Filed under: Gaming

We still haven’t spotted a launch date for this thing in the States, and it looks like the Japan Nintendo DS Headset launch got bumped back a couple of weeks to September 28th, but that hasn’t stopped this thing from getting plopped under a few bright lights and having some pics snapped for our viewing pleasure. Everything seems to be in order, so just keep reading and we’ll let the pictures do the talking.

[Via DS Fanboy]

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Filed under: Gaming

Just like Microsoft, Nintendo was a tad cramped in the PAX exhibition hall — their full setup could’ve squeezed into a small corner of their Wii extravaganza at E3. But they’re making the best of things with an all DS all the time booth, and quite a few new games on display such as Yoshi’s Island 2 and Final Fantasy III. We can’t deny we’re a bit disappointed by the Wii‘s absence, and the resulting lines would’ve been fun to see as well, but it’s not hard to see why Nintendo opted to keep they’re little mysterious console off the floor. Of course, with no plans by Nintendo to show the Wii at the Tokyo Games Show, we’re starting to wonder if it’ll show up in “public” at all before its still-undefined launch, but we suppose we’ll see it when we see it.

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Filed under: Gaming

We suppose it’s a bit of a stretch to call Nintendo’s DS Lite hinge problem — which according to Nintendo affects 0.02 percent of shipped units — much of a defect, but the big N has heard the cries of its users, and will now fix the problem for free. Multiple Lite-o-holics have reported a small crack on the left side of the hinge that holds the two screens together, and even our pals over at Joystiq have encountered the problem. Up until now Nintendo was charging $50 to repair the incidental damage, as it was considered outside of warranty, but now they’re changing their tune with free repairs for all. This keeps up with their track record of consumer love, which they established with the “single dead pixel” policy on the original DS. Thanks Nintendo, we love you too.

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Filed under: Gaming

Just like you’re not supposed to tug on Superman’s cape, it’s probably not the best idea to send the most powerful man in the world a gag gift on his birthday, so we’ve got to give props to our good friends at Nintendo for risking an ugly international incident to break President Bush off with a DS Lite in honor of his sixtieth — and bundling in a copy of Brain Age to presumably help ward off his impending dementia. According to our sources inside the White House, after muttering under his breath about how “this doesn’t work like my iPod,” Mr. Bush decided to move onto more important matters like national security and regift the console to his Scottish Terrier Barney — who was able to have a game of Nintendogs up and running within minutes.

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

We’re not sure what you’d do with as many as 18,000 Nintendo DS  units that you swiped alongside a stockpile of games in a container in Hong Kong, but it looks like nearly any number of black DS Lites and games were stolen in a $2.3 million dollar heist en route to Europe for launch later this month. A reward of $1 million HKD (about $129,000 US) was posted by Hong Kong police, but something tells us that the perps and their associates behind this — easily one of the largest gadget hustles we’ve yet heard of — won’t be quick to give up some names. Then again, we imagine that tasty reward might be a bit tempting, so be a little cautious when bidding for your next DS on eBay; you know, make sure the quantity isn’t listed in the thousands, ok?

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

No surprises here: Nintendo has loosed a version of the venerable Rumble Pak on Japanese DS Lite owners, with a US model forthcoming. Besides being smaller than its big brother in order to fit flushly in the Lite’s cartridge slot, the new Rumble Pak sports all the same vibrating goodness, and for the same price too. (In case you don’t remember, that price is a mere $10). Unfortunately, both versions of the Pak are still only supported by a handful of games, so here’s to hoping you haven’t beaten Metroid Prime Hunters yet.

[Via DS Fanboy]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Looks like we’ve got some bad news for those in the US anticipating a DS Lite in black — looks like Apple isn’t the only one making the dark version of their portable a little more inaccessible than its white counterpart. So far as we know we’re still slated for that June 11 launch of the “Polar White” DS Lite in the states, but unless they’re gonna surprise us with some additional colors it looks like Europe will be getting black first come June 23rd. And don’t be fooled by Nintendo’s press shots above, we don’t think there’s a muddy gray / brown shade en route as well, just black and white due Europe for about £99 or €149.99 ($185 or $191, depending on your region).

[Thanks, Ant]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

As expected, Nintendo has announced the US launch date and pricing for the DS Lite. The handheld gaming system will arrive on US shores on June 11 for about $129.99, and will come in an "inaugural color" of white. Since we've already seen the Lite in other colors, we assume those and more will make their way to the US soon enough, and the Wii factory is just teasing us by making us wait. Everything else you already know about the Lite remains unchanged, including the fact that, if you really can't wait a whole month to get it, your favorite gray market dealers can still get it for you sooner for about $200 plus shipping.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

So we don't actually have any new information on the U.S. pricing and release date of Nintendo's DS Lite; rather we're simply here to pass on the fact that these important details will supposedly be available on Thursday. Our hot sister blog Joystiq is reporting that a recent 1UP podcast revealed both the May 4th announcement as well as the actual pricing/launch info, but the latter deets were bleeped out in order to conform with pesky embargoes and non-disclosure agreements. You can be sure that we'll be on high alert later this week to bring you all the info as soon as it's available, and remember, the sooner you start standing in line for your new DS, the sooner we can post amusing pics of people suffering for their hobby.

[Via Joystiq]