Pokémon and DS headset hitting Oz on June 21  
Nintendo's announced exactly when Diamond and Pearl are heading to Australia.
  
April 24, 2007 - Nintendo Australia has announced today that Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version are set to land on Australian shores on June 21, 2007, at $69.95.

This new duo bring the total Pokémon count to well over 400, and introduce a handful of brand new features, including the ability for up to eight players to connect and play via the local wireless connection, and the ability to log onto the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to compete with players from all around the globe.

To coincide, the Nintendo DS headset will also be available in Australia on June 21 and Diamond and Pearl will make use of the $19.95 device, allowing players to communicate with one another through VoIP.

"Whether you are a new player or a keen Poké-fan returning to the franchise, Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl offers gamers so much more than ever before," said Rose Lappin, Director of Sales and Marketing.

In other Wi-Fi functionality, the Global Trade Station will allow players to post Pokémon they wish to trade on a board, and browse through those of others. The Battle Tower will allow players to battle with seven Trainers who've registered their player data in the Wi-Fi battle dome. After battling, players will be able to upload their data so that other Trainers can battle with them virtually, and the more a player wins, the higher their ranking will climb.

The Nintendo DS touch screen will come into play as well, allowing the Pokédex to be intuitively controlled. And, the game also makes use of the DS internal clock, meaning as time passes in the real world, the look of the in-game environment also changes. Even the evolution of some Pokémon is affected.

Nintendo touts global sales of more than 155 million Pokémon games, and following their launch in Japan, Diamond and Pearl became one of the best-selling in the franchise ever, with more than 5 million units sent to retailers during their first three months of availability.

By Captain