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Networking

Bandwidth Caps May Be Critical Error For Broadband Companies 317

Posted by Zonk from the give-a-little-get-a-little dept.
Technical Writing Geek writes "An Ars Technica article argues that after many years of stagnation, the US broadband landscape is finally 'primed for change'. Companies like Time Warner that decide to cap bandwidth risk being relegated to a 'broadband ghetto. Alternatives to the standard cable modem vs. DSL conundrum will come from technologies like WiMax and (eventually) the 'white space' broadband that might be offered by whoever wins the 700mhz auction. 'All of that is to say that cable and DSL won't always be the only games in town. If wireless solutions are able to deliver on their promises of high speeds with no usage limits, capped cable broadband service like Time Warner has planned is likely to be unattractive, to say the least. Instead of developing plans designed to discourage consumers from feeding at the bandwidth trough, cable companies would be better served in the long run by making investments in new technologies like DOCSIS 3.0 and the kind of infrastructure improvements necessary to meet bandwidth demands.'"
Games

Submission + - Wii puts Japanese TV stations under pressure

Submitted by
Knuckles
Knuckles writes: "The Times reports that "Japanese desert prime-time TV to play on their Nintendo Wii". Recent figures from Japan's audience-tracking firms show that "last week was the first in nearly two decades where no single show on any commercial station attracted more than a 9 per cent audience share. "According to one senior executive of the country's largest commercial television channel, Fuji TV, families who used to tune in to its colourful diet of soap operas, panel games and comedy variety shows may, instead, be drifting away and choosing to spend the same, economically-critical "golden hour" time playing on their Wii."

Personally, I'd like new games, but I can bridge the gap with the virtual console. If only it worked with PAL games over component cables."

Feed Engadget: Brando extends the Wiicessory madness with "Cooking Mother Kit" (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals


The Wii game-to-accessory ratio seems to just keep getting smaller and smaller, with accessory-mad Brando now further expanding your add-on options with its "Wii Cooking Mother Kit." Designed to be used with the so far accessory-deprived Cooking Mama game, the kit includes a frying pan, knife, spade, and fork, which are apparently guaranteed to "enhance the fun of playing the game." And, really, is there anything more more fun than wildly flailing sharp objects around? Those willing to take that risk can order their set now for $17.

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Feed Engadget: Hori's Fighting Stick Wii joystick to head stateside (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Sure hope you didn't spend too much in a bidding war over that homegrown Wii joystick back in December, as it looks like accessory maker extraordinaire Hori is planning to unveil something mighty similar real soon. According to Play-Asia, the firm's Fighting Stick Wii controller will be hitting the Japanese market in August, giving virtual console gamers a swank alternative to the Wii Classic Controller. Additionally, IGN has supposedly confirmed that an American release "is planned," and while a US pricetag has yet to emerge, those overseas can get their order in now for $52.90.

[Via IGN]

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Feed Engadget: Wii pool cue attachement hustles you out of $13 (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals


Adding to the growing list of chintzy plastic Wiimote accessories, this pool cue add-on seems like it could also be pretty useful for dramatically browsing the News Channel. The kit features an outer shell for the Wiimote and a three-piece shaft -- no word on what the tip is made of, but you can be certain that chalking it up won't help you sink that last shot.

[Via Wii Fanboy]

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Feed Brando offers up USB-powered Plasma Ball (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Yeah, this is just what everyone needed: more pointless electronic rubbish to clutter up your desk. Lacking the charm of other useless USB accessories (USB sushi: it's got cred!), Brando opted to give a regular Plasma Ball the USB connectivity it never wanted. For $16.99, the ability to awe your colleagues and family members with an interactive light show they've seen dozens of times is within your grasp! Hey, at least the base isn't lined with blue LEDs.

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Feed Nintendo reportedly making Wiis in Japan unmoddable (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming


Wii modders have already hit (and overcome) a few snags as a result of changes Nintendo has made to the console, but it doesn't look like the company is ready to give up the fight just yet, now reportedly introducing (as rumored) another round of revisions to stop folks from messing with the Wii's innards. According to at least one retailer in Japan, Nintendo has taken the somewhat drastic step of actually snipping some of the pins from the surface-mounted IC on the Wii's motherboard, making the current crop of modchips virtually useless. Currently, the changes only seem to apply to NTSC-J model Wiis sold in Japan, with no word of any NTSC-U model Wiis suffering the same fate -- although we wouldn't bet on them being immune for long. Of course, all this is of little concern for anyone planning on playing by Nintendo's rules, but the rest of ya may want to grab a moddable Wii while the going's still good -- or at least wait for the inevitable workaround to this latest impediment.

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Feed Wii rage turns 3 year old into (more of a) menace (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming

Meet Adam McConnell: Wii enthusiast... future criminal. See the wee lamb purposely (this time) smashed his father's 42-inch plasma after losing in Wii sports. Father Brian left the lad alone playing tennis to get the boy a drink -- presumably, a pint. While in the kitchen the father "heard two big bangs." Brian returned to find his son "using the handset to smash the TV screen." No claims of a broken Wiimote strap this time folks, the responsibility lies in the kind of pure, seething rage only a 3 year old can muster. Oh we feel ya Adam, we feel ya.

[Thanks, Mark A.]

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Feed Datel Drive Doctor for Wii does statistics and code injection, requires solderin (engadget.com)

From feed by engfeed

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Surely the whole point of purchasing a commercial product to run a few homebrew games or activate a few cheat codes is that there's no soldering required: that's not the case with the Datel Drive Doctor for Wii. The $34.95 Drive Doctor is designed to allow Wii owners to connect their console to their PC with a USB 2.0 cable, enabling you to review the internal statistics of the Wii, eventually run homebrew games, and even inject code "into the data stream ... it's fun!" Unfortunately, the press release mentions that it'll require a little soldering of wires in order to get the little box that clips on the back into a working state. Most people won't find that fun, but then again most people wouldn't find the idea of accidentally injecting code that kills their Wii fun either. We're left thinking that this one's strictly for the intermediate or pro hacker, so stay away if your coding and soldering isn't up to scratch. Us mere mortals will wait for something a little more dumb-consumer friendly, thank you very much.

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

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