Japanese teen arrested over murder spree threats posted with Nintendo DSi

Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department  arrested a 15-year-old boy this morning after the minor posted online threats to randomly kill bystanders at Shinjuku Station.

In a message published anonymously on popular local forum 2ch, the teen said he would work with two others — one would drive a car into pedestrians while the others would stab people. The attack seemed purposely modeled after 2008’s Akihabara massacre.

“I’ll launch a random attack near the entrance of the expressway bus terminal near Shinjuku Station at 9 p.m. on Feb. 11. If you don’t want to die, don’t participate in the game,” said the boy in his online posting.

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tags / news / browser / nintendo dsi / ec

DSi anticipation and Browser videos

A few Nintendo DSi items, three days away from the system’s launch in Japan:

• According to a recent poll conducted by Dengeki Online (and translated by Kotaku), 3.6% of consumers surveyed in Japan intend to purchase a DSi in the near future. 29.4% will wait a bit before buying, 26.2% are undecided, and 40.7% have no plans of buying the new system at all.
• Import shop Play Asia updated the status of my DSi preorder to “preparing order” last night. They’ve also charged my card, which typically means that the order has already shipped. Ohhhhh snap. Maybe they’ve already sent yours, too?
• They’re not too exciting, but if you’re eager to see how the revised Opera browser for DS looks, check out these two DSi Browser clips.

And here’s a third DSi Browser movie:

Interestingly, the Opera browser’s user interface has been updated to look more like the Wii version’s. This seems to be a common theme with the DSi, as many of its new features — the “channels,” photo capabilities, and SD slot — mimic the Wii’s current offerings.

But while the two systems are now more alike than ever, Nintendo is marketing them very differently. The Wii is presented as a console for the entire family to enjoy, while the DSi is emphasized as a personal device (MyDS).

tags / dsi / import / opera / browser / ec