Gizmodo: Gamers

Packard Bell (!?) Launches Gaming Desktop Line

Matt Hickey — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:12:00 EDT

Packard Bell—previously referred to as Packard Hell and Packard Smell—is diving head-first into the gaming PC market with the ipower X2.0, a gaming rig that features full customization at a decent price. It's aimed squarely at offerings from Acer and Ares. The Intel-based machines give customers their choice of ATI or Nvidia graphics, disk drives, audio options, TV tuners and other add-ons. In addition, the PC features advanced cooling, including a silent water cooling system. The boxes are expected for this holiday season at about $2000, and we're hoping they're nothing like the PBs of the past. [Trusted Reviews]

The Ancient Romans Were Gamers: 2nd Century Glass d20 Sold for $17,925

Jack Loftus — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT

We can only guess what the ancient Romans might have thought about the latest revision of the Dungeons and Dragons rulebook (super approachable; they'd love it!), but we do know they were gamers. That's because an incredibly old, incredibly valuable Roman glass d20 was sold at auction by the famous Christie's auction house. For $17,925. Historians know the symbols are Roman, but have yet to figure out which game it was used for. Any guesses, Gizmodo readers/ancient gaming history buffs? [Christie's]

JDome Gives First-Person Gamers 180-Degree Vision, Gives Me Headaches

AddyDugdale — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:00:00 EDT

John Nilsson is the man behind the jDome, an invention that will give gamers a massive 180-degree field of vision instead of the usual 15 to 20 degrees they get from their monitors. All you do is put the jDome in front of a projector, mirror the image in the projector, change the Field of View and you're good to go. Nilsson's already patented his idea, and he's looking for donations to get the jDome into production—he reckons it will cost between $125 and $200. [jDome]

Elementary School's LEGO Club Makes Whiteboard Using Wii

AddyDugdale — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:14:25 EDT

Remember Johnny Lee's how-to last year, on how to make a whiteboard out of a Wiimote? Kofi Merritt, a computer resource specialist, challenged the members of the LEGO Club at the Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School to follow the Carnegie-Mellon Ph.D student's video instructions and make themselves an interactive whiteboard, saving their school around $800 in the process.

"I thought to myself, 'This project is too cool not to share, and it can be a student-created tool created for instructional purposes,'" Merritt said. "I thought, 'This would be a great way to engage the students in a unique way, as well as put pressure on interactive whiteboard companies to lower their prices.'"

Merritt and his volunteers, four fifth-graders and a parent volunteer who is an electrician (and who helps out in the LEGO Club) took about a month to finish the project. The kids are thrilled with their achievement. "It feels great to help the school like this, said student Austin Durham, 10. I never felt great. It took about a month because we had to figure out the right parts to use. We messed up a lot at first."

As well as saving the school a whole bunch of cash, the project has given the kids a lot of confidence, as well as a fun experience—something they all appreciate. "I think the most important thing that the students enjoyed and learned was to be innovative," adds Merritt. "As part of the 'digital native' generation, they can recognize things in their world that they can improve or create, and have the confidence to tackle projects that many 'digital immigrants' wouldn't touch. This is a new generation. They must be engaged in their world with the tools of their time." [Daily Press via Gaming Today]

Flatpack Cardboard Mini Arcade Pimps Your PSP Into Something Awesome

AddyDugdale — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:18:45 EDT

Just like its cousin, the flatpack boombox, the cardboard mini game for PSP comes in a pack of two, complete with authentic graffiti and mall-rat detritus. Cost is $12.49. [Suck UK via Perpetual Kid via ALBOTAS]

Put on Your 3D Glasses for Samsung's 3D-Ready Plasma TV

AddyDugdale — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:02:06 EST

Korea is first port of call (well, it would be, wouldn't it?) for these 3D-ready plasmas from Samsung. Available in two sizes: 42; and 50 inches, the PAVV Cannes 450 has a 30,000:1 ratio and 3D content support, and will work with high-performance PC-supporting 3D software and 3D glasses. And there's even a super-expensive, HD version, the Cannes 550. More info, plus another shot, below.

The Cannes 450 has Cell Light Control, 2008 Daylight technology and a DNIe+ chipset, as well as enhanced low-sound performance and three entertainment modes: sports; movie; and games.

Samsung also announced a tie-up with Electronic Arts. The gaming software giant is going to provide the content for 3D-Ready PDP TV. Prices are the South Korean Won equivalent of $1,850 for the 42-incher, and $2,656 for the 50-incher. Meanwhile, the HD version, the Cannes 550, will cost $4,145. [Samsung and Aving]

X-Box 360 HD-DVD Player to Drop to $50

AddyDugdale — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:15:30 EST

A rather delicious little titbit is doing the rounds that Microsoft is going to drop its 360 HD-DVD player to $50. According to Ars Technica's Microsoft mole—they say he's always on the button with news—the add-on player's price was due to drop yesterday, February 21. No confirmation as yet, but we'll keep our eyes peeled. [Ars Technica via Kotaku]

Force Feedback Gaming Vest Uses Compressed Air to Mimic Pain

AddyDugdale — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:57:37 EST

Also known as the 3rd Space Vest, the Force Feedback gaming vest from TMgames is filled with compressed air pouches in order for you to feel the pain when you're hooked up to your console and having your butt kicked by scary aliens. Compatible with around a dozen games, including Call of Duty, Doom 3, Quake 4 and Medal Of Honor, so if you want to feel what it's like to be knifed, shot, blown up or merely punched in the kidneys, you might think about shelling out $169 for this. Or you could just go to the rough part of town and tell the scariest mofo you can find that you had sex with his mother last night. [TNGames Storefront via Gadget Review]

Limited-Edition Honeybee DS Lite is Monochrome, Smooth, Sophisticated, Japan-only

Kit Eaton — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:00:46 EST

The creative result of a collaboration between Designer Hiroshi Fujiwara and Japanese fashion magazine Honeybee, this Nintendo DS Lite sports a matte black exterior with co-ordinating jazzy white interior and hinges. Ok, so "creative" means they just painted it black and white, but it is classy isn't it? Wait 'til you see the inside.

Apart from its Limited Edition status, we know nothing more, but that doesn't stop us from drooling over it. [Honeybee via Kotaku]

Wireless Sensor Bar from CYBER Gadget Tells You Just How Much Time You're Wasting on Wii

AddyDugdale — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:08:29 EST

For all of you whose Wii sensor bar has broken (are you listening, J. Diaz?) CYBER Gadget's wireless version has the added benefit of a clock tacked onto it. It's also looks good—it's been so long since we had a Wii session that I can't remember what the original looked like, but the words "prehistoric" and "windscreen wiper" do spring to mind. This one costs $18 and runs on four AA batteries, but you can plug it into a USB port if you want it with wires. [ALBOTAS]

Pac-Man Lights Won't Chomp Your Wall or Attract Ghosts

Kit Eaton — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:43:44 EST

This Pac-Man modular lighting system from French company Remake will fire up anyone with latent '80s videogame nostalgia within them. The glowing bricks interlock, so you can build your own maze complete with ghosts, power dots and of, course, the yellow chomper himself.

Sadly, it's a static set-up, so you won't spend ages hypnotized by Blinky, Inky, Pinky and Clyde's attempts to catch the little yellow pill-gobbler. It should, however, let those memories of hours spent feeding quarters into a machine down at the arcade come flooding back. On display at the recent Maison & Objet 2008 show in Paris, we don't know if the Pac-Man lighting system is available to buy yet. [Technabob]

Salamander Designs' Gaming Chair Hides in an Ottoman

AddyDugdale — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 06:02:07 EST

The Jump Seat Ottoman was launched yesterday by Salamander Design and is the perfect gaming chair for people who don't want house guests to know their guilty secret. Close the lid, it's an ottoman chest with a compartment to store your headset and controller. Open it and there's your gaming seat. More details, including price, will be announced at CES 2008 next week, but the Jump Seat Ottoman will be available in either leather or microsuede— custom order only, so it won't be cheap. [Salamander Design via Zatz Not Funny]

Pac-Man Hoodie Has Everything You Wanted Save 100% Natural Fibers

AddyDugdale — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 04:00:14 EST

Nothing better in the run-up to Christmas to have a Jesus lookalike modelling a Pac-Man hoodie from Hot Topic. It's a steal at $45, but why is it only 80% cotton? Nylon just makes me come out in hives, guys. [Oh!Gizmo]

W00t Wins Webster's Word of the Year, Just Edges Out the Verb Facebook

AddyDugdale — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:53:24 EST

W00t, that expression of joy invented by gamers way back when Sonic and Tails were special friends, has been given the accolade of word of the year by Webster's dictionary. The word, which beat the verb "to facebook" has an uncertain providence: while some people think it is an acronym for "We own the other team", others believe it is a mere exhortation of joy, like "Yippee" or, as we say in my crib, "Huzzarahrah." My reaction is after the jump.

In a move of supreme populism, Websters invited people to vote online for a shortlist of 20 words, and it woz w00t wot won it. This was their official statement.

It's like saying "yay." It could be after a triumph or for no reason at all,"

Well come on, people, you could try a little harder than that sniffy little statement—after all, you are in charge of the book which defines every single word in the american language. [Yahoo! News]

Sharps 1080p AQUOS LCD TVs Are Optimized For Gaming With "Vyper Drive"

Jason Chen — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:35:00 EST

The 32-inch, 1080p AQUOS (LC-32GP3U) LCD TVs from Sharp are optimized for gaming by allowing gamers "quick access to the side terminal inputs," as well as activating "Vyper Drive." It's a dorky name for a feature, but it's supposes to cut lag time between console input and TV display so you won't have to miss so many notes in Rock Band thanks to TV response lag. In addition, there's HDMI 1.3, subwoofer output connection, 1080p/24, and built-in ATSC, clear QAM and NTSC tuners. It'll be $1,599 in black, red and white in December. Our only complaint is that it's only 32 inches. [BusinessWire]

Park To Play Lets You Use Your Car as a Gaming Joystick

AddyDugdale — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:58:45 EDT

Esoteric Dutch blog Fresh Creation went to the Holland Innovation fair in, surprise, the Netherlands, and they found this crazy little — well, big, actually — thing. Park To Play lets you play games — Pong, Tetris, Pinball, Space Invaders etc — with your car. Yep, you didn't hear wrong. Part art installation, part crazy, what-have-they-been-smoking-over-in-them-thar-low-countries-coffee-houses, they've rigged out the steering wheel and doors with sensors so that you can use the car to control the game. Headlights, brakes, car doors, they all become buttons to control the game with. I like the fact that the pinball flippers are controlled by the car doors. [Fresh Creation]

Inflatable Boxing Gloves for Wii Won't Double as Buoyancy Aid

AddyDugdale — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:22:29 EDT

These boxing gloves for the Wii come with their own air pump for easy inflation. They also come with some weird instructions:

Nope, I'm not sure what invagination means either, but I'd sure like to find out. They cost $14.86 from DealExtreme. [DealExtreme via New Launches]

Britz's Rosetta Speakers Perfect for Weird-Shaped Gamers

AddyDugdale — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 06:13:28 EDT

Consisting of two satellite towers and a downward-firing amplified subwoofer, these red LED-illuminated Rosetta speakers from Britz have been designed with computer or gaming setups in mind. Featuring IHSS (Independent Harmonic Surround Sound), they are probably a bit too weedy for hardcore gamers. If you ask me, both towers and sub look like the kind of vase you'd find in a funeral home.

The 11-inch high speakers have 9 watts per channel amplification, while the subwoofer has 32 watts. Available in Korea, they cost around $90. [Technabob via New Launches]

Slouchpod: The Gamer's Beanbag

Addy Dugdale — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:33:45 EDT

If beanbags had a version 2.0, the Slouchpad would be it. A gamer's dream, it has two built-in 5-watt RMS speakers and a 10-watt RMS subwoofer for those outta-the-chair moments when you're playing Gears Of War. And it's not just gamer-friendly, as you can plug just about anything into it, from MP3 players to TVs, DVDs and your laptop.

The Slouchpad comes in six colors, including classic black, cream and red, and the more nausea-inducing lilac, pink and white. The price is $600 (ouch) and it's available in the UK and Europe at the moment, but if you ask nicely, I'm sure they'll ship it to you. – Ad Dugdale

Product Page [Slouchpod via Red Ferret]

Make the Ultimate Gamer's Cabinet

Jason Chen — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 14:00:02 EST

As gamers, this is probably the best thing we've ever seen. An amateur woodworker converted a standard cabinet into the ultimate gamer's cabinet through some hard work and some wood. Each level holds a game console, elevated for maximum ventilation. He also drilled holes on the sides to put lighted PC fans to help move air.

An added bonus, the sides have hooks and holders so he can keep his controllers neat, but still in view. This mod requires some woodworking experience, but you should be able to take this idea and run with it to come up with an easier solution. Sure beats our current "put everything on the floor" approach. – Jason Chen

Cabinet for a Gaming Geek [Flickr via MAKE via Lifehacker]

Killer Network Card Speeds Up Ping Times for Gamers

Charlie White — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 10:16:07 EDT

Just in time for your next frag fest, the Killer UltimatePing Network Interface Card will make sure you don't come out on the short end of the stick, offloading network processing duties to its 400MHz network processing unit (NPU) and 64MB of dedicated DDR. Launched by Bigfoot Networks and powered by LLR Technology, the card is said to offer better ping times and will even give players more frames per second when online gaming. The 10/100/1000 PCI network card frees up the CPU for more important things, which, according to Bigfoot CEO Harlan Beverly, can make a big difference:

"Killer delivers better Ping times and allows the computer's CPU to be able to focus on making the game run fast and smooth, even during the most intense action, which can often be the difference between winning and losing. Killer goes way beyond just offloading the network processing. It's designed specifically for online video games, which means it handles gaming data in faster and more responsive ways so gamers can experience lower Pings and have a real advantage in online games."

Available August 16, no pricing was announced yet. – Charlie White

Product Page [Bigfoot Networks, via Crowded Brain]

Velocity Micro Shipping Raptor Signature Edition Quad SLI Gaming PC

Charlie White — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 09:48:32 EST

Velocity Micro is now shipping the Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition which it calls the world's fastest gaming PC. It s packing NVIDIA Quad SLI (~~Scan Line Interleave~~ Scalable Link Interface) technology using four NVIDIA Geforce 7900 GPUs along with an NVIDIA nForce 4 SLI MCP (multichip package) motherboard.

This is a step beyond what NVIDIA announced at CES, touting quad SLI with its GeForce 7800 GTX GPUs. The PC also has an AMD Athlon64 FX-60 dual core processor, part of the FX series that's popular with gamers. This coupled with NVIDIA Quad SLI is what Velocity Micro says makes this the world's fastest gaming computer.

The Raptor Signature Edition PC is now available for $5995.

Product page [Velocity Micro]