Letcool handheld console emulator

Posted in Games by Conner Flynn on June 14th, 2010

The Letcool handheld emulator sort of looks like a Nintendo DS Lite with no top display. Must have been hard to design this one. This odd handheld can handle GBA, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis and Game Boy ROMs, and future updates will also include additional support for others.

The Letcool can also double as a portable media player, playing nice with 8 different audio formats and 10 video formats. Despite the name, you don’t need to let it cool. We think. Some other features include TV-out, 4GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot, a digital camera and a battery life of 6 hours. Only $70.

PS3 Twistdock looks stylish

Posted in PS3 by Conner Flynn on June 2nd, 2010

Console docking stations are usually ugly and cheap, but this one actually looks decent. Even stylish. It even swivels. This dock will hold either the original PS3 or the PS3 Slim. It holds the console and charges two controllers at once while giving you four extra USB ports.

Sure, it takes up more space then just laying your console down, but if you love your console, why not display it as if in a museum? Maybe shine some light down on it while you’re at it. It will cost you about $100 in the UK right now.

Xbox 360 Coffin

Posted in Xbox 360 by Conner Flynn on March 21st, 2010

Gamers love their consoles. When a console dies, it’s like mourning a dear friend who you have spent years with. So you have to bury it appropriately. When the Red Ring of Death strikes, don’t just throw your Xbox 360 in the closet. Bury it.

This coffin, designed by Alexis Vanamois, will allow it to rest in peace in video game heaven. It even has space for an accompanying controller, even though your controller will likely outlive the console.

Astro A30 Headset for your PC, consoles and phone

Posted in Headphones by Conner Flynn on March 16th, 2010

The Astro A40 headset is designed for professional gamers and costs $250. The A30′s will only cost you $149, which is still way too expensive for a pair of gaming headphones, but closer to what we can all afford. The A30 has features like a detachable mic so you can use them as normal headphones after your gaming.

But it doesn’t ditch the amp and cords setup that made using the A40′s with the Xbox such a chore. Maybe that doesn’t bother you and if so, these look like they’re worth checking out if you have the scratch.

Swinxs game console hits the US

Posted in Games by Conner Flynn on February 24th, 2010

Sure, you and I are busy playing our Xbox 360s , Wii and PS3s, but there’s another option. The Swinxs gaming console, which is now available in the States, even if it was announced two years ago. It launched in Europe last year. Just look at those kids. They seem to love it, all sugared up and jumping around.

The Swinxs offers hours of fun, using lights and a built-in voice which explains the game, recognizes players and acts as a referee. The whole thing is screen-free, so no TV needed. It can handle up to 10 players and offers 26 games.

Spawn HD-720 shipping

Posted in Games by Conner Flynn on February 3rd, 2010

Spawn Labs’ Spawn HD-720 is ready to ship, giving you a whole new way to play with your Xbox 360, Xbox, Playstation 3, Playstation 2 and Nintendo Gamecube, whether playing with your friends or being a loner. Enjoy your gaming at home or take it on the road through a network-connected computer.

Are you confused? Put simply, let’s say you are at home and someone is watching the TV that your console is attached to. Just find a different room and play it over your home network. When traveling, you’ll need a broadband Internet connection. This is also a good way to capture video clips of your game so you can brag later.

Xbox 360 laptop sports retro style

Posted in DIY by Conner Flynn on December 27th, 2009

Xbox 360 laptop? Normally when you hear about such a thing you think Ben Heck. Amazingly enough, this is the work of someone else. It is the creation of CollinE from Ben’s forums.

We love the red and black color scheme and the giant X on the top lid. This 360 stays true to the original console in most respects, even the “wind tunnel” noise generated by Collin’s five fans. If you want to try your hand at this, a video tour of the hardware is available.

80 percent of female console gamers choose Wii

Posted in Wii by Conner Flynn on November 27th, 2009

80 percent of female console gamers choose WiiIf choosy moms choose Jif, than choosy female gamers apparently choose the Wii. Nintendo recently did some info checking and it turns out that the Wii is outperforming its rivals when it comes to female gamers. According to its estimates, 80 percent of the female console gaming crowd prefers Wii over the alternatives.

There are an estimated 11.7 million female console gamers in the Americas, but keep in mind that this data doesn’t take into account DS owners or PC users. However this figure adds up to roughly nine million ladies. In related news, men are now encouraged to approach women only in 480p mode, displaying cartoony graphics, with no good titles to your name. This apparently woos the ladies.

Xbox 360 console ban is forever

Posted in Xbox 360 by Conner Flynn on November 12th, 2009

Xbox 360 console ban is foreverXbox 360 owners who have been banned from Microsoft’s Xbox Live service are out of luck. Completely out of luck. Those of you who have been banned will need to purchase a whole new console if you ever want to get back into the online action.

Microsoft says that banned machines will be permanently barred and “unable to connect to Xbox Live” as affected consoles do not have any recourse for terms of use violations. Like it or not, that’s the word. Those banned add up to about a million gamers missing from Xbox Live.

MS preps 250GB Xbox 360 for Modern Warfare 2

Posted in Xbox 360 by Conner Flynn on September 15th, 2009

MS preps 250GB Xbox 360 for Modern Warfare 2Modern Warfare 2 fans have something else to smile about. Infinity Ward has confirmed Microsoft’s plans for a 250GB Xbox 360 Elite with details of a special bundle for the game. The Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition bundle includes the mentioned added capacity along with a custom paint job on the console. There’s also two wireless gamepads and of course the game itself.

The bundle should already be available for pre-order for $399, which is a great buy when you price each of the items separately. No word on when the console will hit stores. Microsoft also isn’t saying whether it will have any other 250GB versions.

The Beatles: Rock Band special edition console

Posted in Xbox 360 by Conner Flynn on September 9th, 2009

The Beatles: Rock Band special edition consoleOh Special Edition Beatles Rock Band Xbox 360, I want to hold your hand. Uh, controller. This Xbox 360 console is a beauty. I don’t care if the walrus was Paul or John, I just want this. Even though it would cost small fortune.

Proceeds from the auction will go to Doctors Without Borders. This rare Xbox 360 was custom made to honor the Fab Four and will go on sale this holiday season on eBay. Each console will be numbered and come with illustrations straight from the intro for “The Beatles: Rock Band.”

Awesome PS4 console design

Posted in Concepts by Conner Flynn on September 6th, 2009

Awesome PS4 console designThe PS4 may be a long way off yet, but designer Tai Chiem already has all of the details worked out and it looks awesome. If only the PlayStation 4 could be like this. It sports a high end touch screen instead of the glossy body that the current generation has. And he’s even incorporated that touchscreen design into the controller, which is really cool.

The design would come in black or white. Hopefully that touchscreen material is scratch-resistant, otherwise your PS4 is going to look nasty in no time. Just to be clear, this is a concept, not an actual product. But we can dream.

Atari 2600 console mod with built in screen

Posted in DIY by Conner Flynn on August 13th, 2009

Atari 2600 console mod with built in screenSure we’ve seen all kinds of mods where they toss the Atari 2600′s case and hack them into a proper portable, but what if you want to keep the aesthetics of the console intact? You put a 5″ LCD screen and the joystick controls right on the console itself of course.

This one goes by the “Stella-Tubby v1.0″ moniker. And it can actually be yours since it’s on Ebay. It even runs on a pair 9V batteries so it is portable. Kind of. Think of it as an Atari tablet.

Xbox 360 the only console to stream Netflix

Posted in Xbox 360 by Conner Flynn on August 11th, 2009

Xbox 360 the only console to stream NetflixSorry PS3 and Wii, no Netflix streaming for you. Today we learn that Netflix streaming won’t land on Sony’s PlayStation 3 or Nintendo’s Wii (Not counting PlayOn). Ever. How do we know? Because at the bottom of Microsoft’s details on today’s Xbox LIVE update, it now states that Netflix Watch Instantly integration is now an “exclusive partnership,” with Microsoft.

It even says that the “Xbox 360 will be the only game console to offer this movie-watching experience, available to Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also Netflix unlimited plan subscribers.” Who knew that the Microsoft guys had the foresight to lock things down so quickly? Netflix could still find it’s way to other consoles in some form, but this sounds pretty definitive to us.

Super Nintendo nightmare console

Posted in DIY by Conner Flynn on July 15th, 2009

http://technabob.com/blog/2009/07/14/game-over-snes-casemod-from-a-clearly-disturbed-mind/Your eyes will never be the same after taking in this abomination. Someone should put it out of it’s misery, but since it is fueled by the souls of all your past dead Mario lives, it remains undead. You can’t kill it, you can’t reason with it and it’s ugliness can not be stopped.

At night this thing even glows in the dark, looking spooky as hell, where it comes from. It’s still fully functional. It’s appropriately called the Game Over SNES.