Tag: DS Lite « sgGamers

And We Get Lite-d

I’ve been following the DS Lite news for a couple of weeks now, so it’s only fitting to round it all up…

The DS Lite has been launched in Singapore!

Available in the standard Japanese colours of Pure White, Ice Blue and Enamel Navy. It comes with a 220V adaptor so you don’t have to lug around a stepdown transformer to prevent your DS Lite from exploding, and the usual stuff. And three months warranty, which by the way does not cover screen defects.

Oh, and it has to be bundled with a Capcom game – Resident Evil Deadly Silence, Viewtiful Joe Double Trouble, Mega Man Battle Network or FIFA World Cup Germany 2006.

I’m not going to make recommendations or judge whether it’s worth buying though. You’ll just have to hope the shop you go to has alternative stock for the DS Lite, so that you can make a fair comparison between getting a local set and a parallel-import one.

I’ll just wait around for my precious black set.

Still Solid And Going

It’s been a long time for updates, but hey, busy weeks and a general lack-of-gaming mood do take their toll on people. And of course, the World Cup.

I don’t watch the World Cup, but I’ve been drawn into its whirlpool by having to do stuff about it. Soccer video games anyone?

Winning Eleven, FIFA, Football Manager… And hey, try the newly-released Sensible Soccer for something different.

In other news, it seems like the PlayStation 2 is still outselling the Xbox 360 over in the United States. Not surprising, considering the different price points. Perhaps when the PlayStation 3 is launched with that crazy-insane price point of theirs that we’ll have a more accurate comparison on how many hardcore gamers buy either console.

And then there is the DS Lite, which has been released in the US. Heads up, people. It’s selling for less than $250 here if I got my prices right, which means that unless you really, really want your local warranty (which incidentally doesn’t cover dead pixels these days) and local power adapter, it’s time to move into the Lite era.

In fact, with my speculation of the local launch price, go get the US set anyway. Or wait another twelve days for the local set to be launched. Yes baby, 25 June.

I’m still going to wait for my preciousss black.

Black Is The New… Black

Something not altogether gaming-related, but one of my interests nevertheless – the MacBook was released in black just four days ago.

Alright, that’s enough Mac-whoring for now. Back to business.

The DS Lite’s coming out in black! Finally, a complement to the really hot Crystal White we’re all used to. It’s also launching in what’s known as Polar White, though whether it’s any different or just a simple rename is still up for speculation.

Black or white? Well, I guess it’ll depend on my mood when I finally buy one. My normal, fat DS is black, by the way.

Alas, only announced in Europe for now, though I’ll expect Japan and US to bring the colours in too. Check out the pictures, yeah?

And here’s hoping Maxsoft (exclusive distributor for Nintendo in Singapore) brings black in too. Consider this one vote for it.

Lite Price Speculation

A couple of days ago, Nintendo issued a press release announcing the DS Lite’s launch in the United States.

The price? US$129.99, or a rough S$215 after conversion. It’s currently selling in Japan for 16,800 yen, or S$240.

A quote I’ve received from a game shop in Singapore was S$329. That’s expensive, but altogether reasonable considering how high the DS Lite’s demand is. Factor in markups by middlemen here and there, and by the game shop itself, and S$329 is actually considered quite reasonable by Singapore standards.

But hey, I’m the silly one who rushed out to get a normal DS after hearing rumours that the local distributor could price it as high as S$400. After hearing about the US release price though, I highly doubt so.

Then again, it was supposed to be launched in mid-April, and it’s already May.

My take on the DS Lite’s price in Singapore? Up to S$299, to be launched in mid to late June. That’s from the distributor’s track record, a quick analysis of international launch dates, and throwing in a bit of price differentiation into the factor. People do need to clear out their normal DS’es, you know.

For those of you looking to jump into the fray now and get a DS, I’ll say hold your horses unless you really, really have to play a game. Or you could consider one of the many normal DS’es available on the second-hand market for as low as S$100.

BRAIN-AGE! Train Other Parts Of Your Body!

The first time I saw Brain Age, it was at the IT Show 2006 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre. Brain Age was the game featured with Nintendo’s DS Lite, and wow did it rock then.

Here’s the curious thing: Brain Age is played with the DS on its side. So the touch-screen would be on your right, and the actual screen on the left.

And something interesting about me? I’m left-handed.

The great thing about Brain Age is that it’s nice enough to look out for southpaws and offer to rotate the DS the other way around. But of course, during the IT Show, we didn’t know that. All we had access to was Quick Play, after all. So I was writing numbers with my right hand, which isn’t all that hard a task, given Brain Age’s excellent handwriting recognition.

Here’s the thing I’ve been doing for the past month or so. I’ve been playing 押忍！闘え！応援団 [Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan], which is the ultimate music game for the DS and my all-time favourite… and something for everyone. With my right hand.

Timing and rhythm, it’s not easy playing games with your non-dominant hand. In fact, it almost makes you seem retarded, since your other hand is usually slower. So yes, it’s like training your other hand, you know.

I’d love to hear stories of others using their non-dominant hands to play games. Do share them if you have any.

2006 April Fools’ Roundup

Every year on that faithful day, I’ll get tricked some way or another. And then I’ll not realize it was an April Fools’ joke until someone tells me. And I get disappointed.

So for all of you, the following links are all not true, unless the reverse psychology doesn’t work and it turns out to be an innocent, true-blue announcement that just happened to fall on that day or a couple of days before (as many would set to make the joke appear more believable).

For starters, here’s something from one of the most popular game sites these days, GameSpot. Heh, a round-up of the top ten Final Fantasy games of all time… without any of the main games except Final Fantasy VIII in it.

An amusing and fairly realistic read, for sure. Until you start wondering where Final Fantasy VII or V or VI or XI are. There was another piece on the World of StarCraft, but I couldn’t find it. So duh, no links.

From the Blizzard side, we have your new Alliance race for World of WarCraft. Just like the Two-Headed Ogres last year, Blizzard introduces elements of gameplay that would be really creative if implemented, but alas, are just for the day.

But there’s the patch notes for version 1.11 for the World of WarCraft enthusiasts. Funny, but what’s all that about Mac users? Bleh.

I wouldn’t mind opening a BurgerCraft franchise in Singapore. A true gamers’ cafe, that’s what it will be.

Here’s something about Sony cancelling the PlayStation 3. O-M-F-G, you say. It even comes with a realistic (sans anti-phishing browsers) press release.

Talking about the PlayStation 3, here’s something to counter the above. Yes, Grand Theft Auto: Chicago. Imagine doing all your erm… playing on the streets of Chicago!

Moving on to the other high-definition next-generation console, don’t we all wish Microsoft would start slashing prices? Now, imagine if they dropped it by US$100. I’m sure more people would snatch up the consoles and make it sell out even more than it already has.

Heh, I wouldn’t mind them discontinuing the Core System. I don’t even see those green boxes in stores. Neither would I mind them producing a backwards compatibility kit so that I can play my games using the wireless controller and in high-definition.

Now if only there was a Barbie game for the 360 to attract the young girls.

It seems like the 360’s the talk of the town, so much so that a Nintendo DS fansite is converting to a 360 fansite. Aww, what a pity. It’s amusing, but there are plenty of new games that have been released for the Nintendo DS. Whatever is that admin saying?

Like for example, New Super Mario Bros. Which, according to this site, is only compatible with the DS Lite. Uh, what? I’m going to get my DS Lite sooner or later, so this doesn’t worry me.

Or the much awaited Zelda game for the DS. If the stuff in this interview were true, the Zelda game would be pretty extreme.

nPlay? Are we going to get yet another letter to mock now, after the “i”? Heh.

I still haven’t touched Pikmin, so I can’t tell how news of Pikmin 3 would affect anyone but hardcore Pikmin fans. News for the couple of you who like this game, anyway.

Moving on to the much-neglected handheld of Nintendo these days, here’s a crossover game for it. Yep, it’s Mega Man Solid X: Gun of The Mavericks for the Game Boy Advance. The screenshots look pretty solid, but gameplay wise… Nobody can tell.

More random stuff? Would Sonic Team ever name one of their future games Sonic X-Treme or anything similar? That name is just so blah.

And something that caught me by surprise and made me giggle inside… A review of Duke Nukem Forever!!! There’s actually something concrete about the game that has been in development since… since… 1997!

To end this, here’s something along the lines of Google Romance (yes, I know it’s not something gaming-related, but they’re taking over the world anyway) – a match-up (literally) service for Command & Conquer. Perfect for the lonely gamer… although they should really interview these two game-shop owners I know who did meet on Command & Conquer. Kudos to those who know who those two are.

To everyone out there, have a great April, and stay real.