Wipeout Pulse is Sony’s latest lighter-than-air racing effort on the PlayStation Portable. The game is still about two weeks away from its official release date, but some near-finished review code showed up at my doorstep a few days ago. Read on to find out whether you should get in the anti-gravity race or stay off the track.

I first got a look at Wipeout Pulse back in December during Sony’s Spring 2008 Preview Event. At the time, there wasn’t much for me to say about the game, because I didn’t spend terribly long with it. But now that I’ve run through the game, I have a much better idea of what the series is about and how this game fits into it.

Graphically, Wipeout Pulse looks futuristic, and each part of the track glistens and sparkles more than the next. It’s not the most visually impressive game on the PSP, because many of the features that make it look good are repeated over and over again in the title. Still, it looks outstanding, and I don’t think anyone could fault Sony’s effort in this one. Even the load screens are awesome. Gamers will most appreciate how smooth the framerate is.

Considering how good the game looks, the sound is nothing special. Actually, I’d say that the techno vibe is repetitive and frustrating. I know not to expect the vroom of the engine exactly, but I’d like something more than ootis-ootis with the occasional donk when my vehicles smashes into one of the sides. Actually, much more than occasional, while I was getting used to the Airbrake. Luckily, those with discriminating musical tastes can play your own MP3s if you have any loaded onto a memory stick.

The main thing to focus on in Wipeout Pulse is the racing itself, and in this area, the game is a major success. The controls are pick-up-and-play easy, and it’s fun gliding around the twisting, shiny maps. You hover through the courses, and as you drive through lit-up gates on the track, you hit speed powerups and get to use different weapons. There’s a special magnet feature, which keeps the racers on the track even through out-of-this-world loops that would ordinarily see the vehicles flying off the course. Rollercoaster-like pretty much sums it up.

You’re going to need some serious skills for this title, because it’s challenging even on Easy. Hairpin turns force you to quickly become an Airbrake master. I expected it to be tougher with enemies shooting things at me, but I still had trouble even in the Time Trial mode.

I didn’t get a chance to mess around in the multi-player modes, but if the robust single-player mode is any indication, then there’s nothing to fear.

A couple things bothered me about this otherwise excellent title. There are loyalty bonuses for using the same vehicle over and over again, which basically takes care of any desire for me to experiment with other cars. I also question the inclusion of track descriptions in this mostly word-free title. They’re basically written in gibberish, as far as I can tell.

All told, Wipeout Pulse is a solid racing game, through and through. I would have liked it to have been a little easier, but I understand why it’s not. This series has been out for awhile, and it had to be a step up from the Wipeout that was one of the first PSP titles to come out. 3… 2… 1… GO!!!

Posted Jan 31st 2008 4:01PM by Steven Kim
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Sony fans, the fun’s not over yet. Besides going hands-on with that pair of new 300-series alpha DSLRs and that alphabet soup of H, S, and T series cams, we also managed to take a look at all four new W series Cyber-shots. Differing mostly in resolution and optical zoom, the 10.1 megapixel DSC-W170, 8.1 megapixel DSC-W150 and DSC-W130, and 7.2 megapixel DSC-W120 all feature the company’s “smile shutter” technology, which we found to work pretty well at recognizing our grins during a demo. Look for these to start shipping in March and April, for between $200 and $300.

Gallery: Hands-on with Sony’s new W series Cyber-shots

Posted Jan 31st 2008 3:03PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Storage
Been looking for the perfect card reader to complement that ExpressCard-less MacBook Air of yours? Well here’s exactly what you aren’t looking for, the ImageRouter from Delkin. This thing is built for professional photographers who need to dump pictures in a hurry, and one of these $149 monstrosities can read up to four CompactFlash cards simultaneously over a USB 2.0 connection. But wait, there’s more! You can plug up to three ImageRouters into each other for a total of 12 CompactFlash cards in UDMA transfer mode all at the same time, perfect for all those 25 megapixel shots you’ve been snapping, or that RAID array you’ve been meaning to build. Delkin’s shipping this thing in March, and it also comes in a $249 version with some bundled BackupandBurn software.

[Via SlashGear]

Posted Jan 31st 2008 3:31PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Gaming
AgfaPhoto — you know, the company that used to just make really high-end gear, but now lends its name to lame sauce stuff built by plawa — has a new camera on display at PMA, the DV-5000G. In addition to the regular 5 megapixel camera duties, this thing works overtime as a 720 x 480 video camera — there’s 64MB of built-in memory, but we’re guessing you’ll want to hop to SD or SDHC in a hurry. Of course, most cameras do full-res video, but AgfaPhoto is also pulling a page out of DXG’s book and packing in video games, playable on the 3-inch “960 x 240″ screen (we’re guessing that’s a typo, and this thing is standard 320 x 240 QVGA). Unfortunately, the games are super weak, and there are no emulators in sight. We don’t think PMP or webcam functionality is going to save this one either, and the $260 pricetag seems a bit silly for what you’re getting. Let’s catch up at next year’s PMA, huh Agfa?

Philips isn’t exactly the first name that comes into mind whenever you think of cell phones, and the 192 tells the reasons why. This black candybar is an entry-level handset that retails for a mere $59 - that’s less than a meal at a fancy restaurant. It comes with the most basic of functions, making this perfect for kids or your old man who has been hankering after you for a cell phone. Features include dual band GSM, a 128 x 128 65k color CSTN display, a 650mAh battery with up to 10 days’ of standby time, all packed into a body that measures 104.5mm x 45mm x 12.8mm while weighing 59.7 grams.

I eat a lot of pizza, one might even call me a connoisseur of the pizza pie. I sample the (usually) circular dishes from a variety of restaurants on a regular basis. I’d say about half the time I choose the option to have my food delivered. During those forty minutes or so, I’m constantly wondering exactly when my pizza will get here. Well the fine folks at Domino’s Pizza have gone above and beyond to make sure you know where your pizza is, and what it’s doing.

If you’re sitting at home wondering if your pizza has even left the store yet, you can hop on the Domino’s website, plug in your phone number and get the details. The website will tell you which of the five phases (order placed, prep, bake, box and delivery) your pie is in, and even when exactly it left the store.

I’m curious whether or not this works on carry-out orders. Domino’s is the one place that I don’t (usually) get delivery from, as I can almost see their store from my house. Every now and then I’m just too lazy to drive two blocks to get my food.

Source: SlipperyBrick

We had lots of fun with the lasers that we were able to play with recently, thanks to Wicked Lasers. Granted we really have no good use for them ourselves, but they are still fun to play with. The higher powered lasers were able to do some minimal damage in the form of lighting matches or popping a balloon, but Wicked Lasers has taken this to a new level with the introduction of their new Torch.

The Torch, according to Wicked Lasers is the “world’s brightest and most powerful flashlight” and has “4100 Lumens with an adjustable high efficiency reflector.” Given that, it does have some pretty amazing power with the ability to burn plastic, light paper or even fry and egg or toast a marshmallow.

Why you would want to toast a marshmallow with your flashlight is beyond me, but its nice to know you could. The Torch will retail for $299.99 and is currently available. The biggest drawback to the Torch is the battery life is a low 15 minutes. Check out the video’s they have posted demonstrating the power of the Torch.

Read [Wicked Lasers]

Keep up with the latest gadget goodness! - Subscribe to our feed →

Posted Jan 31st 2008 12:13PM by Paul Miller
Filed under: CellphonesWe’re getting reports from all over that AT&T customers are having trouble with 3G and EDGE data. A majority of the complaints are coming from the Midwest / Chicago areas, where things seem to be down entirely, but we’ve also heard from folks as far away as Florida. Team Engadget hasn’t hit any snags in New York or Vegas where we’re currently situated, but let us know if you’re having troubles wherever you might be — and what color crayon to use for this fancy “threat level” printout we’ve got pinned to the wall.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We all know Valentine’s day is coming up. And men all over the world are scurrying around trying to find the right gift for their Valentine that won’t disappoint them. (We all know men have given up on trying to find the perfect gift, because that will never happen). It’s hard enough trying to find a gift for the average woman, but what do these poor guys do when faced with a woman who is a geek/nerd? Most guys fall back onto the default of chocolate and flowers, but this year, there’s a great alternative for your geeky Valentine.

Think Geek is has come out with the Chocolate Molecule T-Shirt just in time for Valentine’s Day. Well, technically it’s not Chocolate, but the chemical Theobromine. The description from Think Geek:

…Theobromine, and she’s the tasty little number who puts your mind in a happy place while you are eating chocolate. Molecularly similar to caffeine, but with just enough differences to make her a much smoother date, Theobromine is slower to burn out of your system and induces gentle, sensual stimulation to your muscular and cardiovascular systems.

Granted, you can’t eat this lovely chocolaty brown t-shirt with the Theobromine molecule imprinted in a lovely Valentine’s raspberry pink and get the same chemical effects on your body - but your geek girl may just swoon over the geekiness (and your thoughtfulness) of this nearly perfect gift. Also, the t-shirt has no calories, so your sweetheart can wear this t-shirt proudly without gaining an ounce (well, technically only 6.1 oz, but that’s how much the shirt weighs).

I’m pretty happy that this t-shirt has a looser “classic” cut than a traditional babydoll tee, because let’s face it, only stick figures can fit into a babydoll tee. The t-shirt is 100% combed ring-spun cotton with a common 1×1 rib will make the (nearly) perfect gift for the nerdy love of your life. Pick one up for $17.99.

[Think Geek]

ABBA (not the Swedish band) has just released its CL-168, a water-powered calculator that does away with the need for batteries or fuel. It comes with an 8-digit display and an ergonomic design. I wonder, assuming water could be harnessed to light up the display, it would do much better than any solar-powered calculator to date. No idea on how much this costs though.