It had been a while since I had checked out the Wii homebrew scene, so I took a look this weekend. I was surprised to learn that all kinds of progress has happened recently, including the Homebrew Channel (which rocks), Wii remote support, and a few other things. Check out the videos and additional details after the jump.
To start off, I just have to talk about the Homebrew Channel. Wiibrew.org has been down for a few days, which concerned me, but it came up recently and when it did I was incredibly surprised. It seems they released a new version on the 24th of May. I just about crapped my pants when I saw the video of it in action. Check it out for yourself:
The features the Homebrew Channel introduces are amazing, including network updates, loading homebrew from a channel easily accessed from the wii system menu, and of course, the ability to run the Twilight Hack only once in order to install the channel. All application added after that are simply placed on a specified directory on your SD card, and you're good to go.
Of course, the strides made with the twilight hack have been very impressive as well. Wii Remote support and SD card support being the two that have impressed me the most. Highlight of the project was definitely playing Sam and Max on my Wii using the Wii Remote. I just about died, it was so awesome. Classic Adventure Game Heaven!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Wii Homebrew Update
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Atom Processor... Not so Great
I've been excited about the atom processor, up until about the time I saw some of its benchmarks. Hit the link for results and commentary. 
I know the atom processor was meant to be a super compact, low power consumption, power machine... but wow. I'm sticking with my overclocked first gen EEE PC instead of clamoring for any of the atom processor devices. I would really like it if someone would tell me if there are any pros to the processor that would redeem it in my eyes, because right now things are not looking too great. Over hyped, perhaps? check out the original post translated into English here.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Spider Bot Climbs Up Walls
Check out this crazy robot here. Very impressive, the thing actually can climb up walls!
It uses the same principles that are in place when you rub a balloon on your head and stick it on the ceiling, from what I understand. I wonder how much static electricity they'd have to conjure up to allow something that actually matters to move up a wall. Rescue bots, perhaps? That'd be cool.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Software that processes images like we do
It looks like Microsoft picked up quite the interesting group a while back, as said group has developed an amazing image interface. Just check out the video after the jump.
This Technology Will Blow Your Mind.. - These bloopers are hilarious
It is amazing to see a program that can process images very similarly to the way humans do. Even the way resolutions and images are handled so seamlessly is quite impressive, especially because it would completely change the way even operating systems were designed if it were to become mainstream.
Something cool to watch, and yes, something cool from Microsoft. See, I don't hate Microsoft after all :D
Star Wars Mod Rocks my World
Back in the days of quake world and the titles that soon followed, I loved mods. Quake III saw a lot of mod gaming for me, with things like Q3F, but since then my love for mods has been left, neglected, without any good fps mods to make me feel PC gaming really had a an argument in its favor anymore. Well, that was until today, when I found the First Strike mod for Battlefield 2142.
All I had to do was watch the following preview and I was almost exploding with anticipation to download:
I'm downloading it now, and it is not often that a simple preview gets me this excited. Check out the First Strike Site and get your quota of Star Wars battle awesomeness.
Friday, May 16, 2008
EEE PC 901: Atom processor
I was pretty disappointed by the EEE PC 900, principally because it didn't have an atom processor. Well, it seems that the atom processor is coming to the 901, with all other specs in common with the 900. That sounds great to me.
Check out the details at digitimes.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Grandma Reviews: Wii Wheel for MarioKart
If you've read some of my previous posts on MarioKart, you probably know I don't really like the Wii Wheel. The idea behind it is cool, but I don't like using it personally. Originally I was just going to throw it up on ebay, but then I did a test to see if it would be valuable to keep for new players...(Video after the jump)
So, what did grandma think?
She found the nun chuck way easier to use. That actually surprised me, because my grandma is no gamer, and I thought she would find the wheel more natural. Goes to show that the free-air motion of the wii wheel is probably harder compared to the fine movement made available by the nunchuck's analog stick. Go Grandma!
Monday, May 12, 2008
MarioKart Wii Update: Balloon Battle
So, MarioKart wii is really fun, especially once playing against friends online. And yes, their online mode is legit, as I went online with friends and asked specific questions to verify all was as Nintendo claimed (I really hope people aren't taking me too seriously here).
Anyways, I had the unfortunate opportunity of playing Balloon Battle, the forlorn and distant relative of the once mighty Battle Mode clan. It was terrible, and unless there are a slew of options I never saw, then I suppose I will probably never play battle mode again. First off, we played against a friend, and the two of us playing ended up on a team against the other person. What ever happened to free-for-all? Perhaps I missed it, but it sucked playing as teams, especially as they were uneven. The other problem I had is I wasn't able to be hurt by my own or my team-mates' items. That's a load of dung. Plus, the score system was out of whack. Whatever happened to popping all the other person's balloons, therefore defeating them and knocking them out of the game?
So, Nintendo, I would propose an update to your lame excuse of Battle Mode for MarioKart Wii. Allow there to be many more customizable options, and allow for these options to be controlled by the friend who created the room or allow for them to be set beforehand in game options, making it so the level and the rules apply if their vote is selected. Or perhaps just allow a classic battle-mode option!
8.9" Screen Modded into 701 EEE PC!
The new ASUS EEE PC 900 is basically one of the 701 models, but with a larger screen and more storage space. Well, plenty of people were wanting to know if the 900's lcd would fit inside of the old 701.
It just so happens that it can!
Granted, there are some setbacks, but for those who love modding their EEE PC (and there aren't a few, check out eeeuser.com), it's nothing that can't be taken care of.
I hope to look around for the necessary lcd and try this out myself. Awesomeness.
Mario Kart Wii: Impressions
I have been a huge fan of the Mario Kart series since the SNES release. I was a huge fan of the N64 Mario Kart, and I have religiously played that one with friends and family ever since it came out, especially after being sadly disappointed with the GameCube Mario Kart installment (with exception of the networked gamecube multiplayer mode). So, you'd think Mario Kart Wii might also be disappointing to me, but I found myself pleasantly surprised.
I'd like to just start off saying Mario Kart for the Wii was a great experience for me. All-around, I feel it did a great job taking the good from previous Mario Kart games (including some of the old courses!) and making a very well-polished Nintendo-style racing game. So, if you don't like the Mario Kart series, then don't bother with Mario Kart Wii.
First off, I'm going to get nit-picky on features here. My love for Mario Kart 64 made me really start honing in on some of the little skills like drifting and hopping, which really make a big difference when being used correctly. When I played the GameCube MarioKart it seemed like they kept those around, but made them clunky. In Mario Kart Wii, not only did they refine these features, but they added the mini-boost system, which makes more experienced racers find a whole new way to enjoy their racing experience. The car system in MarioKart for GameCube was dumb, as well as counter-intuitive, but it allowed for mixing and matching skills and aptitudes to make really good racers. MarioKart wii brings a system that allows for the same customization and mixing and matching, but it is much more intuitive, as you are mixing and matching characters with vehicles.
So, MarioKart Wii went back to basics in every way that it needed to. Not to mention, though, that it was one of the easiest multiplayer experiences I've ever dealt with. Now, don't take this at all seriously, but I swear all they do is make random bots from random locations around the world and say you're playing against other people, because the online gameplay was AMAZINGLY seamless. Just choose whether you want to play worldwide, in a local region, or with friends, and before long you are connected with up to 12 players. There were no hiccups, I experienced no lag, and I was able to really find some great challengers to try my skills out on. Why aren't other games for the Wii that online-multiplayer ready?!
Alright, now to talk about the wheel that comes with Mario Kart Wii. To me the thing was initially a joke. I feel I have so much more control over my kart using an analog stick, and rotating that wheel in free space trying to keep my car on course was like a huge step back. BUT, the wheel has a very important application. I plan on testing this on my grandma tonight, but I believe that the Wii wheel really helps people new to the Mario Kart series get into and enjoy the game. Who doesn't know what to do when a wheel is placed in their hands? So, this factor considered, I probably won't sell my wheel on ebay, because I will probably hold onto it for friends and family who are intimidated by the nun chuck.
So, final word in my book for Mario Kart Wii is: The game is awesome, and does the Mario Kart series major justice.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
VirtualBox 1.6 for Mac OS X: Awesome
Alright, I've been using VMWare Fusion for months now, and I have been very happy with it. In a lot of ways, I saw it as much nicer than Parallels, and it integrates very well with my spaces setup. All of this made its price well-worth it to me.
Enter VirtualBox 1.6. Much more stable (very much) than its predecessors, 1.6 for Mac OS X is everything I want out of my Virtualization Software. Here's why:
First off, I would like to point out my issues with VirtualBox. Seamless mode, to me, feels chunky. I think the idea of having your programs from windows just sit around your Mac OS Desktop is great, but I feel that VMWare's Unity pulls it off way better than VirtualBox does. Sorry guys. So, if you are into your windows programs becoming integrated into your Mac environment, then you might consider paying for VMWare Fusion.
My only other complaint is relatively minor. The way the program manages hiding and showing the Dock was kind of crazy. Sometimes I would leave my Space containing Windows XP, and my Dock wouldn't be there. Also, sometimes I would go into my XP install and my Dock would just sit there on top of it until I clicked on the XP Desktop.
On the other hand, everything else was great. I normally use Fullscreen mode on VMWare Fusion, and then have my VMWare Virtual XP environment running in one of my Spaces, leaving a Virtual Desktop dedicated to all of my windows stuff. You see, that's why Virtual Desktops are so sweet. Anyways, going back to VirtualBox, I found that having it "auto capture my keyboard" (an option available in the VirtualBox Preferences) was irritating, so I disabled it. Once that was done, it was a very nice to use.
A big point for me on these programs is their additions/tools installers. Basically, if you want your Virtual Machine to work at all you need to have the tools/additions package installed. In the past, I felt VirtualBox was pretty weak in this area, but I was pleasantly surprised this time around. 1.6 installed its "Guest Additions" very quickly and without hassle, and afterwards my XP environment really felt like it was starting to make good use of my hardware.
So, in the end, the fixes implemented so far makes this a perfect solution for me, especially because it is free. Great project to follow, especially because of how well it is doing cross-platform.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Mother 3 Hacking Landmark!
Alright, if you have heard of the old SNES game Earthbound, then you probably have heard that it had a sequel released in Japan a couple years ago. Well, guess what. Major progress has been made by the translation/hacking guys in the Unified Mother 3 Translation Project.
The man who has taken the main initiative in the project, known as Tomato, has posted an update on their site that was actually quite exciting. The number of things left for the team to do to start finishing up hacking is actually quite short, which means more time will be able to be spent finishing up translation. So, if you're into the RPG genre and you haven't checked out the Mother 3 translation project, it's certainly a good time to start getting psyched.
Unified Mother 3 Translation
Virtual Box 1.6
New Virtual Box release is available for download. Tons of improvements have been implemented, including a significant amount of stuff for the mac version. This project if probably one of the most exciting for me, especially for Linux and Mac. I'll put up my thoughts on how I feel about these versions the next couple days, so keep an eye out.
Get Virtual Box here.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Free Team Fortess 2
Awesome news. Team Fortress 2 is free this weekend. Get Valve's Steam here, download it if you don't already have it, then setup Team Fortress 2, and play to your heart's content until Monday!
