NDS
Latest
NDS' Surfaces turns your wall into a TV, or a TV into a wall... one of those two
Remember the wall that was also a television in Total Recall? That's the inspiration behind Surfaces -- a concept device produced by British cable mavens NDS. Abandoning the idea of a single screen, the company mounted six displays into a wall that offers up TV and internet content when on, and blends into your wallpaper when off. The setup will even control your room's lighting for those particularly emotive X Factor performances and you control the whole thing with your iPad (while tweeting, bitchily about the show). However, before you storm the company's Staines headquarters looking to buy one, there are a few obstacles you should know about. Firstly, this amazing setup cost over $30,000 and secondly, it only really works if you've got plenty of content filmed in 4K -- but don't worry, Peter Jackson's working on it. [Image Credit: Jon Snyder / Wired]
Cox planning to roll out tru2way STBs this summer
Although it flew beneath the radar at this year's CES, tru2way looks to be spooling up the PR machine in advance of The Cable Show in April. Leading the charge, Cox Communications has announced its agreement to use NDS tru2way software starting this summer; and since the field of tru2way-equipped TVs is slim pickings, you know the delivery mechanism -- set top boxes. Grousing aside, technology has to move forward, so Cox is going to start introducing Cisco (Scientific-Atlanta) and Motorola manufactured boxes with NDS software, with plans to do a market-by-market rollout later this year and continuing in 2010. We're all for more media-rich experiences on the TV, but not nearly as enthusiastic as we were about getting rid of STBs altogether. Absent TV manufacturers hopping onboard the tru2way en masse, this situation is taking on some CableCard overtones.
The Daily Grind: Are the stakes too low in modern PvP?
Player vs. Player gameplay has undergone a drastic change in recent years. Games like Meridian 59 and Ultima Online didn't pull any punches. Anyone could kill anyone anywhere, and the penalties could be quite severe. When you died In Meridian or UO, you dropped all of your gear. The person who killed you could steal whatever he or she pleased.Of course, in games like that, gear wasn't quite such a big deal. In Meridian a sword would wear out after a few of hours of use anyway. But combined with stat and skill losses, death in the games of the 90s was comparatively harsh. Now, in World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, and Warhammer Online, the stakes are lower. You have absolutely nothing to lose by dying in PvP in WoW, and AoC and WAR's designs aren't much more aggressive.But here's a question from a veteran of the oldschool: with stakes this low, does PvP really matter? Will it really get you sweating? Will you really care that much about winning or losing? Some oldschool folks will argue that PvP is boring and meaningless now that death has been de-clawed. Maybe we should go back to the barbarism of the old days. What do you think?
Can you live without your DVR? Survey says no
There's no doubt about it, according to a survey by New Corporation subsidiary NDS Group -- you can't live without your DVR. In numbers that likely surprise absolutely no one who has almost forgotten what it was like to have to watch TV only when it aired, DVR owners ranked it second only to cellphones as a tech item they can't live without. That device might be saving your relationship as well (clearly they were not witness to our who-deleted-the-BSG-season-finale breakup of spring '07), with owners saying it makes for a happy home life. Of course, since NDS makes DVRs, we understand why they'd want to make sure everyone knows how vital they've become. More numbers are available past the read link, we'd delve deeper into them but this season pass of Futurama isn't going to watch itself.
News Corp hired hacker to pirate DISH Network access cards
DISH Network and News Corp's satellite subsidiary NDS Group in California have been involved in an industrial espionage lawsuit for years now, but there was some big drama in court today: a hacker by the name of Christopher Tarnovsky (who used the handle "Big Gun," among others) testified that NDS hired him to create a device called "the stinger" that could reprogram DISH Network access cards. DISH lawyers say the plan was to flood the market with hacked cards, which would cost the satellite company $900M in revenue and repair costs. Unsurprisingly, NDS (which supplies DirecTV, among others), says that it hired Tarovsky only to reverse-engineer DISH's cards for competitive reasons, and Tarnovsky himself says that he believes "someone is trying to set him up." Sure, sure -- but no one's explaining why he was mailed mobile electronics from Canada with $20K in cash stashed inside, or why he was officially on the payroll of HarperCollins, a totally different NewCorp subsidiary, for more than 10 years. Sketchy sketchy -- and we thought satellite hacking was dead. Read - Reuters article about Tarnovsky's testimony Read - 2002 article about Tarnovsky and NDS
Joystiq impressions: Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (DS)
LucasArts recently showed off the in-development DS version of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. The company tried to remain positive -- or at the very least, civil -- about the previous DS bomb, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. But this showing was clearly to prove to journalists that the DS version of the new game won't follow the murky fate of its predecessor. Lego Star Wars creator, Traveller's Tales redeveloped the game for the DS instead of re-using the old DS engine, and it shows. The new game more closely resembles LSW on other consoles. In my brief play session, I was impressed with the top-screen 3D graphics; LSW Complete could be the graphical leader for 3D DS games with its November 6 launch.%Gallery-7861%
Joystiq hands-on: EA Playground (DS)
EA Playground for the DS follows the general theme of the Wii game. Players compete in nine games to become the king of the schoolyard. While up to four players can battle on a local network, every competitor is forced to buy a copy of the game. I recently sampled all of the activities; a few stood out, but I anticipate that playing them mostly against AI opponents would grow boring over time.If you've got three other friends with a DS and copy of the game, EA Playground might be fun. Younger gamers might also like it. The rest of us? The longevity is questionable.%Gallery-7589%
Today's newest input device video: Slide Adventure
The nearly released (in Japan) DS game, Slide Adventure: Mag Kid must be seen in video to be appreciated. The DS mounts inside a baby-walker-style cradle and rolls around on a table, dictating in-game action. It basically turns the DS into a mouse. It's hard to tell if the game will be fun, but as always, we tip our hat to games that try new things.See the Japanese commercial after the break.
New Cave Story: DS demo released, pants soiled
With the approval and source code of Cave Story's father, Pixel, homebrew developer RavenWorks has spent the past year porting the indie classic to the DS. We've called the PC title to your attention before, praising it as one the most charming and polished titles we've ever had the pleasure of playing. The project was originally bound for the GBA, but RavenWorks eventually migrated his code and rewrote the graphics engine to take advantage of Nintendo's new hardware. Current plans for the touchscreen include a map display and a "tap-to-switch-weapons interface" (accompanying L/R weapon switching).Cave Story: DS's newest demo allows you to explore the game's levels and mess with NPCs, its memorable soundtrack playing all the while. Though scripting, weapons, and many other features haven't been included yet, we're just happy to see that progress is still being made on the port. Make sure to download the demo and let RavenWorks know that his efforts are appreciated!If you don't have the homebrew tools necessary to test this early build, we have a few screenshots for you to preview in our gallery. You can also disguise yourself with a Mimiga mask and sneak past the post break for some shakycam video we dug up.%Gallery-4284%
Pokemon transforms DS into 'cell phone' for kids
Not that Pokémon -- only the second best-selling game franchise evar -- needs any marketing spin to excite sales of its predestined two-headed spawn Diamond & Pearl, but Nintendo does seems eager to herald the game's impending arrival as a sort of "My First Celly" for DS toting youngsters eager for chatter. Of course, this is simply the ability to chat with registered friends using DS's VoIP capabilities, enabled by the new Pokémon game. While it's a far cry from pending productions and possibilities proposed by the competition, VoIP on DS is a little used feature that has the potential to be a unique selling point.Sure, it's tethered to Wi-Fi hotspots, but the technology offers the promise of safe communication -- in terms of both who your kid be talkin wit' and potential costs (or lack thereof) -- for concerned parents looking to serve their whiny offspring. Then again, DS VoIPin' lacks the much desired 'prank call' feature. With mischief muted, your preteens are gonna have to settle on playground gossip. That, or they could actually engage in some good ol' pocket monster melee. Imagine that.Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are scheduled for release on April 22.
Nintendo DS bots in full force
What? You still only play video games on your NDS? It's time to look and learn from these restless DS owners who've promoted their trusty handhelds to robots on a mission. Natrium 42's homebrew kit is an open robot platform that lets you control your RoboDS (pictured right) with an NDS WiFi connection through a web browser interface. You can add a wireless camera to use it for remote spy tactics or strap on a laser pointer to burn enemies' corneas play mean-spirited red dot target jokes on your friends. On a lighter note, Bob Sabiston's bot takes a more poetic route and makes up for those art skills you never had. Sabiston, a professional programmer and engineer, got Nintendo to send him a DS software development kit which allowed him to pump out a sweet painting and animation app to make his DS bot a visual virtuoso (example pictured left). Hopefully with more bot-mods to come, the DS is really blossoming from what we know and love into the task droid we've always wanted.[Via DS Fanboy]Read - Bob Sabiston's artiste botRead - Natrium 42's RoboDS
NDS announces P2P-enabled DVR solution
While peer-to-peer sharing certainly gets its fair share of critics, the sharing, caring approach to distributing media definitely has its useful (and legal) benefits, and now NDS has announced "two new product enhancements of Synamedia Metro, the NDS IPTV middleware solution," which looks to bring P2P technology to the DVR. Distributed DVR allows for any hard drive on the home's network to act as the storage device for your DVR, theoretically eliminating the need to even include an HDD in the set-top-box and giving customers the unadulterated ability to scale their storage capacity to fit their needs. Furthermore, the ShareTV system "allows IPTV subscribers to legally share their stored TV content using peer-to-peer technology running in the Jungo Residential Gateway software," essentially opening up a new realm of recorded television to access just in case your forgot to schedule a crucial recording. Of course, all of the files would be laced in DRM, and only users of NDS' system would be able to share and access the recorded content, but having a nearly endless supply of DVR'd shows at your disposal sure sounds appealing. Now, who's game to pick this system up and distribute to the people?[Via PVRWire]
1: open the box ... 2: put your games in that box ... 3: now just carry the box ... and that's the way you do it!
The idea behind Shogakukan's Hyper Carrying Case (¥480; $4) is simple: it's made to look like a standard retail box, but when you pop it open, you discover a storage case for three four DS games and one GBA game (we suppose you could squeeze a few instruction booklets in there too). Despite containing no game of its own, the front of the box is adorned with familiar Japanese characters, like Doraemon and Mega Man variant Ryusei no Rockman.It's not the best game carrier we've come across, but it's dirt cheap, and a clever play on the standard DS case.
NDS partners with VBox to deliver HD pay-TV content to PCs
If you're the type who digs HD, but would rather catch it on one of your two (or more) HD-capable displays connected to your computer, NDS has struck a deal with VBox to bring HD pay-TV content to your PC -- without the need for potentially costly upgrades. The agreement allows PC users to receive "broadcast content on VBox's Cat's Eye PC-TV receiver," which would store / playback footage like any typical DVR, while NDS' VideoGuard PC would provide the obligatory DRM kick to keep content owners pacified. VBox's Cat's Eye Premium is a newly unveiled receiver designed to deliver content optimized for IP distribution, which essentially provides "digital set-top box functionality in a PC environment" by interfacing with the computer's USB port or PCI slot. Content is received in the same way as typical TV owners, but is channeled into your PC via USB / PCI instead of component of HDMI, and it's strapped down by NDS' USB encryption key which is required for the whole rig to operate correctly; in addition, VBox also offers routers and gateways in case you're interested in slinging that content to various machines via Ethernet. Neither NDS nor VBox made mention of just how much this snazzy sounding setup would run PC users, but hopefully we'll be seeing the deal yield some forward progress soon after CES concludes.
Mastering disguise in new Wario DS
Siliconera has posted a series of diagrams detailing the stylus inputs that will make up the core gameplay of Wario: Master of Disguise. The game launches in Japan next week (as Kaitou Wario the Seven) and sees Wario returning to his platform roots with some added DS gimmickry. Players will draw symbols on the touch screen to change Wario into his seven disguises, including a graffiti artist, dinosaur, and doctor.Aside from the d-pad, Master of Disguise will be entirely stylus-controlled. The US release is scheduled for early March.
Picture it: fanboys fight harder
IDF: Iraqi Defense Force ADF: Apple Defense Force NDF: Nintendo Defense Force Previously: The first paradox of gaming (And yes, totally inspired by Indexed.)
Alternate carrying cases for PSP & DS carts
Our post exhorting Nintendo to make their temporary switch to paper permanent generated a fair number of comments on both sides of the issue. Some gamers are very, very attached to their plastic DS cases, so much so that they used impolite language encouraging me to -- how do you say it? Ah, yes! -- violently procreate with myself. Ok, so you want a durable, plastic case to carry your games around. Surely, readers have come up with better options than a big ol chunky thing that won't even fit in a back pocket? If you've got an innovative carry-case, post a photo here. We'll update the post with the best ones. Or the worst ones. Or both. Photo above (from ashka's flickr pool) shows several plastic cases at work.
Hey Nintendo, make the switch to paper boxes permanent!
Nintendo's apologizing to European customers because they've had to temporarily switch to cardboard game boxes as a result of shortages afflicting that territory, according to Gamasutra's David Jenkins. Nintendo, ever sensitive to gamer needs (and we can't fault them there), is tossing a coupon into paper boxes offering customers a plastic case once supply issues have been resolved. We admit, those are some high quality plastic cases, but c'mon. The DS cartridge is tiny and holds just 128 megabytes of content. Does it really need to ship with plastic that weighs many times more than the product (3.5 grams)? It's environmentally irresponsible. We understand that large game cases help titles fight for attention on a retail shelf, but there's no reason that they can't do that fighting using more responsible materials. Comprised of bits, games should be the most environmentally-friendly products to distribute. Nintendo (and other industry players) should use this opportunity to examine packaging.
How to: hook up a hard drive to your Nintendo DS
We'll forever be in awe of people like Alexei Karpenko, a modder who one day "decided to do a quick IDE to GBAMP hack". That's right -- as a casual aside, Alexei hooked up a hard drive to his Nintendo DS via a GameBoy cartridge originally designed to play short movies from a CompactFlash card. The hack is apparently possible due to similarities between the CF interface and that of standard IDE hard drives: Alexei simply soldered the correct pins onto a 40GB disk and connected it to a 11.1 volt battery and 5 volt DC-to-DC converter. As you can see, the unwieldy setup isn't much of a PSP rival (remember, that second "P" stands for portable), but the mere fact that it's at all possible will undoubtedly impress your inner geek.
Second-rate school baits applicants with second-rate handheld system [update 1]
A small Canadian university by the name of Lakehead has angered some of its conservative alumni with a clever recruitment campaign that makes fun of POTUS #43 and offers students the chance to win one of four PSP handhelds or a Smart Car lease. Lakehead knows who they're after: liberal, environmentally-conscious Canadian youth with who tend to root for the underdog in a contest and who should have spent less time playing games and more time studying. Now if Sony or Nintendo could come up with a viable e-learning application, schools might offer all incoming freesh a gaming handheld in the way that some universities now offer iPods and laptops. [Thanks, Mike.] [Update 1: Dubya's #43, not #42, as originally stated. Oops.]
