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Sony may have taken a hit in the handheld market with their overpriced and under-purchased UMDs, but they show no signs of giving up their attempt to turn the PSP into the ultimate multi-functional gaming device. Two new peripherals announced in Japan expand the PSP's potential uses for around $50 a pop. For 5000 and 6000 yen, respectively, Japanese gamers can be the proud owners of the Chotto Shot and GPS Receiver.

The Chotto Shot is a camera that will also ship with software for editing images and video and will go on sale November 2 in Japan. The GPS receiver will function as a GPS device, but its capabilities will also be incorporated into future PSP game releases. The GPS Receiver will be available December 7.

Both peripherals will have their debut starting September 22 at the Tokyo Game Show. So far, no release dates or prices for regions outside of Japan have been discussed.

Source: GameSpot

Thanks to Elessar for sending me the link!

Earlier this week, more details were divulged regarding the most revolutionary aspect of it's no-longer-Revolution-ary console. Even though Nintendo has been keeping things quiet, it seems that IGN has managed to obtain some developement documentation that sheds light on some of the mysteries.

In the age of recharging units for everything from cell phones to iPods, a lot of the speculation regarding the controller revolved around whether or not it would be a hassle to keep in good working repair. No one wants to have to buy expensive batteries when the original ones lose their charge capacity, and keeping track of a charging unit isn't much fun, either. Fortunately, it appears that the Wiimote will be powered by cheap AA batteries with an expected life of 30-60 gameplay hours, depending on whether the full functionality of the remote is used.

Most of the rest of the technical information creates more questions than it answers, but you can join the speculation below:

Source: IGN via Elessar

Sony's tale of woe with UMD (Universal Media Disc) movies seems to be reaching a conclusion. Despite a strong initial release, lackluster sales of the expensive releases of movies you probably own on DVD but can't yet play on your PSP because Sony wants to milk more money out of you have plumetted to the point where even Target won't stock them anymore. (And I thought they sold anything!)

But, never fear! Sony is getting the point. Well, not really, but at least they've realized that UMDs have gone the way of the dinosaur. Instead of relying on a physical format, Sony is now selling movies online. But it's complicated--they have a very limited selection of movies no one really wanted to see in the first place, and even though you download all four (yes, only four right now), you can only unlock a single one.

The best part of this deal is that the unlocking process automatically converts the movies to the right format, whereas movie enthusiasts who burn DVDs to watch on their PSP have to convert them to MPEG-4 themselves.

Of course, the natural way to read this scenario is that Sony screwed up with their overpriced UMD format in the first place, and that they're now trying to hang onto the movie market however they can. It's not like movie-to-memory-stick is a new concept for PSP owners! But Sony, the monolithic corporate entity which is never wrong, refutes this suggestion, insisting that they planned this all along, even if the UMD hadn't completely flopped.

Uh huh. Right.

Source: GameSpot

After acquiring several games formerly owned by the game published Acclaim in an auction last year, Toronto-based Throwback Entertainment announced that several of their higher-profile acquisitions would be brought to the next generation.

This announcement included some ofAcclaim's most recognizable titles, such as Vexx, Extreme-G Racing, and Legends of Wrestling. Now that the appropriately-named Throwback owns the rights to these games, they're well-placed to continue to expand the franchises with new, next-generation content.

This makes me wish that a certain other gaming company would auction some of its "throwback" games. It's sad that it takes dissolution to get a company to poop or get off the pot when it comes to out-dated video game franchises that still claim loyal fans.

Source: GameSpot

Though unconfirmed, reports of a Dragon Quest title for the Nintendo DS are exciting the Nintendo community. The game, a part of the Dragon Quest Monsters series, is due to be released in Japan some time in 2006, leaving only a few months before more extensive details have to be released.

Titled Dragon Quest Monsters Joker, the game will use the DS WiFi capabilities to allow players to enter their monsters in the Joker GP tournament against other players. Akira Toriyama returns as lead character designer.

Source: IGN

After dropping the new-name bombshell, Nintendo must have realized that they had to come up with something good for E3 or risk being laughed out of the console market. (At least they seemed to realize that no one liked the new name.) But if you're looking for anything as concrete as, oh, a launch date, maybe, or a price, quit reading now. They don't have their act together that much.

What they did have was largely an amalgum of concept videos designed to show off the new--not next--generation of gaming. Mostly, they demonstrated how their new controller can function as a gun, a sword, a fishing rod, a tennis racket...and possibly a back scratcher, if they make it a little longer.

The real gem of the presentation was evidence that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will actually be released someday. In fact, it's planned in two versions, for both the GameCube and the new system. There has been little detail about what the differences will be, but they will have to be substantial if the new controller is to play a significant roll. Weapons and items are mapped to the D pad, and fighting is done by swinging the remote and the nunchaku attachment. Also, you'll get to hear sound effects from your hand thanks to the built-in speaker.

Source: GameSpot

In case you can't tell from the tone of the above, I'm feeling a wee bit (pun intended) disillusioned with the console formerly known as the Revolution. It seems like Nintendo is giving up producing things that gamers actually want and just trying to figure out something new. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I haven't heard much lately to suggest that Nintendo is in any way interested in making their supporters happy.

Personally, waving my arms around while playing a video game sounds like a pain in the butt.