Following today’s Nintendo Direct, Pokemon Bank received a release date in two major territories.

Europe will be getting the app on December 27. It’ll be coming out two days earlier in Japan, December 25.

Pokemon Bank will have an annual fee of 500 yen. Through January 31, players will be able to participate in a free 30-day trial period.

This week’s Japanese software sales are as follows:

01./00. [PS3] JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle # (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.08.29} (¥7.980) – 425.718 / NEW
02./00. [PS3] Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Real Reborn # (Square Enix) {2013.08.27} (¥3.300) – 184.018 / NEW
03./00. [PSV] Ragnarok Odyssey Ace (GungHo Online Entertainment) {2013.08.29} (¥4.935) – 31.622 / NEW
04./00. [PS3] Lost Planet 3 (Capcom) {2013.08.29} (¥6.990) – 27.503 / NEW
05./02. [3DS] Disney Magic Castle: My Happy Life # (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.08.01} (¥5.480) – 17.061 / 244.570 (-18%)
06./03. [3DS] Mario & Luigi: Dream Team # (Nintendo) {2013.07.18} (¥4.800) – 16.723 / 281.700 (-18%)
07./06. [3DS] Friend Collection: New Life # (Nintendo) {2013.04.18} (¥4.800) – 14.420 / 1.409.182 (-7%)
08./00. [PSP] Saki: Achiga-Hen Episode of Side-A Portable # (Kaga Create) {2013.08.29} (¥7.140) – 13.806 / NEW
09./10. [3DS] Youkai Watch (Level 5) {2013.07.11} (¥4.800) – 10.895 / 154.691 (+54%)
10./08. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf # (Nintendo) {2012.11.08} (¥4.800) – 8.702 / 3.395.088 (+3%)
11./01. [PS3] Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Masou Kishin III – Pride of Justice (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.08.22} (¥7.480) – 7.822 / 47.077 (-80%)
12./09. [3DS] Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Nintendo) {2013.03.20} (¥4.800) – 6.854 / 885.238 (-10%)
13./05. [PSV] Conception II: Shichisei no Michibiki to Mazuru no Akumu (Spike Chunsoft) {2013.08.22} (¥6.279) – 5.558 / 24.436 (-71%)
14./13. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo) {2011.12.01} (¥4.800) – 5.314 / 2.111.835 (+1%)
15./17. [3DS] Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (Nintendo) {2013.06.13} (¥4.800) – 4.546 / 263.003 (-9%)
16./12. [WIU] Pikmin 3 (Nintendo) {2013.07.13} (¥5.985) – 4.364 / 175.765 (-24%)
17./11. [3DS] One Piece: Romance Dawn – Bouken no Yoake (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.08.08} (¥5.980) – 4.265 / 51.476 (-36%)
18./20. [WII] Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Super Deluxe Edition # (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.11.29} (¥5.040) – 4.209 / 553.574 (-2%)
19./18. [3DS] Fantasy Life: Link! (Level 5) {2013.07.25} (¥4.980) – 4.201 / 53.075 (-6%)
20./22. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 # (Nintendo) {2012.07.28} (¥4.800) – 4.170 / 2.087.158

Source

The latest Japanese hardware sales from Media Create are as follows:

3DS LL – 49,149
PS3 – 20,090
3DS – 17,873
Vita – 8,405
Wii U – 6,741
PSP – 6,218
Wii – 1,141
Xbox 360 – 177

For comparison’s sake, here are the hardware numbers from last week:

3DS LL – 35,044
3DS – 16,053
PS3 – 12,689
Vita – 11,507
Wii U – 7,030
PSP – 5,735
Wii – 1,103
Xbox 360 – 196

Just in case you had any doubts, Nintendo has clarified that the recently confirmed Pokemon-themed 3DS XL systems will not come with either Pokemon X or Pokemon Y. If you’re interested in the game, you’ll need to purchase it separately. This is the case in both North America and Europe.

Source

The official Pokemon X/Y website has updated with additional details about Pokemon Bank and Poke Transfer. You can find another batch of tidbits below.

Pokemon Bank

– Deposit, store, manage Pokemon in private boxes
– Annual charge
– Link up to your own dedicated boxses
– Pokemon will be safe even if you lose your game
– Each box can store up to 30 Pokemon for a total of 3,000
– Pokemon X/Y will still have in-game PC boxes
– Deposit and withdraw Pokemon from different copies of Pokemon X/Y
– Download Pokemon Bank, insert Pokemon X/Y, and open the Pokemon Bank app
– Works with downloadable versions of Pokemon X/Y
– Conveniently transfer many Pokemon at once without needing two game systems
– Search functions included
– Stored on an online server
– Free trial period will be available at launch

Poke Transporter

– Insert Pokemon Black/White or Pokemon Black/White 2
– Can then use Poke Transporter to transfer Pokemon from these games into their own online Boxes
– This allows you to easily transfer those Pokemon into Pokemon X/Y using Pokemon Bank
– Free downloadable app
– Launching alongside Pokemon Bank
– Poke Transporter cannot return Pokemon to Black/White or Black/White 2 after they’ve been stored in an online Box
– “Note: You may find yourself unable to use Pokémon Bank or Poké Transporter to deposit any Pokémon created illegally by software unauthorized by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo into your online Boxes, or to move these Pokémon between online Boxes.”

Source

Two Limited Edition Pokémon-themed Nintendo 3DS XL Systems Launching on September 27

BELLEVUE, WA—September 4, 2013—In a surprising twist announced this morning during a special Nintendo Direct presentation, Pokémon X and Pokémon Y players do not receive Chespin, Fennekin, or Froakie from Professor Sycamore but are in fact given the choice of a classic partner Pokémon—Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle—from the very first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue! Adding to the excitement, once a player has evolved this Pokémon into Venusaur, Charizard, or Blastoise and obtained its unique Mega Stone, the Pokémon will be able to Mega Evolve while in battle.Mega Venusaur, Mega Charizard, and Mega Blastoise will possess overwhelming powers never before seen in a Pokémon game. Players can choose fan favorite Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle whenPokémon X and Pokémon Y launch worldwide October 12, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

More secrets about Mega Evolution were also revealed today. It was previously announced that certain Pokémon needed to hold a unique Mega Stone in order to Mega Evolve, but now it’s known that there is a second requirement players must fulfill for Mega Evolution to occur. Trainers must also obtain a bracelet called the Mega Ring that holds a mysterious stone called a Key Stone. The Trainer’s Key Stone resonates with the Mega Stone held by his or her Pokémon, and together they trigger the Evolution that is normally impossible—Mega Evolution.

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