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How much?! Importers charging several arms and legs for DSi [update]
Click to enter our DSi gallery. When the Nintendo DSi launches on November 1st, it will cost Japanese consumers ¥18,900, or the equivalent of $200 at current exchange rates. Alas, import stores apparently didn't get that memo. Earlier this week, YesAsia was one of the first major importers to open its DSi preorder scheme, demanding an eye-watering price of $299.99 for Nintendo's upgraded handheld. That's a 50% rise on what you'd pay on a Japanese high street.Since then, others have followed suit, with Play-Asia opening its preorders yesterday at the same price. A quick scan of Google's Shopping channel turned up the following offers (bear in mind the top three will also add shipping costs): YesAsia.com: $299.99 Play-Asia.com: $299.99 Model-Gadget.com: $272.29 Gadget-Asia.com: $318.30 (free shipping) Egads! It appears importers, rather than Nintendo, are dictating prices here, and even though the likes of Renchi have yet to start offering preorders, we can assume they will also be pricing the systems at roughly $300. Anybody still tempted?Update: Renchi has now updated its DSi preorder page: they're offering handhelds for $298, but reserve the right to make price adjustments based on demand. That doesn't sound good.%Gallery-33263%
Ouendan 2 sale redux
Did you miss out on Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (that's a mouthful) when it was on sale around the holidays at Play-Asia? Never fear, dear readers, because the game is selling for cheap once again. This time, importer YesAsia is the site responsible for giving joy to rhythm game loving DS owners who don't live in Japan.The price was slashed from its original import cost of $50.99, and now will only set you back $31.99. Making the deal even better, YesAsia offers free shipping with the item. The total may still sound costly, but trust our Ouendan-loving hearts when we say that it's well worth it.The only thing to be wary of is YesAsia's claim that the game "usually ships within 21 days." We hope that doesn't mean you have to wait too long for it, and that Ouendan 2 will ship sooner rather than later. Buying the title at a reduced price might make the possible wait a little easier to swallow, though.[Thanks, Brian!]
YesAsia clearance may be worth clearing your wallet out for
Importer YesAsia has a clearance sale going on right now, and, as may be expected of clearance sales, the stock is limited to things they couldn't sell before. In terms of DS stuff, that means Japanese versions of games that saw domestic releases, and items that nobody in the U.S. has heard of, for the most part.While some of the imports are either too Japanese or still too expensive, sifting through the stock does reveal a few interesting items, like the Japanese version of Card Fighters DS for $11.49, Heroes of Mana for $17.99, and Slide Adventure Mag Kid, which gets a small, but meaningful, discount at $43.95. Or, if you have a bunch of money to spend on "clearance" items, you can pick up the Ring of Fates DS bundle for $300.The sale is also a great opportunity to pick up a Japanese DS Lite case, as there are many variants in stock, including (continuing with the Ring of Fates theme) the Ring of Fates accessory pack. We've only linked to the DS items (for some reason ... ) but YesAsia is clearing out items for other systems as well.[Via NeoGAF]
GPS receiver available for importers
Now that Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is out, many hardcore gamers will probably want to find the PSP's GPS peripheral so they can unlock even more content in Snake's latest adventure. After instantly selling out on amazon.com's Japanese website, it appears that the GPS device is now available for eager importers:Play-Asia has them in stock for $68.70 ($59.90 + $8.80 shipping).Yes Asia has them in stock for $63.49 ($63.49 + free shipping).See also:The GPS games: more details revealedGetting excited about GPS[Thanks, Joel!]
Tales of Phantasia features new goodies on PSP
Bandai Namco sure loves the PSP. They're responsible for at least four Tales games on the PSP: Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Eternia, Tales of the World, and a remake of Tales of Phantasia. None of these games have any plans on crossing over to America (why?!), so avid Tales fans have no choice but to look to import shops. To add insult to injury, Bandai Namco released new screens and details about Tales of Phantasia: Full Voice Edition. If it wasn't obvious from the title, the game features full voice acting, a great plus for fans of seiyuu. There's also a new gameplay element: Grade Shop, where players can trade their Grade points to alter gameplay mechanics, like experience points, difficulty, HP and more. It sounds very similar to Tales of Symphonia's system.Also, those who pre-order the game will also receive a: "special DVD, containing an original drama, interviews with voice actors, an artwork gallery and trailers of cherished event scenes." For you blokes that don't live in Japan, you can import it from YesAsia.com for $50, shipped.See also:New screenshots from Game Watch[Via IGN Boards]
Japanese PSP releases for the week of July 25th
Nippon terebi geimu wo shiyoka? You know the PSP can play games from all over the world, right? So, if you're tired of all those PSP games that are released here in the States, then maybe you should consider importing some games from the land of the rising sun. Here are this week's releases: Bleach: Heat the Soul 3The insanely popular Bleach anime series gets a third fighter for the PSP. It received a 28/40 in Weekly Famitsu. Bomberman PortableIt's Bomberman. Does it need any more explanation? And with Game Sharing, you can play with one UMD. It got a 26/40 in Weekly Famitsu. Portable Island: Te no Hira no ResortThis is a ridiculously boring "game" that has you having all the fun of being stuck on a deserted island. Ultraman Fightman Evolution 0Ultraman is still around in Japan for some reason. If you like men in tights fighting each other, you'll want to pick this up. It got a 25/40 in Weekly Famitsu. I'd recommend getting Bleach: Heat the Soul 3. It's by far the prettiest game of the bunch, as you can tell by the video embedded above. And, it's provided in a language that everyone can understand: beat things up. You can import it from YesAsia.com for about $49, shipped.[Via IGN]
