According to the specs, the HAF 922 provides 2 USB 2.0 ports as well as eSATA. It also supports HD / AC97 audio. Check out the full list of HAF 922 specifications and accessories at the Cooler Master website.

While browsing a particular gaming forum that I’m a regular of, a fellow forum goer posted a link to a pocket emulator device that caught my eye. While I’ve dabbled with classic emulation within Windows Mobile powered cell phones in the past, my experience with those setups always left me wanting. Too small, too annoying, and half the time, too slow. Basically, cell phones and classic emulators are a match made in hell. Cool to show off to your friends, but a nightmare in comfort. So what are the present alternatives?

Anyone who has done their homework will attest that a Nintendo DS Lite ($130 USD) with an M3 Perfect ($30-40 USD) is a decent choice for the money. The R4DS adapter for the DS, while a little harder to find, would shave off a few more dollars while equaling the M3 in capability. With that particular setup you get NES, SNES, GBA, and, of course, DS capabilities. Best of all, no hacking required for this setup.

The old school PSP ($150 USD), technically the more powerful alternative, can net you NES, SNES, GBA, all the old Sega consoles, and of course arcade via MAME. And it remains to be seen if the upcoming and more pricey PSP Go! will even let you run anything homebrewed on it. Thus, it seems classic emulation fans will be scrambling to buy up the old PSP stock until they stop showing up on shelves (of course there’s always E-bay). Then there’s the whole PSP hacking procedure required to even get your foot in the door for such emulation potential – by far the biggest hurdle going the PSP route, period.

So how about a no frills handheld device that plays your favorite classics without requiring organs or offspring in trade?

Enter the Pocket Retro Gaming Emulator (aka Chinavision CVFH-N03-4G, aka Dingoo A320). While the device itself is not necessarily new (Endgadget covered it back in April), getting a hold of one (at least in the U.S.) has been somewhat of an adventure.

As of late, the ThinkGeek store has been offering this neat little device for the modest price of $99.99 (plus shipping). While I’m told if you shop around, you can potentially find the same device (likely rebadged) for $20 cheaper, ThinkGeek is, as far as this editor is concerned, a reputable wholesaler. The shame is that the device is out of stock as of this writing. However, I somehow doubt that status will remain for long.

So what do you get for $100? Game-wise you get: NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance, SNK Neo-Geo and Capcom arcade systems CPS1 and CPS2 capability. As a multimedia device, it can play FLV, WMV, ASF, RM, AVI, MPEG, MP4, RMVB, SWF video formats as well as MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC audio formats. Other knicknacks are the device’s ability to function as an e-book reader with text to speech capabilities, built-in fm radio, voice recorder (MP3, WAV), and image viewer (JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG). Hardware-wise, you’re going to be staring at a 2.8-inch QVGA LCD, 4GB internal memory, Mini-SD card slot (SDHC), stereo speakers, earphone jack and AV out for hooking the device up to a television.

The control scheme (shown in the photo above) is self-explanatory. You navigate the device using said controls. Launching a game is as simple as highlighting a file and pressing a button. Getting ROMs onto the device is fairly easy as well. The device comes packaged with a USB cable you can plug into your PC. Just drag and drop your ROMs as if the device were removable storage. Everything about this device shouts ‘easy’.

Despite the device’s impressive specs, all is not perfect. Reports are in from owners of this particular model complaining of speed problems with certain games (F-Zero is obvious in the video below). So, YMMV.

Which brings us to the device’s more seedy repertoire: ROMs. The legality of dumping, much less possessing, ROMs remains a hot topic of debate still. While you can hide behind your country’s laws and legal stance, if you delve deep into the reality of ROM possession, you’ll find no real immunity there regardless if you own an original or not.

As a fellow forum member reminded: Atari vs. JS&A ruled that you cannot back up or archive a ROM. Sega vs. Accolade does allowing dumping for development purposes, but how many does that apply to? Nintendo of America, Inc. vs. Bung Enterprises and Carl Industries and Nintendo vs. Games City specifically say dumping is illegal. The list goes on and on, but when it comes down to it “there is no fair use or anything else when it comes to ROMs.”

And then we could get into the multimedia formats and how the MPAA/RIAA looooove it when these little devices pop up.

I somehow doubt this will stop most from purchasing this handheld device despite its obvious dependence on its user’s ability to obtain files via otherwise legal means. To be fair, the DS Lite + M3 (mostly) and PSP are under the same microscope in this respect.

Word is out that Microsoft is developing a camera  to bring motion sensitive controls to the Xbox 360. The camera uses 3D technology for more accurate control than previous cameras. Unlike the Wii, the camera would allow hands free control using gestures of the hands, legs, and head.

Supposedly the official announcement may come as early as E3. Of course Microsoft has declined to confirm or deny these rumors. You can read the full article in the Wall Street Journal.

Developing motion sensitive controls  is a natural step towards cashing in on the growing market of casual gamers. I don’t think that anyone can deny that graphics on the 360 are superior by far to the Wii. It’s been my experience that many flashy Wii titles eventually sit on the shelf collecting dust as casual gamers learn to appreciate more complex games; kind of like trading in twinkies for steak. Hopefully in the end Microsoft can do its part to convert the casual gamers of the world.

NVIDIA is spreading the word that its making drivers for its graphics chips used in Notebooks available on its website. It will soon be possible to bypass the middleman, your notebook vendor, and go straight to the source.

Your first download will add NVIDIA’s CUDA functionality notebooks equipped with GeForce 8 and 9-series GPUs or Quadro NVS-equipped notebooks. Gamers sporting any of the GeForce 7, 8, and 9 series and Quadro NVS series notebook GPUs will be covered with WHQL-certified versions early 2009. Read the full article on ExtremeTech for more details.

I’m all for this considering my vendor notebook update is very inconsistent. Chip sets are abandoned frequently so going straight to the manufacturer is ideal.

The document contains a quote from Microsoft Programmer Hiroo Umeno, that states:

“This is … information that we as a team, optical disc drive team, knew about. When we first discovered the problem in September or October (2005), when we got a first report of disc movement, we knew this is what’s causing the problem.”

Because of this, Microsoft sent some engineers out in the field to “investigate complaints that the Xbox 360 was routinely scratching discs during demonstrations” at retail stores. This is when Microsoft admitted that if tilted, discs inside became “unchucked” and subsequently would collide with the drive’s optical pickup unit. This would lead to deep circular gouges on the discs. In light of this news, Microsoft considered three different possibilities of fixed the problem, but decided against all three because all three would cost the company too much money.

Instead, Microsoft started a disc replacement program which would give customers a new disc should they become damaged for any reason–but only if it was a Microsoft title and you were willing to pay $20.00 for the service.

An engineering consultant who issued a statement in the case, mentioned that Nintendo, Sony and other electronics makers always incorporate the possibility of a disc getting moved around inside when they are designing and making the product. What this basically means (like with the Red Ring of death issues) that Microsoft was more concerned with being the first to bring their new console to the market instead of delaying the launch to solve quality issues– or at least that is what some “upper management” people over at Microsoft believe.

If you want to read all the sordid details, Seattle Post Intelligencer (Seattle PI) has the goods over on their website. This is just one of many different suits that have been brought against the company since the Xbox 360 was released.

The original version of “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” performed by Gene Autry, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” as performed by Brenda Lee, Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Hanukkah Blessings” as performed by Barenaked Ladies and “Santa Baby,” the Kylie Minogue version are downloadable for 160 MS points. “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)” as performed by Nat King Cole and “White Christmas” as performed by Bing Crosby ring in at 180 MS points each. These holiday favorites are now available on Xbox LIVE for all regions except India, Japan and Korea.

A little bit about my own experience with LIPS follows the break.

My family has had mixed success with LIPS but enjoys it all the same. The convert your own playlist feature doesn’t work too well (especially if you have over 5K songs like my wife), but the songs that come with the game and DLC are just fine. The lighted microphones that come with the game are great. I hope they patch them for use with Rock Band 2.

Check out Major Nelson’s Lips: Christmas and Hanukkah DLC post for more details.

Looks like Nintendo executives are rolling around in more money than ever if the NPD numbers for the month of November are any indication. Apparently the Wii sold over two million units in the U.S. which is twice as many as the same month for last year and if you add in the 1.57 million units sales of the Nintendo DS for November, you have some very happy people over at Nintendo.

Hardware and accessories brought in $2.91 billion for the month with console and handhelds claiming $1.21 billion of that figure.

Here are the top selling consoles and handhelds for the month of November:

1. Wii – 2.04 million
2. DS – 1.57 million
3. Xbox 360 – 836,000
4. PSP – 421,000
5. PlayStation 3 – 378,000
6. PlayStation 2 – 206,000

The holidays are coming and PC gamers are looking lustfully at hardware upgrades… all the better to run their games on. Just in time NVIDIA has revealed two new professional graphics cards for the Quadro line: the Quadro FX 5800 and the Quadro FX 4800. These two cards are advertised for use in medical imaging and high-end CAD programs so they must be great for gaming… right?

Tech ARP has the scoop on the Quadro FX 5800 and 4800. These cards are based on the new GT200 GPU used in desktop PCs. In fact the Quadro 5800 is the “professional” equivalent of the GeForce GTX 280 while the Quadro 4800 is basically the GeForce GTX 260. The big difference is in the memory with the FX 5800 weighing in at a hefty 4GB GPU. Get the full details from The NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 & 4800 Professional Graphics Cards guide on Tech ARP .

This time of year you always get lots of gift packs being aimed at the Christmas market. But with gaming gear coming packaged in notoriously nasty non-resealable packaging, picking these up on a whim could land you with a rather expensive and non-returnable white elephant on your hands. So today I’m reviewing Lips, You’re in the Movies, and Scene It.

Some notes…

Lips: Sadly you can’t hear my singing, but rest assured I sounded awesome!
UPDATE: (Oops! I’ve just realized that in the final edit of this we haven’t included a star rating for Lips! I ended up going for 2 stars for this one. As well as the points raised in the review there were also other issues I didn’t have time to mention such as the ‘Import your music’ feature which didn’t work very well, and the fact that you can’t record your singing or use the mics with other 360 music games.)

You’re In the Movies: Please note that the demonstration of using the camera and software to put you in the movie was filmed in our studio in front of walls painted with solid, bright background colour. The quality of the image I got was therefore much better than when I was using this at home with cream coloured walls with pictures and furniture. A lot more of me was accidentally keyed out when I did it at home, as you can see from the film short the game put together with that footage.

Scene It: I have actually played this with a friend since reviewing it and while I noticed repeat questions, we still had really good fun playing it.

Incidentally ChannelFlip has announced that Katharine has been listed as one of Apple U.K.’s top video podcasts of 2008.

Sales figures for the PS3 in Japan have more than doubled from last week’s numbers. Media Create’s figures of 34,978 units sold puts Sony’s PS3 way ahead of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 with more than twice the number of units sold. Nintendo’s Wii is still the Juggernaut leading with just under 50,000 units flying off the shelves in the last week.

As far as portable consoles go, the new DSi is by far out stripping the PSP. As you might expect the more affordable portables are out selling all the consoles. Sadly the DS Lite is still outselling the Xbox 360 which is doing twice as well as the PS2 which sold 5628 units. Not bad for an eight year old console.

Blitz Games Studios achieves a world-first with the public unveiling of its ground breaking, proprietary technology showing true stereoscopic 3D games running on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at the 3D Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles.

Andrew Oliver, co-founder and CTO of Blitz Games Studios, is the only game developer to be talking at the summit alongside movie industry executives from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, DreamWorks, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Dolby Laboratories and Real-D.

Blitz Games Studios’ in-house technology demonstrates that current generation consoles can replicate the full HD 3D experience seen in 3D movie theaters with the 3D images ‘popping’ out of 3DTV screens and into living rooms for the first time.

Andrew Oliver, CTO of Blitz Games Studios said:

“This is an incredibly exciting and huge step forward for videogames. Our BlitzTech technology will prove beyond all doubt that we are already doing what some industry experts have said is impossible on today’s game consoles. Our highly tuned engine is capable of producing real-time interactive graphics that are close to offline rendered CG movie quality.

Many TV manufacturers are already selling sets capable of displaying 3D imagery and we envisage that these sets will rapidly gain popularity as content in the form of movies and games becomes available. Our technology allows for our games to run in both 2D and 3D in one version – by simply flicking a ’switch’ between them. It really has to be seen to be believed.”

Oliver states that games are already arguably more immersive than films, but when created in true 3D will be even more immersive.  However, he admits that the games industry still needs to understand design issues and learn lessons from Hollywood studios which are now producing 3D movies in volume for release in 2009 onwards.

I guess this means that the possibility of seeing the womanizing antics of Kratos up close and personal in the near future is not so far fetched. Or imagine, if you will, a rallyracer in DiRT coming out of the screen as if to run you over. Sounds like loads of fun.

(Thanks Kezins)

Not one to just sit around and be outdone by Netflix as it gains customers through Xbox 360, and their recently revealed Rokum– Blockbuster has stepped into the “battle of the boxes” ring.

Yesterday, Blockbuster started selling their MeidaPoint box which, like the aforementioned services, will send movies through your internet connection straight onto your television screen. Unlike Netflix, this new service from Blockbuster does not charge a monthly subscription, but instead will cost the buyer an initial $99 for the box plus between $1.99 and $3.99 to rent a “DVD”. The box comes with 25 pre-paid movies (thus the $99 price tag) and holds up to 5 full length movies, which must be viewed within 24-hours of downloading.

Netflix’s box also costs $99, plus your monthly subscription; however, the biggest selling point for Netflix is that you can rent up to 10,000 movies through their box, unlike Blockbuster’s 2500 “of the best, biggest and most current movies available”. The difference between the two that may sway you one way or the other though,  has to do with the quality and speed differences of the services.

Blockbuster’s MediaPoint box does “progressive playback” instead of streaming, which means that it is downloaded onto the box. With Netflicks streaming service, the video quality is not independent of your broadband’s connection therefore quality may be decreased if your internet connection is slow.

So, on the one hand you can get more movies via Netflix, but better quality through Blockbuster. The choice will mostly boil down to having a fast internet connection. Depending on who your service provider is and where you live, that could be the deciding factor for you. However, if you already own an Xbox 360–both of these products would be a waste of money for you now that you can get Netflix through your console.

Any way you look at it though, it appears as if the days of driving to the video store and trying to find something to watch are eventually going to become a thing of the past. That in itself is a good thing. Convenience and product availability is what matters in the long run, and the old fashioned video store just can not keep up any longer.

North America is being treated to two bright new DS bundles in time for the Black Friday holiday kickoff. Those of you getting up before the crack of dawn can look forward to snagging a red DS emblazoned with an M along with New Super Mario Bros or an Ice Blue bundle complete with Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day with a matching carrying case. The price is right as well with both bundles coming in at $149.99.

Words to the wise… if you need to pick up your first DS or replace an old one, consider your game collection. The new DSi model doesn’t support the older GBA game cartridges.

“We designed this innovative new headset specifically with PC gamers in mind,” said Able Planet’s chairman and CEO Kevin Semcken. “Gamers tend to spend significant periods of time playing online games and such extended play of rich multimedia sounds puts a cumulative strain on the ears this can cause hearing loss and fatigue. Our technology minimizes this risk so that users no longer have to turn up the volume just to be able to drown out background noise.”

Both headsets come with oversized leather earpieces equipped with noise cancellation built into the microphones. The PS500MM ships with a wireless USB adaptor and two 3.5mm jacks. The TL300 headset features 2.5mm jacks for Xbox compatibility. Both headsets are due out in December. For more information or to place an order visit www.ableplanet.com.

This is looking like a great option for my wife who has a moderate hearing loss. At $99 it’s much more affordable than the LoSt-CaUzE™ Gaming Headphones ($179) and about right for a good headset.

“As hhgregg continues its disciplined growth, we are committed to continually assessing our product offerings to best meet the needs of our customers,” said hhgregg Chairman and CEO, Jerry Throgmartin. “We are pleased to now offer our loyal patrons some of the most popular merchandise in the gaming market today. hhgregg will provide our customers with a convenient, one-stop gaming solution, packaging gaming consoles with its respective games, controllers and other accessories. This customer-friendly gaming package will make a great gift for the upcoming holiday season.”

In case you have any concerns that the staff will be completely unable to help you, according to the press release on Business Wire, hhgregg has started running it’s employees through a training program to educate them about games and accessories. Hopefully they’ll also go over ESRB ratings in detail since the general public seems to not quite grasp them.

Of course, this comes at a price — $30, to be exact. A new battery from the England-based maker of Action Replay, Datel, enables users to put the PSP in service mode, reports Maxconsole.net. From there, you’ll be able to downgrade the system’s firmware, thereby allowing you to access all of those wonderful (albeit typically illegal) tools, apps, and emulators you’ve no doubt heard of. The battery features a convenient switch to allow you to jump between service mode and normal mode and functions with both the PSP 3000 and 2000.

The Datel ‘Lite Blue Tool’ battery is being released on November 28 for $30 in North America and $20 in the UK. A technical explanation (containing fancy words such as “de-capsulated”) of how the feat was accomplished can be found at Maxconsole. Those interested in picking up the new battery can find it’s now available for preorder from Datel’s online store.

Your move, Sony.

This guide serves as a repository of knowledge on various BIOS options. It also serves as a guide on how best to optimize your BIOS. Every system is different and every user has different requirements. What is best for you may not be good for another. So, there’s only one way to decide what’s the best settings for your own BIOS – read the BIOS Optimization Guide and learn how to optimize your BIOS!

BOP v10.2 added or upgraded seven features:

• I/O Interface Security
• Intel Turbo Mode Tech
• Intel Dynamic Acceleration
• SATA AHCI Mode
• LCD Power Saving
• SATA Mode
• SATA Operation Mode

The BOG database now boasts over 350 different BIOS options so chances are you can find a descriptions to help you get your system running at optimal levels. You can consult The Definitive
BIOS Optimization Guide on TechARP.

In today’s world of fad and fashion, there’s no reason for PC gamers not to show their fashion sense or bad taste in bling by decorating their gaming rigs with custom peripherals. PCMag has pulled together a list of 10 “stylish” computer accessories for your consideration.

Laptops have options including LapWorks Laptop Desk Futura which includes a leopard pattern and the Belkin Ceylon Messenger Bag. There are skins for your D-link router and USB hubs and portable hard drives included. There’s a retro webcam the\at looks like an antique camera and hand made custom keyboards from Japan. Some of these items are actually stylish, but most come at a price. For the full scoop on each of these hot options, read the full article on PCMag.

Lately, it seems like the hottest trend in gaming (outside of zombies and fire) has been incentivizing the purchase of new games instead of used ones. Gears of War 2 is a prime example, with each new copy of the game coming with a code to download five free multiplayer maps from the original Gears. Epic Games president Mike Capps recently talked about the practice and offered up a pretty radical type of solution he had heard about previously — something along the lines of forcing those who buy a used copy to pay money in order to fight the game’s final boss.

Nintendo seems to be taking that idea even further with the Wii Speak peripheral — if you don’t buy one new, you won’t get access to the Wii Speak channel. MTV Multiplayer reports that when you buy a new Wii Speak, it comes with a card containing a 16-character code that can be redeemed for the Wii Speak channel, which allows you to chat with others without playing a game. The code comes with a note saying that it can’t be replaced by Nintendo should it be lost or stolen.

Nintendo also confirmed to Multiplayer that you won’t be able to buy the chat channel from the Wii Shopping channel as you might expect. You simply buy a new Wii Speak and get the channel or else you don’t get it. It seems like a pretty bizarre way of encouraging people to buy a new Wii Speak, if you ask us. Hopefully this detail will be made clear enough to the average consumer, just in case some uninformed shopper wanders into GameStop to buy a Wii Speak as a gift and then decides to save a few dollars by picking up a used one.

Anyway you look at it, the PlayStation 3 is a pricey piece of hardware. Yes, it’s got a Blu-ray player, integrated wi-fi, and all that good stuff, but $400 is a lot of cash — especially compared with Nintendo and Microsoft’s cheapest offerings being at $250 and $200, respectively.

Even with that in mind, Sony Computer Entertainment’s UK managing director Ray Maguire doesn’t feel like price will be an issue for the company’s flagship game system this holiday season. At the Gamer 3.0 conference, he spoke with VideoGamer.com, telling them that pressure from gamers isn’t enough to warrant a price drop. “[W]e have a business to run, and we have to make sure we’re doing the right thing for the shareholders as well,” he explained.

Maguire claims that sales of the system in the UK are “absolutely on target,” and cited the quality of games coming out in the coming months as why the PS3’s price won’t present “an issue at all.”

I know a fair number of people who would beg to disagree, but we’ll have to wait and take a look at the sales figures for the last quarter of 2008 before we’re able to draw any conclusions. While you wouldn’t expect Maguire to come out and say it, there’s no doubt that Sony would have liked for the price to be lower in order to more directly compete with Microsoft and Nintendo for gamers in the market for a game console this holiday season who don’t have the deepest of pockets.