Needless to say, the next generation has quickly forgotten classic games like Mario Bros. Oddly enough, the girls are more than willing to turn on each other when their lack of skills goes from an experienced gamer to their fellow idol guests..
7-year-old kills himself with Gameboy Advance
UK, January 5, 2007 - Nintendo’s Game Boy has hit the tabloid front pages, following the tragic death of a seven-year-old boy in Thailand. This morning, the Mirror newspaper reports that Connor O’ Keefe was electrocuted while uplugging his Game Boy charger in his hotel room, during a family holiday.
Local police have stated that the incident, which happened last Saturday, was most likely to have occurred when the boy attempted to use the electrical equipment while still wet, returning from the hotel’s swimming pool. According to the Telegraph newspaper, Wiraporn Ungathakorn, acting manager of the Sunset Beach Hotel in Thailand said: “The water must have gone straight into the plug. The safety cut could not save him. He was found by his parents in the room and we sent him to hospital by ambulance. Doctors could not save him. The hotel has paid his medical fees. This was just a tragic accident.”
However, speaking to the Mirror, Kathleen Curry, the boy’s mother, debunked the claims, noting that Connor was aware of the dangers of electricity: “There should be some kind of warning about the different electrical currents you get abroad because this would not have happened in England.”
In response to the story, a spokesperson for Nintendo told us, “Nintendo wishes to offer its sincere condolences to the family of Connor O’ Keefe. Details of the accident are currently unclear so we are unable to make any further comment at this stage.”
I would also like to thank Dolemite on TNL for the greatest response to someone calling Nintendo’s comment “low”:
What the fuck is Nintendo supposed to say? “Nintendo wishes to offer its sincere congratulations to the newest Darwin Award winner, Connor O’ Keefe, for managing to be the only person on Earth to kill themself with the previously non-lethal Gameboy Advance. Now he’s playing with power!”
In the great debate over which would I rather own right now, I am a heavy fan of the Nintendo Wii. So much so that after waiting all night with someone else who was going to get one, I bought one too. Now I just need Excite Truck, Zelda, and Trauma Center: Second Opinion.
When I heard the name, I thought Nintendo had lost their minds. The cool name Revolution, despite being just the codename, sounded so much better than Wii. I stand corrected. Despite the odd controller, silly name, and lack of being able to compete graphically with the 360 & PS3; the Nintendo Wii is going to kick some serious ass this Fall.
The game system features a dynamic design. And small, oh lord is it small. I was shocked that the estimated size of about 3 DVD cases is really true. The controller is tiny, light, yet functional. One of the local Gamestop stores had a display setup and turned on, more than I can say for anywhere else which have the units unplugged. Naturally I watched one person playing and picked up that I would have to hand over my driver’s license to be able to use the controller. With the exchange done, I finished up the last person’s game of Excite Truck and then started my own race on the same snow level.
“Woah..” is the best term for this experience and the same one everyone seems to utter at first with awe. Hands in front of me like a steering wheel, I drove my off-road truck up and down the hills and raced through the snow trying to keep up with the other trucks crashing into me. Every floating “i” bubble I hit would change the surround terrain from simple hills into mind blowing mountains to climb. Here and there you slip off into the brush or water, but the sensitivity can be solved with a little practice. Ultimately, my thought of “maybe” turned into a full on “hell yes!” on wanting one of these.
The packaging design is smart. It’s simple, very open & white, with the Wii featured in the center. It looks like something from the Apple iPod line and will easily appeal to the same crowd. I give Nintendo’s marketing team major kudos for this move and the name “Wii” which will also draw in those fans of Apple iPod products.
If and when you get a chance, go stop by your local Gamestop store to see if their display is functioning yet. You are going to want to experience this one for yourself and join the converted.
