Category Archives: Taiwan

An 18 year old has died after a marathon gaming session, according to a report in the Taiwanese United Daily News, via AAP. The young man apparently booked a private room at an Internet cafe, fired up Diablo III, and spent 40 hours sitting almost perfectly still. An attendant found him unconscious and called an ambulance, but he was pronounced dead on arrival; autopsy is pending but doctors speculate cardiovascular issues related to not moving for nearly two days. Friends, do you need reminding that there is not a single activity you should indulge in for 40 hours straight? Not one.

Thanks, Gamespot. [image]

Check out these vivid new 3DS varieties Nintendo has lined up for Hong Kong and Taiwan. The system launches in both territories in September, and will apparently do so in style in Cerulean Blue and Shimmer Pink, alongside the new 3DS XL.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Xbox 360 action series Ninety-Nine Nights is being turned into computer-based MMORPG for Japan and Taiwan, according to a 4Gamers report (via Kotaku). Details are scarce, but the title is to apparently feature art and character designs from former SNK character designer Falcoon.

The first Ninety-Nine Knights title, a collaboration between Q and Phantagram, released in 2006. A sequel followed last year.

Niko Partners has estimated, thanks to a recent study, that the South East Asian online market is will be worth $917 million by the end of the year, and worth $1.7 billion by 2014.

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Microsoft is to hold a press conference in Japan tomorrow in order to announce Asian 360 price cuts, according to Microsoft Hong Kong’s Julie Leong, NetworkWorld reports.

According to that piece, parts of Asia-Pacific will begin enjoying dropped 360s on on September 10.

The SRP of an Elite will be lowered by around 28 percent to US$305 in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

More through there. Thanks, Kotaku.

Sony’s to work with Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs to “nurture and support” local PS3 software development, according to this TMCNet piece.

The Taiwanese government is to shoulder 40 percent of all dev costs incurred by teams in the country. Nice.

Hit the link for the full thing.

Warhammer Online is to launch in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau next week via GigaMedia’s FunTown game platform, Kotaku reports.

The Mythic MMO currently has around 300,000 subs in the US.

Sony’s put out a press release saying Home will release in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan in “fall 2008″. There’s going to be a closed beta in “mid-September,” apparently.

Full thing after the drop. Thanks, Kotaku.

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NMA’s reporting that a Fallout 3 showing in Taiwan has resulted in the Chinese and Taiwanese sites posting 145 off-screen shots of the RPG, as you can see through the link.

There’s a shitload of spoiler through there, so don’t be tempted if you’re saving yourself. Thanks, Brother None.

According to this Kotaku story, Microsoft Taiwan head, Grace Chou, announced at the company’s recent gaming exhibition in Taipei that Final Fantasy XIII 360 would retail in Taiwan.

As to which localised version will go on sale is still undecided says Chou, but Kotaku speculates that it could well mean that Japanese 360 owners could now import the game.

Square Enix has said previously that only US and European versions would be released on the console.

Full thing through the link.

By Mike Bowden

According to a rumour over at Gonintendo, Taiwanese Wii customers will not get the Forecast Channel, News Channel Channel, Internet Channel, Nintendo Channel, Everybody Votes Channel and Check Mii out Channel when the machine launches today.

They will however get the Wii Shop Channel – just not right away.

We’ve got no idea why they’re getting the “borked” version and and if we’re honest, we’re not sure they’ll miss all that stuff anyway.

By Mike Bowden

According to this Thompson Financial story, quoting the Nikkei, both Nintendo and Sony are showing serious signs or moving their businesses into other areas of Asia outside Japan.

Apparently, 20 DS titles are to be release in South Korea this year, and Nintendo “has started providing technologies to a South Korean game developer, which has been working on titles including a simulation game that makes use of the touch screen on the Nintendo DS.”

Sony, on the other hand, “plans to work with Taiwanese authorities to train game creators starting in September,” and is also looking to expand PS3 operations in South Korea.

More through the link.

As you can see on Nintendo Taiwan’s official site, Wii is now scheduled to release in the country on July 12. The release pack will be the Wii Sports bundle, apparently.

Thanks, GoNintendo.

According to this Bloomberg report, Microsoft has dropped the price of Xbox 360 in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.

The price of a basic version will drop by 17 percent to NT$10,360 ($340) in Taiwan and by about 11 percent in Hong Kong effective today, Hsieh said. Prices will fall 5.1 percent to 369,000 won ($369) in Korea and by 20 percent to S$499 ($366) in Singapore, according to separate e-mailed statements.

Last month, Microsoft cut the price of the Xbox 360 in Europe for the at least the second time in a year to win customers from Sony and Nintendo. The basic Arcade console fell to 199.99 euros ($311.38) from 279.99 euros, and the model with a 20-gigabyte hard drive dropped 80 euros to 269.99 euros.

More through the link.

According to this, Nintendo is to officially launch Wii in Taiwan in the second quarter. No pricing or specific date has been given for the release.