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Amazon offering wonderful Pikachu DSi charge stand this December
This Pikachu DSi charge stand looks absolutely delighted to be sending electricity to a DSi. We feel the same way about bringing you the news that you'll be able to buy one of these for yourself in December. An Amazon listing shows that the charger, which was released in Japan this September, will be available in America through the online retailer on December 23. It's designed to work with both the DSi and DSi XL, and will sell on Amazon for $40. Sure, that sounds like a lot, but does your current DSi charger make you smile?
Nintendo shows off special edition Super Mario Bros. DSi and DSi XL
Yeah, Super Mario Bros. was kind of a big deal, and we can't fault Nintendo for wanting to celebrate: September 13th marked the 25th anniversary of the game's launch, and Nintendo is pushing out special editions of the DSi and DSi XL (pictured) to celebrate, along with some pretty sweet swag. We mentioned the handhelds this morning, but now we've got a couple pictures -- way to play it subdued, Nintendo. Unfortunately, the consoles are for Japan only, but what we're particularly digging is this Super Mario Collection Special Pack that Nintendo will be launching alongside. The pack will include a version of Super Mario All-Stars for the Wii, a soundtrack CD, and a "Super Mario History, 1985 to 2010" booklet with some unreleased materials like initial development planning sheets handwritten by Shigeru Miyamoto himself. Again, announced for Japan only. Sounds like the import industry is going to be hot this October when these things land! %Gallery-103649%
Mario DSi XL and DSi temporarily make us forget the 3DS
Japanese DS fans face a critical choice: start saving for a 3DS to be able to buy one at launch, or buy one of the swanky Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary DSi LL systems announced last night. Nintendo has revealed an image of the system (above), along with a surprise: a 25th Anniversary DSi, also in red, and also with Mario graphics. That's going to make choosing even more difficult. The DSi LL will be available in Japan on October 28 for 18,000 yen ($215). The DSi, featuring an adorable little Mario jumping over the camera, will be available the same day for 14,800 yen ($177) -- but only from 7-Eleven and its online shop.
Nintendo reveals Super Mario 25th Anniversary DSi XL [update: now pictured!]
At it' press conference in Japan this afternoon (well, in Japan it's the afternoon), Nintendo announced plans to release a Super Mario 25th Anniversary Edition DSi LL (DSi XL, as it's known in the West) to the Japanese public on October 28. Andriasang's liveblog of the goings-on also give it an ¥18000 ($215) price point. Unfortunately, like all other things regarding Super Mario's big two five, this is likely to stay grounded in Japan. Update: here it is, straight from Nintendo's site.
New DSi XL colors coming to Europe October 8
Europe will receive yellow, green and blue DSi XL models on October 8, the latest colors in DS fashion (previously released in Japan). With uncertainty swirling over the launch date of the 3DS, it may be worth tapping the brakes just a little before splurging on one of the XL's latest colors.
Nintendo dropping DSi and DSI XL prices on September 12
Nintendo is slashing the DSi to $149.99 and the DSi XL to $169.99 (that's down $20 apiece) on September 12 in North America, after dropping prices in the UK and Japan in June. We still don't know what the 3DS will be going for or when it will land, that announcement is still slated for the end of this month, but we're sure at this price (or any) Nintendo will manage to sell a good many million of the current crop between now and then. PR is after the break.
Price drop for DSi and DSi XL in North America on September 12
Nintendo of America has announced price reductions for the DSi and DSi XL systems. Starting September 12, the handhelds will retail for $149.99 and 169.99, respectively. Americans have been waiting patiently for this price drop, which occurred in the UK and Japan this June. The DSi had a price drop in Australia way back in April. We were all waiting for a price drop even before that, of course, since the 3DS is on the way to make both of these things appear a little more antiquated.
Pikachu is really, really excited to charge your Nintendo DSi
The last time we plugged in our Nintendo DSi to recharge it all we got as thanks was a little light. It turned on, the electrons flowed, and we continued our humble existence. Just think how much more exciting that menial act could have been if only we had this sucker. Hori's Pikachu charger accepts a DSi or DSi XL into its faux-poké ball slot and, presumably, jumps up and down excitedly as lightning bolts dance from its maniacal little fingertips to juice up your dead cell. Or, maybe it just pulls power from an AC adapter and sends it through the connector. Either way, it's certainly more exciting than most other simple charging stands we've seen but, at 3,981 yen (just shy of $50), it's also rather more expensive. %Gallery-100562%
Gorilla goes hands-on with Nintendo DSi XL at the San Francisco Zoo
Looks like Nintendo's DSi XL has finally found its target audience. Video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Monster Hunter Frontier Online boosts Xbox 360 sales in Japan
The combination of new hardware and a "newish" Monster Hunter gave the Xbox 360 a considerable sales bump in Japan last week. Media Create reports that 17,000 Xboxes were sold in that time (versus 2,060 the previous week); 15,000 being the new model. That hardware sales rise coincides with the sale of 92,807 copies of Monster Hunter Frontier Online Beginner's Package. Neither the new Xbox owners nor the existing ones saw any need to round out their game collections with additional games -- there were no other 360 games among the top 50 bestselling software for the week. Though Xbox 360 sales were much higher last week relative to the console's typical performance in Japan, the clear winner was the DSi LL, thanks to a combination of several factors: a price cut, the release of three new colors of the system, and Love Plus+, the latest version of Konami's breakout hit dating game ... which also coincided with three more special-edition DSi LL systems. See the rest of the top ten bestsellers after the break. Update: changed "Freedom" to "Frontier" in the headline. [Image credit: GAME Watch]
Blue Nintendo DSi XL headed to the US of A
Nintendo rather quietly announced earlier that as of July 11th, it will see the DSi XL in Midnight Blue. The new color model will cost $189.99 -- just like every other DSi XL -- and will also come with all the same installed software and apps. Yes, other than the color (we'll give them this, it's a pretty sweet shade of blue) this one's identical to every other DSi XL.
DSi XL goes Midnight Blue on July 11
Well, that didn't take long. Less than two months after the North American release of the DSi XL, Nintendo has announced a new color variation for the handheld -- and it's one that doesn't make us think of a Cadillac at all! On July 11, the large-screened handheld will be released in Midnight Blue, which appears to be the same as the "blue" color announced for Japan this month. It'll retail for the normal $189.99 price Nintendo has set for the DSi XL in North America. Though Nintendo doesn't mention it in the press release, the timing of this new handheld coincides perfectly with Dragon Quest IX. The publisher is likely hoping to entice customers to pick up both together -- a Midnight Blue DSi XL at a midnight launch of the game, perhaps?
Nintendo cuts DSi and DSi XL prices in Japan, announces new DSi XL colors
[Nintendo] With the 3DS right around the corner, buying a DSi or DSi XL seems a bit foolish. Now, in Japan, it'll at least be a more cost-effective foolish decision, as Nintendo of Japan has announced price drops on both iterations of the DSi. The regular-size DSi drops in price on June 19 from ¥18,900 ($205.55) to ¥15,000 ($163.13), while the DSi XL drops from ¥20,000 ($217.51) to ¥18,000 ($195.76). The DS Lite is now "open price," meaning retailers can price it at their discretion. In addition to the price drop, there will be three new colors of DSi XL available in Japan on June 19: blue, yellow, and green. These are a lot more fun than the previous luxury car colors for the giant handheld. [Via Siliconera]
Touching is good enough with CTA Digital's new DSi/DSi XL charger
Induction-based charging is always a crowd-pleasing trick (at least among this crowd of one). It feels vaguely magical to lay a device down on top of a mat and watch the little battery light turn on. CTA Digital's new Non Contact Induction Charging Pad will enable DSi and DSi XL owners to enjoy the convenience of setting a thing on top of another thing. By replacing your battery with the special battery included with the kit, you'll be able to charge the device through contact with the charging stand with four lights (not five) to indicate charge level. The device is available now from Amazon and other retailers. We're personally going to hold off for a while, as we often do with third-party charging products, and make sure there aren't any fire-related issues.
How would you change Nintendo's DSi XL?
It's bigger, it's bolder, but is it really that much better? Nintendo's heralded DSi line grew in more ways than one late last month, and now that you've had a handful of weekends to toy with yours, it's time to answer one majorly important question: how would you change it? We found in our review that the DSi XL was a solid option for those without a DSi of any kind, but we didn't feel that it was worth the $190 if you were just upgrading. For those that bought in, do you find yourself agreeing? Is the new size something you're into? Would you have made it a touch larger / smaller? Is the screen up to snuff? Do you think Nintendo went far enough with the advancements? Open up in comments below -- just keep it clean, okay? Your kids are probably reading.
V-Screen to bring depth to DSi XL
So, you bought yourself a DSi XL and thought to yourself, "You know, this thing is still too portable. And the screen, it lacks so much depth." Thankfully, the fine folks at RealView Innovations have heard your plea and announced plans to bring the V-Screen to Nintendo's not-so-diminutive handheld. In case you missed the V-Screen for PSP, here's the breakdown: It attaches to your handheld, adds considerable bulk and kinda, sorta makes the screen look 3D ... a little bit. Don't take our word for it though, you can see for yourself in our extensive video impressions here. We're usually a pretty jaded bunch here at Joystiq, but bringing 3D effects to the DS actually seems like a great idea. It's a wonder that no one thought of it before.
NPD: Nintendo DSi XL outsold PSP in March 2010
Michael Pachter described the March launch of Nintendo's latest handheld, the Nintendo DSi XL, "solid." Considering it outsold both the PSP and PSP Go combined, we're inclined to agree. According to NPD figures (via Gamasutra), the DSi XL sold 141,000 units in March, besting PSP's combined 120,000. Even more impressive is that this figure only accounts for four days of sales; the DSi XL was released on March 28th. The tremendous success of the equally tremendous device confirms that there truly is "room to grow" for the DS market.
March NPD: Pokemon and Kratos catch all the money
The ill-timed announcement of the 3DS wasn't enough to scare consumers off from purchasing new DS systems. Thanks to the combination of a new hardware variant (the big, big, big DSi XL) and new Pokemon games, the dual-screened platform sold like gangbusters. Meanwhile, hardware shortages kept the PS3 from massive sales despite the fact that it had the best-selling game of March (God of War 3). Speaking of software, we've learned a lot about you from this month. For example, Final Fantasy fans strongly prefer PS3, Battlefield fans strongly prefer 360, and Pokemon fans' dollar votes went to SoulSilver over HeartGold by quite a lot. How do you even decide something like that? Seriously, one of the 1.78 million or so of you who bought it -- take us through your process! -DS: 701K88K (14%) -Wii: 558K160K (40%) -360: 338K>84K (-20%) -PS3: 314K46K (-13%) -PSP: 120K13K (-10%) -PS2: 118K16K (16%) See the top 10 games after the break.
DSi now cheaper in Australia
With the DSi XL arriving April 15, Nintendo's Australian branch has announced a price drop for the original DSi; a move none of the other regional branches have made. It's still pretty expensive, though: the system will now sell for $249.95 (US $233.35) instead of $299.95 (US $280). The DSi XL will now occupy that $299.95 slot, which explains why Nintendo chose to drop the price of the smaller model. Still, if you're in Australia and you want to be even remotely pleased with these prices, try not to look into how much this stuff costs anywhere else.
Was Nintendo pressured into revealing the 3DS early?
Hey, remember when Nintendo unveiled a 3D Nintendo DS, the 3DS, completely out of the blue? And you know how they announced it just a week before we Americans finally got our hands on the DSi XL -- effectively making it seem obsolete before it even hit retail? It seemed like curiously unfortunate timing, but according to M2 Senior Analyst Billy Pigeon, there was something more sinister behind the surprise unveil: the Japanese media. "Apparently, the Japanese press was all over it and talked with suppliers there and Nintendo just wanted to get out ahead by breaking the news to prevent a leak." That they did, but they also subverted the US launch of the oversized DSi in the process. It's a gaming system few really thought they needed in the first place, and now with confirmation of something better coming soon it looks even less appealing.
