Slimfady

When you think of a humidifier, you probably picture a fairly large device filled with water that you plug in and keep in a corner. Those traditional options don't work so well when you need to move them around and require a bit of effort to clean. The Satechi Portable USB Humidifier just attaches to any water bottle and gets power from any USB port of charger.

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For me, probably the funniest thing during last week's E3 was the reveal trailer of Smash Bros. for the Wii U and all the hilarity that followed. The internet picked up that poor villager character from Animal Crossing quickly, which was followed by crazy fictional character intro screens that have taken on a life of their own.

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Here's an original one, for example: the introduction screen for the Wii Fit Trainer.

And here are all the terrific edits the internet contributed right after the trailer.

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I've grabbed the ones that are video game or anime related and have the funniest one liners, but feel free to post all the other great ones—or your own creations—in the comments below that mix Smash Bros. with completely different sections of popculture.

sources: imgur via reddit, domskeet, eatle, ionosphere-negate, blue-bower

To contact the author of this post, write to gergovas@kotaku.com

Smash Bros. got introduced for the Wii U and for the 3DS on Tuesday, during Nintendo's E3 direct and we had the chance to see the Villager from Animal Crossing, the Wii Fit Trainer and Mega Man among others. People liked them a lot and they can't get away without some Internet attention.

Especially the Villager got a lot of it, thanks to his emotionless face, which in a brawler game converts him immediaely into a complete sociopath look-alike. He'll get his mail first, then introduce the true face of destruction to Mario & Co.

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Kirby will also be a playable character, but how would he look like after eating up these new characters?

In the broadcasted trailer we had Mega Man as a surprise, special new challenger. But that doesn't mean there won't be others.

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sources: doodlecrackstar, radcroc, mistoroboto, pyrosammi, bull-heck, phantomdoodler, viridi-ogames, ironicjetpack, datmcguire, batatonia

To contact the author of this post, write to gergovas@kotaku.com

Sony America CEO Jack Tretton has stated that they will allow third-party publishers to dictate DRM terms for games they publish on the PlayStation 4, which could lead to some control of used games Read more...

Samsung's Galaxy camera came out almost a year ago, and it roughly mimicked the specs of an international SGS3 but included a unique camera system and body. Although the device couldn't make phone calls, it included cellular connectivity and was arguably the best in the first of a limited number of connected cameras competing with it. After many whispers, Samsung has announced the Galaxy S4 Zoom, an updated version of its connected camera line with a display and front face emulating the SGS4 but topped with another 16 MP camera system. 

It appears Samsung's biggest emphasis with the follow up to Galaxy Camera was thickness, as the S4 Zoom is 15.4mm thick, compared to 19 mm for Galaxy Camera. Display gets a bump down from 720p LCD to qHD LCD, and oddly enough SoC goes from the quad A9 Exynos 4412 to dual A9 Exynos 4212, though Samsung includes the usual "AP differed by market" caveat, so there's a possibility the LTE variant includes some similarly classed Snapdragon SoC. As usual it isn't really easy to find out until all the different model numbers and band combinations are in the open. 

Last time around Samsung made things easy by supplying the sensor size, it's easy enough however to verify that the S4 Zoom is using the same 1/2.3" 16 MP sensor by going off of crop factor (5.64 crop factor for a 1/2.3" format sensor * 4.3 mm focal length, gives us their own published 24 mm focal length in 35mm-effective numbers). Likewise the availability of some photos published by a few websites with access to the hardware makes it easy to verify the same captured photo size of 4608 x 3456. I'm not surprised that Samsung kept sensor the same size given the desire to get the package thinner, but I find myself wishing that this did include a larger one for better indoor and low light sensitivity. There's thankfully still OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) onboard. The change in thickness also accordingly comes with a slightly higher F/# at the widest and most telephoto points, from F/2.8 to F/3.1 wide open, and F/5.9 to F/6.3 at telephoto. There's no way around the fact that on paper the S4 Zoom is a bit of a step down compared to Galaxy Camera, but it is thinner.

Of course, the real benefit is that it's a connected camera running Android 4.2 and including GNSS, 802.11n dual band WiFi, BT 4.0, NFC, and a 1.9 MP front facing camera. The biggest change of course is that unlike the Galaxy Camera, Galaxy S4 Zoom is capable of making voice calls directly. I could see myself sticking a SIM in Galaxy S4 Zoom and using it as a hybrid smartphone plus point and shoot device for sure, I just wish it was a step up over Galaxy Camera on the camera side of things. For that we'll have to wait and see if a Galaxy Camera 2 appears.

Source: Samsung

Remember Brock from the Pocket Monsters anime? He left the series a few years back to go be a Pokémon Doctor, but can still lives on in our hearts as the dude who can operate nearly anything put in front of him. That includes rockets. And drawbridges.

Recently on 2ch, Japan's largest online forum, an image popped up online that shows the various things Brock has driven over piloted during his stint on the Pokémon anime. The image is now appearing on numerous Japanese websites, but here is a translated version, courtesy of Kotaku:

Surely, 15-year-old Brock has driven a car in the Pocket Monsters anime?

ポケモンのタケシ操縦出木杉わろたｗｗｗ [2ch]

The PS4's lack of online requirements or used games DRM has been cause for celebration for many, but for me, as someone who lives in neither the US or Japan, one thing was even more important. Whether the PS4 was, like its predecessor, region-free.

According to SCE boss Shuhei Yoshida, it is.

Yes.

Earlier this year Intel revealed some details about Falcon Ridge, its 2014 Thunderbolt controller. Today it went a little further and gave the updated Thunderbolt spec a new name: Thunderbolt 2.

New details are scarce unfortunately. Thunderbolt 2 moves to a new 20Gbps bi-directional channel that can handle both data and/or display. Current implementations are limited to 10Gbps per channel for data or display, both can't be sent over the same channel.

Thunderbolt 2 will support DisplayPort 1.2 and 4K video. Intel expects the first Thunderbolt 2 controllers to go into production by the end of this year, and ramp into early 2014. Given the timeframe I no longer believe this is a Broadwell play. It also seems too early for the rumored 9-series chipset refresh. Thunderbolt 2 may end up appearing out of phase with both of those. 

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone at this point, but Samsung has just now made the ruggedized version of the popular Galaxy S 4 official, called Galaxy S 4 Active. The SGS4 Active includes an IP67 rating, which means it's fully sealed against dust (first digit 6 connotes a completely dust sealed design), and submergible up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes (second digit 7). Samsung notes that the earphone jack is also water resistant so you can continue to listen to music while submerged with the appropriate headsets. Samsung also makes note of an 'Aqua Mode' setting in the camera to enhance audio and saturation when taking photos and video under water. 

Superficially the SGS4A is almost the same as the international and other variants of SGS4, however there are a few changes to the phone beyond just a sealed design with IP67 rating. SoC remains the 1.9 GHz Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064AB) we've seen before, the major change is that camera gets a bump down to 8 MP instead of 13 MP, and there's a 1080p LCD display inside instead of Super AMOLED. Camera is likely still using 1.1 micron pixels, just the 8 MP version of the sensor for reduced z-height since LCD is a bit thicker. LCD makes sense here for cost reasons (something has to give) and brightness plus outdoor viewability reasons — AMOLED can go just as bright, but at higher power than the equivalent for LED backlit LCD. The back of the SGS4A seems to be removable given the presence of a thumb groove in the press photos, so ostensibly behind there is the microSD card slot, microSIM slot, and likely still user-replaceable battery. It's also obvious from the photos that the SGS4A includes physical menu, home, and back buttons instead of the still somewhat odd combination of both physical and capacitive on SGS4.

I have to admit that I like the design and appearance of the SGS4A in these press photos a heck of a lot more than the non-active SGS4, even if the SGS4A puts on a few mm around the edges and is heftier. I've put together a table with the comparisons. 

There's no official information on pricing, but Samsung gives availability as 'this summer' in the US and Sweden in three different colors – Urban Grey, Dive Blue and Orange Flare. The latter two Blue and Orange colors are very vibrant from the looks of things.

Samsung will be showing the SGS4A off at its June 20th event in London. 

Source: Samsung

This could be the first 3DS flashcard

I say “could” because who knows if this is legit, what with this news coming out of nowhere from a company no one’s heard of, but this demonstration video looks credible. Gateway says its device supports both standard and XL 3DSes, and works with any back-up ROMs. It’s disappointing that the first product of this sort seems geared more toward piracy (which, we must once again remind you, we absolutely do not support) than homebrew purposes…

MaxConsole claims this video was put together before the Gateway team created some kind of “game manager” for the device, hence all the MicroSD switching you see here. However, there is also speculation that Nintendo could easily cripple the flashcard with a firmware update due to the presumed nature of its workaround (which doesn’t look like it would even circumvent the system’s region-locking). 

BUY Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL consoles, upcoming releases

Have you ever wanted to live like an Aperture Labs test subject? You have? Well then, you might want to consider living in a ridiculously cool custom-made bedroom like this one.

The room, designed by a gamer/interior-decorator/accountant/wizard named Lauren, has been a labor of love, and man, does it show. She details her work at her website, The Portal Bedroom, saying that the project was inspired by an infinity mirror, which creates a similar effect to looking through a cascade of portals in the game.

Around the same time I found this, I’d finally gotten around to playing Portal 2, so I already had Portal on the brain, so I put two and two together and thought “A PORTAL ROOM!”

I looked all over the internet to see if anybody else had designed a Portal-themed bedroom yet that I could get some inspiration from. I found a few rooms, and some of them were pretty cool, but I just couldn’t find one that I absolutely loved. So I issued myself a challenge: To design from scratch a Portal-themed bedroom that while obviously Portal, would also be aesthetically-pleasing enough that any non-gamer could still look at it and go “Hey, that’s a really neat looking room!” rather than “what’s up with all the weird stuff on the walls?”

The results are nothing short of astonishing. Check this shit out:

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There's much more over at The Portal Room's website. We salute you, Lauren.

(Via Christina Norman)

Last time around, we showed you what some Game of Thrones stars would look like in stereotypical 90's fashion. The artist, Mike Wrobel, has returned with some more characters in this style. Excellent.

Of course I would think this is excellent, since this batch includes two of my favorite characters. But, c'mon, Brienne as a football player totally fits.

Anyway, here they are—enjoy:

GAME OF THRONES 80/90s ERA CHARACTERS (Part 3) [Moshi-kun via Laughing Squid]

While the public decides how to deal with Google Glass-wearing cyborgs walking among us, there are already startups trying to add facial recognition to the device. That includes the MedRef for Glass app for Doctors and an API created by Lambda Labs that's on the way. Unfortunately, apparently due to privacy concerns, a post tonight by the Project Glass team says that it will not approve any app using the tech for release -- at least until it has some privacy protections in place. That's the same standard it previously said would need to be met before it added facial recognition to its own services.

We've been listening closely to you, and many have expressed both interest and concern around the possibilities of facial recognition in Glass. As Google has said for several years, we won't add facial recognition features to our products without having strong privacy protections in place. With that in mind, we won't be approving any facial recognition Glassware at this time.

Without approval, we don't expect to see any standard apps with the API built-in, however with the headset's current wide open nature, we assume interested hackers will be able to get the software running if they so desire. So, how comfortable do you feel having a conversation with someone wearing Glass, considering third parties may add extra features even if Google itself is not involved? Check out the full statement from Google linked below, as well as a look at Lambda Labs from TechCrunch.

Filed under: Wearables, Google

Comments

Source: Project Glass

It’s been years since the original 3DS launched. There’s an updated version with better 3D , improved controls, and of course, a wealth of excellent games to play. There’s also a 2DS XL that can do everything its 3D brother can do, aside from 3D.

Below, find our 12 favorite games for the 3DS and 2DS. All of these games will play on the original 3DS, the 2DS, and the New 3DS.

In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, you’ll decorate and expand a house, fish and catch bugs, and assume a number of mayoral duties—all while you make a bunch of new, quirky friends. Who knew that a sleepy town of anthropomorphic animals could be so fulfilling?

A Good Match For: Self-directed gamers with a strong, child-like sense of wonder and a penchant for creativity. You’re given a house and a whole town to play with, along with charming villagers. What will you do with it all, how will your personality shine?

Not a Good Match For: Those who want something fast-paced. This isn’t a game you’ll want to run in, and most of the exciting things tend to happen “tomorrow.” Anything worthwhile requires patience in this game.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Study our tips for the game.

Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop

Fire Emblem: Awakening revolves around two things: Complex tactical combat and sweet, sweet romance. It’s a turn-based tactical role-playing game like Final Fantasy Tactics or Devil Survivor, but with a twist: As your combatants fight alongside one another, they can fall in love. If you keep them paired up, they’ll boost one another’s stats, and they can even get married and have kids together. Without all the love and marriage, Fire Emblem: Awakening would be an immaculately designed, rewarding, and difficult strategy game. With all the love and marriage, it becomes one of the best strategy games on any system, and certainly one of the best games on the 3DS.

A Good Match For: Strategy fans, people who like games where loss carries real consequences, romantics, micromanagers, matchmakers.

Not a Good Match For: Those who want-paced action, uncomplicated rules, unchallenging games, or main characters who have feet.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Study our tips for the game.

Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop

The latest Phoenix Wright game is the best one yet, and that’s saying something, given the generally high quality of Capcom’s long-running series of comical lawyer-simulators. One part detective game and one part visual novel, Dual Destinies tells the tale of defense attorney Phoenix Wright and his can-do subordinates Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes as they embark upon zany adventures in the name of justice. The new game is a great entry point for the series, as knowledge of past games isn’t required, though there are still plenty of fun callbacks for longtime fans. Phoenix’s world may be trapped in a dark age of the law, but Dual Destinies is a 3DS bright spot.

A Good Match For: Wannabe detectives, anime fans, people who like jokes, hawk-enthusiasts.

Not a Good Match For: Those who want a lot of action—Phoenix Wright games involve a lot of reading, and the new one is no different.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Purchase From: Available digitally from the Nintendo eShop.

There hasn’t been an action role-playing game quite like The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds in more than 20 years. What began as a remake of the Super Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is now one of the most delightfully charming adventures available on any game platform. The perfect melding of the old and new into something better than the sum of its parts.

A Good Match For: Old-school role-playing fans looking to recapture the magic of the 2D era without sacrificing fidelity — and just about everyone else.

Not a Good Match For: Sub-humans. People allergic to joy.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Purchase From: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | Gamestop

Sequels don’t all have to be bad. Take Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. It’s a follow-up to sequel to the 2001 GameCube game that will make players chuckle, as Mario’s skinnier brother suck sucks up ghosts using a souped-up vacuum. More than that, though, it’s a new installment that successfully adds multiplayer and new mechanics—love that Dark Light!—in ways that don’t ruin an already-fun experience.

A Good Match For: Sidekick lovers. Sure, he’s a big ol’ fraidy-cat in this game but Luigi gets to amble through an exceedingly clever set of designs in Dark Moon. Whether it’s things like pulling away curtains to reveal coins and secret passages or stunning a handful of ghosts to suck them up all at once, Luigi feels resourceful in a way that’s not possible when he’s playing second fiddle to Mario.

Not a Good Match For: Those who want to leave previously explored environments behind. This Luigi’s Mansion makes you backtrack and revisit various levels a lot, without offering up compelling reasons for doing so.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop | Nintendo eShop

At long last, a (sort of) new Metroid game! Metroid: Samus Returns is a remake of the 1991 Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus, and it’s a worthy remake at that. It’s still got that lonely feeling of exploration, those dense and secret-filled alien caves, and that killer soundtrack. The game sticks to the unusual concept of the Game Boy game, too, but with some new tricks that encourage a more active playsyle and make it harder to get stuck. Samus Returns is a good Metroid game, and a great way to revisit a pivotal story moment for the series.

A Good Match For: People who like exploring and discovering secrets, people who hate Metroids.

Not A Good Match For: People who hate backtracking, people who love Metroids and would never want to see one harmed.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Purchase From: Amazon | Walmart | Best Buy | Gamestop

The Mario Kart formula wasn’t broken so you can’t say that Nintendo needed to fix it. What they did need to do, though, for the franchise’s 3DS debut was find a way to add new elements that would tap into the device’s key features. Hence, the addition of glider wings, aerial sections, submersible karts and underwater detours. You can steer using the gyroscope while airborne and the will get the benefit of a nice 3D pop when you’re soaring or submerged. Just goes to show that your wheels don’t have to be in the ground for a Mario Kart to still be great.

A Good Match for: Bumper car addicts. The wild unpredictability of Mario Kart races are what make them so fun. Just like the theme park staple, there’s only a loose connection to these vehicles and actual real-world automobiles. Until Toyota includes a forcefield as a standard option, that is.

Not a Good Match For: Those who want customization choice. While the ability to swap out bodies and add on details is a new one in MK7, new parts get doled out to you automatically.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop

Could the sixth Professor Layton game really be the best one? It’s at least the best one on the 3DS, trumping the already-impressive Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask as it caps off the Layton series’ prequel trilogy. (In terms of timeline placement, think Star Wars… this game is the Revenge of the Sith, but just way better).

Professor Layton games present a mix of exploration-based, story-heavy adventuring mixed with lots and lots of brain teasers and other puzzles to solve. In this game, which you can enjoy with no prior knowledge of the others, Layton and friends are trying to unlock the power of an ancient civilization and are doing so in a game that actually plays out as a series of short adventures nestled within one grand globe-spanning episode. The game is more open-world than its predecesors—not quite Grand Theft Layton, but nevertheless set in a rich world full of colorful characters with lots of things to do and more player choice regarding in which order you’ll do them.

A Good Match For: People who like puzzles and thinking—and who want a game that unlocks new puzzles every day for a year following its release date.

Not a Good Match For: Fans of the earlier Laytons on the Nintendo DS who want a swift-playing 12-hour adventure with minimal chatter. There’s a lot of story in this one and at least double the play time.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Purchase From: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | Gamestop

For years, Majora’s Mask was the “cool” Zelda game, the one the hip kids all said was their favorite. Now it’s been re-released on 3DS, and we can all play it and see… oh, hey, the hip kids were totally right, this game is amazing. It’s not much like any other Zelda game, but that’s a good thing. Don’t let the time constraint or the freaky moon stress you out. It’ll all be fine…

A Good Match For: Anyone who didn’t play it the first time around, anyone who did play it the first time around.

Not A Good Match For: The easily stressed, those who hate having a time constraint, anyone who didn’t like it the first time around.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Study our tips for playing the game.

Purchase From: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | Gamestop

BoxBoxBoy knocks its excellent predecessor BoxBoy off this list by doing something very simple: adding another box. It has the same sublime puzzling as its predecessor but with more complex mechanics and some fresh ideas. (Honestly, if you like this game you should also play the first one. Consider this entry a BoxBoy omnibus.) Like the first game BoxBoxBoy starts simply, asks little of you and then, soon enough, has taught you moves that would have seemed like wizardry mere minutes before. It feels a lot like playing Portal, and yeah, we know that’s a bold statement.

A Good Match For: People who like brain-tickling games, people who like solving puzzles, fans of boxes.

Not A Good Match For: People who hate boxes, people who need their games to be in color.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Purchase From: Available digitally from the Nintendo eShop.

For 20 years now, Pokémon games have presented fantasies where people collect, battle, and grow alongside powerful monsters. In the latest tropical-themed iteration, Pokémon invites you to leave your worries behind and grab yourself a lei. Familiar monsters now have cooler Alolan variants, and surprisingly fresh Island Trial challenges have replaced tired, old gyms. But what really sets Sun and Moon apart is the love and care the developers have put into depicting what it’s like to actually own a Pokémon. In Sun and Moon, what’ old is new again. The new Ultra Sun and Moon expands on and enhances the original game significantly, with new moves, better customization, more quests, and more Pokémon.

A Good Match For: People who love pets, collecting, and charming stories.

Not a Good Match For: Still not really the game for Jason Schreier, aka those looking for a mature, nuanced story.

Read our review, and about the new stuff in the Ultra version.

Watch it in action.

Study our tips for the game.

Purchase From: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | Gamestop

Of course, it’s a Super Mario game that validates the decision to base Nintendo’s newest hardware around glasses-free stereoscopic 3D. Even with the gameplay as familiar as always, the mid-air blocks and moving hazards seem more dreamlike and surreal than ever, floating somewhere between the device and your brain.

A Good Match For: Folks who need a little bit of help. 3D Land riffs on the play-assisting Guide features that Nintendo’s been putting in games for the last year or so with the Super Tanooki Suit, which makes you nigh-invulnerable

Not a Good Match For: Those who want the rug to stay right where it is. If Super Mario 3D Land’s rug is warm nostalgia, then it gets ripped out from you once you finish it the first time. A whole new level of challenge opens up for subsequent playthroughs and there’s nothing warm about it.

Read our review.

Watch it in action.

Purchase from: Amazon | Wal-Mart | Best Buy | GameStop

How has this list changed? Read back through our update history:

Update 8/27/18: No changes.

Update 12/01/2017: We’ve added Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon in the place of the original Sun and Moon.

Update 10/04/2017: We’ve added Metroid: Samus Returns in place of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

Update 2/14/2017: Pokémon Sun and Moon makes an overdue debut on this list, bumping off its predecessor Pokémon X & Y.

Update 10/6/2016: BoxBoxBoy replaces Boxboy. It will likely stay on the list until it is usurped next year by BoxBoxBoxBoy.

Update 8/12/2015: List mainstay Pushmo has been edged out by the upstart BoxBoy.

Update 3/2/2015: Mario & Luigi Dream Team and Bravely Default step aside to make room for The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

Update 11/26/2014: The big fall update is... there is no update. All 12 games on this list have held strong in the face of some worthy challengers. Good show, games.

Update 4/02/2014 : We’ve made a Layton swap, subbing Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy for last year’s Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask.

Update 2/21/14 : We’ve retired Project X Zone to make room for the fantastic JRPG Bravely Default.

Update 12/11/13 : We’ve launched a newly redesigned Bests and have taken the opportunity to swap out some old games with some new ones. Resident Evil Revelations, Kid Icarus Uprising and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time have made way for new additions Pokémon X & Y, Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

Update 08/28/13: Today saw the announcement of an all-new Nintendo handheld called the 2DS, which will play all the games in the 3DS catalog without the 3D. In honor of this news, we’ve given the Bests list for the 3DS an once-over. And what do you know, it sure seems like it’s time for one Mario game to take the place of another. Out you go, New Super Mario Bros 2. And hello to Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.

Update 07/05/13: Nintendo’s handheld continues to build an impressive library of titles. Two of the latest releases are so good we think they deserve a spot on this Bests list. Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Project X Zone jump onto the list, knocking off Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars and Ketzal’s Corridors.

Update 04/18/13: Why should Mario get all the fun? Somebody at Nintendo decided that he shouldn’t, because there’s a ton of enjoyment to be had in Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, which joins the 3DS Bests list. So, say a fond farewell to Cave Story 3D and shake hands with Nintendo’s other adventuring plumber.

Update 02/26/13: The call has sounded! And it says “Fire Emblem is pretty great!” Who are we to ignore the call? Of course, one game has to get the boot to make way for Intelligent Systems’ fine RPG. So, wave goodbye to Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and say hello to an addictive new handheld experience.

Update 11/14/12: We’ve added the newest Professor Layton to our Bests list for Nintendo’s stereoscopic portable. Whether you’ve sporting the original 3DS or the newer, super-sized version, these games will make the most of the handheld.

Want more of the best games on each system? Check out our complete directory:

The Best PC Games • The Best PS4 Games • The Best Xbox One Games • The Best Nintendo Switch Games • The Best Wii U Games • The Best 3DS Games • The Best PS Vita Games • The Best Xbox 360 Games • The Best PS3 Games • The Best Wii Games • The Best iPhone Games • The Best iPad Games • The Best Android Games • The Best PSP Games • The Best Facebook Games • The Best DS Games • The Best Mac Games • The Best Browser Games • The Best PC Mods

Note: While some games on this list are download-only, most if not all of them can be purchased through the 3DS’ online store. If you buy any of these games through the retail links in this post, our parent company may get a small share of the sale through the retailers’ affiliates program.

Sure, the original version of Get Lucky is catchy—but Pharrell's smoothness is no match for K.K. Slider's animalese vocals. It's not even a fair fight. This video by Alex Romero proves it.

Awww yeaaaah.

Truly, K.K. Slider has come a long way:

(Source unknown, but can update this post if that changes.)

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Get Lucky feat. K.K. Slider [Alex Romero]

Because the Samsung Galaxy S4 can sense when you're looking at it, Swisscom hilariously set up a challenge for people to stare at the phone for an hour. If you hit the 60 minute mark, you win a free Samsung Galaxy S4. If you get distracted, you don't get one. Easy? Not as easy as you think!

It would have been a good ol' fashioned stare down (you can blink) but Swisscom threw some epic distractions in the simple staring contest. People who played the game were distracted by barking dogs, singers, arguing couples, burning hot dog vendors and motorcycle crashes. I'm pretty sure I would have failed. Though I'm pretty sure I would have failed without any distractions too. [Swisscom]

Vimeo Direktnail, via Waxy

Von Vimeo: „’Don’t try to fix it. I just need you to listen.’ Every man has heard these words. And they are the law of the land. No matter what.“

Google begins rolling out a redesigned Gmail today with an eye on removing inbox clutter, separating bulk emails from the main feed with new tabs for messages from social networks, deal sites, businesses, and forums. The move comes three years after the company launched its Priority Inbox for Gmail, which aimed to bring order to cluttered inboxes by sorting messages based on their importance. At the time, the company noted that our inboxes were overwhelmed with automated messages. Three years later, little has changed.

A host of startups, including Sparrow and Mailbox, have captured user's attention based on the idea that Gmail is ripe for reinvention. Now Google is taking its own steps to overhaul the inbox.

Gmail's redesign separates messages into as many as five tabs, with each designed to group messages into categories that make it easier to scan and process email. In addition to the main tab, which continues to be sorted by priority, the tabs include:

• social, containing messages from social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and dating services;
• promotions, for Groupon, LivingSocial, and the like;
• "updates," for confirmations, receipts, bills, and statements;
• and forums, for messages from discussion boards and mailing lists.

New users will see the social and promotions tabs by default; they can be configured from the desktop or the Android app but not yet on iOS. Existing users who have chosen a different style, such as Priority Inbox, will have to opt in to the new view.

"The inbox was more of your master than your servant"

"It became obvious to us over time that this notion that the inbox was more of your master than your servant was becoming more widespread," said Alex Gawley, product manager for Gmail, in an interview with The Verge. "It wasn’t just the people receiving hundreds of emails a day — more regular users were starting to feel stressed out by their inbox."

One of the reasons, Gawley said, is that the traditional Gmail inbox mixes emails from very different contexts. An email from your sister, a note from your bank and an update from Facebook all sit uncomfortably together, making individual categories more difficult to process. Someone returning from a vacation might sort physical mail into piles depending on whether it was a personal letter, business correspondence or junk mail; Gmail’s new inbox marks an effort to bring that metaphor to email. (The iOS app is awaiting approval from Apple; the Android app will come out within the next couple days, Google said.)

The redesign extends to the mobile apps, which display any tabs you have enabled in the tray that slides out on the left side of the app. Significantly, the apps now tell you how many emails are truly new, as distinct from unread emails you saw before but chose not to open.

The apps now tell you how many emails are truly new

The idea of sorting email based on type isn’t new. Microsoft’s Hotmail introduced "quick views" in 2010, just a couple months before Gmail introduced Priority Inbox. Hotmail’s quick views automatically gathered messages from social networks and groups into their own tabs, and encouraged users to perform regular "sweeps" within their tabs to clear out the clutter. Quick views remain in the latest version of Microsoft’s email service, now at Outlook.com.

The new Gmail takes a similar approach. On the desktop, enabling the new tabs requires you to click the gear icon in Gmail and select "configure inbox." From there you choose which of the tabs you want to appear in your inbox, if any, and Gmail will sort them for you accordingly. The tabs are updated live with notifications, so if a new message from Facebook comes in to your inbox, the social tab’s title bar will let you know. And if Gmail puts a message in the wrong place, you can drag and drop it onto another tab.

The tabs build on a two-year old Google Labs feature that took a similar approach, categorizing and labeling bulk emails automatically. "We thought, this might be a really interesting way for us to help regular users take control of their inbox again," Gawley said. Work on the new inbox began just over a year ago, and was subject to extensive user testing, he said. In the final product, tabs can be customized: you can instruct Gmail to make certain senders always appear in a particular tab, for example, or star messages so that they also appear in the main tab.

How useful you find the tabs will depend largely on how much automated email you receive. If messages from your relatives are forever getting lost in a sea of notifications from Facebook, adding a social tab could be of great help. If you’ve already disabled those sorts of notifications, though, you may not have much use for the new look.

There are now a staggering six styles of inbox available to the Gmail user

Taken together, the various options available to the average Gmail user can be overwhelming. There are now a staggering six styles of inbox available to the Gmail user. In addition to the new, tab-heavy design, there’s the classic, chronological view; "important first;" "unread first;" "starred first;" and the Priority Inbox, which mashes up the latter four styles. If that’s not enough, Priority Inbox itself can be heavily customized. If design is about making choices, Google appears to have offered every possible option instead — a consequence, the company says, of the elaborate and sophisticated ways its power users like to sort their email, which eliminating any of those other inboxes would irrevocably break.

Google says the latest version of the Gmail inbox represents its best current approach to sorting email. "What we think right now is the inbox we’re rolling out tomorrow is going to be the best default option for most users," Gawley said.

Still, none of the available options take what is arguably the most effective step in controlling your email: stopping it from entering your inbox in the first place. In recent years, services like OtherInbox and Unroll.me have created simple ways for Gmail users to roll up automated messages into a single daily email, leaving the inbox for messages from your actual contacts.

Google's solution for sorting endless notifications into tabs can make our inboxes more scannable. But for true inbox management, there’s still nothing as effective as clicking "unsubscribe."

Leaked screenshots have revealed the look of the Start button that's rumored to be returning to Windows in its 8.1 update. Paul Thurrott has posted images showing the brand new Start button fashioned as an unadorned Windows 8 icon. According to ZDNet, clicking on the button will likely return users to the Start Screen, rather than opening a menu like in earlier versions of Windows. However, the Start Screen can reportedly now use your desktop wallpaper as its background, helping to blend the potentially jarring change between the desktop and Modern UI style interface.

The Verge learned earlier this year both that the Start button would be returning and that a boot to desktop option is being considered for the coming update. Thurrott is also reporting that a boot to desktop option will be included, but that it will be turned off by default. Though Microsoft is yet to confirm that either of these options will be present in Windows 8.1, this new leak certainly helps to further substantiate the Start button's return.

It was rumored, and now it's here: on stage at D, Sundar Pichai just revealed a new version of the HTC One that runs an untouched, stock version of the Android operating system. It wil be available from the Google Play store starting June 26th for $599. The unlocked device will run on both AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States with support for high-speed LTE data on both networks. This "Nexus user experience" version will contain 32GB of built-in storage. Much like the special edition Samsung Galaxy S4 unveiled during I/O, Google will be directly handling future software updates.

With the announcement, customers can now purchase the two leading Android handsets available today stripped entirely of the custom — and often criticized — manufacturer "skins" they originally shipped with. Suffice it to say, with both devices running identical software, it will be interesting to see which Google Edition smartphone proves more popular in the weeks and months to come.

Invented in 1987, the GIF (or Graphics Interchange Format) definitely isn't showing its age. Popular on social networks, community websites, and making appearances in acquisition announcements, the GIF has evolved from the spinning email animations of yesteryear into short and seamless pieces of online media. It was named word of the year in 2012, and yesterday, its creator — Steve Wilhite — accepted a lifetime achievement award at The Webby Awards.

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Wilhite created the GIF when he was working at CompuServe (an early US ISP). According to The New York Times, the format was originally intended to help the company display things like color weather maps, although the first image he created was an animated paper airplane. More than 10 years after his retirement, he remains proud of his creation but there's one thing he's been wanting to clarify — the pronunciation of the word. Fittingly, Wilhite used a GIF for his Webby acceptance speech, reminding us "it’s pronounced JIF, not GIF."

LG has finally confirmed it will launch a white variant of the Nexus 4. Originally leaked back in January, the device features the same 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 IPS display, quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, and 2GB of RAM as its black counterpart. The company says the Nexus 4 White will go on sale in Hong Kong on May 29th, before rolling out in "select markets" in Asia, North America, Europe, and the Middle East in the coming weeks. There's no word yet on whether this stock Android flagship will be made available on Google's Play Store.

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The Xbox One will be region-locked, meaning all software must match the region of the console itself, Microsoft confirmed to Digital Trends. This means a US Xbox One won't be able to play games imported from Europe or Japan, for example.

"Similar to the movie and music industry, games must meet country-specific regulatory guidelines before they are cleared for sale," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "We will continue to work with our partners to follow these guidelines with Xbox One."

The Xbox 360 isn't completely region-locked - Microsoft currently allows studios to choose whether their games will work across regions. The PlayStation 3 is region-free, and all games except for Persona 4 Arena work on every console, regardless of spatial location. It's unclear if the PlayStation 4 will be similarly region-free.

Report: Xbox One will be region-locked originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 26 May 2013 23:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Late on the night of September 9th, 2012, I was sitting at my kitchen table, going over notes for a piece I was writing about video game arcades. The next morning at 6AM I was bound for an Amtrak train which would take me to Pennsylvania, then to Baltimore, on a four-day trip of interviews for the piece. I was packed and ready for bed. I was exhausted, and as I brushed my teeth, thought of the next day’s work.

I’d like to be able to say that I went peacefully to bed, my iPhone tucked underneath my pillow as I was wont to do, but that isn’t what happened. What happened, instead, was a series of events involving my phone, a toilet, and a bowl of rice at 1AM. As I removed the SIM card from the phone and buried it in rice, still...

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by nvnc2

Twitter has announced that it is finally rolling out two-step authentication for accounts, a much-needed security feature that comes after several months of high-profile Twitter account hacks. This feature can be enabled in the Twitter settings menu for any account that has both a confirmed email address and a verified phone number. Once activated, you'll need to enter a six-digit code sent to your mobile phone via SMS after you sign in with your standard username and password.

Twitter says that applications that you've enabled using your Twitter login should be unaffected even after logging in with two-step authentication enabled. If you want to sign in on other devices or apps, Twitter says that you can visit the applications management page to generate a temporary password and log in.

This long-awaited security feature comes after a particularly bad period in which the Associated Press, The Guardian, and AFP had their Twitter accounts hacked. They were far from the only ones — Burger King and Jeep both were hacked as well, and we've seen plenty of ordinary users have problems with hacking as well. Twitter said it was working on two-step authentication last month, and we imagine that plenty of brands and users alike are glad to see this feature finally rolling out.

Citing "sources familiar with the system," Polygon reports that the Xbox One will not require a fee to play used games. Instead, the console will perform regular online checks to verify disc authenticity and ownership.

Polygon's sources note that used game sales will continue, as Xbox One game ownership is determined by an on-disc encryption code. Once a game has been sold, traded, or otherwise activated by another console, access to the previous owner's installed content is revoked and transferred to its new owner.

Microsoft's Major Nelson addressed recent speculation regarding the upcoming console's ability to play used games in a statement released earlier today. "Xbox One is designed to support the trade in and resale of games," Major Nelson said. "Reports about our policies for trade in and resale are inaccurate and incomplete. We will disclose more information in the near future."

Polygon additionally reports that Xbox One voice chat and party chat will be powered by Skype, according to an unnamed Microsoft representative. Recent rumors suggest that Skype will also enable remote play sessions.

"Skype technologies are used in Xbox One which improves voice quality during multiplayer game sessions," Microsoft's representative wrote in a statement to Polygon. "Skype can also be used to call any of your Skype contacts for voice or video chat exclusively or while playing a game. Additionally, we have improved the Kinect hardware, from microphone configuration to dedicated audio processing, which contributes to providing a high-quality voice experience whether you are chatting in a game or through Skype."

Report: No fee to play used Xbox One games, Skype powers voice chat originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 May 2013 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes, you can do something the fast way, or you can do it the right way. Other times, those two things are one and the same. Here are 10 everyday tasks that you can do in 10 seconds or less.

10. Tie an Emergency Tie Knot

Ever get to the point where you're already 5 minutes late, but haven't even tied your tie yet? With this method, you can tie your tie in five seconds flat, meaning you can get out the door faster. It'll take a bit of practice to learn—and you may have to adapt it to fit your preferred type of knot—but once you get it down, you'll feel like a well-dressed version of The Flash.

9. Cure Your Hiccups

You've probably heard a million hiccup cures over the years, but when our own Adam Dachis got hiccups that lasted over 36 hours, the one remedy he—and many others—found worked best was just a quick shot of applce cider vinegar. It only takes a few seconds, and works shockingly well.

8. Deseed a Pomegranate the Easy Way

I think the deliciousness of food is directly proportional to how much work it takes to eat. Case in point: pomegranates. They're delicious, but you have to work forever to get all those little seeds out into a bowl to eat it, right? Wrong! All you need is a wooden spoon and a little instruction. If you're of a plum fan, though, we've got tricks for that too.

7. Tie Your Shoes Faster with the Ian Knot

Tying your shoes isn't exactly a long, drawn-out process, but every second counts—especially when you're in a rush. The Ian Knot is a super-speedy way of tying your shoes, and while it takes a few minutes to learn, it's pretty easy. Check out the video above to see it in action, and while you're at it, check out this method for untying double-knotted shoes with ease.

6. Open a Bottle of Wine (Without Struggling with the Foil)

Most wine bottles come with a foil wrapper on top that, often, is a task to get off. Many of you wine experts may already know this, but for the rest: don't try to unwrap the foil. Just grab it, twist, and pull—you'll be enjoying your wine in no time.

5. Peel an Entire Head of Garlic

Peeling garlic is messy and sometimes difficult, particularly if you have a lot of cloves. Why go one by one when you could stick them all in a bowl, shake it up, and be done in less than 10 seconds? It sounds crazy, but it works—check out the video above for proof.

4. Unload a 12 Pack of Soda in One Swift Move

These days, soda comes in some pretty handy "fridge packs" meant to dispense cans in your fridge, but they're not great. They won't fit into every fridge, and once you get a few cans into the box, you have to reach all the way in there to fish out the last few cans. Instead, unload the entire box in one swift move—just open up both ends and push the cans through, as shown above. Simple, huh?

3. De-Fog Your Mirror After a Shower

We've all been there: you take a nice, long, hot shower, get out, stand in front of the mirror to shave/brush/whatever and your mirror is fogged beyond belief. Intsead of trying to wipe all that moisture off, just give it a quick blast of hot air from a hair dryer. After a few seconds, you'll be able to use your mirror as it was originally intended.

2. Fold a T-Shirt in Two Moves

Everyone's always looking for a way to speed up laundry, the world's most boring chore, and nothing's better than the tried-and-true Japanese t-shirt folding technique. In fact, you guys voted it your favorite Lifehacker tip of all time, and with good reason—once you get it down, it's mind-blowing how fast you can get through your shirts. Check out the video above for more time-saving clothing tips while you're at it.

1. Do All Kinds of Mental Math

When you were in school, you probably learned all sorts of quick math tricks, like how to multiply numbers with your hands or square large numbers (if not, you should brush up on those methods now). But those aren't the only tricks you can do: there are a lot of quick solutions for real-world problems too, like converting standard time to military time, converting farenheit to celsius, and even figuring out the day of the week that any date falls on. The complexity of the problem may make it a bit longer than a few simple seconds, but it's amazing what you can do with the right tricks up your sleeve.