technology

While there’s still no official word from Nintendo on anything but white Wii-motes, there is now a third-party option for those of you bored with the standard-issue models.

Snakebyte is one of the first companies to offer a third-party substitute for the Wii-mote (called the Riimote), and will be offering them in colors not offered by Nintendo. Functionally, these controllers look pretty much identical to the authentic Wii-motes, although the button designs are a little more modern in styling. The initial models will come in either a gloss black or a dramatic bright purple, which really jumped out at me when I first saw it. They should be available for purchase early in February.

Unfortunately, it looks like Snakebyte hasn’t been able to get their costs down to what Nintendo has since they’re not producing as many, so the price of €39.99 (appx. $59 USD), is a bit hard to stomach. That’s too bad, since they do look really cool.

[via Wii News Daily via Play Gadgets]

[UPDATE: Nintendo Wii Fanboy has posted a number of additional photos of the Riimote and matching Nunchuks.]

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The Nintendo DS Lite might be the most successful portable gaming console ever, but it won’t win any awards for pumping out lots of volume. This add-on snaps around your trusty DS Lite and gives it a serious boost in the audio department.

Gametech’s Sound Shell DLite adds on bigger amplified speakers to your DS Lite, but also adds some significant bulk in order to house the larger speakers and a battery compartment to power them.

The DLite isn’t just about sound. It’s actually designed as a protective shell for your faithful gaming companion, and has a built-in stand too. The Sound Shell DLite retails for ¥3,200 (appx. $30 USD).

[Game Watch via DS Fanboy]

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Wii gamers rejoice! It was only a matter of time before it happened. EA has gone on record to say that the insanely popular Rock Band franchise is on its way to Nintendo’s great white console.

In a third-quarter financial conference call today, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello mentioned in passing that Rock Band is currently in development for the Nintendo Wii.

No release date or pricing was revealed, but I’d say we’ll see it this Fall, so EA can take full advantage of the 2008 holiday season. Stay tuned for more details.

[via IGN]

Check out this tiny papercraft model of an ice blue Nintendo DS Lite created by a really dedicated (and really patient) gaming fan. Even though it’s only slightly larger than a paper clip, this mini DS Lite features an a amazing amount of detail.

With a steady hand, some glue, a knife and a couple of other office supplies, artist SonicScape Jun created this tiny little DS. Incredibly, the petite DS even features a working hinged case (held together with a toothpick), and even has a teensy little Nintendogs cartridge you can plug into it. 

If you’re feeling ambitious (and have tiny fingers), you can grab a PDF of the templates to make your own mini DS Lite right here.

Good luck with all that.

[via Tekenstein]

Are you a Mario fanatic? Here’s a couple of new desktop toys which are a must for any serious Super Mario collector.

These excellent Super Mario Sofubi (soft vinyl) figures stand 9.5-inches tall and look great in your cubicle, living room, standing on top of your horizontal Wii, or even glued to your car’s hood as an ornament.

They’re $18 each from the Giant Robot Store and available in both a Classic Mario and white Fire Mario versions.

Tired of the same old bare floors? Why not cover them up with a little Mario magic? These plush mats lay down on your floor and feature icons from the classic Super Mario Brothers series.

Each squishy floor tile measures 40cm x 40cm (15.74 x 15.74″), and if you’re willing to spend some serious dough, you can cover your entire floor with ‘em. At $23 a piece, they’re more expensive than some schmancy Persian rugs, but for dedicated Mario fanboys and fangirls, money should be no object. After all, you should have plenty of extra gold coins lying around?

They’re made in Mario, Shroom, Goomba, Question Mark Block and Brick patterns, but the bricks are currently sold out, so my dreams of recreating the entire Mushroom Kingdom in my living room have been dashed for now. Made by Banpresto, they’re available from NCSX.

[via Level Select]

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Mario meets LEGO in these fun stop-motion clips hand animated by Nintendo fan Michael Hickox.

Michael painstakingly shot thousands of individual frames to recreate the first two levels of the classic Super Mario Brothers game. The levels are surprisingly accurate reproductions of the game. You’ll want to crank up your sound to get the full impact with the original game music as accompaniment. 

Mario too cute for your taste? Be sure to check out Michael’s headbanging LEGO Megadeth concert.

[via Laughing Squid - thanks for the tip PDW !]

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When you sleep, do you dream in blocky 8-bit graphics? Are your sleepytime thoughts filled with visions of Link rescuing Zelda? Instead of counting sheep, do you count Koopa shells? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need a pair of these on your bed.

Designed by Nintendo fan Penguinotic, these handcrafted giant NES controller pillowcases are perfect for anyone who got their start button-mashing on Nintendo’s classic 8-bit console.

Each pillowcase is stitched from machine washable super-soft fleece, keeping you warm and cozy as you dream of Mario and Princess Peach walking off into the sunset.

A single NES controller pillow case will set you back $40, while a pair is $70. You can find them over on Penguinotic’s Etsy shop. They should fit most standard pillows, but she can custom sizes on request.

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If you’re like me, you’re a big fan of Nintendo’s groundbreaking Wii-mote controller design. Now you can carry your files on a tiny Wii-mote inspired USB storage device.

Created by SolarMemo, the petite Wedisk flash drive looks like a wee Wii-mote, but press the “A” button, and the USB connector pops out of the top of the controller for you to plug into your computer.

The Wedisk is available in capacities from 1GB to 8GB, but is currently only available in custom production runs (especially if you happen to work for Nintendo). So if you’ve got a bunch of Wii-having friends, take up a collection and order up a couple thousand of these puppies.

[via Gizmodo]

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Ever wonder what a Mario game would have looked like if it came out on the Atari 2600 instead of the NES? The guys over at Geekstir dug up this great clip which shows off what that serious visual downgrade would have done for the game.

Imagine a world where you can barely make out the difference between the blocky little plumber and his squared off foes. Beavertron Entertainment’s re-imagining of the classic Super Mario Brothers does a pretty good simulating what the 2600 version might have looked like.

While it’s not perfectly accurate (there’s no way the 2600 could have produced those original NES sounds or the relatively crisp text at the top of the screen), but it’s still fun to watch.

Next up, Bioshock on the VIC-20.

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