A new glucose monitor targeted at children with Juvenile Diabetes hopes to entice its young users by doubling as a video game. The GlucoBoy tests small amounts of blood for glucose levels, just like a normal glucose self-diagnosis device. Upon plugging it into a Game Boy Advance or DS, however, GlucoBoy rewards players for routine glucose checks or having correct blood sugar levels by giving them points, which can be used to unlock mini-games on the cartridge.

Interestingly, we originally reported about GlucoBoy way back in 2005, with Engadget having reported on it first in 2004. Due to the device's small market, its inventor Paul Wessel has spent three years trying to get approval from Nintendo to produce the device. GlucoBoy launched in Australia on World Diabetes Day, with plans to bring the glucose-testing device to more regions soon.

[Via Next-Gen]

KB Toys is doing a better deal than what we've come to expect from Toys R Us by offering "buy one, get one 50% off" on all GBA and DS titles. CheapAssGamer has lead the way to the savings which can be found in-store only and end Oct. 30.

Now the key thing is just finding a store. Beyond that there are plenty of other toy related items part of the same deal (we just happen to focus on the video games). Could be an ideal time to get a little early holiday shopping done. Yup, it's almost that time.

[Via CheapAssGamer]

According to a tipster gobo_4227, the following images are from an unannounced Nintendo DS debut of the GBA's RPG series, Golden Sun. The legitimacy of the images is obviously in doubt, but it does realize some of our far-fetched dreams. Make it happen, developers!

You would be forgiven for thinking that The Bee Game, a DS and GBA title, might be connected to a film you've heard some buzz (lol!) about, Bee Movie. Luckily, Midway has taken every precaution to make sure that you don't get the two confused. Like, for instance, they added a "The" at the beginning, let's see Jerry Seinfeld top that!

There are, of course, some things that even Midway couldn't help. For instance, they both just happen to be releasing in November. Purely coincidental. Also, The Bee Game was written by Barry Leinfeld. (OK, we made that one up.) In case you're curious, the game apparently features "completing mini-games to find clues in the meadow, dark forest, blue pond, deep caverns and the garden to locate the other bees." Not listed in the feature set, but implied: A hard-learned lesson about paying more attention to the back of boxes.

Update: As some of the more observant of you have pointed out, that is, in fact, Maya the Bee. Why change the name of the game based on the beloved children's series? We have NO IDEA.

Gameplay footage from Crash of the Titans held our interest for today's video pick. The upcoming Bandacoot adventure for all current platforms besides PS3 will be out this fall, and Crash fans may find a new title to love. (We're not talking about you, Action Pack.) Or is Crash looking a little too like The King for his own good?

See the new video after the break, and watch a longer GameTrailers developer interview, too.

More geeky than most of us can handle, musician Herbert Weixelbaum has an in-depth analysis of the sound output for every Game Boy system, including both Nintendo DS models. He even included minor upgrades to the line and tested systems with backlighting both on and off. The guide is aimed squarely at chiptune musicians who want to get the most out of their performances. Everyone else, just smile and nod.

The results? The original Game Boy has a "warm, bassy sound", the Game Boy Color produces a lot of background noise, while the Game Boy Advance SP has the best display. According to Herbert, however, the original Game Boy is the best of the lot with the all-important "retro feel".

[Via GameSetWatch]

At first glance that panel title sounds like a very special episode of Dateline NBC's "To Catch a Predator," but the subtitle makes it a bit clearer ... for some: "A Robot, a DS, and a dot-matrix printer menage a trois." This panel was all about hacking and homebrewing, and we saw some pretty cool stuff.

• Bob Sabiston's Nintendo DS animation project -- this is a homebrew kit that Bob began developing after sending Nintendo a letter explaining that he was a fairly decent programmer and engineer (he is - he wrote the rotoscoping software used for the animation in Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly) and they sent him a software development kit for the DS. His animation and painting program is one of the best apps we've ever seen on the DS, and even the artwork he's produced on it is very impressive.
• Rich LeGrand got into game robotics with the Game Boy Advance, because there is a fairly limitless supply of hardware available on eBay at around $20 a pop. He reverse-engineered a robotics tool for the GBA called the Xport, which he sells through his company Charmed Labs, that lets you program and build a robot around your handheld (most people use Lego for the robot exoskeleton). He has also very successfully not been sued by Nintendo.
  
• Paul Slocum took an old Epson LQ500 dot-matrix printer and reversed engineered a box that lets him program and play music through it by changing the speeds and strengths that the pins strike the paper. It really has to be heard to be believed (it's part of the song - former dot-matrix users will hear it right away). He also uses an Atari 2600 with a modified cartridge to generate drums and "bleep" sounds. Pretty impressive stuff.

We lovingly retitled this panel "How to hack up your precious hardware," but now we're thinking about cracking something open and giving it a whirl. We just wish we'd kept those old dot-matrix printers.

Kingdom Hearts recently joined an elite group of franchises, its three games now accounting for more than 10 million units shipped worldwide. Still dwarfed by a pair of Nintendo franchises, Kingdom Hearts is nonetheless quickly establishing itself as one of the most successful series of all time.

Consider that it's older sibling Final Fantasy -- ranked third among the all-time best-selling franchises -- has managed to move 68 million units; a tall stack indeed, but one that's built on 12 core games dating back to 1987, plus countless spin-offs, remakes, and compilations. To date, Kingdom Hearts (technically considered a FF spin-off) is built on a mere 3 titles; none of which have gone multi-platform (GBA's Chain of Memories will be released for PS2 in an upcoming re-release compilation called Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix +). Kingdom Hearts debuted in September 2002.

Appropriately, Square Enix will soon unveil multiple Kingdom Hearts sequels, affirming that this action-RPG is one of the most sought after series in the business. So which platforms will be blessed this time around? Is the primary series' successor safe in Sony's hands?

Siliconera notes that upcoming GBA port Final Fantasy VI Advance is sorta like a director's cut. When the game appeared some years ago on Super NES, as Final Fantasy III, localization efforts toned down some of the stronger language. Thus, "death" became "doom," "pub" became "cafe," and "holy" became "pearl" (huh?). Even instances of minor nudity, pixelated as they were, got covered up.

Pictured above, "Doomgaze" (SNES version name) has been properly restored to "Deathgaze" in FFVI Advance. Could the final release retain all of the original Japanese creation's edginess? Will "Terra" -- *gasp* -- be rightfully named "Tina"?

Update: corrected Terra/Tina mix-up.

Okay, before y'all fall over yourselves telling us that he's using a special cartridge allowing him to pipe in a video signal to his Game Boy Advance, let us beat you to the punch -- we know that. It still looks pretty cool playing the Wii on a GBA screen. Though why you would even want to do this is an entirely different matter. Also, just forget about that sucker being portable. For now, it's just a nifty little "Gee whiz!" feature that'll make you pine for a Wii Boy Portable one day. We can dream.

Peep the vid after the jump and imagine everything else you can play on that tiny screen, thus destroying your eyesight and/or going blind. You've been warned.

The idea behind Shogakukan's Hyper Carrying Case (¥480; $4) is simple: it's made to look like a standard retail box, but when you pop it open, you discover a storage case for three four DS games and one GBA game (we suppose you could squeeze a few instruction booklets in there too). Despite containing no game of its own, the front of the box is adorned with familiar Japanese characters, like Doraemon and Mega Man variant Ryusei no Rockman.

It's not the best game carrier we've come across, but it's dirt cheap, and a clever play on the standard DS case.

Nintendo of Europe has offered its condolences to the family of Connor O'Keefe, the seven-year-old UK boy who was electrocuted and tragically killed last Saturday when unplugging his Game Boy power supply. Connor was vacationing with his family in Thailand when the fatal accident occurred. The UK (230V/50Hz) and Thailand (220V/50Hz) use similar voltage standards.

Nintendo did not issue any further comments, claiming that details of the incident were still unclear. Police have declared the tragedy an accident. "No blame has been attached," said Lt. Colonel Sopol Borirok.

Capcom's latest Investor Relations report seems to indicate that the publisher plans to release six titles for Xbox 360 in 2007 the fiscal year that began April 1, compared to just three for PlayStation 3; and apparently none for Wii. Overall support for Sony remains strong however, with a total of 54 titles spread across PlayStation 2 and PSP; DS and GBA share 12.

What's most puzzling about the report is how the time periods are labeled on the graph. For example, does "2007/3" refer only to first quarter projections? Are we to anticipate six Xbox 360 titles by March? And if so, which ones? Still, if the graph is meant to be interpreted in this way it would mean 51 PS2 games were released between January and March of this year -- and that can't be accurate. Can it? Anyone care to take a stab at the true meaning of these figures?

Update 1: okay, we think we've got it figured out ... "2005/3" represents titles and sales of those titles for an entire fiscal year (from April 2004 through March 2005). Similarly, "2006/3" represents the following fiscal year. "2006/9" represents a fiscal half-year (April 2006 through September 2006). And so, "2007/3" combines all titles and sales of those titles from October 2006 until now with projections through March 2007.

If this is the case, neither Dead Rising nor Street Fighter II (Xbox Live Arcade) could be included in the "2007/3" period because both titles were released before October 1. Lost Planet is due out in January (out now in Japan) and Resident Evil has likely been delayed until 2008, so what are the additional five three titles expected on 360? Devil May Cry 4? Perhaps. More likely, a clump of Xbox Live Arcade rehashes.

Update 2: J.Goodwin (comment #8) brings up a good point. "2007/3" likely represents an entire fiscal year, so we do count Dead Rising and Street Fighter II -- along with Lost Planet. That leaves three titles unaccounted for. (Phew, that was bananas! Stupid stinkin' shoddy-graph makers...)

What ever happened to the ol' lump of coal punishment? A South Carolina woman decided her son was so out of line when he stole the Game Boy Advance she had purchased as his Christmas present that she had the 12 year-old arrested. He was charged, as a juvenile, with petty larceny.

The GBA theft follows an alleged string of offenses carried out by the boy, including shoplifting, stealing from mom's wallet, and punching a cop. At his court appearance, the mother will seek to turn her son over to the state Department of Juvenile Justice.

Lara Croft's long-awaited return to Nintendo hardware is on target for November when Tomb Raider Legend ships for the GameCube, GameBoy Advance, and DS. Pro-G has posted new screens for each platform.

The GBA and DS versions will present a side-scrolling derivative of the Legend adventure, but the DS includes a touch screen menu that allows you to switch Lara's weapons and various items around (no touching Lara, please).

Read Joystiq's review on the Xbox 360 version of Legend, and check out what other industry critics had to say about the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions of the game.

See also:

• Lara's lovely ladies revisted
• Angelina Jolie to star in next Tomb Raider film?
• Lara Croft lands in Guinness Book of World Records