Owens’ built his “Avatar Machine” costume to “[replicate] the aesthetics and visuals of third person gaming, allowing the user to view themselves as a virtual character in real space via a head mounted interface.”

Which means… yeah, you guessed it. “The system potentially allows for a diminished sense of social responsibility, and could lead the user to demonstrate behaviours normally reserved for the gaming environment.”

That’s all well and good, but we just want to know one thing: Can you make us one, Marc?

Avatar Machine [Marc Owens, via GameSetWatch]

Igromir 2009 [Flickr]

Perhaps a little late for Halloween, but you can use this modded Mario costume for inspiration and get to work on yours for next year. Certain motions while wearing the suit trigger fireball, jumping and 1Up sounds, among others.

The get-up was built by an Adafruit Wave Shield user, connecting the gadget to an Arduino system. I know none of what that means, really, but it allows for the motion-activated sounds. And the soundtrack of course is customizable. So you can bet your bippy someone’s dreaming up a Mega Man version as we speak.

Arduino Inside a Mario Costume [Adafruit via Gizmodo]

The degree of help Sega’s website can give is relatively minimal, unfortunately. Suggestions include wearing a skin-tight cat suit, crafting butterfly wings so you can pretend you are always jumping and making sure you get the attitude right, or no one will believe you are the witchy heroine of the upcoming game the website is actually an advertisement for. Here’s an example of a helpful hint:

When it comes to defining characteristics, you’ll be hard pressed to find another action heroine whose eyewear alone could be used to identify her. While you can’t buy the butterfly-adorned sides of her frames over the counter, thin rectangular black rimmed glasses should do the trick.

Thin, rectangular black glasses? I’ve got those! Now all I need is the cat suit, some weapons, an attitude, Crecente’s hair, and I am all set to scare the living hell out of children who dare knock on my door Saturday night. Thanks, Sega!

Sega’s Make-A-Witch Foundation [Sega]

Option 1 — Actual Cosplay
This gown/crown combo with gloves and earrings goes for the sale price of US$159.99 — and it comes in mens sizes.

Option 2 — Slightly Skanky
This off-the-shoulder outfit comes with only the tiara and gloves, but at $US49.99, that’s not so bad.

Option 3 — Slightly Cuter Skanky
The bow on this gown is way cuter than the default skanky gown and the crown appeals to me. Also comes with short gloves for $US48.95.

Option 4 — Cute And Skanky
You get the best of both the cute and skany worlds with this one — and the gloves are full-length. Still at $US56.95, I’d like a better crown.

Option 5 — Cartoony
For those of you who can’t bear to bare your legs, this may be your best bet. You get a full-length dress and crown — but no gloves — for $US39.99. (At time of press, it’s out of stock.)

Option 6 — Hot Topic
You know you’re going cheap-and-easy when you turn to Hot Topic. Time was these guys had some amazing Halloween costumes, but just glancing at this flimsy Peach getup shows you how far the standards have fallen. Goes for $US49.99. (Note: This might actually be the same dress as Option 4 — but the price is different and this model looks fuglier, so I’m counting it as a separate entry.)

Photographers Peter Lumby and Rob Dunlop will be displaying photos from the book at an open exhibition on October 20 at Hi sushi Salsa in London.

Here’s a taste:

The last time our paths crossed with Ms. Morishita’s, she was appearing in a NSFW promo clip for the Airi cosplay book. Before that, she was cosplaying as Chun-Li. And before that, she was holding a limited edition DS. Dunno what she was doing before that. Sorry!

Queen’s Blade was originally a Lost Worlds style “combat picture book game” and has been published in Japan for the last couple of years. Queen’s Blade features only female characters, and its spin-off series Queen’s Gate has showcased the likes of Iroha (Samurai Shodow), Mai Shiranui (The King of Fighters) and Dizzy (Guilty Gear).

This latest photobook feature Morishita is done in the Queen’s Blade “combat picture book game” style. It’s priced at around $US27 and comes bundled with a DVD.

Queen’s Blade has also been spun off into an anime and the upcoming Namco Bandai PSP game Queen’s Blade Spiral Chaos, which is out this December in Japan. Namco has released new screenshots for the game, which can be seen here.

クイーンズブレイド公式ページ [クイーンズブレイドTHE LIVE via アキバBlog and moeyo.com]

I know, I know. Looking at the Sazh and Lightning cosplay, it sounds like an impossibility that one could forget the guy who went to the effort to put a Chocobo chick in his homemade afro. For some fresh shots of superfans of Metal Gear, Tekken, Final Fantasy XIII and more, click through. Highlights from days one and two are still available for your ogling.