Info Revealed About Two Games Cancelled by Team Ninja

Team Ninja was working on two new games back when Tomonobu Itagaki, of Dead or Alive fame, was still part of the studio. His resignation more than two years ago over monetary disputes resulted in Dead or Alive Chronus and Project Progressive being canceled, but the information has only been revealed now by Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi. In a recent interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu, he revealed that both projects have been canceled.

Not much progress had been made at the time, with both games in early stages of development. The team is now focusing on Ninja Gaiden 3, Ni-oh and a Dead or Alive game for the 3DS.

Nintendo Posts First Half-Year Net Loss in Seven Years

Nothing lasts forever, but Nintendo had an incredibly long and prosperous time in the gaming industry, with seven years of profits to their name. The last three years resulted in huge profits thanks to the popularity of the Wii, but dwindling sales have resulted in the first half-year net loss of JP¥ 2.01 billion (about US$25 million) for the company.

Nintendo believes this downturn may continue until next year. However with the profit same time last year reaching JP¥ 69.49 billion (US$865 million) and the 3DS just around the corner, I doubt they have much to worry about.

New Nintendo Handheld Announced - Nintendo 3DS

A surprise to many, Nintendo has announced a new handheld publicly before E3 or Tokyo Game Show. The new system, called the "3DS", is the true successor to the DS and will incorporate 3D technology (Avatar style) without the need for glasses. There aren't many details yet, but it will surely be interesting to see how it works and whether it will be for one screen or both. All DS and DSi software will be backwards compatible with the 3DS.

There are unconfirmed details from two Japanese newspapers (Asahi and Nikkei) revealing that the 3DS will incorporate 3D analog sticks, better wifi, increased battery life and even a vibration function. Apparently the two screens measure at four inches diagonally each. That's larger than on a DSi, but smaller than the DSi XL. These will be parallax barrier LCD screens from Sharp. The increased battery life may be attributed to LED lighting used in these screens, which are much more power efficient.

A fully working unit will be playable this year at E3 and is expected to go on sale in Japan before March 2011. All details will be revealed then.