Filed under: Gaming

While we initially felt Wal-Mart was being a bit old fashioned by not allowing Wii demo kiosks to be setup in stores due to “safety concerns,” Walton and friends apparently had a good bit of foresight that we weren’t aware of. After numerous reports of television sets getting the axe, and an innocently bystanding HP iPAQ getting all cracked up, we’re wondering if folks aren’t just staging their own Wiincidents at this point. Apparently warning everyone of how jeopardous these free-flying Wiimotes can be wasn’t really taken to heart, as now a butterfingered gamer has quite an interesting tale to tell to the presumably skeptical insurance adjuster. While busting a few moves in Wii Sports, the nonsensical user let the controller fly, but instead of landing softly (and harmlessly) on the couch, it rocketed straight through his window, leaving a fairly dangerous scene as proof of gaming negligence. C’mon folks, we’ve warned you all enough by now, either strap on that thoughtfully included wrist strap, grab some sticky gloves, or tape up the windows — your property, your call.

[Thanks, Sean]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

Joining the nearly endless amount of Nintendo DS hacks already in the wild is TobW‘s DS Sampling Keyboard, which “uses the DS’s microphone and touchscreen” to interface with a software-based sampling keyboard. A close contender to join our Music Thing series, this wonderous hack takes advantage of the wee machine’s excellent X / Y-axis controls as well as its built-in WiFi to beam the MIDI commands wirelessly. The program has been tested with Wifi, GBAMP, and M3, so “it should work on pretty much anything,” and provides a much less expensive alternative to those dedicated offerings. While musical gizmos are always more effective when seen heard rather than just heard about, be sure to click on for a front row seat to the YouTube demonstration.

[Via MusicThing]

Continue reading Nintendo DS doubles as wireless MIDI keyboard / controller

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Cookie cutter gadget? Passe. It’s all about skins, even the kind that may or may not ruin the shiny new finish on your valued consumer electronics. Submitted for your approval: tons of skins for your rare and lustworthy devices. Ok, so the 360 isn’t much of a skin, but we find the literal use of the term rather amusing, and when was the last time you saw a fake-fur faceplate?

P.S. -Big ups on the Xbox 360 and Eames-inspired PS3 and Wii skins above.

[Via Joystiq, thanks Craig]

Read – PS3 skins
Read – Wii skins
Read – Zune skins
Read – PSP, Xbox, etc. “skins”

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming

As some early Wii adopters have discovered, the Wii’s sensor bar turns out to be far less complicated than it seems at first glance, consisting of nothing more than a couple of standard IR emitters, with that lengthy cord cluttering up your living room supplying nothing but a trickle of power to the device. While even a couple of standard TV remotes can serve as a substitute in a pinch, for a more workable wireless solution you’ll have to bring your DIY skills to bear. Thankfully, as Brian “DoctaBu” Moore explains on his LiveJournal, the process is about as simple as homebrew projects get, requiring only an inexpensive trip to Radio Shack and some minimal soldiering abilities. While it ain’t pretty, the contraption pictured above will let you enjoy a game of Wii Sports bowling (at your own risk) and rid one more wire from your life at the same time. Of course, if you’re still hesitant to get your hands dirty, you can bet that there’ll be more than a few third-party (if not first-party) options finding their way to store shelves before too long.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming, Wearables

While neither can match the simple geek elegance of street artist Invader’s Space Invader-themed kicks, Nintendo and Sony fanboys now have some sneakers of their own to covet, although both look to be harder to get your hands on than a Wii or PS3. Sony’s the only one of the two to get official with its sneaks, partnering with Nike for some PlayStation 3-themed footwear (at least that’s what they’re sayin’ — from the looks of it, Nike may have just taken the opportunity to unload some rejected designs.) Only 24 pairs of the PS3 sneaks were made, with most no doubt spoken for by now. You won’t fare any better with the Nintendo shoes, however; these stylish but apparently non-functional kicks being strictly one of a kind, created by an talented sneaker artist for a recent Sneakerpimps event in Baltimore.

Read – Sole Collector, “First Look at PlayStation 3 Kicks” [Via Hypebeast]
Read – Format Magazine, “Sneakerpimps Customs” [Via DS Fanboy]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming

Wiimotes are becoming finely guided missiles, or so the internets would have us believe. The second set of destroyed TV pics comes direct from Michaela, who tells us that her seven year old girl was also playing Wii Sports bowling when her wrist strap broke as well, sending the controller rocketing toward the TV at a glass-cracking lawsuit-inducing pace. Now, we find the Wii Sports bowling thing to be an interesting coincidence, but it seems a little peculiar that a seven year old could produce enough force rolling that ball to tear her strap apart. We’re not saying this is the first in what could be a long line of TV-grubbing copycats, but we think the time is officially upon Nintendo to step in before a few hundred thousand straps recalled turns into a few million — and countless more televisions get themselves busted up royal.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming

While a few zany folks preferred to mindlessly operate on a PlayStation 3 without any tact whatsoever, the steady-handed folks over at Popular Science went by the books when they gingerly took apart Nintendo’s latest. But alas, not everyone is so gentle (or considerate) when it comes to enjoying new toys, and the folks over at SmashMyWii shaved a few minutes off their uncasing time by going at it with a large foreign object instead of a minuscule screwdriver. We’re reserving comment on which method we prefer most, but we do applaud both the tender care and rage expressed in each unique scenario. Nevertheless, snagging a Wii should’ve been slightly (and slightly we stress) easier than dodging bullets or quitting your job in order to (hopefully) get a PS3, but we’re sure there’s still quite a few of us sitting home empty handed — so if you’re craving an inside look at the Wii which you don’t yet have (or don’t want to dissect yourself), be sure to hit the read link for some well-captured Wii pr0n, and peek after the break for the painfully humorous slaughtering.

Read – Popular Science performs a cautious Wiisectomy
Read – SmashMyWii obliterates Nintendo’s Wii

Continue reading Nintendo’s Wii: opened up the easy way, and the hard way

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Features, Gaming

We’ve had our Wii kicking around the office for a little while now, but we had to hold off on answering your many questions about it until last night when they rolled out their launch update. Trust us, it definitely changed some answers, so let’s get to the FAQ. Oh, and thanks for the questions. Feel free to leave your followups in the comments.

Continue reading Wii FAQ: answers to your Wii questions

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

We really hate going back on stuff that we reported on just days ago, but that’s how things go in this business sometimes. So, first it was a maybe, then a definite yes, but now we’re very sorry to tell you that it appears Nintendo will not be confirming DVD playback for the US and Europe — at least for the time being. Our sister blog, Wii Fanboy, has the story, and reports that only Japan will be getting a Wii with DVD playback sometime in 2007. However, don’t lose hope just yet DVD player-free Wii fans (seriously? you’re out there?), because GamesIndustry.biz also reports that Sonic Solution, the company that’s providing Nintendo with the appropriate DVD playback software, said that it signed a “worldwide agreement” for its new software to be included on the Wii, and that the software would be released in the “latter half of 2007.” So, that could mean American and European Wii zealots will get what you’ve been yearning for — or it could just mean that Nintendo and Sonic Solution are conspiring to tease you.

[Via Wii Fanboy]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming

Well, here we are. 2006, and perhaps the last console launch of the decade. And here they are, all decked out n’ pretty. Go ahead, debate it. Just be nice, ok? At the end of the day the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, they’re only video game consoles, and we love our babies the same. Oh, catch some more flame-stoking conversation-inspiring pics after the break.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming

We suppose any Wii is better than no Wii, but having to battle it out in a round of Excite Truck with a proudly-pinned employee watching over each shoulder just seems a bit idiosyncratic. While we already know that Wal-Mart isn’t planning on hiring anymore smiling faces to oversee the presumably fractious gaming crowd, you just might find a few “helpful staff members” at your side while flinging the Wiimote in your local GameStop. Nintendo’s George Harrison has insinuated that all Wii demo stations will feature untethered controllers, but store personnel will be eying the players to ensure the nunchuck isn’t used as a weapon (and that it doesn’t leave in unauthorized pockets). He also noted that the big N has spent “considerable amounts of time” in designed the forthcoming kiosks, and mentioned (vaguely) that they “could be found at retail outlets, malls, the Nintendo Fusion Tour, and other consumer events.” While we still aren’t exactly sure where you’ll wind up finding that ever-elusive Wii demo station, be sure to mind your manners when you finally do.

[Via The Wiire]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Gaming

So if you think that you’re going to pop down to your local store and play the Wii on a big kiosk when it comes out on November 19, think again. According to The Dallas Morning News, the only retailer to have authorized playable Wii kiosks will be GameStop, much to Wal-Mart and surely every other big box retailer’s chagrin. That said, as our brethren at Joystiq point out, many shops may open up their own Wiis and set up a playable demo unit or three, but official blessed-by-Nintendo kiosks apparently won’t be widespread for some time.

[Via Joystiq]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Gaming

We still haven’t spotted a launch date for this thing in the States, and it looks like the Japan Nintendo DS Headset launch got bumped back a couple of weeks to September 28th, but that hasn’t stopped this thing from getting plopped under a few bright lights and having some pics snapped for our viewing pleasure. Everything seems to be in order, so just keep reading and we’ll let the pictures do the talking.

[Via DS Fanboy]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Gaming

Well, the details are in. The Wii’s coming November 19th, and it’ll cost you $250 damn dollars. Surprised it’s not under two bills? Don’t be, it’s a lot less than a lot of people are willing to pay right now. At the Nintendo event later today in New York (we’ll be there) we’ll catch a glimpse of the 25 game announcements preparing to be made, as well as more official launch details — but in the mean time we know it’ll ship with Wii Sports (baseball, bowling, golf, and tennis — all very addictive), Super Mario Galaxy will not ship in 2006 (boo!), it’ll have a photo streaming service, news and weather channels (most likely a part of WiiConnect24, but still a bit bizarre), and Opera for browsing the web; new titles will run you $50, while Virtual Console games will cost between $10 and $50 apiece. But really this stuff is all you really needed to know, isn’t it? November 19th, $250. November 19th, $250. And yes, they’re still apparently on track to meet their four million unit goal for their 2006 launch. Still, stay tuned for more deets, they’re inevitable.

P.S. -Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be reading Joystiq’s live coverage of the Nintendo event going on in Tokyo right now?

[Via Wii Fanboy]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Gaming

Actually, the headline that would more accurately reflect the situation would read something like “Microsoft talks trash about Sony delay; Nintendo respectfully reinforces its own launch goals,” but headlines like those don’t sell RSS subscriptions. After hearing about Sony’s weak launch quantity and global delays, Microsoft came out woodwork with a bit of backhanded sympathy (laced, of course, with some low blows): “We know how challenging it is to pull off a global launch, so it’s not surprising that Sony has backed away from their previously announced launch plan, due to the unproven technology they are trying to pack in to their console.” The MS types also made sure everybody knew how much they care for the global gamer: “Europe remains a priority for us. That is why gamers have been able to experience Xbox 360 from day one, and why we’re confident we’re going to have a great Christmas – regardless of what competitors are or are not in the market.” Zing! Nintendo, however, merely reiterated their launch goals: “Wii is on track to ship in Q4, Nintendo plans to ship 6 million systems to retailers around the world between its launch in the fourth quarter of 2006 and the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2007.” Nary a dis for Sony, but we’re sure they’ll catch the drift all the same.

[Thanks, AJ]

Read – Microsoft talks trash
Read – Nintendo respectfully reinforces

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Filed under: Gaming, Portable Audio

Music-hungry Nintendo fanboys in Japan have already been able to get their fix in the form of the Play-Yan adapter for the DS and Game Boy Advance/Micro, but it looks like the rest of us might soon be able to rock some beats between bouts of New Super Mario Bros as well if this latest bit of info pans out. According to a brochure that reportedly surfaced at the Leipzig Games Convention, Nintendo is set to release an MP3 player adapter for the DS and Game Boy Advance this fall — October 6th to be specific (in Europe, at least) — and like the Play-Yan, the add-on will use SD cards (up to 2GB) for storage and have its own headphone port, although it apparently lacks the Play-Yan’s video capabilities. Price is reported to be €30, or just under forty bucks, although there’s still no official word from Nintendo, which we’d guess would be coming fairly soon if that release date is solid.

[Via Joystiq]

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Nintendo’s set to release an official MP3 player for the Nintendo DS, making it not only a game machine and a web browser, but a music playing device too. The above picture was seen in a brocure from the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany.

We suppose this is close enough to an official announcement, but there will probably be an even more official announcement from Nintendo soon. The specs:

• For Nintendo DS (to be inserted into slot 2) and Game Boy Advance hardware
• To store music you need SD cards. Up to 2 GB cards are supported, this equals to 500 songs (best sound quality)
• Choose between different skins (including one with Mario)
• The interface shows all important information
• The unit itself features another headphone port

The tentative price and release date are 29.99 Euros ($38) and October 8, respectively. – Jason Chen

Official Nintendo DS MP3 Player – Is There a Point? Homebrew Does it BETTER! [MaxConsole]
MP3-Player For The DS? Sounds Interesting… [Carpe DS Blog]

Filed under: Gaming

As you’ve probably already discerned from the headline and the pictures themselves, the images above supposedly depict the demo kiosks that Sony and Nintendo will be setting up in retail locations to lure people into buying the PlayStation 3 and Wii, respectively. Since the photos are low-res, a little blurry, and of unknown origin, they have all the makings of a jolly good Internet hoax, but we’ll play along for now and assume that they’re the real deal. So, what new information can we glean about the upcoming consoles based on their respective kiosks? Well, by mounting the LCD so high, Sony is obviously targeting taller individuals with its marketing strategy, while Nintendo is going after the brainier crowd as evidenced by the lack of any informational pamphlets adorning its display. With all of this speculation swirling around, one thing is certain, though: tucked behind the Wii kiosk’s center column are a bevy of first aid kits, for the inevitable injuries that will occur when arm-swinging gamers collide with innocent passers-by in the impending blood baths sure to plague our favorite big box retailers.

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: Gaming

Just like Microsoft, Nintendo was a tad cramped in the PAX exhibition hall — their full setup could’ve squeezed into a small corner of their Wii extravaganza at E3. But they’re making the best of things with an all DS all the time booth, and quite a few new games on display such as Yoshi’s Island 2 and Final Fantasy III. We can’t deny we’re a bit disappointed by the Wii‘s absence, and the resulting lines would’ve been fun to see as well, but it’s not hard to see why Nintendo opted to keep they’re little mysterious console off the floor. Of course, with no plans by Nintendo to show the Wii at the Tokyo Games Show, we’re starting to wonder if it’ll show up in “public” at all before its still-undefined launch, but we suppose we’ll see it when we see it.

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Filed under: Gaming

Saywha? The Wii — yes, the Wii made by Nintendo, not to be referred to as the Nintendo Wii — is going to retail for way less than $200 clams? Well, we wouldn’t have given it a moment’s thought if it wasn’t a source so high and mighty in the industry as EA’s EVP / COO of worldwide studios, David Gardner; then again, even here we’ve got a bit of rumor and speculation going down. Apparently Gardner said, “I’ve heard in Japan that the price is about $170, but I don’t know if the price has been set in Europe yet.” We know that the device will go for less than $250, but typically when these guys say “less than x amount of dollars,” that value is a something closer to a single red penny below the bespoke price. Still, a $170 Wii? You’d really have to hand it to Nintendo for having the chutzpah to so severely undercut the competition on price you’d almost be obligated to buy their console out of sheer value alone. Then again it’s a bit hard to imagine the Wii costing only $40 more than their hottie hot DS Lite, so something tells us we might have to file this one back on the rumors-not-to-come-true shelf.

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

If you’ve tossed around the idea of modding your DS, but never bit the bullet due to the ridiculous amount of loopholes you had to jump through to get your homebrew game on, DS-Xtreme has got you covered. While the precise details of how this thing works its magic are a bit scarce, we do know that the company claims this wonder-working cart will allow you to not only run your favorite homebrew applications on your DS without any software / hardware hacks or workarounds whatsoever, but it also rocks a built-in GUI that interfaces with Windows XP via USB 2.0 for some remarkably easy drag ‘n drop action. All this sounds mighty impressive, especially compared to the PassMe alternative that required a old fashion GBA flash card, linker, and a DS game just to get you up and running; the DS-shaped cartridge features 512MB (4Gb) of built-in storage space, USB 2.0 connectivity, a full sized onboard EEprom “complete with some serious custom engineering,” and a snazzy GUI that apparently makes managing your apps a breeze. If you’ve been fantisizing over an easier way to get homebrew material on your Nintendo DS or DS Lite, the DS-X flash cart appears to a dream come true, but considering there’s no specific release date nor price, we’re forced to play the “wait and see” game on this one.

[Via MaxConsole]

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Filed under: Gaming

We suppose it’s a bit of a stretch to call Nintendo’s DS Lite hinge problem — which according to Nintendo affects 0.02 percent of shipped units — much of a defect, but the big N has heard the cries of its users, and will now fix the problem for free. Multiple Lite-o-holics have reported a small crack on the left side of the hinge that holds the two screens together, and even our pals over at Joystiq have encountered the problem. Up until now Nintendo was charging $50 to repair the incidental damage, as it was considered outside of warranty, but now they’re changing their tune with free repairs for all. This keeps up with their track record of consumer love, which they established with the “single dead pixel” policy on the original DS. Thanks Nintendo, we love you too.

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

If you’ve gotten just a little too good at your Nintendo DS games and are looking for more of a challenge — and also looking to void your warranty — now there’s a way to hack your console for making everything run almost twice as fast. A Japanese modder has just posted step-by-step directions (in Japanese, unfortunately) for re-wiring a DS Lite to perform at a claimed 1.7x speed, complete with a toggle switch in case you decide that turbo mode isn’t appropriate for all occasions. It looks like you have to be pretty handy with a soldering iron to tackle this particular project, so if you’ve got the skillz and about four hours to waste on tinkering around with your DS’s sensitive circuitry, then accelerated performance — and funny-sounding audio — will be your reward.

[Via Maxconsole]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

If you’ve been waiting around for an easy way to play homebrew swag on your Nintendo DS or DS Lite, then prepare yourself for the stealthily-named Ninjapass. Like a handful of other solutions already on the market, this device lets you load up your games and play them directly from the DS cartridge slot — no flash cart required. There’s only 64MB of onboard memory, but you do get passcard functionality to boot content from the GameBoy Advance slot, along with a multi-game menu, convenient system for saving games, and bundled USB 2.0 adapter for hassle-free file transfer. The Ninjapass is currently available to pre-order — it will ship when “stock arrives” at an unspecified date — for $52, or a little less if you order in bulk.

[Via DS Fanboy]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Gaming

We're all aware that a digital camera/webcam for the Sony PSP is right around the corner, but how many of you knew that you could also snap photos with your Nintendo DS? Don't feel bad; we didn't know it was possible either until we spotted modder Kako's handiwork on YouTube -- apparently he's taken a Treva CMOS chipset, done a bit of rewiring, and written software that allows the unit to output images directly to his DS Lite. We can't vouch for the picture quality, and the frame rates are positively sluggish, but at least this mod gives Nintendo fanboys one less missing feature to defend when the PSP crowd goes into one of those regular, tiresome diatribes listing the many reasons why their product totally "pwns" the little dual screen console -- in fact, you'll probably catch a few examples of said diatribes right here in the comments section of this very post.

[Via DS Fanboy]

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