2009 has not been a good year for video games here in the US. While console sales were up significantly compared to July, August marked the sixth consecutive month in which industry sales have declined year-over-year. According to numbers recently released by NPD Group, overall gaming sales were down 16 percent YoY despite positive sequential growth for each major console other than the Sony PlayStation 2. Accessory sales were up 2 percent but game sales were down 15 percent and console sales dropped a massive 25 percent. Of note, PS3 sales in August were up over 72 percent compared to July’s numbers (121,800) thanks to a recent price drop. Here’s how August hardware sales break down:

• Nintendo DS: 552,900
• Nintendo Wii: 277,400
• Microsoft Xbox: 215,400
• Sony PlayStation 3: 210,000
• Sony PSP: 140,300
• Sony PlayStation 2: 105,900

As far as game titles, EA’s Madden NFL 2010 for Xbox 360 was the highest-selling game in August with 928,000 copies sold, followed by Wii Sports Resort for the Wii (754,000) and then EA’s Madden NFL 2010 for PS3 (665,000). Square Enix’s Batman: Arkham Asylum took both the four and five spots, having sold 303,000 copies for the Xbox 360 and 290,000 copies for PS3.

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Many would say the worst is behind us where the recession is concerned but gaming giants Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft would probably disagree. An industry that stumped analysts and remained strong throughout the recent turbulent economic climate is finally beginning to feel the impact of the wave of reduced spending that has attacked most industries in recent history. Video game sales began declining slowly in March but NPD Group has just released June numbers that show a slightly more alarming drop than we’ve been seeing over the past few months. US sales in June dipped a substantial 29 percent YoY — a record drop — and consoles sales were down a whopping 38 percent. Long story short, an industry that held strong on the back of Nintendo’s Wii and DS/DSi is looking like it may finally be approaching relative saturation. The odds of another Wii-like breakthrough reaching market any time soon are slim to none but something better happen in the near future to woo gamers back into opening those wallets. Drops in console pricing are rumored but still not confirmed, though we have little faith that minor price adjustments would have the kind of impact the industry needs to rebound significantly.

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It seems like we’re nearing a point in time when a handheld manufacturer that doesn’t have an app store of some kind will be bigger news than a company that does. The apparent next in line for some app store love — Nintendo. Develop is reporting that the gaming giant is calling out to third party developers in an effort to push non-game content through its on-device portal, DSiWare. This past week at the Nintendo Developer Conference in London, Nintendo is said to have been out in full force in an effort to encourage developers in attendance to start thinking about various applications that might be hocked in its virtual shop. One developer had this to say:

Given the advanced functions in the DSi, such as the microphone and camera, the company told us that there are a variety of opportunities for a variety of apps, both in a games sense and a non-games sense, that we could offer.

And why not? Nintendo’s handheld sales are still through the roof despite tumultuous economic times and with so many handhelds in the hands of the public, adding another source of post-sale revenue beyond game titles is a logical progression. As has become painfully obvious over the past year, on device portals make it oh so easy for customers to spend money and Nintendo would be remiss if it didn’t capitalize on the trend. Parents, guard your wallets.

[Via Kotaku]

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Before we even begin thinking about the rest of the Wii and DS titles Nintendo just announced… Punch-Out! Ok, now that that’s out of the way we can get down to business. Nintendo just unveiled its list of upcoming Wii and DS titles that will hit shelves between now and the Summer. The list is long and continuing record sales are inevitable — there really is something for everyone waiting in queue. Highlights as far as sales are concerned include Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits and a handful of children’s games on the DS, and The Conduit, EA SPORTS Active and Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus for the Wii. Oh, and did we mention Punch-Out!? Hit the jump for the full list and let us know which titles all you Wii fans are looking forward to.

Nintendo Wii
2K Sports
Major League Baseball® 2K9 – March 3
Don King Boxing – March 31

Activision
X-Men Origins: Wolverine – May
Ice Age 3 – June 30
Transformers™: Revenge of the Fallen – June

Aksys Games
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus – May 12

Atari
Ready 2 Rumble Revolution – March 17
Backyard Baseball 10 – March 31

Capcom Entertainment Inc.
MotoGP™ – Spring

Codemasters Inc
Overlord Dark Legend – Summer

Conspiracy Games
Real Heroes: Firefighter – April

Deep Silver, Inc.
Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity – April
Fritz Chess – May

Disney Interactive Studios
Hannah Montana The Movie – April

Electronic Arts
TRIVIAL PURSUIT™ – March
MySims™ Party – March
EA SPORTS Active™ – May 19
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 10 – June
BOOM BLOX™ Bash Party – Spring
MySims™ Racing – Summer
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ – Summer
G.I. JOE™ The Rise of Cobra – Summer
EA SPORTS Tennis (working title) – Summer

Hudson Entertainment
Help Wanted – Summer

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
DanceDanceRevolution® Disney Grooves – April 2
Yu-Gi-Oh! ™ 5D’s Wheelie Breakers – May 19

LucasArts
Indiana Jones® and the Staff of Kings™ – Late Spring

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc
Klonoa® – Q2

Nintendo
New Play Control! Pikmin™ – March 9
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis™ – March 9
Excitebots: Trick Racing – April 20
New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat – May 4
Punch-Out!! – May 18

SEGA of America
Virtua Tennis™ 2009 – May
The Conduit™ – June
Let’s Tap™ – June

Southpeak Interactive
Roogoo Twisted Towers™ – April 7
Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball™ – April 21

Zoo Games, Inc.
M&M’s Beach Party – March 10
Puzzle Kingdoms – March 31
Garfield Gets Real – April 7
Pennzoil’s Build-N-Race: “Speed Demons” – April 14
Jelly Belly Ballistic Beans – April 21
Smiley World Island Challenge – April 28
Garfield’s Pet Force – June 9

Nintendo DS
2K Sports
MLB® 2K9 Fantasy All-Stars – March 3
Don King Boxing – March 31

Activision
X-Men Origins: Wolverine – May
Ice Age 3 – June 30
Transformers™: Revenge of the Fallen – June

Activision/RedOctane
Guitar Hero® On Tour: Modern Hits – June

Aksys Games
Jake Hunter Detective Chronicles: Memories of the Past – May 26
Rockin’ Pretty – June 23

Aspyr Media, Inc.
Treasure World™ – June

Atari
Backyard Baseball ‘10 – March 31
My Horse and Me Riding For Gold – March 31

Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
TrackMania® DS – March 17
Tokyo Beat Down™ – March 31
The Dark Spire™ – April 14
Dokapon Journey™ – April 14
Steal Princess™ – April 21
101 in 1 Explosive Megamix – April 21
Super Robot Taisen® OG Saga:Endless Frontier™ – April 28
Knights in the Nightmare™ – June 2
Shin Megami Tensei®: Devil Survivor™ – June 23

Capcom
Mega Man Starforce 3 Black Ace – June
Mega Man Starforce 3 Red Joker – June

Codemasters Inc
Overlord Minions – Summer

Deep Silver, Inc.
Pet Vet: Down Under – March
Professor Heinz Wolff’s Gravity – April
Elite Forces: Unit 77 – April
DJ Star – May
Fritz Chess – May
The Humans – May
Horoscope DS – May

Disney Interactive Studios
Hannah Montana The Movie – April

DreamCatcher
Dreamer: Shop Owner – April 21
Dreamer: Babysitter – April 21
Dreamer: Teacher – April 21
Prank’d – May 19

Electronic Arts
Zubo™ – March 10
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure™ – March 17
MySims™ Party – March
SCRABBLE™ – March
LITTLEST PET SHOP Spring™ – March
MySims™ Racing – Summer
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ – Summer

Hudson Entertainment
Miami Law – Summer

KOEI
Monster Racers™ – June

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times™ – May 5
Yu-Gi-Oh!™ 5D’s Stardust Accelerators World Championship 2009 – May 19

LucasArts
Indiana Jones® and the Staff of Kings™ – Late Spring

Majesco Entertainment
Puffins: Island Adventure – April 14
Powerbike – April 28
Drama Queens – May
Marker Man Adventures – May
Hot ‘n’ Cold – May
Dawn of Heroes – June

MumboJumbo
Crazy Chicken Star Karts – March 31
Crazy Chicken Atlantis Quest – April 28
Crazy Chicken The Pharaoh’s Treasure – June 2
7 Wonders II – June 30

Nintendo
Rhythm Heaven – April 5
Personal Trainer: Walking – May 25
The Legendary Starfy – June 8

PopCap Games, Inc.
Peggle™ Dual Shot – March 3

Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars – March 17

Southpeak Interactive
Roogoo Attack™ – April 7

THQ
Desktop Tower Defense – April 29

Ubisoft
Imagine® Makeup Artist – May 5
Imagine® Music Fest – May 5
Imagine® Boutique Owner – May 26
My Healthy Cooking Coach – June 2
Petz® Fashion: Dogz and Catz – June 9
Jake Power Soccer Club – June 16

Valcon Games
History Channel: Great Empires: Rome – March 17

Zoo Games, Inc.
Yamaha Supercross – March 10
Hands On!: Tangrams – March 24
Puzzle Kingdoms – March 31
Garfield Gets Real – April 7
Jelly Belly Ballistic Beans – April 21
Smiley World Island Challenge – April 28
Garfield’s Pet Force – June 9

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It’s been out in Japan since November 1st of last year, but this April 5th is as good a time as any for Nintendo to finally launch the DSi in the United States. With the MSRP set at $169.99, Nintendo is hoping that potential customers will be able to overlook the somewhat steep price as a small cost when compared to the advantages the DSi has over its predecessors, the DS and DS Lite. Equipped with a VGA camera on the rear of the system and one on the front which can be used in part to control certain aspects of supported games, the DSi is roughly 12% thinner than the DS Lite and features more spacious 3.25″ displays. A word of caution: If you plan to sell your existing DS/DS Lite and upgrade to the DSi you might want to reconsider if you plan on getting some more mileage out of your Game Boy Advance cartridges – there is no longer a slot for them. Game on!

[Via Joystiq]

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In this day and age it is extremely rare to see a tech company thrive, let alone an entire industry. People still manage to dig up enough cash between the couch cushions for video games however, and Reuters is reporting a hell of a January for the big three of the console world. Nintendo continued to show that reaching beyond hardcore gamers and into the houses of the masses is the way to go, dropping 680,000 Wii consoles and 510,000 Nintendo DS units according to the NPD Group. Microsoft maintained the second spot, as usual, selling 309,000 Xbox 360s and Sony managed to push 203,000 PS3 consoles into new homes. Nintendo also held the top three game sales slots with Wii Fit, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii, while EA’s Left 4 Dead and Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty: World at War rounded out the top five. All in all, total industry sales rang up at $1.33 billion – up a substantial 13 percent year over year. Wow. Double-digit growth in what is historically a slow month across most industries is pretty mind-boggling, but the gaming industry continues to defy logic thanks to the Nintendo Wii and DS – aka Nintendo’s licenses to print money.

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Nintendo just can’t seem to make an announcement regarding numbers without wowing us these days, and its recent financial call is no exception. Forgetting about the dollars and cents for the purposes of this post, Nintendo released a list of 26 games for the Wii and DS that have sold at least one million copies since April 2008, along with total sales for each title. Let’s have a look at the full list:

Wii

• Wii Sports – 40.5 million
• Wii Play – 20.91 million
• Wii Fit – 14.01 million
• Mario Kart Wii – 13.67 million
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl – 8.1 million
• Super Mario Galaxy – 7.66 million
• Mario Party 8 – 6.28 million
• Animal Crossing: City Folk – 3.22 million
• Wii Music – 2.50 million
• Link’s Crossbow Training – 2.44 million
• Mario Super Sluggers – 1.21 million

Nintendo DS

• Nintendogs – 21.67 million
• New Super Mario Bros. – 17.63 million
• Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day – 16.82 million
• Pokemon Diamond/Pearl – 16.48 million
• Mario Kart DS – 13.79 million
• Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day – 13.27 million
• Animal Crossing: Wild World: 10.57 million
• Super Mario 64 DS – 7.16 million
• Mario Party DS – 5.49 million
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness – 4.4 million
• Pokemon Platinum Version – 2.4 million
• Kirby Super Star Ultra – 2.19 million
• Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia – 1.80 million
• Rhythm Heaven – 1.71 million
• Personal Trainer: Cooking – 1.68 million

Did you catch that first one? “Wii Sports – 40.5 million.” Damn! Of course this includes game sales bundled with consoles, but this new figure pushes Wii Sports into the number one spot on the all-time best selling games list. Falling to number two is the title that many thought could sit atop the list forever: Super Mario Brothers – with 40.24 million copies sold. Propelled by ridiculous console sales rates, it took Wii Sports only 110 weeks to pass Mario, its seventh cousin four times removed, and 40mm will become 50mm before we know it. To be honest Wii Sports is probably still our favorite Wii game to date, though Resident Evil 4 certainly gave it a run for its money.

[Via DailyTech]

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Despite the slumping economy, Nintendo sold a record setting number of Wii consoles and portable DS systems in the US during 2008. According to NPD Group’s  statistics the Wii dominated the market, selling 10.17 million Wii consoles which accounted for 55% of new console purchases in 2008. Additionally, the four best selling game titles for 2008 were for the Wii console with Wii Play, Mario Kart, Wii Fit and Super Smash Bros beating out the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, Gears of War 2 and even Grand Theft Auto IV. Sales of the Nintendo DS were equally brisk with US consumers purchasing 9.95 million units in 2008, an increase of 1.43 million units from 2007. The DS dominated the portable market accounting for 72% of all portable system sales in 2008 and set an industry record by selling 3.04 million units in December alone. With the Wii still flying off the shelves, the DS being the portable system to beat and the DSi expected to hit the US in the spring, Nintendo will continue to be the gaming platform to beat in 2009.

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According to multiple sources close to Nintendo, the company is planning to launch the DSi earlier than expected. How does a ship date of April 4th and a retail price of $179 sound? The DSi represents a modest improvement over the still popular Nintendo DS lite, offering a 0.3MP camera, larger 3.25″ displays, access to the DSiWare game catalog, an SD card slot, improved user interface and new software including photo manipulation software and built-in web browser. The DSi launched in November in Japan and sales of the portable gaming handheld have been brisk to say the least – Nintendo sold over a million units through the end of December 2008. In the US, Nintendo is expected to sell the DSi side-by-side with the DS lite, marketing the DSi as the machine for the gamer and the DS Lite for the casual user.

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On Wednesday Nintendo announced the full lineup of Wii and Nintendo DS game titles the world can look forward to in Q1 of 2009. Totaling 39 Wii games and 64 titles for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo fans have a busy quarter ahead as Nintendo’s console sales continue to leave competing systems in the dust. Highlights for the DS include My Personal Diary, Hot ‘n’ Cold and My Fashion Studio Paris Collection while Wii console owners can look forward to instant hits like Onechanbara Bikini Zombie Slayers, Burger Island and Sega’s video game interpretation of the classic Martin Lawrence film SONIC and the Black Knight. Seriously though, there are some undoubtedly huge titles lined up for both consoles such as new Pokemon and Grand Theft Auto games for the DS and a new version of DanceDanceRevolution for the Wii. Hit the jump for the complete list with release timing where available and look for Nintendo to keep trouncing the competition for quite a while to come.

Wii

Activision
Monsters vs. Aliens – March 24

Crave Entertainment
Monster Pals™ – March
Solitaire & Mahjong – February
Puzzle Challenges and More! – February
Crayola Colorful World – March

D3Publisher 
Onechanbara™ Bikini Zombie Slayers™ – February
Coraline – January

Destineer
WordJong Party – January
Battle Rage – February
Cradle of Rome – February
Cate West: The Vanishing Files – March
Burger Island – March

Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year – Winter

DreamCatcher
Play the World – March

Electronic Arts
NASCAR® Kart Racing – Feb. 10
SimAnimals™ – Jan. 27
TRIVIAL PURSUIT – Early spring

Hudson Entertainment
FISHING MASTER WORLD TOUR – Jan. 6
Marble Saga Kororinpa™ – Spring

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. 
DanceDanceRevolution® Disney Grooves – March

Majesco Entertainment
Escape the Museum – January
Major Minor’s Majestic March – March

Marvelous Entertainment USA
Little King’s Story – Feb. 17
Rune Factory: Frontier – March

Mastiff 
Deer Drive™ – Jan. 20

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
We Ski™ and Snowboard – March

Nintendo
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis™ – March
New Play Control! Pikmin™ – March

Sega 
The House of The Dead: Overkill™ – February
SONIC™ and the Black Knight – March
MADWORLD™ – March

Southpeak Interactive
Roogoo Twisted Towers™ – Feb. 17
Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball™ – March 17
Brave: A Warrior’s Tale™ – Feb. 17

THQ
Paws & Claws Pet Resort – Jan. 5
Neighborhood Games – Jan. 5

Ubisoft
Tenchu™: Shadow Assassins – February
Broken Sword™: Shadows of the Templars (Director’s Cut) – March

XS Games
Super PickUps™ – Q1

Nintendo DS

Activision
Monsters vs. Aliens – March 24
Pimp My Ride 2™ – March 24
Animal Planet™ – March 10

Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
My World, My Way™ – Feb. 3
Legacy of Ys™: Books I & II – Feb. 10
Trackmania™ DS – March 17

Crave Entertainment
Monster Pals ™ – March

D3Publisher of America
Puzzle Quest™: Galactrix™ – Q1
Coraline – January

Destineer 
USA TODAY Puzzle Craze – January
DinoPets – March

Disney Interactive Studios
Phineas and Ferb – Winter

DreamCatcher
Inkheart – January
Learn Math – January
Drivers’ Ed Portable – January
Monster Band - January
Zoo Quest – February
My Personal Diary – February
Music Star: Pop Star – February
Paint by DS – March
Matchstick – March
Dreamer: Top Model – March
Sarah – Keeper of the Unicorn – March
Learn Chess – March
Dragon Master – April

Electronic Arts
Zubo™ – March
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure™ – Q1
SimAnimals™ – Jan. 27

Empire Interactive
Jagged Alliance – Feb. 17

Gameloft
American Popstar – Road to Celebrity – March 9

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero™ – Q1
Suikoden Tierkreis – Q1
Little Magician’s Magic Adventure™ – Q1

Majesco Entertainment
WonderWorld Amusement Park™ – January
Powerbike – January
Our House™ – Q1
Hot ‘n’ Cold – March

Marvelous Entertainment USA
Avalon Code - February
Flower, Sun, and Rain – March

Mastiff
Moon™ – Jan. 13

MumboJumbo
Chicken Hunter Star Karts – March 10

Nintendo
Personal Trainer™: Math – Jan. 12
Fire Emblem™: Shadow Dragon – Feb. 16
Pokémon™ Platinum version – March 22

ROCKSTAR GAMES
Grand Theft Auto™: Chinatown Wars – Winter

Southpeak Interactive
Big Bang Mini® – Jan. 6
Roogoo Attack™ – Feb. 17
Brave: Shaman’s Challenge™ – Feb. 17

Square Enix, Inc.
FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: Echoes of Time™ – Spring

THE GAME FACTORY
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES™ – Jan. 19

THQ
Paws & Claws Pampered Pets – Jan. 5

TOMY Corporation
My DoItAll™ – February

Ubisoft
Jake Power Fireman – January
Jake Power Policeman – January
Imagine™ Cheerleader – February
JoJo’s Fashion Show – February
Petz® Horseshoe Ranch – February
Imagine™ Family Doctor – February
Imagine™ Ice Champions – March
Jake Power Handyman – March
My Fashion Studio Paris Collection – Feb. 17
American Popstar – Road to Celebrity – March 24
Broken Sword™: Shadows of the Templars (Director’s Cut) – March

XSEED Games
Retro Game Challenge – Jan. 6

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Rumors, rumors, rumors. Where would we be without you? Today’s flavor comes to us courtesy of Bloomberg’s Japanese office. Their site is claiming that a newly revamped Nintendo DS should be on its way to retailers everywhere. According to them, the new handheld gaming system will be announced at this year’s E3 convention, which is scheduled to take place July 13-15th. Bloomberg doesn’t give any indication as to a what sort of new feature set we might expect, but we suppose all will be revealed when/if this thing actually gets official.

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Our buddies over at Colorware have just added the DS Lite to their portfolio of customization service options and our order is already in. For those somehow not already familiar with Colorware, it provides custom electronics coloring services making use of a proprietary hybrid coating process. The finished result is durable, unique and just plain hot. Using Colorware’s online design studio interface, you can create a custom one-of-a-kind DS Lite that is just right for you. Choose a main color, frame color and bottom color from their extensive palette and then choose a la carte options such as button pad, front port and even stylus color customization if you desire. Not the creative type? Hit the "Brainstorm" button at the bottom of the design studio window a few times to cycle through some suggestions and get your creative juices flowing. As with all devices that Colorware customizes, you have the option to send your existing DS Lite (as long as you’re in the US) or just choose the option to buy a new one when you’re done with your design.

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Well, well, well. It looks like Nintendo and BAPE have put their heads together to pull off a pretty exclusive bit of hardware. The company has just released a BAPE-designed Nintendo DS. From where we’re standing, it looks pretty hot. Presumably designed as a partnership between Nintendo and Nigo, the handheld player features some of BAPE’s custom graphics work. There will be two official versions, though both the white and gold DS’ will sport several of Nigo’s Milo characters on the hood. Unfortunately, both of these devices will be relegated to Japan-only status, so you’re sure to pay a hefty premium if you’re looking to get one of these bad boys onto American soil. Then again, exclusivity knows no bounds.

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Video game companies aren’t usually known for their acts of social good, especially when it comes to improving the health and physical facilities of gamers. Then again, Nintendo has been bucking trends recently, especially i regards to making video games a more physically demanding activity. Continuing this trend, the company has just released a new game called Flash Focus. The game, currently available exclusively on the Nintendo DS handheld system, incorporates a number of well known exercises and training practices used by professional athletes to improve their hand-eye coordination, all wrapped in the shell of a marginally enjoyable video game. Halo 3 this is not, but it does present a fun way to improve peripheral vision, vision acuity, and more. This will not only help gamers with their Madden ‘08 skills, but should also translate into real life gains on the field, court, ring, or trampoline. The game is available today. Any takers?

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Do you find yourself lost in a sea of Nintendo DS toting pre-pubescent brats? Looking for something that helps you stand out from the crowd? Look no further dear Link, as we have just the thing. This hand painted Nintendo DS is all modded-up by way of a custom gold and black paint job. The most intriguing aspect of this one-of-a-kind handheld gaming spectacle is the hand-painted, hand-crafted diecast shield and sword that give the device a truly regal look. The shield features rotating swords and a custom white backlight. The whole spectacular affair rests comfortably in its own custom charging dock that sports a matching gold paint job. It’s currently up for auction on eBay with 15% of the final price donated to Child’s Play, a nonprofit children’s health charity.

[Via Crunchgear]

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