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VC Monday Madness: 1080 Snowboarding
There is but one single Virtual Console release today, allowing some of you who've been waiting for it over the past few weeks some relief, while the rest of you who were waiting on other titles or perhaps looked forward to more than one game to play are going to be left without satisfaction. You shouldn't be unhappy, though, as this game is one of the best to grace the N64.This week's Virtual Console game is: 1080° Snowboarding (N64, 1-2 Players, 1000 Wii Points) And, as always, be sure to stop back later for our video wrap-up of this week's Virtual Console release.
1080 degrees now boarding Virtual Console
Those expecting an avalanche of new arrivals on the Wii's Virtual Console need not be entirely disappointed, as this week's solitary title was buried in praise when it released in 1998. Snow surprise then to welcome the Nintendo 64's 1080° Snowboarding to the download service. Yes, we did just write "snow surprise." 1080° Snowboarding (N64, 1-2 Players, 1000 Wii Points): Though the game's title once tricked us into thinking we'd be racing down the lava-covered slopes of an active volcano, we thaw the errors of our ways once we picked up on the persistent presence of ice and a constant need to perform tricks. It's been one of our favorites ever since, even though things went downhill since 2003's Gamecube sequel.
ESPN's Winter X Games 12 debuts in HD tonight
You've known it was coming, but tonight is finally the night in which you can kick back, relax and enjoy hours upon hours of your favorite extreme winter sports in glorious high-definition. In a move made far too late (but we're thankful nonetheless), ESPN has finally decided to cover this year's events from Aspen, Colorado in HD, marking the first time in Winter X history in which the entire four-day event will be broadcast in 720p across the ESPN family of networks. Ready to cancel a few plans and check out Sal Masekela (among other things) in HD? Hit the read link for the full schedule -- the first snowflake flies tonight at 9:00PM EST on ESPN HD.[Image courtesy of Aspen / Snowmass]
A tale of grinding, sucking and snowboarding
Cameron Sorden has an interesting post about grinding and why it sucks over on his blog, Random Battle. It's mostly focused on World of Warcraft, because like many of us he plays the game quite a bit. We can all agree that grinding endlessly is no fun, but some of the suggestions made by Cameron seem a bit strange. Such as the idea of having a snowboarding mini-game in WoW to off-set the tedium of grinding. Now we get what he's trying to say here, "Add more stuff other than monster killing, quests/raids and battlegrounds please." And sure, putting in a mini-game where you snowboard down the Alterac Mountains wouldn't be the usual grind-fest, but it also has nothing to do with WoW. Then there's his claim that wow needs to become even more casual, which we're not even sure how it could do that without renaming itself "Club Wowkinz" or something. Cameron feels it will be a necessity for World of Warcraft to add new and interesting ways to alleviate the grind, but from what we've seen there are mostly more raids on the horizon. Yet we would argue that even though people say that grinding isn't what they want, they don't seem to realize it's what they keep buying. It's not as if World of Warcraft is nearing 10 million subscribers, right? Oh wait, yeah, it is.
O'Neill's GPS NavJacket with integrated display and audio
Ever get lost in a euphoric off-piste blaze of snow and emotion only to emerge truly lost somewhere on the mountain? Good, the NavJacket is for you. The GPS equipped jacket from O'Neill is the result of a partnership with MyGuide. The Gore-Tex jacket features integrated audio in the hood and a display in the sleeve which shows your speed, updated weather forecasts, and time and distance to après-ski. A "friend finder" function helps track your new "friends" long after the slobbering begins. All the important tech bits about communication, controls, and that flexible display (not to mention the price!) are still missing. No worries, it's not due for another 9 months as part of O'Neill's Fall/Winter 2008/2009 collection. 'Til then you'll have to rely upon your keen sense of gravity to get you to the bottom of the hill. [Via Pocket-lint]
HangTimer stopwatch gives you bragging rights in the traction ward
'Extreme' sports like snowboarding, mountain biking, and full contact shuffleboard are all about taking it to the max, but how do you know whose 'max' is the, um, maximum max unless there are a clearly delineated set of criteria and properly-calibrated tools to measure them with? Enter the HangTimer, a souped-up stopwatch with built in tri-axis accelerometer that calculates how much 'air' you've gotten off a jump, and provides several tracking tools to gauge your own progress and/or pwnage of your friends. Users simply clip the small device to themselves with the built in carabineer (extra security is possible using zip ties), adjust the sensitivity settings based on activity, hopefully say a prayer, and then hurtle down whatever snow or rock covered hill they're poised to lift off from. So far the $100 HangTimer has recorded an impressive 3.02 second snowboard jump during testing, according to company VP Ted Griebling -- a mark that will certainly fall once we take one of these on our next skydiving adventure.[Via Gizmag]
WRUP: backside air edition
Of course, with the big release of SSX: Blur hitting this week, many of you are undoubtedly busting the "mad phat trix" plentifully all over many a snowy mountain. Even knowing this, we're forced to ask that question we ask you every Friday: what are you playing? Will you be picking up the new title or are you planning on playing some of the Virtual Console games you might have downloaded this weekend? Or are you still chipping away at a different game?Personally, we plan on picking up Sonic and the Secret Rings this weekend. We have yet to grab the game as we've been busy blogging lately and look forward to dashing around with the blue hedgehog.Previous posts: What were you playing?
Shred Ready offers up waterproof, helmet-ready Freestyle Audio DAP
We know the winter's coming soon, and if you haven't hit the slopes just yet, we know you're itching to climb back in that ski lift as soon as possible. Shred Ready is making sure those "first day back" errors won't cost you an MP3 player, as its Freestyle Audio DMP is not only small enough to fit in any of the 238 (or so) available pockets your ski coat presumably has, but it's completely waterproof as well. Designed to handle the harsh, unforgiving nature of the mountain, the DAP promises "skip-free" playback from the built-in 512MB of storage, and even if you pull an all-nighter on the black diamond trial, the reported "40 hours" of battery life should keep things jamming 'til the break of dawn. It also comes bundled with the SR Can-Can Earflaps to conveniently attach to your helmet and keep the cabling under control. Unfortunately, the $199.95 price does not include a helmet of your own, but there's certainly no shortage of MP3-ready headgear if this one looks a little steep (ahem) to you.[Via Red Ferret]
O'Neill's multimedia-ready H3 Campack
Forget purchasing an iPod-ready coat, Bluetooth-equipped helmet, and head-mountable webcam for your daredevil adventures on the slopes, as O'Neill has all three areas covered in one snazzy backpack. The H3 Campack sports all the weatherproof compartments and slick designs we expect to see on a rider's pack, but also rocks built-in sleeve controls for your DV cam, iPod, and Bluetooth phone. A proprietary module becomes a bantam liaison for your trio of gizmos, giving the integrated joystick full control over your camcorder's lens and / or playlist directions. The bag also touts the ability to keep your precious gadgetry safe and secure within the bag, while giving you full control over the functionality of each. If you're looking for an all-in-one method to record that Winter X-Games submission vid, and your control isn't hampered by juggling three gizmos while busting a backside tail grab, you can snag the H3 Campack now for £240 ($449). [Via AVING]
