The set comes with a pair of wired remote controls, and wheeled versions of Sonic and Tails to race around the 4-foot oval loop track. The guys over at Sonic fanblog Emerald Coast got their hands on a set, and weren’t that thrilled with how frequently Sonic goes flying off the rails though. Somehow Tails manages to stay on the track better. Go figure. I blame Dr. Robotnik.

The Super Sonic Racing System is available from UK retailer Play.com for £8.99 (appx. $15 USD). Frankly, I think this would have been way cooler if it had some crazy loops and corkscrews on the track. Oh well, what do you want for $15 bucks?

[via Nerd Approved]

Freetron’s FunPlay 20-in-1 not only can be connected to your television, but since it runs on 3-AAA batteries can be played on the road with portable DVD players (as long as they have a video input). The battery-operated circuit also makes this a perfect candidate for portable game system hackers – although the built-in 16-bit Genesis/Mega Drive emulator is limited to the 20 included games as far as I can tell.

Here’s a full list of included games: Sonic Blast, Sonic Chaos, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic Spinball, Sonic Triple Trouble, Alex Kidd High Tech World, Alex Kidd The Lost Stars, Altered Beast, Astro Warrior, Bomber Raid, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Ecco The Tides of Time, Fantasy Zone, Golden Axe, Penguin Land, Psycho Fox, Quartet, Ristar, and Super Columns.

You can grab one of these over at DealExtreme for just under $15 (USD). With 20 fully licensed SEGA games for that price, this thing looks like a pretty great deal. I think I paid $159 bucks for my original Genesis, and that was before I bought a single game.

Of course, if you don’t need to take it on the road, and you’ve got a PS3 or Xbox 360, you owe it to yourself to check out Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection instead – which includes twice as many games for just $28 (USD).

Yep, there’s just something about those tiny, efficient vehicles that–no, you know what? There’s no reason to associate this Smart car with Sonic the Hedgehog other than the fact that the car has a Sonic wrap.

But maybe that’s the genius of Sega of France at work. Pair two seemingly unrelated things until we’re all talking about Sonic Unleashed. Damn! It’s working.

[Sonic City via Joystiq]

Run down in the prime of his life, it’s unknown why Sonic was wandering around this parking lot in the North of England. Police report a that a number of golden rings were found scattered across the parking lot, fueling speculation that foul play was involved. The driver of the Opel Corsa couldn’t be located after the accident, but a rotund, egg-shaped man was seen fleeing from the scene carrying a briefcase full of emeralds.

[via UK Resistance]

This bag, available from fadingendlessly’s Etsy storefront, is made from retro Sonic fabric circa 1994 and sells for $25, which is not a bad price, unless you can a) sew and b) pop into your time machine and get some of this material for yourself. Not a Sonic fan? You might want to check out some of the other bags available, like this Star Wars bag.

Same price, more Imperial majesty. How could you go wrong?

[fadingendlessly at Etsy]

Crafter BeBeBunBunBits (nope, I didn’t make that up) made these whimsical hats based on Sonic the Hedgehog and his video game pals, Tails and Amy Rose. But for some reason, Dr. Robotnik didn’t make it into the collection.

Each hat was handmade from colorful fleece, with gigantic googly machine-embroidered eyeballs.

You can find all three hats over at BeBeBunBunBits’s Etsy shop for about $25 each.

Sure, I might have found these hats a couple of days late for trick-or-treating, but you could still could draw plenty of stares walking into the office next week wearing one of these on your head. Me, I’m sticking with my Pac-Man headgear for now.

Here are some videos of my favorite game tributes so far:

You’ve gotta love Little Big Pac-Man (wokka-wokka-wokka):

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Even I could build square blocks with the level creation tools, but this Tetris level takes block-building it to the next level.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This Dig-Dug level still needs a little work, but I just couldn’t leave Fygar and Pooka off the list:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This Sonic The Hedgehog Green Hill Zone level really blew my mind. It’s even got the original game music and a Dr. Robotnik boss battle.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Of course, what retro game collection would be complete without Space Invaders?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I’m just waiting for someone to figure out how to do Battlezone, Tempest or Pole Position, and I’ll be truly impressed.

I mean, even though the elusive gold rings Sonic loves to collect have been thoughtfully included here doesn’t mean I’ve lost my focus. Although I think I can hear the happy chimes of jumping and collecting them right now… good times.

Is your obsession diluted when you have two things to obsess about? Does it count as an obsessions if it’s more than one thing? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Purchase this piece and see other fun things at the geekchicboutique shop.

In keeping with Apple’s DRM (Drinker’s Rights Management) policies, the iDrink opener will only open bottles which have been purchased from the iDrink store (99 cents each). In addition, the opener features a built-in battery pack that can only be changed by the manufacturer.

While Sonic hasn’t officially revealed whether or not they plan to sell these, I have it on good authority that they will initially sell for $5.99, then drop in price by $2.00 about 2 months after release.

[via Core77]

Not only are the load times terrible, the shear quantity of load screens that occur to complete even a simple task are ridiculous. What the hell was Sega thinking releasing a game in this condition?

[via MaxConsole]

Available for pre-order now from Target, the $49.99 Coleco Sonic handheld features 20 classic SEGA titles from the old 8-bit and Game Gear era, including:

With the Coleco/SEGA branding weirdness going on, I find it especially ironic that the most comprehensive details can be found in the AtariAge forums.

[via Joystiq]

[UPDATE: The same handheld can also be found under the "PlayPal" brand name in Canada, and looks like it can be played as either a portable or connected to your TV]

The disc will include 30 titles from the Genesis system including classics such as Altered Beast, Sonic The Hedgehog, Shinobi III, Phantasy Star and Golden Axe. As is typical with compilations, they’re not all classics, but this definitely could give me one more reason to pick up my PSP, currently sitting in a drawer somewhere. Some sort of (unknown) wireless support is planned for the PSP version as well.

The compilation also features unlockables, such as interviews with Genesis developers, a game museum and a collection of hints and tips.

• Sonic The Hedgehog
  Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 (Late ‘06)
• A New Sonic Adventure (title TBD)
  Nintendo Wii (Early ‘07)
• Sonic Rivals
  Sony PSP (Fall ‘06)
• Special Edition of Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis
  Gameboy Advance (Nov ‘06)

According to Sega:

“Fans will be treated throughout the year to special 15th anniversary events, culminating with the release of three original Sonic adventures shipping later this year, as well as the original Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis for the Game Boy Advance. Sonic will make his first appearance on next-gen consoles with the dynamic new adventure Sonic The Hedgehog for the PlayStation(R)3 and Xbox 360(TM) this fall. Sonic The Hedgehog melds top-tier production values with next-gen art, physics, and game design to create the fastest and most intense Sonic experience yet. Featuring brand new interactive 3D environments, Sonic gameplay is taken to a whole new level with a large cast of new and returning characters, and a blistering sense of speed. Sonic will also debut this fall on the PSP(R) with Sonic Rivals, a one-on-one racing platformer that also features Knuckles amongst other rivals combining classic 2D gameplay with 3D worlds. Available in 2007, a new Sonic adventure is also in development for the Wii(TM) console, combining Sonic’s high velocity with the unique Wii controller and a colorful retelling of the classic tale Arabian Nights.”

Can you believe it’s been 15 years since the first Sonic game? Boy I feel old.