It’s that time of week again when we take a fond look back at the top five news stories from the week. We’ve hit a milestone with the Weekly Wrap-Up now, I can’t believe we have over sixty wrap-ups under our belt now. I want to thank our loyal readers for making this possible. Welcome to the Weekly Wrap-Up. Below you’ll find a brief summary of the stories, but for the full articles, click on the hyperlink. Feel free to let us know if you agree or disagree with our choices; if you have suggestions for future entries, feel free to email me at jeremy.tyler@bagogames.com.
Enjoy!
Number 5
52 GameStop Stores Have Closed In Just Three Months
Although retailers such as GameStop are eagerly awaiting the holiday season which they expect will finally give them the chance to make significant profits it hasn’t stopped the company from, unfortunately, having to close more than 50 stores in just three months.
The company announced this figure during their recent earnings call saying that they ended the quarter with “6505 stores” adding that they “opened seven and closed 46 in the US” whilst “closed six and opened six internationally”.
GameStop also believe that they will reduce their store base by around 2% this year.
Number 4
Nintendo Announce Zelda: Wind Waker HD Release Date
Instead of focusing on the negative side of Nintendo’s next generation console, the Wii U, let’s think about all the fantastic games that are coming for the system. Like the Nintendo 3DS when it first launched, Nintendo struggled to release games of interest onto the system before deciding on an almost monthly cycle of big name games which has obviously helped the handheld system shift as many units as it has. The same seems to be happening to the Wii U.
But this news post isn’t about upcoming titles such as Mario 3D World, Wii Fit U, Wii Party U etc etc, it’s about one game that appeals to many hardcore gamers; The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD. This title of which, Nintendo has just announced the global release date for!
Number 3
Nintendo Announces 2DS Handheld, Coming in October for $129
A new iteration of the Nintendo 3DS will be coming our way in October, as Nintendo has revealed the new 2DS system. This version of the 3DS has no hinges (meaning it can’t close) and no 3D support, but will play all DS and 3DS games and retails for $129.99.
“Imagine a standard 3DS laid all the way flat, and with the depth slider all the way down,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president, to IGN. “Everything else is there in the system.”
Number 2
Xbox Live Now Supports Real Life Money
It is a move that has been demanded for many, many years and Microsoft have finally listened and are now only accepting real life money for titles that can be purchased on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
When you log into Xbox Live the next time you are on your console you will be prompted to update, this very update allows for you to convert all existing Microsoft Points to real-life money depending on your local currency which can then be used to purchase digital goods.
Number 1
PS4 Supports Cross-Platform Party Chat
Even though we have now had more press conferences than you could shake a stick at (why you would do such a thing is beyond us…) some gamers still have a lot of questions regarding the next generation of home gaming.
One such question was that if gamers who owned the PS4 would be able to invite a PlayStation Vita user to a party chat. The answer? Yes.
This was confirmed by Sony’s Worldwide Studios President, Shuhei Yoshida, on Twitter to which he simply said “yes”.
Honorable Mentions
This week had a lot of big news and the news staff and I found it hard to narrow it down to the usual five stories:
- Ubisoft Come Out With Their Thoughts On Vita & Wii U
- Xbox Live Marketplace is Now the Xbox Games Store
- Amazon France Outs PlayStation 4 / Killzone: Shadow Fall Bundle
If you missed out on the big news items this week, you can check out our weekly podcast and get an audio update of this week’s madness from our podcasting team. Listen to us as we talk about some things seriously and a few other things not so much. We guarantee this episode will make you shake your fist at times and nod your head at others.