Nintendo's Game Boy has been honored once again. This time, the handheld that changed the gaming industry is being inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, the Strong National Toy Museum announced on Thursday.
Congratulations, Game Boy!
(Credit: Nintendo)The Game Boy beat out several finalists, including Cabbage Patch Kids, playing cards, Rubik's Cube, and sidewalk chalk. It must have been a tough battle to beat sidewalk chalk. But beat it, the Game Boy did.
The Strong National Toy Museum, located in Rochester, N.Y., said it felt compelled to induct the Game Boy into the Hall of Fame because "of its role as a major industry innovator." But it didn't stop there. The organization said the platform "did more to put gamers on the go than this invention.
"Over the past two decades, Game Boy has become synonymous with handheld gaming fun," the organization said in a statement. "Its portability and efficient design, ability to allow simultaneous multiplayer gaming, and scores of intriguing games make it a true innovator."
But Game Boy wasn't alone in receiving the honor. Motorized toy Big Wheel also joined the list. But it was the third honoree the organization threw in that some might get a kick out of: the ball (see what I did there?). Yes, the ball also made the list because, as the organization pointed out, "roll it, throw it, kick it, catch it, bounce it, or bat at it, the ball is as old as civilization itself."
The Game Boy joins the Atari 2600 as the only other gaming platform to enter the National Toy Hall of Fame.
Congratulations, Game Boy. You deserve it. You too, ball.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
When the Nintendo DSi was first announced, flaunting, among other things, an ability to download games directly from Nintendo to system memory or an SD card, our minds leaped to visions of a portable Virtual Console on the Nintendo handheld.
It would be a museum of Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, to be chosen from the hundreds of thousands of titles dating back to 1989. Much like the Wii's Virtual Console, it would be a mix of greatest hits and the obscure. Best of all, it could be affordable.
Unfortunately and quizzically, Nintendo still hasn't launched a Game Boy Virtual Console. We have no idea why, honestly: Nintendo handhelds have been locked out of playing classic Game Boy titles for years, and some of them are truly worth revisiting.
Also, let's not forget the size of these games. Since Game Boy and Game Boy Color game cartridges could only hold a small amount of information (by today's standards), downloading these games to your DSi's SD card or internal storage would be ideal.
We went back in time and plucked a short list that should serve Nintendo well. Check out our picks for the portable Virtual Console To Be (hopefully).
Note: we didn't even dare to dream about Nintendo offering up Lynx, Game Gear, and Turbografx titles for the DS--that's another fantasy altogether.
Digital City No. 41: Apple's falling market share vs. the Game Boy Micro vs. the death of gaming PCs
Episode 41 of the Digital City, where we discuss Apple's falling market share, Scott's love affair with the Game Boy Micro, and whether Alienware's $5K laptop means the death of gaming PCs.
Related links:
>>Alienware M17x the fastest gaming laptop ever, but do we still need big PC gaming rigs?
>>Apple drops to No. 5 in laptop sales--are cheaper MacBooks the answer?
>>Retro Gadget: An ode to my Game Boy Micro
>>Watch the Digital City live every Friday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
Listen now: Download the audio version of today's podcast
Game Boy Micro, a perfect retro toy.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Oh, GBM, you've been hiding. In a plastic drawer, under some socks and a 60GB iPod, you lay upside down next to your coiled-up charger. I admit I've ignored you in recent years, what with the Nintendo DS Lite and iPhone (and sometimes PSP) vying for my mobile attention. Your little plastic case, and the Game Boy Advance cartridges you played, were overlooked.
Recently, though, I pulled you out again. It all happened because the Nintendo DSi, while an excellent handheld, cannot play GBA cartridges anymore. To play Super Mario Bros. 3, I needed your services. Removing you from the gear drawer, I was impressed that you still seemed small. Smaller, in fact, than any of my other gadgets, except for the iPod Shuffle. You make the iPhone seem bulky. While your screen is miniature, it still looks bright and crisp compared with any other handheld screen. Even more amazingly, the battery still worked when I turned you on. I can't even recall another gadget whose battery has lasted that long in disuse.
The Game Boy Micro was Nintendo's attempt at a Game Boy swan song. ... Read more
(Credit:
PediSedate)
Sometimes we hear about gadgets that are made for good but could definitely be used for evil. Take the PediSedate, a combo gaming device and sedation machine.
It's essentially a Game Boy system modified to distract kids ages 3 to 9 with Tetris or something while they're pumped full of nitrous oxide to knock them unconscious for dental surgery. Sounds evil, even though it's intended to make things easier on the kid.
But that's not all it does. The colorful headset includes systems to monitor the patient, such as a pulse-oximeter to slightly adjust the flow of gas in real time, meaning it's safer for the kid than just raw gas.
Boston-area anesthesiologist Dr. Geoffrey Hart, the company's founder, received grants totaling $1.8 million from the NIH and the Albert Einstein Society to make his vision into a product. New England product design company Design Continuum delivered prototypes.
No word whether a DSi version might be in the works to update the idea, but we wouldn't doubt it. The PediSedate is not exactly brand new, but we've apparently been anesthetized, so we're wondering if any of our readers have ever come across one.
(Via OhGizmo)
The greatest game in a decade?
(Credit: Nintendo)I have little doubt that at least some Nintendo fans have read that headline and are preparing to unleash comments in support of the Zelda franchise. But before that happens, hear me out.
I'll be the first to admit that I am, quite simply, one of the biggest Zelda fans around. I own the Ocarina of Time soundtrack (the songs are on my iPod), have played every Zelda game since the beginning, and firmly believe that it's the greatest work from Shigeru Miyamoto (yes, I believe it's a better franchise than Mario).
And perhaps that's why I have such strong feelings about the Zelda franchise and where it's headed as of late. See, I've been wanting to write this column for quite some time, but I decided that before I would, I should go back and play every Zelda game to its completion to ensure that my contention--that the franchise has lost its way--is strong.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, I believe it is.
I don't expect every Nintendo fan to agree, and I'm sure some Zelda fans are already upset with what I'm saying. But I'm hoping that you will see this for what it really is: a Zelda lover's hope for the future.
... Read moreDon Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
The Nintendo DS series has become the fastest-selling home game console ever, Nintendo claims. Unit sales reached 100 million as of March 6, 2009, just four years and three months since its release on November 21, 2004.
Nintendo's original portable game console, the Game Boy, took 11 years and two months to achieve 100 million sales, according to the company.
I'm sure that the recent decision by the Board of Education in Osaka, Japan, to distribute Nintendo DS systems to 10 elementary and junior-high schools in the region will only help the numbers grow in Japan. Those systems contain educational applications and are subsidized by the government. They are rented to the schools rather than sold--which means that parents can buy kids their very own, when the time comes--seeding the next generation of addicts.
Check out CNET's coverage of the Nintendo DSi, coming to the United States in April.
You can follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom
With estimated unit sales approaching 100 million worldwide, Nintendo has proven itself time and time again as the industry ruler of the portable console market. With the DSi--the second refresh of the Nintendo DS--we're starting to see the company move in an evolutionary direction with its flagship handheld.
The DSi takes with it most of the features the DS Lite had to offer, but adds new multimedia capabilities. The DSi has been on sale in Japan since November 1 of last year and has already sold well over an astonishing 1 million units. Now that Nintendo has announced that the DSi will go on sale April 5 in North America, it certainly leaves everyone asking one big question, "Should I buy one?"
First, let's look at what exactly separates the new DSi from the DS Lite. In terms of actual form-factor, the difference between the two portables is negligible. The DSi is slightly slimmer, but you're not going to see the massive change in size like we saw when Nintendo upgraded the original DS to the DS Lite. What you may notice is that both screens are a quarter of an inch larger. The DSi hardware also actually eliminates the Game Boy Advance slot found on the Lite, so you won't be able to play older Game Boy Advance games or DS titles that make use of the port, such as "Guitar Hero: On Tour."
... Read more
On Sale Now: $169.00 - $169.99
View the latest prices for Nintendo DSi (black)
On Sale Now: $169.00 - $169.99
View the latest prices for Nintendo DSi (blue)
Revolving dork (no really--revolving dork) Chris Maguire harbors such an intense love for the original Super Mario Land and his Asus Eee PC that he did what any of us would do: he laser-etched the entire game (as it appeared on the original Game Boy) onto the lid of the Netbook!
We're not sure what safety precautions Mr. Maguire took before the surgery to ensure the safety of the Eee PC, but the end result is flawless. The laser cutter, courtesy of NYC Resistor in Brooklyn, rigged up the final artwork to show all the levels cascading on top of each other in several layers.
Chris provides the Mario Land etching pattern here, but recommends you try to make one yourself and set the laser in "raster mode at 70 percent speed and 40 percent power to achieve this look."
More pictures of Chris's masterpiece after the break.
... Read more
The Kensington USB Power Tip is an ideal accessory for any PSP
(Credit: CNET Networks)One of the advertised improvements of the new PSP Slim was the fact that it could be recharged via its USB port. And while that may not sound like a major feature, for anyone who's ever traveled with a tangle of three, four, or even more AC adapters (laptop, phone, iPod, BlackBerry, ...), it was certainly an attractive idea. Unfortunately, it didn't quite deliver. Yes, the new PSP can be charged via its topside USB port, but the caveats involved make it more trouble than it's worth: the USB charging is almost twice as slow, only works when the PSP is powered on and in a dedicated USB charge mode, and it needs a PC as a source--it won't charge from a standalone AC-to-USB adapter. Thankfully, a handy accessory from Kensington provides a much better USB charging solution--and it works with both newer PSPs and the original models.
... Read moreOn Sale Now: $1.49 - $15.08
View the latest prices for Kensington USB Power Tips for Nintendo GameBoy and Sony PSP
