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Sealed Game Boy games will make you break your piggy bank
Hey, you. Yeah, you reading this right now. Do you want River City Ransom EX sealed for $17? If you're ready to say anything but "yes," we kindly ask that you close your browser window, call your mother and apologize for being such a disappointment. If for some reason you're not keen on the game and still manage to have a working brain (or, you know, you already own it), there's plenty of other Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games on offer. It's a nice mixture of great first-party and third-party titles, if we may say so. You know, in case you wanted to bulk up your GBA collection.[Via Gamesniped]
Point: Uh, yeah, it totally will get redesigned
While we all think it would be totally rad if Nintendo issued either another redesigned DS model or a whole new handheld unit altogether, certain things must be considered first. Like, will it make Nintendo some money? Also, is there a demand? And, finally, is the DS as it is now outdated and no longer a viable option for the consumer?Let's look at the facts, folks: The original Game Boy released in 1989 and saw several revisions, including a color change in 1995, a smaller system in the Game Boy Pocket in 1996, the Game Boy Light in 1997 and the Game Boy Color in 1998 The Game Boy Advance released in 2001 and saw 2 revisions before it was officially retired, with the Game Boy Advance SP releasing in 2003 and the Game Boy Advance Micro releasing in 2005 The original DS was released in 2004 and since has received one revision, in the DS Lite, which released in 2006 But, this is not all that needs be considered. For one, the DS Lite is still selling incredibly well, and Nintendo might think to adopt the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" plan of attack on this one, choosing to sit back and let the thing sell as long as it possibly can. However, due to the lowering manufacturing costs and Nintendo's profit on each unit sold, a revision with newer features might be manufactured for the same, or a very similar, price. This would allow Nintendo to sell the new unit at a higher price than the DS Lite and make even more money on each handheld sold. There goes the answer to the first question.What about demand? Well, the demand for the existing DS Lite is there, but we'll be the first to tell you that, while we love the handheld , it's not perfect. Alterations in the best interest of the handheld may still be made, including generic improvements such as improving battery life and the like.If the people still love the DS Lite, we find little reason for them not to upgrade and froth at the mouth for something like a DS Liter.What about its use to the consumer? Does it still remain a great choice for the general consumer? Sure, but in technology years, the thing is like a Brontosauras with Jesus resting comfortably on top of it. What we're saying is, the thing is old. While its appeal may never go away thanks to the easy control scheme and mountains of amazing titles available for it, one cannot ignore the competition. As new features are released everyday for Sony's PSP system, the DS Lite is increasingly dwarfed by the technological wizardry capable with Sony's handheld. If Nintendo went with a new version of the DS, we'd like to see them implement some of the more standard technological features that exist in other handheld devices on the market.So will Nintendo release a revision to the DS? Sure, whether it's a new handheld entirely or a new DS, Nintendo would be crazy not to build on what they have with the DS Lite. Will we see it at E3 this year? This blogger thinks so, because, to be honest, what other megatons could they possibly drop on us? placeholdertext Back Not so fast there!
Wal-Mart puts GBA stock on sale
For all of you folk who enjoy using that other game slot on your DS, take note: Wal-Mart is having a sale on select titles. Whether you go with the option of picking up 2 games for $20, or 3 games for $25, it's a fairly decent deal, if we may say so.To sweeten the deal even more, they're allowing you to choose from some compilation games, as well. Titles such as Risk, Battleship & Clue, and Centipede, Breakout & Warlords (!). So, if you're trying to bulk up your collection, you might want to head on over there and check out what titles they have on offer.Also of note is the retailer's sale on DS games, but we're not sure there's much in their stock worth noting, except for Sonic Rush.[Via Go Nintendo]
WRUP: Australia gets Layton and everyone else gets nothing edition
Looking over this week's releases, we're feeling a lot like last week: empty and cold inside. Unless you're in Australia, there pretty much isn't anything worth checking out. We're in kind of a GBA mood, though (after reading JC's Virtually Overlooked last night), so this weekend will probably have us dusting off our copy of Metroid Fusion or something.What about you all? Have any good GBA games that you could play while waiting for some new DS games to enjoy? Or do you have something else in mind? What are you playing?%Gallery-12504%
PMP51 "MP4 MP3 super game" does it all
While a bit vague in the whole naming department, this new no-name OEM PMP51 PMP is actually packing a quite a spec sheet. The primary focus of the handheld is supposedly 32 bit gaming, but sadly SNES is nowhere to be found. But lucky for us there's Game Boy Advance play, in addition to Game Boy, Game Boy Color and NES. The 3-inch screen should show off that emulated Advance Wars just nicely, and the addition of a 1.3 megapixel camera and support for plenty of audio and video formats round out the piece nicely. You can also add memory with miniSD and play your ROMs on the big screen with video out. No word on price or availability.%Gallery-13478%
Circuit City holding massive sale, every game you ever wanted on list
If you are missing out on a DS game or GBA game and don't feel like paying retail, know that Circuit City is having a huge sale right now. The problem so far has been that an entire list of the games on sale had not been available anywhere online. That is, until now. Selling select games such as Final Fantasy IV Advance and Mario Tennis: Power Tour on the GBA, along with DS titles such as Elite Beat Agents and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (get a loved one involved) for $8.96 a piece, we're wondering if this is perhaps the biggest sale we've seen yet. So, get down to your local Circuit City and get to the stock while it still lasts. [Via QJ]
DDR your GBA
This one's a little messy, and involves the death of a perfectly likeable DDR pad, but it's all for a good cause. Jason1820 modded up his DDR pad to control his Game Boy Advance, and got himself a good game of Pac-Man going. The video after the break demonstrates the very type of hijinks that can ensue, and also serves as a helpful reminder why Nintendo was insane not to include a backlight in original Advance. Yeah, we're still bitter about that.[Thanks, Joe]
GlucoBoy blood-sugar testing game finally ships
We first noticed the GlucoBoy blood-sugar testing game for the Game Boy Advance way back in 2004, but it's taken three years for inventor Paul Wessel to get the necessary approval from Nintendo to start manufacturing the game. Targeted at kids with juvenile diabetes, the device rewards timely testing and target blood sugar levels by doling out points that can be used to unlock 2 full length games and 3 additional mini-arcade games, and kids can share point totals and high scores on a related website called GRIP. GlucoBoy is now available in Australia, but the company hopes to have wider availability soon.[Via Joystiq]
Nintendo Wii and DS sales on Thanksgiving rampage -- trumps own GBA record
Nintendo of America just announced record sales of their DS and Wii gaming rigs. According to internal sales numbers, Thanksgiving week resulted in more than one million DS and Wii units sold. That's one week, from Sunday, November 18 through Saturday, November 24th and breaks down to more than 653,000 DS units and another 350,000 Wiis. The previous all-time Thanksgiving week sales record was held by the Game Boy Advance in 2005 with sales of 600k at the time. Nintendo also said that Wii sales are on track to hit 17.5 million before March 31, 2008. Now, for those of you saying that Nintendo is purposely limiting production to drive up demand, Reggie has this for you, "A shortage benefits no one, we're disappointed. This was all about how we didn't accurately estimate demand. We need to be more bullish about the potential for the Wii." Come on Reg, you're only just now figuring this out?
Rapping, puppetry, and misogyny: Zelda commercials through the ages
This compilation of western and Japanese Zelda TV commercials is by no means comprehensive, but it does feature three or four that are new to us. Some are just downright peculiar -- the second Legend of Zelda advert recalls David Lynch's Eraserhead -- and there's clearly been an unsettling amount of rapping involved in the marketing of the series, something we hadn't noticed previously. The advert for Twilight Princess is utterly tame in comparison.No doubt you'll have seen a couple of these about a gazillion times (the Ocarina of Time commercial from the days when Nintendo didn't think twice about calling you a weak little girl, and the fabulously dorky "Your parents help you hook it up!" ad from the late-'80s), but it's still worth a watch for the more obscure stuff, some of which even manages to out-weird Sony's recent output. And that's a heck of an achievement.
Diamond and Pearl release raises classic Pokmon prices
The drive to catch all 493 beasts in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl is causing a surge in demand for old Pokémon games. JJGames' used video games price tracker shows the average price for used, classic Pokémon games rising over 20 percent since early Feburary. Used game prices in general went down nearly 20 percent during the same period.As the above graph shows, the Pokémon prices largely track with the market through the end of February, when they surged ahead of the DS games' April 22 release. The prices take a downward turn for the month after Diamond and Pearl's release, then shoot up again after Memorial Day, the traditional start of summer.While this meteoric rise might encourage you to invest all your savings into used Pokémon games, we encourage caution. A well-diversified portfolio of used games is the only way to avoid fiascos like this one.
Guitar Hero going mobile, just like The Who
Hands On Mobile, Inc. announced today that they have entered into an agreement with Activision to produce a Guitar Hero mobile game for handhelds. While we aren't sure if that means cell phones, PlayStation Portables, Nintendo DSs, Game Boy Advances, HP calculators or all of the above, it's further proof of the massive juggernaut that is the Guitar Hero franchise. Although this franchise was announced before, then canceled, it's now apparently been reborn.Plus with the announcement earlier today of Harmonix' Rock Band, Ubisoft's Jam Sessions for the DS, and even the Mother 3 soundtrack being made available on iTunes -- it's clear that games and music are currently making waves. It's like the horror genre in movie theaters right now. Soon you'll be seeing things like Hammered Dulcimer Champion and Harmonica Savior hitting store shelves. We here at Joystiq are really holding out for Kazoo Knights. Wake us when the announcement is on the way.
SXSW: Game Perverts
At first glance that panel title sounds like a very special episode of Dateline NBC's "To Catch a Predator," but the subtitle makes it a bit clearer ... for some: "A Robot, a DS, and a dot-matrix printer menage a trois." This panel was all about hacking and homebrewing, and we saw some pretty cool stuff. Bob Sabiston's Nintendo DS animation project -- this is a homebrew kit that Bob began developing after sending Nintendo a letter explaining that he was a fairly decent programmer and engineer (he is - he wrote the rotoscoping software used for the animation in Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly) and they sent him a software development kit for the DS. His animation and painting program is one of the best apps we've ever seen on the DS, and even the artwork he's produced on it is very impressive. Rich LeGrand got into game robotics with the Game Boy Advance, because there is a fairly limitless supply of hardware available on eBay at around $20 a pop. He reverse-engineered a robotics tool for the GBA called the Xport, which he sells through his company Charmed Labs, that lets you program and build a robot around your handheld (most people use Lego for the robot exoskeleton). He has also very successfully not been sued by Nintendo. Paul Slocum took an old Epson LQ500 dot-matrix printer and reversed engineered a box that lets him program and play music through it by changing the speeds and strengths that the pins strike the paper. It really has to be heard to be believed (it's part of the song - former dot-matrix users will hear it right away). He also uses an Atari 2600 with a modified cartridge to generate drums and "bleep" sounds. Pretty impressive stuff. We lovingly retitled this panel "How to hack up your precious hardware," but now we're thinking about cracking something open and giving it a whirl. We just wish we'd kept those old dot-matrix printers.
MASSIVE clearance at Best Buy starts today
If you're near a Best Buy store, gather up your $2 bills and get going, because they're in the midst of an epic videogame clearance, and you'll want to get there before the unscrupulous speculator types grab all the stuff to sacrifice to the ravenous eBay. You've got to be wily to get to the goods before the FatWalleters and the CAGs!We've got a list of all the DS and GBA software on sale after the jump. Don't expect to find all of it-- most of it has been out of stock for months or years at most stores, and the price changed to clear out remaining copies. But we hope you do find what you're looking for in abundance. We wish we could go tomorrow and check it out ourselves. By the time we get there, there won't be anything but cobwebs and tumbleweeds, and those will probably be regular price.[Thanks, ali emamdjomeh!]
Square Enix surprise: its a PSP port of a GBA port of NES games
It looks like EGM's Rumor Mill is starting to develop into truth. "Square Enix is whipping up a wild lineup for PSP this year ... These guys are serious too! I'm talking new games, remakes of old classics, and an all-new, unexpected Final Fantasy spinoff that will make the fanboys flip."Well, we can check off "remakes of old classics" off the list: Square Enix just announced their "20th Anniversary Series," which will be heading to PSP. First two games on the table? Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition and Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition. Both games will feature the enhancements of the Nintendo-published Final Fantasy I & II Advance: Dawn of Souls, and also include new CG movies and "further enhancements."While these aren't the games we've been clamoring for, I guess it's a step in the right direction. Any support from Square Enix is better than none, right? As it stands now, I'd much rather wait for Crisis Core than these remakes of remakes. Hopefully, we'll see the rest of the "wild lineup" that EGM hinted at.[Thanks, zaki! Via The Magic Box][Update 1: Scans are available at Jeux-France.]
Play GBA games (badly) on the Wii
While Nintendo is quick to tout the Wii's extensive backward-compatibility with all GameCube software, the sleek white system is a pretty bad fit for the Cube's Game Boy Player hardware add-on. Rather than leaving that clunky old Cube out in the entertainment center, Wii News recommends the Datel Advance Game Port, a sleek-looking accessory that plugs into the GameCube/Wii memory card slot and lets you play Game Boy Advance games on the big screen. What Wii News doesn't tell you is that the Datel Advance Game Port is a buggy mess. In our reviews of the discontinued hardware, games ran with inconsistent slowdown, laggy controls and audio problems. What's more, the port only plays Game Boy Advance games, unlike the official Game Boy Player, which works with games dating all the way back to the black-and-white classic portable. If you're really desperate for Game Boy games on your TV, spring for the Nintendo-approved solution and not this third-party knock-off. Or just sit around and wait for the oft-rumored addition of Game Boy support for the Virtual Console.
Today's tiniest game video: Wii played on Game Boy Advance
Okay, before y'all fall over yourselves telling us that he's using a special cartridge allowing him to pipe in a video signal to his Game Boy Advance, let us beat you to the punch -- we know that. It still looks pretty cool playing the Wii on a GBA screen. Though why you would even want to do this is an entirely different matter. Also, just forget about that sucker being portable. For now, it's just a nifty little "Gee whiz!" feature that'll make you pine for a Wii Boy Portable one day. We can dream.Peep the vid after the jump and imagine everything else you can play on that tiny screen, thus destroying your eyesight and/or going blind. You've been warned.
Nintendo responds to Game Boy accident that killed UK boy
Nintendo of Europe has offered its condolences to the family of Connor O'Keefe, the seven-year-old UK boy who was electrocuted and tragically killed last Saturday when unplugging his Game Boy power supply. Connor was vacationing with his family in Thailand when the fatal accident occurred. The UK (230V/50Hz) and Thailand (220V/50Hz) use similar voltage standards.Nintendo did not issue any further comments, claiming that details of the incident were still unclear. Police have declared the tragedy an accident. "No blame has been attached," said Lt. Colonel Sopol Borirok.
Kid arrested for stealing Xmas present from under tree
What ever happened to the ol' lump of coal punishment? A South Carolina woman decided her son was so out of line when he stole the Game Boy Advance she had purchased as his Christmas present that she had the 12 year-old arrested. He was charged, as a juvenile, with petty larceny.The GBA theft follows an alleged string of offenses carried out by the boy, including shoplifting, stealing from mom's wallet, and punching a cop. At his court appearance, the mother will seek to turn her son over to the state Department of Juvenile Justice.
A financial look at the "console war"... how each is faring
The third calendar quarter has come to a close and with it, some financial statements from Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. What does this matter, you ask? Looking at the earnings can really cut through the internet hype, jargon, rumors, and walls of flame and really show you whether or not a company is in trouble (financially). Let's start with the company that's in trouble: Sony.Sony has reported earnings that have "plummeted 94 percent to $14.4 million because of costs related to its laptop battery recall. But it also reported a $369 million operating loss in its video game business because of start-up costs for the PlayStation 3. Sony's game revenues decreased 20 percent to $1.4 billion from a year ago because of a decline in PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 sales, as well as a price cut on the PS2." Ouch! There's also a ton of spare PS3 inventory in Japan (save the blue laser diodes, we imagine) and $3 billion short term and long term debt. They've got $4.7 billion in cash, though, so they're not "under" yet. Should the PS3 fail, Sony will have one hell of a time coming back.Microsoft, naturally, has a war chest of cash -- $31.4 billion (in gold bullions, too!). Let's talk sales: "sales rose 70 percent in the Entertainment and Devices division, which includes games, to $1.03 billion in the quarter. The division cut its loss from $173 million a year ago to $96 million. Microsoft says it is on target to hit profitability by the fiscal year that ends June 30, 2008." On XBL, there are over 4 million subscribers. Even more good news (for Microsoft, they're probably throwing a $2.3 million party for this) is that the 360 consoles in Japan that come bundled with Blue Dragon have sold out. Yep, all 20 of them (joking, joking).What of Nintendo? "Nintendo reported sales of $2.5 billion, up 69 percent from a year earlier. Net income was $458.6 million, up from a loss a year ago. Nintendo has $6.6 billion in cash. Nintendo is forecasting sales of $6.2 billion and profits of $843 million for the year ended March 31, 2007." Everything else is pudding -- of course they're selling tons of DS's and GBA's... Nintendo's doing well, as usual (GameCube aside).