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Transformer Prime falls at the hands of XDA dev, rooted
'Twas just days ago that we reported upon developer uproar over the locked bootloader currently taking up residence on the ASUS Transformer Prime -- and now it looks like some of that pain has been alleviated. A tinkerer over at xda-developers has published viperMOD Primer to help you easily root -- or unroot -- your shiny new laptop-tablet hybrid. The software necessary to apply the mod is only available for Windows at the moment, although developer -viperboy- is promising a Linux version in the not-too-distant future. Go ahead, pop the hood on your Prime and take a good look around. Update: While XDA member -viperboy- created the viperMOD Primer tool, it should be noted that the NachoRoot exploit used by viperMOD was developed by TeamAndIRC. [Thanks, Gez]
PSP-playing boy falls onto train tracks, saved by a real life hero (video)
Not the best news for Sony execs to be waking up to this morning, as the company's PSP has played a starring role in an unfortunate, though thankfully innocuous, incident. A 10-year old Milanese boy was recently so absorbed by his portable's make.believe world that he forgot the real one around him had boundaries with bright lines painted around them. A moment later the young gamer found himself next to the train tracks a few feet below the platform designed for human occupation, though he wasn't there long as an off-duty policeman by the name of Alessandro Micalizzi quickly leapt down and lifted him to safety. See it on video below and feel free to draw your own conclusions about your gaming habits.
Noby Noby Boy demoed at Apple Store in Japan
This one might require a little patience to watch, but those interested will be rewarded well, I think. The footage above is from an Apple Store in Toyko's Ginza shopping district, where none other than Keita Takahashi showed up to demo his latest iPhone game. Who's Keito Takahashi? He's the gaming auteur behind Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy, two of the weirdest yet most fascinating games of the last decade or so, and he's bringing Noby Noby Boy to the iPhone. Unfortunately, the above demo is in Japanese, but you can see what kinds of thinking is going into the game. It looks like he's completely revamping the game as a top-down physics-based version of the already very strange PS3 version. We would provide you with some more explanation, but it probably won't make things any clearer: the object of the game is to stretch out a little creature named BOY, and at the end of the level, your stretched length adds up with all the other players of the game online to another creature called GIRL, who is currently reaching out into the solar system. Told you it wouldn't help. Nevertheless, it's pretty fascinating just to watch the four videos (start here) and see what weirdness transpires in the video -- there are some interesting touchscreen controls, and lots of quick physics on the items bouncing around the iPhone's screen. It's not that great as an actual game preview, but that might not matter much anyway: Takahashi said a while back that whenever this weird monstrosity does release on Apple's handheld, "price-wise might be like free." We can't wait to see it. [via Panic]
Eight-year-old tests chips for Actel, owns an oscilloscope
Sure, you had a paper route when you were a kid; heck, we bet you were even good at it. Well listen up buddy, your fond memories of childhood success are about to be completely disintegrated by Carson Page, an eight-year-old from Austin, Texas who really works for a living... evaluating chips for Actel. The boy, who's been working with the company since he was seven, apparently has a knack for the technical side of things, so much so that the chipmaker has been using him on a regular basis to suss out bugs, test software, and generally act like a super-genius at the drop of a hat. Apparently, the interest in technology comes from his father, a tinkerer who owns an electronic design company. Mark Nagel, a field applications engineer for Actel says about the kid's work, "We would ask what he liked and didn't like about it and he could explain it on a very high-end level," adding, "It's amazing; when you talk to him it's like you're talking to a regular guy doing design." A regular guy, indeed. [Warning: read link requires subscription][Via CNET]
All the World's a Stage: It's not just about sexy butts
All the World's a Stage is a weekly column by David Bowers, investigating the explorative performance art of roleplaying in the World of Warcraft.Roleplaying the opposite sex happens. It is alluring to some, and repulsive to others -- a lot of people do it, while a lot of other people very openly proclaim (as if they know these things) that anyone who does this weird, manipulative, deceitful, and so on.People also tend to come up with various excuses for why they play a character of the opposite sex, as if they need to justify themselves according to their own gender's traditional expectations. Some men say, "if I'm going to have to stare at a characters butt for hours while I play, I'd rather it be a hot and sexy butt," while some women say, "I get all kinds of unwanted attention if I play a girl, and the only way I can get away from it is to play a boy." All that may be true in some cases, but it's hardly the whole story behind opposite-gender roleplaying.First of all, let me just say it here and now: you have every right to create whatever character you want, particularly in an actual roleplaying environment, and particularly if you intend to be faithful to the character you're creating.
Pentagon wants to make a supercomputer out of a Game Boy
The new program is called STAP-BOY (space-time adaptive processing) and the goal is to turn "any Soldier, any Marine [into] an advanced sensor platform." To do this, the military is looking to take "commercial Graphics Processor Unit (GPU) hardware and software of the type currently used for fast geometry computations in hand-held electronic games like Nintendo's GAME BOY," gifting soldiers in the field with a "technique that enhances the ability of radars to detect targets that might otherwise be obscured." Right now, this can only be done by the most advanced of supercomputers.As of now, Darpa figures it'll be ready to hand the project over to the Army by the end of 2008. Personally, we wouldn't want to be the guy in charge of using the gizmo, since we're sure we'd just play Tetris on the thing.[Via Danger Room]
Dragon Quest, Super Mario, Boy and Girl in Itadaki Street DS
Itadaki Street DS apparently didn't have enough characters to choose from-- the entire Mario and Dragon Quest casts are just too limiting, you know? Besides, nobody can relate to wacky characters like a plumber and a plumber's brother, who is also a plumber. Square Enix has nicely included some characters who will do less to draw players' attention away from the serious business of strategic board game play: "Boy" and "Girl." They look just like we would if we were three feet tall and didn't have noses!We've got some screens of Boy and Girl, and of Itadaki Street in general, after the break. And check the link for character art and a few board layouts.
Introducing the amazing Game Boy PC
It's amazing what people are turning into computers these days, as this original Game Boy has become the case for one of the smallest Windows XP PCs we've ever seen. Complete with 2 USB ports, LAN and VGA outputs, the cartridge slot has even been turned into a Compact Flash drive. This thing is sick!Who's ready to try and cram one into a DS Lite?[Via Plastic Bamboo]
Game Boy musical teaches addict a lesson
One of the most unlikely places one would find gaming, or gaming addiction rather, would be on Broadway. Alas, that is where this story takes place, as The Game Boy, Matthew Gandolfo and Robin Rothstein's musical, focuses on Chase, a guy who finds himself deeply in love with his Game Boy. This addiction, of course, interferes with his life as the musical shows us just how his love of the handheld fuels his desire to be the best of the best.Eventually, this desire leads to a life of solitude and sadness, as Chase's adventures are documented in the video, available past the post break.[via Engadget]
Poll results: Is the Game Boy dead?
It would appear that, according to the DS Fanboy community at least, the Game Boy is officially dead. We can't remember the last GBA game we purchased or looked forward to, so we'd have to agree. This could bode well for thoseof us with the thrifty gamer's eye, however, as the GBA fades away, its games will be available in clearance bins in our local brick-and-mortar outlets and online sales. Now's the time to pick up some of those stellar GBA games we missed, wouldn't you say?
Poll: Is the Game Boy dead?
With the latest release schedule that Nintendo dished out, we all noticed a severe lack of Game Boy Advance games. So, we figured we'd ask you guys where you stand with the GBA. Could you care less or are you still actively purchasing and playing GBA games? Should the Game Boy be buried? Yes, there's no life left in that system; the DS is way better No, the Game Boy has plenty of life left in it and I want to see more games!
The DS iPod mod paves way for iBoy
First the DS gets turned into an iPod, now flickr user sirljohns has managed to transform the original Game Boy into an iPod, effectionately calling it the iBoy. The folks responsible for the DS mod provided a video, something which sirljohns did not do, so we cannot comment on which has the better functionality. However, the geek-cred that comes from lugging the OG handheld itself around is something that one cannot easily ignore. Anyone interested in doing this to their old Game Boy? Previous posts: Other mods showcased on DS Fanboy
Tiny hotness: playing the Wii on a GBA SP (update 1)
In using a special cartridge that allows a video signal to be sent to the GBA, You Tube user jackal27 rocks his Wii on the portable's tiny screen. Obviously, the practical use of such a feature is almost nonexistent, but it makes for a fun little You Tube video. Check out the video, which has been embedded past the post break.Update: me am not so English good (I omitted a word or two in the post).
A different approach to cartridge storage
When we conducted our daily perusal of poppa site Joystiq, we were intrigued by the above image. A DS cartridge case that allows one to hold up to 4 DS game cartridges and one GBA game cartridge. The case is Shogakukan's Hyper Carrying Case, available to Japanese consumers for a cool ¥480 (or roughly $4 USD). Do not be fooled by the wonderful graphic on the front of the case though. Inside there are no Mega Man games. [Via Joystiq]
Mazes of Fate 2 coming to DS
Sabarasa Entertainment has eyes for the DS apparently, as they already have begun work on a sequel to Mazes of Fate, a GBA title that released just this past week. We cannot find any reviews for the game online, having navigated the many tubes it is comprised of in search of just one score. Regardless, a sequel is coming, says Sabarasa Entertainment CEO Javier Otaegui:"We are definitely thinking of the DS, but not for porting exactly this game. We have already started pre-production work for Mazes of Fate 2 for DS."
Nintendo: the Game Boy has one more holiday left in it
Even with the DS selling with the consistency of those hotcakes people seem to love, Nintendo thinks the Game Boy has at least one holiday left in it. In speaking with Reuters, Nintendo head honcho Reggie Fils-Aime lays it all on the table, revealing that the GBA is still selling well and is a great first handheld system for young gamers."We think that Game Boy Advance certainly has at least one more holiday season left in it. For us, it continues to be a great stepping stone for five-, six-, seven-year-old consumers to have their first great handheld gaming experience and then transition right into DS. For as great a Black Friday weekend that we had on DS, we had just as good a selling season so far on Game Boy Advance."This is all confusing, making us wonder just how long of a life the handheld really has left. Reggie isn't willing to divulge anything on its future or a successor to its throne, obviously, instead leaving us to jump to our own conclusions. Considering the wild popularity of the DS, is there even a future for a new Game Boy?
September NPD sales numbers
The September NPD sales numbers have come in and the DS, once again, did favorably. Out of all consoles, DS titles had a good showing, taking up four spots. Of course, Madden took the top spot, showing that we Americans love our football. Madden NFL 07 - PS2 Saints Row - Xbox 360 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - PS2 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team - DS Madden NFL 07 - Xbox 360 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team - GBA Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - GC Madden NFL 07 - Xbox Star Fox Command - DS New Super Mario Bros. - DS NBA Live 07 - PS2 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - Xbox 360 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - Xbox Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus - PS2 Test Drive Unlimited - Xbox 360 Dead Rising - Xbox 360 Mario Hoops 3-on-3 - DS Okami - PS2 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - PS2 Madden NFL 07 - PSP We've included a listing of the top DS and GBA game only listings, available after the break.
Metal Slug on GBA no more
According to the latest issue of Famitsu, by way of DS-x2, four Metal Slug titles slated for released on the GBA have been cancelled. Metal Slug, Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug 3, and Metal Slug X have all been tossed to the garbage. No other information explaining why the titles have been cancelled is available. Could it have something to do with the upcoming release of Metal Slug Anthology?
DS releases for the week of October 23rd [update 1]
Another week comes and another assault of games are released for the DS and GBA. This week brings plenty of tasty morsels of maniacal offerings, but if you're like us, you're wondering just how you will store any more games in your already crammed case. Personally, our entire wardrobe of pants had to be changed out for cargos since we need at least 3 pockets just for our DS Lite and games. Click into the post to check out the releases and tell us which game (or games) tickles your fancy this week![Update: We added a photo image credit to 8 Bit Joystick.]
Minisite for Final Fantasy V launches
For those of you with an addiction for turn-based role-playing games and fantasies of the final sort, the Japanese minisite for Final Fantasy V has launched. Within it are such treasures as character bios, a breakdown on the game's job system, and an introduction to the game's story. With three new job classes in Gladiator, Cannoneer, and Oracle, along with a new dungeon, Final Fantasy V is one appealing GBA game.
