Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. Nintendo Controller Keychain Lights

A friend of mine posted a photo of a keychain shaped like a FamiCom controller that just had to have. Takara Tomy released a gashapon set that's part of their Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. line which is usually comprised of miniature figures of various game consoles. These are from the first part of their Nintendo Controller Light series. Featuring the 1-P version of the Japanese FamiCom controller, a Super FamiCom controller, a Nintendo 64 controller and a Wiimote that comes in both white and black version. One of the buttons on the controllers, when pressed, illuminates either a red or orange colored LED.

I initially hard trouble finding gashapon machines that had these and when I did find some, they were already empty. Luckily, there's a machine in the Toys R' Us of Robinsons Galleria. They go for 2 tokens each (120php in total) and from my experience, the most common one is the 1-P FamiCom controller. There's a Part 2 set of Takara Tomy's Nintendo Controller Lights that will feature the 2-P FamiCom controller, a different form of the FamiCom controller that came out with the third body of the FamiCom, an indigo colored Gamecube controller, and Wiimotes that come in white and red.

Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. Nintendo Controller Keychain Lights Part 1 - FamiCom 1P Ver

Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. Nintendo Controller Keychain Lights Part 1 - Wiimote (White Ver)

E3 2014: Full E3 press conference schedule to get us all updated

E3(Electronic Entertainment Expo) is the biggest event for the gaming industry, where all the big game reveals and announcements from big video game companies happen. It's literally just around the corner, so for those that want to catch all the reveals and big announcements from the big gaming companies, here's the full schedule of when each press conference goes live. 

*TAKE NOTE OF THE TIME DIFFERENCE: PDT is for those living in the United States, while GMT is for those living in South East Asia like the Philippines. 

Microsoft - Monday, June 9th at 9:30AM PDT / Tuesday, June 10 12:30AM GMT

Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb said on his blog that you can stream the press conference, entitled "Xbox: Game On," through Xbox.com, Xbox Live and Windows Phone worldwide. The press conference will also be broadcast on Spike TV in the U.S. and Canada. Halo 5: Guardians has been announced by 343 Industries so it's very likely we'll be seeing a demo of the new Halo running on Xbox One. There are rumors of a Gears of War reveal, as well as more about Sunset Overdrive which is looking pretty promising. Forza Horizon 2 was also announced plus there's Fable Legends so we'll see them on the presentation. Oh and of course, we'll see more of Kevin Spacey for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Also, with Microsoft announcing the Xbox One without Kinect, making the new console at the same price as its competitor, we will definitely see a strong presence of Kinect in the press conference.

EA - Monday, June 9th at 12:00 PM PDT / Tuesday, June 10 3:00 AM GMT

Just like past EA conferences, we will see tons of EA Sports talk for NFL, NBA, the works. All that aside, we'll most likely see the latest on Dragon Age: Inquisition, Sims 4, Battlefield: Hardline, and we just might get a gameplay demo of Star Wars: Battlefront III. There are talks of them teasing a new Mass Effect game, but that's very unlikely in our eyes.

Ubisoft - Monday, June 9th at 3:00 PM PDT / Tuesday, June 10 6:00 AM GMT

Ubisoft will be an interesting press conference. We'll definitely see a demo for this year's Assassin's Creed called Unity, as well as another announcement of the second Assassin's Creed planned for this year as well. Tom Clancy's The Division will have new gameplay to wow the crowd, and we'll get our first look at Far Cry 4 planned for this year. Just Dance will make an appearance yet again, and we'll see a demo for The Crew. We also expect a new IP coming from the European company since we've seen a new title from them two E3's in a row (Watch Dogs - 2012, The Division - 2013). Ubisoft has a lot going for them, it's crazy.

Sony - Monday, June 9th at 6:00 PM PDT / Tuesday, June 10 9:00 AM GMT

Sony might have a great lineup for their presentation - Deep Down, the new Uncharted, The Order: 1886, and a possible reveal of From Software's PS4 exclsuive currently titled "Project Beast". Final Fantasy XV will make an appearance together with Kingdom Hearts 3. The indie scene might just get the spotlight yet again to strengthen the consoles indie game support.  What's going to be their big reveal? There's a big chance of a new God of War game moving the franchise forward. Destiny will definitely appear on Sony's presentation, and we might get more titles for PS Vita since it's been lagging behind on the number of new games per month. Oh, and we shouldn't forget the slight possibility of  The Last Guardian showing up at the presentation...very unlikely.

Nintendo - Tuesday, June 10th at 9:00 AM PDT / Wednesday, June 11 12:00 AM GMT

Just like last year, Nintendo won't be holding the traditional press conference at E3. Instead, they will be broadcasting their presentation through a video similar to their monthly video called Nintendo Direct. It's called the "Nintendo Digital Event" and we will be seeing our first look at the new Zelda game exclusive to the Wii U. The Super Smash Bros Wii U and 3DS will definitely make an appearance, we'll get more footage for Bayonetta 2, and Monolith's RPG currently called X might get a full reveal. New 3DS games will take a small portion of the spotlight, but we expect all the effort will be put on making the Wii U appealing. There's rumor of a new Metroid that will be announced for the Wii U, which we pray is true because Nintendo needs announcements like that to be the big talk in E3. The horrible Wii U sales is a big concern and we hope they can bounce back with their presentation.

Where can I watch E3?

Since we are now in the age of Social Media and Live Streaming, watching the events that will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center will be easy for even folks on the other side of the globe. Here are a couple of sites that will be live streaming E3 happening next week:

Full event

Gamespot

Twitch.TV

Spike.TV

E3 Insider

EA Press Conference only

EA's Hub

Ubisoft Press Conference only

Ubisoft YouTube Channel

Ubisoft twitch Channel

Nintendo Digital Event only

Nintendo E3

The crew will be watching the event live, so just in case you are unable to watch the event live or just want the big scoop - stay tuned on our Twitter and Facebook page, we'll be posting the big announcements as it gets revealed. A full compilation of each press conference will be posted on the site.

We'll also be discussing everything that happened during E3 2014 on the TMG Podcast after the event. The post E3 show, Episode 36, will be up on June 17 on a Tuesday.

We'll update the list of channels covering the event as more come up. If you think we are missing some, please comment below and we'll add it to the list.

AverMedia Live Gamer Portable

TMG gets yet another upgrade in terms of recording gear. With Arlie's Elgato Game Capture HD and his newly acquired PS4, I also level up with a new capture device. The AverMedia Live Gamer Portable.

This cute little device is about the size of an iPhone and can record footage with or without a computer. When connected to a PC, you can record footage using RECentral (in either TS or mp4 format) or directly use the device on streaming software such as Xsplit or Open Broadcaster Software. When not connected to a PC, it can also record footage by storing it in a class 10 SDHC card (only records in TS format in this mode). Thanks to Den for hooking me up with this new capture device.

The box it came in is hella fancy and contained quite a bit of accessories given it's size. Included with the AverMedia Live Gamer Portable device is a PS3 SCART cable, a component AV adapter, a line in cable, a USB (male) to USB mini (male) cable, a very short HDMI cable, and a zippered carrying pouch, an instruction sheet, and finally a voucher for a 3-month licence for Xsplit.

Here's a screenshot taken using the AverMedia Live Gamer Portable through RECentral.

Here are some test videos I recorded using the AverMedia Live Gamer Portable in both RECentral and in PC-free mode.

PS3 footage recorded with the RECentral software: Settings: Bitrate: 12mbps Resolution: 720p Frame Rate: 30fps Format: mp4

PS3 footage recorded PC-free on a 16gig SDHC card: PS3 footage recorded PC-free on a 16gig SDHC card: Resolution: 720p Frame Rate: 60fps Format: TS converted to mp4

Recorded using PC-free mode on a 16gig SDHC card Resolution: 720p Frame Rate: 60fps Format: raw TS file

Recorded using PC-free mode on a 16gig SDHC card Resolution: 1080p Frame Rate: 60fps Format: TS converted to mp4 PC screen setup (dual monitors) set to "Extend Displays".

Recorded using PC-free mode on a Class 10 16gig micro SDHC card Resolution: 720p Frame Rate: 60fps Format: raw TS file

Recorded using PC-free mode on a class 10 16gig SDHC card Resolution: 720p Frame Rate: 60fps Format: TS converted to mp4 PC screen setup (single monitor) set to "Duplicate Displays".

RECentral captures Wii and PS2 footage in 4:3 even if the consoles are set to widescreen so I had to change the aspect ration of this video before uploading. Bitrate: 12mbps Frame Rate: 30fps Format: mp4

Like how PSP games are displayed on TVs via the PSP-2000/3000's TV-out, I had to eliminate the black gaps around the edges. Bitrate: 12mbps Frame Rate: 30fps Format: mp4

Had to cut out the black edges on all sides. Bitrate: 12mbps Frame Rate: 30fps Format: mp4

By the way, you can find Arlie streaming live on our Twitch.tv channel so follow us there if you want to catch the streams.

Halloween 2013 Special

Tis the season to be scary and the general consensus is to watch a bunch of horror movies. But since we like to play video games, this is the perfect time to revist the genre of survival horror.

Migoy and Bud get down and dirty with a few indie horror games on PC and one game on the Nintendo Wii.

Games featured:

PC: Slender One Late Night SCP Containment Breach Wii: Calling

We also did a short LP of the original Silent Hill on the TMG Let's Play Channel with one of our friends from GenesisPH.

The Wii U needs to catch a break

Since the release of the Wii U, Nintendo is having a hard time finding a place in the market. Why is it a big problem now? Well, it's only competing against current-gen consoles...and it's struggling. Where it stands now, consoles such as the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, even the Wii still remain at the top.

The  Wii U is Nintendo's console for the coming years, but the appeal seen so far makes me worried. With PS4 and the Xbox One just around the corner, the incentive to consider the  Wii U u during the holidays is slim. The problem that Nintendo is currently facing is how to stand out. The previous console, the Wii, had so much more going for it back in the day; A new unique way to play games( motion controls) and exclusive titles on platform launch( twilight princess). What the  Wii U had during last years launch was close to nothing. No big first-party title as well as no feature to really stand out. And that highly mentioned third-party support during the start slowly dwindled as the months went by. The extra screen on the pad was a neat idea, but the PS3's six axis was also a neat idea, and we know how that turned out. The gamepad's extra screen, which Nintendo tried so hard to convince people it's a big feaure, is nothing if you put it side by side with the Wii's motion controls. That control scheme did it for the Wii. It kept the console afloat for years. The casual crowd just loved it. The  Wii U just doesn't have that, and what it currently offers is about the same as everything else out now.

Graphics have been upgraded to match current consoles today, great, but when the new batch of consoles get released, they are back at the tail end visually. I'm not saying graphics are everything. It's just an edge against them that Nintendo insists on living with. Is Nintendo worried? I'm positive, especially when the Wii is doing slightly better than their next-gen console..

Nintendo reported their financials since April 1 to June 30 and revealed that they sold 160,000 Wii U units globally. Let that sink in for a minute...okay let me make it worse. On the same months, the Wii did even better selling 210,000 units.  I'm not sure how they would allow sales like this to happen. The company is still earning profits overall thanks to great sales elsewhere and the 3DS finally selling like hotcakes, but I'm sure they were not expecting these kinds of figures.

But there's still time. There's no more room for error though. Games are really what matters and Nintendo's prized possessions are still on their way. Mario, Zelda, and the rest of the Nintendo band Wagon has yet to hit the Wii U, so don't count out this console just yet. All it needs is an opening. Why didn't they start the launch with a big title that is well known and is a sure sell? I have no clue. Pikmin 3 is out now and is one of the big titles to hit the console this year. As we get closer to the holidays, the Wii U needs exclusive games like Pikmin to pull people to buy the console, to get some kind of momentum. The month after that we get The Wonderful 101, but that might take a beating since Grand Theft Auto V is scheduled on the same week (Why Nintendo? Why!?). It's going to be a rough year for the young Wii U. Once the PS4 and Xbox One gets released, it will get even harder since it will be a three-way fight to get consumers attention.z

It's not a race, But it's a war, and Nintendo is already taking a lot of hits without the next generation at full swing yet. The Wii U needs to catch a break. I don't see it getting one this year, but maybe next year we'll see it turn around with back-up from games like Super Smash Bros U, the new Zelda game, and Bayonetta 2.

[Source: IT World]