Contributed News
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Gaming on a budget? Go retro!
Let us show you that you don't need state-of-the-art gaming gear to have a good time.
In these trying economic times, electronic entertainment certainly takes a backseat to more pressing requisites of life such as gas in the car or even food on the table. And while the price of entry into this generation of console gaming is steadily dropping, it's certainly not cheap by any means. With the cheapest model of any console putting a $200 dent in your wallet, you may think that an enjoyable gaming experience is too far out of your financial reach. Or, perhaps you have retained your employment and are simply looking to save a few bucks while still satiating the gamer within. Whatever the case may be, you needn't break the bank on your way to gaming bliss as there are plenty of fantastic (not to mention cheaper) experiences still waiting for your attention from the video game days of yore.
Profile pages: Nintendo, Sony, Sony PlayStation, Sony PlayStation, RAM, Gaming console, Nintendo 64, Sega, Sega Genesis
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Surgeons using Twitter during surgery: creepy or cool?
Could live microblogging of serious operations become commonplace?
Imagine, for a moment, if on the eve of a potentially life-altering surgery your surgeon asks you if it would be OK that your operation be blogged in real-time for the entire world to experience. This might sound like something out of a low-budget comedy but it's not. It's actually a trend that may begin to gain popularity.The idea behind this practice is to not only allow other doctors and students to experience an operation without standing in the operating room, but also to allow curious individuals a glimpse into the real-life dramas of a medical procedure. In the only two recorded instances of it being done, the doctors have allowed a member of their staff to use Twitter, a microblogging site where users can make 140-character mini-posts from a computer or mobile device, to bring the operation to the public.
Opinions on the practice are not hard to come by. Some find it just plain creepy, while others believe if a procedure is going as planned there really isn't anything to object to, assuming the patient has already agreed to have his or her operation made public. However, we certainly hope the posting of real-time surgery snap-shots is kept to a minimum.
Around the web: cnn.com (3 comments)
, google.com , google.com Profile pages: Microblogging, Twitter
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Wii Classic Controller modeled on retro Super Nintendo controller now available
Play-Asia brings retro gaming fans a pricey play-thing for their collections.
Nintendo's Wii Classic Controller already had a bit of a retro vibe to it. Its decidedly Super Nintendo-inspired design certainly fits with the fact that the controller is primarly used to play old-school games from Wii's virtual console. Now, fans of those timeless titles have a little bit more to get nostalgic about as import site Play-Asia has begun selling versions of the peripheral which are perfect replicas of the Super Famicom (the Japanese designation for the Super Nintendo) pad of old.The limited edition controllers, which retail for the enthusiast-only price of $75, were previously only available to members of Club Nintendo which, until December of 2008, was not available to anyone from North America. This means that very few non-Japanese gamers have had a chance to lay hands upon one of these classics. If you really have your heart set on snagging one, better move fast, as there's no telling how many are available.
Around the web: Kotaku
, Engadget (16 comments) Profile pages: Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Gaming console, Nintendo Wii accessories, Nintendo Wii Classic Controller, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Console
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The Oregon Trail now leads to the App Store
From the money you spent you've obtained five cell phones. However, you are only able to carry your iPhone back to the wagon.
iPhone owners should prepare their food storage and make sure to bring some extra wagon spokes along for the ride when The Oregon Trail makes its way to Apple's mobile, as well as the iPod Touch, by March 3rd.While the original release of the game was a mono-chromatic green affair, with subsequent releases bringing color and slight improvements, the iPhone version will be an updated, extra-sharp take on the journey based on the more recent mobile edition of the game.
For those who have never enjoyed a session of Oregon Trail, the game centers on preparing for, and taking the 1848 journey from Missouri to Oregon using the fabled trail of the same name. While this may not sound like the ideal plot for a unique (or even enjoyable) gameplay experience, there was just something about the way it blended education with puzzle-solving that made it a hit in and out of schools across the nation. If you don't believe it, just the mention Oregon Trail around anyone in his or her 20s or early 30s and watch his or her eyes light up with glee.
No price has yet been revealed, but for a game that was originally released in the early 70s you can imagine it will carry a rather affordable pricetag.
Around the web: Joystiq (10 comments)
, google.com (4 comments) Profile pages: Apple iPhone, Apple iPhone 3G, Apple, Apple iPhone, Apple iPod touch, Apple iPod, iPhone apps
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Cell phones on planes: Have pilots been ignoring their own rules?
The FAA issues a warning to all pilots to turn their cell phones off.
Remember the feeling you'd get back in school when the teacher who was always telling you what to do got scolded by the principal for doing something (anything) wrong? Well that's exactly the feeling anyone who has ever been chastised for using a cell phone during take-off should be feeling right now.
The FAA has issued a rather stern warning (called an SAFO or Safety Alert for Operators) to all active pilots working for commercial airlines in the US to turn their cell phones off. The incident that sparked this reprimand occured when the cell phone of a first officer went off during a particularly important part of the take-off process in which the crew must commit to taking off or aborting the flight at the last second.
Needless to say, the FAA air safety inspector who was monitoring the crew in question was none to pleased by what he saw, leading to an industry-wide crackdown on the practice of pilots ignoring this particular rule during flights. The officer cited was quick to note that his airline's general operations manual didn't specifically prohibit crew members from having their mobile devices on at all times, unlike passengers. To which the FAA responded by ordering a review of all commercial airlines' operation manuals to include such wording. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank the FAA for making sure our flights are as safe as possible, bravo!
Around the web: i.gizmodo.com
, flightglobal.com -
Wii Balance Board: The best reasons to own one
Sure it can give you a workout, but let's see what else it's good for.
When Nintendo first revealed that an upcoming Wii workout game called Wii Fit would be controlled by a large, white board that sits in the middle of your living room, many were intrigued. "How does it work?" "Can it possibly replace a controller?" and "Will I break it?" were just some of the many questions that swirled around the announcement. Thankfully, there were also some quality game developers who took it upon themselves to ask: "What else can we do with it?". And, while the Balance Board is still truly in its infancy as a control scheme, some solid titles have already jumped on the bandwagon.
Profile pages: Nintendo, Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro, Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite, Nintendo Wii Balance Board, Gaming console, Nintendo Wii Remote, Nintendo Wii accessories, Nintendo Wii Nunchuk Controller
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Red Xbox 360 Elite listing may be rumored Resident Evil 5 bundle
Will potential zombie-slayers being seeing red on Xbox 360 shelves? Another clue surfaces.
Just a short while back it was reported that a special edition Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 bundle might have been in the works for release alongside the marquee zombie-slaying game franchise's current-generation debut. And, while the following rumor is just fuel for the fire, it certainly serves to support the previous speculation nicely.Kotaku was recently contacted with a scan from the inventory system of a Toys 'R' Us store which shows, quite clearly, an Xbox 360 Elite console available in red. Red, you'll remember, is the color of the system in the rumored RE5 bundle. The listing also shows the phantom console will retail for $400, the same price as the current Xbox 360 Elite. Also included in the originally-rumored bundle is a copy of Super Street Fighter II HD Remix (developed by Capcom, the same company behind Resident Evil 5), as well as a matching-color wireless controller for the system.
Resident Evil 5 is a hotly anticipated title to be sure, and since console bundles are all the rage these days it would come as no surprise if a system/game combo such as this were to become a reality. With just weeks remaining before the title's March 13th domestic release, we're sure to find out the truth soon enough.
Around the web: Joystiq (7 comments)
, Kotaku Profile pages: Microsoft, Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro, Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade, Microsoft Xbox 360, Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite, Gaming console
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LG GD910 Watch Phone hitting Europe first via Orange
Europeans will have the chance to play James Bond before year's end.
You may not be James Bond, but if you live within European mobile communications provider Orange's service area you can do your best to pretend you are when they officially debut LG's much talked-about GD910 Watch Phone "later this year".Not much else was announced, aside from a provider which is now committed to selling the device, and things such as price and exact dates of release were not revealed, but that shouldn't stifle the excitement of a potential James-Bond-in-training excitement if he or she happens to have Orange as an available service provider in the area.
Shown off at CES 2009 earlier this year, the GD910 will offer a music player, touch-screen, voice recognition, video calling, and even... wait for it... a device known as a "clock" that tells the time of day. Talk about a convenient item to wrap around your wrist!
Around the web: Engadget (10 comments)
, orange.com -
In-dashboard smartphone-like applications coming soon to a car near you
Hughes Telematics will offer auto buyers a range of applications as early as 2010.
Many, many years ago people were predicting that by the year 2000 we would have flying cars. Everyone would have their own personal hovercrafts (that would think and act for themselves) to speed around in without a care in the world. While Hughes Telematics' plan for an integrated smartphone-esque operating system, complete with downloadable apps, certainly won't make your car hover, it could at least remind you to pick up a gallon of milk on your ride home.The Atlanta-based automotive web portal company's motto is Drive Connected, and that's exactly what it aims to offer with its plans to make in-dashboard applications a common sight around car dealerships the world over.
These apps could range anywhere from diagnostic monitoring programs to possible social networking applications which could update your status with not only your exact location, but also (after checking with your navigation software) where you're headed.
If these features sound too futuristic for you to handle, you'll have a couple of years to get used to the idea as the first automobiles with these capabilities will only start arriving in 2010 at the earliest. Just remember, if you've got friends in high places you better be sure to clear your ride's contact list before trading it in.
Around the web: Gizmodo
, google.com (10 comments) , google.com Profile pages: Smartphone, Hughes Telematics
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Sony's PSP reaches the 50 million shipped mark
The widescreen wonder has done better over the past couple years than you might have expected.
As we reported earlier, it looks like Sony is (again) promising that the PSP is set to have a good year. And its early years weren't anything to sneeze at. Sure, super-awesome games were few and far between, but Sony's widescreen handheld managed to rake in a pretty impressive living for itself anyway.Sony Computer Entertainment Europe just recently announced how well the PSP has actually done these past four years of its life and it came up with a number of 50 million units. That figure covers the number of units that Sony has physically shipped to retailers worldwide, but is not a reliable estimate of the number of systems those stores have actually sold. Either way, it's an impressive number, especially for a little gadget that was rather expensive for much of its life.
What draws us to purchase the PSP could be seen as a combination of things. It makes a solid gaming platform, it can take your messaging places it has never been taken before, and it's even a handy mobile phone in a pinch.
With a promising year on the horizon, Sony's mighty mini is still a fair purchase today, four years after its release. Especially considering that before Sony jumped in, only one company had the skills to make a solid handheld console, and we all know which one that is.
Around the web: scee.presscentre.com
, joystiq.com (43 comments) Profile pages: Sony, Sony PSP, PSP-3000, Sony PlayStation Portable, Gaming console
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