E3: Nintendo 3DS Not For Young Children?

Source: Kotaku

So when you think of Nintendo users who do you think of first?

Children of course!

Especially when you think of Game Boys and other handhelds kids are definitely the target demographic. But now the Nintendo 3D handheld 3DS, due out by the end of next March, is going through some serious safety tests right now. The conclusion this far is that young children should not look at 3D images.

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime had this to say on the matter, “We will recommend that very young children not look at 3D images. That's because, [in] young children, the muscles for the eyes are not fully formed... This is the same messaging that the industry is putting out with 3D movies, so it is a standard protocol.”

This seems to be a standard way of covering themselves from any liability issues that may arise, and it should not be a problem for most gamers. Such as the lucky ones that got a chance to try out the 3DS at the Nintendo E3 booth, who only got sick of waiting in the ridiculously long lines and not from playing with the 3DS itself.

I suppose just like all of the finer things in life 3D should be enjoyed in moderation, so try not to go on a 5 hour bender that only stops when your retinas start bleeding … unless you are hardcore!

WTFriday?! - God Damned Batman Tweets!

Source: Twitter

So I messed up guys, two Fridays ago I promised a new running feature, one Friday ago it did not happen. I have failed something fierce but hopefully this awesomeness I am about to share with you can make up for the err of my ways ... hopefully.

There are tons of celebrities that now use Twitter for their own self aggrandizement (See Ashton Kutcher, Jim Carrey and formerly John Mayer) which is totally fine, because there are people who care about how big of a deuce you just laid or how amazing that bran muffin was, I just ain't one of them.

Now there are celebrities that Tweet responsibly and effectively, like Conan O'Brien who launched a nationwide sellout tour with one blurb, and then there are people that everyone should follow on Twitter.

Who? The God Damned Batman is who!

Upon reviewing some of the Dark Knights daily tweets we come to the realization that he is a dick, and not just in the detective sense of the word. But that is OK, because he has embraced that and made it work for him and his nocturnal crime-fighting escapades.

He gives us profound insight into many things that should concern us all. Such as:

• Cinema: "Saw the A-Team. Would've been better if instead of a 'team' it was one man. Dressed like a bat. Who drives a stealth tank."
• Sports: "I'm not saying these World Cup guys aren't in shape, I'd just like to see them play in 50lbs of body armor with limited head motion."
• And of course; Fighting Crime: "If the Joker is a dog chasing cars, I'm the a**hole driving the car who suddenly throws it in reverse."

I will allow you to peruse the rest at your leisure. No, I do not have a Twitter account, but upon discovering The Batman's profile I am seriously considering getting one.

Vinyl or CD? Why choose!

Source: Gizmodo

Let me start this off by acknowledging the fact that both records and compact discs are arguably dead in this online age where you can find anything for the price of free. I get it. But as someone who still buys CDs and collect vinyl this is technological harmony at it's purest.

And I feel it is something you have to see:

What you are looking at is a CD, no big whoop right? Wrong, let's flip this bad boy:

That is right! It is a flip disc just like those old widescreen/fullscreen DVDs and those new fangled Blu-ray/DVD hybrids but for music. This changes everything about obsolete media! What will we see next, 8-Tracks merged with cassettes? VHS infused with floppy discs? iPads fused with paperweights?!

This 50% record, 50% CD adding up to 110% awesome is the work of musician and technology enthusiast Jeff Mills. The album is fittingly titled The Occurrence and is a limited release from Axis Records.

The possibilities are about as endless as my joy about the existence of a vinyl/CD hybrid! And if this catches on I guess it means I am buying The White Album again ...

Free Starbucks WiFi

Source: Technorati

So you are sitting there with your mochafrappachinoventi (I don't drink coffee, sorry) and you have your netbook booted up and ready to check on your coffee bean stock portfolio and it dawns on you, Starbucks charges you $2 an hour for internet access!

Well starting July 1st not anymore!

Starbucks has just teamed up with Yahoo to offer free WiFi at about 60% of its coffee houses across America. Only airport, grocery store and other combination Starbucks locations will not get the free service.

For a business that is located almost literally everywhere in U.S. I am surprised it took them this long to offer this free service. God knows they can afford it! People will do unspeakable things to get their caffeine fix including paying exorbitant prices.

Better late than never Starbucks, maybe I will stop in for a cookie sometime.

E3: Goldeneye Is Back!

Source: Kotaku

Damn it ... I am going to have to finally buy a Wii because the greatest video game of all time (no hyperbole necessary) is coming back.

Goldeneye was the video game of my childhood. I did not own an N64 (I was still rocking the NES!) but looking back I almost feel sorry for the friends I mooched off of for untold countless hours of Mountain Dew fueled deathmatches.

Enough of the nostalgia! Time to get into some details:

• Goldeneye will exclusively be for the Wii.
• It comes out sometime in November.
• The game will feature 8 classic Bond playable characters. (Yes, Oddjob is one of them for you d-bags out there.)
• It will have both classic split-screen and online multiplayer and it looks like the original single player campaign is back.
• There will be 16 game modes including such classics including; Paintball, Melee Only and You Only Live Twice

And here is the kicker: Pierce Brosnan’s Bond has been replaced by Daniel Craig!

This does not make up for the disorder in MGM that has delayed the next 007 adventure from hitting the big screen anytime soon, but it sure doesn't hurt!

If you can stop dancing around from childish ecstasy for a moment you can check out the E3 teaser for Goldeneye yourself:

What other classic games would you guys like to see get re-released, if any? I was going to say NBA Jams, but apparently that too is on the way! BOOM-Shakka-lakka!

Best Buy Will Sell Used Games

Source: Home Media Magazine

It is a good feeling when you are searching for that new game and then finding yourself a used copy of that game at a reduced price. Best Buy wants to foster that warm feeling of victory by beginning to trade and carry used games later this summer.

Gamers will be able to exchange their old games for Best Buy gift cards, which many of them will surely turn around and buy more used games with. It is a proven business model that keeps the traders mostly happy for getting something for their old games, the buys enjoy a price cut and Best Buy will get a slice of that sweet repackaged profit.

Best Buy may have some other changes on the horizon, but having another place to browse used games is so far the one that intrigues me the most. I love me a good deal!