld video game systems in Japan for the device's launch there today, up from a previous allotment of 300,000 units for the country. The company cited pre-orders that far exceeded its expectations, adding that it received two million pre-orders for the DS across the U.S. and Japan. Nintendo plans to launch the DS in Europe in the first quarter of 2005, and still expects to ship a total of 5 million units of the device worldwide by April.
tags: Deals | Nintendo | Japanese | DS Handheld |

Nintendo Details Wireless Features of New DS Handheld

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 8, 2004 - 2:39am.
Tokyo -- Nintendo president Satoru Iwata on Thursday provided new details on the wireless capabilities of its upcoming dual-screened DS handheld video game device. Scheduled for release in the U.S. on Nov. 21, the device will enable wireless multiplayer gaming, now a common feature for handhelds. But the DS wireless connection will also allow the device to receive a program over a wireless connection and execute it. "We're thinking of a system where people can download a demo program (from within a retail location, for instance) with a time or a usage limit, to their own DS," said Iwata. "We hope that this system will allow new potential hits to be recognized by everyone, and that it will help to buck the trend where only sequels are hitting the sales charts." Nintendo is also envisioning possible tie-ins with movie spin-offs of its games. "By using the system's wireless functionality, users that bring their DS and GBA Pokemon cartridge to designated theaters will be able to download game data that will be distributed during certain scenes of the next Pokemon movie. In one scene where the main characters meet a new Pokemon, that character's data will be sent to their cartridges," said Iwata.
tags: Nintendo | DS Handheld | Wireless Features |

Nintendo: 12 Titles to Ship With Launch of DS Handheld

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2004 - 2:47am.
Tokyo -- Japanese video games firm Nintendo announced on Thursday that it will offer a slate of 12 game titles for its new $149, dual-screened DS handheld video game when it launches in the U.S. on Nov. 21 and in Japan on Dec. 2. Titles available at launch and priced beginning at $29 will include "Super Mario 64 DS" from Nintendo, Electronic Arts' "Madden NFL 2005," "Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf" and "The Urbz," and a major title from Activision. Other launch titles will include Sega's "XY/XX," THQ's "Ping Pals," Ubisoft's "Rayman DS" and "Asphalt Urban GT," and Namco's "Ridge Racer DS" and "Mr. Driller." Nintendo said a total of 124 DS games are now under development by 46 companies, and that it intends to increase its library of available titles to between 20 and 25 by the end of the first quarter of 2005. The company itself also plans to launch a multiplayer "Mario Kart" title and "Metroid Prime Hunters." By contrast, few if any game publishers have announced specifics on titles in development for Sony's new handheld game, the PSP, although major firms like Atari, Activision, Electronic Arts, Eidos, Konami, Midway and Sega have all promised titles. The PSP is expected to launch by the end of 2004 in Japan and by March in the U.S. and Europe.
tags: Nintendo | Launch | DS Handheld | 12 Titles |

Nintendo to Release $149 DS Handheld in U.S. on Nov. 21

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 21, 2004 - 3:51am.
Redmond, Wash. -- Japanese video game maker Nintendo announced on Tuesday that it will release its new dual-screened handheld video game console, the Nintendo DS, in the U.S. on Nov. 21 with a $149 price tag. The device will also be released in Japan on Dec. 2. The new handheld from Nintendo will feature wireless multiplayer gaming and a voice recognition system, and one of the screens will allow for touch input using a stylus. Nintendo said that it is developing 20 titles in-house for the device, and that more than 100 companies have signed on to develop for the DS; the device can also play the 550 titles available for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance SP handheld. The DS will ship with "PictoChat," an application that allows DS owners to write messages or draw pictures with an on-screen keyboard or the stylus and send them wirelessly to other DS users nearby.
tags: Nintendo | U.S | Releases | DS Handheld |