And we thought the DSi XL was squeezing every drop out of Nintendo's dual screen platform. The Nintendo 3DS ($TBA) is the company's latest attempt at expanding its DS lineup, with a 3D-capable, 3.5-inch top screen and a 3-inch bottom screen, a motion sensor, gyro, an analog nub, three cameras - two on the back for taking 3D pictures, and a lineup of upcoming games including Kid Icarus, Mario Kart, Ridge Racer, and Kingdom Hearts. Dorky glasses not required.
Time to ditch your aging, power brick-tethered 360 and replace it with the new, slimmer, quieter Xbox 360 ($300). In addition to a gorgeous, angular new case, the new 360 features a whisper-quiet design, built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, a 250GB hard drive, and an included wireless controller and headset. Plus, it'll look way better with that new Kinect thingamagig people keep talking about.
We've seen it in countless demos and heard about it through prototype hands-ons and vague rumors, but Project Natal is real, and it's ready to play. The Kinect for Xbox 360 ($150) is Microsoft's killer motion tracking add-on, featuring a camera, audio sensors, motion-sensing tech to track 48 points of movement on your body, and the ability to recognize faces and voices. All of which works together to give you a unique, motion-driven gaming experience without the need for silly things like controllers.
We're not going to say you'll look like a tool when using this thing, because if you're in the market for the Mad Catz Cyborg F.L.Y. 9 Wireless Flight Stick ($100), you probably don't give a damn. Made for the Xbox 360, this insane peripheral is the first flight stick given Microsoft's official 360 seal of approval, and features robotic looks, cyborg-worthy accuracy, and the ability to adjust the handle length, head angle, and handle rake angle, which either means the angle at which the handle protrudes from the base, or the "angle" it's going to use when trying to extort money from you for cleaning your yard.
Move over, Wii. The PlayStation Move ($100) is bringing motion-based gaming to the PS3, in full 1080p glory. The system will use a main motion controller, a "sub-controller," like a more advanced version of the Wii's nunchuk, and the Playstation Eye camera to offer precise detection of movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space, which should make for some really competitive games of Virtua Tennis. As for the weird ball thing on the end of the main controller, it helps with motion tracking, lights up in different colors to notify you of stuff, and is made from some soft/squishy rubber material, which will hopefully result in less idiots chucking their controllers through the front of their flat screens.
We spend about a third of our time sleeping, so the mattress you sleep on every night is incredibly important. But when you lie on a bed for five minutes in a mattress showroom, it's impossible to judge how you'll sleep through the night - and the commissioned salesperson hovering doesn't help. Casper was designed with the bedroom in mind, not the showroom, and features premium latex foam for cooling and memory foam for comfort and support. In fact, you can avoid the showroom altogether as Casper comes compress-shipped right to your door. Make sleep a priority again with this impeccably designed, outrageously comfortable, and hand-crafted mattress made in the U.S.A.
Presented by Casper.
Available in Japan for some time now, the Nintendo Wii Classic Controller Pro ($20; April 2010), a more advanced version of the original Classic Controller, is finally making its way stateside. Available in Wii white or a striking black, the Classic Pro features double trigger buttons on the right and left for more control options, Playstation-style integrated bottom grips, and will also be bundled with the Capcom title Monster Hunter Tri for $60.
Live in cold weather and have enough money to let yourself blow a three year's worth of greens fees on an electronic game? Then grab yourself a Putt Arcade Golf Machine ($6,900). The same version as can be found in Dave & Buster's, GameWorks, and other adult playground/watering holes across the country, Putt Arcade lets you play with real clubs and balls on two virtual courses — Las Vegas or Paradise Island — with up to four players. Features include a three speaker sound system, a hi-def 32-inch LCD screen, automatic ball return, and more.
Been holding off on buying Sony's latest gaming console, or just looking for a solid, network-capable Blu-ray player? Say hello to the PS3 Slim ($300; September 2009). As the name suggests, the revised console takes up 32 percent less space and uses 34 percent less power than its comparatively gargantuan predecessor, while still offering HDMI and optical digital audio output, built-in Wi-Fi, dual USB ports, a 120GB hard drive, and, of course, that aforementioned Blu-ray drive.
Beer and gaming go together like Mario and Luigi, and the Arkeg ($4,000) offers up plenty of both. This arcade game-styled machine features a fully functioning kegerator in its belly, with room for a 5 gallon keg kept cool by a solid-state thermoelectric cooling system. In addition, it sports a gaming-ready PC, pre-loaded with 69 games such as Asteroids, Mortal Kombat II, and 1942. Other features include a 24-inch LCD with protective overlay, an authentic backlit marquee, a 2.1 sound system with powered sub, two complete arcade controllers and a trackball mounted in a custom aluminum panel, a side-mounted tap with interchangeable handle, and more.
Found at theme parks, state fairs, and arcades, this authentic Water Blast Arcade Game ($11,000) is guaranteed to liven up the atmosphere in your party room or office. It features rapid water-shooting guns, flashing lights, lighted marquee, and arcade sounds, all to be enjoyed while aiming your stream at the bulls-eye while watching your accuracy meter — shown in lights — rise to the top. No quarters (or tokens) required.
Could this no-name device give you more fun than your iPod and PSP combined? Sure sounds like it. The Pocket Retro Game Emulator ($100) plays NES, SNES, GBA, Sega Genesis, and Neo Geo roms, and when you're done with the classics, the device can play movie files, music files, view photos, read eBooks, and more. About the size of a GameBoy Micro, the device features 4GB of built-in storage, a mini SD slot, a 2.8 inch QVGA (320x240) LCD screen, a built-in FM radio, built-in stereo speakers, and an internal rechargeable li-battery.
Sony's struggling handheld gets a much-needed shot in the arm with the new PSP Go ($TBA). Being officially introduced at E3 2009 this week, the slider-gamer sports a 3.8-inch display, 16GB of flash storage, Bluetooth, and a Memory Stick Micro slot. Gone is the UMD drive, making it about 40% lighter than the current PSP. The Go will also offer PlayStation Network support and integration with the PlayStation 3.
Sure, there are plenty of ways to play NES games on the go, but most of them don't take actual cartridges. The Retro Mini Handheld NES System ($50) is like the Game Boy that never was, with a 2.4-inch LCD screen, a top-loading slot for NES titles, AV output, built-in speakers, a headphone jack, and the ability to run up to eight hours on 4 AA's.
Forget trying to keep up with the latest-and-greatest in gaming tech: let your service provide it for you. OnLive ($TBA; Winter 2009) is a new gaming service that promises to let you play the latest games in the cloud. You purchase the service, games, and microconsole from OnLive, which runs the games themselves on their high-end servers, streaming video of the game in progress back to your PC, Mac, or TV. Imagine: no more money wasted on graphics card upgrades, or tricked-out gaming rigs, just games. [via]
As nice as the combo of Logitech's Driving Force GT Wheel and a copy of Gran Turismo is for recreating the racing experience, you can't beat the new ECCI Trackstar 6000 ($1,000 and up). Featuring aluminum pedals, including an optional clutch pedal, paddle shifters, USB, hi-def potentiometers, an available FLDS steering damper, and more, it's as close as you can come to climbing behind the wheel of a real racer.
Bask in 8-bit and 16-bit glory with the Retro Duo NES/SNES Video Game System ($45). This game console plays original Nintendo and Super Nintendo games, and connects to your TV via standard composite video or S-video. It comes with two SNES style controllers, but you can even use your original SNES controllers if you still have them laying around (third-party accessories might also work). In addition to that copy of Contra you've had on your shelf since fifth grade, the Retro Duo also plays most import games and is said to even work with Game Genie.
Let's face it: As much motion-sensitive, board-stomping gaming fun as the Wii offers, it's still damn enjoyable to download an old classic like Super Mario World and get to work. And the Super Famicom Classic Controller for Wii ($75) is the perfect tool for the job. Made by Nintendo to exact 1990 specifications, it's the coolest Wii accessory yet.
Sure, it's fun to play guitar on Rock Band or Guitar Hero, but it's hard to really rock with the standard guitars. The aptly-named WarBeast Wireless PS3 Guitar ($90) solves this problem with a wicked B.C. Rich design, and tons of extra features like an extended strum bar, dedicated "Star Power" button, a slide switch to choose which game you're playing, a removable face plate, and more.
Bring some drunken carnival fun to your family room with a Personalized Whac-A-Mole Game ($35,000). Though it operates just like the amusement park models, this Whac-A-Mole game can be personalized with molded caricatures of your family and friends (you send in photos of the hapless victims). The whole thing is housed in a walnut veneer cabinet, transforming from bookshelf to the game with the touch of a button. It comes with a hidden liquor shelf, three-digit LCD scoreboard, built-in speakers, and the all-important padded leather mallets.
