Nintendo Remains in the Black but Halves Forecasts
Nintendo has recorded the second quarter of being in the black with the release of its financial results for the third fiscal quarter.
Despite the positive perspective, net sales and operating income are expected to be lower than originally forecasted based on the sales performance for the nine months ending December 31, 2014 and onwards. Nintendo doesn't expect to meet the forecasted ¥40 billion yen in operating profit for the financial year, resulting in the company slashing it to ¥20 billion; however, the company expects a net profit of ¥30 billion this fiscal year.
"We've made some progress in profit but in many ways we didn't score perfectly," Reuters reports CEO Satoru Iwata as saying during an press event today.
FCC Commissioner Dismisses Hotel Wi-Fi Blocking Petition
The Marriott, and other hotels, shouldn't be able to block users Wi-Fi hotspots, FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said, speaking at the State of the Net conference.
Rosenworcel called for the FCC to dismiss a petition from the Marriott and The American Hotel and Lodging Association seeking permission from the commission to allow it to "manage" Wi-Fi networks by blocking personal hotspots because of apparent network security concerns.
"There are other ways to address legitimate security concerns—but this is a bad idea," Rosenworcel said. We’ve all been hotel guests. Wi-Fi is the difference between working in the comfort and privacy of your own room and being relegated to the business center. It’s the difference between streaming the content of your choosing and being stuck with the hotel’s on-demand selection. It’s the difference between seamlessly getting your work done at a conference and getting saddled with special fees and charges just to connect.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Has Microtransactions
Resident Evil: Revelations 2, upcoming episodic horror adventure, will feature microstrantions, Capcom confirmed today.
A Capcom representative issued a statement to Kotaku today clarifying that the microtransactions are included in the optional Raid Mode and not “within the main campaign.” The Raid Mode features two “life crystals” variants that are used to respawn, which players can either earn or purchase.
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“The crystals essentially act as continues (re spawns) in Raid mode when players die,” the representative explains. “Blue life crystals can be earned through playing daily missions and red life crystals can be bought.
The Witcher 3’s Beautiful Ugliness
The world of the Witcher is rough and unruly, defined by greed, corruption and despair. It's a battleworn, ugly world, and in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, this ugliness has never been more beautiful.
Graphical prowess is to be expected, of course. It’s been nearly four years since CD Projekt RED released its last Witcher game into the wild, and as much as The Witcher 2 still looks beautiful on PC, significant advances in technology has allowed for much grander world building. But on the hefty rig I’m playing on, The Witcher 3 looks truly gobsmacking; pores stand out on faces, blades of grass can be counted, curls of hair twist in the breeze.
Flash Producer Spills on Reverse-Flash, Time Travel, Speed Force and More!
Warning: Spoilers through The Flash episode "The Sound and the Fury" follow...
The Flash's "The Sound and The Fury" saw the introduction of another Flash villain, Pied Piper/Hartley Rathaway (Andy Mientus). Rathaway's arrival also afforded us another glimpse at the dark side of what Flash executive producer Andrew Kreisberg calls "the devil" in Team Flash's midst, Dr. Harrison Wells.
The Flash: "The Sound and the Fury" Review
IGN attended a screening of the episode and Q&A with a small group or reporters where Kreisberg spoke about the decision to reveal Wells as the most insidious of Flash's foes. The devilish demon with a friendly face. There are some of us - myself included - who have continued to imagine and believe that there must be more to Wells' connection to Reverse-Flash, and indeed Kreisberg did disclose that Eddie Thawne's connection to Reverse-Flash will pay off later on this season beginning with a big hint in episode 15 when we spoke to him at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour earlier this month.
Xbox One OneGuide, Digital TV Tuner Confirmed For Australia
Xbox Australia has confirmed that OneGuide is finally headed to Australia. Users registered in the Xbox One Preview program will see the option to configure OneGuide available as of today. In addition, Xbox Australia will be launching the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner in March, 2015.
You'll be able to watch quality Aussie TV shows like... Good Morning America?
OneGuide is Xbox One’s “enhanced TV watching experience” which enables users to navigate and watch live, free-to-air TV, TV On Demand, and other apps via their Xbox One. OneGuide also enables TV playback in Snap Mode, meaning those with incredibly developed multitasking skills (or incredibly short attention spans) can now watch TV on the side while leaving the main screen free for games or other applications. OneGuide can be navigated using the controller or Kinect’s voice controls. OneGuide was available at launch in the US and later made available in the UK in mid-2014.
Ghostbusters Reboot Release Date Revealed
Ghostbusters director Paul Feig has dropped a release date for his upcoming reboot: July 22, 2016.
The news comes hot on the heels of a cast tease, which includes actresses Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy. It's important to note that the cast isn't finalized; these actresses are in early talks.
Suicide Squad Casting Rumors & More
There certainly hasn't been a rumor shortage since the Suicide Squad movie was announced—a Batman cameo, Tom Hardy's many potential replacements—and they're showing no signs of stopping.
Now we've got a few more to add to the mix, thanks to a new report from JoBlo. *Possible spoilers ahead*
First off, Joel Edgerton and Jon Bernthal aren't the only names in the running to take over as field commander Rick Flag. Karl Urban is also being considered for the role (while also up for the villain in the Aquaman film). Additionally, there is going to be a Rick Flag Sr. in the film, and the two actors circling that role are said to be Ed Harris (A History of Violence) and Max Martini (Pacific Rim).
The Huntsman Will be Short 5 Dwarfs
The sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman will have neither Snow White nor her Seven Dwarfs in it.
We've known for awhile now that Kristen Stewart's Snow White would be sitting out the sequel, which will see Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron reprise their respective roles from the 2012 original. Now it appears several other cast members will also not appear in the sequel, titled The Huntsman.
According to Deadline, The Huntsman "will only feature two dwarfs, and it is still unclear who they will be." Definitely not coming back are Nick Frost, Toby Jones and Eddie Marsan.
New Dates for Friday the 13th, Paranormal & Rings
Paramount Pictures has scheduled new release dates for three of its high-profile horror franchise sequels.
Their long-in-development Friday the 13th followup was supposed to open November 13, but has now been shifted to May 13, 2016 instead. Yes, that's a Friday the 13th.
Deadline also reports that Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is moving from March 13 to October 23 of this year, where it will open against Jem and the Holograms as well as The Last Witch Hunter.
Finally, Rings, the third entry in The Ring franchise, is now scheduled to open stateside November 13 in Friday the 13th's old slot.