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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Vigor Gaming latches onto AMD's GAME! brand for new Force Recon SP desktop


It wouldn't be a decent pointless chip marketing program if you didn't get minor computer builders supporting the "spec" in an effort to make a name for themselves. AMD GAME! just got its first product announcement from Vigor Gaming, and it's quite the yawner. Vigor is sticking the required AMD components into its Force Recon SP desktops, with a "mainstream" version running an Athlon X2 5600+ processor, ATI Radeon HD 3650 graphics and 2GB of RAM for around $1,845, while an AMD Game! Ultra configuration bumps up to a Phenom X4 9650 chip and Radeon HD 3870 graphics for $2,733. Both systems are naturally based on AMD's 770 chipset and run Vista. Vigor offers free overclocking for the brave and custom painting for the aesthetically challenged.

[Via: Engadget ]

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Nyko ships Charge Base 360, first 200 come from 1986

Nyko Charge Base 360



It's about time 360 owners get some rechargeable Nyko love via the Charge Base 360, which is shipping to stores at a $34.99 clip. So why should you care? This charger / controller storage solution comes with two NiMH drop-in (i.e. shaped for your 360 controller) rechargeable batteries that promise to make your gaming downtime a lot less extant. Nyko says a single charge will provide "up to" 25 hours of play time while charge time takes about 2 hours per controller. If you act quickly, you could get one of the limited 80s coffee table-friendly Black & Gold-colored units which go on sale June 2.

[Via: IGN ]

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Microsoft's Free Xbox Live Game For Service Outage: Undertow

undertow.jpg


That free Xbox Live Arcade game Microsoft promised in compensation for the extended service downtime? It's going to be Undertow, a game that popped last November. We feel for the poor developers who worked on this game, seeing as it's being given away as a consolation prize. [Gamerscoreblog]

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

New DS Lite colors all but confirmed by Nintendo


Chicks and dudes, get ready for extremely spicy, delicious, and stimulating news. Remember those new DS Lite colors we mentioned a few days ago? Apparently Nintendo has all but confirmed the forthcoming arrival of cool ice, hot red, and lime green -- at least in Europe. According to DS Fanboy, the big N has started circulating an e-teaser with the new paint jobs, which pretty much puts to rest any chance that this was just some over-eager Photoshopper's weekend art project. The landing date of June 13th seems to be holding as well, but what we really want to know is when we can see some of these provocative color schemes Stateside. Well Nintendo?

[Via: Engadget ]

Monday, May 26, 2008

Rock Band Stage Kit smoke machine and strobe light in pictures


GameStop leaked the existence of the $100 Rock Band Stage Kit back in January, and it's updated the listing with the first pictures we've seen of the included smoke machine and strobe light. The smoke machine looks fairly ordinary, but the light features controls so Rock Band vocalists can apparently blind themselves while making selections. The kit's listed with a ship date of August 15, but who knows if that's accurate -- and considering you can pick up a real fogger and strobe light sufficient to glam out your living room for all of $50, we're not exactly waiting on pins and needles.


[Via: Xbox 360 Fanboy ]

XCM Xbox 360 Casemod Glows Whether Console is Overheating or Not

Irresistible Xbox 360 red ring of death heatsink jokes aside, this glow-in-the-dark replacement shell from XCM is the bee's knees for gamers who like to do it in the dark. Even with the lights on the case is still pretty cool, as it sports a semi-translucent look, allowing onlookers to marvel at the melting electronics housed within.

[Technabob]

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Glow in the dark Xbox 360 enclosure takes you back to 1992


Truth be told, we still can't believe this is the first commercially available glow in the dark Xbox 360 chassis, but then again, glow in the dark hasn't been remotely fashionable since Bill Clinton left office. Still, if history is beginning to repeat itself, you know you want to be first on the bandwagon, and there's no better way to throw it back than with the XCM Glow Pearl case. As it stands, the shell isn't quite ready to be ordered, but we're sure it'll be worth every penny when your BFF sees just how gnarly this thing is in the dark.

[Via: technabob ]

Microsoft says no Spring Xbox 360 Dashboard update coming this year



We'd been getting pretty used to getting an Xbox 360 Dashboard updates every other season or so, but it looks like it's going to be a barren spring: there's no update coming this spring, according to Xbox Live manager Marc Whitten. In an interview with Next Generation, Whitten said that Redmond's focusing resources on "building the proper infrastructure and scale for the service" -- which hopefully means those Live outages will soon be a thing of the past. Whitten also said that the Live team is working on a Live DRM update that'll allow XBLA games to be re-licensed and played offline if you swap consoles, and that underperforming XBLA titles with Metacritic scores under 65 percent will be eligible for delisting. Sure, sure -- just make with that wacky motion-sensing controller soon, okay?

[Via: Xbox 360 Fanboy ]

Screen Grabs: Guitar Hero on HIMYM, pants not required


Everybody knows us bloggers are a bunch of pantsless hooligans, but a lesser known fact is that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith comes with a new pants-free mode, as demonstrated in a lengthly sequence on this week's episode of How I Met Your Mother. Problem is, Jason Segel -- who we most fondly remember as Nick the drummer from Freaks and Geeks -- likely wouldn't be caught dead playing Aerosmith on the guitar, so stop trying to mess with our heads CBS. We know the truth.

[Via: Engadget ]

Japanese super-thief uses GPS to steal rental cars


A criminal mastermind named Mitsuhisa Kobayashi has been arrested for a series of GPS-related car thefts in Japan. According to reports, Kobayashi was responsible for stealing eight cars in the Hyogo Prefecture, five of which he sold on the internet. The man -- a former auto factory worker -- used two ex-wives to rent the cars, and would then make copies of the keys and install GPS units or cellphones with GPS capabilities inside the vehicles. Kobayashi would use the devices to track the cars' locations, then steal them once they had been moved from the rental firm. Unfortunately, his accomplices used ID's which led the authorities right to his front door. Whoops.

[Via: GPS Tracking Systems ]

Guitar Hero World Tour priced, given release date

Guitar Hero World Tour



Now that we've been enticed with what Guitar Hero World Tour will look like, GameStop has revealed the upcoming rock simulator's price and release date. $189.99 will get you the Guitar Hero World Tour "Band Kit" with drum kit, guitar, and microphone. Meanwhile, the "Guitar Kit" at $99.99 will come with just the guitar controller. For those of you who want to use your current controller (assuming current controllers will work), the game-only version will run $59.99 (or $49.99 for the PS2 and Wii). The game's ship date, as of now, is set at 10/27/08.

[Via: Engadget ]

Guitar Hero: World Tour drum kit gets demoed on video



We've already had a few glimpses of the drum kit for the now-official Guitar Hero: World Tour, but if you want a better look at the device that'll be cluttering up your apartment this fall, you may want to hit up the site linked below, which contains a promotional video showing the kit being played by some actual drummers. There's not a lot of new information to be found otherwise, but as none other than Stuart Copeland helpfully reminds us, the kit is in fact wireless. No headband included though, it seems.


[Via: Xbox 360 Fanboy ]

Gamestop ain't your Zunestop


GameStop will no longer stock or sell the Zune, citing weak sales and a poor fit with its "product mix". Despite recent positive sales numbers and only weeks short of Microsoft's launch of games for Zune, Microsoft's player will no longer be found at the gaming retail giant. The decision came about a month ago, and sales will continue at Gamestop.com until stock is depleted. Adam Sohn, director of Zune marketing, confirmed the announcement this afternoon by not denying it:
"We have a set of great retail partnerships that give Zune a strong presence at retail including Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and others. We will continue to invest in deep retail partnerships, and have seen good momentum online and at retail over the last few months including a great response to our recent Spring Update. We're looking forward to a continued strong presence at retail with our partners."
We can't help but thinking better Xbox integration could've gone a long way, but perhaps it was just never meant to be.

[Via: Engadget ]

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Guitar Hero IV gets a name, official features, and release date-ish



When it comes to sussing out info on Guitar Hero IV, we've seen blurry images and scanned pictures, but now Activision is getting all official on us with a Fall release date and complete feature list. So here's what we know: Guitar Hero: World Tour (as it's called) will include a drum kit with cymbals, a new guitar controller, and a microphone. In terms of game modes, look for a Music Studio music creator that will let you compose, record, edit, and share your own music -- fear that -- and an 8-player "Battle of the Bands" should keep things interesting both on and offline. They're calling it "The Guitar Hero experience reinvented" and we can't argue with that, at least until the game actually comes out in Fall 2008 for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2. Peep the official trailer and Lenny Kravitz ubiquity after the break.





[Via: Boy Genius ]

Guitar Hero IV's new axe spotted: Activision goes indie


Now that we know what Guitar Hero IV's drums will look like, it seems Activision is saying "We don't need no stinkin' replicas!" for the game's guitar controller design. Spotted in Guitar Hero: World Tour's debut trailer, the new axe appears to be a black or cherry non-Gibson, non-Fender, non-anything instrument of random design. We're not surprised, as Activision is surely gun-shy after all those lawsuits and what-not.

[Via: Engadget ]

Wii Fit: feelin' the burn (part 1)


We've still got a few weeks left to see how we'll do going up against the Nintendo-made workout routines of the Wii Fit, but we can tell you that we've had some mixed results early on. We'll do a full wrap-up later, but for now some initial notes.
We were off to a pretty good start in the first couple of days -- but be warned, you do need plenty of space where you intend to work out, especially as you get started in the strength training. We were a little surprised at just how much space was needed at times, so unless you've got plenty of it you may end up like us, spending plenty of time shuffling and reshuffling the balance board back and forth.
Players (exercisers?) are rewarded with more reps and new routines as they log hours, and if you're unfit (like we are) even some of the beginner exercises will undoubtedly reveal all those atrophied muscles (especially the push-ups / side-plank and jackknife routines, which are killers). Wii Fit's use of a plain, clearly visualized trainer makes learning the exercises -- and even the more complicated yoga poses -- easy for newbs. More after the break.
It only took an hour or two of doing the same routines before all the helpful input from your virtual trainer became tedious and repetitive. You can only hear your trainer say "Visualize the muscles you want to work" so many times, you know? You'll also be spending about 1/3rd of your total time in Wii Fit trying to get through a seemingly endless string of menus, intros, prompts, and requests to step on or off the balance board -- the reward for your patience is to initiate the next exercise.
Another big downer is the inability to play your own music. Wii Fit is clearly intended to be an accessible solution for people that haven't made fitness a part of their regular routine, so you'd think the software would be as accommodating and painless as possible if it's going to get people off the couch. Not being able to play music wouldn't be nearly as vexing if you could just turn down the monotonous Wii Fit music so you can play your tunes on a boombox or something, but you can't really mute the whole thing because the trainer does give some valuable real-time verbal feedback (like letting you know your balance is off, or that you're almost done).
As for our consistency in keeping up the exercises, well, it hasn't been great. We've logged a number of hours, but it's already becoming hard to see working in Wii Fit when the workouts themselves seem so encumbered by the software that delivers them. Although we're clearly working some unused muscles, we're not yet getting the feeling that the Wii Fit's burning any substantive amount of calories (or fat), or that it's any substitute for hitting the gym with some regularity. There's sweat, but it's not coming in buckets. We'll keep at it though, so check back in a few days for our next update.

[Via: Engadget ]

Nintendo pushes back against 149.1 million Euro fine


The EU has doled out some pretty hefty fines in the past, but it looks like Nintendo is pushing back against the one it got slapped with back in 2002, with the company now saying that it was "unfair, illegal, even shocking." That fine (some 140.1 million Euros, or about $220 million), was the result of some alleged price fixing on Nintendo's part back during the SNES-fueled glory days of 1991 to 1998, during which time European Union regulators say Nintendo colluded with seven different distributors to raise hardware and software prices. For its part, the EU commission maintains that the fine "was not of a capricious nature, or based on wild estimates," and that it "was for an infringement that was considered very serious." No word on Nintendo's next move just yet, but if past appeals of EU rulings are any indication, they certainly seem to be facing an uphill battle.


[Via: Pocket-lint ]

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Sony announces metallic blue Madden NFL 09 PSP bundle



It looks like Sony is aiming to put ColorWare out of business with all the new, brightly-colored PSP models it's introduced as of late, a streak that continues with the company's just-announced metallic blue model. This one is available exclusively in a new Madden NFL 09 bundle, which includes said game, along with a 1GB Memory Stick, the NFL: In Just One Play video on UMD, and a PSN voucher that'll let you download the Beats rhythm game free of charge. Look for it land on August 12th with the usual bundle price tag of $199.99.


[Via: Joystiq ]

Acer Predator gaming rig: Faster. Deeper. Harder. Further.


Hey, that's Acer's overtly compensating tag line, not our take on this totally over-the-top gaming rig. Acer's new Aspire G7700 Predator desktop offers options such as an overclocking quad-core, Core 2 Extreme proc, up to 8GB of DDR2 800/1066 memory, and 3x NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX graphics cards kept in check by a liquid cooled core. It features what Acer calls a "world's first optical bay mechanism" revealing a pair of 5.25-inch drive bays which you can stuff with a DVD drive, Blu-ray/HD DVD drive or both. The box can be configured with up to 4x, 3.5-inch SATA hot-swappable hard drives (including 10k RPM raptors) with RAID support. No street date or pricing yet, but we've got plenty of pics in the gallery.
[Via: Engadget ]

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Nintendo DS to come in lime green, red, and cool ice this summer?

Nintendo DS Lite lime green


What's that? Could it be? A Nintendo DS Lite in delicious lime green? Yes, kids, according to pre-order pages that popped up at a Spanish gaming retail site, Nintendo's ubiquitous portable gaming console of virtually every color will come in lime green, hot red, and ice blue starting some time around June 13. No other information is available just yet but we assume that the insides will be the same and the new colors will kick-start Ninty's summer sales massacre, at least in Europe. Bonus points for coming up with better color names than we did. Margarita? Cinnamon? C'mon.

[Via: NeoGAF ]

Wireless Wii nunchuk adapter frees you from cabled bondage


The Wii Wireless Adapter for Wii Nunchuk controller, as it's so eloquently called, connects to your current nunchuk, untethering you from that not-always-necessary Wii Remote (or simply preventing the cable waggle). It's powered by two AA batteries and is available from Brando for $20. It's not the first wireless nunchuk we've seen, but from the looks of this one, it could help direct your finger to that hard-to-find Z button.

[Via: Engadget ]

Midiator lets you use a PS2 controller as a MIDI controller


We've seen plenty of attempts to use game console hardware as MIDI controllers, but they've usually involved complicated hacks and strange software kludges, so we're pretty curious to see if Curious Inventor's Midiator actually works as promised. The nondescript black box is supposed to map virtually any PS2 controller -- including wireless models and partial support for Guitar Hero axes -- to various standard MIDI controls, including use of the analog sticks as pitch bends and modulators. Not only that, but if you don't feel like buying the assembled kit for $79, you can get the schematics for free, and if you're handy with a soldering iron, you can even earn some cash by adding requested features like pressure-sensitivity and direct USB support to the unit. Check it all out at the read link, and make sure to cruise past the break for the sweet demo video.





[Via: MAKE ]

Apple Remote and classic NES controller meet in NesRemote

The Apple NesRemote turns chic into retro


Nothing fits the hand quite like the old school, blockish NES controller, all square and squeaky -- and now the subject of loving merger with an Apple Remote. The NesRemote, not surprisingly, makes use of the D-pad for navigation, A and B play and pause, and Select for the back button. No, it won't make exploring your iTunes collection as fun as collecting Metroid energy tanks, but we might guarantee that watching the video after the break will bring a smile to your jaded, geeky face.





[Via: Engadget ]

Wii Guitar Hero axe transformed into MIDI controller


Whatever the DS can do, Wii can do better, right? Apparently Dave agrees with said mantra, as he has converted a Wii Guitar Hero axe into a full-fledged MIDI controller. As in, there's a 5-pin jack down there and everything. In its current state, you can play two octaves of an eight note scale at time, alter the keys / octaves, change tonal modes, use the whammy bar to bend the pitch and blow the minds of electrical engineering buds you still see on a regular basis. Granted, this mod isn't exactly for the faint of heart, but feel free to hit the read link if you're hacker enough to handle it.

[Via: MAKE ]

Nintendo celebrates Wii Fit NY launch in Central Park


Nintendo is really rubbing in its NY-only launch date for the Wii Fit. Not only do New Yorkers get the Fit a whole two days prior to the rest of America, they also got to try it out for free alongside celebrity trainers in Central Park. Despite the threat of rain, we saw quite a few folks out enjoying the device, from young to old. Many of older set wasn't even aware there were two products in play, the Wii and the Wii Fit -- and some of the trainers seem to have trouble explaining that concept -- so it seems to us that a bundled SKU could do good things for Nintendo. Not that it won't sell like gangbusters anyways. Video of people exercising is on the way. You have been warned.
Update: Video has been added.

Gallery: Nintendo celebrates Wii Fit NY launch in Central Park




[Via: Engadget ]

Cyclepong 2.0 beautifully weds exercise with Pong


It's unofficially official: humans will never, ever stop figuring out new ways to play Pong. Further proof of said statement comes in the form of Cyclepong 2.0, an update to a marvelous project that combines the art of biking with the joy of playing Pong. Put simply, the inventor created an arcade-like installation with a pair of exercise bikes, an LCD screen and customized software that enables a pair of individuals to pedal forward and back in order to move their pixels. For those in England (Suffolk, to be precise), you can actually get in a game for yourself at Southwold Pier, but everyone else will have to be satisfied with the demonstrative video posted after the jump.







[Via: Engadget ]

Bill Gates gives mother of pearl-clad Xbox 360 to South Korean President


Apparently not one to let a tacky trend pass him by, Bill Gates has commissioned 100 mother of pearl-clad Xbox 360s to be used as extra special gifts, the first of which was given to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak earlier this month, prompting a response that we can only imagine to be, "gee, thanks." To be fair, the design by Korean artisan Kim Young-jun is a bit classier than most of the crystal-encrusted gadgets we come across, but the same can't quite be said for the move of bringing a bit of thinly disguised self-promotion to a visit with a head of state. We can also only assume that Gates is dreading the day that the President calls him up and asks him what the red rings on his Xbox mean.

[Via: Engadget ]

Keepin' it real fake, part CXIX: PNP just can't hang with the PSP


Straight from the "spotted at the mall" files, one eagle-eyed tipster has shared a picture snapped at a local shopping venue where the presumably astounding PNP was being kept under lock and key. This marvel boasts the iconic PSP shape, obligatory D-pad, dedicated On / Off button (let's see your Sony do that... in this manner) and four puzzling buttons to the right of the "display" mounted in the middle. Yeah, it was only being sold for around $10, but you'd have to slip a Hamilton in our pocket before we'd mar our collection with this filth.
[Via: Engadget ]

Monday, May 19, 2008

AMD GAME! got game


AMD may not currently be capable of besting Intel in the market, but hey, why not start up another marketing program to kickstart sales? LIVE! gives way to GAME!, which is an AMD-run certification for classifying premium PC gaming rigs. What constitutes a GAME! PC? Why, AMD-based machine featuring a Phenom, Turion Ultra, or Athlon CPU, and ATI Radeon HD 3000 series graphics. Users can expect GAME! systems immediately or in short order from bigger direct-order names like Alienware and Velocity Micro, as well as from other smaller bandwagon-jumpers.

[Via: Engadget ]

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Details of North American MGS4 PS3 Bundle Come to Light


Get your wallets ready, fanboys: the details for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition PS3 have been announced. What do you get for your $600? Well, first and foremost you get a gunmetal 40GB PS3 with a new Dualshock 3 controller. You get the limited edition version of the game as well, and you also get a Blu-ray with two hours of bonus content about the making of the game.Personally, I'd be fine saving $100 and getting the standard edition bundle, as it has twice the hard drive space and all you have to give up is the fancy paintjob and Blu-ray disc you'll watch once, if ever. But hey, I'm not a fanboy, so what do I know? If you are a fanboy and are popping a tent just imaging having an OMG gray PS3, you'll be able to put in your preorder at Konami.com starting on Monday, May 19th.


 [Playstation Blog]





[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Alligator skin Xbox 360 case is a bit too realistic


Oh yeah, we've seen some undeniably bizarre Xbox 360 case mods, but this freakish homegrown covering exemplifies the art of destroying resale value. We don't quite know what else there is to say about an incredibly detailed alligator skinned console, but if pictures really are worth a thousand or so words, there's an epic waiting for you down in the read link. Please kids, don't try this at home.

[Via: Xbox 360 Fanboy ]

Friday, May 16, 2008

Nintendo re-launching Metallic Rose DS Lite as standalone system


Just in case the Big N hadn't doled out enough variations of pinkish DS Lites, along comes yet another one to spend your discretionary income on. Later this month, a standalone Metallic Rose version of the handheld will be widely available in the US, but folks who managed to snag this very device in that Nintendogs bundle last year can pass right on by. Additionally, Nintendo is once again looking to the celebrities to push its wares, with America Ferrera and Carrie Underwood starring in spots with the aforesaid Rose DS and Liv Tyler showing up with the two-toned Crimson / Black edition. We're expecting the not-entirely-new hue to run the same price as all of the others, but we'd still recommend grabbing one quick if you're interested. One more look after the break.



[Via: Engadget ]

Konami unveils Rock Revolution drums, forgets to try


Brilliant, just brilliant. As if Rock Band wasn't living room clutter enough, Activision is busting out a drumset for Guitar Hero IV, and now Konami is getting in on the "pretending to play music" meme with its very own Rock Revolution title. If the oversaturation of incompatible music peripherals wasn't enough to make you take pause, the janky-ass nature of Konami's kit certainly might. Granted, there are more things to hit on Konami's set, Rock Revolution allows you to improvise in between the proscribed hits, and doesn't require that pesky kick drum until midway through its five difficulty levels, but MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek didn't have too easy of a time hitting on it, while his buddy did a lot of plastic smashing attempting to improvise -- not a promising start. Oh, what was that? We can play "Sk8er boi"? We take it all back, when can we buy?

[Via: Joystiq ]

Creative reveals Fatal1ty-approved Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium


Considering that you've already spent way too much on that totally over-hyped Killer NIC, why not humor yourself further by snagging a sound card with Johnathan Wendel's prints on it. Proving once again that everyone does indeed have a price, famed gamer Fatal1ty has placed his highly respected seal of approval on a new duo of sound cards from Creative. The PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series and PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series devices boast the X-Fi enhancements you've come to expect, vivid new designs, unmistakable packaging and the assurance that the latter is the "official sound card of the CGS." As for pricing, the Pro edition is available to pre-order for $149.99, while the CGS model adds in an internal I/O drive and demands $199.99. Hit the read link for more detailed specifications and way too much gloating.

[Via: CustomPC ]

Wii Chewing Gum Comes in Rabbit, Zelda and Fit Flavors—Okay, Mint


Better than chewing on your Wii controller, or have the dog chew on your face (which ours has just done to JesГєs, so guess who's off to see her husband in ER in a minute?) this official Wii chewing gum is a snip at four bucks. Normally, this is where I type something stupid, but it just doesn't seem appropriate. [GK World via TechnaBob]

[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Metal Gear Solid 4 limited edition PS3 for North America detailed


Ha, seems our Japanese gaming overlords aren't the only ones looking down the retail barrel at the limited edition gunmetal gray MGS4 PS3. Sony's official Playstation.Blog is reporting that the MGS4 Limited Edition PS3 Hardware Bundle will be available exclusively from Konami.com for $600. For that you get a 40GB gunmetal PS3, matching DualShock 3 wireless controller, Metal Gear Online, an exclusive Blu-ray disc with 2-hours of additional content (making of documentary and look at Hideo Kojima's production team) and of course the MGS4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition game. Pre-orders from the "very limited supply" begin on Monday the 19th. Best set your alarms.

[Via: Playstation.Blog ]

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Atari's Family Trainer Is Wii Fit Meets NES Power Pad Meets DDR


Atari isn't going to let Nintendo hog all the video game fitness money, as evidenced by the announcement of Family Trainer for the Wii. It's pretty similar to Wii Fit in that people stand on it and do activities, but it doesn't weigh you and actually has pads for you to jump or step on. No price yet, but is there enough room in your house for both this and the Wii Fit? How many more photoshoots of Japanese people jumping around their living rooms are we going to get in this console generation?
[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Microsoft says no new Xbox 360s in 2009

Sounds like that rumor about a new, smaller Xbox 360 coming next year might have a shorter life than a red-ringing console. Specifying the release of "slimmed down SKU in 2009", Microsoft representative let us know today that "While we don't normally comment on rumors like this, we can tell you that we have no plans to release a new console in 2009". Yep, rumor assassinated, just like that. Of course, there still exists the possibility that Microsoft's just playing coy to prevent a little bit of Osborne effect from creeping in during their heated battle with the PS3 -- but they did go out of their way to directly comment on the rumor, so take it as you will.
[Via: Engadget ]

Pelican's Metal Gear Solid 4 Bluetooth headset gets photographed


See there, we told you it was authentic. The hotly-anticipated Metal Gear Solid 4 BT headset is indeed more than a figment of your imagination, and IGN's UK branch has the photographs to prove it. Granted, the actual unit you see above is a pre-production sample, but nothing about it is slated to change before finalized products ship en masse. No, you won't magically become as phenomenal as Snake should you wrap this around your lobe, but you can get a decent idea if it's your bag by peeking the high-resolution shots in the read link below.

[Via: Engadget ]

ATI Radeon 4800 series launch details revealed


NVIDIA had already heard enough about AMD's ATI Radeon 4800 series to bump up the launch date for its GeForce 9900 series cards, but TG Daily has now apparently turned up some more launch details for the mid-to-high-end cards, the first of which is reportedly now on track for a release in mid-June. That first card will be the Radeon 4850, codenamed "Makedon," which will boast 512 MB of GDDR3 memory, single-slot cooling, CrossFireX support, and a price tag between $189-$219. That'll be followed in July by a pair of Radeon 4870 cards (dubbed "Trojan"), with one boasting 512MB of GDDR5 memory and the other boasting a full 1024MB, the latter of which will come with a dual-slot cooler. Look for those to cost between costing between $249 and $279. The whole lot of them will also pack "game physics processing capability," along with 7.1 channel audio via HDMI support, DirectX 10.1 support, and, as you might have guessed, some pretty heavy power requirements, with a 450 watt power supply needed for a single card and 550 watts needed for a CrossFire setup.

[Via: Engadget ]

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Modder creates Dreamcast portable from mom's plastic jewelry box


Dreamcast fans are doing what they can to keep the final Sega console alive in handheld fashion. This latest one certainly isn't the most elegant mod in the world -- in fact, it's a boxy Frankenstein that looks pretty uncomfortable and crampy after a long game session. That said, the clean, straight lines and generous 5-inch screen are an impressive step up from some rough versions we've seen elsewhere. Taking an entire Dreamcast's guts, adding an LCD screen, forging a portable power supply, and fitting it all in one portable box is no easy task -- so we salute you, modders. And we confess, we totally dig the brass hinges. Video after the break.








[Via: Engadget ]

Wall-sized, multi-touch 'Missile Command' -- every gamer's fantasy


What could make a game of Missile Command more exciting? If you said playing it on a gigantic multi-touch screen, you're probably right. Luckily for you, someone has gone to all the trouble so you won't have to. A gentleman named Steve Mason has created a large-scale version of the game that can be played by hand using multiple contact points. The result? Extreme awesomeness. Don't believe us? See the video after the break, then just try and tell us you don't want to get in on that action.






[Via: Engadget ]

Monday, May 12, 2008

WiiWare lands Stateside, start defending those castles!

Nintendo just brought WiiWare to the States, which means you can finally download original games to the console -- not just the classics available on the Virtual Console. While we're sure the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles entry and the charming LostWinds platformer will do quite well for themselves, we've been drooling over Defend you Castle, the Flash version of which has sucked more productive hours out of us than we'd care to admit -- unemployment here we come! Games range from 700 to 1,500 Wii points ($7 to $15) and are available now.
[Via: Engadget ]