Porta-Dreamcast!

Like many of Sega’s products, the Dreamcast was ahead of it’s time. Bringing ground breaking graphics, online play, and a heralded game library to the masses, the system once codenamed “Katana” was also canned long before its lifespan was complete, primarily due to cash flow problems with Sega.

[Image via WikiMedia]

Yes, the Dreamcast now lives on through our memories, taking up space on a shelf in the attic with your Sega CD and Saturn. But one modder out there was willing to give the Dreamcast one last hurrah.

John, aka “Hailrazer”, transformed the Dreamcast into a portable gaming masterpiece. The “DreamTrooper”, combines a custom chassis with the innards of a Dreamcast, PS One LCD screen, and Quantam controller, and creates a handheld device that supposedly gets around three hours of battery life. It comes with all the usual accouterments, including stereo speakers, charging jack, headphone jack, and even a tricked out LED-backlit Dreamcast logo.

This, combined with those oh-so-easy to copy Dreamcast games should make for some amazing portable gaming. Sure, it won’t fit in your pocket, but this would be a welcome addition to any backpack or LAN party setup. Check out the demo video below.

[Engadget]

Windows XP Gets Another Stay of Execution

Windows Vista has now been on store shelves for over 16 months, and with over 100 million sold, some would consider it a success. However, in a world that is totally reliant on computers, the vast majority of which are Windows-based, 100 million just is not up to snuff. To add insult to injury, many of Microsoft “bread and butter” customers, including government entities and corporations, have rejected Vista and remained on Windows XP.

[Image via Laptoping.com]

So, in light of the lukewarm reception for Vista, Microsoft’s damage control has been two-fold. For starters, talk about Windows 7, the next OS from Redmond due out late 2009/early 2010, has increased exponentially as of late. This has to do with Milestone versions being distributed to select testers, with a beta to start before Christmas.

[Image via stealthcomputer.com]

Along with building up hype for Windows 7, Microsoft has also delayed the demise of XP…again. After delaying XPs lifespan by six months back in June, the software giant is extending it again to July 2009. While many will rejoice at seeing the trusty “Windows 6″ getting a stay of execution, the announcement, or email leak to be more specific, is oddly timed, coming off a massive Vista ad campaign which included celebrities like Seinfeld promoting the brand.

While the timing is off, the message is clear. Due to lack of support and dismal sales figures, Microsoft is now letting users completely skip Vista and go directly from XP to version 7. With XP around until July, and Windows 7 possibly seeing a fall 2009 release, there would be only a small window between the two operating systems. Who knows, Microsoft might just come out and extend XP all the way to the day before 7 is due out.

[Gizmodo]

Japan to get 1Gbps Internet next month

Japan has always been a front runner when it comes to Internet connectivity and speed. Next month will be no different, when Japan ISP KDDI will begin to offer 1Gbps (One Gigabit/second) service for houses and smaller apartment buildings. This service, which is 10 times faster than current residential net speeds in Japan, and over 20 times faster than the top services offered in the States, will go for about USD $56 when a two-year contract is signed.

[Image via BCN]

According to Japan Today, “KDDI will start offering its fiber-optic services, which are now available only in six prefectures in the Kanto region and nearby Yamanashi Prefecture, in four cities in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.”

FiOS is pretty fast, but this puts Verizon’s fiber service to shame, and then some. With internet service like this, a true HD Internet might be coming sooner than you think.

[Japan Today via Gizmodo]

The Sims: The Movie, Jason and the Argonaunts, and Predator

When you ask most people about what they think about video game-based movies, the answers can be pretty negative. With movies based in games going all the way back to Tron, and more recently Doom, Resident Evil and Bioshock (in production), it seems as though anyone below the age of 30-35 can easily pick out a movie based on a video game, and also shows that no game is safe from being optioned.

The Sims is one of the most lucrative video game series of all time, grossing more money annually than some countries. With this in mind, it is surprising that Hollywood this long to option The Sims and create a feature film based on the Will Wright “masterpiece”.

[Image via FileFront]

Several days ago, “frosty” over at collider.com had a chance to talk with producer John Davis (Eragon, Norbit, Daddy Day Camp), who said he was producing The Sims: The Movie. Yes, the Sims is a very, very successful game franchise, but is it really malleable enough to be made into a movie?

On its own, no. That’s why Davis seems to be taking the mystical angle and transforming it into what sounds like a Disney kids adventure film (sans-Disney, obviously). “…The Sims, as you know, you can control your imaginary world, right? And our movie, a young man, a 16 year old kid or a 14 year old kid and his friend get their hands on this thing called the Sims Infinity Pack,” said Davis. “…which kind of this very strange video game store which was there just for that moment, and seemingly wasn’t all that. But what they realize is that they can scan their world in, because this is the most life like, real Sims game ever. And as they are playing this they are all of a sudden realizing is what they are playing on the game is having an effect on the real world. So in effect, through the game, they are able to control their world. It’s wish fulfillment, and obviously it turns against them.”

Davis then says he wants to it be an “Amblin-esque, really fun adventure movie,” along the lines of E.T. As long as it’s based at the tween/teen crowd, and not considered a “serious” movie, or at least one adults will care about, we may be in the clear of another video game movie disaster. And, at the end of the day, any movie based on a game that isn’t directed by Uwe Boll has the chance to be a decent flick.

Later in the interview, Davis goes into some detail about working on “Jason and the Argonauts”. The 1963 classic is getting a modern makeover, with Davis producing and Zak Penn (The Incredible Hulk – 2008, X-Men:The Last Stand), penning the screenplay. Davis also said that several prominent Hollywood directors are looking at the project, including “…one of the biggest ever.” Hopefully, since this isn’t based on a game, but rather Greek mythology and one of the best movies to come out of the 1960s, we will see Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott at the end of the opening credits.

Also, on a “light at the end of the tunnel” note, Davis did not put the kibosh on making another Predator movie. A producer on all four Predator/AVP films, Davis said “I think we’ve logically done what we could’ve done with the two AVP movies. But I think there’s something to go back to with Predator.” No more AVP is fine with me, but who wouldn’t want to see another movie with post-gubernatorial Arnold kicking some more Predator ass?

[Image via Collider]

[Collider via Joystiq]

Back from the Dead

So it’s been about 2 months since my last post. My apologies to the handful of people who followed my stories throughout the year. However, after finishing up my Junior year of college and securing a job With Tom’s Games (http://www.tomsgames.com/us), I am back and will be updating as often as I can. Stay tuned!!!

Google is Out to Lunch

Next time you get stuck footing the bill for lunch or dinner, keeping Google’s lunch bill in mind might perk you up a bit.

According to Silicon Alley Insider, the internet search powerhouse spends about $7500 per employee on the food it provides for employee lunches at all of it’s locations. Keeping that in mind, as well as Google having more than 10,000 employees, the conservative estimate on Google’s lunch bill is a mind-blowing
$72 million, and goes as high as $100 million. To put that in perspective, that’s more than the GDP of the Bahamas (about $65 million).

While this seems like an absurd amount of money, keep in mind that this is Google we are talking about, so this is basically chump change. Also, whatever they put in the food seems to work, because you’ll never hear a current or former Google employee talking smack about the house that Internet built.

MS Surface Tables Arrive

The next step in interactive technology has arrived.

Today, in five different cities, Microsoft has taken the cover off its new Surface table technology. These table top multi touch computers incorporates the multi-touch tech found in devices like Apples iPhone, and includes wifi and Bluetooth for internet access and device interaction, respectively. While these won’t be available to consumers for another 2 years or so, expect to see these beauties in AT&T stores starting this year, followed by casinos and hotels.

Check out this video to see how AT&T Stores will use the Surface table.

http://gizmodo.com/380860/multi+grope-interacting-with-microsoft-surface-at-the-att-store

Windows XP Disappearing? Don’t be so Sure

It looks like Windows XP is saved…sort of.

Going beyond the “Save Windows XP” petition that surfaced last week, it looks as though Microsoft will be keeping around the favored older brother to Vista past the June 2008 deadline in a limited capacity. Because new low cost laptops are becoming more and more popular (see the Asus Eee PC and the HP mini notebook), Microsoft was forced to extend the deadline in order to compete with variations of Linux.

Many of these small, ultra low cost notebooks lack the hardware to properly run even the most basic version of Vista, so many manufacturers turned to Linux as the OS. Plus, the low cost PC is by no means a niche market or product; Since November of last year, Asus has reportedly sold over 400,000 Eee PCs. Microsoft could not afford to ignore such a fast expanding market, so an extension on XP (until 2010) was inevitable.

This “extension” does not mean you can grab a copy of XP on its own after 2008, as the Home Edition of XP will only be available to manufacturers.

To give you an idea of what an Ultra Low Cost PC, or ULCPC is, take a look at the much heralded Asus Eee PC

(picture via techdigest.com)

Patrick Stewart is Awesome

rocking the stache like a true baller

ted.com Gives Me Hope for the Future

Never has one website given me so much hope for the future of mankind.

TED brings the worlds best minds together and puts their presentations up online for FREE. While some of these presentations are not necessarily world-changing (but still cool nontheless), TED does give those with world changing ideas and rhetoric a place to come and speak and allow the masses free access to new ideas and technological breakthroughs.

Both Stephen Hawking and Al Gore have given presentations on their respective areas of expertise. From global warming to the origins of the universe, TED is a place where serious minds can speak to a serious audience without worrying about falling through the cracks. Don’t get me wrong, YouTube is great, but TED brings a higher level of content to those seeking it, while keeping out the RickRolls, etc.

Take Johnny Lee, the man behind the Wii-powered interactive white board, enjoy! (using YouTube because I cannot embed from TED)