Ogling Hasbros' My3D Game

from Wired.com

"Like pretty much anything that comes out nowadays with “3-D” in the title, Hasbro’s My3D — which lets you play 3-D games on your iPhone or iPod Touch — isn’t really great yet… but it has potential.

At the moment the device, available exclusively through Target until June, is basically a glorified View-Master. Snap your handheld into the appropriate tray, connect the tray to the viewfinder, close the device, and peer through the goggles to see your phone in three dimensions.

Thumb holes in the bottom of the contraption allow you to select menu options, navigate within games and — depending on what the game demands — shoot stuff."

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Incidentally, Fisher Price's View-Master was included in the National Toy Hall of Fame.  Will Hasbro's My3D make a similar impact on our consciousness beyond just our retinas?

Yike(s) Bike!

YikeBike

Afternoons in our subdivision, you'll see a bunch kids riding bikes with the handlebars deliberately stripped off, kinda like a monocycle in a circus act, except the bikes still have two wheels--so no, scratch the monocycle reference.

Anyway, apparently, they rent the bikes for P5 an hour, which, to a kid, is already an eternity.  The bicycles look precarious, but the kids seem to enjoy them.  Why else would they keep scooting around?  

This is the sad truth: there are kids in the world who don't have a bicycle of their own, and who have to rent out a bike if only to experience a ride.

 
When I was twelve, my dad gave my sis and I bikes.  It took me forever to figure out how to ride one.  On the day I finally did, I looked back to check if Daddy was still helpfully behind, found him far far back, panicked, and fell--the bike crashing on me promptly. 

I had to wear a cast for about a year.  After they sawed it open, I rode again.

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And then there's the YikeBike--a super-lightweight, folding bike.  

For the jaw-dropping price of $3,600 (the Yikes! part), you get to ride this strange-looking battery-operated contraption, sure to invite questioning looks from everyone.  Then, when you reach your destination (assuming the battery didn't die on you), you simply fold up the bike and put it in its special backpack.  Something this expensive, you carry it around with you (it's light-weight), not leave it on the street chained to post.

 

Obviously, the YikeBike is aimed at the moneyed yuppie or the rich urban dweller who's tried roller-blading to work before and now wants a bike.  If you're the old school type who firmly believes in pedal power, this bike isn't your thing.  

The inventors say they've trimmed down the traditional penny-farthing and turned it into a mini-farthing in response to congested cities needing a fast. convenient and portable means of transportation.  For $3,600 though, I'm thinking that's already a lot of perfectly good bikes to go around for kids.

Kinect for Xbox 360

Kinect for Xbox 360: Such a Big Leap  

Not just your average jump shot.

Just when we thought they've made big leaps in making game controllers and joysticks as ergonomic as possible, now come something even more revolutionary.  The human body--via our signature gestures, face, and voice--as the ultimate controller.

That's what Kinect(very nice-sounding and appropriate name, better than it's initial Project Natal moniker) is all about.  As such, the ad campaign for the Xbox's peripheral is "You are the controller."

You kick--the RGB camera senses your movement--and your game avatar kicks on screen simultaneously as well.  Don't you just wish there was Kinect in the days of Street Fighters?  With Kinect, you'll be needing lots of space to kick around though, and thrash about and gesticulate for optimal gaming experience.  

Another catch is this: Yes, Kinect for Xbox 360 requires lots of space, but stray too far from the camera's peripheral vision (for instance, when you get too carried away with the fight sequences), and you'll be told to step back into the frame.  Bummer, huh?

Understandably, Kinect is just version 1.0, and there's certainly much to be improved on of course.  

At its standalone price of $149 though ($299 when bundled with Xbox 360 4G), it's a good buy.  Heck, we've been dreaming of this a long time ago, and now it's here.

More thorough Kinect review?