‘Mario Wonder’ Latest Mushroom Power-up for Nintendo Switch 

An employee wearing a face mask stands next to a screen displaying characters from the Nintendo video game Super Mario at a store for Japanese games giant Nintendo in Tokyo on February 3, 2022. (AFP)
An employee wearing a face mask stands next to a screen displaying characters from the Nintendo video game Super Mario at a store for Japanese games giant Nintendo in Tokyo on February 3, 2022. (AFP)
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‘Mario Wonder’ Latest Mushroom Power-up for Nintendo Switch 

An employee wearing a face mask stands next to a screen displaying characters from the Nintendo video game Super Mario at a store for Japanese games giant Nintendo in Tokyo on February 3, 2022. (AFP)
An employee wearing a face mask stands next to a screen displaying characters from the Nintendo video game Super Mario at a store for Japanese games giant Nintendo in Tokyo on February 3, 2022. (AFP)

Nintendo made a pitch for the ongoing match fitness of its aging Switch console on Wednesday, as the Kyoto-based gaming company continues to churn out hits even as the market debates the timing of a successor device.

The Japanese firm said it sold 4.3 million copies of "Super Mario Bros. Wonder" - the first entirely new instalment in the almost 40-year-old side-scrolling series in a decade - within two weeks of its Oct. 20 launch.

That is the best performance of any "Super Mario" title, Nintendo said, as it takes advantage of the Switch install base of more than 130 million units and interest generated by a barnstorming animated movie featuring the moustachioed plumber.

"The Switch will enter its eighth year from March 2024 but we will continue to develop new titles without being bound by previous platform lifecycles," Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa told a strategy briefing.

The comments come a day after Nintendo reported it sold 6.84 million Switch units in the first six months of the financial year that started in April, a slight increase on the same period a year earlier.

Sales of first-party Switch games were the strongest of any year over that period other than 2020, Nintendo said, boosted by bumper titles such "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom".

Nintendo also announced on Wednesday "Super Mario" creator Shigeru Miyamoto is developing a live action adaptation of the "Zelda" franchise.

Games slated for release next year include "Mario vs. Donkey Kong" and "Luigi's Mansion 2 HD".

The timing of a successor to the hybrid home/portable Switch device will depend on the strength of Nintendo's hardware and software sales, wrote Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal in a client note, flagging March and October as possible launch windows.

"The stronger the sales, the later the launch of Switch 2," he wrote.



Aramco, BYD Partner to Develop New Energy Vehicle Technologies

Aramco logo/File Photo
Aramco logo/File Photo
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Aramco, BYD Partner to Develop New Energy Vehicle Technologies

Aramco logo/File Photo
Aramco logo/File Photo

Saudi Aramco and BYD, a leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles and power batteries, have agreed to explore closer collaboration on new energy vehicle technologies, Aramco announced in a press release on Monday.
A joint development agreement signed by Saudi Aramco Technologies Company (SATC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Aramco, and BYD aims to foster the development of innovative technologies that enhance efficiency and environmental performance.
According to the release, this collaboration leverages the research and development capabilities of two leading global companies to achieve breakthroughs in new energy vehicles, SPA reported.
Aramco Senior Vice President of Technology Oversight and Coordination Ali A. Al-Meshari stated: "The collaboration between SATC and BYD aims to support improvements and builds on Aramco’s extensive research and development of new energy solutions. Aramco is exploring several ways to optimize transport efficiency, from innovative lower-carbon fuels to advanced powertrain concepts. This work stems from our belief that practical energy transition requires multiple approaches, and we are delighted to collaborate with BYD on this journey."
Senior Vice President of BYD Luo Hongbin said: "We expect that SATC and our cutting-edge R&D capabilities in new energy vehicles will break the boundaries of geography and mindset to incubate solutions that combine highly efficient performance with a lower carbon footprint."