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A year of Wii: The PAL verdict
Being a devotee of Nintendo in a PAL region is probably a bit like marriage (I'd urge you to stick with me here, because I've thought this analogy through for at least four minutes). For years, you slog away at the relationship, mildly irritated by the other person's foibles and imperfections, like that weird bumpy mole on their back, or how they noisily slurp soup, or how they insist on playing nothing but Keane during long car journeys.Then every so often, you have your disputes, arguing about the merits of Magnolia Eggshell and Cream Eggshell in the aisle of Lowe's. And sometimes, these disagreements might build up to something bigger in your mind, begin to fester, and perhaps you occasionally think, "Is this it? Is this the rest of my life?" But then, something strange happens -- every so often, the other person does something really fantastic, something that reminds you exactly why you got hitched in the first place, and why you settled on this individual as your soul mate. And suddenly, everything is well with the world, or at least until it's soup night again.The point of this long-winded comparison being: as a gamer in the UK, that pretty much sums up my relationship with Nintendo. For years now, PAL region gamers have often been treated fairly shabbily by Nintendo. I'll freely admit it doesn't take much too rile us -- we hardcore types are notoriously tough to please -- though Nintendo doesn't always help itself. Its insistence that we receive games or hardware late, or not at all, or borked ... well it's just plain infuriating is what it is. The prices, as well, leave a lot to be desired. And totally rad free gifts? Yea, forget about those.
Keepin' it real fake, Part LXXXVI: iPod nano rip-off does double duty as camera
You can tell the Chinese PMP knock-off factories are getting a little bored. They're starting to mutate their typically staid, blatant thefts into something just a little bit more exciting. Enter the UE-Technology UE-M4088, a totally fresh new entry that rips off both the new iPod nano, and a generic digital camera. Of course, it has all your favorite Chinese PMP features, like a 2.4-inch LCD display, FM radio, playback of MPEG-4, ASF, MP3, WMA, WAV and MIDI files, an SD slot, and of course that 1.3-megapixel camera. The player seems to be available now, though no word on price. Finally, you can have it all... just don't let the authorities see you having it all.[Via PMPToday]
The first iPod nano clone rears its fat head
Of course, we all know that the knock-off producers in China never rest, but this new iPod nano clone you're looking at was definitely turned around in an impressively short period of time. Right now we have only this photo -- apparently taken at a Shenzhen factory for use in piquing importer's interest -- to go on, but it certainly isn't any kind of surprise that the copy-cats have already put the dirty deed in motion. Just remember guys, you're taking food off of Steve Jobs' table... which is made of diamond-studded platinum.[Via GenerationMP3, thanks BrianB]
Overzealous eBayer drops $900 for "Sony PlayStations, 3 of them"
In what's sure to be a frontrunner for the "oh snap" moment of the day (or year), a presumably frustrated, delusional, and impatient individual apparently forgot to read the fine print on his latest eBay win. While it's no secret that PlayStation 3 units have been selling for incredulous prices, snagging one for $900 probably seemed like quite the deal at the time; however, the poor sap failed to realize that he /she just committed almost one thousand dollars to purchasing three original PlayStation consoles. To make matters even worse, no games, controllers, or heartfelt sympathy was to be included, leaving the unsuspecting buyer in quite a bad predicament. No, we don't actually think (at least we hope not) that this fellow / lady went through with their purchase (although it was snatched up at the "Buy it Now" price), but if they did, we've got to look at the bright side -- that free shipping saved him / her a bundle.[Via Digg]
PSP phone becomes a reality, in cheap Chinese knock-off form
Our sister-site, Engadget, has a knack for finding weird PSP knock-offs. They found another one, which makes the oft-rumored PSP phone a reality... sort of. The V191 phone has a 1.3Mpix camera, MP3 music player, and an MP4 video player. Sounds familiar? It also has a gaming feature, which seems to readily allow illegally emulated games to play on the phone. Hmm.This sounds very cool and all, but we can't help but be discouraged by the phone's clear lack of creativity in the design department. The back of the phone features the PSP's unique metallic circle, and it also has the word "FUN" written in the PSP's font. Check out more pictures at Akihabara, where you can how this bootleg phone stole the PSP's D-Pad, and face buttons as well. Even though it's not original, it does seem pretty cool.See also:PSP phone resurfaces in design contest[Via Engadget]
Ridge Racers 2 rips you off
I once wrote about Ridge Racers 2: "Doesn't it seem like there's nothing particularly new or noteworthy about this version?" Unfortunately, my statement was a bit too accurate about the game. According to an IGN preview, it appears that the sequel is barely a sequel at all. The game features the same graphics engine and the same courses as the original launch title. Yes, there's a few new stuff: there's 10 new tracks, and two new gameplay modes. But with longer load times, is this "sequel" really worth the additional $20-30 it'll cost over the original? I'd say no. If Namco's going to rip-off gamers like that, IGN has it completely right:"There's no word on a US release. That may be for the better though."
Circuit City back compat rip-off
For the bargain price of $28.99, the smiling crooks at Circuit City will help some gullible soccer mom install "backwards compatibility" on a newly purchased Xbox 360, despite the fact back compat updates are free via Xbox Live (or by mail for those without an internet connection). On a more positive note, a call to my local store confirmed that Circuit City does not charge Downes Syndrome kids double for all Xbox 360 related purchases. At least not yet.
GRAW backlash: "1200 MS Points? Kiss my ass"
That low, droning whine you hear is the predictable response to the price of the Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter's Chapter 2 Expansion pack, now available for download on Marketplace. Here's what you get for 1200 MS Points: Continuation of the multiplayer Co-op campaign with 4 all-new missions in Chapter 2 8 revisited, relit multiplayer Adversarial maps 2 all-new game types with 1 new game mode – Team Battle 2 new camouflage patterns 4 new character customization faces 5 new weapons Holy crap! 1200 MS Points! That's 171.75 Pesos, 576.453 Thai Baht or $15 American Dollars, the most expensive downloadable content we've seen so far. I think your level of acceptance/disgust with Ubisoft's Ghost gouging depends on whether you convince yourself this content is a true expansion pack ( the kind you used to pay $20 or $30 on an old-fashioned disc) or glorified horse armour. Team Xbox's hands-on will help you make up your mind. Of course, some people over at Major Nelson's complaint repository already have. Sample quote: "1200 MS Points? Kiss my ass." How many people will be shelling out for this relatively expensive expansion? Also, can somebody tell me what the PC people are getting for free? [Thanks Andy]
