Wii Replacement Wrist Strap
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Site: Wii Replacement Wrist Strap Form (US) / Wii Replacement Wrist Strap Form (UK)
Price: FREE

Overview : Nintendo is offering to replace the original version of the wrist straps for the Wii Remote with a newer version. Because Wii consoles shipped starting in early December already utilized the newer version of the strap, you will need to determine which version of the strap you have before ordering a replacement. To view the difference between the original and the new version of the strap, please click here.

If you have an original version of the strap, please complete the form.

Note: You must be 18 years old or older to order a replacement wrist strap.

Latin American users - Please click here for replacement information for your region

Quality/Usability : With all the fatalities to expensive TV sets, complaints of Wii remotes flying and injuries, Nintendo has set up an offer for Wii owners to fill out a form and have replacement wrist straps sent.

Offer is available to US residents and Latin Americans. European/Asian Wii owners should have the new replacement wrist strips included with their accessories and Wii system. Those in the US can fill out the form and Nintendo will send out replacement wrist straps, free of charge. It takes 5-8 business days to arrive once your order has been processed, but I was surprised that it arrived in 2 days from the day Nintendo sent out a shipping confirmation email. What also surprised me was that Nintendo not only sent four (4) wrist straps that I requested, but they sent four more straps. That makes a total of eight (8). I dont know why but I cant complain.

So putting the new wrist straps to test, I did the normal known problems. This includes flinging the Wii remote, accidentally letting go of the remote and even pulling on it. I was surprised to see who durable and strong the new straps are.

Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Replacement Wrist Straps is a must for those who still have the old thin wrist straps. It doesnt cost anything and its better to get replacements than break your TV set and having to buy a new one. With these new wrist straps in place, hopefully there will be no more complaints or damages to TV sets. If there is, either people dont know how to follow instructions or they need to calm down.

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Wii Sports Pack Extensions
Manufacturer: PEGA
Site: Buy from Renchi
Price: $24.50

Overview : Do you have the feeling the Wii-mote is a tad short for Wii Golf? or don't have the same swing feel as a tennis racquet? or don't get the same momentum you would have thought you get during the Wii Baseball game? Fear no more with this little set of extensions for your Wiimote should improve your Wii sports experience. It's still far from a Prince or a Callaway, but you have to start somewhere.

Quality/Usability : When the Wii launched, there were pictures of attachments for Wii Sports on the web and you thought to yourself "is this for real?" or "I am getting this!". Me? I'm the latter.

With the Wii Sports Pack Extensions, it adds a whole new level to sillyness. You think the concept of the Wii remote where you move around to control is silly? Just wait until you slap these extensions on. The sports pack comes with one holder for the Wii remote controller and three extensions; tennis, golf and baseball. The attachments are made of plastic.

When I first saw images I was saying to myself, how will these attachments stay on without flying off. Well its simple. The attachments slide into the holder. Although they fit pretty snug, to add extra precaution, there is a switch type tab that you slide to lock and to secure it in place.

The holder itself doesnt add much thickness to the remote itself. Not too mention, it has an opening for the "B" button, wrist strap and even has grooves for grip. Holding the holder is comfortable. Even with the attachments on, it still feels light in the hands.

Does it improve your gameplay? I cant say for sure but I did do better in golf and baseball. With tennis, I couldnt tell but it just felt like I was holding a real racket.

Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Sports Pack is a great gimmick that works great with the new innovative control scheme of the Nintendo Wii! The sports pack adds a new uniqueness to gameplay and gives somewhat of a realistic feel..but not really. Now you dont have to feel like you're swinging at air and just make sure that you're not too close to anyone or any objects. Would of been sweet if they incorporated a boxing glove type attachment. Dont know how bowling would work out though. Not to mention, if you use a skin with your Wii controller, you'll have to remove it inorder for it to fit inside the holder.



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Penguin United Component Cable
Manufacturer: Penguin United
Site: Buy from Penguin United
Price: $9.49

Overview : Wii component video cable enables 480P (progressive) video display resolution between the Wii console and your Television. This is the highest video display resolution currently supported by the Wii console and it makes a HUGE difference on your HDTV. The cable includes five connectors, three for video and two for stereo audio. Penguin United believes in providing our customers with more reasonably priced cables at the exact same quality as what our competitors offer. We are confident that we offer the BEST price for the quality currently available on the market.

Features :

• The enclosed Wii component cable is to be used for Nintendo Wii console only and is not compatible with any other devices.
• Please ensure your TV can accept component video input connections-they are usually marked Y, Pb, Pr and are colored green, blue, and red.
• The use of this cable will allow games to be displayed in 480p progressive mode (if supported by the game).
• Please refer to the game instruction booklet and the settings selection of the Wii operation manual for details on setup procedures.
• Please see your TV owners’ manual for information on connecting a component video cable.
• Cable length 6ft/1.8m

Quality/Usability : (excerpt from our Wii Component Review)

The cables themselves look generic and normal third party cables. But once you plug them in, gameplay is a whole new experience. As a matter of fact they look almost identical to the Wii Component Review). I noticed that the quality was slightly better than composite. Images werent as blurry and colors were better. Texture of images were cleaner but you'll see some jaggies.

The length of the cable is pretty long measuring 6 feet. But it wouldnt matter how long considering your Wii is probably in close proximity of your TV set.

Conclusion : Overall, the Penguin United Component Cable looks identical to the Wii Component Cable both in cosmetic and display. I didnt see much of a difference between the two. The price factor is about $5.00. If you're looking for a spare or like to travel from place to place often, it would be a good idea to purchase a component cable and leave one at that destination so you dont have to carry it back and forth.

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XCM USB Vbox2 Advanced
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play-Asia / Buy from ConsoleSource / Buy from GoldenShop / Buy from Amazon.com
Price: $85.00

3x RCA RGB Component Video Splitter
Site: Buy from Amazon.com

3 RCA RGB Component Video Cable
Site: Buy from Amazon.com (3.3ft Monster Cable) / Buy from Amazon.com (6ft Generic)


Overview : Enable video game play on your laptop, netbook and desktop.

Fully Compatible with Xbox 360™, Wii™, PS3™/PS2™, PSP 2000/3000 series™, Xbox™ GameCube™ or any device with component output. You can record gameplay, movie or take a screenshot of the gameplay to the hard drive so you can edit, use it as a wallpaper or record your gameplay for analysis. Compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

Feature :

• Crystal Clear Picture Screen.
• Supports USB 2.0. Plug and play. Does not require any configuration
• Supports Streaming Video. Can be stored in multiple formats including: (MPEG-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4/AVI/VCD/DVD/SVCD)
• Supports multiple picture file formats such as JPEG and GIF.
• Supports multiple input formats such as (NTSC/PAL/SECAM)
• Auto playback allows you to store in game action to your PC/laptop)
• Display settings can be adjusted such as Brightness/Contrast/Image Sharpness/Fullness/Color
• Supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems

Quality/Usability : Whether you're a game reviewer or a gamer who just wants to record their gameplay to show off to friends, post on the web or even capture the greatest moments, you would need to point your camera at your TV or connect your consoles to a capture video card on your computer. XCM has released the Vbox2 Advanced. This is an updated version of XCM V-box for the Wii. The Vbox2 Advanced works not only for the Wii but for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP 2000/3000, Original Xbox and GameCube.

The Vbox2 Advanced comes in a well built, white shell and a fairly small adapter. The USB cord is approximately 3 feet long. In order for this to work and to set it up, your computer needs to be near the consoles or you can use a laptop/netbook. This will not work on MAC's as the software works only on Windows Vista, XP and Windows 7. The driver and software can be downloaded at here. Some other system requirements are support for Direct X9.0 or higher version of AGP video card, Pentium 4 1.8GHz or higher, Centrino 1.4 GHz or higher, 256MB RAM, USB 2.0, Harddrive space (200MB for software, 1GB or more for recording space depending on length of record and file format.

Installation is very easy. Its like any other computer program. Simply download the driver from the link above and save it to you desktop. Once downloaded, extract the file. Double click on the file named "Vbox2 Advanced DRIVER.exe". Follow the prompts and at the end, it will require to restart your computer. Once your computer has rebooted from the restart, now its time to install the software. Double click on the file named "Vbox2 Advanced.msi" which is in the same folder as the driver. Follow the prompts and at the end, it will require you to restart your computer again. Once the computer has rebooted and the installation has been installed, there will now be a new icon on your desktop.

The first time you plug in the Vbox2 Advanced to the USB port on your computer, it will pop up with a message showing "Found New Hardware - USB 28165 device" and than "Found New Hardware - Your new hardware is installed and ready to use". Typical for any USB device being used for the first time. Now that the device has been found and ready to use, you can double click on the new Vbox2 Advanced icon. Double clicking on the icon will load up the software and will display the Vbox2 Advanced splash screen and sound clip. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Before disconnecting your console from your TV, be sure to set the consoles resolution to 480i/576i or 480p/576p. This is the only way the Vbox2 will recognize the signal from the console. If you dont and you just plug the cables to the Vbox2 Advanced, you'll get nothing but static or black screen.

Once you have set the correct resolution on the console, you can unplug the component cable from your TV and plug it into the Vbox2 Advanced. To display your console on the software, you will need to click on the camcorder icon (Switch to Media Viewer Mode) under viewer. A new set of toolbar icons will show underneath. Under "Select" click on "Device Options". This will show a window with "Video Format...", "Video Setting...", "Video Source", "Audio Format..." and "Audio Capture Pin...". Select "Video Source", it will show another window with "PAL", "NTSC", "480i/576i" and "480p/576p". From here, you will select the resolution of your console.

There are so many things you can do such as record your gameplay, take snapshots of your gameplay, play in full screen. You can even save a profile with your settings.

Videos below is to show you how to set up the Vbox2 Advanced with many consoles:
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XCM Universal YPbPr 1080p VGA Box
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play Asia / Buy from Divineo China / Buy from Amazon
Price: $59.00


Overview : A true universal VGA box compatible with the new generation consoles on todays market (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii) and also with Xbox.

Compatible with both PAL and NTSC system, it is available with European or US power supply. A plug and play installation will give you Ypbpr input with all consoles, now with a 1080p resolution!

Features :

• High quality 3rd party product.
• Fully Compatible with all component devices - e.g. x-box, x-box 360, PSX3, Wii, DVD players, etc...
• Compatible with PAL or NTSC system.
• Double scan conversion (31.5KHz for NTSC, 31.25KHz for PAL,67.5KHz for 1080p).
• Output resolution ; up to 1080p
• Plug and play installation.
• Connect compatible YPbPr device to your VGA monitor.
• Integrated YPbPr to RGBHV converter.
• Supports 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p.
• Applications: TFT LCD monitor, CRT monitor, Set-top box, Display projector.
• Works on LCD TFT monitors.
• Video output: VGA.
• Automatic video source mode detection (film/graphic).
• Motion-adaptive interfiled de-interlacing.
• Get the power from USB port of consoles or PC, no extra power supply needed.
• Comes with 3 component cables - PSX3, Wii & XB360.

Quality/Usability : The XCM 1080p allows you to hook up your PS3/Wii/Xbox360 computer monitor via VGA. With all the new consoles and the ability to output into high-definition, and the high costs of HDTV's, not everyone has them. But we actually do...our computer monitors.

Included in the package, you'll find the following items:

• XCM 1080p VGA box unit
• USB to USB-miniB cable
• Component cables:
  
  • Wii (non-shielded)
  • Xbox360 (shielded, includes optical digital audio connector)
  • PS3 (shielded)
• Instruction booklet

Unfortunately, no VGA cable was included. This was probably due to cost factor. Had XCM included the cable, price of the product would of been higher. So to keep the price down, they didnt include the VGA cable.

Like all cables that XCM releases, they are sturdy and high quality cables. You will not be disappointed.

The VGA box itself is also sturdy and well built. The outer casing is made of opaque clear plastic. The connectors are standard quality and nothing special. Something caught my eye though. Under the VGA CARD slot, although the connection is a male connector, there was a female type connector. This connector uses the two screws similar to that when you're connecting your monitor to your video card on your PC. You can see it in the image below but on the mock up images, you dont see it. To fix this problem, simply remove the shield around it so that you can connect the cable.

Before purchasing this product, you must know that the VGA box does not change the output resolution. So you should check your monitor to see if it supports the resolution you are going to be used.

Connecting everything to the VGA box is fairly simple and is explained easily in the instruction manual. On top of the box is a switch that allows you to switch between VGA and COMPONENT. The front has a MONITOR and VGA CARD port. On the back, it has YPbPr inputs. To the left are SOUND IN, SPEAKER OUT and 480p~1080p/1080i switch. And on the right side is the USB POWER port to power the VGA box.

All images looked crisp and I didnt have a problem with any of the consoles. Just remember that the Wii can not upscale images as it is not capable of doing so.


Conclusion : Overall, the XCM Universal YPbPr 1080p VGA Box is a useful product for those who do not have HDTV. It would of been great if they included the VGA cable as the box allows you to switch video signals. So you can use video signal from your console or connect to your PC's video card to output to your monitor. Its understandable that they left it out to keep costs low. If you have an extra VGA cable around the house, you wont have to worry.

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DecalGirl Guitar Hero 3 Controller Skin
Manufacturer: DecalGirl
Site: Buy from DecalGirl
Price: $14.99 (available for Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3)


Overview : Dress up your Guitar Hero™ III Gibson Les Paul Guitar controller with a luscious, full-color guitar skin kit from DecalGirl! The brilliant, high resolution, full color design is digitally printed on premium adhesive-backed cast vinyl then covered with a clear protectant layer for the ultimate in durability! An innovative repositionable, removable adhesive means no air bubbles and a fast, easy and accurate installation. As always, the skin can be removed at any time without leaving any sticky residue! Each kit includes a head stock skin and (for Wii versions) a matching skin for the Wii remote controller.

Quality/Usability : With Guitar Hero 1 and Guitar Hero 2, you were unable to change the faceplate of the guitar. Only way to customize it was by doing it yourself with paint or other means. When Guitar Hero 3 came out, RedOctane allowed gamers to customize their guitar by being able to change the faceplates. Unfortunately, some faceplates were just hideous looking.

DecalGirl jumped on the Guitar Hero train and produced skins for the Wii and PS3/Xbox 360 guitars. DecalGirl is well-known for their high quality vinyl skins. Skins produced by DecalGirl are vibrant in color and durable. There are a lot of skins to choose from and there will be some that will catch your eyes. You can even match all your consoles such as DS, Wii, Xbox 360, etc. to have the same skin.

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 guitars are similar in size and style. However, since the Wii guitar requires the Wiimote to be placed into the guitar and there is an opening in the faceplate, the Wii gets a skin for the controller as well to match. The vinyl skin comes all on one sheet. The sheet also includes the fret and fret dots.

To apply the console skin, I started with the biggest piece which was the faceplate. Considering its rounded all around, I didnt have a specific spot to start from. However, I did make sure that one side was aligned before smoothing out the remaining area. Considering the skins are fairly big, it should not be a problem applying the skin. There are a couple of ways to smooth out the skin. You can use a credit card or something similar, your fingers or a rag. I personally use my fingers first to set the skin in place and use a rag to flatten and smooth the skin out. I dont use a card because it has sharp edges/corners and if there is a small hard particle that got trapped underneath the skin, it can ruin the skin.

Applying the fret vinyl skin was also fairly easy. There are six small circles that you'll need to poke out. I started with the bottom of the fret and worked my way up (end). Once all the main pieces have been applied, you have the option of going all out and adding colored fret dot vinyl skins. There are nine colors to choose from and each has 6 dots.

Those who have the Wii version, installing the controller skin is very easy as well. Just start anywhere by matching up the corners and work your way around the controller and you should be set.

Conclusion : Overall, the DecalGirl Guitar Hero 3 Controller Skin gives the guitar a sweet look to it. Installation is very simple and clean. I love the fact that DecalGirl also includes vinyl skin for the fret and fret dots. It would of been nice if DecalGirl included maybe vinyl skins for the fret buttons as well.

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XCM HDMI Blaster Converter
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play-Asia / Buy from Divineo China / Buy from Divineo France / Buy from Amazon
Price: $99.99


Overview : The XCM HDMI Blaster will allow you to connect any Component Video Source to your HDTV via HDMI inputs to save those valuable Component Video Inputs for other devices or for use with sets that do not have component video inputs but do have HDMI inputs.

Features :

• Finally an HDMI converter for older (hdmi-less) consoles that brings the analog signal into the digital age.
• Converts your old analog signal to the new High Definition standard digital signal (HDMI).
• Compatible with Wii, PS 2, Original Xbox consoles, Gamecube, PSP Slim and more.
• Also compatible with any component (YbPbR) signal (ie: DVD Player, DVB, Cable Box, Satellite Receiver, etc).
• Experience the Brilliant, Colorful and Sharp video output on your HDTV.
• Supports any device with VGA output. Input resolution for vga is 800x600, 1024x768.
• Works on any HDTV or Monitor with HDMI or DVI inputs.
• Fully automatic power supply management. When there is no input signal, the power supply will shut off automatically for energy savings.
• Includes DVI to HDMI adapter.

Quality/Usability : XCM has been pumping out a lot of audio/video adapters for video game consoles whether it be VGA or DVI/HDMI. The newest product from XCM is the HDMI Blaster. The HDMI Blaster lets you converter analog signal to digital signal. It claims to be compatible with the PS2, Original Xbox, GameCube, PSP Slim and many more. However, older consoles dont have HDMI so you'll need a YPbPR (Component) cable. Since older consoles never came with these, you would have to purchase them separately whether they be OEM cables or XCM Multi-Console Component Cable v3.

In the package, you'll get the HDMI Blaster, HDMI Male/Male cable, HDMI to DVI Converter, Power cord and supply and instruction manual. Since I rarely read the manual to any of my electronics, hooking up the HDMI Blaster was pretty much straight forward and simple. You simply plug the component cable to the HDMI Blaster, plug the power to the wall and turn on your video game system and HDTV. The top of the HDMI Blaster contains a switch. This switch lets you toggle between Component output and VGA.

Component signals are outputted at 720p and resolution of 1024x768 on VGA. Although low even though you might have a display/console that can output 1080i/p, the quality is excellent. Since I got rid of my launch PS2 and original Xbox, I had to go and borrow one from a friend who actually likes to keep everything. I did however, have some games left since the PS3 and Xbox 360 are backwards compatible.

The colors were vibrant. From a normal and distant distance, the quality looks great. Of course, if you look up close, you will see jagged lines and pixels. Some will say that component will give just as good of a visual but if you're connecting component cable to the HDMI Blaster and connecting it via HDMI to the monitor, the quality is actually improved and better.

Since I was testing some older consoles, I thought I would try the Wii since it outputs at 480p. Yes, I can use component but wondered how it would look. After connecting the Wii to the HDMI Blaster, the quality was a lot better just like the older consoles. I was impressed. The PSP also produced great quality but was hampered with the length of the cord so you would be sitting close to the display.

Those looking to use VGA on this or computer monitor, I would not recommend this option. Using VGA would result in the quality being blurry and stretched out. If you're looking for a VGA adapter, I suggest taking a look at XCM 1080p Mega-Cool VGA Box. I would solely use the HDMI Blaster for component and DVI/HDMI.

Here is a video of the HDMI Blaster Converter in action...


Conclusion : Overall, the XCM HDMI Blaster is a great product for those looking to connect their old consoles and Wii via HDMI. Consoles connected via component will look great coming out of the HDMI Blaster. Unfortunately, the highest output for the HDMI Blaster is 720p and resolution of 1024x768 on VGA regardless if your console or monitor can display 1080i/p. Hopefully, XCM will release a 1080p version of this.

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iPorter xSD Memory Card Holder
Manufacturer: ePorter
Site: Buy from ePorter
Price: $9.95/2 pack

Overview : The iPorter xSD fits the SD, MS Duo, MMC, xD and other smaller form cards. The exterior resembles a digital camera image. The interior holds 3 cards. The iPorter xSD is great for the photographer on the go who doesn't have time or equipment immediately available to download on the road until they get back from their excursion or photo shoot.

The ePorter products are perfect for the cards, as they fit easily in your pocket along with your keys. They do not take up a lot of room in your camera bag, yet they are large enough to prevent the cards from getting lost.

The products are also great tools that allow you to cary an extra card for your PDA program or swap the card in your MP3 player to get new music.

Features :

• Holds 3 Memory Cards
  - Secure Digital (SD)
  - xD Picture Card (xD)
  - Memory Stick Duo (MSD)
  - Multimedia Card (MMC)
  - MMC Reduced Size
• Protects cards
  - Anti Static Additive to reduce risk of shock and dust collection
  - Prevents loss
  - Can be used as a mailer to protect media
• Holds Cards of different formats or sizes
• Maximum Portability
  - Fits on key chain or zipper
  - Small form factor
• Keeps spare cards accessible
• Low cost
• Great logo / Promotional product idea

Quality/Usability : The item does its job. It protects your memory cards whether its SD, xD, Pro Duo/Duo or MMC. Its made of plastic so its very light and wont add extra weight to your keys. The case flips open pretty much like book or diary where it has that locking mechanism. Upon opening it, you will see three "sleeves". These sleeves are where you place your memory cards. To hold them in place are little "clamps". Pretty much the same thing that holds PS2 and PSP manuals in place in their respective cases.

When you place the memory cards in the "sleeve", it is held pretty well and doesnt move around at all. Even if you shake it, it still in place. You can use this for memory cards such as your Pro Duo/Duo for your PSP or your SD/xD/MMC cards for your digital camera, PDA or cellphone.

iPorter xSD comes in four different colors: Brown, Grey, Green and Blue. Currently they are sold in packs of two. You can either purchase two of the same colors or one of each color.

Conclusion : Overall, this is a great item to have if you have multiple memory cards to carry around. Its light weight and small. My only complaint is that everything is made of plastic. My only fear is that eventually when you keep opening and bending the hinges over and over again, the hinges tend to get weaker and weaker and will break sooner or later (like any other plastic items out there). This can happen to the case itself (hinges), the locking mechanism or the "sleeve" that holds the memory cards.


*UPDATE* - Response from CEO (James Porter)

If you would like to run the case over with your car or SUV to test the strength and durability, feel free to. Just know that ePorter nor DCEmu is held reliable for any damages to your case.

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