I Review Electronics

Reviewing the most popular electronic gadgets

Nintendo DS Review

Category: Gaming Systems - Date: December 9, 2005 - Discussion: 3 comments

Nintendo DS

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

Nintendo DS Review Introduction

The Nintendo Ds is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. The DS has several key features: a sharp design, terrific graphics, two screens, voice recognition, wireless multi-player options, and a touch screen. The Nintendo DS provides users with a unique game-play experience using features never before offered by any other home console or handheld game system.

Nintendo DS Design

With the Nintendo DS closed, it’s 5.85″ wide, 3.33″ long, 1.13″ tall. The upper screen is a 3″ semi-transparent reflective TFT color LCD, 256×192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch. The touch screen is the same as the upper screen, but with a transparent analog touch screen. As far as its’ wireless communication abilities, it’s the standard IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo’s proprietary format, with a wireless range of up to 100 feet, depending on the circumstances. With its’ wireless abilities, multiple players can play multi-player games using just one DS game card. Input/Output: Ports for both Nintendo DS game cards and Game Boy Advance Game Paks, terminals for stereo headphones and a microphone. As for the controls, there’s a touch screen, embedded microphone for voice recognition, the A, B, X, Y buttons and a control pad, Left / Right shoulder buttons, and the Start / Select buttons.

Nintendo DS Features

The Nintendo DS transformed the portable game industry by changing the way gamers relate to their games and to each other. Two screens offer two different perspectives of the action simultaneously. The touch screen makes accessing items, moving characters around, or navigation menus as easy as a tap or a drag on the screen. The Nintendo DS’ voice recognition abilities lets players simply tell the game what they want it to do. Chat software allows gamers to transmit text messages as well, handwriting and even drawings to one another. The wireless function links players in the same room or even across the country.

Nintendo DS Performance

The Nintendo DS has two processors, one ARM9 and one ARM7. These are higher-end processors used in some PDA’s and it gives the DS a lot of power. This power translates into a good quality in the graphics, which are quite impressive for a handheld, and full 3D with a very smooth frame rate.

What’s included in the package

The standard Nintendo DS video game console, AC adapter, a wrist strap, two styluses, and an instruction manual.

Conclusion

The Nintendo DS has dual screens and touch-screen technology, plus wireless communication to experience real-time multiplayer game play, plus the built-in PictoChat software that gives you the power to draw, write and send messages. Simply put, the Nintendo DS has revolutionized the way you view a handheld console. Nintendo knows that these new features present in the machine will attract developers to create unique games. This new console makes Nintendo retain its status as the leader of the handheld game console market.

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Sony PlayStation 2 Review

Category: Gaming Systems - Date: November 28, 2005 - Discussion: 5 comments

Sony Playstation 2

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

Sony Playstation 2 Review Introduction

Since it’s launch, the PS2 has been a huge success. Primarily because the Sony PlayStation has some of the best rated games in any genre. Some of the extreme sports titles include the Tony Hawk games and SSX games. If you’re into racing games there’s Gran Turismo Series. Every heard of titles such as the Silent Hill Series, the Final Fantasy series, and Grand Theft Auto.

Sony Playstation 2 Design

The main unit’s dimensions are 30.1 cm (width) x 18.2 cm (depth) x 7.8 cm (height). Total weight is 2.2 kg. The Play Station 2 can stand on its side or lie flat to fit any space.

Sony Playstation 2 Features

First off the PS2 is a great entertainment system. It’s one of the few systems to be backwards compatible: the ps2 can play Plastation 1 / PSOne Games. A DVD player is built in and it can also play music CD’s. Online is the name of the game with the ps2. Sony really seems to really know what they’re doing here with it. Many games take full advantage of online gaming features of the PS2. The Play Station 2 offers one of the largest game libraries of any console system. The PlayStation 2 is offered in various colors and sizes: regular black, black slimline, regular silver and silver slimline.

Sony Playstation 2 Performance

Once the PS2 is installed into your home theatre, you’ll be treated to a reasonably sharp picture with high quality sound. The processor is a Toshiba and Sony Emotion Engine and clocks in at 294.9MHz, video output of 128-bit 2D/3D graphics acceleration, and a maximum resolution of 32-bit color / 1280 x 1024. The Sony PS2 is a real gamers system.

What’s included in the package

Sony Playstation 2 video game console, a set of stereo a/v cables, an AC adapter, one controller, and the manuals.

Conclusion

What usually makes or breaks a system is its library of games. If your biggest priority right now is the widest selection of games, rather than hardware bells and whistles, then the PlayStation 2 is a solid choice. This is the ps2′s strength and it’s probably the reason why its’ sales figures are so high. Besides being able to play older Playstation titles, the ps2 boasts many exclusive titles. These titles have consistently broken sales records. The Sony PS2 library is so huge you can satisfy your interest with many different titles.

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Nintendo Gamecube Review

Category: Gaming Systems - Date: November 22, 2005 - Discussion: 4 comments

Nintendo GameCube

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

Nintendo GameCube Review Introduction

The Nintendo GameCube was created to provide you with the most entertaining gaming experience possible. With a game library numbering in the hundreds, and in all possible genres, there’s games for everyone. The Nintendo Game Cube has some powerful technical specs as well as a cast of exclusive characters unrivaled by any other gaming system.

Nintendo GameCube Design

It’s playful appealing design and small size are not the only features that set it apart from other popular gaming systems. The main unit’s dimensions are 4.3″ (height) x 5.9″ (width) x 6.3″ (depth).

Nintendo GameCube Features

The Nintendo GameCube’s best features are it’s sleek compact design, the wide variety of games for all ages you can get, and the famous Nintendo brand name so you know you’re getting a well-known trustworthy gaming system. The GameCube is Nintendo’s first video game console that can access game data through a disc as opposed to a cartridge. Each of these “discs” hold 1.5 GB of information and are only 3″ in diameter.

Nintendo GameCube Performance

The disc drive and processor work together with awesome speed, which makes load times hardly noticeable. Moving to the software disc media instead of game cartridges generally means lower development costs for the publishers which in turn has many benefits for the consumer. These benefits include: lower prices on games, an increase in the number of available titles and the quality of the games.

What’s included in the package

Nintendo GameCube video game system, one controller, manuals, cables to connect to TV, 4-game controller ports built in, AC adapter.

Conclusion

The Nintendo GameCube game library has hundreds of games in many genres so every gamer is bound to find something they like. A few games currently available are the Lord of the Rings series, Soul Calibur II, Ghost Recon, Madden Football NBA Street Volume 2 & Tony Hawk’s Underground. The Mario classics are still here with: Mario Sunshine, Wario World, Super Mash Bros and Mario Party. If you’ve previously owned a Nintendo or a Super Nintendo, the Nintendo GameCube is the next logical step up in the gaming system ladder.

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Sony PSP Review

Category: Gaming Systems - Date: November 19, 2005 - Discussion: 4 comments

Sony PSP

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

PSP Review Introduction
The Sony PSP debuted in late 2004 to rival Nintendo’s handheld gaming system. Games currently available for the Sony PSP are Need For Speed Underground, Spiderman 2, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Tony Hawks Underground 2 and many more. The Sony PSP retails for about $250.

PSP Design
The Sony PSP screen is a 4.3-inch LCD with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 480 x 272 pixel resolution, perfect for widescreen movies and video games. The product dimensions are approximately 6.7 inches (width) x .9 inches (height) x 2.9 inches (depth) Weight: .62 lbs (including battery).

PSP Features
The Sony PSP comes with wireless internet capabilities, video and digital music play-back, and of course the gaming. The Sony PSP supports the Universal Media Disc (UMD), which holds up to 1.8GB of data, more than enough for games and movies. If you need data storage, the Sony PSP comes with the Memory Stick Duo media where you can store your saved games, downloaded online content, personal video and audio files, and more. (comes with 32MB Memory Stick Duo)

PSP Performance
The Sony PSP comes with a 333 MHz processor, dwarfing other handhelds currently on the market. The games don’t freeze up and it can even load 2+ MB JPEG images in under 2 seconds.

What’s included in the package
Sony PSP, AC adapter, battery, 32MB Memory Stick Duo, headphones with remote control, soft case & hand strap.

Conclusion
The Sony PSP is a must buy for gaming enthusiasts looking to take their gaming on the road.

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Nintendo Gameboy Advance

Category: Gaming Systems - Date: June 27, 2005 - Discussion: No comments

Nintendo Gameboy Advance

Overall Rating
Design
Features
Performance

Nintendo Gameboy Advance Review Introduction

The Game Boy Advance SP is deep on the free-style gaming. With its back-lit flip screen, smooth lines, and color selection, this classic system gets you in on the portable fun revolution.

Nintendo Gameboy Advance Design

Light Source: Front light integrated with LCD
CPU: 32-Bit ARM with embedded memory
Memory: 32 Kbyte + 96 Kbyte VRAM (in CPU), 256 Kbyte WRAM (external of CPU)
Size (closed): Approximately 3.3″ height/3.23″ width/0.96″ depth
Screen: (diagonal) reflective TFT color LCD
Resolution: 240 x 160 pixels
Weight: Approximately 5 ounces
Power: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Battery Life: 10 hours continuous play with light on, 18 hours with light off, 3 hours recharging
Hardware colors: Onyx, Flame, Platinum and Cobalt.

Nintendo Gameboy Advance Features

The clamshell design allows you to easily adjust the angle of the screen to cut down on glare, as well as protect the LCD by simply flipping the unit closed. Another plus: Because the 5.6-ounce (with cartridge installed) SP is more compact than the original, it’s also more pocket-friendly but retains the same 1.61-by-2.41-inch screen. A major selling point is the built in lighted screen allowing you to play games in poorly lit environments.

Nintendo Gameboy Advance Performance

Like the original GBA, the SP runs on a 32-bit RISC-CPU with embedded memory, and its screen offers a 240×160-pixel resolution and support for 32,000 colors. The Game Boy Advance SP is essentially a sleeker looking, better designed Game Boy Advance. It boasts exactly the same capabilities as far as processing power, graphics, sound, etc. as the GBA, but with a completely reworked exterior design as well as the addition of a few convenient extras.

What’s included in the package

Basic system: Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP, Wall Adapter, Instructions

Conclusion

The world’s most popular video game system brings you the ultimate in portable fun with Game Boy Advance SP. For gaming on the go, nothing beats Game Boy Advance. Optimized for gaming, Game Boy Advance provides powerful performance, responsive play and a beautiful display, plus it fits in your hip pocket. The Game Boy Advance SP addition of a beautiful front light screen and rechargeable batteries makes it a must have.

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