Nintendo Passed on Natal, Insider

Maybe Nintendo knows something Microsoft doesn’t, or maybe it just missed out on a major market opportunity. Either way, an unnamed Nintendo executive is confident that big boss Satoru Iwata saw a demo and took a pass on the technology behind Natal.

The insider is quoted as saying that the demo for Nintendo (which occurred in late 2007) left the company’s president and CEO with too many questions about whether the technology could be brought to market for a price point and quality that is acceptable for Wii owners. And with that, Nintendo opened the door to for Microsoft to make Natal.

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Nexus One Coming to a Walmart Near You

Sales of Google’s Nexus One haven’t exactly been stellar, but they could soon see a boost now that Wal-Mart has agreed to carry the device. The mega box store has posted the device online under its wireless category with the words “coming soon”.

Right now only Google and T-Mobile sell the handset in the US. No word on when Walmart will start selling the Nexus One.

[Walmart]

Monster Hunter Heads to the Xbox 360

While it wasn’t the announcement many had hoped for, but Capcom did came clean as promised this morning about its new partnership with Microsoft. Monster hunter will make an appearance on the Xbox 360 this year.

Monster Hunter Frontier is expected to launch this summer. The game is wildly popular in japan, which is probably why it was only teased on the Japanese Xbox website. A new teaser site has been launched with the first of many trailers, filled of cats and pigs. No joke. The trailer really is full of cats and pigs!

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LG Releases Retro and Chic “Classic TV”

You’ve probably heard the old saying “what’s old is new again”. That certainly holds true in the fashion world but technology? Believe it or not LG is trying to bring the CRT television back.

LG’s “Classic TV” features a 14″ screen, rabbit ear antennae and chrome feet. The only real difference from the TVs of this era — there’s a remote control. The set also has a digital tuner and composite input for more modern devices. But the coolest feature? The ability to switch between colour, black and white and sepia modes.

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Review: Mass Effect 2

There was much love from fans and critics for Mass Effect 1. We praised the story, the depth and variety of the player experience, the introduction of the dialogue wheel, and the successful attempt to weld RPG elements and first person shooter together. However, sprinkled amongst the acclaim were so many “buts”, making reviews and posts look like ashtrays. Ask anyone who played Mass Effect and he or she will come up with a long list of complaints: long loading screens (and the interminable elevator rides), texture popping, poor framerate, driving around on barren planets, the frustrating inventory system.

But BioWare listened to our kvetching and have released one the best games I’ve played in a long time. So load up your shotguns, choose your companions, it’s time for a look at Mass Effect 2.

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Thank Japan for the Potato Chip Gadget

Some days, no caption seems appropriate.

After all this talk of iPads, consoles, and sci-fi, I think it’s about time to dial down the tech a touch. And a potato-chip-eating-hand gadget is just the way to do that.Yes, once again, we’re all saying one big “thank you” to Japan.

Essentially a soft-to-touch chip-friendly version of the extended grip arm your grandfather has for reaching for the remote control, this gadget lets you reach into a bag of chips and eat away without getting your fingers all greasy and cheesy. You may not have thought you needed that, but you do now, right?

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Google Your Way To A Smarter Brain

We may have an excuse for all our random Google searches like “do platypuses have nipples” or “define tenderoni”. A UCLA study claims that these searches may help stimulate parts of the brain that control decision making and reasoning.

In the study, 24 neurologically normal subjects between the ages of 55 to 76 were assigned two tasks: to read book-like text and perform web searches. At the same time, these folks were hooked up to MRIs to scan their brain activity.

To simulate real-world conditions, the experimenters told the subjects they would be assessed on their knowledge of the three topics they were learning about: the benefits of chocolate, planning a trip to the Galapagos, and how to buy a car.

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A Man Has His Console Collection Documented

At 143 consoles, Phil Penninger puts most of us gamers to shame. How many do you have? Between my husband and I, we have a measly seven.

Luckily, Phil Penninger has allowed Patrick Molnar to document this amazing collection. As you can see in the photo above, Penninger has amassed quite the collection. It spans from the early ’70s when consoles were getting their start to present-day consoles like the PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360.

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Leaked Apple Tablet Ad?

Take it with a grain of salt folks, but french website NoWhereElse claims it got its hands on a leaked copy of Apple’s upcoming teaser ad for its soon to be announced tablet. The promo is a tease if anything and really doesn’t give much detail on the device other than to call it the iPad.

The teaser video has already been posted on YouTube. If you ask us it’s kind of weak, even for an Apple ad. Do you think it’s real, or just a promo created by someone looking for a bit of attention and maybe a job?

[Via Venture Beat]

Wii Classic Controller Pro Hits US in April

Like most Nintendo products (yes we’re looking at you black Wii), most make their debut in Japan ahead of North America. Seems as though the Wii Classic Controller Pro is following the same path. Nintendo has announced it will hit Stores in the US and Canada this April, almost one year after going on sale in Japan.

The controller will actually be sold as part of the Monster Hunter Tri bundle. Capcom says the controller will give players a more traditional control configuration resulting in an “ultimate Monster Hunting experience”. In other words, easier controls.

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