Remember how badly you wanted a PlayStation phone, only to find out that “experience” was headed to a multitude of devices across the Android spectrum? Well, it looks like Sony’s finally making good on that retro-gaming promise. Starting today, the company’s one stop shop for its classic games of yesteryear goes live in nine countries — although, you’ll have to be a Tablet S owner to partake of the PlayStation Certified nostalgia. Helping Sony usher its fanbase back into the quaintness of 32-bit graphics are ten titles familiar to PSOne fans: Cool Boarders, Destruction Derby, Hot Shots Golf 2, Jet Moto 1 & 2, Jumping Flash!, MediEvil, Motor Toon Grand Prix, Rally Cross and Wild Arms. So, if you happen to be packing the electronic giant’s non-foldable slate, get your thumbs primed for a capacitive walk down memory lane. No word on when those other certified devices will get to mine the company’s gaming archives, but there’s always the Vita for that.

PlayStation Store hits the Tablet S today, lets gamers relive the glory of the mid-’90s originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baseball playoffs are in full effect and altering TV schedules, so if you’re digging Fox’s lineup then too bad — it’s going to be mostly on ice for the next couple of weeks. We’ve still got a few major fall premieres trickling in, but the most significant addition are the first Blu-ray titles with Ultraviolet (Horrible Bosses, Green Lantern). Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Forza Motorsport 4
It’s no big secret that around these parts, our love of things that plug in and log on only narrowly beats out the need to go fast, and since we can’t drive every car in real life, we’ll leave that up to Forza. The fourth iteration of Turn 10′s driving game arrives this week and has racked up a list of glowing reviews. New this time around are Kinect-enhanced car walkarounds and driving, enhanced community features and a revamped career mode. The only knock seems to be that some things are a little too familiar from its predecessors, but we can’t wait to get behind the wheel and find out ourselves.
($59.99 on Amazon, October 11th)

Psych
The Adventures of Shawn & Gus’ Psychic Detective Agency continue on this week, and while that title may make one USA’s best show’s appear somewhat childish, we assure you — it’s even more childish than you think. Of course, one of the appeals of Psych is its retro flair (so far we’ve seen Ralph Macchio as a guest star and an entire episode spoofing Twin Peaks) so if you’re in the target age range and haven’t quite grown up, this is one to watch.
(October 12th, USA, 10PM)

The Walking Dead
One of last season’s most-talked about shows, this tale of survival in a zombie infested wasteland came in with a bang and went out with a whimper. We’ll be watching to see if it cab retain the crunchy action flavor of the first few episodes and avoid the boring melodrama that came in later on. If you’re willing to risk a few spoilers (surprise, the RV breaks down at the worst possible time) then check out the season two trailer after the break.
(October 16th, AMC, 10PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (October 10th – 16th)

Must See HDTV (October 10th – 16th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Faraday electric bike shows us all how retro the future will be originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 16:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arduino-powered modder recreates ‘first PC’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Before there was a 3DS and DS — heck, before there was a Game Boy, there was Game & Watch, Nintendo’s portable, sometimes dual-screened gaming line from the ’80s. But while the gaming giant has long since moved on, nostalgia for their platform-based frustration lives on in the form of this large piece of interactive wall art, a case that uses an Arduino and Python script to bring folks with a little spare time the sort of retro gaming that will make them long from the graphical power of the original NES. Check out more images of the device in the Source link below.

Giant wall console lets you Game & Watch while you wait originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not the first “solution” that LightSquared has proposed for the GPS interference issue that’s gotten in the way of its LTE network rollout, but the company’s now touting a new “simple, affordable solution” to the problem. That doesn’t actually involve any changes to the network itself, but rather changes to the high-precision GPS hardware that is being interfered with. To that end, the company has announced that it’s signed an agreement with Javad GNSS, which says that it’s been able to reconfigure the filters and linear amplifiers used on existing receivers and make them “completely compatible with LightSquared’s bottom 10 MHz of spectrum.” According to Javad, those changes are not expected to increase selling price of newly reconfigured devices for consumers, although there would presumably be some cost to retrofit existing devices (the first units for testing are expected to be available next month). So, it may be “simple” and “affordable,” but it doesn’t seem like it’s necessarily an “easy” solution. LightSquared’s press release is after the break.

Continue reading LightSquared proposes ‘simple, affordable solution’ to that pesky GPS interference issue

LightSquared proposes ‘simple, affordable solution’ to that pesky GPS interference issue originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No gamer’s escaped the throes of adolescence without hearing the damning refrain, “Video games’ll rot your brain.” While scientific research into that claim has so far proved inconclusive, it turns out the preferred pastime of our digital era could potentially cure cancer, and even help prevent AIDS — in monkeys. Utilizing crowdsourced results from the downloadable protein-manipulating “game” Foldit, scientists at the University of Washington were able to attain a successful model of the simian AIDS-causing Mason – Pfizer monkey virus retroviral protease. For over a decade, researchers have been arduously attempting to reconstruct the folded shape of M-PMV with the aid of the task-specific Rosetta software, but to no avail. Now, in what they’re calling a possible first, gamers were able to do what scientific brains and algorithms could not, creating a sufficient model for molecular replacement — all in just three weeks. Feel like dedicating your leisure hours to this worthwhile cause? Then be sure to hit up the source link below, and transform yourself from couch potato to couch crusader.

Continue reading Gamers pwn University of Washington scientists, solve decade-long simian AIDS protein conundrum (video)

Gamers pwn University of Washington scientists, solve decade-long simian AIDS protein conundrum (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may not be the first console we’ve seen modded and squeezed into portable clothing, but we’ve got to admire the sheer pluck of cramming all the GameCube’s goodnesss into PSP hardware. Modder Ashen, also responsible for the stockier GameCube Fusion, has managed just that, with some heavy-duty adjustments and modifications. The Fusion Micro is a fair bit chunkier than the original PSP, mainly due to the fan and heat sink behind all that busy hardware. Other modifications include an extra analog stick on the right to mimic the GameCube controller and two card slots for games and emulation. Despite this impressive engineering, however, it won’t stand up to extensive plays; this unholy union of Nintendo and Sony can only squeeze out about two hours of gaming from its 5000mAh battery. Click on after the break to see Zelda in action, alongside a full break-down of the controls and modifications.

[Thanks Ashen.]

Continue reading Fusion Micro mod weds PSP and GameCube hardware, but battery won’t last the honeymoon

Fusion Micro mod weds PSP and GameCube hardware, but battery won’t last the honeymoon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.

This week Inhabitat shined a light on the future of high-tech architecture as we brought you 20 stunning sun-powered homes that are getting ready to battle it out in this year’s Solar Decathlon – including Team New York’s prefab Roof Pod, Canada’s TRTL solar shell house, and China’s Y Container home. We also brought you exclusive photos of the recently unveiled 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero, while the Empire State Building soared to new heights as it achieved LEED Gold certification. In other NYC news, we covered an underground park in the Big Apple which is to be illuminated entirely by fiber optics. Vicent Callebaut also unveiled plans for an incredible self-sufficient skyscraper for Taiwan, and we learned that scientists are planning to build a fake volcano for climate change research.

It was also a hot week for energy-generating tech as Intel unveiled a solar laptop chipset that can be powered by a desk lamp and MIT developed a tiny kinetic generator that can produce 100 times more power than previous devices of its kind. Meanwhile, Google invested in the power of pig poop and researchers rolled out a new inexpensive, powerful, and lightweight jelly battery that could one day power laptops and electric vehicles. Energy infrastructure also got a boost as a UK competition showcased six designs for next-generation power pylons, and New Mexico announced plans to build an entire city for the sole purpose of testing green technologies.

In other news, this week we spotted several pulse-pounding electric vehicles: a streamlined carbon fiber jet ski and an incredible mirrored motorcycle. We also went back to the future with a look at Nike’s new pair of LED studded kicks, and we spotted a slick set of retro robots made from salvaged materials. Finally, we shared a bevy of tips for living a more sustainable lifestyle — check out these seven gadgets that can improve your health and five ways to green your home entertainment system.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: sun-powered homes, retro robots and a solar laptop chipset originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, it works as such. You dig up ancient photos — a few generations prior, or even a few decades ago — scan ‘em in, and tag them to their rightful place on Google Maps. Then, folks who visit the ‘What Was Here’ project website or download the iOS app (all linked below) will be able to see what kind of world they’d be living in if Uncle Rico’s time machine actually worked. ‘Course, the initiative needs you, you and you to participate if it’s to be dubbed a success, so we’d recommend using whatever’s left of your weekend to contribute. And then send your mum a “thinking of you” letter using the very map you’re improving. Who said retro had to be retro, anyway?

‘What Was There’ project adds a pinch of history to augmented reality originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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