Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Directly rewarding efforts with results, now that’s the way to get someone moving. As we’ve seen time and time again, providing a clear, undiluted motivator is a perfect way to make fitness a top priority in life, and that’s exactly what Takara Tomy is hoping to achieve with its pocket-friendly Jinsei Game of Life pedometer. Essentially, this device is a portable version of the famed Game of Life board game, but users are purportedly not allowed to take a turn unless they take 300 steps first. Additionally, two players can take on one another via the “communication mode,” but there’s a good chance the most chiseled among you will take home the gold regardless of luck. Out this month in Japan for ¥3,675 ($34).

[Via CScout Japan]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Now here’s a novel concept. Takara Tomy’s BankQuest is half piggy bank, half old school RPG. Essentially, gamers / penny pinchers can purchase items to help them fend off pixelated ogres and the like by saving more money. The more coinage that gets deposited, the better the journey becomes. So, do you get some kind of prize when you cash it all out to buy your mum something nice, or what?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Gaming, Household

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Never mind paying absurd quantities of cash to have some swing analyzer tell you how you’ll never be like Tiger — just pick yourself up one of these concoctions. E Ball’s inflatable golf simulator not only consumes your entire backyard, it takes you back to those glory days of frolicking at the fair with your BFF, and it even allows you to practice your game in less-than-flawless weather. The device enables amateurs to work on their driving and putting, all without having to fetch balls afterwards or deal with the embarrassment of completely hacking it up in front of your more seasoned pals. It looks as if you’ll have to ring up E Ball in order to get pricing details, but we don’t envision this one coming in cheap.

[Via OhGizmo]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Gaming

It’s unofficially official: humans will never, ever stop figuring out new ways to play Pong. Further proof of said statement comes in the form of Cyclepong 2.0, an update to a marvelous project that combines the art of biking with the joy of playing Pong. Put simply, the inventor created an arcade-like installation with a pair of exercise bikes, an LCD screen and customized software that enables a pair of individuals to pedal forward and back in order to move their pixels. For those in England (Suffolk, to be precise), you can actually get in a game for yourself at Southwold Pier, but everyone else will have to be satisfied with the demonstrative video posted after the jump.

Continue reading Cyclepong 2.0 beautifully weds exercise with Pong

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Gaming

Just when you think Pong can’t be played any other way, yet another creative soul emerges to prove the notion wrong. Mike McCracken has managed to remove all visual aspects of the game yet still maintain the core goal by enabling one’s head to make the motions typically assigned to the hands. Essentially, a sound is emitted from the headphones on one side or the other, and the gamer has to tilt his / her head just so until the noise is centered. This back-and-forth sequence speeds up to intensify the challenge, and if you can’t manage to keep the ringing front and center, an unpalatable buzzer sounds and a light turns on to alert you of your defeat. Really, it’s way more clear how all this works in the video below, so have at it.

[Via MAKE]

Continue reading Audio Ping Pong lets your ears, noggin do all the work

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Gaming

We saw a few clever products at Toy Fair 2008 designed to get kids up and active, but none so nefarious — and cute — as Swinxs. The “toy” is basically a talking computer with an RFID reader, that guides kids through different pre-loaded games or stories. The kids wear RFID wrist bracelets that identify them in the game, and let them interact with the machine. We heard, from a reliable source, that if kids engage in this type of “running around” in “grassy areas” they very well may die, but that’s all hearsay. Once kids grow tired of the included games they can download and install more over USB, and there’s a free SDK for developers to create new entertainment for Swinxs. No word on a price or release date, but hopefully we’ll be seeing more of this one as time progresses. Video is after the break.

Continue reading Swinxs lures your children outside, tricks them into “moving around”

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Features, Gaming, Handhelds

Yeah, you know you want one. While we’re rather skeptical about the “carabiner” aspects of this Guitar Hero Carabiner — forget your keychain, we’ve owned cars smaller than this thing — it certainly manages to bring enough of those Guitar Hero rock star vibes along with to make it worth the $15 (just think of it as your present to yourself for not seeing Jumper this weekend). The sound is decent for this type of handheld, and we had little trouble rocking out with the tactile buttons and cheap ass LCD, but we’d probably prefer the Verizon version of this experience just so we could hear some real songs. Video is after the break.

Continue reading Guitar Hero Carabiner hands-on

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

With CES in the books, banners flying up and rumors running rampant, only one thing could be on the horizon: Steve’s Macworld 2008 keynote. Unfortunately, it seems he’s a bit short on time, and needs you to access a totally awesome web-based game to help round up garb, VIPs and top-secret gear before taking the stage. Okay, so all of that is complete rubbish, but if you’ve got a moment to kill and can’t stop obsessing over next Tuesday, hit the read link and have a laugh.

[Thanks, Mikkel]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

Remember that urinal-based racing game that was making the rounds this summer? You know, the one you drive with your pee, and which warns you against drunk driving if you’re not controlling your car too well? Well the Belgium police didn’t seem to find it too amusing, and have banned the “Place to Pee” version of the game installed at GamePower Expo in Gent, Belgium as an indecency offence. We’re guessing they’re just tired of missing out on all those exciting men’s room tourneys.

[Thanks, Joel S]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming

For those that grew up with even a vague interest in video games, the movie to watch was The Last Starfighter. Ironically enough, the game to go with the film was never published or put into the arcade cabinet form, although it turns out Atari did produce a polished and final version. Now the game has been made complete thanks to the work of an extremely talented cabinet designer who refurbished the cabinet shown in a documentary of the film. It looks almost indistinguishable from the film version: damn what we woulda’ given to play one of these back in the day! You can even download a full version of the game used in the cabinet in a convenient executable file, free of charge.

[Via MAKE]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Developed by Andrew Fentem, the Fetix Cube features a cube of (patent pending) multi-touch touchscreens allowing for a myriad of multi-dimensional games, puzzles, and whatnots manipulated by the swipe of your greasy fingers. Best of all, it’ll be on sale in limited quantities from London’s (now infamous) Kinetica Museum. See it in action just beyond the break.

Update: We just heard from Andrew, his cube also packs a “3D system of accelerometers for gesture sensing a la Wii.”

Continue reading Fentix Cube: If Rubik was smarter, had multi-touch

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We’ve seen plenty of desk distractions over the years, but the USB-powered Whack It game definitely has the potential to be a productivity killer like no other. This relatively small device simply plugs into a powered USB port and challenges workers to smash the critters as they light up. Reportedly, the game boasts 30-second and one-minute gameplay modes and a wee LED scoreboard, too. Of course, figuring out how to slam down on this thing without drawing attention to yourself is another battle entirely, but if you’re up for it, you can grab the game now for £14.99 ($31).

[Via Technabob]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!