winner
Latest
DS Fanswag: And Etrian Odyssey goes to ....
Reader Max will be collecting a spankin' new copy of Etrian Odyssey! The winning comment was #248, as shown here. Congratulations, Max! And to everyone else: we'll be doing another giveaway soon, so watch this space for your chance to win free games. We here at DS Fanboy would like to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who entered -- you made it worth flipping through pages and pages of comments to get to the lucky entry as determined by our trusty RNG.
FIRST Robotics champion crowned, Dean Kamen elated
Tossing up autonomous robots into the galaxy to perform a variety of prototypical tests is intriguing to say the least, but a trio of high-school teams were able to bring robotic competition a bit closer to home as they took home the gold in the highly-anticipated FIRST Robotics corrivalry. Cooked up by Dean Kamen (you know, the Segway inventor) in 1989, the challenge garnered entrants from a whopping 23 countries this year, and teammates from Bobcat Robotics from South Windsor, Connecticut, Highrollers from Las Vegas, Nevada, and Gompei and the HERD from Worcester, Massachusetts were able to craft the most dexterous and successful machine. Their creation reportedly excelled at "completing simple -- albeit goofy -- tasks such as shooting balls or stacking inner tubes," but we can already imagine the evil potential these innocent bots already posses. Apparently, "thousands of screaming high-school participants" were in attendance to witness the unveiling of a new champion, and if the popularity of this contest is any indication, we could be seeing these uber-intelligent, entirely autonomous robot armies being constructed an awful lot sooner than previously expected hoped.
Another lucky Stacker video: guy wins an Xbox 360
Okay, so we've had videos of people winning both Wii and now an Xbox 360 in these Stacker machines for (we hope) like a buck or two. Where's the PlayStation 3 to complete the trifecta? Heck, we'd even settle for some video of a Nintendo DS or a PlayStation Portable sliding down the chute as a fairly worthwhile substitute.One thing is for sure, whoever makes the Stacker games has to be loving all of this. As our own beloved Ludwig Kietzmann put it, "I want a video of someone winning a Stacker machine from a Stacker machine. " Ditto.On a side note: this video isn't nearly as swear-filled as the Wii one. Yet another innovation from Nintendo, non-stop cursing. Zing! In fact, the whole video is a lot more sedate. The guy just sort of calmly walks away, vanishing into the night.
World's luckiest video: guy wins a Wii from a crummy mall arcade game
Note: the embedded video above is definitely NSFW, or NSFH(ome) if you have little kids running around, because it contains some pretty strong language.It shows something we all thought could never be done -- one really lucky sucker winning the big prize from a Stacker game. The same kind you see in malls, movie theater lobbies, and Wal-Mart vestibules around the country. We've spent our fair share of quarters in them, trying to score much lesser prizes, like copies of Outlaw Golf.Now someone just please try and explain to us why Wiis are sold out across the country, yet sitting in Stacker machines where people can win them for a buck? Perhaps it's all part of a secret new marketing campaign from Nintendo. Now to start looking for more Stacker games ...[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Xmod giveaway WINNER
Thanks to everyone who entered the Xmod Giveaway! We only had one unit, which means only one winner. A big congratulations to Morgan-William in Brooklyn, who proved it is possible to leave a comment on a post-- and wind up with a cool Xmod from Creative. We're hoping to roll out some more giveaways throughout the year, so stay tuned!
Wii does in fact rock faces in February
So, for once, video game analysts were right and, once again, Wii Fanboy claims bragging rights around the office; this means that PS3 Fanboy and Xbox 360 Fanboy have to do the dishes for the entire month. Awesome.NPD data shows the Wii as the clear console sales winner for the second straight month with 335,000 units sold. The only system able to top the Wii was its cute little sibling, the DS Lite, selling a whopping 485,000 units; Nintendo claimed 54% of all hardware sales last month. As proud as are, we can't help but wonder how many would have been sold with a decent supply chain. It was cool for awhile, but the fact that Nintendo can't produce enough units five months after release is getting a bit disturbing. Get it in gear![Thanks, Terrance!]
And the Brando Wii Sports Pack goes to ....
Considering the nature of the Brando Wii Sports Pack contest, we couldn't help but choose this image as a fitting trophy for the winner. Congratulations -- you've demotivated us, and we don't want these attachments any longer. We bestow them onto the following pair (yes, pair) of posters from a reader with the interesting interweb moniker FlamingSquirrelofDeath.The winning entries are presented after the jump. Check back later and we'll put up some of the near winners. Thanks to everyone who entered!
VideoScan releases HD DVD / Blu-ray "charts," results still inconclusive
Okay, so we're not waxing rhapsodic about a conspiracy theory just yet, but seriously, why can't the general public get a few hard numbers regarding the HD DVD / Blu-ray format war? Since both formats hit the market, we've all been wondering who would be the leader in terms of disc sales once the holiday season was behind us, and although Nielsen VideoScan has finally loosed the deets, we're still (relatively) in the dark. We've wondered exactly what was taking so long for these data to surface, but instead of VideoScan perfecting their report, it has apparently delayed the information only to release several inconclusive "charts" and "ratios" that, quite frankly, aren't what we all want. For whatever it's (not) worth, it looks like Blu-ray titles outsold HD DVD titles by a 2:1 margin during the admittedly slow first two weeks of 2007, but overall, we're still stuck analyzing Amazon's sales figures while trying to piece together the truth. Still, if you're more interested in having the best of both worlds regardless of which is on top (or still around) in a couple years, you know where to go.[Thanks, Jed]
Pioneer Elite Pro-FHD1 1080p plasma wins Product of the Year
We guess they don't call it "Elite" for nuthin', as Pioneer's Elite Pro-FHD1 has been crowned the "Product of the Year" according to Sound and Vision Magazine and Ultimate AV. The firm's 50-inch, 1080p plasma was deemed a "technological milestone, complete with images that burst off the display for a near 3D effect," which are pretty strong words considering the smorgasbord of fantastic PDPs alone that came out last year. Of course, Mr. Mossberg would probably still argue that his Pioneer Elite PRO-1140HD was the better choice, but hey, he also tried to convince us that 1080p wasn't an important factor when scouting our your next set. Nevertheless, our hats are off to the folks at Pioneer, and while we're sure this beauty deserved its tiara, the $7,999 pricetag will still keep it out of all but the most affluent homes -- and Pioneer, don't count on next year's award coming easy, as you've already got some seriously stiff competition just a fortnight into the new year.
Joyswag Photochop: Lost Planet, found entries - Day Three
It was hard to tear ourselves away from watching video repeats of Steve Jobs' Apple keynote that took place this morning, but we managed to do it so we could judge the Lost Planet entries that keep pouring in. We're going to eventually have to put up a gallery of these, because we have a lot more than ten awesome entries. Thanks so much for giving us such great stuff to look at and choose from. Hopefully some of you are pursuing careers in graphic design with those mad skillz.Our first winning entry comes to us straight out of the annals of history, bringing you an extremely retro gaming dosage of John Milton. This has to be the most highbrow entry we've received yet, and that's including the large number of Lost Pants entries we're getting (some of which have been great). Nice work Shaun, you've both impressed and shamed us at the same time, since we read the Cliff's Notes version of this in high school.Check out the second winner after the jump, and refresh your memory on all the contest details. Keep 'em coming, because we're loving everything you've been sending.
Joyswag Photochop: Lost Planet, found entries - Day One
Joystiqers, our hats are off to you. You have been heeding the call in spades. It's only the first day of the Lost Planet Photochop contest, and already we've had a ton of terrific entries. For those of you who haven't entered yet, these should get your creative juices flowing. Check out today's two winners: the first one is from Manu and features the oh so lovely Kate from Lost gracing the cover. We've received a ton of Lost TV show entries, but this one takes the cake so far. Keep 'em coming though, and have a look at the second winner and a recap of the contest details after the jump.
$170,000 Japanese-style Roomba takes home the gold
It seems that automated floor-suckers are getting all the attention of late, as we've had users parading their Roombas around with all sorts of unorthodox methods, teaching them to bust a move, and now how to pose for the cameras. While already recognized in one Tokyo ceremony, the Fuji Heavy Industries and Sumitomo-created vacuum has officially taken the gold in the Robot of the Year competition hosted by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. Due to its purported ability to replace "two live human beings" and clean out an area of "3,000 square meters in four hours on a single charge," the jumbo-sized Roomba wannabe can help those towering skyscrapers stay clean in a bustling world. Additionally, it can maneuver up and down floors, in and out of elevators, and around crowded workspaces with ease, but we're not exactly sure how many decibels of noise this thing cranks out while taking care of business. Nevertheless, the co-founders are selling the device for a whopping ¥20 million ($168, 011), but still claim that it will more than pay for itself after a decade or so -- you know, since it doesn't beg for health insurance or anything.[Via Plastic Bamboo]
Analyst: PS3 will win with 75 million units by 2010
Another day, another analyst throwing out their predictions for the console wars. This time it's a Datamonitor report predicting Sony will "win the console war in the long term with an install base of around 75 million globally by 2010." That may sound impressive, but considering the PS2 has already sold in excess of 111 million systems worldwide, this would still represent a sizable hit for Sony. Indeed, Datamonitor predicts that the PS3 won't "dominate as much as its predecessor" because of delays in Europe and early inroads by the Xbox 360. Oh analysts, can't you make up your mind? Is Sony going to win big in the long run or fall into last place? Are they going to lead the market or is the system dragging the whole company down? We know you're basically just taking shots in the dark but, well, we were just hoping for some more consistent grouping, is all. [Via Pro-G]
Guitar Hero II: we have a winner
It takes guts for someone to dress up in a silly outfit, courage for them to pose for pictures, and a sense of humor to know that they'll end up on the internet. However, it takes real balls to do all of that while wearing a Victoria's Secret Angel costume and playing Guitar Hero. Thus, we have a winner for our contest. We apologize in advance if you can't get this image out of your head for several days, but hey ... them's the breaks.Kudos to Stacey for this winning entry, she'll receive a copy of Guitar Hero II with a guitar signed by Dave Navarro (eBay value of autograph = $1.57). Our two runners-up are Casethan and his dual-guitars of death/J.C. Penney catalog picture, and JediJoe9's proof that he might have some brain damage. They'll both receive signed posters and GH2 t-shirts.Thanks to everyone who entered!
Loco Roco wins two awards at BAFTA
Loco Roco was the most-nominated game for this year's British Academy of Film and Television Arts' annual video game awards. The award winners were revealed tonight, and Loco Roco was able to score two victories from its eight nominations. The game won for both Best New Character, and Best Children's Game, an award usually reserved exclusively for Nintendo titles. Congrats to the brilliant Loco Roco team: you guys deserve all the praise. Read on to see the winners of other categories.
Apple Store 5th Ave. treats 1 millionth visitor
Her new name is "Mrs. Right Place, Right Time." When shopper Elizabeth Rodriguez walked into New York's flagship Apple Store this past Saturday, she was showered with a MacBook, iPod, iPod Hi-Fi, and an Apple ProCare membership, all for being visitor # 1,000,000. The amazing thing is that the store reached a million visitors in only four months of operation (Fifth Avenue's average number of daily visitors is seven times that of other stores).Congratulations Apple and Elizabeth. Enjoy your great new stuff.[Via ifoAppleStore]
The winner of Leipzig? PSP
NOTE: This editorial is the opinion of Andrew Yoon, and does not represent the opinion of PSP Fanboy, Joystiq or Weblogs, Inc.Every video game convention, there's a "winner" of some sorts. It's pretty safe to say that the Nintendo Wii "won" the last E3, proving that waving around our hands can be fun. Not only did the Wii prove that the control scheme works, there was an amazing list of exclusives, from Nintendo's own Mario to third party efforts, like Red Steel. Nintendo wowed the crowd at E3 because of the amazing quality and potential of the games for its system.Did Nintendo pull the big win at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany this year? No. Did Microsoft? No. Sony took the win for this year's show, but not because of a great showing of PlayStation 3 goods (there were none at the show), but because of Konami's absolutely excellent lineup of upcoming PSP games. Yes, you heard me right: PSP "won" Leipzig.
Contest winner: Wireless sound on a wired setup
Voting is over and the people have chosen! It was a tough race, with Sjohn showing a tiny lead Saturday night, and Cody reclaiming it come Monday morning. From Cody's plea: "This is my really-really-need-to-be wireless setup; I don't have enough money for the wireless network adapter nor do I have enough money for a proper headset." Despite having one of the more terse captions, Cody's video treatment really sold his fanboyish desparation. A dangerous web of wires, our crack-team of genetically-enhanced lawyers says we can, in no way, condone playing your 360 this way. For his efforts--or lack thereof--Cody will win the review copy of Turtle Beach's Ear Force X2 wireless headphones. It's befitting, in a way, that one part of his rig will be wireless, even if it's the more unlikely of the options. Somone get this guy a WiFi adapter, stat!Congratulations Cody, and thanks to everyone who entered the contest. I now count myself amongst your ranks as, with the mailing off of Cody's much-deserved prize, I'll have relinquished my 360's sole form of audio output. Next-gen gaming on an HD monitor without sound? I know...pathetic.
TUAW Podcast, The Sixth
As promised last week, here's our next installment of our podcast sans the month-long wait. This special .Mac podcast begins with a discussion between David Chartier*, Dave Caolo, and myself about .Mac and then Victor Agreda, Jr. and I discuss .Mac some more. We're working to get the feed problems with our podcast sorted out so that this will *hopefully* show up nicely in the iTMS or your podcasting program of choice. Just in case it doesn't, however, here's the direct link to the 8.6MB 23 minute long podcast.
