Archive for the 'Wireless' Category

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Europe gets DS Lite on June 23rd and in black!

Published on Monday, May 22, 2006 in Gaming, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. 2 Comments

eu ds lite

Haha! Nintendo has announced that Europe will get the DS Lite on June 23rd, 12 days after the US. Not only will it be available in white, but also in a cool black (as can be seen above). The price will be €149.99 / £99.99. The US pay £64.55 ($129.99), Europeans (except the UK) pay £94.46. So again, we in the UK, pay much more for the same product, even the rest of the EU they pay £5 less! The UK price in the US would be $181, which would be regarded as an insane price. I think we are fortunate that the DS Lite is just under £100, as the original DS cost somewhere around £120! This is like the MacBook debate (sort of), we get the black DS Lite but for a lot more than the US get the white DS Lite (they don’t get the black DS Lite).
I really like the DS Lite, and may get it (I got the PSP, but I don’t use that too much, except when I’m travelling) because it is quite cheap compared to the PSP, but I don’t know if I can justify the price though. I wonder how much it will cost to import it, apparently Lik-Sang won’t be too bad for price – but the shipping to the UK may add up to be more than the actual price of it in the UK!

MacBook Launched!

Published on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 in Apple, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

After some serious rumour going around that Apple will anounce the MacBook on Tuesday of last week, some people were pretty annoyed that they haven’t yet released it. But now they finally have! You can see I’m pretty excited about it, and one of the main reasons is because it is available in black (and it looks sexy!)
There are three models. The white one comes in a 1.83GHz and 2GHz priced at $1099 (£749) and $1299 (£899) respectively, both Core Duo. But, here is where it gets annoying, the black one only comes in 2GHz and you have to pay an extra $200 (£130) over the higher end white one. This will certainly piss a lot of people off, as the black one looks very cool (It looks a bit weird in the picture, but in AppleInsider’s close up shots of the real thing it looks awsome) and why would you have to pay a premium for it? Well Apple says that the 80GB HDD (over the whitebook’s 60GB) is justifiable. However most people don’t think so, neither do I. You don’t see the black iPod costing more than the white one (granted it doesn’t have more HDD), but in a laptop, that isn’t worth much (as in cost for Apple). The specs are as follows:

1.83GHz or 2GHz Intel Core Duo – 2MB L2 cache and 667Mhz FSB
512MB of DDR 2 SDRAM (PC5300) on SO-DIMM slots, upto 2GB
60GB/80GB 5400RPM S-ATA HDD
Combo Drive (for 1.83GHz) / Superdrive (for 2GHz)
Built-in Intel GMA 950 Graphics, 64MB shared with system memory (ouch, no WoW then!)
Built-in iSight
13.3″ glossy only (no matte finish available) widescreen display – 1280 by 800 resolution
1 x FireWire 400 port, 2 x USB2 ports, MiniDVI port
Built-in stereo speakers, built-in omnidirectional microphone
Optical digital audio input/audio line in (combined), optical digital audio output/headphone out (combined)
Gigabit Ethernet – 10/100/1000Base-T
Airport Extreme (802.11b/g) and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)

Pretty good spec, as in line with the MacBook Pro, but a couple of things set it apart. The screen is only available in glossy versions (which some people hate), and the graphics are well, poor. But for a MacBook, it has optical in/out, which is quite promising, Gigabit Ethernet and Superdrive as standard (well for the 2GHz models). It is worthwhile to note that the memory can be expaneded to a heft 2GB’s unlike previous iBooks. This will please a lot, but not some. I think it is a very good update, that people have been waiting for, and I think the wait is justifiable. The keyboard has also be jazzed up, and looks quite different now, which hopefully can make it better (image).

E3: ‘Low-end’ PS3 to ship with wired controller and non-upgradeable HDD? (false)

Published on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 in Gaming, Technology and Wireless. 2 Comments

ps3 stock photo

So more speculation has arisen after it became clear that the ‘cheaper’ PS3 (the $499 one) will not have WiFi, a card reader or HDMI. This time Games Radar say that the $499 PS3 will not have wireless controllers, and instead ship with boring de facto standard controller, much like the core 360 system. They say a Sony rep stated that it will have a 20GB hard drive, but it is non upgradeable (unless you disassemble it). This is bad news for those who would just like to slap on a meatier hard drive. At least that is an option in the core 360 system. But, I think those that are serious gamers and want the bigger HDD would go for the $599 system anyway. It’s like how we thought the 360 was marketed at, but at least that was cheaper!

UPDATE: As one of my readers have noted, this is infact not true. “Both configurations will support bluetooth PS3 controllers. You can upgrade to whatever size of drive you like. The only non-upgradeable feature of the 20GB configuration will be the HDMI output.” [link]

E3: Engadget gets hands on with the Wii Controller

Published on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 in Gaming, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

Engadget got busy with their hands and tested out the Wii controller quite extensively. They explained that the controller was light, yet very ergonomic and felt comfortable to hold and play with. The controller allows a lot of leverage for the trigger button, and the ‘a’ and ‘b’ buttons, so that it was easy to use and didn’t slip out of their hands. On the golf demo they tried out first, they said that the controller wasn’t the best idea, because they couldn’t quite feel how much power the put into the drive, while on normal controllers you had the analogue sticks.

Our hopes were buoyed by the sight of Ubisoft’s “Red Steel,” but were quickly dashed by the incredibly awkward FPS aiming that this game is banking on. The controls were great and easily learned, and we were soon slashing, parrying, ducking, shooting, reloading, opening and pushing with more convenience than we can ever remember in a shooter, and never had to look down to find a button once.

This makes some people quite nervous as to whether it will actually be as good as it sounds. But developers have said that there will be options in game so that you can adjust the sensitivity of the controller. They finish by saying that the controller is exactly what it is famed to be, but game developers need some time to adjust and test out their products so that it can interact with their games in an easy to use way.
I am just eager to get my hands on one at our local game shop to test it out for myself. But if I believe the rumours of that $200 price tag, I think it’s going to be hard to say no.

E3: The Wii ‘Zapper’ Prototype

Published on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 in Gaming, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

Lots of people have been wondering if there will be a ‘shell’ for the Wii remote so that you can use it as a gun, like in arcade games or controllers for PS2s and Xboxs. At the Nintendo booth, at E3, there is a prototype for a Zapper gun (it is actually labelled as Zapper) attachment. You can see the standard gun trigger (the hole part) and a little joystick for your thumb. Pretty cool, eh? It looks quite like a final design to me, but who know what things they will iron out?

Wii Remote Control Changed: Final Pics

Published on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 in Gaming, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

The remote control image that was shown off by Nintendo a while ago has now changed a bit. A few things have been modifed, like the addition of the Wii logo on the remote. Gamespot got their hands on the remote and said “During our play session Nintendo reps noted that the controller we were playing was still considered a prototype, as the possibility for some fine-tuning still existed. That said, the controller we got our hands on wasn’t too radically different from what we tried last year at the Tokyo Game Show, though there have been some noticeable tweaks to the design.”
The main changes were:

A speaker is now built-in to the controller to use in conjunction with the vibration of the controller.
Button change: “select” now has the image of an arrow on it that’s curved anticlockwise.
Button change: “home” now has the image of a house on it, like one you’d see in a web browser.
Button change: “start” now has two horizontal bars on it that look like the ‘pause’ icon on a music player.
Button change: “a” and “b” are now “1″ and “2.”
The ‘nunchuck’ has a more streamlined shape and features a tweaked button design.
The controller now has some added weight.

E3: The Xbox Live Vision Camera, Racing Wheel and Wireless Headset

Published on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 in Gaming, Microsoft, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

During Microsoft’s E3 press event, they showed off the Xbox Live Camera (called the Vision Camera), the Racing Wheel and the wireless headset. Engadget checked them out and took lots of photos, however they couldn’t get their hands on them because of the obvious sign “Do Not Touch’. But did that stop them, no! They tried the headset, and they thought it felt quite comfortable, if not a little fragile. The Racing Wheel is pretty cool and wireless, but to use the vibration feature you have to connect it to a wall socket. For more photos read on. The Xbox Live Vision camera will be available this autumn (fall for you Americans) and will allow users to use their 360 for video-conferencing, video-emails and gamer picture customisation, and is the same thing we’ve been seeing in those leaked images.
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Wii Controller Shell Surfaces from Nintendo Website

Published on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 in Gaming, Internet, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

This image has been found on Nintendo’s website (link).

Our sources have confirmed to us that this is definitely real, however several questions still remain – why is there a cable, and does the remote simply click onto the bottom of the unit? Or is it now a stand alone unit?

This is certainly very interesting, and proves many people’s theories right – that there will be a ‘shell’ for the controller so that it is more comfortable and easier to use when playing games on the virtual console. No info has been found though on Nintendo’s website, and they have neglected to mention anything at their E3 event, but hopefully something will be revealed tomorrow when the show floor opens.

E3: At Nintendo’s Wii Event

Published on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 in Gaming, Internet, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

Courtesy of Engadget and Joystiq for the picture

The whole event was solely based around the Wii (with some DS stuff), Nintendo’s Miyamoto, Reggie and Iwata were up on stage each giving their part of the Wii. They gave game demos, info about the Wii and the games coming out for it. I’ll run over the points quite briefly, and let you read Engadget’s mother of a post!

The price was unannounced, but Reggie did say “We will give you more fun for less money,” which means it is probably going to be the cheapest console out of the three.
The Wii controller has a built-in speaker and rumble system. Reggie explained (in the demo for Zelda), “With the bow, the Wii remote adds depth of sound. Built-in to the Wii remote is a speaker. You’ll hear the bowstring draw taught and you’ll hear the bow sound draw to the screen as the arrow is shot. A quick jab with the Wii remote and shield shove. You’ll feel the impact with the built-in rumble.“
List of games: Metroid Prime 3, Dragon Quest Swords, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Fire Emblem, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Cars, Super Mario Galaxy, SD Gundamn G Breaker, Tony Hawk Downhill Jam, Sengoku Action, Excite Truck, Elebits, Red Steel, Rayman 4, Super Swing Gold Pangya, Sonic, Project H.A.M.M.E.R., Finalfurlong Revolution, Madden, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Twilight Princess
Graphics: “The series of trailers went by quickly, but here’s the impression we got from it: there’s real variety in gameplay, and lots of variety in graphics. Some of the graphics look decidedly Xbox/GameCube/PS2, and some look incredible. It was unclear which were pre-rendered and which were footage of actual gameplay. The best-looking trailers were graphically impressive.“
The Wii is constantly connected to the internet, even when it is ‘off’. Iwata explains, “Wii Connect 24: the Wii console can be constantly connected to the internet. Anytime the console is in standby, players may return to find that their friends have left a message or a gift.“

That’s about it. For the full low-down follow the link.

E3: Joystiq gets hands-on with the PS3 controller

Published on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 in Gaming, Noteworthy, Technology and Wireless. Closed

And what did they make of it? Well at first they thought that being the good old dual shock controller that it will be really nice to hold and use, but that isn’t true. At first hand the controller seemed light, too light, so it made it feel quite cheap, like the 3rd party ones that you’d buy for $15. But the lightness would be a lot easier to control and hold while using the motion technology inside the controller. They said that the good old controller is fine, but it would have been good to see an improvement of something (like MS did with the 360 controller) as it isn’t perfect. The analogue sticks seemed hard to find and they were constantly trying to find a good position for it, they ended up just leaving it in the air!
What about the motion sensing technology? It was far too sensitive and it felt “tacked on to this Warhawk demo“. However between now and November, they thought that this would be ironed out for easier gameplay. They concluded saying that the idea was cool, but how would it help in non-flying or car games. They said that this was Sony’s last chance to beat Nintendo in the console race, and it seemed quite rushed and thrown together at the last minute.