It looks like Nintendo has been planning something of their own all along.  Imagine playing Nintendo in 3D.  See below for more information:

Nintendo’s next portable game machine will be called “Nintendo 3DS” and feature 3-D graphics, the company said Tuesday morning.

The new handheld game platform will feature a 3-D display that does not require the use of glasses. It will be released in Japan before March 2011. Nintendo 3DS will be compatible with Nintendo DS and DSi software, the company said.

Nintendo will reveal more information about 3DS at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles this June.

The Nintendo 3DS is a next-generation portable game machine, a successor to the current line of products. The first Nintendo DS was released in 2004. On March 28, Nintendo will release the latest (and apparently last) in the line of original DS players, the DSi XL, in the U.S.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5QSclrIdlE

The new Playstation Move Commercial using Kevin Butler makes fun of the Wii controllers and Xbox 360 Project Natal.

Is it just me or does this nearly duplicate Microsoft’s Project Natal???  It is pretty cool technology that won’t need an Xbox….  You simply have to love how fast technology is moving…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2qlHoxPioM

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/sony-debuts-slimmer-ps3/#continued

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_txF7iETX0

Netflix has really outdone themselves on this one. Now you can watch movies on demand with this little lovely device.  No more trips to the movie store to pick or return.  You don’t have to wait for one in the mail either.  You simply pick any one of their mail plans as low as $8.99 a month and get 1 DVD at a time through the mail and have access to thousands of movies to watch on your computer instantly or if you buy the box you can watch them on your TV.  The box is only $99.00.  They are also coming up with a blue-ray DVD player that will allow you to do this this fall.  The Xbox 360 will also have this same capability this fall as well.  The nice thing is that it still cost only $8.99 a month for this service.  Their selection for instant movies on this box is over 12,000 movies and television series.  They do not have the new releases available though so you will have to rely on the mail service for that.  There is enough to make you happy.  I personally love it because I usually always watch movies instead of having to rely on what is on TV.  You can pause, rewind, fast forward, scene select and have it remember where you left off at.  All you have to do is add all the movies you want to the instant viewing list and it will appear on your TV screen.  You have to have a wireless connection in your house or a access to a lan cable to make it work.  The setup is very easy too.  It simply walks you through the process and only takes a few minutes.  The box also has HDMI connections in the back in case you have a LCD or Plasma instead of of a standard TV.  It will work on any TV.  The quality is really good and it doesn’t have a hard drive so you don’t need to worry about storage.  I never understood why anyone would want to buy these movies and store them when you have unlimited access to any of them instantly on your TV.  The quality varies upon the internet connection you have.  It will automatically adjust it based on your connnection.  Most of them hav been pretty clear ranging from Standard to DVD quality.  I am sure they are working on improving that as well.  I also like the fact that the box is very small and comes with a simple remote instead of one of those complicated ones we are so used to dealing with.  Overall, this is definately worth it if you like to watch a lot of movies or want to catch up on some old series from the original Incredible hulk to The office or Dr. Who.  There are so many movies too!  I would definately recommend it as a “Gadget to Get”!  Goto http://www.netflix.com/NetflixReadyDevices?lnkctr=mfNFRD&lnkce=nrdfm&trkid=438224 to find out more.  Thanks! 

I have played this thing into the ground. I know there are tons of reviews out there but mine is better. Ok…Maybe not but I am going to do one anyway!

Pros:

Right out of the box…The Wii is easy to setup. If you already have Wi-Fi built in your house, it will work without any additional hardware. My favorite game is Wii-Sports(Tennis, Baseball, Boxing, Golf and Bowling). The best part is that is comes free with the system. I have bought or rented many games and Wii Sports is still my favorite. Everyone seems to love bowling for some reason. The motions of using the new remotes takes some getting used to but make it so much fun for the whole family. You should see your mom and dad use it. They will love it but you will want to get your camera out. This system is so user friendly.

You can create your very own Mii (avatar) or character whom will be you or anyone you create them to be. This can be done for everyone in the house or all your friends. For Example: On games like Wii-sports; it will look like you are playing your dad or whoever creates their own Mii. Anyway, this system also plays Gamecube games as well. One of my favorites is Lego Star Wars. It lets you download older games from systems such as Turbographics, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and Sega. You will have to buy wii points (20 dollars for 2000 points) in order to purchase these. If your prefer not to use your credit card online… you can be buy Wii-point cards at local stores that sell electronics. Most downloaded games usually cost around 5 to 10 dollars. (500 to 1000 points).

The Wii also has an SD Card slot to load your photos and manipulate them using the built in photo software. This software will also let you create instant slideshows or have fun like playing videos backwards. You can get instant weather and news on it as well. I love using the Wii’s internet capability to check my myspace page or email when someone like my daughter is on the our computer. You must download the opera browser first which was free but may cost you now. I would recommend buying it if you ever want to use the internet. There is another neat little voting program you can download that will ask questions to everyone who owns a Wii. That includes everyone in the world and after the time has expired…you can see how your answers compared to the rest of the world. This system is a lot of fun that the whole family could enjoy. I think the best part of the whole system is the exercise you get from moving around all the time while playing games.

Cons:

Nothing is perfect. The graphics on here are pretty much the same as the gamecube. They are not even close to the latest Sony Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. You must remember that it is a Nintendo and not designed to show close up blood and gore shots. I finally gave up on getting it work on my secure, password protected Wi-Fi network. I was forced to take off the password protection and share it with the world to get it to work properly. Fortunately all my neighbors already have Wi-Fi.

My next complaint is that everytime you want to play a two player game; you must setup the second controller. Sometimes it takes forever to find it or has a hard time recognizing the controller at all. I also hate that you have to buy so many controllers. You have to buy the remote and the nunchuk separately. It only comes with one set. You must also buy a gamecube controller and a gamecube memory card to play and save gamecube games. The gamecube controller will also be needed to play the older games you downloaded too. I highly recommend you pay the extra couple of dollars and get the cordless/wireless ones. Otherwise you will have to sit right in front of the TV.

It does not support HDTV but I don’t have a plasma HDTV anyway. It also does not have a wireless keyboard; but hopefully one day it will for using the internet part it has to offer. You will get mighty tired of pointing at the keys on the TV like using a laser pointer. The final, but kind of ridiculous complaint is that it should have come with a set of wireless ankle straps so that you could give your feet exercise too. I get scared when my kids play and worry that they are going to punch each other when playing boxing or tennis. It would at least be nice to get your legs a good workout too…Maybe the next generation will…???

GadgetToGet?

I do think it is worth getting. It is much cheaper than the other systems and most games are kid friendly. They are putting some gory, bloody games like Mortal Combat out now, but most of them are innocent enough for young children. It keeps both kids and adults from just sitting on their butts by forcing them to either lose or get up out of that chair and play. Nintendo also has many educational games to offer as well. If you are looking for a fun and and inexpensive system that keeps you active and entertained, then I suggest getting a Wii. I also forgot to mention that it is so much smaller than it’s competition. (Xbox 360 and Playstation 3) I really don’t know why we compare all three systems because the Nintendo Wii is in it’s own category.