This is going to be hard to top. Japanese website Akiba Blog has run a post saying that Dragon Quest IX went on sale last night.

According to Akiba Blog, over two-thousand people lined up at midnight today for DQIX. Midnight. Today. Today is April 1, and Dragon Quest IX is slated for release this July. This is according to the website. Note: people did not actually line up for it last night! The website merely has faked the launch.

Still, very cruel for those who woke up today and checked Akiba Blog website and thought they'd missed the game's launch — especially considering the number of times Dragon Quest IX has been delayed and how many Japanese gamers are impatiently waiting for it.

Still, don't be surprised if frazzled individuals are running around Akihabara, frantically looking for DQIX after reading this Akiba Blog post. If you happen to see any, be sure to let them know the game is sold out and new shipments are expected shortly.

This is just one of many April Fools jokes circulating on the Japanese internet. Website Canned Dogs has a great round-up of today's pranks. Stand outs include a Queen's Blade live action flick, SNK announcing Star Radish and a retro version iDOLM@STER.

Wii Height is pretty great, too.

http://kotaku.com/5192983/the-cruele...-joke-in-japan ...

Outspoken Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that his company’s WiiWare and DSiWare digital content platforms are a great opportunity for all developers – from the big to the small.
“We’ve shown that the opportunity is quite significant,” Reggie told Venturebeat. “For the NoA territories, 90 per cent of the content is from third parties. Also, in the NoA territories, 18 of the top 20 titles in sales volume have been third party titles. We think it’s a fantastic platform for highly innovative, small development companies to bring their content to the marketplace.
And following news at GDC that an upcoming Wii firmware update will allow gamers to play titles direct from an SD card, Reggie is confident that the Wii will become an established indie publishing platform.

“We’re sensitive that Wii storage has prevented some developers from really embracing the idea. We showcased a solution for that at GDC. Based on everyone I have talked to, speaking right to developers at technical conference, there is huge excitement not just for WiiWare but for DSiWare too.”

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/284...at-opportunity ...

A patch that adds Trophy support to Singstar on PS3 has been released today, according to reports.

Not only can virtual vocalists prompt that satisfying 'bling' sound with there voice box, but unlocking some of the 35 new trophies will, for the first time in a PS3 title, earn you rewards in Home.

The trophy lists hitting the internet don't specify exactly what goodies are unlocked, but at least the trophy crossover is a positive step towards the full 3D trophy cabinets Sony promised when Home was first announced.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=212260 ...

The numbers behind the PS2 and PSOne’s price drops to $99 are radically different — and show how the machine’s 10-year-cycles have been nothing alike.
***
The PSOne was released in Japan in December 1994 and in North America in September 1995 (for $299).
Less than four years later in the U.S.…
The PSOne dropped to $99 on August 16, 1999
By that point, Sony had shipped more than 58.4 million consoles and more than 462 million games worldwide.*
***
The PS2 launched in Japan in March 2000 and in North America in October 2000 (for $299).
More than eight years later in the U.S.…
The PS2 will drop to $99 in April 2009.
By that point, Sony claims the system will have sold more than 138.7 million consoles and almost 1.5 billion games worldwide. *
So it took the PS2 twice as long to get down to $99 as did the PSOne, in which time the PS2 sold more than twice as many consoles and three times as many games.
Imagine what the PS2 sales could have been had the system dropped to $99 four years ago. Then again, Sony didn’t have to do that. In the PSOne era, the Nintendo 64 was a solid competitor for a few years. In the PS2 era, the Xbox and GameCube put up a meeker fight.
Note that the PSOne sold more units after the $99 price drop than it did before, as the system now has sold more than 100 million units.
One other conclusion that’s too obvious to ignore: Sony dropped the PSOne to $99 before the PS2 was released. The PS2 has dropped to $99 more than two years after the launch of its successor.
Two consoles. Two alleged 10-year-cycles. Big differences.

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/...ple-the-games/ ...

Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime has said the company does not believe second hand game sales are in the best interest of consumers.

He said that consumers prefer brand new products, and claimed that sales of second hand goods in other entertainment mediums has not been successful.

"We don’t believe used games are in the best interest of the consumer" Fils-Aime told Venture Beat.

"We have products that consumers want to hold onto. They want to play all of the levels of a Zelda game and unlock all of the levels. A game like Personal Trainer Cooking has a long life."

He continued: "Describe another form of entertainment that has a vibrant used goods market. Used books have never taken off. You don’t see businesses selling used music CDs or used DVDs. Why? The consumer likes having a brand-new experience and reliving it over and over again. If you create the right type of experience, that also happens in videogames."

Fils-Aime suggested that some retailers can't make the second hand business model work, despite trying to copy competitors who have made it successful.

"We just think it’s a bad idea," he insisted. "The one retailer that has a substantial business in this has figured out a way that is effective for the consumer.

"That’s tough for other retailers experimenting with this, in part because their employees don’t have the expertise in this market."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...best-interests ...

Call of Duty: World at War's Map Pack 1 has been downloaded over one million times within its first week on sale for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, according to Activision.

Treyarch's downloadable content features four maps and is available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation Store for USD 9.99.

"I'm proud that the team at Treyarch delivered an experience that so many people are enjoying," said Mark Lamia, studio head for Treyarch.

"We're excited that the success of Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1 will continue to drive the popularity of the game's Nazi Zombie mode, competitive multiplayer and chart-breaking success online."

Maria Stipp, Activision's EVP and GM of owned properties, added: "The success of Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1 speaks to Treyarch and Activision's ability to provide fans with quality content during a time when people want to get the most out of their Call of Duty experience."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...lion-downloads ...

Call of Duty: World at War's Map Pack 1 has been downloaded over one million times within its first week on sale for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, according to Activision.

Treyarch's downloadable content features four maps and is available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation Store for USD 9.99.

"I'm proud that the team at Treyarch delivered an experience that so many people are enjoying," said Mark Lamia, studio head for Treyarch.

"We're excited that the success of Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1 will continue to drive the popularity of the game's Nazi Zombie mode, competitive multiplayer and chart-breaking success online."

Maria Stipp, Activision's EVP and GM of owned properties, added: "The success of Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1 speaks to Treyarch and Activision's ability to provide fans with quality content during a time when people want to get the most out of their Call of Duty experience."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...lion-downloads ...

Ahead of the DSi launch this Friday, retailers across the UK have advised consumers to pre-order the handheld as free stock supply begins to run dry.

Consumer demand for the latest iteration to Nintendo's handheld, priced GBP 149, is already threatened to outstrip retailers' supply across the UK, and could leave some early adopters disappointed.

"The supply is tight, there's just not a great amount of stock out there," Don McCabe, managing director of UK retailer Chips, told GamesIndustry.biz.

"Basically everything that we're getting in is already pre-sold before it hits the shop floor. It's a 100 per cent sell out for us," he explained, adding: "Our concern is when the next batch is in and we haven't had an announcement on that yet."

"We're letting customers know that the sooner they put a deposit down the further up the queue they are and when the next batch comes in, if they're the first in the queue then they'll be the first to get one.

McCabe said the pre-orders had been from early adopters and that Nintendo still had some work to do to convince the average consumer that the DSi was a worthwhile upgrade.

"I think a few people are asking why they should upgrade," he commented. "The initial batch will be taken up by the first adopters but I get the feeling a lot of people don't really know what they're going to do with it yet."

He added: "I think Nintendo have a little bit of job to do on the machine to make it a long-term success for them. I'm sure they will do it."

Entertainment retailer HMV also encouraged consumers to place pre-orders ahead of Friday's launch sales, amid escalating demand.

"Pre-orders have been strong on DSi from day one, and with both ourselves and Nintendo ramping up press and PR activity this week, we expect to see them increase even more going into Friday," Toby Burton, HMV's senior games buyer, explained to GamesIndustry.biz.

"At HMV we've put a lot of time and effort into raising consumer awareness of the product, and encouraging customers to place a pre-order in-store, backed by our strong free memory card and re-play deals. We've had a great response from our customers, and with this in mind we feel pre-orders have lived up to our high expectations.

"Obviously we still have a few days to go until launch, so we're expecting some further pre-orders, but we do envisage that we will have some unreserved stock for day one, which I think will go down well at street-level.

"However, we are encouraging our customers to place a pre-order with us to avoid disappointment, as we cannot guarantee that we will have free stock available in all of our stores. We always do our best to satisfy customer demand, but this very much depends on the availability of DSi hardware from Nintendo."

ShopTo's Igor Cipolletta echoed previous comments by saying that pre-orders had been "going very well", but doesn't see supply falling short of demand.

"We've had a good allocation from Nintendo and will be able to have loose units for day one release," he explained.

"I believe that this time Nintendo has managed to predict the sell out units and manufacture the right quantity for the day one allocation, but officially they are already on allocation and we should know better the week after release if their predictions were correct."

Play.com described "phenomenal" levels of pre-orders, of over 250 per cent more than the DS Lite's during the same pre-launch period.

"We've worked very closely with Nintendo to ensure every pre-order we take will be fulfilled and we're confident enough to guarantee delivery of every DSi order and as always we'll do everything we can to remain in stock so every customer has the opportunity to purchase this fantastic console," commented a spokesperson.

Nintendo has said it has no plans for any midnight store openings for the launch of the handheld this Friday, citing that the "DSi is an evolution of the DS family and both platforms will sit alongside each other."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...for-dsi-launch ...

This mod won't exactly help you much with Street Fighter IV or other button intensive games, but those that prefer to pass the time with the likes of Galaga or Xevious may want to strongly consider following the lead of our friend Mr. Pepsi Pants, and breath some new life into that NES Advantage controller collecting dust in your closet. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be a complete how-to available just yet, but the video after the break does demonstrate that this bridging of consoles is indeed possible, and no doubt simple enough for anyone with the necessary skills. What's more, it looks like an SNES Advantage mod is already on tap as a followup project, which should offer a bit more practicality while still maintaining some retro flavor.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/30/n...-xbox-360-use/ ...