Hail and well met , citizen of Gadgetistan ! I sympathize that you may have felt deprive of any gadget news last week , and I am truly , crazily , deeplysorry . I was unavoidably detained , you see , by some people who wished to have words with me , and were determined to make that chance using the most dangerous artillery be intimate to world : humble shaver who had consumedway too much sugar(seriously , where ’s the arms limitations talk when you need them ? ) .
Having escaped their greedy clasp , I get you thissupersizedversion of Gadgetbox for this annual Day of Convenience ( 7/11 , you see ) , in which we hash out news program from the big three of video games , a way to see your wireless meshwork , and my Halloween costume for this year .
The big three at E3
The Electronic Entertainment Expo ( E3 ) may have died and been reborn from its own ashes as a much smaller todo , but that does n’t signify that it ’s not still one of the premier event for big announcements in the gaming world , and sure enough , all three console table makers dropped some news on us this workweek .
First up , Sony . Before E3 had even started , they were puddle some wave by lowering the cost of their 60 GB PlayStation 3 exemplar by $ 100 to just $ 499 . You know what that means , ethnic music : the PlayStation 3 is now the same Mary Leontyne Price as the low - close iPhone — watch out , Apple ; this soft touch has “ iPhone killer ” publish all over it . As if that was n’t enough , Sony rolled out the long - rumored 80 GB feel at the same fourth dimension ; it ’ll run $ 599 ( the same monetary value as an 8 GB iPhone , and withten timesthe storage — conjunction ? I mean not ) . The 80 GB model will also come packaged with racing game Motorstorm , so you wo n’t have to mortgage your family to buy something to play on your young biz console . At their insistence conference they announce a slimmed down PlayStation Portable with a faster UMD drive , and video recording output for plug into a TV . There ’s even a special Darth Vader model — which , add up to cogitate of it , excuse a few matter about why they continue to insist on make the PSP at all . [ epitome viaEngadget ]
Okay , that ’s what ’s up Sony sleeves . Microsoft , your rebutter ? Xbox head Peter Moore demoed a bunch of games spend a penny their way of life to the 360 this class , include BioWare ’s much - anticipated RPGMass Effectand the still mysteriousAssassin ’s Creed . But the big news was the pretty unsurprising procure ofHalo 3 , complete with a lustrous newHalo 3Limited Editionof the Xbox 360 . And there was much rejoicing . Er . Yay . Decked out in Master Chief unripened ( hopefully uncommitted for paint matching at your local Home Depot ) , the special console come with a match wireless controller , a 20 GB hard private road , headset , frolic & charge outfit , andHalo 3content from Xbox Live ( gamer pics and musical theme ) . You do not , however , getHalo 3itself — say whaaaaaa ? No pricing yet , but if it ’s more than the Premium bundle ’s $ 400 pricetag , than they ’re going to be laughed out of townspeople . It ’ll be squeeze Halo fanboys everywhere this September .
Finally , good previous Nintendo . They be intimate how to rolldifferent , knowhaimsayin ’ ? Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils - Amie fill the stage to show off a twosome of novel peripheral gadget : the much ballyhooed Wii Zapper ( bundled with an as yet unannounced game , or $ 20 on its own ) , a Wii Steering steering wheel ( for utilisation with the outgoing Wii version of MarioKart , which will also feature on-line romp ! Hurrah ! ) . But the big newsworthiness was an alone new peripheral with an whole new secret plan mechanic : Wii Fit . This “ secret plan ” is really an exercise plan package with what ’s presently called the “ Wii Balance Board , ” a twist you place upright on that ’s imperativeness sensitive . You do pushup , aerobic activities , and balancing , and it measures your progress as you go . Nintendo visionary Shigeru Miyamoto enjoin that he ’s more excited about this game than any other , and I ’d be unsurprised to see it take hold of the same form of aid as Wii Sports . Given the nature of the Balance Board , though , I wonder if maybe they ’ll run into the same kind of injuries and warnings as they did for the remote . But at least you could lastly licitly apply picture games as an alibi for not going outside .
So that’s what 802.11 looks like
As much as we all enjoy the freedom to roam on our wireless meshing , unhampered by those pestiferous Ethernet cable television , celebrate your meshwork in healthy workings consideration can often be an exercise in foiling . Router internet interfaces are often less thanforthcoming , and it ’s backbreaking to get an idea of what ’s go on when you have to gaze at a bunch of mysterious numbers and acronyms .
Belkin ’s newN1 Vision routerwants you to see what ’s travel on , and to that end it incorporates a built in LCD display that let you view your meshing ’s carrying out . The 802.11n router ’s screen can exhibit a “ speedometer ” of your electronic web ’s download and upload speeds , your bandwidth utilisation , how many gadget are connected ( utilitarian for witness if you ’ve get any freeloaders next room access — you know who I mean ) , a guest access winder , and er , the date and time .
It ’s sure as shooting a nerveless idea , and the client access key is almost worth the cost of access alone ( no more dig around to regain that substantive small-arm of information ) . Then again , who want to put their router out in overt as a coffee table slice ? Besides its novel display , the N1 Vision feature 4 Gb port and Draft 2.0 N - compliance . It ’ll run you $ 199 , which is a little pricey for a router , even of the N variety , but if the instant of that display gets your salivary secretor go , you may very well be willing to part with the coin .
Ultimate Vader costume is impressive…most impressive
Admittedly , I ’m not much of a Halloween someone . I do n’t do well in crafting costumes and I do n’t plan ahead , as evidenced by the year that I went as Indiana Jones and the only thing I could recover that would even mistily resemble a whip was a scroll of coaxial cable . Yeah .
Still , if ever I was to join wholeheartedly into the celebratory nature of October 31st , it would require the disbursement of $ 850 to acquire thisfully armed and operationalDarth Vader costume . Cast from the original mold , this package includes gloves , armor , a full simulated - leather jumpsuit , and all of the attendant dash light and boxwood . Heck , they ’ll even throw in an FX lightsaber . And the helmet comes with a machine to mimic Vader ’s signature heavy ventilation , so you do n’t even want to go through the difficulty of taking a swim in lava for the full effect — though if you werereallydedicated , that would just block up you .
Hell , draw a blank Halloween — this is perfect for casual Fridays at study . Trust me , nobody bothersthe Dark Lord of the Sithabout his TPS story .
[ viaGizmodo ]
That ’s it for today ’s variation of Gadgetbox . Do n’t leave to fete the Day of Convenience with the Slurpee tang of your pick . We ’ll see you back next week .
