Peripherals

guitar hero

Ben Heck's Guitar Hero Pedal

What, Ben Heck, coming up with excellent, craft, gaming-related things? You don't say. This is his latest contraption, a heavy-duty pedal designed to work with Guitar Hero to give it that extra dash of authenticity. After Heck did some one-handed GH controllers for the Games for Health conference, Activision decided to send him some guitars for further experimentation, and these are what he came up with. Although primarily designed to allow someone with the use of only one hand to play Guitar Hero (as the pedal allows them to strum with their feet), they can also be used to activate the whammy bar, giving them a much more general application. While they look nice and rugged, the highlight's got to be the fact he wired them using the controller cables from an old Jaguar controller.

Guitar Hero pedal controllers [Ben Heck]

2:30 AM on Fri May 9 2008
By Luke Plunkett
3,150 views, 19 comments

Latest by sandwiches: That's cool. Really, really cool, but wouldn't a simpler, one-handed Guitar Hero option be to just mod a guitar controller to only require fret-pressing (like hammering) and not need the strum bar at all? ...or, better yet, Activision more »

mods

Wii60 Wheel Is Our Kind Of Mod

Works? Check.
Combines two otherwise cluttering peripherals? Check.
Takes like 5 seconds and requires no adhesives? Check.
Seriously? We're really lazy. Check.
Sends at least one fanboy into "angry coma?" Check.

SOLD!

The Wii60 wheel [GoNintendo]

1:20 PM on Wed Apr 23 2008
By Mark Wilson
6,151 views, 55 comments

Latest by freespeech: @guspaz: not hard but it's actually quite comfortable to hold the wheel instead of just the wiimote!!!!!!!!!!! more »

mods

Jug Hero, The New Global Phenomenon

Is Man ever really any happier than when He's playing with a nice pair of jugs? Apparently that's the philosophy behind Jug Hero.

Two players are assigned one jug instrument each, which they blow puffs of air into to score points. Players also "clink" their instruments together in a social "cheers!" that allots them bonus points.

The PC-based game uses a jug peripheral loaded with a microphone (to sense blowing), force-sensor (to sense cheersing/shattering) and a small keyboard (to entertain the hands). But since pictures speak 1,000 words and Flash video speaks...well there are estimates ranging from 10,000 to -208...we have gameplay footage for you after the jump. More »

1:00 PM on Tue Apr 15 2008
By Mark Wilson
6,364 views, 30 comments

Latest by k7lim: + Watch videoHello, We're only going to be able to appear on the Sunday of Maker Faire (May 4), because of prior engagements. Hope to see you guys there Sunday! -Kevin, co-creator of Jug Hero more »

metal gear solid 4

Oh, That MGS4 Headset Is Real

Not real. Pffft. What the hell do I know. Turns out that Bluetooth MGS4 headset is real, as over the weekend we learned that the product is not only already appearing in the catalogue of peripheral manufacturer PDP, but has also begun turning up in retail databases across Europe and the US. You can see above part of the entry in PDP's latest retailer catalogue (full-page version after the click), which not only confirms the headset's existence, but its feature set as well. For $60, you'll be getting up to 8 hours talk time, a 30ft range, an auto-shut-off function to save battery life and a snazzy little carry case. The headset will be released on June 12, same day as the game itself. More »

5:30 AM on Mon Apr 14 2008
By Luke Plunkett
52,675 views, 151 comments

Latest by MySoul7: neat, may thinkkkk about picking it up... just to have a second headset... already have mine from Warhawk... Let's hope it doesn't expand my earhole though lmao more »

nintendo

Triforce Cutting Board, Now You're Playing With Flour

For Kotaku's ever-growing chef contingent, this Zelda-inspired cutting board is built from the finest (we don't really know if it is the finest, but it sounds good) walnut and hard-maple wood for chopping as many leafy vegetables as it takes for gems to pop out. We know the $125 price tag will prove too hefty for some, but for what is surely the world's first foray into unlicensed, triforce-themed cutting blocks, we can't complain too much. Besides, we'd drop that amount in a heart piece if it included a bundled Master Sword Ginsu. We apologize for the lame puns. We're all done now.

Triforce End-Grain Cutting Board [Etsy via HawtyMcBloggy]

1:40 PM on Wed Apr 9 2008
By Mark Wilson
4,621 views, 41 comments

Latest by captronj: @SirNirian: that's why you have multiple boards, particularly an extra plastic/stone one for meats. wood cutting boards are great for a ton of reasons, i love to use them for putting out spreads and dips for appetizers when i host more »

wii

Wii Gets A Pretty New GameCube Controller

Gorgeous. Nintendo are releasing sometime later this month a new, white GameCube controller, no doubt to satisfy the growing throngs of not only Smash Bros (and soon to be Mario Kart) players, but Wii-white console colour fetishists as well. It'll retail for a suggested price of ¥2000 (around USD$20), comes with the requisite 3m cable and, as you've probably figured from that squiggly thing in front of the 2000, is at least for the moment Japan-only.
Controllers [Nintendo, via Go Nintendo]

2:30 AM on Wed Apr 9 2008
By Luke Plunkett
13,604 views, 150 comments

Latest by IrisMR: ...why does it have a wire? Wavebird, damn it. WAVEBIRD! more »

oddities

Capcom Monster Hunter Monster PSP Holder

Get a grip! Peripheral maker MSY has released out this officially Capcom licensed, enormous steering wheel peripheral thing called the "MONSTER HUNTER GRIP." It's for the PSP Slim & Lite and totally defeats the purpose of both the "slim" and the "lite" part. We guess it's to make it easier to hold onto your PSP during hour after hour of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G play. It'll also make it easier for you to look like a goober.
Monster Hunter Thingy [Game Watch via Gay Gamer]

5:00 AM on Thu Apr 3 2008
By Brian Ashcraft
1,865 views, 23 comments

Latest by Grimspoon: I think this thing is great. Sure, it looks kinda wonky but I bet it makes playing the PSP 10x more comfortable. I'm a depressed gamer who likes to sit and play RPGs alone in the dark, so you know more »

peripherals

UMEMD Adds 4 Memory Sticks To PSP

Is your one Memory Stick slot in your PSP just not enough? Hacker-modders at Team Executer are releasing an add-on called the UMEMD that allows you to hold 4 additional memory sticks without a fanny pack (or whatever the kids carry these days). A plastic UMD-shaped adapter, the priceless UMEMD slides into PSP-1000s and stores your precious digital cargo with ease.

In full disclosure, we were totally confused first glance at how this could possibly work. Then we realized that the UMEMD just held the Memory Sticks and didn't claim to translate them to some magical UMD-laser-happy format.

UMEMD [Team Executer via Maxconsole]

12:20 PM on Thu Mar 27 2008
By Mark Wilson
7,567 views, 40 comments

wii fit

Buy Some Wii Crap For Your Wii Fit

Wii Fit's coming! Means that, along with it, will come a load of crap aimed at prying some extra cash from gullible Wii owners. Crap like this crap here. Above are two examples of Subsonic's line of Wii Fit "merchandise". Some of it looks barely practical. Some of it makes snake oil look like a Swiss army knife. On offer are silicon mats (so you don't slip!), a rechargeable battery pack for the balance board (OK, that's somewhat useful), a carry bag for your balance board (let's work our fat thighs off at your place!) and, best of all, a "microfiber spray and dust cleaner for special electronic materials"!!!!!! No, thanks.
Subsonic Wii Fit Accessories

5:30 AM on Wed Mar 26 2008
By Luke Plunkett
2,453 views, 18 comments

Latest by Mr.SithNinja: @The_Antihippy: Remember... if you waggle your Wiimote more than twice, then you are just playing with yourself..... more »

psp

A Great and Most Pointless PSP Accessory

Okay, yes, it's nothing but colored cardboard and it's US $12 dollars for the set, but still. It's a mini arcade for the PSP. We're not sure this is even necessary (it's not), but we admire the delightfully meaningless gumption.
Cardboard Mini Arcade [Perpetual Kid via ALBOTAS]

11:00 PM on Tue Mar 18 2008
By Brian Ashcraft
4,465 views, 24 comments

peripherals

4000dpi Razer Lachesis Mouse Reviewed (Verdict: Great)

When the term "dots per inch" was first coined by printers, I wonder if anyone predicted laser-fed device feeding a computer 4000dpi information in real time. Because the new Razer Lachesis does just that. With twice the precision of the heralded Logitech G5 along with plenty of programmable buttons and the ability to load custom control profiles by game, a recent review of the Lachesis by Techware Labs calls the mouse an "awesome product" good for lefties and righties alike. Our only tip is if the mouse doesn't work out for you, tell no one that you dropped $65+ on it. Hit the link for the full review.

Razer Lachesis 4000dpi Gaming Mouse [Techware Labs]

12:40 PM on Mon Mar 17 2008
By Mark Wilson
4,823 views, 83 comments

Latest by Purple Dave: In my experience "good for lefties and righties alike" is a fancy way of saying that it's only good for lefties, because righties in the know will find that it fails to conform to either hand. I also hate flat mice more »

boomchair

RumbleSeat, The Gamer's Loveseat

We've all seen the seats with built-in speakers, but they are severely limited. While a couch is multifunctional—prepared for an impromptu nap or make-out session—current gaming chairs offer a more narrow seated existence good only for one person in one position.

The $248.95 RumbleSeat offers vibrate-y gaming for two. While not hooking directly to your console, it will serve as an additional set of speakers for your television. And just imagine sitting next to your best friend after beating Army of Two, your rears sweating on the baby blue microfiber cover, the musk of another's Cheeto breathe entering your nostrils...good luck capturing that awkward sexual tension on a unicycle.

RumbleSeat [Boomchair via Crave]

12:20 PM on Fri Mar 14 2008
By Mark Wilson
1,846 views, 37 comments

wii

Crossbow Peripheral That Really Shoots Stuff

That's right, kooky Wii-mote peripherals! Endless!! Just have a gander at this US $28 "Laser Sight Crossbow Controller for Wii" and marvel. From what we can gather, players can actually use this peripheral as not only a Wii-mote holder, but as to launch a safety-tipped arrow at their televisions. This is either the best peripheral or the worst. It all depends on how many eyes it puts out.
Laser Sight Crossbow [Gizmodo]

6:00 AM on Mon Mar 10 2008
By Brian Ashcraft
2,737 views, 34 comments

media

OCZ Technology Challenging Emotiv With Brain Mouse

With the Emotiv Epoc incident still fresh in our minds, a company called OCZ Technology is planning to release a $300 USB mind reading electroencephalograph (EEG) of their own. But their pitch is less about disappearing boulders than controlling a mouse with your mind in games you already own.

So does it work? From what we can tell, you need to prod a real mouse in the right direction, and then your mind sort of takes care of the rest. So in one word—no.

OCZ to launch 'brain mouse': Neural Impulse Actuator for multi-core PCs [QJ Net]

1:20 PM on Wed Mar 5 2008
By Mark Wilson
2,010 views, 33 comments

japan

Wii Sensor Bar With Digital Clock Jammed In It

Not sure whether to file this under ingenious or pointless. Peripheral maker CYBER Gadget has put a digital clock in its 2Way Sensor Bar. It costs ¥1980 (US$18) and can powered by an open USB port or four AA batteries for wireless mode. $18 is a small price to pay for not having to look at your watch while playing Wii games!
2Way Sensor Bar [CYBER Gadget via Famitsu via ALBOTAS]

11:00 PM on Wed Feb 20 2008
By Brian Ashcraft
2,287 views, 50 comments

rock band

Rock Band Drum Kits on Store Shelves

We've gotten a flood of emails about this so here goes. The Rock Band stand alone drum kits have been spotted in the wild from Best Buy to Circuit City. They are retailing for $79.99 but the single guitars have yet to be found. Combined with the purchase of the game on its own your still looking at over a hundred bucks so unless your looking to launch your career as a solo drummer you're probably better off just buying the bundle since many places seem to be selling it at a reduced rate.

[Thanks to Blake for the photo]

2:00 PM on Sun Feb 17 2008
By fdemarco
4,941 views, 39 comments

Latest by bigtimes: @EggmaniMN: Look, man. Some of the Rock Band Guitars work just fine, some of them are horrible. I can't even pass a hard song using my RB guitar, but my wireless GH guitar works perfectly, allowing me to five star expert more »

joystick

Remembering The Joystick

Man, what happened to the joystick? One minute, it's the only way to play (or at least fly), the next, they're gathering dust up the back of your local games store, under the shelf where they keep LCD screen cleaners and novelty disc trays. Where'd it all go wrong? A cute piece on MSN UK asks that very question, taking the view that, like Sam Neil argues in Jurassic Park, the joystick never really went away. It just evolved, in this case not into birds, but into the thumbsticks featuring across all of today's consoles. Which is a nice thought, but when I look at my dear old friend pictured above, and then at a control pad, it's just not the same. Excuse me....*sniff*
Whatever happened to the joystick [MSN, via Slashdot]

7:20 AM on Fri Feb 15 2008
By Luke Plunkett
2,506 views, 94 comments

Latest by pablo222: There is in the works for another Freespace Space based Flight Sim game. When will it launch? Who knows as it normally takes about 5 years to produce these types of games as composed to the horrid graphics of the more »

shirts

So Your Girl Needs A New Shirt?

Say there's a special someone in your life. That special someone is partial to the ol' video gaming. Thing is, her wardrobe...it's kinda ratty. One part of you finds that endearing - in a cute, bohemian kinda way - the other half just thinks it's kinda ratty. That other half may want to buy her a new shirt. One that both gets her a new shirt and manages to cram a shitload of gaming controllers (including the Boomerang!) into its design. If so, you really can't go past this one, from FIFTY24SF. You can get it at the link below (search for FIFTY24SF in women's shirts). More »

11:30 PM on Fri Feb 8 2008
By Luke Plunkett
11,016 views, 74 comments

Latest by Naia: Today at work, I saw a guy wearing a black gaming shirt. It had the xbox controller all over it. :D more »

Kotaku

ESA, Game Critics' Awards Debate "Best Of E3" Eligibility

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