By the time November 2010 rolls around, we could all be residing on the moon, eating space cheese, and zipping around with solar powered jet packs. In the event that doesn’t happen though, we might still have Microsoft’s Project Natal to look forward too.

According to an MCV unnamed source, the motion sensing camera that turns your body into the gaming controller is rumored to have five million units ready for a November 2010 release with fourteen games at launch and a price point of $50 to $80 bucks.

Considering what the device does, this more than reasonable price range should all but ensure insanely high sales numbers — which, according to at least one unnamed publisher, is exactly what Microsoft wants:

“[Microsoft is] trying to get as close as possible to impulse buy”

It’s important to remember that while the information above supposedly comes from a behind-closed-doors conversation with unnamed sources close to the project, it is far from being an official Microsoft confirmation. In other words, treat it as a rumor, and resume daydreaming about your future life on the moon.

Hate sitting on your couch watching your Roomba do all the work? Boring you say? You could get off your ass and do it yourself, but that would require actual movement. No sweat. A team of geeked-out developers with a cleaning fetish hacked into a few Roomba units and dressed them up like Pac-Man, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde. Enjoy the power pellet vacuum fest below.

Thanks Engadget

Able Planet’s original intentions were to help those with hearing loss, but they have now decided to enter the mainstream headset world with their sound-enhancing technology. Thus was born the PS500MM headset, designed with PC gaming in mind. The question now is: Is it worth the price?

I replaced my Logitech headset with the Able Planet headset for a good month’s worth of daily use. I have to admit that the sound quality was noticeably crisper, and I could clearly hear some sound effects that I’ve never noticed before on a headset or through speakers. All this also occurred at a much lower volume than I used to listen at — I didn’t feel like I had to turn it up to be able to hear. It’s a strange experience that is hard to describe, really.

Unfortunately, the earphones are just the perfect size that when they sit on my skull, they actually push my ears into my glasses and thus my glasses into my head. I thought this was something I just had to adjust to, but it never got comfortable for me. Wearing the headset for an hour, my ears would still slightly bother me 15 minutes after taking it off.

The voice quality was also not as clear as my Logitech headset. Anyone that uses Avast Antivirus should know how the voice sounds when your virus database gets updated, and that same kind of nasaly robotic tone was applied to my voice over Skype and Ventrilo. Even after a month, my friends could never get past it, and I found that I was always being laughed at regardless of what I was actually saying.

Overall, the listening was great, but the voice was not, and I personally found them quite uncomfortable — other people might not. Using the PS500MM headset to watch movies or listen to music might be fine, but for long-term PC gaming sessions, I wouldn’t recommend it. At a $70 price point, you could do much better (like the Logitech headset I’ve been using for the past 2 years). If you are a gamer with any hearing loss, however, the Able Planet line of headsets is something you might want to look into.

The “anything you can do I can do better” competition between the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 for the title of ”Master Swiss Army Knife Console King Toaster Oven” continues as Sony announced their partnership with Netflix on Monday. Remember when video game consoles didn’t cost 500 dollars and just played video games? I do.

Starting next month, PS3 owners (who are also Netflix subscribers) will be able to instantly stream thousands of movies and TV shows from the Netflix catalog to through their PS3. The only stipulation with the service out of the gate, is that PS3 owners will need to have a free Netflix-provided Blu-ray disc (available from netflix.com/ps3) in their console to utilize said service. This may be something that is eventually phased out by a future firmware update, but that’s purely speculation at this point.

Sure all these “extras” are nice to have, but its getting to the point where console manufacturers are going to need their own “Jimmy Football” and a slew of infomercials to justify the cost and explain the “jack of all trades”  functionality. Geek-gate tested! Geek-gate approved! Hit the jump for the full press release.

COMING SOON: NETFLIX MEMBERS CAN INSTANTLY WATCH MOVIES AND TV EPISODES STREAMED TO TVs VIA THE PLAYSTATION®3 COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

With Movies Streamed Instantly from Netflix, Blu-ray/DVD Playback and Downloadable Videos via the PlayStation®Network, the PlayStation 3 System Offers The Industry’s Most Comprehensive Options for Watching Movies and TV Shows

FOSTER CITY and LOS GATOS, Calif., October 26, 2009 – Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) and Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] today announced that they are joining forces to make thousands of movies and TV episodes from Netflix available to be streamed instantly to TVs via the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. Netflix expects to begin streaming via the PS3 system next month at no additional cost to Netflix members in the United States who have a PS3 system.

Today’s announcement pairs two of the most popular and fastest growing home entertainment brands in the U.S. The PS3 system’s installed base has reached close to 9 million units in the United States, and Netflix recently reported 11.1 million U.S. subscribers as of September 30.

The partnership further solidifies the PS3 system as the most complete home entertainment hub on the market today, enabling consumers to play high-definition games, watch Blu-ray movies, listen to music, view photos, browse the Internet, and download content from PlayStation®Network − from exclusive games to blockbuster movies and popular TV shows. PS3 system owners will soon enjoy an unparalleled experience watching their favorite movies and TV shows streamed instantly from Netflix, downloading from the PlayStation Network or watching Blu-ray/DVD media. The Netflix offering expands on the entertainment experience delivered to PS3 system owners via PlayStation Network.

For only $8.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed to their TVs and computers via Netflix ready devices such as the PS3 system and can receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes.

“The PlayStation 3 system has always been about more than just gaming, and it will soon be the only platform in the industry to offer consumers such a variety of convenient options for enjoying movies and TV shows,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. “Whether you want to watch content on Blu-ray disc and DVD, download it from the PlayStation Network’s video delivery service, or stream videos instantly from Netflix, the PS3 system is the only solution that offers it all.”

“As instantly watching movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix becomes an increasingly popular way to enjoy the Netflix service, our goal is to rapidly expand the devices that stream to our members,” said Netflix CEO and co-founder Reed Hastings. “As a leading game console and Blu-ray disc player, bringing Netflix to the PS3 system is a real win for both Netflix members and PS3 system owners.”
Initially, watching movies instantly streamed from Netflix via the PS3 system will be enabled by a free, instant streaming Blu-ray disc that is being made available to all Netflix members. The free instant streaming disc leverages Blu-ray’s BD-Live™ technology to access the Internet and activate the Netflix user interface on the PS3 system, which must be online via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

Netflix members simply slide the disc into their PS3 systems to reveal movies and TV episodes that can be watched instantly. These titles are conveniently organized into a variety of categories based on members’ personal preferences, popular genres, new arrivals and members’ individual instant Queues. Members can use the Netflix Web site or navigate directly on their PS3 systems to add movies and TV shows to their Queues. With the PS3 system’s Wireless Controller, members can choose a movie to watch from their instant Queues or just play directly from any of the lists. They also have the ability to read synopses and rate movies. In addition, they have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video stream via the Wireless Controller.

Netflix members and PS3 system owners can now reserve a free instant streaming disc for PS3 systems by going to www.netflix.com/ps3. Upon availability, the instant streaming disc will be delivered for free by first-class mail, generally one business day after members request it.

With Modern Warfare 2 coming out in a month, we here at Ripten thought it might be just a tiny bit cooler to run around with an actual gun in real life instead of just in a game. I mean, right? That would be cooler, right? Okay, well we can’t actually do that for several reasons, not the least of which is that we just don’t trust ourselves not to shoot people in the face.  That’s what gamers do, right?

Echo1 has us covered with the next best thing: an airsoft rifle. If you don’t know what that means, it’s essentially a BB gun that shoots “harmless” plastic pellets. This one we have here should look familiar to you if you’ve played pretty much any shooter in the last 15 years, and it’s full scale and made of metal. How about you peoples show us some lovin’ and maybe you can get yourself one of these bad boys for FREE!

All you have to do is send your best warfare-themed artwork to  warfarecontest@echo1usa.com and you’ll get a chance to win one of three Echo1 MS-2s (full-metal automatic electric guns). Visit the echo1 contest page to find out more info, check out the Echo1 catalog, or download the rules and details (also listed below).

The Ripten.com & Echo1USA Warfare Wallpaper Contest 2009

Official Rules, Terms, & Conditions

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

ELIGIBILITY:

Employees of Ripten.com and Echo1USA, their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and internet agencies and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law. Eligibility is expressly conditioned on the acceptance of the Official Rules at time of submission.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

Create an original work (image or design) showcasing your creative talents. NOTE: Works must NOT contain or depict anything in a manner that is inappropriate as outlined in the Entry Requirements (Below). At the conclusion of the entry period, judges will determine 3 separate winners who will be notified and awarded one prize package each.

HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:

Step #1: Beginning 12:00 AM PST on October 1^st, 2009, visit Ripten.com to read the complete rules as well a description of the contest theme.

Step #2: Email your entry as an attachment or link to:

warfarecontest@echo1usa.com

Please keep submissions in jpg, bmp, gif, or png format.
YOU MUST READ AND AGREE TO THE RULES STIPULATED.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE YOUR OWN ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED WORK AND CANNOT CONTAIN, INCORPORATE OR REFERENCE ANYTHING THAT IS OWNED BY ANY THIRD PARTY OR ENTITY OR WOULD REQUIRE THE CONSENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY OR ENTITY IN ANY JURISDICTION.

Submissions must not contain defamatory words/statements (including words or symbols that are widely considered offensive to individuals of any race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic group); they must not include threats to any person, place, business, or group; they must not disparage persons or organizations associated with the Sponsor; they must not invade privacy or other rights of any person, firm, entity, and they must not in any other way contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to all applicable federal, state, or local laws and regulations the laws or regulations in any state where video is created. Except as specifically noted herein, the submission cannot contain any unacceptable clothing or adornments, or display any commercial/corporate advertising (including but not limited to corporate logos, brand names, trademarks, slogans, political, personal and religious statements) as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. Submissions must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age. Submissions may not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent (including but not limited to nudity or pornography), profane, obscene, hateful, tortuous, slanderous or libelous and may not in any way reference persons or organizations without their written permission. The submission must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement. Sponsor/judges reserve the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any entry that, in their sole opinion, refers, depicts or in any way reflects negatively upon the Sponsor, the Contest or any other person or entity, or does not comply with these requirements or these Official Rules. Submissions must be suitable for presentation in a public forum, in sole determination of judges and/or Sponsor.

If the submission contains any person(s) other than the entrant, by entering this contest, entrant must receive prior written permission from other person(s) featured in the work (or from parent/legal guardian if other person(s) featured are considered minors in their state of residence) for Sponsor to use their likenesses for publicity including posting on website(s) and can make written copies of such permissions available to the Sponsor upon request. In addition, entrant must also receive prior written permission from the photographer of their image if the entry was photographed by someone other than the entrant himself.

Entries should not include any personally identifiable information (i.e. last name, address, place of work etc.) of yourself or any other person(s) appearing in the entry.

The work cannot have been submitted previously in a contest of any kind.

By submitting entry,

1. entrant certifies that the entry he submitted is his own original work and he holds all rights to the submission, that the submission has not been previously published, has not won a previous prize or award and that he has followed the Official Rules of the Contest,
2. if entrant is a minor, entrant certifies he has received parental permission to enter this contest and
3. entrant hereby grants Sponsor the right to post submission online for public viewing.

Entries must be received by 11:59 PM PST on November 1^st 2009

JUDGING TO DETERMINE THE WINNERS: All eligible entries received will be judged by a panel of Sponsor representatives to determine 3 winners.

PRIZES: Winners will receive an Echo1USA Master Series 2 automatic electric gun.

GENERAL RULES: Potential Winners (or parent/legal guardian if potential Winner is deemed a minor in his state of residence) will be required to complete an Affidavit certifying that the entry submitted is his own original work and he holds all rights to the work and all elements therein, that the work has not been previously published, has not won a previous prize or award and that he has followed the Official Rules of the Contest. Additionally, potential Winner (or parent/legal guardian if potential Winner is deemed a minor) will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Release of Liability, Prize Acceptance Form and, if legally permissible, a Publicity Release. If entry depicts persons other than the entrant and/or if the image was photographed by someone other than the entrant, the entrant must also submit a completed and signed Publicity Release Permission Form for each additional person depicted in the entrant’s submission and/or photographer. All documents must be completed and returned within (5) days of attempted delivery of same. Noncompliance within this time period or return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and an alternate Winner may be selected, time permitting. Winners will be notified by mail/phone/email. No substitution or transfer of prize by winner permitted. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal or greater value. All applicable taxes are the sole responsibility of winner. By accepting prize, winner (or parent/legal guardian if winner is a minor) agree to release and hold Sponsor, its respective directors, officers, employees and assigns, harmless from and against any and all claims and liability arising out of use of prize in connection therewith. Winner (or parent/legal guardian if winner is a minor) assume all liability for any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, by participation in this promotion or use or redemption of any prize. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for the Sponsor and its agencies to use winner’s name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising and trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Entrants (or parent/legal guardian if entrant is a minor) agree to release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor, its respective directors, officers, employees and assigns, harmless from and against any and all liability and damages. By participating in this promotion, entrants (or parent/legal guardian if entrant is a minor) agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the judges’ decisions which are final. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any contest materials and the terms and conditions of the Official Rules, the Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control. All material submitted becomes the sole property of Sponsor and will not be returned. Sponsor/judges reserve the right to reproduce the submissions in full or edit and enhance the submissions at its discretion. Sponsor is authorized to use submissions as it sees fit, including usage in advertising and online without compensation. Sponsor not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the contest or in the announcement of the prize. In no event will more than the stated number of prizes be awarded.
NOTICE TO ONLINE ENTRANTS: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. Not responsible for faulty, incorrect or mistranscribed phone/e-mail transmissions, incorrect announcements of any kind, technical hardware or software failures of any kind including any injury or damage to any person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in or experiencing any materials in connection with the promotion, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission that may limit a user’s ability to participate in the promotion. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for undeliverable e-mails resulting from any form of active or passive e-mail filtering by a user’s Internet service provider and/or e-mail client or for insufficient space in user’s e-mail account to receive e-mail. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify the promotion if fraud, misconduct or technical failures destroy the integrity of the program; or if a computer virus, bug, or other technical problem corrupts the administration or security of the program as determined by Sponsor/judging agency/administrator, in their sole discretion. If technical malfunctions or suspect voting/irregularities corrupt the voting process, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to award prizes based solely on the Winners Judging scores or non-suspect votes. In the event of termination, a notice will be posted online and all eligible entries received prior to termination will be judged, per these official rules. In the event a dispute arises regarding specific individual entitled to receive prize, entry made by Internet will be declared made by the “authorized e-mail account holder.” “Authorized e-mail account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Participant may be requested to provide Sponsor with proof that the participant is the authorized e-mail account holder of the e-mail address associated with the account/submission. Any damage made to the Web Site will be the responsibility of the authorized e-mail account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. Proof of submitting entries/votes will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor/YouTube. Any use of robotic, automatic, programmed or the like methods of participation/voting will void all such submissions/votes by such methods. Sponsor reserves the right to freeze or close an account or to prohibit the participation/voting of an individual/account holder if fraud or tampering is suspected or if the account holder fails to comply with any requirement of participation as stated herein or with any provision in these Official Rules.

WINNERS: For the names of the winners, available beginning on/about November 10^th, 2009 through December 31^st, 2009, visit http://www.ripten.com

SPONSOR(S):

Ripten.com, 18 Perry Street Apt #2 Danvers, MA 01923

Echo1USA, PMB811 745 E. Valley Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91766

DISPUTE:


All disputes will be undertaken by law under the State of California.

I recently got a chance to test out the Volo Pro V Gamer 100 and 200 series HDMI cables, and at first I didn’t know what the difference was. After inquiring, I was told the 200 is a thicker gauge of cable and has a metal housing at the end, therefore offering more protection. To test this, I threw both cables down the stairs and then ran both of them over with my minivan, and they both still worked fine afterwards (though the paint job on the metal housing looked worse than the slightly scratched plastic on the Pro V 100).

I didn’t see much of a difference in picture quality between the two, before or after their “accidents”. They both look better than the generic HDMI cable I had previously, though not significantly, and HDMI cables in general look better than component (and everything else). Overall, I was impressed with the 10-foot-long Volo cables and kept them hooked up to my 360.

Now if you have a PS3 or an Xbox 360 and you aren’t using HDMI cables, you aren’t getting the most out of your gaming system. HDMI is, after all, the cable of choice for Jesus himself. Don’t worry, though — Ripten has got you covered! We’ve teamed up with TRU Company to send out 25 of their Pro V Gamer cables specifically designed for gaming consoles. All you have to do to enter the contest is send me an email (dlandis@ripten.com) with your name and mailing address, subject line “HD Oh My!”. Winners will be chosen at random, but some hot pictures of your girlfriend certainly won’t hurt your chances.

You have from now until the 25th of September to get your entries in. We’ll pick the winners over the weekend and announce them on Monday, September 28th. Good luck to all!

Yesterday, we brought you an unboxing video of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition, courtesy of Infinity Ward community manager fourzerotwo. The Prestige Edition was fully packed, with an art book, a copy of the game, a download code for COD Classic on XBLA and/or PSN, and a pair of night vision goggles. Ridiculous, right? Of course, with the inclusion of night vision goggles, everyone assumed this bundle would skyrocket into the $300 range easily, but fourzerotwo & Infinity Ward announced today on Twitter the actual price at $149.99 for both PS3 & Xbox 360 versions.

While I’m glad it’s not two kajillion dollars like our in-house analyst had predicted, $149 is still a lot to pay for a game bundle. I’ll probably be picking it up, provided I have the cash in November when it’s released, but that’s because I can think of 149 different uses for the goggles. What about you guys? Is anyone willing to plunk down a Benjamin and a Grant* on the full Prestige Edition, or will you just go for the $60 regular edition/$80 Hardened Edition?

*I promise, I’ll stop talking in dead presidents… eventually.

Japanese site AppBank spotted an iPhone version of the fantastic Resident Evil 4 on the Japanese app store, and managed to get a lot of screenshots and the above video. Of course, the app has now been pulled; most likely due to a leaked release, I’d say. The footage is pretty extensive- if this is a fake, they’ve done a brilliant job of making it look real.

It’s surprising how many games there are that actually use microphones on the Xbox 360: Guitar Hero Metallica, Rock Band 2, Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Lips and The Beatles: Rock Band. This fall, Microsoft is poised to release a new wireless microphone that’s compatible with all of those games, and presumably more.

Although I have no use for a microphone myself, I’m sure someone loves the look of it and wants to rock out cordless. If you’re willing to spend $49.99 on the microphone, you should look forward to it hitting store shelves this fall.

No, silly. That’s not happening in this lifetime.

I joke all the time about Crysis running on a cell phone, but the guys at TechCrunch have managed to do so- or at least make it look like its so. Rather than running Crysis right through the phone, TechCrunch ran the game on a PC then streamed it to OTOY, a mobile streaming server, which then redirected it to the Omnia. Pretty cool, I think.

While the guy demoing the software in the video is controlling the game with an Xbox 360 controller, the controller’s actually connceted to the PC. Don’t get any ideas about Crysis coming to consoles, now.

But it’s gonna happen eventually.

Currently, the only two ways to control the iPhone in games are with the touchscreen or the accelerometer, and someone obviously took an issue with this. From this supposed “problem” the Gamebone controller was born. With an 8-way D-Pad, built-in Bluetooth connection, and multicolored A, B, C, and D buttons, the Gamebone is an admirable attempt at iPhone gaming control- but Gizmodo brings up some good points with the controller.

Firstly, the games would have to be compatible with the controller, and I have a hard time believing that successful iPhone developers would go out of their way to develop something compatible with this controller. Secondly, without a physical connection the iPhone, the iPhone would just be a screen, without a stand, but 22moo, the developers behind the Gamebone, claim they’re going to remedy this after the controller is released.

The developers seem to have the right mindset going into this though- they’re asking users to suggest a price for the Gamebone, since they don’t have any price point yet. My main question, however, is why a bone?

Now I wonder if GameStop will come out with an app?

Source: Joystiq

Seeing as it’s arguably one of the best consoles of our time, the Dreamcast had way too short of a life. We all know that this is mainly the fault of the piratablity of the games, but the hardware could’ve used a little tweaking too. WERD of the Benheck forums knew this all too well, and took the matter into his hands, by encasing the Dreamcast’s innards in a tablet PC screen.

The unibody Dreamcast tablet sports a 15″ screen, along with a GD-ROM loading drive. It runs off of batteries, and can last for about 3 to 3.5 hours off of said batteries. Just to make sure that it was working fine, WERD made a video of the Dreamcast tablet playing Xtreme Sports and House of the Dead 2. Hit the jump for the video.

Source: Benheck Forums

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Want maxed out Crysis quality graphics on your computer or television without having to buy the game up front, or better yet, dump thousands of dollars into a PC that can support it? Well, the team at Rearden Studios promises that “OnLive” will be just that.

The brainchild technology is the result of seven years of hard work spent developing an interactive video compression aspect which, according to Rearden, allows a multitude of OnLive servers spread across the country to stream videogames to your PC, Mac, or TV via a subscription based service with no more than a millisecond of lag. All of this makes the first paragraph sound all the more impressive.

Publisher support of the product includes several big names such as EA, Ubisoft, Take-Two, Epic Games, THQ, and Codemastes to name a few. At launch, the streaming subscription service promises 16 titles to choose from, and while none have been confirmed, the photos showing off the service feature popular games such as Crysis Wars, Mirror’s Edge, and Tomb Raider.

Those wanting 720p quality on their HD sets will need an internet connection of at least 5 mbps (megabits per second) while those willing to settle for standard definition gaming can squeek by with a 1.5 mbps connection.

If the OnLive technology becomes everything their creators believe it can, we will all be one step closer to having dogs named Astro and robot maids named Rosie. Check back tonight (shortly after7pm PST) for updates from the Rearden Studios conference at GDC09.

Square Enix’s latest in the Dragon Quest series (coming to the DS on March 28th in Japan), is all the talk.  Pre-orders are rampant at local 7-11’s and you see more and more people with slime toys every day.  A new feature that is being added uses the Nintendo WiFi technology to let you discuss the game with other people and gloat through your DS.

The article over at Famitsu really doesn’t go too deep into the information, but basically you meet other players that are playing Dragon Quest at a certain Inn, kind of like you would bump into new and interesting people at a hostel while traveling around.  These people have all setup a profile (hopefully) that shares a bit of info about themselves and maybe what they like about the game.  You can also see all the neat things they have done in-game and compare your advancement.

There seems to be a small chat function and the ability to possibly add friends.  So basically this is just like MySpace for your Dragon Quest character.  I guess that’s pretty neat.  Hopefully some more info about what else this game can do with Nintendo WiFi will surface, but maybe I am being optimistic.

Source:  Famitsu

This Instructables page has all the instructions and information you need to make your very own solar-powered DS. Creator “dark sponge” says that since he added the solar panels he has “never had to plug it in to charge it.” The panels, as you can see, are attached directly to the DS; and they don’t appear to change the portability of the device- and hey, the panels only cost $3.75 each. Not bad considering the amount you could save on charging the DS.

Obviously, if you decide to attempt the modification, read the instructions very carefully; you could ruin your precious DS! If in doubt, I suggest getting someone who knows what they are doing, or contact dark sponge for help. A fantastic mod, but a little risky for me- I’m rather fond of my DS.

Some companies release special edition DS’s when their software hits the market.  Square-Enix decided that with Dragon Quest IX, a case will do just fine — and I agree.

The case, which is coming out on March 28th (same day as the slime speaker), will retail for about $12 and really is quite nice to look at.

I have seen other cases on DSs that seem gaudy or are just eye sores, but this one displays a picture of a couple of slime without overbearing colors.  This should be relatively easy to get outside of Japan and I may even try to get this case even though I have never played a Dragon Quest game (don’t kill me!).

Source:  Famitsu

All you readers mark your calendars because this is the PS3 you will more than likely want to import. The “Cloud Black”, as they are calling it, is being released to the world (okay, just Japan). Even with a just a small amount of design change, it is beautiful.

The system will be released at the same time as the Blu-Ray version of Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children Complete, both coming to stores April 16th. This is a smart marketing move by Square-Enix promoting both a PS3 model to play that wonderful new Blu-Ray disc, and not only that but something called the Final Fantasy XIII Trial Set.

Famitsu doesn’t seem to have much info on the FFXIII stuff, but the Blu-Ray will sell for about 5000 yen or $50 U.S., and the PS3 (which is a 160gb version) will go for around 50,000 yen or $500 U.S.

All they seemed to do was slap an image of the ring that Cloud wears which is also on his chest. The only problem I have with these decoration PS3’s is that all the images are on the top of the machine, and you never really get to see them but I guess it’s nice to have the bragging rights.

Source:  Famitsu

Famitsu has some pictures of the special PS3 pack you can purchase with the latest in the Yakuza game series.  I think it’s rather stylish — I wonder what real Yakuza think.

The white 80GB model has a classic eastern dragon design on it.   It is rather fancy, but unless you turn your PS3 sideways to show it off, nobody will really see it.   The set will release on February 26th and retail for around 450 bucks.

I doubt they make it stateside though, but it would be a nice model to have.

Source: Famitsu

That’s right, you can now use your iPhone to fight global warming. How, you say? Simple — buy the new app called ‘A Real Tree’ and you will actually be buying a real tree (go figure) that will be planted on your behalf somewhere in this crazy world of ours.

Hans Chung, founder of Mokugift and developer of the Real Tree app, had the following to say:

“Our ‘A Real Tree’ app makes tree-planting as easy as buying your favorite song. With the click of a button, iPhone or iPod touch owners can buy ‘A Real Tree’. Trees are then planted by partners, who are award-winning tree-planting organizations in 12 countries fighting deforestation and poverty.

Our app is not the pinnacle of user interface design. In many ways it is a bit crude. We wanted to focus not on the app, but on the meaning and impact.

Unlike other apps that claim to be environmental by donating portion of their revenues to eventually fund some undefined portion of a tree, ‘A Real Tree’ plants one real tree every time ‘A Real Tree’ is purchased on the iTunes store. It is that simple and straight forward, just like our name.”

So how much does this thing cost? Well, I would think with the importance of oxygen, the price of a tree must be more than a few pennies. Wrong! A Real Tree is actually only a paltry 99¢. Considering how much this could impact the environment (if you believe in that sort of thing), the price of A Real Tree seems totally worth it. Now I just have to spend a few hundred bucks to get a iPhone for it to work on…

You can find more info and links to buy A Real Tree at arealtree.com.

Hooray earth!

Warning: The Watercooler is the best thing you will see on the Internet today, mainly because it is the best thing I saw on the Internet yesterday. Be advised that these Watercooler stories are not necessarily videogame related (they usually won’t be), and are often silly, controversial, and/or not safe for work (NSFW). If this type of content frequently offends you, please be aware that I just warned you — if you still click through and get offended, it will be your own stupid fault. Otherwise, please continue…

Today’s Watercooler features Bruce Lee playing ping-pong with his nunchucks. Yeah, you read that right.

You’re welcome.

So it turns out that it’s fairly fake (presumably) and is just a cool advertisement for a Bruce Lee-branded Nokia phone. I’m not entirely sure what all it says since it’s not in English, but I’m hoping the default ringtone is a Bruce Lee “whaaa-zaaaa!!!”

Whatever. It was still an awesome video.

Think you have something that could be Watercooler material? Send it to dlandis@ripten.com. If your submission gets featured, you will win a prize package full of pride and accomplishment.

Warning: The Watercooler is the best thing you will see on the Internet today, mainly because it is the best thing I saw on the Internet yesterday. Be advised that these Watercooler stories are not necessarily videogame related (they usually won’t be), and are often silly, controversial, and/or not safe for work (NSFW). If this type of content frequently offends you, please be aware that I just warned you — if you still click through and get offended, it will be your own stupid fault. Otherwise, please continue…

Today’s Watercooler features a very perplexing ad for a product most of us are familiar with. Following the trend of the last few years in which commercials have absolutely nothing to do with the product they are advertising, this commercial features some nice fat dude shooting paint out of his ass.

That’s right. Paint out of his ass.

I usually say “You’re welcome” here, but I’m not sure if anyone’s thanking me on this one. Seriously, though, I’d like to here some suggestions on how this ad makes any kind of sense at all. The only thing I’m sure of is that Microsoft are some sick bastards and the Zune is apparently a painted piece of shit.

Think you have something that could be Watercooler material? Send it to dlandis@ripten.com. If your submission gets featured, you will win a prize package full of pride and accomplishment.

UPDATE: According to some guy from YouTube, this video is “not officially sanctioned by Microsoft”. I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.

Pretty much speaks for itself, doesn’t it? This Star Wars toaster burns the visage of Darth Vader into your breakfast.  It even uses the power of the Dark Side to prevent your toast from landing butter side down, something the Light doesn’t teach.

Read on for the official geeked-out description that only a true Star Wars nerd could appreciate.

If there’s something every Sith Lord knows how to do it’s make a balanced breakfast. While the Jedi have to live off of Jawa juice and fried nerfsteak, the Dark Lord of the Sith prefers to have a reminder of his fiery Mustafar defeat at his breakfast table. Every morning he burns that moment into a slice of bread with the Darth Vader Toaster. This black, ominous kitchen appliance easily leaves the mark of Vader’s helmet in every yummy piece of toast. Slather some Bantha butter on top, or make two pieces for an extra-Sithy BLT. Force power not required to operate toaster.

Available in January ‘09, you can preorder this sum-bitch for fiddy-five dollars at StarWarsShop.com.

As if you all weren’t all excited for Gears of War 2’s launch tomorrow/tonight, here’s something to whet your appetite (and your pants) before the launch: Microsoft has plans to put out a Limited Edition Gears of War 2 Zune, in a similar vein of the Limited Edition Halo 3 Zune from September of last year. You’ll be excited to know that even though it’s a limited edition, these will be in production for a bit longer than the Halo Zunes, meaning that you’ve got a bit more time to grab one of these babies before they run out. Hit the jump for more details.

The Gears of War 2 Zune is also pre-loaded with 244 images of high-res concept art and gameplay screenshots, 9 Gears of Wars 2 videos such as trailers and behind-the-scenes work at Epic, and the entire Gears of War 2 soundtrack, all fit into 120GB with space to spare. If you want to get your grubby paws on one of these, you’ll be spending $279.99 starting tomorrow, when GOW2 launches. Check the gallery bellow for screenshots of the coveted Zune.

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Hoverit Ltd, a UK-based design company, recently announced their new levitating lounge chair. Yeah, I know it’s a tongue twister, but say it slowly. Levitating. Lounge chair. Sexy.

However dear reader, before you question the validity of the (roughly) $9,620 price tag, consider this:

The chair floats.

How many times have you, the hardcore gamer that you are, gotten a back pain from sitting in a grounded (as in, you know… on the ground) chair? Couch to floor is so last week.

So how does this beast of a chair do what it does? Straight from the mouth of Hoverit themselves:

“Defying gravity with the use of repelling magnetic forces in both the bed and base, this contemporary lounger is comfortable, practical and stylish.”

Well, I wouldn’t really call it “practical,” but whatever.

One question though: What if someone like me was using a laptop while sitting in the chair?

Hard drive failure due to chair failure, that’s for sure. Can’t trust those crazy magnets.

Source: Reuters

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Some of you may instantly reply “Duh!” to that headline, but as a fan of the Fallout series, I wanted to get it all. The Amazon exclusive ‘Survival Edition’ was a pre-order special that cost a whopping $129.99 — that’s right, a full fifty bucks more than the Collector’s Edition. While the package itself is quite nice, the only thing you get in the Survival Edition that you don’t get in the Collector’s Edition is the Pip-Boy clock, and therein lies my problem.

We did an article recently describing how limited/collector’s/special editions tend to lose their value at a much slower rate than standard edition games, and sometimes actually increase in value like their name implies they should. Amazon’s Survival Edition was exclusive to people who pre-ordered the game from their website. That was the only place you were ever going to get it.

Considering the assumed limited quantity, some people seem to have purchased it with the intent of reselling as there have already been listings of the Survival Edition at a jacked-up price, like $300. I, on the other hand, bought it because I was a fan and I wanted that Pip-Boy!

For an extra $50, I assumed the Pip-Boy was going to be awesome. It’s not. While it might be awesome for a cosplayer since it has a hinge and can be snapped onto your arm (not my arm, for I’m way too buff), its only option is to be battery powered — there is no way to plug it in.

So here you have a digital clock that looks like a Pip-Boy, and all it’s really good for is telling time. It sits on its poorly crafted ‘display stand’ (I broke a piece putting it together) and that’s it. It doesn’t even have an alarm. While you may be thinking “What did you expect?”, quite honestly I expected more than a cheap ‘replica’ of a Pip-Boy made out of toy-gun plastic if I was being charged $50 for it.  How about some metal or high-quality resin.

Everything else in the title picture is part of the Collector’s Edition, which was $79.99. The only thing you get extra in the Survival Edition is the Pip-Boy. Amazon no longer sells the Survival Edition (and you can’t even read the description any more), so those of you who may have thought that you missed out should rest easy knowing that you didn’t… at all. The Collector’s Edition contains everything you should want, especially the game, and is a much better deal. I would have been much happier if I had purchased it instead — the bobblehead and lunchbox are pretty sweet.

I am actually envious that you have me to tell you to not be me and waste that money.  And yes, that sentence totally made sense.

UPDATE: I thought it was just me, but commenter Koreeth had the same problem, so I’m assuming it’s more widespread. In addition to the cheapy crapness that encompasses the Pip-Boy clock, it also manages to burn through those only-power-option batteries in a week. That’s bullshit. Now every time I look at it, I expect the display to read “Sucker”… and maybe it would if it could only hold a charge long enough.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that Microsoft’s Zune isn’t doing as well as it’s competitors, NBC’s hit geek-oriented show Chuck took the opportunity this past Monday to take a stab at the Zune, as Morgan Grimes, a coworker of Chuck’s at the local Buy More jokingly claimed that he had the store’s Rush CDs on his Zune. Chuck replies in disgust, and Morgan asserts that he’s joking, and goes to get his iPod. Ouch.

My description can’t do it any justice though. The video is embedded above, so watch it on your own, if you will. We here at Ripten are already packaging some aloe vera and isopropyl alcohol to send to Microsoft, as we’re sure they’ll be needing it for this sick buuuuuuurn.

Tuttuki Bako is a game where you insert part of your anatomy into a standalone unit, as seen above. The part of your anatomy that you insert is represented on the LCD screen and you can interact with some objects.

There are five “stages”: The “Panda Stage”, the “Ameba Stage”, the “Sea Stage”, the “Figure Stage”, and finally the “Face Stage” (video after the jump). In each stage, you figuratively (and/or literally) have sex with the device with said piece of your anatomy to win the game (or is everyone a winner?).

Yes, this is real, and yes, that girl is having far too much fun. Hit the jump for the videos.

Seriously, how much more phallic could this game be?

Source: Geekologie

What the hell is a video game blog doing writing about alarm clocks?

Well, this isn’t just any alarm clock; this one is made by Banpresto … you know, the video game developer. They make all of Dan Landis’ favorite games like Super Robot Wars W and Suzumiya Haruhi no Tomadoi. Now have I got your attention?

Good, but if for some reason I haven’t woken you up, I’m sure this alarm clock will. Banpresto’s new Railroad Alarm Clock is shaped like a Japanese railroad sign and makes all the annoying train sounds that one would expect. The alarm itself houses an extra large and loud speaker (40mm), with the ability to produce the extreme amount of train noise needed to wake up someone from a deep sleep.

For the time being, this item will only be available in Japan starting January 2009. I wonder why it’s Japan-only? Probably because it’s freakin’ awesome.

Source: CrunchGear (via: Akihabara News)

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I’ve had the chance to spend a good bit of time with one of the Solio solar-powered chargers, the H1000 Hybrid. For people on the go or with a lot of different electronic devices to lug around, having a Solio means that you don’t need to also lug around the chargers for all of these things. Before I continue, I’m sure you’re at this point thinking, “What the hell is a Solio?” Let me explain.

The Solio is essentially a battery that is powered by the built-in solar panel (or panels, depending on which one you get). You hook this thing to your backpack when you go hiking or just sit in in the dashboard of your car — the Solio sucks energy from the sun, much like the villain in Superman IV.

All of this energy is stored in the internal battery, which you can then use to power other things. After a full day sitting on my windowsill, the Solio Hybrid allowed for about 3 hours of playtime on my Nintendo DS. I sat it in the windowsill again the next day and then used it to fully charge my cell phone.

Here is the futuristic sci-fi commercial that seems straight out of Demolition Man:

I like how they refer to the PSP as a game console, but I digress…

This is all well and good, but then I started to wonder about how fragile these solar panels must be. Solar panels are one of those things that seem like they would break pretty easily. I first started by purposely knocking it off of my windowsill, which could easily happen. I then put it in the dashboard of my soccer-mom-mobile and then slid it out the window (not while driving, of course).

After these two relatively likely scenarios, I didn’t notice any visible damage to the device so I put the Solio back on my windowsill for the day. In the evening, I plugged it in to my DS and again played for about 3 hours. Seems pretty durable to me.

The only real downside to the H1000, and all Solio models, is that you will need to have the appropriate adapter tip for each device you plan on using it with. While that’s somewhat obvious if you think about it, it is kind of a pain to look at something and say, “Shit, now I need to order a new tip to use with my blackberry.”

The tips themselves are fairly inexpensive (the DS tip was about 4 bucks), and the Solio comes with a few common ones in the box. The relatively low price of the tips makes the Solio a cheaper alternative to buying a charger for all of your devices, depending of course on how many you have. My wife and I, for example, have two completely different cell phones, and car chargers for each one run $20+. Add in the cost of a car charger for an mp3 player and the fact that the Solio doesn’t have to stay in your car, and the price for a Hybrid doesn’t seem that bad.

Again, the Solio doesn’t seem like something an average person would really need, especially if you’re the type of person that doesn’t leave the house very often. An on-the-go gadget whore will likely find plenty of use for it, and it is a nice thing to have in an emergency if your cell phone dies and you need to call for help. How many movies would be a lot shorter if people just brought one of these with them?

Overall, I was impressed with how well the Solio H1000 Hybrid did what it claimed it could do. I was still kinda under the impression that solar power isn’t that useful because if it were, why aren’t we using it more? Technology is a bitch like that, and the Solio changed my view a bit and made me want to stop paying my electricity bill. Thanks a lot.

The Solio version I had, the H1000, was the cheapest one of their models, running about 80 bucks. I’m not entirely sure what is better about the more expensive models, but you can check out the “official” line on Solio products at their website. Either way, it remains significantly more portable than a solar-powered Wii.