Latest Gear Live Videos
Sony Adds New PS2, PSP Colors In Japan
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 2, PSP,
Sony will be adding a pink Playstation 2 to the line up and will be bringing back the satin silver Playstation 2 on November 22nd in Japan. On the same date, Sony will release a pink PSP. Then, on December 14th, Sony will launch a silver PSP, which will be followed by a metallic blue PSP on December 21st. Having more color options for the PSP may help Sony prop up Japanese sales of the handheld against the continually tough competition of the Nintendo DS, though this may be a stretch. While North America will get the silver PS2 in the near future, it would be nice to see more color options for the PSP in the United States as well.
Read More 
| Famitsu
Advertisement
Microsoft Japan Offers Lost Planet Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
When Lost Planet: Extreme Condition launches in Japan in December, Microsoft will offer a hardware bundle that includes the game, Xbox 360 console, 20GB hard drive, wireless controller, HD AV cable, remote, a 3 month subscription to Xbox Live, and a card that will allow gamers to download an additional stage for Lost Planet. The bundle will retail for 44800 Yen ($381 US). This, put together with the Blue Dragon bundle shows that Microsoft is trying hard to penetrate the Japanese market. The Lost Planet bundle seems to be less of a draw, however, and one wonders if this will drive that many more console sales.
Read More | Famitsu
Konami Offering Special Edition PSP With Portable Ops
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, PSP,
Konami will ship Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops on December 21st in Japan. While the debut of the software comes after the United States release, the Japanese audience will receive two special edition bundles that include a special camouflage version of the PSP and special slip cases. The Limited Premium Pack includes a special snakeskin slipcase and wrist strap, while the regular Premium Pack will include a cloth case and strap. The Limited Premium Pack will sell for 39,690 Yen ($337 US) and the regular pack will sell for 29,190 Yen ($248 US).
Read More | Famitsu
Sony To Reduce Japanese Launch Numbers By 20 Percent
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, PlayStation 3,
A Japanese report in Nikkei Keizai Shimbun indicates that Sony will only be offering 80,000 consoles on launch day in Japan, down from their initial estimates of 100,000. The reason cited, according to GameDaily, was continuing component shortages which have continued to plague Sony’s new console. GameDaily talked with SCEA and there will be no changes in the North American launch allocations. The shift does call into question Sony’s ability to continue to feed hardware into the various markets and may be the first indication that other markets may suffer more intense shortages later.
Read More | GameDaily
Another Special Edition DS Lite
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, Nintendo DS,
Japan gets another limited edition Nintendo DS in November, this time the bundle is a special edition pink DS tied with the release of Love and Berry for the console. The limited edition console will hit stores on November 22, and will likely sell out that day. The bundle will sell for 23,730 Yen ($200 US). The arcade game Oshare Majo: Love and Berry and its related collectible cards have been popular in Japan, but the games have not really penetrated the US market. Still, this is one more limited edition Nintendo DS that will drive more sales in Japan, while the US hasn’t yet seen anything beyond the new DS colors.
Read More | Game Watch Japan
Playstation 3 Pre-Orders Kill Amazon Japan
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, PlayStation 3,
This Sunday in Japan brought the availability of Playstation 3 pre-orders for both the 20 GB and 60 GB versions of the console. CheapyD, proprietor of Cheap Ass Games was online and ready to place his pre-order. Apparently, the massive amounts of traffic hitting the site was able to bring down the Japanese shopping cart system. Ultimately, the pre-order was placed, but the full recap is available at CheapAssGamer.com.
Read More | CheapAssGamer
Capcom Closes Clover Studio
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: CAPCOM, Corporate News,
Capcom announced today via press release that they are closing Clover Studio, developers of the Viewtiful Joe franchise and the recent God Hand. It seems odd to dissolve a successful development studio, but according to rumors reported to Game|Life, it appears that the main members of the studio were going to leave and form their own development house, so dissolving the studio probably served Capcom’s interests best.
Read More | Game|Life
Nintendo Of Japan Prices Wii Accessories
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Accessories, Hardware, Nintendo, Wii,
Nintendo of Japan recently added a list of accessories and prices for the Wii in Japan; this should give US gamers a general idea of what to expect for pricing here. The accessories listed include:
- Replacement Power Adapter: 3,000 Yen ($25)
- Composite Video Cable: 1,000 Yen ($8.40)
- S-Video Cable: 2,500 Yen ($21)
- D-Terminal Cable (Japan-specific video cable): 2,500 Yen ($21)
- Component Video Cable: 2,500 Yen ($21)
- 512 MB SD Memory Card: 3,800 Yen ($32)
- USB LAN Adapter: 2,800 Yen ($23)
If Nintendo prices their accessories in the US at something close to the dollar conversion rate, the cost would seem pretty reasonable. The component video cable is at least less expensive than the Gamecube cable was, assuming that one had a component capable version of the console. The USB LAN adapter is reasonably priced as well, hopefully Nintendo of America will keep this priced at under $25.
Read More | Nintendo of Japan
First Japanese Wii TV Commercial
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Nintendo, Wii,
Nintendo of Japan has started airing the first Wii commercial, and it is a little abstract to say the least. Nintendo is probably intending this to act as a teaser for the upcoming release of the Wii. A loose translation of the commercial would be:
What is this?
This is a new remote.
The Nintendo Wii Remote.
One would expect the US advertising to be different than those in Japan, but since this is clearly just the beginning of a larger advertising campaign, it is hard to tell where Nintendo of Japan is going to go with these ads.
Japanese Blue Dragon Bundle Includes Limited Edition Faceplate
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Role Playing Games, Xbox 360,
Japanese gamers purchasing the limited edition Blue Dragon Xbox 360 bundle in Japan will get some exclusive swag, including a limited edition faceplate and mini-figure set. As previously announced, the Core system bundle will be available on December 7, for 29,800 Yen, around $250 US. Gamers reserving the software package should also get some other exclusive Blue Dragon goodies as well.
In addition, it looks like gamers reserving one of the other core bundles will receive an exclusive Lost Odyssey RPG trial disc according to Famitsu. Also featured on the site is the box art for the Japanese release of Blue Dragon. With the Core system bundles priced at around 4,800 Yen ($40) higher than Nintendo’s Wii console in Japan, it looks like Microsoft is throwing everything they have at trying to crack the Japanese market. If Microsoft does not turn things around this holiday season, it becomes increasingly unlikely that they will make any impact in Japan.
Read More | Famitsu
Advertisement
© Gear Live Inc. {year} – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.