Sega's limited-edition release of the new Sakura Taisen dungeon crawler, Dramatic Dungeon Sakura Taisen: Kimi Arugatame, is heavy on the DS adornments, to the point of being ridiculous. In addition to a soft system case, the All-Star Pack also includes a slip-on shell and three stickers, each emblazoned with a different squad's colors and logo. The package also includes three DS card cases in a similar motíf.
For those whose lust for stuff with logos on it extends beyond DS care, Sega will also be giving away Sakura Taisen cups, bowls, and mugs in a contest. That contest will no doubt have numerous entries, since Sakura Taisen is a series big enough to support its own cafe.
As a bonus item, Japanese retailer Sofmap is including a collectors' edition box with copies of Izuna 2. The box features artwork of scantily-clad Izuna and Shino relaxing at an onsen, and is designed to mirror the appearance of PC eroge (hentai games.) No, Izuna 2 isn't a hentai game. But it does star female characters with whom plenty of otaku are no doubt obsessed.
Publisher Success is partly making fun of eroge, we think, and simultaneously serving and mocking any prurient interest in their characters. Can you imagine an American game made to look like pornography for the purpose of sales? But it's different in Akihabara, where apparently you wouldn't want to be caught dead buying just a DS game and no porn.
CYBER Gadget, the company responsible for that marginally useful but thoroughly lovable Famicom adapter, has announced a pair of DS Lite system cases with cute cartoon faces, to be released on December 2nd. To be exact, they're the faces of Gachapin and Mukku, two characters from the Japanese children's show Gachapin. The show, about two guys in big furry costumes who are good at sports, is super-popular in Japan. Which means, of course, that you can get a Gachapin DS game to play on your newly Gachapinized system.
Accordingly, these aren't CYBER Gadget's first Gachapin DS items. There's a whole range of brightly-colored stuff emblazoned with Gachapin's sleepy eyes and/or Mukku's permanently shocked visage.
Japanese site GAME Watch has put up reviews for two new DS accessories that've come out in Japan, the first of which is a multicolored set of individual cart cases from Takara Tomy. It's not the best solution for keeping your games protected, as part of the cart is left exposed, but its stackable design allows for some creative decorative pieces. Peek past the break for examples of the cases snapped together all crazy-like. A pack of six retails for 700 yen (approximately $6.35).
The second product, which you can also see photos of after the post break, looks like a standard system pouch, except it leaves the volume slider accessible, and you can plug in headphones even while your DS is tucked in. But wouldn't the DS put your game into Sleep Mode while it's packed up like that? And who uses their handheld like a portable music player, anyway? Perhaps Morigames designed the case with R4 owners and Moonshell (homebrew media player) users in mind. The bright yellow pouch sells for 750 yen (approximately $6.81).
Finally, we can stop playing all those awful DS and Game Boy Advance games on our DS Lite. Really, we like the hardware, but we want to play real games on the thing. Like Final Fantasy III, Dragon Quest IV, and Ys, not whatever's out on the DS. We're sure you feel the same way.
That's why we think CYBER Gadget's CYBER Familator Lite is so great. Based on their CYBER Familator "Famiclone," It plugs into the DS's GBA slot and allows the system to play genuine (and pirate, we suppose) Famicom cartridges. And, with the right Gyromite cartridge, it'll play American games too. It even has TV out, making it a fully functional Famicom!
It'll be out in Japan next month, but CYBER Gadget has yet to announce the price. The amazing name will probably bump it up an extra 1000 yen or so. Familator.
This Drawn to Life-themed DS case is only available in Australia, which is great for Australian fans but heartbreaking for us. It represents the game exactly like it should, covered as it is with the game's beautiful, full-color promotional art. Every aspect of the game (that wasn't drawn by the player) is drawn wonderfully, so featuring this art on the front of the case is great.
Inside, along with the obvious spaces for a DS and games the case includes two styli and, appropriately, a small whiteboard with a Drawn to Life dry erase marker, with which you can draw things, if not to life, to vaguely toxic-smelling. The email from 5th Cell that contained these images suggests that a U.S. release may be possible if there was enough interest. We're sure there is! People like Drawn to Life, and they like putting their game systems into things.
First seen back in February of last year, the DS TV tuner accessory kind of disappeared. Now that it's back and Nintendo is actually planning to release it, the DS is a very different system. The DS Lite was being shown off at the same conference as the TV tuner, yet to become the massive cultural phenomenon that nobody expected it to be. New Super Mario Bros. had yet to be released; the first Brain Training game was out and selling well, but not ridiculously well. Maybe Nintendo just got busy and forgot about the accessory.
It's back now, and it has a firm release date of November 20th. If you have access to the 1seg digital audio/video broadcast system (which means you live in Japan), you can use this device to receive programming! You can also write notes and save them, which can be useful for sports scores. Nintendo will be selling this exclusively online for 6,800 yen ($59), and preorders start November 8th.
The sudden resurgence of this accessory was predicted by the Japanese magazine Gamelabo, whose predictions are usually not worth caring about. However, since this one turned out to be true, it may bode well for the other rumors they mongered in that issue: a new Square Enix RPG for DS starring Shonen Jump characters, and a PSP version of Dragon Quest IX. Or it could be that Gamelabo has a strict lies:truth ratio they have to keep up.
The new Game & Manual Holder 24 from Gametech is one of the fewcases designed to hold a large number of DS cards-- this one (obviously) holds 24. It is also the only case we know of that has pockets for game manuals. Since we can't imagine needing the manuals after reading them once, maybe you can use those pockets for jerky, Fruit Roll-ups, or some other flat snack.
The case comes in blue (above) black, brown, and white, and will retail for 1,680 yen ($14.75) when it comes out this Friday in Japan. Of course, if you can't wait, you can just make your own multi-game case.
When we're not crafting totally elaborate and stylish cases on our own, we spend a lot of time checking out retail options for both protection and adding a touch of style to our DS. Today, we stumbled upon retailer Pacific Design, which offers an array of unique cases and pouches for your DS Lite that somewhat resemble a kit that Nyko put out on the market back in July.
The difference here is that these cases don't feature the charger and extra styli that the Nyko pack features. These cases, though, feature extra zippered compartments, a carrying strap and compartments for storing games.
Even though the DS has a relatively good battery life, we tend to get annoyed whenever we see that dreaded red light show up on our handhelds. Since our batteries seem to need charging at the most inopportune times (Murphy's law), we only wish we had some sort of SUPER BRACELET to make our handhelds keep on chugging.
Wait, you mean ... someone actually invented that? Interesting.
Apparently, for the price of 4,980 yen (or $43 USD) and just a smidge of dignity, you can use this bracelet to add 15 to 20 hours of battery life to your Nintendo DS. The Charger Bracelet is only one of many battery accessories for the DS, but it's good on the go and comes in handy if you don't want to bulk up your handheld. This nifty tool from Thanko is also compatible with the PSP and certain mobile phone models of the Japanese variety.
Before we pick this up, we'll be waiting for a necklace that plugs into our bracelet and earrings that to plug into our necklace, so that our batteries will last our entire lifespans. Or maybe we're just in it for the sweet bling.
By the way, you have to love the Google translator. The translated page for this product boasts, "Do a game, fight leprosy!" Why, I think we just might.
Did you know that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Mad Catz does, as they've decided to turn over 10% of their profits on their Joytech Nintendo DS Lite Pink Tech Pack. The accessory pack, which can be found at Circuit City, hasn't turned up for us in an online search, but we do know it includes a carrying case, in-car power adapter, USB charger, 2 stylii and two game cases. And it only costs $19.99.
The "Miyabi" line of DS Lite cases from Vis-a-Vis remind us somewhat of the kimono cases we featured before. Both use very Japanese fabric, and both allow you to operate the DS with the case on. However, these use a more robust-looking clasp (rather than the small band around the whole case). They also feature much bolder patterns than the subtle stripes and monochrome floral prints of the kimono cases. You may find them too purse-like for your tastes, as suggested when we first saw them, but we think they're rather nice. They're available for sale now, at a real-purse-busting $57.
Are these fabrics coming out of storage somewhere, we wonder? Or are accessory companies suddenly being forced to learn about fabric since the release of the DS Lite?
One of the more fun, crafty trends that has come up in DS fan culture is the homemade DS case. Clever fans are always looking for unusual materials from which they can make cute DS Lite cases. The results are often eye-catching and whimsical, and, on occasion, turn out to be useful as well. The crafters save money on materials, and waste less not only by not buying a new DS case (with disposable packaging) but by opting not to throw away something that has outlived its original usefulness.
We're going to look at some of the recycled-material DS cases we've featured in the past, as well as a couple that we haven't. Then, finally, we'll present our own craft project, which is more on the 'silly' end of the DS case spectrum. It totally holds a DS, though!
Buying Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift when it hits Japan in two weeks might not be economically feasible for you, what with shipping costs and jacked-up import pricing, but that doesn't mean you can't make everyone believe you've purchased and played the game.
Hori'sFFTA2 kit, available for preorder at Play-Asia for an affordable $17.90, includes everything we've come to expect with these supplementarykits -- a themed system case, an extendable stylus, a stylus pen casing, and a screenwipe strap -- enough branded stuff to convince any doubters out there that you're the proud owner of Square Enix's newest SRPG, even if you really aren't.
As for why you'd want to live this double life, pretending you're in possession of a game you've never actually held, we're not sure what your motivation would be; we're just offering advice in case you ever find yourself caught up in the dilemma we've described. Click past the post break for more photos of the set.
Reader Andrew is in love with his new Phantom Hourglass case. You know, the one that Aussie EB Games' were giving to customers who pre-ordered the game? Well, he was kind enough to take some shots of the case for all of us. But, even better, he gave us hope that we may actually be able to purchase it, if we wanted one and live outside of his country.
Turns out, Bigben Interactive GmbH manufactures the case out of Germany. In heading to their website, it looks as if the shop area is still under construction, but the case is definitely listed there. So, here's to hoping we can get one ourselves in the future.
As for the case, Andrew asked that we host the images since his bandwidth isn't as plentiful as he'd like it to be. So, we made a gallery. Be sure to hit it up below.
Sega's limited-edition release of the new Sakura Taisen dungeon crawler, Dramatic Dungeon Sakura Taisen: Kimi Arugatame, is heavy on the DS adornments, to the point of being ridiculous. In addition to a soft system case, the All-Star Pack also includes a slip-on shell and three stickers, each emblazoned with a different squad's colors and logo. The package also includes three DS card cases in a similar motíf.
Japanese site GAME Watch has put up reviews for two new DS accessories that've come out in Japan, the first of which is a multicolored set of individual cart cases from Takara Tomy. It's not the best solution for keeping your games protected, as part of the cart is left exposed, but its stackable design allows for some creative decorative pieces. Peek past the break for examples of the cases snapped together all crazy-like. A pack of six retails for 700 yen (approximately $6.35).
When we're not crafting totally elaborate and stylish cases 
Did you know that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Mad Catz does, as they've decided to turn over 10% of their profits on their Joytech Nintendo DS Lite Pink Tech Pack. The accessory pack, which can be found at Circuit City, hasn't turned up for us in an online search, but we do know it includes a carrying case, in-car power adapter, USB charger, 2 stylii and two game cases. And it only costs $19.99.
Buying 
