Games and gear

You might already be familiar with the Nerf PS2 controller, a foam-covered wireless game pad that can survive the angry throws of frustrated gamers. Now Nerf is getting into the Wii accessory game, and televisions everywhere might be a little bit safer for it.

Performance Designed Products, the gaming accessory company that developed the Nerf PS2 controller, recently showed off the Nerf Sports Pack for Nintendo Wii at Toy Fair New York 2007. The Nerf Sports Pack includes a Nerf foam sleeve for the Wii remote and three Nerf sports attachments--a foam golf club, baseball bat, and tennis racket. It'… Read more

Considering the medieval-fantasy appearance of much of the World of Warcraft universe, I suppose it's not that surprising that WoW-obsessed high school students would start using the game to enhance their English and history class projects. And here we have it: some kid actually put the game to good use and turned it into a machinima platform for a re-enactment of the Pardoner's Tale from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.

If you consider medieval humor to be unspeakably vulgar, well, then, ye be warned. And if old English literature isn't your preferred form of game video, you … Read more

If you happen to be visiting Japan this spring, you may see some unusually long lines outside stores on April 26. That's when Nintendo is planning to debut a DS Lite special edition to coincide with the release of the anticipated Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, according to Plastic Bamboo. The special DS will initially be sold as a limited-edition bundle with the role-playing game, but it's unclear whether the laser-etched device will be available on its own later on. Either way, you can expect to see the usual sequence of events: the rush of fanboys, Flickr photos … Read more

We've already reported this week on Nvidia's issues with its GeForce 8800 cards and their lack of fully cooked Windows Vista driver software. Yup, it's a bummer. The good news is, you can help. Last night, Nvidia introduced a Vista Quality Assurance Page, which lets you, the GeForce-owning, Windows-Vista-running public, report your bugs directly to Nvidia. The page asks for reports on issues with Vista and any GeForce card, so just because you don't have a newer Nvidia card doesn't mean you're off the hook. But let's keep this on topic, folks. If … Read more

I have no idea how they did it, but Make Mine Marvel managed to get the first photo of the Mr. Potato Head Spider Spud.

The Hasbro toy company, which owns Marvel, has been keeping a tight wrap on the item, but did announce this morning that the $10 Mr. Potato Head Spider Spud will be available March 24. It will contain 12 body parts, including webs, a Spidey leotard and parts for changing back into "Peter Parker Potato."

The toy is to be revealed at the American International Toy Fair in New York City next week.

The … Read more

Coolest Gadgets has posted another gadget for making things easier when the lights go out.

The Blackout Buddy for $30 from Ambient Weather is an AM/FM radio and LED light with clock that comes on when everything else goes out.

Like the lava lamp night-light, you keep it plugged into an electrical socket to stay charged. It then automatically comes on when the electricity turns off.

The Blackout Buddy can also be used as an alarm clock, and even has a headphone jack.

Personally, I like getting stuck using candles for an evening. But if you prefer flashlights over … Read more

This is a fake gadget. Of course it is; after all, these days it seems like the top trend in gadget rumormonging is to tack a cell phone feature onto some other device and say it's "in the works." There was the iPhone, which turned out to be real, and the Zune Phone, which looks like it will turn out to be real. Now here's a Photoshopped "Wii Phone," as seen on Gizmodo, which is certainly not real. Yes, Gizmodo has reported that Nintendo does have a patent for a gaming phone, but I'… Read more

This isn't new, but considering the recent string of Pac-Man videos that have been appearing on Crave recently, I thought I'd add this clip of a chimp playing Pac-Man to the mix. (I found it over at Table of Malcontents.)

Our co-Craver Tim Moynihan might've directed a short film about a guy in a Pac-Man suit, but I'm pretty sure this chimp would kick his butt at the game himself.

In case you don't know yet, Wii workouts are the hottest fitness strategy since...Dance Dance Revolution. And, naturally, there are a whole host of entrepreneurs trying to capitalize on the possibility that Wii "athletes" might be willing to shell out some extra cash for Wii-centric fitness equipment.

One blogger even dreamed up a prototype for Wii Weights, a Wii-branded version of those strap-on wrist weights that you occasionally see people using at the gym. The thinking behind 'em is that it'll make your Wii Tennis workout a little more strenuous, and maybe help you lose … Read more