Fancy being apart of one of the leading global gadget news and reviews sites in the world? Thought you did.?Pocket-lint is looking for positions to fill in?New York and?San Francisco.

We are looking for roving reporters to join the team based in New York and San Francisco to replace Stuart who is heading back to the UK.

Ideally you will be well connected within the gadget scene and be available to chase down briefings, meetings and attend events when needed.

You will have to be able to get into either New York city or San Francisco for meetings, come with your own computer and digital camera and of course be able to access the internet without excuses.

Work amount and schedule is based on your ability to generate original stories and we are looking for you to take the lead rather than be spoonfed ideas.

Salary etc will depends on work and experience.?

The ability to file quickly at events is also a must.

To apply email us via the feedback form with links to two examples of your work and the answer to the following two questions:

1. Why should we hire you?

2. If you were a product on a supermarket shelf what would you be and why?

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness

Pocket-lint is hiring in US originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:04:10 +0000

The Prince of Persia film trailer has just hit the intertubes and with it our hearts both flutter and sink at the same time as we realise that it's going to be terrible. It may sound premature but anyone who knows anything about either games, films or ideally both, will know that out of countless console to silver screen conversions there has been a sum total of no good ones whatsoever. Yes, some have had brushes with the acceptable - Tomb Raider and Silent Hill at a push - but the fact remains that history just doesn't lie. Not here.

So, why are they so bad? What's the deal? First and foremost game plots just aren't up to it. At the best we get some lengthy cut scenes between gruff-talking men in over-sized armour between levels of dealing death to any creature that gets in the way of Player 1 and the next room/access key/elevator/bigger weapon/mushroom. They may contain over 200 hundred hours of gameplay but you could probably condense the storyline into around 20 minutes.

Even if these plots do have any staying power, then they're rarely as sophisticated as what hundreds of years experience of stage and screen writing can produce, and the results are laughable. We laugh, usually around an hour in, well after our hearts have been broken in two because our favourite title is being ridiculed in front of the world. The trouble is that video games aren't designed to be stories. They're games. They're about skill and puzzles rather than a meaningful narrative. There are narratives, more and more, and they're better than ever these days, but they're still tertiary to the structure of the game beneath both playability and graphical appeal.

Then there's characters who are largely two-dimensional. We don't really want to know about Ryu's anxiety when taking on Zangief and fortunately Capcom didn't bore us to death in case we did. Even more involved RPG or adventure pieces only ever get as far as overt emotions like fear or anger at current events and only at the most complex might we see a flashback from the character's past, and only then if it's germane to the plot. The point is that it's up to us, the players, to form the deeper reaction in response to a series of ruthless/kind/good/evil and if we're really lucky, traitorous characters. The added colour simply isn't written in for a very good reason - that of personal subjective involvement.

So, here's how the situation works given the already shaky starting materials. First, a game gets big enough and a movie producer gets bored enough to decide that they're going to make a film out of it. So, they plonk it down in front of an upcoming writer and director, most likely still learning their trade or they'd probably have an original or more worthy project on the slate. Faced with a thin plot and characters that no one's going to care about, they then do their level best to add some colour to the proceedings which is inevitably flawed, most likely because they won't be big players of the game, and what they fabricate will not be in the spirit of thing. Either that or they don't add enough and it's dull as ditch-water anyway.

They then present the project to similarly aspiring actors who take it on because, hey, it's work whereby a few months down the line and several million on special effects later we have one film destined to disappoint.? What's worse is that this film will make more money than it cost and so the cycle repeats itself. Perhaps the only good that's ever done is that the artists involved might have graduated to the higher echelons of film making by then. Good luck to them.

There are, of course, minor exceptions. Dennis Hopper was in Super Mario Bros, Angelina Jolie was Lara Croft and now Jake Gyllenhaal has taken the lead in the Prince of Persia, but these stars alone aren't going to be enough to fill all the gaps. Incidentally, if you want a real laugh, watch the DVD extras on Dungeons & Dragons for the out take where Jeremy Irons storms off the set. There's the look of an actor regretting the fact they got involved with it in the first place.

So, what of Prince of Persia then? Is it as doomed as we make out? Well, it's got a stronger plot than some. They've integrated the use of the Dagger of Time really nicely (I'm a sucker for films with time travel). They've got an excellent director in the shape of Mike Newell and a star studded cast with class acts like Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina supporting the adept and watchable Gyllenhaal, but a good game adaptation that's not necessarily going to make. What do they know about the Prince of Persia? Gyllenhaal has said himself that he's over-prepared for this movie by bulking up with five or six pounds in added muscle. Now, that doesn't sound like the right kind of training. How about a copy of the game, a dark room and bulking up with five or six pounds in added KFC?

Mercifully, the game's creator, Jordan Mechner, has been part of the team on the script, but time will only tell whether Jerry Bruckheimer listened to him or not. Still, most of you reading this will probably watch it, you'll probably hate it and you'll probably wonder why you fell for the same trick again. Thankfully, you'll probably have downloaded it for nothing too.

?

Tags: Gaming PS3 Xbox 360 PC games Prince of Persia Films Movies Comment

Why are game-inspired films so terrible? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:38:52 +0000

The date for the launch of the PSP version of LittleBigPlanet has finally been confirmed for the UK.

Sony has told gaming site CVG that the new title will be out in the UK on 20 November, a few days behind the US release on 17 November.

LBP PSP is a whole new adventure with new levels for Sackboy fans - hit play now on the video to see a teaser video of the game.

Tags: Gaming PSP Sony LittleBigPlanet Video

VIDEO: LittleBigPlanet PSP UK launch confirmed for 20 November originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:43:06 +0000

First off congratulations to Paul Story who won last month's comments comp for his comment on the story "Amazon Kindle UK import orders begin". For those who didn't win, don't fret, because the kind folk at TomTom have sent a TomTom XL Live IQ Routes Europe unit for us to dish out for our November comments competition.

The rules of the competition are simple, you can enter as many times as you like by simply commenting on any story. It doesn't have to be in depth, detailed or technical, but it does have to be useful, helpful or funny.

You don't have to sign up to comment on the stories, we just ask for your name, location and email address - that does not show up online and is not passed on.

The TomTom device measures 123 x 80 x 18mm and features 4.3-inch touch display, the screen being bright and a convenient size enabling ease of use whilst driving.

Along with Live HD Traffic, now with added support for Europe, the TomTom XL Live has excellent route guidance and with the added MapShare feature, it allows for easy updating of maps within the TomTom community.

To be in with a chance of winning this top-notch effort just comment on any story during the month of November. At the end of November the Pocket-lint team will take a look and choose what we believe is the best one.

Make sure you take a look at Pocket-lint's full review where it received a 9/10 score.

?

Tags: Audio accessories Biz Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness TomTom GPS Competitions

Win a TomTom XL Live IQ Routes Europe originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:42:25 +0000

The Best Game nominees for the Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadgets Awards 2009 are likely to be much more of a fight than last year's cut and dry selection. Without quite such monumental hits as Little Big Planet, GTA IV and Wii Fit, the field is wide open and there are one or two more platforms of maturity to compete with the big three consoles. Who would you choose?

The Blockbusters

Somehow sequels are infinitely more respectable in video games than they are at the movies, which is fortunate for the industry seeing as pretty much all the big hits this year have been just that. The annual releases of FIFA 2010 and PES 2010 probably take the award for the longest running of the lot but with Resident Evil 5 and its slightly awry publicity stunt zombie hunt coming in close behind. Back from the dead came Street Fighter IV with all your favourite faces plus a few new ones just waiting to be pummeled by a few well placed Shoryuken and a cheap 100 hand slap.

COD looks like it might just squeeze in its sixth episode in time for the deadline with Modern Warefare 2 but it looks as if both Left 4 Dead 2 and the hugely anticipated Tony Hawk Ride have left it too late this time. Probably just so they can be hot favourites for our pick of 2010.

The Halo series has managed two releases on its own with its first person shooter and strategy lines - Halo ODST and Halo Wars respectively - and if it's shooters you're after, then there's the recent launch of both Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and the highly regarded Borderlands to consider - the latter of which comes with strong RPG elements and a gaggle of console players currently at its mercy.

The trouble with most big games is we hear about them 12 months before they arrive. By the time they get here, they're almost old news. There was a seemingly endless wait for a certain DC title in the dark shape of Batman: Arkham Asylum, but it didn't disappoint when it turned up at the end of the summer. Definitely another big title worth a shout for the award.

Rock Band & Guitar Hero

We were going to use Rhythm Games as a title but frankly these two warring factions pretty much eclipsed every other party in 2009, so between Harmonix and Acitvision it is. Both companies have world domination on their minds releasing multiple titles for multiple platforms. Probably biggest of all was the moment the Fab Four finally went digital with the release of The Beatles: Rock Band but the EA backed franchise has also remembered to think small with the launch of Rock Band for the iPhone as well.

The big release for Activision was a little harder to spot. You'd have to pick between Guitar Hero 5 and and DJ Hero for the largest splash, but with Band Hero out today, there's room for a third party in the debate. GH too went portable with Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits for the DS and brought another band their own version of the game with Guitar Hero Metallica too. The list for both dynasties is set to continue despite Rock Band's latest confession. We're told there's a version for The Who in the pipeline and we're sure there's plenty of acts to get through before they start scraping the barrel with Guitar Hero Color Me Badd.

Portable

Just when you think portable gaming has exploded, it explodes some more. According to one Steve Jobs, Sony and Nintendo have a new kid to worry about now that the app store is in full swing. Whether you believe it has the same potential as a platform or not is one thing, but what we have seen for sure this year is that there are a lot of big titles focusing on an iPhone release.

Rock Band we already know about but some of the other stand out serious titles for Apple have been the wildly addictive Championship Manager, Command and Conquer Red Alert, for those who just can't put the mouse down, and the return of a classic in digitised form with the Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy role play series getting an app of its own.

As for the PSP and DSi, there have been hundreds of titles but the two standouts for our money are GTA Chinatown Wars, which brought the first 18 certificate to Nintendo's handheld, and the enormous cult success that is Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

PC

Some games are still just too hardcore for a simple console interface and this year has seen Will Wright come back one more time with the latest chapter of his god game classic, the Sims 3 - even if it did arrive a little earlier than anticipated. But it wasn't just the one classic for 2009. Another season brings us another Championship Manager, but it was the people's champion who made the biggest splash in this field bringing the beautiful game to the Internet with Football Manager Live, and they weren't the only ones to do so. The seminal first person shooter, Quake also hit the Web and ruined worker efficiency everywhere with Quake Live as well.

Thankfully, we also had a few fresh starts in PC gaming or perhaps more accurately computer gaming in this case. Playfish brought out another of their social networking phenomenon games with Quiztastic - to challenge and annoy your friends with and there was also proof that Flash gaming is as strong as ever with the appearance of the Super Mario 63 web game for all to enjoy. Last of all though was another of the big hitters for 2009 in the small and cute form that is Plants vs Zombies. The game is set to take over the world on just about every level as soon as it hits the iPhone but for now you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own computer.

Wii

At the other end of the scale there's a certain brand of games that are only going to work on the Nintendo Wii. The fitness wave rolls on with Wii Sports Resort and more recently Wii Fit Plus but there's also been the resurrection of Punch Out, this time without Mike Tyson. Finally, though, one of the biggest storms in a d-pad was caused by the release of the dark MadWorld beat'em up from Sega, which received plenty of complaints given its launch on such a family minded console. It's unlikely to cause issues when it comes to other machines soon but it's the gameplay that counts and word is that it's one that certainly delivers.

?

What do you think?

But these are just some of the fantastic choices our readers have had in 2009. What would you like to see held aloft as the winner of Pocket-lint Best Game 2009? Who have we missed out? Which are your unsung heroes and of those we've already mentioned, which would get your vote? Let us know in the comments below and you can help our panel decide which make the shortlist of nominees to be announced here on Pocket-lint on 16 November. We'll have all out coverage of the Vodafone Pocket-lint awards 2009 right here. Don't miss a minute of it.

?

Related links:

• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - software, services, apps
• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - laptops
• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - digital cameras

Tags: Gaming Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards Features Xbox PlayStation Nintendo PC games

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - games originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:30:19 +0000

Of all the bands that have a difficult relationship with digital music, The Beatles stand above AC/DC, Metallica and Pink Floyd as the most troublesome. Apple Corps has a long-standing dispute with EMI that prevents the Fab Four's music from being available on services like iTunes, Spotify and Last.fm.

But after George Harrison's son Dhani met MTV's president, Van Toffler, in 2006, and suggested a Rock Band game based around The Beatles' catalogue, both parties worked to overcome logistical difficulties and the cult of protectionism that surrounds any use of The Beatles' image.

Harrison worked to win over Apple Corps, talking to McCartney, Starr and Ono about the idea. Toffler went off to convince Harmonix. In the end, following the production of a five-song demo, and an agreement that songs from the entire career of the band would be showcased, a deal was signed.

During development of the game, McCartney, Starr, Ono and Harrison all provided feedback on various aspects of the title, even down to demanding that The Beatles' hair blew about in the wind more when they perform on the roof of the Apple Corps' HQ, as it did on the day in 1969.

That sense of careful control of the image of the band is everywhere in the game. At no point is it possible to make The Beatles look bad, or affect the songs in any way other than to quieten a single instrument temporarily if you miss a note.

The ability to play drum beats before the start and after the end of a track are gone. So too is the ability to do wildcat drum solos in the middle of tracks to active "Overdrive" for extra points (which happens to be renamed "Beatlemania" in B:RB). The control is over every tiny detail, even down to the fact that attaining an extra star doesn't make the little "ding" sound it does in Rock Band 2.

But in its place is boatloads of extra content for Beatles fans. Attaining three and five stars on an individual track will unlock a photo and anecdote about the recording of that track. Each song is bookended by real studio chatter from the original recordings, all the way down to Ringo shouting "I've got blisters on me fingers!" at the end of Helter Skelter.

One benefit over previous versions of the game is that all 45 songs are unlocked from the start. You don't have to play through "Story" mode to get access to every track. If you do, however, you'll find an artfully crafted chronological journey through the band's history, starting at the Cavern Club, and ending on the aforementioned rooftop.

Between each chapter of the band's career, you get a lovely little animation depicting record sleeves, and covering famous episodes that occurred in that timeframe. The game is visually stunning, especially on a big HD display, and very in-keeping with the legacy of the band - particularly when it comes to the "Dreamscapes" that accompany several tracks from The Beatles' studio years.

In terms of features, though, there's very little difference between this game and last year's Rock Band 2. The only major addition is that of harmonies, which you'll need multiple USB mics for, along with a mic stand for singing and playing at the same time. Headset mics won't work, unlike in previous games.

The harmonies aren't easy. In fact they're doggone tough, unless you're a practiced vocalist in real life. Luckily, a trio of vocalists can sing any of the harmony parts without having to worry about who's singing what. As long as you're in tune with at least one of the melodies, you'll score well.

The enhanced plastic instruments are pretty awesome too. Well, the guitars are. The Rickenbacker 325, Gretsch Duo Jet, and Hefner bass are all fantastic representations of the original instruments, and will look great even if you're playing another game in the Rock Band range.

The Ludwig drum kit isn't quite as good, though. It's the same kit as from Rock Band 2, but has a big Beatles logo that stretches across the back of the set, mimicking the bass drum skin, and new pearl-edged drum pads. It looks flimsy and fake compared to the quality of the other Premium instruments.

Difficulty is reasonable throughout - it's easy to see how tricky a particular song is and adjust accordingly. One criticism that could be levelled, however, is that the game is relatively short. The 45 songs can be played through in a couple of hours, making this more suited to perfectionists who'll want to 100% every single song.

More content is on the way, including songs left over from Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper and Rubber Soul that didn't make it into the game. The slow approach is due to the difficulty of splitting apart the content from the old 2-track and 4-track master tapes at Abbey Road. Music from The Beatles' various solo projects will not be included.

Verdict:

The Beatles Rock Band is a fantastic reminiscipackage of musical and visual content that should be firmly in the collection of any Beatles fan. But a question mark hangs over the value of this title for people who aren't so passionate about the band's catalogue.

Little niggles, like not being able to put in your own drum fills, grate considerably when compared to the relative freedom of Rock Band 2. The controlled, and relatively brief, experience puts a slightly bitter aftertaste on a game that is - in every other regard - fantastic fun.

The Beatles Rock Band is an absolute must for Beatles completists and Rock Band completists, but a music fan who hasn't yet dipped a toe into the world of music videogames like Rock Band and Guitar Hero would be better off starting with the excellent Rock Band 2 instead.

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Music games Beatles The Beatles Rock Band Rock Band Harmonix EA

The Beatles Rock Band - Xbox 360 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Ever since games consoles came into our front rooms, both the hardware and software developers have looked for new ways to make their titles stand out from the crowd. One sure fire method is to reinvent the interface or design one with just your game in mind. With game controllers getting wackier by the minute (there is everything from skateboards,?baby dolls, to exercise bikes, to yourself and even replica guns), do the latest plethora of gaming?controllers have what it takes to make it to the ranks of these five great game-changers below?

1) Atari 2600 Joystick (1977)

?

Boil all joysticks down to their most basic and this is what you get. The Atari 2600 broke a hell of a lot of ground, in fact, by the time it was through, it was pretty much surrounded by dust. One hugely important area was the game controllers. The paddles used in Pong and such are obviously legendary in their own right but it was the classic, stubby, heavy rubber knob and single red fire button that was the face that launched a thousand sticks. It wasn't the first such device. They'd existed for many years in more complex forms in aircraft and other serious applications, but it was Atari that came up with the electrical standard for gaming that took the design on through 16-bit computing and as far as the Atari ST and Amiga.

2) Nintendo Famicom Gamepad (1983)

?

The seeds of downfall had long been sowed before the decline of the joystick in the mid 90s. The gamepads, joypads, thumbpads or however you wish to refer them were all inspired by the controllers of Nintendo's first gaming console, and original take on the NES, the Famicom. The classic d-pad and fire buttons combo was brought from the hugely popular Game & Watch series and ported onto separate paddles, the like of which we still use today.

3) Shooting Gallery (1968/1973)

?

Invented as a prototype in 1968 by Ralph Baer, Shooting Gallery was the first laser gun controller for, in fact, the first ever home video games console - the Magnavox Odyssey. Somewhat less friendly looking than later incarnations, like Nintendo's orange NES Zapper, the Shooting Gallery was a scarily real, sober styled rifle that you had to cock between shots. The gun worked only by detecting light from the TV screen, rather than specific targets, which meant you could cheat by pointing the thing at a light bulb to register a hit. But, seeing as the Odyssey didn't show an on-screen score anyway, cheating was a little irrelevant.

4) Guitar Hero Gibson SG (2005)

?

Harmonix was by no means the first to come up with the idea of a guitar controller, but it was the company that brought it to the games console when Guitar Hero was released on the PS2 in 2005. Games like Konami's Dance Dance Revolution and, more specifically, GuitarFreaks had paved the way at the arcade in Japan and it was Red Octane - who developed the controllers for the latter of the two - that approached Guitar Hero's creators with the idea of a console game that used a completely different type of device. The original game went on to sell 1.5 million copies and the rest, as they say, is history - well, until Harmonix went off and started Rock Band, but that's another story.

5) Nintendo Wiimote (2006)

?

Whether or not you like the console, you have to admit that the latest game-changer is probably the biggest in video gaming history. Yes, there was a lot of work done by the likes of the Eye Toy but it was Nintendo who got it right. On the one hand, it's still very much based on the original Famicon gamepads, but it's taken the scope of what you can do to a whole different level and has been the first to help capture the minds of an entirely new section of the public. It works via Bluetooth connection with the console itself, rather than on light gun principles, meaning that it works equally well regardless of what kind of TV you have. It has a trigger, it rumbles, but what gives it its essence is that it has an accelerometer that can accurately sense movement on three different axes. It has since spawned tens of gun, racing wheel and music instrument controllers in its own right and has become the new standard by which the opposition are attempting to measure.

?

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Tony Hawk Atari Famicom Guitar Hero Features Magnavox Odyssey Shooting Gallery

Five game-changing console controllers originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:55:10 +0000

In the States Thrustmaster has unveiled the T-Freestyle NW, describing it as the ultimate controller for snowboarding and skateboarding Wii dudes.

"Experience the extreme action of boarding this winter from the comfort of your living room", says Thrustmaster who is flogging the board at the arguably affordable price tag of $29.99 - but you'll need a Wii Balance Board to use it.

The claims for the new board is that it allows gamers to execute freestyle tricks and to control their boarding runs with the same "spirit of freedom" and the "sensation of no limit" as in real life.

Crafted from gen-you-ine maple the board gets a bad-ass skull design and attaches to the Balance Board for "endless hours of fun". We'll keep you posted on a UK launch.

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Thrustmaster Nintendo Wii Controllers Wiimote Sports Fitness Sports games

Thrustmaster announces the T-Freestyle NW originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:46:54 +0000

Viacom has admitted that its Rock Band series is still not making any cash - on the contrary, it's losing the company money. Viacom's chief financial officer, Tom Dooley, admitted in a quarterly earnings report that "Rock Band was a negative contributor to margins in the third quarter".

He added: "We expect it to break even or be slightly profitable in the fourth quarter from a margin point of view. It really depends on how many units we sell in the holiday season".

The big problem is that making the plastic guitars, drums and microphones is expensive. The company's plan, it seems, revolves around getting those controllers into as many into people's homes as possible, then selling them future games in the franchise that cost both the company and the consumer less.

To that end, both Rock Band 2 and Beatles: Rock Band are compatible with older controllers on the same platform, but it seems to be a pretty long-term strategy. Having said that, Beatles Rock Band is apparently doing reasonably well - "the economics of our Rock Band franchise are improving, though not as quickly as we'd like", said Viacom's CEO, Philippe Daumann.

?

Read

Tags: Gaming Rock Band Viacom MTV Biz

Rock Band is still not profitable, says Viacom originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:05:51 +0000

Play.com has announced that, despite the threatened Royal Mail strikes on Friday 6th and Monday 9 November, it will be delivering CoD:MW2 to its customers by an alternative partner on the official release date, 10 November.

The online retailer says that any customer ordering the game from Play.com before midnight on Sunday 8 November will see the game dispatched on time to get it delivered on the Tuesday release date.

Set to be the biggest selling entertainment product ever, pre-orders for Modern Warfare 2 at Play.com have been in excess of 150 a minute at peak times.
?
"The strike coinciding as it does with the biggest selling entertainment product release ever has presented us with a challenge which we believe our new delivery plan will overcome", says Play.com COO Stuart Rowe.

Related links:

• Shop - Play.com

Tags: Gaming Play Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare 2 Royal Mail

Play.com guarantees Modern Warfare 2 deliveries originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:30:06 +0000

No Doubt, Gwen Stefani's band who had a hit with the song "Don't Speak", have sued the publishers of Band Hero, Activision Blizzard, over their likeness in the game. The band complained that they were breaching their contract by allowing them to be turned into a virtual karaoke act.

In the game, it's possible to unlock Gwen Stefani as a playable character and get her to sing the Rolling Stones' Honky Tonk Woman. The lawsuit says that this: "results in an unauthorized performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice boasting about having sex with prostitutes".

The band are protesting "fraudulent inducement" and breach of contract, seeking unspecified damages and an injunction that would stop Activision from distributing the title. Back in September, Courtney Love declared that she was going to "sue the s**t out of" the company for similar reasons - allowing Kurt Cobain to sing Bon Jovi songs.

Meanwhile, rival franchise Rock Band has avoided similar problems by not featuring real rockers as avatars with the exception of the tightly controlled Beatles: Rock Band title.

Read

Tags: Gaming Audio Music Music games Band Hero Activision No Doubt

No Doubt sues Activision over Band Hero originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:12:59 +0000

In the States Sony has announced new "entertainment offerings" for the PlayStation Network from Lucasfilm, Cinetic FilmBuff, ContentFilm International, Image Entertainment, MPI Media Group and New Video.

The content, available now in the US for purchase or rent, includes Star Wars: The Clone Wars, TV series Leverage, feature films Powder Blue and Management, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and online mini-series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog from New Video.

Additional content from these providers will be added over time joining the 10,000 hours of downloadable entertainment content that's currently pegged at over 2300 full-length movies for American consumers.

Tags: Gaming Playstation Network PS3 Sony Video on demand Home Cinema

PlayStation Network gets more video in the States originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:32:31 +0000

Parallels has launched a new version of its operating system virtualization software. Parallels 5 allows you to run Windows, Linux, OS/2 Warp, or whatever other operating system takes your fancy from the comfort of your Mac desktop.

The company reckons that there are plenty of enhancements. Aero is now available on Windows 7 and Vista, and the software is claimed to feature seven to eight times better graphics performance than its previous version. There's also improved USB functionality and speed, and the latest VT-x2 virtualization technologies.

Another intriguing new feature is "Crystal mode", which allows you to make Windows invisible so that you can only see the program. You can now copy/paste formatted text between operating systems too, and there's multi-touch support for gestures in Windows. The Apple remote can now control Windows apps too.

There's a "Safe Mode", for privacy and security, as well as DirectX 9Ex and Shader Model 3 support. If you prefer, you can turn off the Mac/Windows integration, giving a completely isolated virtual machine, if you're running insecure code.?Lastly, a feature called?Mac Look will allow you to skin Windows... er... windows so that they look like Apple ones, instead of the default XP, Vista or 7 skin.

Parallels 5 will be available shortly for ?60.

?

Tags: Software Mac software Windows Linux Software updates Gaming Mac games Operating Systems

Parallels Desktop 5 software arrives originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000

The Wiimote has been strapped to some unusual items in the name of wacky gameplay but this latest concept takes the Wii weirdness to a new level.

The new "Baby and Me" game comes complete with a doll that - once hooked up with the Wiimote - becomes an interactive baby doll toy for little girls - or boys.

The game encompasses ten activities such as feed the baby or teaching it to walk and is aimed at those 3-years-old and up.

The doll will appear to be giggling, gurgling or crying through the Wii remote speaker and there's even Balance Board support to rock the baby to sleep.

Presumably unlike iPhone games in recent memory, shaking the baby will not be a suggested activity.

Read

Tags: Gaming Dad Nintendo Wii Kids games Wiimote

Nintendo Wii "Baby and Me" game comes complete with doll-mote originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:29:00 +0000

Movember is upon us once more and that means plenty of talk about moustaches, moustache gadgets and of course not forgetting the main reason for the facial hair growth - helping raise awareness for?prostate Cancer.

Over the next 30 days the Pocket-lint team and others will be growing a moustache for charity. It's a tough job that from experience means we will be ridiculed, stared at, and worse still not get many kisses.

But fear not my hairless friends (that's you), it is not too late to join our hairy(ish) team.

We will be keeping a mo diary on the site so you can see our progress and expect plenty of related features exploring everything "Mo".

Men of tech! (that's you) join our brethren.

Read

Tags: Gadgets Bathroom gadgets Movember Comment Audio Car And GPS Dad Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness

Gentlemen start your Mo originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:35:49 +0000

Footage of Nintendo's new DSi XL (or LL as it's known in Japan) has been unearthed that gives a good comparison of how much larger the new model is over predecessors.

It's considerably larger - and more expensive - than the DSi. The XL offers dual 4.25-inch screens and comes with a bigger, thicker, pen-shaped stylus controller.

Hit play now to see the brief video - the Nintendo DSi LL will go on sale in Japan on 21 November for 20,000 yen - about ?132 - while here in the UK it's due in Q1 2010.

Read

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Video Nintendo DSi XL

VIDEO: Nintendo DSi XL caught on camera originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:32:50 +0000

Valve is widely regarded as one of the best videogame developers active today. As creators of Half-life, Half-life 2, and Left 4 Dead, and buying up the mod teams responsible for Portal, Counterstrike, Team Fortress and Day of Defeat, the company has established itself a firm place in the pantheon of game creators, as well as in the hearts of gamers.

Valve launched its co-operative zombie shooter, Left 4 Dead, to a rapturous reception in late 2008. Gamers loved its balance, the way the game adapted to good or poor performance from the players, and its visceral combat. However, earlier this year, Valve pulled out a surprise - a prequel, less than a year after the original was released.

While many gamers welcomed the news, a minority were incensed. Why was Valve building another full-price game, when this was content that could have been put into a cheaper expansion? Or free downloadable content for the original? A full-scale boycott was called, with Valve eventually quelling the riots by flying out the leaders of the boycott to their offices to play the game.

It's not clear what happened to those kids in Valve's HQ, but they returned with smiles on their faces, gushing about how incredible the prequel was. Despite initial disbelief from their followers, eventually the mob subsided - trusting Valve to get things right. But was their trust misplaced? Is Left 4 Dead 2 more of the same, or a genuinely different title worth shelling out the extra cash for? Read on to find out.

Left 4 Dead 2 has a totally different setting to its predecessor. The original game was set all over the place - airports, farms, hospitals, and towns. L4D2, on the other hand, is set firmly in the Deep South, in the swamps of Georgia and Louisiana. We were able to get hands-on with a couple of levels of one of the campaigns - The Parish, which takes place in New Orleans - on both the Xbox 360 (including some co-op action) and the PC.

The environments seem to be better constructed than the original's. There are multiple routes to wherever you're trying to go, and you'll uncover extra rewards by exploring rather than hurtling full-pelt towards the exit. More difficult paths will be rewarded with better equipment, including new ammo types. Also of note is that there's now daytime settings - torches aren't as compulsory as they were in the first game.

As well as a different setting, there is a whole new set of "Survivors" who you can play as. There's Rochelle, a news reporter for a TV station, Coach, a high-school football coach who bears somewhat of a resemblance to Uncle Phil from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Ellis, a white-trash mechanic, and Nick, a professional gambler and con-man who mistrusts the other survivors totally.

One of the delights of the original game was the banter between characters that matched the situation you were in. That system has been expanded considerably, and your avatars - when not in the middle of combat - will joke, argue and snipe at each other with an alarmingly realistic uneasy tension.

But the real stars are the new zombies. In addition to the original game's cast of Hunter, Boomer, Smoker, Witch and Tank, there's now the Spitter, the Jockey and the Charger. The Spitter is a long-range attacker who shoots acidic phlegm that splatters over an area and hurts anyone standing in it. Not good when half your team are lying incapacitated on the floor.

The Jockey a tiny, dwarf-sized creature that skitters around emitting a horrible giggle. If it manages to leap on you, then you lose all control of your character - it takes over and steers you around - into traps and hordes of common infected. Lastly, the Charger is a mini-tank that moves very quickly, knocking you down, and can grab a survivor and slam them into the ground.

On their own, they're relatively trivial to deal with. But the problem is that they come in groups. A hunter might pounce on one survivor, while a charger grabs another, before a spitter then covers the ground with acid so that the other team members can't reach their buddies.

The regular infected have had a graphical upgrade too, and location-based damage has been added. If you shoot off an arm or a leg, that zombie's going to still be coming at you. Headshots are imperative, and when a particular infected goes down, you're never totally sure that they're not going to get up again.

As a result, battles seem considerably more intense. Instead of staying back and keeping the hordes at bay with assault rifles, it's now difficult not to get drawn into a scrabbly melee that you only just survive every time - and sometimes you don't survive at all. But it never stops being fun, even after the fifth or sixth attempt. The stories where you don't make it are almost more fun than the ones where you do.

Thankfully, the survivors get a few new tricks. There's the aforementioned ammunition types - incendiary rounds can set zombies on fire, and explosive rounds deal more damage. You can also pick up Boomer bile to throw on enemies (very useful against the tank) and resurrect fallen survivors with the defibrillator.

There's also a much wider range of weapons. AK-47s, scoped assault rifles, Uzis, silenced submachine guns and Desert Eagle pistols are available on the ranged front, and a whole pile of melee weapons can replace your pistol. Those deal considerable damage up close and include saucepans, baseball bats, machetes, and even, quite ridiculously, a guitar.

Verdict:

But, despite all the changes detailed above, Left 4 Dead 2 is still the same game as Left 4 Dead 1. There's piles of new content - weapons, enemies, levels, survivors, but if you didn't enjoy the first version then you'll almost certainly not enjoy the new one.

That said, it seems like everything that was great about the original (the characters, the pace of play) has been enhanced, and a few of the little niggles (like being able to stand in a corner meleeing and survive anything) have been removed. It's most definitely a better game than the already-excellent original.

It'd be even better if the two games were merged somewhat and you could get the original's maps with the new zombies and weapons, or the original characters in situations with the new ones, but it seems like Valve wants to keep the experiences separate.

Is it worth a full game's price tag? From our play-throughs so far, we'd umm and ahh, and probably come out on the side of yes - but only just. It's clear that Valve hasn't rushed L4D2 - it's just been able to build quickly on the successes of the original to create an even better zombie-slaying game. There's a whole tonne of new content, and a more focused experience, but this doesn't seem, in our time with it so far, to be a revolution. Just a (very large) content pack.

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 EA Left 4 Dead 2 Horror

Left 4 Dead 2 - Xbox 360 / PC - First Look originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:15:30 +0000

For those too impatient (or too rubbish) to get there themselves, EA is taking the unusual step of offering a video game complete with six special gameplay unlocks good to go from the first load of the game, rather than being dependent on achievement.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will see a "Limited Edition" version with unlocks that give players "a tactical advantage on the battlefield from the minute they fire up the game".

Due to be available while supplies last, the Limited Edition version of the game will be sold at the same price as the standard version of the game exclusively with GAME in the UK.

The six unlocks are improved vehicular armour, supreme vehicle firepower, a vehicle motion sensor, and a tracer dart pistol (pictured) as well as a M1A1 submachine gun and a M1911 pistol.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be available on 5 March 2010 for Xbox 360, the PS3 and the PC.

Tags: Gaming EA Xbox 360 PS3 FPS

EA offer "Limited Edition" version of Bad Company 2 with unlocks originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:12:31 +0000

DJ Hero, Activision's attempt at turning its Guitar Hero franchise over to the world of electronic music, has now been released in Europe and is available to buy. The game simulates some of the fundamentals of DJing using a plastic "deck" controller, allowing players to mash up a whole host of different bands.

There are 93 mixes in the game, complete with genres that cross rock, pop, dance, R'n'B, techno and hip-hop. Artists as diverse as Queen, Eminem, Daft Punk and Bloc Party are present on the soundtrack, which can be seen in full here.

The game costs ?110 with the turntable kit, so it's not cheap, though Amazon's currently selling it for ?90. There's also a "Renegade Edition" which comes with a premium controller, hardshell case, and a stand to put your deck on. There's also a CD from Jay-Z and Eminem that contains a best-of both artists and some unreleased tracks. That costs ?140.

DJ Hero is available on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

Read

Tags: Gaming DJ Hero DJ Music games Music Activision

DJ Hero now on shelves originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:53:31 +0000

Wii Fit Plus hits shops across Europe today and brings new exercises for those that splashed out on the orginal Wii Fit system with its Balance Board accessory.

New Fit-ters can also buy the game bundled with the Balance Board to play the 15 new balance games and six new strength training and yoga activities.

New features include "My Routines" offering the option to customise routines and a calorie counter that joins the weight and BMI tracking of the original.

Wii Fit Plus is available now - a quick Google search for pricing reveals the game only can be had from ?13.99 while the game plus Board is priced at ?79.99.

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Nintendo Wii Wii Fit Wii Fit Plus Sports Fitness Sports games

Wii Fit Plus launches in the UK originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:43:44 +0000

Puma and Xbox have collaborated on some special edition shoes to celebrate the launch of Forza Motorsport 3.

The new trainers come in the form of the Speed Cat 2.9 FM3s, said to be "inspired by the pace-setter of the racing game genre and based on a classic Puma silhouette".

The game-themed footwear gets a Forza Motorsport 3 embroidered tongue while the rubber outsole is said to be inspired by real motorsport tyres.

In grey and red, Puma will sell only 324 pairs of the Speed Cat 2.9 FM3, available from London Puma shops priced at ?65 per pair.

Tags: Gaming Puma Xbox 360 Footwear Clothing Forza Motorsport 3 Racing games Sports Fitness

Limited edition Puma trainers mark Forza 3 launch originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:42:21 +0000

Nintendo has confirmed recent rumours as true by announcing the launch of a new version of its popular DS handheld with the introduction in Japan of the fourth-generation DSi LL.

The DSi LL will, as rumoured, and contrary to the usual trends in the handheld gaming market, take the form of a larger model than the current DSi offering dual 4.25-inch screens and come with a bigger, thicker, pen-shaped stylus controller.

Considerably larger - and more expensive - than the DSi, it's thought Nintendo might be offering such a super-sized device for its older (causal gaming) audience, who, without tiptoeing around and with a nice dose of generalisation, have poorer eyesight and a need for less fiddly gadgetry.

Alternatively, and less likely, the Japanese gaming giant could be planning a push into the pre-school educational gaming market, rivaling the likes of LeapFrog with coming-soon titles for little 'uns to be played on the chunkier console.

The Nintendo DSi LL will go on sale in Japan on 21 November for 20,000 yen - about ?132 - while here in the UK Nintendo tell us "a new Nintendo DSi XL console is launching in Europe in the first quarter of 2010. The retail price of the Nintendo DSi XL is expected to be higher than that of the Nintendo DSi. Further details will be released soon".

?

Read

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Nintendo DS Nintendo DSi Nintendo DSi XL Gaming hardware

Bigger Nintendo DSi XL caters to the older gamer originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:40:14 +0000

It's being rumoured that Sony will be announcing a PSP-4000 in 2010. Edge is reporting that the Tokyo Game Show this year was full of whispers that the PSP Go hasn't been selling at all well, and that Sony has decided to reverse the decisions made and return to the UMD format.

The PSP Go launched with a rather large price tag, and a limited catalogue of games, as well as a poor upgrade experience. Sales rocketed 300% in the first few days that the PSP Go was on sale, but appear to have fallen off just as quickly. As a result, is Sony stepping back from its digital-only strategy?

We won't know for sure until the company makes an announcement one way or another, and Sony Computer Entertainment UK refused to comment on this story. Until then, we'd be interesting in hearing your thoughts - do you have a PSP Go? Do you miss the UMD? Or have you refused to get one thanks to your catalogue of UMD games and movies?

Read

Tags: Gaming PSP Sony PSP-4000 Rumours

PSP-4000 rumours return originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:48:57 +0000

Whether you're a PC gamer or a console freak, it can't have escaped your attention that the dead have been rising from the grave in some serious numbers of late. Zombies have been springing up in shopping malls, tower blocks, in the future and even in space. Sometimes they're turned by disease or controlled by parasites but all will try to take that pink mushy stuff from between your ears if you let them get close enough.

So in celebration of the launch of Left 4 Dead 2 and the entire groaning, decrepit, slow-walking inspired shoot 'em up genre, here are our ultimate zombie awards for those most memorable moments and the pleasure they've brought.

Best Single Player Zombie game : Resident Evil 2

Face it, 2 was far better than 1. What about Resident Evil 4 though? Technically, they weren’t actually zombies were they? Merely parasitically controlled Spaniards. Resident Evil 2's superior graphics to the first version meant they could cram more zombies onto the screen and as the age old zombie mathematics state - the number of zombies is directly proportional to the amount of fear induced. As we all know, fear = fun in some kind of sick way and thus we have proof that this game was better than the original. It also added a couple of excellent features such as the A and B scenario systems meaning that you could guide both main characters, Claire and Leon, through the same level from different perspectives as well as the odd touch like the fact they would limp when they were nearly dead. The game sold 4.96 million copies world wide and has only been surpassed in the series by the release of Resident Evil 5 this year. Great puzzles, great sound, great suspense, great game.

Best Multiplayer Zombie game : Left 4 Dead

A zombie game stripped down to its core with its essence so fresh that it gleams. You, three of your mates, some hardcore firearms and a seemingly endless flow of the undead. There's no plot to get in the way. Just get from A to B and have a lot of fun while you do it. It's another truly professional title from Valve, selling 3 million copies to date. Even Hideo Kojima has admitted being hopelessly addicted to it.

Best Zombie Killing Spree : Dead Rising

While guiding photo-journalist Frank West on his three day survival quest in Parkview Mall, Colorado, it's been reported that you can get up to 800 zombies on the screen at once. Combine that with the existence of over 250 usable weapons and you've got yourself one hell of an inventive killing spree. In fact, the entire focus of the game is really just to keep killing as much as you can to stop yourself being killed. Time in the game goes 12 times faster than normal meaning that 6 hours of solid gameplay will see you from start to finish, but you can always unlock Infinite Mode where the fun lasts as long as you do.

Most Frightening Zombie: the Many, System Shock 2

When the crew of the Von Braun are infected by alien eggs and are taken over they become the many - truly horrifying, bloody-curdling nasties determined to tear you limb from limb as you fight from one deck to another. That'd be all very well and good but this bunch, as well as the usual brand of screams and gore, also have a go at you telepathically while they're not even in the same room. Their constant mind whispers try to persuade you to join their numbers. It either perpetuates a state of permanent terror or lulls you into such a false sense of security that when you actually encounter one of them, it nearly gives you a heart attack.

Best Zombie Noises : The Witch, L4D

The sound is generally top notch in all horror games. It has to be. We're used to hearing overlaid whispers, the odd shriek and heavy breathing following our every step but nothing quite prepares you for the weeping of a witch. It's something about the pathos of her cries combined with the absolute power to cause chaos. It's just wrong and that just makes it all the creepier.

Best Zombie Attack : The Hunter, L4D

The ninja of the zombie world, nothing puts the willies up a pack of survivors like the Hunter's scream when he pounces. The subsequent terror while he straddles one of your helpless party, tears at their abdomen and starts flinging their warm guts out in front of their screaming faces is perhaps the worst kind of death one could ever imagine.

Best Anti - Zombie Weapon : Shotgun

It probably started at the cinema and it's certainly in just about every single zombie video game in existence. In fact, there's a general rule of thumb that if there isn't a shotgun, then it ain't worth playing. Zombies are notoriously hard to put down with their general lack of vital organs, so the one sure fire way to make sure they don't get up again is to blow their heads of their shoulders with a 12-gauge from close range. It also happens to be the most efficient and most satisfying means of multiple zombie death. Pump action ideally but when the chips are down and you're out-numbered, we'll take anything we can get.

Best Dressed Zombie : Dancing Zombie, Plants vs Zombies

The classic red PVC Jackson lookalike who raises dancers from the dead before coming for your brains is basically a stroke of genius and wonderful homage to Thriller. It's also a guaranteed giggle the first time you see it. Of course, as the game says "any resemblance between Dancing Zombie and any persons living or dead is purely coincidental".

Most Educational Zombies : The Typing of the Dead

We're not sure whether it's the genius mind or the idiot's that creates a frantic zombie style shooter where one must ensure survival while improving vocabulary and touch typing skills at the same time. The fact remains though that The Typing of the Dead is a truly original one in concept. In implementation it's identical to House of the Dead 2 with the same gameplay and graphics with guns replaced by the keyboard and the need to type words that appear on the screen before the undead army overruns you. Silly and comedic, but then it's supposed to be. A truly bizarre game.

Best Zombies from the Future! : The Flood, Halo

Whilst the levels where the Flood appear in the Halo games might suck, the concept of the Flood is quite terrifying and silly in equal measures. As parasitic alien life forms that take over humanoid hosts, the behaviour of the the Flood was based around viruses and bacteria and their look was supposed to be as disgusting and nasty as possible. They must have been pretty serious for the Forerunners to have killed themselves and all other sentient life in an effort to starve them to death.

Best Unsung Zombie: Stubbs the Zombie, Rebel Without a Pulse.

The game was never as popular as it should have been but the plot and playable character in this title were highly original and immensely enjoyable. Rebel Without a Pulse, released in 2006, turned the idea of zombie games on its head by allowing the player to control the zombie on a brain eating killing spree. Stubbs was well dressed, funny, had an excellent backstory of revenge and used butt gas to kill his victims amongst a string of other weapons. Perhaps most amusing of all was the controversy he caused when US Senator Joe Lieberman accused him of cannibalism and said the game was harmful to under age children. He said:

"It's just the worst kind of message to kids, and furthermore it can harm the entirety of America's youth".

Better still was game developer Wideload's response:

"The current kerfuffle in the US media about Stubbs the Zombie can be summed up in one word: semantics. Stubbs, they say, is a cannibal. This is nonsense, as anyone with a working knowledge of cannibals can tell you. Stubbs fails all the classic litmus tests for cannibalism. He does not wear a bone through his nose. He does not help FBI agents track down serial killers. He has not written a cookbook. He is not named Jeffrey Dahmer. The list goes on and on. Stubbs is a zombie. Thus the title "Stubbs the Zombie." Zombies eat brains. That's what they do. Stubbs cannot just saunter into the cafeteria and order a plate of Freedom Fries. He has to fight for his meals. In fact, actual cannibals only make it harder for Stubbs to eat, which is why this "cannibalism" story is insulting as well as injurious. It's no surprise that the all-human media cartel resorts to distortions and name-calling; their anti-zombie bias has been evident for decades, and Stubbs is just the newest target. If you're a thinking adult, you're probably ready to hear the other side of the story. You'll find it in Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse, in stores now for Xbox, PC and Macintosh. Don't let the humanity-centric media tell you what to think about zombies. A free mind is a tasty mind".

Best Portable Zombie: Plants vs Zombies, iPhone

Currently available on the DS and soon on the iPhone, Plants vs Zombies is an excellent way to get your fix of undead bashing on the move. In fairness, there's not a lot of competition in the field but that doesn't stop this tower defence-style game from being both an excellent concept and hugely popular. Very good comic take on the world of zombie attacks and completely random of its use of killer plants as the weapons. Once you strip it all away, you'll find it's based on the Magic: The Gathering card game but that hasn't stopped it from being developer PopCap's fastest selling title to date.

?

Related links:

• News - Left 4 Dead 2 announced by Valve

Tags: Gaming Left 4 Dead Left 4 Dead 2 Zombies Features System Shock 2 Resident Evil Plants vs Zombies Halo Dead Rising Chop Till You Drop

The ultimate zombie video game awards originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:18:55 +0000

Settlers of Catan is a board game that was once memorably described as "perfect". It's based on a tropical island that you and up to three other players have landed on and are exploring. The objective is to accrue 10 victory points by capturing settlements and building roads.

The game is now available on the iPhone. It lets players compete against other humans or an AI, though there's no wireless multiplayer, so you'll have to pass the phone around to allow multiple players to take part. It lets you follow the exact rule set of the original game.

You can adjust the amount of victory points required to win, as well as launch a "friendly" robber mode. It also includes a bunch of beginners' tutorials for those who aren't terribly familiar with the game.

It costs ?3, or $5 in the States, and it's available now in the App Store.

Read

Tags: Gaming iPhone iPhone apps Settlers of Catan Board games

Settlers of Catan comes to iPhone originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:29:21 +0000

Roger Daltrey, the lead singer in The Who, has revealed that his band will be the stars of the next edition of the plastic-controller music series Rock Band. The singer confirmed the move to the Republican in an interview.

Daltrey, when asked about Beatles: Rock Band, replied: "The game, yeah, yeah, they're going to be doing a Who one next year. There is one planned. (The idea) is fabulous. Anything that gets non-musical people interested in music is wonderful. In my opinion, music is our last true great freedom. They can burn our books, they can burn our paintings, but they can't stop us singing and making music".

He's changed his tune somewhat from the middle of 2008, when he said that he had tried Rock Band but that it "bored" him. He said that back in the 60s, "all we had was music". "There was nothing else. There was cinema, music and sex. Life was better". Perhaps seeing how much the Beatles are making off the game changed his tune.

Still, Who fans will be pleased to hear about the development, which remains unconfirmed by Harmonix. A spokesperson said, on the subject, ""We're working closely with The Who on what's next, but don't have anything new to announce at this time".

?

Read

Tags: Gaming The Who Music Music games Rock Band Harmonix

The Who: Rock Band on the way originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:20:38 +0000

Samsung and Handmark, a mobile apps and service company, have announced the launch of a new Global Venture Fund to invest in companies or individuals with "innovative, market-changing game ideas for next generation Samsung mobile phones".

Unlike rival manufacturer's similar schemes, this time round it's just about gaming. The companies say they are "searching for games that best showcase Samsung mobile phones and the advanced features they offer".

The fund is considerable - companies or individuals selected will receive up to $250,000 each to fund the development of winning ideas.

"We know there’s a wealth of great ideas out there waiting to be discovered", said Chris Barnett, senior vice president of global sales and strategic partnerships for Handmark.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone, including big brands, mobile developers or any individual with a unique, creative idea to make it a reality".

To submit a proposal or for more information, visit www.handmark.com/company/samsungfund. The deadline for entries is 20 November, 2009.

Tags: Phones Mobile phone games Samsung Handmark Gaming Software Biz

Samsung and Handmark offer $250k for games for next-gen phones originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:53:08 +0000

Sky?and?Microsoft?will attempt to launch the new?Sky Player for Xbox 360?for a second time after the companies had to pull the service on the official launch day on Tuesday.

"The service has been suspended due to an unforeseen technical issue". Sky said in a statement. "Sky Player engineers are hard at work to resolve the problem. We expect to have the full service available on Wednesday".

The breakdown of the service on launch left gamers confused as to what had happened.

"How do i actually pull up sky on my Xbox, i have Sky Player account and an Xbox Gold Account. Confused... :S", said Sam in a comment on Pocket-lint.

"The Sky player system went "Offline" before I had a chance to try it! The current news is that it will be fully back online tomorrow (Wednesday) - so you're not alone, Jamie! Shame - I'm itching to give it a try...", said Doombar.

To access the player you'll need both an active Sky subscription and an Xbox Live Gold subscription. The former costs ?15 per month, and the latter is ?40 per year, totalling ?220 per year. The same channels will be available to you that are available on your existing Sky subscription.

Alternatively, Sky will be selling a bundle pack of a month's Sky Player subscription (with the Sky Sports pack), a media remote, and 3 months of Xbox Live Gold subscription for ?30. If you just want to try out the service without committing to a long-term plan, that could be an option.

?

Tags: Gaming Home Cinema Xbox 360 Sky Player Microsoft Sky

Sky Player on Xbox 360 goes for second time lucky originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:17:23 +0000

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards date confirmed and tickets on sale originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:03:36 +0000

It's official, video games are good for you. The NHS says so. Well, one videogame, anyway. Nintendo's hyper-successful Wii Fit has been granted the health service's "Change4Life" logo.

The scheme aims to try and get families to be healthy, and stop eating so many damn chips, given that the population is well on its way to an obesity epidemic. The NHS said that using Wii Fit can help players maintain a better shape and health as part of a "structured exercise scheme", which presumably means not taking pizza breaks between exercises.

A spokesperson for the department of health told The Telegraph: "Active video games, where kids need to jump up and down or dance about as part of the game, are a great way to get kids moving".

Nintendo's PR manage, Rob Saunders, added: "If you are worried about your bingo wings or your flabby bum, the game will give you specific exercises to target those areas".

Nintendo is the first video games company that has been issued the logo. Despite the game's ?75 cost, it's proved popular amongst Wii owners that don't want to play traditional video games.

Read

Tags: Gaming Sports Fitness Sports Fitness equipment Nintendo Wii Fit Wii NHS

NHS gives Wii Fit stamp of approval originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:18:57 +0000

A report in Japenese newspaper Nikkei appears to be claiming that the Nintendo DSi is getting larger screens. The handheld gaming device is coming up to 1 year since its Japanese release, but there's apparently been a few older gamers complaining that they couldn't see the screen properly.

As a result, the paper says that the screen's getting an expansion - from 3.25-inches diagonally to 4-inches, so quite a sizable update. It's due to replace the current model at exactly the same price, though it's not clear whether the device's screen resolution will also be increased to match.

Whether it'll make it across the seas to Europe and the USA remains to be seen. Nintendo doesn't have the best track record of bringing small console updates to their international users.

UPDATE: This has been confirmed by Nintendo.

Read

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Nintendo DSi

Nintendo DSi getting screen size upgrade? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:28:13 +0000

Brit Bear Grylls is soon to get his own big budget video game as Discovery has revealed a "Man vs. Wild" (aka "Born Survivor") title will soon go into production.

Game publisher Crave will create the game, and is also confirmed to be working on turning another Discovery series - "Deadliest Catch" - into a game.

The titles, described as "action-oriented" will launch for the PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS while the Grylls game will also be available for Xbox 360.

The "Man vs. Wild" game will see gamers use survival skills in various landscapes and climates and it's said to be "likely" that Grylls will voice the game.

The "Deadliest Catch" game will see players captain crab boats on the Bering Sea and follows a similarly-themed game that was launched for the Xbox 360 but is said to have not "stayed true to the action of the show".

"Deadliest" is due in the spring, while "Wild" will be out by the end of 2011.

Read

Tags: Gaming Action games PS3 Nintendo Wii Xbox 360 Sports Fitness Discovery Crave Bear Grylls Deadliest Catch Man vs Wild

Bear Grylls to get own video game originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:13:52 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen, Sky Player for Xbox 360 is finally here. The service, which allows you to access on-demand streams of Sky content and live broadcasting, has been long-trailed (see our coverage here, here, here and here), but has now arrived and should be accessible on your console.

Of course, to access the player you'll need both an active Sky subscription and an Xbox Live Gold subscription. The former costs ?15 per month, and the latter is ?40 per year, totalling ?220 per year. The same channels will be available to you that are available on your existing Sky subscription.

Alternatively, Sky will be selling a bundle pack of a month of Sky Player subscription (with the Sky Sports pack), a media remote, and 3 months of Xbox Live Gold subscription for ?30. If you just want to try out the service without committing to a long-term plan, that could be an option.

Tags: Home Cinema Sky Sky Player Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Xbox Live

Sky Player arrives on Xbox 360 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:38:11 +0000

Stuart Miles brings us his customary comment from NYC with a look at the talking points from this week in tech.

Under the spotlight in this instalment is Apple's Magic Mouse and whether this is the beginning of the end for the button and the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system.

Miles also muses the rise of real-time search with the news that Google and Bing are due to integrate Twitter content into their search results as well as offering thoughts on Google's Social Search.

The fact that Nokia is suing Apple for patent infringement is the final topic under consideration - is the Finnish giant protecting its patents or looking for a quick cash injection? Hit play for more...

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Comment Video

VIDEO: Tech Week in View: Magic Mouse, Social Search and Nokia sues Apple originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:05:00 +0000

Guitar Hero is the first console game franchise to surpass 1 million Facebook fans, says developer Activision.

As the number one best-selling third party video game franchise in America and Europe this year to date, since its release, more than 38 million games have been sold worldwide.

The most recent release "Guitar Hero 5" launched in September and is said to be the "most social and interactive Guitar Hero game ever".

The million-strong Facebook fans can get the latest info on Guitar Hero games and the artists in the games, as well as share their favourite artists, songs, and Guitar Hero experiences.

Tags: Gaming Guitar Hero Music games Facebook Statistics Activision Software Audio

Guitar Hero rocks 1 million Facebook fans originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:16:17 +0000

Rockstar games is lending its support to Movember?this year with the news that it is giving those growing mo's an attempt to be immortalised in a video game - moustache and all.

The games developer, famous for the GTA series, has stated that all those who wish to get involved need do, is grow a moustache and then send in a picture of themselves to Rockstar.

One lucky, hairy upper-lipped gamer will be then be created as a character in the company's next action-adventure Red Dead Redemption.

Let's "Change the Face of Men's Health".

To join this Movember team go to http://uk.movember.com/register/7181 and follow the steps.

?

Read

Related links:

• Link - Movember

Tags: Gaming Rockstar Movember

Grow a mo for movember and win a lead part in a video game originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:54:59 +0000

While we're waiting to hear more on Netflix's outside the US streaming plans, in the States the movie rental company has announced its content will soon be available to PS3 owners.

Sony and Netflix have announced a team up that will see thousands of movies and TV episodes from Netflix available to be streamed instantly to TVs via the PS3. For those not yet Netflix members, the service starts from $8.99 a month and offers "unlimited" movies and TV episodes.

Netflix says it expects to begin streaming via the PlayStation Network next month at no additional cost to Netflix-ers who have a PS3, but users will need to stick a special Blu-ray disc in their consoles to get the service to work.

The free instant streaming disc uses Blu-ray's BD-Live tech to access the Internet and activate the Netflix user interface on the PS3 system, via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, something Xbox 360 Netflix users don't need, but without the Gold membership cost Microsoft demands.

Netflix members and PS3 system owners can now reserve a free disc for PS3 systems by going to www.netflix.com/ps3.

Tags: Home Cinema Media streaming Video on demand PS3 Sony Netflix Gaming

Netflix streaming announced for PlayStation 3 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:19:50 +0000

We've already seen Sky Player in Windows 7, but now you can see it on the Xbox 360 ahead of the official UK release on Tuesday 27 October.?

The 8-minute video, sent to techtv101.com, details the channel selection process and what you can expect from the service next week.?

Announced back in May the?Sky Player, which is accessed via the Xbox interface, will offer the chance for viewers to watch live?games?in a virtual stadium that allows fans to comment and chat via on screen messages or voice on the screen, as well as access key stats while the match is going on.

Sky confirmed at the time that users will be able to buy a package similar to the current PC Sky Player that means they don't have to be a set-top box subscriber, a move that is clearly aimed at appealing to those who live in a house without a dish.?

The Tuesday update will also feature?Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm support, as well as the Zune video marketplace and its associated instant-on 1080p high definition streaming.

Read

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Sky Microsoft Sky Player Video

VIDEO: Sky Player for Xbox 360 walk-through originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:32:51 +0100

Whether it's a work of graphical beauty or just a quick scrawl, graffiti is made all the better when it's got a touch of the geek. Below you'll find 33 fine examples ranging from some nice clear stencilling to some fairly obscure coding references and even a little html too.

So, get a binary translator by your side open a Google search for enquiries and prepare for a grin as you have a flick through our gallery of great geek graffiti.

?

Related links:

• Feature - 25 great geek tattoos

Tags: Hardware Gaming Graffiti Linux Unix Star Wars Features

33 geek graffiti masterpieces originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:15:00 +0100

Let's be honest here - TV speakers are a bit weedy. Unless you've got a meaty pair of speakers hooked up to your television, odds are that you're not getting the best sound experience out of your games console, particularly when it comes to music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

So Altec Lansing has decided to do something about it and launch an amplified monitor speaker specifically designed for video games. It's not quite as weighty as it looks - it puts out 40W from a 6.5-inch woofer, but that'll still upset your neighbours quite considerably.

There's a great big volume knob, along with RCA outputs for hooking up even more speakers. It also has a "grab and go" handle to make life a little easier for your roadies. It's pricey for its specs - $100 - and it'll be available in early November in the US. No word on the UK release date yet.

Read

Tags: Gaming Audio Altec Lansing Altec-Lansing Stage-Gig Rock Band Guitar Hero

Altec Lansing launches Stage-Gig speaker originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:48:04 +0100

Kids, Steve Ballmer is lying to you. Yesterday we brought you the news, straight out of the man's mouth, that the Xbox 360 would be getting Blu-ray accessories. Today, Microsoft's PR team has swung into action to try and say they don't exist without explicitly saying "Ballmer was talking out of his arse".

Instead, a Microsoft spokesperson said: "Steve was referring to Blu-ray accessories for the PC.?As we have said in the past, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360. In fact, the future of home entertainment starts this fall when Xbox 360 becomes the first and only console to offer instant-on 1080p streaming HD movies".

Given that Ballmer was responding to a question about the Xbox and said "You'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories", we doubt that accessories for the PC had anything to do with what he was saying. More likely Microsoft is trying to firefight some of the damage that Ballmer caused with the casual statement.

We wouldn't be surprised at all if Blu-ray accessories arrived for the console, particularly if Blu-ray movies begin to sell in reasonable numbers at some point. Microsoft just isn't ready to announce that yet.

Read

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Steve Ballmer Blu-ray Home Cinema

Blu-ray not coming to Xbox 360... yet originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:30:31 +0100

Men of this world, this is your calling, your calling to sign up to become a real man, the kind of man that can present the news (Ron Burgundy), the kind of man that can be a private dick (Magnum PI) and not laugh about it, the kind of man....

Okay you get the gist. Movember is now almost upon us, and that means you need to sign up and get your moustache thoughts in gear.

Once again Pocket-lint will be going Movember for November in aid of charity and we are asking for your help.

We aren't asking for money (although you can pledge if you want), we aren't asking you to run hundreds of miles, all we want from you is to join our TechMo team, grow a moustache in November and help rid the world of the disease that kills thousands of men each year.

What many people don't appreciate is that one man dies every hour of prostate cancer in the UK, more than 35,000 men will be diagnosed this year and that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK.

The more that join us, the more we can "change the face of men's health" through raising awareness and the money that will be raised.

Let's do this - register and grow a moustache as a Mo Bro, or sign on as a Mo Sista.

To join this Movember team go to http://uk.movember.com/register/7181 and follow the steps.

Once registered you'll be sent all the information you need to get growing.

Let's "Change the Face of Men's Health".

Stuart Miles and the Pocket-lint team.

P.S PR's of this world. Pledge money and we will give you a big shout out on the site for helping us in a good cause.

?

Related links:

• Link - Movember TechMo team page

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Movember

Movember 2009: Join our TechMo team originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:45:19 +0100

Gaming maestro Peter Molyneux has officially confirmed that the next version of Fable, Fable 3, for the Xbox 360 will be?Project Natal?enabled.

"Fable 3 will have Natal support. Is that an announcement? #molyneux", Nicholas Lovell, founder of Gamesbrief, non-exec at nDreams, consultant to the game industry on strategy, finance and online sales tweeted after hearing Molyneux at a BAFTA lecture in London.

"Providing the audience with an insight into video games of the future, Molyneux demonstrated his latest project called Milo which utilises Microsoft's Natal technology that relies on voice, facial and motion recognition". reports BAFTA.

Molyneux also confirmed that the third instalment of Fable, Fable 3, will have in game transactions that allow you to buy extra gear for real cash to enhance your gaming character.

Project Natal, first announced at E3 in June in the US, is Microsoft's play at making the gamer the controller. It will monitor movements and then recreate those on screen.?

So far all the major games publishers are on board. Microsoft hasn't given an official launch date for the new technology, however have suggested a spring 2010 launch date.

Read

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Microsoft Fable 3 Project Natal

Molyneux: Project Natal support for Fable 3 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:18:47 +0100

A team of students at Carnegie Mellon University has developed a Dungeons & Dragons application for Microsoft Surface. It's a little like a printed out map, but completely interactive and able to recognise items placed on top.

It can then calculate line-of-sight, roll dice, and perform other functions for the RPG though notably it doesn't play the game for you - this is still a traditional board game, just one with a rather remarkable board.

Have you spotted any cool applications of Microsoft Surface? Let us know in the comments.

Read

Related links:

• News - Microsoft demos possible future of Surface

Tags: Gaming Dungeons and Dragons Microsoft Microsoft Surface Video RPG

VIDEO: Dungeons and Dragons on Microsoft Surface originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:23:16 +0100

Steve Ballmer has told Gizmodo in an interview that soon you'll be able to watch Blu-ray movies on your Xbox 360.

Microsoft's CEO made the admission when asked whether Blu-ray was coming to the console, and gave the surprising answer: "Well I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there—you'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories".

Instead, Ballmer believes that streaming services will supply most of the demand for HD content in the "immediate" time-frame. The Xbox is getting Zune video shortly, complete with instant-on HD streaming, but Microsoft's PR refused to comment to Gizmodo about future plans for the console.

Read

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Steve Ballmer Blu-ray Home Cinema

Blu-ray coming to Xbox 360 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:43:18 +0100

While most gamers have pinned all their Holiday gaming hopes on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2, despite the mass hype, had slipped a touch below radar, until reviews started appearing that is.. The sequel to Nathan Drake's Tomb Raider-esque exploration seemingly expected to be decent enough, but not quite hitting the heights of the Call of Duty juggernaut.

Uncharted 2 starts out with a cliffhanger. Literally. You begin with a stunning set piece, with Indiana Jones-a-like explorer Nathan Drake clinging onto the remains of a half obliterated train that's precariously hanging over a huge cliff face. Slowly and methodically you pull yourself up and finally come to rest on solid ground. Only for all hell to break loose.

This supremely bombastic opening does its level best to show off right at the very start every major asset that Naughty Dog have crammed onto a Blu-ray disc. Most obviously there's the huge attraction that are arguably the greatest visuals witnessed in a video game thus far. Everything from eye popping vistas, through to incredible character animation, via stunning lighting effects. It all culminates in quite a stunning visual spectacle.

Similarly high levels of production have been plunged into the aural experience too. The voice acting – in part due to the hefty quality of the script – is absolutely top notch, with none of the usual hammy over the top, or bored sounding individuals simply eager to grab their pay cheque. This helps bring about the almost unimaginable; cutscenes that you will want to witness multiple times.

The high quality continues with some superb physics, more obviously helping make Drake's regular climbs and jumps seem all that more real, but also enemies that perish and move in stunningly realistic manners. We spotted one recently blasted enemy caught on a high railing, and couldn't resist giving him a nudge off his precarious resting place and watch him land bone-crunchingly hard on the rocks below. Yet another sign that some real love has been fed into this game.

Enemies also show a huge amount of intelligence in the way they duck behind cover, try to flush you out with grenades and flank your position, rather than wait to be slowly picked off one by one. With combat outnumbering exploration/platforming by a factor of about 2:1, it helps make the most of every single level of the game.

Drake's adventure isn't quite the new Tomb Raider that some might have you believe, with gunplay playing a major part to proceedings. Weapons are well powered and sound wonderful, and the cover system is as fluid as any other title out there. But when you do get the chance to climb, Uncharted 2 makes it feel so incredibly fluid when compared to Lara Croft's still somewhat stilted nature. There's no slow methodical lining up of jumps required, and you can easily cover huge distances in seconds. It just feels so natural.

Spread throughout the entire game there are a number of fantastic set pieces coming your way. Where some titles may keep the most spectacular experiences for passive cutscenes, Uncharted 2 sets you as the star, allowing you to frantically run from a truck, or swiftly jump across a crumbling bridge. You can always assume that one more breathtaking moment is only a few minutes away.

The single player experience described above lasts a solid 8 to 10 hours of game time, and certainly contains enough to keep you coming back time and time again. There are a few less than stellar moments however. While the latter enemies who can soak up a number of bullets are explained away, one earlier human who can withstand clip after clip of ammo is a strange anomaly.

And then there's the online multiplayer. All the usual standards apply, with the usual Deathmatch and Capture The Flag options made available. But they've been crafted with the same unnerving brilliance that the single player story offers, culminating in something which might not be brand new, but you can't help falling in love with.

Verdict:

Uncharted 2 is just an incredible package. One of the most stunning single player outings in years is fantastically complimented by such an impressive multiplayer offering that all PS3 owners can't pass up this opportunity. It might not have the hype of Modern Warfare 2 behind it, but Activision have got a real test on their hands if they want to be sure of being the PS3's Christmas must have.

Tags: Gaming PS3 Sony Uncharted 2 Among Thieves Action

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - PS3 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:42:28 +0100

After a brief summer break, Megawhat is back on Pocket-lint with a brand new Tech Week in View episode for your viewing pleasure.

Pocket-lint's Stuart Miles talks tourists on Segways and tells us why he thinks the new Sonos S5 is a tidy bit of kit.

Miles also considers the Amazon Kindle's UK launch (was it a bit of a rush job?) and looks at what the? T-Mobile Sidekick data loss might mean for the cloud computing industry.

Watch the video above now to see it all play out, and stay tuned for more comment from Pocket-lint soon.

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness events Comment Video

Tech week in view: Tourists on Segways, the Kindle in the UK and trouble in the cloud originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:42:19 +0100

First it was the?Nintendo Wii Remote and Nunchuk going black, now Nintendo has confirmed the whole console will be getting a black lick of paint in time for Christmas in the UK.

The company has said that it will be launching a Black Wii bundle for Euorpe on Tuesday to be launched in the UK and Republic of Ireland from 6 November and mainland Europe on 20 November.

The bundle will come as a “Limited Edition” bundled with a Wii Remote, Wii MotionPlus and Nunchuk – all in black. Gamers will also get?Wii Sports Resort?and the original Wii Sports.

Also launching in Europe as part of the black range of accessories will be the new black Classic Controller Pro – an enhanced version of the Classic Controller.?

Additional black Wii Remote controllers, Wii MotionPlus accessories and Nunchuk controllers will also be available to purchase separately across Europe from November 20 onwards.?

Nintendo has not said how limited "limited edition" actually is.

Read

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Wii Nintendo

Limited Edition Black Nintendo Wii announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:32:00 +0100

War. Every gaming platform does it and each year a new pretender steps up to try to take the crown. Operation Flashpoint – the PC original – left fond memories of a true sandbox combat sim, with freedoms that aren't always found in other combat games, then and now.

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising picks up the action in the not to distant future, weaving a neat historical timeline to set the scene before pitching you into the action. But action of the Operation Flashpoint variety doesn't mean a baptism of fire: you are broken in fairly gently, although the tutorial-style hints soon drop off and you are left to figure things out for yourself.

As Operation Flashpoint is a combat sim, you are given command right from the off: as a sandbox game, you can walk off and do what you like how you like, but your mission objectives have to be completed. Before starting a mission you are given these objectives and a map to peruse, a map which you can access at all points during actual gameplay.

Some missions will suggest you don't engage the enemy at all and with command and control playing a large part, you may find yourself completing objectives without actually firing your weapon at all. Mission objectives will be relayed to you over the radio, but it's easy to miss them. On normal difficulty it perhaps doesn't matter, as you can just follow the waypoints.

Commands are accessed through a menu on the right bumper button, leading you through a series of options to the final order. There are a range of things, some you might never use and some which become frequent occurrences. Setting the rules of engagement (through ROE) can be useful, to stop your men blatting off at hostiles as you move around the area of operations. There is no point in alerting them to your presence when you can just box round them and get on with the mission at hand.

"Heal wounded" is a command you'll find yourself using perhaps more often than you want, to force team members to patch up wounds, rather than just walking around bleeding out. But be warned, your medic and the injured party will often walk off to find some a tree to stand under, rather than just doing it where they are, so often expose themselves to the enemy. You can patch yourself too with a field dressing, but if you take a serious injury, you'll have to call the medic as you writhe on the ground.

You won't find yourself soaking up bullets however: one well-placed shot will kill you and if you take a leg wound you might find yourself unable to run or sprint. Mortars are especially irritating, but fortunately the enemy fire a spotting round first, giving you the chance to get out of the target area. But this is what you expect from a combat sim and it is often the case that if multiple members of your team are walking wounded, you need to re-think how you are going to achieve your objective.

Waypoints are provided to guide you in and out of the mission (until you move up to a higher difficulty level) and being sandbox, you'll find yourself doing a lot of walking and running around. Some might not like having to spend 10 minutes simply traversing the countryside, but it's inherent to how Operation Flashpoint works, and if you can find a vehicle, you can often steal it.

In some cases, waypoints will guide you straight into the enemy, so it is well worth making use of the binoculars in your inventory to recon the route before you step into the open. And that's the great thing about Dragon Rising – you can view the map, look for topographical features and use them to your advantage, as you would in real life.

But the game does show its hand far too often with autosave. You'll be walking along, approaching a ridge line and you'll notice the autosave symbol. Step over the ridge and the enemy engages you. It means that if you mess it up you can reload from that point, yes, but the nature of the game doesn’t always make this as smooth as it is in other combat games.

Because of the open nature of the game, you might arrive at an objective and get your autosave point in a position that you can't survive. After you try various tactics to extricate yourself from your predicament, you'll realise that restarting the mission is the only way you'll get through it, remembering, of course, not to barge straight back to the same spot again.

Graphically Dragon Rising is impressive. Time has been spent on character models, weapons and equipment to make things realistic. The terrain too contains plenty of detail, although once you are on your belly in the grass, you might find it is a little blocky. Settlements can be a little bland compared to some of the on-rails FPS titles out there, with the island of Skira looking like an awfully boring place to live, devoid of almost all life except the odd PLA solider and the occasional tractor.

But you probably won't notice, because I'll spend most of the time scrutinising the terrain looking for PLA adversaries. Missions hang together loosely along the plot, but do feel as though they sit in isolation. Special Forces do one thing, the Marines follow-up with something else, but really they could be totally disconnected events. It is also irritating the game selects your weapons load out and dumps you on the ground, not always best equipped to do your job. Still, half of the fun here is stripping your enemy of their weapons and rolling on with something different. Scoped weapons give you a distinct advantage as sniping enemies will make things much easier.

You also get access to vehicles which you can command or drive yourself although they don't play much of a part in the campaign itself, which is dominated by grunts on their feet.

Playing through the campaign in normal mode will only see you through a weekend of gaming, we spent perhaps 8 hours getting though it. Going back to complete the missions on more difficult levels may not appeal so much, as you already know what you have to do and more or less where it is, so if you fancy a challenge, it is perhaps worth avoiding the normal level altogether and setting out in a higher difficulty level.

Unfortunately the game is littered with the bugs, none that stopped us progressing, but making us keen to get the forthcoming patch into place. Shoot someone and you get a satisfying red mist (with a red cross on normal difficulty to indicate a kill shot), but sometimes you'll put a couple of slugs into someone and they just freeze, standing, lying, kneeling, without dropping down dead. We're also annoyed that corpses disappear after time, taking their weapons with them, so back-tracking to get more ammo doesn't always work.

AI is also a bit of a let down too. You fire team members will often walk right into the line of fire, or crouch on the wrong side of cover, meaning that despite your stalwart leadership, your team isn't always dependable. Things are much better, ironically, when playing as special forces, where your team seem to be able to fight and move without taking so many hits.

Online cooperative modes let you pair up with real teammates and ditch your AI buddies. There are also Annihilation and Infiltration online gaming modes, letting you battle it out with real people, which is fearsome, and really the scope for longevity as the game stands.

Verdict:

To be fair we were slightly disappointed with Dragon Rising. Having loved the original PC version, we expected a longer campaign, or more out of the box options. Multiplayer is great, yes, but we can't help feeling that Dragon Rising is really about opening the door for extending the game via downloadable content, which is rumoured to be coming soon.

Despite the bugs in the initial playable content, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising will entertain, but won't quite leave the impression that the original did.

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Action Codemasters Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising - Xbox 360 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0100

The BBFC has insisted on an 18 rating for coming soon Call of Duty title Modern Warfare 2, although it has passed through the official hurdle with no cuts.

It seems the rating ruling will not come as a surprise to the developers as promotional packaging has already been labelled "TBC 18".

It is however, the first game in the Call of Duty series to get an 18 certificate from the BBFC.

Previous titles in the series have either been rated as 15 by the BBFC or 16+ under the PEGI system, which considering the gratuitous violence in the previous, lower rated titles suggests that Modern Warfare 2 could well be a blood bath.

Those looking forward to such delights should note the game goes on sale in the UK on 10 November.

Read

Related links:

• News - Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 console announced

Tags: Gaming BBFC Call of Duty Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 Nintendo Wii PS3 Activision

BBFC gives Modern Warfare 2 an 18 rating originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:22:47 +0100

If you've got an unauthorised Xbox 360 memory unit, then you might want to think about getting an official one ASAP - the forthcoming software update for the console will render it inoperable.

Xbox Live's Major Nelson posted on his blog that "one of the changes is that unauthorized Memory Units will no longer work with the Xbox 360", adding "If you continue to use an unauthorized Memory Unit after the update, you will not be able to access your stored profile or saved games".

If you have a hard-disk equipped 360 then it's not too big a deal - just shift everything onto your hard drive - but if not then you'll need to buy a licensed unit instead and copy the data across. To know whether it's licensed or not, you need a stamp that says "Licensed for Xbox 360" somewhere on the device or its packaging.

Read

Related links:

• News - Eye-Fi wireless memory cards to launch in the UK

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Memory cards Microsoft Software updates

Xbox 360 update blocks unlicensed memory units originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:24:40 +0100

Exactly as rumoured, Rock Band for the iPhone has now appeared in the App Store. EA made the app official shortly after the game was spotted in a mobile showreel for the company, and it's now available in the App Store for ?6 or $10, depending on which side of the Atlantic you reside on.

?The game shares a lot of its mechanics with the Tap Tap Revenge series (which in turn took its cues from the console versions of Rock Band and Guitar Hero). You simply tap the screen in time with the music to play notes, and missing one will reset your score multiplier. Overdrive is present, as is the star ratings system from the console versions.

You can pick from guitar, bass, drums and vocals, though they're all performed by tapping the screen so there isn't much difference between them. You can't sing into the iPhone, unfortunately. Multiplayer is present - up to four players through Bluetooth, complete with Facebook Connect to make it more easy to rope your friends in.

There's 20 songs that come with the game, and more that you can buy from an in-game store. Here's the full tracklisting, which seems pretty similar to the Rock Band 2 tracklist:

"Attack" – 30 Seconds To Mars
"Girls Not Grey" – AFI
"Move Along" – All American Rejects
"Sabotage" – Beastie Boys
"All The Small Things" – Blink-182
"Hanging on the Telephone" – Blondie
"Learn To Fly" – Foo Fighters
"Everlong" – Foo Fighters
"Bad to The Bone" – George Thorogood & the Destroyers
"Hymn 43″ – Jethro Tull
"Bad Reputation" – Joan Jett
"Simple Man" – Lynard Skynard
"Ace of Spades ‘08″ – Motorhead
"Debaser" – Pixies
"Ladybug" – Presidents of The United States of America
"Give It All" – Rise Against
"Lazy Eye" – Silversun Pick Ups
"Cherub Rock" – Smashing Pumpkins
"Take The Money and Run" – Steve Miller Band
"We Got The Beat" – The Go Go's

If you pick it up on your handset, let us know what the experience is like in the comments below. Does the iPhone 3G have enough power to let the game run smoothly? We imagine it wouldn't be much fun if it were jerky...

Read

Tags: Gaming Phones Mobile phones iPhone App Store Apple Rock Band EA Tap Tap Revenge

Rock Band now available in App Store originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:50:10 +0100

Tomy has produced a set of Mario Kart racing toys, created by Q Steer, so that you can hold races in the real world as well as on your TV screen. Each is 3.5cm high and 5cm long, and are controlled by a 6-directional remote control.

There are seven to choose from in the video above, but only two are on sale right now - Mario and Yoshi. Both packs include spare batteries, and bananas and shells that you can scatter around your desk. Each also has a boost button that'll give you an extra lick of ?speed to sneak past your opponent.

Mario and Yoshi both cost ?14 each and they're available now from CuteBitz.com.

Tags: Gaming Toys Mario Kart Nintendo Tomy Video

VIDEO: Q Steer Mario Micro Racers incoming originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:58:30 +0100

Mice have been given access to a first-person-shooter style virtual reality video game that has sparked fears that they may rise up and enslave the human population of the earth.

Just kidding. The real objective behind the study is to have a good look at neurological activity in animals that are moving. Normally it's quite tricky to stick electrodes in the brain of an animal that's running about all over the place. Now the scientists can study real-motion tracking of single neurons.

"The neurons move back and forth while you're trying to measure things", said David Tank, a neuroscientist at Princeton University. "So we developed a way to keep the head fixed in space, but still have mice perform behaviours that are usually studied in mice running through a maze".

The virtual world that the mice are running through was designed in the Quake level editor, but the mice didn't get weapons or ammo - they got little sips of water from a head height water tube instead. We'll stick with Left 4 Dead for now, we think.

Read

Tags: Software Mice Virtual Reality Gaming Video

VIDEO: Mice get virtual reality video game originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:43:39 +0100

Logitech has announced that it's launching a new gaming keyboard - the Logitech G110. It's a direct successor to the G11 and includes a number of the same features as its technological father. It shares media controls, illuminated keys, and twelve macro buttons, but it adds a number of features of its own, too.

There's an integrated USB audio device in the unit, which will allow you to use a headset that has 3.5mm jacks as a USB audio device, providing clearer sound. Many gamers find that the plugs in their cases will "buzz" due to electrical interference, but this should solve that issue.

There's also an extra USB port on the rear of the keyboard, and a "gaming mode" toggle switch that will disable the windows and menu keys so that you don't accidentally press them while mid-match. Very useful.

It works with both Mac and PC (if there are any Mac gamers out there) and costs either ?70 or ?80 - there's a discrepancy that we're trying to resolve between the press release we were sent and Logitech's website. We'll update you the post when we get clarification. It'll be available in November in North America and January in Europe.

Update: The keyboard is confirmed at the lower price of ?70. We promised, didn't we?

Read

Tags: Hardware Gaming Keyboards Mice And Keyboards Logitech Logitech G110

Logitech launches G110 gaming keyboard originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:12:03 +0100

Sony has confirmed that it will be bringing the 250GB PS3 slim, already confirmed and available in Europe, to the US in November.

"Today, we announced the availability of a new PS3 system with a 250GB hard drive hitting store shelves on November 3". Sony wrote on its company blog. "The PS3 250GB system has the same slim look, feel and features as the 120GB system, but with a 250GB built-in hard drive for $349.99. With the new, larger capacity, you’ll have even more room to store your favourite games, movies/TV shows, music, photos and PlayStation Network downloads".

The US arm has also stated that "more than 600 million pieces of content have been downloaded from PlayStation Network" to date.

In the UK the 250GB bundle costs ?339 from Amazon and includes two games, there will be a range of different bundles on offer in the hope of enticing gamers to sign up with Sony rather than Microsoft's Xbox 360.

?

Read

Tags: Gaming PS3 PS3 slim Sony

250GB PS3 Slim heading to USA originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:50:58 +0100

EA's Rock Band has been rocking the gaming world with its four player band action on the PS3 and Xbox 360 for some time now. EA is clearly hoping that success will translate to a mobile phone version available on the iPhone and iPod touch with the launch of Rock Band for the iPhone and iPod touch. But will it be any good, are you going to strum your way to success on the train, and what about the vocal elements? We managed to get a sneak peak of the new title before its official launch in the App Store.

If you are wondering where you are going to plug in the guitar, bass, drums and microphone, don't. That's right, this is a mobile game designed for a touchscreen phone rather than something on your console. That means there are no accessories, and no having to drag a guitar on the bus or train to work. Instead everything is controlled via you tapping your fingers in tune to the music at the relevant moment, like Guitar Hero on the DS.

As you might expect the game's core values and approach are still here and that means you get to choose up to 20 songs initially to "Rock" to.

The game itself is broken down into a number of different elements; quick play, world tour, multiplayer and a music store that allows you to buy additional songs to play. All are self-explanatory, but the one you will be attempting to play the most is the Multiplayer mode.

Here you get to play up to three other players (four in total) just as you can in the console version. You can connect to other iPods or iPhones via a Bluetooth or wireless connection although for the Wi-Fi they have to be on the same local network.

Players can then grab an "instrument" and start tapping away in tune to the music that blurts out of the speakers or your headphones.

With three difficulty levels and the ability for players to choose different level settings, you should be able to cajole other mates in on the action as long as they have bought the game as well. Disappointingly the vocal selection doesn't require you to sing into your phone or iPod (something to do with EA not believing people would be happy doing that on public transport - what do they know?), but it's still good fun.

Graphics are basic but effective and in our multiplayer gaming session with a spokesperson from EA the game played with zero lag across a Bluetooth connection.

On it's own Rock Band is fun, but short-lived. While our play was brief you could see that unless you like the repetitive nature of tapping on a screen then you'll soon get bored. That said, the multiplayer element is much more fun. While you don't get the bonus of real instruments, you still get to play with you mates on the back of the bus, helping each other out, and generally knowing that you have a better fingering action than your mate.

Verdict:

With pricing details yet to be confirmed, but confirmation from EA that it is likely to be in line with other "premium" games they offer, if you're a Rock Band fan who has an iPhone this will allow you to take the action on the road.

There is no connection with the console version, i.e., you can't share songs, but with 20 to get you started and the ability to buy more from a dedicated music store, this should give you plenty of entertainment, especially when you get your mates involved.

Rock Band for iPhone is expected out at the end of October.

Tags: Gaming Phones Mobile phone games iPhone EA Rock Band iPhone apps Rock Band for iPhone

EA Rock Band for iPhone - First Look originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:33:27 +0100

Remember Command and Conquer Red Alert back from your gaming heydays of the mid 90s? Thought you did and that is clearly what? EA are hoping for, with the launch of an iPhone edition in the next couple of weeks.

Of course Pocket-lint was there to grab a quick play and snap a few shots of the game in action. The end result? Lots and lots of finger scrolling as you manage your soldiers, vehicles and aircraft around the tiny screen.

We didn't get a good enough play to do a full on first look review, that wouldn't be fair, but aside from the control mechanism, which you are either going to grasp or not, fans of the series will relish the graphics, looks and feel of the game - it really is like going back 13 years.

With 12 levels in the campaign mode and a skirmish mode too, as long as your finger seems up for it then this should allow you to relive those C&C days.

Tags: Gaming Mobile phone games iPhone EA Command and Conquer Red Alert for iPhone RTS Photos

PHOTOS: Command and Conquer Red Alert for iPhone originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:11:05 +0100

The amount of bonkers Nintendo Wii accessories cropping up never ceases to amaze, but during a visit to a trade show in Hong Kong, we spotted something that takes things to a whole other level.

Although we've seen gun-motes for the Wii before, a Chinese company at the show has upped the firepower with a 1:1 scale Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine gun for the Wii.

However, rather than using Nintendo's own controllers for the gun, the company implemented full Wiimote, nunchuck - and - MotionPlus functionality into it.

With a built-in rechargeable battery that juices up via USB, it boasts a built-in speaker and it will rumble when you get hit in supported games.

The model pictured is for the US market, and the company behind it claims that the orange highlights on the front of the gun is supposed to make it look less realistic, so that players using it won't get shot by mistake, be it by their neighbours or the police.

We're not sure if it actually will ever turn up in retail outside of China, but it might be the ultimate accessory for those that are into Wii games where the use of guns are required if it does.

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Wii Wiimote Guns Controllers

Wii gets custom-made Heckler and Koch MP5 controller originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:26:07 +0100

EA has said that where relevant it will include graphical optimisation for the iPhone 3GS in its games for the phone platform.

The news comes as the company is gearing up to release a number of games in the next couple of weeks including NBA Live, which will have graphics that use the extra processing power in the 3GS.

"We won't just release a game that only works on the 3GS", an EA spokesman told Pocket-lint, "however we will add extra shadows and use the processor to the full if the game warrants it."

The result of the optimisation is extra shadows, smoother cutscene playback and overall better graphics.

Although not shown to Pocket-lint as yet, EA said that?Need for Speed: Shift?for the iPhone and iPod touch currently in development, would also be optimised for the 3GS.

Tags: Gaming iPhone Phones Mobile phone games Mobile phone apps EA iPhone 3GS

EA iPhone 3GS optimised games inbound originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:25:39 +0100

Firebox is offering Retro Game Sweets, a range of "highly suckable" sour candies that pay tribute to some of gaming's greatest icons.

The zingy sweets come in collectable tins shaped like characters from the world of Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros.

Available now is a Pac-Man and ghost set for ?5.99 and a super star and mushroom tin for the same price.

Related links:

• Shop - Firebox

Tags: Gaming Retro-gaming Firebox Sweets

Firebox offers retro-gaming sweets originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:55:17 +0100

Gamercize, the company behind peripherals that don't let you game unless you're also working out, is offering a three-in-one family fit system that works with the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Glimpsed briefly in the video above, the set-up incorporates a rowing machine and a cycling exercise machine that can be used away from the console.

It also includes the Gamercize bits that work with the consoles to only let you play as you're exercising.

"The best in exergaming technology provides all the distraction from the effort of exercise with video games", says Gamercize.

The Gamercize three-in-one family fit is on sale now priced at ?699.90 plus delivery.

Thanks to Roland for the tip.

Related links:

• News - Cyberbike brings exercise bike accessory to Nintendo Wii

Tags: Gaming Gamercize Sports Fitness Rowing machines Exercise bikes Video

VIDEO: Gamercize three-in-one family fit system available originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:32:07 +0100

Microsoft has, just like earlier in the year, offered its users the chance to take a look at the forthcoming dashboard upgrade a little early in the hope of getting rid of any bugs that testers might not have spotted.

The next version of the dashboard will have, as previously reported, integration with Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm, as well as the Zune video marketplace and its associated instant-on 1080p high definition streaming. Here in the UK, we'll also be getting the Sky Player. For most of that lot, though, you'll need an Xbox Gold subscription.

If you'd like to sign up, you'll need to be in an Xbox LIVE region, know your console ID, ISP, make and model of your TV and router, and how you connect your Xbox to your network and your TV. Even then, there's no guarantee that you'll get in - Microsoft is being picky about who gets early access.

If you still feel like trying your chances, then head over to the Xbox Live Update Preview and fill in all your details. Good luck!

Read

Related links:

• News - Sky Player coming to Xbox 360 in October?

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Xbox Live Microsoft Facebook Twitter Lastfm Sky

Xbox 360 Dashboard preview program reopens originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:11:31 +0100

Just in time for the holidays, US gamers will now be able to get their hands on a black Wii Remote and Nunchuk for the Nintendo Wii rather than just white.

Once the in colour, it seems black is the new cool with the new controllers hitting America on 16 November.

The new black Wii Remote controller will be available packaged with a black Wii MotionPlus accessory, which brings enhanced precision to games. The package will be available at a suggested retail price of $49.99 - $10 cheaper than the white offering. The black Nunchuk controller will be available separately at a suggested retail price of $19.99.

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Wii Nintendo Wii Remote Nunchuck

Nintendo Wii Remote goes black originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:48:35 +0100

The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards are back letting you know what the best products of 2009 really are.

Now in its 6th year, the Pocket-lint Awards, thought to be the longest running in the UK, pick the best gadgets and gizmos from the last year from around the world.

Pocket-lint's vigorous vetting process means that all the gadgets up for nomination have to have been seen by a member of the Pocket-lint team (so far over 600) and have to have been available somewhere in the world between December 2008 and December 2009.

The awards, voted by a panel of leading gadget journalists from around the world, including the staff from the Pocket-lint team, will decide the real must-have gadgets of the year, rather than those simply deemed cool or anticipated, being the definitive guide for consumers looking to buy gadgets.

Better still, because we don't have a print publication to worry about, we haven't had to call the decision early meaning the best gadgets of 2009 get a chance to win rather than those just announced in the first half of the year.

This year's categories are:?

• Best music gadget
• Best car gadget
• Best digital camera
• Best laptop
• Best software/service/app
• Best game
• Best gaming hardware
• Best home cinema device
• Best mobile phone
• Best gadget
• Product of the Year 2009

Nominations for the award categories are being taken now and the final list of nominations (five per category)?will be announced on Monday 16 November with the winners being announced at an awards party at the beginning of December.?

What do you think are the best gadgets of 2009? What should be included for nomination? Let us know in the comments below:

?

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 announced originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:42:59 +0100

The new QDOS "Jet Play" case for iPhones and iPod touch is said to be "designed to enhance the pleasure of gaming and improve gaming scores".

However, it may find an alternative use as an effective anti-theft device, considering how ugly it makes the iPhone, or iPod touch, look.

If a high score is more important to you than preserving the good looks of your gadget, then you'll be happy to note the "secure grip to ensure users benefit from extended reach when tilting and tipping to improve accuracy for games which use the Apple accelerometer".

There's also flip-open cable management with access at both ends of the case for earphones and charging. The QDOS Jet Play is available now for ?24.99 from www.qdossound.com.

?

Tags: Phones iPhone accessories QDOS Cases Gaming iPod Touch

QDOS Jet Play iPhone gaming case launches originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:18:34 +0100

Nvidia has won the contract to supply Nintendo with chips for the next edition of its ultra-popular DS handheld gaming device. The chip in question will be the Tegra - a "system-on-a-chip" processor which comes in two editions - a 65nm one and a new 40nm second generation option due to be launched in early 2010.

The Tegra currently only powers two devices - Microsoft's Zune HD and Samsung's BeatPlayer YP-M1 portable media players. Reviewers have showered the performance of the Zune HD with praise, though, and it's unlikely that fact escaped Nintendo's attention when deciding which platform to go for.

The device that results should be showing up in late 2010, according to sources quoted by Bright Side of News, perhaps surfacing at the Tokyo Game Fair. Whichever Tegra option Nintendo goes for, this will mean a big step up in the power of portable gaming devices - it should be able to power higher resolution screens on the handheld while providing improved battery life.

It's still up in the air at the moment, but when we hear something more concrete about the DS, we'll be sure to let you know.

Read

Related links:

• News - Nintendo DSi due in three new colours

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Nintendo DS Nvidia Tegra

Next-gen Nintendo DS will come with Tegra chip originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:12:52 +0100

Exspect has launched a range of new accessories for the Sony PSP Go that includes the usual cases and screen protectors you'd expect from such a company.

What you might not expect (no pun intended) are cases made from good, old fashioned hippy fave hemp.
?
Made from 100% recyclable materials, the PSP Go hemp range is aimed at the "eco-conscious". ?

The hemp slip case features a pull tab, a sewn PSP logo and costs ?9.99 while the flip version goes on sale for ?14.99.

Leather slip cases are also available, as are privacy screen protectors, all on sale now from the likes of HMV and Play.com.

Tags: Eco Gaming PSP PSP Go Cases Exspect

Exspect offers hemp cases for PSP Go originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:19:42 +0100

The Nintendo Wii is about to get two new fitness accessories, Cyberbike and Wii dumbbells.

If Wii fit or EA Active wasn't enough to entice you into doing exercise with your games console, games developers, Bigben Interactive, are hoping its two very different takes on video game sports will.

It has created two fitness titles, Cyberbike and My Body Coach with the aim of getting you off the sofa.

Cyberbike, as the name might suggest comes with its very own full size exercise bike for you to pedal your way to healthiness.

"The game invites you use your eco-citizen's head and legs to clean up the planet. Clear paths and roads of the sources of pollution that are ruining the environment as you cycle along on some of the most improbable vehicles ever imagined—on land, sea and air", reads the blurb.

Using the bike included with the game, players are able to ride through 18 different circuits unlocking accessories as they go.

My Body Coach employs fitness trainer to Hollywood stars, Val?rie Orsoni to get you into shape with sessions lasting from seven minutes to an hour long using two 500g dumbbells into which you slide the Wiimotes.

My Body Coach will launch on 20 November while Cyberbike will be available in January 2010.

No word on pricing.

?

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Wii Bigben interactive Cyberbike My Body Coach Sports Fitness Sports Fitness equipment Cycling Wii Fit EA Sports Active

Cyberbike brings exercise bike accessory to Nintendo Wii originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:08:54 +0100

American laptop maker BFG Technologies has rolled out a new 18.4-inch laptop for those who feel a 17-inch just isn't big enough.

The Deimos X-10 SLI Gaming Notebook, as it will be known will pack enough firepower to run the latest PC games with ease according to it makers and comes with dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M 1GB (SLI) graphics cards, an Intel Core 2 Duo, Quad or Extreme processors, support for up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and has three drive bays for up to 1.5 terabytes of storage space (SSD/HDD).?

If that wasn't enough you get a full 16:9 HD (1920 x 1080) LCD screen, Super Multi Blu-ray reader, 5 speakers with a built-in sub-woofer, support for Dolby surround, 4 USB 2.0 ports and both HDMI and DVI output ports.?

Due to the sheer size of the device you do get a Case Logic notebook backpack in the box to help you get from A to B.

Demios X-10 starts at $1859 and is available for pre-order now at www.bfgsystems.com.?

?

?

Read

Tags: Gaming Hardware Laptops BFG Technologies Demios X-10 Intel Nvidia

Demios X-10 gaming laptop isn't for the weak originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:54:44 +0100

Getting excited about the forthcoming release of DJ Hero? Well hit play on the vid-box above to see a new promo for the music-themed game.

As most of you will know, DJ Hero is a turntable-based take on the current crop of popular music games.

DJ Hero promises to "transform players into DJs who rule the club scene by creating original mixes of popular songs and music from the world's most exciting artists and DJs".

The game - and controller - is due for release in the UK on 30 October. Amazon's currently got a pre-order going on for ?89.99.

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 DJ Hero Music games Advertising Video Microsoft Activision

VIDEO: New DJ Hero ad revealed originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:18:38 +0100

Tony Hawk: RIDE is looking to break new ground when it launches next month, thanks to a newly developed controller. We were lucky enough to get our hands and feet on the new game at a recent preview event, and here is what we thought.

Let's start with the controller, after all, that's the novel aspect. Designed to look and feel like a skateboard, the controller is wireless, giving you complete freedom of movement, and packed out with sensors so it knows what you are doing.

The first concern about any controller you stand on would be build quality: it is going to support a fully grown man wobbling around on it? Most certainly yes: it didn't complain or creak underfoot when we started playing, although it has a max load of 21 stone, which hopefully won't be a problem for most.

It isn't just the size and shape of the controller that resembles a skateboard, it has also been finished with grip tape, so it feels like a skateboard too. The bottom has been sculpted to give you the motions you'd expect, with a central ridge allowing left and right tilting of the board like you'd get out of the trucks on a skateboard. You also get raised ends, so moving onto the nose or tail is possible, with the tail playing a fairly large part in proceedings here.

Down the left-hand side of the controller you find your conventional Xbox controller buttons (although stretched out in a line) with the most significant being the large Start button which will reside under the heel of your right foot (if regular) and can easily be kicked with your toes when you want to start a game.

In our session we didn't use the other controls at all, so at this point it isn't clear exactly what they'll be used for, however, some might want them to navigate menus without having to use the regular controller, or the menu motion controls.

That's right, you can navigate the menus using the skateboard too, moving it left and right to move up and down menus, and an "ollie" to select (stepping back onto the tail to raise the board up). It can be a little fiddly at first, but you can easily hop off and do it with one foot, rather than whilst standing on it.

We played through a couple of levels which saw us riding down an LA storm sewer and another through a trick park. There are various game modes available (not all were available for us to play), with the time trial, challenges, free ride and so on. There are also various difficulty settings which makes it much easier to pick-up and play. Some game modes are very much on-rails, with your movements making very little difference to the route you take. In these modes you have to concentrate on tricks and timing.

We found the first few times we played through a level it felt a little unnatural, but you soon get a feel for it and can begin to explore the range of possibilities on offer. Balance stops being an issue pretty quickly, but your physical involvement in the game can see you moving around a fair but - we started off in front of the screen, but over the course of a level drifted off as we moved across the floor.

The controller is equipped with two accelerometers which can detect pitch, roll and yaw, so it knows how you are moving the deck around. This is accompanied by IR sensors on both sides and the top of the nose and the tail.

These IR sensors detect movements around the controller and will detect when you swipe your foot past to push off or gain speed once moving. It will also detect your hands when you move them into range, which is how it knows you want to perform various grabs. Obviously, you can't just stick your arm out, you have to crouch and get your hand into the right place. It feels a little weird, but saves you having to actually grab the deck.

Performing tricks does take some practise and longer than we in our play. One thing is clear though, and that's that you have to be positive in your actions. You will look a little stupid, but once you see the results on-screen no one will be mocking you any more.

Ollies and grinds are easy, especially on the casual skater mode, with a simple lift of the nose of the controller popping you into an ollie. There were plenty of edges to grind around the course we were riding too, so even as a novice you can dive right into some basic tricks. Kick flips are pretty simple too to mix up some of the jumps and dismounts along the way.

There is a fair amount of branding in the game which some like and some dislike, but many of the main controls take place in a T-Mobile Sidekick frame, a decision that might be regretted considering the recent data loss.

Verdict:

It is a real blast and hugely addictive. If you like existing skate games with a handheld controller then Tony Hawk: RIDE takes things to a new level. Yes, you do have to get off the sofa. Yes, there is more to the game than carefully timed button presses. But it makes it completely different to games in the past.

But being different doesn't always mean better. Of course there is a premium to pay for this controller, and at ?99 it is double or nearly three times what you might pay for a rival title. It might also price some gamers out, especially when the future of the controller is an unknown. Will there be future titles for the controller? Will it branch into snowboarding too? We have asked Activision these questions and will update if we find anything out.

Is it like skateboarding? No, it isn't. You don't actually have to perform the tricks you start pulling off on-screen, but no doubt there will be some who will try to. The learning curve seemed to be just about right to, with the free ride offering the chance to just skate around and try stuff out. We liked the game during our preview session, but we'll reserve final judgement until we've lived with it for a while.

PHOTOS: Tony Hawk: RIDE skateboard controller

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Tony Hawk Tony Hawk Ride Activision Sports Fitness

Tony Hawk: RIDE - First Look originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100

Amazon in the UK has slashed the price of Nintendo's Wii console, even though the game's maker hasn't reduced the official RRP in the UK for the console on its own.

Gamers keen to get some Wii Sports action can now do so from Amazon for ?140, ?40 cheaper than the RRP being touted elsewhere on the Internet and high street.

Nintendo promised at the end of September a price reduction was coming, however that appeared in the high street in a range of bundles priced at ?180 featuring Wii Resort or Mario Kart.

"We will be reducing the trade price of Wii to retailers from 2 October 2009. In the UK and Republic of Ireland we are also introducing a new configuration of Wii hardware from 2 October 2009 which will replace the current offering and will include the Wii console and Wii Sports with the new Wii Sports Resort game and Wii MotionPlus accessory. This will be available to retailers at the newly reduced trade price", a Nintendo spokesperson told us at the time.

Read

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Nintendo Wii Amazon

Amazon cuts Nintendo Wii price in UK originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:40:33 +0100

Microsoft has announced that it's adding three titles to its range of Xbox 360 Classics, and that range is getting a price cut. From 9 October, immigrant adventure Grand Theft Auto IV, street racer Midnight Club Los Angeles: Complete Edition and undersea escape fps BioShock.

The titles join a whole raft of other big hits for the console, including Halo 3, Gears of War, Forza Motorsport 2, Project Gotham Racing 4 and Mass Effect. All will henceforth be available for ?15.

Ubisoft has also seen fit to cut the price of some of its games. Splinter Cell Double Agent, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Naruto: Rise of a Ninja will all be available for 15 quid too. Very useful if you've just got an Xbox but don't want to spend a fortune on games.

Want a quote? Of course you do. John Parkes, EMEA marketing director at Ubisoft, told us: "We are happy to bring some our best IPS to this Classics range, these titles offer some of the best gaming experiences, now made available for even more people to enjoy".

Microsoft's Classics range has been available for several years and originally cost ?25 for the best-selling titles.

?

Related links:

• News - Christmas 2009: The year the Xbox 360 should rule the roost

Tags: Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Bioshock GTA

Microsoft adds three titles to Xbox 360 Classics range originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:42:17 +0100

It's a week since the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves demo went live on the PlayStation Network, and it's been played over a million times.

Apparently on track to become the most downloaded demo on the PlayStation Network ever, the plays tally at 1,217,424, seeing a cheery 92,110,787 kills and over 9905 day's worth of gaming.

The demo is available now and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is due out in the UK on 16 October, a little earlier in the States.

Tags: Gaming PS3 Uncharted 2 Among Thieves Playstation Network Statistics Video

VIDEO: Uncharted 2 demo sees over a million plays originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:27:06 +0100

A NES game has just gone under the hammer for $20,100 on eBay in what is thought to be the most expensive video game ever sold.

The Nintendo Campus Challenge cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System was used during a national video game tournament Nintendo hosted in 1991 according to the auction blurb and gives its new owner, bidder p***s, the chance to play Super Mario Bros 3, Pin-Bot, and Dr. Mario against the clock.

Produced only for the event and presumed destroyed, the game is unique because it gives you one score for playing all three games based on a timer system.

The Campus challenges saw winners from each of the 58 locations sent to Orlando Florida to compete for the crown of National Champion at Disney World (think 80's movie The Wizard with Fred Savage).

Unlike the Nintendo World Championships held previously where Nintendo gave winner's copies of the special cartridges, the Campus Challenge cartridges were supposed to be destroyed.

It is the only copy known to exist.?

Read

Related links:

• Via - Joystick

Tags: Gaming NES Nintendo eBay

Rare NES game sells for $20,100 originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:22:53 +0100

Sales of the PSP in the United States have rocketed 300% in the 3 days that followed the launch of the PSP Go - the smaller, lighter, more download-y, little brother of the original PSP-3000. Game downloads also climbed 200% in the same time period.

Sony's corporate communications director Patrick Seybold told Gamasutra: "The launch of PSPgo has generated strong consumer interest in the overall PSP platform and the PlayStation Network's digital content offering".

"With several blockbuster games launching digitally and on UMD in the coming weeks - from LittleBigPlanet to Assassin's Creed Bloodlines - we expect this momentum to continue and look forward to a strong holiday season for both the PSPgo and PSP-3000", he added.

Over on this side of the Atlantic, a price war erupted for the new console, with the cost dropping ?25 almost immediately. The console is available now for around ?200, depending on where you pick it up from.

Read

Tags: Gaming Sony PSP PSP Go Statistics

PSP sales rise 300% originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:36:54 +0100

Both EA and Namco appear to be planning iPhone versions of their popular video game franchises - Rock Band and Tekken, respectively. Both games are in development, with Rock Band seeming to be the one that'll be appearing first.

Rock Band is already available on several mobile devices, but judging from a demo reel of EA Mobile's portfolio, spotted by CrunchGear, the game is firmly in the works with a video showing notes flowing down a fretboard and four plectrum-shaped buttons at the bottom for triggering them. It'll apparently have premium content downloadable, and four player multiplayer via Bluetooth.

Tekken for the iPhone, on the other hand, has been outed by Jonathan Kromray - Namco's head of its Apple Games division. Speaking to the Washington Post, he said: "If we can take Tekken and make it really fun to play on the iPhone, then we will. We do have a back catalogue of Japanese games that we're working on, as well as some new IP".

We'll keep you posted on the progress of both games as we get new information.

Related links:

• News - Tekken 6 to get Xbox 360 release too
• Via - Digital Spy
• Via - MobileCrunch

Tags: Gaming iPhone Apple Rock Band Tekken

Tekken and Rock Band coming to iPhone originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:30:33 +0100

A 3-year study in Singapore has discovered that the average primary and secondary school student in Singapore plays 27 hours of MMO games every week - more than 1/7th of their time. MMO stands for Massively-Multiplayer Online and includes titles like Guild Wars and World of Warcraft.

Games like this can bring out addictive tendencies in people who have them, and have been linked to extreme behaviour in people of all ages. Playtime of just under 5 hours per day, every day, seems like quite an extreme amount, but perhaps Singapore kids get more free time than kids in the UK.

The government has taken what many would call an "enlightened" approach to the issue, recognising that regulating the games or the Web won't work and would just drive the behaviour underground or out of the country's jurisdiction. Instead, it recommends that parents and kids work together to rectify unhealthy behaviour.

Read

Related links:

• News - Razer Naga MMO Mouse unveiled

Tags: Gaming MMORPGs Statistics

Singapore teens play MMOs 27 hours each week originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:46:03 +0100

It's easy to think of on-ear phones when choosing a computer headset, but the Sennheiser PC 300 G4ME solution proves that in-ear isn't only for your MP3 player. The first major advantage is that the canal-tight buds make for an excellent noise isolation, which not all headphones can produce. Closed cup headsets are usually pretty good at this but even they don't always provide that complete seal between you and the outside world.

For people with their games consoles and PCs tucked in away in a quiet corner of the house, that might not be a problem but. if you have to share the room with other people - perhaps watching TV or using the phone or just clanking about in the kitchen - then the PC 300s are something seriously worth considering.

As with headphones of all levels, they do the job, so it's really a case of measuring up just how well they do it compared to the money you're asked to spend. If you look hard, you can find them at around the ?60-?70 mark and the short answer is that they are indeed well worth the outlay.

They're made of a standard, light-weight, black cable material of 1m in length running from the green and purple colour coded 3.5mm plugs at one end through a volume control, then a microphone and finally to the ear buds set at different lengths with the shorter going to your left ear and the longer heading round the back of your neck and into you right. And, at 7g of weight, there are simply no comfort issues at all.

If that's not long enough for you, the PC 300s come with a 2m extension lead which should span the distance between most console and sofa setups. The build is light but strong, the volume control is smooth and easy to use and the choice of three sets of simple, rubber, black ear sleeves will fit any lug holes they meet. The buds themselves are a sturdy, good looking and not too heavy or cold mix of black plastic and metal with a well-chosen protective gauze over the drivers.

One of the best parts of the design, though, is the unassuming looking professional standard microphone that hangs comfortably away from your face. It has a frequency response of 18-15,000Hz which in real terms means that it effortlessly picks up the full details of whatever instructions you maybe muttering to your Call of Duty teammates and just how you feel about their style of play.

The audio coming in the other direction is no disappointment either. The noise isolation means you get don't get any distortion of the sound from over-amplification and the sound scape is very complete. Although a balance, it doesn't sit right in the middle with all the sections equally represented. It's not supposed to. The majority of gaming noises are at the mid-range and at the bass and, accordingly, it's those that are by far the best represented in the PC 300s. The top end may be a little quiet and without personality but the middle is dead on the money and the bottom end is huge, dramatic, if slightly on the spongy side, but are guaranteed to make you jump out your seat when the in-game action hots up.

You aren't just restricted to computers and consoles either. The phones work perfectly well with an MP3-player by using just the one 3.5mm plug. You'll get better sound quality than a pair that came free with your iPod, but the less interesting top notes mean that a dedicated set of buds of equal value would probably offer a better experience on the move.

To top it all off the Sennheiser PC 300s come with a nifty rubber travel case with a magnetic clasp that you can't help but open and close over and over, so satisfying is the action. Lovely touch, just a shame it's not big enough to comfortably fit the full 3m extension.

Verdict:

They're not the world's cheapest gaming headphones and there's something a little weird about going in-ear at home but the experience is a very, very, good one well worth the ?60-?70 outlay. Lots of positives here with not a bad word to say about them at all.

The PC 300s are perfectly acceptable for just listening to your audio tracks too but, if that's a main point for you, then you'd best buy a pair better suited for pure music audio rather than in-game sound scapes. You'll get more bang for your buck on something specialised for that purpose.

The only real question mark above this in-ear headset is whether or not people really want a wired set of phones for gaming and Skype. Regardless of how many metres long the cables are, you're still tethered to a console or PC and ultimately it just means more tangling and more chance of tripping people up. On the plus side, you'll never have forgotten to charge them or run out of batteries during gameplay. So, if you want to go in-ear and you're happy to deal with the cables, then these Sennheisers are most heartily recommended.

Tags: Audio Headphones Headsets Sennheiser Gaming Sennheiser PC 300 G4ME Sennheiser PC 300 G4ME

Sennheiser PC 300 G4ME headset originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100

U2's bassist, Adam Clayton, has said that the band wants to follow in the footsteps of Metallica and the Beatles by starring in their own video game. The band has been extensively associated with Apple's iPod and RIM's BlackBerry products in the past, but hasn't ever made the foray into games.

Clayton told USA Today: "We definitely would like to be in there, but we felt some of the compromises weren't what we wanted. That could change. I love the idea that that's where people are getting music, and we'd love to be in that world".

"We'll figure something out. What The Beatles have done, where the animation is much more representative of them, is what we're interested in, rather than the one-size-fits-all animation. We didn't want to be caricatured".

We expect that Neversoft are on the phone to Bono, Clayton, the Edge, et al as we type this, to negotiate their appearance in the next version of Guitar Hero.

Read

Related links:

• News - U2 to create something "spectacular" for RIM

Tags: Gaming U2 Music games Music Beatles Metallica

U2 wants their own video game originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:28:18 +0100

The days of mashing buttons are over when it comes to skateboarding games, as the new controller for the latest Tony Hawk game – Tony Hawk: RIDE – gives you a motion control deck.

Formed to look and feel like a skateboard, the controller features two accelerometers to give you yaw, pitch and roll sensors which will translate into 1:1 mapping in the game. This means your character on-screen will react to the subtle movements you make on the board.

A spokesperson for Robomodo, the game's developer, detailed how they had pulled apart "tonnes and tonnes" of controllers to find the best solution for Tony Hawk: RIDE.

Robomodo focused on creating a system that would allow for grabs, grinds, ollies and flip tricks to be pulled off in the game. This is achieved thanks to the accelerometers and the inclusion of four IR sensors around the deck.

The IR sensors let the board detect peripheral movements, so if you want to pull off a grab, moving your hand into the detection zone of the IR sensor will make it happen (if your timing is any good…).

Covered with grip tape, it feels like a skateboard and is surprisingly solid. It didn't complain one iota about abuse from a 13 stone man and is surprisingly responsive. Note the giant start button on the left-hand edge designed to be kicked to get you into the game.

Hitting Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo Wii towards the end of November, we grabbed some pics of the new controller for Xbox, with a couple of Nintendo Wii ones at the end.

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Tony Hawk Tony Hawk Ride Nintendo Wii Activision Gaming accessories Gaming hardware Photos

PHOTOS: Tony Hawk: RIDE skateboard controller originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:15:12 +0100

You might think that everything Apple touches turns to gold, however the chaps over at oobject have dug up 12 failed Apple products waiting for you to use when you next decide to bait that Apple fanboy in your life.

Remember the Apple Pippin? What about the pre-cursor to the iPhone, the Apple Newton Message Pad? ?

Click on the read link below to see more and the comments that come with them, but before you do, can you think of any other Apple failures? Let us know in the comments below.

Read

Related links:

• Via - Gizmodo.com

Tags: Software Hardware Audio Phones Gaming Apple

12 Apple products that failed originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:02:22 +0100

Tony Hawk: RIDE on the Nintendo Wii, expected to be hitting shelves towards the end of November, is going to let you play as your Mii in the game for some bobble-headed action.

Combined with the new skateboard controller, you'll get wireless, handsfree control over your skater as you grind, grab and flip your way through the game.

If this wasn't enough, you'll also be able to play as Tony Hawk's Mii, or a selection of other pros, for the ultimate in life-imitating-art-imitating-life moments.

Hit play to check it out.

Related links:

• Link - Tony Hawk Ride

Tags: Gaming Nintendo Wii Video Tony Hawk Tony Hawk Ride

VIDEO: Tony Hawk: RIDE brings Mii to Wii originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:51:41 +0100

Amazon has announced that in the States it will be offering digital access codes for more than 200 PlayStation Network games and related content for the PS3 and PSP.

This follows the similar news back in April that Amazon customers would be able to buy Xbox LIVE games, subscription cards and Microsoft Points cards.

"We are excited to expand our current library of video game platform downloads", said Paul Ryder, vice president of consumer electronics for Amazon.com. ?

"PlayStation Network games are an important addition and we plan to continue making it easier for customers to instantly enjoy new content as well as their favourite games from the comfort of their living rooms".
?
Digital access to PlayStation Network games works on a code-redemption system and is live over on Amazon.com now.

Tags: Gaming PS3 Sony Amazon Playstation Network

Amazon offers digital access codes for PlayStation Network content originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:07:45 +0100

It's a little way off yet, due on 20 November this year, but if you want to show your support for the Children in Need appeal, then skins company Wrappz has you covered.

It is currently offering a variety of polka-dot decorated skins for a range of popular gadgetry. There are themed skins on sale for various iPods, the iPhone, Nintendo DS and Wii, PSP and PS3, as well as a fair few other popular mobile phones.

Pricing is ?4.99 for the skins for smaller gadgets and ?12.99 for larger items. Wrappz will donate a not-at-all bad ?3 and ?6 respectively to the cause for each skin sold.

Related links:

• Shop - Wrappz

Tags: Audio Skins Gaming Nintendo Wii Phones iPhone accessories BlackBerry BBC Wrappz Children in Need

Children in Need Wrappz available originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:56:26 +0100

Microsoft should expect it to be an Xbox 360 Christmas this year if search queries for the games console are anything to go by.

Although the launch of the PS3 Slim caused a massive spike of interest according to search analytics firm Hitwise, Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is consistently ranking highly in searches suggesting its popularity will be strong come the Christmas rush.

"For most of 2009 the Microsoft Xbox 360 has been the most searched for games console in the UK, while the popularity of the Nintendo consoles has waned significantly", says Robin Goad, Hitwise UKs research director.

Good news for Sony is that its PS3 has maintained second place throughout most of year while Nintendo has struggled following its massive success in 2008.

Without the Wii Fit to dominate Christmas wish lists, as it did last Holiday season, Xbox 360 games are the most popular options, after all-format titles, picking up 11.9% of searches according to the firm.?

Read

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 Microsoft Sony Hitwise Nintendo Survey

Christmas 2009: The year the Xbox 360 should rule the roost originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:31:44 +0100

VMware, the company behind the software package that allows you to run Windows on a Mac, has announced it will be launching its latest version, VMware Fusion 3, at the end of October.

According to the company, the package that launches on the 27 October will add over 50 new features and is "the best way to run Windows on a Mac", including a strong focus on letting you run games on the ungame friendly Mac OS.

Key highlights will be Snow Leopard support and the ability to run all versions of the new Windows 7 OS from Microsoft.

However, the company is also promising easier switching options and the ability to support OpenGL 2.1 and DirectX 9.0c to run games without rebooting the machine.

The new software package will cost $79.99 or $39.99 for users wishing to upgrade.

Read

Tags: Gaming Software Apple VMware VMware Fusion 3 Windows Windows 7 Microsoft

VMware Fusion 3 brings gaming to Mac, proper originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:46:12 +0100

The Sony PSP has been out less than a week, but already retailers are slashing the prices of the PSP Go in the UK.

Amazon.co.uk, Play.com, HMV and GAME have cut 11% off the RRP taking the price of the console from its original ?225 down to ?199.

The move appears to be an attempt to lure gamers away from other handheld consoles like the Nintendo DS and Apple iPod touch and make it the console of choice in the Christmas stocking.?

However, the price drop still makes it more expensive than both the Nintendo DSi (priced at ?139.99) and the 8GB Apple iPod touch (priced at ?149.99).

Sony is hoping that the bigger screen compared to its rivals, and downloadable content will be the killer application to help it win the handheld console battle this Christmas, retailers it seems, aren't so sure.

?

?

?

Tags: Gaming PSP Sony Amazon Play HMV GAME PSP Go

Sony PSP Go price cut originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:37:32 +0100

Activision has finally ponied up the full tracklisting for DJ Hero, and it comprises 93 exclusive mashups that span rock, rap, techno, house, pop, indie, psychadelia and classical tracks.

Here's the full list, but before you start scrolling, you might want to be reminded that the game will be out on 30 October and cost ?110 with the turntable kit. At the time of writing, though, Amazon is doing the kit for ?90 on pre-order, so that might be worth checking out, too.

2Pac - All Eyez On Me vs. The Aranbee Pop Orchestra - Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)
50 Cent - Disco Inferno vs. David Bowie - Let's Dance
50 Cent - Disco Inferno vs. InDeep - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
Afrika Bambaataa - Zulu Nation Throwdown vs. Freedom Express - Get Down
Beastie Boys - Here's A Little Somethin' For Ya vs. DJ Shadow - The Number Song (2009 Version) (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
Beastie Boys - Intergalactic vs. Blondie - Rapture
Beastie Boys - Lee Majors Come Again vs. Daft Punk - Da Funk (Produced and mixed by Cut Chemist)
Beck - Where It's At vs. DJ Shadow - Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)
Bell Biv DeVoe - Poison Beat Juggle
Bell Biv DeVoe - Poison vs. Beastie Boys - Intergalactic (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
Bell Biv DeVoe - Poison vs. Cameo - Word Up!
Benny Benassi - Satisfaction vs. Ti?sto - Elements Of Life
Billy Squier - The Big Beat vs. N.E.R.D. - Lapdance (DJ-Guitar mix)
Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow vs. Benny Benassi - Satisfaction
Bobby Blue Bland - Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. 2Pac - How Do You Want It
Bobby Blue Bland - Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City vs. Connie Price & The Keystones - Fuzz And Them
Boogie Down Productions - Jack Of Spades vs. David Bowie - Let's Dance (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - Bustin' Loose vs. The Zombies - Time Of The Season (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - Bustin' Loose vs. Young MC - Bust A Move
Common - Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.) vs. Masta Ace - Jeep A** Gutter (Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir RMX) (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain vs. Classics IV - Spooky
Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain vs. David Axelrod - The Edge
Daft Punk - Around The World vs. Young MC - Bust A Move
Daft Punk - Da Funk vs. N.A.S.A. - Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip
Daft Punk - Megamix 1
Daft Punk - Megamix 2
Daft Punk - Robot Rock vs. Hashim - Al Naafyish (The Soul) (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
Daft Punk - Robot Rock vs. Queen - We Will Rock You
Daft Punk - Short Circuit vs. Boogie Down Productions - Jack Of Spades
Daft Punk - Technologic vs. Gary Numan - Cars
Daft Punk - Television Rules the Nation vs. No Doubt - Hella Good
David Axelrod - The Edge vs. Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B. Is President
Dizzee Rascal - Fix Up, Look Sharp vs. DJ Shadow - Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)
Dizzee Rascal - Fix Up, Look Sharp vs. Justice - Genesis
DJ Shadow - Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def) vs. D-Code - Annie's Horn
Eminem - My Name Is vs. Beck - Loser
Fedde Le Grand - Put Your Hands Up For Detroit vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn - I Can't Stop (David Penn Remix)
Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench vs. Beastie Boys - Sabotage (DJ-Guitar mix)
Foreigner - Juke Box Hero vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs - DJ Hero (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
Foreigner - Juke Box Hero vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs - DJ Hero (DJ-Guitar mix, produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
Gang Starr - Just To Get A Rep vs. Mobb Deep - Shook Ones, Pt 2 (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc. vs. Blondie - Atomic
Grandmaster Flash's - Boom vs. Tap (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool, DJ Demo - Here Comes My DJ vs. Gary Numan - Cars (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl vs. Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl vs. InDeep Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl vs. Rick James - Give It To Me
Herbie Hancock - Rockit Beat Juggle
Herbie Hancock - Rockit vs. N.E.R.D. - Lapdance (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
InDeep - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life vs. Cameo - Word Up!
Jackson 5 - I Want You Back vs. Gang Starr - Just To Get A Rep (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
Jackson 5 - I Want You Back vs. Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life (DJ-Guitar mix)
Jackson 5 - I Want You Back vs. Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
JAY-Z feat. Pharrell - Change Clothes vs. 2Pac - All Eyez on Me
JAY-Z - Izzo (H.O.V.A.) vs. Eminem - My Name Is
JAY-Z - Izzo (H.O.V.A.) vs. Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
JAY-Z - Excuse Me Miss vs. Rick James - Give It To Me
Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff vs. Masta Ace - Born To Roll
Jurassic 5 - Jayou vs. Billy Squier - The Big Beat
Jurassic 5 - Jayou vs. Herbie Hancock - Rockit
Kid Cudi - Day 'N' Nite vs. Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow
Kool Moe Dee - How Ya Like Me Now vs. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman - I Like To Move It
Little Richard - Tutti Frutti vs. Shlomo - Beats (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
M.I.A. - Paper Planes vs. Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B. Is President (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
M.I.A. - Paper Planes vs. Wale - Lookin' At Me
Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine vs. David Bowie - Let's Dance
Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine vs. Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.
Mot?rhead - Ace Of Spades vs. Noisia - Groundhog (DJ-Guitar mix)
N.A.S.A. - Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip vs. Isaac Hayes - Theme From Shaft
Noisia - Groundhog Beat Juggle (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
Paul van Dyk - Nothing But You vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn - I Can't Stop (David Penn Remix)
Public Enemy - Shut 'Em Down vs. Beck - Where It's At
Public Enemy ft. Zakk Wylde - Bring The Noise 20XX vs. Justice - Genesis (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde - Bring The Noise 20XX (DJ-Guitar mix)
Q-Tip - Good Thang vs. Billy Squier - The Big Beat (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
Queen - Another One Bites The Dust vs. Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
Queen - Another One Bites The Dust vs. Daft Punk - Da Funk
Rihanna - Disturbia vs. Kid Sister - Control
Rihanna - Disturbia vs. The Killers - Somebody Told Me (DJ-Guitar mix)
Rihanna - Disturbia vs. The Trammps - Disco Inferno
Shlomo - Beats vs. Billy Squier - The Big Beat
Street Sweeper Social Club - Fight! Smash! Win! vs. Beastie Boys - Intergalactic (DJ-Guitar mix)
Tears For Fears - Shout vs. DJ Shadow - Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)
Tears For Fears - Shout vs. Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B. Is President (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
Tears For Fears - Shout vs. Eric Prydz - Pjanoo
The Aranbee Pop Orchestra - Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental) vs. LL Cool J - Rock The Bells (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
The Scratch Perverts Beats and Pieces (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
The Killers - Somebody Told Me vs. Eric Prydz - Pjanoo
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby vs. MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby vs. Paula Abdul - Straight Up
Wale - Lookin' At Me vs. Black Eyed Peas ft. Tippa Irie - Hey Mama
Weezer - Beverly Hills vs. Evidence, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa & 88 Keys - Fresh Rhymes And Videotape (DJ-Guitar mix)
Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music vs. Gang Starr - Just To Get A Rep (DJ-Guitar mix)

Read

Related links:

• News - DJ Hero gets "Renegade Edition"

Tags: Gaming Music games DJ Hero Activision Xbox 360 PS3 PS2 Nintendo Wii

DJ Hero gets full tracklisting originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:56:16 +0100

Last week's launch of the PSP Go was met with a fair bit of excitement, adding to that is the fact that certain retailers are reducing their prices already, one of which, Play.com, is selling the console for ?199.99 as opposed to its RRP of ?224.99.

The console weighs in at 160g and is just 66mm thick so lives up to its portable ambitions, however the controls and perhaps the screen, at 3.8 inches, might be a bit fiddly for some. There is no UMD drive, the Go having 16GB of internal memory instead, which can be increased to 32GB with the aid of a memory stick.

It has 802.11b Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and has video-out, in case you want to load videos up to your TV screen. Make sure you take a look at the full hands-on photo gallery (link below) before checking out the deal.

Related links:

• Photos - Sony PSP Go
• Shop - Play.com

Tags: Gaming Gaming hardware PSP Go Sony Play Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: £25 off Sony PSP Go originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0100

Wow. Is it just me, or are game trailers getting to be as good, if not better, than movie trailers?

You'd think that the shoot 'em up genre would be exhausted by now, but this new offering boasts such incredible graphics, it's almost like being part of a Ridley Scott movie.

Awesome stuff.

If you've seen a video online that you want to tell us about email us? via the feed back form.

Tags: Video Websites Software Online Gaming

VIDEO OF THE DAY - Modern Warfare 2 trailer originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO has echoed comments by Bill Gates earlier in the year saying that Project Natal could make it in to the boardroom.

In an interview with the BBC's business editor, Robert Peston, Ballmer told how "customers" are already asking for the new motion controlled bolt-on for the Xbox 360 in the boardroom:

"Initially you will see it just for gaming, but we are already getting customers saying that they could use it in their business, that it would be great in their conference room, so I am sure we will find other applications as well".

The comments show that Microsoft isn't just looking at motion controlled gaming, but possibly a new way to control our PCs in the future beyond touching a screen.

Back in July Bill Gates said that the company was considering camera-based controls for a future version of its Windows operating system.

Talking about future tech, Gates said: "I'd say a cool example of that, that you'll see... in a little over a year, is this (depth) camera thing".

Stating it was not just for games, Gates explained: "but for media consumption as a whole, and even if they connect it up to Windows PCs for interacting in terms of meetings, and collaboration, and communication".

"Both the Xbox guys and the Windows guys latched onto that and now ever since they latched onto it the idea of how it can be used in the office is getting much more concrete, and is pretty exciting".

The news follows Microsoft confirming that publishers actively working on games for “Project Natal” include Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, CAPCOM, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ and Ubisoft.

?

?

Read

Tags: Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Steve Ballmer Project Natal

Microsoft Project Natal not just for the boardroom originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:37:05 +0100

First off, as far as the winner for last month goes, we'd like to offer our congratulations to Tony Hedges for his comment on the HTC Hero review and all his input during its release. We'll be sending him a TomTom XL Live IQ Routes Europe.

For the month of October Pocket-lint has teamed up with Omio to bring you the chance of winning a Nokia 5530 XpressMusic.

The phone features a 2.9-inch touch interface and a homescreen that offers one touch shortcuts to the likes of Facebook and MySpace, and as with similar Nokia phones, the 5530 gets the scrolling "Contacts Bar" for direct access to 20 people and their latest conversations and updates.

Being an XpressMusic model playback is all important and it doesn't disappoint with up to 27 hours of playback time, as well as a 3.2-megapixel camera along with Wi-Fi rounding off the package.

If you're weren't sure of what Omio is all about, here's a quick run down in their own words:

?Omio.com is a mobile phone comparison site that uses an innovative interface to help users navigate the vast array of mobile phone deals and phones from all the major mobile manufacturers".

"Users can filter over half a million deals by anything from price to colours, ensuring they get the right deal at the right price. Whether you're looking for a new phone or simply want to research what's available, Omio.com offers the most up-to-date information".

The rules of the competition are simple, you can enter as many times as you like by simply commenting on any story. It doesn't have to be in depth, detailed or technical, but it does have to be useful, helpful or funny.

You don't have to sign up to comment on the stories, we just ask for your name, location and email address - that does not show up online and is not passed on.

So get commenting and the winner will be chosen at the end of October.

Related links:

• Video - Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

Tags: Audio Biz Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness TomTom GPS Competitions Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

Win a Nokia 5530 XpressMusic originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:30:10 +0100

Harmonix has announced a ten-song pack of downloadable content for Rock Band. The songs are all from one band - British rock legends Queen. The pack comprises of:

Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, One Vision, Fat Bottomed Girls, I Want It All, I Want to Break Free, Killer Queen, Somebody to Love, Tie Your Mother Down, and Under Pressure.

The band is about to release another best-of collection - this time compiling its three best-of collections into a single CD titled "Absolute Greatest". All the songs in the pack are on the record, except Fat Bottomed Girls and Tie Your Mother Down.

The DLC pack will be available on 20 October.

Read

Related links:

• News - Iggy Pop turns up in Lego Rock Band

Tags: Gaming Xbox 360 PS3 Rock Band Harmonix Queen Music games

Rock Band gets ten-song Queen pack originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:04:27 +0100

Sony is to offer a unique series of multi-player gaming events in the States that will see forthcoming PS3 game "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" played on the big screen.

Powered by Sony Electronics 4K digital cinema technology, which provides image resolution four times greater than high-definition consumer televisions, it's angled as a way to promote cinemas as "digital entertainment destinations" rather than just movie theatres.

The "sneak peek" events will take place on 5 and 6 October at the Landmark Embarcadero, San Francisco, California, Muvico Theaters, Rosemont, Illinois, Muvico Theaters, Thousand Oaks, California and Lincoln Square Cinemas, Bellevue, Washington.

Tags: Gaming Cinema Sony Uncharted 2 Among Thieves PS3 Adventure games

Uncharted 2 to debut on the big screen originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:02:47 +0100

We haven't heard much OnLive news since it was announced back in March, but the company has just revealed, via its blog, that things are looking good for the future of the games service thanks to some new funding.

OnLive has received a "major" boost to its bank balance with investment from companies including AT&T Media Holdings, Lauder Partners, Warner Bros, Autodesk and Maverick Capital.

OnLive is described as "a revolutionary, on demand video game platform delivering the latest and most advanced games instantly, on any TV via a sleek, inexpensive MicroConsole, or on almost any PC or Mac".

The blog states: "We are both pleased and inspired that our investors share this vision with OnLive. Not only do they see the value in OnLive in particular, but they also understand the significance of what OnLive is doing to lead a massive sea change in interactive media distribution".

Only time will tell whether the service can deliver on its promise of no high-end hardware, no upgrades, no endless downloads, no discs, no recalls and no obsolescence.

Pocket-lint will keep you posted.

Read

Related links:

• News - Revolutionary "OnLive" games streaming unveiled
• VIDEO - OnLive teaser

Tags: Gaming OnLive Gaming hardware Biz AT and T Warner Bros

Revolutionary gaming co OnLive secures "major investment" originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:31:14 +0100

Since Sony waved goodbye to the UMD, those wishing to upgrade/splash out on the PSP Go are going to be getting awfully familiar with the PlayStation Store. Now we know that change can be a difficult thing to get used to, so, to help ease the move from one format to t'other, do have a read of this here Pocket-lint guide on how it all works.

Do I need to use the PlayStation Store?

How do I download onto my PSP Go?

What kind of content can I find on the store?

What about my UMDs?

Can anyone use the PS Store?

Related links:

• Feature - The first 13 PSP Minis on the Playstation Store
• News - Free game kick-start with the PSP Go
• News - Gran Turismo finally to get PSP release
• News - PSP Go arrives on shelves
• Feature - The history of the Sony PSP

Tags: Gaming PSP PSP Go Sony PlayStation Store PSP Minis

Quick guide to the PlayStation Store for PSPs originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:29:11 +0100

Last October, we posted a story with a quote from Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida who said that the company had a development team working on Gran Turismo on the PSP, but that it wasn't ready yet.

Nearly a year later, Sony has finally announced that the game is getting a release on the console. The PSP edition contains more than 800 vehicles from real-world car manufacturers, all with driving dynamics specific to each model. There's over 4500 paint variations, too.

You can race them around 35 tracks, and "70 variations on those tracks" (which just sounds like you can go round each one backwards) that include original courses, world circuits, city courses and other racing environments.

Various gameplay modes are available - driving challenge, single player, time trial and drift trial, and multiplayer is accomplished through the PSP's ad-hoc mode with a series of head-to-head races that handicap faster drivers with slower cars. You'll also be able to trade cars with other players.

Gran Turismo PSP comes on UMD but also as a downloadable product via the PSNetwork for owners of the all-new PSP Go - which doesn't take UMDs. It's out in the United States now, we'll keep you posted on European availability.

Related links:

• News - Gran Turismo PSP still in development
• News - Sony announces special Gran Turismo PSP bundle

Tags: Gaming PSP Racing games Sony Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo finally to get PSP release originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:28:51 +0100

We were beginning to think it was never going to happen but, just like that, the PSP Go has arrived and, with it, the much anticipated PSP Minis.

There are 13 to choose from as of today, expected to grow to 50 by the end of the year. Each is no larger than 100MB and all are under ?4. So far, this is how they line up:

Alien Havoc

Price

?3.99

Developer

CREAT Studios

Genre

Arcade

Price

?3.49

Developer

Hands On Mobile Inc

Genre

Puzzle

Price

?3.99

Developer

Hands-on Mobile Inc

Genre

Arcade

Price

?2.49

Developer

Beatshapers

Genre

Break out

Price

?3.99

Developer

Subatomic

Genre

Strategy/Arcade

Price

?3.49

Developer

Complete IT

Genre

Strategy/Arcade

Price

?3.49

Developer

Solus Games

Genre

Fighting

Price

?3.99

Developer

Gamesloft SA

Genre

Action Adventure

Price

?2.49

Developer

Honeyslug

Genre

Puzzle/god game

Price

?3.99

Developer

Cowboy Rodeo

Genre

Arcade

Price

?2.49

Developer

Farmind

Genre

Puzzle

Price

?3.99

Developer

EA

Genre

Puzzle

Price

?3.99

Developer

Impressionware SRL

Genre

Puzzle/Strategy

Related links:

• Feature - Top five PSP games to have in your collection
• News - Free game kick-start with the PSP Go

Tags: Gaming PSP Sony PSP Go Features Strategy games Puzzle games Championship Manager Tetris

The first 13 PSP Minis on the Playstation Store originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:03:59 +0100