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Japanese gamers get paddle controller with Arkanoid DS

Time to contact your friendly local games importer

Japanese gamers get paddle controller with Arkanoid DS
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DS
| Arkanoid DS

It's a double blow from Square Enix for western gamers. Not only is Arkanoid DS out in Japan now (published there by Taito) and not out here until summer, but Japanese gamers are also getting the game bundled with a special controller that slots into the DS's GBA port.

The controller replicates the original Arkanoid arcade controls, which utilised a weird paddle/knob thingy you used to move your onscreen paddle (or space vessel) left and right. And it works very well according to comments left by gamers who've bought it from website play-asia.

With no plans for the paddle peripheral to be released here, importing from a site such as play-asia could be the only option for retro fans.

You'd better get in there quick, though. Of the four paddle colours available (to match the colour of your DS) of black, white, silver and pink, only the pink one remains in stock.

The alternative is buying the game and paddle bundle, which is retailing at $50 (around £25). It still seems like a pretty good deal to us and will probably be a no-brainer option to any other Arkanoid fans out there.

Update: Oops, that too now appears sold out.
Kath Brice
Kath Brice
Kath gave up a job working with animals five years ago to join the world of video game journalism, which now sees her running our DS section. With so many male work colleagues, many have asked if she notices any difference.