This card was given away as part of an illustration contest in Japan, and is regarded as one of the most rare Pokémon cards in existence. Apparently, only six or so were ever made, but one of them has managed to find its way onto eBay.

Originally listed for $32,500, the Pokémon Illustrator Trainer card has reappeared, going for a slightly less insane (but still very insane) amount of $15,999.99.

Oh, and if you’re curious, the card does absolutely nothing in an actual match.

Bulbapedia – Pokémon Illustrator information

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It’s like Castlevania and Metroid had a baby… and was cloned into a mobile to DSi port. Okay, that was a terrible analogy, but it’s hard to not see the pretty obvious Metroidvania influence in Gameloft’s Soul of Darkness. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I suppose.

Gameloft’s summary of the game:

Enter a fascinating gothic world as Kale, a mysterious, powerful man. Try to save your beloved’s life and soul and get her out of an evil vampire’s clutches in this thrilling platform action game.
Explore dark woods and caves, huge castles and cathedrals under the full moon’s light. Master and upgrade your sword and spear, and learn how to control your powers: use the Fire and the Ice, or transform into your enemies. Face and defeat werewolves, gargoyles, zombies, and more, with a customized hero thanks to the exclusive camera features.
Good or evil – be the sole master of your destiny!

At 500 DSi Points ($5), it doesn’t sound like too bad of a deal for a Castlevania-like experience.

Just like the 3DS, Nintendo’s follow-up to the Wii will likely make use of 3D tech. In an interview with Japanese newspaper Nikkei, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said that the successor to the Wii would, indeed, be 3D capable. However, he did make it clear that “a full-scale entry into this field will take some time because 3D televisions will not catch on right away.”

Excerpt from the interview (via GameSpot):

Iwata went on to suggest that the current DS and its software only caters to those who do not play games; something that he hoped to rectify with the 3DS in terms of advances in graphics and gameplay. Recognising this shift in focus from first-party to third-party development, Iwata told Nikkei that Nintendo went to great lengths to incorporate software developers’ requests when making the 3DS and called on these developers to make games for the new system.

So now that Nintendo has expanded the market, they’re planning on going back to the groups that kept the company alive during the “third place” years of the GameCube and N64? It actually is a pretty smart move since it would make the 3DS and the Wii successor more appealing to the groups of people turned off by the Move and Kinect.

Nintendo went left, while the competition stayed right. Nintendo made money, the competition went left. Now, Nintendo goes back to the right and still makes money.

I can’t be the only one to find this hilarious, right?

Source [via Wii: Definitive Speculation]