Digging up another Wii U patent comes this little nugget; the ability to use your Wii remote IR pointer directly on the Wii U tablet controller. This makes some sense as that camera “bar” on the top of the tablet controller is all black and resembles a mini sensor bar with a couple of hidden sensors. Again, nothing is for sure until E3 in 14 DAYS!

Ok picture this…

You just got home after buying your brand new Wii U.  You also bought the Wii U launch title Pikmin 3… You put the disc in…

It starts up… It asks “Would you like to enable Street Pass functions for Pikmin 3?”

You tap, “Yes!”

It says “Start the 3DS/Wii u street pass downloads software” (an application on the 3DS which you previously downloaded from the eshop)

You do…

It says “Now communicating with the Nintendo 3DS”

It says “Now creating Street Pass data”

It says “Street Pass is now enabled for Pikmin 3″

You say **Puts on Glasses**  “YYyyeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhh!!”

You then walk around with your 3DS and Street Pass other 3DS/WiiU owners who also have Pikmin 3 for Wii U.

You come home…

You walk by your Wii U

Your Wii U lights up… You have just Street Passed with your Wii U…

You turn on Pikmin 3 and enjoy your Street Pass goodies from other Wii U owners.

The end.

The How

This is not impossible!  in fact it would be a great way to implement one of the best features of the 3DS onto Nintendo’s up and coming console.  Nintendo could either do a system update, or make an application that you could download on the eShop, which would sync with your Wii U as I outlined above and save the Wii U Street Pass Data right on the SD card where the 3DS keeps it’s own.

More Skrills

What They Could Do

Think of the puzzle trading… except instead of little 3D demo models, you get awesome HD scenes, like the Zelda HD demo at last years E3!  Collect the pieces and you get a scene!  Other Wii U related Street Pass activities could be adventures similar to Find Mii, except specialized to take advantage of the Wii U’s unique controller!  It doesn’t have to be existing ideas either.  I thought Street Pass was a stupid idea until i started collecting hats and puzzle pieces… then I realized how awesome it was.  Nintendo could come out with an equally fun and addictive collection for the Wii U.   Developers could add their own ideas to the table as well with any of their Wii U titles.

There are certainly as many possibilities for Street Pass as the 3DS, if not more because of the capabilities of the Wii U system.  It will be exciting to see what secrets and goodies Nintendo will announce at this year’s E3.  What do you think? … Would you want street pass functions on your Wii U?  What would you like to see happen?  May your most delicious come true.

This rumor was posted today and claims that Nintendo’s own Retro Studios will be making a crossover game using the Metroid and Star Fox universes. As awesome as this may sound, this rumor should be taken with a grain of salt:

- Some folk at Retro Studios wanted to develop a new ip that involved 3rd person sci-fi action with intense aerial combat.
- Others apparently were leaning towards taking the Star Fox helm.
- Nintendo sees Retro Studios as a very competent developer and worked with them in creating the hybrid title of Star Fox – Metroid: Fusion Saga.
- The title has multiple gameplay mechanics and needed a wide staff of talent to incorporate the many ideas.
- The story begins as you control Fox McCloud and the Star Fox team on deep space mission in your Arwing, flying through a Meteos-like stage. As you enter a light speed warp, there’s a collision with an orange ship (Samus’) and the game continues with you now plummeting to a planet as Samus in her craft. You’re in mild control of her ship, using the Wii U controller to look around and touch screen press the lit up buttons to prepare for impact (while the TV stays locked on what you see out of the cockpit). You’re now on land, as a “yet again” stripped down Samus Aran with the most basic of weapon abilities, in first person perspective, traversing through this unknown planet.
- The game switches off between intense Arwing space and planetary battles as Fox makes his way to the planet that Samus crashed on and a Metroid Prime-like experience of gameplay as Samus on this planet, gradually uncovering its mysteries, leveling up, etc.
- The Star Fox stages represent what the series is best known for, including the chatter and coming to the aid of the rest of your team, all range mode battles, and on rails stages.
- The Metroid part of the game puts you alone, void of human or any talking character contact, and like the Prime series, sees you gaining upgrades, battling bosses, and in this case, repairing your ship.
- The game is said to be epic in size, scope, ambition.
- The pacing has been perfected to not interrupt what the feeling is behind either franchise, since Star Fox is more often known for being acceptable to have short sessions with and Metroid rather the opposite. You can opt to continue playing either just Samus’ part or Fox’s part without crossing over for much of the main game (or play it as it’s scripted back and forth), but will eventually have to complete both, as the characters will ultimately meet up.
- There will be later parts in the game where you do get to control Samus’ ship and fly it Star Fox style.
- Likewise, Fox McCloud will be controllable by foot (both the above and this bullet point represent a period in the game after the two sides meet up) and be played via 3rd personperspective. Think of Jet Force Gemini with Fox’s known agility as he’s portrayed to having in the Smash Bros. series. (Fox will move more like Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden and less like he did in Star Fox Adventures).
- Though a tentative title, the idea behind the story of “FusionSaga” is both a play on the fact that the two series are fusing together into one game and of course, a storyline behind Andross using Metroids to enhance himself, his army, etc.
- Star Fox – Metroid: Fusion Saga is wholly a satisfying adventure game as Samus, an equally electrifying aerial combat game as Fox, and something that delivers an exciting, special change that fans will love.
- In consideration was the Star Fox portion having 4 player co-op online, but instead the game will have leaderboards for time and percent complete for all parts of the game and multiplayer will be simply versus mode based.

source 

Today it was revealed that a TT Games employee Tweeted a newer, revised version of Nintendo’s Wii U tablet controller. Most noticeably different are the absence of the Circle Pads now replaced with more traditional analog sticks very similar to the ones on the Nunchuck controller. Also to note are the Start/Pause (also + and -) buttons that were moved to the right hand side along with a mysterious “nameless” button on the left. And to top it all off the Wii U logo found a home by the left speaker. Although this is not confirmed by Nintendo, this leak looks very legit and we will know for sure at E3 next month.

source

source: Gamespot

A rumor today suggests that a developer on the Wii U will have a nice and beefy OS. Supposedly, Nintendo’s next home console may offer more than just games, as the source describes it as “ huge, surely never seen before on a normal home system.”

Also to note the exact V4 of the Wii U dev kit they have has a dedicated RAM amount of 512MB (the TOTAL amount of RAM for a current-gen HD console like the Xbox 360) JUST for the OS.

“Nintendo reserved a certain amount of memory (at least 512MB to be clear) without knowing the exact space that the Wii U OS will take once completed, they made a prevision of that with a noticeable additional room, in case it will occupy more place. In the end, it will be more reasonable size-wise than this locked space. Considering the OS size of the other systems, it’s pretty sure that it will remain the biggest software layer seen on this kind of platform. This anticipated trimming could free up some memory for games. As projects are being developed with a limited amount of memory from the total pool (the rest is for the OS/background/system features), we could expect a 3DS situation where developers, once the OS is optimized and slimmed down, will be able to use more memory.”

If these rumors prove correct, then we can expect big things from Nintendo such as better multi-tasking and cross-game voice chat.

source: NeoGaf

Today Ubisoft sent out official press releases and if you noticed on the bottom of the press release they wrote:

“The full version of the game will be available at retailers and online on June 5, 2012.”

It hasn’t been confirmed that this game will be released as an eShop title, but why else would they put that? Makes us wonder…

Making the headlines this week are Rayman Origins demo and Kirby’s Block Ball for the Virtual Console service. Continue for the full press release list:

Nintendo eShop 
Mario Kart™ 7 update now available – Visit the Nintendo eShop to download the update for Mario Kart 7. This update is required for online multiplayer mode. For more information, visithttp://mariokart7.nintendo.com/announcement. (For Nintendo 3DS™)

Nintendo Video™
Men in Black™ 3 in 3D (available May 18 at 6 a.m. PT) – They’re back! Men in Black hit Nintendo Video this week with the trailer for the latest installment in this epic franchise. (For Nintendo 3DS)

Nintendo eShop 
Kirby’s Block Ball™ – Kirby™ takes center stage in this frenzied, block-clearing free-for-all. Use the paddles on all four sides of the screen to bounce Kirby around and destroy the blocks and enemies. (For Nintendo 3DS)

Nintendo eShop 
Rayman® Origins (demo version) – Meet the new crazy.  Rayman Origins is a comic adventure set in a lush world with more than 60 levels, teeming with secrets and crazy enemies. Taking advantage of the StreetPass™ feature, you can share your progression, number of collectibles, time played, unlocked achievements and avatar with others. A demo version is now available in the Nintendo eShop. (For Nintendo 3DS)

Also new this week:
•  Chronicles of Vampires: The Awakening (Nintendo eShop / Nintendo DSiWare™)

To view this week’s Nintendo Download in its full graphical version, please visit: http://www.news2know.net/nintendo/downloadtzH09was.php.

In addition to video games available at retail stores, Nintendo also offers a variety of content that people can download directly to their systems. Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS™ system, to the Nintendo DSi™ Shop for the Nintendo DSi system and to the Wii™ Shop Channel for the Wii console at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Thursdays.

The Nintendo eShop is a cash-based service and features games, applications and videos in both 2D and 3D. Users can add money to their virtual wallets using a credit card or by purchasing a Nintendo 3DS Prepaid Card at a retail store and entering the code from the card.

The Wii Shop Channel offers games and applications and uses Wii Points™, which can be purchased via the Wii Shop Channel. The Nintendo DSi Shop offers games and applications and uses Nintendo DSi Points™, which can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Wii Points Card™ and Nintendo DSi Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one card must be redeemed in either the Wii Shop Channel or the Nintendo DSi Shop, respectively. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage some of the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wii,  http://www.nintendo.com/3ds orhttp://www.nintendo.com/ds.

Today Nintendo sent out a press release marking May 19th as Multiplayer Battle Day. Before May 19 you can head over to your region’s page found here and sign up to attend. Nintendo has announced that the top 20 groups with the most participation on this day will receive free Nintendo goodies.

REDMOND, Wash., May 16, 2012 – Since the March 23 launch of Kid Icarus: Uprising on the Nintendo 3DS system, legions of fans have experienced the game’s action-packed multiplayer features. To make it easier than ever for fans to come together, Nintendo of America has created a Multiplayer Battle Day Meetup Everywhere community that people can use to organize their own local Kid Icarus: Uprising multiplayer tournaments, meetups and social gatherings*.

Fans and Nintendo 3DS users are encouraged to get together and battle it out on Saturday, May 19, which has been designated as Kid Icarus: Uprising Multiplayer Battle Day. Using a broadband Internet connection or local wireless connection, players who own a Nintendo 3DS and Kid Icarus: Uprising can compete in the game’s frenetic multiplayer modes, whether battling it out in three-on-three Light Versus Dark mode or six-player Free-for-All mode. The 20 groups with the most participants will receive special Kid Icarus: Uprising premium items such as AR Card packs and T-shirts, while supplies last.

Meetup Everywhere is a simple-to-use online platform that enables followers to coordinate local, real-life meetups based on shared interests. Nintendo 3DS users who are interested in sharing Kid Icarus: Uprising multiplayer experiences, trading AR cards with others or exchanging in-game weapons using StreetPass are invited to visit http://www.meetup.com/nintendo3ds to find events in their area or to plan their own meetups.

For more information about Kid Icarus: Uprising, available now exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS system, visit http://kidicarus.nintendo.com/uprising.

Today Square Enix released a press release about the special edition of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. The special edition titled, Mark of Mastery Edition, will retail for an MSRP of $54.99 when the game launches July 31st. Continue for the official statement:

LOS ANGELES (May 16, 2012) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in the Americas, today announced the Mark of Mastery Edition for the North American launch of KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance]. Scheduled for release on July 31 for the Nintendo 3DS™ system, the box set will be available for $54.99.

The series’ first collector’s edition for the North American market is housed in a KINGDOM HEARTS-branded magnetic box. It will include a copy of KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance], a branded clear hard case skin cover and 12 art cards. It also contains five augmented reality (AR) cards that allow players to unlock rare Dream Eaters such as Meowjesty, Frootz Cat and Kab Kannon, and a 360° viewing stand that allows players to take a closer look at their Dream Eaters from all angles. The Mark of Mastery Edition is an excellent opportunity for fans to commemorate the groundbreaking franchise’s 10th anniversary.