Revolution -- Engadget

Eco Media Revolution keeps the wind-up PMP alive

by Darren Murph posted Sep 24th 2008 at 10:15AM

Just like gasoline-powered automobiles, the Li-ion-powered DAP is a fading gem. Okay, so maybe that's grossly inaccurate, but at least it gives us a warm fuzzy feeling to think that Trevor Baylis' Eco Media Player Revolution has a ~~sizable~~ budding fan base. The follow-up to the smashing Ecodigital wind-up PMP takes on a glossy black motif and features 4GB of built-in storage space, an SD card slot for capacity expansion, an FM tuner and support for a whole litany of audio / video formats. Best of all, you can connect your dead mobile to this thing, give it a few cranks, and boom -- your cellie now has enough juice to make one very urgent call for more lunch money. Sure justifies the £129.99 ($241) asking price, huh?

[Via SmartPlanet]

Future Retro's Revolution synthesizer sports circular layout

by Darren Murph posted Feb 25th 2008 at 5:33AM

While certainly not the most bizarre (nor elaborate) musical apparatus we've seen, Future Retro's intriguingly designed Revolution synthesizer still manages to stand out. Apparently, its creators firmly believe that "music is cyclic," and it's definitely practicing what it preaches on said device. The analog monophonic synthesizer is contained in a rugged aluminum chassis and is laid out in a way that makes "dividing a measure of music into equal parts" much easier -- visually, at least. 'Course, this bugger will put a $750 dent in your wallet, but it is shipping now for those simply enamored with the design.

[Via BornRich]

Riddell starts shipping concussion-monitoring football helmets

by Nilay Patel posted Dec 18th 2007 at 8:23PM

We've seen a couple helmet systems that monitor impacts -- including prototype football helmets -- but Riddell is bringing the tech to market with the Revolution IQ HITS (Head Impact Telemetry System) helmet, which contains a system of sensors that stores data about the last 100 impacts, which can later be wirelessly transmitted to a laptop for analysis. Up to six $999 helmets can be linked to each $299 HITS receiver, and players and trainers can access data via a web app for later evaluation. The helmet is shipping now, and apparently the University of Missouri and several other NCAA schools have already placed orders.

[Via Technology Review]

G-Tech kicks out Bluetooth-enabled iPod backpack

by Darren Murph posted Jan 8th 2007 at 7:15PM

Similar to another company we're familiar with, G-Tech has hit it big by slapping iPod-compatibility onto an otherwise drab offering, and now the company has upped the ante by tossing in Bluetooth. Unveiled at CES, the self-proclaimed Next-Generation Messenger Bags with Bluetooth feature the same Eleksen ElekTex smart fabric controls right on the strap, but these controls now control the track / volume functions of your dock-connecting iPod as well as the volume / mute of your phone. The Bluetooth functionality simply allows users to easily mute their iPod to take an incoming call, and the built-in speaker can also pump out the jams (rather meekly, we assume) with any audio device that connects via a 3.5-millimeter cable. There's no word on price or availability, but if you're really dead set on owning an iPod-controlling pack, might we suggest one that doesn't look like an early '90s experiment gone awry?

[Via Textually]

Wii pricing: $250 or less

by Marc Perton posted May 25th 2006 at 8:55AM

There's been a lot of speculation about how Nintendo will price the Wii, with most of it centered around some very low figures (do we hear $200; $150 -- sold, for $99!). Now, Nintendo has finally revealed the official pricing of its next-gen gaming console: under $250 in the US, and ¥25,000 in Japan. We assume that means the US price will be $249.99, and that there could be some interesting arbitrage opportunities based on exchange rates and release dates (at current rates, ¥25,000 is about $220). Nintendo also said it plans to ship over 6 million consoles by March of next year. And at a price that's now officially about half that of the cheapest PS 3, they may just be able to pull it off.

Kutaragi on PS3: it's too cheap

by Marc Perton posted May 12th 2006 at 9:13AM

Lest you thought Sony had managed to put the issue of Playstation 3 pricing behind them with defenses earlier this week by Kaz Hirai and Phil Harrison, Sony Computer Entertainment chief Ken Kutaragi has now weighed in with his verdict. Kutaragi has reportedly stated that the pricing of the PS3 is "probably too cheap," and he likens the console to a fine dining experience, saying that it's nonsense "to compare the charge for dinner at the company cafeteria with dinner at a fine restaurant." Based on what he calls the PS3's "amazing experience," he says "we believe price is not a problem." Meanwhile, Microsoft has responded to the PS3's pricing with a suggestion that you can eat at both the cafeteria and the fine restaurant by picking up both an Xbox 360 and a Wii. As Xbox head Peter Moore told Reuters, it makes good economic sense to "buy an Xbox and ... buy a Wii ... for the price of one PS3." Of course, if you're really hardcore and well-heeled, you'll pick up both of those, and grab a PS3 for dessert.

Read: Kutaragi
Read: Moore

Nintendo "Zapper Style" shell for Wii Remote

by Marc Perton posted May 10th 2006 at 4:00PM

Looks like Nintendo didn't show us everything they're working on for the Wii yesterday. Safely ensconced under glass in Nintendo's booth is this little toy, a prototype "Zapper Style" shell for the Wii Remote. Needless to say, something like this will go a long way to adding some verisimilitude to certain games, or, as the Nintendo brass like to say, it's all about the feeling. Wonder if there's any recoil on this thing?

Nintendo shows off Wii Remote and Classic Controller

by Marc Perton posted May 9th 2006 at 1:31PM

If there was one highlight of Nintendo's press conference earlier today, it was the Wii Remote. While Sony showed off what games on the PS3 would look like, Nintendo's focus was on what they would feel like. So, it's not surprising that, from the moment a tux-clad Shigeru Miyamoto bounded onstage and conducted a virtual orchestra using the remote, to a climactic tennis game, the unique Wii controller was the centerpiece of the show. So, what did we learn about the Wii Remote today that we didn't already know? For one thing, Nintendo confirmed that the remote does indeed include a speaker, which is used mainly to provide ambient sound connected to actions: fire an arrow, and you'll hear the bowstring being pulled right in your hand. There's also a microphone for voice-controlled gaming. The Wii Remote also includes motion sensors in both the nunchuk and the trigger controller, allowing both left and right hands to act independently and direct onscreen actions. While using the Remote may not be as intuitive and simple as Nintendo's execs want us to believe, one thing's certain: it definitely looks like a fun way to play golf. Or baseball. Or tennis. Or the drums. Or drive a car, truck or plane. Nintendo also had an answer for anyone who isn't quite ready for the Wii Remote: the Wii Classic Controller. We'll stick with the Wiimote for now, but will pick off one of these for when we just have to kick it old skool.

Nintendo Wii launch: 4th quarter, for less then $500

by Marc Perton posted May 9th 2006 at 1:13PM

We were really hoping for an official announcement of the Wii's launch date and price, but the company is continuing to withhold those key details. As Reggie Fils-Aime put it today, "we think it's best to keep those details quiet a little longer." The only hint of a launch date and pricing: Reggie's declaration that "Wii will give you more fun for less money and you will be playing Wii in the fourth quarter of 2006." By that, we can assume the Wii will certainly be less than the $500 price tag Sony's dangling for the Playstation 3. But that $250 price point we've been seeing lately will just have to remain in the rumor mill for now.

TIME gets hands-on with the Nintendo Wii

by Evan Blass posted May 8th 2006 at 3:43PM

We knew we should have taken that call from Miyamoto the other day, but our loss was TIME magazine's gain, because the Mario and Zelda creator was looking for someone to, wouldn't you know it, take the upcoming Wii for a little spin. TIME's five page article is so full of interesting deets that we barely have room to scratch the surface here, but suffice it to say that Lev Grossman not only reports on his hands-on experiences with a number of games, he's also able to get inside Nintendo's head, if you will, and tease out a bit of the methodology behind what some hardcore gamers perceive as the company's madness (Wii? those controllers? Nintendogs?). As for the actual gaming, Grossman got to play some tennis (the sensors even allow you to add spin), slay some dragons (brandishing the controller like a sword in Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess), and bring those wacky Warioware minigames into the third dimension (think: fishing, weight lifting, cooking, etc.). Geez, this thing sounds like so much fun that we may just skip the Sony keynote this afternoon and see if the folks from Nintendo will let us play with their goodies.

The Pipeline: Pundits go Wii!

by Marc Perton posted Apr 30th 2006 at 11:24AM

Welcome back to The Pipeline, a weekly feature where we dig through the mainstream media and see what the pundits, prognosticators and and pencil pushers have been discussing over the past week.

This week, the media was all over Nintendo's announcement that the gaming console formerly codenamed Revolution would henceforth be known as Wii. And, not surprisingly, most of the mainstream journos covering the story concurred with our assessment that the name somehow isn't going to wiin Niintendo any kudos. "Is Nintendo being desperately silly to attract attention, or is it just desperately short of clue?" asked the Guardian, while the Financial Times headlined its article "Wii aren't too sure about this." However, Nintendo did have at least one defender, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, who pointed out that "N-Gage and Gizmondo are cool names" that didn't help those products win many fans. "Consumers relate to the coolness of the product, not the name." Wii'll see, Michael, Wii'll see.

Of course, the Wii announcement wasn't the only story in the news this week, and the mainstream press managed to crank out a few other interesting nuggets. USA Today took a look at the Pioneer Inno, and declared it "a winner," while The New York Times looked at the growing number of home docking systems for cellphones. Meanwhile, Forbes looked at another way to use cellphones at home, checking out the market for UMA-enabled handsets. Our favorite media hit this week, though, came from the Washington Post, which took an in-depth look at the DDR-as-exercise phenom, with the paper's reporter declaring, "Hello, my name is Caroline, and I'm addicted to 'Dance Dance Revolution.'" Hey, at least she's not addicted to the Wii.

Wii know, wii feel the same way

by Paul Miller posted Apr 27th 2006 at 7:32PM

Now that wii've (sorry, wii'll stop) had a few hours to let it all sink in, Nintendo's new "Wii" moniker for their next gen console still isn't ringing true. Sure, we get that whole community-ish thing they're going for, and we're happy for our friend, the letter "i," which has had quite a few successes in the consumer electronics industry, including a slew of popular Apple products and a double role in Intel's Viiv platform, but we're just not feeling "Wii." Turns out we're not the only ones, and between the comments on our Wii post earlier, Joystiq's informal poll, and the insightful commentary of our editorial staff...

Ryan: "Eh, I thought the iPod was a pretty stupid name too. We'll just have to wait and see."
Evan: "Just let me know when I can emulate the console on my phone."
Marc: "Why?"
Paul: "What do you want? Leave me alone! Can't you see I'm talking to Zelda right now?"
Ross: "Sometimes, even hardcore gamers need to stop and take a Wii."

...it's not looking like a home run for Nintendo marketing. Of course, the DS didn't get a lot of love at first, and in that case Nintendo clearly demonstrated that it's all about what you do with it. But with proponents of the console already facing an uphill battle in evangelizing the strange control scheme, Nintendo sure isn't helping out much.

Read - Game Informer interviews N's Matt Atwood
Read - Joystiq's Wii poll
Read - Joystiq's first impressions
Read - Revolution Fanboy
Read - Go Nintendo
Read - GameSpot
Read - IGN
Read - 1UP
Read - Straight from the horse's mouth

Nintendo Wii -- the Revolution gets a real name

by Ryan Block posted Apr 27th 2006 at 12:24PM

Seems like we've been calling this thing the Revolution for, well, forever. Well, we just got word over the wires that -- well ahead of any expected E3 announcements -- Nintendo announced the officially truly true name for the Revolution: the Nintendo Wii (like "we"). Nope, stop calling it the Revolution, it's not the Go, either. They're going for that whole gaming plurality thing that they've been talking about, bringing together communities who love to play, old school gamers, casual gamers, today's more evolved gamers: "It's about Wii, and together Wii will change everything." Ooook, guys, whatever you say. And yeah, we'll spare you all the puerile jokes.

Nintendo Revolution to have SD slot and USB for external drives

by Ryan Block posted Apr 3rd 2006 at 12:01AM

If, like us, you were curious as to how Nintendo's expectedly hard drive-free Revolution was going to be able to compete with Sony's and Microsoft's drive-toting next-gen consoles, let your fears be allayed. In a recent CNN Money interview with Iwata-san, the N-man divulged that the Rev would come with an SD slot (which we'd heard) to complement its 512MB internal flash memory (for, you know, downloading games n' stuff), but that it'd also have USB ports for external storage solutions, like flash drives and hard drives. That's not going to be a huge boon if the Rev isn't going to have crazy media features like the 360 has and the PS3 is expected to, but it's still nice to know we're not gonna be left in the lurch on the storage thing.

[Via Joystiq and PSFK]

Engadget Podcast 073 - 03.28.06

by Randall Bennett posted Mar 28th 2006 at 2:45PM

The Podcast is back! We've been out of the action for a couple of weeks but we aren't going anywhere -- except to Vegas next week for CTIA. But we're catching up this week on all the video game news and rumors surrounding the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution (or should we say Go?), the first new TiVo we've seen in, well, a while, and Microsoft's latest delay for Vista, which puts us squarely back to January 2007. We also decided to snag a couple of those emails you've been sending in and give 'em some air time, so listen in to the latest ep, we'll do our best to make sure it's worth your wait.

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Hosts
Peter Rojas and Ryan Block

Producer
Randall Bennett

Music
J J J - 'Suits' in Japan

Format
45:45, 20.9 MB, MP3

Program
01:50 - Vista delayed (for consumers) till early 2007
08:42 - Dell buying Alienware for undisclosed price
13:35 - Nintendo Revolution = Nintendo GO?
18:30 - Sony confirms PS3 controller redesign
22:32 - Dual tuner TiVo pic spotted?
25:27 - Cablevision to rollout remote-storge DVR service
31:58 - Palm's 10th anniversary
35:30 - Listener email