redesign
Latest
Mock-up for new DS has us wishing it wasn't a mock-up
This thing looks exactly like two iPhones sandwiched together, if you ask us. But, it isn't without its appealing aspects. For one, we like the idea of having a true 16:9 topscreen, because we're often staring at that screen for obvious reasons. Also, the thing looks lighter, which is always a bonus. So, it isn't completely useless and absurd.What do you all think? Take it, or leave it?
Fan-made DS Lite redesign is impressive
Either someone created the coolest DS Lite redesign ever, or they're just a little too into Transformers. We love the screen that flips up and we're especially fond of the first process of the unit opening itself up. Regardless of what caused its creation, this fan-made unit is pretty slick and something we'd easily plunk down the dough for. Actually, now that we think about it, how much would Nintendo even charge for something like this? [Thanks, shak!]
DS Daily: Would you buy another DS?
When it comes to the DS, you've got options. You can go traditional, you can move up to a Lite, and you can choose from a variety of colors. You can even import if your region doesn't feature the shade you prefer. But would you buy another regular DS or bundle? Would it depend on price? What about the rumored redesigned DS, sans GBA slot? If it came with that also-rumored download service, we'd be all over it, but the GBA slot is near and dear to our hearts. There might be tears.
Analyst details possible new DS hardware
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Design_Completed_for_a_New_Nintendo_DS_model'; Evan Wilson, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities, says that Nintendo has completed the design for a new DS model. How does he know? "Contacts!" According to Wilson's secret oracle, the new hardware will ditch the GBA slot for an even thinner profile, and add some storage media and enlarged screens. Could this new model be designed to take advantage of the rumored game downloading service? If GBA games were downloadable, the lack of a GBA slot and the storage would make a lot of sense together.According to Wilson, Nintendo has been holding off on releasing this new model until sales drop worldwide. The truth is, they were just waiting for me to get a DS Lite. Seriously, it happens every time. [Thanks, Eztips!]
Another Nintendo DS redesign 'already done' says analyst
As we all know, in the video game industry, one day you're in -- and the next you're out. Now Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson reports that their contacts say the Nintendo DS is out. He says their contacts say there is a new DS redesign that is "already done"; it's thinner, has no GBA port, has "on-board" storage, and larger screens. He also says that they don't expect the new design to be revealed until sales start falling off on the handheld that is dominating the globe.We'd ask Nintendo directly about this, but last time they denied the DS Lite and then announced it soon after. There could very well be a new DS on the way, but what will it look like?
New US Apple Refurb store debuts
Tonight, Apple debuted its new Refurb storefront, an updated part of the Apple store that allows you to shop for refurbished Macs, iPods and iPhones. New features include a "latest offers" column and a freshened-up overall redesign. So is there anything staggeringly new at this updated store? No, not really. The storefront looks really nice though--and I like that you can see at a glance the new stock as it arrives. Of course, a new-item RSS feed would really rock...Thanks Tony PitaleUpdate: TUAW readers say the Refurb store debuted with the site redesign. Nothing new to see, move along...
Apple Store redesigns
As the good Doc Mac points out very adeptly with the picture above, the reason for the Apple Store's outage Wednesday morning must have been a redesign-- it's come back with a splash of blue.I like the new look. I think the slight gradient in the background makes it, but the rounded corners, blue bars, and especially the arrows give the whole store a definite iTunes feel. There's been a reorganization as well-- Mac, iPod, and iPhone are all top level product lines now (the Apple TV is filed under the iPod, which is close enough, I guess), and those three fit the buttons on the top of Apple's site as well. Apple's gone Amazon as well-- there are "New to the Store" and "Top Sellers" boxes that will, we'd assume, change as the facts do. No idea, however, why the Mac Top Sellers goes to 8, the iPod to 9, and the iPhone only to 5.Looks good, though. A welcome refresh to a store that was starting to look a little last-gen.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Macgamefiles gets a redesign, gives devs more power
Inside Mac Games reports that their sister site, Macgamefiles.com, has received a complete site redesign, its first since the site started up seven years ago. In addition to a whole new look, the site's got some extra new features, too, including lots of new Developer features-- devs can now have control over their own files, and check download statistics, as well as a few other profile-related features.It'd be a real stretch to call the Mac games scene bourgeoning-- a few almost on-time releases from EA does not a market make. But kudos to Macgamefiles for serving up games and demos as long as they have. And giving developers that much more control over how their games are listed and presented is definitely an admirable move as well.
Blizzard fan art page redesigned
I was looking through the Blizzard fan art pages recently, with the thought in my mind that I could do a "Best of Blizzard Fan Art" feature for our dear WoW Insider readers, when I found that selecting the "best" was extremely difficult. I kept copying so many pictures into my own "best of" folder that I began to feel like I might as well just link you all to the entire fan art site and call it a day. Most of it is really very fun to look at many many times.So today I went back determined to try again and found that they had redesigned the entire site. It loads much faster, and presents the art to you in a much smoother interface. You can see many more thumbnails per page, and change the size of the thumnails depending on how many you want to see. Once you click on a picture, you can then easily scroll through from one to another very quickly, without having to wait for the entire page to reload again and again. Also, they managed to provide a nice fade effect, so that the transition between pictures is smooth. The only downside is that you can no longer link to a single piece of art.Oh -- and also, you can no longer just click and download each picture to your own computer. I'm sure there must be a way (short of taking a screenshot), but it's beyond me. I'll take it as a sign from heaven, since I can no longer conveniently build my "Best of" folder, that the "Best of Blizzard Fan Art" site is the whole Blizzard fan art site itself. Now, with the tediousness of complicated page-loading removed, you may find browsing through the artwork gives you a whole new experience.
Apple sites worldwide gain the new metal look
We're receiving reports that Apple sites around the world have been updated to the new 'metal look' that the US site received last June at the start of WWDC '07. Since I live in the US, I'm less familiar with Apple's international sites. However, TUAW reader Graham points out apple.com/nz/ which sports the new look. I've found that the sites listed in the international popup at the bottom of apple.com have been updated as well. Anyone out there still on the previous design? Let us know.
DS Daily: Problems and solutions
After seeing this thread over at NeoGAF, we spent a little time thinking about the DS Lite. Obviously, we're fans, but we're not going to say it's perfect. There can be problems at times. We're not sure we're ready for a whole new redesign (though we don't hate Shogmaster's mockup design at all), but if someone handed us a free new DS with a few issues fixed (d-pad, anyone?), we wouldn't argue. So we thought we'd ask you: what would you change? What would you fix? What do you think the Lite didn't address when it moved up from the DS?
Reimagined Sixaxis pictured on Force Unleashed site [update]
An off-axis Sixaxis has been spotted on the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Yahoo Games page, adding a new set piece to the tired rumor that the PlayStation 3 controller is up for a redesign, which may or may not include rumble support. As pictured, a revision could possibly follow the offset analogue stick alignment currently used by Microsoft for Xbox 360 gamepads (and also by Nintendo for Gamecube). Of course, this crude Photoshop job is hardly confirmation of that design choice, as clearly the creator has simply swapped the d-pad and left stick (notice the indented d-pad outline behind the repositioned analogue control). Did the page-maker pull from a shoddy Google Images source or what?Update: Remember Charlie Tang's redesign from our January 2006 contest...?Update 2: Sony PR director Dave Karraker calls it a "bad artist rendering" that's in the process of being corrected. [Via GameDaily][Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
PSP firmware 3.60 reveals hidden USB Charge feature
We got our hands on a fully functional redesigned PSP, and we immediately grabbed pictures of the firmware that was installed on the system. Currently unreleased, version 3.60 was installed on the system. All of the features that are available in 3.60 will not work on the old PSP system, and it's unclear whether or not an older PSP system will even display the features found in this update.Check after the cut to see the screens.
Hands-on with the new PSP
We spent some alone time with the newly announced PSP redesign. At first glance, the system appears to be identical to the original system, but getting our hands on the system revealed that this is, in fact, a significant upgrade to the original. The most immediate thing we noticed was how light the system is: the original was in no ways heavy, but the new handheld is certainly much lighter, without making it too feathery.The glossy new finish of the redesigned PSP is very attractive, although we're afraid that it might attract fingerprints much more easily than the already susceptible original. Regardless, the shiny new sheen makes the system makes the original look dull in comparison.
Comparing the new PSP with the old
Is the new, slimmer PSP all that different from the original? It may be hard to see at first glance, but direct comparisons show that the system does, in fact, come with a number of significant changes. One can easily see that it has an even glossier look (fingerprints beware!). The system loses some girth all around, but there are a few other more interesting changes to note: the never-used IR port is removed, and the standard battery pack is smaller (how does that make battery life longer?).[Thanks, Vahid!]
Nintendo's DS Lite getting redesigned?
Don't place your bets just yet, but rumors are beginning to swirl in the DS Lite arena about a possible redesign. Considering all the PSP2 whispering that has been going on of late, it wouldn't be too surprising for Nintendo to plunk down a bombshell of its own in the face of competition, but moreover, we know Nintendo has a history of keeping its handheld hardware fresh. Be it colors or miniaturization, we've seen the firm's handhelds shrink and don new hues for ages, and the most recent blurb suggests that a new iteration of the DS could "feature a larger screen and more readable fonts for users who may have a difficult time playing on the smaller machine." Hey, it's not like grandpa isn't already getting his game on with another Big N product, right?[Via DSFanboy]
DS Daily: DS ... Liter?
It's almost (min)E3 time, and you know what that means -- wanton speculation. That's right, game fans, it's time to hop on the rumor train. So what's the story? You won't believe it. No, really.An all new DS. And no, we don't mean a new color. We here in America, we don't get new colors, because we apparently don't buy enough Brain Age. As rumors go, the idea of yet another DS redesign is not terribly un-possible. We saw several versions of the GBA, after all. But seriously, how small can we really go? Sometimes we already confuse it with the checkbook -- and our pals with larger hands occasionally complain of a little cramping as it is. And are bigger screens or a streamlined design necessary? Do we need a different (better?) DS? You decide.
Apple iMac redesign due this summer?
It's pretty clear that "sooner or later" best describes the most solid info anyone has on Apple's next iMac refresh, but AppleInsider is now reporting that we'll be seeing the desktops in shiny new skins come late July-ish to mid-August-ish, which we suppose refines the launch window slightly. That lands the computer right in time for the back-to-school season, which sounds perfectly reasonable. AI is also sticking with its predictions of 20- and 24-inch models only, with the 17-inch getting left out of the makeover to wither on the vine. Nothing outlandish, but we're sure Apple could milk the current form factor for one more (if ill-fated) go 'round if they want to, so we won't believe a word of it until we see these pop up on the Apple Store.
Sony skirts around PSP redesign issue
There seem to be some lines getting crossed out there in game news reporting land about the redesign of Sony's PSP. Sony isn't "denying" the PSP remodel at all. They are merely saying they haven't "announced" anything and that the reports fall under "rumors/speculation" territory. Just because Sony has a blog now and journalists don't have to call Sony spokesman Dave Karraker every five seconds -- which we're sure he's thrilled about -- it doesn't mean reading comprehension should be turned off while checking Sony's blog. Just because it's written doesn't mean it isn't exactly the same thing we'd listen to by calling and hearing, "We don't comment on rumor and speculation." Maybe it was because Sony labeled the post "MythBusters," which imparts the idea of a declarative and final statement on the matter. The simple fact of the matter is the actual statement is the same spin we get every time a company isn't ready to "announce" something. The Sony post could also be translated as saying, "We still have hardware on the shelves that we'd love to sell."The guys over at PSPFanboy have a Sony tech video that just adds a little bit more fuel to the possibility of a PSP redesign. Look, it's great that Sony finally got on the blogging bandwagon and is releasing information that way, but they're obviously still learning. It's hard for a company to play loose like a blog without becoming dodgy or outright lying when an issue like this arises. Is a PSP redesign in the works? Could be yes, could be no. Was that statement in any way a denial of a PSP redesign despite its "MythBuster" headline? That's a definite no.
Slim PSP rumor cut down with another rumor
We cast a huge shadow of doubt over Kotaku's supposed findings of a slimmer PSP. We know it's happening ... we just don't know when, or how. Rumor Reporter has seen its fair share of video game rumors -- and has for the most part, thoroughly debunked them, Mythbusters-style. They've earned their credibility, and we find that their redesigned PSP concept makes a lot more sense:"My undisclosed sources tell me that Kotaku's report is mainly factually inaccurate ... [but a] new slimmer PSP is indeed in the works." The redesign, according to Rumor Reporter, supposedly has a slot loader replacing the UMD drive. The entire system will have "an even 'cleaner' look, much like the DS Lite." The system will feature the same sized screen (something Sony has been adamant about), but will have a "sidekick-esque" flip-screen, reducing the overall size of the system.This "probable" rumor concludes with the same prediction that Kotaku made: the redesigned system will cost consumers the same price as the current model. However, unlike Kotaku, Rumor Reporter is stating that the system will only have 4GB of memory, as opposed to 8GB. With E3 only a few weeks away, we'll see which one of these redesign rumors are the most accurate.
