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Sony's aqua blue PS Vita hits GameStop November 2nd
In Japan, Sony's PlayStation Vita console has come in a host of colors for years now, but other countries haven't been so lucky. For the most part, US buyers have been limited to only black or white options, but Sony just announced that'll be changing soon. An "aqua blue" version of the second-generation PS Vita is coming to GameStop on November 2nd, and you can pre-order it now for $199.99. Other than the color, the console is identical to the version out in the market now, but it does appear to be a striking piece of hardware. (We'll have to withhold full judgement until we see it in person, though.) The timing is a little odd, as the Vita isn't getting any younger and developer support is definitely starting to wane. But if the blue color is enough to push you over the edge, you should probably pre-order soon -- Sony says this model won't be around for too long.
Sony racks up over 6.5 million in PlayStation sales over holiday season
Looks like Sony is reaping the benefits of strong holiday sales for its range of consoles coming under the PlayStation umbrella. After introducing the PS Vita early in December, the company managed to shift about 500,000 units in its own backyard, while ageing predecessor, the PSP, continued to sell 1.6 million units worldwide. Not to be outdone, the PS3 nearly broached the 4 million mark, bringing Sony closer to its fiscal year-end goal of 15 million for the five-year old gaming powerhouse. The system's motion control add-on, Move, also moved a considerable 1.7 million units, with the PS2 still puttering along and enjoying "robust sales in emerging countries." Brand equity? Sony's got it in spades.
Ninjapass allows flash cart-less homebrew on Nintendo DS
If you've been waiting around for an easy way to play homebrew swag on your Nintendo DS or DS Lite, then prepare yourself for the stealthily-named Ninjapass. Like a handful of other solutions already on the market, this device lets you load up your games and play them directly from the DS cartridge slot -- no flash cart required. There's only 64MB of onboard memory, but you do get passcard functionality to boot content from the GameBoy Advance slot, along with a multi-game menu, convenient system for saving games, and bundled USB 2.0 adapter for hassle-free file transfer. The Ninjapass is currently available to pre-order -- it will ship when "stock arrives" at an unspecified date -- for $52, or a little less if you order in bulk.[Via DS Fanboy]
Keepin' it real fake, part XXIX: Gameboy Micro has a twin
Is the $100 Gameboy Micro a little too rich for your blood? Why not pick up the similar-looking One Station (not to be confused with the POP Station, although it's entirely possible that they're related), which was recently spotted for under forty bucks at a Philippine electronics shop - it offers all the fun of your favorite 8-bit Nintendo games (on special knockoff cartridges, of course) without any of the bloated costs associated with those expensive licensing fees.
Gamepark Holdings releases GP2X breakout board
Good news for GP2X owners: Gamepark Holdings (not to be confused with Gamepark, makers of the similarly-named XGP) has just released a breakout board that will turn your handheld console into a fully-functional, albeit underpowered, home PC. The board plugs into the EXT port on your device and features audio and video outs for hooking up an external monitor and sound system, four USB ports for attaching keyboards, mice, and joysticks, and RS232 and Jtag connectors for reflashing your firmware or running a debugging script on software you've developed. Although the kit -- available now for just $46 -- can be employed to create a home DivX or digital audio system, it will probably be most widely used in building emulation cabinets around the open-source, Linux-powered player. [Via DCEmu]
L64 redefines portable N64 style
So, no disrespect intended towards the great Ben Heckendorn, but this reworked Nintendo 64 painstakingly assembled by a modder named "Marshall" is one of the best looking DIY portable consoles we've ever seen. Known as the L64 (which stands, rather geekily, for L337-N64), this device takes Heckendorn's N64p and styles it in a completely faithful Nintendo-inspired package, with support for external controllers and all of the N64's titles including those that require an expansion pack. Seriously, this thing looks so good, we're thinking that instead of paying professionals thousands of bucks to develop crappy hardware like the N-Gage, Nokia and friends might be better off crowdsourcing their product design to guys like Marshall, Ben, and their legions of fellow fanboys who seem to have a real flair for this kind of work.[Via digg]
