Filed under: Nintendo DS
Japanese hardware sales, Feb. 16 - Feb. 22: Spit-take edition
by Griffin McElroy 
{ 8 months ago }
We thought it would be considerate to give you guys the ever-so-brief history of the knee-jerk reaction you're likely about to experience, depending on your level of self-investment in the overseas gaming electronics market, and whether or not you're currently drinking a nice, refreshing beverage. Amidst substantial drops in weekly sales totals for all its competitors, the rarely triumphant Xbox 360 pulled off a spectacular ascent with an increase of over 15,000 units. It performed this feat by riding upon the comfortable, pillowy back of Star Ocean: The Last Hope, a 360 exclusive that sold over 162,000 copies in its release week.
Then again, perhaps news that a Square Enix title featuring vaguely effeminate dudes pushed Japanese sales of its designated system doesn't surprise you to the point of expectoration. Your unflappable, steely nerves keep you from being startled by sales figures, let alone the GIANT SPIDER THAT'S ON YOUR SHOULDER. (Yeah, that probably did the trick.)
- DSi: 41,839
11,644 (21.77%)- PSP: 29,552
4,704 (13.73%)- Xbox 360: 25,334
15,501 (157.64%)- Wii: 16,973
4,043 (19.24%)- PS3: 16,149
2,507 (13.44%) - DS Lite: 9,975
4,835 (32.65%) - PS2: 5,029
303 (5.68%)[Source: Media Create]
See: The expectorating archives
Original DSi design had two DS slots, disliked by Nintendo EAD
by Griffin McElroy { 9 months ago }
One of the interesting features that fell by the wayside during this compromise was an additional DS cart slot, allowing the handheld to house two titles simultaneously. This feature was apparently included in the DSi's initial design, but lent itself to a slightly bulkier frame for the handheld, much to the chagrin of Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development division. They shot the design down, leading to the single-cart, slimmed-down design that's currently taking Japan by storm. Man, where were those guys when the Virtual Boy was designed?
Joystiq impressions: DiRT 2
by Randy Nelson { 9 months ago }
click for bigger, dirtier image
The series that gave our own Ludwig Kietzmann his first gaming injury is thundering back this September on, well, pretty much every platform imaginable. Last night we were treated -- and it was a treat -- to a first look at in-game footage from Codemasters' hotly anticipated rally racer, DiRT 2.
There are some fundamental changes coming to the series for its second go-round. The biggest of which is a very strong focus on marrying rally racing with the world of extreme sports. Inspired by X-Games icons such as Dave Mirra strapping in behind the wheel and taking the sport to new heights (and lengths! We watched a video of a rally car landing a flawless 181ft jump) the game's designers are ratcheting up the edge, but, more importantly to gameplay, introducing whole new elements. Rally on after the break for more.
There are some fundamental changes coming to the series for its second go-round. The biggest of which is a very strong focus on marrying rally racing with the world of extreme sports. Inspired by X-Games icons such as Dave Mirra strapping in behind the wheel and taking the sport to new heights (and lengths! We watched a video of a rally car landing a flawless 181ft jump) the game's designers are ratcheting up the edge, but, more importantly to gameplay, introducing whole new elements. Rally on after the break for more.
Note: all images associated with this preview are target renders (not to be confused with bullshots).
Japanese hardware sales, Feb. 2 - Feb. 8: Redundant redundancies edition
by Griffin McElroy { 9 months ago }
We've elected to simplify a startling number of positions here at the Institute, including Stat Trackers, Adders, Subtractors, Analyzers, Percentage Calculators, Red and Green Arrow Breeders, Pun Writers, Pun Editors, and our LOLcat Locator. We even restructured the guy who was in charge of the optimization procedures. We'd like to call this irony, but we can't be sure. We smartsized our Literary Device Examiner.
We also unhired our Witty Remark That Actually Pertains to The Current Week's Sales Figures Guy -- luckily, his services won't be needed, as this week's chart looks alarmingly similar to the last fifty. Just hop into our archives, and choose your favorite wisecrack. Take our word for it -- it'll still be relevant.
- DSi: 49,529
6,084 (10.94%)- PSP: 34,969
9,166 (20.77%)- Wii: 20,412
2,866 (12.31%)- PS3: 16,082
1,323 (7.60%) - DS Lite: 12,484
2,663 (17.58%) - Xbox 360: 8,311
204 (2.52%)- PS2: 5,089
245 (4.59%)[Source: Media Create]
See: The smartsized archives
D3 throwing Puzzle Quest: Galactrix launch event -- and you could be there
by Randy Nelson { 9 months ago }
What? The public being allowed into a game's launch event? We've never heard of such a thing. Okay, maybe we have. So has D3 Publisher, who is going to let the first 100 Joystiq readers that RSVP to PQGalactrixRSVP@d3p.us celebrate the release of its latest controlled substance Puzzle Quest game, Puzzle Quest Galactrix.
The event is being held in Los Angeles on Thursday, February 19 from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. -- so bear that in mind before emailing. The publisher isn't going to fly you there or anything.
The first 50 "chosen ones" who show up with a Nintendo DS will receive a pre-release copy of the DS version of Galactrix. They'll also be able to play every version of the game pre-launch and have a chance to win T-Shirts, calendars ... and potentially even a customized Galactrix DS Lite. To your email clients, dear readers!
Update: 2/15 - 11:40PM EST : Tickets are still available, feel free to email the address above.
The event is being held in Los Angeles on Thursday, February 19 from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. -- so bear that in mind before emailing. The publisher isn't going to fly you there or anything.
The first 50 "chosen ones" who show up with a Nintendo DS will receive a pre-release copy of the DS version of Galactrix. They'll also be able to play every version of the game pre-launch and have a chance to win T-Shirts, calendars ... and potentially even a customized Galactrix DS Lite. To your email clients, dear readers!
Update: 2/15 - 11:40PM EST : Tickets are still available, feel free to email the address above.
January NPD: Industry up 13% over Jan. '08, handhelds down 80% from Dec.
by Randy Nelson { 9 months ago }
With the 2008 holiday season behind us, this month's NPD sales data brings with it figures showing the inevitable -- and dramatic -- decline in hardware sold for the month of January '09. For instance, last December the Nintendo DS was the top-selling platform, with 3.04 million units moved that month alone. This month? 511K were sold. (It was still the second best selling hardware after the Wii.)
In the battle to decide who's going to play second fiddle to Nintendo, 360 continues to lead PS3 in sales, but the gap isn't nearly as wide as last month (roughly 106K versus December's 714K). Handheld saw the most significant drop-off in sales, with DS and PSP declining 82% and 83%, respectively.
Software-wise, there are only three platforms -- and companies -- to look at this month. Those would be the Wii, DS and 360 on the hardware representing the hardware on the backs of which EA, Activision and Nintendo rode to software sales success. EA's two most recent major releases, Skate 2 and Lord of the Rings: Conquest, both made it into the top 10.
Fun Fact: Three of this month's top games have something in common other than their publishers: they all have "Mario" in the title and they're all a bit ... dated. Mario Kart DS hit in 2005, New Super Mario Bros. in 2006 and Mario Kart Wii in April of last year. That's-a some lasting power!
In the battle to decide who's going to play second fiddle to Nintendo, 360 continues to lead PS3 in sales, but the gap isn't nearly as wide as last month (roughly 106K versus December's 714K). Handheld saw the most significant drop-off in sales, with DS and PSP declining 82% and 83%, respectively.
Software-wise, there are only three platforms -- and companies -- to look at this month. Those would be the Wii, DS and 360 on the hardware representing the hardware on the backs of which EA, Activision and Nintendo rode to software sales success. EA's two most recent major releases, Skate 2 and Lord of the Rings: Conquest, both made it into the top 10.
Fun Fact: Three of this month's top games have something in common other than their publishers: they all have "Mario" in the title and they're all a bit ... dated. Mario Kart DS hit in 2005, New Super Mario Bros. in 2006 and Mario Kart Wii in April of last year. That's-a some lasting power!
-Wii: 679K
1.47m (-68%)-DS: 511K
2.5m (-82%)-Xbox 360: 309K
1.1m (-76%)-PS3: 203K
523K (-72%)-PSP: 172K
848K (-83%)-PS2: 101K
309K (-75%)Check out the software sales chart after the break.
Grab 108 friends to watch this new Suikoden: Tierkreis trailer
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
Konami's new trailer for Suikoden: Tierkreis does an excellent job of making the handheld RPG look epic and exciting, mixing dynamic animated scenes with in-game battle footage -- even if the narrator does totally murder the pronunciation of the title.
The accompanying press release offers a bit more detail about the unique online mode in the sequel. Players will be able to visit other players' games via Wi-Fi, using the in-game "door to the Infinity." They can then be hired by their host players to help with quests, dividing up the experience at the end.
Konami calls the game "the fight of your life," but the company has the fight of its life coming up March 17, when it releases Tierkreis in North America on the RPG-overloaded DS.
Blood Bowl developer: making PS3 version 'a bit risky and expensive'
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
In an interview with Destructoid, the developer explained its apparent snub on the platform. "Cyanide is a small company," a representative said. "We have no previous experience on that platform [and] it would have been a bit risky and expensive for us. But, we are hoping to do a PS3 version if the game is selling well."
So, rather than a lack of faith in the platform, Cyanide has somewhat of a lack of faith in its own ability to develop for it without killing the budget. It still means no PS3 version for now, but it also means no janky, poorly ported PS3 version for now. That's ... something. And if the other versions of the game, coming out in Q2 of this year, are successful, we may see a (good) PS3 version yet.
[Via VG247]
Japanese hardware sales, Jan. 26 - Feb. 1: Money, money makin' edition
by Griffin McElroy { 9 months ago }
Here's the charts, which are boring. There, we said it. Their order has IT'S PEPSI TIME barely changed over the past two months, and aside from the post-holiday drop-off, the changes in sales figures haven't exactly razzle-dazzled us either. C'mon, Japanese console buyers. We wanna DRINK PEPSI-COLA ALL NIGHT AND DAY see some shifts of apocalyptic proportions next week. Everyone in Japan under the thrall of our voice -- go buy PEPSI a few Game Boy Pockets, and nothing else. That oughta do the trick.
- DSi: 55,613
3,995 (7.73%)- PSP: 44,135
5,855 (15.29%)- Wii: 23,278
3,492 (13.04%)- PS3: 17,405
303 (1.71%) - DS Lite: 15,147
1,461 (10.68%) - Xbox 360: 8,107
444 (5.79%)- PS2: 5,334
257 (5.06%)[Source: Media Create]
See: The TALL, SWEATY GLASS OF PEPSI-COLA archives
Nintendo denies official DS developer status to 'Bob's Game' creator
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
His entire (not quite) 100-day protest was based on the fact that Nintendo had yet to respond to his application for a Nintendo DS SDK, so official communication from the company is, in one sense, vindication for Pelloni. But in another, more accurate sense, it's a rejection letter.
The text of the letter offers clues as to why Pelloni was not approved: Nintendo expects "secure business facilities, sufficient equipment and staffing, financial stability and other attributes that would distinguish the developer." We assume that a sealed office that you pretend is an alien spaceship does not constitute "secure business facilities."
Even more telling is the statement that Nintendo "provides Authorized Developers with highly confidential information" and thus "exercises a very high level of discretion" when choosing to whom it grants SDK access. If he really has heard back from Nintendo (and we must express a modicum of doubt in regard to anything Bob's Game-related), then Bob's constant blogging of his own wait for approval seemingly ruined his chances of receiving that approval.
LEGO Battles break out on DS this summer
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
LEGO Battles, developed by Hellbent Games, sounds like a kind of LEGO-based strategy game, in which players build and defend bases in the LEGO Castle, Pirates and Space Themes, using units mixed and matched from the sets. The press release promises "pirate swordsmen fighting side-by-side with wizards and aliens; dragons battling ninjas; and pirate ships launching broadsides against spacecraft and knights!" In addition to the single-player mode, local multiplayer battles will also be available.
And because we haven't said the word "LEGO" enough in this post: LEGO.
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Japanese hardware sales, Jan. 19 - Jan. 25: Super prediction edition
by Griffin McElroy { 9 months ago }
How did we coerce this prophecy from the swirling ether of fate? It was a two-step process:
1. Despite protests from a number of concerned parties, we arranged a boxing match between a construction worker and an aged higher-up of the Catholic church to determine the winner.
2. To discern the numerical statistics, we handed an overzealous five-year-old a crayon and a piece of graph paper containing the first 700 digits of pi. Following our explicit instructions, he drew a breathtaking portrait of a certain ambulatory sponge on the paper. We divided said sponge in half, assigning the digits touching his symmetrical parts to statistics for each team. We gave the child a bag of Skittles, and returned him to his extremely worried parents.
Here's our final tally: Cardinals over Steelers with a final score of 88 to 2. We know, we were surprised as well -- who would have anticipated that Monsignor Francis would be so darn scrappy?
- DSi: 51,618
10,907 (17.44%)- PSP: 38,280
4,279 (10.05%)- Wii: 26,770
5,563 (17.21%)- PS3: 17,708
2,982 (14.41%) - DS Lite: 13,686
5,123 (27.24%) - Xbox 360: 7,663
1,913 (19.98%)- PS2: 5,077
683 (11.86%)[Source: Media Create]
See: The clairvoyant archives
Jilted Bob's Game creator fights back by littering
by Griffin McElroy { 9 months ago }
Pelloni's assault on Nintendo World took place on "Stage 50" of his 100-day sit-in protest (the rules of which can apparently be bent to allow for a brief littering excursion). He and his accomplices plastered the store's walls in Bob's Game posters, covered the floor with business cards, and filled store shelves with mock-up game cases. Given this latest desperate attention grab, and the fact that his once-humble development blog currently shows Pelloni consorting with aliens, we're guessing he's exchanged his game development ambitions for fleeting e-lebrity status. What a shame.
Iwata: Total DS install base could reach 152.2 million units
by Griffin McElroy { 9 months ago }
Iwata claims that should interest in the DS expand in the U.S. and Europe as it did in Japan (where nearly one in every five people currently tote the handheld), the system's install base will nearly double -- his estimate for the handheld's final tally is a nice, round 152.2 million units. That's ... a pretty specific number. We're not usually one for conspiracy theories, but we're wondering if that estimate isn't, you know, time machine-assisted.
Crave responds to Baby Pals controversy
by JC Fletcher { 9 months ago }
Crave sent a statement to GamePolitics regarding the bizarre audio sample in its Baby Pals DS game that seemed (to at least one parent) to sound like "Islam is the light". Doug Panter, the company's marketing director, confirmed the belief of rational folks: that the company did not slip an endorsement of any religion into its baby game. The licensed sound file, also found in Fisher-Price's Little Mommy Cuddle 'n Coo, is "a recording of a 5 month old baby babbling non-intelligible phrases," Panter said. "In over 200 hours of testing the product, no recognizable English words or phrases were discernible." He called the similarity between the baby's utterance and seemingly recognizable words "only coincidence as the baby recorded was too young to pronounce these words let alone a whole grammatically correct phrase".
Now, with that out of the way, we look to Crave for an explanation of the Purr Pals box. Kittens in bread? That is deplorable.
