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<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Kyle Russell/Business Insider" title_caption="The $299 Wii U Deluxe Edition is one of the best deals in gaming." class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5298ecae69bedd3a56d21776-960/wii-u-zelda-wind-waker-deluxe-edition.jpg"></a>Kyle Russell/Business InsiderThe $299 <keyword id="6520039" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Wii-U">Wii U</keyword> Deluxe Edition is one of the best deals in gaming.</div></div>With the launch of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/ps4" target="_blank">PlayStation 4</a> and the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/xbox-one" target="_blank">Xbox One</a> November, the next generation of console gaming has officially begun.
What gets left out of many articles, blog posts, and slideshows talking up the new consoles is that there's already been a next-gen console on the market for a year: the <keyword id="139193" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="WII">Wii</keyword> U, <keyword id="136654" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nintendo">Nintendo</keyword>'s follow-up to smash-hit Wii, was released November 2012.
While the new consoles from <keyword id="6358540" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sony">Sony</keyword> and <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> promise beautiful graphics and a plethora of integrated online services, they're expensive - $399 and $499, respectively - and most of the games that have people excited for them don't come out until Spring 2014 at the earliest.
For the avid gamer who likes a bargain, the Wii U is the best system you can buy this holiday season for a combination of great games, cool hardware, and fantastic pricing.
<h3>The Wii U has great games available now</h3>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Nintendo" title_caption="Zelda is easily worth $49. Getting it free with the Wii U is a steal." class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5292ee07eab8eaa57e3a1918-960/zelda-wind-waker-hd-1.jpg"></a><a href="http://e3.nintendo.com/games/detail/the-legend-of-zelda-wind-waker/">Nintendo</a>Zelda is easily worth $49. Getting it free with the Wii U is a steal.</div></div>When the Wii U first came out, its library of games was as anemic as those on the <keyword id="1568713" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="PlayStation-4">PlayStation 4</keyword> or <keyword id="1681394" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="xbox-one">Xbox One</keyword> - maybe even more so.
A year later, the situation has pulled a complete 180: some of the best games Nintendo has ever made are on the Wii U. In a smart move, the company even throws one of them in with the console.
Since September, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Legend-Zelda%C2%99-Nintendo-Wii-U/dp/B00EV4O8VS" target="_blank">Nintendo has offered a $299 bundle</a> that includes a digital copy (you have to download it) of 2003's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Legend-Zelda-nintendo-wii-u/dp/B002I0GF72" target="_blank">"The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker"</a> remade with the high-resolution textures and beautiful lighting from today's games, new controls that take advantage of the Wii U's GamePad, and a few changes to the gameplay that eliminate the biggest complaints people had against the original release.
I've played through about a third of the game since picking up the Wii U, but I'll be honest: if I didn't have to look at the other titles in this piece, I could have easily spent the last few days putting all of my time into exploring the beautiful world in "Wind Waker." 
Of course, one game thrown in with a console doesn't make it worth it for everybody. That's where the Wii U's year lead comes in.
Since the Wii U's launch, a number of fantastic titles have joined the system's growing catalog, from the real-time strategy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pikmin-3-Nintendo-Wii-U/dp/B0050SWBAE/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1385794329&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=pikmin+3" target="_blank">"Pikmin 3"</a> to the side-scrolling platformer <a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Super-Mario-Bros-nintendo-wii/dp/B002I0K3CK" target="_blank">"New Super Mario Bros. U."</a>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Nintendo" title_caption="" Super="" Mario="" World="" approaches="" gaming="" perfection.="" class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5298f2c5ecad04b42adbb372-960/super-mario-3d-world-1.jpg"></a><a href="http://e3.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-mario-3d-world/">Nintendo</a>"<keyword id="1945801" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Super-Mario-3D-World">Super Mario 3D World</keyword>" approaches gaming perfection.</div></div>Just this month, Nintendo launched the latest in its series of 3D Mario platformers, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Super-Mario-3D-World-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B00DC7G0GG" target="_blank">"Super Mario 3D World."</a> Combining elements of previous console titles like "Super Mario Galaxy" and the 3DS's "Super Mario 3D Land," "3D World" is probably the best platformer Nintendo has ever made.
I know that sounds hyperbolic, but I'm not the only one saying it: if you look at our <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-mario-game-for-the-wii-u-2013-11" target="_blank">round up of reviews for the game</a>, other critics claim that it approaches "perfection" and marvel at Nintendo's technical prowess.
What's truly amazing about the game is the wide audience that it appeals to: kids will love it because of the marvelous graphics and cute humor, parents will like it because it doesn't have the violence and language prevalent in many popular games today, and hardcore gamers will love it because fully beating the game requires a ton of skill and dedication.
For those who want a bit more action in their gaming diet, there's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-101-Nintendo-Wii-U/dp/B002I08CSW/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1385793829&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=wonderful+101" target="_blank">"The Wonderful 101,"</a> a ridiculously stylish title that puts the player in control of a team of superheroes that can transform into giant weapons based on the shapes the player draws on the GamePad's touchscreen:

If a year's lead on exclusives wasn't enough, the Wii U sports backwards compatibility with the Wii (unlike the <keyword id="6418485" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="PS4">PS4</keyword> or Xbox One, which can't play games released on last-gen consoles), meaning you can swap out the Wii for the Wii U in your living room and still have access to all of your old games.
It also means that there's an entire generation's worth of games that you can pick up and play for super-low prices.
Fans of old-school gaming will also be happy to know that Nintendo's Virtual Console has many of the best games from the NES and Super Nintendo, with games from the N64 and Game Boy Advance coming soon. 
For prices comparable to those on Apple's App Store, you can pick up classic titles like "Mega Man X," "Super Metroid," and "Earthbound" and play them on your television or directly on the GamePad's built-in screen.
There are a few glaring holes in the Wii U's game lineup, however. While many new AAA games from third-party developers are available on the system - including the latest <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Call-Duty-Ghosts-Nintendo-Wii-U/dp/B00E8A06DO" target="_blank">"Call of Duty,"</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Creed-IV-Black-Flag-u/dp/B00BMFIXEW/" target="_blank">"Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag,"</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Arkham-Origins-nintendo-wii-u/dp/B00C7107DU/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1385794663&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=arkham+origins" target="_blank">"Batman: Arkham Origins"</a> - you won't find the latest titles from EA Sports, DICE, or Bethesda on the Wii U.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Amazon" title_caption="Sorry, " Madden="" fans:="" the="" latest="" game="" in="" series="" isnt="" on="" Wii="" U.="" class="zoomin" href="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5299932969beddf345d21778-960/madden-nfl-25-1.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Madden-NFL-25-Xbox-360/dp/B00AY1CT4U/">Amazon</a>Sorry, "Madden" fans: the latest game in the series isn't on the Wii U.</div></div>As we reported <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nintendo-and-microsoft-both-failing-2013-8" target="_blank">back in August</a>, that's because some developers simply don't want to put the extra effort into making a game for hardware that's not quite as slow as last-gen systems and not quite as fast as its current-gen competitors without the assurance that they'll have sales that make up for the effort.
For now, that's sure to be a deal-breaker for many hardcore gamers. But if the sales boost the console is getting from the flurry of titles released over the last few months (and from "Super Smash Bros." and "Mario Kart" next year) can lead to as big of a turn-around as Nintendo managed to pull off with the <keyword id="533291" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nintendo-3DS">Nintendo 3DS</keyword>, we could hear a change of tune from the developers who are still holding out on the console.
<h3>The GamePad is like a mix between a controller and a tablet</h3>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Kyle Russell/Business Insider" title_caption="Other consoles are pushing second-screen elements on your tablet or handheld game console. On the Wii U, you get those features out of the box." class="zoomin" href="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/529904706bb3f77534d21770-960/wii-u-zelda-edition-gamepad-2.jpg"></a>Kyle Russell/Business InsiderOther consoles are pushing second-screen elements on your tablet or handheld game console. On the Wii U, you get those features out of the box.</div></div>If there's one thing that immediately stands out about the Wii U, it's the controller that Nintendo bundles with every system.
Part game controller and part tablet, the GamePad does for the Wii U what the touchscreen does for the Nintendo DS and 3DS: it provides a convenient way to display information like the items you're carrying or where you're at in a game without having to pause the action by opening a menu.
It also serves as a miniature display for gaming when the main television is in use or otherwise unavailable - like when friends/family/roommates want to watch Netflix or sports.
While it's certainly no Retina display, the GamePad's resolution is high enough that you can still appreciate how pretty games look and read important in-game text. While the PlayStation 4 offers a similar Remote Play feature, one also needs to own a $199 <keyword id="670849" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="PlayStation-Vita">PlayStation Vita</keyword> in addition to the PS4 in order to use it.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Kyle Russell/Business Insider" title_caption="The GamePad is actually a surprisingly great way to play games in a pinch. " class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52997e3cecad040e33dbb370-960/wii-u-gamepad-controller-zelda-gameplay.jpg"></a>Kyle Russell/Business InsiderThe GamePad is actually a surprisingly great way to play games in a pinch. </div></div>In terms of actual size, the screen is somewhere between a large "phablet" like Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 and a 7-inch tablet. While that real estate was necessary to make it usable for playing games on, it does come with a bit of a drawback: the GamePad is massive. Everyone I showed it to thought that it was the console based on how big it is.
With that said, it's far less dense than you'd expect from looking at it. I had no problem holding it at length while playing games on the GamePad's display, and when you have the Wii U hooked up to a TV its weight becomes a non-issue because you can simply rest it on your lap as you play.
Navigating menus on a Nintendo console has never been smoother than on the Wii U. As on the original Wii and on the 3DS, apps and games are arranged in rows of icons above a clean, white background.
Thanks to the responsive touchscreen on the Wii U, moving between pages of apps is incredibly smooth, and the new operating system lets you quickly check your download progress or look something up online in seconds with a tap of the home button in the center of the GamePad.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Kyle Russell/Business Insider" title_caption="You have to charge the GamePad regularly." class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52997d556bb3f71a13d2177b-960/wii-u-gamepad-controller-charging-dock.jpg"></a>Kyle Russell/Business InsiderYou have to charge the GamePad regularly.</div></div>If there's any real flaw with the GamePad, it's battery life. After two or three hours of gaming on its display, the low-battery LED began flashing wildly, demanding that I plug the GamePad into its charger, which unfortunately requires its own wall socket - there's no USB port on the GamePad for plugging it into the Wii U itself like you can with controllers on the <keyword id="187685" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="PS3">PS3</keyword> or PS4.
For sneaky parents with younger children, this could be seen as a feature: just tell your kids that it has to be turned off and resting in the included charging dock for an easy way to impose a time limit on their gaming.
<h3>The console offers a lot of fun in an affordable package</h3>
When it comes down to it, most people have to look at price when making the decision to buy a gadget like a gaming console.
If you're looking for a good deal, the Wii U simply blows the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One out of the water.
For roughly $20 more than a PlayStation 4 and no games (with sales tax included), I was able to pick up a Wii U with three brand-new games containing dozens of hours of content to play through.
Then there's the Xbox One. Not only does it cost $200 more out of the gate, it also requires a $60/year subscription fee to play online, use Internet Explorer to browse the web, or to use entertainment apps like Netflix.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Kyle Russell/Business Insider" title_caption="As soon as HBO Go is available on the Wii U, all of my video-streaming needs will be covered." class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52998342ecad043c37dbb377-960/wii-u-gamepad-menu.jpg"></a>Kyle Russell/Business InsiderAs soon as HBO Go is available on the Wii U, all of my video-streaming needs will be covered.</div></div>That's not the case on the Wii U: as long as you've got a working Netflix or Amazon Instant Video account, you can use those apps as soon as you've got the console set up and updated.
Of course, I'm sure this post is going to get a bunch of comments about how I was silly to pick up a Wii U because of how much more powerful the PS4 and Xbox One are, price be damned.
My only response to that is: "So what?"
This early in the console cycle, most developers simply haven't gotten comfortable enough with the new hardware to really take advantage of them. Games just aren't that much prettier on the latest consoles than they are the Wii U or even last-gen systems like the PS3 or <keyword id="99984" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Xbox-360">Xbox 360</keyword> - yet.
In a few years, the PS4 and Xbox One will have games that make today's lineup look downright ugly. Instead of dropping the full price on a system for a few mediocre games that look incrementally better in anticipation of buying amazing titles in a couple of years, why not buy a console that actually has games worth buying now? 
By the time games that actually push those consoles hit the market, both the PS4 and the Xbox One will likely have at least one price drop each.
Since Wii U games are generally $10 less than their equivalents on other systems, you can enjoy just as many games in the interim period and still save up for buying whichever of the two other consoles happens to have your preferred exclusives - or more of your friends as owners - two or three years down the line.
While fanboys argue the merits of their favorite system and the undecided weigh the pros and cons of each option, I'll be here stomping on Koopas with Mario and the gang.
Questions about the Wii U or its games? Leave them in the comment section below and I'll address them to the best of my ability.

Here's Why I Just Bought A Wii U Instead Of The PS4 Or Xbox One

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Nintendo just surprised everyone by revealing a sequel to the critically-acclaimed blockbuster game "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild."</li><li>A short teaser was shown of a cutscene depicting Princess Zelda and Link in a dark underground area.</li><li>At the end of the teaser, a message directly states, "The sequel to 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' is now in development."</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>A new "Legend of Zelda" game - a direct sequel to the blockbuster Nintendo Switch game, "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" - was just revealed by Nintendo.The Japanese gaming giant announced the game as its "one last thing" at the end of a broadcast focused on big gaming announcements.A short clip of the prior game's main characters - Princess Zelda and Link - depicts them facing some form of new enemy in a dungeon. It also appears to tease at the return of series antagonist Ganon, in an incarnation that seems to be inspired by his appearance in "The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker."&#xa0;<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Link appears to be affected directly - Nintendo tweeted out this image following the announcement:<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>No other details about the game were provided, but Nintendo confirmed that the game is currently in production for the Nintendo Switch console.At the end of the teaser, Hyrule Castle appears to lift straight off the ground and float above the planet:<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Check out the full teaser right here:<div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/review-200-scuf-vantage-better-than-25-easysmx-controller-2019-5">We compared the $200 Scuf Vantage PlayStation controller to the $25 EasySMX controller - and the winner was clear</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

In a major surprise, Nintendo just revealed that a huge 'Legend of Zelda' sequel is in development

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>"The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening," a remake of the classic Game Boy title, will be released for the Nintendo Switch on September 20, 2019.</li><li>The new "Link's Awakening" has been rebuilt from the ground up with a unique visual style and a handful of additions to the game.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>The next "Legend of Zelda" game will be a remake of a Game Boy Classic, "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening."Released in 1993, "Link's Awakening" was the first portable "Zelda" game, which makes it a perfect title to remake for the Switch, Nintendo's portable hybrid console.While most "Zelda" games take place in the familiar kingdom of Hyrule, "Link's Awakening" leaves players stranded on a mysterious island. Link, the game's hero, has to wake a mythical creature called the Wind Fish to find his way home.The Switch version of "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening" underwent a graphical overhaul, with a cartoonish visual style that's unlike any other "Zelda" game. But at it's core, it looks to be the same adventure that captivated fans more than 25 years ago.Here's everything we know about the remake of "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening" so far:

The next 'Legend of Zelda' game is a remake of a classic Game Boy adventure, and it's coming to the Switch later this year

<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image">NintendoThe first look at "The Legend of Zelda" for Wii U, coming in 2015.</div></div>
"The Legend of Zelda" is one of Nintendo's most important franchises, with its action-adventure games spanning several decades and consistently earning near-perfect or perfect scores from critics over the years.
It's been three years since the last "Zelda" game, but <a href="http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=41718" target="_blank">at its E3 Digital Event on Tuesday</a>, Nintendo unveiled the next chapter of the fantasy franchise set to release in 2015. It may not have a name yet, but boy does it look good. 
Nintendo's brief clip showed "Zelda's" protagonist, Link, sitting atop his fabled horse, Epona, in a vast field overlooking the kingdom of Hyrule, the main setting for the series.
The clip was subtle but showed off several important aspects of the game: For one, it revealed this iteration of "Zelda" would blend the semi-realistic character models from "Skyward Sword" and "Ocarina of Time" with the vibrant, cel-shaded look from "The Wind Waker."
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">NintendoLink fires off a shot from his newfangled bow.</div></div></div>
Nintendo also explained that the entire map of this world could be explored, including the mountains. And in a major departure from the series, Nintendo's Eiji Aonuma said any of it could be perused at any time. In all previous "Zelda" games, players were led from one area to the next in a linear manner. 
"As far as what you can do with such a vast field to explore, as soon as those boundaries are removed, it means you can enter any area from any direction," Aonuma said. "So the puzzle-solving in this game begins the moment the player starts to think about where they want to go, how they want to get there, and what they will do when they arrive. This is a clean break from the conventions of past games in the 'Zelda' series, where you had to follow a set path and play through the scenario in the right order."
Thanks to a lack of boundaries, players will be able to explore Hyrule and its surrounding areas to their hearts' content - but they'll also have to keep an eye out for powerful monsters that will continually show up, even in the most serene settings.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image">NintendoLink battles an unknown foe in the Hyrulian fields.</div></div></div>
"As you know from the 'Zelda' series, the world in these games can be quite peaceful," Aonuma said. "However, it is a 'Zelda' game after all so strong enemies will certainly appear, even in this setting. Powerful enemies appearing in such a peaceful world is one of the defining features of the 'Zelda' series."

Nintendo Just Unveiled Its Next 'Legend Of Zelda Game,' And It Looks Stunning

Nintendo's amiibo figurines drive collectors wild, despite the fact that they don't do much in Nintendo's games themselves. This is because people love Nintendo, and some folks love having "Fire Emblem" characters sitting on their shelves.If you already count yourself among the ranks of hardcore amiibo collectors, or if you can even see the appeal, there's good news: one of Nintendo's most beloved series is getting the treatment yet again. Here are the four new "The Legend of Zelda" series amiibo figurines:<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Nintendo</div></div></div>8-Bit Link from the original "The Legend of Zelda" joins his counterparts from "Ocarina of Time" and "Wind Waker." Princess Zelda's "Wind Waker" incarnation is also here, as part of a two-pack with Toon Link.These amiibo will offer the same functionality as standard Link and Zelda amiibo figures in existing "The Legend of Zelda" games with amiibo support. Here are the games in the franchise that support amiibo already:<ul><li>"Hyrule Warriors" for Wii U</li><li>"Hyrule Warriors Legends" for 3DS</li><li>"The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD" for Wii U</li></ul>Additionally, these amiibo figures will have exclusive, currently-unknown functionality in the upcoming "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" for Wii U and NX, Nintendo's mysterious next console. That game will launch in March 2017.You can get these amiibo figures when they launch on December 2. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-7-worth-buying-2016-8">It's going to be a bad year for the iPhone - here's why</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="l5cjZjNTE6vFTshmBIw9CZMaa8UoNlIS" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Nintendo just announced 4 cool new 'Zelda' amiibo figures

One morning this past spring, I was working at my desk when Biz, a fellow tech reporter with a bloodhound's nose for news, texted me a screenshot of my husband's Twitter bio.Something was missing. Kyle had deleted the name of his startup."What happened to Playbyte????" Biz wrote.Confused, I wrote back, "Wait that's so weird. I'll talk to him."Kyle and I both work from home, and I wanted to confront him then and there. But talking about my husband's battle-scarred startup always had the potential to turn into a fight. And if his reason for scrubbing Playbyte's name was that he was winding it down, well, that would be an even longer conversation. That night, as he plugged in his Apple Watch, iPhone, and Steam Deck on his side of the bed, I sidled up to him and asked what the story was. Kyle shrugged it off. Playbyte, which had started as a kind of TikTok for games (which I loved) and then pivoted to software for indie game developers (meh, he could do better), was about to pivot again. For weeks, Kyle told me, he and Playbyte's two employees — all who were left after he laid off several others during the tech downturn — had been working on a new tool, one that would let anyone build a web app by describing it to a chatbot. I knew that part, though barely because Kyle had been sharing less and less about the company with me. Then he said he didn't relate to the name Playbyte anymore.My cheeks flushed. I wanted to scream. Kyle had put 3 ½ years of his life — of our life — into building his startup, and now he had wiped it from public view in a few keystrokes. That, I told him, sent a message to his 20,000 Twitter followers that he had given up. What he was really doing was siphoning off code from the old project to start a new one. Had he considered the knock-on effects on his ability to attract new investors or talent? (After eight years of reporting on startups and venture capital, I'm sad to say, I reflexively use phrases like "knock-on effects" with my husband in bed.)Kyle knit his brow and explained why he didn't need more money or engineers. I changed the subject to what we should put on before bed. We watched "The Mandalorian" in stewing silence.By the time I rolled over and turned off the light, I was feeling a pang of remorse. I wished I had told Kyle that I would understand if he wanted to quit. I'd reassure him that he hadn't failed. I had the words ready, but I couldn't bring myself to say them. I still wanted to present as the kind of wife who had unlimited confidence in her husband's ability to turn things around.In my reporting on the world of company building, I've grown familiar with the myriad ways startups end — with acquisition jackpots or bankruptcies, with trading debuts or lawsuits, with Champagne or jail. "The myth of a successful journey is that it starts with an idea, followed by a ton of hardship, and then a gradual and linear rise to the finish line," the founder and investor Scott Belsky writes in his book "The Messy Middle." It's taken living with a founder to fully dispel that myth for me. "In reality, the middle is extraordinarily volatile — a continuous sequence of ups and downs, flush with uncertainty and struggle," Belsky adds. That's as apt a description of Kyle's startup as it is of our relationship. And in our case, the startup's middle has surely been made messier by the fact that the startup's founder is married to a startup reporter.Lately, I've been fixated on a nagging question: Would my marriage be happier if my husband's startup failed?Four years ago, when Kyle began talking over dinners and dog walks about becoming a founder, I secretly hoped he'd change his mind. I'd written hundreds of stories about the life he was signing up for: 80-hour work weeks, high stress, low salaries. Not the ideal lifestyle to adopt, right as we were planning to start a family. I told Biz and Jillian, also a tech reporter, over breakfast in San Francisco's Mission District that I thought this was a bad idea. They asked whether we had savings to fall back on. Nine in 10 startups fail. Yet, at the time, it didn't occur to me that my husband's might. During the 10 years I'd known Kyle, things always had a way of working out for him. When he was 20, he dropped out of the University of California, Berkeley, to write for TechCrunch. Before long, he had parlayed a sit-down interview with the renowned investor Chris Dixon into a dealmaking role at Andreessen Horowitz. In 2019, while working at a drone startup, he caught the entrepreneurial bug.My worst fear about his startup wasn't that he'd fail. My worst fear was that I'd never see him, and we'd grow apart as he became a staggering success. Late nights of toiling over code would lead to private jets and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/employees-inside-adam-neumanns-wework-reveal-a-wild-culture-2019-9">alcohol-fueled</a> company retreats, and I'd be left behind, reading about his corporate conquests under someone else's byline. Earlier that year, Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott had filed for divorce amid a tabloid scandal that included love nests and racy texts with a news anchor. I wondered whether someday our children would spend every other weekend at Kyle's Pacific Heights mansion with his own "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-lauren-sanchez-relationship-timeline-photos">alive girl</a>."But I didn't tell him any of this. Like my mother, and her mother before her, I am ruthlessly nonconfrontational. When I was growing up, my dad lovingly referred to our "Schulze talk" — the thing you say when you're upset, instead of what you really mean. Becoming a reporter and learning to ask hard questions of founders and investors helped immensely, but being hard on the aspiring founder I slept next to was another thing. I worried that if I didn't support his career, my husband might love me less.As Kyle was conceiving his startup, I found out I was pregnant. For that, I did confront him. I told him I'd feel more comfortable with him becoming a solopreneur if we moved from San Francisco, where rents were catastrophically high at the time, to New York, where we would be closer to family when the baby arrived. He agreed to my condition, even though it meant he'd be a continent away from the investors and talent he needed to court.Kyle, who learned to program in fifth grade so he could <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_modding">mod</a> his favorite video games, dreamed up an app for creating and sharing simple games in a scrolling feed. I thought it was fantastic, and well-timed: TikTok was just then taking off in America. Together, we picked out a name by covering our living room walls with sticky notes filled with words and phrases. He settled on Playbyte, a nod to both the app's bite-size games and our tug-of-war-loving pit bull, Nubs.<div type="image" title="Melia puts the box of post-its away." height="1650" width="3300" msid="105235737" hostid="261"></div>I put the Post-its in a shoebox of keepsakes, along with handwritten love notes and ticket stubs from our travels, at the back of our closet. Back then, I imagined I would get the Playbyte Post-it framed and give it to Kyle on the day he took the company public, generating a windfall for our family that would pay for our daughter's tuition and so much more.Lately, though, the Post-its feel like just another relic of our relationship, ones we'll dig out decades from now and laugh over. "Remember when you tried doing a startup?" I'll say.The most shocking thing I've learned about startups is how boring they are. Day to day, almost nothing happens. There's a call with an investor, a coding sprint, and a team stand-up. So much for "move fast and break things." In my house, it was more "futz endlessly with a Figma file and chat with employees on Discord all day."Being a startup reporter married to a startup founder isn't without its perks. We can talk about our days without having to explain a million little things. When I get tripped up on jargon such as "transformer" or "smart contracts" or anything Marc Andreessen blogs, Kyle is my Google Translate for tech speak. He rolls deep in juicy news tips, which I'm frustratingly unable to use. And he sets his own hours. When I have to work late, he can easily cover parenting duties.At times, though, it was strange to experience the way my professional and personal lives had blurred. One drizzly morning last spring, as the tech sector entered year two of a global correction marked by mass layoffs and a dearth of venture-capital funding, I was reporting a story about a looming "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-fears-exctinction-event-startup-failure-rate-increase-2023-6">mass extinction event</a>" for startups. In our living room, my husband had gathered the team for an off-site. By then, they had already killed the first two iterations of the startup and had begun work on the chatbot app builder. They spoke hunched over laptops on the couch, surrounded by paper coffee cups and twisting charger cables."This isn't going to be the thing that determines if we become a billion-dollar company or go out of business," I overheard an engineer say matter-of-factly.The next night, when Kyle and I were out to dinner with the team, I admitted how bizarre it had been for me to eavesdrop on the challenges they faced at the same time I was interviewing people in the tech industry about the Darwinian moment that startups were facing. To my surprise, Kyle had a confession of his own. He'd been listening in on my interviews, and overhearing talk of things such as "startup mortality rates" didn't exactly give him hope. I'm not sure Kyle has found as many perks to being a startup founder married to a startup reporter. Perhaps more than any other job, entrepreneurs are encouraged to fake it till they make it, to either bountiful or cataclysmic results. "Startups only exist because their founders are willing to suspend the disbelief of the probable and instead consider what is possible," <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2016/02/13/the-probable-the-possible-the-delusional/#:~:text=Startups%20only%20exist%20because%20their,instead%20consider%20what%20is%20possible.">Eric Paley</a>, an early Uber investor, once wrote. Steve Jobs' infamous "reality-distortion field" let him convince himself and nearly everyone around him of practically anything. Kyle's reality-distortion field seemed strong, and it's often been at war with my journalistic service weapon, a bullshit radar gun.I knew too much about what could go wrong, like a first lady who doubled as a reporter in the White House press corps. I often assumed the worst because I'd reported dozens of stories about the worst. When one of his favorite employees quit to start his own company — just two months before Playbyte debuted in the App Store — it put both of us in a tailspin of doubt. Had the employee left, we wondered, because he lost confidence in Kyle's idea?As Playbyte struggled to gain users and investors, I worried less about being the relentlessly positive cheerleader. I began plying Kyle with unsolicited reviews of his pitch deck and interrogating his every move. Did the team really need those logo fleece blankets? When the company had layoffs in spring 2022, had he done everything possible to minimize the impact on his employees? I thought I knew better than he did — after all, I'd just spoken to a dozen talent partners at venture-capital firms for an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-layoffs-how-to-help-employees-laid-off-2022-6">article</a>, "11 ways companies can ease the burden on laid-off employees." That night, we sat on the bed, bickering over how long the company should extend healthcare benefits. I wanted him to stretch coverage longer. He wanted to be comforted.Kyle began to bristle at my feedback. Knotted with anxiety, he started withholding details and sought my input less and less. He was trying to find the idea that clicked and found no joy in discussing those that blew up on the launchpad.<div type="image" title="Kyle works out with dumbells." height="1650" width="3300" msid="105235740" hostid="261"></div>Like other founders I've met, Kyle's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startup-founders-mental-health-stress-economy-funding-2022-7">mood</a> is moored to the health of the business. When he's excited about a development, he oozes confidence and throws himself into the company, often working past dinner. I rarely mind caring for our toddler solo on those nights. Better a happy partner, I figure, than a cranky coparent. Because when a bug creeps into the software, or an investor ignores his email, Kyle can be hard to be around. He snaps at coffee spills and bad drivers and grunts loud enough at his computer to jolt our dog awake. I know things are tense when I hear the dumbbells clanging from his office in the middle of the day. He feels the upsets so intensely because he believes every one reflects on his acumen.Over the years, I've come to believe that Kyle would cut off his own arm, "127 Hours" style, before putting an end to his startup. After the layoffs, when I asked if he had considered winding down the company and returning some of the funding to his investors, he immediately launched into a pitch on how well the beta test was going. I'm convinced he's going to keep building until he's spent the startup's last dollar.I often write about founders having blow-through-walls resilience. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-are-clubhouse-founders-paul-davison-rohan-seth-2021-1">Clubhouse</a> founders Rohan Seth and Paul Davison had at least nine failed apps between them before hatching the breakout app of the pandemic. Steve Huffman led the turnaround of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-reddit-hired-engineers-after-revolt-ceo-steve-huffman-interview-2018-9">Reddit</a> after a firestorm of user revolts and hate speech. I wrote about them in nearly glowing terms. But the same determination I so admired in them I found unnerving in Kyle. I was exhausted, my patience eroding with each new round of hiring and firing, capital raising, and pivoting.I told my therapist, my friends, and my boss, whose husband had started and sold his own startup, how I wished my husband would get a "normal job." They encouraged me to tell him how I felt. But that would require me to confront my fear of confrontation. More than once, I tried to "Inception" Kyle by talking up other companies I thought he'd enjoy working for. He could join a venture firm in Boston, say, and make a six-figure salary, plus a share of the fund's profits. I knew that shutting down his startup would deal a disastrous blow to his confidence. But it would be temporary. In a new role, he could resume a healthy relationship with work. The weight of failure would fall across the entire organization, not on his shoulders alone. He could feel good about himself again. I could breathe easier, too. The money would certainly help. But more than wealth, I want things to be less fraught at home. I want to talk about Kyle's work, and mine, without tiptoeing around a minefield. I want him to be free of the torment the startup puts him through. I want to release myself of the guilt I feel for tearing us away from the Bay Area, where he would have had an easier time getting funded. I want peace of mind.One afternoon in September, I watched Kyle leave his office and face-plant onto the bed. I went over and placed a hand on his back. He looked up at me, tears forming. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.He told me that in a few hours he had to call an investor and share the news: The app-building chatbot was over. I tried to assure Kyle that his investor had calls like that all the time, especially this year, as founders twisted themselves into pretzels trying to get funded. Just because everything hasn't clicked into place yet, I told him, doesn't mean it won't eventually. After all, YouTube launched as a dating service, and Instagram started off as Burbn.For once, I thought, I had found the right thing to say — but I must not have been very convincing. Kyle sank back into the pillow and sighed, and I went back to work.Now Kyle's startup has pivoted a third time. Instead of creating software to help amateurs and indie developers make video games, he and his team plan to use what they've learned to create their own game. The idea is a first-person shooter and an homage to a game, set in a ruinous Russian war zone, that became a pandemic smash hit.I'm skeptical. In my years of reporting on startups, I've never heard of a pivot like that. Game studios don't exactly scream venture-backed business. Many are bootstrapped or funded by an incumbent studio searching for the next big hit. In the past few years, venture investment in gaming has swelled, but it's still a precarious time for startups that need to raise capital.The truth is, I don't know if Kyle's startup will make it.But in the throes of the pivot, Kyle and I faced our most harrowing experience yet. On Labor Day, we were role-playing characters from "Legend of Zelda" with our 3-year-old when Nubs bounded into the kitchen. He jumped on me and kissed me hard before padding over to Kyle. That's when our daughter came up behind Nubs, startling him, and he bit her on the face, slicing her eyebrow and cheek.She turned out to be OK. But that night in bed, after she had fallen asleep, Kyle and I wept, cradling Nubs in our arms as we had every night for six years. We agreed to call the vet in the morning to discuss euthanasia. Nubs, Playbyte's namesake, was Kyle's best friend. If we went through with it, I asked, did he think he could handle being with me at the vet to put Nubs down?I wasn't sure how he would respond. This was a man for whom things had always fallen easily, happily into place. But in that moment, as he faced the death of a loved one, I saw that something had changed within him. He now understood peril, having chosen a path rife with it. He had told employees he cared for that he was letting them go. He had gone to investors, tail between his legs, to confess that a new round of funding had fallen through. He had weathered incessant grillings from his reporter-wife, who was not always as supportive as she wished to be and whose own anxiety had often contributed to his. The loneliness and the self-doubt, the sleepless nights and the cold sweats, all the stress and the sorrow of launching and tending to a startup, had shown him something."I can do hard things," he told me. He would go with me to say goodbye. For a flickering moment, between sobs, I was bursting with pride.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/melia-russell">Melia Russell</a> is a senior correspondent at Insider.

My husband founded a startup. Then our marriage got weird.

The newest version of Samsung's best smartphone, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-s8-release-date-specs-features-2017-3">the Galaxy S8</a>, is quite a powerful little device. SamsungBeyond what Samsung's telling us about the phone's internals, we've got an even better example of just how much horsepower the S8 is packing: One intrepid YouTuber managed to get the Nintendo GameCube running on the phone.And yes, so we're clear, we're talking about Nintendo's fourth major game console - the little box known as GameCube:Evan Amos, WikimediaThe Nintendo GameCube launched in 2001. 16 years later and the entire console can be emulated smoothly on a smartphone.The GameCube is home to some of Nintendo's biggest games: "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker," "Super Smash Bros. Melee," "Mario Kart: Double Dash," and many more. It was Nintendo's response to the PlayStation 2 from Sony and the original Xbox from Microsoft, and it's a beloved console among millions.And Samsung's new phone, the Galaxy S8, is capable of re-creating the entire experience - "emulating" the console and its games. That's no easy task; it's tremendously taxing on processors to re-create an entire piece of hardware, even though said piece of hardware is over a decade old. Even more impressively, the S8 does it smoothly - see for yourself:The S8 isn't available to buy just yet; it's up for sale as of April 21, and costs around $700. When it does arrive, you can download the GameCube emulator (known as "Dolphin") and test out this stuff for yourself. One note of caution: emulation is a legal gray area.Notably, Nintendo's new Switch console doesn't offer access to Nintendo GameCube games - not yet, anyway. Nintendo's said it will have more to share on that front later in 2017. <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-my-s8-favorite-feature-2017-3">This is my favorite thing about the Samsung Galaxy S8</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Samsung's new phone is powerful enough to run Nintendo GameCube games

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">PlayStation/Naughty DogNathan Drake (a PS4 exclusive) is not impressed.</div></div></div>Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aimé recently claimed that Wii U had the best exclusive content."If you look at the three separate home consoles and you count up the unique content that has been rated 8.5 or above from critics, and 8.5 or above by consumers, by far they are more on Wii U than on other consoles. 'Bayonetta 2,' 'Super Mario Maker,' 'Splatoon,' 'Mario Kart 8,' 'Smash Bros.' It's a long list of games," Fils-Aimé told <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/reggie-nintendo-interview?utm_source=mbtwitter">Motherboard's Emanuel Maiberg</a>.Yes, Nintendo has some great franchises, but does it really have the highest-rated exclusives? Not according to a quick comparison by Tech Insider. We counted the number of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_exclusives_(eighth_generation)">video game exclusives by console</a> with a Metacritic score over 85.The real winner? PlayStation by a hair.PlayStation 4 has 9 exclusives rated 85 or higher: 'The Last of Us Remastered' (95), 'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' (93), 'Bloodborne' (92), 'Helldivers' (89), 'The Talos Principle' (88), 'The Witness' (87), 'Final Fantasy XIV' (86), 'Ratchet &amp; Clank' (85), and 'Valkyria Chronicles' (85).Wii U boasts 8 exclusives: 'Super Mario 3D World' (93), 'Super Smash Bros.' (92), 'Bayonetta 2' (91), 'The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD' (90), 'Mario Kart 8' (88), 'Super Mario Maker' (88), 'Pikmin 3' (87), and 'The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD' (86).Xbox One also has 8 exclusives: 'Titanfall' (96), 'Ori and the Blind Forest' (88), 'Forza Motorsport 6' (87), 'Forza Horizon 2' (86), 'Killer Instinct' (86 in latest update), ''Rise of the Tomb Raider' (86), 'Cities: Skylines' (85), and 'Halo: The Master Chief Collection' (85).Yes, this is a rough and somewhat arbitrary comparison. Still, it should be enough to debunk Fils-Aimé's claim that Nintendo has by far the most high-rated exclusive content, at least when you look at aggregate review scores. To be fair, Nintendo's exclusive content tends to be more exclusive, given that PlayStation and Xbox exclusives are often also on PC and sometimes mobile. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/horizon-zero-dawn-gameplay-video-demo-2016-6"> PlayStation is taking a big risk on this game - here's what it's like</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="l2djBhNDE6UazeJwXqdz3Q_GdwoaLyhd" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Despite what Nintendo claims, PlayStation 4 has the most high-rated exclusives

<a title_source="Flickr/Sonny Abesamis" title_caption="Legos are a popular toy in many states." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/549069046da8118f2eab552c-960/lego-12.jpg"></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/enerva/12279076393/in/photolist-jH4tBF-dWpHem-cgCuuh-7nZm6t-87MWfv-nDy3yt-9VX5vp-8XEkRf-8iW9ZH-abhCGU-6G8eHj-6xMX5z-puNJJ-n6idu-7fAt9z-746b7-dS3nvy-8XBmAi-n6iNe-y2Pd3-oD9bqR-bBvAN2-6sCJKE-6M4iqx-7x5fYJ-5tiYoy-8XEm6L-n6gDh-5rhs1k-fApM4R-7xBAEJ-aTQLeX-dWpGPY-7D2ZK7-dW3mX4-foDGA8-c5oURd-9sdHFt-puNK3-j57Phm-5WNsNS-7vJSJD-nZdzWq-4giVCG-e18tMX-e18tVP-dW915G-9z3rus-2JNN7j-dWpH2h">Flickr/Sonny Abesamis</a>Legos are a popular toy in many states.With the holidays approaching, many parents are scrambling to buy Christmas gifts.&#xa0;
E-commerce giant eBay <a href="http://www.ebay.com/gds/Trending-Toys-for-the-Holidays-/10000000202393087/g.html">has released a list</a> of the most popular toy in every US state.&#xa0;
Legos, Barbies, and videogames are popular motifs.&#xa0;
Alabama: Furby Boom Pink Hearts
Alaska: Lego Minifigures
Arizona: Barbie Fashion Doll Clothing Set
Arkansas: My Little Pony Derpy Vinyl Figure
California: Call Of Duty&#xa0;
Colorado: Assassin's Creed IV
Connecticut: Webkinz Sparkle Harp Seal
Delaware: Littlest Pet Shop Playset

Florida: Assassin's Creed IV
Georgia: New Super Mario Brothers for Nintendo DS
Hawaii: Star Wars: The Black Series R2D2 Action Figure&#xa0;
Idaho: Mario &amp; Sonic At The Sochi 2014 Olympic Games
Illinois: Call Of Duty Advanced Warfare
Indiana: Super Mario 64 DS
Iowa: LEGO Minifigures&#xa0;
Kansas: Star Wars Clone Wars
<a title_source="" Call="" of="" Duty:="" Advanced="" Warfare="" title_caption="Videogames like Call of Duty are on many wishlists this year." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5489c31ceab8eaec6a2f9996-960/call_of_duty_advanced_warfare_intervista.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Call-Duty-Advanced-Warfare-Xbox-One/dp/B00MU1YEE0">"Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare"</a>Videogames like Call of Duty are on many wishlists this year.
Kentucky: Disney Frozen Snow Glow Elsa Doll
Louisiana: Disney Frozen Elsa Toddler Doll
Maine:&#xa0;Funko POP Game of Thrones&#xa0;Arya Stark Vinyl Figure
Maryland: Call Of Duty Advanced Warfare
Massachusetts: Lego Minifigures
Michigan: New Super Mario Brothers Nintendo DS
Minnesota: Barbie Fashion Doll Clothing Set
Missisissippi: NCAA Football 12 Video Game
Missouri: Lego Minifigures&#xa0;
Montana: The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Nebraska:&#xa0;Prestige 1:16 Scale Tractor
<a title_source="Kirsten Acuna/Business Insider" title_caption="Elsa dolls inspired by the movie Frozen are a hot seller this year. " class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54321cec69bedd4362262bd9-960/snow-glow-elsa.jpg"></a>Kirsten Acuna/Business InsiderElsa dolls inspired by the movie Frozen are a hot seller this year. 
Nevada: LEGO Star Wars Favor Kit For 1&#xa0;
New Hampshire: Lego Minecraft Microworld The End
New Jersey: Call Of Duty Advanced Warfare
New Mexico: The Lionel 30'' Straight Track
New York: Call Of Duty Advanced Warfare
North Carolina: Disney Frozen Puzzle Set
North Dakota: Littlest Pet Shop Horse Pet and Horse Friend
Ohio: Lego Minecraft Microworld The End

Oklahoma: Call Of Duty Advanced Warfare
Oregon: Pokemon Black &amp; White 4 2-Pack Trading Card Game
Pennsylvania: New Super Mario Bros Nintendo DS
Rhode Island: Disney Frozen Snow Glow Elsa Doll
South Carolina: Barbie Fashion Doll Clothing Set
South Dakota:&#xa0;Mega Bloks&#xa0;HALO Covenant Scarab Building
Tennessee: Halo The Master Chief Collection

Texas: Lego Bricks &amp; More
Utah: Fisher Price A Little People Christmas
Vermont: Magic The Gathering 2012 Core Set Booster Pack
Virginia: Lego Minecraft Micro World The End
Washington: Call Of Duty Advanced Warfare
West Virginia: Lego Bricks &amp; More
Wisconsin: New Super Mario Bros Nintendo DS
Wyoming: Pokemon Black Version 2 Nintendo DS

The Most Popular Toy In Every State

Remember the 1980s? Everyone had big hair and cassette players and a bunch of stuff I can't properly reference because I wasn't born yet. Anyway, that was when video games were video games, man. You blew on your "Castlevania" cartridge, plopped it into your Nintendo and that was your weekend!Thanks to Nintendo, you can now relive the part of your life when you didn't have a job or children or social obligations with the Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">NintendoLook at it! It's so tiny!</div></div></div>This miniature version of the original Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES) comes packed with 30 mostly-beloved games from that console's lifespan, and will retail for $59.99 starting this holiday season. It comes with an HDMI cable so it will work with modern televisions, and one controller that's an exact replica of the rectangular one you remember. Additional controllers are $9.99 each.Here are the games that come with the NES Classic Edition:<ul><li>"Balloon Fight"</li><li>"Bubble Bobble"</li><li>"Castlevania"</li><li>"Castlevania II: Simon's Quest"</li><li>"Donkey Kong"</li><li>"Donkey Kong Jr."</li><li>"Double Dragon II: The Revenge"</li><li>"Dr. Mario"</li><li>"Excitebike"</li><li>"Final Fantasy"</li><li>"Galaga"</li><li>"Ghosts 'n Goblins"</li><li>"Gradius"</li><li>"Ice Climber"</li><li>"Kid Icarus"</li><li>"Kirby's Adventure"</li><li>"Mario Bros."</li><li>"Mega Man 2"</li><li>"Metroid"</li><li>"Ninja Gaiden"</li><li>"Pac-Man"</li><li>"Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream"</li><li>"StarTropics"</li><li>"Super C"</li><li>"Super Mario Bros."</li><li>"Super Mario Bros. 2"</li><li>"Super Mario Bros. 3"</li><li>"Tecmo Bowl"</li><li>"The Legend of Zelda"</li><li>"Zelda II: The Adventure of Link" </li></ul>As you can see, there are some heavy hitters on that list, but it's not without its quirks. Having the first two "Castlevania" games without the excellent third one is strange, as is including "Super C" without its predecessor, "Contra."Still, for the price of a modern console game, you get a tiny box that looks like the original NES, an official revision of the controller and a handful of the greatest video games ever made. Not bad at all!<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">NintendoShout out to the font work on this packaging.</div></div></div>There are a couple of other miscellaneous tidbits to know: <ul><li>The controller that comes with the NES Classic Edition can be plugged into a Wii Remote and used to play downloaded NES games on a Wii or Wii U. </li><li>The Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro add-ons for the Wii can also be used to play games on the NES Classic Edition. </li><li>You can also suspend a game and come back later if you're having trouble, meaning there's no need to fumble with passwords anymore!</li></ul>There's no telling yet whether or not Nintendo will support additional games beyond the 30 that are included with it in any way, so don't expect some kind of online storefront to buy NES games to come with this machine. Even so, for the price and the nostalgic appeal alone, this is a pretty sweet deal for anyone who fondly remembers gaming in the Reagan years. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-powerful-onshore-wind-turbine-2016-7">This is the most powerful wind turbine in the world</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="dmeGM1MzE6iW5P120XG5MxBjOiyB9kLE" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Nintendo just introduced a mini $60 version of its first major game console, NES

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>Amazon</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>"<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Red Dead Redemption 2</a>" is an open-world video game set in the American Wild West. It's pretty popular and available for the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PlayStation 4</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M275W1G/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M275W1G&amp;linkId=bbece5ee0d65301d257c0c9f63bb0423" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xbox One</a>.</li><li>The game offers endless possibilities and many hours of missions to complete, making for a compelling and engaging story.</li><li>It's also beautifully designed, boasting interesting landscapes and incredible graphics. I enjoyed playing the game and would recommend it to anyone.</li></ul>The concept of the open-world game isn't necessarily new, but it has really hit its stride in recent years with games like "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076BJ723V/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B076BJ723V&amp;linkId=e0cfc7a4157ef39200c7a2a7d0d440b8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Horizon: Zero Dawn"</a> and "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-switch-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</a>." One of the latest games available on PlayStation 4, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Red Dead Redemption 2</a>," takes a beloved open-world concept, gives it a modern look, and lets you roam the land as an outlaw and member of a notorious gang.But "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Red Dead Redemption 2"</a> is a little different than its other open-world counterparts. It's slower, a little bloodier, and arguably more unforgiving. But are those things necessarily bad? No, they're not. Here's what we thought of the game after playing it for a while.<h2>Set up and initial impressions</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>Amazon</div></div></div>Navigating through the menus in the game is a simple process, and before long, you'll be on your way to playing through the story. The story, however, is slightly slower than you might expect. Initially, you'll be introduced to the characters and their role in the game, along with how to actually play. You'll have to go through a series of missions aimed at teaching you how to use the controls, and the overall look and feel of the game. The process may take a few hours before you're introduced to the actual open world that you'll end up playing most of the game in.The game centers around Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang that was forced to flee after a robbery goes awry in the town of Blackwater. The gang then has to rebuild from the ground up - all the while being chased by bounty hunters and federal agents as the era of the Wild West comes to a close. You'll quickly realize that the character you're playing, Arthur, isn't necessarily all that special - you could have played as any other character in the Van der Linde gang and had a similar experience. That, however, ends up being one of the best things about the game - the fact that it ends up feeling like you're just playing a day in the life of a Wild West gangster.One of the first things you'll notice about the game is how beautifully designed it is. The characters look fine, but it's the vast landscapes and quaint towns aimed at emulating the Wild West that really pull everything together. After playing through the tutorials and being introduced to the open world, you'll begin to understand just how big the world you can explore is. It's probably not on the same level as a game like "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-switch-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Breath of the Wild</a>," but considering the fact that there's no fast-travel mechanism and you have to go through the world on horseback, it can take a while to get from one side of the world to the other. Not only that, but missions rarely take you to the edge of the world anyway, so in a way, the game ends up feeling endlessly open.<h2>What's new in "Red Dead Redemption 2?"</h2><h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>Amazon</div></div></div></h2>If you played the original "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005N4HBIW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B005N4HBIW&amp;linkId=7b5ac85cd1518087823478b133da4fcc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Red Dead Redemption</a>," don't expect this game to pick up where it left off."<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Red Dead Redemption 2"</a> is actually a prequel set in 1899 compared to the original's 1911. While the original game takes the perspective of a former outlaw, in the new one, you play the outlaw - though during the game, you'll have opportunities to take the high road and build up your honor. That said, there are plenty of similarities between the two games. You'll follow a different character in each, but there are some recurring characters, like Dutch Van der Linde and the original protagonist John Marston. The look and feel of the game is similar too - though obviously much more modern in the latest version of the game. Graphics are much better, game mechanics are more refined, and the story is a little more compelling. It feels like a natural successor to the original game - but considering the fact that it's a prequel, you can play through <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RDR2</a> without having ever picked up the original game before, and you'll be just fine. <h2>Overall gameplay</h2><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Amazon</div></div></div></a>Playing through the actual game varies from the action-packed and violent to the mundane. Your goal here is to really play the game as if you were Arthur himself - and to that end, you'll need to shave, sleep, clean your weapons, and so on. All this may sound boring, but it actually makes the game more compelling. It helps make you feel like a part of the world that the characters live in, and as if you have actual stakes in what ends up happening.Of course, there are times when this can feel a little long-winded. For example, there's no fast-travel mechanism in the game, and as such, you'll have to manually make your way to each destination. It helps to invest in a horse that can run fast here. Rockstar Games, the developers behind the game, put a lot of work into building a beautiful landscape, and they're going to make you look at it every time you want to get anywhere.Perhaps the most fun parts of the game are the heists. From robbing a bank to stealing a stage coach, these missions are difficult and often take a few attempts to get right. That's not a bad thing - these parts of the game are enjoyable and intense, and you probably bought the game in the first place for those reasons. Action sequences take a little getting used in terms of how you use your weapons, but eventually it becomes like second nature.Not all of the game is about slaughtering people and taking their money. In fact, there's a compelling reason not to go around shooting your gun off. During the game, you'll build up your honor meter and you'll end up getting rewards for taking the high road as often as possible. For example, if you have higher honor, you might get better advice from townsfolk, get discounts on items, and more. One of the more interesting things about the game is that you can communicate with every single character at will. You can greet them, antagonize them, or even straight-up rob them, which means that there's almost endless communication in the game.There is a main story in the game, but there are also a ton of side missions that can see you gain or lose honor, get some cash, and more. If you're looking for things to do in the game, you'll never really be at a loss.Gameplay quickly becomes compelling and intricate. There are endless possibilities here - which is exactly how it should be in an open-world game. <h2>What we didn't like</h2><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Red Dead Redemption 2"</a> is a clear winner for any fans of the "Red Dead" series, or those interested in the concept of playing as a gangster in the wild west, but there are still a few downsides to note.Perhaps the main downside where gameplay is concerned is the fact that there's no possible way to fast-travel. You do end up getting used to that fact, but it extends how long it takes to do anything by quite a while. Apart from that, there's little to complain about. "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Red Dead Redemption 2"</a> isn't for those that want something quick and easy, but for those that are interested in getting attached to a game that may take them months to play.<h2>The bottom line</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a>Amazon</div></div></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Red Dead Redemption 2"</a> is a well-designed game meant for hours and hours of play. The game goes beyond basic good design, and offers a compelling and interesting story along the way. It can take a while to get through and it can be frustrating to have to manually make your way to each destination, but you'll quickly become attached to the characters and story of the game and enjoy it almost every step along the way.We recommend "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Red Dead Redemption 2"</a> to any gamer who's looking for something to sink their teeth into over at least a few weeks, and who doesn't mind a bit of blood and gore. That said, this game definitely isn't for kids, so we would not recommend buying it for someone under the age of 18. The game is available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PlayStation 4</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M275W1G/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M275W1G&amp;linkId=bbece5ee0d65301d257c0c9f63bb0423" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xbox One</a>.Pros: Compelling story, beautiful design, endless possibilitiesCons: Can take a while to do anything, only available on two consoles<h3><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M5DZ525/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M5DZ525&amp;linkId=f7f8bad6d5b9077935ee6f618fe3360d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy "Red Dead Redemption 2" for PlayStation 4 on Amazon for $36.94</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M275W1G/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biip_071119_red-dead-redemption-2-review-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01M275W1G&amp;linkId=bbece5ee0d65301d257c0c9f63bb0423" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Buy "Red Dead Redemption 2" for Xbox One on Amazon for $59.99</a></h3><a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a> Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>. Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

"Red Dead Redemption 2" video game review: an open-world concept game where you're in the Wild West fleeing bounty hunters

<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://youtu.be/nN0MgdT7XrE">YouTube</a></div></div>
I'm a gamer. I'm also a girl. There are stereotypes that go with being a girl gamer: We don't know what we're doing, or we only play cutesy games like "Animal Crossing" or simulators like "The Sims." 
Usually the message is that we don't belong. Even in the business, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/women-programmers-stories-of-harassment-2013-3">female gamers are frequently subjected to sexual harassment</a>.
A safe space for female gamers is a necessity. And that's why the Nintendo Girls Club YouTube channel is taking female gamers 100 steps in the wrong direction. The channel, which launched just a couple months ago, is an offshoot of the Nintendo U.K. YouTube channel, and is targeting girls with videos about gameplay and trailers of the newest games. It bills itself as "the official Nintendo UK YouTube channel made especially for girls."
With its focus on shopping and clothes, instead of gameplay and power-up tricks, it might be making games less popular with girls.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Screenshot" title_caption="Here's just a sample of what gamer Jenny Haniver has to deal with. " class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53556852ecad040d27083f75-960/screen%20shot%202014-04-21%20at%2011.49.09%20am.png"></a>ScreenshotHere's just a sample of what gamer Jenny Haniver has to deal with. </div></div>There are a bunch of women who want video games to succeed with women.
For instance, Jenny Haniver, an avid "Call of Duty" player, chronicles her experiences being a female gamer on her website <a href="http://www.notinthekitchenanymore.com/">Not In The Kitchen Anymore</a>. Since 2010, she has been posting recordings of how other gamers, usually men, act upon meeting a female gamer. As you can imagine, it's not good.
And Anita Sarkeesian runs <a href="http://www.feministfrequency.com/">Feminist Frequency</a>, "a video webseries that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives," including video games. Her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn4ob_5_ttEaA_vc8F3fjzE62esf9yP61">"Tropes vs. Women in Video Games"</a> series explores the role female characters play in the games themselves.
She received a lot of backlash when she started a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project. "I knew that delving into video games might provoke a bit of a misogynist backlash ... [but] this level of organized and sustained harassment, vitriol, threats of violence and sexual assault in response to a project that hasn't even been made yet is very telling," <a href="http://www.wired.com/2012/06/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-games/">she told Wired</a> at the time.
In the end, she blew past her $6,000 goal and raised almost $160,000.
So Nintendo is onto something with wanting to create a safe space for female players. How did it go so terribly wrong?
<h3>I'm a girl gamer and I don't like pink</h3>
The Nintendo Girls Club channel is broken up into five parts: videos from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEfMm93R5KE5wy3V2fQf9nFWB3IhfKo6x">Jorgie Porter</a> (a soap opera star in the U.K.), videos from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEfMm93R5KE4IJMNfmSZNAcSFrioZd9m2">Mandy Hynes</a> (a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/millymollymandy16">video blogger</a>), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEfMm93R5KE5Oi3sQiVK1tj5tDYtfYSkN">trailers and TV ads</a>, latest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN17ThonXwb0vYSK7q8qoUNLODxEibV7h">3DS portable game console videos,</a> and latest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN17ThonXwb2WiaX0Q_mFti14_14Gt9iG">Wii U videos</a>.
The first video I watched was "Top 10 Things To Do In 'Animal Crossing: A New Leaf,'" a community simulation game where you and your animal friends carry out various activities. 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://youtu.be/1Tl0JvKjbAs">YouTube</a></div></div></div>
"Kicking things off with number 1 is an EPIC shopping spree," Porter tells us. The more money you spend, she says, the more shops appear, including a "shoe shop and a beauty salon." 
She does offer some helpful tips, like pressing the two shoulder buttons to snap a picture of your screen, so if you can get past the overly pink bedroom she's sitting in, as well as her dead, uninterested eyes, you might actually get something out of this video. 
The next video is how to make the perfect dress in "Animal Crossing." 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><a href="http://youtu.be/FbL_bk8jTRY">YouTube</a></div></div></div>
Again, if you can get past her cooing about how cute the dress is, the video does actually offer some tips on how to make clothes in the game. But the tips are so buried under a mountain of pastel, you'd hardly know they were tips at all.
Hynes' videos tend to be a little more technical, with unboxings and device comparisons.
Her section of the site seems a little more for everyone, focusing on the design of the devices themselves. But an expert she's not. In one video, about the 3DS' features, she doesn't seem to know where the microphone on the 3DS is - she points to a little hole on the back of the clamshell, which is actually a light to let others know the camera is on. 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image">Screenshot</div></div>
But even Hynes' videos veer off course, such as <a href="http://youtu.be/d2HG8bOljv8">in this one</a>, where she talks about why she loves the game "Pokemon X." Among her favorite things in the game: you can go into shops and buy hats and clothes for your characters with money you earn by being amazing at fighting people. 
If I'd never seen a Pokemon game, and this was the description I got, it'd probably be a safe bet that I still would never see a Pokemon game. Not once did she actually say what the point of the game is, or describe the gameplay. 
So we've got one section of the channel seemingly geared toward the casual gamer, with some important information buried beneath a cloud of pink fluff, and another section that's a little more technical - sort of.
<h2>Who is this channel aimed at? And why?</h2>
<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="YouTube" title_caption="At least Mandy Hynes' room isn't so pink." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5355673569bedd164a083f73-960/mandyhynes.png"></a><a href="http://youtu.be/APkc9xKEB94">YouTube</a>At least Mandy Hynes' room isn't so pink.</div></div>In 2013, 59% of Americans played video games, according to the <a href="http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2014.pdf">Entertainment Software Association</a>. And of those people, 48% were female.
Many of those women were 18 years old and up. Nintendo sees an opportunity targeting young teenage girls, who might not necessarily be gamers.
I get it. This channel isn't for me: an experienced gamer who likes more intricate games like those in the "Assassin's Creed" series. 
But by targeting these young girls with pink bedrooms and "epic" shopping sprees, it seems that Nintendo is only enforcing stereotypes, not helping solve them.
Just having a Nintendo Girls Club is itself sexist: If a boy likes to go shopping in "Animal Crossing," does that mean he's a girl? If girls like to play "Mario Kart" or other sports-based games, do they not get to join the Nintendo Girls Club?
As Not In The Kitchen Anymore's Haniver points out, it's definitely a good thing to encourage girls to game, "but this video series feels more like pandering fluff than anything meaningful. They're just enforcing tired biases," she tells Business Insider.
"I think kids should be taught at a young age that they don't need to be defined by their gender, and that there aren't 'girl' activities and 'boy' activities," she says. "I think the point of the club is to appeal to a young audience in the hopes that they'll become customers later on, and therefore make money for the company."
In an article in <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/19/relax-girl-gamers-the-nintendo-girls-club-isnt-mea.aspx">The Motley Fool</a>, Leo Sun tries to calm everyone down. "Relax, girl gamers," the headline shouts. "The Nintendo Girls Club isn't meant for you." 
His point is "that these ads are intended to convert female non-gamers to the 3DS and Wii U."
And that's the problem: Nintendo is trying to integrate new female players into an already-established boys club, not by showing them all the games that are available and fun, but by perpetuating stereotypes that girls only want to play dress up. It gives viewers descriptions of games, but only focuses on the ways players can customize their characters. It doesn't showcase actual gameplay, it only heralds what fun it is to go shopping and make dresses. 
"Part of the reason a lot of women didn't game as kids was because they're told that gaming is something boys do," Haniver says. "If we remove that idea and show that gaming is something that's a hobby for everyone (not making it something for boys or for girls), that's a good start."
The gaming world is a boys club, not least of which because of vapid attempts at luring female gamers, such as the Nintendo Girls Club. In trying to integrate female gamers, Nintendo is just stereotyping them into a corner.
In fact, including the videos on the main channel, rather than relegating them to a pink corner of YouTube, would be a great first step.
"I honestly don't even particularly care for the idea of a channel geared specifically towards girls," Haniver says. "Does having a separate channel just for girls mean that the regular Nintendo channels isn't for girls? Why not have the Nintendo Kids Club, and make it gender-neutral (which is what gaming should be)?"
The channel is only a couple months old and there's definitely room for it to improve and be more inclusive. Hopefully in the future it will cover a little more ground in the gaming world - how about "Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker" and "Super Mario 3D World" - and lay off the pink.

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