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Nintendo waves away hard drive rumors
After today's revelation of WiiWare, the new original content download service, the idea of an add-on hard drive for the console seemed much more likely. Until, that is, Nintendo UK unequivocally said, "no." Looks like it's time to start employing a wee army of SD cards, because with all the downloadable goodness, that 512 MBs of space is going pretty fast.
Datel PowerSaves: Playing in Easy Mode
Have you gotten so bad at playing video games that you've actually managed to have your character die in Wii Sports: Golf? Has it gotten to the point where you need some sort of "infinite lives" code just to finish a course? Well then, that is pretty shameful. Datel's PowerSaves 512MB SD cards helps you live with that shame, giving you access to hundreds of cheats. Many of the saves on the $24.99 card have been hacked to enable features and codes that developers never even intended for their games. To sweeten the deal, Datel has also bundled in its MAX Media Manager Pro software to help users organize and transfer their photos, videos, and music to their consoles. You'll be the envy of all your friends when they see the effortless life you've made for yourself. Just like you've always wanted.
Jimi Game Shells wrap your babies in recycled goods
Every now and then, someone produces a product that just makes sense, and the Jimi Game Shell is a great example. We already know that DS games are incredibly tiny; in fact, so much of our media these days comes, like dynamite, in small packages. SD cards, memory sticks for the other guys, and our own games, and we're always looking for great new storage solutions. So when the folks behind the Jimi Game Shells offered to send us a couple of samples for a test drive, we jumped on it.The idea of a small, separate case designed just for our DS games is nothing new; some cases include storage space for games, and there are a variety of retail solutions. They're also great fodder for preorder swag, and there's always the DIY route. But what makes the Jimi shells so interesting is that they're designed to hold a variety of media ... and they're made from eco-friendly (well, friendlier) recycled polypropylene.
Video tutorial explains taking games from the PC to the DS
Just in case the last homebrew guide we told you about wasn't quite enough, now we've dredged up a video tutorial to help you on the path to custom content on your DS. This video shows you, step by step, how to use an SD card to get games purring cozily on your favorite handheld. So go ahead. We know where the fun is -- it's in your pocket. You just need to let it out.Of course, the tutorial focuses on getting illegal DS ROMs from the web to your handheld. We prefer to give our money to Nintendo, since they are our video game overlords and thus own our fanboy souls. Every time you pirate a game, Miyamoto drinks the blood of a newborn kitten and grinds the bones to make his bread. And no one wants that. However, the principles are sound -- this is the same way one goes about loading homebrew games onto the DS, so the tutorial is worth a watch.
What if I want to take my saves somewhere?
When we were having our way with the Wii all weekend, Joystiq's Kyle Orland poured over the Wii's manuals to locate their hidden secrets. In pouring over all of the pages in the manual, he stumbled upon something very interesting on page 39. There, the manual talks about the ability to "copy and delete data found on the Wii System Memory and SD cards." Problem is, he couldn't find any way to actually perform the task through the Wii. The options just weren't there in the Wii memory management screen.Kyle has contacted Nintendo and as soon as he receives a response, we'll be sure to let you know what they say.
Custom soundtracks in Excitetruck?
Thanks to some new screenshots of the upcoming launch title Excitetruck, it now indeed looks as though we called it. That's right: if the picture here is any indication, the arcade racer will be able to read .mp3 files from your very own SD card and insert them into the game, a la the Xbox and Xbox 360. It's a nice little feature, and the ability to rock out to our latest find on Pandora while catchin' some air is quite enticing indeed.Does this feature matter to you guys? More importantly, how many games are actually going to support it? Only the flying spaghetti monster time will tell.
SanDisk's 4GB Ultra II SDHC for performance photogs
So you've put down an order for a new still or video camera with SDHC slot, eh, now what? Do you pick up a regular ol' 4GB SDHC card from Toshiba, Panasonic, or SanDisk or maybe splurge on a fat Pretec for 8GB or 16GB of storage? Well SanDisk is here to tell ya (and we'll agree) that their new Ultra II SDHC Card is the ideal choice to record smooth video or capture multiple still photographs in rapid succession from that new cam with write speeds of 9 megabytes (MB) per second and read speeds of 10MB/sec. Yeah, it'll cost you $220 for those speeds, but hey, you get a "free" MicroMate SDHC/SD card reader in the kit when these drop next month. So what's it gonna be boy -- performance, capacity or the el-cheapo? Decisions, decisions.
Sanyo's DMP-M400SD "bring your own storage" DAP
Sanyo's got a new digital audio player poised to drop on the Japanese market, though it'll mainly be of interest to folks with a couple of extra SD cards laying around, as the DMP-M400SD contains neither a hard drive nor any flash memory. What you are getting with this latest member of the Diply Music line is a pendant-style device sporting a backlit screen that supports MP3 files as well as WMA tracks with or without DRM. Clearly stressing size over features, the M400SD is pretty lean when it comes to extras; in fact, besides acting as a USB mass storage device, there's really nothing that makes it stand out from the crowd -- especially the rather ho-hum 12-hour battery life. If this still sounds like an attractive option to you, then $60 is all it will take to pick one of these up when they're released on the first of next month.
Just how many flaps does this thing have?
This is getting ridiculous. Just when we thought the mystery was solved and the conspiracy theorists were silenced, someone has to go and find another mystery flap on the Wii. What is it this time? A holographic laser cannon? An automagical DVD dongle? A nickel and dime slot for Virtual Console purchases? A scrumptious pancake maker? A completely fake photochopping attempt?We'll leave you free to speculate about its true, potentially evil purpose while we get back to eagerly pining for the flappin' games.[Via Joystiq]
Another Wii mystery port spotted
A member of the Spanish gaming forum Canal Nintendo has posted an image that appears to feature another mystery port located near the bottom of the left side of Wii.Last month, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime debunked rumors that the front flap concealed anything more than a SD card port, adding that Wii will be compatible with several memory options. If this newly discovered detail is indeed another port, could it just be another expansion slot? ... Probably.
Wii's final secret? Reggie opens mystery flap
Speaking with Game Informer, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime has reconfirmed that Wii will use SD cards to store data and indirectly denounced rumors that the mysterious flap conceals Wii's 'last big secret.'When questioned about the flap, Reggie responded, "That is where an SD card goes ... And on top are the attachments for the GameCube controllers." However, Reggie did hint that SD cards wouldn't be the only compatible memory option. "It will be one of the memory mediums, and it's the only one that we've announced," he cryptically told GI. Does Nintendo stil have an ace up its sleeve?
Pure Digital's creepy-looking Bug Too DAB radio
We're not sure how many adults are into insect-inspired audio gear, but if you live in the UK and you're looking to get your kids hooked on the wonders of DAB radio, then the Bug Too from Pure Digital (not to be confused with the identically-named manufacturer of those disposable digital cameras) may be just the ticket. Sporting the same telescoping display, SD card slot, and of course weird design as the original Bug, this new model adds both an electronic program guide and MP3 playback capability into the mix, and wraps it all up a "stylish" titanium silver finish. You can also pause and rewind live broadcasts, set up to twenty alarms to wake you with live or recorded content (up to 15 hours on a 1GB card), and output the audio via an S/PDIF jack if those bug-eye speakers aren't doing it for you. Developed in collaboration with supposedly renowned designed Wayne Hemingway, the Bug Too is available right now for around $185.[Via T3]
Casio announces Exilim EX-Z5 compact
Casio has just announced a new member of the Exilim family, a 5 megapixel shooter with 3x optical zoom called the EX-Z5. Successor to the Exilim EX-Z4, the new Z5 also sports a 2.5-inch TFT LCD (but as usual, no optical viewfinder), an odd 8.3MB of internal memory (expandable via SD/MMC), and the usual suite of burst mode, in-camera image enhancement, and multiple flash options. Of special interest to photo buffs will be the Revive Shot function, which lets you take a picture of an old photograph for the camera to perform a little digital restoration on, all without taking your photos out of the album. No word yet on pricing or availability, but with Casio calling the Z5 a "perfect companion for the summer," it's probably a safe bet to expect this model on shelves prior to September 21st.
