It's the weekend, folks, and you know what that means -- time to blow off a little steam. By way of example, the folks that brought us that Wiimote coil gun a while back have returned to the scene with a little something they like to call OfficeDefender. Using the very same servo and ioBridge module as the last time, this hack finds the gun replaced with a Beretta 9mm replica airsoft gun. Also note the nice use of Construx in a non-beer or iPhone related context. If that weren't enough, this bad boy has a full-auto mode, moves 180 degrees horizontally, can be sighted with the head-mounted webcam and fired via Wiimote. We're not telling you that you can use this to hassle folks in the office come Monday, but you totally could. Videos after the break.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/r...mote-iobridge/ ...

f you're a fan of TealOS (you know, that fairly striking webOS-aping launcher for Palm devices), you're in for some bad news. According to a post on the company's TealTalk support forum, a rep tells users that Palm has issued a takedown of the lookalike. In their words:
I'm sorry to say that at Palm's request, as of this upcoming Monday, March 30, we will no longer be selling or distributing TealOS.
While we can certainly understand the motivations on Palm's part behind wanting to scuttle this copycat, we do find it a little odd. When we met with a Palm rep to retrieve the Pre earlier in the month, he actually had the software installed on his phone and seemed pretty excited about its existence. Our money here is actually on Palm's legal department being a bit hair-trigger, though we hardly think TealOS is posing a threat to the company's bottom line. Bottom line? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/p...wn-for-tealos/ ...

The latest console sales figures for Japan are in with a slight change in rank positions:


Nintendo DSi: 71,233
Playstation Portable: 65,765
Playstation 3: 25,435
Nintendo Wii: 18,095
Nintendo DS Lite: 8,948
Xbox 360: 5,441
Playstation 2: 5,067


DSi is first, jumps up roughly by 44,000 while the PSP slides to 2nd place, still increased by 22,000 though. PS3 is next, down 3,000. Forth is the Wii, up slightly by 150. 5th and 6th places are the DS Lite and Xbox 360 respectively, both go down by 3,000. Last in line is the PS2, down 200. Figures from Media Create. ...

via Eurogamer


Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi revealed that he's working on an iPhone extension of his PSN game Noby Noby Boy at his Game Developers Conference talk today.

He showed the game running on his own phone, holding it up to a camera so the audience could see. It features a multi-touch control scheme, with the player manipulating each end of the stretchy BOY character - represented in 2D - with a different finger.

He moved the BOY around, displacing floating letters of the game's name as he did so.

"We just started doing this a week ago," he told the audience, and said that it might be a free application.

He hopes to be able to plug the game into the PSN version. In Noby Noby Boy, the cumulative stretching done by all players contributes to the length of GIRL as she tries to reach all the planets in the solar system.

The problem is that, if GIRL keeps growing at the current rate, it will take 820 years for her to span the solar system, due to Noby Noby Boy's poor sales.

"I thought it would be neat if we can use the BOY from the iPhone and communicate to the girl, maybe that would make the girl reach the solar system in 400 years instead of 820," Takahashi joked.

Takahashi also showed the forthcoming multiplayer update to Noby Noby Boy, which he hopes to release "probably in the latter part of April". He let members of the audience play it on screens while he talked.

It's an offline mode that allows up to four players to control BOYs simulataneously. If two BOYs break in two, they can then combine to create a BOY where each end is controlled by a different player.

Takahashi charmed and confused the pants off the audience at his typically off-the-wall GDC talk. We'll publish more from the eccentric creator later. ...

via Eurogamer


Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi revealed that he's working on an iPhone extension of his PSN game Noby Noby Boy at his Game Developers Conference talk today.

He showed the game running on his own phone, holding it up to a camera so the audience could see. It features a multi-touch control scheme, with the player manipulating each end of the stretchy BOY character - represented in 2D - with a different finger.

He moved the BOY around, displacing floating letters of the game's name as he did so.

"We just started doing this a week ago," he told the audience, and said that it might be a free application.

He hopes to be able to plug the game into the PSN version. In Noby Noby Boy, the cumulative stretching done by all players contributes to the length of GIRL as she tries to reach all the planets in the solar system.

The problem is that, if GIRL keeps growing at the current rate, it will take 820 years for her to span the solar system, due to Noby Noby Boy's poor sales.

"I thought it would be neat if we can use the BOY from the iPhone and communicate to the girl, maybe that would make the girl reach the solar system in 400 years instead of 820," Takahashi joked.

Takahashi also showed the forthcoming multiplayer update to Noby Noby Boy, which he hopes to release "probably in the latter part of April". He let members of the audience play it on screens while he talked.

It's an offline mode that allows up to four players to control BOYs simulataneously. If two BOYs break in two, they can then combine to create a BOY where each end is controlled by a different player.

Takahashi charmed and confused the pants off the audience at his typically off-the-wall GDC talk. We'll publish more from the eccentric creator later. ...

via Kotaku


Here's the latest PS3 ad featuring a famous Japanese designer. Previously, the ads showcased Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and White Knight Chronicles designer Akihiro Hino.

This time, it's Gran Turismo's Kazunori Yamauchi turn. The ad is short, sweet and self-explanatory. Next up, no doubt inevitable ads with Metal Gear Solid mastermind Hideo Kojima and Final Fantasy designer Tetsuya Nomura.


...

via Eurogamer


SouthPeak has announced that creepy DS game Dementium: The Ward will be out on 17th April.

Exciting. Well, not really. Dementium has been available in America since October 2007, and in Japan since last summer.

Fortunately, reviews from those reaches suggest Dementium: The Ward is worthwhile: Metacritic averages opinion at 73 per cent.

Dementium: The Ward is a survival-horror set in a spooky hospital full of violent monstrosities. Our story begins when players wake within the hospital with no recollection of how they got there, and soon set about uncovering the not-so-simple truth. ...

via Computer and Video Games


The latest LittleBigPlanet update should fix the one thing about the game that really gets on our nerves.

If, like us, you've played LBP extensively and collected a ton of community items, you'll most likely have had numerous play sessions interrupted by a freezing screen (usually mid jump) as a message pops up telling you that your profile is full and prompting you to delete photos and objects.

The problem with this is that even after you've deleted all of the community items attached to your profile the same message keeps popping up repeatedly - it's a real annoyance that can spoil what's otherwise a wonderful experience.

This should finally be fixed by the upcoming Cornish Yarg (?) update. Below the movie you'll find the full list of fixes and new features, via the PS Blog.

This update addresses several outstanding issues with the game:

...

via Eurogamer


Sony has updated the PlayStation Store with Burn Zombie Burn for PS3, downloadable content for LittleBigPlanet, PAIN, Resistance 2, EndWar and COD5, and a PSone copy of Magic Carpet (the latter costing GBP 4.79 / EUR 5.99).

Burn Zombie Burn, developed by UK outfit doublesix, goes for GBP 6.29 / EUR 7.99, and sees players trying to hold off a horde of zombies for as long as possible in order to set a score and hopefully unlock more content.

Then there's the Resistance 2 Aftermath Map Pack, announced this week, for GBP 3.99 / EUR 4.99. Elsewhere Call of Duty: World at War fans get access to Map Pack 1 for GBP 7.99 / EUR 9.99, which is a bit more than Xbox owners had to pay but the quality is certainly there.

Then there's the PAIN Smack Pack (GBP 3.19 / EUR 3.99) and El Chile Grande character (GBP 0.69 / EUR 0.99), while LittleBigPlanet owners can grab a Buzz! costume for GBP 1.59 / EUR 1.99. EndWar and Unreal Tournament 3 fans, meanwhile, get the Veteran Map Pack and Titan Pack for free respectively.

Finally, the PSP side of the store offers Buzz! Brain of the UK for GBP 19.99, but, as ever, we're forced to point out that it's a fiver cheaper in the shops. What's going on, Sony? We'll try to find out. ...