So it turns out that ’speculation’ about a newer, larger screened DSi was bang on, as Nintendo officially announced a new version of their dual-screened console this morning. The DSi LL will be available in Japan on November 21st for about $220, and will later be renamed the DSi XL for the Europe market when it’s available there in Q1 of 2010. As for availability in North America? Currently unknown.
The biggest improvement on the LL/XL is the 4.2 inch screens, a full inch larger than the ones the DSi sports. It’s also claimed to have about 1 to 3 hours more battery life than the DSi depending on screen brightness, but since the new model is considerably larger and about 50% heavier than the DSi, there’s plenty of space for a larger battery. And in addition to the standard DS stylus, the DSi LL/XL also appears to come with a larger “touch pen” that’s 4cm longer and considerably more ergonomic than the built-in one.
Throughout their lifespans the Nintendo 64 and the Gamecube came in a variety of different colors, and if I remember correctly, the Cube was even available in black or purple right at launch. But the Wii has been a different story. Since it launched everyone has had to settle for a white console, though that limitation clearly hasn’t had much impact on its sales. But there is hope that the Wii might eventually get a splash of color.
Today Nintendo announced a black Wiimote bundle that will be available this holiday season. The bundle includes a black Wiimote, black Wii Jacket and a black version of the Wii MotionPlus dongle, but if you want a matching black Nunchuck, you’ll have to buy that separately. There’s still no black version of the Wii coming to North America mind you, but this is a step in the right direction.
There’s already some pretty impressive progress being made and the video you see here can’t really be described with an adjective any weaker than “freaking insane”. Just watch it, it’s worth it. And if you’re into developing artificial intelligence algorithms, why not enter?
Don’t fret too much if you missed out on that complete Nintendo Game & Watch collection auction we posted last week. Not only did you save yourself 11 grand, but it turns out Nintendo has actually re-released some of the more popular G&W titles, but smaller! These Mini Classics include Mario’s Cement Factory, Donkey Kong Junior and Super Mario Bros. but are now small enough to fit on a keychain. They also include basic clock and alarm functions and have a retractable stand in the back allowing them to be used as a desktop clock if for some reason your PC/cellphone/watch have all stopped telling the time. $16 each from Firebox.com.
I think we’ve all grudgingly accepted that the Wii is a magnet for crappy gaming accessories, but the DS? The little dual-screen handheld that could? It’s almost painful to see the ridiculous types of add-ons game designers have created that essentially negate the DS’s portability. So what’s next you might ask? Well Namco Bandai have a new piano learning title called Easy Piano that comes with an eight note full-octave keyboard peripheral allowing newcomers to play along with various tutorials.
More advanced pianists will be able to play classics from Mozart and Beethoven or more modern fare like Bohemian Rhapsody and Jingle Bells. And there’s also a create mode that will record up to three minutes of a performance so you can show others why that ridiculous keyboard peripheral was actually a good investment.
Easy Piano should be available in “PAL territories” this November for an undisclosed sum.
The easiest way to carry a handful of NDS games with you is to use one of the many ‘less than legal’ flash carts currently available. But we all know that Nintendo frowns on such devices, even if you’re only running games you’ve actually purchased. So the ‘Blaze’ Game Selector available from Superufo for just $13.42 is unfortunately the next best thing. It’s a rather clunky accessory that piggybacks on the DS’s top screen and allows you to carry and switch between 3 DS lite carts at the flick of a switch. While it’s cheap and probably works as advertised, I just can’t see why anyone would ever opt for something as ridiculous as this.
Back in the day you could buy a special cartridge for your Super Nintendo known as the ‘Super Game Boy‘ that allowed you to play Game Boy titles on your TV. But apparently someone felt that using the Super Nintendo’s controller for a Game Boy game was just too confusing, which led to the creation of this bizarre accessory known as the Super Gameboy Commander. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that it has the same button layout as the Game Boy did, with a few extra ones allowing you to also play Super Nintendo (or Super Famicom) titles with it.
I find it hard to believe that anyone using the Super Game Boy would be jamming Tetris pieces in the wrong places because they were confused by the SNES’s control pad, and I find it even harder to believe that there would still be a market for this thing today. But believe it or not, NCSX is selling them brand new in their original boxes for $19.90.
As a kid, not only did I not know anyone with a Nintendo Power Glove, but I didn’t know anyone who wanted one either. So I’m not sure why a third-party company, Reality Quest in this case, thought that someone would want a similar accessory for the N64. Like the Power Glove, ‘The Glove’ controller (as it’s so originally called) doesn’t have any motion sensing technology at all. It just features the various buttons and the analog stick from the N64’s controller engineered into a contraption designed to strap to your forearm, with a slot for the rumble pak underneath.
If you’re a hardcore Nintendo fan this might make a unique addition to your collection, but it with a ‘Buy It Now’ price of just $39.99 it’s obvious the seller isn’t expecting there to be much demand for it these days either.
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