Nintendo

Nintendo has announced a new game of brain training exercises featuring Dr Kawashima, to be released in Japan this summer. The game was announced by company president Satoru Iwata in a Nintendo Direct briefing earlier today. Speaking from the sound studio in the bowels of Nintendo's Kyoto HQ, Iwata recalled that he first met Dr Kawashima on the day DS launched in Japan, showing him a prototype that would eventually become Brain Training. More >

Beleaguered UK retailer Game Group has cancelled all Special Edition pre-orders of Wii RPG The Last Story. In an email to customers who had pre-ordered the Special Edition of the Mistwalker RPG, which will be released on Friday, Game confirms: "Unfortunately, this product is no longer being stocked and we will therefore be unable to fulfil your order, which has been cancelled." More >

Yoot Saito's Dreamcast pet sim Seaman is headed to 3DS, according to reports. Andriasang brings word from Japan's Nikkei, which in a feature claims Nintendo is looking to revive games from thirdparty publishers' back catalogue for 3DS, giving Seaman as an example. More >

Nintendo's 3DS has set a new record for hardware sales in Japan, becoming the quickest system to reach five million sales. The glasses-free 3D handheld reached the five million mark within 52 weeks of its Japanese release on February 26 last year, according to Media Create data passed on by Andriasang. More >

Edge's Future Publishing stablemate Nintendo Gamer, formerly known as NGamer, has launched a new website. Nintendo-gamer.net will bring the magazine's honesty, authority and - it says here - "irreverent humour" to the web. More >

Nintendo has released the first paid downloadable content for its 3DS handheld. Andriasang reports that DLC for Nintendo-published 3DS photo app Tobidasu Print Club Kiradeco Revolution is now available, with three sets of decorations available for ¥100 (81p) each. More >

Nintendo has acquired Mobiclip, a French company specialising in video compression technology. Gamasutra reports that the deal was actually completed last October, but has only just been announced. It gives Nintendo access to Mobiclip's technology, which handles playback of high-quality video with low battery consumption and which it has previously used in the Game Boy Advance and DS handhelds. More >

The Super Mario Bros. X Converse One Star Ox shoe (we're not entirely sure why Mario All Star didn't make the cut) comes in white or black and red with a pixelated Mario sprite and inset yellow star. More >

Nintendo's 3DS was the dominant force at Japanese retail last month, its games occupying the top three spots, and half of the top ten overall. Leading the pack was Mario Kart 7, with sales of 388,760 units between December 26 and January 29, according to Enterbrain data passed along by Andriasang. More >

Satoru Iwata has revealed a significant shift in Nintendo policy by saying the company would be open to having social games on its platforms. In an investor briefing, company president Iwata said that Nintendo would not forbid developers from selling virtual goods through microtransactions in a manner similar to social games on Facebook and smartphones. More >

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said that the company is using external studios to make games for Wii U which would previously have been developed externally. Speaking to investors following last week's disappointing financial results, Iwata moved to allay shareholder fears about the impact Wii U's processing power could have on Nintendo's development budgets. In addition to using the services of external developers, Iwata was keen to point out that not every Wii U game would take full advantage of its processing grunt. More >

More than five million copies of 3DS platformer Super Mario 3D Land have been sold worldwide since its launch in November, Nintendo has announced. It means Mario's 3DS debut is the first game to cross the five million barrier, though figures released alongside Nintendo's latest financial results show Mario Kart 7 isn't far behind. The kart racer, which has been number one in Japan for five of the last six weeks, is currently on 4.5 million. More >

Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Final Fantasy and upcoming Wii RPG The Last Story, will speak at the British Academy Of Film And Television Arts' London headquarters next month, Nintendo has announced. More >

Nintendo has revealed that Wii U controllers will support Near Field Communication (NFC), which enables wireless communication between devices in close proximity to each other. Speaking during an investor briefing, Iwata said: "The Wii U is known for its new controller with a screen, among other features. For this controller, please be advised that we have decided to install an NFC function." More >

Nintendo will release a side-scrolling Super Mario Bros game for 3DS in its next fiscal year. The news was revealed by company president Satoru Iwata, and means the game will be on shelves between April 1 and March 31, 2013. More >

Nintendo will make a profit on sales of 3DS hardware in the first six months of the next fiscal year. The pledge comes from company president Satoru Iwata, who also said that 3DS software support would improve, especially in the west. It follows another miserable set of financial results from the company, with losses growing despite a huge increase in sales of 3DS, after the global price drop last August meant the company was selling hardware at a loss. More >

Nintendo has officially announced Nintendo Network, an online service for 3DS and Wii U. The service was unveiled by Satoru Iwata during an investor briefing following the release of Nintendo's latest financial results. The company president said the new offering will be broader than its predecessor, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which he admitted was "focused upon specific functionalities and concepts." More >