It appears that a recent photograph I snapped of a non-functioning Wiimote while in Tokyo has caused a mini-stir of sorts online. Well, maybe more like a nano-stir. The original picture, as it appears on my Flickr account (linked), is below:
It all started when I was doing my nightly websurfing of gaming sites this weekend, when I noticed that Joystiq had posted a speculative story about the retail Wiimote box while using my photo as evidence. I promptly sent them an explanation that it wasn't a retail box at all, but merely the packaging of a non-functioning Wiimote that was handed out at all three recent Nintendo events in Tokyo, New York, and London. As I continued surfing, I ran into the same speculation on several of the sites that I frequent, all of which were using that same photo. So far, I've found the story carried on the following: www.joystiq.com/... www.neogaf.com/... www.kotaku.com/... www.infendo.com/... The real story is this: That specific Wiimote was handed out at the September Nintendo event in Tokyo, and it belongs to my ex-roomate and one-time GameSpot editor, Sam Kennedy, who is currently serving hard time at 1UP.com (yours truly is in the third pic from the bottom). Sam and 1UP attended the Nintendo event and were given the Wiimote as part of a larger goodie bag. I snapped that shot a few days later, while Sam and I were getting ready to head out to dinner in Tokyo, as I was fiddling with his Wiimote (no giggling, please). The controller is everything it appears to be: sleek, sexy, and fits very comfortably in the palm of your hand, despite its rather angular appearance. Unfortunately for all attendees of the Nintendo event, it's also utterly non-functional. So much for saving $30 come this November. So hopefully, that clears up the micro-mystery that caused a nano-stir. But while we're on the topic of sweet Nintendo goodies from Japan, I might as well show off a pair (no giggling, please) of new items that I picked up while recently in Tokyo. 
The first is a Nintendo DS Lite pouch that was only made available for Mario Club members in Japan. I dabble with imports every now and then, and a friend of mine (an ex-GameSpot Japanese correspondant) rocks hard enough to maintain an account with Nintendo of Japan for me. When I accrued enough points, I opted for the pouch (the one on the bottom), and it turned out to be pretty snazzy in person. Incidentally, the pouch above it was handed out by Nintendo to those who waited in line at their booth at this year's E3. While I did no such thing, a coworker of mine did, so a big 'thanks, g' goes out to him for his generosity. 
The second is the set of coveted Mario stamps that were released in Japan in July only. The collection of ten iconic Super Mario Brothers characters and items come in a gorgeous, simple binder. When their impending release was announced last March, I ordered a set immediately, and had my same Japanese friend pick them up for me. I can't wait to send out my rent checks with this postage... OK, not really, but that would be a cool Brewster's Millions moment.