Switch
Nintendo has announced that the Switch Presentation on January 12 will start at 11 PM EST/8 PM PST. This is equivalent to 5 AM CET on January 13 (4 AM in the UK), and 1 PM JST. The presentation will be viewable on Switch’s main page.
Furthermore, Nintendo has announced plenty of chances for fans to try out the new system.
First of, emails are being sent to select My Nintendo members in the United States about an opportunity to try out Switch prior to launch.
It’s unclear what the criteria is to be sent an invitation, but your location likely plays a role in it.
The email message states:
Dear My Nintendo member,
To thank you for being a loyal fan, we’d like to offer you a chance to try the Nintendo Switch system before it’s released.
Look for an email from Eventbrite for the full details and be sure to register right away to save your spot (availability of tickets are on a first come, first served basis).
Thanks again—and have fun!
The lineup of confirmed cities and dates for the event above are as follows:
New York – January 13 – 15
Washington, D.C. – February 10 – 12
Chicago – February 17 – 19
Los Angeles – February 24 – 26
San Francisco – March 3 – 5
Each city has opportunities available for three days as you can see. Nintendo says Friday and Saturday are invite-only, while “Sunday is open to the public on a first-come, first served basis and no registration is required”. Those who attend can also bring along one guest.
A tour for Switch has also been announced for North America, which will provide fans with an opportunity to try out the new console before launch.
You can read the official announcement below for more details about it.
After the Nintendo Switch system is unveiled to the world during the Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 in Tokyo on Jan. 12, Nintendo’s next home gaming system is traveling across North America to provide hands-on time for fans, gamers, families and everyone in between. Nintendo Switch will be the star of an interactive multi-city tour that is open to the public on select days.
The currently scheduled cities that are part of the tour include:
New York – Jan. 13-15
Toronto – Jan. 27-29
Washington, D.C. – Feb. 10-12
Chicago – Feb. 17-19
San Francisco – Feb. 24-26
Los Angeles – March 3-5The first two days of each of these tour stops is invite-only, but Nintendo is changing things up and asking fans to join the fun on the third day. The Sunday stop of each tour is open free to the public, so anyone that wants to be among the first people in the world to experience Nintendo Switch will have her or his chance. Space is very limited, however, and fans will be let in on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is highly recommended.
The interactive and engaging tour will let people of all ages experience Nintendo Switch for the first time and play select launch games in very original and surprising settings. Each of these unique areas will highlight the different ways Nintendo Switch can be played.
In addition to these tour stops, Nintendo will bring Nintendo Switch and launch games to PAX South in San Antonio (Jan. 27-29), PAX East in Boston (March 10-12) and SXSW in Austin, Texas (March 16-18). Anyone that misses out on the Preview Tour can catch Nintendo Switch at one of these events.
Additional details about Nintendo Switch will be revealed during the Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 on Jan. 12.
In the UK, it seems like Nintendo is sending e-mails to everyone with a My Nintendo account. However, you need to click on a button on the email by the end of December 18 to participate in a lottery.
If selected, you’ll be able to attend one of two hands-on Switch events, happening on January 14 and January 15, both during the morning and afternoon.
Meanwhile, in Australia, RTX Sydney 2017 has announced that Switch will be playable at the expo between February 4 and 5 at the ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour. Convention organizers were able to work with Nintendo to make that possible. You can get tickets for the event at its official website.
Last but not least, the Nintendo Switch will be playable at World Hobby Fair 17 Winter in Japan. This convention will take place across four cities in Japan, and Nintendo will hold special events in each one of them where visitors will be able to try out the Switch. The times and dates are the following:
- Nagoya: Nagoya Dome, January 22nd, 9AM – 4PM JST
- Tokyo, Makuhari Messe, January 28th & January 29th, 9AM – 4PM JST
- Osaka, Kyocera Dome, February 5th, 9AM – 4PM JST
- Fukuoka, Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome, February 12th, 9AM – 4PM JST
Besides all of that, several new patents pertaining to Switch that were filled by Nintendo back in June have now shown up online.
These detail a lot of information, but here are the main points included:
– Images / text pertaining to HMD (head-mounted display) / VR
– Touch panel / touchscreen mentioned
– Gyro support is mentioned
– Shows two full controllers, and four half JoyCons, being connected at once
– Alternate JoyCon configurations with actual d-pads are shown
– Shoulder buttons on JoyCons (L/R)
– Seems to confirm right JoyCon has an IR sensor (ie pointer)
– Both JoyCons have rumble motors
– NFC is in the right JoyCon
– The grip controller is basically a battery pack
– Seems to show fan in the Dock
– Seems to further suggest USB-C
– Console mode and portable modes mentioned where portable mode has less capability than docked mode
– One portion of the patent essentially talks about a sleep mode
As usual, keep in mind that these are just patents, so some things might not end up in the actual product itself. You can take a look at all the images and text in more detail in this NeoGAF thread.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo has announced on Facebook that it will be sharing brand new screenshots from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild up until launch, that will “be exploring the Hyrulian landscape”. You can take a look at the first of these below.
Moreover, the development team also shared a couple of pieces of concept artwork on Facebook, as you can see:
Finally, Nintendo has opened a small Zelda themed Holiday website to wish fans “Happy Holidays and a Legendary New Year”, which contains a small movie showcasing Link snowboarding on his shield in Breath of the Wild. You can access it here, and watch the movie below.
The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary
Nintendo has revealed that an album for The Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Concert will launch in Japan on February 15, 2017.
This album contains the orchestrated musical performance from the Zelda concert Nintendo held in Japan on October 16.
Fans will be able to choose between two versions: a first-print edition and a standard release. The first-print edition will also include a video DVD of the concert alongside a CD stand and badges. Both versions will contain two CDs and the same music lineup.
On another note, the second book in a trilogy meant to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Zelda series has now been announced, and it’s called Hyrule Encyclopedia. This book will follow The Legend of Zelda: Arts and Artifacts from the same series.
The first chapter of Hyrule Encyclopedia is a visual encyclopedia which will explain keywords such as the Master Sword and Hyrule Kingdom with various images illustrating the concept. The second chapter is a database containing a list of enemies, items, dungeons, and many other things. The third chapter will feature archives with explanatory notes and the storylines of each game.
Japan will be getting The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Encyclopedia sometime in February, while the western version should follow a bit later in 2017. 
Pokkén Tournament
Empoleon is now playable in the arcade version of Pokkén Tournament, so Bandai Namco has made some new screenshots available, and Snorth93 has recorded some gameplay footage of the character. You can find all that below.
Pokémon GO
Niantic has recently started to introduce Generation 2 pokémon to Pokémon GO. These pokémon can be found by visiting and spinning PokeStops to acquire Eggs. For now, players can acquire at least the following new pokémon due to said eggs: Togepi, Togetic, Pichu, Igglybuff, Cleffa, Elekid, Magby, and Smoochum.
Pokémon GO players can also encounter a special-edition Pikachu, who comes wearing a festive hat to celebrate the holiday season. It’ll be in the game through December 29 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET.
You can find the full announcement and a trailer below.
BELLEVUE, WA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Monday, December 12, 2016 – The Pokémon Company International and Niantic, Inc. announced today the first addition of more Pokémon to Pokémon GO. Beginning today at 10:00 A.M. PST, Trainers around the world will have the opportunity to add Togepi, Pichu and select Pokémon originally discovered in the Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver video games to their Pokémon GO Pokédex. Trainers have the chance to find these Pokémon by visiting and spinning PokéStops to acquire Eggs. These Eggs might hatch a Togepi, Pichu or select other Pokémon. Additionally, from December 12, 2016, 10:00 A.M. PST to December 29, 2016, 11:00 A.M. PST, Trainers can encounter special-edition Pikachu all over the world. These Pikachu will be wearing a festive hat to celebrate the holiday season, and they will appear in large quantities during this period.
“As we race toward 2017, we can’t help but feel grateful for the support and reaction the Pokémon GO community has given us, and we’re delighted to start rolling out select Pokémon for them to hatch,” said Kei Kawai, director of product at Niantic, Inc. “We’re also looking forward to celebrating the season with our community by introducing a Pikachu wearing a festive hat, providing Trainers the opportunity to get out and explore their neighborhoods with friends and family as they gather for the holidays.”
“Fans around the world fell in love with Pokémon GO for the opportunity to encounter Pokémon—beloved pop-culture and gaming icons for 20 years—in the real world. Matched with the innovative technology and development of the mobile game by Niantic, hundreds of millions of players have filled their Pokédexes with over 100 available Pokémon in Pokémon GO while exploring the world around them,” said J.C. Smith, senior director of consumer marketing at The Pokémon Company International. “The opportunity to hatch select Pokémon originally discovered in the Johto region is just the beginning of how more Pokémon will be added to the game for Trainers to continue their Pokémon GO adventures.”
Trainers in the US will have even more opportunities to find these Eggs in the days ahead, thanks to several all-new Pokémon GO promotional partnerships, such as one with Sprint in the US, which will transform more than 10,500 Sprint and Boost Mobile and Sprint at RadioShack locations into PokéStops and Gyms. Trainers are invited to use the hashtag #PokemonGO on Twitter to share news about any new Pokémon they encounter.
To keep up with the latest Pokémon GO news, including this rollout of more Pokémon and the appearance of the festive Pikachu, visit the official Niantic blog at PokemonGOlive.com.
Besides that, Pokémon GO is now available in India. Niantic is partnering with Reliance Jio on Pokemon GO’s arrival to the country by turning thousands of Reliance Digital Stores and select other partner premises into PokeStops or Gyms. JioChat will also add an exclusive Pokémon GO channel so that players can socialize with others and level-up faster.
Niantic founder John Hanke stated:
“We are delighted to partner with Jio to launch Pokémon GO in India. It’s exciting to see Pokémon fans in India step out and explore their neighbourhoods in search of Pokémon and Jio’s disruptive high speed 4G LTE Network will be an excellent way to experience the game.”
Pokémon Generations
Episode 17 of Pokémon Generations is now available on the official Pokémon YouTube channel. You can watch it below.
Pokémon – I Choose You!
During the Japanese variety show Oha Suta, the first teaser for the next Pokémon movie was revealed, including a title.
The new Pokémon film, known as “Pokémon – I Choose You!”, will debut on July 15 in Japan.
It seems to be somehow connected to the start of Ash’s adventure in Kanto, but to what extent, or if it’s a remake, is still not known.
You can watch the teaser trailer below.
Charmander Build-A-Bear
Build-A-Bear recently released a new plush based on Pokemon’s Charmander, and IGN now has an unboxing video on its YouTube page. You can check it out below.
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Nintendo has updated the official Japanese website for Kirby: Planet Robobot with one last batch of never before seen concept artwork from the game.
This update mostly covers Robobot Armor designs, including some scrapped ones.
You can find the concept artwork in the gallery below.
Kirby 25th Anniversary
Nintendo recently opened up an official Japanese site and a Twitter account both dedicated to celebrating Kirby’s 25th anniversary. It features a history of the series, lineup of events, and many more things. You can access the website here, and find the Twitter account over here.
It has also been shared on the website that special concerts will be held in Japan to celebrate the series 25th anniversary. Two events are currently planned, with one in Tokyo, to be held on April 16, and another one in Osaka, set for June 18.
The concert will host performances of Kirby’s music from over the years across various games, and some developers will join to speak at the event. Special items will also be on sale, but details about those will be revealed later.
Taizo Takemoto will be conducting the concert accompanied by the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra and Osaka Symphony Orchestra.
Goodbye! BoxBoy!
The latest issue of Famitsu reveals new details about the recently announced Goodbye! BoxBoy!, made by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory.
Goodbye! BoxBoy! doesn’t seem to make any radical changes to the series’ core mechanics since, like in the last two games, players still need to complete levels by creating boxes. However, Qbby now has some new abilities at its disposal.
One of these new abilities is the Box Rocket, which allows Qbby to rise up from the ground. HAL Laboratory is also introducing the Box Bomb, which lets Qbby destroy objects such as spikes and floors/walls.
Famitsu also introduces the new Box Person segements. During these moments, you’ll need to protect the Box Person from stage gimmicks while safely bringing them to a specified point in the stage. If you protect the Box Person until that point, a gate will open and you can progress through the rest of the stage.
New gimmicks are also being added to Goodbye! BoxBoy!, including one in which gravity flips everything upside-down making Qbby stand on the ceiling.
BoxBoy has featured costumes in the past entries, and this time it will be no different. Qbby will be able to dress up as a UFO, witch girl, zombie, and even Kirby. Some costumes also have a special ability, and different methods are required to clear a same stage depending on which costume Qbby is wearing, the normal one or one of the special costumes.
Like mentioned last week, Goodbye! BoxBoy! launches in Japan on February 2 as an eShop download, but also in a physical package containing the previous entries in the series, a Qbby amiibo and an official soundtrack.
Tank Troopers
Nintendo’s new 3DS title Tank Troopers will be hitting the eShop on Wednesday, so new details about the game are now known.
In it, you can have your favorite trooper ride tanks and use special abilities. There are 30 single-player missions with various objectives like reaching the goal within the time limit or fighting a giant tank. There are varied stages, such as lush grasslands, deserts with undulations, and a port with a dense formation of warehouses.
36 types of tanks and 13 troopers are included in the game, each one with different stats and abilities. You can pair up the tanks and troopers anyway you like to better overcome the stage and battle objectives.
Tank Troopers supports up to six players in local multiplayer, including Download Play. However, in Download Play, everyone uses the same tank and trooper.
You can find a new introduction trailer and some gameplay footage below.
Momotaro Dentetsu 2017: Tachiagare Nippon!!
Nintendo has released a couple of commercials to promote the new Momotaro Dentetsu 2017: Tachiagare Nippon!!
You can find them below.
https://youtu.be/4iWq_ijvYN4
https://youtu.be/H1z9utDmRPM
Super Mario Run
Nintendo has now released Super Mario Run, which is available to download for free on the iOS app store. You will have to pay $9.99 to experience the full game though.
If you would like some help unlocking all the other playable characters besides Mario, click the spoiler tag below for details on that.
In other news, to highlight Super Mario Run’s debut on iOS, Nintendo prepared a promotional trailer that shows how the feeling of playing Mario never changes, and how you can now experience the series one-handed.
And to celebrate the launch of the game on iOS, Nintendo also shared a video of Shigeru Miyamoto drawing a special image on the iPad Pro, which you can watch below.
On the business side, Super Mario Run is currently the top-grossing app in both the United States and the UK. It’s also at the sixth spot in Japan.
Moreover, last week, it was also the top-downloaded app in 62 countries overall.
Business intelligence and analyst firm App Annie also states that Super Mario Run was downloaded an estimated 3.5 million times in the U.S. alone in its first 14 hours.
Finally, Shigeru Miyamoto was interviewed another couple of times, and ended up discussing Super Mario Run again, among other things. You can find links for the two interviews below.
Wired – Miyamoto’s involvement with Super Mario Run, Switch audience, why we won’t see Super Mario Bros. on phones
PowerUpGaming – Miyamoto on the durability of the Mario franchise and why it should evolve with technology
Miitomo
Once again, Miitomo has been updated with several new and returning Miitomo Drop and Miitomo Shop items. You can find a list of the additions below.
Let’s celebrate! Festive Holiday Fun #1
– Santa golf cap
– Spiffy santa suit
– Happy holiday jacket
– Happy holiday pants
Miitomo Shop Items
– Naturally wavy wig
– Leopard print faux fur
– Off-the-shoulder knit dress
– High-waisted bell bottom jeans
– Fancy high-tops
– Antique pearl necklace
I do! Wedding Bliss (returning)
– Wedding veil w/ flower crown
– Wedding gown
– Rhinestone necklace
– Rose headpiece
– Rose evening gown
– Chiffon party dress
– Corsage pumps
– Pearly flower pin
– Wedding tuxedo
– Patent tuxedo shoes
– Rose boutonniere
Made of star stuff… Starlight Style (returning)
– Star sunglasses
– Stardust one piece
– Stardust pumps
– Stars pendant
– Stardust hairband
– Star suit
– Lame star tee
– Stardust socks
– Star hood
– One-star hood
– Baggy star-print shorts
– Stardust backpack
My Nintendo
An English version of the European promotional video for My Nintendo is now available. Check it out below.
Nintendo Minute
The latest episode of Nintendo Minute is now available and features Kit and Krysta starting their usual game of the year selection for Nintendo titles, beginning with the revelation of the various award categories. You can watch the episode below.
Super Nintendo World
Universal Studios Japan has now announced the name for the theme park area based on Nintendo IP. It will be called Super Nintendo World.
Below you can find the PR statement detailing a bit about the park, expected revenue, costs, and location. It also notes that the park is scheduled to open before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but does not go in-depth on the types of rides or attractions.
SUPER NINTENDO WORLD
COMING TO UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN®
in Time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
The World’s First*1 Nintendo Themed Area Being Developed
with More than 50 Billion Yen
December 12(Mon), 2016
“SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™” is coming to Universal Studios Japan and will be the first such opening in the world*1, featuring globally renowned characters and game worlds from Nintendo. Super Nintendo World is targeted to open in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While Universal Studios Japan will be the first location to open, Nintendo themed areas are also coming to Orlando and Hollywood as announced by Nintendo and Universal Parks & Resorts on November 29, 2016.
Super Nintendo World will be comprised of expansive and multilevel environments filled with unprecedented, state-of-the-art rides*2, interactive areas, shops and restaurants, all featuring Nintendo’s most popular characters and games. Development cost at Universal Studios Japan is currently expected to exceed 50 billion Yen. Super Nintendo World will be developed mainly using the park’s current parking area and part of an area designated for future expansion. Katsuhiro Miyamoto, Professor Emeritus of Kansai University estimates that Universal Studios Japan — after opening Super Nintendo World — will bring economic benefits following its opening of approximately 6.2 trillion Yen for the Kansai region, 11.7 trillion Yen for Japan as a whole, and will create approximately 1.1 million jobs in Japan within a decade after opening*3. Universal Studios Japan will introduce the wonder of the world-class, Japan-based entertainment brand of Nintendo not only to Japan but to the world.Super Nintendo World will feature characters and themes from the “Super Mario” series, which has continued over the years to win the hearts of devoted fans around the world. The attraction area will also feature a variety of other globally popular Nintendo characters. Nintendo characters and the worlds they inhabit will be re-created at the highest level of quality through the strong partnership between Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto, Creative Fellow at Nintendo, and Mark Woodbury, President of Universal Creative, renowned for creative and technical excellence. Super Nintendo World will allow guests to fully immerse themselves and all five senses in the worlds of Nintendo, and is expected to attract guests from Japan and the world over.
*1 Based on an internal survey of Nintendo brand characters and their worlds at other parks and themed areas around the world
*2 Based on company research of the theme parks in operation worldwide in November 2016
*3 Announced by Kansai University (December 12, 2016)About Universal Studios Japan
Bring You the Best of the World – as a theme park where its guests can have the world’s best experiences and create the world’s best memories, Universal Studios Japan offers the world-class entertainment such as authentic attractions and shows, based on not only Hollywood blockbusters but also very popular world class entertainment brands, and a variety of seasonal events entertain its guests to the fullest fun.
In recent years, Universal Studios Japan has constantly introduced world class entertainment such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, Universal Wonderland area where family guests enjoy meeting with popular characters, and World Best*4 Flying Coaster, The Flying Dinosaur, which was opened in the popular Jurassic Park area to celebrate the 15th Anniversary, and the world largest*5 Minion Park which will be scheduled to open in early 2017. Universal Studios Japan has been gathering attention of both domestic and international guests. These efforts resulted in positioning of the Park as a prominent entertainment and leisure landmark drawing many guests from distant areas in Japan as well as overseas.*4 Based on company research of the 22 flying roller coasters in operation worldwide. Roller coaster’s total length: 1,124 meters, with a first drop of 37.8 meters.
*5 Based on company research of the 3 facilities and areas themed Minions in operation worldwide in June 2016About Universal Parks & Resorts
Universal Parks & Resorts, a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal, offers guests around the globe today’s most relevant and popular entertainment experiences. With three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg as creative consultant, its theme parks are known for immersive experiences that feature some of the world’s most thrilling and technologically advanced film- and television-based attractions.
Comcast NBCUniversal wholly owns Universal Studios Hollywood, which includes Universal CityWalk Hollywood. It also owns Universal Orlando Resort, a destination resort with two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure), five resort hotels, and Universal CityWalk Orlando. In addition, Comcast NBCUniversal owns a 51 percent majority interest in Universal Studios Japan, in Osaka and has a license agreement with Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore. The company has also announced plans for a theme park in Beijing.
November 2016 NPD Report
This month’s NPD report is now available and it mostly covers the NES Classic Edition and Pokémon Sun & Moon.
The NES Classic Edition sold 196,000 units in the United States last month. It would have obviously sold more had more stock been put on store shelves, since Nintendo has had a difficult time keeping up with demand. The company has promised to ship more units leading into 2017 though.
Pokémon Sun & Moon are now confirmed to have the strongest launch in the history of the franchise. NPD analyst Sam Naji said that the two games sold 8 % more units than Pokemon Black & White, which were the previous record holders, despite the fact that Sun & Moon had 19 fewer days on the market.
Pokémon Sun & Moon also boosted 3DS sales as a whole. Naji said that “Unit sales of 3DS hardware grew 59% versus November a year ago, the sixth straight month of year-on-year growth”.
Miyamoto on the creation of the Wii’s motion controls
In the new documentary series Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed, Shigeru Miyamoto was interviewed and asked about various topics. One of the topics discussed was the creation of the Wii Remote, where he talked about what prompted Nintendo to pursue motion gaming. He explained that controllers and games were becoming more and more complex at the time, so some people were falling away from the industry. Therefore, Nintendo wanted to find a way to bring them back into gaming and make things simpler for them. That’s where the conversation started, according to Miyamoto.
Nintendo has now shared this part of the interview on Twitter, which you can watch below.
Mr. Miyamoto shares his thoughts behind the creation of Wii motion controls in episode 3 of @UnlockedTVShow. https://t.co/WXMQRtv12v pic.twitter.com/3VK4gVZ3Me
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) 16 December 2016