The impossibility of technology can often be well…seemingly impossible. There has been some talk about OnLive. I say some because many have deemed what OnLive claims to be able to do impossible. Many gaming sites such as EuroGamer don’t believe it is possible, but with the testing of an avid gamer on Popular Science, Dan Nosowitz says that it is.

OnLive now offers the same abilities it once claimed to be available on the iPad, Honeycomb tables—like the Motorola Xoom—the Kindle Fire and Android smartphones. So what does that mean?

It means gamers can play full-complete games on your iPad. Yes, you heard right. On your iPad.

What gamer doesn’t want that? Nosowitz agreed and downloaded some games to see what the capabilities of the newest OnLive app really are. He found the good, the bad and made a final decision. Let’s see if you agree too.

Pricing

The app is completely free, which is a great place to start. There are multiple ways to pay for the actual games. As usual, the cost for games will be the same. Whether you play on an Xbox 360 console or
OnLive instead, the cost of the games won’t ever change. So usually, new games are between $50 to $60. But as most options, you can also rent the games too. For a three-day rental, the games cost $6. A five-day only cost $9. Some may enjoy subscriptions, so a $10 per month fee is also an option. However you choose to pay, the games are ready for streaming.

The Good

It works!

That’s the best news that comes from Nosowitz. He tested out the iPad as his device. The best part is there is no downloading time. You simply hit play and the streaming begins. Saving the games is also really easy. The system does it almost without your notice, and you can always pick up from where you left off. The controller has the normal weight of a gaming controller. Not light and cheap feeling at all. The usual connection is Bluetooth and cost about $50, which isn’t too bad considering the price of most accessories.

The Bad

The Internet speed seems to be the number one problem according to Nosowitz. Between 10 to 12 Mbps, you will be fine; but drop below 5 Mbps, and the game chops, text becomes hard to read, and the lag begins. There were some glitches that caused the screen to black out and the control explanations of how to play to be wrong. One problem some gamers may not be fans of, those who choose the iPad as their console, is the lack of a vibration function. Some might not care, but others prefer the feature.

Another “bad” feature, again only seems to be on the iPad, is not being able to purchase a game from within the app. This is not true for the other available devices such as the Android smartphones, Honeycomb tablets or the Kindle Fire.

One final thought about the bad: the list of games that are available are limited. Hopefully more and more games will be available, but for now there are just some top-tier games. There are currently less than 200 games available, but Nosowitz feels there will be more coming.

Final Thoughts

OnLive is not perfect yet, and it still has its room to grow. As the program and fan base grow, there will be more fixes and better upgrades. The idea is amazing, especially if you can find a strong internet connection. So, break out the iPad and the controller. It’s time to play wherever you want.

Pro-gamers seem to get faster and faster on the games they’re playing with every day that goes by, leaving us mere mortals with no chance of being able to beat them. A standard gamer can hit around 100 actions per minute (APM), and a pro-gamer 300 APM. The Razer Talon exoskeleton for your hand allows you to hit up to 3,000 APM giving anyone a chance of becoming an über-gamer.

The speed of the exoskeleton is adjustable depending on your level of competence with the game you’re playing, and the Talon even features anti-twitch technology to stop you making mistakes. Read on for more info!

OK, sorry, it doesn’t exist (yet). It’s all part of an elaborate marketing ploy/April fool’s joke by Razer – don’t worry, it had us fooled too until we tried to pre-order it.

But it does get you thinking – exoskeletons are popping up everywhere for various uses, and there’s no reason that a company somewhere will make one that can turn us into pro-gamers. 3,000 APM might be unachievable but we should be able to get well above 300 APM with one. Watch this space!

Forget Hatsfield-Jackson or Heathrow, the Knuffingen Airport is now the world’s biggest ‘little’ airport. Knuffingen Airport is the latest attraction to Miniatur Wunderland in Germany.

The display area takes up 150 square meters, it took seven years to build and cost $4.8m. The planes (ranging from Cessna to Airbus A380) take off and land like in any real airport, and passengers and cars move around perfectly – well worth checking out the video below.

In figures:

• 150m²
• Cost $4.8m
• 40 moving planes
• 90 moving vehicles
• 40,000 working lights
• 15,000 model people
• 500 cars
• 10,000 trees
• 50 trains
• 1,000 trucks
• 100 signals
• 200 switches
• 300 buildings

At night, the experience is completely different:

When I got the invitation to try out the Angry Birds soft toy with authentic sounds, I just had to say yes. This soft toy about 4″ across fits comfortably in an adult hand, and my 1-year-old loved holding it with both of hers.

Although she doesn’t know what the Angry Birds app/video game is, she loved hearing the sounds coming out of it when you squeeze it in the right spot (hit this page to hear the sounds). Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t quite duplicate it! Maybe later on.

And if you’re thinking about getting this for a small child, it’s pretty safe because the sound mechanism is buried far enough inside not to hurt a little one from throwing, at perhaps some stuffed pigs!

This little novelty costs £5.99 and makes a great little gag gift for the Angry Birds addict in your friend circle or as a stocking stuffer or kid’s birthday goodie bag.

So what’s next? Angry Birds clothes? Angry Birds board games?! How about genetically engineered angry birds? No, I take that back. Stop evil geniuses – go work on something else!

(Disclaimer: Gizmos for Geeks received a complimentary review copy of this product courtesy of Find Me a Gift.)

Sifteo – the future of play. OK – so the slogan got me hooked, but I don’t think I’m too happy with this being the future of play/gaming.

Sifteo is essentially a set of 1.5″ (inch) cubes with color displays that you interact with to play a series of challenging games (for adults) or simpler puzzles for children. They’ve not hit the shelves yet (expected mid-2011) but when they do expect to see many more uses besides games.

And in the current trend of platforms with optional apps, you can add to your collection from the Sifteo App Store (let’s see if Apple sue them for infringement).

The 3D motion sensors in them allows you to solve puzzles by having the blocks interact – mainly by putting them side by side or on top of each other. They interact with each other and with your computer wirelessly.

The batteries in these blocks will last 4 hours, and when not in use you just drop them into their little charging dock that comes with your starter pack. You’ve got to be within 20 feet of the supplied wireless USB dongle when playing too.

Pricing is $149 for 3 cubes and the charging station, and up to 6 can be used at once. Additional cubes cost $45 each.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $149 (comes with 3 cubes and docking station; additional cubes are $45 each) – Expected mid-2011
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Wow, this Angry Birds thing is unbelievably for real. First the game, the variations, t-shirts and even an upcoming movie (?!). Pictured is just one of 3 Tees that Nerdy Shirts sells. They’re currently on sale too.

Yeah, this isn’t really a gadget, but you gotta admit, AB is just one of those memes we can’t escape right now!

Buy now!
Price: $21.56
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

A bit of nostalgic retro for you today. If you ever played any of these 80s video games (seems like mostly Atari 2600 games), you’re going to love this video created by Boing Boing – it’s a collection of how the main characters die. And the music that goes along with it is just gloriously ironic yet perfectly suited.

Once you start watching, you won’t be able to stop, but don’t worry, it’s under 3 minutes. You could watch 5 of these in your coffee break!

Most people would agree that games today, no matter how good the graphics or how realistic the plot, just can’t compete with playing some of the original classics. Luckily the people at Atari have heard our cries, and released their “Greatest Hits” for Nintendo DS

We hardly need to explain what the games are, all you need to know is that the game comes packed with 41 of their best games from the Atari 2600 and their 9 top arcade games. No expense has been spared – even Pong is included in the set!

If you can rally up a few friends then they can play over the DS multiplayer feature with just a single game card. You’ll also get to enjoy lots of Atari trivia, as well copies of the original handbooks and adverts for each game.

Finally, Atari also claim that they’ve included a ‘game’ they developed in secret to help train the US army. Perhaps you’ll have to buy the game and find out for yourself. Besides, can you really go wrong with spending $20 for this amazing set?

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $19.96
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

The You Rock Guitar is the perfect gizmo for bridging the gap between real music and rhythm gaming such as Guitar Hero. Here we have the most realistic guitar on the market that is compatible with the likes of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, with lots of other features including MIDI output.

The You Rock Guitar is compatible with a huge range of devices – Mac, PC, PS3 and Wii, and has outputs for USB and MIDI; an amp can easily be connected. It has 25 different types of guitars built-in, which will never need tuning, and can be used to create the perfect gaming experience.

When you take a look at the buttons on this thing you know it’s serious. The onboard recorder allows you to record your own MIDI sequences to be exported by its numerous outputs.

Dual-direction whammy bar included as standard.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $199.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Here’s another no-batteries-needed game. If you fancy a bit of a change from Settlers of Catan (although we don’t know why you would) then Dixit makes a good alternative. The whole game is very well made, with a high level of attention to the graphics.

Each game takes around 30mins to play (unlike those epic Monopoly games) making it a great boredom-buster. There’s tons of replay value included too – don’t think it’s a game you can only play a few times!

Dixit is based on story-telling – the ‘active player’ picks a card from the deck, and describes it. The other players have to guess which card it is to score points. It’s already received national acclaim in France and Spain.

Buy now!
Price: $25.79
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)