Gaming Gadgets

I was at McDonalds with my kids the other day, and it was one of those with a Playplace, complete with free video games. They had this video game where the player stood on a controller that looked like a skateboard without wheels. My kids and I had a fun time trying to steer the skateboarder through a series of obstacles, and it was harder than it sounds.

Since it reminded me of the balance games on the WiiFit, I couldn’t help but wonder why a home version of this skateboarding video game hasn’t been made for the WiiFit board. Actually, there is. Skateboarding Wii has been out for a while, and Thrustmaster, maker of many game accessories, has created a peripheral for this game with the T-Freestyle NW.

All the gamer has to do is attach the genuine maple board on the WiiFit and get ready to maneuver half-pipes and rail jams just like a real skateboarder or snowboarder. It uses Rolling Motion Board technology, which allows for optimum lateral movement and steering.

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Dolls always seem to have the strangest features, yes there are still normal dolls out there, but there are just as many oddballs.  You can get babies that make noise, that pee their diaper and can even crawl away.  The strangest of them all is always the one that can soil a fake diaper.  Well now all the little girls of the world can have a doll to go with their Nintendo Wii.

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It isn’t unusual that video games come with at least one odd peripheral to make much more realistic gameplay, but this Baby and Me Special Edition has to be one of the most unusual that I have seen.

The particular toy comes with an actual doll that the child straps the Wiimote to. Then the baby doll “reacts by giggling, gurgling or crying through the Wii remote”. From there, I would imagine a child can learn the wonders of being a mother as he or she can feed the baby and put the baby to sleep.

I am assuming that this game will take advantage of the Wiimote’s motion control feature for this. By the way, players can even get the Wii Balance Board (presumably the one from WiiFit) to rock baby to sleep, burp the baby, and teach baby to walk.

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The wildly successful Nintendo DS line has now entered its fourth iteration, with confirmation of the Nintendo DSi LL in the pipeline that is basically a supersized version of the camera-enabled DSi. After all, it gets larger 4.25″ displays on both top and bottom segments compared to the older DSi’s 3.25″, coupled with an extra, bulkier pen with a host of new colors to whet your appetite. Something tells us that Zune lovers might just fall for this since it comes in a similar dark brown color. Out in Japan later this November 21st, it will come with a trio of built-in games, retailing for roughly $220 after conversion which makes it pricier than the Sony PSP-3000 but cheaper than the PSP Go. Do you think the DSi LL will be able to take off in the same manner as its predecessors?

Source: Wired

Polk Audio is a well known name when it comes to audio equipment, and this time round the company wants to dip their fingers into the potentially lucrative gaming market. After all, if gamers can splurge on new peripherals that supposedly enhance the overall gaming experience, surely those who have an ear for detail (excuse the pun) will find that the Polk Audio HitMaster gaming speaker is more than capable of bringing Rock Band and Guitar Hero gameplay to a totally new level of depth and detail like never before. We’re assuming you have been using your standard TV speakers all the while though, so do excuse us if the assumption that you’re not running some high end living room entertainment system offends you.

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For those who have kids that have outgrown the Leapster and the Leapster2 might want to look into the Didj. This portable gaming system is designed for children ages 6 to 10, and has many cartridges (sold separately) that are both educational and entertaining, generally based on popular tween trends like High School Musical 3 and Hannah Montana.

Like the Leapster2, it is designed to be connected to the computer via USB for more interactivity. For example, kids can go online and trade the points they have earned for modifications in their game worlds. In fact, there was times that it demanded connectivity.

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I had a chance to try out the Leap Frog Leapster a while ago, and I finally got a chance to try out the Leapster2.

Those who might not be familiar with the Leapster should know it is a handheld gaming system with an educational focus, designed for kids ages 4-8. It would appear that very little has changed as far as the layout of the Leapster2 in comparison to the original Leapster.

What makes the Leapster2 different from the original is the ability to plug it in to the computer via USB. From there, a kid can download games, preview titles, and access the online rewards and bonus games that they have earned playing the cartridge games.

Another feature that is different that its predecessor is that it has space for an SD card. You can save programs like drawings or pictures to the cards, and thus print them out or view later, but the slot is in a very awkward place. The SD card slot is actually behind the battery pack, and removing the card after you are done is somewhat difficult.

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Considering the popularity of musical video games like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, DJ Hero, and all of their imitators, gamers everywhere are believing that they can play music. Of course, there is more to music than just hitting buttons at the right time, but that isn’t the issue. My point is that if you are going to play the music for a game, then you might as well play it loud.

This is the reason why Altec Lansing has created the Stage-Gig amplified speaker. It can connect with any gaming console, and has a 6.5 inch woofer for 40 watts of ear-splitting sound power. There is a volume knob there to control the extra blast, and, just in case you are wondering, the knob don’t go to 11. Of course, the user has the option of making it even louder because the Stage-Gig has RCA outputs for extra speakers.

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