Oh! Gizmo

By Chris Scott Barr

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen opened last night, and in celebration of the movie PDP has released a pair of Nintendo DS Lite cases. The “armor” transforms your DS into either Bumblebee or Megatron, and has a matching stylus. Unfortunately the transformation is purely cosmetic, so your handheld isn’t actually going to do any special tricks. Although from the looks of it, the Megatron stylus could double as a weapon for self-defense if anyone tries to get their grubby paws on your stuff. You can pick up each case/stylus combo for $20, or a single case or stylus for $13.

[  PDP ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Accessories like this CYBER Coin Assist are usually reserved for the PSP and its somewhat disappointing directional pad. So I’m kind of surprised to see that this particular doohickey is specifically designed for the Nintendo DS. From my own testing I’ve never had an issue with the d-pad on any of the DS units, and I’ve found that it’s actually been improved with each model. But if you’re a particularly hardcore and picky Mario Kart racer this plastic disc will supposedly improve your handling helping you stay in first place with no hope of ever getting a red shell from a question block.

I have no idea what the pricing for the CYBER Coin Assist will be (it’s expected to be available in late July) but if you spend more than $0.25 for one you can consider yourself ripped-off.

[ CYBER Coin Assist ] VIA [ Tiny Cartridge ]

By Shane McGlaun

For many people when it comes time to exercise they simply walk out their front door and go for a walk. Walking is one of the most popular forms of exercise and there is all sorts of gear designed to help people who like to walk get the most out of their workout.

A new software offering for the Nintendo DS and DSi is being announced called Personal Trainer: Walking. The software works with the DS or DSi portable consoles and includes a pair of wireless activity meters that can each store about 7 days worth of data.

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By Shane McGlaun

I spent many (many, many) a lazy summer day in my youth playing Punch Out on the Nintendo. There seemed to have been a Punch Out underground at the time. Everyone knew someone, who knew someone that knew a trick to beating the various fighters in the game, but no one knew the person who found the tricks directly.

Punch Out for the Nintendo Wii launched officially yesterday, and the game sounds like a workout. Like Wii Sports boxing, the game uses the Nunchuck and Wii remote to allow players to actually punch. The game can also utilize the balance board to let players duck and weave. If you are the type of gamer who likes to be slovenly, the game can be played with a classic controller as well.

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By Shane McGlaun

If you have never played Spore on the PC or Wii you are missing one of the coolest video games of all time. The original Spore lets players build their own creature and evolve it by adding new parts from a single cell organism to a creature, then to a space faring race.

EA has announced that two new Spore titles are coming to the Nintendo platforms this fall. The Wii will get Spore Hero and the DS will get Spore Hero Arena. Spore Hero lets players create their own hero with over 250 parts and unique abilities. Players complete puzzles and missions to save their planet as they upgrade their character.

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By Andrew Liszewski

Nintendo sent over a DSi review unit for me to give a once over, and I’ve finally gotten around to processing and posting my photos comparing the new model to the older DS Lite. Overall it’s a solid update to the hardware, and while not revolutionary, I think it improves the DS where it counts. And the addition and potential of the DSi Shop is probably the biggest reason DS fans might want to make the upgrade. So if you’re still undecided, hit the jump for more of my photos and thoughts on the DSi. Read the rest of this entry »

By Shane McGlaun

After being on the market for a long time the Nintendo Wii is finally reaching the level of availability where you can walk into a retail store and find the console sitting on the shelves. The Wii has some great sports games like the Tiger Woods golf game that are very fun with the Wii controls.

EA has announced that it is moving the launch date of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 game and the Grand Slam Tennis for the Wii to June 8. Wii fanatics may recognize June 8 as the day the Wii MotionPlus accessory is set to launch.

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By Andrew Liszewski

I haven’t been following the DS homebrew scene for a while now, which is a shame, because there were some great applications that made the DS far more than just a handheld gaming device. For example, you can now download a copy of DSTwitter 1.5 from a website called Acdrtux that allows you to stay in touch with your followers in between sessions of Chinatown Wars and Rhythm Heaven. As usual you’ll need a DS homebrew flash cart in order to install and run DSTwitter, as well as an available wifi hotspot, but both of those are pretty easy to come by these days.

[ Acdrtux - DSTwitter 1.5 ] VIA [ MAXCONSOLE ]

By Shane McGlaun

Until Nintendo announced its Wii game console, sitting around playing with your Wii had decidedly negative connotations to it. Thankfully, today you can call up your friends and ask them to come play with your Wii and they will happily come over. Nintendo is set to launch new accessories and games this summer that many have been waiting for.

Nintendo has announced that the new MotionPlus accessory and Wii Sports Resort are going to be available for purchase this summer. The MotionPlus accessory will be available on June 8 for $19.99. The accessory adds accuracy to the motion detecting Wii Remotes. I wonder if we will see future Wii remotes simply get the MotionPlus tech built-in.

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