Games and gear

First free Wiimote sleeves, now free DS stylii

Last week, you might have read about Nintendo giving away free Wiimote sleeves. Well, that's not the only swag you can get from Big N in exchange for a serial number. Proud owners of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass can order their own free, feather-shaped stylus. Just register your game at Nintendo.com, fill out a short survey, and you'll get a shiny new stylus in 4 to 6 weeks. It's neither the most useful stylus (it probably won't fit in the DS Lite's stylus slot), nor is it the most Zelda-centric (is a … Read more

A game table for your kid's posture, sort of

If your child is spending so much time with games that you're concerned about ergonomics, perhaps posture isn't the first thing that needs to be corrected. But every parent has different priorities, so here's something for those who care more about orthopedics than their progeny's brains turning to mush.

The "Synergy Arcade Cabinet" supposedly keeps your child upright while playing on what looks like an updated version of the old Pac-Man tables found in fern bars of the '70s. We're not sure how it would truly improve posture when they're bent over … Read more

Wii virtual console releases for this week: NEOGEO fighters edition

As promised, Nintendo has rolled out a brand new Virtual Console category today. NEOGEO titles will now be available for download for 900 Wii points each and to celebrate, Nintendo has released three today--all of which are fighters. Cheesy box art not included.

Fatal Fury (1991, NEOGEO, 900 Wii points)--One of the original games in the fighting genre, Fatal Fury gained much attention for its unique gameplay that allowed fighters to switch between two planes, thus dodging attacks. World Heroes (1992, NEOGEO, 900 Wii points)--This fighting game based its characters on historical figures all throughout time and had … Read more

Microsoft to include free games with new Xbox 360s?

[Update: Microsoft has now officially confirmed the pack-in games. The bundled systems ship at the end of the month, and will run at least through the holiday season.]

The Xbox 360 price cut wasn't enough for Microsoft, so now it's adding free games to the mix. According to Kotaku, Microsoft will start bundling Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance with all new Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Elite systems.

While they're not Halo 3 or Bioshock and are a few months to a year old, the two pack-in games present extremely solid plays. GameSpot gave Marvel … Read more

New entry-level Xbox 360 model imminent?

Now that the long-rumored "bargain" PS3 now a reality (in Europe, anyway), how will Microsoft respond? Over the past few months, the company has refreshed the bulk of the 360 line: the $450 Elite debuted in April with a large 120GB hard drive, HDMI port, and (finally!) black color scheme; the Pro (a.k.a. "Premium") 20GB model got a $50 price cut and HDMI upgrade; and there's even a limited-run $400 Halo Edition (basically, the Pro with a military camo paint job) for $400. But what of the lowly Xbox 360 Core System? The … Read more

The real price to pay for the new PS3

For the longest time I've yearned for a desire to want to purchase a PlayStation 3. Like many other gamers, the hefty price tag and lack of blockbuster exclusive games has kept me far away from the big black box and enjoying my Wii and Xbox 360. And yes, even the lack of rumble had me second guessing a purchase.

The latest rumor-turned-reality comes from Europe and has a 40GB PS3 priced at $400 (when this deal inevitably comes stateside). Sure, there's an argument to be made that $400 is a great deal for Blu-ray player, but apparently … Read more

Belkin's n52te will have you fragging in no time

Belkin has announced the successor to the n52 SpeedPad, the n52te. What does the "te" stand for, you ask? Tournament Edition. This professional-grade SpeedPad promises to improve your response time in PC games like first-person shooters, real-time strategy games, and MMORPGs.

Teaming up with elite gaming peripheral manufacturer Razer, the n52te carries with it a customizable software suite allowing players to completely modify their gaming experience. The device will support multiple player profiles in addition to Razer Synapse onboard memory, which allows for plug-and-play functionality without the need to install additional software wherever you take it. Also new … Read more

Sony confirms cheaper 40GB PS3 for Europe; U.S. version to follow?

The rumors were true, almost to the letter. Sony Europe has confirmed the existence of a new entry-level PlayStation 3. Scheduled to hit stores on the Continent on October 10, the new PS3 has been stripped down to hit a lower price point: it's got a smaller 40GB hard drive, no built-in flash media reader, and two (rather than four) USB ports. But the biggest change appears to be the loss of backward compatibility with PS2 games. Sony's release specifies that "[t]he new model is no longer backwards compatible with PlayStation 2 titles, reflecting both the … Read more

New iMacs having graphics pains?

AppleInsider has reported that more than a few owners of the new shiny iMacs are experiencing freezing problems.

When the problem occurs, the system will look and behave as if it's running but is totally unresponsive to any touching of the controls, according to the report. Some suspect foul play by the new ATI Radeon HD graphics card, as most instances occur when playing games or running any video-intensive tasks.

So far Apple is aware of the problem but has yet to release a permanent fix for it. Desperate users have tried to re-install older Mac drivers with mixed … Read more