Sharp has just launched their EL-T100W calculator which they refer to as the ‘Brain Trainer’ since it includes “fun” drills and quizzes that are designed to measure your brain age just like the games available for the Nintendo DS do. As a calculator the EL-T100W is pretty basic though, with a simple 10-digit LCD display and a basic numeric keypad, but that’s probably why it has a price tag of just over $21. And while it’s not specified in the press release, I have to wonder if the calculator can be used to cheat on those brain measuring math quizzes…
I’ve still got a collection of my favorite NES games sitting in my closet, just begging to be used creatively. My old NES died long ago and I have emulators to satisfy my classic gaming habits, so I don’t really have a need for them. I’ve wanted to find something really cool to do with some of them, and I think I’ve found a project that will make use of at least one.
A crafty modder named airz managed to cram a working NES (emulator, not the real deal of course) and a 2.8-inch LCD inside a single cartridge. Now he can play just about any classic NES game by just grabbing his old Mario Bros./Duck Hunt game. It can do a few other things like play MP3s and whatnot, thanks to the PMP he used for the emulator. I’ve seen other similar mods, Such as the one by ‘darkeru‘ (this mod was inspired by his work) but this one is the best I’ve seen thus far.
The Wii has always secretly been a game console that likes for you to get off your lazy ass and exercise. Sure, you can get away with just sitting on your couch wagging the Wiimote, but it takes away half the fun. Well now there’s a new accessory that aims to keep you sitting down and exercising at the same time. Yes, I’m talking about a bike.
The Cyberbike is a full-size stationary bike for your Wii. It comes bundled with some cheesy game that lets you save the world by mopping up pollution with your bike. Apparently it works with Mario Kart Wii though, so that would make it a little more interesting. Though I doubt the pedals come into play much in that game. Look for this to be out in Europe starting January of next year. No word on pricing or a US launch.
What started out as a boring Power Wheels 2001 G3740 Street Scene Silverado has ended up as an awesome miniature version of the Warthog from the Halo games, complete with a chain winch on the front and of course the triple-barreled machine gun mounted on the back. Surprisingly though it wasn’t created by Master Chief for his little Spartans, but by a modder known as flux83 who posted a ‘making of’ to the Modified Power Wheels forum.
To round out our trio of NZXT cases, I present the Lexa S Mid Tower Chassis. This is the higher-end of NZXT’s case offerings. As such, it bears a premium price over the other two that we’ve reviewed in the last week. Do the extra features justify the extra cost? Read on to find out.
Features
You’re going to see most of the features that were on the Beta EVO and M59 cases here. Bottom-mounted PSU, pre-cut holes for cable management and holes for a liquid cooling system are all present. The SSD bracket and smoke colored window from the M59 are also found here. Not everything is the same, as you’ll find an extra pair of fans, as well as individual controls for the intake and exhaust fans. They also included rubber inserts for the cable management holes. These help keep the cables exactly where you want them, and are certainly appreciated.
If dropping $200 on a Wii plus another $40 or so on a miniature golf game still doesn’t satisfy your virtual putt-putt needs, I’m afraid the next step up is a big one. This Video Arcade Miniature Golf Game available from Hammacher Schlemmer uses real golf putters and balls, but the actual courses and obstacles are virtual and only appear on the 32-inch vertically mounted LCD display.
You putt the ball with the club just like you’d do in real miniature golf, but after it passes below the screen its position and trajectory is calculated and transferred to the in-game ball, where it continues on its course. Sound effects and annoying music are provided by a set of three speakers, and there’s an automatic ball return for added convenience. It will set you back a whopping $6,900, but that includes “White Glove delivery” which sounds like it would make the investment totally worthwhile.
Chess is a rather timeless game. I can think of few other games that are just as old and are still played as much as this one. The best part is that the game pieces can be modified to reflect just about any part of pop culture. This particular set has a Super Mario theme.
This $40 set would be go well in the house of almost any video game geek. You’ll find many of the classic characters ready to duke it out on the board. There are two things that I find rather odd. First, the pawns seem to be represented by coins. Since when are coins used as a weapon? Second is that you’ll find Luigi in the queen’s spot. This just raises a whole host of questions that I’m not even going to touch.
The Rubik’s TouchCube first surfaced back in February earlier this year, and the “available sometime in the Fall” release date that was given translates to very soon, if not already. The official Rubik’s TouchCube website claims the cube is already available at Best Buy, though a quick search of their online store returned no results, while The New York Times Gadgetwise blog claims it will be in stores on October 18, just a few weeks away.
For those who haven’t seen it before, the Rubik’s TouchCube is essentially the same sliding puzzle toy you had as a kid, except the moving parts and colored stickers have been replaced with illuminated panels and touch sensors that allow you to turn or twist a series of squares simply by swiping your finger across them. And for nostalgia’s sake there’s even an option to turn on an accompanying sound effect that’s an actual recording of the original cube’s twisting sound.
The best part is that thanks to a “powerful processor” inside, the TouchCube always knows the exact number of moves needed to solve it, though I imagine you could get all the sides back to a uniform color by simply resetting it. It definitely looks a lot cooler than the original, but is it $150 worth of cool?
I can’t remember the last time I actually used a screensaver, but that’s about to change now that I can spend my time starting at, and even playing, classic NES titles. The Nintendo Screen Saver, from the chaps who created the UberNES emulator, lets you fill your display with a wall of NES titles running in their ‘demo modes’ but at any point you can hit the space bar and take over playing any one of the games currently on screen.
Now since being able to play the games requires you to have the actual ROMs on your system, the legality of the Nintendo Screensaver is kind of a gray area, so if you’d prefer to stay legit, the screensaver can also stream pre-captured ‘movies’ of your favorite games from the UberNES gallery. Not as fun, but probably slightly safer if you intend to run it at work.
Related Tags: Calculators, Gaming
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