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DS posts

Stand-up console plays Nintendo DS and Sony PSP games, somewhat defeats the purpose

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Jul 6th 2009 at 10:13AM

Depending in your level of geekness, an extravagant mod can be pretty cool. And arcade consoles are damn near always really cool. But making a stand-up console game out of your beloved Nintendo DS? That is pretty amazing. And throwing in a Sony PSP for good measure -- well, that might just elevate your project to a work of art. We don't have too many technical details on this bad boy (after all, the hacker is in Japan -- and there is a bit of a language barrier) but you we think the video of the thing really says it all -- if not in so many words. Peep it for yourself after the break.

[Via Technabob]

Continue reading Stand-up console plays Nintendo DS and Sony PSP games, somewhat defeats the purpose

Colorware gets its paint guns on Nintendo's DSi, does unthinkable things to it

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 3rd 2009 at 10:51AM

Hear ye, hear ye! The abomination you see above can be yours today for the low, low price of just $374. Or, you can send in your own DSi, have it abused as such and returned to you for the even lower price of just $174. Don't ever expect it to forgive you, though.

[Thanks, Joshua]

Nyko launches Type Pad Pro for Wii, gonzo Zoom Case for DSi

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 2nd 2009 at 9:00AM

Oh, Nyko -- always keeping us on our toes. After showcasing the Wii Pistol Grip at CeBIT, the company is swinging big at E3 with a few new accessories. Starting things off is the abomination you see above, which sure looks an awful lot like some janky knockoff cellphone we peeked back in August. Officially, the Zoom Case for DSi protects your handheld and provides an 8x zoom for magnifying the external camera; never mind the fact that it makes your DSi infinitely less portable. Moving on, there's the Charge Grip Flex, a accessory for the PSP-2000 and PSP-3000 that sports a built-in rechargeable battery and a bonus gripping surface. For the Xbox 360, there's the SpeakerCom 360, which enables your parents to hear all those whining tweens brag in fantastically high tones about how they just "pwned you." Lastly, there's the Type Pad Pro for Wii, a wireless keypad (via USB) that makes typing in Opera or messaging your pals a heck of a lot simpler. Mum's the word on pricing and availability right now, but all that should change soon enough.

Gallery: Nyko launches Type Pad Pro for Wii, gonzo Zoom Case for DSi

Continue reading Nyko launches Type Pad Pro for Wii, gonzo Zoom Case for DSi

Personal Trainer: Walking gets release date, price, shin splints

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted May 20th 2009 at 10:43AM

We know you've been eagerly awaiting the release of Nintendo's Personal Trainer: Walking for the Nintendo DS and DSi. Look, there's no need to play coy: We've caught you circling the block in your new track suit, psyching yourself up for all the fun (and fitness!) you'll be having once you get your hands on those patented Nintendo Activity Meters. According to the company, this bad boy is up for pre-order now and will finally be available for sale on May 26, at a suggested retail price of $49.99. Sweet, huh? Soon you'll be recording every step that you make, transferring the data to your handheld, parsing the stats, and transforming yourself from a slovenly couch potato into the veritable icon of fitness -- and all with the help of your favorite handheld. Welcome to the future... it's fabulous!

Birthday boy gets box of rocks instead of Nintendo DS

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 29th 2009 at 12:41PM

No, you're not being mercilessly attacked by an unyielding feeling of déjà vu for no good reason -- we really have seen something eerily similar to this happen before. This go 'round, we've got a totally innocent ten year old boy who was given Guitar Hero for DS prior to even owning a console; as the mother finally ended the tease, she handed him a shiny new DS handheld for him to unwrap. Unfortunately for everyone involved, all that was tucked inside was a couple of stones, a Chinese newspaper and boatloads of disappointment. After the Walmart store from which she purchased it referred her to the Big N, she furiously admitted the following: "They don't want to do nothing. They want me to keep the box of rocks. I'm not buying a box of rocks for $138." Thankfully, Wally World finally refunded her and threw in a $20 gift card for the trouble (after being hounded by a local news station, mind you), but the real damage -- losing all hope in humanity -- will never be undone. Ever.

[Via plugged in]

Nintendo rolls out lime green DS bundle just in time for Mother's Day

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Apr 24th 2009 at 3:51PM

Talk about things you never knew you didn't want! If Mom hadn't much use for a Nintendo DS Lite before, do you think that throwing in some cooking software is gonna change her mind? Neither do we. That said, if you're really stuck for a Mother's Day present (or just want one you can play Nintendogs on), this bad boy hits the shops May 3rd. You are now free to go back to reading Garfield Minus Garfield and counting down the minutes 'til Happy Hour.

Continue reading Nintendo rolls out lime green DS bundle just in time for Mother's Day

Japan getting Wii video service May 1st, complete with DSi connectivity

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 23rd 2009 at 3:02PM

We haven't been hearing a whole lot about the planned video distribution service for the Wii as of late, but looks like folks in Japan will soon be able to try it out first hand, as the service is set to launch in the country on May 1st. Dubbed the "Wii no Ma Channel," the service is rolling out with a little help from advertising firm Denstu, and includes both free and paid content, as well as some other various services and special offers from sponsors. Even more interesting, however, is word that a free DSi app will launch alongside the service, which will let you download video from the Wii to the DS, and even download coupons from advertisers, which can then be scanned directly from the screen. Head on past the break for a quick video overview -- which, of course, doesn't include any word of a launch 'round here.

Continue reading Japan getting Wii video service May 1st, complete with DSi connectivity

Nintendo moves 435,000 DSi handhelds during first week in US

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 20th 2009 at 7:47AM

We already heard that the Big N managed to lighten its DSi inventory by 300,000 during the handheld's first full weekend in America, and apparently another 135,000 procrastinators swooped in to grab one as the week finished up. Potentially more amazing, however, is the overall impact of Nintendo in the month of March. Last month, Nintendo systems accounted for just south of 60 percent (58.4 percent, if you must know) of all video game hardware sold in America. And yeah, that's even despite a shocking 17 percent drop in Wii sales during the same 30 day window. Have we mentioned lately that things seem to be going quite well in the Mushroom Kingdom? 'Cause they definitely do.

[Via Joystiq]

Nintendo shares fall after surprising drop in Wii demand

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 17th 2009 at 1:26PM

Nintendo may have been denying any rumors of a Wii price cut earlier this month, but it looks like it could possibly be reconsidering its options if this latest sales trend keeps up. Apparently, sales in the U.S. for the month of March clocked in at around 601,000 consoles, or about a 17% drop from a year earlier. During the same period, however, Xbox 360 sales were reportedly up a healthy 26%, while PlayStation 3 sales dipped 15% -- although, in sheer numbers, both were still well behind the Wii. That unsurprisingly didn't make investors too happy, with Nintendo shares falling 6.6% on the Osaka Securities Exchange after the news broke, which accounted for it's biggest drop in more than two months. Also contributing to the sell-off was a 19% drop in Nintendo DS sales compared to the previous year, although the company seems to be betting pretty heavily that the DSi will quickly turn those numbers around.

600k DSis sold opening weekend in US and Europe

by Nilay Patel, posted Apr 9th 2009 at 11:42AM

It wasn't the most hyped launch ever, but Nintendo's DSi had itself a fine little opening weekend, with 300,000 units moving in the US and Europe each. Not bad at all, considering that the first DS only sold 500,000 units in its first entire week in the US -- we're guessing the DSi will manage to meet that mark when the final numbers all come in. So, anyone out there pick one up?

Nintendo's Iwata wants DS video on-demand through the Wii

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 8th 2009 at 6:59AM

Nintendo's Wii, while thoroughly trouncing the competition in overall hardware sales, is way behind both the PS3 and Xbox 360 when it comes to media playback. Nintendo is about to take a step forward there with its Wii no Ma Channel, which will offer a variety of on-demand video including cartoons and other family programming -- in other words lots and lots of Pokemon. Now Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is indicating that he wants that video to come to the DS, too, saying "If the Wii and the DS are connected, it should be possible to download video through the Wii and take it with you on the DS." He also said Nintendo is "going to do it differently in a Nintendo-like way." Given the "different" way that Nintendo handles online play compared to the competition, expect to be punching in 16-digit codes in every time you get an urge to watch someone else catch 'em all. [Warning: Read link requires registration]

[Via Joystiq]

Nintendo DSi torn asunder, sized up against DS Lite's innards

by Ross Miller, posted Apr 8th 2009 at 4:13AM

Sure, we saw the Nintendo DSi get its teardown treatment back in November, but now that it's available stateside, iFixit's decided to go for round two and rip the portable completely apart, snapping pics at each painful step. Taking it a step further, we also get to see in finer detail some of the differences between the new hardware and its DS Lite predecessor, including the now smaller 840mAh battery that we hear's been contributing to some shorter play sessions. For all the gritty imagery, kindly point your mouse to the read link below.

[Via Wired]

Personal Trainer: Walking bringing pedometers to Nintendo DSi

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 6th 2009 at 5:42PM

Nintendo's DSi may have just launched, but if you figured your wallet would be safe from buying any other related hardware in the near future, you clearly aren't in tune with the rabid peripheral market. Our best buds over at Joystiq sat down with David Young, the assistant PR manager for Nintendo of America, in order to talk shop and get a glimpse into the DSi's future. Of note, Mr. Young stated that DSi interaction with the Wii was "certainly a possibility," but he failed to elaborate much beyond that. What he did confess, however, was that the DSi will soon be interacting with a pair of pedometers (or "activity meters"), which will ship with the Personal Trainer: Walking title. We're told that the devices will connect wirelessly with the console, and the game itself will be the first where you can import a Mii character from the Wii. Heck, users can even affix one of the meters to their dog in order to log Fido's exercise habits. Consider us (and our pets) highly intrigued.

Nintendo DSi now available in North America

by Ross Miller, posted Apr 5th 2009 at 3:56PM

At long last, US and Canadian gamers can finally join their European and Japanese brethren in picking up Nintendo's latest portable, the DSi. Price of entry is $170 and if you're interested in a color more vibrant than blue and black, you'll probably be waiting a while. Anyone picking this up on day one?

Sony says the DSi is for kids, the PSP is for winners

by Nilay Patel, posted Apr 4th 2009 at 4:37PM

Well, chalk this up for out of the ordinary -- Sony's PR team just sent us a "Statement from Sony PlayStation on PSP and Competitive Landscape" that basically boils down to SCEA director of hardware marketing John Koller calling the DSi a kid's toy that "ignores significant gamer demographics" and has minimal third-party support compared to the library of "blockbuster" titles on the PSP. Seriously, it's so weird we're just going to reprint the whole thing:

If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader, more diverse audience of gamers beyond the "kids" market that they've always engaged, there isn't much new with the DSi to support that. Significant gamer demographic groups are being ignored, and there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi. Compare that with the PSP platform, where we have many blockbuster franchises from our publishing partners launching this year, representing a wide variety of genres and targeting diverse demographics. Games such as Rock Band Unplugged from MTV Games, Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft, Dissidia Final Fantasy from Square Enix, and Hannah Montana from Disney demonstrate the commitment that publishers have to the PSP. From our own first-party studios, we're launching unique versions of LittleBigPlanet and MotorStorm, and we're also planning a steady stream of downloadable games -- both new titles and PSone classics -- to add to the content that PSP owners can already purchase wirelessly through PlayStation Store.

Pretty strong words in response to the fairly un-hyped US launch of the DSi tomorrow -- especially since Ninty's sold just about twice as many total DS units than Sony's 50m PSPs, hard numbers from which no amount of marketing bluster can really distract. In fact, if we were in charge at Sony, we'd be more worried about the emergence of the iPhone and iPod touch, which have sold over 30m units total and attracted a ton of buzz from game developers while the PSP seems to be stagnating in the face of endless rumors of a UMD-less PSP2. Harsh truth? Maybe, maybe not -- you tell us.