Quote:Our Friday morning began with the arrival of a brand spankin' new Game Boy Micro. We're going to be putting it through its paces all day long, but for now, we're giving you a truckload of comparison shots, and a few tidbits that you probably didn't know about Nintendo's newest handheld.



1. The removable faceplates include the screen, so if you scratch up the screen of your Micro, you can get a new faceplate. This also means, be very careful when you're removing or replacing to not get finger prints on the actual screen, or the back of the faceplate's screen.

2. To remove the faceplate, you can use your finger nails to loosen the right side of the screen, but a pin or needle needs to be used on the right side of the screen to pop the screen out entirely.

3. Current Game Boy Advance link cables, battery chargers, and wireless adapters will not work with the Micro.

4. The start and select buttons light up blue when the Micro is charged, and red when the battery is fading.

5. The volume controls also double as the screen brightness controls. By pressing the left shoulder button you'll be able to adjust screen brightness.

That's all we have for right now. Check back later when we finish up our play test.

Have any questions about the unit? Hit this thread in our forums, and we'll address them!


-Billy Berghammer

Quote:NINTENDO NEWS: METROID PRIME HUNTERS WILL BE WI-FI READY

Aug. 26, 2005

Since the Nintendo DS™ first launched with demo versions of Metroid® Prime Hunters, fans have been clamoring for the completed version of the game. Their patience has paid off. Metroid Prime Hunters will launch in the first quarter of 2006, complete with access to Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo’s upcoming online gaming service. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will debut before the end of the year with a Mario Kart® and an Animal Crossing® game, and will let players connect wirelessly with one another as easily as if they were sitting in the same room.

For the first time, fans can get their hands on a trial version of the new single-player mission of Metroid Prime Hunters this weekend at the Penny Arcade Expo in Bellevue, Wash. Attendees also can see three previously unreleased bounty hunter characters in the game. These include Sylux, a ruthless sharpshooter who harbors an intense hatred for Metroid heroine Samus Aran; Trace, a young outcast who seeks power and a planet to invade; and Weavel, a cyborg Space Pirate assassin. For more information and videos of the bounty hunters in action, visit www.metroidhunters.com.

Quote:In an interview just cropping up on flaccid, if connected IGN, Nintendo America’s head of communications Perrin Kaplan has savaged Microsoft, in an unexpected attack aimed at undermining the software giant’s chances in the Japanese market.

"Xbox has no recognition at all in Japan and very few people are aware of or anticipating Xbox 2 at this point," she said. "Microsoft has had no success in the Japan market and they were required to attract such developers in order to have a chance in the market. Further, those developers won't be making software for that system that are currently known and loved on other systems, such as Kirby."

Of course, it’s no secret that Microsoft has struggled in Japan, though it looks as though Xbox 360 will have as good a chance as any console might have in the market when launched. Speaking exclusively to SPOnG, Xbox VP Peter Moore said, “Where [Xbox 360] is today in Japan is one of our success stories. Now the proof of the puddin’s always in the tastin’. And you'll see that this holiday at launch. But I couldn’t be more proud of where we’re at there [Japan] right now. The first generation saw a very disappointing launch and the progress for the first generation has been disappointing.”

And on the dismal showing of the first machine Moore stated, “…it was a combination of not having the right content at launch, and when I say right content I mean not even having the promise of a role-playing game or anything like that. It wasn’t there. Secondly, the industrial design was not palatable…” You can the read the entire interview here.

Kaplan goes on to talk about the plans for the next-generation of home consoles and again shows off the bullish (Reggie-inspired) stance now taken at Nintendo’s Redmond office. “At this point, all gamers know what makes Nintendo unique -- innovation, creativity, beloved franchises -- things our company does better than nearly any other in the gaming business. It's these kinds of experiences that make Nintendo products unique, and gamers know that. No matter how new, flashy, or attractive another system may seem, there's something special about the name Nintendo that will always appeal to gamers of all kinds. Our ability to create entertainment experiences like no other makes us proud. We remain solidly dedicated to the sole art of gaming," asserts Kaplan. "It is too early for Nintendo to discuss our strategy for Revolution, but I can tell you that we have much experience running a successful global video game company, and Nintendo will come to the dance extremely well-dressed."

Updates on everything next-gen, especially mud-slinging, right here, as it breaks.

Quote: In six days’ time Europe will experience the biggest hardware launch since PlayStation 2 in 2000, with Sony insisting that any competition with Nintendo is ‘irrelevant’.

And after a hard year for the High Street, PSP brings with it what the trade hopes will be a long-awaited turning point in the fortunes of the market and the promise of a bumper Q4.

Despite shortages, Sony’s handheld has already launched to great success in Japan and the US. And while delays have pushed back the release of the system in PAL territories until September 1st, the £179.99 unit is expected to prove a sell-out.

With the final part of the global launch jigsaw almost in place, backed with a massive £10m cross-media marketing campaign, SCEE expects its dominance in the home console arena to drive its debut handheld system to success, dismissing the challenge of sector leader Nintendo.

“The idea of a handheld rivalry with Nintendo is an irrelevance,” VP of studios Phil Harrison insisted to MCV. “Those formats don’t appear in our planning. It’s not a fair comparison; not fair on them, I should stress. That sounds arrogant, maybe, but it’s the truth.

“Nintendo knows its target audience, because it has really narrowed that down; and it’s pretty much defined by a boy or girl’s ability to admire Pokémon.

“With the DS, it’s fair to say that Nintendo stepped out of the technical race and went for a feature differentiation with the touch screen,” Harrison continued. “But I fear that it won’t have a lasting impact beyond that of a gimmick – so the long-lasting appeal of the platform is at peril as a direct result of that.”

But Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter believes there is enough room for both systems in the market: “Longterm, I see DS expanding Nintendo's demographic upward to the high teens,” he told MCV. “I see Sony’s PSP expanding the ‘mobile’ demographic to the 30s. Both will expand the overall market by providing an outlet for gameplay beyond the home or office.”



The face of the enemy

Sony may be dominant in the home console field, but it has a long way to go to match Nintendo’s handheld achievements...

Game Boy Range
Total global hardware sales (as of 9/04): 176.8m
GBA
Total global sales: 67.7m (inc. SP)
Total PAL sales: 15 million (inc. SP)
Nintendo DS
Total global sales: 6.65m
Total PAL sales: 1.3m (inc. 300k in UK)



Big hitters at launch

While its movie and music playback features will prove a draw, PSP’s ultimate success is dependent on its game content. MCV highlights a trio of titles carrying great expectations...

GTA: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar)
A dream title for SCEE to have in the launch window, retail has been briefed to expect Rockstar’s original, fully 3D adventure to release in October. And with early reactions bordering on the hysterically positive, this has ‘system seller’ written all over it.
Ridge Racer (SCEE)
An integral part of the PlayStation story, Namco’s latest Ridge Racer offers the definitive arcade petrol-fuelled experience.
WipEout Pure (SCEE)
Another title synonymous with Brand PlayStation, Sony Liverpool has conjured another fast and furious, future perfect racing thriller.

Anyone else get (or plan to get) this amazing dog simulator? Sure, it sounds kind of gimmicky, but the realism is amazing. Down to the smallest detail and the tiniest bit of dog movements. It's really something, I could see this being a big hit here just as in Japan if it gets enough exposure.

I've adopted (to start with) a golden retriever named Penny. She's already learned her name, in addition to Sit, Lie Down, Shake Paw, Jump, and Chase Tail. She came in first place at the Agility competition and got pretty good, but not finalist, scores in the obedience competition. She's getting better on walks and, last time, she found a bone she's been gnawing on ever since. Anyone else adopted any dogs today?

The Revolution controller to be revealed September 16th.

BELIEVE.

Who knows if it's true or not but I will say this. With the massive amount of hype this thing has gotten anything less grand than jacking into the Matrix will be a letdown for most.

Is it possible that Nintendo (or its fan base) could over-hype the Revolution to the point that nothing short of heaven in a box will meet expectations?

There's talk of a controller that has full analog tilt and gyroscopes to distribute 'weight' while playing. Even talk of a trackball which, if you think about it, would make perfect sense. A trackball gives you better control than a stick. But the rumores also suggest that the trackball would have extremely advanced force feedback, not just 'rumble' but actual force feedback. Or it could all be one through the groscopic nature of the controller.

couple that with an affordable system that is wi-fi out of the box and connects to a free network along with downloadable content that includes Nintendo's enture library of games that will recieve technical and artistic makeovers along with some third parties which could include Sega, Capcom and Square who would host their games that were released for Nintendo's systems over the decades.

It is a console that has not been done before, an idea that has never seen the light of day. A true Revolution in this industry.

If the rumors above are true, then how could anyone be disappointed?

http://games.kikizo.com/news/200508/141_p1.asp

Yep, they are making it, and it's for the next generation. I'm sure at least one lost sheep would have loved to hear this.

In a world ravashed by fear, only an Eye Witness protection agent played by Samuel L. Jackson can foil the most nafarious of plots ever concieved.

http://www.blackfilm.com/20050819/featur...lane.shtml

Tasked with the protection of a vital eye witness to a mafia crime ring, Samuel L. Jackson's character enters the plane thinking that this is just going to be another typical snake inspection.



"Hi, I am John McMongoose from Eye Witness Protection's special Snake Inspection Squad. I would like to inspect your plane of snakes."

With the plane thoroughly inspected for deadly assasin snakes, the plane takes flight. Little did John know that the snake assasins' human counterparts would hide them by duct taping them to the plane's ceiling! As the adhesive of the tape wears off, unweary passengers below are mildly annoyed when snakes begin to fall from the ceiling on top of them!



Gasp! Tragedy has struck. Luckily, for Keenan's friend and fellow star of Good Burger, he did not make it to the flight because he was running late from his acting class.



An awkward moment between the witness and one of the snakes occurs when the snake tries to cuddle with him rather than attacking.



Samuel L. Jackson arrives just at the right moment to save the victim, reassuring him that it wasn't his fault or the way he dressed, and not to be ashamed of himself. Counselling sessions are promplty scheduled on Jackson's taser phone.