SuccessHK are taking preorders for this DS Game, heres the details:



The no holds barred, sci-fi fighting franchise is reborn on the Nintendo DS. Guilty Gear Dust Strikers features all 21 Guilty Gear characters from previous versions, but now the battle takes place on multiple levels across both DS screens with up to 4 players at once. Players will have to navigate different types of floors and traps as they battle versus CPU characters or via wireless connections in "battle royal" rules where the last person standing is the winner. The game features six modes of play including Arcade, Story and VS Battle plus seven unique touch screen mini games and a Robo Ky Factory where you can customize your fighting moves.

...

SuccessHK are taking preorders for this DS Game, heres the details:



Brain Age presents quick mental activities that help keep your DS brain in shape. Activities include quickly solving simple math problems, counting people going in and out of a house simultaneously, drawing pictures on the Touch Screen, reading classic literature out loud, and more. You can also play Sudoku, the number puzzle game which has become an extremely popular feature in U.S. newspapers
Brain Age is inspired by the research of Professor Ryuta Kawashima, a prominent Japanese neuroscientist. His studies evaluated the impact of performing certain reading and mathematic exercises to help stimulate the brain.



Price:USD 24.74 ...

SuccessHK are taking preorders for this DS Game, heres the details:



Brain Age presents quick mental activities that help keep your DS brain in shape. Activities include quickly solving simple math problems, counting people going in and out of a house simultaneously, drawing pictures on the Touch Screen, reading classic literature out loud, and more. You can also play Sudoku, the number puzzle game which has become an extremely popular feature in U.S. newspapers
Brain Age is inspired by the research of Professor Ryuta Kawashima, a prominent Japanese neuroscientist. His studies evaluated the impact of performing certain reading and mathematic exercises to help stimulate the brain.



Price:USD 24.74 ...

Being a Nintendo fan is hard work these days, especially with the 83 million blogs out there cross-pollinating each other with baseless rumour after baseless rumour, duping many readers into believing they comprise anything more than a lonely young man still living in his mum's spare room.

The latest rumour to have baselessly fledged from the Nest of Evil foretells a major announcement from Nintendo on April 20th of this year, next Thursday to be exact. Already dubbed ThursdayTon in some circles, the bloggers would have you believe that all of us within the Nintendo circle of trust have NDAs set to expire next week, soaking the world in a veritable shower of Revolution information which, according to which rubbish fansite you read, a Revolution projector, a virtual reality helmet or a touch-sensitive Revmote add-on.

It's not true. None of it. There is no announcement scheduled for next Thursday, at least as far as the press has been briefed. There might be an announcement of course. In fact, next Thursday has 60.83:1 chance of seeing a Nintendo announcement of some magnitude, working on the assumption that it will make six major announcements per year.

So what were we talking about? It's all back on!

Nintendo has hinted that the Revolution has more functionality than has already been announced, though we very much doubt such secrets will be splashed less than three weeks before E3.

http://news.spong.com/article/9882 ...

If you’re looking for an iPod dock/speaker system, preferably one that looks like a bandaid and has a silly name, the Pod Cowboy iBass is available in white and black (with matching remote) and will set you back ¥9,000 in Japan or $99 from AudioCubes.

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/porta...ker-166770.php ...

Microsoft is reportedly eyeing Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and South African launches for its console in the next 18 months.
After bringing the Xbox 360 to market in America, Canada, parts of Europe, and Japan last holiday season, Microsoft set to work filling in the territorial gaps in between. Already this year the console has launched in Mexico, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Colombia, Taiwan, New Zealand, and Australia, and at least one Microsoft suit has indicated a desire to launch in China in 2006. The list of Xbox 360-equipped countries looks to grow even more, as The Financial Times is reporting that Microsoft has plans to launch its system in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa in the next 18 months.

In particular, The Financial Times focuses on the Eastern Europe launch. It says Microsoft is aiming to target Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Russia with the Xbox 360, and that Microsoft's plans call for it to initiate the launch through specialty game retailers and international retailers like Germany's Media Markt or DSG International, the British owner of Dixons, Currys, and PC World. Outside of the UK, DSG's retail brands include Elkjøp, UniEuro, Kotsovolos, Electro World, and PC City.

Chris Lewis, Microsoft's head of Xbox operations for the regions in question, told The Times that the expansion into new territories was instrumental in the company's strategy to fend off Sony and its forthcoming PlayStation 3. He also said Microsoft, which has already made high-profile acquisitions of European development studios Rare and Lionhead, would continue to cater to European tastes, and possibly might create niche offerings for specific countries.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6147481.html ...

A new report has confirmed that the Nintendo DS dominated the Japanese games market during the 2005 financial year, with more than 4 million units sold and four of the five top-selling games identified as DS titles.

According to the Famitsu magazine report, which was partially translated by Gamasutra, Japanese consumers purchased 4.32 million Nintendo DS units in total - more than double the figure for the Sony PSP of 2.07 million units.

The PlayStation 2 is still going strong in Japan and ranked in third place, with 1.77 million consoles sold last year. The Xbox 360, which was launched in the territory last December, has failed to set the market alight - sales figures stand at 120,000 units.

Animal Crossing: Wild World was the best-selling game of the year, with 2.34 million units shifted. PS2 title Final Fantasy XII, which sold 2.05 million units, was in second place, followed by brain exercise games Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training and Motto Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training - selling 1.85 million and 1.7 million units respectively. And finally, Mario Kart DS sold 1.21 million copies, placing it in fifth position.

It comes as no surprise that the Nintendo DS has performed so well - it's widely known that the handheld was a hit with Japanese consumers from day one, and the redesigned DS Lite, which launched on March 2nd, has also proved to be hugely popular.

However, it seems likely that some of the DS's thunder will be stolen later this year with the release of the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution. Microsoft will have a tough fight on its hands, since the original Xbox performed extremely poorly in Japan - and Xbox 360 sales have been disappointing so far. A recent report claimed MS plans to relaunch the console this June in a bid to boost sales and secure a stronger foothold in the market before the rival machines launch.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16062 ...

A new report has confirmed that the Nintendo DS dominated the Japanese games market during the 2005 financial year, with more than 4 million units sold and four of the five top-selling games identified as DS titles.

According to the Famitsu magazine report, which was partially translated by Gamasutra, Japanese consumers purchased 4.32 million Nintendo DS units in total - more than double the figure for the Sony PSP of 2.07 million units.

The PlayStation 2 is still going strong in Japan and ranked in third place, with 1.77 million consoles sold last year. The Xbox 360, which was launched in the territory last December, has failed to set the market alight - sales figures stand at 120,000 units.

Animal Crossing: Wild World was the best-selling game of the year, with 2.34 million units shifted. PS2 title Final Fantasy XII, which sold 2.05 million units, was in second place, followed by brain exercise games Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training and Motto Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training - selling 1.85 million and 1.7 million units respectively. And finally, Mario Kart DS sold 1.21 million copies, placing it in fifth position.

It comes as no surprise that the Nintendo DS has performed so well - it's widely known that the handheld was a hit with Japanese consumers from day one, and the redesigned DS Lite, which launched on March 2nd, has also proved to be hugely popular.

However, it seems likely that some of the DS's thunder will be stolen later this year with the release of the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution. Microsoft will have a tough fight on its hands, since the original Xbox performed extremely poorly in Japan - and Xbox 360 sales have been disappointing so far. A recent report claimed MS plans to relaunch the console this June in a bid to boost sales and secure a stronger foothold in the market before the rival machines launch.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16062 ...

Multi-picture deal secured with Paramount Pictures

Significantly expanding the range of content available through Xbox Live and creating a unique cross-marketing initiative, Microsoft and Paramount Pictures have unveiled the new Xbox Movie Showcase service.

Beginning with the release of an HD trailer for Paramount's forthcoming summer blockbuster, Mission: Impossible III, the Movie Showcase will offer the rapidly expanding Xbox Live community a selection of free-to-download content that includes film trailers, exclusive themes, graphics and customisation content for the Xbox 360.

Additionally, featured movie stars including Jack Black (star of the forthcoming Nacho Libre, the trailer and digital content for which is soon to appear on Xbox Live) will also be taking part in Microsoft's community-based "Game with Fame", where gamers can enter for a chance to play an online game with their favourite celebrity.

Aaron Greenberg, group marketing manager, Xbox Live, commented: "Paramount shares our commitment to providing an entertaining and meaningful gaming experience for Xbox gamers. We're excited to be starting out on this multi-picture campaign and look forward to continuing to provide compelling entertainment experiences to gamers everywhere."

As part of the agreement, Paramount DVDs will also be promoted in Xbox 360 kiosks using a Digital Entertainment Lifestyle video in over 30,000 retail stores worldwide.

Gerry Rich, Paramount's president of worldwide motion picture marketing, added: "This ground-breaking agreement takes interactive marketing and digital entertainment to new heights, representing the perfect match between gamers and the summer movies they can't wait to see."

Microsoft's Xbox Live service, which is an integral part of the multimedia and community features of the Xbox 360 console, has achieved tremendous success so far, boasting a subscriber base of more than 2 million consumers worldwide, which continues to grow each day. According to the Microsoft, Xbox Live is used to send more than 600,000 text messages each day, and its Marketplace service has recorded over 10 million content downloads to date.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16081 ...