Yesterday at Nintendo’s Game Developers Conference 2011 press event, we learned that the 3DS Virtual Console would be home to old Game Boy games, but also Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 games. A day later, Sega has spoken up to let people know that when the 3DS eShop launches in May 2011, there will be five GameGear Classics for people to rediscover and enjoy…

One of the surprising, low-key items on display at E3 2010 was GAMES’ Portable Console Gaming and Entertainment System.

That long name is really a console hard case that is form-fitted to securely carry a game console. The two prototypes on display at the GAEMS (Gaming and Entertainment Mobile Systems) booth were both form-fitted for the Xbox 360 (not the new slim one, of course), hard plastic outer shells and heavy metal latches.

What makes this case particularly cool is the built-in HD monitor…

If you’re without a Wii, it also means you’re without Virtual Console, one of the few means of playing classic video games you may not be able to play anymore. Fortunately, websites exist online where you can subscribe to get access to these games and play via your computer, and one of them is Console Classix. In fact, Console Classix has just experienced a site relaunch, which has not only made playing classic games with them easier, but has added to the number of systems the site supports.

There are two ways to play at Console Classix. You can create a free account which allows you to play the Atari 2600, ColecoVision and NES games available on the site. So even if you go free, you’ll have access to hundreds of games. Or, you can pay for a full account, either $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year, and you’ll be able to play all of the Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, Genesis, Nintendo, Sega Master System and Super Nintendo games available on the site. So far, over 3,000 games are available and you can check out the site’s library before you subscribe.

The only catch is, only Windows PCs can take advantage of Console Classix’s program…

I collect video game systems. I love the classic games, because I grew up with them. I always had a special place in my heart for the handheld systems, because I’m an only child, which meant being carted to events where I would be the only person under 30.

A few times a year, I’ll enjoy a retro weekend. This past weekend I decided I would spend some quality time with my Game Gear. Imagine my shock when it would only play one game – Sonic the Hedgehog. This discovery prompted a bit of informal research – just how well were my portable systems holding up? I decided to spend some serious time playing my Game Boy, Game Gear, Game Boy Color, Sega Nomad and Neo Geo Pocket Color to see if they were aging well. The results gave me a newfound appreciation for Nintendo.

Late last week (January 25, 2008), Sega announced it had officially agreed to start putting its Master System and Game Gear games up for grab on the Wii’s Virtual Console service. IGN states that Fantasy Zone and Fist of the North Star (retooled and released in North America as Black Belt) will be the first of such games to launch onto the service next month in Japan and shortly thereafter in North America and Europe.

While the Master System wasn’t actually Sega’s first console (in Japan, it was referred to as the Sega Mark III), it was the first to see release outside of Japan and its competition with the NES throughout the mid and late ’80s was the basis for the…

Here’s another PC gaming item from Peter Payne’s site that specializes in all thing Japanese, J-List (and J-Box for the under-18 crowd).

The black 14 Degrees Mouse Pad by Elecom costs only $14 and offers a better angle than the standard wristpad/mousepad combo. The ergonomic wizards in Japan somehow decided that 14 degrees is the optimum angle for positing …