Time To Kick Back and Have a Merry Christmas!

The holidays are always a good time to catch up with family, friends, and Nintendo DS Lite RPGs. Oh, and here's a old freebie for you to enjoy - it reminds me of a good ol' days spent doing nothing and without a single worry in the world.

Bobby Brown - Every Little Step (MP3)

We Pimp Yo' DS Lite Becuz You Can't Deal With Normal

With Chrono Trigger DS taking up all your hours of restroom time, you should really consider pimping it out with one of Decalgirl's skins for the DS Lite. They're cheap and add a bit of flair that you'll either absolutely love or hate. Grab a set of vinyls for $10.

Nintendo DSi Review

I was hoping I'd be a little more stoked since I got my grimy hands on an imported Nintendo DSi. However, after playing with it for about an hour, I believe the upgraded options are pretty much useless for a person who uses a flash cart already. The browser still sucks and is slower than my GRE score processing time. Sure, the extra $30 you'll be paying may seem worth it for the two webcams, larger screens, and improved anti-crack hinge design, but those who already own one should see no need whatsoever to upgrade. That said - it's still a DS Lite underneath it all, so of course you should grab get one if you don't have one already. Just grab the cheaper model if you're looking to save some money. 8.5/10.

Not To Start A Fanboy War But...

I'm with Japan on this one. Their latest survey of 15,000 games across the country of top 10 most wanted games in the upcoming year pretty much sums up my own.

1. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
2. Dragon Quest IX (NDS, Square Enix)
3. Biohazard 5 [Resident Evil 5] (PS3/Xbox360, Capcom)
   
4. Dragon Quest VI (NDS, Square Enix)
5. Chrono Trigger (NDS, Square Enix)
6. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
7. The Last Remnant (PS3, Square Enix)
8. White Knight Chronicles (PS3, Sony)
9. Ryuga Gotoku 3 [Yakuza 3] (PS3, Sega)
10. Kill Zone 2 (PS3, Sony)

Honeyee Nintendo DS Lite, Monochrome To Own

Think Cobalt Blue was cool? Wait until you get your hands on this redesign by Japanese magazine Honeyee. Looks more classic than anything you could get your hands on right now, I might just have to import.

Best DS Lite Slot-1 Adapter: CycloDS Evolution

With the horizon hinting at the DS Lite becoming the ultimate portable gaming system of choice, one would be stupid to not get one given the great choices for easily loading game backups onto dedicated Slot-1 solutions. The Evolution, for example, is one of the very best at what it does. The long list of features is too big for this short post, but here are just a few highlight features: plug & play, microSDHC compatibility, and even a slow-mo option if you need to do something crazy.

Portable Entertainment Analysis

It's about that time again - yes, where I tell you what shall become obsolete, what shall bloom like a new age flower, and what you should look forward to in the coming years.

First, after having played around with iPods for the years I worked retail during my college years, I can tell you iPods will become obsolete within a few years. Where these shall fall, we will have multiple iPhone mock ups; in different variations and colors, bigger hard drives, a high-definition camera, and integrated GPS. Obviously, this means no more iPods, GPS devices, or dedicated point-and-shoot cameras.

Secondly, portable gaming will continue to thrive. The DS Lite will continue to dominate over the PSP, mainly due to the PSP's lack of user-friendly integration, dated "UMD" slots, and overly industrial styling. Future revisions are definitely plausible. Furthermore, these systems will not be integrated into all-in-one solutions, like phones, primarily due to manufacturer disinterest and the inconvenience of cellular service on a gaming device.

A mainstream market currently attempting to make its way up are eBook readers such as Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Portable Reader System. The idea of completely removing books from the shelves may seem troubling to some, but this does help reduce production costs of printing, which helps the environment in the long run. Also, the ability to search textbooks for research and reference via a thin tablet device sounds convenient enough, but once laptops reach a similar size and weight, the device will become dated.

Finally, either Bluetooth or another wireless technology by another name will become completely mainstream. This will allow full cohesive between one's home PC, car, and workplace by allowing synchronizations of calendars, mail, and playlists (given there is enough room in the iPhones now to carry server sized media collections). There will be another Steve Jobs that will make this simple enough for the mainstream consumer to understand. This is where I hopefully come in sometime in the near future.

Japanese Nippon Cover, Stashes DS Like A Kunai

Sucks to be us folk in the states, since this awesome carrying case for your DS Lite looks to be currently available only in Japan. Upon visiting their online website looking to spend my hard earned money, however, I became confused. All these hieroglyphics they call Japanese tell me nothing, and the more I look stare at it, the more I think this product isn't even a product - it's a corporate freebie.

Colorware Makes 360's, PS3's, and Computers Become Elite

Colorware is a wonderful company that has the painting expertise of Van Gogh when it comes to customizing that iPod Touch, gaming machine, or lappy top to your liking. Their paint jobs usually run around $99, but for the amazing jobs they pull off it's more than worth it. Check out their site here.

Final Fantasy IV Getting 3-D Makeover for DS

The DS is starting to become more and more one of the better purchases I've made. Once I'm done with Puzzle Quest (I've already maxed out all my levels), I shall try and finish up FFIII. This one should ship out by the time I'm done, hopefully. Oh, I love RPGs.

DS Lite Project: Part I

Got a bunch of parts flying in within the next few weeks. M3 Simply One, microSD card, and a brand spankin' new DS Lite. I imagine this can't be good for my Neurobiology studies.