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Preloaded content revealed for 120GB HDD
Over at TeamXbox they got the dish on what content will be preloaded on the newly announced Xbox 360 120GB HDD. First off, all the preloaded content will be available on both the Xbox 360 Elite hard drive and the seperate retail version. As far as content goes, everything that's preloaded on the 20GB model will be included on the new 120GB drive. We kind of expected this since the new drive is huge ... uber huge. This 120GB behemoth will also come preloaded with a bunch of other content not available on the 20GB drive including demos like Lost Planet, Street Fighter II, and Call of Duty 3. You'll also see more trailers, gamer pictures, and themes, all of which you can delete instantly or savor for the long run. A full list of the 120GB HDD's preloaded content can be found after the break.[Thanks, Derka]
Deal of the Day: 20% off PSP accessories
PSP has more than enough accessories: from speakers, to cases, to wifi adaptors, and more. Well, now's your chance to go on a shopping spree. CompUSA is having a 20% sale on all PSP accessories. Sale ends tomorrow, so if you want to take advantage of these deals, you'll have to act pretty quickly.[Via CAG]
High School Musical brings karaoke, microphone to Wii
The first Wii game likely to ship with a peripheral in the US (not counting foam doodads) is not a Nintendo first party game. It is a licensed game. From Disney. Based on a made-for-TV movie. Disney Interactive is bringing an adaptation of their hit movie High School Musical to the Wii as a karaoke game. The story of the game will follow the first movie, while also affording players the chance to sing the songs from the second. We weren't really aware karaoke games needed or could support stories, but we'll accept it. High School Musical is set to ship this August with an included microphone.High School Musical is facing competition only from Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party in the race to be the first US-released Wii game with a special controller as well as the first full music game for the system. That's pretty progressive for Disney!
A new kind of controller concept for the Wii
While the probability of such a controller making its way onto retail shelves and eventually into your hands are so slim as to be immeasurable, we still think such a genius design deserves the prestige of being linked by Wii Fanboy (which means, basically, our mom will see it). With a built-in speaker and design that takes us back to the days of old, the Pongle (that's what they're calling it) definitely beats out some of the other options available to Wii owners. [Via Engadget]
Gimme a beer opener and a HD-DVD drive please
Look what we've got, another Amazon.com Better Together recommendation. If you remember, that silly Amazon.com recommended that a slow cooker and a copy of Gears of War would make a perfect match and it looks like they are at it again. Today, we have a Be Open beer and soda bottle opener, perfect for your bottle opening needs. But look a little closer at what Amazon.com recommends as a Perfect Pair purchase ... a Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive! Yes friends, what would go better with a HD-DVD player than a nifty little bottle opener gadget? If you are a tech genius you could easily rig the drive to open when it hears the sound of a brewsky being opened or maybe mount the bottle opener on the HD-DVD drive ... wait, that's it! The Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive, not only for watching HD movies, but will open your beer before you even get to the movie previews. You can thank us later.[Thanks, izzyb412]
Razer's DeathAdder gaming mouse reviewed
So you've thrown down some major cabbage and gotten yourself a serious gaming PC for the new year, and now you want a mouse just as fitting -- well look no further than Razer's DeathAdder, say the guys over at ExtremeTech. They took the sinisterly-named peripheral for a spin, all the while pitting it against their previous fav, the Logitech G5. Well after some grueling rounds in the pits, the DeathAdder eked out a tie with the champ, garnering a 10/10 rating and the lofty distinction of being one of the best mice they have ever used; Team ExTech loved everything about the slithery rodent, from the feel of the rubberized shell to the perfectly placed thumb buttons to the fully customizable drivers. So based on the review, it seems that any gamer even remotely serious about their ranking should be considering, if not knocking down the doors to add this glowing glory to their arsenal -- if they can deal with "only" five buttons, that is.
360 HD-DVD drive awarded best of 2006
It's a surprise to us, but it looks like IGN gives out more than just video game awards. IGN has awarded the Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive accessory the best peripheral of 2006. Not only is it one of the more expensive accessories for the 360 costing $199, but takes full advantage of the 360 hardware. HD enthusiasts have praised the player for its price tag, because other stand alone HD-DVD players are upwards of $500. Congrats you silly HD-DVD drive, you can sleep over at Fanboy Towers anytime you need a place to crash.[Via Digg]
Old news alert: 360 HD-DVD commercial
How the hell did we miss this? Xbox.com is now featuring the 360 HD DVD commercial that we now know was featured on Joystiq a while back. If you haven't seen it yet, this commercial makes for an easy way to explain to your significant other/mother why HD DVD is so much better than DVD. Next time you try to explain and Mom says, "I just don't see what's so great," you play her this commercial. You can thank us later. Video embedded after the break.[Thanks, teknomusik, for pointing out the error of our ways.]
GPS sells out in Japan
Japan is certainly excited for the new GPS peripheral. amazon.co.jp is reporting that its first shipment for the device is already sold out. The customers that are buying the tool are also buying Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, most likely because the Kojima stealth game happens to support the device. They're also picking up Chotto Shot (the PSP camera), because as you know, once you start buying peripherals for a system, you want to buy them all. The hardcore Japanese PSP fans appreciate the PSP's Swiss Army knife-like functionality... how about you? Will you be picking up the GPS system when it comes out?[Via PSP-Vault]
Brando's Mini Bluetooth Keyboard eases phone typing
Predictive text and alternative keypad arrangements (some bizarre) ease the painstaking procedure of hammering out the occasional email or note on the old mobile, but at the end of the day, nothing beats good, old-fashioned QWERTY (or Das Keyboard, if that's how you roll) for text entry. Brando's new $56 Mini Bluetooth Keyboard takes the old, tried-and-true formula of the foldable keyboard and scales it down a smidge, giving users a device that they can realistically carry pretty much everywhere they're taking their phone. Usability is an open question -- those keys do look mighty small -- but we're figuring a crappy keyboard is better than none at the end of the day.
Ubisoft steers GT Pro Series onto the Wii
Ubisoft is all over Nintendo lately. Not only are they dominating the Wii launch lineup, but they're the first to bundle a peripheral not designed by Nintendo with their games. Yes, that's games plural. Their new steering wheel, which cradles the Wiimote like the precious jewel it is, will be bundled with both Monster 4x4: World Circuit and their new racer, GT Pro Series. IGN snagged a short intervew with associate producer Tats Myoio. They didn't cover much, but the screens of the colorful cel-shaded game and the first look at the superfly steering wheel are so exciting that an interview is just the cherry on this Ubisoft sundae.The highlights: GT Pro Series will feature over 80 licensed cars, including Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota. There are 11 different options for customization. The game includes a wide variety of racing modes: Championship (Career) mode, a Quick Race mode, Versus mode (splitscreen only!), Time Attack and Drift Mode. Any race can be saved and replayed later, for your viewing pleasure. GT Pro Series supports 16:9 widescreen, but no progressive scan. The steerig wheel was developed by Thrustmaster specifically for GT Pro Series, but it will work with other Wii titles, like the aforementioned Monster 4x4, Excite Truck, Cars, and portions of Spongebob as well. We're vehemently not going to be the ones who break down and make a Thrustmaster joke. Just in case you were wondering. [Thanks, AssemblyLineHuman!]
Price and more revealed for PSP camera, GPS addon [Update 1]
A German video-game news site is reporting Sony has finally released some solid information about its two upcoming PSP peripherals - the camera and GPS add-on.According to the site, the PSP camera will be released in Japan Nov. 2 for 5,000 Yen (roughly $43) and will have 480x272 resolution for videos and 640x480 resolution for photos. In addition, it will be able to record 15 seconds of video and will be bundled with Chotto Shot photo software. The GPS add-on will be released in Japan Dec. 7 for 6000 Yen (about $51) and will include Navigation software. Also, it the following games will have GPS support: Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, HomeStar Portable, and Everybody's Golf. Still no word on a North American release date. Schucks.[Thanks daniel-kun! Via Evil Avatar][Update 1, from Andrew, because he loves you. New, shinier pictures attached. Stolen from Joystiq]
Keyboard coming Spring according to contest
One of the features that fans have been clamoring for on the PSP has been keyboard support. While we've seen one potential keyboard accessory die, it appears that another one is coming down the horizon. At least, according to a new contest sponsored by FITC and Silver Platter. The contest asks for talented coders to make a Flash application that'll utilize the keyboard. Winners will win UMDs from Silver Platter, PlayGear headphones and PlayGear cases. The first prize winner will get tickets to FITC Hollywood and also have their application packaged with the keyboard, coming this spring.The contest ends September 21st, so coders should get moving quickly. Hopefully, we'll find out more information about this peripheral soon enough.[Via IGN Boards]
Fluffy Soap mouse works without a desk
Can you imagine controlling your computer with a peripheral that resembles a fluffy bar of soap? Well hear us out, because the Soap pointing device from Microsoft Research offers to combine the accuracy of a traditional optical mouse with the freedom of a wireless, even desk-free peripheral. The device, which consists of a soft, fluffy hull coating a wireless optical mouse core, reads the fabric's movement when the user applies outside pressure, and reports it as a position (think: rolling a bar of soap around in your hand). Through a demonstration in combination with a mobile keyboard in Unreal Tournament (albeit with dumb bots), the creators have shown that Soap offers a degree of accuracy that comes close to a table-bound mouse; when the user squeezes, the Soap can even outclass desktop mouse performance in large wall display setups. If users can cope with the idea of blasting away fiends in UT with a ball of fluff and Soap gets a commercial release, if nothing else you can be sure that an entire cottage industry will spring up around supplying fake eyes and tails to turn the Soap into a line-up of cute, pointable rodentia.[Via hackaday]
Logitech's EasyCall Desktop -- the MS Office of VoIP peripherals
Today Logitech got a clue: why sell one device to the burgeoning Internet calling community when you can sell an entire suite of peripherals. Introducing the EasyCall Desktop which Logitech claims is the world's first mouse, keyboard, headset and speakerphone combo. In essence, EasyCall Desktop does for desktop clutter what Adobe, Microsoft, and Apple did for software -- take a bunch of disparate tools, give 'em the same look and feel and enhance each for relatively seamless interaction across the suite. In addition to a cordless keyboard and laser mouse (which, while not stated, will likely both feature Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR like other Logitech Desktops) the package includes a tethered stereo headset which can be attached to the full-duplex speakerphone. The speakerphone, apparently also wired, acts as the Internet calling control center and features Logitech's RightSound echo cancelation technology to get the most from VoIP apps like Yahoo Messenger with Voice, AOL's AIM, and of course Skype. What's odd is that a Skype specific keyboard will also be launched as part of the Desktop but only in Europe -- go figure. Expect the kit to ship in the US and Europe by mid-September with an expected retail price pegged at $130/€130.[Via CrowdedBrain]
Ubisoft blazes third party trail for Nintendo
So, uh, remember when people were talking about Nintendo and that whole hate they supposedly had on for anyone unfortunate enough to be not-them? Yeah ... someone forgot to ship that memo over to Ubisoft, because not only are they planning to develop a veritable slew of games for the innovative console, they've promised seven just for the launch window:
