cyber-gadget
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Gachapin-ize your DS, neck
The Gachapin/Mukku line of DS accessories from CYBER Gadget is one of our favorite accessory sets, because it is an extraordinarily distinctive way to decorate your DS (if you don't mind being that guy with the goofy green DS). To our delight, CYBER Gadget has introduced more accessories based on the fuzzy costumed characters from Hirake! Ponkiki.The Gachapin x Mukku Neck Strap is pretty much exactly as you would imagine a product by that name -- a strap designed to allow kids to hang their DS systems around their necks Flavor Flav-style, with a little fuzzy Gachapin (green) or Mukku (red) head attached. The head is a teensy little zipper pouch for games![Via Famitsu]
The PSP Cyber Case 2: let's just say that we're not enthused
See that PSP case floating in our tears of ennui? What do you think it's called? If you said fat steaming turd of hyperconsumption... ding ding ding, you'd be right. Otherwise known as the overpriced pouch of fermented rat bile, this PSP sack of festering nipple sores from Cyber Gadgets costs ¥1280 or about $12.35. Ziplock baggie, 7 cents. [Via PSP Fanboy, thanks Penny]
DS Daily: Vitamin DS
CYBER Gadget recently unveiled their "Game Supple" (pronounced "suppli") line of nutritional supplements marketed at gamers. We won't ask you for your scientific opinion -- although hey, any nutritionists out there are welcome to speak up -- but we want to know: behind the lulz, do you think there's any merit here? Not necessarily to repackaging basic nutritional supplements to gamers, but to the idea of gearing your nutrition toward the kind of traits required for game performance? It seems like kind of an interesting idea, as long as you are sure to maintain a balanced diet and refrain from overdosing on riboflavin or something.Oh, and Halo 3 "Game Fuel" totally doesn't count.
Two useless accessories become one
CYBER Gadget has made significant technological strides in the field of unnecessary Wii accessories, combining two of the least helpful accessories in one package. The CYBER Smash Grip combines a Wiimote controller grip thing with a D-pad thumbstick cover, and adds (as a bonus!) a thing that makes the A button stick out more for some reason.If we were going to get some kind of controller for, uh, Smashing, we're pretty sure we'd go ahead and spend the extra for a Classic Controller instead of dropping 1,280 yen ($12.75) for this thing. Not that this thing is being marketed with Brawl in mind or anything. "Smash Grip" is just a catchy name, right?[Via GAME Watch]
A glorious throne for your controllers
Looking for the most flamboyant way possible to keep your Wiimotes, Nunchuks and a Classic Controller tidily put away? CYBER Gadget's CYBER Remocon & Nunchuk Stand may be for you -- after you throw some LEDs in there, of course. The stand features two rubber-grippy slots for Wii Remotes, flanking stands for Nunchuks, and even a slot in the back for a single Classic. It includes velcro cable ties for the connectors on the Nunchuks and Classic Controller, and even has sockets in the back to plug the controllers into as a form of cord management.It kind of looks like it should charge the controllers, doesn't it? Well, it doesn't. Unless maybe it charges them with the prestige of such a prominent display. (It doesn't.) We like the idea of keeping our stuff off the floor, however. [Via GAME Watch]
A wireless sensor bar with something extra (a wire)
We're not really in the market for a sensor bar, since ours Just Works and we've managed to conceal the little cord, but if we were interested in replacing it, we'd choose CYBER Gadget's 2Way Sensor Bar. It's the most versatile third-party sensor bar we've seen. It retails for around 2000 yen ($18).The 2Way Sensor Bar can operate on 4 AA batteries when wireless play is desired, or it can be powered by the Wii's (or any) USB connection. Too bad it doesn't have internal batteries that could be charged over USB, or it would be perfect.Unfortunately, the unobtrusive design of the original sensor bar has been replaced with a Wii-imitation white slab with some lights on it. We don't really mind the clock, because, hey, if you've got a thing sitting on top of your TV, it might as well make itself useful.[Via Famitsu]
Cyber Famulator Lite for DS bulks up to get old school
Legitimate (read: legal) Famicom support for your DS Lite may seem like a dream come true for the retro gamer, but Cyber Gadget's Cyber Famulator Lite might be a little much to ask for all but the geekiest. You have to strap on a (barely) pared down "famiclone" system onto your cute little portable, but pulling out and blowing into a dirty old Metroid cart on the go will no doubt be a privilege for some.[Via ExtremeTech]
Familator taken out for a test-Familate
We are still fascinated by this gigantic, impractical Famicom cartridge adapter. That's why we were delighted when GAME Watch picked up one of CYBER Gadget's CYBER Familator Lite adapters and tested it out, taking plenty of pictures during the process. Unsurprisingly, but still sadly, the various issues with the device make it a suboptimal method of playing Famicom games.Most notably, you can't plug a second controller in, meaning also that the Famicom microphone (which is embeded in the player 2 controller) cannot be used. Also, the system can't hook up to the Famicom Disk System. The Familator also suffers compatibility issues with a few games, including Bases Loaded.GAME Watch did a side-by-side comparison of the Familator's TV output of Xevious to the Wii's Virtual Console version of the same game, and found that the colors and the sound were inferior, even without taking into account the Wii's ability to use component and D-terminal connections. Battery life was, of course, also an issue.None of these concerns are exactly dealbreakers, but even as a novelty it would be hard to justify the expense of such an item without excellent performance.
CYBER Familator Lite: Faminow available
The CYBER Familator has been described as "... unique ..." , "neat", and "Nomad-sized" by our commenters. And now we'll finally get an opportunity to purchase this critically-acclaimed item. Starting tomorrow, NCSX will offer the DS Lite Famicom adapter for $68. Yes, you could easily load up a bunch of ROMs on a Flash card or whatever, but you shouldn't. Whenever possible, we do enjoy having an option for retrogaming that doesn't involve violating copyright. And anyway, if you're looking at this huge thing in terms of its real-world utility, you kind of missed the point. This item is fully in "wacky contraption" territory.
Keep your Wii classy with replacement top panel
The Wii's Apple-inspired design gets almost everything right ... but we'd be lying if we didn't tell you that some of its design elements bother us. We won't even get started on the SD flap mucking up the front of the box (seriously Nintendo, what were you thinking?) so we'll concentrate on the top flap hiding the console's legacy GameCube bits: it's awful. 'Nuff said. That's why Cyber Gadget's ¥980 ($8.66) "CYBER lid" is so appealing: the flip up lid is gone, replaced with a series of elegant sliding covers and some rugged rubber ones for those Memory Card slots. Now we wait for the import shops to bring salvation to our side of the globe. [Via NWF]Read – Cyber Gadget product pageRead – Game Watch writeup, with pics!
Add some class to your Wii's top panel
As useful as the Wii's hidden GameCube controller ports and memory card slots are, the console's flip-open panel is an eyesore when left ajar while accessing these backwards compatibility features, especially if you compare it to the system's otherwise sleek design. You have the option of removing the panel, of course, but the resulting black hood doesn't look right either. Cyber Gadget has come up with an elegant alternative with its replacement lid, allowing you to cover the ports/slots and protect them from dust without having to expose everything whenever you need to just plug in a GameCube pad. The new panel has shutters for each individual controller port which slide back, and both memory card slots have rubber caps that you can peel back without disturbing any of the console's other cavities. Cyber Gadget is selling its replacement panels only in Japan for 980 yen (approximately $8.70), but we're crossing our fingers that an import shop like Play Asia or NCSX will eventually have them for sale. You can see more photos of the product past the jump.
DS cases with faces
CYBER Gadget, the company responsible for that marginally useful but thoroughly lovable Famicom adapter, has announced a pair of DS Lite system cases with cute cartoon faces, to be released on December 2nd. To be exact, they're the faces of Gachapin and Mukku, two characters from the Japanese children's show Gachapin. The show, about two guys in big furry costumes who are good at sports, is super-popular in Japan. Which means, of course, that you can get a Gachapin DS game to play on your newly Gachapinized system.Accordingly, these aren't CYBER Gadget's first Gachapin DS items. There's a whole range of brightly-colored stuff emblazoned with Gachapin's sleepy eyes and/or Mukku's permanently shocked visage.[Via GAME Watch]
Famicom adapter makes the DS useful
Finally, we can stop playing all those awful DS and Game Boy Advance games on our DS Lite. Really, we like the hardware, but we want to play real games on the thing. Like Final Fantasy III, Dragon Quest IV, and Ys, not whatever's out on the DS. We're sure you feel the same way.That's why we think CYBER Gadget's CYBER Familator Lite is so great. Based on their CYBER Familator "Famiclone," It plugs into the DS's GBA slot and allows the system to play genuine (and pirate, we suppose) Famicom cartridges. And, with the right Gyromite cartridge, it'll play American games too. It even has TV out, making it a fully functional Famicom!It'll be out in Japan next month, but CYBER Gadget has yet to announce the price. The amazing name will probably bump it up an extra 1000 yen or so. Familator.
New doodad kind of adds a joystick to the Wiimote
Cyber Gadget's new Wiimote add-on covers your d-pad with a thumbstick. We doubt this will improve the Wiimote's effectiveness in fighting games, but it might make the controller slightly more comfortable for people who just started gaming in the last two console generations, and for whom the d-pad as primary input is weird and alien.We remember going to the state fair once and buying an adhesive joystick that went over the NES's d-pad. That wasn't a good idea on our part or the manufacturer's! This thumbstick at least won't leave sticky residue all over your d-pad. If you're interested in the Cyber Gadget Remocon Stick, we found an $8.49 preorder link at YesAsia.
