Joystiq

Wikipad specs revealed, will run Android 4.1 games on a 10.1" screen

Mike Schramm — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:30:00 EST

The Wikipad is a gaming tablet device revealed at CES earlier this year, and it's slowly moving from idea to reality. The company behind the tablet (also known as Wikipad, go figure) has announced the final specs for the design, and they're hot: The display will be 10.1 inches with a 16:10 1280x800 resolution, the tablet will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 1.4 GHz processor, and it will run with 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, and at least 16 GB of internal Flash memory storage. Android 4.1 will power the OS, and an onboard 23.46Wh battery will go for six hours of gaming and eight hours of video playback.

There will be an 8 megapixel camera on the back, as well as a 2 megapixel camera on the front. An early model this year featured a 3D display, but the final version will opt for 2D.

For the casing itself, Wikipad is going with a flat-backed shape with rounded corners, both slightly thicker, but also lighter, than the iPad 2. The controller add-on, which you can see above, is similar to a current-gen gaming controller (complete with triggers and buttons on the back) and will come with the unit.

A price and release date haven't been officially announced yet, but Wikipad is planning to have its namesake device out later this year.

Wikipad specs revealed, will run Android 4.1 games on a 10.1" screen originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1 mouse is a controller in disguise

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 22:00:00 EST

We have no idea how well this particular peripheral works, but we're thinking about buying the Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1 based on novelty alone. See, up on top? It's a seven-button wireless mouse. Flip it over? It's a 14-button gaming controller. Put it on it's side? Panini press. (Not really.)

Continue reading Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1 mouse is a controller in disguise

Shogun Bros. Chameleon X-1 mouse is a controller in disguise originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Image of 3DS motherboard submitted to FCC leaked

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 17 May 2010 11:00:00 EST

A recent Federal Communications Commission filing made by Nintendo has been the source of no small amount of speculation over the past few days. The seemingly innocuous entry on the FCC's site was submitted to get the Nintendo DS Wi-Fi card approved for U.S. distribution -- however, the image submitted alongside the filing (which has since been removed) is believed by some to give a few hints about the internal composition of the Nintendo 3DS.

Digital Foundry has a great breakdown of the image, which appears to exhibit the motherboard of a DS test kit or development kit. The tech site points out that one of the screens adheres to the 4:3 aspect ratio of current DS models, while one screen appears to be substantially wider. If this is a stripped-down version of the 3DS, this could indicate that only one of its two screens uses 3D display technology.

Also worth noting is the "CTR" designation the hardware is given in the FCC listing. As Digital Foundry points out, each model of the DS has had a three-letter codename for internal use: The DSi was called "TWL," the DSi XL was called "UTL," and so on. CTR is a whole new callsign, which may indicate that this is a whole new piece of hardware. We've contacted Nintendo to see if we can get a comment on the filing -- at the very least, we should learn the accuracy of this speculation during Nintendo's E3 press conference on June 15.

Rumor: Image of 3DS motherboard submitted to FCC leaked originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 17 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japanese retailers selling out of PS3 'torne' DVR peripheral

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:15:00 EST

We wouldn't have thought a digital video recorder attachment for the PS3 would be a particularly hot seller in Japan, but the neverending lines spiraling from the front doors of Japanese retailers are proving otherwise. Andriasang recently passed along a Famitsu report explaining how shops are quickly selling out of the standalone version of the torne DVR peripheral -- though the 250GB PS3 which comes with the device built into its frame isn't selling quite as expediently.

If the device's popularity has inspired you to import one, you should know that it's only capable of recording Japanese terrestrial TV signals. As such, we also suggest you simultaneously purchase around 5,500 miles of coaxial cable.

Japanese retailers selling out of PS3 'torne' DVR peripheral originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Natal to use 10-15 percent of Xbox 360's computing resources

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:59:00 EST

A few details about Project Natal's technical capabilities slipped out alongside the holiday 2010 release window at Microsoft's CES press conference. The most revealing of these specifics is that the hardware will only siphon 10 to 15 percent of the 360's computing resources, according to a statement from Natal lead developer Alex Kipman. "Natal has to work on the existing hardware without taking too much hardware processing away from the games developers," Kipman added.

However, according to a report obtained by GamesIndustry, the processing power could have been further reduced. The original build for Natal included a chip that processed the "bone system," assumed responsible for creating a skeleton of the player in front of the device's glossy eye. However, in an attempt to lower costs, the chip was removed from the device's final build, putting that processing onus on the software that will utilize Natal.

In other words, it's extremely unlikely that any software will be able to have Natal support patched into it -- a fact that Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter says could help "serve to focus developers on Natal-specific concepts as opposed to revisiting old classics."

Update: Updated language to reflect that of the original source -- Natal will use 10 - 15 percent of the 360's overall computing power, not just its CPU.

Natal to use 10-15 percent of Xbox 360's computing resources originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinavision portable emulator plays it all

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST

Gaming emulation isn't exactly the most legal activity you can take up -- as such, we can't help but admire the bravado of Chinavision's brilliantly named device. CVFH-N03-4G, pictured above. Housed within its minuscule frame is the ability to emulate games from the NES, SNES, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis, SNK Neo-Geo and Capcom's arcade platforms, CPS1 and CPS2. It also plays a number of audio, video and image formats, and apparently serves as an e-book reader using text-to-speech technology.

In other words, for just $87.31, you can pick up a device that's capable of playing every form of pirated media known to mankind. Thanks, technology!

Chinavision portable emulator plays it all originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii - now with bonus Bluetooth functionality? [update 1]

Jason Wishnov — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: News

You'd think a company like Nintendo would hype up all the features of its new console to the point of abject sin, right? Well, all you savvy tech guys out there, there may be at least one Nintendo isn't telling you about.

Some readers over at the Official Nintendo Forums are claiming an interesting ability of the Wii: it has the capability of receiving Bluetooth signals from various devices, including cellular phones. Apparently, one is able to go right into the Photo Channel of the Wii and immediately access pictures from a nearby Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, with no hassle or setup, as long as an SD card is inserted into the system. This is an extremely convenient way to view pictures from a cell phone on a larger screen, and would be a welcome addition to the functionality of the Photo Channel.

With the Wii's apparent ability to receive and transmit Bluetooth to any generic device, might we see Bluetooth headset compatibility for voice chat in the future? Not having to buy a proprietary headset would be awesome, no?

[Update 1: Alas, this has been proven 100% false. Why are people such jerks?]

[Thanks, Nick!]

Wii - now with bonus Bluetooth functionality? [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Nov 2006 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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