I wrote, a few days ago, about Zelda Universe’s new donation system, The Bank of Hyrule. I’m pleased to announce that, after much fussing, The Bank is now live! You can find it on the sidebar under “Site Related.”

For those unaware of just what The Bank of Hyrule is, allow me to explain: The Bank replaces ZU’s traditional donation system with a so-called “deposit box.” Every time a person makes a deposit into the bank, the amount inside, naturally, rises. When we reach a certain amount of money, Zelda Universe will flush out the money in The Bank and use it to hold a contest!

Contests will be easy to enter and fun to participate in. We’re already planning for our first contest – so why not hit the jump to find out what fun we’ve got planned?

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There’s a lot of gaming news to be spread around due to the E3 rush, and amongst that news is information beyond the new trailer for Spirit Tracks. That’s right, we now have a glimpse deeper into the gameplay mechanics of Spirit Tracks, if just a small one, from Nintendo’s official E3 Spirit Tracks press kit. Read on for more.

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Tomorrow’s the big day, folks, and we’ll be here to cover it all – Nintendo’s not going to get away with announcing anything huge without Zelda Universe catching it in its giant news net.

That said, we’ll also be liveblogging the entire keynote on top of posting news, just like last year’s E3. Bookmark this post, because this is where you’ll be seeing the liveblog happening – and make sure to check back at this post tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9am PST, 12pm EST to catch the keynote!

UPDATE: The liveblog is go! We’re reporting on Nintendo’s keynote right now, so read on.

UPDATE 2: The press conference is over – Nintendo clearly took the hint from last year’s E3 that this one needed to be awesome, and despite there being no Zelda Wii, this press conference was packed with a million Mario titles, Golden Sun DS, and a new Metroid entitled “Other M.” It certainly didn’t disappoint, so if you missed it read on to see what you missed!

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Hi there, I’m Dom. I’m a new recruit to the staff and it is my job to keep the ZUBC sections of ZU in check as well as post the podcast news article to the main site. At long last, due to an overwhelming amount of feedback we’ve received for the previous ‘casts, the ZUBC team has put together our very first Zelda-focused podcast! So, may I present to you the May 2009 ZUCast! You can stream ZUCast directly below, or do any of the following:

Subscribe to ZUCast on iTunes »
Visit the ZUCast Archives »

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Ifixit has given the recently released DSi a technical first look and on their site they discussed what the differences are between the DSi and the DS Lite.

For example, the DSi uses a smaller rechargeable battery (840mAh) than the DS Lite (1000mAh), supporting previously heard statements that the DSi would have less battery life than its predecessor. The DSi’s additions, such as the long known SD/SDHC expansion slot, are also discussed.

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Yes, the DSi was released in North America today, and in Europe a full two days ago. What does this mean for you readers? It means that you can go out and buy, buy, and buy! Do you really have a choice? Yes – but not if Nintendo has anything to say about it. Read on for more info about the latest DS iteration.

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Will Spirit Tracks be compatible with my DS? This has been a big issue for many after seeing the LoZ:ST trailer on a DSi. Many do not want to get a DSi right after getting a DS or cannot afford to get one but want to play the game.

Does it mean we all have to get a DSi in order to play this new game? As of now, no.

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In light of certain recent developments, we’ve decided to change our poll early to, as you can guess, one about Spirit Tracks. Hit the jump for the results of the previous poll about the DSi.

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Remember way back when, when Project Deluge was the rumored title for the next big Zelda game? It had an intricate and dark supposed storyline, a main character that, for a change, wasn’t our usual Link, and a creative steampunk setting?

Well, you’re not going to believe this, but a few moments ago, Nintendo unveiled…

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To be honest, I wasn’t expecting the DSi to sell that well, seeing how the DS Lite had only came out a few years or so prior to its announcement, but I guess I was wrong – quite wrong. Apparently, the DSi is outselling its predecessor in pre-orders, the original DS. I guess people really like the extra feature of a camera and music listening capabilities. Hmm.

I gotta give Nintendo props though – for a third revision of a five year old handheld, the fact that it’s outselling the original DS in pre-orders is kind of.. surprising.

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Looks like Nintendo has more plans for their new DSi, and they gave a tidbit of information about it in a secret Nintendo developer conference.

Nintendo wants developers to make applications as well as games for the DSi.

“Nintendo is keen to have developers offering all kinds of software once the DSi store fully launches for access in Europe and America,” said one developer. “Given the advanced functions in the DSi, such as the microphone and camera, the company told us that there are a variety of opportunities for a variety of apps, both in a games sense and a non-games sense, that we could offer.”

For now, that’s all they have said about it, but we may get some more details at next weeks game developers conference, seeing as Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is reportedly going to be speaking there about “Nintendo’s role in creating better tools and bringing opportunities for developers to introduce their innovative ideas to a marketplace that is increasingly willing and eager to embrace new game design possibilities.”

A long time has passed since the DSi was released in Japan (while us mortals are still waiting for it) and so far no big-name downloadable content has been offered. But Famitsu has revealed that Sega will release a Phantasy Star game for the console some time this month.

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Well, fellow Zelda fans, I don’t think I need to put much more into this news post. Nintendo has finally announced the exact date for the DSi: April 5th, just a little more than a month away! The DSi will retail for 169.99 (just another way of saying 170) US dollars. This is about 40$ more than the DS Lite.

For those of you still living under a rock, the DSi is Nintendo’s latest iteration of the DS, featuring a camera, a sleeker interface and a download service – among other things. The new DSi will also be available in a new Blue color, as well as the traditional White  and Black.

Gamespot Europe attempted to contact Nintendo Europe about the DSi release for them, but Nintendo Europe declined to comment about it’s release.

(Thanks to Naokohiro and Xeno for the tip)

Some of you may have heard this already but for those who have not: put a big smile on your lips, because the Nintendo DSi will release sometime this spring in the UK, and we can only assume that goes for the US as well since Europe usually get everything after the US. For those of you not familiar with the DSi, it’s the latest iteration of the Nintendo DS.

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There is a rumor going around that Nintendo is planning to release the DSi in the month of April of this year. The new DSi is estimated to cost around USD 179.99 and apparently will be released in the first half of this year, sometime around April 4 is the rumored date, according to IGN which cities,”multiple sources close to Nintendo”.

First revealed in October of last year, the DSi features a camera and built-in memory. It’s first debut was in Japan late last year, and it revived the sales of Nintendo’s handheld, that had been losing to Sony’s PSP handheld.

So if you’re wanting to get the DSi, it just might be available in April.

Source: IGN