Wow, this is a pretty cool setup right here. A professional photographer was sick of lugging his laptop around to photo shoots, so he rigged up his Nintendo DS and custom-coded some software to do the heavy lifting instead. He even leveraged the microphone on the DS to make his camera snap photos when triggered by sound. It also does other stuff that I don’t understand like providing unlimited shot brackets, acting as a very-precise intervalometer, and working in bulb-mode. He’s thinking of selling kits for $100 (DS not included), which seems like a pretty good deal. [via BBG] → Read More
The limited edition Nintendo DS featuring Pokémon characters will be making a stateside release. The black DS was exclusive to Japan for a while, but will “soon” be headed to your local retail establishment. Well, so claims an employee from GameStop. The DS, which will cost $129, comes with a bunch of Pokémon stuff, including a Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DVD and a carrying case. My only question is: who still plays the game? Children, or people who grew up with the first Pokémon series 10 years ago (like me)? Obviously plenty of people are (just chose a random NPD sales chart and you’ll see one of the games there), I just was curious as to the demographics. → Read More
The modding issue has always been a touchy one. In case you’re not aware of it, there are available for almost every game console or handheld a number of hardware-based hacks that allow one to play pirated games and/or homebrew applications. These range from simple boot discs to soldering extra connectors to your console’s boards to simple flash drive-based frontends that take advantage of security holes in the system. Like P2P software (or, say, a gun), it’s not inherently illegal, but it is an enabler for illegal acts. The DS’s well-known interface (the GBA cart interface) and extensive feature set have drawn pirates and developers alike. And very early in the handheld’s life, a special cartridge with writable memory (essentially a small flash drive with a GBA cart interface) became available. The types and capabilities soon multiplied, and in this writer’s opinion Nintendo missed the boat on containing this mess. While there is a burgeoning homebrew community for the DS and other consoles, it’s no surprise that more people use it to play pirated ROMs downloaded from the internet. Nintendo has had enough, apparently, and is suing five Japanese firms (unnamed)(R4 among others) associated with piratical behaviors. I could have just told you that in the beginning, but then I wouldn’t have been able to write all those words up there. Update: Predictably, sales of the R4 Revolution (and others, I assume) have increased by a huge amount. Maybe there’s some insider trading going on here. → Read More
It’s all in Japanese, but you only need to see the actual gameplay footage to figure out whether or not you’ll be shelling out the dough for this game from Namco Bandai. It launches in Japan on September 18th and a US launch is sure to follow shortly after if it doesn’t launch simultaneously. → Read More
You know those DS cards that are ostensibly used for software development or “homebrew,” but are really used to pirate games left, right and center? Yeah, the Brits have just figured that out, and now want to discourage retailers from carrying one model in particular, the R4. The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association infringes some sort of copyright law over there, and consequently should no longer be sold. Will British retailers buckle under the pressure? (Probably.) Will pirates be annoyed? (Definitely.) via Kotaku → Read More
http://www.gamevideos.com//swf/gamevideos11.swf?embedded=1&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&src=http://www.gamevideos.com/video/videoListXML%3Fid%3D19795%26ordinal%3D%26adPlay%3Dfalse This is the trailer to the Nintendo DS version of Chrono Trigger. It’s not a 3D re-make in the vein of Final Fantasy III, but rather a “re-mastered” version of the game, like how U2 releases re-masters every other year. (War comes out July 21!) And really, that’s all Sqaure Enix had to do to satisfy, say, every one of the game’s fans. Now where’s Chrono Trigger 2? via 1UP → Read More
So… Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS, anyone? Right now, all that’s there is the clock from the game’s title sequence alongside the Nintendo DS logo, but that’s enough to get folks like Devin and I fairly excited. Remake or port, though? Given Square’s habit of re-releasing the Final Fantasy in DS-3D, my guess is re-make. The game was good, to say the least. via Penny- Arcade Forums → Read More
Flickr’d Wild speculation today from Forbes, which believes that, with the upcoming App Store, the iPhone can mount a serious challenge against the Nintendo DS. It’s a common thesis, one that’s bandied about in message boards and salons all over the land. It goes, since the iPhone already has a touchscreen interface, like the DS, as well as an accelerometer, it has the necessary controls to be taken seriously as a gaming platform. But that’s not really Forbes’ concern; it’s all about the money for them. Hence, the App Store. → Read More
http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?umid=222607 This is a joke, right? I’m not even talking about the d-bag singing in the background. I was wondering how this would work on the DS and now I’m a little bit disappointed. I think I’ll pass, I prefer the console version. → Read More
Another touchscreen DJ thing to point out, this time for the Nintendo DS. It’s called Protein[DS] and will apparently be released for your homebrew pleasure in a couple days. I think it’s more for kicks than a Godskitchen residency. One can dream, though, I suppose. → Read More
If you have a Nintendo DS and are always losing the tiny charger, then this large charging dock is just what you need. With this 17 dollar bad boy sitting on your desk, you will never have a reason to have a dead DS during your lunch break. Since this item has not officially shipped, I have no way of knowing how well it works. The only thing I can say about it now is it come in two colors (black and white) and looks stylish. When I say stylish, I really mean it will look good next to your Macbook. → Read More
I’ve only played the Game Boy Advance versions of the Advance Wars series, but from what I hear, they just keep getting better. Days of Ruin, the latest installment, is supposed to be no exception, though it’s a break from the light, cartoony style of its predecessors. The darker art style and more mature plot might help people understand that this is, indeed, a very deep strategy game. The series is also very fun, but hard as hell. Get it for nearly half off at Amazon for a limited time. → Read More
http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcrunchgear%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F852902&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Fscripts%2Fflash%2Fshowplayer%2Eswf Sometimes I hate my job and sometimes I love my job. Yesterday was a mix of both. Luckily it ended on a more pleasant note. Why? Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s because Sega decided to drop by the office and let me play Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk before launch. → Read More
http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcrunchgear%2Eblip%2Etv%2Frss&file=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Frss%2Fflash%2F784452&showplayerpath=http%3A%2F%2Fblip%2Etv%2Fscripts%2Fflash%2Fshowplayer%2Eswf So I just sat down with Hoplite Research’s President and CEO Manny Granillo where he gave CG a full rundown of Myst for the DS. This isn’t a stripped down version, either. It’s the original game that’s been ported and slightly modified for the DS platform. I played Myst for a very short time on the PC over a decade ago so it was weird to play it again on the DS, but it was the exact same thing. Myst for the DS is slated for May 18 so we’ll have a comprehensive review of it just before then. In the meantime enjoy watching me play and seeing the new features. → Read More
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