The 
Wii U may not be getting tons of attention this holiday season, but that’s not stopping Nintendo from playing Santa Claus.
In a Nintendo Direct broadcast Wednesday, company president Satoru Iwata and Nintendo of America chief Reggie Fils-Aime revealed a number of surprises and updates for both the Wii U and the 3DS — and even delivered some of them to players immediately.
Patient 
gamers could be rewarded this Black Friday.
A newspaper circular for GameStop’s holiday deals has leaked onto the web — and if’ you’re in the market for an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, the retailer has some terrific deals in store. Zelda fans, meanwhile, will be able to get their hands on a bundle they’ve only been able to admire from afar.
It 
might be the year of Luigi, but another green-garbed Nintendo mascot stole the spotlight Wednesday as Nintendo announced a slew of upcoming titles.
An all-new The Legend of Zelda game set in the world of 1991’s The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is scheduled to launch for the 3DS this holiday season. Also on the way are new entries in the Yoshi’s Island and Mario Party series, as well as the U.S. arrival of the cult-classic Earthbound, the company announced in a direct broadcast to fans.
The 
Wii U has taken some heat from critics post-launch. The system is slow, they say. There haven’t been any new games. Where’s Zelda?
Nintendo met those accusations head-on Wednesday in the company’s latest Nintendo Direct online press conference, unveiling a collection of new games and enhancements that would cheer even the most skeptical fan. Before the year is out, Wii U owners can expect a double dose of Mario, Yoshi’s return to the spotlight and a high-definition take on a classic Zelda game.
Link, 
the hero of Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series, has gone through gender reassignment, and is now a heroine.
Well, at least in Mike Hoye’s house.
1987 
was a landmark year for pop culture entertainment. It was the first time we heard Capt. Jean-Luc Picard tell the crew of the Enterprise to “engage.” A dysfunctional yellow family called The Simpsons debuted in a series of shorts on “The Tracey Ullman Show.” And “Dick Clark’s American Bandstand” took its final bow.
The video game universe saw some pretty dramatic events as well, as several of the industry’s biggest franchises got their start in 1987 — and some 25 years later, they’ll still kicking.
Tom 
Curtin didn’t get what he was asking for one of the rarest video games ever found, but you won’t hear him complaining too much about that.
Earlier this week, Curtin launched an eBay auction for an exceptionally hard-to-find The Legend of Zelda prototype cartridge. The price? A whopping $150,000. That proved too steep, but a buyer quickly stepped forward and offered $55,000 — and just like that, there was a new record for the most expensive video game in the world.
One 
of the most beloved games of all time is now one of the most insane auctions of all time.
An exceedingly rare prototype cartridge of the NES classic The Legend of Zelda has popped up on eBay, along with a sealed copy of the original game. The asking price for this pair? $150,000. That’s in U.S. dollars, not rupees.
Retail video game sales 
nosedived in July, hitting their lowest level since October 2006.
Year over year sales were down 26 percent, with declines across the board in all hardware, software and accessories — and no breakout hits. While July is often a slow month for the industry, the dip in software sales was more than twice as bad as Wall St. analysts were predicting.
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.
Chris Morris: Journalist 