Pearl
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Sony "Pearl" VPL-VW50 SXRD projector details leaked
All the cool kids have 1080p projectors for their home theater setup, but the coolest kids have 1080p SXRD projectors from Sony. At least if looks are anything to go by. Sony's new VPL-VW50 "Pearl" unit, a followup to last year's VPL-VW100 "Ruby" of equal sexiness, matches its big brother nicely in the spec arena. The projector of course has the same 1080p action, imaging courtesy of three third-generation SXRD 0.61-inch panels, and the 200-watt bulb is half the wattage of the VW100, but Sony claims the bulb manages comparable results. Sony's VW50 also keeps up with the VW100's 15,000:1 contrast ratio, has a pair of HDMI inputs and a mere 22 decibels of fan noise. All this info is courtesy of a leaked press release dated August 7, 2005, so we're hoping that "2005" is a misprint and Sony hasn't just forgotten to release this thing for a whole year. If it does prove true, the projector should be out in October, and while there's no word on price, we're hoping they manage to squeeze this one under the VW100's $12,500 pricetag. More pics after the break.[Via HD Beat]
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl: Return of the Friend Codes
Japanese magazine Corocoro has several scans that reveal a plethora of information regarding the upcoming Pokemon incarnations Diamond and Pearl. While plenty of trivial boring inconsequential details were given about specific Pokemon and moves, the highlights are as follows: The tentative Japanese release date for both games is September 28th, 2006. The new legendary (read: boxart worthy) Pokemon are Diaruga (Diamond Version), who controls time, and Parukia (Pearl Version), who controls space. The antagonists are known as Team Galaxy, who will be featured in Pokemon Ranger as well. In battles, the bottom screen will be used for menus and the like. Easy viewing of other Pokemon's status? WiFi features will be in full force, but they utilize...gulp...the dreaded Friend Code system. That's right, folks, Friend Codes are back. Nintendo seems unwilling to let go of this rather archaic system, though it might be slightly more excused in the Pokemon universe...a grand list of fifty thousand players offering and looking for certain Pokemon types might make things a bit too easy. The ability to pick up a quick match with a stranger, however, would not be unwelcome...[Thanks Nushio, Matt T., and Thousand Dragoon Link!]
New info on Pokemon Diamond/Pearl [Update 1]
Recent scans from the Japanese magazine Coro Coro have revealed a few new game details on the mysterious Pokemon: Diamond and Pokemon: Pearl. Among the translated information is the return of the day/night system, with four distinct periods (dawn, day, dusk, and night) that will affect Pokemon behavior and appearance. In addition, male and female characters will now look different in-game; one of the genders might be larger, be missing certain features, or have different skin patterns. The traditional Pokedex will also be upgraded to include more than twenty features, including time management, type charts, monitoring of Pokemon in the breeding center, and more.The Pokemon games have no confirmed release date in North America, but it shouldn't be too long before the market drops ten gajillion dollars on this tried-and-true franchise.[Thanks Nushio, you tip-crazy fiend you][Update 1: clarified unknown N. American release date]
You knew it: Pokemon coming to Wii
Dubbed Pokemon Battle Revolution, it looks like tag-team battle is the emphasis this time around. Also, the game is to be able to utilize the upcoming Pokemon Diamond and Pearl versions to exchange correspondence via Wi-Fi and swap pokemon, along with displaying the 2D battles of the DS game on your TV in 3D through the Wii. Other features are mentioned, but using online translation tools doesn't give the most accurate descriptions, so in fear of reporting something false, we'll just leave the post at that.[Thanks nushio!]
