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We've got some welcome news for European readers who somehow don't already own a Wii -- or for those of you who already have one, but just can't resist the temptation of the new black model. Amazon.uk has opened pre-orders for the new Wii Sports Resort bundle, which includes a Wiimote, a Nunchuk and a MotionPlus all dressed in black, along with both Wii Sports games. The bundle will ship on November 6 and is available on additional Amazon branches, as well; though the release dates for other European territories is November 20.

The UK pre-order price is even discounted a bit to £164.99 (roughly $270) -- the same bundle in boring old white normally retails for £179.99. (The black and white bundles are priced the same, at €209.99, elsewhere in Europe.) The white bundle, however, includes your choice of two additional games -- a small sacrifice for that spooky black coating, we say.

As for you importers, we suppose this could be the ideal time to pursue a PAL model, if you simply can't wait for the black system to be announced for North America. Then again, in doing so, you'll also have to import all of your games. Patience.

[Via Engadget]

Rumored, pictured, and now shipping to retail, the 2009 edition of the Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle ($300) includes a pair of family-friendly titles from last year in Lego Batman and Pure. But, well, you knew that. (Protip: Grab and stash this before October 5 to be eligible for the $50 rebate.)

Also announced today, the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Game Pack will go on sale in November for $60. The black gamepad and bundle of XBLA titles is so close to perfect with Geometry Wars 2, Lumines Live, Bomberman Live and ... a code for Ms. Pac-Man? Make that a Pac-Man: Championship Edition token and we'd be looking at one of the best gifts you could have given this holiday -- 'cause let's face it, you (should) already own those games.

Oh, and still no official word on that popcorn box o' peripherals.

PrimePlus has a fairly interesting piece about the current state of black characters in video games. The editorial maintains a very moderate approach to the charged subject, covering the differences between Western and Eastern development, along with how black characters have been portrayed over the years.

The piece mostly focuses on upcoming titles and games from the last decade, like Mass Effect, Half-Life 2, Gears of War and GTA: San Andreas. Without getting "politically correct" or preachy, the editorial notes that representation isn't an "exclusive concern to the population of black individuals." It points out that "more socially imaginative avenues of inspiration" would be welcome, which is something we can agree about.

[Via Edge]

Out with one SKU, in with another. The 4GB PSP Entertainment Pack may be dead, but in its place is the Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack. Wait, what? Yes, looks like Sony is offering two versions of the R&C pack -- the current one offers a silver system and echochrome. The one releasing in December will include a black system and Everyday Shooter. Both will be available for $199.

If that's not your style, you can try the black PSP Brite a la carte for $169. However, no release date has been set for the standalone system.

[Via PlayStation]

At the bottom of a GamesIndustry.biz story about some PS3 game (Metal ... something) failing to sell PS3s in the UK, we found news of how those new, Europe-only DS colors had fared in Britain.

And here's a surprise: Chart-Track (the company tasked with the exhausting job of tallying how many copies of Brain Training sell each week in Europe) has revealed that while the swish new red, turquoise, and green models had a "massive impact" on sales, none could dislodge the current top-seller, which is ... black. How boring!

Despite being the most delicious of all DSes, the red version could only come in second, and was followed by pink, white, turquoise, green and silver respectively. Sadly, Chart-Track doesn't dispense actual sales figures, but come on, Brits! Show some adventure in your choice of DS colors! Be crazy and live life on the edge like us!

It's astounding that, despite all the eBay auctions we've followed and Nintendo oddities we've researched, there are still so many Famicom accessories out there that we've never seen, much less heard of. Thankfully, an obsessive Japanese collector has put up a page documenting these rare controllers and peripherals, like Hori RF adapters and Disk System cleaning sprays. Check out the Hyper Shot Zapper-clone pictured above -- can you believe that Bandai made a submachine gun for the Famicom? Jump past the post break for more Famicom odds and ends.

As much as we'd love to import one of these gorgeous arcade sticks -- modeled after the original Neo Geo AES arcade stick -- $59.90, not including steep shipping fees for the 4+ lb. controller, is just too rich for our blood, especially since it's only compatible with a limited selection of Wii games. For Virtual Console games, however, this would be the business.

For now, we'll just have to live through David Spreckley who bought one of these sticks from an Akihabara shop and posted photos of the unboxed product online to torment jealous gamers. Down, Down Forward, Forward + Punch past the post break for another glamour shot of the Neo Geo Stick 2.

A fairly dreary, rubbish "rainbow," admittedly, but a rainbow of sorts. These 'chuks are all part of Nyko's new Kama range of wireless nunchuks, and are classified as gray, black, pink, and gold (the one on the right, apparently). They also happen to be limited edition, and that's probably why Nyko is happy to charge us $35 per nunchuk, a considerable mark-up on the $20 you'd pay for a standard wired Nunchuck (how passé!). The gray ones are up for sale now (there's 300 of them to go round), and the other colors will follow in the coming days (the black and gold are the rarest, numbering only 150).

Nyko already has a wireless nunchuck out on the market previously released a wireless Nunchuck adapter, so we don't doubt that these would also do the job nicely. However, unlike the adapter, this is a standalone wireless Nunchuck. No messy cords to bundle up. But $35 for a peripheral that will clash with our lovely white Wiimotes? We'll pass on this one.



[Via Siliconera]

[Update: Update: Corrected a few errors in the article. $35 is the standard price for all of Nyko's Kama wireless nunchucks: the limited edition Kama line of nunchucks cost the same as Nyko's standard Kama Wireless Nunchucks soon to be released.]

Much like what she did last year with women in games, MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John is in the middle of a week-long series that looks at black professionals in the video game industry. So far she's talked to Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, Crystal Dynamic's Morgan Gray and Nerjyzed Entertainment's Brian Jackson. Tomorrow's entry will be an interview with SCEA producer Felice Standifer.

Similar to the last series, topics of discussion include the perception of black people in games, the struggles with diversity in the industry and how it affects the end product (i.e. the game). Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Gears of War's character Cole Train are discussed on multiple occasions. Concluding his interview, Croal threw out an idea for a Dance Dance Revolution title that would actually teach you how to dance, which the rhythmically-deficient folks at Joystiq would love to get our off-time hands on.

Much to our delight, SNK's Neo Geo Stick 2 for the Wii will retain that classic black look of the original and PS2 controllers, foregoing the predictable white case that Hori opted for. Jeux France has uncovered several photos of the arcade stick, unboxed and beside its packaging, and it is gorgeous. Leaving one of these displayed on your coffee table sends a clear message to your visitors: "This guy is serious business." Just make sure not to break up that illusion by letting them see your Chewbacca bedsheets -- you don't want people to think that the business you're serious about is living like a twelve-year-old.

Back on topic, the Neo Geo Stick 2 supports both Wii games and Virtual Console titles. Retailers in Japan won't begin selling the arcade controller until April 10th, but you can preorder one now from import shop Play Asia for as cheap as $59.90. Step past the break for more photos from SNK's product page.

We've known about their impending release before the official announcement, we've waited a few weeks and now the time has come for three Xbox games to walk down the Xbox Originals red carpet to claim their award. Ninja Gaiden Black, Sid Meier's Pirates and BLACK are now officially Xbox Originals downloads and can be purchased from the Xbox Live Marketplace for a cool 1200 Microsoft points. Be warned though, there are a few backwards compatibility issues to deal with (including audio dropping, graphics tearing, lighting problems and frame-rate issues), but that's no biggie because they're only 1200 points apiece. You're a big spender, so spend away and stock up on those Originals.

Would you ever buy a second DS, solely because you like the color? It sounds silly, but time and again this blogger has come close to shelling out for one of those Enamel Blue Lites that appeared exclusively in Japan, only to back down at the last minute. It may sound like a fairly ridiculous reason to purchase a second version of any gaming system, but then gamers aren't always rational people, and DSes are desirable and just about cheap enough to justify impulse purchases.

Of course, some of you might well be purchasing a second DS in the very near future, as the cobalt blue DS Lite hits U.S. stores today. If you are, tell us about it!

Eagle-eyed fanboy MageGriff noticed that on the XBLM, under the Xbox Originals section, are three newly new game additions that are "greyed out". The three new Xbox Original games (all of which do not include Conker or Jade Empire) have a release date set for February 11th and include (trumpets please) Ninja Gaiden Black, Side Meier's Pirates! and the shoot-fest that is BLACK. Again, these three new Xbox Originals are not available for download or purchase until the 11th, but are pretty much a release guarantee seeing that they're currently viewable on the Marketplace. Anyone up for some 1200 Microsoft point Ninja Gaiden?

[Thanks, MageGriff]

On February 11, the 360's Xbox Originals will see another small update to its still-slender selection, this time adding Ninja Gaiden Black, Sid Meier's Pirates!, and the Criterion FPS Black to the roster.

Pirates! is the 2004 re-make of Sid Meier's original 1987 adventure game, which sees players taking on the roles of pirates (duh) in the Spanish Main. Black is Criterion's adrenaline-fueled last-gen FPS, with destructible environments and a healthy amount of explosions. Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden Black added a number of features to the original Xbox title, including the condescending "Ninja Dog" easy mode.

All good additions, to be sure, but with Valentine's Day coming only three days later, couldn't they have at least included something a bit more romantic? Like, say, Beyond Good & Evil?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]