The news that 
Nintendo will lose money this fiscal year for the first time in its history as a publicly traded company wasn’t entirely unexpected, but that didn’t make it any less shocking.
It was a rapid fall from the top of the gaming hill for the company, hastened by weak sales of the Wii and DS and the tepid reception to the 3DS. Investors weren’t happy, raising some questions about whether president Satoru Iwata’s job might be at risk.
Though the 
company has had its share of ups and downs over the years, Nintendo has been a profitable company for as long as it has been reporting earnings.
That streak will end this year.
Nintendo, which 
shied away from offering multimedia devices until long after its competitors, is getting more serious about video streaming.
The company has announced that its 3DS handheld system and the Wii will add Hulu Plus to their options before the end of the year. (No exact date was announced.)
Nintendo is turning 
to Hollywood to help bolster the 3D content for its 3DS handheld gaming system.
The game maker has announced partnerships with DreamWorks Animation for a pair of timed-exclusive digital shorts as well as with 3net, the joint venture between Discovery, Sony and Imax. Content from both studios became available this morning.
Despite some very 
concerted efforts by video game publishers, it appears 3D is still having trouble finding traction with gamers.
More than half of 1,000 gamers recently surveyed say they’re not interested in 3D becoming a part of the next generation of consoles.
The Asphalt series 
rarely brings something new to driving games, but it’s never patently bad. This installment is a fun, but flawed, arcade racing game that leans a bit more to the action side of the scale with ridiculously high speeds and overdramatized wrecks. If you’re looking for a Burnout-style game for the 3DS, this isn’t a bad choice. There’s a good variety of tracks, and gearheads will enjoy the collection of licensed real world cars. Just don’t expect any sort of realism when you fire the game up.
The Nintendo 3DS’ 
biggest selling point may be its biggest weakness.
A study unveiled earlier this week at the Variety-sponsored 3D Gaming Summit earlier this week finds that 28 percent of the system’s owners feel the use of 3D actually hurts gameplay.
While rumors of a 
redesigned 3DS didn’t pan out, Nintendo had plenty to say about the future of its latest handheld system at a pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference on Tuesday.
The Kyoto-based company is going all-in with the 3DS this November and early December, offering a system update that will add several new features (including video recording) as well as two major titles to help boost holiday sales. But analysts still think the company will fall short of its goals.
What a difference 
a price cut makes.
Sales of Nintendo’s beleaguered 3DS handheld were up a whopping 260 percent in August (compared to July) after the system’s $70 price cut went into effect. Even more impressive, that price cut was only in effect for part of the month.
Sometimes even the 
strangest rumors turn out to be true.
Whispers that Nintendo might be adding a second analog stick controller to its 3DS handheld system started circulating a few days ago, but few gave them much credence.
Chris Morris: Journalist 