Bling bling: the Pocket Gamer blog roundup
From tarted-up PSPs and tricked-out DS cases to a lesson in good manners
We have become a nation of pimps, thanks to a change in the meaning of the word.
In the old days, obsessively modifying some piece of kit was known as 'having a hobby' and regular practioners were known as 'nutters'. But now, restyling your PSP to your own satisfaction, fitting it with glowing blue shoulder buttons, or modifying your DS case like these fancy Chinese efforts, is known as pimping. It's all thanks to the rise to mainstream prominence of MTV show Pimp Your Ride, which retrofits cars with fancy lighting rigs and sound systems. We used to call that 'coming from Essex'.
Elsewhere in another busy week on the Pocket Gamer blog, we broke the news that Silent Hill producer Akira Yamaoka's next project will be a DS version of a popular Japanese book about manners and etiquette. We await instruction on the right way to hold our stylus, and whether we can formally address Professor Kawashima as Prof, with we hope the appropriate level of eagerness.
Returning to pimping (that's known as 'recidivism'), Sony has called in fashion designer Samantha Thavasa to restyle the PSP, neatly echoing our own Pink Friday suggestion on Pocket Gamer last week. But perhaps this account of using a PSP star simulator as a dating tool would win the console more friends among the less hairy sex.
Other cool things to check out include an hour-long Tetris documentary, news about a PSP version of Disgaea, a DS brain trainer for your ears, and some speculation about the PSP download service.
Finally, if you're after more stuff to do with your mobile phone, check out Pocket Gamer's sister blog, Pocket Picks.