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The Great DS Lite Heist
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Portable/Mobile,
An entire shipment of black Nintendo DS Lite units was stolen on the way to the exclusive European release. The shipment was stolen in Hong Kong and is valued at 2.32 Million dollars. Officials believe that the units are currently being sold on the black market, and are offering a $128,831 USD reward for information about the heist. If the missing units were valued at US retail price that would amount to roughly 17,829 missing DS Lite units. At this point it is unclear what effect this will have on the European launch which is set for June 23rd.
Read More 
| Play Gadgets
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Louisville Kentucky will host the first World Series of Video Games (WSVG) this week. Over 500 professional gamers are expected to participate in the contest presented by Intel and sponsored by Xbox 360. “Video games are now a true competitive sport,” said Matt Ringel, WSVG founder, who decide it was high time someone create a pro circuit for video gamers. Registered participants will vie for $110,000 in cash and prizes from Thursday through Sunday of this week. There will be other activities available for gamers and non-gamers alike. Lanwar will present MillionManLan 5 offering some seats to amateur gamers in conjunction with the tournament. There will also be a Miss WSVG contest. The event will be held at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Read More | The Courier-Journal
May Game Sales Fall
Posted by Thea Davis Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360,
Video games sales for the month of May fell 10.2%, according to market research group NPD. (Data for May does not include PC game sales.) Nintendo held the top spot in sales with “New Super Mario Bros.” as well as the third spot with its “Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day” title. Square Enix’s “Kingdom Hearts II” held the second spot. The lag in video game sales is seen as a temporary blimp largely attributed to the fact that consumers are awaiting the debut of new gaming consoles in the fall. In related news, Nintendo has sold a reported 136,000 units of the new DS Lite system in the United States on Sunday and Monday, virtually matching the pace of the original DS unit.
Top Five Game Sales for May
- New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
- Kingdom Hearts II (Square Enix)
- Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (Nintendo)
- God of War (Sony)
- Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Take-Two / Bethesda)
Read More | Washington Post
Mario Hoops 3 On 3 Controls Revealed
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Screenshots, Sports,
Siliconera has a great article up explaining how the controls will work in the upcoming Nintendo DS title Mario Hoops 3 on 3. Although I am excited about this game, I hadn’t given much thought to the control scheme it will use. Mario Hoops 3 on 3 uses the touchpad for dribbling, shooting, and stealing the ball as well as performing character specific special shots. Hopefully Nintendo has implemented this innovative control scheme in a user-friendly manner, as it is unclear what functions will be assigned to the other buttons. I can only hope Mario Hoops 3 on 3 will be as good as my favorite 3 on 3 classic Tiny Toon Adventures: Acme All-Stars for the Sega Genesis.
Read More 
| Siliconera
A new online game, a MMOG called “Naughty America: The Game” let’s players do everything, including have virtual sex or even choose to meet in the real world. The game will retail in adult stores as well as be available for download online. The download option is causing some controversy, as some worry about the techniques being employed to verify that a downloader is not a minor. The game developers insure that the game is only targeted to a mature audience and that appropriate age validation techniques are in place. Still, some child-protection agencies, like “Enough Is Enough,” aren’t buying it. Those in the industry seem to feel the self-policing works. It will remain to be seen however, whether the controversy and associated publicity will translate into an increase in game subscribers.
Read More | ABC News
DS Lite Selling Well In US
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo DS,
According to a Reuters report, the Nintendo DS Lite sold 136,500 units in its first two days on sale in the United States, putting it on a pace to match the sales of the original DS launch. More than likely, more units could have sold in the US, given more supply, as many brick-and-mortar retailers are sold out of the console, and a number of online retailers are back ordered as well. The number of sales for the new DS are very strong, considering that this is basically a refined and upgraded version of the regular DS. This is probably due to the rather clunky design of the original, combined with both the looks and improved screen quality of the DS Lite.
Read More | Yahoo News
PSP Vending Machines Coming Soon To A Mall Near You
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Accessories, Culture, Hardware, PSP, Release Dates,
Buying new video game systems is always an experience that gets your heart racing - the thrill of removing the shrink wrap, the joy of getting your first fingerprints on the glossy exterior. Well, now you can have all the excitement of getting a PSP without the pesky nuisance of actually dealing with people. According to twice.com, Sony is test-marketing a series of “Sony Access” vending machines that will sell items such as PSPs, video games, MP3 players, and digital cameras.
Three trial machines were recently placed in malls in Georgia, Colorado, and California, with more to follow (assuming they’re successful.) Fortunately, you don’t have to pay with hundreds of singles…the machine accepts both debit and credit cards and will automatically cancel your order if something goes wrong.
Read More | twice.com via TechLiving.com
Why Low Frame Rates, Dumb AI, and Glitches Are Here To Stay
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Culture, Hardware, Internet,
1up.com has posted an interesting piece talking to a bunch of game developers about next-gen consoles and why we’ll never quite get the amazing AI and smooth-as-silk graphics we’re always promised. Nathan Martz from Double Fine notes that creating smart AI is still one of the most difficult programming problems out there and tends to get sent to the back-burner since the purpose of most enemies is to “put up a bit of a fight and then die in an interesting way.” He also comments on framerate issues, noting that “features tend to be more marketable than framerate, so most of the time features win out.”
Good reading for anyone interested in how the games industry operates. Made me think back to the days when I was wowed by the visuals on the 7th Guest box art, only to find that my poor 486-SX could only manage about 5 fps. Things have definitely improved since then. Still, according to these folks, even with the processing power that the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii are offering us we’re still likely to see our fair share of choppy framerates and monstrous load times. Hopefully some folks in the industry are taking notes and working on making games play better as well as just looking better.
Read More | 1Up
Test Drive Unlimited Beta Sign Up
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, Internet, PlayStation 2,
Atari has opened a beta sign up form for United States Playstation 2 owners with a broadband connection to test their foray in the “massively open online racing” genre. Those users with a PS2 capable of connecting to the internet can sign up to give feedback on “tuning and balancing, assessing online stability, and general functionality testing” for the new game. Test Drive: Unlimited will be based in the real world location of Oahu, Hawaii, and according to Atari will feature over 1000 miles of roads, and numerous real-life cars and motorcycles for the user to race and upgrade. The retail game is currently scheduled for a September, 2006, release on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 2 platforms. Atari clearly wants to give the impression that the Playstation 2 game will have most of the Xbox Live functionality built-in, and how close they get will be seen first by gamers lucky enough to get into the closed beta.
Read More | Beta Signup Form
Sony Japan To Offer Loco Roco Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, Hot Deals, PSP,
Sony Computer Entertainment of Japan announced that they will be releasing two limited edition PSP bundles, including their new game Loco Roco. The bundle will include a copy of the game, a 32 MB memory card, AC adapter, and the choice of either the ceramic white or black PSP for 24,800 Yen. A decent enough deal considering that the core PSP without memory card runs 19,800 Yen, and the Loco Roco will retail for 4,800 Yen. In addition to the PSP bundle, Sony is releasing a limited edition Loco Roco themed PSP carrying case, at 1,575 Yen, about $13.
With the online available flash demos, and these special bundles, it appears Sony is trying to get more casual gamers to approach the PSP, aping somewhat the success path of the Nintendo DS. Considering that at some points, the DS has outsold the PSP at ratios of 5:1 and greater, Sony must try something to gain market-share in Japan. In the US, the markets are much closer, though with the release of the DS Lite and Nintendo’s “Touch Generations” campaign, things might shift into Nintendo’s favor. At this point, however, with Sony running neck and neck with Nintendo of America, it is unlikely that gamers will see such bundles and special offers in this territory.
Read More | Sony Japan
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