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Pokemon Tretta Lab for 3DS scans your Psyduck, takes the arcade on the road
Those who don't hang out at Japanese arcades (who doesn't?) have missed out on Pokemon Tretta, which has players building virtual Pokemon collections through real tokens they win in battle. It's not always easy to visit the local gaming den, however -- so Nintendo, Marvelous AQL and Takara Tomy Arts are releasing Pokemon Tretta Lab to use those creature libraries elsewhere. The add-on for the 3DS and 3DS LL combines a downloadable game with a dual-token scanner that can be used to fight other players, practice against AI or simply study new critters. Pokemon Tretta Lab ships to Japan on August 10th for ¥3,800 ($38), and it may be tempting to newcomers when tokens for Eevee, Lucario and Mewtwo are in the box. Unfortunately, the rest of the world will likely have to watch from afar. While it's easy for a Pikachu handheld to cross borders, Tretta Lab's dependence on a healthy arcade market all but rules out a similar trip.
Utamin: the adorable, Theremin-like toy that's a great gift for someone else's kids
With the holiday season fast approaching, it's important to start figuring what to get all the little ones on your shopping list. If your local Toys"R"Us is all out of Keepons maybe you can import a few Utamin -- just make sure to give the noisy little buggers to someone else's kids. The strange crowned spheres "sing" as you wave your hand in front of them. In simple mode it merely bangs out some pre-programmed nursery rhymes, but it also has a rhythm and melody mode, the latter of which lets you play any note in the musical scale. Pitch is determined by how far your hand is from the Utamin, which is detected using an IR sensor. Two can even be connected to perform adorable duets. The toys will be shipping this month to Japanese customers in green, pink or blue for ¥3,800 ($49). Check out the video after the break.
