Video Games
How to apply for Sony's PlayStation Home closed beta test
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August 8, 2008 Sony is expanding their PlayStation Home beta test at the end of the month, and they're looking for testers in the U.S. that meet "a variety of criteria" including their level of activity on the PlayStation Network. Read More
AiLive demonstrate LiveMove 2 and the MotionPlus add-on for the Wii
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July 31, 2008 AiLive, the company who helped Nintendo build the MotionPlus add-on for the Wii remote, has released a video showing off their LiveMove 2 toolset for Wii developers who wish to implement MotionPlus functionality in their games. Even if you don't play video games, you will want to see what this thing can do. Read More
Dell shipping their 24-inch, HDMI-equipped S2409W LCD monitor
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July 30, 2008 Dell's new 24-inch LCD monitor has an HDMI input and a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, making it a perfect fit for Blu-ray and video game consoles. Read More
PlayStation 3 Greatest Hits launch today for $29.99
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July 30, 2008 Sony has launched the first ten PS3 games in their Greatest Hits range, including Warhawk, Assassin's Creed and Resistance: Fall of Man. Click through for the full list, and our recommendations. Read More
Race Driver: GRID Review (Xbox 360)
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July 22, 2008 Codemasters returned to their prior reputable standing as racing game developers with the release of Colin McRae DIRT last June. This year, Race Driver: GRID resurrects another last-gen favorite for the current generation of consoles - here's our full review. Read More
Logitech's new Driving Force wireless force feedback racing wheel for the PS3
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July 21, 2008 Following the release of the Driving Force GT, the official wheel of Gran Turismo for the PS3 just a couple of months ago, Logitech have followed up with the one-piece Driving Force Wireless force feedback racing wheel for the PS3. Read More
Rock Band 2 set list officially announced
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Harmonix, EA and MTV Games have announced the 84 tracks that make up the set list of the upcoming Rock Band 2 - and this time around, every single track on the disc will utilize the original master recordings. Read More
The week in games at The Gamer Gene
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First ever footage of Duke Nukem Forever hits the internet, Disturbed and Jimmy Buffet arrive in Rock Band, Tecmo stock drops 10 percent on news of lawsuit from ex-designer Tomonobu Itagaki, iamchris4life conquers Dragonforce in Guitar Hero III once and for all, and they ask: what are you playing this weekend? Read More
Sony announce Qore - an interactive HD gaming program for the PS3
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Sony has announced Qore, a monthly, interactive gaming program shot in HD and distributed via the PlayStation Network. Qore will feature exclusive news, interviews and previews along with bonuses like exclusive access to beta tests, demos, and downloadable content. Read More
Today's headlines at The Gamer Gene
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LucasArts considers resurrecting the point-and-click graphic adventure genre, Intel sponsors a free release of Havok Physics, Animation and Content Tools, a hacker turns his Roomba into Pac-man, Zombies take over Africa, and people who want to dress up like Gears of War characters rejoice. Read More
eMagin's OLED Z800 3DVisor
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eMagin's Z800 3DVisor uses two OLED microdisplays to provide wearers with the 3D equivalent of a 105-inch display viewed at 12 feet’s distance. Drawing its power entirely from a USB connection, the Z800 3DVisor integrates the SVGA 3D OLED microdisplays with stereo audio, a noise canceling microphone, and a high-speed headtracker that enables full 360-degree virtual-surround viewing. Read More
Wii Fit Reviewed
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Making exercise fun is something that Nintendo has tried before. In 1986, they licensed Bandai's Family Trainer peripheral for the NES and launched it worldwide as the Power Pad. In the 90's, they created the Exertainment system - essentially an exercise bike with a SNES inside. Both products were capable of raising your heart rate, but offered little else in the way of improving your health or building good habits. Wii Fit sees Nintendo's honed skill in software and peripheral development come together for another crack at the holy grail of software - making exercise fun. Read More
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Review (PlayStation 3)
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With the full Gran Turismo 5 not due until 2009, and the free downloadable Gran Turismo HD Concept now no longer available from the PlayStation Store, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is the only PS3-based option for simulation-style racing fans. Read More
Review: Logitech's Driving Force GT force-feedback wheel for the PS3
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The Gamer Gene recently got their hands on a Logitech Driving Force GT, the official wheel of Gran Turismo for the PlayStation 3, and are reporting significant improvements in fun factor and immersion, and a decline in the brutal learning curve of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Read More
Assassin's Creed Review (PlayStation 3)
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Ubisoft’s massively hyped action-adventure game Assassin’s Creed sure is an interesting one - an ambitious mix of a history and science-fiction story with action and stealth gameplay. Can a game with this scope still be accomplished within the deadline-driven game development business? Our friends over at The Gamer Gene recently had a look at the PlayStation 3 version - check out their review here.
Assassin's Creed (PS3) Review [The Gamer Gene] Read More
Mindwire's shocking V-5 sensory feedback kit
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March 14, 2008 Mindwire has designed an electrical muscle simulation kit that integrates with second generation consoles to give sensory feedback to gamers - in other words, when you shoot a friend in Tekken he gets an electric shock. Some may shake their heads, we say "yes please!" Read More
Logitech's Driving Force GT Wheel for the PS3
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Logitech has unveiled their Driving Force GT Wheel - the official force-feedback wheel of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue for the PlayStation 3. Designed in collaboration with Gran Turismo developers Polyphony Digital, the wheel features a realtime adjustment dial, allowing you to adjust brake bias, traction control and damper settings on the fly. Read More
Why PAL PS3 owners should import Rock Band
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The geeks at The Gamer Gene really love Rock Band, and their latest feature is designed to convince PAL PlayStation 3 owners that they should stop waiting for EA to release the game in their territory, and simply import the game. They've done so, twice, and can't fault the process - especially when the other option is sitting around waiting for a vague Q2-Q3 release date. Read on for what to and what not to worry about when importing Rock Band. Read More
Vuzix immersive video eyewear - the wearable 62-inch screen
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January 17, 2008 The iWear VR920 video visor from Vuzix (formerly Icuiti) promises an "as if you were there" virtual world experience, incorporating 3D technology, head tracking, microphone and audio in a wearable display equivalent to a 62-inch screen viewed at a distance of 9 feet. The company has also announced an upcoming gaming version (the AV920-C) will be added to the iWear range that connects to Xbox360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii and others for single and multiplayer video games, allowing users to select their half or quadrant and view it on their personal big-screen instead of splitting a single TV video screen 2, 3 or 4 ways. Read More
NVIDIA's hybrid technology balances PC performance and power consumption
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January 12, 2008 NVIDIA has announced the industry’s first hybrid technology for PC platforms that increases graphics performance and reduces power consumption. NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology is based on the Company’s GeForce graphics processor units (GPUs) and SLI multi-GPU technology and enables NVIDIA motherboard GPUs (mGPUs) to work cooperatively with discrete NVIDIA GPUs (dGPUs) when paired in the same PC platform. Hybrid SLI provides two new technologies - GeForce Boost and HybridPower - that allow the PC to deliver graphics performance for today’s applications and games when 3D graphics horsepower is required, or transition to a lower-powered operating state when not. For lower energy consumption and quieter PC operation, HybridPower allows the PC to switch processing from a single GPU or multiple GPUs in SLI configuration to the onboard motherboard GPU. Read More
PS3 gets DivX/XviD playback - we put it to the test
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The PlayStation 3 firmware update 2.10 arrived yesterday, adding Blu-ray Disc Profile 1.1 support, and more importantly, XviD and DivX playback. We recently brought you the low down on XviD/DivX playback on the Xbox 360, and now we've spent another strenuous morning watching videos - here's our report on Sony's implementation.
NVIDIA 3-way SLI taps the power of three GeForce cards
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NVIDIA have announced their new 3-way SLI (Series Link Interface) system, designed to eat system-melting games like Crysis for breakfast by allowing three GeForce cards to be used in one PC. This delivers up to 2.8 times the performance of systems with one GPU, and gives PC gamers ability to run the latest graphically-intensive games in the highest resolution at 60 frames per second - with anti-aliasing and all the bells and whistles. Read More
Xbox 360 gets DivX/XviD playback, we put it to the test
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The Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update arrived overnight, and added a long list of new functionality - although the one thing most people are interested in is the relatively unexpected arrival of DivX/XviD playback. We've spent the morning messing about with it to bring you the lowdown... because we figured your boss wouldn't call watching videos "work." Read More
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Review (Xbox 360)
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It's official - World War II games are dead. Infinity Ward has brought the iconic Call of Duty series into the 21st Century with a flash-bang, giving Tom Clancy a run for his money with an epic depiction of modern war. Read on for a full review of what the guys at our video game blog, The Gamer Gene are calling a hot contender for Game of the Year. Read More
Xbox 360 Arcade console announced
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Microsoft has officially announced another of their worst kept secrets - the Xbox 360 Arcade unit - some time after the units first appeared in stores across North America. The new entry-level bundle will replace the aging Xbox 360 Core bundle, and while it remains hard drive-less, it includes a much smaller Memory Unit - which isn't big enough for downloading high-definition TV episodes from the Xbox Live Video Marketplace, but will suffice to save your progress in games, and download new titles from the Xbox Live Arcade. Read More
BioShock Review (Xbox 360)
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While gamers and the gaming press continue to rave over what is almost undisputedly the most immersive first-person shooter experience yet, there's a reasonable chance that part of Gizmag's readership remain unconvinced, or even unaware of BioShock. Do you read science-fiction? Think first-person shooters all went downhill after Doom? Looking for a game that offers moral choices? Do yourself a favor and check out an in-depth review of BioShock for the Xbox 360 over at our game blog, The Gamer Gene. Read More
Analysts: Nintendo DS will penetrate 89% of Japanese households by 2011
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June 26, 2007 A Nintendo in every pocket? The phenomenally successful Nintendo DS handheld gaming console is comprehensively trouncing the more powerful Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) around the world - but nowhere is Nintendo mania more alive than in Japan, where on current sales and penetration figures, a key industry analysis firm has forecast that 89% of Japanese households will have a Nintendo DS by the year 2011. What a stunning figure! Read More
The Falcon Game Controller - with realistic force feedback
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UPDATED IMAGES June 30, 2007 We all know the keyboard and mouse are NOT the future of the computer human interface, and to be frank, we’re getting a bit sick of waiting for a replacement capable of generating critical mass. One device with the potential to play a role in the next generation interface, at least in the area of computer games, began shipping this month. Novint Technologies’ highly anticipated, award-winning Novint Falcon game controller is now available in a special Limited Edition bundle. The Falcon is an entirely new type of 3D game interface that makes virtual objects and environments feel real. Replacing a computer mouse or joystick, the US$190 Falcon is, essentially a small robot that lets you feel shape, weight, texture, dimension, dynamics, 3D motion, and force effects when playing enabled games. Read More
Spiderman 3 Review (Xbox 360)
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May 22, 2007 Movie licensed games are typically horrible, and should be avoided at all costs. The precedent was set way back in 1982, when lengthy licensing negotiations left a single Atari programmer with just 5 weeks to conceive and develop the entire "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" game. Despite being widely regarded as the worst game ever made, it sold 1.5 million copies - making it the eighth best selling game for the Atari 2600. For obvious reasons, countless movies have been turned into games since 1982, and a mere few gems like Goldeneye 007 and Star Wars Episode 1: Pod Racer have emerged from the noise. Did the developers of Spiderman 3 get enough development time to deliver a polished game in time for the movie? Our Games Editor has the full story. Read More
Geometry Wars: Galaxies coming to Nintendo Wii, DS
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May 22, 2007 Geometry Wars first appeared as a mini-game in Project Gotham Racing 2 for the Xbox, and much to the surprise of the developers, people loved it - enough to warrant a HD sequel on the Xbox 360. Geometry Wars: Evolved was the first game released on Xbox Live Arcade, and to this day remains the cheapest, and arguably, best game available on the service. Finally, Nintendo fans are set for a taste of the hellishly frantic action. Read More
Eball sports simulator goes mobile and inflatable
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May 18, 2007 You may recall our enthusiasm last year when we reported on eballgames and its development of an interface between a real ball and ball games – think of it as a CHI (Computer Human Interface) for any real world ball game and you’re close. Motion and speed sensors take your kick, throw or golf swing and play out the results on the big screen, for better or worse. The crowd will roar or express their disappointment, and the commentator gives you a pat on the back or a serve for missing. The ball goes into a net and is ready for the next player to have a go. It's simple, quick fun and it continually breaks records for drawing crowds wherever it is installed. Now the company has taken its VR sports simulator and developed it into a number of inflatable structures so the promotional killer-app can be quickly set up anywhere, indoors or outdoors. Eballgames is already working on many different sports and is keen to discuss development opportunities with interested parties. We see it as the ultimate Wii peripheral for kids that want to play ball games. Indeed, there’s plenty of opportunity for the development of remedial and skills development games using this technology. Read More
Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s announced
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May 11, 2007 It was only recently that we became properly aquainted with Guitar Hero 2, but that doesn't mean we're any less excited about Activision's announcement of the third game in the series, Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s. Details are scarce, but read on for a sneak peak at the tracklist. Read More
Guitar Hero 2 Review (Xbox 360)
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April 30, 2007 As you might imagine, we're surrounded with technology at the Gizmag office...and we thought we'd learned to do a pretty good job of soldiering on despite all the distractions the wired lifestyle brings. Alas, those times are over now, and we refer to the period as BG (Before Guitar Hero). For the uninitiated, Guitar Hero is rock and roll condensed into a video game, complete with plastic guitar controller and a drummer who always turns up to practice on time (and doesn't hit on your girlfriend). The original Playstation 2 game sold over one million units in its first year, and the sequel sold over 1.3 million units in 2006 - 800,000 in December alone - and it's hooked everyone from the neighbors seven-year-old to members of the prog-rock super-group Tool. Now it's here on the Xbox 360 in crisp 720p resolution with 10 additional tracks - if you've listened to guitar music at all in the last thirty years, read on for the full review, video and track list. Read More
Advanced video games for US Navy pilot training
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April 30, 2007 It's the ultimate flight sim video game. 360 degree cockpit views, multiplayer, totally realistic instruments and the option to have a separate gunner in the back seat of your F/A-18 Hornet as you dogfight the others or engage in air-to-ground missions. Sadly, you'll need to sign your life away to play it. Read More
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of World War II Review (Playstation 3)
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April 10, 2007 When this landed on my desk to review, I had my doubts - of the forty million or so World War II games released during my years of gaming, I can count the ones I've enjoyed on one hand. Thankfully, Blazing Angels stands out from the noise just by not being a first-person shooter, and rekindles the almost forgotten air-combat genre. If piloting one of 50 authentic World War II era aircraft through several key battles over historic sites like Dunkirk, Pearl Harbor, Midway and Berlin sounds like your thing, read the full review. Read More
