Hasta La Gadget!

Why was the NGP announced so far ahead of its launch? How long does Sony expect the NGP to reign before a refresh is needed? What impact will the NGP have on Nintendo’s supremacy in mobile gaming? Each of those questions has been handled by Sony Computer Entertainment’s chief Kaz Hirai in a video interview you can now eyeball after the break. In case you want the textual version of his responses, Kaz says the PSP successor was unveiled early in order to allow Sony to get as many third-party developers on board as possible (which is a lot easier when you don’t have to worry about them leaking your hardware to Engadget), the new mobile console’s lifetime should be no less than what we’ve come to expect from Sony’s home consoles (so at least four or five years), and Sony’s weapons for attacking Nintendo’s dominance will be the litany of integrated sensors and connectivity options at the NGP’s disposal. Kaz is careful to note that Sony is only aiming to improve on the PSP’s current install base, but we suspect Sony’s unofficial ambitions are far higher than that.

Continue reading Sony’s Kaz Hirai discusses NGP strategy, longevity, expectations (video)

Sony’s Kaz Hirai discusses NGP strategy, longevity, expectations (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  PlayStation Blog  | Email this | Comments

Luxury game controller is hand assembled in Paris, overkill everywhere else originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Highsnobiety  |  Hoon  | Email this | Comments

If you like our content, please subscribe to our newsletter on the right, join us on Facebook, and check out our parent company CScout Japan.

Currently on display as part of the 14th Japan Media Arts Festival are these cool Esper Dominoes, a hi-tech, contactless version of dominoes.

Using wireless communication the tiles themselves “decide which block to knock over next”; in other words, they knock each other over without touching.

They don’t look much like dominoes at first, eschewing the traditional “bone” black and white design, and with lights showing the tile number. These “numbers” determine the order in which the dominoes fall and you can actually line them up in any shape you want it seems. As the video below shows, this can be fun to play around with, such as even creating simultaneous domino effects (for example, have several dominoes with the same number which will tip over together).

Not sure if they have a mass production future but I very much like the image of a massive contactless domino chain.

Developed by the Jarashi Suki and the IAMAS Ubiquitous Interaction Research Group in 2009, the tiles themselves and a video about them are being exhibited at the National Art Center in Roppongi until February 13.

Ah-ah. I know what you’re thinking: ‘Did he fire six shots, or only five?’ Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But, being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, PUNK?

You know what? Dirty Harry might have been dirty, but he wasn’t stupid. Even a kid can count up to six. Harry knew how many shots he had fired.

But what of today’s shootists, their brain-finger connections honed by video-games, but at the same time their memories are softened by always-on information. Could the average American adult keep track of his ammo? With Michael Ciuffo’s shot-counter, he won’t have to. Watch this video, and try to remember that it is real-life, not a first-person-shooter. The slo-mo starts just after a minute in.

The counter uses an accelerometer to measure the recoil acceleration at each shot, and the brain is an ATTiny 2313 micro controller running on a pair of AAA batteries. The sensitivity can be adjusted from 0G to 50G, and there is software trickery to stop secondary vibrations from being detected.

Cranking down the sensitivity means that bumps and whacks won’t cause false readings. Michael says that in order to fool the sensor “You would need to smack it hard enough to produce 22.5gs of acceleration directly on the muzzle of the gun.” He also says it should be fast enough to keep up with any weapon that “fires fewer than 900 rounds per minute.”

Such is the reaction to the videos on his YouTube channel that Michael plans to put up a site and start selling these things, either whole or in kit form. Real-life Gears of War, here we come.

Bullet Counter official test [Michael Ciuffo / YouTube via Kotaku]

See Also:

• Transparent Nerf Guns “Clear” the Way for This Year's Coveted …
• Video: Robots Firing Guns
• Kids with Guns: OLPC Ad Goes for Impact
• Gadget Lab Podcast #39: Hidden Stun Guns in Bikes, Dr. Dre's …
• Mystery Anti-Recoil Device for Guns

This article was written on October 16, 2009 by CyberNet.

Have a few minutes to spare for a quick online game? OMGPOP has over ten different multiplayer games (and counting) that have one thing in common: they’re excellent at getting your productivity down a notch! And thanks to the site’s obligatory social networking features, it’s really easy to challenge your friends to a Bomberman game over the internet. Here’s a selection of some of their best games.

Hover Kart Racing is a 3D racing game. Even if you’re not good at its more advanced counterparts such as Need for Speed, it’s pretty easy to get the hang of this game. Watch out for mines, bombs and other Super Mario Kart-ish dangers. Expert tip: to cut corners, use the Shift key to drift.
How to play it: Up accelerates, Down brakes, Left/Right steers, Shift jumps or drifts, Space activates power-up.

Balloono is an excellent Bomberman clone, with a small difference. Instead of dropping bombs to blow up your opponents, you have to use water balloons. On the plus side, you no longer need to share your keyboard with your friends to play against them.
How to play it: use the arrow keys, hit the spacebar to drop bombs.

Ballracer is a 2D racing game. Every time you play it, you’ll be dropped in a random level from Ballracer’s large level set. There are plenty of speed powerups, hidden shortcuts and pitfalls to separate the men from the boys.
How to play it: use the arrow keys, press Up to jump.

If you consider yourself a button masher, you might like Hit Machine. The concept is no different from Guitar Hero or Tap Tap Revenge: when a note hits the bottom of the screen, you have to hit the appropriate button. The music in Hit Machine is limited to unknown songs, so if you’re looking for Lady Gaga’s newest hits or that old Beatles classic, you’re out of luck. The multiplayer element of this game is limited to a leaderboard.
How to play it: use the letters ASDJKL on your keyboard.

In the early days of OMGPOP, their games were largely cool adaptations of popular games. You used to be able to play a killer Tetris clone with power-ups called Blockles on OMGPOP but – you guessed it – the lawyers from The Tetris Company weren’t too happy with that, so OMGPOP had to kill it. The current version of Blockles is a Dr. Mario clone. A few other “clone” games such as Tracism (Pacman with a fun twist) seem to have shared that same fate.

Fortunately though, most games that are worth playing are still available so play ‘em while you still can! Be careful though… don’t get caught visiting this site at work.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

Wii Comes Up Big in MarchBoo Hoo, No Guarantee for Wiis by the HolidaysCyberNotes: Five Fun Free Games for Lazy DaysSuper Mario Brothers 3 Firefox Theme: Very Clever!Freeware Games for Download, Plus Some Oldie but Goody Games