| The SATURN and SONYPS versions of Capcom
Generation Vol. 04 are now expected tomorrow due to a shipping delay. Pre-orders on hand
will ship on Friday. |
| The remaining magazines that
arrived yesterday have been added to the periodicals link. Each
magazine is US$10 and subscriptions are available to every listed
periodical. Single issue orders are welcome. The Street Fighter Zero 3 mook is currently
in stock at US$25. |
| Candy Toys will return next week. |
| Sanrio has released their
1998 Christmas Plush Toy collection in Japan. Five characters are represented in the set
including Hello Kitty and Melody. NCS expects to take delivery of our first shipment next
week. Pre-orders are welcome. The Plush Toy set will range between US$50
and US$55. A final price will be decided when we take stock. |
| Banpresto has also released a
new Mobil Suit Gundam prize collection for Christmas. The MSG RX-78 series includes 9
Gundam robot figures with stands. NCS should have a sample of this product next week. If
we consider the quality suitable for our market, we will import them and post full
details. |
| NCS received a restock
shipment of Sakura Taisen keychains this week. We plan to take a group photo of all the
keychains and post it up tomorrow. Each keychain is US$3.00 and all core
members of the Hanagumi clan are represented including Sakura, Iris, Rikouran, etc. Maria
and Kanna, among others, are also available. |
| Since posting about the
Playstation "modless" convertor, we have received numerous inquiries. Please
wait for more information as the sample we received was of poor or defective quality and
did not function as we expected. |
|
| There has been little
Dreamcast news out of Japan. Everyone that has received their sample units has however
remarked to us that they were impressed by the compact size and sturdy design of the
console and the joypad. Since no demo discs were shipped with the consoles, they obviously
can't do much with the units. Prices being quoted around the import market are already
hitting ridiculous levels. Rumors of short supplies seem to be fueling the daily price
appreciation of the Dreamcast but there are many, many rumors out there. Most appear to be
the result of active imaginations and paranoia. However, when even the distributors in
Japan can't unequivocally discern truth from fact, there is obviously something wrong with
the scenario. The DC ships in about two weeks and we still don't know how much money to
wire or how many we'll be allocated. These are the simple facts. Most of the rumors
floating around the market are due to the poor communication from Sega, so the idle
chatter helps to fill in the spaces. The waiting game for the official information
continues and NCS feels it would be irresponsible to post prices or confirm pre-orders
before we have that information. One of our suppliers in Asia has told us that the
impending DC debut has essentially turned into a nightmare with a complete lack of
information and solid numbers. Their company has taken in hundreds of thousands of dollars
towards the DC from pre-orders and now they must decide whether they return the money due
to uncertain supply or hold it with no guarantees to their customers that they will be
able to deliver at their original quoted prices. Original prices which were much lower
than what the market thinks the price should be right now. Whereas many vendors
were hoping for a successful, efficient debut, it is already turning into a disappointing
mess. |
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