Crave

Why is Luigi the queen and not Princess Peach?

(Credit: Think Geek)

I've seen more than a few licensed-character editions of chess, but I have to admit, this one is kinda cute.

This chess set, available for $39.99 from Think Geek, features 32 hand-painted characters from the Super Mario Bros. series of video games, with the villains on one side and our heroes on the other.

I don't know that I would get this--not because I don't like it, but because I totally suck at chess. My strategy would consist of jumping the Mario piece around the board, shouting "It's-a meeee, Mario!"

Yeah. Viswanathan Anand really has nothing to worry about.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo has officially announced that the price of the Wii will drop to $199.99, effective on Sunday. The long-rumored $50 price cut comes in the wake of recent price drops for the PlayStation 3 ($299, with built-in Blu-ray player) and Xbox 360 ($299 for the 120GB version with built-in DVD player and Netflix support), which have boosted sales of the Sony and Microsoft consoles. (To date, the Wii remains the best-selling home game console of the three.)

Other than the price cut, there are no other changes to the current Wii bundle--you're still getting the console, along with the Wiimote and Nunchuk controllers and the bundled Wii Sports game. By contrast, there's at least one rumor that the U.K. will get a Wii package that adds the MotionPlus peripheral and Wii Sports Resort to the mix. Meanwhile, white remains the only color choice in North America (Japanese consumers can choose black as well).

Nintendo also took the opportunity to officially announce the release date for New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which had previously been slated for a vague "fall 2009" window. The multiplayer Super Mario game will hit store shelves on November 15.

So, what do you guys think? Does the price drop make the Wii more attractive? Would you prefer a more enticing bundle? Or are you holding out for the Wii HD? Share your comments below.

SACD and DVD-A: A feast for your ears when you hear them over Oppo's stellar BDP-83.

Oppo's new BDP-83 player spins just about every type of "silver" disc under the sun: CD, SACD, DVD-Audio, DVD-Video and Blu-ray. Cool!

I brought a stack of SACDs and DVD-A discs to the CNET listening room to check out the BDP-83 with our Denon AVR-3808CI receiver and Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD 5.1 speaker/subwoofer system. I'll cover the high-resolution audio performance of the Oppo here, read Matthew Moskovciak's full CNET review for the rest of the story.

"The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East," recorded on March 12 and 13, 1971, was a trip. Sure, the original mix was stereo, but I loved the way the SACD's 5.1 mix opened up and clarified the sound, especially the band's two drummers, Jai Johanny Johanson and Butch Trucks. The entire rhythm section's dynamics and pulse came alive on SACD, it's more in the background on CD.

Oppo BDP-83 photos

On one hand the 5.1 mix is fairly subtle, but the sound's open quality and spaciousness was remarkable. The sense of being in the 2,000 seat concert hall was a thrill that you can't get with stereo. And no, you can't get there by playing stereo in Dolby Pro Logic II, a discrete 5.1 channel mix, if it's any good, will always sound better.

Led Zeppelin's "How the West Was Won" double DVD-A set was very different. How? The band's dynamic energy was even more present and the front three speakers soundstage depth and dimensionality were better than the Allman Brothers' disc. Too bad the bass was thicker and muddier, which was probably the way it sounded at the 1972 Zep shows. I didn't like the surround mix much, mostly because I couldn't understand why Jimmy Page's guitar was sometimes coming out of the surround speakers. Strange. But it's still the best sounding Zeppelin disc I own.

In anticipation of the July 4th weekend, we're coming to you a bit early this week. Topics include the late Billy Mays, Joey's theory on how to fix Madden, and why your Windows 7 beta is about to self-destruct.

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>>Is The Conduit the Wii's best shooter?
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(Credit: Brother)

Seamstresses may find themselves out of job soon if Brother continues to develop sewing machines like the Innov-is 6000D. This multitalented gadget commemorates the Japanese company's 100th anniversary, and is probably what clothes makers and fashion designers dream of at night.

The Innov-is 6000D can not only sew, it is also capable of embroidery, quilting, and crafting. But what really sets this machine apart from its competitors are the advanced technologies that aid users in operating it.

(Credit: Brother)

The Innov-is 6000D has three USB 2.0 ports to attach compatible peripherals (such as a computer mouse, which we will touch on later) or to plug a USB stick in to transfer downloaded stitching patterns or upgrade the firmware. It also has an 8.5-inch touch-screen LCD where the menu can be navigated by using a mouse.

There is a camera built-in near the needle which gives you a closeup look at the stitches on the screen if you need to reposition or make amendments to the work piece. Brother has also incorporated a row of LEDs below the sewing arm to illuminate the work space and to facilitate the view for the camera.

Justin Yu returns to the show from his sojourn to Boston, but he comes back with some monster grandma glasses from the '60s and a $40 check from Airborne. The 404 makes history by finally making it onto Urban Dictionary, with a word we still cannot write officially on CNET.

Really. Those glasses man?

(Credit: Wilson G. Tang/CNET)

While listening to NPR, Wilson rediscovered the good ole days of car stereos. Not the fancy built-in ones that come with your shiny new Toyota Camry, but the $400 dollar stereos that you put into your '88 Chevy Nova with the flip-down faceplate. Remember when you couldn't turn on your car with your stereo on at the same time without burning out your batteries? Well, apparently, the theft of car stereos has gone way down thanks to built-in iPod connectors and proprietary dashboards.

Also on today's show, we chime in on Facebook's new redesign of their redesign. It's not really that bad. One of the Jonas Brothers makes a racial slur that all of Hollywood seems to be embracing. It's not funny, y'all! We wonder how many trees had to die for you to get a phone book that you'll never use. It's called Google, people. Finally, leaving your computer on at work apparently costs companies $2.8 BILLION dollars a year, but damn, we hate waiting 10 minutes for our computers to restart. Not to mention the time it wastes to turn off the 20 spyware programs and relaunch your IM clients, browsers, iTunes, and Microsoft Office just to get started on the work day.

All that and more on today's show. Plus, an obligatory poop joke. We need callbacks! Leave a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638).

Check out exclusive SXSW interviews with The Decemberists, The Avett Brothers, Drew Andrews, Miranda Lee Richards, Honey Claws, and the founder of I Can Has Cheeseburger, Ben Huh! I also met up with Vetiver, Meiko, and An Horse--so stay tuned to the page below for those interviews. My favorite shows (besides the artists above) with were Handsome Furs, Dirty Projectors, Michna, These Are Powers and Loney Dear. One observation about Austin is that everyone in Austin must listen to the same cool radio station because everywhere you go (at restaurants, hotels, in cabs, etc.) you hear indie music ringing throughout the airwaves. You know it's hip town when you hear Fleet Foxes in the elevator. Oh and everyone, young and old, is in a band.

Exclusive Last.fm interviews

SXSW photo gallery

This time of year there's no shortage of lists, everywhere you turn you're hammered with Top Ten and Best of 2008 harangues.

Me, I'm not going to waste your time raving about Portishead, TV on the Radio or Vampire Weekend's CDs. Why bother? I'd rather turn you onto great music that slipped between the cracks.

My favorite album of the year was JD Souther's "If The World Was You." JD was most famous for co-writing a bunch of 1970s era Eagles tunes, but this new CD demonstrates the Detroit-born, Amarillo, Texas-raised musician hasn't dried up in the intervening decades.

The new CD, recorded live in a Nashville studio, has a dark, brooding sound. JD's accompanying musicians are serious players. But it's the writing that kept this disc in heavy rotation in my house. There's a bit of the late, great Warren Zevon influence in there, so if you're a fan of 1970s Southern California rock If the World Was You would definitely be worth a listen. It's at least as good as Randy Newman's excellent "Harps and Angels" CD that was also released this year.

A friend turned me onto Lizz Wright's "The Orchard" CD and I couldn't get over her straight from the heart vocals. This woman can sing, this kind of depth of feeling is rare nowadays, but Wright comes from a different tradition.

When Apple finally announced the App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch, the door was opened to many possibilities. With its huge library of applications, the one thing that seemed to be missing was a World War II shooter. I'm sure many keen minds tried to bring a real game experience to this portable device, but a good control scheme is essential for a real gaming feel. Because of its lack of buttons, this posed a problem until now. On December 2, Gameloft's Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes landed in Apple's App Store.

This is the first WWII shooter to debut in the App Store; it also captures all the action from the Brother in Arms franchise and brings it to your iPhone.

• 13 missions in across 3 historical campaigns: Normandy, Ardennes & Tunisia
• Impressive 3D graphics and crisp clear audio
• The capability to command Jeeps and Sherman tanks to help advance the Allied forces across the battlefield
• A wide range of weapons at your side (bazooka, sniper rifle, machine guns, and so on)
• Use of the iPhone's accelerometer controls to launch grenades and the touch screen to aim at and shoot enemies

This game (check out the video below) will definitely make your morning commute seem a lot quicker.