Don't worry if you don't find the headline funny right away. Some puns take time to take root and mature, like a fine vine.

Okay, but seriously, the news: Nintendo has announced that the "Metallic Rose" DS Lite, a pinkish sort of model that many may feel compelled to bury in the garden, will become available at retailers "later this month." The model was previously attainable only as part of a Nintendogs bundle.

As of May 19th, you'll be able to see the Rose shown off in commercials which star "celebrity spokespeople" like Carrie Underwood and America Ferrera. Another commercial will feature Liv Tyler, the odd one out with a Crimson/Black DS and a name that doesn't sound completely made up.

[Via DS Fanboy]

Nintendo's making a final push to indoctrinate the rest of the world's pet-deprived tweens and twenty-something geeks, according to a new Sears ad. Come "Black Friday," two more DS Lite models will hit retail ($150 ea.), each branded and bundled with a corresponding game.

There's the metallic pink Pound Puppies Nintendogs case, complete with (bloody?) paw print and game -- which reminds us, our lil' pixelated Shih Tzu hasn't been fed in about two years ... Anyways, moving on: there's also the gold-sprayed Zelda unit, (spotted a few weeks ago and) bundled with Phantom Hourglass, featuring the Triforce logo for those of us not quite ready for the more-permanent expression of our faith.

[Via DS Fanboy]

Horse Life looks like a Nintendogs where you can compete with your animal. (Oh, there was that whole dog agility thing, but we stuck to frisbee games instead. Will a horse chase a frisbee?) We'll leave the sharp critique for the commenters. To our eyes, if you're into horse raising-and-riding games, this looks fun.

What do the equestrians in the house say? C'mon, we know you're out there. Or are you waiting in line already for the November DS release?

See the trailer after the break.

As adorable as the Nintendogs could be on screen, it was only a matter of time before someone licensed them for recognizable plush toys for mass indulgence.

Two types of Nintendog-licensed plush pups will be available. The Trick Trainers include a magnetic bone that reacts to magnets of opposite polarity inside the plush toy, giving the appearance the puppy is following the bone with its eyes, wagging its tail, or reaching its paw out for a delicious handout. The Interactive Play Pups (or "Nintendog deluxe") are more robotic: they wag their tails when you touch them, bark and howl when you howl, and growl when you play tug-of-war.

The Trick Trainer and Interactive Play Pups are available on Amazon UK for £9.99 and £24.99, respectively (or approximately $20 and $48 for those interested in the US). Our search found a wide variety of available plush pets. Nintendogs was a runaway success: how many of these pups are going to get squeezed out of parents' bank accounts?

Commercial embedded after the break.

While attending my niece's soccer game this past weekend, I noticed a few furry new additions to the family. "They're Webkinz", she said referring to the pink poodle and St. Bernard stuffed animals she and my nephew had brought with them. At first, there didn't seem to be anything special about these Webkinz, until a few of her schoolmates came over with plush little pals of their own. Then they all started talking about emailing each other at their Webkinz addresses, and playing games at the Webkinz web site. That's when I became interested in learning more about this emerging craze created by gift maker Ganz.

Webkinz combines elements of Nintendogs, The Sims, Brain Age, and Nick.com, packaging all of it together in a secure online environment for kids and their 'kinz. The result is an addictive blend of educational and simulation-style activities geared toward maintaining your pet's avatar and its virtual living space. Food and furniture are paid for with Kinzcash, the community currency which is accrued while playing games and taking quizzes. A word puzzle game had my nephew and I hooked for almost an hour, and the "one more round" syndrome manifested itself in both of us each time we achieved one goal and were given another.

Despite Wall Street grumblings and increased federal legislation, this pre-pubescent enthusiasm ensures a healthy future for the gaming industry. Ganz isn't just grooming digital dogs and cats, but also tomorrow's PlayStation 4 and MMO gamers. The ingredients are all here: the online community, competitive gaming, an achievement system, and the W Shop (the place where you spend your Kinzcash). It's not quite Live Anywhere, but the physical extension of the plush toy creates a persistent real world experience away from the desktop computer, keeping young users engaged throughout the day no matter where they venture. Just make sure you monitor your kids' health and hunger meters as often as they monitor their Webkinz's.

See also: Microsoft educates parents on 20-city bus tour

Perhaps it's unfair to cast the canine in the role of the profusely slobbering, devil-eyed villain, but the gruesome fate that befell one man's DS Lite (yes, worse than a hinge cracking) certainly makes it seem as if the dog didn't care much for man's best electronic friend. Whether it was jealousy brought on by a cute Nintendogs puppy or simply the realization that glossy white plastic looks extremely delicious, the dog's actions were luckily undone by a call to Nintendo and a $50 repair fee.

A few months back, a poor PSP experienced a similar gnashing, having been caught in the drooling mouth of an overly playful puppy. It's a grisly sight and serves as a warning to all those that would leave their precious electronics within jaw's reach. We're curious -- how many of you have come home to realize that your pet has somehow destroyed a piece of your gaming collection? And how many of you wuv your pets regardless of how many times they've chewed on your copy of Dead to Rights?

[Via DS Fanboy]

Read - DS Lite chew toy
Read - PSP chew toy [Thanks, Weasler!]

If Nintendo's desires are realized, it won't be too long before the image of Grandpa hunching furiously over his DS Lite and murderously screaming "Blue" joins that of the bespectacled nerd in the ranks of uninformed gamer stereotypes. In an effort to reach out to those who would normally shy away from electronic devices and their confusing beeps and boops, several forthcoming and readily available DS games have recently been shoved under the Touch Generations banner. The range highlights Nintendo's popular "non-games", titles that are meant to be approachable by any person, regardless of their previous gaming experience.

In North America, games like Nintendogs, Brain Age and Sudoku Gridmaster seem to gravitate towards the label quite naturally, but it seems that the selection differs significantly from that of other regions. Anthropomorphic neighbour sim, Animal Crossing: Wild World, slots right in with Electroplankton in Europe, but the choices of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Trauma Center: Under the Knife seem to fit in less comfortably. The latter two titles are far more traditional, with linear stories, clear conditions for success and failure and, in the case of Trauma Center especially, a more pronounced difficulty level that requires intricate stylus strokes--lest your patient's internal organs become reduced to a bloody mush (technical term). In other words, all the stuff that the mythical casual gamer doesn't want.

The Japanese selection is almost the exact opposite, filled with English trainers, dictionaries and travel guidebooks. If you looked up "game" in one of those dictionaries, you'd likely find a description far removed from most of these titles. It raises an interesting question, then: What constitutes a game that, according to Nintendo's mantra, anyone can pick up and play? Is it a game that almost exclusively relies on intuitive touch screen controls? Or is it something with simplistic gameplay mechanics? Perhaps it's not even a game at all. Nintendo's pretty clear about the kind of people they're chasing with the DS and the Wii, but things seem less vivid when it comes to matching specific games with specific audiences. With games being such unique and often personal experiences, it's doubtful that the line between hardcore and casual will ever become especially obvious. 

While accepting the award for "Best Technology" at Wednesday's Game Developers Choice Awards on behalf of the Nintendogs team, Nintendo of America's Bill Trinen (shown here during Satoru Iwata's keynote the following day) had only this to say:

"I think it's great there's a place where people can still make a game about petting really cute puppies."

Awwwwww. He's right though, those puppies are really cute. 'Nuff said.

Rare's next project is apparently an original IP concerning living piñata animals that will be featured in a Saturday morning TV/3-D/CG show and then in an Xbox 360 game debuting this holiday season worldwide.

Nintendo has announced that its legendary designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, will be on hand to field questions and praise during a half hour webchat next week. The discussion looks to focus on the Nintendo DS, including insight into the New Super Mario Bros., but perhaps some skillful fans will be able to pry out some Revolution details (don't count on it). The webchat will be viewable at webchats.tv at 2 pm (Eastern) on March 17. Start submitting your questions now.

Despite a later launch in Europe, those pesky puppies have managed to sell well. Really well--with two million copies of Nintendogs sold so far, Europe's managed to outsell both the US and Japan.

Only yesterday we heard how innovation is nowhere to be seen in the UK charts; perhaps it's the chill of February rather than a general distaste for new titles. Nintendogs was a chart favourite over Christmas; with its three variants, and a huge female appeal, it's still going strong. The upcoming PSP knock-off will help prove whether virtual pets are trendy again, or whether it's just puppy love.