It's interesting to see what you can stumble across when searching for Pictochat pictures online thanks to Nintendo DS's built in software. As expected, I found a flood of images of shakily drawn boobs and other forms of genitalia. After sifting through the deluge of various anatomy I was able to come across some surprisingly inspired artwork.
Any artist will tell you creativity transcends any medium, and is the key to a great drawing. It doesn't matter what you're using to draw with or your "canvas" (in art school I made a large poster of The Flash done entirely in Folgers coffee which you can see here and here) as long as you've got some skills and a creative idea you'll make it happen. With the pictochat's easy to use feature it's no wonder some creative people took off with the idea, some going so far as to make impressive "pictomations".
With the release of Nintendo's new giant sized DSi XL impending (March 28th if you haven't heard yet), I figured I would share some of the more impressive pictochat designs floating around on the internet. With a 93% larger screen it's easy to imagine the level of drawing possible and it might just be one more reason to get the upgrade.
Of course these were made using the standard DS pictochat feature, but a new program that launched with the DSi can take your drawings and animations to the next level. Called Flipnote Studio this handy program is available from the DSi Ware store...wait for it....for free! It's a surprisingly powerful animation tool with an easy to use layout allowing you to draw and animate (including pictures you take with the DSi's camera) within minutes of downloading. Once you're finished with a flipnote you can then send it to your friends or even upload it to the main site's gallery for others to see.
Feeling inspired by these pictures I decided to try my own hand at some dynamic Pictochat art, even though I don't have anything as cool as flipnote. While they aren't as impressive (my art skills have been mostly computer based for the past few years), I dare say that they're better than all of the genitalia I saw earlier.
I know there are many talented mafiosos here at the Kartel so I would love to see what you guys can do in the community. Whip out that ol' pictochat and give your best shot at drawing. Take a snapshot, then share it with us here in our Pictochat Drawing thread in the forums and let us tear it apart - I mean...praise it highly.
Portables are all the rage these days with all these whippersnappers running around with their fancy Nintendo and PlayStation gaming systems. One might feel a little awkward being a full grown adult in a suit taking public transportation to work, playing the PSP just like the little four-year-old sitting across from you. What will the world think? When the PSP first launched it was a slick new piece of technology that many did not have including that little kiddie sitting across from you. Now every time without fail, you can spot a PSP in someone’s hand. You’re not so cool anymore. You’re just like the masses.
Don't fret. Stand out from the huddled masses and their stock PSP’s and join an elite club of only a few who truly have a unique, attention grabbing, question asking PSP. Yes, I’m talking about modding your system to make it the hottest thing on that train to work. So check out the sweetest PSP mods ever.
This takes a lot of work
No more cramps
God of War
Just in time for part three
Fallout
Sweet detail
Now the next two are just silly and not really mods but are here only to amuse you, but they are still pretty sweet.
Er...sure I'll take it
Now this is a PSP you could cuddle up to
If you go anywhere always make sure to bring something like these bad boys along; they are sure to demand people’s attention (Yes even the pillow and the phone one). Is it strange that the one thing I desire most is that PSP pillow?
For everybody who's ever desperately searched for Wi-Fi, I'm sure you know how frustrating hunting down a decently strong signal can be when on the go. Perhaps the coolest and geekiest mod I've yet seen on a car, pray that a good Samaritan drives by with one of these awesome Wi-Fi gauges in their window. Find out how to take a DIY mod to a whole new, dorky level.
Feeling particularly helpful in finding Wi-Fi hotspots today? Well if this WiFi receiver mod seems like something you'd want to put on your car the creator has listed up a step-by-step guide atinstructables.com.
Based off the classic "Wi-Fi detecting shirt" that gained popularity with geeks earlier, this is a brilliant spin on the technology. Just make sure you don't bust out your laptop while driving if you see this displayed in somebody's window, as lord knows we have enough people txting and checking email as is.
Futuristic headphones are being invented every single year, but a recently revealed set of headphones take the word prototype to a whole new level. Designer William Gerwin, on Yanko Design, has made a headphones concept with a 10.1 megapixel camera on one ear and a digital image projector on the other. These wireless headphones also feature wireless uploading of images for back-up, and allow you to view the internet via Wi-Fi and transmit messages from person to person. I'm surprised we didn't see these things when we checked out some of the coolest gadgets during CES earlier this year.
Imagine roaming the streets listening to your favorite playlist and taking snapshots as you go without missing a beat. Sure, these "dead rabbit looking" headphones might cause some people to think you're some kind of techie Eskimo or an actor filming the next National Treasure movie, but us geeks will sometimes sacrifice performance over practicality.
With the projector, you'll be able to transmit images to anyone who asks if you just came from Dr. Evil's lair on the moon. Silly, you ask? We've already got cell-phones with optional projectors, so why not? Also, the concepted online library would allow uploading files to an online gallery where friends can keep up with your exploration via the web in real time, all the time. This is stylish lifecasting, where Justin.tv pioneers won't have to be walking around with webcams attached on their shoulders any longer. Heck, this is something I would use while doing winter sports, provided they stay on (or if I stay on my snowboard/ski for that matter).
Gerwin's headphones, with peer-to-peer technology and automatic computer backup for instant wireless uploading to the internet makes sharing your digital life simple and sound good as too.
There's plenty of possibilities with the simple concept, and the working prototype just makes all of it even more interesting. With more aesthetic refinements, we're pretty sure that techies around the world will be projecting their lives on the go. Pretty sure.
When Sony announced the PSP Go during E3 2009, many people were skeptical on the handheld's reliance on only downloadable games. The $249 price tag was also tough to swallow considering that its direct competitor, the Nintendo DS Lite/DSi, was much cheaper and had a more expansive library of games. The system has also struggled to garner consistent retail sales numbers.
Recently, Industry Gamers spoke with SCEA senior vice president of public relations, Rob Dyer, about the state of the PSP business and how the Japanese company was addressing it.
According to Dyer, the biggest current challenge with the PSP platform is the issue of piracy. Despite the company's promises for great games still to be announced for the system, and the inevitable success of Metal Gear Peace Walker, piracy has limited the system's sales presence at retail stores:
"I think we had a great lineup last year. The biggest problem that plagued PSP was piracy; we have not been able to slow that down. We think we have some answers going forward, but we're not ready to talk about that publicly at this point. So we're working on fixing that, because that's been a big problem. Publishers, when they put out good games, are not getting the same sales results that they got a few years back. So piracy's been a big issue and we're working on that very diligently to bring about some solutions," he said.
The high pricing of the PSP Go has been an obvious issue for Sony, given the competition and perceived confusion that consumers are experiencing when faced with a purchase decision for the handheld:
"We wanted to find a way to give the consumers what they want, so if they didn't want to go to a retailer they could stay at home and download [games and content]. And we were hoping really to eliminate the piracy issue. Did the PSPgo confuse [consumers]? Yeah, I think the higher price point didn't help matters any either," he admitted. "So we're going back and re-communicating, and I'm sitting here looking at multiple decks on what we're going to do this year. You'll see a lot of things coming out from us to better educate and inform the consumer. All I can say is watch this space, because we'll have answers to those questions.”
Is Sony looking for a new avenue for the PSP brand? Could a new system be on the way? These are all rumors that have been gradually circling the net after Dyer's comments and something that portable gamers should definitely keep an eye on. Given the amazing turnaround that the PlayStation 3 has done in the last year, this task certainly isn't impossible. We'll be keeping a close watch on how Sony's high profile releases for the PSP later this year fare.
