Nintendo

LOS ANGELES--Nintendo's Wii has always stood apart from the other major consoles of this generation of game machines. It was pitched as, and found great success by, being the game console for nongamers.

The controls were deceptively simple. A magic wand to wave in the air, with a couple of buttons that many games ignored. There was an add-on with extra inputs for games that required it, but many of the best Wii experiences concentrated on that kinetic action of hand-on-wand.

That simplicity was the secret to how Nintendo sold so many Wiis. And while motion and gesture control … Read more

To help players understand the functionality of Wii U's dual-screen initiative, Nintendo unveiled NintendoLand today at E3.

Similar to Wii Sports on the Wii when that product launched, NintendoLand will include gameplay designed to showcase the many features the console offers. However, NintendoLand, which is based around the idea of a theme park, combines a host of the company's "classic" franchises, including Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and others.

To add a bit more flavor to NintendoLand, the game company says it will be tied in with Miiverse, though further details were not divulged.

All told, … Read more

Nintendo's Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus have performed exceptionally well over the years, hitting 43 million unit sales since the first iteration's launch. And now, Nintendo is trying to improve its success with a new entry into the franchise.

The company at its E3 keynote today unveiled a new title in the franchise called Wii Fit U. As one might expect, the game takes advantage of the Wii U's GamePad. For example, when one person wants to exercise with Wii U and other does not, they can play the game from the GamePad. In addition, the … Read more

Nintendo's Wii U console will have a host of streaming-video options, the company announced today.

Netflix streaming, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video will all be available on the Wii U, Nintendo announced at its E3 keynote. YouTube support will also be available on the platform.… Read more

Surprise, surprise: Nintendo will be launching a Super Mario title for Wii U.

Dubbed New Super Mario Bros. U, the game is designed to take advantage of Nintendo's social platform, Miiverse. In fact, the company says that the title will have a "real-time social window" in-game as the person is playing, and will connect with others.

Aside from that, the title appears to be the typical Mario experience, complete with users being able to jump and fly around levels. Nintendo only showed off a trailer for the title, and did not spend any time actually playing the … Read more

Nintendo's Miiverse will deliver its social experience across platforms, Nintendo announced today.

According to Nintendo, its Wii U's Miiverse will deliver full-fledged social features as soon as users boot up the console. Chief among those features is the ability to view "Miis" around games to help users determine which titles are trending around the world. In addition, the platform will let people see and send text messages, or use a stylus to draw words or images.

Interestingly, Nintendo doesn't want to limit its Miiverse to Wii U users. Instead, the company will offer it on … Read more

Nintendo's Wii U will support two Gamepads, the company announced today.

When the Wii U was first announced last year, Nintendo vaguely indicated that its console could support only one Gamepad. However, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said today at his company's E3 keynote that it'll actually support two Gamepads.

The Wii U Gamepad, which Nintendo showed off earlier this week, will ship with a 6.2-inch touchscreen and a stylus for additional input options. In addition, the Gamepad boasts an infrared transceiver, gyroscope, and accelerometer. A rumble feature, now a near-necessity in any game controller, … Read more

We expect Nintendo to put its new Wii U console/handheld hybrid device front and center at E3 this year. Super Mario Brothers, Pikmin, and other games are sure to come along. Will Nintendo expand the library of third-party games it showcased last year? What about a 3DS Slim?

For those answers and more, check in with our live blog coverage here, beginning at 8:45 a.m. PT/11:45 a.m. ET today.

Between now and then, our ongoing E3 coverage will keep you up to date on the latest from the show. Check it out here.

Editors' … Read more

Get ready to get your game on. E3 has begun:

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, called E3 for short, has kicked off. It's the big video game conference of the year, and even though the show has just begun, it looks like this is the year of the second screen. Both the Wii U and the Xbox 360 are showing off ways to tie tablet screen interaction with what's on the television, creating a richer game and entertainment experience. You can catch all our continuing coverage of the show at cnet.com/e3.

Nintendo's press conference isn't … Read more