Sony has always been good at coming out with what is cool and sometimes on the “do I need?” side. But, I kind of like this one.
Sony, I’m sure, wants everyone to have a portable version of the PS3 and this is as close as it will get. The PlayStation 3 users can now enjoy the freedom of almost-portability with a new Clearvision 7” LCD Display with built in speakers. While it isn’t going to be exactly high definition by PS3 standards it is cool if you need to set it up somewhere where there isn’t anything else available.
There is no word on cost yet. I know that you’ll all be waiting with baited breath.
Presenting the Baylis Eco Media Player and the MediaStreet eMotion Solar PMP- two Media Players which Do Not, I repeat, DO NOT require an outlet to charge.
First Contestant: Baylis Eco Media Player
Described as the “Swiss Army Knife of the ecogadget world”, this beats most gadgets hands down! The current wave of digital media players has one crucial flaw - too long away from a source of power, and they run out of power and really start to suck. The inventor, Trevor Baylis, solved this by making a gadget that recharges by winding a crank.
The Eco Media Playeris the very definition of amazing; playing: video and FM radio, as well as functioning as a torch (light), sound recorder, photo viewer, mobile phone charger, ebook viewer and data storage device. You can even record your old vinyl LPs onto it to truly bring your music collection into the digital age! I dare you to find something as unique and truly versatile.
The Eco Media Player features a 1.8″ screen, and 2 gigabytes of internal memory, which holds around 500 songs, and this can be expanded by adding an SD Memory Card. Pretty nifty right?
Next is: MediaStreet eMotion Solar PMP
MediaStreet Debuts World’s First Solar-Powered Portable Media Player Paired With Charger That Powers Other Mobile Devices
CES, Las Vegas, NV, January7, 2008 - MediaStreet, Inc., an award-winning manufacturer of innovative consumer electronics and services for the digital music and photography markets, announces the world’s first solar-powered portable media player, the 1GB eMotion® Solar Portable Media Player. This PMP comes with AC adapter and USB connector (6 varieties) that can recharge most mobile phones, MP3/MP4 players, laptop computers, digital cameras and other portable Lithium battery operated products. All players available immediately.
“We started off developing a product that would allow our customers to charge their portable devices on-the-go using solar energy,” says Norm Levy, president of Media Street. “We ended up with a most spectacular device that not only charges your cell phone, laptop and PDA, but it is a robust and power-packed portable media player that you will not want to take your hands off.”
eMotion 1GB Solar Portable Media Player
• Transfer music, photos, videos, games on and off player
• 5.5″ x 3″ x 1″
• SD card slot expansion (2GB SD card maximum capacity)
• Included charger powers most portable devices such as mobile phones, MP3/MP4 players, laptops, digital cameras and other portable Lithium battery devices
• Supports music formats: MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, WAV, ADPCM, AMR
• Play video: support AVI format film play achieves QVGA@25f/s fluent MPEG4 video (320 x 240) and provides video bookmark function
• View photos: JPEG, BMP, GIF
• Game simulator: supports FC/GB/GBC/MD 8/16 bit simulator expansion developed by third parties; compatible with NES/GB/GBC/SEGA game ROM
• Read books: supports TXT format
• User-friendly menu with relevant animated instructions
• USB 2.0 port
• OS: Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Linux 2.4+/Mac OS 9+
In a nutshell, Bible Fight is a flash game, sortof a Bible version of Street fighter that spoofs both the Bible and Street Fighter.
Now I don’t know what to make of this game, man, except that, granting that I have utmost respect for your spirituality and yes, I’m sensing a thunderstorm brewing outside, plus of course, the guys at This Is Pop for Adult Swim are maybe nuts, I only wish to say a coded message: Bible Fight is h*l@r!*u$. Yet, I resist to die from laughing and go to hell for being game and a gamer.
Oh, I’m checking out the game now. I’ll tell you later about my thoughts on these Bible fighters called Eve, Noah, Moses, Mary, Satan, and Jesus, who look and dress like Eve, Noah, Moses, Mary, Satan, and Jesus.
Update. If you beat all characters, a mystery fighter is revealed. Hit me with a thunderbolt, baby!
Yes, statistics rreleased by NPD form February in the US show that the PS3 has settled down and is now taking a whole (and I know this is amazing) 1% of the games hardware market more than the 360 at 13%, which is surprising considering the rocky start that the PS3 had. However it appears to have taken the place critics thought the 360 would hold despite its (questionably) poorer online service and higher price tag, and of course Microsoft have their reasons blaming supply constraints for the dip in sales and claims that including game sales and accessories for third generation systems it has 39% at a cool $332 million. Notably they failed to mention the failure of HD-DVD which could well have had a large impact on possible buyers.
However, amazingly (more so as these statistics are for consoles sold), the PS2 which was released 2000, 8 years ago, has 16% of sales. That is staggering display of the PS2’s maintained popularity, and perhaps a sign that the 360 and PS3 do not live up to 8 years of progress as well as they should. However as bad as this may seem for the PS3 and 360 (that it is still being beaten by the predecessor) Sony can still say with confidence that they are the top games hardware company…… or can they?
The short answer is no. The prize for that particular accolade goes to Nintendo who have been rewarded greatly for stretching the games market with the DS and the Wii, the two top selling consoles. The DS has more than twice the amount of sales as the PSP which is quite remarkable considering that the technology behind the PSP is more advanced than that of the DS, and it just goes to show that it is not specifications that sell games consoles. The Wii is also annihilating opposition which almost has as much as the 360 and PS3 combined, and although dedicated gamers and Sony/Microsoft disciples may disagree, it de3finatly does have the edge over these consoles with its family friendly interface. The Wii also has the back up that it did have supply problems (there are very long lists in the UK of the people waiting for one) especially before Christmas which just backs up their claim to the crown of top console.
So, in conclusion, we can see that although PS3 will get the headlines with the boost in sales, Nintendo are the real winners with these statistics as they show that they have really hit all people with the Wii and the DS (and they sound pretty cool too) and that that success can only continue…. as I will prove as I’m off to get a wii!!!
It would now seem that the earlier reports that Microsoft is in talks with Sony about integrating the new Blu-ray technology into their Xbox 360 is not going to happen.
Reuters.com has recently reported that Aaron Greenberg, the group product manager for Xbox, has commented that Microsoft is not talking with Sony about adding Blu-ray to their 360 console. Instead they seem to want to continue investing in the Xbox Live online service which enables users to rent hundreds of movies, including ones in high definition.
Of course the supply shortage is also hurting them now as they have been outsold by the Playstation 3 for the second month in a row. Microsoft needs to start make up it’s mind what it’s going to do and begin placing some new consoles into the hands of the consumer.
Myself, being a PS3 man, would like to see another Xbox with Blu-ray technology. But, the Live service isn’t bad either. An optional Blu-ray player would give people another option though in their movie watching experience. What say you?
I love my cellphone. Whilst it’s not an iPhone I have had great, meaningful conversations on it. I have sent and received email. I have surfed the web. I have even done work from my phone. But, I’ve never built anything with LEGO building blocks before. I so want an iPhone.
If for no other reason than to enjoy hours of doing nothing else but building things. The LEGO application, which was built by programmer Nicholas G. Panas of play, will let you build amazing creations using the vast array of building blocks. Using the multi-touch display you can simply grab and place the blocks anywhere you want to build with. You can even zoom in, rotate, and add color.
A nifty little feature is going to be the ability to “keep” your creations after you’ve completed them. No more having to tear down and clean up. Just save and move onto the next one! You can even share them online with your friends. I want to cry.
Of course, you’re not actually holding the blocks themselves but then again you can take them anywhere and never run out. No more stepping on little pieces with sharp edges. It’s in development now and should be released soon from play. You can see a flash presentation of it at their website.
What’s next… drive your car remotely with your iPhone?
Gaming has always been, in a sense, a two dimensional activity. You can see, and hear what happens, and that is where (barring vibrations) the interaction ends. That was until Dr Mark Ombrellaro developed what is labeled as the ‘third space vest’ which effectively allows the player to feel what is happening to the character in the game. Obviously this only occurs up to a certain point (i.e. head shots don’t knock you out) but the basic idea is there. The hydraulic rams positioned in appropriate places around the vest give a greater ‘feel’ from the game making it that bit more realistic.
The vest does not just work for shooting games either (where more realistic decisions are made so you don’t get shot, and being shot actually affects your character as you reel from the impact). The vest is capable of creating the feeling of G-force, meaning that the thrill of driving games is more immersive and intense. It also allows better orientation within a game, as shots from behind activate the rams from behind, blasts (including shrapnel) from the side activate those on the side, and punches form the front activate the front ones.
There are three ways that the vest can be used in the game, DI (direct integration), through driver software, and mods. Currently the only game with DI (the coding is already in the game) is Call of Duty 2 - 3rd space version. The driver software, when installed, allows the modification of already bought games so the vest can be used with it. This currently only applies to 9 titles (including Crysis, Half Life 2-Episode 1 and Medal of honor - Airborne) but of course when new, suitable titles come out they will be available. The last is mods, which only apply to Quake 4 and Doom 3 which don’t work with the above method.
For $169, including the power cable, USB adapter and COD2, it is in fact a very good deal, and a brilliant addition for those who want really realistic gaming.
It’s only a matter of time before the iPhone takes over the world.
We’ve all heard the SDK news and the news that EA and Sega have begun to create games for the web/music/phone/gaming mega-cellphone. Now it looks like Apple has set it’s sights on completing the domination of all things tech by teaming up with Gameloft for mobile gaming titles for the iPhone.
Gameloft, the world’s largest mobile game producer, has announced that it is going to create at least 15 game titles for the iPhone this coming year. It’s not clear yet whether they will be touch pad games or not like the EA game Spore yet, but I wouldn’t bet against it. I wouldn’t even doubt a Wii type of game in the near future???
As a consumer of smartphones, laptops, portable game consoles, and media players you have to ask yourself, “Why get anything else?” iPhone is just going to take over the world anyway. Right?
In order to remain competitive in the advancing gaming department, and keep sales consistent, they have reportedly announced a prices slash of $75 or so to keep it marketable with the ever popular Wii. But that’s not all.
Microsoft knows that they must make some drastic changes. Even think more outside of the box than they seemingly already do. In doing so, they are talking with Sony about a possible Blu-ray addition to the newest Xbox console. Plus Microsoft has announced that the 20GB model is about to be trashed for a new, much larger 60GB internal hard drive. Can I get an amen?
Look for this to happen around June as Microsoft is saying that they want to get this out before the end of their financial year. One can only ask what’s next… a built in fridge and leg warmer?
The closest that console developers have come to cross platform gaming is probably the good ol’ gameboy, and it is a grail that many gamers have been waiting for. Emulators (illegal, marred with viruses and rarely work) have tried to bridge the gap, but the final frontier of being able to pitch two different consoles against each other has not happened, until now.
Admittedly it is not a console as such, but it now possible to play on your PC against an Xbox 360 through Xbox live and this has been made possible by the long awaited (and quite possible trivial) technical advance in the games. Halo 2 was the first PC game to allow the connection to LIVE to be made, but this did not allow playing, only chat. However a string of new games are in the pipeline to be released under the ‘games for windows’ banner soon (the newest being Uno) to follow the only game that currently allows this game play: Shadowrun.
However this comes at a price. LIVE itself is free for windows, and this allows the basic chat and PC to PC gaming. Yet to play against that 360 there is the $49.99 cost per annum, and a very small choice of games (although when Halo 3 is released this may not be much of a barrier). Shadowrun itself does not seem such a bad game, but $50 to play against 360 players is just a bit steep (and for Uno it is more like vertical) so currently it is perhaps not a great purchase.
However it is a step foreword in the right direction, and in time it will be something that most gamers, I’m sure, will use. For other consoles it is a big blow. The PS3, already suffering from mediocre sales, will not have the technology to move into the cross platform area and as the current internet game play is already heavily criticized it may well be very hard for it to redeem itself. Nevertheless it is great news for all 360 and PC fans, and it can only get better!
Sony has always been good at coming out with what is cool and sometimes on the “do I need?” side. But, I kind of like this one. 
Described as the “Swiss Army Knife of the ecogadget world”, this beats most gadgets hands down! The current wave of digital media players has one crucial flaw - too long away from a source of power, and they run out of power and really start to suck. The inventor, Trevor Baylis, solved this by making a gadget that recharges by winding a crank. 
MediaStreet Debuts World’s First Solar-Powered Portable Media Player Paired With Charger That Powers Other Mobile Devices
released by NPD form February in the US show that the PS3 has settled down and is now taking a whole (and I know this is amazing) 1% of the games hardware market more than the 360 at 13%, which is surprising considering the rocky start that the PS3 had. However it appears to have taken the place critics thought the 360 would hold despite its (questionably) poorer online service and higher price tag, and of course Microsoft have their reasons blaming supply constraints for the dip in sales and claims that including game sales and accessories for third generation systems it has 39% at a cool $332 million. Notably they failed to mention the failure of HD-DVD which could well have had a large impact on possible buyers.
hort answer is no. The prize for that particular accolade goes to Nintendo who have been rewarded greatly for stretching the games market with the DS and the Wii, the two top selling consoles. The DS has more than twice the amount of sales as the PSP which is quite remarkable considering that the technology behind the PSP is more advanced than that of the DS, and it just goes to show that it is not specifications that sell games consoles. The Wii is also annihilating opposition which almost has as much as the 360 and PS3 combined, and although dedicated gamers and Sony/Microsoft disciples may disagree, it de3finatly does have the edge over these consoles w
ith its family friendly interface. The Wii also has the back up that it did have supply problems (there are very long lists in the UK of the people waiting for one) especially before Christmas which just backs up their claim to the crown of top console.
