While we′re all sitting around patiently waiting for the Wii Motion Plus to arrive (it’s supposed to turn up in the Spring), Nintendo has been busy designing other controllers. The new Classic Controller ‘Pro′ is for those who like dabbling in a bit of retro gaming and hopefully to offer mainstream titles more traditional support. It’s chunkier and heavier than the existing classic controller, includes hand grips at the bottom and twin shoulder-buttons at the top, perhaps so you can give Gamecube titles a bit more of a run out. If it has any sense it’ll take this opportunity to build in motion control and a vibration response as well, though don’t hold your breath. Sadly the Classic Controller Pro has only been confirmed for a Japan release this summer so far, with Nintendo UK refusing to say whether it’ll ever bring it over here. - Paul Lester [CVG] Nintendo controller peripheral

There’s no doubting that rhythm gaming has had a massive impact on the industry, with peripheral-centric titles like Guitar Hero and Rock Band all but revolutionising the way we stave off boredom. Activision should know a thing or two about the subject and is rumoured to be bringing a skateboard controller to the upcoming Tony Hawk game, due to arrive in the autumn. Despite previously denying this addition, Variety says that sources who have seen the game in the flesh confirm that it will rely on such a device, which will probably work something like the Wii Fit board though obviously being more manoeuvrable. Sounds like a good idea to us - especially if it’s compatible with a few different titles, though it’s more likely that we’ll be relying on Activision to release a range of spin-offs and since it’s also likely to appear on the Wii, some sort of snowboarding/surfing/skateboarding extreme sports game could be in the offing. We’ll assess this particular rumour as ‘quite likely′ then, but will be back with further details as and when they are confirmed. - Paul Lester [Spong] gaming skateboarding peripherals

Dell has recently put some stock in the photo printer market by announcing the new ink-free Wasabi, a pocket-sized device capable of outputting 2×3″ prints with adhesive backs. The good news is you won’t get stung for ink costs, but the bad news is that you will get stung for paper. Like Polaroid’s Pogo technology, the Wasabi uses dedicated paper that has been infused with dye crystals that respond to heat from the printer to reveal the appropriate colour. It comes with Bluetooth for wirelesss connection along with USB ports to hook up devices directly and a full charge should offer around 15 printouts. Dell also claims to be able to output a shot in less than a minute. We′re still waiting on a few availability details but the price quoted so far is $99 (about £70) and around $12 for a 24-sheet pack of paper. There′s still a distinct ‘convenience′ premium involved then, if you compare it the price of high-street processing, but it’s a tidy solution nonetheless. - Paul Lester [GizmodoUS] Dell photo printer Polaroid

Tiny pocket projectors started arriving in numbers at the end of last year and just last month Samsung unveiled its Samsung Show, a mobile phone toting a built-in projector no less. This week we have a tiny 3in cube called the Miseal Mini Projector and, while its shape is less pocket-friendly than some other pico projectors, it makes up for it in terms of performance. Many pocket projectors have VGA or lower resolutions and their images top at out at around 40-50in. The Miseal, however, is good for an 800 x 600 resolution and a whopping 112in image from a distance of around 16-feet. That’s pretty impressive but be aware that there are some caveats. Like many pico projectors, the bulbs in these things are not the most powerful. In the case of the Miseal it can pump out just 25 Lumens and there’s a weenie contrast ratio of just 100:1. This means you’ll need a pitch black room to get the most out of it and placing it closer to the screen is probably going to result in a better viewing experience. Still, the makers think it’s perfect for hooking up to your iPod and watching videos on the ceiling. And why not? It even comes with snap-in dock for boosting the 1.2W stereo output by another 2 whole watts. Hold onto your hat! It costs around £300 here, from Japan.-Martin Lynch [Source]

We’re pretty sure that blank Blu-ray discs will never be as popular as blank DVDs, largely because of the heart-stopping price. After all, why bother backing up your movies to blank Blu-ray discs that cost almost as much than the original Blu-ray movie? Hmm, maybe that’s how the movie studios plan to crush piracy…. Still, there are more legal uses for blank Blu-ray discs [HD video, document back-up] which is why some folk will be interested in the new external Blu-ray burner from style-storage outfit, LaCie. The d2 External Blu-ray Burner doubles the speed of burning to 8x on both single and dual-sided Blu-ray discs. That’s means you can cram up to 50GB of data - or 4 hours of HD video - on a single [dual-sided] disc. The authoring and back-up software has also been upgraded. The drive sports FireWire and USB 2.0 interfaces and is compatible with Macs and PCs.. “With the doubling of the speed to burn Blu-ray discs, video professionals will be able to spend more time creating content and less time on production,” said Christelle Dexet, Multimedia Product Manager for LaCie. “And for those who need to safely store large quantities of information for extended periods of time on secure removable media, the LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive is an ideal solution.” The d2 comes bundled with the newly revised Easy Media Creator 10 and Toast 9 Titanium software. It’s shipping now and costs *ouch* £390. There’s another reason why Blu-ray burning might never take off.-Martin Lynch blu-ray peripherals storage

All the gadgets and fancy equipment that are most likely adorning the living room of the average Gizmodo reader certainly use up a lot of juice, so if you haven’t done so already it might be time to consider some sort of standby solution. OneClick is a leader in this field and has recently updated its TV/AV Intellipanel for 2009. If you haven’t seen these before, the idea is you plug all of your relevant peripherals into an eight-way extension box with one ‘master’ socket, which is usually the TV, controlling whether power goes to the others or not. For this reason, when you turn the TV off, power is effectively cut to everything else so as to prevent precious energy being wasted by standby modes. Aside from the ‘master’ socket, there are now two ‘always-on’ spaces, which is the main change in the new model. These are obviously for PVRs and devices like Sky HD that need to be left on to record stuff when you’re not in front of the screen. In addition to this functionality it also acts as a surge protector for both A/V equipment and your telephone line and aerial, if wired up through the device. The TV/Audio Visual Intellipanel, or TVAIMP206, is available now for £39.10 from the link below, though if you’re quick you might be able to grab last year’s model for around half the price. - Paul Lester [OneClick] Oneclick home cinema standby

Not to be outdone by Sennheiser kicking off its 2009 earphone refresh with the new CX 300 II, Sony has launched 5 new sets of cans that promise the best bass around. With the tag, ‘How low can you go?’, Sony’s XB series [eXtra Bass, geddit?] are promoted as having the “lowest ever bass”, thanks to an ultra-low bass response. No doubt other manufacturers might query that claim. Sony hopes the new models will appeal to fans of hip-hop, dubstep, drum’n′bass etc. Sony claims that the XB range accurately reproduces ultra-low frequencies “without compromising crystal-clear midrange vocals and high frequency sounds”. Heading the charge are the closed MDR-XB700 flagship headphones, featuring an extra-large 50mm dome-type driver. The XB700, 500 and 300 models all boast “sumptuous crafting” from synthetic leather and the king-sized ear cushion reduces sound leakage. Also announced are the in-ear MDR-XB40EX and MDR-XB20EX, which promise “seismic bass” thanks to a ‘direct vibe’ acoustic design that minimises sound spillage. They are constructed from brushed aluminium and there’s a new durable flat-section cord. The new range of ’sumptious’ ’seismic’ and ‘massively eXtra’ marketed XB cans are expected to arrive next month but there’s no pricing details yet. Will not be ‘mega-cheap′ though.-Martin Lynch earphones music hi-fi

The Post-It note is vital part of our lives at Gizmodo UK. After all, where would we keep all the passwords for our PCs, company network and bank accounts? But really, despite our online calendars and sync’d mobile devices, we′d be lost without good old, lo-tech Post-Its. So how about combining the Post-It with that other essential hi-tech gadget, a USB stick? And, while we′re at it, let’s make it out of wood too so that we clap ourselves on our eco-friendly backs. Well, except for the dead tree wood components, that is. Take a USB drive, make it out of wood, carve enough space to allow for some thin, Post-It note strips and you have the best blend of old and new products we′ve seen in some time. This is ingenious and it’s not a concept, although we don’t speak enough Japanese [we think] to be able to order one on the site here. It costs around £21 though.-Martin Lynch [Source] gadget fun office

Sennheiser will be launching a lot of earphones and headphones in the coming weeks and months as it refreshes it’s already large line-up. First up we have the new CX 300-II, a new and improved version of the popular CX-300 earphones. Sennheiser claims that they are ideal for travel as the design reduces background noise and blocks sound leaking out. Weighing in at just 4g, the CX-300-II boasts a number of new tweaks over their predecessors, with a new drive unit and capsule for delivering higher volumes, “improved bass, greater clarity, improved dynamics and more finely balanced sound”. According to the company, the CX 300-II phones have been designed with very high efficiency to help reduce their drain on your MP3 players battery. They are available in black, white, silver, red and pink. They are priced at around £40, come with a pouch and 3 sizes of earplugs and, if they sound as good as the CX-300s, they are solid choice for anyone looking to move from the entry-level to the midrange earphone market. Or, for those who just finally want to get rid of the crappy earphones that came with your iPod.-Martin Lynch [Sennheiser] earphones ipod music

When it comes to getting a pair of PC/laptop/MP3 speakers the choices run from the mundane to the bizarre and from the massively expensive to the cheap and nasty. Still, if you want a set of speakers that, literally, say something about you we present the very sleek speech bubble speakers. A clever mix of design and practicality the forthcoming ‘Speak-er’, as it’s known, is designed to look like those speech bubbles you get in cartoons and comics, but which uses that unique shape as a stand also. They measure 4 x 6 x 2in are are made from polished white ABS housing with a matte black grille. The speakers are rated at 6Watts each which is not going to blow any doors off hinges but should be sufficient for MP3 player and laptop use. They also weigh a reassuring 2KG each and will probably look a lot cooler than whatever your friends are using. They are priced at around $120 (£85) and if you′re interested you can reserve your pair by emailing here.-Martin Lynch [Geekalerts via thinkofthe] music speakers laptop