Console Games

Nintendo Wii WiiHelm Controller Helmet

One of the virtues of Nintendo’s Wii console is that, far from promoting a couch potato mentality, the Wii’s motion sensitive controllers force you to take a more physical role whilst gaming and, in this respect, it can offer a fun means getting a decent cardiovascular workout and an interactive means of burning calories.



Now, thanks to the gloriously tongue-in-cheek WiiHelm you can cut your energy utilisation by up to 64% whilst gaming on your Wii by simply clipping your Wiimote to the WiiHelm and controlling games with your head whilst using the included foot pedals to control button presses.



Just how long it will be before we see games created especially for the WiiHelm is anyone’s guess, but we can certainly envisage something along the lines of an interactive head-bangers bash (can you head-bang in time to the beats?) – one for the rockers amongst you.

Okay, so the WiiHelm is an April 1st Joke, but it’s a good one and you can see a video of the WiiHelm in action as well as see the full specifications of this curious Wii Helmet below.

Product Specifications:

* Helmet based Wii Controller housing allows effortless handsfree game play
* Perfect for Wii sports and works with all your favorite Wii games*
* Frees your hands for other important tasks like eating, scratching, beer drinking, petting your dog or cat, nose picking and unwrapping birthday gifts
* frontal LEDs illuminate your surroundings while gaming in the basement at 3 am
* Included Foot Pedals have all Wiimote Buttons, mapped to strategic toe areas
* No danger of throwing Wiimote into TV with the WiiHelm’s Saf-T-Lok technology
* Includes: WiiHelm, Foot pedals, Cables, and Instruction Manual
* Manufacturer Limited Warranty: 1 year

The WiiHelm (does not) retail for $24.99 and is (is not) available from this online outlet.

Incidentally, on a serious note, you may also be interested in this post which shows exactly where the future of gaming (thought control) headgear is rapidly headed in reality.

Darth Vader Wii

Serious Star Wars fans might like this custom Darth Vader Wii that’s currently up for for sale over on eBay. But is it really worth the $15,000 Buy it Now price the seller is asking?

The Star Wars Wii features a black finish and dramatic red LED illumination, befitting of the Dark Side of the Force. The console also includes a pair of black Wii-mote and Nunchuk controllers and a black sensor bar to complete the look. It’s hard to tell from the photos and the listing how the console was embellished (not sure if it’s paint or vinyl decals), but for $15k, I’d hope it was hand detailed.

The seller of this custom Wii claims that it’s one of just four that were ever created. According to the listing, the console was used by to promote LucasArts’ upcoming Star Wars game, The Force Unleashed. I’m a little skeptical about the auction, if only for the fact that the seller doesn’t show the other side and back of the console, and called the game “Unleash the Force”.

Sony scouting a tester for unreleased new product?



While the rumors of a PSP2 and PSP Phone have calmed down of late, they're never truly dead. According to a fluent Japanese speaker translating a Sony Japan job listing for GameSpot, the company is on the hunt for an "evaluator / assessor for a new game machine." More specifically, that elusive machine is said to be a "part of the PlayStation or PSP series and their peripherals." The listing goes on to state that the lucky winner will "be part of an advisory staff that will play PlayStation series software on this new machine and check its functionality," and they'll also be able to "test game machines not yet released or new functionality of PS3 peripherals before they are released." From there, it's up to your imagination to determine what exactly this could be alluding to, but we're setting our expectations remarkably low as to not be disappointed.



New PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) Comes With Advanced High Contrast LCD Screen and Built-In Microphone; Hitting the Market Worldwide in October 2008

Get more of what you want with the all-new PSP®-3000 system. It has an advanced LCD screen, which offers the highest-level contrast ratio, best response time and the widest color gamut possible on an LCD screen. It also has anti-reflection technology, so that you'll get vibrant and natural colors in any conditions. And the built-in microphone enhances multi-player gaming and enables Skype™ calling. Light, slim and as portable as ever. Watch movies. Listen to music. Surf the Internet. You can even watch live and recorded TV. And it all goes down on the dazzling widescreen LCD. Doing it all and looking absolutely brilliant, the all-new PSP®-3000 system.

The PSP®-3000 system includes:

• PSP®-3000 system (Technical Specifications)
  • Piano Black
  • Light, slim and portable
  • Dazzling, all-new, vibrant LCD screen
  • Built-in microphone
  • Play on any TV using video out (cables sold separately)
  • Play games, movies, music and more
• AC adaptor
• AC power cord
• Battery pack

Sony promises more games to boost PS3 demand

380 new games coming for the PS3 this fiscal year.

Sony Corp. expects at least 380 new PlayStation 3 games to hit the market this business year and says that should rev up demand for the console that has so far lost out to Nintendo’s wildly popular Wii.

There are about 150 games currently available for the PS3, including online titles. Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer said at the annual shareholders’ meeting that the company will review its dividend policy once it has achieved its profitability target for the year to March 2008, raising the possibility of future dividend hikes.

“Attractive game software is the key to accelerate PS3 growth over the next year,” Stringer said on Thursday. Sony’s game division posted an operating loss of 232 billion yen ($1.88 billion) in the past business year because of hefty start-up costs of the PS3, prompting investors to see the console business as Sony’s biggest risk factor.

Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s Wii game console has been outselling the PS3 by three to one in Japan and more than two to one in the United States so far this year, according to game magazine publisher Enterbrain and research firm NPD. A lack of attractive games has been widely cited as a reason for the PS3’s relatively weak performance in addition to the fact that it is twice as expensive as the Wii.

More than 200 packaged software titles will likely be released for the PS3 in the year to March 2008, and more than 180 titles are expected to be launched over the Internet, Stringer said.