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Pentax celebrates with gold-accented K10D GP DSLR
What do you do if your camera takes home the prestigious Camera Grand Prix 2007 award? Why, you kick out a limited run of 5,000 units to let everyone know about it, that's what. Pentax is proving quite the celebratory bunch, as it has found yet another reason to don the party hat and unveil a fancy looking (but otherwise standard) K10D. The Grand Prix Package comes with the body, a battery grip, a commemorative strap, and the latest firmware pre-installed, and Pentax even applied a special dark brown rubber to the body to make sure it stood out. Additionally, a few logos and indicators are gilded to signify the limited-edition status, and the prominent serial number on each one completes the package. Don't expect to snap one up immediately though, as Pentax is keeping the pricing and available deets on the DL for the time being.[Via AmateurPhotographer]
Razer teases Boomslang Collector's Edition 2007 mouse
Early adopters who hitched their wagon to Razer early on are likely to remember the elusive "First Edition" Boomslang mice, and if you've been clamoring for a practically identical replacement, Razer's got you covered. The Boomslang Collector's Edition 2007 will make its debut at this summer's DreamHack, will be limited to 10,000 units worldwide, and will be encased in a sleek titanium housing. Moreover, the mouse will glow green from underneath to add that final dash of 1337-ness at a dark LAN party, but there's no word yet on DPI nor price.[Via Electronista]
Todd McFarlane designs wireless Halo 3 controllers
Microsoft's Xbox 360 controller is no stranger to hacks 'n mods, but unless your drawing skills are on par with Mr. Todd McFarlane, you won't soon be duplicating these on your own. Both the Spartan and Covenant wireless controllers are splashed in artwork by none other than the Spawn man himself on "high-quality, scratch and wear resistant plastic," and include a limited edition Halo 3 figurine to boot. Moreover, those who aren't down with wrapping their palms around a third-party controller shouldn't fret, as these special devices are first-party through and through. Lastly, an equally rare headset looks to also be available, but it skips the McFarlane makeover in favor of a simple Halo 3 logo. All three units are tentatively set to ship the first week in September for a stiff $59.99 apiece, but after waiting this long to finally have Halo 3 spinnin' in your console, you might as well complete the experience.[Via Joystiq, thanks Mark]
White Stripes album sold on limited edition USB drives
For fans of Jack and Meg, it's probably a long-standing dream of yours to purchase the Icky Thump album on limited edition thumb drives complete with cartoon renditions of the rockers, but even if it that understandably bizarre scenario never actually crossed your mind, you can still make it a reality. Apparently, the White Stripes are offering up their latest album on two fairly rare USB drives, each sporting 512MB of internal space, an artistic rendition of one of the band mates, and thirteen rockin' tracks in Apple Lossless format. Only 3,333 of each will be created, and while just one will run you a whopping $57.50, you may as well grab the duo for a discounted $99. Of course, we're still not entirely certain if these things are actually licensed by the band, but it's safe to assume that a seven nation army of fans will have these bought up before the legal teams can even get their case together.[Via BoingBoing]
Pokemon Center brings out yet another Pikachu portable
To celebrate the July 20th opening of its new Tokyo store, the Pokémon Center will be offering Pikachu-branded, yellow DS Lites to an unannounced number of gamers. Those who're looking for a chance to grab one of the special edition handhelds will be able to submit an "application" at any of the Pokémon Center's five locations in Japan. Submissions will be accepted up to July 1st, and those eligible to purchase the 16,800 yen DS Lite (approx. $138) will be notified by postcard later in the month. Even if you're not a Pikachu fan, you could always just acquire one anyway and tell everyone that the face on the lid is actually a rosy-cheeked rabite.Despite a near-decade's worth of handheld variants featuring the mousy mascot, these Pokémon-designed consoles show no signs of slowing down. Take a stroll through memory lane and check out all the Pikachu portables we were able to round up after the post break.
It's a Wonderful DS Lite
Square Enix's Wonderful World edition DS Lite marks the first of what we're sure will be many Gloss Silver bundles to grace Japan, but will never -- absolutely never -- see an official release in the states. Set for release along with the game this June 27th, the limited edition handheld shows of the "It's a Wonderful World" logo and Tetsuya Nomura's skull badge design. Pricing for the set hasn't been announced yet, but expect to pay a king's ransom if you plan on importing.
Lenovo's ThinkPad Reserve Edition gets a teaser site
Nearly a month after Lenovo teased us with its Olympic-inspired laptop, and just days after loosing a bevy of Santa Rosa machines on the world, Lenovo is catching our eyes once more with an admittedly lacking teaser site for a Reserve Edition ThinkPad. The very non-interactive website sports an annoying background track, a cheesy selection of closeup leathermaking shots, and absolutely zero information about an actual computer. Of course, one could theorize that the firm has a leather-clad lappie in the pipeline for the affluent set, but it's not like you can't get that already. Nevertheless, this certainly isn't the first nor the last time we'll see such tease acts in order to hype up a currently unreleased product, but hopefully the deets on this one will end up surfacing as quickly as those on the Beijing machine did.[Via LenovoBlogs, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Grand Theft Auto IV special edition announced at $90
Perhaps taking a cue from their Take-Two comrades working on BioShock's limited edition, the team at Rockstar have announced the contents of a Grand Theft Auto IV special edition, scheduled to launch alongside the far less special PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions on October 16 and 19 in North America and Europe, respectively. Included in the Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box packaging will be: the game, an art book, a soundtrack CD "featuring new material from top artists, only available on this release," a Rockstar keychain for the safety deposit box keys (the thing actually locks?), and a limited edition Rockstar duffel bag. All this can be yours for the low, low price of $89.99. In addition to considering all of the illegal things one could hide in the duffel bag and deposit box, we're left wondering if there's some sort of gentleman's bet going on behind the game publishing scene, pushing the limits of precisely how much random stuff one can jam into a special edition release and still get people to pay for it. Sorry GTA IV but, at $130, Halo 3's legendary edition still wins this round.
Garanti Bank issues PayPass-enabled wristwatch in Turkey
Apparently, even swipeless credit cards are too much of an inconvenience to carry around in Turkey, or else Garanti Bank and MasterCard are just doing a fine job of whispering PayPass into those ears that are now tuned in. Gimmick or not, the two firms have partnered up to dole out a few limited edition timepieces that not only sport embedded PayPass modules to skip the painful John Hancock procedure altogether on basic, low-dollar purchases, but also feature a flashy and surprisingly tawdry motif. The bright orange watch rocks a few soccer balls, er, footballs on the face, and also includes a handy date feature to keep you on track. No word on exactly how one would go about procuring one of these contactless payment watches, but if your Garanti account is pushing six or seven figures, we'd say you've got some leverage.[Via TechDigest]
Seattle Mariners DS: exactly what the US market needs
If you happen to be a Seattle Mariners fan, and you're in the area, rush down to Safeco Field to pick up one of these bad boys -- this is a US-exclusive Lite with the team's logo embedded into the shell. This is exactly the kind of thing we need to see more of in North America if Nintendo wants to continually rock out US sales like those in Japan. More cool stuff like this, less commercials during kiddie cartoons. Mainstream, here we come! There are only 2000 of these special edition Lites, and this is everywhere on the 'net today, so we expect a few fans may end up trolling eBay with tears in their eyes in a few weeks. It's too bad Nintendo doesn't own a sizable interest in the St. Louis Cardinals -- then we'd finally be able to convince a certain mother unit that the DS is even more awesome than the Wii![Via NeoGAF]
Best Special Edition ever? Stranglehold SE exclusive to the PS3
Wow. After years of videogame special editions including nothing more than a making-of DVD or a lame in-game item, Midway Games has decided to up the ante considerably. Included with the exclusive PS3 special edition of Stranglehold is a full-length high-def remastering of John Woo's greatest movie (and Stranglehold prequel), Hard Boiled.A stunning example of 90's Hong Kong cinema, Hard Boiled pretty much put John Woo on the map. Starring Chow Yun Fat as the hardened Hong Kong cop Tequila, the violent action movie has some of the most memorable shoot-outs in the genre. The finale, a 30 minute gun fight in a crowded hospital remains one of the most intense scenes in an action movie to this very day. A classic in every sense of the word, the movie has had a bumpy release history in the US. The DVD has been out of print for many years, and the Criterion Edition will command prices upwards of 100 dollars on eBay. But now, thanks to Midway, for just 10 extra dollars ($70US total), you can get the special edition of Stranglehold with the first ever HD remastering of Hard Boiled. Suddenly, my interest in this game just went from moderate to INSANE. [via blu-ray.com]
Mobile Suit DS Lite
As if packing 500 characters, 300 mobile suits, and over 120 stages from 15 different Gundam series wasn't fan service enough, Bandai Namco plans to release a special edition DS Lite bundle with SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive. The customized, crystal-white handheld will feature the same red branding seen on Amuro Ray's Rx-93 ν Gundam in the animated film, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack. It's doubtful that the strategy-RPG game or the DS Lite will ever make it stateside, so interested parties will likely have to settle for importing when the title hits Japanese shelves this August 9th. The bundle's 21,840 yen price tag comes out to approximately $183, but expect to pay a premium if you're buying from an online shop. Head past the post break for a look at SD Gundam G Generation Cross Drive's packaging and screenshots.
Samsung NV3, now in gold ("OPL") and silver
Same NV3, same 7.2 megapixels, same 3x optical, same optical image stabilization, same media playback features, but now Samsung is giving you the privilege of paying even more to buy it in some special edition colors. The $350 US camera will run you £199 and £229 (about $400 and $450) for silver and gold "OPL" (Oriental Plant Lacquer) when they're loosed in February and March, respectively.
Alienware "Special Edition" m5790 offers up overclocked Core 2 Duo
It seems that the "most powerful" laptop in Alienware's ever-growing lineup has already lost its crown, as the (somewhat) budget-friendly m5700-series has received a new member, and the "Special Edition" m5790 delivers a base price that won't elicit rage from the SO, but offers up an overclocked CPU option to satisfy your speed cravings nonetheless. Aside from the 17-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 60GB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600, gigabit Ethernet, 56k modem, Bluetooth, WiFi, and combo drive, the machine seems fairly vanilla, but if you cough up $800, you can get an overclocked 2.66GHz Intel T7600G Core 2 Duo processor to spice things up. Among the other upgrades that push the pricetag on this lower-end machine up into the clouds are a $200 UXGA screen, $430 for 2GB of DDR2 RAM, $270 for 200GB of HDD space, $600 for a built-in Blu-ray drive, and $350 for ATI's Mobility Radeon X1900. So if you're in the mood for seeing just how much self-control your mousing finger really has, surf on over to the read link and (try to) buy only what you want need.[Via TGDaily]
LG re-ups Black Label with Shine Designer's Edition
LG Electronics announced its latest addition to their popular Black Label series of phones, the Shine Designer's Edition. This phone is decorated in a special font that was designed by renowned Korean designer Li Sang Bong and has an poem inscribed on the back of the phone by Yoon Dong Joo, a popular poet from Korea. With no other changes being made to this sleek handset other than the exterior, we wonder just how much it will cost. Guesses anyone?
Get your Hot Shots Golf: Coca-Cola special edition PSP at eBay
I'm sure you're all aware of the Signature PSP lineup by now, but did you know Sony teamed up with Coca Cola to manufacture 1,300 Hot Shots Golf: Coca Cola Special Edition PSP bundles in Japan last year? The bundled Hot Shots game, which Coca Cola gave away in contests, was basically a big commercial for the company as it featured Coca Cola advertising, clothing and even bottle-shaped golf clubs.Unfortunately, the contests are all over and you can't win one anymore. However, if you have about $660 burning a hole in your pocket, the bundle can be all yours via an eBay auction here. You even get the prize letter from Coca Cola to make you feel like you've won something.
Ricoh unveils First Anniversary GR Digital camera
Following up on Canon's own celebratory diamond IXUS, Ricoh is tooting its own horn by releasing a vividly-colored GR Digital to commemorate 10 years of the GR series and the first anniversary of its digital flavor. Presumably sporting the same 8-megapixel sensor and peculiar fixed lens, this special edition boasts an unmistakable paint job featuring "a blue sky and clouds" with "angel figures on the front and top of the enclosure," care of renowned Japanese illustrator Katsuya Terada. In addition to the atypical artwork, the camera includes a wrist strap and angel-themed dust cloth, and unsurprisingly lacks an MSRP -- but considering these units are limited to 1,000 (and the ordinary version already demands $700), only the most serious Terada aficionados should probably apply.[Via PhotographyBlog]
Pokemond Diamond and Pearl break sales records?
We knew the launch was crazy, but this is ridiculous: some (unconfirmed) sources over at 4 color rebellion are stating that the entire launch allocation of two million copies of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl have completed sold out ... in less than a day. Furthermore, half a million DS Lites (including the new special edition, shown here) flew off the shelves as well. Next week's sales numbers should be ... interesting, to say the least. We're not sure, but this might be an all-time sales record in Japan, and if one takes into account the proportional population of Japan versus the U.S., Pokemon Diamond and Pearl exceeds even Halo 2's ridiculous first day numbers (2.4 million sold in 24 hours). Take that, Master Chief.
Winning Eleven Special Edition DS
So, Nintendo finally tossed us a bone and set the Black and Pink version of the DS Lite for release in North America. Still, any real gamer knows that all the awesome special edition everythings are Japan-only, and this little beauty is no exception. Soocer/football fans, go ahead and drool...the stylistic playbook sketch makes the Onyx Lite that much hotter. Sure, if you want it badly enough, you can import it...but who knows how much you'll be paying?
An exhaustive list of DS variants
We knew Nintendo is down with special editions, but we never suspected it had gotten this bad. I mean, there's over 30 different units here! Collectors the world over are being crushed under the weight of such pressures. If you want to know what the Japanese, Australian, or European DS systems look like, they're here. How about Alan Cumming's or 50 Cent's? They're there too. Mario Kart special editions, Electroplankton special editions, Nintendogs special editions, all there! Even these glittery thingies (pictured) which are only available at the Nintendo World Store in NYC are there.Nintendo, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. I know you can get better... just be sure to make a Zelda one first!
