Hasta La Gadget!

Nintendo has just announced it plans to introduce a successor to its Wii console next year, a “playable model” of which will be shown off at the E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles coming up on June 7th. No details are available as to how the next Wii will improve on the first one, though we imagine Nintendo will be happy if it simply matches the success of its current-gen home entertainer — the brief note publicizing the new roadmap also comes with a total of Wii sales accumulated between its launch in ’06 and the end of last month: 86.01 million. That’s said to be on a “consolidated shipment basis,” so maybe Nintendo is mixing its definitions of sales and shipments the way Sony likes to, but it’s a mighty big number either way. Bring on E3, we say!

Update: Bloomberg has provided the first official hint about Nintendo’s next console with a quote from company President Satoru Iwata. Nintendo will “propose a new approach to home video game consoles,” though it won’t be a simple move to 3D, as Iwata notes “it’s difficult to make 3-D images a key feature, because 3-D televisions haven’t obtained wide acceptance yet.” Given that motion gaming is no longer new and 3D is off the table until 3DTVs go mainstream, we’re now left facing only one potentiality — Nintendo is planning on bringing genuine innovation to our living rooms. We suppose it also adds fuel to the rumor of a crazy next-gen controller to go with this next-gen console.

Continue reading Nintendo confirms next Wii coming in 2012, will preview it at E3

Nintendo confirms next Wii coming in 2012, will preview it at E3 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  Nintendo [PDF]  | Email this | Comments

As diligent as we are about keeping you abreast of absolutely every awesome new gadget that hits the market, every once in a while even we miss a real gem. Case in point: Arcade Forge’s SLG 3000 scanline generator, which gives your seemingly flawless HD display a throwback makeover. As the name suggests, the rather diminutive board acts as a middle man between your VGA compatible device and your TV, bringing back the sweet imperfections that marked early console gaming. The thing enlists a series of DIP switches and a potentiometer for setting scanlines and resolution to your specifications. You can land one of your own at the source link for €50. In the meantime, though, we suggest you check out the video after the break to see why we couldn’t bear to let this one get away — even if it is a few months old.

Continue reading SLG 3000 scanline generator brings grimy gaming to modern displays (video)

SLG 3000 scanline generator brings grimy gaming to modern displays (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Retro Thing  |  Arcade Forge  | Email this | Comments

We’ve been hit by a big batch of dismayed tips from PlayStation gamers this morning, who are finding themselves unable to log in to the PlayStation Network (again). Sony’s response has been to acknowledge there’s a problem in the vaguest of terms — “We’re aware certain functions of PlayStation Network are down” — and to promise an update on the situation as soon as it’s available. Alas, that statement was issued over nine hours ago and there’s still no word of either a rectification or an explanation for the outage. The error code provided by the console is, as you can see above, somewhat uninformative as well. So come on, Sony, what is going on with your Network?

Update: PSN is acknowledging on its EU blog that the network outage may be a result of “the possibility of targeted behaviour by an outside party.” Still no ETA for when services will be restored.

Update 2: PSN is now reporting that the network may be offline for “a full day or two.”

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

PlayStation Network down for a long count, what’s up Sony? (update: down for 24+ hours!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  PlayStation Blog  | Email this | Comments

The Sony PSP Go is today being reported to have “completed” its production and shipment in Japan, seemingly foreshadowing a worldwide discontinuation of sales. Such is the word from Impress Watch, which cites an official statement from Sony Computer Entertainment that promises support, firmware updates, and repairs for the PSP Go, but no further stock of the handheld. We doubt it’ll be missed too much, what with its high price and inability to play UMD games, but if you’re afraid this signals a similar demise for the PSP-3000, worry not. Sony has said it’ll focus on shifting as many units of that classic device as possible until the NGP strides in and revolutionizes everything.

Confirmed: The PSP Go is no more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 06:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Impress Watch  | Email this | Comments

Now that Alienware’s latest gaming notebooks have broken free from their classified captivity, perhaps you’d like to know how their form factors stack up? Well, we just so happen to have gotten our grubby paws on the extraterrestrials, and they’re looking mighty fine. We’ll warn you though, that the chart-topping M18x is a beast in more ways than one — it may not be a literal 600-pound gorilla, but after one heft of its 16-pound frame we started wondering if luggables were back in vogue.

While the M18x’s factory-overclocked 4GHz processor and HDMI-input sorely tempted us, we were rather more taken with the Alienware M14x’s svelte frame, which should prove quite tempting for those who dig its more petite profile. While it doesn’t have the anodized aluminum shell of its big brother the M18x, its red matte plastic exterior has a high-quality feel to it, though we spotted an unsightly seam along the right edge of the prototype unit. It’s also unfortunately got a super-glossy screen, but the Klipsch speakers impressed — much more than a simple gimmick, they’re plenty powerful for a 14-inch notebook and sounded fairly crisp. We briefly played Call of Duty: Black Ops on the M14x, and found the keys to have plenty of travel and provided a satisfying click with each press as we wandered Cuban streets, and the touchpad was quite responsive as well (though we didn’t have a chance to test its multitouch capabilities). It’s heavier than other laptops with similar screen real-estate, but it’s still an totally totable PC — and the heft is a welcome tradeoff in exchange for the added horsepower under the hood as compared to its Jenny Craig competition.

Sean Hollister contributed to this report.

Alienware M18x and M14x first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments