T-shirt weather has past for half of the world. Our Southern Hemisphere friends, listen up: Here's a neat Nintendo family tree shirt that shows just how the consoles and handhelds have evolved. Sadly, I look at my Famicom Micro, now apparently extinct. Brian Ashcraft

Nerdy, But Cool [Nerdy Shirts via GayGamer]

Fear not! Nintendo isn't hollowing out Game Boy Micros and turning them into digital time pieces. (The company is most likely melting them down to make rollerskates.) These Micro clocks are part of the a recent slew of mini Nintendo thingies to appear in Japan. There are super small DS Lites as well. They don't tell time, though. Bummer. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [G-Koro]

Through June, Nintendo has sold more than 21 million of the portables and another 4.1 million DS Lites. The company also sold more than 78 million games for the two-screened system.

Nintendo predicts that from April of this year through March of next they will sell another 17 million DSes and 75 million games, and both of those are higher than the predictions they made back at E3.

You'd think all of that DS love would leave the Game Boy Advance dead in the water. Not so, apparently. Nintendo is still expecting to sell another 2.5 million of the handhelds from April to March of next year and another 30 million games for the system. Insane.

Not all is rosy at Nintendo, the beautifully designed and totally useless Micro is DOA. Since it's launch, only 1.8 million have been purchased and in the last three months only 30,000 were sold. Nintendo put a big dash for their predictions of future sales. Too bad, I love that thing.

Nintendo also makes some predictions about their next-gen console the Wii. From April to March of next year, which really means five or six months, Nintendo expects to sell 6 million of the consoles and 17 million games for it. Brian Crecente

Quarterly Report [Nintendo]

Thought you've seen ever possible Micro faceplate? Japanese blogger takuronyan whipped up a DIY Super Size Me faceplate. Bewildered, I have no idea why. Perhaps he was making a biting comment on fast food. Perhaps he was making a word play on "Super Size" and "Micro." Or perhaps he was bored.

Smart money says bored. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [FAMIcomplex]

For those with huge ape man hands and a teeny-tiny Micro, here's an encasement that bulks up Nintendo's mini portable where it lacks size and adds a speaker for clearer sound. Guess it's not really a Micro then.

Mother 3 Demands Good Equipment [Watch Impress]

This past Saturday, Nintendo put its "art games" on display in Tokyo. Sixty Game Boy Micros were set up in Shibuya Parco's basement, demoing new "Bit Generations" titles. Simple puzzle games rich in color and sound, the games included Dotstream, Boundish, Dialhex, Coloris, Digidrive and Orbital. These neat titles and this slick set-up seems geared to kick some life into sagging Micro sales. (Probably wasn't a good idea to set up another display with the still selling-out DS Lite, though.) The games are going to be released sometime this year, while Part 1 of this exhibition will continue only until May 15, 2006. Definitely worth checking out.

Press Release Here [Nintendo] Photos via Nintendo Inside, IT Media and Famitsu

Insert Credit's got the lowdown on a little program for the GBA that teaches players how to dodge classic (read: impossible) bullet patterns from various shooters. Players even turn their Micros on its side to achieve a classic arcade screen. The only thing that's missing is a joystick.

Download Here [BulletGBA] via InsertCredit

A special made-to-order "Mother 3 Deluxe Box" is being offered as a pre-order, beginning March 1st. The box will contain the game software, a Mother 3 micro and a Franklin Badge. The set will go for 18,000 yen (around $165).

EarthBound loving Starmen.net has done all non-Japanese speakers a huge favor and translated the Mother 3 site. That means that every time the site is updated, folks can check it out in English. Go ahead. Thank 'em.

Mother 3 English Site [Starmen] Thanks, Anthony!

GBA, GBASP, Micro, DS, DS Lite.

Am I the only one who thinks that Nintendo is putting out too many variations on the same theme? Don't get me wrong, I love how creative the company has been of late, especially in a time when the game market is all about better graphics and more sequels. But I only have room on my desk for so many portable consoles.

As it is I never know if I should carry around my Micro and my DS. Both play GBA games. I like my Micro; it's slick, it feels nice, but it's also redundant.

It's only been a year and a few months since the DS hit. Do we really need another one? Sure, it plays the same games, but this glut of form factors is starting to drive me nuts. And all of those people who purchased their DS in the last six months, heck, maybe in the past year, are going to feel like they got short changed.

And in the long run, this is only going to hurt early sales of Nintendo portables. Nintendo is teaching us to wait and see. Wait and see if the price is going to drop in three months, wait and see if a better design is coming down the pipeline. Wait and see if all of those early adopters are going to be short changed.

Microsoft is known for releasing software that still isn't perfected and then chasing it with upgrades and updates. I don't want Nintendo to earn a name for itself doing the same thing with hardware.

The Cartoon Network's giving away fifty of these Toonami Game Boy Micros along with a copy of Donkey Kong Country 3. How to you bag one? Alls you gotta do is send a valid email address and wait patiently until the end of January when winners are selected. It's that simple.

Full Story Here [4ColorRebellion]

Last we heard from Nintendo of Canada, they had a lab rat dry humping a Micro. Now, they've got some iron-on Micro decals for tee-shirts. They're in reverse negative, so get out a mirror to read the ding-dong joke. (Yes, I know. Lovely, isn't it?)

Man, maybe it's a cultural thing, but Nintendo of Canada is REALLY different from Nintendo of Everywhere Else on the Planet. More power to 'em.

Nintendo Recovery Center [Nintendo of Canada] Thanks Ryan!

How fair is life? The Golden Globe presenters, a collection of well-monied movie stars, are getting $62,000 in freebies for showing up. The items include jewelry, tons of gift certificates, some odd-sounding custom clothing and a GameBoy Micro. I wonder if Nintendo is going to create some fancy Golden Globe faceplate for the giveaway? The weird thing is that the free Micro comes with the Dr. Mario/Puzzle League cart. What the hell, at least throw in something that s not reeking of casual-game rank.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association Thanks This Year's Celebrity Presenters With a Gift Box Valued at Over $62,000
[PR Newswire]

I've been working on stories about mobile phone gaming over the past several weeks, and I've got to say, I'm impressed with how much they've improved over the years. I actually spent a good hour on the couch the other night playing Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. The mobile Warrior Within is probably a little more to my liking, but both are quite fun. And games like Wordking Poker (A combination of Scrabble and Texas Hold-Em) are both fun and inventive.

I'm just curious how many gamers play games on their cell phones. Or is it more of an either or. Personally, as long as I have my PSP, DS and Micro, I think it will be unlikely I would spend much time gaming on my cell. How about you?

Which ever category you fall in, you should probably pick up this free copy of Pong for the cell because it's Pong and it's free and, well, those are two of my favorite things.

Pong [Zedge]

Pssst. Have I got a deal for you? A Game Kids Micro. In Famicom maroon and gold at $9 a pop. Whaddaya say?

Pic Here AkibaBlog

I'm going to be shutting down the other "Best of" polls now, but I'm leaving the Prize Pack Poll open for a few more hours so make sure you vote for what you want our giveaway to be. I hope to start the contest this afternoon, right after I tally the vote to figure out what prize we are giving away.

Since we are nearing the end of the year and no one wants to do any work, I'm going to make entering this contest a breeze, so don't worry about any heavy lifting.

What Do You Want From Us For the Holidays? [Kotaku]

This very short-lived poll will determine what we give away. (It'll be ending tomorrow afternoon.) I'll post the contest details, but don't worry, the winner will be picked by a random drawing on New Year's Frickin' Eve.

So get to voting and tell your friends to join in. May the best prize-pick win.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

A vexxing price drop this is (if it sticks). Online retailer EBGames is listing Nintendo's mini GameBoy, the Micro, at $89.99. Considering the SP is listed at $79.99, I don't know if I'd really be into having a Micro, but for the niche crowd, the price has slipped. If only this had an NES faceplate. Then the nostalgia would suck the cash right out of my wallet.

The Nintendo Micro GBA made Toys R Us 2005 holiday gift trend list. The Micro was actually the only gaming system or video game to catch the toy store s attention as part of a 2005 trend.

The Micro falls under the Entertainment On the Go trend:

In the growing segment of handheld video gaming units, Game Boy Advance (GBA) Micro from Nintendo helps keep kids occupied on long road trips with the smallest screen yet while utilizing the entire GBA library of more than 700 games.

What, no love for the DS or PSP in the on the go trend? The other trends are Electronic Learning Aids, Return of the Classics, Get Up and Play and Music Accessories.

Toys R' Us has a pretty amazing Micro sale going on through Nov. 12. The deal includes a GB Mico, Intec starter kit and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land for $108.72. That's about $35 off the full retail price for the individual parts.

Seems ok, but don't put too much value in the starter kit, it comes with earbuds, a protective film, a chintzy looking slip-in carrying case and a neck strap.

Super Micro Deal at Toys R' Us [Infendo]

Nintendo's Micro gets another version in the Famicom 20th Anniversary unit this holiday sesaon. Reggie pointed out that the Micro is a limited availability product and that once each style of unit sells out - they're gone. He hinted that this won't be the last version of the Micro, but gave no details as to what faceplate could be next.

British Gaming put together a fantastic wish list of Micro faceplates that will never be. My favorites are the Game Gear and Playstation Portable.

Gameboy Micro - Handheld Console Faceplate Wishlist [British Gaming]

While this might not be a mouse humping a Micro, it is Nintendo's first ad to appeal directly to men, women and cross-dressers.

Check Out the Ad Here [Aussie Nintendo]

iSuppli Corp. specializes in tearing apart gadgets and seeing what they're worth in parts and labor. They recently stripped down a Game Boy Micro, which retails for about $100. The results? The Micro's actual cost is $44 with the portable's screen being the most expensive component. Hopefully, Nintendo will use the rest of that money to buy Mario some new duds. Cat's been wearing those same blue overalls for years.

They Also Dissect a Nano [G4TV]

Yesterday's Rock & Republic fashion show in Los Angeles was the "must-attend" event for LA's elite. The show featured a bunch of underfed people showing off clothes no one can afford to wear, but more importantly Nintendo's oh-so-chic portable, the Micro, was on hand and in hands to distract from the starvation on parade event.

I landed five shots of the famous fondling Micros, but the hottest by far is the one vixen Kristan Cavalleri taunting the camera with her I-got-one-and-you-can't-have-it look.

Serena Williams and Mena Suvari were on hand to act out the different stages of excitatude about the Micro.

Is Mena actually calling someone to tell them she just landed a Micro?

Paris Hilton looks like she modeling the damn thing. (It's a handheld Paris, not a purse or yippy dog.)

And is it just me or does Jesse Metcalfe look like he's trying to figure out how to call someone on his?

To gear up for the Game Boy Final Fantasy IV release on December 15, the big N is offering a special Micro skin for FFIV to be packaged along with the game. No pricing details yet or U.S. sales info, but hardcore fans no doubt will pay through the nose for this limited edition faceplate.

With Nintendo doing this for almost every game imaginable, I'm just waiting for Mario to bust down my door and bundle up my family and stamp a faceplate on me kid's forehead. Probably cost extra for that too.

Final Faceplate [Famitsu]

4 Color Rebellion has a solid, indepth review of the new Play Yan Micro. Improvements? Nintendo's ditched the pointless mini-gas in favor of improved sound and beautiful image playback.Gripes? Bulky when add the Play Yan and converting videos on the Japanese-language device is a biotch. Looks like the PSP has a worthy challenger.

Play Yan Reviewed [4 Color Rebellion] Thanks Daniel!

Game accessory maker Keys Factory has come out with a purdy pouch for the Micro. Just slip in yer portable, snap the buttons shut and you are good to go. There's a small pouch big enough to hold a catridge. The Japan-only case even has a key chain.

I know the Micro's small and light, but this seems like a "fat salaryman sitting on his Famicon edition Micro" waiting to happen.

Nice buttons.

Famicon edition... Drool.

Hey, that says, "Made in China."

Find the Key Case Here [Game Watch Impress]

Finally, a Pokemon product that doesn't look like crap. This slick Micro cover will go on sale in Japan on November 17th for 12,000 yen (bout 120 bucks). Pokefans can pick it up at their local Pokemon Center Store or buy it at the online/keitai sites. As you can imagine, they're already taking pre-orders.

I'm so glad it ain't yellow.

Cool Pokemon Cover [Pokemon Center]

Dad, is this really Nintendo?
Yes, son. It is.

Watch the Mouse CM Thanks Sinner!

A Square-Enix has created a Final Fantasy faceplate for the Micro. You can check out the highly-stylized face over on the freshly launched Final Fantasy IV GBA site, or by looking above this post.

Final Fantasy IV [Square-Enix]

Man, three weeks sure do go by quick when you re spending them in Australia. For those of you who missed my little vacation note back in September, I ve been offline (sorta) since the beginning of last month vacating with my wife and son in Oz. (Sorry for all of those that did read it and had Men at Work s "Down Under" stuck in their heads for weeks.)

I can t say I didn t miss posting daily Kotaku ramblings, and I know my wife did. With me unable to write up a dozen daily doses of mindless brain-fodder on the site, my wife has had to deal with weeks of my nonsensical, game-related chatter. But now I m back and for that she thanks you. I ll be posting from Australia for the next week, and then I return to the states to continue my mind befuddlery. On a side note, I now know why men chunder here, it s called Vegemite.

It s been an interesting gaming experience. Since, I m traveling I ve had to make do with two Nintendo DS, a PSP and a Micro. I spent a big chunk of my gaming time beating Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and playing through a chunk of Advance Wars DS. While I tinkered a bit with my PSP, it looks like I was out of the country for some of the releases I would have liked to bring on the trip.

You may have noticed that there have been two new posters keeping you up to date in my absence. You ll be glad to read that the Gawker Inc. head-command has decided to keep both them both — Japan s own Brian A. and Luke from the Motor City. (I m an alto, so let s hope one of them can hit the low notes.)

That s right, we now have three countries covered: Japan, the U.S. and war-torn Detroit.

What's in Paris Hilton's trough in the celebrity lounge?

The portable has been out for a little more than a week in Japan, and there's already a flood of Micro accessories. The Micro might be, well, micro-sized, but the handheld needs big time protection. Game Tech's screen is covered with a "hard coating" top layer, under which there is an anti-reflexive layer. No doubt, this is the best way to keep yer Micro safe from scratches, sunlight, and drool.

Safe Guard Yer Micro [Game Tech] via Game Watch Impress

Micro Release in the US

Drum roll please. We've got last week's Japanese sales figures, and Nintendo is cleaning up in the portable market. Almost 150,000 Micros were shifted, while the Famicom version alone sold 59,000 units. For those keeping score, Sony sold 58,000 portables, and that's with the launch of the new ceramic PSP. With no white PSP launching in the US, expect Nintendo to rack up equally impressive numbers. Sony, you didn't expect this to be an easy fight?

Sales Figures [Dengeki Online]
Micro Drops in Japan

We've been getting email from readers having problems securing a Micro. It seems that some retailers are not carrying the unit yet.

So, we contacted Nintendo, who informed us that the portables are on their way. The big N never quoted September 19th as the launch date, but rather, as the ship date. Different stores have different pipelines to get product, and the Micro should be available everywhere by month's end.

Whew. Thanks for clearing that up!

Micro Hold-ups

Nintendo Fanboy and Kotakuite Max sent the following email, concerning a possible Micro delay:

i have noticed that the gameboy micro release seems to have been postponed. i spoke with a number of retail outlets (around 10), and none of them received the unit today, and some sites are listing the release date as pushed back a bit. a rep at ebgames customer service told me that this is likely due to problems on nintendo's end with filling the orders to the stores.

We spoke to a company rep. regarding this, and there is no Micro delay per se. The units were shipped on September 19th. Depending on where people live and the store's size, the arrival dates could vary.

The incredibly popular handheld should be available everywhere by the end of the month. Sucks if you live in the sticks, but be patient.

Crecente in the Park with a Micro

The Micro is still making the rounds at NYC's Fashion Week. Here, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's Grooming Guru, Kyan Douglas, mugs with a camouflage Micro. We usually leave the gay celeb kind of stuff to sister site Gawker, but we're all over pics of fashionistas manhandling Nintendo gear.

Models Play with the Micro

Not only is it Mario's B-Day, but it's the release date for the Micro. ITMedia has a bunch of shots of the box for the special FamiCom version.

The actual unit looks pretty nice too, but man, this is some killer packaging on Nintendo's part.

Micro FamiCom [ITMedia]

Ah, Fashion Week in New York. Fashionable clothes, beautiful models, and Nintendo Micros.

There's two more pics after the jump. Nintendo fanboys won't know if they should drool over the models or the Micro.

Gaming Fashion

I'm no medical doctor, but that looks like removing it could be quite painful. But on the bright side, at least it's not a hamster.

One More Game Boy Micro Size Comparison Pic Before The Weekend
[Geek on Stun]

Cruising through my local video game store, I came across this insainely huge DS display. The top screen kept showed clips, while the touchpad sadly did not work. The buttons didn't either for that matter. Still, very cool nonetheless. Has anyone seen this outside of Japan?

Nintendo DS