Hasta La Gadget!

Over the years, I’ve seen some pretty impressive custom-built handhelds, and here’s another that’s definitely worth checking out. This Nintendo 64 portable system features a beautiful aluminum case, and even aluminum buttons.

It was built by Travis Breen and looks as good as any DIY handheld I’ve seen. He created this beautiful portable system from two big hunks of aluminum, then used a milling machine and lathe to cut out the pieces. He took some inspiration from the design and construction of the MacBook Pro, but says that the console has a “more inviting” textured finish. The finished handheld measures in a fairly hefty 5.65″ wide x 11″ wide x 1.225″ thick, and weighs 2.73 pounds.

I’m not sure on the screen size, but the LCD looks like it’s about a 7-incher. Those five black dots along the bottom of the screen aren’t just decorative either – they’re the power on/off, reset, start, and volume up/down buttons. Each of the buttons and D-Pad are constructed from aluminum and anodized in black.

Under the hood are components from an original N64, along with an EverDrive 64 so he can load up true Nintendo 64 ROM images from an SD card and play them all on the original N64 hardware – a much better solution than using an emulator. And yes, this thing is truly portable. It runs on a pair of 5000 mAH batteries, so it can play for up to 3 hours on a charge. Not bad for a console which you used to have to plug into a wall outlet.

Be sure to check out Travis’ beautiful N64 handheld in the video below:

While the system isn’t for sale, Travis does admit that he might part with it if someone throws enough money at him.

EA has announced that it has signed a deal with Ken Block in which he will become the Racing Advisor for the Need for Speed franchise. Block is an amazing race car driver who has participated in rally racing and won multiple X-Games medals. EA will also be sponsoring Block and his Ford Fiesta ST 2013 racing car.

The best news from this announcement isn’t that Block will be associated with Need for Speed, at least not for me. The best news is that EA will be working with Block on the release of Gymkhana Six. If you never seen a Gymkhana video and you’re a fan of cars or racing, you’re really missing out. So why not watch the last one now?..

EA says that the next installment in the Gymkhana franchise will be released in its entirety on November 11. EA promises that the new video raises the bar for what can be done behind the wheel of a car. That bar was already pretty high after Gymkhana 5, in my opinion. The next video the franchise will be available directly from the Need for Speed website and on the franchise’s YouTube channel.

It’s never too early to get your child into video games. You could seat them beside you as you play, dress them up like your favorite video game characters, even create flash cards that teach them about games and heroes. Another cool way is to build them an awesome stroller like this one here.

This Mass Effect baby stroller was recently spotted at GeekGirlCon ’13 and needless to say, this kid is the most popular on the playground. That stroller looks just like the Normandy and I bet it even goes faster than a normal stroller.

Any video game fan with a little kid wishes they had this to push their baby around in.

[via Nerd Approved]

Good news for the PlayStation nation. It seems like the Dualshock 4 controller designed for the PlayStation 4 works with the PlayStation 3 console too. YouTuber Udetto, who writes for German gaming site Computer Bild Spiele, discovered the backwards compatibility while fiddling with a debug version of the PlayStation 4.

There is a catch however. Udetto says the controller will only work with the PS3 if it’s plugged in to the console via USB, which means that it won’t work with PS3 games that require you to play wirelessly. I don’t know of any game that has that requirement, but apparently FIFA 14 is one of those games. That’s really odd. Does that mean you can’t charge a PS3 controller and play FIFA 14 at the same time?

We should remember that Udetto’s discovery was with a prototype controller, and despite his positive findings it’s possible that the controller won’t work with many PS3 games. But since we can buy the controller without shelling out for the entire PS4, here’s hoping Sony can make this backwards compatibility official.

[via Engadget]

I’m a big fan of all of Crytek’s FPS video games. The thing I don’t like about buying new video games is that they can get a little expensive at about $60 each. Crytek has announced that its new and free to play FPS video game is now available called Warface. That’s right, a free to play Crytek quality videogame for PC gamers.

Crytek says that Warface has AAA production values and all of the quality expected from the studio even though it’s free. The game is playable directly in PC browsers and has both cooperative and competitive game modes. The game also has four soldier classes and places a special emphasis on teamwork.

Despite the game being free, Crytek also promises that the game will be constantly updated to provide fresh challenges. The game is now available in North America, Europe, and Turkey. It’s also available localized in English, French, German, and Turkish languages. Support for additional languages is coming in future.

Of course, nothing is completely free, and you can expect there to be many upgrades and add-ons available for a fee. Let’s hope the game isn’t one of those “pay to win” situations.