I’ve become a statistic by spilling coffee into my keyboard

By Stephen Munn | December 31, 2008

Some time ago, I deftly managed to spill a full cup of coffee into my spare USB keyboard. It’s an early Apple USB keyboard that came with a circa 2001 CRT iMac DV I picked up off Freecycle, and I had been using it interchangeably with my PS3 and Wii as needed once the iMac itself just turned out to be too old and slow even for my three year old daughter. I immediately flipped the keyboard upside down (which is what you’re supposed to do as soon as any liquid hits it) and yanked the cord from the PS3, which was fortunately off at the time. I let it drain for a few hours and then set it aside to be cleaned when I had the opportunity.

You may have heard that it’s possible to wash a keyboard in a dishwasher, provided no harsh detergents or dry cycle come into play. NPR even did a story on this in June 2007. The official line from keyboard manufacturers Logitech and Microsoft was that this is a bad idea, but there’s nothing wrong with the concept. You make sure there’s no battery involved (for example, if it’s a wireless keyboard), place it keys-down in the dishwasher, turn off the dry cycle and hit go. Then you let it drain and dry for, like, forever, resisting the urge to melt the keys, and any adhesive in the unit, with a hair dryer when you get impatient.

The fact of the matter is, I don’t have a dishwasher. Or rather, I am the dishwasher.

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Motion Tracking sensor tech bought out…

By Kelly Monfort | September 16, 2008

It seems Performance Designed Products, or PDP has acquired In2Games, a Brit and Hong Kong based dev of motion sensing tech. In2Games made the GamerTrak freedom, ever heard of it? But this is pretty important, maybe we’ll start getting better MT controllers for the PC? Oh well. Look and see after the jump!

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Namco Bandai offers a new Wii peripheral… oh for crap’s sake

By Stephen Munn | September 5, 2008

I think we can all agree that there are plenty of accessories available for use with Wii. When the Wii Remote was first shown, we were kind of tipped off that this would happen. The controller was designed to be a simple, dense package with all the key hardware. Games that needed more would plug peripherals into it, and that’s how Wii would get more complex, more unusual, or more traditional games.

However you feel about how it all turned out, let’s run down the list. There’s the Nunchuk controller, one of which comes with Wii. This is used in many games, as it’s the only stock way to have an analog stick. There’s the Wii Zapper, which is a shell that you stick the Wii Remote and Nunchuk into. That comes with Link’s Crossbow Training, and can be used with any of the light gun-style games, but since it’s only a shell, it’s pretty superfluous. Same goes for the Wii Wheel, which is really only used for Mario Kart Wii. Then there’s the Balance Board. Don’t get me started on that one. It’s a great device, but so far there’s only one really good game to play with it. Correction: one piece of software. Wii Fit.

Forgive my whining over Namco Bandai’s announcement that their new Active Life: Outdoor Challenge thing uses a new, original mat controller called the Active Life mat. So, is this like a dance mat, the sort of thing we’d use in DDR? Can we use it in DDR? Can we use a DDR mat with this software?

Let me make it clear: I have no problem with peripherals. I just don’t want peripherals that will never see another worthwhile application, particularly in such abundance. Check below for the press release. Read the rest of this entry »

Something Funny About the NPD Numbers

By Joe Haygood | August 15, 2008

So the NPD Numbers hit the web yesterday, and just to yawn a bit, they are pretty much the same as they have been for awhile. Nintendo on the top with both of their platforms, and the rest of the field playing catch up. On the software side, the Wii is also there, with five out of the top ten titles, but something struck me as funny as to their success. I just realized that four out of those five titles that are in the top ten for Nintendo, come with some hardware accessory. And it may be five out of five, but I am not sure if the plastic wheel thing comes with a boxed copy of MarioKart Wii.

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Weekend Gaming Score: Psyclone DS Lite Premier Pack

By Stephen Munn | April 18, 2008

A trip to Target these days is never complete without a trip to the endcaps at the back of the store where the clearance items are gathered. Everything from major game releases like Killer7 for Gamecube and Blue Dragon for 360 to tie-in merchandise like Halo ActionClix can be had for just a dollar or a few.

Today’s trip was a great success because Target’s liquidating their supply of Psyclone’s DS Lite Premier Pack. The normal price is $24.99, and Target’s dumping a large number of these for $6.24. Psyclone is Griffin’s gaming product line.

Not impressed yet? Check out what it includes.

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RedBeard Performance Skins grip your hardware in unique ways.

By Stephen Munn | November 4, 2007

There are a handful of options out there for skinning your hardware. I’ve used a variety of these, particularly with my original Nintendo DS. If you’re like me, this is the first you’re hearing of the company RedBeard, but from what I’m using right now, this is a company that’s due to rise into your awareness.

RedBeard makes an assortment of skins and the like for the PS2, Wii, 360, PS3, DS, and PSP, as well as iPod, laptops, and Razr phones. I had the opportunity to test out some of the Performance Skins for the Wii’s controllers.

Check out RedBeard’s website for other products.

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Phantom Hourglass tie-in accessories appearing everywhere

By Stephen Munn | September 24, 2007

As we’ve been seeing, there are lots of Phantom Hourglass related accessories appearing for the Nintendo DS now. With the game less than a month away, it’s gotten to a pretty remarkable level. The other day in Target, as I mentioned on the last podcast (which is not really a podcast at all), I saw some new cases for the DS Lite, sporting some nice embroidery. There were two designs: a folio, and a play-through case, and both were available in multiple colors and either with the Zelda seal or Mario and Luigi.

I snapped the terrible cell phone photo above to illustrate. You might also note the pricing, which seemed reasonable at the time, but looking at it now seems a little steep.

Long line of Wii accessories coming from ezGear.

By Stephen Munn | August 20, 2007

We were notified recently that a line of products under the brand ezGear would soon be arriving for the Nintendo Wii. The products seek to satisfy a variety of needs for the Wii gamer, from controller add-ons to game carrying cases. I’m expecting to have a look at some of the items soon, and I’ll share my impressions with you at that point, so there’s something for us all to look forward to. In the mean time, we’ll have a look here at some of the initial information out for the products.

One of the more interesting products is actually the boxing gloves, which hold the Wii Remote and Nunchuk against the back of the hand. I have a lot of trouble throwing punches in Wii Sports Boxing, and if this works out the way it looks like it should, I will be very pleased. Wii Sports Boxing is a fun game, but the controls are the most challenging hurdle to play.

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Turn your PSP into mini arcade cabinet

By Kat | August 18, 2007

This is neat, but I’d be more impressed if it was plastic than just foldable cardboard, and I don’t think I could play the PSP while it’s sitting in this thing. It’s designed by Suck UK. There are two designs, Cosmic Intruders and Dirt Track Rally, due out at the end of September. Unfortunately, there’s no price listed.

via PSP Fanboy

Make with the USB Game Boy Player adapter, already.

By Stephen Munn | January 6, 2007

One of the things I was the most concerned about regarding the Wii’s Gamecube reverse-compatibility was Nintendo’s assertion that all the Gamecube’s accessories would be fully compatible with Wii. I immediately cried foul, because of course, unless they made it look exactly like a GameCube along the bottom, how could it be compatible with the Game Boy Player?

Well, the Wii has USB ports, and they’ve got a USB LAN adapter pending, mentioned (but not linkable) in Nintendo’s online store. So this tells me they could do something very nice for all of us who picked up a Game Boy Player: manufacture a USB-to-Game Boy Player adapter. It wouldn’t be pretty, but it would be convenient.

Note the red arrow. All we need, as far as I can tell, is a cable that will plug in there and run to a USB port on the back of the Wii. Maybe Nyko will scratch this itch?

I guess the other option is Datel’s Advance Port. But who wants to go that route if you haven’t already?

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I’ve become a statistic by spilling coffee into my keyboard

Motion Tracking sensor tech bought out…

Namco Bandai offers a new Wii peripheral… oh for crap’s sake

Something Funny About the NPD Numbers

Weekend Gaming Score: Psyclone DS Lite Premier Pack

RedBeard Performance Skins grip your hardware in unique ways.

Phantom Hourglass tie-in accessories appearing everywhere

Long line of Wii accessories coming from ezGear.

Turn your PSP into mini arcade cabinet

Make with the USB Game Boy Player adapter, already.