Nintendo confirms Wii successor coming in 2012

Most companies ignore the rumor mill – sometimes to the point of it being embarrassing. Nintendo, however, is willing to admit when its secrets are spilled.

The company has confirmed the rumors that it plans to unveil a successor to the Wii at this year’s E3 (the annual trade show of the video game industry). The new system will be out in 2012.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog

Nintendo Confirms Wii Successor as Profits Dive

Faced with rapidly declining sales and a less enthusiastic than expected reception to its newest handheld gaming device, Nintendo has confirmed that it will be releasing a successor to the Wii in 2012.

A prototype of the new device, which has been rumored for the past several weeks, will be unveiled at E3, the video game industry’s annual trade show in June.

Read more at CNBC.com

Will Nintendo Release a Wii Successor in June?

While the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were born with 10-year life cycles in mind, the Wii hit the market with a much shorter projected lifespan.

With no support for high-definition graphics and shaky online multiplayer functionality, everyone including Nintendo knew the Wii would show its age first and would probably be the first console in need of an update.

Now there’s growing talk that the company could announce its successor as early as June.

Read more at CNBC.com

Reports: Nintendo to unveil new HD game console

The Wii has never been the workhorse console of this generation.

To keep it affordable and attractive to a mass market audience, Nintendo eschewed high definition graphics and, for the most part, online play when it was introduced. Five years later, though, it’s showing its age. And if online reports are to be believed, the company is ready to pull the curtain back on its next console system.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Up next for Nintendo: 3D Zelda, Wii Play sequel

Nintendo is pulling out a couple of big guns in the second quarter to boost its bottom line.

After months of hedging, the company has at last firmed up a launch date for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The eagerly anticipated 3DS remake of the classic title — still considered among the best of all time — will hit store shelves on June 19.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Game Review: Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 2

If you like Glee and you find yourself humming its songs after it airs (or rushing to iTunes to buy a copy for yourself), you will absolutely love Karaoke Revolution Glee: Volume 2. The game is a greatest hits version of the show, letting you sing along with Rachel, Finn, Puck and the rest of the cast on such memorable songs as Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl”. Fans will be especially happy that the game includes duets with Neil Patrick Harris’ Bryan Ryan character and Jonathan Groff’s Jesse St. James. Even if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, the game is forgiving and, worst case, Gleeks will have a lot of fun rewatching the videos from the show.

Read more at Common Sense Media

First U.S. 3DS owner was also the first to buy a Wii

Nintendo has some pretty loyal fans – but none of them can compete with Isaiah ‘Triforce’ Johnson.

Johnson was the first person in America to buy a 3DS when they went on sale Sunday, waiting for five chilly days outside a Manhattan Best Buy to claim those bragging rights. As signs of dedication go, it’s a pretty hard one to top — until you realize that five years ago, he spent more than 200 hours in line to be the first to buy a Wii.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Vidgames’ motion for changes

Nintendo may have pioneered the world of motion controlled gaming, but its days as the only player in the field are long over.

Microsoft and Sony, tired of seeing the Kyoto, Japan-based company steal the thunder of their souped-up videogame systems, have started to compete with the Wii on its own turf — and they’re seeing some notable success.

Read more at Daily Variety

Game consoles increasingly serving non-gaming purposes

While the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii are still game machines first and foremost, they’re increasingly being used for other forms of entertainment.

A new survey by Nielsen finds that non-gaming functionality is on the rise among console owners – and among PS3 owners, it even surpasses the time spent playing games.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog