Nintendo Wii U to be sold at a loss, 3DS starts to turn a profit

Mario's alma mater may be looking at its next big console to bolster its stumbling net income, but it won't be raising its bottom line on hardware alone: Nintendo says the Wii U is going to be sold at a loss. While this is par for the course for most game consoles, loss leader products are somewhat of a new trend for Nintendo, which only started selling hardware at a loss recently. On the upside, company CEO Satoru Iwata says the 3DS is back in the black, finally selling for a tidy (though unspecified) profit after dropping its price late last year. Nintendo expects business to pick up down the road, but says circumstances will keep it from attaining "Nintendo-like" profits in this fiscal year.

[Source: Engadget]

Nintendo reports continued first-half losses for 2012, is waiting on the Wii U

Nintendo's reported its financial results for the first of half of the year, and things are still a little rocky. Net sales in the last six months have decreased 6.8 percent compared to the same point last year, while net income continues to drop, this time by 27,996 million yen. As of September 2012, Nintendo has now sold over 22 million 3DS units (three million more since last quarter), while the Wii remains just shy of the 100 million milestone, settling at 97.2 million units sold. Nintendo looks to be in a similar position to last year, with customers still waiting for the company's next big console to appear -- and the gamesmaker hoping they will. Laying blame at the strong yen, the company has dramatically cut its forecast for the rest of the year, down from 20 billion ($250 million) to 6 billion yen ($75 million), pinning its hopes on 3DS sales ahead of the Wii U's global launch later this year.

[Source: Engadget]

Digital Storm Bolt stuffs full-power graphics into a mini gaming desktop, stretches laws of physics

Attempts to create truly small gaming desktops usually involve at least some kind of performance hit. Even HP's category-bending Firebird, one of the few stand-out examples, had to use toned-down graphics to succeed in a tiny enclosure. Digital Storm might have broken the trend towards sacrifice with its new Bolt desktop: although it's just 3.6 inches wide and 14 inches tall, the Bolt can cram in as much as a GeForce GTX 680 and will even let gamers upgrade the graphics like they would in a full-size PC. The seemingly logic-defying (if also finger-defying) case still allows room for as much as an overclocked 4.6GHz Core i7, 16GB of RAM and storage options that meld a spinning hard drive with up to two SSDs and a DVD burner. Digital Storm isn't even setting an absurd base price, but it's in the cost that we finally see the catch to the miniaturization tricks. The $999 entry-level Bolt carries a modest 3.1GHz Core i3, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and GeForce GTX 650 Ti, while it takes a staggering $1,949 to get a fully decked-out Core i7 system with a GTX 680. Those prices might be worthwhile for anyone who has ever strained while lugging a traditional tower to a game tourney.

[Souce: Engadget]

Microsoft 'retiring' Facebook and Twitter Xbox 360 Dashboard apps

Eagle-eyed gamers may have already noticed that the Xbox 360's dedicated Twitter and Facebook appshave gone missing after the latest Dashboard update, and now Redmond has confirmed it's put the applications out to pasture. According to a Microsoft representative that spoke to IGN, the firm is "retiring the Facebook and Twitter apps" as it works to streamline functionality. When asked if the pair of apps will ever make a comeback, Ballmer and Co. didn't comment. Still crave to update your friends on your latest gaming exploits through the console? Spreading the news on the digital grapevine is still possible, but you'll have to access the social networks through the freshly added Internet Explorer app -- an experience we hope Xbox SmartGlass will improve.

[Source: Engadget]

Feel the Force: Angry Birds Star Wars coming November 8th to iOS, Android and computers

Rovio teased a certain film-inspired Angry Birds picture a long, long last week, and as expected, it's another new game -- Angry Birds Star Wars. Our furious feathered friends are assuming the likenesses of characters from the epic saga, with the trusty Red Bird taking on Luke Skywalker's role. It wouldn't be the Rebel Alliance without a dark side to fight, which is where the Pigs fit into the storyline; even the music and levels for gravity-based play will hark back to the film franchise. In addition to the software, details of related merchandise have also been uncovered, including table games, toys and costumes. The game is out on November 8th for iOS, Android and computers, and if it follows the original storyline, we wonder how Red Bird's going to feel about his porcine family history.

[Source: Engadget]

Facebook Messenger for BlackBerry reaches App World, sates compulsive chatters

If you own a BlackBerry, it might not have been immediately apparent that Facebook Messenger has been an option since October; unlike with Android or iOS, you had to track down the download on Facebook's website. We don't know why it's been kept out of a more accessible channel, but that ends today with Facebook's chat-focused app arriving on BlackBerry App World like most any other title. There don't appear to be any new tricks included with the expanded availability, although we'd say that the wider exposure is enough of a highlight for an audience that just needs to get by until BlackBerry 10. Those who don't use BBM for all their instant messaging can find what they need at the source link.

[Source: Engadget]

Dashboard beta leaks new Xbox Music Pass: Cloud playlists and early pricing revealed

Appearing soon after Zune's end, we've been sent these images of what Microsoft's likely to offer in Xbox Music. Matching those early rumors, it looks like some cloud-linked features will make an appearance in the form of synchronized playlists, while the service will offer a free half-month trial alongside paid subscriptions. Prices are currently set at £8.99 ($15) for a month, while £89.90 ($146) will offer a year's unlimited access to "millions" of tracks, to stream and download across Xbox, Windows, and Windows Phone. The system's UI seems to borrow its looks from Windows' Metro tile-based style, with a verysimilar keyboard that appears to be navigable from your Xbox controller. Take a tour of the gallery below and expect to hear more specifics ahead of the big Windows 8 launch next month.

[Source: Engadget]

PlayStation Plus cloud storage boost landing 'soon' with system update v4.25

If you've been sat impatiently tapping your fingers on the desk waiting for that extra PlayStation Plus storage, then you might want to give that hand a break. According to the PlayStation blog, it's coming, and soon. The capacity bump will come in PS3 system update v4.25, and once installed, you'll just need to head over to the Saved Data Utility under the XMB's Game column to see it. Our friends over atJoystiq have pushed Sony for a more concrete time on the update's release, but if you've already maxed out that current 150MB, there's light at the end of the cloud tunnel.

[Source: Engadget]

Final Fantasy Ultimate Box goes from PSOne to PS3: All 13 games for $450

To mark 25 years of dungeon crawling (and soft-resetting), Square-Enix has packaged together all of its core Final Fantasy titles for this elaborate fan-baiting package. Alongside discs for Final Fantasies I through XIII, the games-maker has packaged a numbered presentation plaque -- replete with new artwork from renowned character artist Yoshitaka Amano -- alongside a two-disc soundtrack and commemorative DVD. The price of a limited-edition slice of Final Fantasy heritage? A total of 35,000 gilyen, (around $450) will net you the compilation, which lands on December 18th. Japan residents can hit the source for preorder details, while global enthusiasts can read up on the full title (and format) breakdown -- there's no news of an international release just yet.

[Source: Engadget]

PS Vita v1.80 update now available, PSOne titles for download revealed

Of all the new features in firmware version 1.80 we're pretty sure that the ability to play PSOne classicswas fairly high on people's want-list. Well, the update is live, and with it a list of the titles available. There are nine on offer today for US Vita owners, which are: Arc the Lad, Cool Boarders 2, Final Fantasy VII,Hot Shots Golf 2, Jet Moto, Syphon Filter, Tomb Raider, Twisted Metal 2 and Wild Arms, with hopefully more to follow. This is in stark contrast to what's available over the pond, as Kotaku points out, with over 100 titles hitting European shores from tomorrow -- somewhat of an imbalance. But, with Sony said to be targeting a younger crowd, maybe it's banking on some of them not remembering the PlayStation's golden age.

[Source: Engadget]

More OnLive management moves: Perlman out, as investor Lauder settles for Chairman

As the OnLive storm continues to ride itself out, details of who the winners and losers are (mainly losers) keep washing up on the shore. Today's casualty seems to be CEO Steve Perlman himself, who -- just days after the firm reinventing itself -- is "departing to work on his myriad of other projects." In his place the former COO, Charlie Jablonski, is temporarily taking the reins, as well as continuing his role as head of operations in the new organization. Finally, completing this wave of announcements, is the news that chief investor, Gary lauder, will officially take the title of Chairman. So, as the new incarnation settles into its new structure, we'll just have to sit tight, waiting to see what the next chapter in the OnLive story is.

[Source: Engadget]

BT is 'highly likely' to write off OnLive investment

HTC wrote off its entire $40 million investment in troubled cloud gaming company OnLive after the company spontaneously dissolved and reformed this weekend, and it now looks like fellow investor BT may do the same. The British telecommunications company, which purchased a 2.6 percent stake in the company in early 2010 and early exclusive access to the UK version of the service, told TechRadar that a write-off was "highly likely." Here's the full statement:

"We cannot comment on speculation about the future of OnLive, but we are keeping a close eye on developments. Questions should be directed to the company in question. BT customers who are customers of OnLive will continue to be able to access the service.

In any event, the 2.6 per cent shareholding in OnLive does not represent a significant investment for BT as a whole. We consider it highly likely that we'll have to write off our investment."

According to OnLive, the original company named OnLive is no more, as the company restructured itself using an alternative to bankruptcy called Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC) which apparently only transfers the company's assets to a new party. Under an ABC, the assignee of a company's assets is responsible for maximizing the value to creditors, but it seems like HTC and BT won't be getting much value for their buck here.

[Source: The Verge]