Carl Freer dishes out new Gizmondo tidbits

It's been a little while since we've heard from the normally very talkative Carl Freer, but the chief Gizmondo booster has now finally returned with a few new tidbits of information about the gaming handheld, which we know you've all been patiently waiting for. Most interestingly, but not surprisingly, Freer made no mention of that supposed end of 2008 release date, with him instead saying that the company plans to release the handheld's full spec list by the end of October, and that they plan to have "volume availability" of the handled by the second quarter of 2009 -- in Europe, at least. In other news, he also confirmed that the device would boast an improved camera, and that they're even planning their "own version of the Apple App Store," which would seem to be a must considering that they're apparently also going to be relying exclusively on indie developers this time around.
[Via: Engadget ]

Atari Hero mod lets you rock out with ET

Those of us old enough to remember crap games like E.T. and Sssnake have every right to be thrilled by the relative quality of modern gems like Guitar Hero. We're guessing modder Conner Flynn over at SlipperyBrick feels that way too, melding the old with the new by inserting an Atari 2600 console into the body of a faux-Gibson from Guitar Hero. This meant adding two controllers to the body (an eight-way joystick plus a paddle-style controller for Breakout), wiring up the green button on the neck, and adding a small screen where the strum bar would normally reside. It's a layout that makes this axe best suited for play Jeff Healey-style, and with a pocketful of AA batteries you can game your Angel Eyes out wherever you like. No, it's not the most ergonomic portable 2600 we've ever seen, or most practical, but is certainly is the most badass.
[Via: technabob ]

SuperGrafx game queued up for release on Japanese Wii Virtual Console

Retro game lovers, don't ever say Nintendo isn't looking out for you. Only months after hearing that the Wii's Virtual Console would be getting Sega Master System and Commodore 64 games, in flies word that at least one heralded SuperGrafx title is on its way, too. Granted, the Ghouls 'n Ghosts (or Daimakaimura, as it were) port is only slated for release in Japan at the moment, but we're keeping our increasingly less limber fingers crossed that it'll head to other parts of the world in short order. There's also no telling if any other titles from the console's library will be headed to the Wii, but given that we could count 'em all on two hands, we'd say chances are decently high.
[Via: Joystiq ]

Xbox 360 with Jasper arrives on the scene in all its 65nm glory

Hey, those Jaspers we've heard so much about are finally popping up in Xbox 360 consoles -- a bit behind the anticipated August release date, but better late than never right? If you'll recall these boards come equipped with 65nm chips that draw significantly less power, along with reduced heat output. If you're thinking about picking one of the new models up, you might want to check that the manufacture date is no earlier than August 6, 2008, and lot number is 8031 or above. So if you just bought a new console, it's time to go foraging for that receipt, but if you're still not sold there's always Valhalla to look forward to.
[Via: Joey Gadget ]

Video: game consoles stored in Gamestop bathroom

On a serious note, we're telling ourselves that there's just no way this happens in even a meaningful amount of Gamestop locations, but more than anything, the video waiting just after the break is for chuckles and chuckles alone. Apparently, one quick-thinking videographer-to-be captured a few stacks of Xbox 360s and PS3s in the store bathroom. Yes, the store bathroom. So the Gamestop-sourced console you're playing on right now could have all sorts of restroom-related germs on it. Yikes.
[Thanks, gamestopped]

[Via: Engadget ]

Newfangled Nintendo DS on the horizon?

Whoa, whoa -- what's this? A fresh report from Nikkei is pretty confidently talking about a new Nintendo DS destined to hit "within the year," though we aren't claiming to be full-fledged believers just yet. To be fair, this isn't the first we've heard of such a beast, though the translated description is pretty far out there. For instance, the new model will reportedly boast a camera that will be used heavily for games and offer a stronger wireless signal. Even crazier is the bit about "competing with cellular phones" and "exceeding the frame of the game industry." The article mentions that the device will eventually ship for ￥20,000 ($189) or less, though it doesn't say what kind of sauce the author hit before writing commenced.
[Via: Engadget ]

Oppo's Muse G11 gets real

In our perpetual search for the perfect "miniature PMP that just so happens to play SNES games with a reasonable control scheme," the Oppo Muse G11 is certainly a forerunner. We swooned when we saw those swivel-display technical drawings, and now Oppo has the first prototype of the device out and about. We're still a little short on tech specs, but as long as that mystery processor is prepared to draw Chrono Trigger with pixel-perfect precision, we couldn't care less.
[Via: PMP Today ]

Thrustmaster thrusts Wii Glow Saber, Dual Trigger Gun accessories in our direction

It's admittedly difficult to take a company named Thrustmaster seriously (especially on casual Friday), but given that it has recently pumped out what are likely the two best Wiimote accessories of all time, we'll give it a pass this go 'round. Speaking of, we'd like to point out that these two have been around the block a time or two, but that doesn't make the red and blue dueling Glow Sabers (each packing 17 LEDs, mind you) and the Dual Trigger Gun (complete with Nunchuck holster!) any less gnarly. The Glow Saber 2-pack is available right about now for $34.99, while the Dual Trigger Gun (shown after the break) should land in short order for $17.99.

[Via: Engadget ]

Nintendo fights breast cancer with DS Lite Limited Edition Pink Ribbon

In keeping with a time-honored gadget tradition, a new paint job for the Nintendo DS Lite has surfaced: the Limited Edition Pink Ribbon -- not just for girls mind you, breast cancer affects us all. While the polar white console doesn't include any games or nifty carrying case, five dollars of your $129.99 purchase will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, with Nintendo promising a minimum donation of $100,000.
[Via: DS Fanboy ]

NVIDIA rumored (again) to be renaming its GPU lineup in the name of simplicity

We won't even begin to suggest that NVIDIA is the only company out there with, shall we say, less than crystal clear naming schemes, but we're really hoping the latest whispers (which we've heard once before) about the outfit are true. TG Daily has it that undisclosed "industry sources" have suggested that the GPU maker will be dropping the 8000- and 9000-series names in an effort to simplify the model tags that appear on its products. Instead of breaking into the 10k+ club, the outfit will purportedly resort to using simple(r) letter prefixes to denote performance levels: "G" for baseline, "GS" and "GT" for mid-range and "GTX" for high-end. We're told that the new naming arrangement could be revealed officially as early as October 15th, but 'til then, we'd recommend doing some hefty research before buying something you only thought could run Crysis.
[Via: Electronista ]

Korg nanoSERIES USB controllers unboxed, previewed

The Korg nanoSERIES line of miniature USB controllers we had a look at a few months back has finally seen the light of day, and much to our chagrin, reviews are mixed. MusicRadar singles the nanoPAD out for praise, saying the twelve drum pads feel good and the X/Y pad is a useful addition, but they seem less impressed with the nanoKONTROL and nanoKEY. The site says the faders on the former feel "short and decidedly plasticky," while they compare the keys on the latter to those of a QWERTY keyboard. If you're still interested, the nanoKey will run you ?49 ($90), and the nanoKontrol and nanoPad will be ?59 ($109) each. Look for these guys starting in October, and hit the read link for more details and pics.
[Via: Engadget ]

Flaws found in 15,000+ Diamond video cards

There was a time -- back in the mid-'90s -- when Diamond Multimedia was tops in the burgeoning graphics acceleration game. Those days are apparently long gone (and look to stay that way) thanks to recent quality assurance issues affecting many of the company's 512MB Radeon HD 3800 series cards. Those manufactured between January and July of this year are said to suffer problems ranging from a complete lack of power management to plain 'ol "poor soldering." Alienware saw a 10-percent failure rate and shipped back its entire stock, canceling any further dealings with the company. For the record, Diamond doesn't actually manufacture these, acting as a reseller for GeCube, but perhaps was lax in its testing and now is perhaps being lax in its disclosure. The company has indicated that not only is there no problem with its products, its gone so far as to state that "Diamond manufactures the most reliable graphics cards in the industry and our customers' satisfaction is our first priority." Alienware would beg to differ.
[Via: Engadget ]

Slimmer Xbox 360 spied in the wild? (mystery solved)

We received an interesting tip that we thought we'd share with the group. Windows expert and all-around bon vivant Paul Thurrott recently previewed Microsoft's new Arc mouse on his personal blog, detailing the device with a handful of photos. In the final shot of the series, what appear to be two Xboxes side-by-side can be seen in the lower right-hand corner... but one of those consoles looks thinner than the other. The appearance of what might be a slimmer Xbox 360 has (needless to say) sparked a debate amongst our editors here. Some say it's nothing -- a matter of angle -- while others argue that this could be just the scenario in which you'd see a leak of a new form factor. Either way, you can't simply brush off the differences here, and a little Photoshop matching on our end proved that these edges are decidedly different in angle. So we put it to the Engadget reader: is this a sign of things to come, or just our imaginations running wild?
Update: And we have our answer! Paul Thurrott has gone to the trouble of detailing just exactly what's going on here, and it is an angle issue. Needless to say, we've got a lot of deflated dreams and lightened pockets in the office today.
[Thanks, Brian]
[Via: Engadget ]

PlayStation 3 Movies Can Only Be Redownloaded Once [Psn]

I'm not sure how many of you are buying (aka not renting) movies from Sony's PlayStation 3 video store, but to those who are willing to drop $15 on a permanent, DRM'd digital product, know that Sony only allows you to redownload these products one time. To be fair, Sony's licensing agreement claims "Content cannot be redownloaded once it has been downloaded to either a PLAYSTATION 3 or PSP system." In other words, anyone who has downloaded a film has agreed to this arrangement fair and square. But making a call to Sony in the instance where you delete the movie can grant you a one time exception. Just all the more reason why digital downloads make for a great way to rent a movie, but a crappy way to buy a movie. [arstechnica]
[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

Mad Catz's brilliant Rock Band Portable Drum Kit for Xbox 360 now on sale

No two ways about it, Mad Catz has a winner on its hand with this one. The Rock Band Portable Drum Kit for Xbox 360 is a complete skins kit designed to be shoved into most any backpack and played on nearly any solid surface. The rubber pads are designed to handle over a million strikes, though that antique coffee table you lay these on may, in fact, not be designed to withstand such abuse. For those not exactly kosher with a full-fledged kit consuming the den, this seems to be the perfect compromise. And hey, it's only $59.99 to boot. Ships "soon," but not "soon enough."
[Via: OhGizmo ]

PS3 Video Store provides more reason to avoid DRM

It took awhile to shake out, but the DRM nastiness associated with the Sony Video Store is becoming an issue now that those tiny PS3 hard drives are beginning to fill-up. Turns out that if you delete purchased video to free-up space then you'll have to place a call to Sony customer service to authorize a one-time only re-download from your PSN download list. Not too horrible, after all, you can just swap out the hard drive yourself and then migrate all your video, right? Probably not -- as spelled out by the terms and conditions of Sony's Backup Utility:

If you perform any of the following operations after backing up, copyright-protected video files in the backup data may not restore correctly.

• Format the hard disk
• Restore the PS3™ system
• Move copyright-protected video
• Download copyright-protected video
• Play copyright-protected video that has a time restriction for the first time

In other words, your PS3 (and up to 3 PSPs) owns the purchased video, you do not.
[Via: Engadget ]

TeknoCreations' InCharge juices Wiimotes through silicone skins

It's a common issue, really. Having to peel that sticky, icky silicone skin from the Wiimote each time you try to swap out the batteries or plop it down in a recharging station is a real pain, but TeknoCreations has a better way. By utilizing a contactless induction charging system, its InCharge remote charger can actually reinvigorate Lithium Polymer battery packs that are encased within those newfangled silicone grips that the Big N recommends so heavily. The system reportedly offers a 25-hour battery life, and unlike contact-based chargers, the aforementioned dirt and grit won't gum up the juicing process. The InCharge Wiimote charger should be available real soon for $34.99, and for PS3 owners feeling all left out, fret not -- the company just received certification to go forward with a similar product for the SIXAXIS.
[Via: Nintendo Wii Fanboy ]

Wii Backup Loader leaked onto the net -- welcome to pirating hell Nintendo

It was bound to happen sooner or later, and now we're hearing that the infamous Wii Backup Loader -- the hacks that allow you to run "backup" Wii games without a modchip -- is out riding the 'net thanks to an overzealous beta tester. At this point, only the patient and hardcore should apply as the v0.1 loader is in a very (very) early beta and apparently still buggy. The rest of you should just wait for the final release assuming Waninkoko doesn't just throw up his hands in disgust and abandon the homebrew community already irritated by the introduction of warez.
[Via: Engadget ]

Microsoft officially slashes Xbox 360 prices in Europe

We're getting reports that the rumored Xbox 360 price cuts for the UK have gone official. After our exclusive peak (pictured above) at the Woolworth's catalog, Microsoft has stepped up and slashed prices across the board for the Queen's own population of punters, boffins, and geezers. Starting Friday, the pricing drops to ?130 for the Arcade, ?170 for the 60GB Premium console, and ?230 for the 120GB Elite.
[Via: Gadgetoid ]

FunOrb, lots of random games - Time Waster

So, you're still looking for just the right way to waste some time? Not enough to keep you busy in your cube? FunOrb should keep you busy for a few hours. Those hours might be spent playing a lot of games to find one you like, but, hey, you're still wasting time, aren't you?
There are lots of little, simple puzzle games, think Bejeweled and the like, as well as Pool, arcade games and strategy games. All of the games have music and sound, so turn down the speakers before you get started.
Read on for the gory details.

• I found the music in the pool game to be of the grocery store jazz variety, which I found annoying. Otherwise, the game is okay.
• Dungeon Assault is a game where you are the dragon, planning your assault on other dragon's dungeons and defending your own. The intro to the game made me think of games like Empire Earth with it's very sweeping, epic views and big, booming voiced narrator. The game, on the other hand, involved lots of pointing and clicking and was very slow moving in general. If you want to play more than the tutorial, you must register with the site. Oh, and when you battle monsters, you actually see dice rolling on the screen to determine the outcome.
  
• OrbDefense is much like Desktop Tower Defense but not quite as cool. You have to build towers to keep various critters from making it from one point on the maze to another.
  
• In Zombie Dawn you are in charge of the undead apocalypse (really! That's what the instructions say). You basically left click on your undead minions and left click on where you want them to go. Chase down the humans and leave a pile of green goo behind when they are turned into a zombie. The intro screens have much better graphics than the actual game. Seems to be a recurring pattern of that.
  
• Pixelate is a Tetris type game where you have to make patterns with your dropping blocks. Some levels are more challenging than others.
  
• Transmorgrify is a Wheel of Fortune looking game with Scrabble type playing. They have Pat and Vanna avatars but you have to make words from letters that are given to you. I enjoyed the game, being a word nerd and all, but you have to double click on the letters to choose them and it just wasn't working well for me. Sometimes I had to double click several times to get the letter chosen.
  

So, FunOrb has some decent games. But, you have to hunt around and try a lot of crap to find one you enjoy. And, you have to register with the site to play full versions of any of the games which I always think is lame. But, if you really need to waste some time, you might find something in there you like.
[Via: Download Squad ]

In2Games shows off Gametrak Freedom: motion controller for Xbox 360 / PS3

We're tempted to say that peripheral makers are taking this whole motion controlling thing a touch too far, but we suppose there's no stopping "progress," huh? In2Games, the outfit that already sought to bring motion sensing to the PS2, has just unveiled the first image of its motion controller for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Wii Nunchuck-esque Gametrak Freedom is explained as being a "remarkable ultrasonic 3D motion sensing technology which delivers performance, control and flexibility far in excess of that offered by existing technologies." Supposedly, the device tracks the true 3D position and "precise movements of up to four players anywhere within a given environment," though it remains to be seen how much support it'll get from software developers. Initially, the controller will launch alongside undisclosed titles that can utilize the tech, but as for now, all you have to look forward to is Squeeballs. Yes, Squeeballs.
[Via: Engadget ]

Kill (yourself), again! - Time Waster

As a kid, at family reunions and holidays like Thanksgiving, my cousins and I used to play a variation of Super Mario Bros. that we liked to call, "Suicide Mario." The goal of the game was not to complete the level as directed, but to find the most creative way to kill our Mario or Luigi character. Bonus points were awarded for quick, hilarious and extra sadistic acts of hara-kiri. It was a great way to infuse new life into a game that we could all beat in our sleep, and the idea eventually spun off into other variations like, "Suicide Zelda," "Suicide Starfox" and in later years, "Suicide Golden Eye."
This is why [adult swim]'s Five Minute's to Kill (Yourself) easily earned its place as one of my favorite Flash games, well, ever. In that game, you are an office worker who has five minutes to kill yourself. You inflict damage upon your character by annoying co-workers, microwaving metal, stapling your head, running yourself through the shredder, that kind of thing. It's hilarious and awesome.
Now, the game team at [adult swim] has released a sequel: Five Minutes to Kill (Yourself) 2. This time, instead of trying to kill yourself at work, you are trying to kill yourself at a family reunion. Even before I played the game, I was already in love based on the concept alone.
In the original game, you used your keyboard to move around and select objects to inflict self-injury. The new game uses the mouse instead, which offers better mobility, and I dare say might make the game a bit easier. There are also several "areas" to explore where you can slit your proverbial pixelated wrists, each area has its own unique death trabs -- the beach has sharks and life-guardless pools, the pavilion has drunken relatives and hot oil, the park has fire-ant hills. You get the drill. To get certain injuries, you have to first collect items that will trigger their release. This makes the game a bit more challengng, as you have to find what someone might want before they can hit you with a baseball bat or hug your out of drunken fervor.
Real suicide is not funny. Pixelated suicide, however, is hilarious.
You can play Five Minutes to Kill (Yourself) 2 at [adult swim].com
[Via: Download Squad ]

Woolworth's to cut Xbox 360 console prices in the UK?

We received the image above from a supposed Woolworth's employee who scanned an upcoming retail catalog for our sicko pleasures. We can't verify the claim, but we understand that Woolies is in the midst of an escalating, retail price war in the UK gaming space. As such, what we're likely looking at are promotional cuts from the normal, ?160, ?200, ?260 prices for the Arcade, Premium, and Xbox 360 Elite consoles, respectively. Then again, the across the board price cuts in the US seem to have really paid off so who knows.
[Thanks, Anonymous Tipster]
Read -- Woolworth price war
[Via: Engadget ]

Microsoft votes 'yes' on Xbox 360 120GB hard drive price cut

According to our main homeboys / homegirls at GameDaily, Microsoft has confirmed that it's dropping the price of that big, delicious Xbox 360 hard drive from the dizzingly high $179 to a totally thrifty $149. According to a Redmond rep: "We reduced the price of the Xbox 360 120 GB Hard Drive to $149 in conjunction with the recent Xbox 360 console price drop. We believe this offers consumers even greater value when selecting accessories that meet their individual gaming and entertainment needs." Hey, no need to explain -- we like things to be cheaper.
[Via: Joystiq ]

RealMotion Pool Cue to help Wii pool sharks sink the stripes

Two things: first off, craptastic pool cue Wiimote accessories are already widely available, and secondly, couldn't you just duct tape a controller to your favorite real cue and achieve almost the same thing? Terrible ideas aside, RealMotion has just revealed that it will be shipping a RealMotion Pool Cue companion accessory for its upcoming title, American Pool Deluxe. Reportedly, the unit is a "meticulously crafted cue built specifically to take advantage of the Wii remote's accelerometer technology for real precision and fun," but we'll have to envision it until the company gets smart enough to distribute a photo. Or is it really that embarrassing?
[Via: IGN ]

Snake for old school gaming - Time Waster

Snake is a quickly played, easily addictive game. It's just like the Snake games of old where you have to control your snake around a box, picking up things along the way. You can't touch the sides or yourself or the game starts over. The good part? Much better graphics.
Obviously the longer the snake becomes, the more difficult it is to maneuver. And those darn mice always pop up in the most tricky places.
But, if you're like me and played Snake when you were a bit younger, your fingers may remember what to do quite quickly. After running into walls about four times I was able to play a much longer game.
It's a nice little flash game that is good for burning off a few minutes at a time without sucking you in for an hour.
[Via: Download Squad ]

Far Cry 2 arrives in late October

Ubisoft’s upcoming Far Cry 2 now has an official release date, with the company planning to deploy the game a little over a month from now. They are planning to release it in the U.S. on October 21st and October 24th for European countries. Like many new titles are doing, Ubisoft has seen the advantage of multi-platform readiness and will be releasing it for the PC, the 360 and the PS3 on launch day.

If you have watched the demo or been following development for the game, you'll know it certainly won't be lightweight on hardware. On top of suggesting a midrange GPU with 512MB of RAM, the game will also be one of an increasing number of titles that call for dual-core processors.

[Via: Justin Mann ]

PlayStation Home Impressions (Verdict: Needs Content) [PS3]

In case you're curious as to the progress of the PS3's upcoming PlayStation Home, the 3D Second Lifeish world in which you can interact with others, watch movie trailers, play games or just decorate a virtual apartment, one of our own readers was invited to participate in Sony's closed beta program and then kindly drafted up his experience for the world to read. His account confirms our skepticism while painting a pretty clear picture of exactly how Home works. And if you've got a second and a PS3, read on for his account. Character Creation:

The first thing that I noticed when you go in is that the sliders for character customization move slow as shit. They move so slow that you can't really see the difference in the changes that you are making.

General Play

After you create your character, you jump right into your apartment. The controls are pretty intuitive and the integration of an in game psp is pretty cool (basically in game xmb with extra home options)...[you] really need a keyboard to communicate, but it is still functional with multiple emoticons and preprogrammed messages.

Zones

Each different zone you enter you need to download a new file they range from 18 to 33 MB (They should integrate this into the main download). From the main area you can visit the following places: 1. Movie Theater - A movie theater that you can walk around, sit enjoy...more lapdances, all while the trailer of the last guy is playing. Its kinda funny seeing the text bubbles pop up above peoples heads as they see the trailer. "Game Sucks Ass"...."cool music"..."soundz like bad porn tunez". 2. Shopping center - Visit store for more clothes, furniture, and "stuff". I bought everything I could within 2 mintues. Very limited suppy of "free" items, currently nothing for "sale" with actual dollars. 3. Music zone (no download required, part of the main area) - Listen to 1 of 3 tunes and dance appropriately for the style of music. Get made fun of by other dancers. 4. Game zone - Play crappy arcade, pool and bowling games (absolutely no motion integration, very crappy controls, meh all around)

Closing Thoughts

20 minutes and you get the full experience of Home. The only entertaining thing that keeps me logging back on is stalking other people and doing the twist dance maneuver while saying "grind me hard". I basically chase people around and shake my booty at them and they try to jog slowly away from me, its pretty amusing. Home just needs content. It is currently a 3d chat room.

It should be noted that the PlayStation Home beta does not include areas with PlayStation 3 title game integration as we'll see with games like Warhawk and Resistance 2. Thanks Randy!
[Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

GamePark Wiz hands-on from Engadget Spanish

We've already seen early pictures and heard a release date for GamePark's newest handheld -- the Wiz -- but now Engadget Spanish has gotten their hands and eyes all over the device, and they've brought back photos to prove it. As you can see from the pics, the portable console will be offered with more than one style of casing, and apparently the company is setting up some type of App Store-like service which will allow users to purchase and download software, as well as share their own homebrew apps. According to our team, it looks like that October 8th street date will be pushed back till sometime in November due to issues with the right control pad (which GamePark is working to correct). Until then, you can just feast your eyes on the gallery below.
[Via: Engadget ]

Sony sorts out the UK PSP-3000 release situation

Fear not, UK friends, you will be getting the eye-pleasing, battery-draining PSP-3000 just like everyone else, but it seems you won't be getting quite as many bundle options as others in Europe. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the silver PSP-3000 bundle with Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters and the black PSP-3000 bundle with a 4GB Memory Stick won't be making it to the UK, at least initially, leaving you with only the Go! communication, FIFA, Harry Potter, and Buzz! Master Quiz bundles to choose from. That, as you may have noticed, doesn't include a stand-alone PSP-3000 option, but Sony assures us that'll be arriving as well sometime after the bundles are released.
[Via: PSP Fanboy ]

Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display creates haptic 3D objects you can poke

Sure, you may have your fancy vibrating controllers and liquid-injecting touch screens, but Takayuki Iwamoto wants you to play with the air. Iwamoto and some of his buddies at the University of Tokyo have come up with a way to use focused ultrasound to create manipulable virtual objects in space. Using multiple transducers, the "Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display" creates an acoustic radiation pressure field. Holding your hand in the field allows you to "feel" the object, manipulate it, and feel response. Right now, the system only creates a vertical field, but you had better bet that Iwamoto is working on that. As for suitable applications, interest has already been shown from both industrial and gaming developers. No word on the hentai industry taking note, but that can't be too far away. Check the video after the break to see this tech in action.

[Via: BBC News ]

Xbox 360 now cheapest console in the US -- game on Santa

It's Friday the 5th, that means that the $200 Xbox 360 just became the lowest-priced console in the US (as it is in Japan) compared to the perpetually "sold out" $250 Wii and 80GB PS3 selling for double the price of a diskless Arcade. With no new price cuts expected from either Sony or Nintendo, the holiday console wars are officially on. Picture proof of the $199.99 Xbox 360 Arcade in the wild after the break.
[Thanks, JerkyChew]

[Via: Engadget ]

Sony admits it could do a better job marketing the PS3's "value"

Value likely isn't the first word that comes to many folks' mind when they think of the PS3 (especially given other recent console goings on), and Sony is now admitting that's partly its fault. No, it's not saying that the price is too high, but it is fessing up that it could do a better job of marketing the console's value. In an interview with Gamasutra, Julie Han of Sony corporate communications cited the PS3's ability to put PS3 downloadable content onto the PSP in particular as one feature they could do more with on the marketing front, adding that they also "don't talk enough" about Sony's "future-proofing" strategy. Of course, a price cut wouldn't hurt with that value message either but, as you may have suspected, Han would only reiterate that Sony has "no plans to do any price cuts," and that it's sticking with its strategy.
[Via: PS3 Fanboy ]

PSP nabbing PlayStation Store this fall, online multiplayer over PS3

Evidently fearing some outbreak of freedom and excitement, Sony has notoriously guarded its PSP's WiFi access closely, adding features such as Remote Play at a snail's pace, and keeping such obvious adds as "ad-hoc" over the internet at bay. But no longer(ish). Sony is bringing ad-hoc online multiplayer to the PSP this fall, with a firmware update to allow the portable to network over the PS3. You'll also be able to get social during gameplay, with text and voice chat in the new online mode. Additionally, the PSP is finally barging on to the PlayStation Store via WiFi, and Sony's going to kick things off with a free downloadable game, "Mainichi Issyo Portable." The best news is that this is compatible with all three PSP generations, so just because you can't afford The Screen of Awesomeness doesn't mean you're out in the cold.

[Via: Joystiq ]

Piicron: why choose, when you can have it all? Invest now!

It's hard to tell if those awesome consoles up above are artists renditions or very real pieces of gaming technology that will shake the industry at its core. So hard to tell. We won't humor Piicron enough to actually describe their ideas (okay, just one: Ubercron, a $500 console that can play "any game ever released to any console" with its 3.2GHz quad-core processor) but we do recommend clicking on over to the website, where you can easily squander an afternoon reading through all this insanity. To be honest, we're almost a little disappointed none of this is grounded in reality, or even vaguely aware of reality: at least Phantom was trying.
[Via: Engadget ]