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DS Daily: Is Phantom Hourglass still your most wanted?
Way back in January, we asked you what game you wanted most this year, and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass won by a ridiculous margin. Since then, we've learned more about the game, and seen more of how it looks. We also know that there are other goodies to anticipate this year. So now that we're approaching the halfway point of 2007, we thought we'd ask -- is Phantom Hourglass still your top choice, particularly now that Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are out?%Gallery-3279%
Red Pearl makes its debut on Rogers
Leave it to Rogers to sneak out another color in the BlackBerry Pearl stable without having an official announcement anywhere in sight. Since May 9, Rogers has been quietly selling the candy apple red 8120 (8100, just kidding) for $249.99 (about $230) on a (gulp!) three year contract. Now, the only question is why would RIM and Rogers release the Pearl in such a lovely shade without a ton of fanfare? Maybe they were still backlogged from other events. [Via Howard Forums]
Nintendo dominates April's NPD
Remember the days when Nintendo's hardware was at a permanent and incredibly depressing third place in the sales charts, month after month? We sure can't; all this success has gone to our heads.The April NPD numbers, tracking hardware and software sales in North America, were released recently and Nintendo once again obliterated the competition. The Nintendo DS and the Wii took the top two spots for the fourth month running, with 471,000 and 360,000 units sold, respectively. Both of these figures more than double their nearest competitors (PSP and the Xbox 360), and the PS3 could only move a paltry 82,000 units.It's the same story in software. Nintendo took home the top four spots across all systems with the releases of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl and Super Paper Mario, along with the still oddly popular Wii Play. The Pokemon titles, of course, were only available for a single week in April, yet still captured the top spots with a combined 1.7 million units sold.It just makes you all tingly inside, doesn't it? For the full hardware and software figures, click after the break.
Updated BlackBerry Pearl this fall?
Though we're still not convinced SureType is worth the trouble (especially when beauts like the new Curve are kicking around), rumor has it RIM is hard at work on the 8100 Pearl's successor, the aptly-numbered 8120. Expect features to include a 2 megapixel camera (up from the Pearl's 1.3 megapixel unit), integrated GPS, and the long-overdue WiFi support RIM's been spouting off about as of late. If this all pans out, we can apparently expect Canada's Rogers -- a GSM carrier with 3G capabilities -- to get it in September of this year with an unnamed US carrier grabbing it a week before that in black, red, "titanium," blue, and gold.
Iwata reminds Nintendo of America who's boss
(Hint: it's Iwata. Iwata is boss.) Nintendo just released their financial results briefing, which contains a transcript of a question-and-answer session with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. Ever wondered what it would be like to work for Iwata? This quote should replace that wonder with terror: "When I received a report from the U.S. that they sold 1 million Pokémon Diamond & Pearl already, I asked them, 'why did you sell only 10,000 Brain Age last week, when Europe sold through 30,000?' This is a typical example of how I communicate with our people in the U.S."Why would Iwata be so mean in the face of ostensibly great news? Because he's a huge jerk? Probably not. For one thing, Pokémon selling a million copies doesn't mean that anyone at Nintendo of America did anything particularly well. All they had to do was release it, making sure that the word "Pokémon" was clearly visible on the box.But more importantly, Iwata isn't looking just to sell a bunch of games. He wants to expand the gaming market in the US like the DS has in Japan, and for that, Brain Age needs to get into non-gamers' hands. Then Nintendo can sell a bunch of games to them as well as to Nintendo fans. As Iwata notes in the report, 500,000 DS systems were sold in the US in March, which is a large number, but not as large as the 600,000 to 700,000 sold in Japan each month.[Via NeoGAF]
Parish's rejected Pokemans review: Let us show you it [update 1]
For a change of pace, 1UP's Jeremy Parish sometimes submits reviews in webcomic form. He tried to do just that thought of doing that for his review of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, and was denied, but went with the more traditional approach in the end. Luckily for us, personal blogs face no such content approval process. But rather than scrap the idea altogether, Parish has drawn up part 1 of his Pokemon review comic on both his 1UP blog and his personal blog GameSpite, with a promise to continue the story of ... well, of a guy reviewing Pokemon.We're big fans of Mr. Parish-- we listen to his 1UP podcast Retronauts every week, just like every sane person should. Not only that, we continue to be enthralled by anything that makes use of the "Pokemans" meme. So there was no choice but to post this comic when we saw it. Our hands were tied. What do you think about "alternative" review formats like this one?Update: Changed to reflect the actual circumstances of the strip's creation, thanks to a correction from Mr. Parish himself.
WRUP: Gotta catch 'em all edition
This week's releases saw North America receiving Pokemon Diamond & Pearl and it only took 5 days for the game to sell a million, meaning we're all still loving those little monsters, making them battle for our amusement before cramming them back into their tiny Pokeball prison. As such, we know what you're playing this weekend, you don't even have to tell us! Plus, with a challenge sitting on the table, we're all going to need to train our guys long and hard if we plan on destroying the competition come Game Night.So, have fun with those Pokemon this weekend!Previous posts: What were you playing?
New Pokemon duo sell 1 million in 5 days in US
In addition to announcing a megaton year in sales, Nintendo has released a statement congratulating themselves on the latest Pokemon duo Diamond and Pearl, which -- in the spirit of their titles -- have sold a combined total of 1 million units in five days since its launch in the U.S. According to Nintendo's press release, that is the fastest rate of any U.S. Pokemon titles to date. Massive damage, indeed.The figures should come as no surprise, as every single iteration of the franchise has reached platinum sales, and we expect both Diamond and Pearl to each hit that mark, as well. In Japan, the two titles have sold an aggregate of 5 million since its launch in the region September 28 of last year. Of course, these sales all but guarantee two more titles in the Pokemon franchise, Kryptonite and Adamantium.
Diamond and Pearl sell a million in 5 days
As if anyone didn't see this coming, Nintendo fired off a press release today declaring Pokemon Diamond & Pearl have together sold a million copies in the United States. This comes only five days after the game's release on Sunday, showing that even though the franchise has been around for awhile, it is still alive and kicking. This time period in which the game has sold is only rivaled by the franchise's first title launching in the U.S. almost a decade ago.See also: Pokemon pokes fun at Sony
Pokemon pokes fun at Sony
We can't say we've encountered this for ourselves yet, but apparently it's in the game. Whether it's a joke at Sony's expense or not, we're laughing all the same. Now, if only that trainer used Krabby ...See also: Gotta watch 'em all: Pokemon videos
Gotta watch 'em all: Pokemon videos
Just in case you want to be up to your ears in Pokémon right now, but can't (for whatever reason), we thought we'd dig up a couple of videos just to make it worse to help you get through the pain of not having the latest and greatest for the DS. Not sure it's for you? If the already-crazy sales and reviews don't have you convinced, perhaps a few more looks at the gameplay will do the trick.
DS Daily: Your team thus far
We know, we know. You don't really want to participate in the DS Daily today, because you want to go back to the loving arms of Pokemon Diamond and/or Pearl. But surely, you want to brag? You've already got a Level 57 Gyarados, or a badass Bidoof wearing a flower ribbon?Show your guns, hotshot trainers! Which tricked-out, ultra-rare Pokemon are you sporting to beat the crap out of everyone in Sinnoh?Jason's Team: Level 24 Grotle, Level 22 Luxio, Level 19 Onix, Level 17 Ponyta, some random punk who uses HM01 Cut, and a Level 2 Budew I named after my roommate.
Pokemon invade New York City
For those of you who love those little Pokemon, however do not live anywhere near the New York City area, the launch event video for Pokemon Diamond & Pearl available past the post break is going to be full of things you've never seen before and do not know. How, you ask? Well, for example, did you know that Team Rocket was to have a fourth member in the original television series, however she was dropped at the last second? Yup, her name was "The Lunch Lady" and that's her above.Check out the video for other launch day goodies after the break.[Via Joystiq]
Retailers breaking street date for Pokemon Diamond & Pearl?
Reader blutrane wrote in to us to tell of his local game retail spot, GameBuzz, selling him a copy of Pokemon Pearl early. The store, which is located in Montreal, is apparently breaking the street date on the game, however upon checking their website, you can see the game is only available for pre-order. Also, without blutrane providing any pictures, we understand if you, fine reader, aren't willing to swallow all of this.Have any of you seen a retailer breaking street date on Pokemon Diamond & Pearl? Have you seen them break street date on another game? Be sure to let us know!
Pokemon may be a little popular
Early reports indicate that next week's releases of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl may turn out to be, well, lucrative. Already, presale orders easily top half a million in the United States. Unsurprisingly, this has landed the titles on the list of predicted bestsellers by year's end. To offer a little perspective, preorder numbers double those of Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, the games that debuted in 2004. Those games went on to sell nearly three and a half million.Are you one among many -- do you have either (or both) of these titles on preorder, or are you more the sort to cross your fingers and call your local gaming store on release day? Or are you -- gasp! -- not planning to get your Pokémon on at all?[Via press release.]
The 2006 Engadget Awards: Vote for Smartphone of the Year
Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 Smartphone of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Sunday, April 15th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: BlackBerry Pearl, HTC Hermes / 8525, Motorola Q, Nokia N93, Palm Treo 750, and Sony Ericsson P990. %Poll-339%
Friday Video: It's raining Pokeballs
Go Nintendo has posted a new commercial for the upcoming Pokemon: Diamond & Pearl games and we have to say it is one of the most epic game commercials we've seen in a while -- which makes it perfect for this week's video spotlight. It really gets us pumped for the new game and if you're a Pokemon fanatic, we imagine you're probably going to pass out after watching it and probably convulse on your floor for a few hours. Do us a favor: grab a popsicle stick or something else to bite down on. We don't want you to swallow your tongue after checking this out.Head on past the post break for the seizure-inducing commercial.
The 2006 Engadget Awards: Vote for HDTV of the Year
Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 HDTV of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Sunday, April 15th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: Panasonic TH-103PZ600U (103-inch), Pioneer FHD1, Samsung HL-S7178W, Sharp Aquos 52D62U, Sony KDL-52XBR3, and Sony Pearl VW50. %Poll-298%
Pokemon launch event at Nintendo World Store
New York City Pokemon fans: Nintendo wants to catch you all! If you are near the Nintendo World Store on April 22 and want your purchase of one of the first copies of Pokemon Diamond or Pearl to be a big deal, why not pick up your copy there and check out their launch party?Nintendo promises that their event will bring attendees "live stage events, a Pokemon scavenger hunt, contests, and cool prizes like exclusive premiums, Pokemon Nintendo DS Lite units, Pokemon gear, and even tickets to some great summer sporting events!" Pokemon Nintendo DS Lite units, huh? Better go early to beat the eBay vultures. You know, so you can get your own to sell on eBay.
Missing Sync for Windows Mobile beta allows syncing without Flight Mode
It is ironic that I just recently found this new beta of Missing Sync for Windows Mobile, as a BlackBerry Pearl is arriving today to replace my Samsung BlackJack, which I can no longer stand. Nevertheless, I know there are plenty of Mac users out there who are rollin' with Mark/Space's Missing Sync to get their Windows Mobile device to sync with Mac OS X, and I thought y'all might be interested in a new beta that takes Flight Mode out of the picture. Though it isn't specifically listed in the release notes for this current version (3.0.2b6 as of this writing), Windows Mobile users no longer have to shut off the phone radio (what is known as Flight Mode) to perform a sync over Bluetooth. This is great news since turning off the phone radio, as handy of a UI as it may be, is still a clunky and annoying process. Support for a few more devices has also been added, as have the typical batch of bug fixes, so check out Mark/Space's testing page for a download link and release notes with more details.Now, where's FedEx with that Pearl...
