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Brando's 7-in-1 USB charging cable is a handheld owner's dream come true
It's truly heartbreaking that this gem wasn't available for purchase back when you desperately needed a low-cost gift for that special gamer in your life, but considering how lame the chocolate box you got him / her was, there's still reason to snap this up and slap a belated label on it. Brando's ingenious 7-in-1 USB Charging Cable provides power for PSP, DS, DS Lite, DSi and Game Boy Advance handhelds, and all that is required is a powered USB port and $7. Oh, and the bravery to allow a cable made by Brando (or some random backwoods company in China that Brando is in cahoots with) charge hundreds of dollars worth of your gadgetry.[Via DSFanboy]
UK warns that fake imported DS handhelds could be hazardous
HM Revenue & Customs has put out an official report warning that "hundreds of imported counterfeit game consoles seized at UK freight depots were found to have been supplied with potentially dangerous power adapters." Most of the wares had been purchased at a deep discount from Asian websites claiming to sell "genuine Nintendo products" for over 50% off. The Big N has already stepped in to confirm that the DS / DS Lites are indeed counterfeit, and the accompanying power adapters were also deemed "potentially dangerous, since they had not been electronically tested and do not meet strict UK safety standards." C'mon parents -- even if the youngin' has been bad, we'd still say coal is more fitting than a stocking full of potential electrocution.[Via Pocket-lint, image courtesy of Infendo]
DS Lite 'New Super Mario Bros.' bundle unboxing and hands-on
Look, we know there's nothing especially fresh about the New Super Mario Bros. DS Lite bundle that's just been issued for the holidays, but we're absolutely a sucker for anything red and stamped with a big M. We have to say, after struggling with the packaging (c'mon Nintendo, it took a knife and a pair of scissors), we were a little disappointed by the lack of style inside the box. Hey, we can't all be the Omnia. Check out the really red action in the gallery below.%Gallery-37986%
Nintendo plays dress up with two new DS Lite bundles, DSi mocks from afar
If you haven't succumbed to the DS Lite's embrace by now, we're not sure this pair of bundles will do the trick, and if you already have a DS Lite in your posse you're probably waiting impatiently for the DSi to traipse on over Stateside. Still, we can't begrudge Nintendo's God-given right to bundle, and this Ice Blue Brain Age set (with custom carrying case!) and Mario Red New Super Mario Bros set (pictured, with emblazoned "M" logo!) aren't exactly unattractive. Both are being released this Friday -- that Friday -- for $150. The Brain Age bundle is pictured after the break.
XCM Hyper Gear case promises to overclock your DS
Overclocking the Nintendo DS is hardly anything new, but the mod-happy folks at XCM look to be taking a decidedly different approach with their new Hyper Gear case which, as you can see above, is actually a full-on replacement case for the currently non-hyper DS Lite. That approach gives you the added advantage of selectable turbo speeds and, of course, a rapid fire switch, both of which, as Technabob points out, will likely take quite a toll on battery life. No word on a price just yet, but it'll apparently be available from at least a few of the usual modding retailers in the next few weeks.[Via Technabob]
Nintendo: DSi won't immediately replace DS Lite in U.S.
While there's been a fair amount of excitement and buzz over the recently announced, camera-equipped upgrade to Nintendo's best-selling handheld, it seems that the big N doesn't want American gamers to neglect the DSi's older, lensless sibling. In a recent interview with Game|Life, Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo's VP of sales and marketing (and world-renowned snowboarding expert), explained that the DS Lite has "huge, untapped potential" in the U.S. -- potential that the company hopes to tap before replacing the Lite with the new shutterbugish model.Dunaway explained Nintendo's hopes to bring America's DS Lite sales to a level the company has come accustomed to in Japan, where one in every two households owns the handheld. While the DSi isn't due out in America until "well into 2009", Nintendo hopes to bolster Lite sales by allowing the two versions to "coexist for some period of time". Hey, as long as the DS Lite doesn't go all Macaulay Culkin in The Good Son, we're cool with it.
Nintendo's mystery pedometer linked to DS "fitness game" (updated)
Hey, remember that odd Nintendo pedometer we spied the other day? Well now we've got a possible explanation for its existence. According to info from our homeboys at Joystiq and some dirt we've dug up, the device -- dubbed the Life Rhythm Counter -- will be tied to a fitness game for the DS (and new DSi, we assume). The hardware will sell for ¥1800 (or about $17), and the game will be the first title to allow Wii Miis to be transferred to the handheld. Needless to say, the entire Engadget team has begun rigorous training to prepare for the totally raw competition which will commence once this device / game is available.Update: It turns out the game is called Walking Can Tell Your Life Rhythm DS (translated from Japanese, of course), and we've got video after the break showing it (and the hardware) in action.[Via Joystiq]
Nintendo DSi hitting US 'well into' 2009
We heard last night that we wouldn't be seeing the DSi in the States until next year, and now Reggie has confirmed the damage: no DSi until "well into calendar year 2009," which sounds disturbingly like the holidays to us, but hopefully he's just implying a few months in. We would hope Nintendo would be following the pattern of the DS Lite, which hit Japan in March of 2006, and made it Stateside in June, but Reggie says DS Lite sales are still strong in the US -- which means it's basically our fault that we don't get a shiny new toy for Christmas.
New Nintendo DS purportedly confirmed for tomorrow
You know how it goes -- first comes the far-out rumor, then comes something a touch more believable, and then the company itself issues an all-too-familiar non-denial denial. According to MCV sources, the next step in the process will happen tomorrow, as a revamped DS storms into action at 5:00AM GMT on the 2nd of October. As for specifics, we'll have to wait for Iwata's supposed announcement to find out more, but we'd be utterly shocked to see this ship after Christmas. That is, if this isn't just some elaborate scheme from the Big N to distract us all from realizing that Wiis will still be impossible to find this holiday season two full years after launch.[Image courtesy of Parade, thanks Michael]
Newfangled Nintendo DS on the horizon?
Whoa, whoa -- what's this? A fresh report from Nikkei is pretty confidently talking about a new Nintendo DS destined to hit "within the year," though we aren't claiming to be full-fledged believers just yet. To be fair, this isn't the first we've heard of such a beast, though the translated description is pretty far out there. For instance, the new model will reportedly boast a camera that will be used heavily for games and offer a stronger wireless signal. Even crazier is the bit about "competing with cellular phones" and "exceeding the frame of the game industry." The article mentions that the device will eventually ship for ?20,000 ($189) or less, though it doesn't say what kind of sauce the author hit before writing commenced.[Image courtesy of Techeblog, thanks RS]
Items of Import: Look Ahead! Dragon Quest V
How is Dragon Quest IV holding up for you, dear readers? Did you run out and buy yourselves a copy, and power through the game? Does the whole feel of the title scream "Classic!" or does it reek of archaic sensibilities? Perhaps you were part of the faithful minority in the great debate of RPG fandom, at the beginning of the week. Personally, as a little kid growing up in the halcyon days of the Famicom (and later, Super Famicom) era, the opening track of the Dragon Quest series is more memorable and more emotionally stirring than the Japanese national anthem. So... You may be knee deep in Dragon Quest IV goodness right now, and enjoying its tale of many heroes and heroines. Once you come to that inevitable conclusion, what have you got to look ahead to? Why, Dragon Quest V, of course. Today in Items of Import, we'll take the opportunity of the recent release of the fourth in the series in the Western markets to see what's to look forward to in the second entry of the Zenithia trilogy.
Nintendo DS hacked to control DSLR shooting
This is easily one of the more unorthodox hacks we've come across, and while we have all ideas only a few will even bother to give it a go, we couldn't help but share. Steve from PanoCamera decided that lugging around a laptop for precisely controlled shooting was just too much effort, so rather than throwing in the proverbial towel, he simply figured out a better way. By hacking the DS to play nice with his monstrous Canon, he was able to use the handheld to begin / stop shooting and tweak all manners of settings. For those interested in having one of their own, but completely uninterested in using their innate DIY skills to make it happen, drop ole Steve an e-mail.
Widescreen DS refresh on the way?
Nintendo might be cranking out new DS Lite colors left and right, but IGN says something bigger's brewing in Kyoto -- a third iteration of the DS with dual touchscreen displays, one of them widescreen. Those are pretty significant changes, so we'd actually say that sounds more like a second-gen DS rather than another rev of the current hardware, but IGN says the rumored release date of April or May 2009 doesn't jive with a whole new unit. We'll see when we see -- hopefully we won't be waiting long. PS.- That's just IGN's mockup, don't get too excited.
Items of Import: Let's RPG - More Words To Learn!
So you've mastered a variety of words to get your import RPG on. You've managed to attack some nefarious evil-doers; cast some magic to heal your party; perhaps you've even worn some new equipment. On top of all that, you were able to save your precious progress!"Hey, I can do this! Easy peasy Japanesey!" I hear you say. Oh, young grasshopper -- you have much to learn. To be precise, you've another five new words to master. By nature, RPGs are undoubtedly the most text-heavy of all game genres. With its epic narrative detailing a world and its characters, and a menu screen chock full of words describing important stats and what-have-you, there are rarely moments in an RPG one does not look at text. The challenge of an imported RPG of course comes from the fact that these thousands, if not millions, of words are in Japanese. BUT! Yes, there's a "but." For us as gamers, overcoming challenge is in our blood! And oftentimes, we are used to RPGs in English, so that even in Japanese, we sort of "get it," you know? Nevertheless, knowing what's what for sure always helps, and Items of Import is here for you once again to expand your Japanese RPG vocabulary.
Items of Import: Let's RPG - More Words To Learn! part 2
3. AbilityYour regular sword slashes and fire magic just ain't cutting it for this fight. Or maybe you just want to pickpocket some gold from the creature in front of you, all stealth-like. Perhaps that jump attack your dragoon knight has will just turn the tide of the battle. That there above, readers, isn't a blogger's typical spelling error. In J-RPGs, our English word "ability" is morphed into abiriti, a friendlier pronunciation for Japanese tongues. And as I've mentioned in the past, the script for the word is in katakana, specifically designed for foreign words. Always with this word, you will find that selecting it will take you to a secondary screen, with even more weird and wonderful Japanese words. All this blogger can tell you is: Good luck! With any imported title, part of the fun is figuring things out by trial and error -- it's not the end of the world if your Level 56 Hero of Awesomeness dies in battle because you don't have a clue what to do. Experiment! Click away on all the crazy Japanese words. You'll get there!4. ExperienceFor an RPG fanatic, seeing your characters grow and become stronger is nothing short of satisfying. You remember those times when he was just a wee boy, wielding a short sword at Level 5. Look at him now! A grown man, all chiseled and weary, holding a great big battle axe. I remember when you came home crying -- all you had on was some simple leather attire, and all the kids at school wore shiny mithril. And, uh, that's enough of my dreams of being the good wife in the small and peaceful village of Dresnia. We all know and love experience points. As gamers, we are always on the lookout for when our heroes will go up a level. We want it in chart form. So to sate your appetite for leveling up in a Japanese language RPG, behold the text image above. As I repeatedly point out (to the annoyance of the readers possibly!), the first script is the more complicated kanji form. You will tend to find fairly equal amounts of both variants. Often, it will be between some other words. In this case, the phrase can more than likely be translated as "Experience points needed for next level."5. LoadIn our last lesson with RPGs, we came across the Japanese for "save." Sometimes, however, your progress in the game is halted by some horrible mistake you made on the way. Lucky for you, you had an alternate save slot of an earlier time in the game. Call it "gamer's premonition," if you will. But where is that all important "load" button!? Oh, yes, it's right there on the, uh, right. How convenient of this newfangled column! In Japanese, "load" is fairly similarly pronounced like the English, except for the extended ending. We're sure you will find this word useful to recognize in-game, when you simply get stuck on something.Closing Off So now you're equipped with a good variety of Japanese words in a typical RPG to recognize and press away. It still takes months of keike--, I mean, experience, to completely enjoy an imported title. A lot of people will, of course, want to understand the epic story being told (Note to self: Get to writing a "common narrative words in a Japanese RPG" column one day!). Oh, and by the by, a little something called Blue Dragon Plus was released today in Japan. It's time for me, and you, to place an order after posting this! Good luck, and keep persevering! Or as they say in the Land of the Rising Sun, ganbatte! #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } << BACK COMMENT Items of Import is a fortnightly column dedicated to titles only out in Japan. With in-depth impressions of games long before localization and knowledgeable language how-tos, it attempts to bridge the gap between the import savvy and import fearing. Come on, now! You, too, can make that giant leap! Yokoso!
Metallic Silver Nintendo DS to arrive Stateside on September 7
We've seen the Nintendo DS Lite dressed up in an entire rainbow of questionable colors, but basic silver has only been out in Europe and Japan until now -- we'll be getting this classy number stateside on September 7th. Anyone going to top off their collections?[Via Joystiq]
Twitter comes to Nintendo's DS, difficulty in tow
There's no two ways about it -- getting Twitter functionality on your Nintendo DS is pretty difficult. In all seriousness, you should probably remain content with sending tweets from your handset and / or computer, but those who just can't turn a blind eye to a hack won't be able to look beyond this one. For starters, the Twitter for DS application is based entirely in Spanish, so unless you're halfway fluent in the language (or are just really good at deciphering Google's translations), you'll likely be baffled. Still, a great reward awaits you if you're able to pull it off -- sending a message to all your devout followers that you just tweeted from a DS.[Via PMPToday]
Tony Hawk's Motion leads to DS peripheral speculation
Ah, here we go again. With the huge success seen by Guitar Hero: On Tour and its accompanying peripheral, rumors are already swirling that an Activision title by the name of Tony Hawk's Motion could deliver the next great hand occupier. A recent rating (of "G," obviously) was handed down for the elusive game by Australia's Classification Board, leaving many to wonder (read: hope) if said title will eventually ship with some sort of DS-compatible motion control accessory. Considering just how hot these bundled gizmos are right now, we'd say signs are pointing to "yes."[Via DS Fanboy]
Limited Edition Pokemon DS Lite shows up at GameStop
It's a couple of years late, but it looks like this Pokemon-themed DS Lite has finally made the trip over from Japan, as evidenced by this shot apparently snapped at a GameStop store. While there doesn't seem to be a game included with this particular bundle, you will get a matching carrying case, a 22-minute Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DVD, a Grovyle poster, and a Pokemon t-shirt that we're guessing anyone buying this will never want to take off. All for the usual price of $129.99.[Via DS Fanboy]
Items of Import: Rhythm Tengoku Gold part 2
The final gameplay keyword is the one you see above. Possibly the most important mechanic in the game, flicking the stylus across the touchscreen is used so often in most minigames that it must be mentioned here. As I've written in the Japanese, you'll often find different versions of the "flick" verb, depending on the circumstance at hand. Put simply, "hajiku" is "to flick" literally; and "hajiite" is more like a request to flick -- like, "Please flick the stylus" -- and you will often come across this in the genial tutorial. Here's a handy graphic detailing the three techniques. Number 1 shows "touch," 2 shows "let go" and 3 shows "flick." As can be seen from the flicking image, it's like writing a tick mark quickly. The note for number 3 states: "Flick with a good sense of force. If the flicking distance is short, or there's no momentum, it will not work."A quick explanation of the other modes present in the game is in order! Apart from the 50-odd minigame challenges, there are two areas where more rhythmic fun can be had. First up is the Medal Corner. Each time you gain a "High Level Medal" in a minigame -- by being a Rhythm God, of course -- you are awarded a medal which can then be used to buy little extras: "endless games" where the goal is to get a high score (or die trying) in simple one-notion minigames; "rhythm toys," and so on.The second mode is the Coffee House. This is where you can talk to the barista to gain tips, as well as listen to music and read books you've unlocked through accomplishing perfects. This is meant more to be a time to relax and while away the minutes, just as a nice cafe would. Explore these modes at your own leisure, and you'll surely come across hidden gems.Closing OffContaining only a handful of Japanese words to learn and navigate, and being one of the most inventive rhythm games on the DS, Rhythm Tengoku Gold is a title any keen importer should consider to be on top of his or her list. Don't let those unusual scribbles scare you away -- dare I say it, but you might as well use this little humble column once in awhile to help you on your way! #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } << BACK COMMENT Items of Import is a weekly column dedicated to titles only out in Japan. With in-depth impressions of games long before localization and knowledgeable language how-tos, it attempts to bridge the gap between the import savvy and import fearing. Come on, now! You, too, can make that giant leap! Yokoso!
