Fanatec Porsche GT2 wheel and Clubsport pedals review

Sim racing keeps on moving toward higher-end accessories, while there have always been top-shelf components available to the hardcore, games like Gran Turismo 5 are encouraging more and more people to want a more and more realistic driving experience. Fanatec has been delivering that experience for years and its $250 Porsche 911 GT2 is the company’s latest and highest-end product, offering a luxurious Alcantara covering, the obligatory 900 degrees of rotation, and full compatibility with force feedback for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Fanatec was also kind enough to send us a set of its $200 Clubsport pedals to hit the virtual road with. Click on through to see how we did.

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Fanatec Porsche GT2 wheel and Clubsport pedals review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo 3DS coming to US March 27th for $249.99, Europe first on March 25th (video)

We’ve known about the 3DS for what seems like ages but now, finally, we have US launch details, courtesy of dueling press events in New York and Amsterdam. The price for Americans is $249.99 and the release date is March 27, while Europeans will get it a few days earlier, on March 25th. European pricing, however, will be decided by retailers, which leaves us feeling a little bit unfulfilled. Courtesy of our chums at Joystiq and various retailers, it looks like £229.99 is the going rate in the UK, while the rest of Europe is looking at €249.99. (Curious how it sizes up with portable’s past? Joystiq’s got you covered.)

Nintendo is promising “30+” games to be available in the US during the launch window, more than 25 in Europe, with that window spanning between the actual launches in March and E3 in June. Sadly we’re still in the dark regarding which games exactly will be available when the system drops in March. Many games were discussed, including Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Rabbids 3D, Resident Evil: Revelations, a new Paper Mario, and an obligatory Madden game too. There are plenty more mentioned in PR below. This is in addition to titles we already knew about, like Pilotwings Resort and Kid Icarus: Uprising. As for pricing, retailers are showing $40 to $50 per game, so yeah, that’s a We’re also told that remakes of classic GameBoy and GameBoy Color titles will be hitting the Virtual Console.

Meanwhile, European gamers are going to be getting a taste of exclusive 3D video content from a variety of partners, most notable being EuroSport, which will be serve up depth-enabled sports footage to portable consoles. We’re also told episodes of Shaun the Sheep, a new series from Wallace & Gromit creators Aardman, will be available as well. For now these deals look Europe-only, but here’s to hoping American folks will get something similar.

We have European and American press releases embedded below for your reading enjoyment, as well some video we shot from the New York.

Continue reading Nintendo 3DS coming to US March 27th for $249.99, Europe first on March 25th (video)

Nintendo 3DS coming to US March 27th for $249.99, Europe first on March 25th (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Greatest Scam in Tech? Scott Redmond would like us to clarify. [Video]

Last week we posted an exposé of Peep Wireless. Despite repeated attempts, we initially couldn’t reach the company for comment, but founder Scott Redmond has since contacted us. He’s nonplussed. For transparency’s sake, we’d like to show you his objections. More »

YikeBike review

Want to meet a bunch of random strangers everywhere you go? Start riding around on a neon green electric bicycle that looks like nothing this world has seen before, something tossed out of a passing UFO that some New Zealand shepherd found glowing slightly as it rested in the middle of a smoking crater. This $3,595 electric bicycle with a 15mph top speed and six mile range does come from New Zealand, but the YikeBike is very much a product of human ingenuity, or so creator Grant Ryan claims, but that doesn’t stop it from giving us a riding experience that is nothing short of other-worldly. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily equate to a entirely perfect experience.

Gallery: YikeBike

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YikeBike review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Revolution Will Be Instagrammed [AppOfTheDay]

Twitter officially arrived when Captain Sullenberger sent US Airways flight 1549 splashing down into the Hudson. Instagram’s moment was last week, when forty-nine states—fully ninety-eight percent of American states—were doused with snow. More »

The Greatest Scam in Tech [Video]

In the tech world, a few questions are usually enough. Does the product work? Is the idea good? How much does it cost? But as Peep Telephony reminds us, there’s a fourth, all-important qualification: Is it real? More »

Volvo crashes C30 EV so you don’t have to, doesn’t spill a drop of battery juice

Try as it might to act hip and young, Volvo is still a company that’s associated with the name “safety,” and that’s really not a bad thing. Demonstrations like this help to reinforce that, with the company taking great pride in its C30 EV holding up as well as it did in a crash. It was subjected to a 40mph offset and, while it’s looking mighty deranged, no portions of the electric drivetrain were compromised. In other words: no battery goo leaked and no first responders would have been zapped. If that’s all a little too ghastly for you, fear not: there are plenty of pictures of a beautiful E30 with nary a body panel askew, including a peek into its trunk, which doesn’t appear to have been nearly as negatively affected as the poor Focus Electric.

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Volvo crashes C30 EV so you don’t have to, doesn’t spill a drop of battery juice originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW Golf Blue-e-motion and Hybrid Touareg strike a pose in Detroit

Alternative means of propulsion are the norm at the North American International Auto Show this year in Detroit, and VW had a few options on display. First up is the Touareg Hybrid, the company’s first, with a 3.0 liter supercharged V6 paired to an electric motor, offering a combined 380hp, 0 – 60 times of 6.2 seconds (not bad for a 5,000lb SUV), and up to 27mpg — if you don’t dip too deep in the throttle. Keep things light, and under 30mph, and you can drive it as a purely EV car so long as there’s charge. It’s available now.

Also on display is the Golf Blue-e-motion that our friends at Autoblog previously got to spend a little time with in Germany. This is currently built on the Golf Mk VI platform but, by the time it is released in 2013, will be applied to the upcoming Mk VII platform. It’s said to offer a realistic 80 miles of range and, unlike the Focus Electric, hasn’t made too many sacrifices in the cargo compartment.

VW Golf Blue-e-motion and Hybrid Touareg strike a pose in Detroit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Li-Ion Motors Inzio electric supercar stops by Detroit

Li-Ion Motors Inzio electric supercar stops by Detroit

We already showed you a quick tour of two of the three Automotive X-Prize winners. Wondering where the third was? Hanging out in the booth of its creator, Li-Ion motors, looking green and decidedly outclassed by the second car that company is showing off. It’s the Inzio, a proper supercar of the electric variety, the base model hitting 60 from a standstill in four seconds and topping out at 130 — perhaps not Ferrari-busting but surely more than enough to get your license taken away. If that’s not enough there will be multiple models with different power levels and carbon fiber construction, with the higher-end dropping that 0 – 60 time to 3.4 seconds and boosting the top speed to 200.

We spent some time chatting with Li-Ion Motors Project Manager Paul Daigrepont about the design of the car, most interesting being the transmission. It’s a custom-made four-speed unit that, interestingly, has no clutch. It’s directly driven by the motor, shifting via paddles with the ECU dropping the torque on the motor momentarily to unload the gears, allowing an upshift to happen. At a stop the motor simply stops spinning and, if you want reverse, the car engages first gear and runs backwards! The company is accepting orders, starting at $139,000, a price that makes the Leaf feel like even more of a bargain.

Li-Ion Motors Inzio electric supercar stops by Detroit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Harman Experimental HMI with netbook internals, augmented reality aspirations hands-on (video)

Harmon's Experimental HMI has netbook internals, augmented reality aspirations (video)

Yes, folks, more fun infotainment systems to hope that your manufacturer of choice picks up before your ‘Ol Bessie gives up the ghost and has to be put out to pasture. Regardless of which logo you prefer on your grille there’s a good chance that Harman works with them, and so maybe they’ll pick up this. It’s called the Experimental HMI and it’s basically a netbook for your dash — minus the keyboard and junk. It’s running an Atom processor and has a Flash-based interface, making it easy to develop for. The killer app at this point is an augmented reality navigation system you can see demoed in the video below, but it’ll ultimately be up to the manufacturers to do what they will with it.

Continue reading Harman Experimental HMI with netbook internals, augmented reality aspirations hands-on (video)

Harman Experimental HMI with netbook internals, augmented reality aspirations hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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