Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today’s bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the holiday season.
What luck. The Secret Santa recipient that you drew already has everything, so there’s little you can buy him / her that they’ll actually be impressed with. Thankfully, the peripheral market is here for you, and while some may considering these things “trinkets,” others will be downright giddy to unwrap ‘em. And whether you’d care to admit it or not, these are easily the most fun to shop for. Yeah, we said it — what of it? Hop on past the break for a few recommendations on knickknacks, or “accessories,” as it were.
Continue reading Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Accessories
Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: Accessories originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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To celebrate the release of Forza Motorsport 2, Microsoft made a big deal about its Wireless Racing Wheel, a cable-free force-feedback controller for racers that was only really wireless if you didn’t want force-feedback. It was a reasonable compromise and a reasonably good wheel, but it just didn’t compare to the high-end stuff supported by that other great console racing series: Gran Turismo. In GT5 you can hit the track while gripping things like Logitech’s G25 or G27, either of which make Microsoft’s offering look like a toy. With the release of Forza 3 there’s a new contender available, the Porsche Turbo S from Fanatec. It’s a much more serious offering with more capable feedback, proper shifters with a clutch, and a rather more impressive design. But it also has a rather more impressive price tag: $249 to start and, like a real Porsche, going way up from there with options. Is it worth the entrance price or are you better off putting your money toward race tires? Read on to find out.
Continue reading Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel for Xbox 360 review
Filed under: Gaming
Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel for Xbox 360 review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The PSP may be a lot of things to a lot of people, but it’s not capable of pumping out images in 3D — cross your eyes all you want but nothing’s going to leap off of that LCD. We’ll have to wait for at least another iteration of portables before we can start expecting any miracles in that department, but until then there’s the V-Screen! It’s a big, silly-looking attachment that pledges to add depth to your PSP games despite the system’s distinctly two-dimensional screen. Is it magic? Is it sorcery? Is it complete bull? You might be surprised.
Continue reading RealView’s V-Screen for PSP review
Filed under: Gaming
RealView’s V-Screen for PSP review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Look what just arrived in the mail. Yes, we are aware of your extreme jealousy.
Filed under: Gaming
Limited edition ‘Modern Warfare 2′ Xbox 360 unboxing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It took us a tick to get our Zune HD loaded up with those new 3D games that were released this morning, but we thought you might want to check out a quick hands-on. That Tegra chip is no joke — the graphics in PGR: Ferrari Edition are easily on par with the PSP and quite possibly better, with intricate textures, high-quality reflections, and smooth framerates. The other games aren’t nearly as intense, but they’re just as smooth. Best of all? They’re free — although you will have to look at a Zune ad while they load. Not the worst tradeoff in the world, but we’d love to see what paid app developers could do if Microsoft would open this beast up. Check the video after the break.
Continue reading Zune HD 3D games video hands-on
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Zune HD 3D games video hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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For the most part, we’d say that Sony addressed the concerns of many when it introduced the PlayStation 3 Slim. The console was smaller, cheaper and easier on the eyes, and of course the 120GB hard drive didn’t hurt matters either. That said, we know that the redesign didn’t please everyone, and we’ve heard more than a few PS3 diehards complain about the new design. If it were you designing a newer, less expensive PlayStation 3, what would you have done differently? Kept PS2 backwards compatibility? Colored it white? Added HD DVD support? Don’t be scared to get a little crazy — besides, they call that “innovation” in the corporate world.
Filed under: Gaming
How would you change Sony’s PlayStation 3 Slim? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sony’s PSP Go hasn’t had the warmest reception of all time or anything, but does it really deserve all the negative vibes being flung its way? The UMD-less console leaked way earlier than Sony intended, but after a proper launch and you inevitably trekking out to snag one, we’re curious to know whether or not you’re enjoying things. Would you have kept UMD support? Would you have added more internal memory? Enlarged the screen? Offered it in neon yellow? Be sure to spill your thoughts in comments below, and you’ll get a few bonus points if you’re coming from the world of an original PSP. Promise!
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
How would you change Sony’s PSP Go? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Remember when Razer introduced its first-ever mobile gaming mouse? No worries — July was indeed a long, long time ago. At any rate, the Bluetooth 2.0 / USB Orochi, which was engineered to fit within knapsacks and backpacks of road warriors the world over, is now shipping to both US and EU customers… on a limited basis, anyway. Razer claims that stock is arriving in spurts, and if you’re greeted with a “sold out” message, there’s a special sign-up page to be notified of when the next batch comes in. So, why the fuss?
Continue reading Razer Orochi now shipping in limited quantities, we go hands-on
Filed under: Peripherals
Razer Orochi now shipping in limited quantities, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Celebrity Nerds confirms what you always knew, deep in your heart of hearts: that stars are nerds like us. Send in your own confirmations of this fact right here.
Now, we don’t have photographic evidence of this one, so Wayne, if you happen to be a reader, feel free to snap a pic of yourself with the console. Either way, we have enough proof to proudly classify Lil’ Wayne a… you know, nerd. GTR has published a video of the New Orleans-born rapper having a conversation with KRS-One during which he says he’s got an “Xbox that has every game from A-Z, Atari, Nintendo, pong, movies & even porn.” Whoa. Where can we get one of those? Wayne claims that the Xbox was a gift… but we bet he hacked it himself. Video is embedded after the break.
[Via Joystiq]
Continue reading Celebrity Nerds: Lil’ Wayne’s got a modded Xbox
Filed under: Gaming
Celebrity Nerds: Lil’ Wayne’s got a modded Xbox originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We just got a pretty detailed look at Microsoft’s upcoming Dashboard update for the Xbox, which brings with it the Zune Video Marketplace and Last.fm music streaming, along with Facebook and Twitter social functionality. We were most impressed with Facebook, which includes a feature for spotting which of your Facebook friends have Xbox Live — a great way to grow that friends list and bring a bit of “synergy” to your life. Last.fm was a bit of a downer, since you can’t do anything else while listening to the music, but otherwise there weren’t many minuses to the presentation other than the lack of a firm release date. Check out Joystiq’s full impressions at the read link before, or watch the whole demo on mind-blowing video after the break.
Continue reading Xbox 360’s new Zune, Last.fm, Facebook and Twitter features detailed on video
Filed under: Gaming
Xbox 360’s new Zune, Last.fm, Facebook and Twitter features detailed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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