Category — Video Games & Consoles

Ditch the cords and put your Wii sensor wherever you want it. This wireless Wii sensor bar requires 4 AA batteries, and accommodates players up to 25 feet away. You can get up to 30 hours of play time on one set of batteries and it has a low battery audible alarm. This would be great for all you Wii fans with giant plasma TVs. Stand way back with that Wiimote!  I found the wireless Wii sensor at eStarland.

And, since we’re talking about Nintendo Wii accessories, I also ran across this Wii Fit non-slip mat.  Place your Wii Fit on the mat, and break a sweat without breaking a bone.

Remember the days when you begged your mom for a quarter just to play Pac-Man at the grocery store, and spent hours playing Atari games at home? Here’s something that will make you want to turn off your Ninendo Wii and Playstation to take a walk down memory lane. Assuming you have a few of your own quarters these days, you can buy a full-size Pac-Man video game just like the retro video games you remember.

The arcade size Pac-Man game includes Gallaga and Ms. Pac-Man, and all the authentic “Wocka-Wocka” sounds and graphics. And, the video game controllers on this unit are just like the originals- so maybe you can still sneak around those ghosts.

This very cool and giant gadget will set you back about $2,995 at Brookstone. The good news is it works without quarters.

Here’s a personal GPS tracking gadget that looks like interesting: the SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker Messenger. It has a built in GPS chip which monitors and reports the user’s location from anywhere on the planet, and it works with Google Earth to provide real-time location mapping. The SPOT GPS tracker has a built in help and emergency buttons which allow the user to immediately send location reports to select family members, friends, or emergency services.

Here are a few ideas for using the SPOT GPS tracker:

Track a Teenage Driver: This GPS tracker can be tossed in the glove box of a car to monitor your teenager’s location at all times.

Child Safety: Clip the SPOT GPS tracking system inside a child’s backpack for added peace of mind.

Hiking/Camping: Use for added safety when no cell phone service is available.

Photo by Cabela’s.

Want to play your PS2 games on your computer, but need a better controller? Now you can use your PS2 controllers with your PC. This USB powered adapter allows you to plug in two PS2 controllers for use with all your favorite PlayStation and PS2 games. It’s available in digital and analog versions and it’s compatible with two-player games.

It seems there are many video game adapters for your PC or notebook computer. While checking these out, I also found PC adapters for XBox controllers, a 4 controller PC adapter for PlayStation 2, and a cool PS2 keyboard and mouse adapter, which supports all computer keyboard functions and PC mouse functions including scroll (supposedly awesome for shooting games). With all these gaming gadgets on the market, gamers are sure to find the right video game accessories to to morph their equipment into the perfect ‘hybrid’ video game console.

I found all of the above mentioned PC/video game controller adapters at Video Game Central.

Are hours of Wii bowling and golf draining your battery budget? Now you can stop replacing batteries in your Wii controllers every other day without giving up play time. This Nintendo Wiimote charger includes a dock for two Nintendo Wii controllers, two rechargeable battery packs, battery covers, and a USB charging cable.

The charging dock for Wii controllers is compatible with any AAA rechargeable batteries, and it has an automatic on/off switch, so it will power down when your Wiimote is fully charged. A full charge takes about two hours.

I found this Wiimote charger on Amazon. It’s made by Nyko and it retails for around $25.

Ever wish you could take your PlayStation 3 on the road? Add this to your PS3 accessories list. Now you can play PS3 games anywhere with the Clearvision PlayStation 3 LCD screen. The 7-inch LCD screen and speakers combo unit attaches to the top of your PlayStation 3 console allowing you to play it anywhere you can plug it in. While it’s not exactly the most compact combination I’ve seen, I guess this is just the thing for die hard PS3 folks. I found the Clearvision PlayStation 3 LCD screen at Shenzhen Madcow. Hey, what about one of these for a Nintendo Wii? I’d like to see Wii users waving those controllers around in public places.

Here’s a fun way to totally customize your Nintendo DS Lite.  I’ve seen all the skins and protectors for Nintendo DS Lite, allowing users to customize them with cool colors, camouflage and other prints, but this is the first option I’ve seen for making your own one-of-a-kind DS skin.  Made by MadCatz, maker of many Nintendo DS Lite accessories, the Custom ShowCase for NDS Lite gives users access to a downloadable template to create their own prints and designs for displaying on their DS Lite.  After designing, users print their designs, slip them into the Custom ShowCase, and apply it to the unit .  This could be a lot of fun for kids who always seem to want to change the look of their Nintendo DS, and its a good way to protect their sytems from the scratches and bumps that come with normal use.  I found the Custom ShowCase for Nintendo DS Lite at Game Shark Store.

As much as we all love our gadgets, video games and computers, it is important, especially for kids, to power down once in awhile.  As a parent, I think the amount of time spent on TV and video games by children is one of the hardest things to monitor.   Well, moms and dads, I’d like you to meet Bob.  Made by Hopscotch, Bob is a TV and video game timer that allows you to set time limits on video games, television viewing and computer usage.  By simply plugging any video game console, such as Wii or Playstation, TV, or computer into Bob’s locking receptacle, parents have indirect control of the device.  Before the attached video game console or computer will power up, you child must enter his or her 4 digit pin.  The Hopscotch timer will automatically shut down the video game or computer device when your child reaches his or her pre-set limit.  In addition, parents can further monitor computer and video game use by completely blocking out some time periods, such as homework time.  If you’re exhausted by trying to figure out how to reduce the amount of time your child spends playing games and surfing the net, the Hopscotch TV timer may be just for you.  I found Bob at www.dvo.com. 

Being the owner of a Sony Portable PlayStation, I am still a little bitter about the iPhone’s success. The PSP debuted far earlier and if Sony had decided to make it the ultimate portable convergence device, it could have. After all, Sony owns own a huge chunk of the world’s music already, makes cel phones, mp3 devices, video playback devices, and at least until recently, ruled the gaming world as well.  Ah well…

One thing the iPhone has lacked though is games, and a good way to play them, since touchscreens are just, well, irritating for that sort of thing. Not any longer though. Soon, you’ll be able to play your emulators and Apple-sponsored games with full game-pad glory with the iControlPad, which also acts as a protective case for your “Precious”.

via TopIphoneNews.

Regarding my last post about the Nintendo Wii, critics will point out that there’s a very good reason to get an Xbox 360 or a PS3 over a Nintendo Wii — the latest in the GTA series, Grand Theft Auto IV.

I’m way behind though, I’m still playing GTA Liberty City Stories on my Sony PSP.