Here's the latest info on the overworld, Challenge Mode, and Miiverse integration.

New Super Mario Bros. U will include a continuous, branching world map, customizable challenge levels, and video replays, as detailed in the most recent Japanese Nintendo Direct.

In a special roundtable presentation, game director Masataka Takemoto showed off several new aspects of Mario's inaugural... Read more...

Also, spoilers? Not on my Miiverse! More details below.

Miiverse, the Wii U's online communication interface, allows players to perform friend requests and exchange private messages, a first for a Nintendo platform. That's right: no more friend codes.

Nintendo made a big switch on its network philosophy with the new system, debuting on November 18 in... Read more...

A USB microphone is also on the way for karaoke lovers!

A singing package called Nintendo JoySound Wii Karaoke U will come pre-installed on Wii U consoles in Japan. The application, which is a joint effort between karaoke service provider Xing and Nintendo, allows players to enjoy over 90,000 songs in the comfort of their own homes. While the application is free, it does cost players to sing. The cost breakdown is as follows:

A new feature for the Wii U's video chat service.

It will be possible to draw on the Wii U GamePad during video chat sessions. The drawn images will be displayed over the video feed and will be visible by both players chatting.

This information comes from the latest Nintendo Direct which aired earlier today in Japan. During the event this Wii U feature was showcased by Satoru Iwata when video chatting with Reggie Fils-Aime.

Shared downloads, individual player saves, and much more!

Up to 12 different Nintendo Network IDs can be stored on a single Wii U system. This news was revealed during the Japanese Nintendo Direct earlier today.

To activate a Nintendo Network ID, you will needed to send a few necessary details to Nintendo, including a username, password, e-mail address,... Read more...

Now we will finally know what we will see when we turn on the system.

When the Wii U turns on, the television and GamePad will display different screen menus, as was shown during this morning's Wii U Nintendo Direct.

The television screen will first load the WaraWara Plaza, a screen we have seen before. On this screen, various Miis gather around different game icons where they will mingle and chat about the games they surround, showing messages other players have posted.

Final calls for Wii U pre-orders are approaching.

EB Games Australia have announced their Wii U pre-order cutoff date is November 18, 2012.

Australians who want to be sure they can get a Wii U on the November 30 launch date need to make sure they have pre-ordered by the cutoff date.

EB Games are currently the only retailer talking about a cutoff date for day one purchases, but it is likely that other stores would have similar dates in mind with regards to their pre-order allotments.

Finally, more details on Miiverse!

A Japanese Nintendo Direct focusing on various system features, including Miiverse, will air tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. EST/3 a.m. PST.

The broadcast, which will last approximately 35 minutes, will finally reveal some more details of Nintendo's soon be release home console, the Wii U. Check below for the time of the broadcast in a few other regions.

Get ready for Shantae's new swashbuckling adventure. UPDATE: Now with more details.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is coming exclusively to the 3DS eShop, as revealed by the cover of the latest issue of Nintendo Power. 

In this direct sequel to the popular DSiWare game, Shantae: Risky's Revenge, players can expect to see Shantae team up with Risky as she adjusts to no longer being a genie. The world is twice as large as the previous entry and sports a Metroid style map.

3DS development doesn't look as promising.

The Wii U version of The Pinball Arcade will likely land somewhere in the Wii U launch window, while the 3DS version of the game is struggling to overcome technical limitations.

In an interview with Warp Zoned, Rob Mann, the Community Manager at FarSight Studios, commented on the sate of the Wii... Read more...

No need for picture taking in Pushmo's sequel.

QR codes for Crashmo can be downloaded using the Nintendo 3DS Internet Browser, according to the game's Japanese website. Unlike Pushmo, you will no longer be required to take a picture in order to attain more puzzles, meaning that you do not need to have the code open on another device.

Time to chip away at a Game Boy classic.

Picross is the latest Club Nintendo reward, and can be claimed for just 100 Coins.

Originally released in 1995 for the Game Boy, Mario's Picross is Nintendo's take on nonogram puzzles. Players are provided a grid surrounded by various numbers. These numbers reveal which squares in those rows or columns will reveal an image.

Creator of Mario wants outside studios to see the brilliance of Wii U.

Miyamoto is travelling and speaking with developers, hoping to promote the Wii U as a home for their current and next game projects. 

In an interview with IGN, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that he has been personally speaking with third party development studios, sharing with them details on how... Read more...

Nintendo is interested in thinking up ways to utilize both systems. 

Nintendo is "thinking of the possibility of connecting Wii U and Nintendo 3DS once again," but it might be too complicated because all the different screens, according to Shigeru Miyamoto in an interview with IGN.

Miyamoto elaborated: "Of course we are thinking of the possibility of connecting Wii... Read more...

All three shops are temporarily going down, but what for?

All three of Nintendo's digital shops will be undergoing temporary maintenance on Tuesday, November 6, according to Nintendo's website.

While Nintendo's network undergoes regularly scheduled maintenance every Tuesday morning, this week the North American Nintendo eShop, Nintendo DSiShop, and Wii... Read more...

Not all feature a demo, but they do seem to be everywhere.

More than 5,000 Wii U kiosks are now in place at select retail stores across the United States.

Gamers looking to get some hands-on time with the system can visit a participating Target, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, or Toys ‘R’ Us location. If you have yet to find a retailer with the kiosk on... Read more...

Nintendo of Korea gets serious with their support for the platform.

Nintendo of Korea highlighted some of the upcoming Nintendo 3DS games in a Nintendo Direct presentation specifically for South Korea. The presentation was lead by NoK president Mineo Koda, and was streamed live earlier in the week.

On the first-party side of things, Nintendogs + Cats, available... Read more...

Get swinging and dancing in the first moments of 2013!

Nintendo of Europe announced that SiNG Party will be hitting the region on January 18, 2013. This information was spread by the Official Nintendo Magazine in the United Kingdom.

During the Wii U Preview in September, the European wing of the company mentioned that the game would be out in the... Read more...

The delightful two-toned pink and white 3DS XL can now be yours.

New Nintendo 3DS XL bundles are now available on the online shopping store Gilt. 

The new bundles both feature a two-toned pink and white 3DS XL, along with the choice of either Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, or Style Savvy: Trendsetters.

The bundles mark the first appearance of this color choice in North America, and will remain exclusive to Gilt for a limited time at the price of $224.86.

China is getting its own version of the Nintendo 3DS XL soon.

Nintendo's publishing partner for its various handheld systems in the mainland of China, iQue, will be releasing their own version of the Nintendo 3DS XL this coming December.

The iQue 3DS XL, as the system will be known in that country, will come in three different variations. The silver and red... Read more...