Before we commit ourselves to this future, note how doubly frail this gossamer tip is – it’s a rumor about a possibility. So it may be as real as Duke Nukem Forever (or do kids nowadays refer to GT 5?). But a gamer can dream, can’t he?

logos from Mozilla and kotaku

[via PlayStation Insider via Maxconsole]

Fans of the classic Sega console will appreciate the clean and compact styling of this portable remake what is arguably one of the best consoles of all time. While I can’t find out much about this casemod other than the fact that it features a nice 7-inch widescreen display, a built-in controller, stereo speakers and that it was “make by china SEGA fans.”

Check it out in action here…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I want my portable Shenmue now!

[via TechEBlog]

Beyond the forest of wiring, this actually doesn’t look as difficult as some of the crazier custom jobs we’ve seen, and odds are most folks have an old and unused console lying around somewhere. Might be a good place to start for the modding newbie. Success would be so very sweet, and if you fail… well, maybe you can just put it all back together and blow in it or something.

[via Geeky Gadgets]

While the PXP-2000 won’t play any of your PSP games, it will play classic games from the NES, Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Super Famicom/SNES, and SEGA Megadrive/Genesis consoles. It features a nice oversize 4.3″ LCD screen and a slide-out controller just like the PSP Go that it mimics.

In addition to playing all of those retro 8-, 16- and 32-bit games from your childhood, the PXP-2000 is a media player that can crank out your music and videos too. It can play MP3, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC, RM-Audio, AMR, AAC+ audio formats. For video, it can handle AVI videos, but comes with transcoding software for RM, RMVB, AVI, WMV, ASF, MPG, MPEG, MPE, MP4, DAT, MOV, DAT, and even the elusive, but non-existent MP5 format (it’s really just Real Media Variable Bitrate format).

The PXP is your standard jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none media player, complete with an low resolution digital video camera, FM radio, a calculator, notepad, e-book reader and English-to-Chinese dictionary.

If you’re too cheap to drop $249 on a proper PSP Go, and you really just want to play retro games anyhow, head on over to Chinagrabber and plunk down your $83.99 (USD).

While there aren’t many details about the heritage of this mod, what we can see from the picture is that the little droid is loaded up with a Dreamcast, an Xbox, an N64, an Atari 2600, a SEGA Saturn, an NES, an SNES and a PlayStation. It’s also got a projector and sound system built-in for good measure.

Though R2-D2 may have been designed as a utility droid, I think he’s finally found his real purpose – gaming droid.

[via Hack N Mod]

The Mega Drive 4 Guitar Idol edition will include not only a Mega Drive/Genesis gaming system, and a pair of old-school controllers, but bundles a guitar that would make current-gen console players happy too.

The system comes pre-loaded with a whopping 87 classic SEGA 16-bit games, including titles such as Altered Beast, Rainbow Island, Golden Axe III, along with the brand-spanking-new Guitar Idol and 50 music tracks from a number of popular artists. Everyone from The Ramones to Panic at the Disco to Billy Squier is represented on the diverse the track list.

No word on if or when you’ll be able to grab this system outside of Brazil, but for now, you can find out more over on TecToy’s website.

[Interama and Sega Nerds via GameSetWatch]

The ported program still doesn’t have a user interface, but it’s working alright. Or not. I leave it up to you to decide if the demo below is indeed running on a 360. +1 to anyone who tells me the artist of the awesome chiptune playing in the background.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This is actually the first time that I’ve heard of a homebrew program, much less an emulator, for Microsoft’s latest console. Even though I don’t have my own Xbox 360, I’m still interested. More videos – with concrete proof  – and a how-to please tmbinc!

I for one, believe in ol’ Ben Franklin’s saying: “Nothing is certain but death and a slimmer version of a Sony video game system. And my eternal fame.” Really, it’s a question of when, not if. And the answer seems to be August 18. (pssst, Ben, you cited Gizmodo but your link leads to Engadget! That’s blasphemy!)

If PS3 Slim rumors were Pokemans, Kuchera’s almost caught ‘em all: everything from their own insider info, to the non-denial of Sony’s director of Hardware Marketing, John Koller, to significant increases in orders for PS3 components. Everything except Engadget’s alleged leaked shots of the console’s case and box art, which I have just pointed out to you. Because gossip is for geeks too. Check out the article for the rest of the links.

Apparently, this Rambo TV Game console came out at some point back in the 1990s. It’s a serious doppelganger for the Atari 2600, and actually claims to have had 208 built-in games. Despite the “2600 compatible” labeling, the photos on the box make me think this was one of those cheap NES/Famicom clone systems from China. And check out those joysticks…

While I certainly don’t remember this system, I did manage to find a brief mention of the Rambo TV console over on the Ultimate Console Database – and the version they show has 2,001 built-in games.

And the one in this YouTube video claims to have a whopping 11,555 built-in games! Of course, they neglected to mention that 11,554 of them suck, and the final one is a knock-off of  E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

There’s not much more to say about this rarity, except that anything that combines an Atari 2600 and Sly Stallone is okay in my book.

[photos via Flickr]

Note the lines below the coins and on the tree leaves. Here’s a closer look (but with a different game):

Unfortunately for him, DeAngelis’ Wii is already out of warranty, so he’ll have to pony up the money for repairs. If you’ve seen the same black lines while using your console, better have it replaced before anything worse happens. The Gamespot thread is nearly 2 years old, so I’m wondering if this only applies to a batch of Wii consoles or if it’s a problem all Wiis will eventually have.

I’ve all but given up hope for a price cut in the near future, but of course if it comes I’ll be happy. I already have a PS3, but a price cut on Sony’s Grill just might force Microsoft to slash prices on their console as well. If that happens, I’ll definitely buy a 360.

[via Gamespy]

Since he’s selling his console, there’s no use in him keeping his games so he’ll throw them in too: Silent Hill 5, Disgaea 3 and…Rock Revolution. Yup. That’s it. ironically (that’s gunmetal ironically) MGS 4 isn’t included. But wait, there’s more! ids3remix will also give his PSN account to the lucky bastard who snags his PS3, and of course the games under the account as well. And it’s signed by Hideo Kojima, who incidentally proved at E3 that he can be quite sneaky as well (the shot of Kojima’s ninja moves is in the middle of that page).

The auction ends on June 15; bidding starts at $700 USD. Go! Think of how much the console will be worth in the future. And it plays games too.

[via gameSniped]

The new DSi is decked out in red, which is nice, but not a patch on this sexy black Wii.

While the matte surface is much more practical for a handheld, it just isn’t as slick as the shine on that Wii. Of course, they never look like that in my house. Five minutes here and it’s probably been colored on by sticky little hands.

No announcements yet for release of these colors outside of Japan, but it’s likely they, or other shades, will soon make the leap.

[Nintendo Japan via Tiny Cartridge]

The PSP Go is a new handheld that lightens the load of the older PSP models by making games available via wireless download or on Memory Stick Micro cards. Bye, bye UMD! It’s been nice knowing you.

The PSP Go will feature 16GB of on-board flash memory for storage of downloadable games, movies and music from the Playstation Network. It looks like they’ve revamped the controller to slide out from under the screen to maximize screen real-estate while keeping the console small (the Go has a 3.8″ display – just a hair smaller than the PSP-3000’s 4.3″ screen). Too bad they kept the stupid single analog nubbin. I hate that damned thing.

As you can see from the icons below, there’s also Bluetooth connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi.

Word on the street is that Sony will still sell the PSP Go’s larger PSP-3000 brethren, but I wouldn’t expect them to keep making a mechanical drive-based system for too much longer. I’m sure any plans to keep making those is only because of the relatively high price of solid state memory. As those prices drop, so will the need for any sort of optical media.

Sony has revealed that the PSP Go will be released in North America and Europe on October 1, 2009, at a price of $249 /€249, and in Japan on November 1, 2009 for 26,800 yen. Check out the Qore June 2009 video clip below to see an early preview of the PSP Go in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Is it just me or does the PSP Go look a whole lot like the Mylo?

[via Eurogamer, The Awesomer, Engadget and PlayStation Forums]

There are cakey versions of the Gamecube, an NES, an Atari 2600, a TurboGrafx-16, a Sega Genesis and a Nintendo Wii all gathered around for a game of Duck Hunt on an edible TV. More pics of these delectible consoles can be found over on BFedRec’s Flickr cakes album.

Zeebo Inc. is taking advantage of the fact that current video game consoles are too expensive for majority of the people in developing countries. Brandon Sheffield of Gamasutra says, “In Brazil… a PS3 costs the equivalent of US$1,100 new, and the Wii costs US$1,000, because neither console has officially launched there — the only alternative for those consoles is piracy.” The Zeebo on the other hand will have a launch price equivalent to a mere $199 USD, and its games will sell for about $5 USD to $15 USD.

Obviously a lower-priced console will have lower specs as well: the Zeebo’s ARM 11 CPU clocks in at 528 Mhz, supported by 128 MB of RAM and a Qualcomm Adreno GPU. For comparison’s sake, Nintendo’s Wii – the “weakest” current gen console – has a 729 Mhz CPU, 88 Mb of RAM and a 243 Mhz ATI GPU.

But we also know that a powerful console doesn’t guarantee success: the Wii is number one in terms of worldwide sales, and the supposedly future-proof PlayStation 3 is barely surviving the present. Zeebo Inc. wants to pull off a Nintendo-like performance with their console, so along with the very attractive price tag, they’ve partnered with major video game publishers and developers like EA, Activision, Capcom, THQ and Popcap to ensure that the Zeebo will have quality games.

Double Dragon ftw! The Zeebo will come with three free games stored in its 1 GB NAND flash memory, and additional games can be purchased wirelessly. But because the Zeebo is aimed at poor folks like me, instead of requiring users to have an expensive broadband connection the Zeebo will make use of existing 3G networks to connect to the online market, known as ZeeboNet.

As you can see ZeeboNet will work like Xbox Live, where customers can top up their accounts and purchase games priced in “Z-credits”. The prepaid digital distribution system will serve as protection against piracy, which is so rampant in Third World countries that it has discouraged video game companies from marketing or localizing their products in such areas. For example, I have a PS3 (got it for free) but when I created my PlayStation account I found out that the Philippines wasn’t on the list of countries supported, so I picked Hong Kong. My address is “1, Aberdeen, Hong Kong.” Where’s the love Sony?

If all goes as planned the Zeebo will give its users lots and lots of localization love. John Rizzo, CEO of Zeebo Inc. says, “We work with developers in the local countries; I could imagine a Bollywood dance game with a dance pad. That would be fantastic in India, much more sale-able than Prey. Or in China, a game that teaches English as a second language would be really cool and powerful for that market.”

For more details you can check out Gamasutra’s articles on Zeebo as well as the console’s official site. I hope the Zeebo becomes successful, if only to convince good game developers and publishers to make low-priced quality games. I think Zeebo Inc. is really looking after it’s target audience: aside from offering cheap consoles and games, the company claims that Zeebo only consumes 1 watt of power. 1 watt! I mean, Light bulbs consume at least 5 watts, and they don’t even play games! Light bulbs suck.

In the end I think the Zeebo’s success will depend on a healthy library of video games and Zeebo Inc.’s respect of the ownership of users’ digital purchases. I’m also a bit concerned about the console’s reliance on 3G networks because it relies on signal strength and the number of users on a given location; here in the Philippines cellular phone networks are brought to their knees on holidays because of the sheer volume of text messages and calls. Let’s hope that today’s 3G networks can withstand the force of millions of Zeebos.

So Brazil, prepare to be blown away by Tekken 2. And just you wait for Tekken 3! I don’t know if you’ll like Eddy Gordo though.

The Fuzebox is a complete 8-bit gaming platform in a box that’s not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes.

Based on the open source Uzebox project, the Fuzebox is a ready-to-go kit from the folks over at Adafruit. The DIY 8-bit console is capable of cranking out 256 colors at a 240×224 resolution. The system has full video and audio capabilities on board, and can output to any monitor with an RCA or S-Video jack. You can play games with a standard NES or SNES controller.

Coding for Fuzebox/Uzebox requires knowledge of the C programming language. Just write your games on any computer, and transfer them via a USB-to-Serial cable to move them to the Fuzebox. There’s also a handy emulator available for you to test your programs before you move ‘em to your Fuzebox.

Curious to see what it can do? Here are a couple of demo videos running on an early prototype of the Uzebox platform:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The basic Fuzebox kit (just the circuit board and parts) will run you $70 (USD), while a complete starter kit with a controller, power adapter and a custom enclosure for $100. You can get your hands on the kit along with schematics, programming instructions and some sample code over at Adafruit. A number of game examples and demos can be found on the Uzebox forums.

This groundbreaking technological term was first used in this epic commercial for the Playstation 3, in which the narrator – who is either Optimus Prime or a long-time smoker – asks us mere mortals, “With so much space on a single Blu-ray disc, the only thing you’ll need more of is time.” Damn straight. More time to work to earn the money to buy a PS3. More time to whine about the lack of PS2 backwards compatibility.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Remember also the narrator’s other wise words: “The Cell controls it all; not just one, but an entire fleet of enemies.” So if you’re having a hard time beating a game, go straight for the top of the chain. Destroy the Cell, and all your enemies will be gone. Do it! Before 50 sunflowers’ worth of enemy fleets attack you.

[via Newlaunches]

While the design hasn’t changed dramatically from the original renders, there have been some notable refinements. For starters, the keyboard has improved ergonomics, with rounded edges and better spacing between the keys. Power and volume controls have been moved to opposite ends of the console (presumably to decrease the likelihood of accidental power-offs). Another subtle change is the rounding of square corners on both the display and the case. And yes, the serif font on those keys is just a placeholder, and will probably change before the final production run.

And if you have any doubts that the Pandora is for real, here’s a recent video of a working prototype running Ångström Linux on its sharp 800 x 480 4.3″ LCD touchscreen.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

And here’s another more thorough walkthrough, with Pandora playing some game emulators:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Yeah, it’s all a bit clunky at this stage, but if you’re into game emulation and the homebrew scene, the Pandora is definitely one to watch. All signs point to a first half of 2009 release for the Pandora, but given some false starts back at the end of 2008, there isn’t an official launch date yet. More details can be found on the Pandora website.

[via Open Pandora]

Thankfully, placing this penguin on top of your television will not cause it to explode, but it will, let you play a table tennis video game using a wireless remote paddle controller. I probably don’t have to tell you this, but I’m pretty sure that you’re not going to get a Wii quality experience here. That said, if you’re too cheap to buy a modern console, or just enjoyed both Happy Feet and Balls of Fury (boy, does that sound strange), then this system is for you.

The console not only plays ping pong, but another 23 supposedly “16-bit” video games as well. I haven’t been able to scrounge up any pictures of the console itself, or screenshots any of the games the system plays, but the description sounds strikingly similar to this far less compelling non-penguin version I found over on eBay, which includes such wonderful sounding games as Agreesorunder, Bounce Wavebug, S-Move Space, Mag Fox and Survivor Tryst – which sounds alot like a reality TV show.

If you’re interested in checking one out, you can find these oddities over at Philippine electronics outlet Electrobrain Enterprises for $30 bills (USD).