Slashdot Mirror

AKAImBatman writes "Thanks to Sony's heavy handed tactics, popular game importer Lik-Sang is closing its doors. All Lik-Sang customers are having their orders cancelled and refunded. Any attempt to place a new order redirects your web browser to the news of Lik-Sang's demise." From the announcement: "'Today is Sony Europe victory about PSP, tomorrow is Sony Europe's ongoing pressure about PlayStation 3. With this precedent set, next week could already be the stage for complaints from Sony America about the same thing, or from other console manufacturers about other consoles to other regions, or even from any publisher about any specific software title to any country they don't see fit. It's the beginning of the end... of the World as we know it', stated Pascal Clarysse, formerly known as the Marketing Manager of Lik-Sang.com. 'Blame it on Sony. That's the latest dark spot in their shameful track record as gaming industry leader. The Empire finally won, a few dominating retailers from the UK probably will rejoice the news, but everybody else in the gaming world lost something today.'" Many thanks to Sony for ruining it for the rest of us. I hope that your business model makes up for the customer goodwill you're lighting on fire today. Update: 10/24 21:34 GMT by Z : Eurogamer has Sony's response to Lik-Sang's accusations.

Joan Cross writes "Sony won a battle in the UK Courts over the importing to Europe of Playstation Portables by Lik Sang. They say that 'Ultimately, we're trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards, due to voltage supply differences et cetera'. Of course, the PSP comes supplied with a 100-240v adapter which is safe worldwide. Lik Sang has posted their reaction to the court decision. Could be bad news for those wanting PS3 Consoles on import."

Nintendo DS News writes "Lik Sang have posted a great hands-on article examining the new Nintendo DS TV Adapter. From the article: 'Both projects are converters displaying the image of your Nintendo handheld on Television sets. One is for the Gameboy Advance SP, the other is, more interestingly for the smoking hot Nintendo DS system.'"

DS News writes "Gamespot has posted news that the release of the Enamel Navy and Ice Blue has been just as much a sell-out success as the White DS Lite event a week ago. From the article: 'Following last week's launch of the Crystal While DS Lite, Nintendo Co, Ltd. shipped its Ice Blue and Enamel Navy models today in Japan. Considering that the handheld has already made one debut, the industry wasn't expecting the same high turnout for these new models. But contrary to conventional wisdom, the machine's second launch drew even more demand than the first.'" As with the White launch, Kotaku has a man on the ground with impressions from the Japanese launch day.

Nintendo DS News writes "Those lucky chaps at Lik Sang have done a hands-on review of the DS Lite, with masses of screenshots and comparisons between the new and old versions. Now, you can officially add whiter, cooler, prettier, sleeker, and overall better to your arsenal of superlatives when describing the Nintendo DS Lite in comparison with the first edition of the Nintendo DS. The new edition has for sure a fashionable look, and appears more modern than the previous model, which many compared to a 'cheap plastic toy from the 20th century' when it first came out.""

Nintendo DS News writes "Lik Sang has posted news that only the White Nintendo DS Lite will be out at the launch. From the article: 'Nintendo of Japan informed retailers and official distributors across the island, that the Nintendo DS Lite Enamel Navy and Ice Blue will not make it out of the gate by March 2. Only Crystal White will be available on launch day. The two other colors are supposed to come out on March 11. I repeat for tired eyes and those who were not focused yet: no cool Ice Blue, no savvy Enamel Navy, only pure Crystal White available at Nintendo DS Lite debut.'"

Xbox Evolution writes "Lik Sang has done a hands on review of a lightgun that is compatible with Plasma, LCD, TFT & DLP. The review of the LCD TopGun which works with the PS2, Xbox and PC gives a good overview of the features and functionality."

PSP News writes "The people over at Lik Sang have done a great hands on review of the new no Modification PSP TV Device by Blaze. The main differences between this and the Team Xtender adapter is less than half the price and the Pal-Ntsc switch while quality is as good if not better at different display settings. From the article: 'Compared to the previous TV Adapter that we had in our hands a couple of months back, the display result you get varies from as good (16:9 ratio wide screens) to better (on 4:3 ratio) depending on the type of television set you use the devices with.'"

psycln writes "Microsoft may have to try a little harder in marketing the Xbox 360 to Japanese consumers if initial reports coming out of the country Saturday are correct. Several news reports indicate a slow reaction to the new console from Japanese customers. Apparently next day delivery is still an option to the Japanese consumer!" From the BBC article: "One senior store official said the customer reaction had been somewhat "subdued", with fewer than 50 consoles sold in the first two hours. However, Mr Moore said that several hundred units appeared to have been sold at the store he was at within the first three hours. Takeshi Tajima, a BNP Paribas analyst, told Reuters news agency that serious game fans would rush to buy the new console but 'most people are going to wait and see'. "

PSP News writes "Lik Sang has a review and hands on of Sonys new Talkman accessory for the PSP, which enables translation of 4 of the worlds most spoken languages. From the article: 'Traveling and meeting people from all around the globe sure is fun, but may have its drawbacks when you're not speaking the language. To ease this barrier, innovation comes via Sony which took ScanSoft's speech recognition software and created both an universal language interpreter and trainer for English and a couple of Asian languages: Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin) and Korean.'"

PSP News writes "The announcement that Datel was producing a 4GB Hard Drive addon was just the thing the PSP Community was looking for and today Lik Sang has done a great hands on review of the product that provides more details and a much nicer price of $199 instead of the rather high $249 which was originally posted."

Craig writes "PSP Owners have long been interested in watching the UMD films and playing games on the TV, well now according to a report from Lik Sang they can, the new PSPTV being produced eventually by Gametech will be a no modification addon. From the article: 'The TV Adapter for PSP lets you hook up your PSP to your home television (NTSC and PAL) via Composite or S-Video and Stereo connectors. This adapter requires no modification of your PSP console. This new peripheral takes a completely different approach and clips on top of your PSP screen, with two screws to fit at the back of the handheld (in these two holes you can see on the top of the UMD drive). Some sort of pyramid grows from the base, with a precision lens and mirror system at the top, capturing the image and light, in a similar way a scanner or camera would. It then converts it into a video signal that is sent through video leads going from the adapter to your TV set.'"

Busshy writes "Lik Sang and PSP News have tonight announced the start of the first 30 day Coding competition for the PSP. The competition can have entries such as Games, Demos, Emulators and Applications for any version PSP. Full details and prizes (which is a complete range of essential PSP accessories) are available on the site."

Joe writes "As published on Lik-Sang's Website Sony has taken legal actions against Hong Kong's largest exporter of videogames and videogaming gear. One month before the official european launch and 9 months after the initial release of the PSP, this action looks very late at first sight. Since it's highly doubtful that Sony can permit the resale of the japanese PSP consoles in Hong Kong no matter if on the local market or for export, it looks like this is planned to be one of the not the bright marketing ideas of the Sony HQ. The japanese PSP has the same Region Code for UMDs as the ones which will be sold in europe in september. Since the shipping at Lik-Sang is free, the console is even cheaper to import than to buy it locally."

Pascal writes "After delivering some classic first impressions of the PSP last Tuesday, including some interesting loading time tests, the happy thugs at Lik Sang have now respected their tradition by opening up the PlayStation Portable. If you ever wanted to know how Sony puts such a powerful hardware inside such a small casing, there is a huge picture gallery of the guts over at Lik-Sang.com"

Pascal writes "After delivering some classic first impressions of the PSP last Tuesday, including some interesting loading time tests, the happy thugs at Lik Sang have now respected their tradition by opening up the PlayStation Portable. If you ever wanted to know how Sony puts such a powerful hardware inside such a small casing, there is a huge picture gallery of the guts over at Lik-Sang.com"

Pascal writes "After delivering some classic first impressions of the PSP last Tuesday, including some interesting loading time tests, the happy thugs at Lik Sang have now respected their tradition by opening up the PlayStation Portable. If you ever wanted to know how Sony puts such a powerful hardware inside such a small casing, there is a huge picture gallery of the guts over at Lik-Sang.com"

ACTRAiSER writes "Lik-Sang.com once again took a close look at a new toy for gamers: the Sony PSP. The loading time for several games seems to be quite long." From the article: "Loading time and battery life seem to be the big factors which decide about the PSPs success or failure in many gamers eyes right now. While we can't comment on the battery life as of yet, latest reports from Japan about loading times on demo units that actually have access to the games are as follows..."

OctaneZ writes "Lik Sang couldn't help themselves, and have already torn open their Gameboy DS. Among other things they found, the DS shares both its power and battery with the GB, and the 802.11b range is 10 to 30 meters, depending on the surroundings."

Pascal writes "Lik Sang received an initial batch of Nintendo DS systems and went ahead with their own hands-on reviews. Apart from some interesting GBA SP accessories cross-testing and their own impressions about the new Nintendo baby, they also had one of their traditional open-up sessions, exposing the guts of the new handheld to the public." Kotaku has a look from earlier in the week as well.

Pascal writes "Lik Sang received an initial batch of Nintendo DS systems and went ahead with their own hands-on reviews. Apart from some interesting GBA SP accessories cross-testing and their own impressions about the new Nintendo baby, they also had one of their traditional open-up sessions, exposing the guts of the new handheld to the public." Kotaku has a look from earlier in the week as well.

Pascal writes "Lik Sang received an initial batch of Nintendo DS systems and went ahead with their own hands-on reviews. Apart from some interesting GBA SP accessories cross-testing and their own impressions about the new Nintendo baby, they also had one of their traditional open-up sessions, exposing the guts of the new handheld to the public." Kotaku has a look from earlier in the week as well.

An anonymous reader writes "The Nintendo iQue looks set to go online. The china-market console is based on N64 architecture and the long awaited iQue USB upgrade cable should be available in 2 weeks. The cable will allow users to download new games , enable online play of N64 ported titles , update the console via the internet and it will allow communication with other iQue owners. This move could signal Nintendo's online gaming ambitions for the DS handheld and their next generation home entertainment console."

HunterX writes "Lik Sang took the videogame community by storm this weekend by announcing a new entry in its product catalog. The SmartJoy FRAG is an adapter that allows Xbox and PlayStation 2 owners to connect a mouse and a keyboard to the console and replace the standard controller with the well known PC combo that has been the envy of many console gamers for years. TeamXbox.com has more on the story, and there is plenty of commentary on Lik Sang's Forums."

HunterX writes "Lik Sang took the videogame community by storm this weekend by announcing a new entry in its product catalog. The SmartJoy FRAG is an adapter that allows Xbox and PlayStation 2 owners to connect a mouse and a keyboard to the console and replace the standard controller with the well known PC combo that has been the envy of many console gamers for years. TeamXbox.com has more on the story, and there is plenty of commentary on Lik Sang's Forums."

An anonymous reader writes "The X-Tender Case Mod for Xbox is a complete kit that will allow you convert your Xbox into a mini rack mount server or media center with activity LEDs and expanded space for two internal hard drives. Molded to perfectly integrate with your Xbox, this kit comes with a custom front panel, a 3 activity LED, a custom made hard drive mounting plate to accommodate one or two additional drives, and a custom molded rear panel. Specially designed X-Tender rods are included to internally support the expansion, allowing you to securely reassemble the machine. Additional space on front panel will allow the support of one LCD display on each side of the system, or additional LEDs or cold cathode lights. You can switch between the newly added drives via the buttons at the front."

Thanks to Lik-Sang for its update on the status of Nintendo's iQue 'TV game', the Nintendo 64-based controller previously featured on Slashdot Games. The update notes Nintendo have "...confirmed their plans of an international release of the iQue Player... [and now] seem to have announced a release in other... countries of Asia and South America." It also references a forum post in which a user reports "the iQue Depot [which delivers N64 games to the iQue's flash memory] is powered by Linux and connected with some kind of network through wireless." He also notes some 'interesting' tech support beliefs: "The iQue Depot has got a camera built in to the top of the screen... I cannot see why... The girls at [Chinese department store] Jusco told me that this camera is the antenna, and it is connected to Mars (I am not kidding) and the reason why the iQue Depot does not flash my card is that the signal to the Mars is now not good because of bad weather condition."

Thanks to Lik-Sang for its update on the status of Nintendo's iQue 'TV game', the Nintendo 64-based controller previously featured on Slashdot Games. The update notes Nintendo have "...confirmed their plans of an international release of the iQue Player... [and now] seem to have announced a release in other... countries of Asia and South America." It also references a forum post in which a user reports "the iQue Depot [which delivers N64 games to the iQue's flash memory] is powered by Linux and connected with some kind of network through wireless." He also notes some 'interesting' tech support beliefs: "The iQue Depot has got a camera built in to the top of the screen... I cannot see why... The girls at [Chinese department store] Jusco told me that this camera is the antenna, and it is connected to Mars (I am not kidding) and the reason why the iQue Depot does not flash my card is that the signal to the Mars is now not good because of bad weather condition."

quiddity writes "Following the Goofy USB Devices post, one has to know what can be self-powered when the batteries all die. You can handcrank your Gameboy, recharge your cellphone or pda (even grandpa), wind up a webserver (with minions, a beowulf..), see in the dark, and project a movie. What else can we propel through the next blackout/apocalypse?" Some of these devices have have been on Slashdot before; what cool hand-powered tech hasn't been and should be?

Thanks to Game Informer for its hands-on look at Nintendo's GameCube rhythm game Donkey Konga, the newly Japanese-released title "that has you pounding on a drum controller to match up with beats on-screen." As well as conga-ing in time to the beat of songs which include "a few classic Nintendo tunes including the Mario Theme, DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64, as well as other western songs like the original Mambo No. 5, and La Bamba", the player has other actions to do: "A special star-like icon indicates that you need to clap your hands together (the conga controller features a nifty sound detection device.)" Lik Sang has a few more pictures, including what's inside the drum controller, and Game Informer conclude by praising the quirky title and musing: "While Nintendo hasn't officially announced it for the US, we've heard rumors that it may appear stateside in the second quarter of 2004."

Thanks to Game Informer for its hands-on look at Nintendo's GameCube rhythm game Donkey Konga, the newly Japanese-released title "that has you pounding on a drum controller to match up with beats on-screen." As well as conga-ing in time to the beat of songs which include "a few classic Nintendo tunes including the Mario Theme, DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64, as well as other western songs like the original Mambo No. 5, and La Bamba", the player has other actions to do: "A special star-like icon indicates that you need to clap your hands together (the conga controller features a nifty sound detection device.)" Lik Sang has a few more pictures, including what's inside the drum controller, and Game Informer conclude by praising the quirky title and musing: "While Nintendo hasn't officially announced it for the US, we've heard rumors that it may appear stateside in the second quarter of 2004."

Thanks to Lik-Sang for their news story showcasing the M-Gage bootleg handheld game, which contains "11 games, [a] calculator and alarm clock built-in", as found in Hong Kong's videogame district recently. Although Lik-Sang "doesn't really think about selling" the rudimentary device, taking a side-by-side comparison with Nokia's much-criticized N-Gage 'portable gaming deck' reveals unmistakable similarities, from the shape and button layout all the way down to the vertical screen orientation and the logo. Were the bootleggers ahead of the game on this incredibly basic handheld knockoff, or will they be Side Talkin' their way to bankruptcy?

Thanks to Lik-Sang for their news story showcasing the M-Gage bootleg handheld game, which contains "11 games, [a] calculator and alarm clock built-in", as found in Hong Kong's videogame district recently. Although Lik-Sang "doesn't really think about selling" the rudimentary device, taking a side-by-side comparison with Nokia's much-criticized N-Gage 'portable gaming deck' reveals unmistakable similarities, from the shape and button layout all the way down to the vertical screen orientation and the logo. Were the bootleggers ahead of the game on this incredibly basic handheld knockoff, or will they be Side Talkin' their way to bankruptcy?

Thanks to Lik-Sang for their news story showcasing the M-Gage bootleg handheld game, which contains "11 games, [a] calculator and alarm clock built-in", as found in Hong Kong's videogame district recently. Although Lik-Sang "doesn't really think about selling" the rudimentary device, taking a side-by-side comparison with Nokia's much-criticized N-Gage 'portable gaming deck' reveals unmistakable similarities, from the shape and button layout all the way down to the vertical screen orientation and the logo. Were the bootleggers ahead of the game on this incredibly basic handheld knockoff, or will they be Side Talkin' their way to bankruptcy?

EvilDonut writes "According to Bloomberg.com, Nintendo intends to launch a new machine in Japan next year, in order "to boost sales". There are no details as to wether the machine will be hand-held or not, but Bloomberg does describe it as a next-generation console. This is pretty odd, as Nintendo has previously stated that the GameCube successor wouldn't be out until 2005, and the GBA is doing so well that I can't imagine they'll replace it as early as next year. The article also mentions the Nintendo iQue, so it's pretty clear this is not just a mix-up regarding the new, China-only system." Update: 11/13 23:44 GMT by S : GameSpot has a very cryptic clarification from Nintendo, that "the new product will be a unique item that is different from any traditional machine", and will be "be [neither] a home console nor a portable machine."

Rocco writes "Over at LikSang.com, they have new pictures and details on Nintendo's iQue, the Chinese-specific controller-style console that plugs directly into the TV, plays N64 games, and comes with a 64 megabyte Flash Memory Card to store them. Included in the hardware bundle are 5 games, while only Doctor Mario is a full version. Zelda 64: Ocarina of Time (10 hours), Mario 64 (7 hours), Wave Race (1 hour) and Starfox (1 hour) are time limited demo versions. Allegedly, the OS of the iQue can also be updated when you 'refill' your flash cartridge, currently only at 'Nintendo partners throughout Shanghai', but rumored to be possible online in the future." We previously featured the unveiling of the iQue a couple of months ago.

Thanks to Gamesindustry.biz for their report that the Mitsui-backed European release of the cult GP32 handheld has been cancelled. The article explains that the GP32 "had already achieved a significant niche following thanks to its ability to emulate older systems and play back video as well as running original games", but a news report at Lik-Sang has Mitsui's spokesman referring to "[original Korean creator] Gamepark's unstable financial situation and to 'insecurity of the intellectual property rights' as the reasons for the cancellation." As Lik-Sang point out, "This step might affect international availability of the units, as the GP32 just lost its big hope", but it's hoped that support will continue and another distributor for Europe or even the U.S. might be found.

Thanks to Lik-Sang for their report on a third-party 'Time Machine' NES adapter for the GameBoy Advance SP, being developed by a Taiwanese manufacturer and trailed at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. According to Lik-Sang, who are also showing a promo picture of the device: "The product is supposed to be market-ready within the next couple of weeks, and the primary use is to play your Famicom/NES cartridges on your GBA through the unit. Famicom cartridges are plugged in at the back of the unit, while the system sits underneath the GBA SP."

Thanks to Lik-Sang for their report on a third-party 'Time Machine' NES adapter for the GameBoy Advance SP, being developed by a Taiwanese manufacturer and trailed at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. According to Lik-Sang, who are also showing a promo picture of the device: "The product is supposed to be market-ready within the next couple of weeks, and the primary use is to play your Famicom/NES cartridges on your GBA through the unit. Famicom cartridges are plugged in at the back of the unit, while the system sits underneath the GBA SP."

The Hong Kong-based videogame store Lik Sang, whose (now unrelated?) company of the same name have been clashing with Nintendo over Gameboy 'backup devices' recently, have showcased another very cool Asian game-related gadget on their site, the SP Mini Winding Charger Handle. According to the manufacturer, "By winding handle to power the [Gameboy Advance] SP console, winding the handle for 8 minutes can play the game for 15 minutes, no need the battery. Human Power!" So you can rotate the miniature handle to power your GBA in handheld-related emergencies, and we refuse to make any obvious jokes at this time.

Thanks to several readers for pointing to the official statement over at Lik-Sang.com's website, regarding Nintendo's $600,000 anti-piracy court case judgment against their GameBoy and GameBoy Advance 'backup' devices, which we covered a couple of days ago. The Lik-Sang.com statement claims that the current Lik Sang site is not involved in this court case, but goes on to reference the official statement of Lik Sang International, posted as a comment on the original Slashdot story. The statement says that LSI are appealing the decision, and further argues that "..the very same hardware under attack is used by thousands of hobbyist users and even professional developers for legitimate purpose. Very embarrassing for Nintendo: even the large publisher[s].. bought hundreds and hundreds of Flash Cartridges from my company for beta testing."

00_NOP writes "It seems the Dreamcast just refuses to die. According to this article on Lik Sang's web site the hacker's favourite console can now be bought in a modded-to-be-portable format. No idea as to how legal this would be in the US or Europe though."

00_NOP writes "It seems the Dreamcast just refuses to die. According to this article on Lik Sang's web site the hacker's favourite console can now be bought in a modded-to-be-portable format. No idea as to how legal this would be in the US or Europe though."

lotech writes "lik-sang has a review with full photos of the new Nintendo Ganeboy Advance SP. Not just supplying heaps of photos they have even beaten the pack on voiding the warranty and include heaps of internal photos. The handheld market is heating up with new releases from Nokia too and also the feature packed GP32. Oh and maybe then there maybe some Sony competition soon?"

lotech writes "lik-sang has a review with full photos of the new Nintendo Ganeboy Advance SP. Not just supplying heaps of photos they have even beaten the pack on voiding the warranty and include heaps of internal photos. The handheld market is heating up with new releases from Nokia too and also the feature packed GP32. Oh and maybe then there maybe some Sony competition soon?"

The sage of Lik-Sang has continued with Dan Gillmor's recent visit to the region. He and Alex Kampl met and talked for a while. The comparasions are good ones - and ones that are clearly enough drawn that everyone should see the loss of their rights.

kableh writes "According to a press release on Lik-Sang's website, the gaming accessory company has new management, and is prepared to mount a strong defense in their upcoming lawsuit against Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. "Just a few days after having received High Court Orders not allowing us to sell Mod Chip products for the Playstation 2 and Flash Linker products for the Nintendo Gameboy Advance, Lik Sang realized that the powers of those three multi-billion dollar corporations are simply infinite compared to the budgets and resources businesses like Lik Sang have available. Their legal actions have been hurting our customers and our business a lot in the last couple of weeks, so that we have finally decided to let somebody else take over Lik-Sang.com and solely concentrate on the lawsuit", says Alex Kampl, Director of Lik Sang International Limited."

kableh writes "According to a press release on Lik-Sang's website, the gaming accessory company has new management, and is prepared to mount a strong defense in their upcoming lawsuit against Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. "Just a few days after having received High Court Orders not allowing us to sell Mod Chip products for the Playstation 2 and Flash Linker products for the Nintendo Gameboy Advance, Lik Sang realized that the powers of those three multi-billion dollar corporations are simply infinite compared to the budgets and resources businesses like Lik Sang have available. Their legal actions have been hurting our customers and our business a lot in the last couple of weeks, so that we have finally decided to let somebody else take over Lik-Sang.com and solely concentrate on the lawsuit", says Alex Kampl, Director of Lik Sang International Limited."

Alexander Burke writes "Lik-Sang appears to be back online (until we slashdot them). However, their selection of PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Xbox "backup and import" (pronounced modchip) items seem somewhat lacking. Coincidence? Surely not..." This previous posting should provide some good background reading if you've not been following this episode.

Alexander Burke writes "Lik-Sang appears to be back online (until we slashdot them). However, their selection of PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Xbox "backup and import" (pronounced modchip) items seem somewhat lacking. Coincidence? Surely not..." This previous posting should provide some good background reading if you've not been following this episode.