Did you know that in a pinch, the USB cable that comes bundles with your PS3 (for the purpose of charging the Sixaxis or Dualshock 3 controllers) can be used to connect and run a portable hard disk drive containing a SATA notebook harddisk. “So what?”, you say. But here’s the thing, not all USB cables are born the same.

The same cable that you use with your flash memory reader isn’t really going to work with your portable notebook hard disk, most often carrying not enough juice from your laptop or PC’s USB port to power the portable drive. On the other hand, the USB cable that comes with the PS3 is top class.

But what happens when you lose the only one that comes bundled with your PS3? Fret not. Third party replacements are available at Play-Asia and while they claim to work as well as the original, they have two claims to fame: a. 2 times the original length, bringing the third party replacement to 3 meters/10 feet, and b. these babies are selling at a discounted price of USD 0.99 each. Yup, you read that right, only USD 0.99.

Interested? Hurry up and order yours now. Click here for details.

Google Chrome is a pervasive little beast, considering that it’s a piece of beta software. If you are not careful, upon installation, it’ll import everything from your Firefox browser, add its shortcut icon all over the place, and then proceed to make itself the default browser. Beta? Default?

I like the speed and all, and that crazy thing it does with Javascript, but the next big thing ain’t the big thing yet in my laptop. Down Chrome..down, you over-eager chihuahua of a browser.

Good news for those who have waited for the US version of the Nintendo DSi. It’s now available at Play-Asia in Black and Blue, along with rest of the Japanese NDSi lineup (click here for details). At USD 249 (RM 905) each, these babies are a little pricey. Nevertheless I’ve got one listed on my shopping list this year. What about you?

Don’t know where to get important accessories like touch screen protectors? Don’t worry as Nine Over Ten has you covered with our Guide to Nintendo DSi (NDSi) Accessories.

Nine Over Ten readers who to tried to access the site from 2.00 am to 12 p.m yesterday (3rd April 2009) would have been in the same topsy-turvy joyride I was in. In a nutshell, the site was compromised. I managed to resolve the issues with the site by lunch time, and the hosting engineers who assisted me have my grateful thanks. To my readers, my apologies for the downtime. It was one heck of a ride eh?

I leave you with the word of the day: Pwned

There’s one game that is eating up my time now, it’s Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars (The Director’s Cut) for the Nintendo DS. And it’s nothing short of genius. A 2D adventure games, it features graphics done by Dave Gibbons, the same man who was the co-creator of Wathcmen. Outsanding 2D graphics aside, Broken Sword takes pride in its intriguing storyline (no spoilers here) and puzzles that you will encounter along the way.

Replacing the point and click interface of its PC predecessors, Shadow of the Templars is stylus driven with contextual points of interests in every scene. Using the stylus, you can choose to investigate, pick up or even drag an object from your inventory (e.g a key) into the point of interest (e.g. keyhole). The same interface is also used to talk to NPCs to find clues on the murder (oops) that you are investigating.

The game is surprisingly engaging and while some might find the puzzles tough (cyphers and locks are the first few you would encounter), it has a hints system that reveals more on how to solve a puzzle the longer you dwell on it.

The dialogue goes hand in hand with the graphics, top-notch and the game never takes itself so seriously. After all you are investigating murders (uh-oh) in which the suspect dressed up as a mime and a clown among other disguises (part of the plot is gone…but there’s more, trust me, play the game).

Another good thing about the game is that there are two versions of the game available. Both are essentially the same,  the only difference being the price tag. The US version is selling for USD 34.90 whereas the Asian version is going for USD 29.90. Both titles are available at Play-Asia, click on the versions for purchase information.

Did you get fooled this year on the 1st of April? It seems to me that, like the economy, the number of gags have gone down the drain. Artline did introduce a “microchipped pen”, you know, to deal with missing pens everytime you loan them to a colleague. And while Sony’s price cuts were the norm (including this site… I ran of ideas, sorry), a helicopter hotel was the nearest at causing the blogosphere to implode in its seemingly real awesomeness.

Anyways, I thought the super influx of shovelware this April for the Nintendo DS and the Wii was an April joke being played on me. It was during my visit to Nine Over Ten earlier today that I  noticed the ads were carrying a heck load of shovelware that I contemplated removing them for a week (seriously). But some people really dig shovelware, otherwise why make these games in the first place; like morons, it’s impossible to stop publishers from dishing out shovelware.

And like suckers, people buy ‘em and I get pocket money in the process.

But if you were to say on April 1st, that I would be getting a piece of shovelware in the mail, heck, I would actually believe you and will not sock you in the eye. I get crap sent to me sometimes, it’s ridiculous, and it doesn’t matter whether it is indie or not. I can’t review a game that insults my intelligence, or puts me to sleep in 2 minutes, or is so half-assed I would rather read a local car mag…shovelware does all three at once!

There are TWO games in my to-review-list-because-they-were-sent-to-me-but-they-are-crap, it’s vexing, but I don’t know where to start. What do you do when you get crap to write about?

Apparently Sony is feeling the heat from Microsoft and is being
pressed to take desperate measures in the face of growing discontent and
rapid transition by gamers from the PS3 to the Xbox 360.

In face of this, Sony has announced that its flagship console will feature a
long overdue price cut of up to USD 100, bringing it to USD 299.99.

For gamers who own a Nintendo Wii or Xbox 360, you’ll be given an
option to trade in your existing console for a brand new PS3 and 2 selected
original titles from Sony (e.g. MLB 08 and NBA 09).

Long suffering gamers can click here for the press release.

I found it pretty strange that for the past 2 years, the only M-rated title I have in my 50+ Nintendo DS games library is Hokuto No Ken. Just two days ago, I received a parcel from a friend, containing game number 54 in my library and a M-rated one at that: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

While this comes as no surprise, the game after all is getting rave reviews from pratically everyone, I need to highlight the other reason why I bought this in the first place. Price. Specifically? RM 120. That’s pretty darn cheap and the simple reason is that this is the Asian edition of the game (for sale in the Asian region only).

The US Region version of the same game would set you back around RM 140+ and it would seem that only those with deeper wallets and a yearning for bragging rights (same like those who go for US Region PS3 games).

In any case, if you are looking for the Asian edition of Chinatown Wars  in Malaysia, my friend here can be of help (he’s the chap that got me the game in the first place). Check out his blog at http://pureraver.blogspot.com

This is a bargain deal that is too hard to pass up, especially if you are a Playstation 3 owner. Play-Asia is selling LucasArts’ Fracture for the Playstation 3 for just USD 9.90. You read that right. USD 9.90. Click here for details.

You have now less than 16 hours to take advantage of the last day of Play-Asia’s Lucky Spring Sale. While some video game titles and toys have been sold out (or reverted to their normal prices by virtue of being new stock), there are plenty of video games, toys, collectible items and even music CDs and movie DVDs at hard to resist prices.

Here’s Nine Over Ten’s guide on what to pick up in the following categories on this last day of sales:

• Nintendo DS – Look out for bargains on accessories such as cases, stylus, and also screen protectors for your NDSL/NDSi. Click here to start shopping
• Gameboy – Be on the look out for Gameboy Advance titles such as the bit Generations series which can provide hours upon hours of fun for really cheap prices. Also, the soon-to-be-rare Famicom Mini games are the ones to snag here. Don’t miss this chance. Click here to check out the Gameboy section
• Xbox 360 – There are plenty of Asian region (in English) games on sale below USD 20, and some of them even run on NTSC-U or even PAL consoles. Click here to start shopping for Xbox 360 games
• Toys and Collectibles – Figurines, gashapons, and even trading card games are up for sale in this section. Looking to start your shooting game ship gashapon collection? Or build your killer Magic: The Gathering deck for less than USD 5 a theme deck? Start cheap at Play-Asia during this last day of sales! Click here to start your toy hunt.
• Music - Soundtracks for video game franchises such as Final Fantasy are going for cheap here, couple this with free international shipping (to certain countries) and you’ll be hard pressed to find better bargains elsewhere. Click here to start shopping for stereo goodies.
• Retro Games – Looking for a particular piece of nostalgia? The Lucky Spring Sale is bargains galore for retro consoles, accessories and that rare copy of an oldie but goldie game you are looking for. Click here and let the antique, I mean, retro buying begin!

And FYI, you are automatically entered into a lucky draw competition (with consoles as prizes) by virtue of buying on-sale items. Click here for further details.