via IGN,

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via IGN,

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via IGN,

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via Game Informer

SNK Playmore USA today announced Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Volume 1 for the PlayStation 2. This collection includes Fatal Fury 1, 2, 3, and Special, which is the first time the Fatal Fury franchise has seen the light of day on consoles in North America. Many of the SNK characters and locations made their first appearances in the Fatal Fury franchise.

"With the release of Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Volume 1 for the PlayStation 2 system, a brand-new generation of gamers will be introduced to one of SNK Playmore's fighting classics," said Ben Herman, president of SNK Playmore USA, "and gamers who loved playing Fatal Fury in the arcades will relish the chance to revisit the golden age of 2D fighters."

This collection will be available this Summer. ...

(VERY long read)

Via Canada.com

The stratospheric rise of Nintendo's latest gaming system has been nothing shy of Wii-markable, flattening Sony's PS3 and charging after Microsoft's Xbox 360.

The company is thriving in markets around the world. The Wii was the top-selling console system in Canada, the Nintendo DS handheld was the top-selling portable gaming system, and Nintendo held the top four spots for games (Pokemon Diamond Version DS, Pokemon Pearl Version DS, Wii Play, and Super Paper Mario for Wii) for the period of April 8 to May 5, according to the latest Canadian figures released by independent market researchers NPD Group Inc.

Nintendo boasted the same achievements in the United States while in France the 15 top-selling games are all for Nintendo systems.

"We're ecstatic over the explosive appeal of Wii and Nintendo DS," said vice president and general manager of Nintendo of Canada Ron Bertram.

At the November 2006 launch of the Wii in Toronto, Bertram anticipated good things for the console and hoped for "a strong second place" showing. The actual success is beyond anyone's expectations. In less than five months since introduction, the company has sold six million Wii systems globally and nearly 29 million Wii games. The console has taken a step toward becoming a cultural phenomenon.

"Wii is selling out everything we put into the marketplace," said Reggie Fils-Aime, president and CEO of Nintendo of America, speaking at a conference in Seattle on May 22 to announce sales achievements and upcoming games for the company.

Sony's PS3, which launched about the same time as the Wii, has sold just 1.84 million units worldwide, while Microsoft has sold more than 10 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide. The 360, launched in November 2005, had a year head-start over the others. Nintendo now expects to have sold 14 million Wiis by the end of its first fiscal year, March 2008, and has ramped up production to meet the demand.

In comparison, about 22 million GameCubes have been sold since its launch in November 2001. Sony's PS2, which launched in October 2000, has sold more than 106 million units around the world but there is now debate over whether Sony can maintain its dominance over the industry.

The reason for Nintendo's rise is its approach to new consumers and giving them something different, said Fils-Aime.

With its innovative motion-sensing controller, Wii gamers get as close to the action as possible. Players swing the controller like a baseball bat or golf club, leap around their living rooms to make a backhand return in tennis, jab madly away at the air in a boxing bout, and point it at the screen to aim their weapons. Sitting on the couch and pressing buttons just doesn't cut it anymore.

The Wii remote controller is also simple to use. It's based more on gestures than button combinations, so there are very few gadgets on it, making it less intimidating to people who've never played games before.

Nintendo has also taken aim at non-gamers with titles that veer away from the shooters and racers that appeal to males aged 18 to 35.

The game plan is based on the book Blue Ocean Strategy, which suggests that with too many companies fighting for the same consumers, no one can truly grow.

Tomorrow's leading companies will succeed not by battling competitors, the book's authors argue, but by creating "blue oceans" of uncontested market space. In terms of video games, those oceans are teeming with females, seniors and 40- to 50-year-old businessmen.

"We're not just competing with Sony and Microsoft anymore. We're competing with movies and other leisure activities," said Fils-Aime.

Nintendo began feeding non-gamers with Nintendogs, a non-competitive and quirky game that requires people to adopt, care for, and raise a computerized canine companion. It has since put out a series of puzzle games, and a collection of mentally stimulating mini-games to test thinking, memorization, analysis, identification and computation.

Consequently, "the market is changing in unprecedented ways," said Fils-Aime. "There's no question consumers are picking up a controller who've never played before. And these games are becoming a part of everyday life for many of them."

Recent data shows an increase of 127 per cent in people 35 years old and up purchasing a DS device, for which most of the brain games have been produced. The female contingent in that is up 42 per cent.

Another 16 per cent of men over 50 report they play games regularly, while 10 per cent of women over 50 are also regular users.

The pattern of consumers purchasing video games is also changing. ...

New Zelda Phantom Hourglass Screens

Latest shots of the biggest DS game this year!

Here are some great new screenshots of perhaps the most eagerly anticipated DS game of the year: The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

The screens are taken from the Japanese version of the game (due for release in June) and show Link battling enemies with his sword, sailing on the high seas and sneakinga round some dungeons. There are also some images taken from the brilliant cut-scenes

With its charming Wind Waker-style visuals, Phantom Hourglass is probably the best looking DS game ever and, after completing Twilight Princess, Nintendo fans will be looking forward to getting stuck into Link's latest adventure.

More info and screenshots. ...

So you've heard about the Wiimotes smashing an expensive TV set, walls or even people. Then a flood gate of cases and rubber silicon gloves were being sold. Well, Elecom has taken it a step further to ensure that your wet slipper butterfinger hands doesnt let go of that remote. They have added a strap to the back of the cover to ensure that the Wiimote does not fall and slip out.

Clicking on the link below will also show you three other covers that they will be releasing. One is a cover but instead of a strap, it has grooves for better gripping. Another cover features an opening for the battery compartment. This is great for easy access to batteries rather than having to remove or lift the cover. This may also be helpful for those rechargeable battery packs with special battery door covers.

No price has been announced or a way to order but they will be available in three different colors: Clear, Black and Blue.

Source: Elecom

DIGG THIS
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[06/06/2007] GHPSP Cable review:

I finally got my hands on the GHPSP cable and spent some time testing it.
As it's moby competitor, it features solid factory build - everything is sealed in robust plasic, connectors fit well, all contacts are gold-plated, etc.

GHPSP cable scores extra points though:
- It's thinner and softer than the Moby cable.
- It has audio pass-through connector, so one can plug in headphones, car stereo, etc. This is a nice feature, considering that sound support slowly but surely makes it in to MapThis. Also, with programs like IRShell, one can multitask MapThis with mp3 player and listen to music while keeping eye on the map.
BTW, shipping only took a couple of days.. So if you consider using MapThis! with Holux receivers this cable is probably your best solution to the date.




PC-mobile just anounced availablity of new GPS cables, specifically designed for mapThis! map viewer.
The cables and some additional info are available @
http://pc-mobile.net/pspgps.htm

GHPSP - Holux GPSlim 236/240 cable for PSP
One piece non-interchangebale cable, with 3.5mm stereo headphone jack passthrough
Cable length: 120cm $ 16.50


GPSP - Interface for our GPS cables
with headphone passthrough so you can connect headphone or route the sound to external speakers of hi-fi.



The second cable provides a way to connect PSP with other GPS devises like Garmin E-type, R-type; Magellan Meridian/SporTrak GPS; Garmin Rino 110, 120, 130 and many others.

Please note that so far only the GHPSP cable has been officially confirmed to work with MapThis. MapThis! compatibility with other devices mentioned above is still under question. ...

New from Success HK



Product Features of Nintendo Wii Dual Shock Joypad for Gamecube

Analog controller with vibration feedback
Eight completely analog action buttons
Analog sticks with rubber coating
100% Compatible with Wii ...