Here’s an interesting product that will appease gamers of all ages.  DigitalSoap produces bars of soap that resemble game system controllers like the above Wii inspired soap.  For nostalgic value, the company also sells NES 8-bit remote and Sega Genesis soap bars.  And to add further nerd value, scents are not only limited to your standard fruit or floral selections.  Mountain Dew and Pepsi are also available scents in their bars, shampoos and bath gels.  For those interested in the NES remote, there are currently 5 left as of right now.  A big thanks goes to Albotas for the heads up on these.

Image Source: DigitalSoaps

The halfback sweep and hail mary were my two absolute favorite novice moves when playing Tecmo Bowl.  And anyone can attest that Bo Jackson was UNSTOPPABLE in that game.  The above Air Trainer II’s coincides with the recently revamped Air Trainers and pays homage to the multi-faceted athlete and the best football game on the NES.  While not visible in the image above, the tongue is adorned with a pixelated Bo Jackson.  Detailing on the LA Raider’s colorway trainers is finished off with a cross stitch heel and patent strap.  For those not patient enough to wait for a brick and mortar release, 95Soleman has them in stock.

Image Source: 95Soleman

This is a sweet deal for those of us that enjoy classic video games.  The Pocket Retro Game Emulator is a handheld system that can handle playback of old school 8 and 16 bit games from NES, SEGA, Gameboy and Neo Geo.  Internal storage is at a healthy gigs of space.  But should more be needed, there is a miniSD expansion slot.  With that in mind, the Pocket Retro Game Emulator can also play back movie of music files.  The system is available now at ThinkGeek and runs for $99.  See below for the full technical specs as provided by ThinkGeek.

Product Features

• Mini Handheld gaming system plays roms from your favorite 8 and 16 bit game consoles
• No emulator software to load. Just copy over the roms and start playing.
• 4GB of internal storage, expandable via mini SD
• Beautiful 2.8 inch QVGA (320×240) LCD Screen
• Output to TV via included composite video cables
• Full media player functions including videos, music, FM radio, e-books and voice recorder
• Built-in Stereo Speakers
• Internal li-battery gives 6-8 hours of runtime on a single charge

Product Specs

• Primary Function: Gaming and media player entertainment system
• Display: 2.8 inch QVGA LTPS (Low Temperature PolySilicon) LCD Screen
• Color: Black
• Memory:
  - Internal 4GB
  - External Mini SD card
• Controller Design: D-pad
• Gaming Console Modes:
  - NES (Nintendo Entertainment System – 8bit)
  - SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System – 16bit)
  - Sega Genesis (Sega Mega-Drive – 16-bit)
  - GBA (Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
  - Neo-Geo (SNK Neo-Geo)
  - CPS1 and CPS2 (CAPCOM, arcade game systems, 1st and 2nd edition)
• Compatible Video Formats: FLV, WMV, ASF, RM, AVI, MPEG, MP4, RMVB, SWF
• Compatible Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC
• I/O Slots
  - Earphone jack
  - Mini-USB port
  - Mini-SD slot (SDHC)
  - AV OUT (output to TV – NTSC or PAL, 16:9 or 4:3)
  - Stereo Speakers
• Additional Media Functions:
  - FM Radio with recording function
  - Voice Recorder (MP3, WAV)
  - Image viewer (JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG)
  - Ebook reader (with text to speech function)
• Bult-in li-battery gives 6-8 hours of runtime on a single charge
• Dimensions: 125mm x 56mm x 14mm (L x W x H)

Package Contents

• Portable Game Player
• AC Adapter (100-240V 50/60hz)
• USB Cable
• User Manual – English
• Earbuds

Source: ThinkGeek

Designer, Ashley Buerkett took papercrafting to a whole different level.  As part of a project, she created a Mario World themed board game with paper cut-outs for the board and various game pieces.  Instructions are conveniently located behind the old school NES papercraft controllers.  As far as packaging goes, everything prior to assembling is housed in a plexiglass case.  Altogether this board game is very well presented.  On a side note, now I’m  wondering if board game design is a mandatory project for a graphic design curriculum.

Image Source: Fubiz via Ashley Buerkett

Christopher Locke is a talented sculptor that utilizes a variety of medium to get his message across.  ‘Modern Fossils‘ is a project that evolves around subject matter such as slightly outdated game console controls, peripherals and the object I can’t leave my house with, the iPod.  Check out his other work in the gallery below.  Most of these pieces are available on his site, Heartless Machine.  And like any artist, I’m certain he’ll take commission requests.

Image Source: Christopher Locke’s Heartless Machine

Miss those days of Castlevania and Kung Fu master? Sick and tired of late nights with GTA4 or Halo 3? Then spark an instance of Firefox, download FireNes, and prepare for a walk down memory lane.

From Allanjosephbatac:

FireNex is a new Firefox plugin you can use to play all those NES game goodies without downloading a NES emulator or those game packages. You simply download FireNes, restart your Firefox, open up FireNes over at Tools >> FireNes. That opens up over 100 NES games. Games you played when you were a kid (at least for me), now right on your Firefox sidebar.

Double-click a game you want and it opens up automatically without even downloading anything after!

To save you time on the controls, it’s the X & Z. You can view the controls by right-clicking any game on the sidebar.

Image via ajb.

The above NES remote/coffee table/gaming storage unit is not only an homage to the system, it is a fully functional gaming remote. The glass top is also a good look. I’m not sure what inspired owner, Kyle Downes, to create the table/gaming remote. But I am most certain, he’s gained internet fame and requests for commissions. Make the leap to see the table in action. I love how towards the end of the clip, you see Kyle and Emily coordinate while playing Super Mario 3.

Source: Gizmodo via Ultra Awesome