The new Nintendo DSi, sporting two cameras and the ability to download games, has quite a lot to live up to. But it's not such a radical departure from the formula that Nintendo stands much of a chance of it failing.

Perhaps the bigger question for Nintendo fans isn't if they should buy a DSi, but when?

Loved
Hardware Redesign: The DSi has been overhauled inside and out. The new portable is 12 percent thinner, slightly longer and has a smudge-resistant matte finish. The DSi also has redesigned speakers, slightly larger, slightly more crisp screens, and a volume button that can also adjust screen brightness on the fly.

More importantly, the DSi sports a CPU clocked at 133 MHz, as opposed to the DS Lite's 66 Mhz, and with 16 MB of RAM has four times the RAM of its predecessor.

Cameras: There are two .3 megapixel VGA digital cameras built into the DSi, one on the internal hinge pointing at the gamer and the other on the top right corner of the case, pointing at the world. The cameras aren't fantastic, but they can be quite a bit of fun for playing around with images.

SD Slot: The ability to slap any SD card into the DSi for storing or transporting games, audio and pictures is a big plus for this system. It means you won't have to worry about running out of space when you start snapping pics or downloading games. It also offers plenty of opportunity for things like a video download service in the future.

Interface: The DSi's sports a slick interface that you can use to quickly hop around in the system with and personalize. The top screen can display an image you take with your DSi and the bottom screen is a row of icons that can be moved about. As you download software, more icons appear. When you pop a game in the DS slot, that game appears as well. The best part is that I have yet to have to restart my DSi after going online or playing a game, you just tap the power button to return to the home screen.

DSi Store: The ability to purchase and download games on the fly with your DSi is the main reason I wanted this portable. Sure, the initial offering is surprisingly weak, but it can only improve over time. And I'd be surprised if they didn't start offering retro titles for the store as well. I also love that I can buy points for the system without having to leave the store.

Hated
GBA Slot: The biggest problem with the DSi is that it puts a bullet in the head of the Game Boy Advance. Sure, Nintendo might (read: should) start selling GBA games as downloadable titles down the line, but if you already have a bunch, that isn't going to be much consolation. Worse is the fact that nifty add-on controllers, like the one for Guitar Hero: On Tour, which use the GBA slot, will be useless if you pick up a DSi.

Photo Sharing: I love the idea of the cameras and the software, while super gimmicky, can be quite a bit of fun to play around with, even for adults. But not being able to import images taken from anything other than a DSi and not being able to send your photos to a cell phone or a PC is inexcusable.

While images can be loaded onto an SD card, Nintendo makes no claims about whether you'll be able to actually view edited images once you plug that card into a PC. When I examined an SD card with pics saved on it I was able to find the files, each about 35 KB JPEGs. It would be great, though, if they took a couple of steps out of the process and let you send email them or send them to a phone.

Nitpicks: In general, the DSi is a solid piece of equipment. It does, however, have quite a few irksome issues. The DSi's battery life is one to ten hours shorter than the DS (depending on use). The charger for your DSi is, once again, designed only for the DSi. Pictochat remains unchanged and is still missing the ability to go online. And the free downloadable web browser is painful to use, doesn't support Flash and quickly runs out of cache space.

The DSi is a great new gadget from Nintendo, but I don't think there's quite enough there yet to warrant trading in your current DS for the new model. Until Nintendo drops a chunky, fun-to-play DSiWare title in their store or releases a full-on game that is designed specifically for the DSi, I would hold off on an upgrade.

If you're in the market for a new portable, and don't own a DS yet, than I'd take the DSi plunge. Unless you really want to play GBA games on your portable.

The Nintendo DSi was designed and manufactured by Nintendo, released on April 5th in North America and retails for $169.99. Played with DSi Camera, DSi Sound, DSi Shop, DSi Browser and played both DSiWare and DS games on the system.

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I just can't accept that the game that I spent so much of my time playing in arcades, fixing in the arcade I managed, watching being played in hole-in-the-wall bars, has been reduced, yes reduced, to something you sit on your couch and play.

Certainly the bulk of my stubbornness comes from missing the culture that surrounds arcade Street Fighter, but I've also never found a retail stick that lived up to my expectations. Now Mad Catz is promising to deliver that stick for Street Fighter IV with its official Tournament Edition FightStick. Let's see what hours of time spent playing with, and taking apart the stick showed me.

Loved
High End Parts: Inside the solid case are some of the best pieces and parts money can buy. You've got your Sanwa ball handle joystick and low-profile 30mm Sanwa buttons.

Sturdy Design: All of those high-end Sanwa parts are packed into a solid case that while heavy enough to stay put during table-top gaming sessions still feels fairly comfortable on your lap.

Layout: This is very important to me. You can have the best parts on the market, but if they're crammed into a case that's too small you can't rest your hands anywhere. Too big and it gets cumbersome. The Tournament Edition FightStick finds the perfect balance.

Precision Controls: The design, the parts, they all add up to a controller that seems to react to every nuance of movement. I learned Street Fighter on Cherry switch-backed controllers, but it didn't take me long to not only get a handle on this controller, but to almost start to prefer it.

Aesthetic: It's a pretty controller. Sure, the art work may not be your cup of tea, but that's pretty easy to swap out. The design though, is a sheer delight.

Easily Customized or Repaired: When I popped open the FightStick I was disappointed to see that the stick's Omron microswitches were all soldered in place to the PCB. This is done by Sanwa, not Mad Catz, but it still makes doing single microswitch replacement painful, fortunately replacing the entire set is much easier now. The buttons are all easily accessible, and don't feature soldered wires, which is nice.

The Little Things: There's a headset plug hidden away on the front of the controller. The cord packs away nicely in a storage compartment on the back. There's a switch to disable button presses and another for turbo mode for use when playing other games. You can also decider what the stick controls — right thumbstick, left thumbstick or the D-pad. Finally, there are pre-drilled holes in the bottom of the case to make mounting it to a table or stand easier.

Hated
Two Extra Buttons: I know I can ignore those two far right buttons, they're there for people who can't manage to press the other three on the top or bottom at the same time. But this is supposed to be a Tournament Edition stick, so why include it. Occasionally, I found my hand accidentally slipping one button over because of them. My own failing, but sort of annoying.

Price, Limited Stock:The $150 price tag is right on the line. If you were to buy the stick one step down from Mad Catz and do your own upgrades you'd be looking at about $130. But buying and then upgrading a Hori Fighting Stick EX 2 will cost about $100. Of course the case on this one is different than both. So it depends on preference. But, the fact that Mad Catz decided to produce the first run in such a limited quantity, ensuring a healthy and absurdly over-priced grey market, is sort of a raw deal.

This is the only stick I've used to play Street Fighter on a console that actually made me feel like I could pull off all of the same moves, with all of the same timing as when I play in an arcade. There's a bit of a learning curve for those not used to convex buttons and the tiny, precise movements of the Sanwa stick, but this is a purely arcade controller. It doesn't even dip down into the realm of most console sticks.

Official Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition was made by Mad Catz, and will be released on Feb. 17 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for $150. Played Street Fighter IV on Xbox 360 with FightStick for 12 to 15 hours over three days.

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Not only were the glasses supposed to cut down on the inevitable headaches, double vision and dry eyes, they looked pretty neat too. So I borrowed a set of Gunnar Optiks' curiously named Wi-Five gaming glasses and tried wearing them over the following months. Did they end up winning me over?

Loved
Looks: Gamers might say they're buying Gunnar Optiks' glasses because they are supposed to reduce eye strain and dry eyes, but the real reason most people will pick these up is because they think they look cool. And they're right, they do look cool.

Light Weight: As someone with light-sensative eyes, I pretty much always have to wear sunglasses outside to avoid headaches, so I've become pretty knowledgeable about what is and isn't important for me in glasses. Nearing the top of the list are glasses that are lightweight and comfortable. If you notice them, or worse still, they hurt after an hour or two, you just can't wear them. Gunnar's are very lightweight and rest easily on the head.

Optics: It's hard to judge the impact, but Gunnar's glasses certainly do a good job of filtering glare and normalizing the one a monitor or television looks. Seen through the glasses, my PC monitors have a healthier, more natural lighting to them. They also seem a tad more crisp.

Hated
Blurry Distance: Gunnar does warn that you should only wear their glasses while gaming or on your PC and they're not kidding. Anything you look at across the room has a slight blur to it. I would think that would increase eye strain any time you're not looking at your monitor or television, like while talking to someone.

Price: At $140, these single-use, non-prescription glasses are a bit too expensive for my taste.

Micro Climate Nonsense: Gunnar claims that the shape of the glasses trap moisture between your eyes and the inside lens. They even have studies to prove it increases ambient humidity around the eyes, but I still don't buy it. Even if it is true, I certainly didn't notice it, despite working and living in an incredibly dry climate.

The Wi-Fives certainly appeal to my aesthetic sense. They look neat and are amazingly comfortable. While wearing them I do notice a pretty significant reduction in glare and colors seem more appealing. However, I wasn't able to notice any significant reduction in eye strain or dry eyes. That doesn't mean they don't work, it just means they didn't have a noticeable impact for me.

I can't see myself plopping down $140 to pick up a pair, but if you're really into LAN gaming or are a pro-gamer I can see these having massive appeal. Besides the gold chains how else are you going to make yourself look Dude Hugeish?

Wi-Five gaming glasses were developed and sold by Gunnar Optiks for $139. Wore on and off for several months, typically for day long gaming or blogging sessions.

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Manufacturer Track Scan purports that the Vibras is "unsurpassed in its superior audio quality," offering up an Xbox 360 tailored option for a more immersive audio experience.

While the Vibras does give gamers another option for late night surround sound gaming that won't piss off the neighbors, it also has a few gotchas. We lay out the pros and cons, what we loved and hated, in our hardware review.

Loved
Convincing Surround Sound: The Vibras 5.1 does a decent enough job of providing a three dimensional sound experience, thanks to a suite of 10 speakers that provide plenty of punch with great lows. They're extremely helpful in bringing out audio that you might not hear through a traditional speaker set up, unless you set the volume to 11, giving you a handy advantage in online games that use directional audio.

Comfortable, With Adjustable, Removable Mic: Relatively lightweight, the Vibras 5.1 are comfortable to wear for long gaming stretches. The detachable microphone is also flexible, letting you position it where you'd prefer. What it doesn't do, curiously, is give the user the option to wear it on either ear cup. The microphone attachment also has a tendency to come lose when quickly pulling off the headset.

No Receiver Required: If you don't already have a proper surround sound set up in your AV area, the Vibras system is self-sufficient, thanks to a Dolby Digital decoder box. That does mean you'll need a dedicated power outlet to power the thing. It's a good solution for a second gaming set up in the bedroom or wherever your second string TV may be.

Hated
Sounds Can Be Meek: While the bass delivers and sounds are generally crisp, mid-range audio can occasionally come across as tinny and hollow. It's most noticeable when watching a movie, when character dialogue is the focus. Since there are no cinematic filter options that we could see, it may take some fiddling with adjusting the volume, center channel and subwoofer feed to get something worth listening to. Explosions will blow your hair back, but that's about it.

Expensive: At $199, the Vibras isn't cheap for what is essentially a dedicated headset. Yes, you could plug the device into any output that supports optical out, but with its split headphone jacks, you probably won't find the Vibras headphones themselves useful on a wider range of devices.

A Tangled Mess: It's wired. Requires optical in to the Xbox 360, which feeds to the Dolby Digital decoder box (which also needs an AC out), which feeds into the headset which plugs into an Xbox 360 controller for voice chat. Again, not a big deal if you're playing on a smaller set up, but a wireless solution can be had for the same price if you already have a surround sound receiver.

*Batteries Required: Wait... I need AAA batteries (not included) to use this on Xbox Live too? Bummer, 'cause it sounds so much better than the out of the box Live headset.

It's hard to recommend the Vibras 5.1 to anyone with a working surround sound solution in their home. While it has its pros, the most notable being the benefit of hearing everything, the fully wired headset feels antiquated when we've become accustomed to playing untethered. As a back up surround option, it's a decent enough option, but somewhat cost prohibitive. The sound quality isn't bad, and it's especially helpful during Xbox Live chat, thanks to its battery powered amplifier, but it isn't going to make me switch from my current set up.

The Vibras Five.One Surround Sound Headset was released by Track Scan in December, retails for $199.99 USD. Tested headset with the games Left 4 Dead, Dead Space and Rez HD and DVDs Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and The Wire.

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Officially licensed by Blizzard from the cutting-edge accessory creators at Steel Series, the World of Warcraft Gaming Mouse seeks to deliver a winning combination of form and function, with a special WoW-themed configuration tool that lets you do everything from creating complicated macros to handle in-game actions to customizing the color and intensity of the device's LED glow.

Is the ambitious little device worth the $99 asking price, or should World of Warcraft give it a pass in favor of more traditional control methods?

Loved
Plate-Armor: Steel Series did an excellent job of making the WoW Gaming Mouse look the part, with segmented plastic and a blushed metal surface that brings to mind epic plate. The fully-customizable led glow beneath the device's carapace is completely ridiculous, yet I find myself messing with color combinations constantly.

The Total Package: A love for packaging? From a gift-giver's perspective, the treasure-chest design of the WoW Gaming Mouse's packaging is sure to bring a grin to any fan of the game upon being unwrapped. It doesn't effect the device's performance, but it beats the hell out of a plain rectangular box.

Easy To Configure: Once you download the driver software, the WoW Gaming Mouse is extremely easy to set up, even for a rather novice macro creator like myself. The default set up provides many useful functions across the device's 15 buttons, from dismounting to setting your spell focus - a mechanic I never really utilized until I started using this mouse. The interface for the drivers, designed to look like a Warcraft window, makes the user feel at home in the unfamiliar environment of a mouse configuration screen.

Packed With Options: Along with copious amount of World of Warcraft-specific macro-creating goodness, the WoW Gaming Mouse also comes with plenty of options to customize performance as well. You can adjust the DPI from 800 to 3200, change the scroll, double click, and win-pointer speeds, and you can even adjust sensitivity individually on the Y and X-axis.

Works Like A Charm: After a slight struggle getting my fingers used to the strange button configuration, I found that I could completely change the way I played the game using the WoW gaming mouse. I was never big on macros previously, but now I cannot imagine living without them, especially on my priest, who can now cast healing on any member of the party with a click of an assigned button. While it's nothing new for players who have already modified the hell out of their UI and set up 200 macros in the game for every possible spell and ability, but for a guy who has pretty much relied on the tools Blizzard gave me for the past 4 years it makes a big difference.

Hated
A Bit Uncomfortable: While using the WoW Gaming Mouse for its intended purpose works well enough, using it outside of Warcraft or other games you may have created macros for is a bit uncomfortable. The additional buttons aren't active outside of the games, leaving you to rub against all of these strange protrusions as you try to go about your day.

Too Much Focus: As an officially licensed product, the WoW Gaming Mouse is pretty much focused on use within World of Warcraft. This is a mouse for the type of person who plays this one game the majority of the time. While the additional buttons can be mapped for other games, more casual players won't be able to do much outside of the supplied Warcraft-themed toolset.

The Steel Series World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse is a tool with a specific purpose. Steel Series makes an entire line of keyboards and mice that are perfect for the normal PC gamer, but this particular product is targeted at one group and one group only. It's more of a companion piece to World of Warcraft than it is anything else, and as such it functions admirably. With the limited functionality outside of World of Warcraft and the $99 price tag, I couldn't recommend it to anyone falling outside of that group. It's lovely in Azeroth, but outside it's just a rather garish-looking, slightly uncomfortable gaming mouse.

If you've a World of Warcraft player in need of a special gift, or are looking to add some stylish functionality to your own game, the Steel Series World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse is an expensive treat.

The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse. was co-developed by Steel Series and Blizzard, manufactured by Steel Series. Retails for $99.99. Used mouse as PC mouse for a week, played countless hours of World of Warcraft during testing period, creating multiple profiles.

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M.I.C. actually stands for Microphone with Integrated Controller, and that's exactly what the Rock Band M.I.C. is. You've got your standard wired premium microphone, with the Xbox controller's A, B, X, Y, start, back, and home buttons placed in a line down one side of the grip. It's a design so simple it's a wonder that Rock Band didn't ship with something like it from the get go.

It's got the form and the function, but does the M.I.C. actually work, or are you better off keeping your 360 controller on standby?

Loved
Works As Advertised: The Rock Band M.I.C. does exactly what it sets out to do. It removes the need for the Xbox 360 controller when singing in Rock Band. It's not a full-featured controller of course, but it definitely gets the job done. My one major fear was the buttons getting in the way during attempts at singing, but the entire controller can be locked with a simple switch during gameplay.

Makes Things Easier: Accessing the in-song controls is easier than ever with the Rock Band M.I.C., with the buttons needed to lower the vocal track, increase your own volume, and adjust microphone sensitivity all at your fingertips. I honestly had no idea these options even existed until I got my hands on this controller. Sad.

Feels Good: The M.I.C. has a very nice feel to it, with it's velvety "soft touch" finish, and the overall design makes it feel more like a studio mic than the standard Rock Band mic does. It's a bit lighter than I'd like, but solid and comfortable nonetheless.

Hated
A Bit Pricey: The Mad Catz Rock Band M.I.C. is a lovely piece of equipment, but I'm not convinced that it it's $59.99 worth of lovely. I know it has an integrated controller, but it's not like this will ever replace the standard 360 controller for games that don't require singing. Worth it if you are a hardcore RB singer, but I wouldn't fork over $60 for casual play.

The Mad Catz Rock Band M.I.C. is one of those rare accessories that actually adds something to the game, rather than just being another, slightly cheaper way to get the same thing done as you could with a standard controller. I don't know how many times I've gone to sing in Rock Band, either at home or at industry events, and completely forgotten that I needed the standard controller to start playing. The M.I.C. neatly takes care of this issue, making the whole experience go that much more smoothly. This is the sort of microphone that should have come packaged with the game in the first place.

If you can look past the price, Mad Catz's Rock Band M.I.C. is the sort of peripheral any Rock Band singer would find a welcome addition to their vocal arsenal.

The Rock Band M.I.C. was developed and manufactured by Mad Catz. Retails for $59.99 for the Xbox 360. Played Rock Band 2 for several hours, testing a wide variety of songs at varying difficulty levels.

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Turns out, the company says that their Liquid Case line was "designed for gameplay" in mind. Well, that didn't make much sense, but it certainly intrigued me enough to check one out. (Sorry iPod Touch owners, this one is for the original and 3G iPhone only.)

Can a magnetized case that bolts your iPhone into place between sheets of custom-painted, high-impact polymer really improve your gaming? Let's see.

Loved
Grippy: As an increasingly frequent iPhone gamer I was intrigued by the concept of a case designed to make iPhone gaming more enjoyable. Despite my doubts, the case, with its flared corners does make the iPhone much easier to hold during long gaming sessions. It also gives the svelte device a bit of needed heft.
Eye-Catching: The Liquid case may bulk up your iPhone, but man it looks sexy, turning the dainty iPhone into something that looks fit for military operations.
Sturdy: Four nickel-plated screws bolt your iPhone into its acrylic body armor and then a plastic shield snaps into place with the help of four iPhone-safe magnets. I can't think of a better mix of design and function for the iPhone.
Customization: The Liquid case comes in three base colors: Black, grey and white. But you also get a free lid with your purchase. The lids have 22 different graphics to choose from and eight different colors. With all of those options it's pretty easy to come up with a unique look that suits. An extra $25 gets you a custom engraving, like, say, a Kotaku logo.

Hated
Plug-N-Problems: A typical problem with iPhones and iPods is that the cases often make docking a device or plugging a cable into it difficult or impossible. And the Liquid Case didn't dodge that bullet. Not only can I not dock with it on, but at least one of my peripherals can't seat itself correctly, so it just doesn't work when the case is on. I am told they're working on a line of accessories to fix that and you can charge and dock if you use the cable and not the stand.
Camera Distorting Lid: Maybe a minor nit, but when you pull off your lid you can snap it on the back. Which is great. But when you want to take pictures you're going to have to slip the lid in a pocket or find somewhere else to put it if you don't want color-tinted, blurry snaps. Not so great.
Lid For Life: The biggest issue I have with the case is that it requires an allen wrench and removing two to four bolts to put it on. You're not going to be slipping your iPhone in and out of this baby. Which isn't a big deal, unless you can't dock with it or use certain accessories.
Pricey: It's $100. Sure, nice things don't come cheap. But we're still talking half to a third of the price of the thing it's meant to protect.

I don't know if I could convince myself to drop $100 to $125 on a custom case. Maybe once they come out with those accessories meant to ease the pain of docking issues I could. While the case is certainly well designed for gaming, giving you something to sort of grip as you play, the main attraction for me is still the look and heft of the thing.

The Liquid Case was developed and manufactured by Element Case for the iPhone (original or 3G). Retails for $99.99. Used case to plays multiple games, kept it on iPhone for a week.

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Part of their innovative line of official Rock Band peripherals that includes the dual-strumming Fender Bass and the microphone with 360 controls built-in, the Mad Catz Portable Drum Kit for the Xbox 360 aims to deliver a solid drumming experience in a packages tiny enough to stuff into your average shopping bag. Have they drummed up a solid addition to your Rock Band arsenal, or has Mad Catz missed a beat?

Loved
Portability, Duh: With it's four stackable drum platters, low-profile foot pedal, and ultra-thin control mechanism, the Mad Catz Portable Drum Kit certainly lives up to its name. You could lug the whole thing about in your standard Wal Mart bag. Even the drum sticks come apart for easy storage and transport. Portable mission accomplished.

They Just Feel Good: To my utter surprise, I found myself enjoying the feel of this portable kit much more than the standard Rock Band 1 or 2 drums. Placing the rubber heads on a solid surface manages to produce one of the quietest sets of drums you're likely to find, and the rubber-tipped drum sticks only add to the effect. As an added plus, the ability to position the drum heads wherever you like allows for players to come up with a configuration that suits their particular style of play.

My New Favorite Pedal: The drum pedal included in the portable set is wider than most, and built so there's much less space between the up and down positions. The design greatly reduced the ankle strain I usually get after a half-hour of drum work. Seriously considering replacing the regular drum pedal with this one.

Super-Responsive: While it might be a function of not being tied to a shaky plastic base, the Mad Catz Portable Drum Kit seems a great deal more responsive than the standard kit. I find myself missing notes I know I hit correctly much less with this set than I do the standard kit.

Hated
Space Requirements: The one area where the Mad Catz Portable Drum Kit gave me trouble was finding a place to put it. It's the same sort of issue you run into using a steering wheel controller. Not only do you have to find a rather expansive surface to hold the kit, you also have to make sure it's at the proper height to accommodate the foot pedal. Seeing as the set isn't wireless, you might want to plan ahead before carrying this over to a friend's house for a Rock Band jam-out session.

Mad Catz continues to deliver on its promise of enhanced quality and performance in their line of official Rock Band 2 accessories. While the Fender Bass might have been a relatively easy win for the company, the Rock Band Portable Drum Kit is a product I had my doubts about ever since I laid eyes on it. How could a series of free-standing drum heads translate into an experience on-par with a fully-realized plastic drum kit? Well drumming - at its most basic level - is all about hitting things with sticks. Mad Catz has just managed to provide very nice things to hit with rather lovely sticks, with the extra-added bonus of portability.

Not only is the Mad Catz Rock Band Portable Drum Kit an excellent portable alternative to lugging about a full drum kit, in some ways it even surpasses the original in terms of quality and playability.

The Mad Catz Portable Drum Kit was developed and manufactured by Mad Catz, released in North America on November 10 for the Xbox 360. Available early 2009 for the Nintendo Wii. Retails for $49.99. Used drums for several hours at two different locations.

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