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Nintendo partners with DreamWorks on 3DS video

Nintendo has inked a content-partnership deal with DreamWorks Animation SKG and a couple other companies to bring more 3D video content to its 3DS.

According to the game company, DreamWorks will be offering two Halloween-themed animated shorts to the 3DS handheld game player. The first video, which is available for download to the portable starting today, features characters in the company's "Monsters vs. Aliens." The second short will feature the three little pigs from the "Shrek" franchise. That video, Nintendo says, will launch later this month.

Video has become a key ingredient in Nintendo's … Read more

Toshiba Satellite P745D-S4240 review: AMD A6 processor worth the savings?

Underneath the seemingly predictable veneer of the 14-inch Toshiba Satellite P745D-S4240 are two new stories, albeit ones that might not interest the average person much. The Satellite P series is a new laptop line for Toshiba, although you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between it and the M, A, and L series of Satellite laptops (the P replaces the M and A). Under the hood is a quad-core AMD A6 processor, part of a new line of budget-targeted AMD Vision A-series APUs that include better-than-Intel-integrated graphics to accompany mainstream processing power.… Read more

Nintendo 3DS to get big November push

Nintendo is looking to November to be a big month for its 3DS portable.

The game company announced yesterday that it plans to launch a 3DS update in November that will allow users to capture 3D video with the device. According to Nintendo, after capturing the video, users will be able to "create their own original 3D productions," and then view them on the portable.

In addition, Nintendo is waiting until November to offer up its most anticipated titles. On November 13, Nintendo will launch Super Mario 3D Land, the first-ever "true" 3D Mario game. Just … Read more

preGame 57: Resistance 3; Dead Island

preGame is back from the dead with two demos: Dead Island and Resistance 3. We return from our summer hiatus with an announcement on some recent changes that include the show moving to the end of the week and other things viewers can expect down the road.

The summer had its share of quality games and we summarize our past month of gaming with a few notables like Infamous 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and Catherine.

Then we discuss some news regarding Nintendo's right thumbstick attachment announcement following a six months of lackluster 3DS sales. Max Payne fans can … Read more

Icon and window positions shifting in OS X

Periodically, Mac users may find that the system does not seem to recognize icon and window placement settings, and may display items in random orders and positions under certain conditions. Normally when you make a change to a Finder window layout, be it the position of items, the view setting, or the window size and location, these settings are saved; however, it appears in some instances, this may not be happening properly. A number of people who have upgraded to OS X Lion have recently found this to be an issue with their systems.

Whenever Finder window view settings do … Read more

Price cut helps 3DS sales soar 260 percent

Following its price cut last month, the Nintendo 3DS has finally started flying off store shelves, the game company announced yesterday.

After the price was slashed from $229 to $169 on August 12, Nintendo sold 185,000 3DS units in the U.S. That figure was up a whopping 260 percent, compared to the same 19-day period in July. Prior to the price cut, Nintendo had sold 50,000 3DS units in August, bringing its total to 235,000 last month.

"Consumers are responding very positively to the new suggested retail price," Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's … Read more

Star Fox 64 3D on the 3DS: No system-seller

The Nintendo 3DS is in a state of crisis. You could argue that's the case for all of Nintendo, too, especially this holiday season.

Handheld games are no longer a domain dominated by Nintendo, not with phones offering so many alternatives for less. The 3DS needs top-notch software to help it prove its worth, and while other games are no doubt on the way, titles like Star Fox 64 3D, Nintendo's latest franchise rerelease, just don't do enough for a software-starved 3DS holiday lineup.

Scott: Nintendo fans will rejoice: much like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, released earlier this summer, Star Fox 64 3D is a pitch-perfect and graphically remastered version of a beloved N64 console game. The only problem with Star Fox is that a rails-based shooter has less to offer than a well-developed adventure game like Zelda. I loved Star Fox on my N64; its 3D graphics were unprecedented for a Nintendo console, and the sci-fi effects were a kick. Now, games like Galaxy on Fire for the iPhone can offer many of the same thrills for a few bucks.

Newly added gyro controls add motion control to the classic Star Fox, using the 3DS' internal gyroscope to tilt-steer. Unless you turn off 3D, don't bother, as 3D effects are bound to break up due to line-of-sight shifts when continually tilting. It only took one try to convince me to turn gyro off for good. You can have 3D or motion, but not both.… Read more

The 404 899: Where we take you to school (podcast)

Wilson begins this episode of The 404 Podcast with a few words of encouragement to our young listeners starting their first day of school today.

Unsurprisingly, Mr. Tang excelled in all his classes and never once printed a cheat sheet on a Coke-bottle wrapper--unfortunately Jeff and I can't say the same for our own salad days. Anyone know how to calculate the area of a triangle?

Aside from recalling our high-school days, today's show rundown kicks off with Nike's announcement of the long-awaited shoes from "Back To the Future II." Nike's head designer Tinker Hatfield invited members of the press to a big announcement that's likely to coincide with this preview trailer showing Marty McFly's closet full of Air Mag 2015s. Power laces and light-up soles!

We'll also break news about a partnership between Google and Zagat's (rhymes with "da cat") Restaurant Guide, shed some light on reports about Netflix capping multiple streams, and you'll also find out how you can rent the studio set from the Conan O'Brien late-night show!

The 404 Digest for Episode 899

It's about time: Nike goes "Back to the Future." Conan writers put studio up on AirBnB. Scan shows what the right 3DS thumb stick add-on might look like. Google buys Zagat, in original-content gambit. Video voice mail from David showing a retro pinball arcade.

Video voice mail from Tessa and Matt on a backpacking trip in the Sierras. Justin's Daily Bathroom Break Video: Going to the Store: Normal Guy, Normal Walk.

Episode 899 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Nintendo confirms right thumbstick coming to 3DS

Nintendo will be bringing the rumored right thumbstick to its 3DS, the company confirmed in an e-mail to CNET today.

According to Nintendo, the thumbstick will be part of an attachment called the Circle Pad. In addition, the company has confirmed to CNET that the image of the attachment shown in the latest release of Japan's Famitsu magazine is, in fact, the real add-on.

Just yesterday, CNET reported that a Twitter user, @South1996, posted a snapshot of a page in Famitsu showing a 3DS with a right-thumbstick add-on. The device wraps around the bottom panel of the 3DS, placing the additional thumbstick to the right of the device's action buttons.

Although Nintendo hadn't confirmed the attachment at the time, some CNET readers expressed displeasure with it. One commenter said that the attachment "doesn't look good, it's bulky, and it's just another thing for current 3DS owners to buy." Another commenter complained about the attachment's size, calling it a "gigantic monster."… Read more