DexDrive’s‚¿ most interesting promise is the sudden availability of customized, user-created characters.

When it comes to unusual gadgets for your console, things have usually been confined to bizarre, see-through controllers, strange new uses for Dual Shock and other things either mundane or useless. So it’s‚¿ only slightly ironic that coolest new device for the Playstation and N64 is actually something that hooks up to your PC. The gadget in question is Interact’s‚¿ DexDrive, and it’s‚¿ set to give gamers a whole new avenue for their memory cards and saved games. Ever want to send a friend a killer saved game, or vice versa? To claim bragging rights in finding all the secrets to your favorite fighter? Well, now you can thanks to the Internet and this little gray box.

DexDrive’s‚¿ most interesting promise is the sudden availability of customized, user-created characters for games like WWF Warzone, or Sony’s‚¿ new boxing game, Contender. Have you created the coolest, most bizarre WWF wrestler yet? Send the character to Interact to post, and after checking to make sure your creation isn’t‚â‚â named something vulgar or already available, they’l‚¿l post it. Or you can opt to bypass stardom on the web and just e-mail your mighty wrestler to all your friends directly using the e-mail function in DexPlorer.

The DexDrive appears to be easy enough to use: Plug it into your PC’s‚¿ serial port, install the software, insert a memory card and you’r‚¿e ready to go (an included AC adapter is primarily for using larger multi-page memory cards). As with any first generation product, however, a few minor difficulties may develop. There could potentially be a problem if you already have some sort of peripheral hooked up to the serial port already, especially a mouse. The serial link itself can also make file transfers rather slow. Minor glitches aside, installation is overall very simple. The included software, which comes on two disks, installed during our tests without a hitch. Separate programs must be installed for those who own both a PlayStation and Nintendo 64 DexDrive. While most users won’t‚â‚â go out and buy both versions, Interact should have been able to provide a universal program that serves both.