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Blizzard just wants to ensure that people aren't running a 16-player LAN game using <16 legitimate copies of the game. Instead of requiring everyone to use battle net, how about some alternatives? Maybe like a Blizzard-licensed USB anal probe that activates SC2 LAN mode... Brando would probably sell it.

Seriously though, why are game companies so quick to fuck their paying customers up the ass these days in the name of fighting piracy? They may well reduce piracy but they also lose sales from people who don't want to be jerked around. I'm a long-time PC gamer but I don't buy any game that requires an Internet connection to "activate" or to play multiplayer. I shouldn't need to "ask for permission" to play locally.

We've had a 12V standard connectors for 80 years, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar_lighter_receptacle#History and apart from recreational vehicles, it isn't happening.

The only DC power standard connector that has a chance is the USB's 5 Volts, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Power .
It's not much power (successive spec revisions seem to have pushed it up to ~ 7 Watts), which in a way is nice because it forces people to make more efficient gizmos (including humping dog flash drives, and tiny lights, etc. from http://usb.brando.com.hk/ ).

http://www.greenplug.us/ has a protocol to boost power delivery high enough to power TVs and such, based around USB.

The tipping point is when devices stop shipping with power adapters, and you just plug them in to the nearest USB hub. They say it's happened in China. Then you start migrating your USB hubs to solar power, your home treadmill, etc. and the power company isn't involved as it's all DC.

Here's the cheapest
For those in the UK
And another option

Sure. For $20, even.

That'd be funny if it was posted two weeks ago. As is... just lame.

Actually, check out this design http://videogame.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?pro d_id=00461, its pretty interesting as well.

I couple that with a PDA screen protector on the GBA SP screen. The GBA closes to protect the screen, but I had some old protectors laying around and they work great for this. Just cut them to size. You could do the same thing with the DS; if you don't have any, look on ebay for a discontinued PDA's protectors. You pay more in shipping then the actual item, but its still less than $5.

Brando makes IMHO the best PDA screen protections available : almost perfectly clear, washable, but somewhat difficult to apply (if you mind dust specks and air bubbles) (review). It is available for the Nintendo DS ($15, ouch). Shipping (HK to Europe) was very fast.

Because until this year, nobody realized that you could make a thin plastic USB connector. If you think about a normal USB connector, it is actually much thicker than your average memory card, with its (relatively) giant metal rectangle. This year, a company called PQI realized that the metal part isn't actually necessary for the plug, and removed it. The result was this. Suddenly USB drives are actually smaller than and just as thin as regular memory cards! It's one of those great ideas that is obvious in retrospect. PQI has patented this design, and I imagine SanDisk has had to license it to create this super-awesome combined card.

smaller than a memory stick!

One of those ideas that is obvious in hindsight. Why did they even make all those crazy memory card formats in the first place? All we needed was USB.

you can get the SL-C860 from brando.com.hk in Hong Kong, but it comes set up for Japanese. There are sites to help you convert it to English. Or, order it from dynamism.com and while there check out the new SL-C3000. Of course, eBay is your friend...

..if you speak japanese. ;)

The Sharp Zaurus C760, currently available in just a few places.