I remember the day I eagerly unpacked my first Nintendo DS.  At the time it was revolutionary–a touch screen gaming platform.  I inserted my first game (Nintendogs!) and picked up the stylus for the very first time.  It was then that I noticed said stylus had apparently been sized for a toddler instead of an adult.  Thus began my issues with gamer’s claw–grasping a teeny tiny stylus for so long your hand cramps up in a claw shape.  I thought I had made that affliction up, but the good folks at GreenBulb luckily suffered from the same problem and set out to fix it.

The XStylus Crayon began its route to my DS as a funding campaign on IndieGoGo (similar premise to Kickstarter).  300 gamers saw a need for the innovative stylus and chipped in, allowing it to go into production.

So what is it?

DS stylus in front; XStylus in back

Out of the package, the XStylus Crayon is a bit smaller than the Nintendo stylus.  However, once it’s flipped open and locked into place, it widens and becomes the comfortable to use XStylus.  The Crayon is meant to simply give a gamer a wider grip at its base, thus preventing any cramping (or Gamer’s Claw).  It’s also intended to fit on board the DS in place of the Nintendo stylus.  At its sweet spot it’s roughly the same width as a Bic pen.

Bic pen vs XStylus vs Nintendo stylus

So I mentioned that sweet spot–there is really only one way to hold the XStylus, which is with the index finger across the top of the widest spot and the bottom resting against the first joint of the middle finger.  Nothing should be blocking or touching that middle gap.  It’s a bit like trying to master chopsticks, but once you find the spot, the hand cramps just melt away.

When it’s in the closed position, the stylus does slide and snap in to the stylus slot in the DS fairly seamlessly.

The XStylus is pretty successful in accomplishing what it’s meant to do.  It’s both comfortable to hold and convenient to store.  However I found the top half above the base a bit flimsy.  It easily bends and didn’t feel as solid in my hand as the base.  Depending on the game I’d be playing, and the death grip I’d have as a result, the bending was sometimes a bit of an issue and I did manage to accidentally snap one of the crayons during play.

The other weird thing is that it’s called the Crayon and is packaged to look like a Crayon–but that paper sleeve must be destroyed to actually use the stylus.  There is no other crayon-type branding anywhere on it.  I was kinda bummed about that.

Each pack of XStylus Crayons come with one each of white, red, black, and blue plastic styli.  It is compatible with all existing versions of the Nintendo DS and 3DS.  The XStylus Crayon 4-pack for DS can be purchased through GreenBulb for $19.99 shipped worldwide.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Nintendo DS accessory, Stylus

XStylus Crayon for Nintendo 3DS/DS Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 7, 2012 at 2:00 pm.

Plug the GamePad controller from 60beat into the audio jack on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, and you’ll be able to control your game play with a multitude of buttons, joysticks, and controllers.  (There’s an audio splitter, so you’ll still be able to hear your game sounds.)  The GamePad has 2 analog joysticks, a D-pad, and 10 action buttons (including the two joysticks).  The ergonomically-designed controller doesn’t require batteries, and it’s compatible with both versions of the iPad, the iPhone 4 and 4S, and the 4th generation of the iPod touch.  There are only a couple of compatible games at the moment, but 60beat promises that a full collection of games for the GamePad will be added in February 2012.  The GamePad is $49.99.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Gaming accessory for iPhone/iPod touch, Gaming controller for iPad

Get a Full Game Console Experience with the 60beat GamePad for iOS Devices originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 2, 2012 at 9:14 am.

The JXD S7100 is a 7 inch Android 2.2 device with built in gaming controllers. Install Mame or another gaming emulator and this would make a great little gaming device. It’s available from isharegifts.com for $139.99. There’s a video on their site showing it in action and it does support English and other languages.

Filed in categories: Android related, Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Android, Gaming

JXD S7100 – Android Powered Gaming Device originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 24, 2011 at 11:45 am.

Can’t find a headset/mic combination you like?  Do you have a favorite pair of headphones but no mic?  Wouldn’t it be great to just add a microphone to your own headphones anytime you like?  You may remember my own attempts at using a hot glue gun to attach a microphone to my own comfy headphones…  Fortunately, the AntLion Audio ModMic detachable boom microphone solves this problem.

Oh, THAT'S an antlion

Made in Oregon!

Specs:

• Jack: 3.5mm
• 
Pattern: Omnidirectional
• Sensitivity: -26 ± 3 dB
• Response: 30 Hz–17.5 kHz ± 3 dB
• SNR: 58+ dB
• Impedance: 2.2 KΩ
• Operating Voltage: 1 to 10V
• Max current at 2.0V: 500 µA
• Max input SPL: 110 dB
• Boom Length: ~5 inches (~12.7 cm, stock), ~6 inches (~15.2 cm, maximum length)
• Clasp Height: 0.5 inches (1.27 cm, attached), 0.2 inches (0.5 cm, detached)
• Microphone Weight (mic and clasp): 4 grams (0.14 ounces)
• Total Weight (mic, clasp, and cable): 20 grams (0.71 ounces)

The NeoClasp magnets have a peel-off adhesive on one side, and a four-pronged “tooth” system that lets you adjust the mic angle.  If you unscrew the cap, you can adjust the length of the mic boom.

Closeup of the NeoClasp magnet

Length adjustment

To attach, simply attach the adhesive NeoClasp magnet to your favorite headphones.  You’ll need a flat surface, since the magnet itself is flat.  In my case, my Sennheiser PX100-II folding headphones don’t have a flat surface, so I cut a tiny piece of double-stick foam tape to do the trick.

Favorite headphones + boom mic = goodness

How does it sound?  Sounds great!  I called up my brothers-in-law, who I usually use to try this sort of stuff out with, and they could not tell I was using something that was essentially completely custom.  Voices sounded almost booming, as if the mic was too close.  The 6mm electret capsule condenser microphone at the end of a 5″ long boom is flexible, so you can move it closer or further away from your mouth.  The cable is a VERY generous 11.5 feet long to reach the back of your computer.

If there’s one thing I would improve on is the design of the magnet “teeth”.  Because there are four teeth, you can only rotate the mic at 90 degree increments.  Perhaps 8 or 16 teeth would have allowed a more usable coarse adjustment for mic-to-mouth alignment, while the bendy bit works for fine tuning.

Now I have no excuse for NOT having my favorite pair of headphones to use for that next Skype session or fragfest!

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Gaming Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Gaming, Headset, microphone, skype, VOIP speaker/mic

AntLion Audio ModMic Detachable Boom Microphone Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2011 at 11:00 am.

This YINLIPS Android Game Console and WiFi Tablet from ishareGifts packs a lot of functionality in a small package.  It emulates NES, SNES, GB/GBC/GBA, Mega Drive, MAME, N64, PSX, Flash 10.X games.  It also functions as an Android 2.2 tablet with which you can surf, listen to music, watch videos, use apps, read ebooks, and more.  It has a 1.2GHz cpu, 512MB RAM, and supports microSD cards.  It can even output full HD 1080p video.  It also has a “gravity sensor”, stereo speakers, and a 5MP camera.  Read more about the YINLIPS Android game console and see the list of supported file types at the ishareGifts website.  The YINLIPS is available in black or white for $125.95, and it ships worldwide.

Filed in categories: Android related, Gaming Gear, News, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Android tablet, Gaming console

YINLIPS Android Game Console and WiFi Tablet originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 12, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

If you find the battery on your Nintendo 3DS just isn’t powerful enough for your needs, get a PowerSkin Gaming Case for Nintendo 3DS.  This PowerSkin  case has a built-in, 2000mAh rechargeable battery that doubles your battery life and promises up to 12 hours 3D gaming and 18 hours 2D play.  LED status lights can warn you when the reserve power is running low.  The case is 100% recycled materials, and it can protect your Nintendo when it’s dropped.  The case is available for pre-order now.  It’s available for $69.99 ($10 off the normal price) and will ship 12/15/2011.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: External battery, nintendo 3ds

Extend Your Gaming Time with a PowerSkin for Nintendo 3DS originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 10, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Logitech is one of the premier manufacturers of technology peripheral devices. They make some of the bestkeyboards, mice and their Harmony line of remote controls is fantastic. One of their newest products is the Logitech Wireless Headset. I’ve spent the last few days using the headset with a variety of devices and it has performed quite well.

While the headset was formally introduced as the “Logitech Wireless Headset for iPad” it works as audio headphones with every Bluetooth-enabled device I’ve tried. I actually found it a better PC/Mac peripheral than I did with mobile devices. I may not have been the only one to discover that as it appears that the Logitech marketing people have dropped the “for iPad” from the official name.

I did encounter one problem throughout my testing involving mobile devices and the microphone that relates to the wacky world of Bluetooth standards (or non-standards), protocols, stacks and drivers. I tested the headset with two Lenovo ThinkPad laptops (running Windows 7), an Apple Mac Mini (OSX Lion), Apple iPad (iOS 5.0), Apple iPod Touch 2G (iOS 4.21), Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 (Android 2.2.2), T-Mobile G2 phone (Android 2.3.4) and an Asus Transformer tablet (Android 3.2.1).

The Logitech Wireless Headset paired quickly with every device used for testing and the headphones worked well. The sound quality was good, better than I expected. The high-end was okay albeit a bit clipped, midrange not too bad, and while the lows were a bit lacking and a tad muddy at times the sound was very reasonable for this type of device.

Volume level was also okay, although even with full volume on both the source and the headphones I wasn’t able to get things really “cranking”. In all cases the sound quality was far superior to that produced by the internal speakers on the iPad, iPod Touch, and Android devices, but nowhere close to that of my Grado SR 225 or even my Grado SR 60 wired headphones. Logitech doesn’t list the audio specifications for the headphones (frequency response, impedance, distortion, etc.), and if that’s what is important to you I’d suggest looking elsewhere.

On the other hand, Ray Charles’ “Georgia” sounded like Ray Charles, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” sounded liked Freddie Mercury and Queen, Eric Burden and War’s “Low Rider” sounded like Eric Burden, and Whitney Houston’s “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” sounded, well, like what Whitney Houston used to sound like. I listened to several hours of random music (classical, rap, country, pop, and rock) and throughout I found the sound to be good and not tiring.

I’m not an audiophile and my ears have been through way too many concerts where the amplifiers were cranked to 12. So, as with any review of a speaker/headphone if that’s really important you need to try a pair and listen for yourself.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the headphones were. When I pulled them from the box I thought they were a bit cheap feeling and stiff. They’re very light (3 ¾ ounces/105 grams), made of plastic and are the “supra-aural” style (foam earmuff). After several hours though they still hadn’t become bothersome to wear, perhaps a benefit of their low weight. The headphones adjust with a “ratchet-style” slider and fit over my large melon as well as my wife’s much prettier head. They were even usable on my six-year-old’s head although they’re really sized more for teens through adults.

I also put them through a bit of stress test, folding and unfolding, stressing and twisting them and didn’t hear any “creaks” or groans nor was there any signs (visual or auditory) of damage. It would be nice if Logitech included a second set of foam ear pads as I have no doubt their lifespan is going to be limited.

Battery life is stated to be approximately six hours. While I didn’t run a dedicated battery test my experience gives me no reason to doubt that number. Charging the lithium-ion battery is done with a USB cable (included). I was able to charge the headset from a computer or any phone charger that had a micro-USB connector. The device charges quite quickly. The headphones do not come with their own charger, just a cable.

The headset will remember pairings with up to eight devices, but will only connect with one device at a time. The first time you pair the headset you just turn it on and its ready to connect, after that it’s a typical “Vulcan” button press procedure (hold mute and volume up until the power light blinks rapidly) to initiate the process. This isn’t difficult, but it does mean you have to remember which keys start pairing.

Back of the right ear-piece contains the power switch, mute, indicator light and charging port. The volume is controlled by pressing the top or bottom of the ring on the right side.

So far all good stuff for the Logitech Wireless Headset.  I then began testing the microphone functionality. As I stated earlier, I don’t think many are going to buy this headset purely for its audio qualities. You buy this because you want a headset (headphones and a microphone). This means you should be able to use this with applications like Skype, FaceTime, standard phone calls, game oriented communication like Ventrillo or dictation/voice recognition apps like Vlingo (I don’t have an iPhone 4S to test Siri), Dragon Dictation and, of course, audio recording.

The “boom” noise-cancelling microphone is attached to the right earpiece (not reversible) and rotates down to run along the right side of your face. Much like the headphones, if you’re planning on heading into a recording studio to belt out an aria you’ve got the wrong device, but they did a good job with standard speech and didn’t do badly at ignoring background noise. Everyone I called with Skype using the device agreed that they could hear me clearly. Most commented that while the audio quality was fine they would have preferred I hire someone more pleasant to perform the testing (I get no respect).

I was able to successfully use the device on the Windows and Mac machines for any software that needed a microphone. The problem came into play when I started trying to do with the same with the iPad, iPod, and Android devices. Once again, I don’t believe this is the fault of the headset at all. It’s a problem inherent with the Bluetooth technology and implementation within these devices. I’ll list some of the devices and the issues I had. I believe the problems are going to be different depending on the device you’re using, what version of its operating system you have and the application you’re trying to use.

iPod Touch 2G: This iPod Touch doesn’t include a built-in microphone like later versions, but it is possible to use applications like Skype if you plug a standard headset in (like the iPhone earbud/microphone). Unfortunately, when I tried a few apps like Skype and Voice Recorder neither of them recognized the microphone on the device.

iPad 1G: Pretty much the same results here although it was harder to tell as the iPad does have a built-in microphone. After isolating myself (standing in the bathroom while the iPad was in my office) with the headphones on I was convinced that neither Skype, NetTalk, Glee (game), Dragon Dictation, Vlingo or Voice Recorder was recognizing the microphone on the headset.

Android Devices: My experience here was a little better, but that’s only because it’s possible to download apps that specifically look for a Bluetooth-enabled microphone and then will work with it.  I was able to get the microphone to work with apps like Bluetooth Recorder. Skype would only use the device’s internal microphone. Vlingo not only didn’t seem to pick anything up from the headset’s microphone it became unresponsive until I shut it off. Google Voice Search seemed to listen to both the internal microphone and the headset, the same goes for SwiftKey’s vocal input.

When paired with my Android-based T-Mobile G2 phone the headset did work properly. To answer an incoming call you press the mute button, disconnecting was accomplished by holding mute for three seconds. I couldn’t find any button that would allow me to initiate voice recognition on my phone. It also served as a media headphone allowing me to listen to the audio from Pandora, Netflix, Crackle, etc. As with the iOS and other Android devices I had problems using the microphone with some apps.

Logitech states that the headset will work for FaceTime calls with the iPhone 4+ iPod Touch 4G and the iPad 2. I would suggest that unless an app specifically tells you it works with the specific Bluetooth microphone that you have don’t expect it too. The Bluetooth drivers that are available for Windows and MacOSX won’t have any problem working with the headset.

The documentation included with the headset is really quite minimal. It’s a Bluetooth headset so it really shouldn’t need all that much more than pairing/connecting information, but during my testing I noticed the power/status light in several different modes and while some were mentioned there are still some that were a mystery. I’d also like to know how to reset the headset to factory condition and remove all previous pairings.

All in all, the Logitech Wireless Headset is a nice, relatively inexpensive product ($69 MSRP) that does what it says it will do and quite a bit more relatively well. It’s not a great set of audio headphones, but it’s not bad. It’s not a great microphone, but if you’re working with a PC it’s more than adequate for gaming, VOIP, voice commands, online conversations and the like. It’s lightweight, and comfortable to wear for long periods. The battery life, standard micro-USB charging port, and ability to fold up make it a solid choice for travelers.

Update 10/27/2011: It has been about a week and I’ve used the headset off and on with a 2011 Mac Mini. After a few days the headset stopped connecting with the Mac Mini and re-pairing the device wasn’t helping. There wasn’t much help available in the Logitech forums on this headset aside from one rep suggesting that it wouldn’t work with anything but the iPad or iPhone. I decided to try deleting the device entirely from the Bluetooth settings on the Mac and completely repairing and that seems to have worked. If you just try to re-pair without deleting the old profile the Mac states that it will delete and re-pair, but its possible that isn’t happening. I then went back and re-tested it with a number of my other devices and all went well. I’m not sure if the loss of connectivity is a Mac Mini Bluetooth issue (The Mini is running the new 4.0 version of Bluetooth) or an issue with the headset. I will update this review if I have any further issues or discover what may have caused the problem in the first place.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Bluetooth Gear, Gaming Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Wireless

Tagged: audio gear, bluetooth headset, iPad accessory

Logitech Wireless Headset for iPad Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 4, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Nintendo will be adding a few new features to their 3DS eShop.  This November update will include downloadable add-on updates to existing games, limited-play demos, sleep mode downloads and a web based eShop.  I’m really excited about the web based eShop.  It will be so much easier browsing the increasingly growing number of titles in the eShop versus the endless scrolling and searching on the small 3DS screen.  It seems like Nintendo 3DS will be getting lots of updates this November.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: 3DS, eshop, Nintendo

Nintendo improves the 3DS eShop originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2011 at 1:30 pm.

The Dingoo A380 is a handheld gaming console that will let you relive your favorite games from years gone by. It has built in wifi that supports 2 player gaming and wireless controllers. It also has AV out so that you can play games on a big screen TV. The Mini Game King can play ROMs from quite a few old systems such as GBA, Mega Drive, Neo Geo, CPS1, CPS2, GBC, Master System, Game Gear and more. It has 4GB of memory built in and offers a MicroSD slot to add even more games. The A380 is priced at $125.95 and is available from I Share Gifts. What is your all time favorite handheld game system? I loved the original Gameboy and was also a big fan of the Atari Lynx.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Video Games

Dingoo A380 Mini Game King – Is it the Ultimate Retro Handheld Video Game System? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 26, 2011 at 8:27 pm.

Nintendo announced another update for the 3DS.  And it’s a pretty impressive update.

1) The 3DS will be able to capture 3D video.  You can shoot up to 10 minutes of 3D video at a time.
2) You’ll be able to transfer batches of data from one 3DS to another.
3) Nintendo added stop motion photography.
4) StreetPass will get an update with map feature and also a sequel to the Find Mii game.
5) HuluPlus will be added for those that don’t like the selection in Netflix.

This free update will roll out in November.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: 3DS, Nintendo

Nintendo 3DS getting another big update originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 23, 2011 at 9:00 am.

It seems like upsizing is flavour of the day at the moment.  First there was the 23″ Android Tablet and now there’s the giant Game and Watch hack. Seems appropriate since we did an article on the original Nintendo Game and Watch recently.  The unit is capable of playing the games found at Pica Pic.

I suspect if we had one in our reception area, most of the staff wouldn’t actually make it to their office

See more details at House4Hack.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Video Games

Game and Watch – It’s Huge originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 28, 2011 at 10:30 am.

The Xbox 360 Avenger Controller is like no other controller that I’ve seen before. It looks more like a weird spider or something. In reality, it’s a special housing for your stock Xbox 360 controller. Just snap it in and you’ll now have a controller that has been designed so that you don’t have to remove your thumbs from the joysticks. Your fingers can easily manipulate finely tuned arms that are connected to the other buttons. Everything can be fine tuned to get just the right touch. There’s also a built in stand to rest the controller on hour chest or leg as you play your favorite first person shooters. The Xbox 360 Avenger Controller is available from GamingZap for £49.95 (approximately US $79.21). What do you think? Cool or too complicated?

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: XBox

Is this the ultimate Xbox 360 controller? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 10, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Most gamers would agree that having a left and right circle pad is necessary on a game controller.  The problem is that Nintendo released the 3DS with only one circle pad.  It works fine for most games but now game designers are making more complicated games that require a second circle pad.  And that’s why Nintendo decided to make a circle pad attachment for the 3DS.

As you can see from the magazine photo.  The problem with the circle pad attachment is that it’s hideous.  The attachment makes the slick looking 3DS bloated and seemingly uncomfortable to hold.  Plus it looks like the circle pad is smaller which means extended periods of gaming will be uncomfortable.

I just hope this is a prototype version and that Nintendo will make a better looking attachment.  Any Japanese readers want to help translate and summarize that magazine article?

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: 3DS, Gaming, Nintendo

Nintendo’s 3DS Circle Pad Attachment originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 9, 2011 at 10:00 am.

Are you tired of buying an app or a game only to find you don’t like it at all or you tire of it quickly?  Wish you had a way to try it before you buy it, even for apps that don’t have a free version?  Do you have an Android device?  If you answered yes to these questions, AppScribe is the service you’re looking for.  AppScribe is in beta now, but this service will allow you to purchase 5 or 10 slots monthly that you can fill with any of the games and apps in their library.  You can keep them as long as you keep your subscription current, or you can clear out a slot and add a new app whenever you like.  There’s no information about pricing yet, but you can sign up to be kept up to date with AppScribe news.  The home page also says they are accepting beta applicants.

Filed in categories: Android related, Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Android, App subscription service

AppScribe Premium Subscription Service for Android originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 8, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Apparently Atari was pleased with the reception received by their iCade controller done in conjunction with ThinkGeek.  They are introducing their own Atari Arcade – Duo Powered Joystick for iPad.  Atari is apparently working with Discovery Bay Games to make/sell the controller.  There isn’t much information available at Discovery Bay – just that it’s coming soon.  No price is listed.  It’s designed to work with the Atari’s Greatest Hits iPad app, which is available for free in the iTunes app store.  It should be noted that the app gives you access to 100 of Atari’s games, but you’ll have to purchase them.  You can buy 25 collections of four games for $0.99 each or get the entire collection for $14.99.  The game is available now.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related

Tagged: Atari, Gaming controller for iPad

Atari Arcade – Duo Powered Joystick for iPad originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 6, 2011 at 9:00 am.

It might have a goofy name, but the Cideko Air Keyboard chatting looks like it might be a worthy input device for your home theater computer. It’s a wireless keyboard with an integrated 3D motion sensing mouse, earphone, and microphone. It’s rechargeable and is compatible with both PCs, Macs and Linux computers.  Instead of using arrow keys or a trackball, you just move the keyboard around in the air to move the on-screen cursor. It’s currently available from Amazon for around $87.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Desktop Computer Gear, Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Keyboard

Cideko Air Keyboard Chatting – Wireless typing and chatting for your PC originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 5, 2011 at 4:58 pm.

The motion-sensing Wizard Stick from Genius connects wirelessly with your PC (USB connector included) and lets you play games using more realistic motions.  With the Wizard Stick with G-Sensor, you can move like you’re actually swinging a tennis racket or golf club or steering a car, for example.  With the bundled AIWI gaming platform, you can even convert your iOS or Android mobile device into a motion joystick.  The gaming platform will also let you play 16 Flash online games, and you’ll get a copy of the SEGA Virtual Tennis 2009 game.  You can even use the Wizard Stick as a computer mouse with the “air mouse” mode.  Sorry Apple fans, the Wizard Stick only works with Windows 7/Vista/XP.  The MSRP is $59.90, and it available in the US and Canada now.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Gaming gear

Add Some Motion to PC Games with the Wizard Stick from Genius originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 26, 2011 at 9:18 am.

Nintendo releases 59 LCD based handheld electronic games. Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, these LCD screened games include a clock and an alarm.
Ancestor to:  Nintendo 3DS

In 1980 Nintendo released a handheld electronic game including a clock and alarm hence the name Game and Watch.  Between 1980 and 1991 Nintendo released 59 different retail  titles. Some models had a hinged double  screen design  where the action either went on simultaneously on both screens  or where gameplay extended from one screen to the other. Interestingly enough this clamshell design continued on with the Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advanced SP model and is still a feature of the current Nintendo 3DS.  The units used LR4x/SR4x button style batteries for power.

Each Game and Watch  was only able to play one game, due to the use of a segmented LCD display being pre-printed with an overlay. The speed and responsiveness of the games was also limited by the time it took the LCD to change state.

Movement was accomplished via either up to 4 buttons ( many games only had two buttons, left and right )  or a cross joystick and generally there was only one action button ( if one at all ) .  Each game came with 2 difficulty settings Game A or Game B, Game B normally being the faster and more difficult version.  While Nintendo characters such as Mario and Donkey Kong were the mainstay of the games , Nintendo also licensed a number of other popular franchises including Mickey Mouse, Popeye and Snoopy. The maximum high score that could be displayed was 999 even if the game was clocked.

Do you remember ? : Somewhere in a box at home I still have my original Game and Watchs. There’s Donkey Kong, Green House, Manhole , Mario Cement Factory and Oil Panic. As a social experiment I should get these out and give it to my kids ( 13, 16 and 17 ) and see how long the “static” game play can hold their attention.

I do remember that because the screen was LCD based you needed to have light to view the screen properly, so sneaking a quick game to try and clock it just that one more time when you were supposed to be sleeping involved trying to hide the light from the flashlight as well.

It’s strange how things come around. I’m always at my kids to turn off their DS or Ipod and try to engage them in normal conversation however my mother still reminds me to this day ( in fact she reminded me again less than a week ago ( sheesh get over it mum, it was  31 years ago  )) of a trip we took away where all  my sister and I  did was play our Game and Watches.  Do as I say, not as I do !  :)

Memories folks, that’s what this series will be about. Please share yours  :)

 This is the first ( and hopefully not the last ) entry in the Do you remember? series, a chance to “show off ” to the younger Gadgeteers the “cutting edge” technology that some of us ….ummm more experienced Gadgeteers had in our day, to show the progression and ancestory of the technology we use today and just a chance to reminisce……. I remember when I were a lad………

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: DoYouRemember, Nintendo

Nintendo Releases Game and Watch LCD Handheld – Do you remember? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 24, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

With the Mophie pulse case for the 4th generation iPod touch, you’ll be able to feel the action while gaming.  The pulse case uses ViviTouch tactile feedback technology to translate sounds into vibrations so you can feel the explosions or the impact of the bird hitting the pig.  The pulse case also has stereo speakers for enhanced sound without using headphones.  There’s no release date or price information yet, but you can sign up at the pulse case page to be notified when it’s available.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Gaming accessory, iPod Touch accessory

Mophie pulse Video Game/App Enhancer for iPod touch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 20, 2011 at 11:00 am.

The R.A.T. 9 from Cyborg is a 2.4Ghz wireless, 5600 dpi wireless mouse that offers a crazy amount of customization for serious gamers. First of all, you get 3 interchangeable pinkie grips and 3 palm rests. The weight of the mouse can be customized by adding or removing one of the five 6-gram weight discs. There are also 4 dpi settings, 5 programmable buttons and 3 cyborg modes. If that’s not all, it looks cool as heck. The only down side is the price – $149.99. Ouch.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Gaming, mice

Cyborg R.A.T. 9 – Gaming Mouse on Steroids originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 11, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Nintendo had two successful products, the DS/3DS  and the Wii, with each one of them provides its own benefits. The Nintendo 3D/3DS offers a two screen gaming experience and focuses more on hard core gamers. The Wii, on the other hand, is focused on the broader demographic and has provided more social experience when using its motion controls. As we reported earlier this month, Nintendo introduced its new gaming machine, the Wii-U, at E3. Nintendo presented a peak into the new console capabilities, but left us with many questions regarding the gaming experience we might get.

Nevertheless, if you watch the press release closely, you will see that they seed many clues on their plans and intentions. They started the presentation of the Wii-U by asking how can we bring the 3DS experience to the living room. Later on they showed the 3DS and the Wii-U side by side when discussing the intention of several game developers to develop their future games for the 3DS/Wii-U platform. When looking at the platform side-by-side, the Wii-U looks like a bigger version of the 3DS. Last, EA Sport said that finally Nintendo will have a console in the living room that can fit the hard core gamers needs.

Therefore, it is safe to expect that we may get the 3DS experience in the living room using the Wii-U, but in high-definition. On the other hand, the Wii-U has some advantage over the 3DS console: (1) it can work with the Wii controllers, (2) it can work using the Wii-U screen only (no TV mode) and (3) the two screens are not attached together. It will be interesting to see how the game developers will use those capabilities for their games, while it means that those games won’t be compatible with the 3DS. How the game developers will take advantage of the new platform, your guess is good as mine. What do you think?

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Nintendo

Nintendo wants to bring the 3DS experience to the living room using the Wii-U originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 24, 2011 at 4:47 pm.

With more than 27,000 kiosks around the country, most of you are probably familiar with Redbox movie rentals.  Starting today, Redbox is now adding video game rentals to their service.  You’ll be able to rent games for Xbox 360, Wii, and Playstation 3 for $2 per day.  You can go to any Redbox location and take your chances that the game you want is available, or you can go online with your computer or your Android smartphone or iPhone, search for a nearby location with the game you want, and reserve it.  The Redbox site is showing 60 titles now, and you can sign up to be notified when new games become available. Find out more here: http://www.redbox.com/games

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News

Tagged: Video game rentals

Redbox Now Renting Video Games originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 17, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Sony announced on June 7, 2011, their next portable gaming system, PlayStation Vita.  Vita means “life” in Latin.  The Wi-Fi model will be available for $249 or $299 for the 3G/Wi-Fi version.  AT & T will be Vita’s exclusive 3G partner. The Vita has a 5″ multi-touch organic light emitting diode (OLED) (960×544 pixels) as its front display and has a multi-touch pad on the rear.  The PS Vita allows game play like never before, featuring three-dimension-like motion through finger motions of push and pull, trace, push and pull, and grab. PlayStation’s Vita has two analog sticks which create a larger genre of games for the portable gaming experience. It will also have 6-axis motion sensors and dual front and back facing cameras.  This device is supposed to run on a quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor. Vita will be preloaded with a new application called “Party”, which enables the user to engage in voice or text chat  while online gaming and also when playing different games, or even performing different applications, like surfing the internet.  PS Vita will also come with an application called “Welcome Park”, which is a user’s guide to accustom them easily to the features of Vita and to easily learn the three-dimension-like  finger motions on the PS Vita.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News, Portable and Console Gaming

Tagged: Playstation, PS Vita

Next Generation Portable Gaming – PlayStation Vita originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 15, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

Smartphones with slide out keyboards are not unusual. But the same can’t be said about a smartphone with a slide out gaming controller. The Sony Xperia PLAY (aka the Playstation Phone) from Sony Ericsson and Verizon Wireless is an Android powered smartphone for those of you that love to play games but aren’t so thrilled with using the touch screen to do so. This phone’s Playstation style controller is meant to give you true gaming feel, but let’s see if it’s just a gimmick or the real thing.

Note: Some of the images in this review can be clicked to view a larger size.

Hardware Specs and Design

Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon II 1GHz CPU with Adreno 205 GPU
Networks: CDMA 2000 and EVDOrev0/EVDOrevA
Operating system: Android 2.3.2 (Gingerbread)
Display: 4.0” Capacitive multi–touch screen, 480×854 FWVGA display
Camera: 5.1MP, front facing VGA camera
Memory: 8GB pre–installed memory card (approx 2GB used for pre–loaded games), Up to 32GB microSD support
WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: v2.01+ EDR
Battery: 1500 mAh
Dimensions: 4.68” x 2.44” x .63” inches
Weight: 6.17oz

The Xperia PLAY has a very shiny Black plastic shell with chrome buttons and sides. The front of the phone has the display with function buttons below it. The display is crisp and vivid. It’s not as bright as other phones I’ve tried lately though. It has more pixels than other 4″ displays. At 480×854, it gives you a wide screen display which is great for watching videos.

The back of the phone has the camera lens and LED flash.

On the top edge of the phone, you’ll find the power button with the built in notification LED. The LED will flash Green when you have an email, SMS message, missed call, etc. The location of this status LED seems odd to me since it wouldn’t normally be visible to you if you place the phone face up on your desk.

There is a micro USB port for charging and syncing on the Left side, along with the earphone jack.

If we look on the opposite side, we find the gaming controller’s shoulder buttons (more about the controller in a sec) and the volume controller in the center. I hate the location of the volume button… It’s kind of difficult to press when you’re talking on the phone as the screen tends to slide in that direction when you press the volume button while holding the phone in one hand. It’s even more difficult to press when you have the gaming controller open and are playing a game.

The Xperia PLAY looked very familiar to me when I first removed it from the box. Why? It reminded me of my Motorola Droid X with the four physical buttons below the display. The button layout isn’t quite the same though and one small disappointment is that the icons for the buttons do not light up. This makes it slightly difficult to see which button to press when you’re in a dim or dark environment.

Let’s Play a Game!

The Xperia PLAY is a normal Android smartphone until you slide over the display and expose the built in gaming controller. I’m not a Playstation person, but even I recognize the Square, Triangle, Circle and X buttons that we see here. Out of the box, there are 7 games installed on the phone that was sent to me for review:

Asphalt 6
Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior
Crash Bandicot
Madden NFL 11
Star Battalion
The Sims 3
Tetris (touch screen mode only)

Whenever you slide the display over to reveal the gaming controller, it will automatically launch the phone into gaming mode. This happens even when the phone is idle, so you won’t have to unlock it to play games.

I played with all the built in games and found the graphics to be smooth and sharp. The addition of the enhanced graphics processor and the built in controller really make playing games on this phone feel like playing games on a dedicated handheld gaming device.

The controller feels responsive and the touch pad located in the center is a cool feature which can be used instead of the D-pad on the left. The touch pad doesn’t work with all games though… The same is true for the controller itself. You can’t use it with every game you download. It will work with all the Xperia PLAY games of course, but random generic games through the app market will be hit and miss.

Xperia PLAY games are purchased through the V Cast App store. Prices vary and some offer a monthly rental or can be purchased outright. Every time I check for new games there seem to be one or two additional added since I last looked. Right now there are 31 titles available.

Camera

The 5.1 megapixel camera does an above average job snapping pix. Thumbs up for its macro capability, which is always a feature that’s important to me. Here are two sample images. Click to view the full size version.

If I had any requests with regards to the camera, it would be to allow the use of one of the controller’s shoulder buttons to double as a shutter button.

The Xperia PLAY is great for games, but what about calls?

First and foremost, the Sony Xperia PLAY is a phone. So it has to be able to make and receive calls. No worries, this phone has no problems in that regard. The only thing I’ve noticed is that it doesn’t seem to have quite as strong a signal as my Droid X, when comparing the number of bars. But that said, I’ve not had it drop any calls. Call audio quality and volume are very good on both sides of calls. So as a phone, I would have no problems recommending it.

Overall Performance

With its 1GHz processor, this phone is as snappy as my Droid X as far as scrolling through apps, launching apps, etc. Battery life seems to be on par with other 1GHz phones I’ve reviewed. That means you will want to charge it every night if you are a normal user. I guess that’s a cross we have to bear until mobile phones start using fuel cells

If you’re an Android fan that just happens to be a gamer, the Sony Xperia PLAY is a great choice. It really turns your phone into a handheld gaming device. There aren’t a ton of PLAY games available just yet, but with over 30 and more seeming to show up every day, it has a good start. All I can say is that I wish there was a slide out controller like this one for the iPhone. I’m jealous!

Filed in categories: Android related, Gaming Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Android, Gaming, Sony

Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Android Smartphone Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 14, 2011 at 5:38 pm.

I’ve seen a lot of clocks that act as charging docks and speakers for various MP3 players, but Nyko has the first one I’ve seen designed just for a hand-held game console.  The Play Clock is a clock radio that can wake you to an alarm or music.  It can playback music from the built-in AM/FM radio, from MP3 players attached to the line-in, or from your docked 3DS.  Dock your 3DS in the Play Clock for a charge while you sleep.  The Nyko Play Clock is also compatible with Nyko’s PowerPak+ for 3DS.  The Play Clock is $39.99.  Check Nyko’s Play Clock page for a retailer near you.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear, News, Watches and Clocks

Tagged: Alarm Clock, Nintendo 3DS charging dock

Nyko Play Clock for Nintendo 3DS originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm.