broken
Latest
Wii problems and solutions
Certainly, the Wii isn't having the technical issues that the Xbox 360 had at launch. Still, no batch of hardware is without defect, and scattered reports from around the country bring several issues into the harsh light of reality.The first issue, and perhaps most prevalent, is a recent WiiConnect24 update causing recurrent error codes for any and all online functionality. It only happens to a few, causing error codes 110213 and 32002 (how many errors can this thing have?). The solution? If you don't mind losing saved data (and most importantly, Virtual Console games, which are tied to a specific system), you can contact Nintendo and they'll send you a new unit within 3 to 4 business days. The other is a bit trickier; you'll have to contact Nintendo and have them send you a shipping label, with which you may send your Wii off to repair-land. This option will take at least two weeks, so it's best avoided.Another problem seems to stem not from the Wii, but from the power supply and adapter. If you have a voltmeter handy (and you should!) you can check if the adapter if properly outputting power. If you believe this is the problem, there's a handy fix-it-yourself solution: while the Gamecube power supply doesn't quite fit into the Wii, you can make it fit. Here's some advice from reader Jay:"I took a knife and bent out the plastic sides in order to get it to fit into the Wii. Make sure to put positive w/ positive and negative w/ negative, which is listed on the the back of the brick. But, if you're lazy, the flat (read: not round/circular) side goes in to side which has like and angled cut off piece. Well lo and behold, the red standby light turned on and the Wii worked! [By the way], the modded adapter sill works in the Gamecube, but you may have to tape it in to make sure it doesn't fall out."Rock on, Jay. Are you guys having any other problems, and if so, do you have some possible solutions?[Image courtesy of smashmywii.com, which, by the way, has their official video available for download.][Oh, and thanks Jay!]
Make a profit on your broken 360
Do you remember Tim's story from back in the day? Tim had some back luck with Chromehounds bricking his 360 to an unplayable lump of technology. So, he had to package it up and send it off to Microsoft ... but for a fee. Tim sent us an update and that he had to pay to get his Xbox 360 working again, stating that he "eventually got it repaired for half the normal price ($65 as opposed to $130)". See, Microsoft has a heart! Since then he's received his 360 and has been satisfied. But to Tim's surprise he received a letter from Microsoft today and attached was a check for $96.75. The letter read:Upon further review of internal repair data, it has come to our attention that the Xbox 360 console you previously paid to repair is qualified for a free out of warranty repair. Attached is a check to reimburse you for this matter. We apologize for any inconvenience.Wow, what a nice gesture! But let's do some quick math. Tim paid $65 to repair his Xbox back in the day and today received a check for over $95 ... do a little subtracting and ... that's a $30 profit! Tim, congrats on screwing corporate America over, they deserve it sometimes. Check out Tim's check after the jump.[Thanks, Tim]
Smash that PS3, HIT IT!
For everyone who has waited in line for hours, for those who have saved up all year (and part of last), for all of you in the fanboy realm who dislike Sony and its Playstation 3 ... I present to you Smash my PS3. Not only do they purchase an uber rare PS3, but they smash it into little bits with a sledgehammer in front of Best Buy as those who are waiting in line look on in horror. Revenge or just taunting aggression? I want to believe it's an Xbox 360 Fanboy with a vendetta to settle. Video after the break.[Thanks, BklynKid]
Xbox 360 in car accident, but lives!
Over on the official Xbox forums, ZiKrOnIx posted his very own personal story of tragedy. You see, poor ZiKrOnIx got in a car accident which is bad enough, but the real tragic part is that his ... gasp ... Xbox 360 was involved too. The curvaceous gaming console was thrown from his car, ran over, hard drive cracked, power brick thrown, and faceplate crushed. And the end result? He took his battered 360 home, fired it up, and was greeted by the friendly glow of the dashboard. Yup, it's still working even after all the brutality it endured. If you have any Xbox 360 abuse stories, please tell your story below. And if you're the sick and twisted type, go check out the horrific pics after the jump.[Via Digg]
iTunes controls for Mac not working as intended
If you're running WoW on a Mac and trying to listen to iTunes while playing, you've probably hit the same problem Timi over on Kirin Tor has: the controls ain't just workin' quite right.Sure, crossrealm BGs are cool, but for a few people, ingame iTunes controls were an even more awaited feature. The dev team didn't get it exactly right, however-- Tigerclaw tries to explain why over on the forums, but I couldn't get much farther than "a Plan-B version was shipped using 'osascript'... to solve the blocking/deadlock issue" before I gave up and reached the same conclusion you probably will: Blizzard shipped something out that didn't work the way they wanted it to (that snickering you're hearing right now is people who played Hunters right after WoW's release, when the class wasn't even close to done).Even if it isn't working right, however, it still seems to be working, as Timi finds a solution after a little tweaking. Tigerclaw, of course, promises the next major patch will bring relief (have we heard that before?), but if you want help, you can probably find it on the support forums. Meanwhile, Rollak offers us another program that does something even Blizzard hasn't done yet-- control iTunes while playing WoW in Windows. Pretty slick-- maybe that's the guy Blizz should hired to implement this feature next patch.
Broken Saints creator discusses Wii
Brooke Burgess, the individual behind Broken Saints, recently took part in an audio interview with gaming site Cubed3. The obvious question came up regarding a Wii version of the game and how far along in development it is and like a champ, Brooke implied that a version of the game will be making its way to the console. "I can't confirm much. The reason is I'm under a series of NDAs, which will tell you something!"For those of you looking to bypass the login process, go here and right-click, save as on the link.[Via NeoGAF]
AOL breaks Adium betas
If you're a user of the recent Adium 1.0 beta releases, and you've been having issues connecting to AIM, you're not alone. According to reports in the official IRC channel and from developers, AOL did something to change the connection protocol, specifically involving the new joscar connection protocol, connection rate limiting, and buddy icon requests. Users experiencing problems have three options: 1. Take a break! Enjoy your newly found freedom from the constant barrage of instant messages. 2. Use a web-based IM service such as meebo.3. Replace your Adium beta with the older .89.1 build.Note: AOL responds to the rapid connections this problem causes by locking out your account for a few minutes. The more you try and connect while you're locked out, the longer the lock stays.
Broken Saints trailer from Comic-Con
A trailer has popped up on You Tube showing the trailer that was unveiled during the recent comics convention known as Comic-Con in San Diego. Some of the video's segments look like in-game footage and overall the trailer shows some very inspired artistic styles, so color us interested in Broken Saints: The Game. The video might be considered NSFW for a short clip of a naked lady from a distant view, so keep that in mind before clicking on to watch the video embedded in the second half of this post.[Via Codename Revolution]
Possible fix for the iPod 'click of death'
JC at Mac Geekery has come across a potential solution to the iPod hard drive's 'click of death' that many owners will likely experience at some point or another (After all it's a hard drive and you walk/run/snowboard around with it all day. It has to throw in the towel some day).After hurling a dead 4G iPod off a 3rd story balcony to test an iPod case, JC discovered that his iPod was suddenly working again - but only for an hour at a time or so. This odd turn of events prompted him to investigate by opening up his iPod, in which case he discovered that his click of death (not necessarily everyone's) was a result of nothing more than an unseated hard drive cable. After putting everything back in its place, JC's 4G iPod is back on top and jamming again.Check out JC's post for more details, but just in case you're in a similar boat, remember: I'm pretty sure opening your iPod is like tossing your warranty out the window and then running it over repeatedly with an SUV, so attempt this stuff at your own risk. If your warranty has already r-u-n-n-o-f-t, however, then you don't have much to lose.[thanks William!]
A postmortem on Accordion Hero (with a little info on Guitar Hero, too)
Just in case you missed the Guitar Hero parody Accordion Hero reported here on Joystiq a week or two back, Gamasutra has now posted a tongue-in-cheek postmortem on the squeezebox simulator. It's cheeky.You'll learn not only "that accordion players get all the girls" (with female players, of course, getting all the guys), but you'll also get a handle on some detailed developer data such as the number of accordions broken during development (none) and the number set on fire during the same period of time (twenty-three).
BrokenPod.com Will Buy Your Broken iPod
Got a broken iPod and don't know what to do with it? You could sell it on eBay and hope for the best, or pay to have it repaired. Or you could sell it to Brokenpod.com, a clearinghouse that'll buy your broken iPod in almost any condition. Dead HD? Smashed screen? Click wheel that won't turn? No problem. Did your iPod attempt suicide by jumping into your toilet? No problem.I imagine what Brokenpod.com does is strip the broken iPods for parts and then reassembles broken iPods into working iPods. Even if you get only a little bit of money for your broken iPod, it's better than filling the landfill.We've not tried Brokenpod.com as a service and would be interested in any feedback from readers. I believe this is a new company/service and a quick search turns up very little about the company. As always, caveat emptor.Update: Their website seems to have gone dark. No idea why. Perhaps they also receieved a letter from Apple Legal about the use of "Pod" in their name.
