The idea is that you are chasing Smithers and Mr. Burns to save Maggie as you battle through eight familiar Springfield locations. Are you guys going to buy this one? Let us know in the comments.

[via Major Nelson]

On the latest episode of The Ben Heck Show, the famous modder made a spring-loaded container for Hot Pockets that mounts onto the Charge-and-Play port of an Xbox 360 controller. You could do what he did in the beginning and just duct tape your food on your controller, but this ridiculous invention has one practical feature – its base can be raised so that you can still reach the food easily even as it decreases in height without taking your hands off of the controller.

Initially, Ben tried to make the base electrically-powered by using parts from a Charge-and-Play adapter. But the adapter didn’t provide enough power to do the job, so he settled with the spring-loaded mechanism instead. You can skip to about 13:00 in the video to see the final product:

Combine this with a beer hat and you’re good to go. Go be a personification of the perils of convenience.

[Ben Heck Show via Kotaku]

Available for both the PS3 and the Xbox 360, the controllers even come with two sets of D-Pads – one PS3-style and one Xbox 360-style – for further customization. Aside from the removable analog sticks and d-pads, the controller also has removable face plates on the top and the sides – expect a barrage of face plates with various themes and designs –  and a detachable cord. Yep, it’s wireless, but MLG probably insisted on that to reduce input lag. At least it’s detachable so it’s easy to transport.

The PS3 version of the Pro Circuit Controller also has a “Reverse Trigger Mode”, letting users swap the L1/R1 and L2/R2 buttons on the hardware itself. What I like most about this idea is that if one of the removable parts break, you don’t have to buy a brand new controller because Mad Catz will sell spare parts separately. I’m also intrigued by the possibility of having a right D-Pad instead of a right analog stick.

Head to Amazon or GameShark to order the Pro Circuit Controller for $99 (USD). No Wiimote included.

[Mad Catz via Dvice]

Apparently, the protest was over the fact that some workers on the line were being moved to other facilities. Reports say that about 45 workers voluntarily quit and were given salary and bonuses based on how long they were with the company.

Microsoft has noted that the production change that required 150 workers to be removed for the facility was due to regular production adjustments. I wonder if this is any sort of indication that a new Xbox might be coming soon and the move is to reduce inventories. Probably not, but you never know.

[via PCWorld]

The next installment in the series is coming before you know it and if you want the game, you can now pre-order Mass Effect 3 game from GameStop and get some cool extras. If you pre-order the game now you will get a special weapon called the N7 Valkyrie rifle and a special set of Defender Armor.

When you purchase the pre-order you will get a card with unlock codes for the hardware in the game. Buyers will also get the M55 Argus Assault Rifle. The game is up for pre-order on all platforms with pricing ranging from $59.99 to $79.99 depending on the edition of the game and platform. Mass Effect 3 hits stores on March 6th.

The update somehow prevents the affected gamers from being able to log into their Xbox Live Profiles, and presents them with error code 801540B7. Without being able to log into the profile, there is no going online to play games. There is also no accessing the content purchased online either.

The real suck is that while Microsoft has acknowledged the issue, they are saying the fix will come as soon as possible. That is industry speak for “we don’t know when.” With Christmas in a few days, there will likely be some users still unable to get online and play their new games. Bah, humbug!

[via Kotaku]

The mod was made by Spencer Shepard. Those of you who are ready to pounce on the comments section incensed at the waste of a good gaming console, take it easy. Shepard purchased a broken Xbox 360 for the mod, which he then gutted and fitted with a 6″ x 8″ x 2.5″ tank. He also used the console’s external power supply and power cable for the wiring of the color-changing LEDs inside the aquarium.

One clever trick he also did was to glue the live corals on a piece of acrylic instead of simply piling them up on the floor of the tank, which as you can see is quite narrow. With the aquarium complete, Shepard placed fish, crabs, snails and shrimp inside.

This was made by Spencer Shepard, and this is the best aquarium in the Citadel. Swim to Blue World Aquariums’ blog for more details on the mod.

[via TechCrunch via Nerd Approved]

With each controller, you get a pearl color finish with mist grey handles and crystal white glowing accents. The Xbox 360 version has vibration support, with “performance enhancing contours and design,” whatever that means. It also has rubber-grips with a soft-touch finish for that extra grip while using it.

Each will be sold in a limited edition of just 800 pieces, so if you want one, you can pre-order the TRON Siren controllers through PDP’s website, for $50(USD) each.

[via Ubergizmo]

They are just $10(USD) plus shipping each. Outfit one hand in PS3 controllers and one hand in XBox controllers if you can’t decide. They would make cute little gifts for your geek friends this Christmas too if you don’t want one for yourself.

[via Geek Crafts via Slashgear]

Good news for those of you who use your Xbox to watch Netflix. The latest version of Netflix is tucked away in the latest Xbox 360 dashboard update and it has some cool new features.


You’ll find a new user interface that allows for a more streamlined browsing experience and there are up to 3 times as many titles available on screen at once. Users also have access to audio and subtitle settings, ratings, episode selection, and related title suggestions.

There’s also support for voice and gesture control when using Xbox Kinect for browsing and playing, 720p HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The Netflix app will be automatically installed when you do the latest Xbox 360 Dashboard update. Netflix on Xbox 360 is now available in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. Of course, you need both an Xbox Live Gold and Netflix streaming account to take advantage of the updated app.

[via Netflix]

The car is a bright yellow Camaro with black stripes. The CD tray for the game discs slides out of the grill. The back window of the car is a little LCD so you can see menus and other things. Mark also customized the controllers with Autobot logos and custom yellow paint.

Unfortunately, there are no build photos that I can find on how he pulled this off. I want to know if the car still has the motors and batteries inside so it is still remote controlled. Probably not. What do you think, is this the coolest mod or what?

More photos here.

[via Major LeagueMods]

An unidentified woman wanted to get her hands on a discounted Xbox 360 so much, that she decided to dowse other shoppers in her way with pepper spray. Alejandra Seminario, another shopper who happened to witness the entire thing, said: “People started screaming, pulling and pushing each other, and then the whole area filled up with pepper spray. After we paid, we saw five that were in really bad shape. They had been sprayed in the face, it looked like, and they had swelling of the face, really extreme swelling of face, redness, coughing.”

The pepper spray dispersed through the air, causing minor discomfort and itching to the other shoppers who weren’t directly caught in the face by the deranged woman. The crazy thing is, she was able to pay for her purchases and leave the store before the police arrived.

The pepper-spraying shopper was described to be Hispanic in between 32 to 38 years of age. She was described as standing at 5-foot-3 and weighing 140 pounds. She was said to have been wearing black pants and a black sweater during the incident.

For the sake of many, I hope she eventually gets caught! Shame on you, you pepper-spraying shopper!

[via CNN via Dvice]

What I like about Joseph’s concept design is that it doesn’t seem so outlandish that it wouldn’t be possible. The Prestige would come in a case that inherits the clean black styling of the current Xbox 360 Slim, but curves out the edges, and puts it into a smaller package, with new and improved hardware under the hood.

As proposed, the Xbox Prestige would have no DVD or Blu-ray drive, instead, storing all content to the console’s ample 2TB hard drive, downloading it from the “cloud.” The Prestige would also connect wirelessly to your TV. In addition, the console would have a new device called KinectIN built into it, which would provide for gesture control of menus, as well as a scanner which can read your own personal “Xbox Card” to purchase games, manage profiles, etc.

The KinectIN wouldn’t be used for gameplay though – there would still be an external device simply called Kinect2, which would offer significantly higher image and motion sensitivity than the original Kinect, and would even capture video in Full HD 3D.

Joseph doesn’t really say anything about the other hardware improvements in his concept designs, though Yanko Design reports that it would have an 8-core CPU, “20x faster performance,” and support technologies including 3D, 4K2K, multiTV (DPConnect), and even have a GPS built into it, so you could know the location of other users on the Xbox Live network.

Buzzwords aside, I rather like how simple and clean the designs are. Chances are, Microsoft will go out on its own and do something completely different with its next-gen Xbox, but it’s always fun to see what comes from the imagination of fans too.

[via Yanko Design]

The high-end version, rumored to be called the “Xbox 720″ or codename “Loop” would be closer to what we have now, with a disk drive and a hard drive. It would also be backwards compatible with 360 games. There is speculation that it could have two separate graphics chips as well, but that may be wishful thinking.

These rumors make a lot of sense. Not everyone needs an Xbox for hardcore games. Chances are they would sell a ton of cheaper units, adding up to more sales overall.

[via SlashGear and Geeks Are Sexy]

One of the updates is just for the Xbox 360 owners that have a Kinect motion controller. With the Kinect installed and the new dashboard, the user can use their voice and gestures to navigate the console’s main menus. The update also brings with it voice search on Bing. There are also new social networking features as well. Facebook sharing is part of the update along with beacons. I have no idea what the beacons are though.

The Xbox will also gain access to Cloud Storage for game saves and your Live profile. That should mean no losing your saved games in the event your HDD takes a dump or you have to buy a new console. After the update, we should also expect a variety new apps for television, video, music, and more.

[via Major Nelson]

It used to be that when your 360 died of the old RRoD, you’d either toss it out in the alley, or attempt a replacement (with another refurbished console – good luck) from Microsoft support. But one thing I never thought about was just giving my dearly departed console a proper burial and just moving on. Turns out that there is actually an Xbox 360 RRoD coffin for putting your dead 360 in the ground.

Created by Australian designer Alexis Vanamois, this RRoD casket has the perfect cutout compartments for your deceased original Xbox 360, along with a separate space for its controller. It’s not like the controllers die that easily though, but you wouldn’t want your old console pal to be lonely when its six-feet-under, right?

I especially like the red ring detail on the front – though it doesn’t blink like the actual console does when it croaks. Guess the LEDs would run out of battery after a couple of days underground anyhow.

While the idea of burying your dead electronics may seem a little weird and macabre, we have become so attached to our gadgets that I wouldn’t be surprised to start seeing more and more people being buried with their favorite gizmos.

[PC World via Walyou via Geekologie]

Thanks to a new device called the Wasabi 360 Ultra, you’ll be able to load ISOs of your Xbox 360 or Xbox 1 games directly onto any ESATA hard drive, and boot and run the games as if you had the original DVD in the tray. The Wasabi 360 attaches to your console – connecting between the motherboard and the DVD drive. Installation is solderless, but does require that you crack open your Xbox 360, and make some minor modifications to its metal shielding to allow cables to pass through.

Since the Wasabi 360 uses an ESATA interface instead of USB, it’s smokin’ fast. Games are loaded from inside the Xbox 360 Dashboard GUI, letting you quickly and easily jump between games without getting up from the couch. It even supports multi-disc games.

Here’s a demo of the Wasabi loading up CoD: Black Ops, and then Driver: San Francisco without so much as a disc in sight.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Clearly games load way faster from the Wasabi-enabled hard drive than from DVD, and not having to deal with scratched discs and “dirty disc error” messages ever again has appeal. The Wasabi guys also plan on adding the ability to rip ISOs directly to the hard drive in a future upgrade, but for now you’ll need to burn ISOs using your PC.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that Microsoft will assume that the primary use for the Wasabi will be for game piracy – while I personally think it would be a great add-on for legitimate game owners too. I’m hopeful that Microsoft won’t stand in the way of this nifty console enhancement and potentially ban its users from Xbox Live. Perhaps someday Microsoft themselves will offer the ability for you to load your entire games directly to the hard drive, and just limit piracy by not allowing multiple copies of the same serial number to be installed on multiple consoles instead of forcing you to still insert the DVD every time like they do today.

The Wasabi 360 Ultra sells for $99.95 (USD) and is available for pre-order in both Xbox 360 Slim and Fat versions over at ConsoleSource.

While not as drastic or complex as the Cthulhutastic N-Control Avenger mod, KontrolFreek swears that their clip-on kits do have significant benefits. The one that increases length is called the FPS Freek. I don’t have exact measurements but judging from the pictures I think it almost doubles the length of the thumbsticks. The increased length offers a greater range of motion – and in effect a slight increase in sensitivity. The SpeedFreek, on the other hand ensures that your thumb won’t slip off of the stick, even if you have sweaty thumbs or if you quickly nudge or hold the sticks towards the edges.

KontrolFreek has variations of these two mods, but they all work the same. The notable exception is the SpeedFreak Apex (the black SpeedFreak below) although the normal SpeedFreak shown here in white also comes in black). It’s the combination of both mods, adding both height and horns.

You can order the KontrolFreek clip-on mods from Firebox for £12 (~$19 USD) each or directly from KontrolFreek, where you can browse all of the models. Prices range from $10 to $14 on the official store, but only because they’re on sale as of this writing, so now’s the time to get hats for your thumbsticks if you’re interested.

[via Coolest Gadgets]

The table above is from Wikipedia, and it tracks all six retail editions of the soon to be released Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. There’s the Standard Edition, the Animus Edition, the Collector’s Edition, the Special Edition, the Signature Edition and the Ultimate Bundle.  But no single bundle has all of the bonus items. For clarity’s sake I’ve revised this post and am only now showing the two most complete editions.

If you want to get all of the physical bonuses, you get the Ultimate Bundle. If you want the in-game bonuses you spring for the limited Animus Edition. If you want both right away? Buy both.

You can pre-order the Standard Edition of Assassin’s Creed at Amazon, the Collector’s Edition from Amazon UK, the Special Edition from Gamestation and the Signature Edition and Ultimate Bundle from Gamestop US. I also saw a PS3 version of the Animus Edition at eCrater for $500 (USD), an Xbox 360 version at the UK Ubi Shop going for £68 (approx. $109 (USD)) and a PC version at Gamestop UK going for £60 (approx. $60). Whew.

But if I were you guys I’d choose between the standard edition and the Ultimate Bundle. We have to put a stop to in-game pre-order exclusives.

[via Wikipedia via Reddit]

I can easily see Sony taking the lead thanks to strong titles like Uncharted 3, and free online play alone. They have some great momentum going. I think they have it made as long as they don’t do something to screw it up.

[MCV via Kotaku]