During Nintendo’s crucial management briefing, Saturo Iwata confirmed the release date for the next instalment in the company’s ever-popular racing franchise. That’s right, Mario Kart 8 has now been pegged for a May release, and the company hopes to build a “huge momentum” behind the Wii U exclusive so that Mario’s latest outing isn’t a flash in the pan moment.
Sony confirmed today that the PlayStation Vita Slim will launch in the UK on Friday, February 7th tethered with a suggested retail price of £180. The cheaper, lighter hardware, which was originally unveiled at Tokyo Game Show in 2013, has not been confirmed for other territories at this time, with the company stating that the device will be introduced on a region-by-region basis.
In light of last week’s financials, Nintendo’s president Saturo Iwata has confirmed that he is to take a 50% pay cut to compensate for the company’s fall in profits. Following alterations to the sales expectations for Wii U and 3DS, the big N’s share price dropped by a staggering 17%, which typifies a disappointing year for the esteemed developer after it recorded its third consecutive annual loss.
Sony looks set to lift the curtain on a new hardware of sorts, according to IGN’s media briefing invitation. The document, which pegs the elusive event for Thursday, January 30th, teases the reveal with the tagline: “Following the biggest launch in PlayStation history, join us for an introduction to the slimmest.”
Microsoft has unveiled plans to reassess its digital price structure for Xbox Live, with the company assuring fans that competitive pricing is very much “on the agenda.” News comes via Larry Hyrb (A.K.A. Major Nelson), who took to Reddit to address the issue after a handful of gamers had trouble redeeming the $10 Titanfall discount through the company’s online store.
Valve’s radical, idiosyncratic Steam Controller has undergone a slight makeover, Steam DB reports. The fine-tuned device, which will come bundled with every iteration of the Steam Machine (yes, all of them!), has ditched the central touchpad in favor of a more traditional D-Pad and four corresponding face buttons, in order to accommodate backwards compatibility.
As the end of the financial year approaches, Nintendo has dramatically reduced its sales expectations for both the Wii U and 3DS from 9.2 million to 2.8 million units, and 18 million to 13.5 million, respectively. This change in forecast, which is set to see the company experience its third consecutive annual loss, has led Nintendo president Saturo Iwata to apologise to shareholders.
After its rip-roaring debut in the latest issue of Game Informer magazine, Turtle Rock Studios’ new, co-op based shooter Evolve has caught the attention of the gaming community with its bold approach to multiplayer. And now, 2K Games has confirmed that the title will launch across PS4, Xbox One and PC in fall 2014.
Naughty Dog’s story-based DLC for 2013’s critically-adorned PlayStation 3 exclusive, The Last of Us: Left Behind, may be slated to release on February 14th, according to a photo posted on NeoGaf. The image, which was taken from the US PSN store, seems to reveal that the add-on will also include a dynamic theme and comic in the vein of the American Dreams miniseries.
Infinity Ward has released details regarding the first batch of downloadable content for Call of Duty: Ghosts. Entitled Onslaught, the add-on is the first of four supplementary map packs and is set to debut across Xbox One and Xbox 360 first on January 28th in keeping with Microsoft’s timed exclusivity.
