Tech Culture

Each year, after E3 comes to a close and financial analysts have a chance to sift through all the news from the gaming industry show, those analysts share their opinions on which companies did well and which left something to be desired. This year, a few analysts, speaking to Gamasutra in an interview, contend that it was Nintendo that did the best job of building hype for its products.

"Nintendo 3DS stole the show," Panoptic Management Consultants analyst Adam H. Kraus told Gamasutra.

His sentiments were echoed by another Panoptic analyst, Asif A. Khan, who told the gaming … Read more

The most popular game in the Facebook world is coming to the iPhone.

Gamemaker Zynga announced on Thursday the launch of FarmVille for iPhone--the same day that Apple begins selling its next-generation smartphone. Players can now tend their farms from wherever they find themselves and can get status updates regarding their farms via push notifications.

"Mobile devices are an extension of people's daily social lives everywhere in the world and the Apple iPhone is the most innovative breakthrough in this area," Mark Pincus, founder and chief executive officer of Zynga, said in a statement. "We are … Read more

When Microsoft showed off Kinect--its motion-gaming answer to Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation Move--at E3 this month, one key detail was absent: price.

Since then, many industry watchers have estimated that Microsoft will sell Kinect for $150 when it launches November 4. Even Best Buy, Amazon.com, and Wal-Mart, three major gaming retailers, have put the $150 price tag on Kinect listings on their respective Web sites.

So far, though, Microsoft officially has been mum on Kinect's price tag.

Realizing this, it is rather surprising to see that Microsoft's online store is now listing Kinect … Read more

Microsoft's new, slim Xbox 360 not only ditches the Red Ring of Death, the console monitors itself to determine if it's starting to overheat.

According to an Engadget post, which posted pictures of a "red dot of death" on its site, the new Xbox 360 constantly evaluates itself for overheating issues. If the console doesn't get as much ventilation as it needs to operate properly, a red light is displayed in the middle of the power ring, and the console shuts down by itself. Upon doing so, a message is displayed on the users' television, … Read more

Does the thought of geometry bring back stressful high-school math memories? Geometry Playground, a new exhibit opening Friday at San Francisco's Exploratorium, could help you rethink your associations with proofs, polygons, and acute angles by moving geometry from the textbook realm to, well, the playground realm.

The exhibit includes a series of experiential displays that let you do things like crawl inside giant 3D spaces; watch yourself in a big curved mirror as you try to play hopscotch; look into a tapered kaleidoscope to see a live video creating a 120-sided shape; and use a flashlight to "draw&… Read more

Sometimes the word "why?" is just an exclamation. We don't really expect an answer. We just wish something hadn't happened. Yet, perhaps you might be able to answer the "why" part of this question: Why has a laser manufacturer produced a Star Wars-ish laser that it proudly describes as being "the most dangerous ever created"?

I am indebted to Canada's National Post, which came across a product that really makes one wonder. It is called the Spyder III Pro Arctic.

Its manufacturer, Wicked Lasers of Shanghai, is rather excited about its potential.

May I quote its Web site? "Don't let the Arctic name fool you, this laser possesses the most burning capabilities of any portable laser in existence. That's why it's also the most dangerous laser ever created."

Personally, I didn't let the name fool me. You see, just below this claim to success, Wicked Lasers offers a very bright yellow warning: "Extremely dangerous is an understatement to 1W of laser power. At close range, this Class 4 beam will cause immediate and irreversible retinal damage."

Oh, and "it will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts."… Read more

E3 2010 is not even over yet, but the Entertainment Software Association--the company that puts on the annual games trade show--has announced dates for a 2011 version.

E3 2011 will take place yet again at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 7 to 9, which is about a week and a half earlier than the 2010 event. Even though the dates are different, the scheduling ends up working out to the same Tuesday through Thursday as in years past, which gives the big companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft weekday time to schedule press briefings ahead of when the … Read more

Amid all the hoopla surrounding E3, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told a Japanese publication this week that he plans to bring 3D functionality to the company's next game console.

"If you display a 3D image, the image quality becomes extremely bad, so we'd probably do it with the next system," Iwata told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. "We're thinking that the timing should be once the 3D television adoption rates crosses the 30 percent mark. We're looking at the adoption trends."

Iwata's comments seem to fall in line with Nintendo's recent … Read more

Tiny Planets is a new online destination for children built around the space exploration theme of the eponymous animated TV series.

The Web site, aimed at children ages 6 to 12, features games, videos, social networking, a virtual world, and the ability to purchase virtual goods with real money or points earned from participation.

To prevent cyberbullying and other dangers, kids must select from prewritten phrases to interact. The site doesn't allow free-form text entry. To avoid potentially inappropriate screen names, children select theirs from options provided at sign-up. The site does not collect any personal information from children, … Read more