Infendo

Game Boy, the brick that Yokoi built. When it launched in 89, it was like the PSP of its day– a technical powerhouse that parallelled its big bro’s machismo. And even though it was as colorless as ether, it had the games to move units and sold like pancakes at IHOP. 17 years later, the GB line has shifted more product than anyone. As it stands, the GB’s future is questionable wit...

It’s a wrap on Infendo Radio Show number 3! This week we discuss Game Boy “3” Nintendo Power, portable dominance, and new Revolution screens. Enjoy the show! MP3

Game Informer has the scoop on the first publicly revealed Revolution game. It’s an FPS from Ubisoft Paris called Red Steel and it looks much better than most fans may expect. Impressively good-looking. Apparently, GI is going to blow the lid off of this game with an 11-page spread in their May issue, which should be getting to subscribers this week. Click below to see the scans, courtesy of...

Do you own a Japanese company and need more people to buy your product? The rules of the game are simple: start a contest that lasts about a month where people who buy your product can punch a code in on the internet to win one of three things. As long as one of these prizes is either an iPod or a DS Lite, your product will be a guaranteed success. A good example? This Habanero (spicy snack food) ...

Just under the platform for the Keihin Tohoku line in Tokyo station there’s a big scrolling Nintendo advertisement that doubles as a wifi download point. I was pretty proud to have accidentally found the place, as Nintendo’s website guiding you to it is somewhat confusing if you’re new to Japan, or even Tokyo station (which is of course massive). Anyway in a week in a half I star...

Now that I’m somewhat settled in my Japanese living situation I’m ready to start posting my findings about Nintendo’s business in the briny east. This baby here is the DS download station in Akihabara where when it’s not apologizing to you for DS shortages, you can download demos of two learning games and play Pokémon Ranger on a DS Lite. This is the second DS lite I saw s...

I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time hooking up with local gamers, especially those with a passion for Nintendo. I know they’re out there, but if they’re anything like me, they’ll be busy with work, family, school, and the like. Enter Nintendo’s wifi connection, and the world suddenly gets a lot smaller. I really enjoyed hooking up with some of you last Wed ...

Business Week interviewed Kazuo Yoneyama, one of the Nintendo engineers who worked on the design of DS Lite on how to improve portables. Regarding handheld durability, Yoneyama had this to say: “For a portable console, you can’t afford to neglect durability. Rather than having our users pay several thousand yen to fix the console if they drop it, we’d rather that they be able to ...

For those that didn’t listen to Infendo Radio last week, we’re having an online Infendo meetup for Metroid Prime Hunters tonight at 8pm EST. Click here to dump in friend codes galore, and look out for me (Blake) to be hosting a game. See you peeps on NWC!!!

A recent Escapist magazine looks into the long history of Nintendo Power and analyses its effectiveness. From the article: “Instead of trying to wow gamers with stunning visuals, Nintendo has set a course to engage the hearts and minds of game fans. That is not to say they have pushed visuals aside; quite to the contrary.” What say ye, Infendo readers? How good is Nintendo Power? And m...

Nintendo beat expectations for the fiscal year ending last month. Reuters writes: “Japan’s Nintendo Co. said on Tuesday it likely beat its group net profit estimate for the business year ended last month by 27 percent, helped by robust sales of a portable game machine [DS] and foreign exchange gains.” I guess business is good. If you’ve got great content (i.e. great games o...

Congratulations to contest winner Chris Kattner (Clu) from Victoria! Send us your full address via the tips form and we’ll get your game shipped out asap. Thanks to all that posted. So yeah or nay on a future Infendo game sweepstakes? We had mixed reviews of the program, as it may have been the first cheap stunt we’ve pulled since adding site sponsors. Let us know your thoughts. Also, ...