November 20th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
The BBFC classification site lists a “Sonic Classic Collection” coming to DS soon. Normally, with these ratings, we’d be left to speculate as to the identity of the games on the collection — however, the BBFC helpfully provided a list of games on the cart!
According to the rating, it’ll feature Sonic 1-3, plus Sonic and Knuckles — with the ability to virtually “Lock-on” and play as Knuckles in the older games. Also included in the shockingly specific list of in-game content: Sonic Chronicles and “The History of Sonic” video content and the art gallery.
We can only hope it turns out better than Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis on GBA.
[Via Kombo]
BBFC: Sega compiling Sonic games for DS originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 20th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
Having not played Renegade Kid’s first survival/horror-FPS on the Nintendo DS back in 2007, Dementium: The Ward, I had few expectations going into my recent hands-on with the game’s sequel, the aptly titled Dementium 2. I knew that the first game enjoyed critical acclaim for more than adequately bringing survival/horror tropes to Nintendo’s handheld, and ultimately scored pretty well with reviewers, but ever since Metroid Prime Hunters I’ve been wary of first-person mechanics on the DS.
Thankfully, when first faced with manipulating Dementium 2’s main character, it became quickly obvious that the game’s slow pace helps to account for any discomfort issues that might arise from the control scheme. Over the course of 45 minutes, I put together puzzles, traveled between two dimensions multiple times, and even fought a boss who tried to throw up on me from the ceiling (what a jerk!). Though its content and storytelling seems to be a carefully crafted amalgam of games from the three or so genres it mashes up (fps, adventure, survival/horror) – a handheld Half-Life meets Silent Hill on Monkey Island, almost – the time I spent with a preview build of Dementium 2 earlier today felt like the beginning of what could be a very interesting game.
Continue reading Hands-on: Dementium 2 (DS)
Hands-on: Dementium 2 (DS) originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 20th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
You know, living rooms (or parlors, for you weirdos out there) are damn boring — it goes double for outdoor patios. Luckily, System Flaw is attempting to address your home and its surroundings’ severe deficiency in fun as one of the first DSi-only games. Utilizing the handheld’s built-in camera, it populates your real-world locale with virtual enemies to shoot down in a kind of first-person shmup. It’s an interesting concept, as you can see for yourself in the video past the break.
[Thanks, RupeeClock]
Continue reading System Flaw commercial shoots up your living room
System Flaw commercial shoots up your living room originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 20th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
The WiiWare demo service arrives in Europe today, though a bit light on content compared to other regions. On the upside, both of the demos offered are for games that cost 1,500 Wii Points, which means you could save a pretty large chunk of change if you discover (somehow) that you don’t like World of Goo.
In terms of stuff you pay for, Shootanto is going to be totally overshadowed by Pokemon Rumble. DSiWare has a decent selection of games, including something that looks kind of like Defend Your Castle, a few card games, and myNotebook.
- Pokemon Rumble (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 1,500 Wii Points)
- Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
- Army Defender (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
- A Little Bit of … All-Time Classics: Strategy Games (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
- myNotebook: Blue (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
- Uno (DSiWare, 1-6 players, 500 DSi Points)
- Demos: Pokemon Rumble, World of Goo (free)
European Nintendo downloads: Pokemon Rumble, Shootanto, demos originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 20th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
[Ania] wrote in to let us know her team had finished the Multixylophoniomnibus and that they have posted an extensive writeup about it. We covered this augmented xylophone when it was still in development at the beginning of this month. Originally they wanted to use mallets wrapped in tinfoil as switches that close when they contact the metal keys, something akin to matchbox cars as a switch. This plan was thwarted when they realized the paint surface insulated the metal keys. At this point they switched to piezo sensors which turned into an odyssey of trial and error to achieve a reliable input for the Arduino to monitor. In the end they got it working with around forty lines of code, interfacing six boxes containing a different type of noisemaker.
See the finished instrument played in the video after the break. Alas, the addition of the piezo sensors do impede the resonance of the xylophone keys, but we still like it! There’s something reminiscent of the beginning of Pink Floyd’s Money when this is played.
November 20th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
November 20th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
How often do you change the batteries in your television remote control? Yeah, basically never. But that’s a tribute to how efficient the device is and not a reason to overlook this development. NEC is showing off a remote control that uses no batteries. Power is generated using the piezo effect that occurs when a button is pushed. That is to say, when a crystal is compressed it emits a tiny bit of electricity which is harnessed and used to power this device. This is the same principle that is used in the electricity producing sidewalks tested in Japan.
It’s pretty phenomenal that they can run the device using this method. Right now there’s only a handful of buttons but we’re sure there’ll be advances in the technology. There’s a ton of use for this if it can be miniaturized. It is using radio frequency instead of infrared, making it a useful development in wireless doorbells, garage door openers, key-less entry fobs for your car, and many more applications.
[Thanks das_coach]
November 20th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
As you can see above, there is no wiimote in that accessory steering wheel. There is, instead, a home-made accelerometer controller that connects to the pc via USB. Based around a PIC 18F2550 and a 2 axis accelerometer, this device is detected by windows as a standard controller. The schematic and source code are available on his website. He says it can also be used as a “motion mouse”. You can see a video of that after the break.
When we first saw the video, we thought it might be the same person as the accelerometer controlled maze project, due to the wiimote steering wheel casing.
[via make]
November 20th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
Harmonix and Child’s Play have announced that they’re banding together for a charity benefit
Rock Band night at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge the night of December 9. “Ümloud!” is an all-ages event organized by
GameLife’s Chris Kohler,
Gamehelper’s Joe Markert and
Telltale Games’ John “Seg” Seggerson, and staffed by a number of Bay Area games bloggers, including
yours truly.
The party kicks off at 7PM PT and runs through 2AM PT on December 10, with a suggested $10 donation for admission. Everyone who attends will automagically be made eligible for a chance to win some of the many raffle prizes that’ll be awarded throughout the night, but those who wish to donate more can sign up for two different “band packages” — which include reserved songs and the chance to play on DNA’s main stage — at the Ümloud! site.
Proceeds from the event will go to provide toys and video games to children’s hospitals nationwide, including the local Oakland Children’s Hospital.
Child’s Play & Harmonix rock San Fran for charity Dec. 9 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 19th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
GamerDeals.net has posted what it claims are Wal-Mart’s Black Friday deals and, if accurate, there are some serious savings to be had. Probably the most prominent deal would be the doorbuster on Rock Band 2 Special Edition for PS3 or 360, which will net you the full band kit and the game for a paltry $50. Another impressive deal, shoppers can pick up a PS3, Infamous, “Batman” (Arkham Asylum, we’re assuming) and a copy of The Dark Knight for $299. In comparison, the Xbox 360 gets the lukest of lukewarm bundles ever, an Xbox 360 Arcade unit complete with the Madagascar 2 game and both Madagascar movies on DVD.
Other deals include select console titles for between $7 and $25, select PC games for $25 and a $98 doorbuster on DS Lites (time to clear that stock, amirite?). Head over to GamerDeals for the full rundown. We were unable to confirm the deals with Wal-Mart, though we were told that the official Black Friday announcement will arrive on Monday, November 23.
Rumor: Wal-Mart’s Black Friday deals originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 19th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
GamerDeals.net has posted what it claims are Wal-Mart’s Black Friday deals and, if accurate, there are some serious savings to be had. Probably the most prominent deal would be the doorbuster on Rock Band 2 Special Edition for PS3 or 360, which will net you the full band kit and the game for a paltry $50. Another impressive deal, shoppers can pick up a PS3, Infamous, “Batman” (Arkham Asylum, we’re assuming) and a copy of The Dark Knight for $299. In comparison, the Xbox 360 gets the lukest of lukewarm bundles ever, an Xbox 360 Arcade unit complete with the Madagascar 2 game and both Madagascar movies on DVD.
Other deals include select console titles for between $7 and $25, select PC games for $25 and a $98 doorbuster on DS Lites (time to clear that stock, amirite?). Head over to GamerDeals for the full rundown. We were unable to confirm the deals with Wal-Mart, though we were told that the official Black Friday announcement will arrive on Monday, November 23.
Rumor: Wal-Mart’s Black Friday deals originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 19th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
November 19th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
This neat accelerometer controlled marble maze adds a level of fun to retrieving a gum ball. You have to first navigate the maze using a controller that has a dual axis accelerometer in it to control the angle of the platform. Though that does look like a wii accessory, there is no wiimote in there. Only after you have completed it will the gum ball machine dispense the candy. [Dan] constructed everything himself, which might explain the lack of “pits” for the marble to fall into in the maze.
More details on the build and source code are available on his page.
[via hacked gadgets]
November 19th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
Proving that there really are (really) games being made for
DSiWare without “Sudoku” in their title, Teyon has announced
101 MiniGolf World for Nintendo’s DSi download service. The game, which gets it name from the fact that it features six 18-hole courses, has yet to be dated — but at least we can get a look at it.
We became excited briefly when the announcement mentioned support for eight players … until we parsed the next few words and realized Teyon means by passing your DS around. Still, the developer is promising “mind-blowing obstacles, loops, pipes, ramps” and so forth. It would be nice to have a new DSiWare title blow our minds rather than our DSi Points.
101 MiniGolf World fills a hole in DSiWare lineup originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 19th, 2009 — Uncategorized
We get a lot of questions about the DS Xtreme Mod from a whole lot of customers. Asking us as to whether or not they should consider buying the DS Xtreme mod over other DS Flash card products. So in light of all of the questions, the easiest thing for us to do is simply to give all of the answers on our Blog – to better help out current and future customers make the right decisions about their DS Flash Card purchase.
So Just Why Is The DS Xtreme Mod So Popular?
Well, to be honest, quite simply put – we have to go back to the time BEFORE the DS Xtreme Mod was released. Before the release of the DS Xtreme Mod Nintendo DS homebrew gamers WERE able to load hombrew, games and applications via several GBA Flash Cards which had already been on the market. They were there, these flashcards received updates to enable them, with the help of a PassKey or SuperKey to load NDS files as well as GBA files. One of the more popular ones at the time was the NDS Super Card which was originally developed for use with the Gameboy Advance / Game Advance SP system. With the use of a superkey however, that same flash card that was made for the GBA, now worked in the Nintendo DS. But it was still what we now call a SLOT 2 Flash card, and of course, the Superkey would take up your NDS game slot, because it had to be inserted in order for the unit to be recognized in your NDS.
Now, while we’re only talking about ONE GBA Flash card that ended up turning into an NDS Flash card, there were numerous variations of these units out there. IN fact a pretty good number of the GBA card, with the use of a superkey and updated firmware from the card manufacturers themselves, ended up working for the NDS gamer too.
And as such, Nintendo DS homebrew was born. And thriving. But as the tech junkies that we all are, everyone wanted something perfect. We didn’t want to use our GBA flash cards, that require patching of game files, and having to run them through the SuperCard software to make them work as an NDS file. We wanted something we could all plug in, and just start using out of the box, without any patching or hassles. This is in fact why even today, many of the slot 1 cards like the NDS TTDS and others, still list “Drag and Drop” and “No Patching Required” Amongst their list of features.
All of this was good and fine, but people really wanted to have an NDS Flash Card that looked, worked, and felt like a regular Nintendo DS card…. In comes the DS Xtreme Mod. The DS Xtreme was the very first SLOT 1 (NDS GAME SLOT) flash card for the Nintendo DS. It did away with having to buy a passme or superkey as well. Not only that, it came with built in memory to boot. So you have nothing more to buy except the actual DS Xtreme – and you would be up and running in now time.
(Editors Note: The DS Xtreme Mod has been discontinued by the manufacturer – so when buying, please take that into consideration)
The DS Xtreme had a unique menu system, came with a whooping (at the time) 512MByte built in memory (which translated to 4GigaBits for your files) and could not only play games, but could also play movies, music, etc… It also didn’t require you to patch your games. You could simply drag and drop them onto the DS Xtreme once you connected it via USB to your computer and away you went. Playing your favorite home brew app, or listening to your favorite music.
All Good Things Must Come To An End:
But then something else happened. While the DS Xtreme Mod was keeping people busy, and playing a-la NDS Cartridge style, the M3 Team released not one, but two Nintendo DS Flash Cards.
The M3 DS Simply and the R4 DS Card. You see, up to that point, only the DS Xtreme (and the later G6 DS Real) cards were the only cards that actually worked in your NDS as slot 1 flash cards. You didn’t need extra hardware, didn’t need to install software on your PC, just drag and drop your files and play you would. But…. they were pricey. Not because the people behind the products wanted to over charge, but because of the built in memory costs, which tend to fluctuate up and down as the markey supply and demand changes. Unfortunately, the DS Xtreme was built at a time when flash memory was at a premium. With the release of microSD Cards, and the M3 DS and R4 DS cards, which could utilize them, customers soon realized that there was a much cheaper way, and that they were no longer limited to just 512Mbytes of memory – they could actually use much more. Up to 2Gigabytes – which meant the difference between being able to load up your card with say, 4-5 files, or 18-30 files. What is even more important to point out however, is that microSD Cards came in really cheap. Where a DS-X would cost you $149.00 for the 512Mbyte model, you could get an R4 DS with a 1 gig microSD card for under $70.00 (Thatr’s now changed of course… You can buy an official R4 DS for only $19.95!)
With the release of the R4 DS and similar slot 1 cards, customers had more choice. Sure, the Supercard worked, but it worked in a way that required extra steps in order to fill up that memory card. Extra steps that required every single game to be compressed / converted before they could be used on your Nintendo DS. The R4 DS and the M3 DS Simply did away with that. They just worked (We can’t help but wonder if that’s why they called it the M3 DS SIMPLY – because it Simply works!)
As time has passed, most of these all in one units, by which we mean Slot 1 DS Flash cards that have the unit, and the memory as an all in one, went to the wayside. With super low cost microSD cards – there really wasn’t a big market left for units that had built in memory, which was quite often double or triple the price of similar microSD card compatible units. As mentioned above, the DS Xtreme has been discontinued, but the most famous of all of the flash cards, the R4 DS Card is still available and still a customer favorite both for it’s compatibility with all types of files, and low cost microSD Card compatibility.
Find out more about the R4 DS Card for Nintendo DS….
Click Here.
November 19th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
Gamers certainly aren’t strangers to memorabilia, doubly so for figurines, but this Professor Layton statue from NCSX has one thing going for it those others don’t: you can actually afford it. We’re used to seeing those high-dollar Samus statues and Capcom’s ridiculously-priced (and ridiculously nice!) Street Fighter series, so when we caught wind of this $30 Professor Layton companion, we knew we had to post it up. So … yeah, that’s what this is.
What? You were expecting more? OK, here’s a riddle: What’s 120 words, loves you and thinks you’re the sexiest person on the planet? Head past the break for the answer!
[Via Go Nintendo]
Continue reading Professor Layton and the Figurine of Want
Professor Layton and the Figurine of Want originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 19th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
November 19th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
[Jack] wrote in to let us know about a project that creates a virtual microprocessor core based on the ATmega103 by using a Field-Programmable Gate Array. Great, we thought. Here’s another rather esoteric project like the NES on a FPGA, but what’s the motivation behind it? We asked [Jack] and he provided several scenarios where this is quite useful.
Implementing the AVR core allows code already written for the chips to be easily ported to an FPGA without a code rewrite. This way, if your needs outpaced the capabilities of the microcontroller long after the project has started, you can keep the code and move forward from that point with the added capabilities of the gate array. Having the core already implemented, you then only need to work with HDL for the parts of the project the AVR was unable to handle. He also makes the point that having an open source AVR core implementation provides a great tool for people already familiar with AVR to study when learning VHDL.
With products like the Butterfly that this project is based around, or the Maple we’ve seen in the past, programmable logic for the recreational hacker is starting to get a little easier.
November 19th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
November 19th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
November 19th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
November 19th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
[Nebeziel, deviantART user]
A Google image search of Lara Croft is a lot tamer than it used to be these days, though it’s still something we wouldn’t suggest doing. Thankfully, we have a link to quench your thirst for inspired, non-naked, sexually-deprived-fanboy-fantasy-quasi-porn, courtesy of The Design Inspiration.
There are 40 fanworks in total, all originating from deviantART (obviously). There are a lot of great renditions, including the image where Lara is fighting dinosaurs and the one where she’s hiding from dinosaurs. We also have a soft spot for this odd image of her fighting Wonder Woman, but the best has to be this image where she defends herself so she can stop and eat the baked potato she brought down into the tomb with her. Tomb raiding takes a lot of carbohydrates, people!
[Via Kotaku]
The many artistic portrayals of Lara Croft originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 18th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
GameFly, the online game rental service …. wait, that’s hardly accurate anymore, let’s start over: GameFly, the media company and rental service entity, is now selling new games on its website, including large items like DJ Hero and Tony Hawk Ride. Those expecting to discover the amazing discounts normally found with the service’s used games will be disappointed to note that the new games are full retail price and include shipping costs and applicable taxes.
Example for Massachusetts:
- A new copy of New Super Marios Bros Wii: $50 for the game + $3 tax + $5 for standard shipping = $58
- The “keep it” price for a member whose been with the service over a year: $39 + $3 tax + no shipping cost = $42 (members also receive a $5 coupon every quarter, which would make it $37)
The “new” store isn’t a revelation in retail, but perhaps it’ll make more sense later on. GameFly still has some of the best deals in used games we’ve seen.
[Thanks, Chris S.]
GameFly begins selling new games originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 18th, 2009 — Nintendo DS / DS Lite, Nintendo DSi
Nintendo must’ve had some luck with its Great Lakes and Wii Sports Resort tours recently, as the company has announced the Nintendo Mall Experience tour. Starting next week through December 20, The Big N will be stopping at shopping centers across the country to get some of its Wii and DS titles in the faces of holiday shoppers.
On the Wii side, Nintendo will show off its top three games for the holiday season: Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Fit Plus. For the handheld crowd, Nintendo will be pushing the new Style Savvy, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Head past the break for the full list of stops on Nintendo’s Mall Experience tour.
Continue reading Nintendo Mall Experience tour heads cross-country next week
Nintendo Mall Experience tour heads cross-country next week originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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November 18th, 2009 — Hacks & Mods
While Outerspace may not have an extremely useful function, being an art installation, we really enjoyed reading through the build information. Basically, Outerspace is supposed to appear to be curious, exploring it’s surroundings and reacting to your contact. We do enjoy a little bit of personality in robots, so this seems like it could be fun. The head has 5 photo sensors and each piece of the “arm” has capacitive sensors. This allows Outerspace to sense what is going on. The motion itself is controlled by 4 servos in the base pulling cables that run through the body.
The programming seems like it could use a little work to achieve the effect of being “curious”, but we see potential here. You can see a video of it in action here.
[via today and tomorrow]
