400,000 joy-bringing 3DSes sold to lucky Japanese customers

Image: Adapted from PICT0035 by goodsurfers2011 under a CC-BY license.

Nintendo’s inevitable march toward global domination took an important step forward today with the launch of 3DS in Japan.

The system’s initial shipment of 400,000 units sold out almost immediately. That includes units preordered, and those that actually made it to store shelves before quickly being snatched up by same-day customers.

Word is that stores will actually be receiving a fresh shipment of the multi-screened, multi-awesomed devices Sunday.

So there you have it, the long awaited 3DS is finally out there in the wild, and 400K lucky residents of Japan are playing with them right now, probably in varying states of rapture.

Source: andriasang

Japanese up-skirt espionage agent arrested

Image: Adapted from Crazy kitten upstairs by eva101 under a CC-BY license.

45 year-old Yuji Maekawa has been arrested after taking up-skirt videos of a couple store clerks using a camera designed to look like a car starter.

That’s not even the incredible part. Police also found cameras hidden in a pen, a watch, and a lighter in the man’s home. This guy was some kind of up-skirt spy who managed to score over 1000 videos in the course of his career.

What makes filming the underwear of women an alluring prospect remains a mystery to me. Can’t you just stare at their asses and/or look at porn? I guess there’s an extra thrill in nabbing the shots. It’s like Pokémon Snap for dirty old men.

Source: Japanator

TRENDWATCH: Otaku “otagei” dancing

io9 has posted a spectacular story on the Japanese phenomenon known as “otagei.” Wikipedia tells me the term is sometimes Anglicized as “wotagei” This is a ritualistic geek dance performed by otaku while they bask in the glory of their favourite aspiring idols. Learn it yourself by viewing this video. The article focuses on Dear Stage, apparently the premier place for otaku flailing. io9 describes the trend as part of a nightlife scene that has sprung up from an nerdy urban neighborhood equivalent to “a New York Jewish neighborhood, or San Francisco’s queer neighborhood.”

Image: Adapted from IMG_4599 by CLF under a CC-BY license.

Jiffy’s Lazy Links: Adam Savage is a God Edition

What the fuck, TSA? Indeed.

Here’s something from nearly two months ago that Newbs managed to completely miss. Wizards of the Coast has revealed (and I suppose this has already happened, as well) that players participating in the October “Game Day” Magic tournaments who “affiliated” their Scars of Mirrodin decks with either Mirran or Phyrexia were eligible to win one of two preview cards from the upcoming Mirrodin Besieged, which will apparently have a lot to do with the two sides. Check out the link to see these preview cards in action. By action, I of course mean, see them loading as images on your computer screen.

The latest rumour in Sony’s saga of dueling handhelds is that the PlayStation Phone will launch February 2011, following a December 9th reveal. So far, the PSPhone still appears to be an Android phone with a games store.

CNN has put together a list of 10 “tech turkeys.” Included are amusing and deserving items like the Apple Newton, Pets.com, and Microsoft KIN. My favourite? The Atari Jaguar.

According to a Dentsu survey, the top “hit recognized products” in Japan for 2010 include smartphones, Twitter, and most importantly “munchable chili oil.” Certainly sounds tasty.

Wondering who to hate in the games industry today? Try publishers. Double Fine founder Tim Schafer, the man behind Brütal Legend says publishers can’t be bothered to cough up the cash for PC or Wii versions of his games. That’s even the reason why Psychonauts never came to GameCube.

The kids these days and their video games. Among high schoolers, over half game, and of this number, more than three quarters are boys. Both young gentlemen and young ladies who game are unlikely to smoke, do drugs, drink, or anything else cool like that. Gamer boys also tend to be non-violent and get good grades. Gamer girls, on the other hand, tend to get into more fights and carry weapons.

Japanese women love to get naked… some people say

Without studies, control groups, or surveys to back them up, some are claiming that Japanese women love to strip for cameras. It seems that Japan’s production of 10,000 adult videos a year and the piles of amateur photos sent to men’s magazines indicate things are a little more awesome over there.

The argument goes that the ladies of Japan find nudity liberating. Examples include a 22-year old student who enjoys stripping for the attention. Another woman, 40+, poses for magazines as revenge against her cheating husband.

Hmm, I think a more formal study needs to be conducted before anything more definite can be claimed. I’ll ask around.

Sources: Japanator, Japan Today
Image: Adapted from feel your love! hug me! by Jesslee Cuizon under a CC-BY license.