Hardware News, Hardware Features - Page 2 of 26

Console modification with the human touch

Although it's always exciting to open up the latest and greatest consoles and get to grips with the incredible advances being made by hardware manufacturers, there's something about vintage systems which makes them appealing long after they fall out of fashion and become technologically obsolete. Your...

Everything but the kitchen sink

Hyperkin has been producing hardware clones for a few years now — clones which provide a decent alternative for those moments when your trusty SNES dies on you and you can't abide the feeling of buying a second-hand replacement. We've already covered the RetroN 3 and SupaBoy Portable on this site, and found them to...

Certainly rings a bell

Last year we were graced with the Droid X360, a Chinese-made clone of the PS Vita which runs Google's Android operating system. This year, we've got another copycat device which shares more than a few similarities with the Wii U GamePad - it even has the same name. The JXD S7300 GamePad 2 has a 7-inch capacitive screen, a...

Who needs internet connectivity?

It's been announced recently that the Wii Mini is on its way to European shores. Once a Canadian-exclusive, the stripped down system cannot play anything other than Wii games, has no slot for an SD card and is unable to connect to the internet. So how has the Wii Mini done in Canada? Since its release on 7th...

...after initially giving it a price of more than £100

Nintendo has so far refused to stick a price on the Wii Mini — which is coming to the UK on March 22nd — which means it's up to retailers to come up with a figure. Amazon UK initially went with the rather obscure amount of £103.56, while rival online store ShopTo picked £84.85, which is...

Making the move from Taiwan and Hong Kong

Over the past 25 years or more Nintendo's liked to give consumers a lot of choices with handhelds, with colours and design variations to keep almost anyone happy. It's now emerged that the pictured light blue and pink 3DS models — not XL — will arrive in Japan on 20th March; not that Japan has a shortage...

Just, well... because

Remember the Wii Mini, released in Canada late last year? With a top-loading disc-drive, no online connectivity of any kind, SD slot or even support for component cables. It's the basic Wii with much stripped out to allow an even lower retailer price than the standard last-gen model, no doubt targeting those on exceptionally...

Bolt (on) out of the blue

Nintendo has confirmed that the Circle Pad Pro XL will launch in the UK on March 22nd — just in time for Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate on the 3DS. The accessory follows in the footsteps of its smaller predecessor, which was designed to bolt onto the original 3DS console. The Circle Pad Pro XL offers an additional analogue...

Show them you love them with a Nintendo portable

The pink iteration of the Nintendo 3DS XL was a surprise hit last year, quickly selling out and leaving many potential owners disappointed. However, it would seem that Nintendo of America has been struck by cupid's arrow and has taken pity on these very same people. The pink 3DS XL (it's actually...

Monochrome masterpiece

The Nintendo DS may be the biggest selling handheld console of all time, but you could argue that this is only the case because of the vital groundwork laid down by the Game Boy. The original monochrome brick was pushed onto the market in 1989 in the wake of Nintendo's popular Game & Watch range, and would go on to sell...

Expanding developer capabilities with technology like Unity, JavaScript and HTML5

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata recently held a financial briefing with investors that wasn't exactly brimming with good news for the company. Iwata-san revealed that Nintendo recorded an operating loss of 5.85 billion Yen in the nine month period and spoke about a...

Unlock your vintage games collection

We reported on the Retrode Version 2 last year, and have since been able to get our hands on one of these intriguing (not to mention controversial) devices. What follows is a straightforward review of the unit and an assessment of its functionality and usefulness to dedicated retro collectors. We're not going...

Making old things new again

What do you do when a console reaches the end of its lifespan and is replaced by newer, more powerful systems? You give it a fresh lick of paint, of course. That's exactly what Zoki64 has done. This talented artist has taken custom paint jobs to the next level, transforming N64, Super Nintendo and Game Boy Advance...

Rayman creator lavishes Wii U with more praise

Rayman creator Michel Ancel has had nothing but positive things to say about Wii U since he’s been working with the new system. In previous interviews he has noted that Nintendo’s new home console is “surprisingly powerful” and that Ubisoft could really focus on making its latest game, Rayman...

The game will come pre-installed

We reported earlier on a rumour circulating that a special 3DS bundle for Fire Emblem: Awakening was on the way to North America. The speculation sparked off after a full page advertisement for the strategic RPG was found in the latest issue of Game Informer, which showed a bundle not too dissimilar to the one Japan...

Comes with a glorious special edition 3DS

Yesterday we reported that a demo for the highly anticipated strategic RPG Fire Emblem: Awakening will be made available to download from the North American 3DS eShop on 17th January. The game itself will launch on 4th February and will be available in both physical and downloadable forms. According to var

Strictly limited edition, according to Nintendo

Late last year, Nintendo released the Pink / White 3DS XL in North America as a limited edition. The system was clearly something of a hit with consumers, as it has since sold out - and if you missed the chance to pick one up, it looks like your only hope now is to purchase a pre-owned model...

More power to your controller

As great as the Wii U is, the one thing that bugs many owners is the terrible battery life of the GamePad controller. We've lost count of the number of times we've had to play with it connected to the wall charger because we forgot to top-up the battery after the previous day's session. Thankfully, peripheral...

"Players want new innovation"

A few months back Ukrainian developer 4A, the team behind Metro: Last Light, claimed that it was not impressed with the graphical processing power of Wii U, saying it has a "horrible, slow CPU". This comment naturally sparked off a debate within the industry with many people agreeing with the statement, while others...