D3 -- Engadget

Wasabi DX modchip lets you hack the 'unhackable' Wii, dream the impossible dream

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Jan 29th 2009 at 10:43AM

Well, it wouldn't be Thursday without another way to, er, "upgrade" your Wii. In this case, we're proud to present to you the Wasabi DX. Like many a drivechip, this one promises to hack the "unhackable" Wii, sporting plug and play installation on your console's (DMS, D2A, D2B, D2C, D2C2, D2E, epoxy D2E, or D2nothing / D3) drive. The firmware is stored in flash and can be upgraded from DVD, or downgraded (if you ever need to do that) from a backup on the chip itself. Like Wasabi's previous offering, drive read speeds are limited to 3x, which might effect some games, but you were probably expecting that anyways. Pretty exciting, huh? No word on pricing or availability yet, but the company says to expect all that "soonish."

WiiKey's new DriveKey frees 'unhackable' Wiis with zero fuss

by Paul Miller, posted Jan 26th 2009 at 2:32PM

At this point, we're sorta surprised you can't just look askance at a Wii and set it to running homebrew with your penetrating gaze alone -- it seems like everything else has been accomplished in the hacking, modding and general humiliation of Nintendo's little console. Brought to us by the WiiKey folks, DriveKey is a wire-free, solder-free, brain-free method for hacking any Wii on the market, especially those pesky new ones with "epoxy" drives or the dreaded hack-proof "D3" drives. DriveKey acts as a simple passthrough for the DVD connector cable, tweaking certain functions to allow for a bit more freedom in your Wii experience. Unfortunately, DriveKey limits the DVD drive to 2x read speeds, which might make certain games unplayable, and it also can't be flash upgraded, unlike the WiiKey before it, to add more functionality or fend off a theoretical hack-buster update from Nintendo -- though this hasn't proved much of a problem for similar hacks. The chips go for around $70. Install videos after the break.

[Thanks, Gob]

Continue reading WiiKey's new DriveKey frees 'unhackable' Wiis with zero fuss

Nikon's geotagging GP-1 dongle now available

by Tim Stevens, posted Dec 2nd 2008 at 10:43AM

When we asked how you'd change Nikon's 720p-recording D90 DSLR, many of you globe-trotting photogs let out wistful sighs, gazed at the brightest star, and wished with all your might for automatic geotagging of photos. Like some trickster genie, Nikon is granting your wishes, but we're not sure the GP-1 GPS add-on is exactly what you had in mind. It slots into the hot-shoe on most cameras (clipping onto the strap for a few) and uses an unwieldy looking cable to connect to the body of your D200, D3, D700, D90, D300, or D3X. We can't say that we're particularly fond of the device's means of indicating status, either: red blinky light = no satellites; green blinky = three satellites; green solid = four satellites or more. C'mon Nikon, for $240 you couldn't integrate that cable into a hand strap and put more than two LEDs up in there?

[Via Gadget Lab]

Continue reading Nikon's geotagging GP-1 dongle now available

D3x reportedly shown, then removed from Nikon's site

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 27th 2008 at 1:29AM

While this rumor hasn't been running quite as long as the original iPhone rumor, we've been brushing off whispers of the D3x for a really, really long time. For what it's worth, the latest tidbit actually seems to have some teeth, with one eagle-eyed tipster noting that the website in the read link was alive momentarily, then canned inexplicably. He managed to grab the image you see above (but not the whole site?), and he swears up and down it wasn't the Eggnog distorting his judgment. We'll see, won't we?

[Thanks, Darryl]

Nikon D700 previewed, demystified

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 1st 2008 at 2:24AM

Now that Nikon has deftly slipped the full frame (FX) D700 into the already tight slot separating its mid-range DX D300 and pro FX D3, we know what you're thinking. Huh? Fortunately, both Rob Galbraith and DP Review have given this a thorough analysis along with a titillating preview courtesy of DP Review. As Rob puts it, "If you own a D3 and a D300, then you have in two separate bodies most of the key bits and pieces that comprise the D700." While the choice between the $1,800 D300 and $3,000 D700 is more clear, prospective $5,000 D3 buyers won't be blamed if they profess a desire to hold-out for the 24.39 megapixel D3X expected within the next 12 months.

Read -- Rob Galbraith's take
Read -- DP Review preview

24.4 megapixel Nikon D3X DSLR in the works?

by Paul Miller, posted Apr 15th 2008 at 10:19PM

Some entirely too ingenious hackers have found a reference to the rumored D3X deep within the bowels of Nikon's D3 firmware. The reference includes a list of resolutions available to the upcoming shooter, and it's apparently set to max out at a potentially Higgs Boson-inducing 24.4 megapixels. Word has it that this sensor is likely a variant of the megapixel monster behind Sony's upcoming A900, but since this is all being extrapolated from a few numbers hidden in some firmware, we're going to try not to get too ahead of ourselves at this point.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nikon D3 review round-up: survey says you'll want one

by Donald Melanson, posted Feb 18th 2008 at 3:05PM

We've already seen it previewed and unboxed, but now that Nikon's super high-end D3 DSLR has been out for a little while, we're starting to get some full-on reviews of the camera and, as you might have guessed if you've been lucky enough to get your hands on one, there's plenty of consensus going on. Indeed, the praise being heaped on the camera is among the loftiest we've seen, with Photography Blog calling it "pretty much peerless," Think Camera declaring that "the files coming out of the Nikon D3 look better than any camera we've seen to date," and Ken Rockwell flat out calling it "the best camera ever made by Nikon." Needless to say, the upsides to the camera are a little long to list here, but it particularly fares well when it comes to rapid-fire image capture and low light photography, which makes it especially well-suited to press photographers. The biggest single complaint the reviewers could find was a lack of any built-in sensor cleaning technology, with only a couple of minor design flaws (like a lack of a spring inside the CF card door) attracting their attention otherwise. There's also, of course, that nearly $5,000 price tag, but we're guessing anyone actually in the market for the camera make do with that in turn for the results they'll get.

Read - Photography Blog (5 out of 5)
Read - Think Camera (9 out of 10)
Read - KenRockwell.com ("the best camera ever made by Nikon")

Nikon D3 full frame DSLR unboxed

by Evan Blass, posted Dec 4th 2007 at 12:24PM

So it looks like the first lucky individuals have started receiving their Nikon D3s in the mail -- lucky not just because they're the proud new owner of a 12.1 megapixel full frame DSLR with 6400 ISO, 51-point autofocus, two CF slots, HDMI, and a 3-inch live view LCD, but lucky because, you know, they can afford to spend $5,000 on a camera. For those of us who can only aspire to possess such luxuries, there are always a bunch of nice unboxing shots to really help flesh out our weird gadget fantasies. You can check out another such pic after the break, before hitting the Read link for an entire D3 gallery including a few images of those new AF-S NIKKOR lenses...

[Thanks, Andrew]

Gallery: Nikon D3 unboxing

Nikon D3 gets the deep preview

by Nilay Patel, posted Sep 23rd 2007 at 4:20AM

Those of you lusting after the full-frame hotness of the Nikon D3 but still debating whether or not to drop $5K just got a little more info to help you make that decision -- Digital Photography Review went all out exhaustively cataloging everything you need to know about Nikon's latest DSLR. No huge surprises in store, but it never hurts to have every shred of info on your side when you're laying out the green.

Hands-on with Nikon's D3 DSLR for the pros

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 31st 2007 at 10:21AM

Would we ever in a million years know what to do with this much photo-power at our finger tips? Not a chance, but it's nice to dream, and the D3 is going to make the dreams of very many photo nerds come true this year. Nikon fanboy or Canon faithful, either way this is a beautiful piece of kit.

Gallery: Hands-on with Nikon's D3 DSLR for the pros

Nikon officially announces D3 and D300, lenses

by Ryan Block, posted Aug 23rd 2007 at 1:08AM

Alright, Nikon's two new flagship DSLRs are officially announced. (Better images coming right up.) Here's what you need to know:

D3

12.1 megapixel, full-frame friggin sensor! (23.9 x 36mm) Finally. ISO up to 6400
3-inch VGA live view LCD
Two (count 'em, two!) CompactFlash card slots for overflow, backup, or copying
New EXPEED image processor
9fps in full frame, 11fps in DX crop; 51 point autofocus (with "3D focus tracking")
HDMI out with optional cable
$5000, November release

D300

12.3 megapixel DX (1.5 crop) sensor
3-inch VGA live view LCD
New EXPEED image processor
51 point autofocus
$1800, November release

Lenses

AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR
AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR
AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR

Gallery: Nikon D3 press shots

Gallery: Nikon D300 press shots

Read - D3 press release
Read - D300 release
Read - Pro zoom Nikkor lens release
Read - Super telephoto lens release

Nikon D300 and D3 hits the web

by Ryan Block, posted Aug 23rd 2007 at 12:42AM

Nikon's big announcements today aren't for a little while, but it looks like the surprise is now spoiled just that much more as the D300 and D3 are starting to show up online. Here are a few links to whet your appetite as the news trickles through.

Read - Herald Biz spills the beans (sorry, in Korean)
Read - D3 at Let's Go

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nikon to announce D3 and D300 DSLRs tomorrow?

by Ryan Block, posted Aug 22nd 2007 at 2:03AM

We don't know for sure what's going to be announced tomorrow, but our ears to the ground over Japan way have it that Nikon's loosing two new DSLRs tomorrow, its new highest-end D3 (presumably replacing the D2Xs) and lower-upper-end D300 (presumably replacing the D200; found specs below). Supposedly this is all going down tomorrow at 1PM JST in Tokyo, so you'll know for sure as soon as we do.

D3

Full frame (FX) 12 megapixel Nikon CMOS
Live view LCD
9fps in FF mode, 11fps in HSC mode (at 1.5 crop factor / DX size)
ISO 200 - 6400 with LO (ISO 100 equivalent), H1 and H2 (ISO 12800 / 25600, respectively)
51 point autofocus system (15 cross sensor)

D300

DX format 12 megapixel CMOS (supposedly possibly the same as the D2X)
Live view LCD
6fps, up to 8fps with power grip (no HSC mode)
ISO 200 - 3200 with LO (ISO 100 equivalent), H1 (ISO 6400)
51 point autofocus system (15 cross sensor)

And five new rumored lenses: AF-S 14-24/2.8 G, AF-S 24-70/2.8 G, AF-S VR 400/2.8 G, AF-S VR 500/4 G, AF-S VR 600/4 G.

[Thanks, Chet]

Nikon D3 teaser ad leaked?

by Conrad Quilty-Harper, posted Aug 19th 2007 at 6:45PM

Is this a teaser ad for the Nikon D3, a pro-level DSLR the subject of a swirling whirlwind of rumors? If this isn't fake, this would be the third (fourth?) report we've seen pointing to the existence of such a camera. Just so you know, the text apparently points out the following specs: 3.0-inch LCD, 9 frames per second shooting, and 51 Autofocus Points. Not bad, but what's the price?

Nikon getting set to unveil next-gen professional DSLR?

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 13th 2007 at 2:48PM

We'll admit, we certainly like where all this is going, but until we hear anything official, you'll still have to restrain yourself and take this tidbit with a spoon of NaCl. Just days after getting wind of D3 rumors galore, a "photo editor at a major newspaper" has tipped us on a phone call he received from Nikon in which his presence was requested at a meeting where a "new professional camera that is leaps and bounds better than anything Canon is offering" would be showcased. As expected, that's about all the details he could pry from the caller, but since the meeting is purportedly scheduled for June 26th, at least we've got some sort of timeframe to get our hopes up about.