Gachapin
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Kohjinsha livens up netbook game with shockingly green Gachapin edition
Generally speaking, Kohjinsha is better known for its dabbling in the UMPC / convertible tablet arenas than netbooks, but there's nothing like a retina-searing lime green shell to bring attention to your latest. Reportedly, the outfit has teamed up with famed toy maker Bandai in order to create a Gachapin and Mukku netbook aimed at kids with no sense of style and a simple desire to smile at all times during the day. As for specs, everything's pretty much par for the course, with a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 160GB HDD, 8.9-inch display (1,024 x 600 resolution), WiFi, a 3-in-1 card reader, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and 1GB of RAM. We must say, the inclusion of a 1Seg digital TV tuner is a nice touch, and one we're sure your TV-loving youngsters will greatly appreciate. The bad news is that this rig is selling for a whopping ¥79,800 ($866), so you can be certain those fuzzy cartoon characters are getting some serious royalties.[Via PortableMonkey]
Gachapin Challenge puts Gachapin in a Hudson classic
Gachapin, the fuzzy green character from the NHK show Hirake! Ponkiki, adorns some of our favorite DS accessories, along with his nervous friend Mukku. He's also been the star of his own DS game from Hudson, Gachapin Nikki (Gachapin Diary), a jigsaw puzzle collection. The latest game to bear the character's amusing likeness is Gachapin Challenge DS, which is a 20-sport collection. We're pretty sure running or otherwise exerting himself in a sporting exercise would kill the guy in the Gachapin suit, but it's safe on DS. Some of the events include hovercraft racing, karate, scuba, and mogul skiing. Gachapin Challenge also has a "Gachabomberman" bonus mode comprising a traditional Bomberman game for up to four players, but with sleepy-faced Gachapin in the place of Bomberman.
Gachapin-ize your DS, neck
The Gachapin/Mukku line of DS accessories from CYBER Gadget is one of our favorite accessory sets, because it is an extraordinarily distinctive way to decorate your DS (if you don't mind being that guy with the goofy green DS). To our delight, CYBER Gadget has introduced more accessories based on the fuzzy costumed characters from Hirake! Ponkiki.The Gachapin x Mukku Neck Strap is pretty much exactly as you would imagine a product by that name -- a strap designed to allow kids to hang their DS systems around their necks Flavor Flav-style, with a little fuzzy Gachapin (green) or Mukku (red) head attached. The head is a teensy little zipper pouch for games![Via Famitsu]
DS Daily: Back on the case
It's been a while since we've asked about cases. In the intervening period, at least one major gift-giving opportunity has occurred for many of us, meaning that a few new acquisitions in the DS-snuggling department are quite likely. Also, some of us are out on the prowl at the moment for an eye-catching new DS accessory. Your case: show us it. Or show us a link to it. Did you buy it? Make it yourself? Find it in the trash? If you have yet to find the one for you, what do you want in a case?
DS Daily: OMGWTF with us
Yesterday we took a look at some of the weirdest DS-related games and stories of 2007. We got to mention things like Doki Doki Majo Shinpan and Spanish for Everyone again, which meant that we had a great time. But we couldn't touch on every bizarro story that crossed our "desks" in 2007. We didn't discuss the BioWare Sonic RPG, for example (in that case, it was because we didn't want to be murdered).What was your favorite DS-related WTF moment this year? Did some random training game come along that got you L'ing OL? Or was something advertised in a way that, maybe, it shouldn't have been? We want you to join in on the fun!
DS cases with faces
CYBER Gadget, the company responsible for that marginally useful but thoroughly lovable Famicom adapter, has announced a pair of DS Lite system cases with cute cartoon faces, to be released on December 2nd. To be exact, they're the faces of Gachapin and Mukku, two characters from the Japanese children's show Gachapin. The show, about two guys in big furry costumes who are good at sports, is super-popular in Japan. Which means, of course, that you can get a Gachapin DS game to play on your newly Gachapinized system.Accordingly, these aren't CYBER Gadget's first Gachapin DS items. There's a whole range of brightly-colored stuff emblazoned with Gachapin's sleepy eyes and/or Mukku's permanently shocked visage.[Via GAME Watch]
