Last 
year’s decision to slash the price of the 3DS helped the handheld gaming system from falling on its face, but it sure took a toll on Nintendo’s bottom line.
For the first time in its history as a publicly traded company, the game maker has reported an annual net loss, today posting figures that were $533 million in the red. That follows a $960 million profit for the previous fiscal year.
A 
rapid price cut helped Nintendo save its 3DS handheld, and maybe it’s time for Sony to do the same with its PlayStation Vita, says Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris.
I feel bad for Kaz Hirai.
The new CEO of Sony has plenty on his plate these days. He recently announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs. He has the mighty task of reviving Sony’s once-powerful brand name. And he’s doing all of this as angry investors and skeptical analysts watch critically from the sidelines.
You 
didn’t expect Nintendo to let the launch of the PlayStation Vita go unanswered, did you?
The Sony competitor held a pair of online presentations Wednesday to tout new software that’s on the way to its 3DS system (as well as the Wii) and deflect attention away from Sony’s new, bleeding-edge gadget.
While the 
handheld gaming market has evolved dramatically in recent years, Sony’s betting there’s still money to be made there – and it’s betting a lot.
The PS Vita, the company’s next generation handheld gaming system, went on sale in the U.S. today. And though the electronics giant remains optimistic about the market, analysts are significantly less certain.
Nintendo 
might have a stable of terrific game franchises and groundbreaking systems, but when it comes to online gaming, the company is woefully behind.
It’s hoping to change that with its next-generation system, though, and started down that path by announcing a few details about the ‘Nintendo Network’ late last week
Once the 
most profitable company in the video game world, Nintendo is now swimming in a sea of red ink.
On Thursday, the company announced a loss of $623 million in the nine months that ended December 31, compared to $639 million in profits a year earlier. And the bad news doesn’t end there.
Nintendo’s financial 
year won’t end until the end of March, but the company is bracing investors for its first-ever financial loss – and it’s going to be a massive one.
By the time the year ends, the company expects to post an $837 million loss – a much worse number than the $258 million shortfall it had previously predicted.
To say that 
Nintendo got off to a rocky start with the 3DS is something of an understatement. After a slight surge when it went on sale, consumer interest nose-dived, forcing the company to slash pricesand admit to being guided by hubris.
These days, though, things are looking up for the handheld system. It recently surpassed the first year sales totals of the DS system, and life to date system sales are at a solid 3 million. By February, the company expects to cross the 4 million mark.
The initial criticisms 
surrounding Nintendo’s 3DS handheld were pretty straightforward: The price was too high and there was a paucity of good games.
Nintendo took care of the pricing problem in August. Now, it’s taking on the quality concerns.
Super Mario 3D Land, which hit shelves earlier this week, combines elements from the classic 2D side-scrolling Mario games as well as more recent free-roaming 3D Mario titles, plus it brings back the much-loved Tanooki suit from Super Mario Bros. 3. And critics are cheering.
James Noir’s 
Hollywood Crimes isn’t a great game, per se, but it’s one that has that magical quality of wanting to play just one more round. The puzzles are intriguing and the game show motif it uses (along with lots of audio and Max Headroom-like animations) is oddly captivating. The story itself isn’t especially interesting, though — and even with the threats you’ll face, there’s not a real sense of urgency to the game. The juxtaposition of leisurely puzzle-solving and catching a serial killer is an awkward concept that never quite gels.
Chris Morris: Journalist 