Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

It’s unlikely that we’ll be the only ones thrilled to see this fiasco finally reach closure, and even though the dust has somewhat settled, the PS3 faithful are still operating sans a first-party rumbling controller. Rumors may have suggested that such a device was indeed getting ready to launch in the not too distant future, but according to a blurb at Inner Bits, battery life could be holding things up. While it doesn’t come without a tad of salt, Sony is reportedly “facing some difficulties with regard to battery life,” as sources supposedly mentioned that “the rumble and wireless support” were causing the batteries to “drain too fast to be acceptable for consumers.” Of course, there’s always the third-party alternative if you’re not picky, but those holding out for the real deal could be waiting a tick longer if this proves true.

[Via Joystiq]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

You think you look geeky with your Bluetooth headset in your ear, and a Segway beneath your feet? Think again, as a newer, wackier mode of personal transport has appeared in the form of the Easy-Glider. This one-wheeled electric chariot won the ispo BrandNew Award — what can do more for a gadget’s geek cred than an award with a metaname like that? — and is soon to be displayed on the podium at the ispo Sport & Style 2007 in Munich, Germany. The X6 Easy-Glider has a top speed of around 12 MPH, a range of around 9 to 16 miles depending on surface conditions, and takes between six to eight hours to recharge. On top of that the Easy-Glider currently requires approval for use in Switzerland — no deets on usage in other countries — and a license plate (!) if you want to take on traffic. Yep, like the Segway, it’s totally impractical and will probably be priced way out of our non-existent budget. But we still want one.

[Via Core77]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Gaming

Sony‘s PR department has got to be one of the oddest places in the world to work: what other job requires doing damage control over accusations of running a racist marketing campaign and apologizing to the Church of England about violent video games in the same breath? Well, the latter is the current situation report from the whole “Resistance: Fall of Man level being set in Manchester Cathedral” brouhaha. Apparently, the company and the Church are going to sit down and discuss the Church’s demands — how much the company will be donating, and whether there will be a recall of the game — with the background of Sony sincerely apologizing to anyone that was offended by the depiction. In light of this controversy, the embarrassment from asking a Church “can we make a video game where we shoot aliens inside this Cathedral?” would have been far less damaging than all this negative publicity: next time Sony, just ask permission!

[Via Joystiq]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment

A thread over at the AVS Forums has highlighted a potential problem with the coating of Blu-ray discs, described by many as “disc rot” due to the mould-like spots that have made several owner’s Blu-ray discs unplayable. The five page thread has reports from dozens of forum members, many of them discovering spots which can’t be rubbed off on Blu-ray versions of “The Prestige.” It’s impossible to judge how widespread the problem is from a single forum thread, although it’s not unheard of to see a product recall after a problem is discovered by users on a forum. It’s also worth noting that for every user that has reported the spots, there’s one or more people with discs that have no problem. If you’ve encountered the same issue, your best policy is to try and get a refund / replacement disc from the place where you originally bought it from. If enough people are reporting a problem, then retailers will be a much stronger voice than a bunch of consumers sounding off in the echo chamber that is “the internet.”

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Sirius‘s Echo Home Repeater System, which boosts the quality of Sirius satellite radios by redirecting a signal from an external antenna to units based inside the house, has gone on sale. For $100, you get the transmitter and one receiver module, with extra receiver modules (for extra cash) also available. At the very least, this kit means you don’t have to have a bunch of antenna extension cables running all over your house, and at its best it will probably increase the quality of the signal. If you’ve got multiple radios in your house, then we’re sure you’ll agree that this is pretty much a must buy: for single Sirius radio owners, notsomuch.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!