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Gemei ups the PMP / gaming ante with the X760+

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 4:14PM


Finally we can toss out that old, boring Gemei X760 we've been fooling around with, and step up to some legitimate action. That's right, the X760+ is on the scene, and that + isn't just for show. The new iteration of the Chinese-made PMP / game playing device boasts 4GB of onboard storage, a 3-inch, WQVGA screen, a 400MHz CPU, FM tuner, and a TV output. The handheld is capable of playing MP3, WMA, APE, RM, MPEG, FLV, AVI, and VOB files (amongst others), but the main selling point here seems to be its built-in ability to emulate the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, as well as play "3D games." The price? 599 yuan (or about $87). Availability? Call an importer.

[Thanks, Raz]

TomTom's two-way HD Traffic GPS unit clears the FCC

by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 12:34PM


TomTom's two-way, Dash-like HD Traffic GPS device has been helping European drivers help each other for some time now, and it looks like it could now possibly be headed to the US as well, although that's still not quite a sure thing. It has cleared one of the major hurdles on that trip though, with it recently sailing through the FCC with flying colors. No word on any changes to the device itself though, so we can presume that, if and when it gets here, you'll still get the same 4.3-inch LCD, 1GB of storage and all-important SIM card as our European friends, which promises to help stack up the unit with 5x the traffic updates and 10x the road coverage of typical traffic systems.

[Thanks, Rich]

PhysX on ATI effort gets helping hand from NVIDIA

by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 12:12PM

Eran Badit of NGOHQ.com has already made some considerable progress getting PhysX to run on AMD hardware, and it looks like he's now getting a helping hand from a somewhat unexpected source, with NVIDIA itself reportedly giving the project its blessing. Apparently, NVIDIA has even gone so far as to invite Badit to join its developer program, which gives him access to documentation, SDKs and, most importantly, direct access to hardware and NVIDIA engineers, a move that Badit describes as "impressive, inspiring and motivating." Badit is decidedly less impressed by AMD, however, which has apparently been unwilling to provide with any hardware or support for the project. That stubborn stance, he surmises, can only be due to AMD's backing of Intel's Havok physics engine, which NVIDIA would no doubt like to have out of the picture (hence its willingness to help here).

[Via TG Daily]

The Wii Keyboard -- just exactly what the name suggests

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 11:24AM


Next time you sit down to write your Great American Novel, perhaps you should consider tapping the opus out on your Wii with Logic 3's weird and somewhat awful -- though excellently named -- Wii Keyboard. There's not much meat on these bones -- it's simply an add-on for Nintendo's console that allows you to type on a QWERTY pad rather than light-sabering all over your apartment to name your new Mii "Death Bringer." The 'board is due out July 18th (in the UK at least) and will nab a tidy £14.99 (or about $30).

[Thanks, John]

Video: Tiny hands-on with Swinxs

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 6:43AM Featured Story


When this Swinxs RFID game console arrived at the doorstep of our European annex to test, we realized our dilemma: kids, we need kids, preferably the type who won't mind being tricked into a little physical activity. Fortunately, we always have a few 3-footers lurking around the Engadget "waste acre" scrounging for circuit boards to strip of their gold. Presumably then, in violation of several international child labor laws, we put Swinxs to the grueling challenge of entertaining three kids, city-hardened, and angry at the establishment after their respective 5-, 6- and 7-years of big city livin'. How did Swinxs fare? Click on through to witness the laughter and tears spilled during a typical Swinxs afternoon.

Continue reading Video: Tiny hands-on with Swinxs

Turtle Beach keeps series alive with Ear Force X4 wireless headphones

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 6:27AM


Be honest, you were terrified that Turtle Beach would leave the awesomely titled Ear Force series sitting in lurk at X3, weren't you? Thankfully, that's not the case at all, as the Ear Force X4 wireless headphones have just been revealed. Designed with Xbox 360 gamers in mind, this headset / headphone combo promises to provide Dolby 5.1 surround sound out of just two earcups (we're still checking on the velvet-lined part), and more importantly, the Chat Boost Dynamic Talkback Expander "automatically adjusts incoming XBOX Live chat levels during loud game moments" to keep you from going deaf when NewbX1337 gets all whiny on you. Can't say we're thrilled by the $199.95 price tag, but these are available now for those who are.

[Via IGN]

PS3 2.41 firmware out now

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 3:16AM


Sony's 2.41 firmware update for the PS3 is apparently out and riding the network updates. This according to our readers and those of the official PlayStation Blog. Now deep breath, install, and hope your system doesn't hang like it did for the few 2.40 unfortunates.

[Thanks, David]

Commodore 64 users create perfect nerdstorm

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 2:40AM


There's nerd and then there's Commodore 64 nerd. Bring them together in a Commodore 64 LAN party and you've got a nerdstorm of mythical proportions. The world's first Commodore 64 LAN party was held in nerdistan Cincinnati last weekend. It consisted of eight C64s with Ethernet cartridges playing NetRacer off a central, Java-based server. So Geeksta it hurts.

Power Pad hacked into musical controller, DDR trembles

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 7th 2008 at 3:12PM


We're not quite sure how Seth Sternberger, one member of 8 Bit Weapon, was able to pull this off, but he somehow compiled a number of old parts from local shops and eBay in order to transform an NES Power Pad into an instrument of awesomeness. Click on through for a video of Micro Boogie being performed on said Pad, and don't be shocked to find yourself immediately overcome with the need to get one of these in your own house (only to remember that you can't dance).

Continue reading Power Pad hacked into musical controller, DDR trembles

Sony releasing PS3 firmware 2.41 'midweek' say reps

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 7th 2008 at 9:36AM


If you've been stuck waiting on Sony to get its act together concerning firmware 2.40, you might not have to hang back much longer. According to ComputerAndVideoGames, reps from the console-maker say that an update to the broken, PS3-bricking system software will be headed out to users "midweek." The company hasn't made an official announcement yet, but it certainly is looking like 2.41 will become a reality sooner rather than later, which should be music to the ears of a lot of deeply annoyed gamers.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Keepin' it real fake, part CXXIII: the Wiimote candy dispenser

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 6th 2008 at 12:34AM


According to the reader who sent this our way, this candy dispenser looks "exactly" like a Wiimote, except it fires candy out of the spot where the IR transmitter should be. Apparently the instructions suggest that you "Do not aim at face," so... it's kind of like the real thing.

[Thanks, Timothy]

Nintendo Game & Watch collectors poked, prodded, exposed

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 5th 2008 at 10:20AM

Nintendo Game & Watch
When their moms told them that they needed hobbies, collecting Nintendo Game & Watch machines was probably not what they had in mind. We're not about to judge Andy Cole or Michael Panayiotakis, two collectors who have all 60 Game & Watch handhelds ever produced. New in box. Untouched by human hands. So why did they do it? Because they could, we suppose. In an interview by DS Fanboy, the two Game & Watch collectors are deconstructed and investigated, revealing such nuggets as once spending $1,200 on a boxed Super Mario Bros. Special Edition, keeping their products out of the sun and air, and some advice on starting a collection of your own. Hit the read link to see the collectors in action.

Fujitsu Siemens' Lasso external graphics card get spotted, should hit retail soon

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 4th 2008 at 6:09PM


An external graphics card that's actually nearing release? Be still our hearts! Fujitsu Siemens' recently leaked external unit, which will be based on ATI XGP technology, is actually really, really close to hitting retail -- according to a piece over at Fudzilla, anyway. Slated to be titled Lasso, the RV670-based device should be more than enough to handle basic tasks, but unfortunately, benchmarks were off limits. On the upside, digital photography was not, so head on down to the read link for a few more snaps.

Modder shoves NES into an NES cartridge, makes us feel sort of uneasy

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 4th 2008 at 11:31AM


Looking to put those dust-collecting tools of yours to use here on Independence Day? Then we've excellent news, you introvert you. Rather than grilling up some red meat (or chicken, or tofu, whatever) and handling highly volatile explosives, we have no doubt that modder "darkeru" is spending his day playing with his brand new toy: a Nintendo Entertainment System... crammed within an NES cartridge. We'll be honest, this one does feel a little incestuous for some odd reason, but we greatly appreciate the ingenuity. Hit up the read link for more pics.

[Via MAKE]

Condi Rice's custom DS lite: proof that G8 globalization is important

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 4th 2008 at 3:54AM


It really does pay to be a foreign minister representing the 8 richest countries in the world. This Japanese-lacquered DS lite is just one of the items presented to the G8 ministers participating in last week's talks in Kyoto. The other items included a scented perfume ball and manga-styled stickers for each of the participant to attach to their diplomatic tricycles.
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