Joystiq

Inflatable Portal 2 Personality Cores now available at ThinkGeek

Jordan Mallory — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:15:00 EST

ThinkGeek, purveyor of fine caffeinated gummy bears and assorted nerdicological sundries, has added inflatable Personality Cores to its already bustling assortment of officially licensed Portal 2 memorabilia.

At $25 each, the spheres themselves measure about 12 inches in diameter and are made from "Non 7 phthalate PVC vinyl, CPSIA Standard," whatever that means. Test subjects can choose between "Wheatley" and "Spaaaaaaaaaace" color palettes, though neither sphere appears to be truly sentient and/or inherently evil either way. All we need now is an inflatable GlaDOS, and then maybe we won't have to be so alone at night.

Inflatable Portal 2 Personality Cores now available at ThinkGeek originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thinkgeek's '8-bitty' is the most practical of an impractical bunch

JC Fletcher — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:30:00 EST

I don't have an iCade. Though a tiny custom arcade cabinet for my iPad is a lot more attainable than a full-sized arcade machine, it's still far enough into the "frivolity" category that I haven't made the plunge ... plus, I don't have an iPad, and the iCade is a bit cavernous for my tiny phone.

The 8-bitty, produced for Thinkgeek by iCade maker Ion, takes every bit of the iCade's functionality, and shrinks it down into an affordable, portable, and iPhone-friendly control pad. Nobody on Earth actually needs a gamepad for their iOS device, but this is as close to practical as one is going to get.

Continue reading Thinkgeek's '8-bitty' is the most practical of an impractical bunch

Thinkgeek's '8-bitty' is the most practical of an impractical bunch originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jump at the chance for a real Portal 2 jumpsuit

JC Fletcher — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:30:00 EST

NECA is beginning a bold new behavioral experiment, to determine whether the addition of a logo will render plain orange jumpsuits desirable enough for consumers to purchase them in high quantities and for $100 each. The company's hypothesis is that it will, and we tend to agree.

In order to get one of NECA's official Portal 2 Chell Jumpsuits (in women's and men's sizes) from ThinkGeek, you need to get on a mailing list. ThinkGeek will alert its "Test Subjects" about the product's availability when it arrives in October. This is the only way the retailer plans to sell these, so if you want that testy look go sign up now.

Pre-orders are available from a variety of other retailers, some of which have their own restrictions - like only offering reservations during the weekend of Comic-Con (i.e. now). Given the response to other Portal memorabilia, you're better off pre-ordering immediately from your retailer of choice.

Jump at the chance for a real Portal 2 jumpsuit originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ThinkGeek selling SNES-style Wii Classic Controller

JC Fletcher — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:20:00 EST

The Super Famicom Classic Controller for Wii remains out of reach for everyone but Japanese Club Nintendo members (and eBay users, of course), but ThinkGeek is stocking a very close facsimile for $20.

In fact, the Classic Super Famicom Controller for Wii is functionally identical to the Club Nintendo version. It plugs into your Wii Remote and lets you play Virtual Console games (or anything else that supports Classic Controller use and doesn't require analog sticks) with a controller designed to replicate the SNES pad. It even has the colorful face buttons of the Japanese controller.

Right now seems like a questionable time to buy a Wii accessory, but you'd already be using it to play old games. The impending obsolescence of the Wii isn't necessarily a deal breaker. Besides, the Wii U uses Wii Remotes; a Classic Controller might come in handy with that as well.

ThinkGeek selling SNES-style Wii Classic Controller originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 May 2012 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iCade 8-bitty is your iOS device's new wireless NES controller

JC Fletcher — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:30:00 EST

iCade is expanding its lineup of weird iOS device controllers once again, with the "8-bitty," a wireless, NES-style controller that connects wirelessly to iPad or iPhone.

The device, shipping "later this year" exclusively from ThinkGeek for $25, is compatible with the same lineup of games the as the iCade cabinet, and includes a d-pad, start, select, and (an anachronism we'll learn to deal with) four buttons. It's also got handsome faux woodgrain accents.

As with the bigger iCade, there's an open-source SDK, so any app developers out there can add support to their apps and make this thing all the more appealing.

iCade 8-bitty is your iOS device's new wireless NES controller originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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8-bit glasses lower the resolution of your bank balance

Jordan Mallory — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 02:15:00 EST

Haven't you heard? 8-bit is the new black. A trend that started with ThinkGeek's April-Fool's-turned-real-product neckties quickly spawned other accessories like watches and hair bows. Now, people with more money than sense can hop on the chiptune style-train as well, thanks to SAMAL Design's new line of pixelated glasses.

The specs are available in two styles: "5dpi," which are based on hipster-friendly plastic 1980s Ray-Bans, and "6dpi," which are based on hipster-friendly 1980s dad-glasses. One pair will set you back 280-ish bucks, and will be precisely in style if American Apparel ever manages to produce an 8-bit v-neck.

8-bit glasses lower the resolution of your bank balance originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 02:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ThinkGeek slaps a joystick on the iPad

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:00:00 EST

If that pseudo-analog nubbin didn't satisfy your touchscreen gaming needs, ThinkGeek has revealed its own "Joystick-It" arcade stick attachment for the iPad. The aluminum stick will go on sale for $25 at the end of the month. See it action after the break.

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ThinkGeek slaps a joystick on the iPad originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad occupies new quarters in iCade arcade cabinet

Randy Nelson — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST

Know what your desk, coffee table or car dashboard needs? The iCade. That is if you have an iPad and want a (very) small arcade cabinet to stick it in. Built by ION for internet nerd wares vendor ThinkGeek, the iCade features a special iPad cradle designed to not scuff your precious tablet, along with a ball-top joystick and eight concave buttons.

If you have the money, space and understanding loved ones to spare, you can pre-order the iCade for $99 from ThinkGeek. Shipments begin this spring and include the iCade app, a front-end for (initially) a handful of Atari classics, such as Asteroids, with the promise of more to come. The iCade API is also being provided to iOS devs free of charge, so here's hoping the likes of Cave release updates to make their games compatible with this inspired add-on.

iPad occupies new quarters in iCade arcade cabinet originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official t-shirts provide uniforms for Minecrafting

JC Fletcher — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:00:00 EST

In what might be the first official merch release for a game that hasn't even hit beta, you can now express your appreciation for indie sensation Minecraft by wearing some real-world Minecraft ... crafts. ThinkGeek is selling two officially-licensed t-shirts, one featuring the Creeper and another bearing the logo of a fictitious Crafters union. Each shirt is available for $20 in sizes up to XL, with XXL and XXXL versions available for an additional dollar per X.

Either is a great gift for the Minecraft fan in your life -- but if you don't have the money for t-shirts, you can always give the thoughtful gift of personal assurance that monsters can't knock your house over.

Official t-shirts provide uniforms for Minecrafting originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some ThinkGeek Dreamcasts not so new

Justin McElroy — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:00:00 EST

The fiction we'd established for ourselves around ThinkGeek's recently unleashed stash of new Dreamcasts was fairly elaborate. Let's just say it involved one of Bernie Stolar's forgotten summer homes and a tesseract. But now it seems that some of the supply was just plain old.

One of ThinkGeek's customers complained to Destructoid yesterday, saying that their console (advertised as new-in-box) had fairly obvious signs of wear and tear. The company said that it would offer a refund to the customer, explaining that it had inspected some other consoles from the same batch and found them all to be brand new.

It's nice that ThinkGeek's doing the right thing, but we can't help but be disappointed watching our "fold in space-time" theory go up in smoke.

Some ThinkGeek Dreamcasts not so new originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's ThinkGeeking: Online retailer selling new Dreamcasts

JC Fletcher — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:45:00 EST

We thought ThinkGeek's coolest items were the fake ones the company made up for April Fools Day. It has finally outdone its staff's own imagination, with Sega Dreamcasts. For $99.99, you can purchase a brand new North American Dreamcast, complete with cables, controllers, a web browser disc (version 2.0, so it includes Sega Swirl) and a demo disc.

You're on your own for games, which means you may have to resort to putting used games in your new console. Not that it's really a problem to spend the tiny amount of money required to equip your system with a bunch of great games -- Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Bangai-O, Space Channel 5 and Typing of the Dead come to mind immediately.

We're of the opinion that the gaming community would get along so much better if everybody just played some Dreamcast and remembered what fun was like. After the break, we remember Segata Sanshiro, and the noble sacrifice that granted the Dreamcast its life.

Continue reading It's ThinkGeeking: Online retailer selling new Dreamcasts

It's ThinkGeeking: Online retailer selling new Dreamcasts originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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April Fools' Alert #10: Wii Sports on iPhone and utter obsolescence

Scott Jon Siegel — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Portable, Nintendo Wii, Mobile

ThinkGeek is certainly on a roll today with the April Fools hijinks. Not only do we have Super Pii Pii Brothers (and its bizarre peripheral), but now we have Wii Sports on the iPhone, as well as a conduit for shuffling between dead video formats.

The Wii Sports on iPhone gag is nothing more than an unclickable banner ad, making us wish the joke was taken a bit further. The Betamax to HD-DVD converter, on the other hand, is quite the stroke of genius. The idea alone is brilliant, made even more so by the "promotional" video, viewable after the break.

Continue reading April Fools' Alert #10: Wii Sports on iPhone and utter obsolescence

April Fools' Alert #10: Wii Sports on iPhone and utter obsolescence originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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April Fools' Alert #5: Super Pii Pii Brothers

Justin McElroy — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii

ThinkGeek has a proud history with April Fools' Day gags, even going so far as to make one of its jokes into reality after it snowballed in popularity. This year, the gang is pretty much guaranteeing that won't be the case with its super-exclusive Wii title ... Super Pii Pii Brothers. And yes, as you've probably already guessed, it's a game about peeing on cats. They have a ton of other great gags you can check out here.

We've put the video for it after the break. We're not sure if it's NSFW, but we hope you work in a place where this sort of thing isn't acceptable. Unless you're that "Two Girls One Cup" guy, then this is the height of érotique.

Continue reading April Fools' Alert #5: Super Pii Pii Brothers

April Fools' Alert #5: Super Pii Pii Brothers originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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April Fool's 8-bit tie now available

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:24:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Fashion

Back in the April of '07, we spent one long weekend dealing with the multitude of April Fool's tips we received -- one of those tips is now real. Although ThinkGeek created the WiiHelm as their big joke, it was their subtle 8-bit tie that got people upset who tried to purchase the item and ThinkGeek said they'd actually start making it. Now the 8-bit tie is available in all its glory for purchase.

The ThinkGeek site says the item is made of a "very silk-like microfiber." Due to the item being handmade there will be slight variations on the edges, but for a $20 tie we're really not going to complain. So go out and rock the 8-bit tie.

[Thanks Pedro]

April Fool's 8-bit tie now available originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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April Fool's Alert #5: WiiHelm and the WoW tinfoil cap

Alexander Sliwinski — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 09:40:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, PC, Nintendo Wii, RPGs, MMO, Business

The WiiHelm by ThinkGeek is a great April Fool's Day joke in so many ways. The item even fooled Dave Rudden, an editor at Games.net, who was ready to put down $25 for the accessory when he was greeted by a "Fooled you!" Although the production values on this item are great, with the video just knocking it out of the park, the best detail is the "4 frontal LEDs illuminate your surroundings while gaming in the basement at 3 am." There is a lot to love here.

Rudden writes, "Well, they knew their audience and their product and picked something that was slightly insane, but within reason. Just about every site and mag that's tried that this year hasn't. Sadly, I would've paid good money for that wonderful, wonderful helmet. Wouldn't you?"

Blizzard brought it again this year with double duty. First, for World of Warcraft players, there's the tinfoil hat with the tag line: "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you." The hat protects the wearer from various forms of inspection in the land of Azeroth. The other goof is Blizzard selling Warcraft III with a completely different title. Warcraft: Heroes of Azeroth ... or "WHoA," is the prequel to the World of Warcraft. The whole page is written in a style of lame marketing class 101. The joke being that those who jumped on the WoW bandwagon never played Warcraft III, so it's new to them, why not cash in? Even the pictures of the boxes just have a sticker over the Warcraft III logo with the new name. One of the best lines being, "WHoA comes in *four* different box covers (that's TWICE as many as WoW!)" ZOMG! Rush out and get yours today!

Update: ThinkGeek snuck in a subtle one with the 8-bit tie, we were actually hoping to wear this at our next power lunch. Blizzard also has the Black Temple Attunement, which looking at the flow chart looks perfectly reasonable for the average hardcore WoW player.

[Thanks Dave]

April Fool's Alert #5: WiiHelm and the WoW tinfoil cap originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 01 Apr 2007 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USB fan for DIY 360 cooling

Christopher Grant — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Peripherals

Xbox 360 Fanboy o0 Spartan 0o sent us in a shot of his solution for cooling off a steamy 360: a simple USB fan. He explains:

"Buy an inexpensive USB fan, plug it into the rear USB port of the 360, and aim it near the 360's exhaust. I've done a quick test and it really keeps the air moving and the 360 a lot cooler (the air it takes in is not warm, therefore the whole system is cooler). Also, if you are using the USB port for the WiFi adapter, you can plug the fan into an outlet with a USB iPod charger."

Not a bad idea if you have your 360 jammed into a stuffy entertainment cabinet in need of some circulation. We found a similar fan at ThinkGeek for $11, or you might have one lying around.

See also:
Use iPod charger to refuel your 360 controller
Still skeptical of Pelican's 360 stand
360 cooling stand; but what about the PSU?

[Thanks, o0 Spartan 0o]

USB fan for DIY 360 cooling originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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