Gamertell

Product: Sony Dualshock 4 Wireless Controller for the Playstation 3 (aka Dualshock 3, Dualshock 3 Sixaxis)
Price: $54.99
Rating: Two thumbs up; 90/100; A-; **** out of 5
Pros: Looks, feels and moves just like the previous PS3 wireless controller.
Cons: No USB cable. Slightly heavier than previous controller. Slight smell of burning plastic either shows signs of newness or faulty design.
Overall: Works well, feels great and definitely worth it for those who need that little extra sensory feedback when they play.

Finally admitting something as small and seemingly silly as game controller wobbling is important to gamers, Sony has released the Dualshock 3 wireless controller for the PS3.

The controller looks, feels and operates exactly the same as the PS3 Sixaxis controller, which is also pretty damn close to the Dualshock 2 PS2 controller (without the cable, of course).

Click through for the full review…

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A man has been charged for assaulting a 2-year-old girl in York, PA (USA), with, of all things, a video game controller. The game controller might sound like a benign object but it can be lethal if used against a toddler, which it turned out to be in this case. The little girl is currently in a coma after receiving severe injuries to her head and body.

The execrable incident occurred on…

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For those of you who read our other Dabbledoo site, Gadgetell, you might recall my long-ago post about Target’s videogame gift cards. It seems the coolness factor of gaming hasn’t been lost on Target, which continues to release game-related cards all year ‘round.

Right now in Target stores you can find two gamer gift cards. The first, pictured above, is a flat, rubbery card shaped like a game controller. It’s a bit thicker than…

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You’ve already seen my baby gamer modeling the Wendy’s kids’ meal toys and he helped test the Hallmark Player 1 Christmas ornament (he wore those batteries out pretty dern fast). So it’s only appropriate that, for his first birthday, he have a controller-shaped cake.

My wife made the cake using two chocolate, sour cream based cakes (super moist and yummy) stacked together. She then cut the…

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GestureTek has been providing motion-recognition solutions for videogames and other industries for the past two decades including several motion-sensing technologies. It might just have some more mind-twirling innovations up its sleeve that it plans to unveil during this year’s Toy Fair (February 17-20, 2008) and Game Developers Conference (February 18-22, 2008).

The company is betting big on its new “Wii-like” game stick or wand, which relies on…

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Retailing for $15 (US, $19.99 in Canada) and available now in stores is a plastic mini Hallmark Keepsake game controller ornament that produces three sets of videogame style noises.

It’s shaped like a GameCube controller but with Xbox mini-joystick placement. The mini josyticks move but don’t create any sounds. A back panel for the batteries (provided) looks just like a controller battery panel and the ornament’s string is really tougher rubber cord. Very nice touches, indeed.

You can press either control pad for one noise (each) that plays over a base soundtrack. The noises change to match for a space game sound effect with lasers, a fighting game with grunts and hiyahs and a racing game with screeching breaks and revving engine.

The ornament is titled “Player 1,” which is my favorite part since my CiN Weekly videogame column name is also “Player 1.”

The back of the ornament box reads:

Player 1
A cosmic clash with aliens,
your lasers set on “blast”!
A hot rod race around the track-
Whoo-ee! You’re movn’ fast!
Kung Fu fighting hand to hand,
your fists of fury flying…
If you can’t find a game you love, then you’re not really trying!

Whatever the heck that all means. Definitely not written by a gamer.

My 9-month-old is really enjoying the ornament so far. It’s perfectly sized for his hands and he can pretend he’s playing as I play with nornmal sized controllers. Those fakey red toys with lights and other crappy noises are apparently a little to, uh, infantile for him. He cried when I took the ornament out of his hands to take a picture of it. Note that the warning on the back states that it is, “For decorative use only. Not for children under 8.”

Last year’s Hallmark Keepsake ornament meant for gamers was a word ornament that read “Game On” with a mini controller includes in the design. Certainly not as cool as this year’s but it did sell out pretty early.

Product Page [Hallmark’s Player 1 Ornament] Read [Player1]

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I finally received a Wii Zapper from Nintendo today (November 19, 2007), which will be available in stores tomorrow (November 20, 2007). This all-white controller housing retails for $20 and comes with the game Link’s Crossbow Training and, of course, an instruction manual. Since this is just the housing, so you need to already own the WiiMote and the Nunchuck attachment.

The WiiMote simply clicks into the top part of the Zapper and is held in place by a small recess in the front and two smal grey clips that fit into the bottom of the WiiMote (one next next to the attachment plug port.)

The Nunchuck takes a little more finagling. You have to unclick a small tab that clamps down the Nunchuck’s cable. You also remove a panel from the bottom of the Zapper and wrap the excess cable around two angled plastic pegs. The top of the cable then clicks into a small slot so you can wrap it around and attach it to the WiiMote.

It took less than 5 minutes to put together with minimum assistance from the instruction manual. The WiiMote wrist strap, which you keep attached to the WiiMote, hangs to the side of the Zapper and still has plenty of room to be worn on either your left or tight hand, depending on how you hold the Zapper, of course.

Simply holding the Zapper seemed pretty natural but it might be a bit cramped for bulkier gamers but it is otherwise pretty comfortable to hold. The trigger appears to have good response time - it is just a physical switch to the WiiMote - and the Nunchuck sits well in the housing. With only three fingers in the handle area under the Nunchuck, it have a shelf that allows your index finger to rest, ready to hit the Z button.

My only issue is that, because I have the Nyko recharger battery on my WiiMote, the extra grips on the battery cover will not allow Nunchuck will not click into the two mini grey latches meant to hold it in place. Even so, it appears to be staying in place pretty well. I’ll get a better feel for that issue after I play a few games.

Removing the controllers is pretty easy and essentially the reverse of putting them in place. The Nunchuck pops right out but you need to unclip the small clip and the back panels to remove the cables. There is a small grey button to release the two clips that hold the WiiMote in place so you can simply pull it out.

Site [Nintendo’s Wii Zapper] Read [Joystiq]

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Nintendo has officially confirmed the rumors regarding the Wii Zapper’s debut, as the peripheral will launch on November 19, 2007, for an MSRP of $19.99. Link’s Crossbow training, a simple Twilight Princess-themed shooting game, will be packed in with the Zapper.

The game sounds relatively simple but, given the price, could be a fun freebie. From the press release: 

“Link’s Crossbow Training drops players into a world in the style of The Legend of Zelda(R): Twilight Princess. Players assume the identity of hero Link, who progresses through a series of tests to perfect his crossbow marksmanship. Start with stationary bull’s-eyes and graduate to moving targets before defending Link against all kinds of enemies.”

The Zapper will be compatible with upcoming Wii titles Medal of Honor Heroes, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Ghost Squad.

Nintendo is really stressing the arcade light gun experience in order to keep all those casual gamers happy. Actually, having the first title essentially replicate boy-scout archery is probably a smart move. We don’t want Jack Thompson to begin talking about “murder simulation” on the Wii again.

Read [Destructoid] Also Read [1up]

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Product: X-Arcade Tankstick
Price: $199.95
Rating: 9/10
Pros: Easy to install on pretty much any computer and fun to use. Works on Mac and Windows PCs as well as many game consoles (with separate adapters).
Cons: Programming the buttons can be a little tricky. It’s not compatible with the Xbox 360, the trackball does not work on all consoles and it and might not work perfectly on older computers.
Overall: An impressive controller not just to use but to sow off to all your friends. Definitely a great buy - or gift - for a fan of arcade games or a nostalgic gamer.

Click through for the full review.

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My WiiMotes suck batteries dry like a pair of friggin’ starved vampires. Part of the problem is that the motion sensors in the controllers are actually buttons, so when you pick up or even jostle the WiiMotes, the batteries lose a little more charge. I see the little blue lights flicker and I know that’s a few more seconds have been sucked from my game time.

Although I switched over to rechargeable AA batteries a while ago to help save costs, the battery life just doesn’t seem to last very long, even after I moved the WiiMotes to another part of the room.

Nyko’s Charge Station solves both of those problems, one directly and the other quite indirectly ...

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