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Video: Opera 10 promises Turbo browsing using Scandinavian flat-packing knowhow
We've got to hand it to the kids at Opera who somehow manage to maintain relevance while battling Microsoft, Apple, Google and Mozilla for browser market-share. Opera 10 is now available for download featuring a redesigned UI, a resizable tab bar with Visual Tab thumbnail previews of each loaded page, and Opera Link synchronization for keeping bookmarks and more synchronized between all your Opera devices. It's biggest feature, however, is Opera Turbo: a new compression technology that Ikea flat-packs web pages for fast transport over slow connections. See it demonstrated in the video after the break.
MSI debuts GX623, GX633 laptops with "Turbo Drive" technology
MSI's new GX623 and GX633 laptops aren't the first to boast the company's so-called Turbo Drive technology, but we're never ones to turn down the opportunity to press a turbo button, even if that turbo button may not fully deliver on its awesome promise. Expectedly, both of these are in the same vein as MSI's previous GX630 model, and boast the same 15.4-inch display, along with a Core 2 Duo processor and ATI Radeon HD4670 graphics on the GX623 model, or an AMD X2 Turion Ultra processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT 130M graphics on the GX633 model. Otherwise, you can expect each to pack MSI's ECO Engine, which'll let you easily switch between a gaming mode and more energy-efficient options, along with up to 4GB of RAM, a max 500GB hard drive, and all the usual modern amenities like 802.11n WiFi, built-in Bluetooth, and a 2-megapixel webcam. No word on prices just yet, but it looks like both should be rolling out as we speak.Read - MSI GX623Read - MSI GX633
'Turbo' trailer looks better than most 'real' video game movies
It probably isn't destined to become the Citizen Kane of video game movies, but the trailer for Turbo has more going for it than most "real" video game movies we've seen -- yes, Legend of Chun Li, we're talking to you. Turbo is actually a 20-minute short film cooked up by some USC graduate students for less than $100,000.There are some interesting ideas going on in the clips shown from the trailer, and it appears the teen melodrama is actually supposed to evoke similarly themed movies like The Karate Kid. We contacted the creators of Turbo, who informed us a public viewing will occur May 2 at 3PM in USC's Norris Theater. The event will be "first come, first seated" and is free. Three shorts will be shown, Turbo will be the last. Copies of the film may also be on sale there for $10 or less. Check out the trailer after the break.[Via Destructoid]
Rapid fire mod creates a Wiimote of mass destruction [update]
AcidMods posted this amazing video demonstrating a hack that allows rapid fire of either the Wiimote's A or B button. They're selling the required parts in their shop for $10, and promise a tutorial soon. According to the forum post announcing the mod, "out of all our kits this is [by far the] simplest.."Following the installation, turning on the turbo function is as simple as hitting a switch next to the sync button. They've even thought to put an LED under the A button as an indicator -- a touch of class.Yes, rapid fire is cheating, but doesn't it look like fun to mow down zombies like that in The House of the Dead 3? Now that we can mod our controllers, we won't have to mod our fingers.[Update: the video has been removed from Vimeo, but split into two and uploaded to YouTube. Hit the break for the hardware introduction!]%Gallery-31614%
Original K.I.T.T. up for auction: impressive exterior, laughable interior
Enough of these kit (ahem) cars, we're ready for the real deal. Up on the auction block today is a genuine 1984 Pontiac Trans Am that was used in the third and fourth seasons of Knight Rider. Yep, this is the one with the coveted Super Pursuit Mode, and legend has it that cops won't even ticket you for using it. At first glance, one can't help but be impressed with how spectacular this bona fide piece of history looks, but one glance at the interior and you realize there's quite a bit of work left to do. Personally, we could think of a limitless number of better ways to spend 26 large, but hardcore Hasselhoff fans will likely insist on differing.[Via Autoblog]
Controllers modded specifically for Gears, Halo, etc [Update]
Update 1: It seems that HGcontrollers is not the only company around modding controllers for online shooters. Their products are different from each other, so check 'em both out.Controllers with turbo buttons have existed for many years, going all the way back to the NES, and controller mods for the 360 are nothing new. But having a turbo button (among many other things) modded into what looks like a standard controller is news to us. The guys over at HGcontrollers seem to have started up a fine little business doing just that. The above graphic is really from their site (can you spot which are the real and fake buttons) and details some of the special enhancements made to the controller for the express purpose of playing shooters. The goal of these mods is to create a controller configuration that can be played through the entire game experience without having to remove one's thumbs from the sticks. Theoretically, this means that your aim with said sticks will improve, as you no longer have to take your thumb off it to hit the essential buttons. However HGcontrollers does more modding of controllers than simply moving buttons. The staff there will actually create a controller with a custom button layout, toggle switches, microprocessors (turbo) for rapid fire, and more if you've got the cash for it. In fact, their website seems to be a bit behind the times forgetting to tell its readers that there are even controllers specially built for Gears that do your Active-Reloading for you. These controllers look great and all, but specifically modding (or buying) your controller to get better at a game sort of defeats the purpose (FUN!) for us here.[Thanks, chaostheory0982]
Turbografx-16 primer: required reading for Wii Fanboy fanboys
Of the systems whose games are currently available on the Virtual Console, the Turbografx-16 is the most obscure. It didn't seem that obscure to us, since we had one and played it frequently, but we recognize that most people went with the Genesis or SNES in the 16-bit console wars. That's fine, we guess.Now that the Virtual Console is making the games easily and cheaply available, you have an obligation to buy at least one and see what you've been missing. Okay, actually you don't, but we'd at least like you to read this article about the system so we can feel like we did something good for TG16 fandom today, even though it was retro historian extraordinaire Racketboy who did all the work. Then, if you happen to go download Alien Crush, that would be cool too.Do you know the difference between the TurboBooster and the TurboBooster Plus? Can you put the system cards in chronological order? Read all about it and learn what it was like to be a Turbo fan in the '90s. It was pretty confusing, in terms of hardware.
Virtually Overlooked: J.J. & Jeff
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative. Hudson's J.J. & Jeff isn't particularly obscure. But it happens to be one of our favorite Turbografx-16 games, and we really like talking about it. If Hudson really plans to release every US Turbografx-16 game, then we have to hurry up and get our longform rambles out while we can! Plus, apparently some people don't like this game, and, while they're entitled to their crazy, wrong opinions, we feel like it deserves defending.
Hudson Entertainment president talks about TG16 and Virtual Console
As you may have guessed, we're big Turbografx-16 fans here, so Brandon Sheffield's interview with Hudson USA president John Greiner, who was with the company through that system's lifetime, was an especially good read for us. The interview is long and detailed, and covers a lot of Hudson's lesser-known franchises like Tengai Makyou, as well as the fantastic Kato-chan and Ken-chan, which we got as JJ & Jeff. It also talks about how Hudson got into the Virtual Console biz.Here's the quote of the freaking millennium for us: "We're looking at...you know, eventually all Turbo Grafx games will be on the Virtual Console, because they're going to be emulations." Oh, no, wait, that's awesome, but here's the quote of the millennium: "We're going to work on the Turbo Grafx titles, but there were 600 some-odd PC Engine titles, and there were only 150 or so Turbo Grafx titles, so I think that if people tell us they want these games, absolutely." We cannot control our dancing. It is difficult to type at the moment.
Hudson celebrates the 20th anniversary of the PC Engine
2007 is the twentieth anniversary of the PC Engine (the Japanese Turbografx-16) and Hudson, who co-created the console with NEC, is honoring the little console and its little HuCards in two ways this year: By releasing lots of awesome games on the Virtual Console, and By featuring a multipart PC Engine retrospective on their home page We're so happy to see the Wii bringing the PC Engine back into the limelight. It brought us a lot of games that deserve a second look, and deserve to be played by a new audience. Please, tip your hat to NEC and Hudson's masterpiece. Go check out the first part of the article, and then check out some Turbo games on the VC if you haven't already!
Virtually Overlooked: Ninja Spirit
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.This is the second time we've ended up following a theme from week to week in these features-- in this case, we wanted to talk about Ninja Spirit for the Turbografx-16, and didn't remember until we started researching that, like last week's Photograph Boy, Ninja Spirit was developed by IREM.The best way to describe Ninja Spirit for people familiar with Virtual Console games is "The Legend of Kage, but good." And we say that as fans of Kage.
For the authentic Virtual Console experience: old Sears catalogs
Now for a reminder of what gaming looked like when the Virtual Console was a collection of actual consoles: these scans of old Sears Roebuck catalogs almost have us printing them out, circling the TurboDuo, and sending the page to our parents just in case they still need any Christmas shopping ideas for Christmas 1992.These catalogs looked cheesy to us back then too, but there's really a magic about them that is lost in game retail materials these days. Maybe it's just because the early 16-bit "system wars" were one of the most amazing periods in gaming history. Which side did you take in Genesis vs. Turbografx-16?[Via NeoGAF]
Capcom Puzzle World releasing to the PAL crowd
In September, all you PAL puzzle fanatics out there will get a nice compilation of Capcom's finest titles, including Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Block Block, and Buster Bros. Collection (which includes Buster Bros, Super Buster Bros and Buster Buddies). Personally, I've never played any of those games beyond Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, but seeing as how I don't live across the pond, well...it doesn't really apply. The compilation will feature ad-hoc gameplay across all titles included and will also allow you to upload scores to a friend's console, along with a screenshot mode to prove that you've got what it takes to bust blocks with the rest of 'em.Now how about releasing it in America Capcom?
$3.8 billion by 2011 in game downloads for consoles
Next Generation reports that the ABI Research firm believes, via conducted study, that game downloads will grow to $3.8 billion on consoles by 2011. The piece cites that while Xbox Live already has content available via download through Marketplace, it's the PS3 and Nintendo that will come out on top in the online battle for your hard-earned simolians. The firm seems to believe that this is largely due to Nintendo and Sony's free multiplayer gaming, which would leave the user with extra cash to drop on premium content via each respective service.With the recent inclusion of Sega and TG games for the Revolution's Virtual Console, there'll be a lot of premium content available for download. While this study fails to mention how these numbers were reached, Nintendo will undoubtedly have a much more robust service to offer than its competitors.
