Nintendo will bring its DSi XL dual-screen handheld video game system to the United States at the end of March, the company said on Wednesday.
The Nintendo DSi XL will go on sale in the U.S. on March 28 for $189.99. The device is already available in Japan.
The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL are 93 percent larger than those of the Nintendo DS Lite model, as well as a wider viewing angle. The new system launches in both Burgundy and Bronze colors, and comes loaded with pre-installed premium software Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock, as well as two free applications: the Nintendo DSi Browser and Flipnote Studio. Nintendo DSi XL will also come with a larger pen-like stylus that allows for a more comfortable grip and enhanced ease of use when playing games that use the Nintendo DS touch screen. America?s Test Kitchen: Let?s Get Cooking and WarioWare: D.I.Y. will also launch for the Nintendo DS family of products on March 28.
According to industry tracker NPD, Nintendo sold around 420,000 DS units in January. Sony sold around 100,000 units of its PSP hand-held device in the month.
Nintendo also announced the release of Super Mario Galaxy 2, the sequel to the original game. The game launches May 23 for the Wii console. It includes the gravity-defying, physics-based exploration from the first game, but is loaded with entirely new galaxies and features to challenge players. On some stages, Mario can pair up with his dinosaur buddy Yoshi and use his tongue to grab items and spit them back at enemies. Players can also have fun with new items such as a drill that lets our hero tunnel through solid rock.
Metroid: Other M, the new Metroid game developed for Wii through a collaboration by Nintendo and the Team Ninja, also launches June 27. The game looks at the classic franchise from a new perspective: While much of the game is reminiscent of 2-D side-scrollers, players can switch the perspective into 3-D at any time as they explore the twisting passages of a space station and delve deep into a story of bounty hunter Samus Aran?s past. This new approach uses a new control scheme in which players use the Wii Remote controller held sideways to battle enemies and navigate the expansive environments in classic Metroid fashion, then aim at the screen with the Wii Remote pointer to blast foes in first-person and hunt the world for clues and hidden passages.
In a partnership with Square-Enix, Nintendo of America will also publish Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies in the Americas when the game arrives in summer 2010. Dragon Quest IX has sold more than 4.15 million copies in the Japanese market.
Capcom?s Monster Hunter Tri, an epic action game for Wii, launches in the United States on April 20. The game lets players customize their character, armor and weapons in order to protect a town from majestic monsters as that town rebuilds following a devastating earthquake. Online play will be available for all players with broadband Internet access at no additional cost. Online text chat is fully functional and online voice chat is enabled using the Wii Speak microphone, which is sold separately. At a suggested retail price of $59.99, limited quantities of Monster Hunter Tri will include the new Black Classic Controller Pro, while both Black and White versions of the controller will be available separately at a suggested retail price of $19.99. The game will also be available without a controller at a suggested retail price of $49.99.
Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, the breakthrough shooter game for Wii from developer Treasure, will launch across North America on June 7. The game features nonstop action with two playable characters and international online leaderboards to track high scores.
FlingSmash for Wii will test players? Wii Remote skills as they bounce a ball-like hero through countless side-scrolling stages, combining the precision of racket sports with the fun of pinball. Playable only with the Wii MotionPlus accessory, the game will launch this summer.
Picross 3D launches for the Nintendo DS family of products on May 3. In Picross 3D, players start with a cube and smash away smaller blocks to reveal an object, shape or symbol. The game features more than 350 puzzles and more will be made available for download on a regular basis after launch via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service (broadband Internet access required).
100 Classic Books transforms the Nintendo DS family of products into a library of literature when it launches on June 14 at a suggested retail price of $19.99, highlighted by 100 works from authors such as William Shakespeare, Jules Verne, Jane Austen, Mark Twain and more. Readers can adjust the size of text, place bookmarks and even download new content via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service (broadband Internet connection required).
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands from Ubisoft will launch May 18 on both the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms. The Wii version will be the first in franchise history to feature a two-player cooperative experience. As an added bonus, the Wii version of the game will exclusively include the 1992 Super NES version of the original Prince of Persia game.
Disney Guilty Party is the official title of the highly anticipated first collaboration between Disney Interactive Studios and its recently acquired studio, Wideload Games. The fun and hilarious mystery party game is set for release in the second half of 2010, exclusively for Wii.
Majesco?s Nintendo DSi exclusive Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal uses augmented reality technology through the Nintendo DSi Camera. Launching this October, the game lets players become a ghost hunter as they interact with the paranormal.
Nintendo also announced a variety of games available to download directly to the Wii console from the Wii Shop Channel via the WiiWare service, and directly to the Nintendo DS via the DSi Shop and DSiWare services.
For WiiWare:
- Launching on March 1, Capcom?s Mega Man 10 builds upon the impact of Mega Man 9, a completely new adventure rendered in classic 8-bit style.
- Launching on March 8, Max & the Magic Marker from Press Play turns the Wii Remote into an orange magic marker that?s literally magic. Players draw lines and objects to help Max reach objects and his ultimate goal.
- The indie cult classic Cave Story comes to WiiWare with new game play, artwork and music enhancements on March 22. It?s classic gaming reborn for 2010.
- Launching on March 29, WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase is a standalone product exclusive to the WiiWare service and available only from the Wii Shop Channel. The game contains more than 70 new microgames and features interoperability with the WarioWare: D.I.Y. game for the Nintendo DS family of products. Players that own both games can transfer content between the two via a local wireless connection, and can even play user-created microgames on their television using WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase.
- As the techno music pulses, Nintendo?s Art Style: light trax puts players in charge of a white beam of light as it engages in a surreal race against other beams across a dark track. Players must keep away from obstacles, use items and look for power boosts if they want to finish first. Art Style: light trax launches this spring.
- Swim and spin through the primordial ooze in Nintendo?s Art Style: Rotozoa as you absorb tiny organisms that match the colors of your tentacles. As you absorb more organisms, your tentacles grow. The challenge increases as additional tentacles are gained, but power-ups can help you survive and thrive. Art Style: Rotozoa launches this spring.
- Launching this spring, Rage of the Gladiator from Ghostfire Games is an intense fighting game that asks players to perfect their well-timed moves against an array of opponents. The game is compatible with the Wii MotionPlus accessory.
- Launching this spring, And Yet It Moves from Broken Rules requires players to rotate the world to help their line-drawn protagonist progress. Walls become floors and floors become ceilings in this surreal twist on the platformer genre.
- Launching this summer, Independent Games Festival Seumas McNally Grand Prize Finalist Super Meat Boy from Team Meat sets a cube of meat off on an adventure to save Princess Bandage.
For Nintendo DSiWare:
- Nintendo?s Photo Dojo is poised to be the cult hit of 2010 when it launches this spring. The game first asks players to pose for 13 pictures and input 10 sound effects. Once that?s done, the player becomes the main character in a hilarious side-scrolling fighting game. Create up to eight characters and do battle alone or against a friend on a single Nintendo DSi or Nintendo DSi XL system.
- Launching this spring, Nintendo?s Metal Torrent delivers a frantic barrage of gunfire that fills the screen. Players try to convert opponents? bullets into cubes that, when collected, increase their score and fill an energy meter that powers special weapons. Online Leaderboards record scores and movies of top games.
- Launching this spring, X-Scape from Nintendo immerses players in an exploratory adventure involving more than 20 planets. Players will pilot their tank through 3-D tunnels, fire at enemies and even battle ancient weapons that resemble giant robots.
Both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access.