Category Archives: Handheld

Nintendo’s 3DS Going Cheap at GameStop Just Before Sony’s PS Vita Release

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Joystiq reports that GameStop are further reducing the price of Nintendo’s 3DS. It seems that the reduction is a deliberate attempt to gain a few extra DS purchases before the real competitor arrives in a few weeks time.

Through February 12, GameStop has Nintendo 3DS systems, including the Pearl Pink version launching on the 10th, on sale for $149.99, a $20 discount. We’re sure the timing of this sale is perfectly innocuous — it’s just a coincidence that a competitor’s handheld gaming system will be in stores two days after this sale is over.

Just sit tight with this one. The temporary price drop of the 3DS won’t scare Sony in the slightest but with evidence of the Vita sales being a bit drab lately in Japan, the chances of Sony doing well with this in the Western part of the world is unnerving. My predictions are that Sony’s handheld will be performing very similar price reductions… fast.

[Original source: Joystiq]

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Vita Launch Titles Get Early Release At GameStop and Playstation Store

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Playstation Vita games are now being downloaded direct from the Playstation store in time for the release of the handheld due out very soon. Not only are you able to download them now but you can run to your nearest GameStop to purchase boxed copies of all the first-party titles reports Joystiq.

GameStop currently has copies of Little Deviants, Uncharted, Hot Shots,Wipeout 2048, and ModNation Racers in stock online right now. They ship within 24 hours, the site notes, or you can use the site to check for stock at your local store.

The Vita hardware will officially be available February 15 in the First Edition bundle, but it’s possible you already have a Japanese unit, in which case you should be able to play these cartridges.

Great stuff if you already own an imported PS Vita straight from Japan seeing as the PS Vita is region free. Majority of downloaded PS Vita titles are at a slight discount within the Playstation store, however ‘Uncharted’ appears to be the same price as the physical copy at $49.99.

[Original source: Joystiq, GameStop]

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Epic Quest Nudging Its Way to Zen Pinball and Pinball FX2 This February

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Pinball fans will be pleased at the arrival of another additional table nudging its way to Xbox 360’s Piball FX2, Playstation 3’s Zen Pinball, the Apple’s iOS and Android this month. Joystiq reported that Zen has now officially announced the brand new hybrid of blending quality arcade pinball with RPG style character progression with an intriguing first look trailer. The ‘Epic Quest’ table hasn’t had an exact release date just yet but expect an arrival anytime this February.

“It is our quest to deliver the most entertaining and original pinball tables, and Epic Questdelivers on both fronts,” said Mel Kirk, Zen’s VP of Marketing and Public Relations. “With a wink and a nudge towards classic RPG tropes, Epic Quest blends frantic pinball action, obsessive character building, and liberally applied tongue-in-cheek humor.”

I’ve been a massive pinball fan for years and Zen Studios really spices up the addictive arcade style and high scoring competition with online leaderboards that no other pinball sim could ever possibly dream of inventing. Enjoy the trailer and look forward to producing some high scoring pinball wizardry in February.

[Original source: Joystiq, ZenStudiosGames]

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The Simpsons Arcade Arrives for PSN and XBLA

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Sony revealed recently that The Simpsons arcade game will be arriving on PSN February 7. Xbox Live Arcade fans shouldn’t feel left out because today Gamespot reports of a definite release of the 1991 classic scrolling beat ‘em up. Konami decided The Simpsons should throw in all the punches in an attempt to compete with other side-scrolling beat ‘em ups such as ‘Golden Axe’ and of the same year ‘Streets of Rage’.

Konami today announced that The Simpsons Arcade Game will arrive on Xbox Live on February 3. A price for the game was not provided, and as of press time, Konami had not responded to GameSpot’s request for comment.

An HD overhaul of the 1991 original beat-’em-up title, the game lets players control Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Bart and pummel foes through a series of side-scrolling levels. The game spans eight levels and sports four-player online co-op.

It must have been popular enough to see the likes of the HD remake heading towards our latest consoles. It’s already hit the app market on iPhone with reasonable reviews. Xbox Live will see the arrival this Friday which is an unusual release day for arcade titles but at least Xbox gamers will be able to reminisce first. However Sony has guaranteed that all Playstation Plus subscribers will get the game absolutely free. I doubt Microsoft have any plans on giving this one out for free.

[Original source: Gamespot]

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The Return of the Neo Geo Pocket

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It seems the Neo Geo is back. Gameinformer reports that SNK is bringing back a new officially licensed portable handheld with 20 Neo Geo games built in. The device will host a 2GB internal storage with an SD slot for additional memory and a 4.3 inch screen.

Controls include four face buttons, a d-pad, four shoulder buttons, a menu button, a start button, and buttons for volume and brightness. Ports include headphones, AV and an SD card slot. No pricing or release date has been announced.

The games included are the North American version with English text:

1.WORLD HEROES
2.ULTIMATE 11
3.TOP PLAYER’S GOLF
4.SENGOKU
5.NAM-1975
6.MUTATION NATION
7.LAST RESORT
8.KING OF MONSTERS
9.FRENZY
10.CYBER LIP
11.FATAL FURY SPECIAL
12.ART OF FIGHTING
13.SUPER SIDEKICKS
14.LEAGUE BOWLING
15.METAL SLUG
16.MAGICIAN LORD
17.BASEBALL STARS PROFESSIONAL
18.SAMURAI SHODOWN
19.KING OF FIGHTERS ’94
20.FATAL FURY

If you haven’t got the list of games already then this re-release will be ideal for those into classic portable gaming or if you’re willing to pay out extra to recall a few of those memories. If you don’t want my opinion, well you’re going to get it. I think it looks highly typical of many past devices. Maybe they’ll bring a few changes to the design but so far the images look tacky and way too classic. Maybe that’s the purpose of a classic portable device. Portable gaming for North America and Europe will see the PS Vita hits shelves in February and with that in mind I’m sure this gadget has a lot to live up to. No price has been reported yet and neither has a release date.

[Original source: Gameinformer]

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Angry Birds Record 6.5 Million Downloads on Christmas Day

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Angry Birds has had a very Merry Christmas according to a report by AllThingsD. Rovio had stated that Angry Birds reached a record of 6.5 million downloads on Christmas day alone. That’s nearly equal to the number of Smartphone’s activated on Christmas day. So nearly everyone receiving smartphones this Christmas had in some way downloaded a particular version of Angry Birds. The total combing all downloads for Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio both Free and paid for Apps.

“We’re really excited to have such a massive number of new people get acquainted with Angry Birds over the holidays — we have exciting new releases lined up for 2012, and can’t wait to introduce them to the public,” Rovio’s Ville Heijari told AllThingsD.

This just goes to show that Mobile gaming is becoming the must have with the likes of Smartphones and Tablets. Will the Sony PS Vita really shine when it comes to paying additional prices for quick snappy mobile gaming and not to mention PS Vita’s hefty price tag.

[Original Source: AllThingsD]

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Zen Pinball 3D Arriving on eShop January 12

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According to Joystiq Zen Studios has officially announced details of its upcoming 3DS exclusive Zen Pinball 3D. Zen Studios revealed a release date of January 12 for Nintendo’s 3DS eShop. The download only title will cost $6.99 with future additional tables for DLC.

For those tokens, you’ll get four tables, including Earth Defense, Shaman, Excalibur, and Eldorado. Zen Studios plans to follow those with DLC tables, which have yet to be announced. We’re guessing they’ll come from the lineup of tables made for other versions.

The Zen Pinball series has proved to be popular on other platforms and will be interesting to see the original tables transformed into the 3D experience which Zen Pinball outright deserves.

[Original Source: Joystiq]

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Tekken 3D Prime Edition Release Date Announced!

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GameInformer reports that Namco Bandai have announced release dates for its forthcoming 3D Beat ‘Em Up exclusive to Nintendo’s 3DS. Tekken 3D Prime Edition will be heading its way out to North America February 14, 2012. European release date is February 17.

Tekken has a rich 16 year legacy, with the franchise first appearing on the Nintendo platforms in 2001 with Tekken Advance for Game Boy Advance,” says Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing, Namco Bandai Games America. “With the unique abilities of the Nintendo 3DS, we’re able to show the characters of the epic franchise in a way that has never been seen before, and fans are going to love how Tekken’s return to Nintendo systems has taken the series to new levels.”

The perfect date for Valentine’s Day. Tekken 3DS Prime edition will truly push the 3DS’ compatibility with stunning graphics featuring 60 frame per-second gameplay. The full cast of characters are there and there is the inclusion of street pass to exchange in game Tekken cards. Tekken was the mother of all 3D fighters and using the power of the 3DS it can prove worthy of that on such a device.

[Original Source: GameInformer]

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Media Create Sale Predictions On PS Vita 325,000 Units

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Adriasang reports that Japanese sales tracker Media Create detailed disappointing sales in Sony’s latest hardware release. The PS  Vita was finally launched in Japan on December 17th with only a mere 325, 000 units sold in its first week. This seems a respectable amount but with the troubles they had earlier in the year, Sony would have appreciated the handheld to have sold just that little bit more.

Media Create CEO Atsushi Hosokawa provided some commentary on the initial performance. “The shipment was abundant, so it seems that there were hardly any reports of inability to buy due to shortages. Regarding sold units, to be honest we would like to have seen it sell a bit more, but you can say that it reached a certain level of success.”

Regarding the sales recently for its predecessor the PSP which is still selling pretty well, I’d keep with mine for the time being. With a heavy price tag, the PS Vita may have just put consumers off for now and with the huge price cut of Nintendo’s 3DS which also had poor launch sales, those consumers may wait patiently and make do with what they have until massive future reductions which will inevitably occur.

[Original Source: Adriasang]

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Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 PS Vita Trailer

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GameInformer reports that the new Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 for Playstation Vita is more than just a handheld port of its original smash hit which shredded our console pads. Capcom is bringing a large number of brand new features to the eagerly anticipated PS Vita and without a doubt it’ll test the Vita’s ability to not only handle the rapid visuals but to also withstand such manic button bashing or (screen bashing) as one of the new features is touch screen combos! The trailer bares all.

Here is the list of features EXCLUSIVE to PS Vita;

– special touch-screen controls and moves

– the full Heroes and Heralds mode

– Wi-Fi online play against anyone in the world

– full spectator mode for watching matches online

– the ability to save, play, and analyze replays on Vita

– content sharing and trading through the Vita’s NEAR mode (similar to the 3DS’s local sharing technology)

– the ability to share purchased DLC content between your PS3 and Vita

– being able to use your Vita as PS3 controller to take advantage of the touch-screen controls

I’ve been a fan of beat ‘em ups for years and MVC3 was one of the finer fighters I have ever played but portable gaming to me really is a step back after seeing the intense visuals on a big screen. If you’re willing to pay the extra dollars for the 3G added PS Vita then Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 on the move will be a blast but having the standard WiFi PS Vita I’d  stick with console versions and use my money on true Vita exclusives.

[Original Source: GameInformer]

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