The Toyota Prius isn't the kind of car you'd expect Top Gear's Stig to drive.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)
The Prius takes to the air.
(Credit: Top Gear)In an amusing little photo gallery over at the Top Gear site, the Stig, the famed tame racing driver, gets the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius off the ground. The feature promises a lot at the beginning (just like we are doing here), but proceeds with a fairly standard test between the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, mostly comparing them on fuel economy and drivability through London and at the Millbrook test track.
But they eventually come to the good stuff, describing what happens when Stiggy starts doing laps in the Prius and the Insight. Top Gear even reaches a verdict about which is the best car, although it's based entirely on fuel economy, unlike our more encompassing Prizefight between these two hybrids. Which explains why we reached a different conclusion.
But enough spoilers, check out Stigs might fly.
(Credit:
Philips)
Philips has introduced its new flagship portable video player called the GoGear Muse. At first glance, it's easy to confuse the Muse with the strikingly similar but cheaper GoGear Aria.
Replacing the Opus as the flagship model, the Muse offers a slightly bigger screen (3-inch vs. the 2.8-inch on the Opus). File support has gotten a boost with the inclusion of BMP, GIF, PNG, Ogg Vorbis, APE, Real Video, and Real Audio formats. Unlike the Opus, the Muse is bundled with a pair of in-ear headphones that offer active noise cancelling.
Physically, the Muse is slightly smaller than the Opus and has a slightly shorter battery life. Philips claims the Muse is capable of up to 25 hours of audio playback or 5 hours with video. Other specifications remain similar, with a 20-station preset FM tuner. It also features Philips' proprietary FullSound for CD-quality enhancement of digitally compressed tracks.
This new player goes for $233.55 and is currently in major electronic stores in Singapore, but U.S. availability has not yet been announced.
(Source: Crave Asia)
Choose from five DigiDudes: Pinky Scorsese, Snot Buster, 1iChomp, BoltBot, and G-bling-Money-Son. 'Sup cuz?
(Credit: Quirky)
(Credit:
Quirky)
I'm a photographer. As a photographer I've owned a number of tripods and keep a mini tripod in my camera bag at all times. None of them, however, have ever qualified as "cute." These tripods, though, are exactly that.
Meet the DigiDudes. The portable camera tripod/keychain combos are little monsters most of the time, but when they need to do some work you twist off their heads and pull down their retractable legs and they're suddenly tripods. They have a standard screw mount that you put on the bottom of your camera. Now you know what that little screw hole is for, don't you?
The DigiDudes are made by Quirky, a sort of freelance production house for neat product ideas. It takes an open-source approach to product design, and these 'dudes are the results of just such a project. Think of it as a social R&D platform or something.
Quirky has some other projects, but these tripods (for a limited time, $19.99 on preorder) are far and away the cutest. Keep it up, Quirky.
(Credit:
Gamespot)
A heated discussion over which supernatural species is superior (zombies or vampires) leads us into a truly geeky episode of The 404. To help settle the controversy, we have on today's show CNET's own Scott Stein.
Also on today's show, we solve the mystery behind yesterday's Gawker DDoS attacks that flooded the blog network. It wasn't us, we swear. Next, we analyze a disturbing trend of Obama Joker posters popping up in California and whether or not they're making a statement or are just confusing.
We'll also find out if you can actually sue Amazon for losing your homework and whether or not a new Resident Evil movie is a good idea. All this, plus a special call from Jason Howell and some submissions for Justin Yu's new glasses!
...And to our Japanese astronaut friend, we're not sure deep space is the ideal venue to test out everlasting underwear.
EPISODE 396
Listen now: Download today's podcastSubscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video
... Read more
Update: The PS3 MGS4/Killzone 2 bundle is now available online at Best Buy for $399.99.
You could call it a sign of things to come--or just one good PS3 bundle.
According to Kotaku, next Sunday (July 12) Best Buy will begin offering an 80GB PS3 with two of the best exclusives for the system--Metal Gear Solid 4 and Killzone 2--for the price of the PS3 ($400).
Alleged spy photo of the upcoming PS3 bundle.
(Credit: Kotaku)How does Kotaku know this? Well, a Best Buy employee apparently sent the gaming site a photo of the bundle and other Best Buy employees have confirmed that the photo is real and the bundle is coming. (Chalk this up as a rumor, but it seems pretty legit as far as rumors go).
Recently, Best Buy had the PS3 paired with Wall-E and Little Big Planet for $400. But the MGS 4 and Killzone 2 bundle is definitely designed to tempt more hardcore gamers who, say, might just own an XBox 360 already and are looking for a Blu-ray player.
Clearly, such bundles are designed to move systems--and they probably will move. The big question is whether this is part of a concerted effort by Sony to clear the channel of "old" consoles to make room for the potential release of the rumored PS3 Slim, which many hope will cost $300. A recent report suggests that a new PS3 may arrive as soon as this summer.
If indeed it is clearing the channel--and if indeed this latest bundle is for real-- hand it to Sony for creating an enticing package that will lure in fence-sitters, even when faced with the possibility of a new system on the horizon. If you do the math using Best Buy's prices, you're looking at a savings of $90 on the games (Best Buy is selling MGS 4 for $30 and Killzone 2 for $60).
So, is an MGS/Killzone 2 bundle at $400 a better deal than a hypothetical PS3 Slim at $300 with no games included? That's a hard call until we know what specs we're looking at for the Slim.
But let us know what you think.
Additional reading: PS3 Slim coming in July?
Metal Gear Solid Rising doesn't need to be this pretty.
(Credit: Konami)Metal Gear Solid Rising won't be using the Metal Gear Solid 4 game engine to help Kojima Productions save some cash. Instead, the game's developer plans to build the title "from scratch" to ensure that it's as beautiful as possible.
"We're redoing the engine from scratch, and it's going to look amazing," Sean Eyestone, the host of the Kojima Productions podcast, said in a recent episode. "It's going to be a big project like Metal Gear Solid 4. The entire team is serious about making it look as good as possible on every platform."
As a Metal Gear fan since the beginning, I really like the series. There's something enchanting about Solid Snake, Liquid Ocelot, Big Boss, and all the other characters that make up the story. But I'm deeply concerned by Kojima Productions' focus on the beauty of the Metal Gear series instead of the content of the games. For years now, the franchise's individual titles have been preachy and long-winded.
We don't need better graphics from Hideo Kojima and his team; we need better writing.
... 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.
Video games and gaming gear aren't necessarily among the cheapest gadgets you can own, but there are ways to get the most bang for your buck.
The cheapest consoles
A Nintendo Wii is only $250 and comes with the ever-popular Wii Sports game bundled inside. For that flat price, you'll be set to play straight out of the box. However, extra Wii remotes and nunchuks are going to cost you extra.
Even cheaper, the Xbox 360 Arcade is only $200 but doesn't come with a hard drive. You'll need the HDD for downloading larger games and using the console to watch movies. We can only recommend the Arcade for those who don't plan on doing anything else with their system besides play store-bought disc games and very few mini Arcade titles. For those who want to access the full potential of the system, you're much better off spending the extra $50 for the 60GB Xbox 360.
The cheapest handhelds
While the PSP Go will be available in October for $250, the current PSP-3000 is still the much more affordable option. Also, the less expensive DS Lite is still available for around $130 next to its more expensive camera- and download-enhanced DSi ($170).
Rechargeable batteries for controllers
Both the Wii and Xbox 360 controllers require user-replaceable batteries. Unfortunately, this can wind up becoming quite the expensive chore. We'd definitely recommend you picking up a recharging solution for either console. PlayStation 3 controllers have batteries built in, so there's no need to buy any extra accessories.
There are plenty of options for the Wii, so be sure to check out our Wii charger roundup. Things are a bit simpler for the Xbox 360. While Microsoft sells a charging solution for $30, it only includes one battery. Instead, you may want to check out the Nyko Charge Base 360 which can simultaneously charge two controllers at once. It also comes with two batteries and is available for the same price.
Bargain titles
When it comes to video games themselves, there are usually inexpensive gems to be found out there. Check out our constantly updated lists for the cheapest titles for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, and DS.
Also, don't be afraid about purchasing used games. Whether it's online or in-store, there are deals to be had. That said, don't expect prices on newer used games to be that drastic.
Announced at E3 2009 and coming in 2010, the Hideo Kojima-written and produced Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is a true sequel in the main Metal Gear Solid series, and looks like the portable Metal Gear experience fans have been looking for. Set in Latin America in the 1970s, it takes place years after events in Metal Gear Solid 3.
Check out the gallery of screenshots below.
The PSP Go will have some company on launch day.
(Credit: CNET)Gran Turismo, launching October 1 with the PSP Go, was the headlining PSP game during Tuesday's E3 Sony press conference. It wasn't the only ammo Sony had. However, it seems like the biggest in terms of holiday 2009 impact. Polyphony Digital announced a "full game" with 800 cars, 35 tracks, 60 track layouts, and four-player play over local ad-hoc along with car trading, almost like Pokemon.
A true sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3
(Credit: Konami)Other announcements included the first-ever PSP iteration in the Resident Evil series, as well other titles that were shown but not fully detailed: Little Big Planet, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, Soul Calibur, Pixeljunk Monsters, Fat Princess and a new Jak and Daxter game, to name a few.
Click for full coverage of E3.
Sony's 2009 and 2010 PSP lineup finally looks like the PSP game library we'd been expecting all along.
More to come.
(Credit:
Daniel Terdiman/CNET)
The Microsoft press conference at E3 2009 offered a detailed glimpse into the Xbox 360's video game line up for the rest of 2009 and into 2010 as well. Things started off with a giant Beatles Rock Band introduction climaxing with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr appearing on stage.
Tony Hawk then helped show off the new skateboard controller to be used with Tony Hawk Ride, a new game that abandons the conventional control scheme. Players can use the board to kick, turn, and do grab tricks.
Next, Infinity Ward premiered a snow-covered level of the highly anticipated Modern Warfare 2 (see: Call of Duty) with dazzling graphics and intense action game play.
A very brief combat scene from Final Fantasy XIII was on display, officially removing console exclusivity from the Sony PlayStation 3. This debut wrapped up the multiplatform games that are going to be available for the Xbox 360. In a refreshing change of pace, it was announced that all games shown off from here on out will be available exclusively on the Xbox 360.
Kicking off these titles was the DLC (downloadable content) game Shadow Complex from developer Epic Games (Gears of War)--an action/exploration game very much in the vein of the original Metroid and Castlevania series.
Joy Ride will allow you to race as your Xbox Live Avatar with friends online. The free DLC title looks a lot like a Mario Kart inspired racer where you'll be able to purchase additional tracks for use with friends as well.
The follow up to the open world over-the-top crime-fighting title Crackdown has gotten a sequel in the form of Crackdown 2. Zombie apocalypse fans will be happy to hear that Left4Dead 2 will see the light of day this November. ... Read more
