When the initial three-to-five-hour battery life figure for the 3DSwent public, many of us were left wondering what conditions could affect that amount of time. In the new Iwata Asks, 3DS designer Ryuji Umezu and Nintendo president Satoru Iwatagive us somemuch-needed context. Basically, it’s what you’d expect; the 3D and backlighting require a lot of energy. Nintendo has implemented a power save mode which “precisely controls the brightness of the backlight according to the brightness of the screen being displayed,” says Umezu....

No, this is not a joke about the Wii U The discovery of two new patents filed by gaming giant Nintendo earlier this year may give us a peek into the future of the company. The first,as reported on Saturday, is for a disc-less home console. The second patent, which was discovered early Sunday morning, could point to Nintendo attempting to create its first sales-less console. According to paperwork filed with the US Patent Office, Nintendo may be making a home console that is so terrible, people literally run away from it....

PC, PlayStation, and Xbox versions are due this fall Whether you intentionally held off getting the one and only Nintendo Switch version ofNo More Heroes 3, or you kinda just let it slip, some great news: it’s also coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in fall 2022, including a physical release from XSEED. There’s a lot to praiseinNo More Heroes III— it’s a blast to see Suda51 unleashed like this — but graphics and performance aren’t a part of that lovefest....

Slip into something more portable Oh, hey there reader, you’ve just caught me at that time of year where I and the other Destructoid editorial staff are beginning the long and often vicious process of putting together our Game of the Year awards. First come the long lists, then the short lists, then the rounds of voting before a winner is finally revealed. Every year at Destructoid we review countless video games for every console and platform under the sun, giving them scores that reflect the opinion of a single writer on staff and moving on....

Dat pixel art, hnggggg! Omocatis a stellar artist and kindred spirit, and she’s responsible for some excellent art and a particularlybadass jacketthat I want to wear. She’s also hard at work creating a beautifully surreal game known asOmorivia Kickstarterthat’s already hit its funding goal, but you should probably go ahead and toss some money the project’s way anyway. For science. Omorichannels the best of worlds likeSpace FuneralandEarthBoundwith its bizarre imagery and whimsical narrative, and it looks like it’s right up my alley....

Limited arrows, limitless fun I’m going to be honest with you guys, I’ve never really considered buying an OUYA. Something just doesn’t sit right with me. That was until Matt Thorson sat me down and forced me to playTowerFall. Now I want an OUYA. TowerFallisn’t a game that’s hard to understand in theory. You and three friends run around inSuper Smash Bros.-style stages and shoot a limited number of arrows until everyone but you is dead....

Praise the sun and moon Solgaleo and Lunaala. Those look like they’ll be the legendary mascots ofPokemonsSunandMoonaccording to a GameFreak trademark of two Pokemon names, as spotted byNeoGAF‘s Watch Da Birdie. Nothing else, including descriptions or images, but we might be able to intuit how these new legendaries might look based on their names. “Solgaleo,” for example, is a bearded, dour astronomer with a novelty sun mask framing its face (think Sunflora, but instead of petals, cartoonish “sun waves” made of carnival-level felt)....

Alternative funding options have been found Project Awakenedfailed to meet its Kickstarter goal, but that didn’t stop the team from pursuing their dreams and opening up donations via PayPal or credit cards. Well now all those folks that continued to support the project will be receiving refunds as the game has been put on hold according to thisFacebook posting. “Everyone who pledged money will be receiving a full refund. Rest assured, our goal is to one day complete this game that we are all very passionate about....

Time to clear out trading cards, backgrounds, and emoticons [Update: The auction has been temporarily shut down, most likely due to the incredible amount of Gem Sacks that were being sold on the marketplace, driving the cost down and inflating the auctions. There are suspicions that users found a way to duplicate Gem Sacks. Currently, the official word is “Sorry, but there have been some issues with Gems and the Steam Holiday Auction has been temporarily closed....

The Hand Cannon Arms Week broughtRibbontail,an unexpected Strand trace rifle that, as you can imagine, isn’t the featured archetype. But this weapon can still fill a good role, especially with a god roll. Ribbontail isn’t better than Sundered Doctrine’sUnsworn, which has better rolls and stats. But if you don’t have access toThe Final Shape‘slast dungeon, you can snag this one during the event. Here are the Ribbontail god rolls we’re chasing during Arms Week....

[Update:It turns out that the deal is for Sega Japan and Atlus Japan only, so far. That said, it’s not hard to see the relationship expanding if it turns out well. -Josh] Here’s a bit of fuel for your game industry speculation engine: Sega have cut a deal with Atlus’ parent company Index Holdings, one which will see Sega take charge of distributing future packaged Atlus gamesworldwidein Japan, starting this April....

No, I didn’t come up with that hilariously horrid pun in the title. That one was courtesy of Nintendo themselves in this new trailer for Ubisoft’sSports Connectionon Wii U. Oh, you think they’d stop there, but no, they just kept on coming. Both “Lay the sack down” and “Who’s your caddy?” also wormed their way into this appropriately ridiculous trailer. They even appeared to have poked a little fun at themselves when a guy playing golf swings his WiiMote and a golf ball lodges itself into the dry wall....

Far Cry 3’s DLC was dumb in the best possible way Far Cry 3’s Blood DragonDLC is like the greatest straight-to-VHS movie that never was. So why did Ubisoft take such a big thematic leap from theFar Cry 3template?Game Informer talked with creative director Dean Evansabout how his love of ’80s action flicks and Ubisoft’s willingness to expriment allowedBlood Dragonto become a reality. Evans mentions howFar Cry 3‘s director was open to all suggestions as to ideas for DLC and how recent films likeHobo With A ShotgunandManborghad inspired the idea for an ’80s-influenced game....