Posts in category peripherals
by Justin McElroy Oct 11th 2007 8:15AM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Peripherals
Until recently, some of you probably thought you'd be avoiding the PlayStation Eye, packed in, as it was with
Eye of Judgment. Listen, if your spirit (read: your dignity) won't let you play a game that practically necessitates shouting "It's not Pokemon!" to passersby, we totally get it. If we weren't required to (and if it wasn't so much fun) we wouldn't be doing it either. Also: What else are we going to do with
all these robes?
Thankfully for the proud among you, the PlayStation blog has revealed that the cam will also be sold separately for $40 and will arrive alongside the
Eye of Judgment pack on Oct. 23. But for just $30, can we recommend you go ahead and spring for the game? Two facts: 1. If EyeToy is any indication, there's
probably going to be five games for the Eye, so you'll want to enjoy all of them. 2. Maybe you'll have a really dorky kid someday. Oh, and there's a third: Sometimes the house is empty and then its
you time. If that involves cards and mythical adventure, who'll be the wiser?
by Scott Jon Siegel Oct 10th 2007 9:00AM
Filed under: Culture, Hacks, Video, Peripherals
A couple of gifted graduate students have found a great use for all the excess energy and digital dexterity required in playing video games: massages.
By mapping game controllers onto soft wearable fabrics, Hannah Perner-Wilson and Mika Satomi invented
Massage Me, a special device that allows gamers to give fantastic (legitimate) massages while playing their favorite video games. The website gives detailed instructions on how to build your own devices, but for those more curious than intrepid, the site also features photos and video of the product in action.
See Massage Me in action after the break.
[Via
Next-Gen]
Continue reading Massage Me turns (legitimate) massages into gameplay
by Alexander Sliwinski Oct 9th 2007 4:00AM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals, Rhythm
This isn't a story we get to tell very often, but it's certainly an interesting one for gamers to keep in mind when shopping at online retailer Amazon.com. Last night we were tipped that Amazon.com's prices on
Guitar Hero III inflated significantly from the $99 we had adjusted to over the last couple months. We checked with
GH III publisher Red Octane, who told us that the prices hadn't changed. In truth, Amazon was no longer offering
GH III directly from "Amazon actual" and their system defaulted to a third-party retailer who had included shipping into their price -- that explained the new, higher price. So, why did Amazon decide to stop offering
GH III directly? They weren't sure anymore that they could guarantee supply on future pre-orders (because that's technically all you can do at this point), so rather than disappoint customers with possible delays they pulled the pre-order offer.
A representative for Amazon tells Joystiq, "Our third party vendors control their own list prices, which can factor in shipping and sales tax costs. Ultimately, the choice lies with the customer to decide who they want to purchase from so that they get the best shopping experience on Amazon.com." For the best example of how things can go when Amazon isn't the direct seller, a "new" Wii is currently on Amazon for $370. That is currently the cheapest you can get it from an authorized third-party retailer. When it becomes "in stock" again for "Amazon actual" it'll be the normal $250. Just a little something to be aware of when shopping from one of the top retailers on these intertubes.
by Jason Dobson Oct 4th 2007 1:56PM
Filed under: Features, Sony PlayStation 3, Peripherals, Galleries
One of the most interesting, and certainly most unique video games coming to the PlayStation 3 this year is Sony and SCE Studios Japan's
Eye of Judgment, which combines elements of a physical collectible card game with that of a traditional video game for an experience that is, if anything, wholly its own.
While the influence of card games like
Magic: The Gathering and
Pokemon has long been felt in video games,
Eye of Judgment represents the first time to our recollection that the marriage of the two mediums has evolved beyond gameplay to take on a more literal meaning. With real cards you hold in your hand, and a playing mat unfolded on the table, it's entirely possible to play
Eye of Judgment with no PS3 involvement whatsoever, and even have a good deal of fun doing so. However, as the game comes bundled with the PS3's new PlayStation Eye camera, it seems a shame to leave such shiny new hardware ignored, so when the game showed up at Joystiq proper, we were inclined to put the new device through the wringer.
Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: PlayStation Eye
by Alexander Sliwinski Oct 3rd 2007 9:30AM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals
They're here, they're pretty ugly, get used to it. The new colored Xbox 360 controllers are now available to
purchase for $49.99. We really couldn't say it better than X3F when they pointed out these are the perfect "It's a Boy" or "It's a Girl" baby shower gift colors. Sadly, the
powder blue controller we were hoping for and
saw at E3 won't be in North America just yet, but you can always import it from Japan starting November 1. And just remember, if you hate all these colors, you can always
make your own.
[Via
X3F]
by Christopher Grant Oct 1st 2007 11:33PM
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Peripherals
Nintendo just let us know about the Wii Remote Jacket, a grippy silicon sleeve that wraps around your Wiimote, ensuring it remains firmly in your grasp instead of lodged in the skull of a nearby loved one. Now, before you accuse Nintendo of climbing aboard the Wii-peripheral junk bandwagon, we should let you know how serious they are about the Wii Remote Jacket: they're giving the things away for free!
Bundled with hardware like the Wii console, Wii remotes, and Wii Play (which of course comes bundled with a free Wiimote) shipping to retailers on October 2nd, the Wii Remote Jacket should be available with those products as early as October 15th. Already got a Wii with an armada of Wii Remote missiles that need cushioning? Go to
nintendo.com, or call 1-866-431-8367 to place your order (note: you can order 'em now, but the free sleeves won't ship until the week of October 15). Just punch in your console's serial number (what, you don't know it by heart?) and order up to four sleeves for your Wiimote collection.
Update: Many of you are getting errors when trying to submit your serial number. We think it best if you hold off a couple hours (maybe even a day or so!) and let the site get on its feet before hammering away at it. Let us know when your transaction goes through!
by Kyle Orland Sep 26th 2007 3:23PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals, Rhythm
The city of New York must have a lot of time on its hands. After all, they have enough time to spare to declare today, Sept. 26, 2007, as
Guitar Hero day throughout the city.
Never mind that
Guitar Hero III doesn't actually come out until Oct. 28, or that the original game came out on Nov. 7, 2005. Never mind that publisher Activision is based in Santa Monica and developer Neversoft is from Westlake Village, CA. Never mind that the city saw a
massive publicity blitz for another game as recently as yesterday.
Forget all that... "fans are ready to rock the streets of Manhattan," according to the press
Activision press release, with "thousands ... expected to gather in celebration of the day, with guitar controllers in hand." This is kind of surprising to us, seeing as we hadn't even heard about the event before today, but we suppose getting thousands of people together on short notice can't be too hard in a city of millions.
Apparently, the day is just "one of many
Guitar Hero events taking place in New York City this week," including an opportunity for members of the public to actually play
Guitar Hero III at the
DigitalLife festival starting tomorrow. So while we're generally against pointless publicity stunts like this, we suppose we can turn a blind eye given the public demo. Citizens of New York, do yourselves a favor and go
check it out.
by Andrew Yoon Sep 22nd 2007 1:11AM
Filed under: Sony PSP, TGS, Peripherals
The 1seg tuner for PSP makes us jealous of Japanese PSP owners. The tiny peripheral attaches to the top of the system, and allows users to tune into a variety of broadcast channels. The video quality at the Tokyo Game Show floor was stellar, with very minimal artifacting seen in the video. It's easy to change channels through a simple intuitive interface which overlays over the video quite nicely. A variety of video resize options can be readily accessed by bringing up the options menu with the Triangle button.
If there's a complaint we would have about the 1seg tuner, we'd say it has to be the delay that comes when switching channels. It takes a full second or so for the system to display video of the next channel. Certainly not a major hindrance, especially when considering the quality of video that's produced on such a small peripheral. Japanese Joystiq readers will want to check it out.
by Alexander Sliwinski Sep 21st 2007 3:25PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Peripherals
Remember when Sony's Phil Harrison called rumble a "
last generation feature?" Well, can't call the man a liar because he was absolutely right! GameDaily BIZ
confirmed with Sony today that the technology in the recently announced
DualShock 3 is identical to that in the DualShock 2. So anybody expecting Immersion's
next-gen rumble technology can just let those dreams pass into the ether.
As for battery life, the DualShock 3 will last approximately 15 hours with the rumble feature on, and 30 hours (the same as the Sixaxis) with it off. As for the DualShock 3 replaces the Sixaxis, Sony Corporate Communications' Kimberly Otzman says, "Nothing has been decided yet, stay tuned." The natural assumption would be the DualShock 3 will replace the Sixaxis across the board by holiday '08, but don't expect any announcements like that until early next year.
by Kyle Orland Sep 18th 2007 12:28PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Peripherals
What's good for the goose is good for the gander, they say, but what's good for the dragon isn't necessarily good for the jet fighter. At least that's what Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht seems to be saying. In an
interview with GamesRadar, the
Lair developer said the motion controls in Incognito's
Warhawk are, and we're quoting here, "eurgh!!"
Eggebrecht explained that while
desperately twisting the controller like a goon is a perfectly fine way to control a dragon, it just doesn't work for
Warhawk's high powered jets. "I see motion-sensing as a complimentary, additional new step in terms of controls and where it fits you should use it and where it doesn't fit, don't force it," he said. "Please don't force it." Interesting he should put it that way ... while
Warhawk's motion-sensitive flight controls can be turned off in the options menu, controller twisting is the only option for
Lair's dragon flight. Forced indeed.
Eggebrecht isn't just hurling insults, though -- he seems to really believe in this plane/dragon control dichotomy. In a
separate GamesRadar story on the vague possibility of a new
Rouge Squadron game, Eggebrecht said he didn't think the motion controls would work for the series' futuristic flying machines. "If I was to do a game with an X-wing, I don't know if I'd necessarily use motion control," he said. "It might be [analog] stick, because that is how you'd be controlling the craft - it might be more appropriate." But for dragons? Fuggedaboutit!
by Kyle Orland Sep 14th 2007 2:55PM
Filed under: Hacks, Nintendo Wii, Peripherals
Everybody wants to get into the act ... at least when it comes to turning the Wii remote into a gun. First it was the
Joytech Sharp Shooter then
Core Gamer's Wii Blaster, and, of course, Nintendo's own
soon-to-be-released Wii Zapper.
Well, get ready to add another competitor to the list. Brando's
2-in-1Combined Light Gun has a leg up on rivals in its ability to be used as a pistol-like remote holder or a bazooka-style combination for the remote and Nunchuk together. The $18 accessory is sure to
increase the ire of some people who think holding a plastic video game controller will turn our children into cold-blooded killers, but more sensible gamers should enjoy it.
With all these gun-like designs being bandied about, we can't help but feel a pang of nostalgia for the
original Wii Zapper prototype shown at E3 2006. It had an economy of design that hasn't been matched by any of these bloated, white plastic accessories. R.I.P., little prototype.
[Via
WiiFanboy]
by James Ransom-Wiley Sep 10th 2007 6:25PM
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Peripherals
Nintendo has officially confirmed
Link's Crossbow Training, a pack-in title, to be bundled with the Wii Zapper, which hits retail November 19th for $19.99. As
rumored earlier today,
LCT is a sort of minigame spinoff that's set in "a world in the style of"
Twilight Princess and features a series of crossbow training exercises, from stationary target practice to enemy combat. In other words, it's an archery tech demo ... for a gun peripheral. (Note: "gun peripheral" refers to a plastic mold that houses the Wiimote and Nunchuk.)
Having Link's pretty mug on the box is gonna sell units, we get that, but guys, c'mon, where's
Duck Hunt? More shoot-shoot bang-bang, less thwap-thwap thud, okay? At least there's the potential to
shoot the heck out of,
er, 'zap' stuff in three upcoming third-party efforts:
Ghost Squad (Sega),
Medal of Honor Heroes 2 (EA) and
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (Capcom).
by Justin McElroy Sep 7th 2007 10:30AM
Filed under: Peripherals
As we were making fun of
Joytech for some of their
more offensive accessory offerings, we bet that you had no idea the company was actually a subsidiary of Take-Two. Well, that's your fact for the day, a new wrinkle for your brain. ... Ooh, actually, wait, you need to go ahead and forget that fact. Take-Two announced today that they just sold the whole thing to Mad Catz.
Take-Two says that divesting themselves of Joytech is all part of a plan to focus on its core publishing business. We don't know if it's a financial help, but we know that Take-Two is probably better off spiritually without Joytech in its midst.
by Scott Jon Siegel Sep 5th 2007 10:25AM
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Portable, Peripherals, Rhythm
It might not go up to 11, but the miniature amp included in an upcoming
Jam Sessions bundle shows that Ubisoft is definitely taking their music simulator seriously.
The "
Performance Bundle" -- which includes a
First Act-branded mini amp -- will retail for $69.99 USD, but won't be out until November 1st, despite the game being released next Tuesday. The bundle's a clever move by Ubisoft to appeal to the more earnest musicians with their product. Now all we need is Guitar Center to start stocking the non-game.
[Via
DS Fanboy] by Alexander Sliwinski Aug 23rd 2007 9:58AM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals
In all seriousness, Microsoft needs to publicly flog their hardware people. Microsoft now reports that they'll be offering a service to retrofit their official Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel following reports that the thing
overheats and releases smoke. Unlike their refusal to say
what's really wrong with the Xbox 360, Microsoft admits that a component in the wheel overheats when the AC/DC power adapter is used to power the wheel. Microsoft says you should contact them for the retrofit and not use the power adapter, but it's fine to just use the battery. They have also notified the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, no word yet on Microsoft Europe's plan.
"There have been no reported incidences of fire, personal injury or property damage resulting from the component failure in the wheel," Microsoft said in a statement. That's great, but it's definitely looking like the next iteration of the Xbox is going to have to scream engineering perfection for the sake of consumer confidence. Not only are the consoles going
RRoD left and right, but now official peripherals are smoking. The next generation of Xbox is going to have to sell reliability above all else.
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