collectibles
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WowWee's AR gaming toys for iOS look like fun
WowWee is beginning to see the value in connected toys that work with the iPhone and iPad. The toy maker is working on a line of toys that include an iOS app and a collectable that interacts the phone or tablet. One game is a zombie invasion that has four collectibles to go along with an iPad game. The figures are conductive, so you use them to control the player on your screen. Another game includes a small airplane model that you fly by attaching it to your phone. Each set will retail for $9.99 and goon sale in April of next year. It's an intriguing concept, but one that'll probably appeal to adults more than kids. Kids may enjoy the games, but the collectibles, especially the foam airplane, would probably last no more than a few days in the hands of your average ten-year-old. I do think, though, this is beginning of a new kind of toy that mixes physical toys with digital entertainment. It's almost the best of both worlds- your child can practice their fine motor skills, while, at the same time, improve their computing skills.
Inside the Apple t-shirt collector world
The Wall Street Journal has a short but interesting piece on the world of Apple t-shirt collecting. There are two types of Apple t-shirts. The first are those shirts that the general public have access to via giveaways at Apple retail stores, such as the t-shirts at an opening of a new Apple Store. The second type are t-shirts that are only available to Apple employees -- often at the retail level. As the WSJ article points out, Apple strictly forbids employees from selling, donating, or giving away the shirts. However, that's doesn't stop them from showing up on eBay from time to time. I myself have a small collection of shirts from my years at Apple. You can check a few of them out in the gallery below. %Gallery-141649%
White Nokia N9 descends from Lintukoto, goes on sale in Finland
Espoo isn't making it any easier to say goodbye to MeeGo's last dance with polycarbonate. Nokia's alluring and elusive N9 in-snow-white-dress appears to now be on sale... in Finland. Web retailer Verkkokauppa has the handset listed on its site for 630€ -- that's $840 for you import types. Memento hunters throughout Europe can buy what this Finnish site's selling or just sit tight and wait for the color variant to hit their respective markets this December. But if patience isn't at the top of your priority list, we'd suggest you hit up the source below with some plastic in hand.
That rarest of creatures, the white Nokia N9, should appear before Christmas
A poet would say it's like a piece of ivory: both beautiful and sad. Meanwhile, Nokia's official blog says the white N9 is coming to the UK before the end of the year with a rarefied 64GB of on-board storage. We have no idea as to the price, but we suspect dedicated MeeGo memento hunters will hardly care. Update: Oh hell, sorry Britannia. We actually meant to say it's coming to all those (not very many) countries where the N9 is already available. Nokia confirmed to us today that it's on target to supply white N9s to those markets in December. Everyone else will have to get it via a price-inflated import. Apologies for the bad geography.
'UbiCollectibles' shop offers exclusive Assassin's Creed, Might & Magic swag
For die-hard fans of Ubisoft's major franchises, the company offers a new way to own physical totems of those fandoms. It just launched a line of exclusive "UbiCollectibles" available exclusively through its online shop (and, at the moment, exclusively in Europe). For those of us outside of Europe who get redirected out of that region's online shop, Ubiworkshop posted images of two of the first offerings: an Assassin's Creed Brotherhood "Ezio's Fury" statue, limited to 2,000 units, that depicts Ezio furiously skipping on some broken columns, and a statue of Might & Magic Heroes VI's Archangel Michael, limited to 500. The shop will also sell Ghost Recon "Production Team" t-shirts, as seen on ... the Ghost Recon production team at E3.%Gallery-127589%
Rotobot mice: the best use of typewriter keys since the typewriter
These fully-functional wireless Rotobot mice from designer Aaron Ristau will make you look seriously cultivated when people drop by your apartment. In our eyes, that means they officially join the esteemed ranks of typewriter-themed Works of Art, but unfortunately it also means they cost $180 -- which might be hard to stomach when you realize that each one is just a non-ergonomically modded $25 Logitech M305. Hey-ho, everybody needs at least one peripheral to be their geeky equivalent to good cutlery. And no, that CSR Elite in the cupboard doesn't count.
DC Unlimited releases Killzone 3 action figure line
If a Killzone enthusiast wanted to recreate the action of his or her beloved shooter franchise on the carpeted floor of their living room, their only option used to be the one and only action figure that came in the Killzone 3 Helghast Edition. We suppose they could have also strapped a tiny gas mask on a Barbie and used their imagination as well -- thankfully, that kind of roleplaying is no longer necessary: PlayStation Blog has announced that a line of two new figures have arrived from DC Unlimited. The intricately decorated and articulated figures are modeled after the Helghast Assault Infantry and Helghast Sniper, and are pictured above. If you like what you see, you can grab the toys at your local toy retailer -- or on Amazon, which is kind of like a universally local toy retailer.
Rise and Shiny recap: Monster Forest
Monster Forest, brought to us by Asiasoft, is a deceptive little game. First of all, it feels so freshly translated that there are still bits of foreign language clinging to quest text and character speech. But the sheer amount of little games and systems involved makes me feel like I am revisiting Mabinogi for the first time. If you took a collectible pet game, a farming system, turn-based combat, a stock market, and several other major systems and wrapped them in a cartoony skin, you would get Monster Forest. Heck, we did get Monster Forest. Also, the GMs from Asiasoft are insane. Now, I am fully aware of the cultural differences between West and East. I respect them and always remember to avoid applying any stereotypes to any one group. But let's face it, North American game developers would never ask their GMs to dress up like the person in this video to film a game guide. It just wouldn't happen, unless the North American crew was attempting to be silly. To the lady in the video, this is just another day at the office. Anyway, let's find out some more details -- click past the cut!
Rare official Apple playing cards up for auction on eBay
If your Apple collectibles case has an empty slot in it for something new, you may just want to check out these very rare Apple Computer Playing Cards up for auction on eBay. Brought to our attention by MacStories, this official Apple-branded set of OS 7 icon playing cards was purchased at an Apple campus store back in 1997 and is still in brand-new and unused condition. The cards come as a full deck of 52 cards plus two Jokers, and the icons are of OS 7 Bombs, Clocks, Mac Face and Trash Cans rather than the standard card illustrations of clubs, hearts, diamonds and spades. Bidding is now up to £205 with six days remaining in the auction. These sets were available only to Apple employees back in the day, so those of you looking for a rare Apple collectible may want to check them out. If £205 (and still climbing) seems like a little much dough to pull out of your wallet right now for these Apple cards, maybe something like a collectible iPad Cutting Board for US$19.95 is more your speed. Better yet, for the absolute low price of $0.00, Apple fans who are also playing card fanatics may want to check out Full Deck Solitaire, reviewed earlier today here on TUAW. [via MacStories and The Next Web]
Payonetta: Two grand for a pre-assembled Bayonetta model
Want a fantastic-looking Bayonetta figure but lack model-making skills? Kyoto's Mr. Big is happy to sell you a completed resin "garage kit" of the Platinum Games heroine for ¥180,000 ($2,186). Too rich for your blood? Good news: You can buy the unfinished kit by itself for only $558 in Japan.
Real-life Stacking dolls go on sale, promptly sell out
The dolls from Double Fine's upcoming Stacking title have been made real and were -- at least for a short time -- available for sale on the developer's site. Made in Russia, the real-life Matryoshka dolls were produced only in limited quantities and, as of this writing, are sold out. So, if you really wanted these, you'll likely have to start monitoring eBay. A least your predicament means that Double Fine picked up some extra cash. Tim Schafer himself says he hopes Costume Quest vinyls may appear sooner or later, to compliment the Eddie Riggs figure already available.
Zone of the Enders action figure available in Japan this April
You and Hideo Kojima may both want another Zone of the Enders game, but until Konami approves the next story, you'll have to settle for the next best thing: Making up your own with this premium Revoltech Zone of the Enders action figure. Yes, Jehuty has been immortalized in plastic, and will be available in Japan on April 15 for 2,850 yen (about $35). We'll even give you a basic ZoE 3 plotline: When a squadron of green Army Men descend on the wartorn world of Antilia, it's up to Jehuty and his new friend Barbie (with her trusty mount Battle Cat) to defend the secrets of the Orbital Frame.
Monday Night Combat statues are looking to capture your Money Ball
The problem with reality is that you can't take a PitGirl or Assassin with you everywhere you go. Actually, you probably could, but that'd technically be kidnapping. Let's try that again: The problem with reality is that you can't lock your own PitGirl or Assassin in a room for you to ogle at your convenience. Okay, we're really bad at this. Clean slate: Uber Entertainment is finally offering figurines based on characters in its XBLA game, Monday Night Combat. $69.99 will net you a nine inch tall statue of either PitGirl, Assault or Assasin. The Tank is a bit taller at 10 inches and a bit pricier at $89.99.
Massive Mario collection will make your inner 5-year-old jealous
Remember when you were 5, and you went to McDonald's one day with your parents and they got you the Happy Meal with the windup Luigi toy in it? Remember how ecstatic you were that you had a real version of Mario's bro in a plastic bag along with your cheeseburger and fries, and remember how you went home and played with it all day until it stopped winding and you completely forgot about it until you had to clean out your desk drawer for college? Well, 11-year-old Oscar Bown has that times a thousand. The kid's collected over 1,000 bits and pieces of Mario-related paraphernalia, and you can see most of them in a video after the break. He's got everything, from Mario Monopoly to Mario band-aids to pretty much every single vehicle toy from Mario Kart. Just saying: Whenever he eventually leaves for college, that desk drawer is going to be pretty full.
More details on the Final Fantasy XIV collector's edition
We've been treated to a deluge of information about Final Fantasy XIV over the past couple of days, which coincides nicely with the fact that the collector's edition releases in just a little over a month. The obvious bonus to that special edition, of course, is the fact that it releases a week before the standard edition. But there's more inside the box than just an early game disc, and Eorzeapedia has had the chance to take a look closer at some of the contents. The Square-Enix security token included in the box certainly goes a long way to alleviating the price of entry, as it normally costs $10 alone and will work with both Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI (indeed, having both on the same account can provide distinct advantages). Also worth noting are the special documents mailed to players for characters they create -- a physical commemoration of your character, with designs unique to each home nation. Combine that with the travel journal full of concept art, and there are plenty of bonuses even without the early release. (Not that said release isn't excellent.)
Prezanting the 1/4 scale Twilight Princess Zant statue
Known for such prized collectibles as its Zero Suit Samus statue, First 4 Figures has turned its attention to the Zelda franchise once more. Twilight Princess, to be exact, and its big bad guy, Zant. 750 of the 21-inch statues are being made, priced at $330. Keep reading for a full-sized photo.
Two great Okami convention collectibles coming soon
There are not one but two brilliant Okami-related items in this post, and we tossed and turned all last night about which one we should put pre-break, and which one we should put after. In the end, we flipped a coin, and this amazing Okami polystone statue won. It features a terrific sculpture of everyone's favorite Shinto deity, Amaterasu, and will be available starting at the 2010 International Tokyo Toy Show for 15,540 yen. That's about US$176, so it's not cheap -- but at about 8" across and about 5" tall, it's a nice chunk of sculpted form. We're still not sure we made the right decision though -- the second piece of collectible Okami gear will be found at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, and also after the break.
Gaming Heads to create lineup of collectibles based on Valve properties
It's as if millions of wallets cried out and were suddenly silenced, stripped of their precious cash money and left hollowed out and dead. We imagine that ringing in our ears has something to do with Valve and Gaming Heads, who just inked a deal to produce a line-up of collectibles based on hit Valve franchises. Pictured above is The Heavy, which will be the first in its Team Fortress 2 series -- available in Red and Blue varieties, of course. Gaming Heads will also produce statues based on other popular Valve properties, such as Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead 2. And if some decorative shelf or desk items aren't really your thing, there's the promise of "life-sized props," meaning there's a possibility you could actually own a Portal gun without having to make it yourself sometime in the future. Just imagine: you'll be the hit of the Halloween party! The Heavy will be available for pre-order on Monday, May 3. [Via Team Fortress 2 Blog]
n00bz now pwnable... err, purchasable from Blizzard store
Originally previewed at BlizzCon 2009, the new collectible n00bz figures are now in the Blizzard online store. These are small, customizable action figures that are available in either a blank version or in a variety of pre-painted models from murlocs to ghouls and even Ragnaros himself. Blizzard has said they'll slowly be releasing more of these little guys as time goes on and has already offered a limited-edition n00b this past BlizzCon of Raynor from StarCraft. So, check out the n00bz and send us your pictures of them in strange places, or grab some blank n00bz and paint up your own. If you're looking for some ideas, here is a gallery of some custom n00bz that were on display at BlizzCon this past year. %Gallery-70857%
Canon captures your coffee in a 70-200mm telephoto lens
OK, not really, but Canon was indeed giving out these novelty coffee mugs -- in the shape of an EF70-200mm f/4L USM lens -- at the Winter Olympic's press center, and here's Microsoft's Josh Weisberg (Director of Rich Media Group) showing off his swag to the whole world. Yes, we're just a bit envious. So anyone got a spare Canon L-Series lens that we can tamper with? Or maybe that big-daddy Sigma lens if you're game with sharing coffee?
