shock

In a special Valentine for PC gamers, one of the most sought-after classic PC games of all time is finally getting a re-release. System Shock 2, a scary 1999 sci-fi role-playing game, is coming to Good Old Games, an online game retailer that sells DRM-free downloads of new and vintage games, starting February 14 for $9.99.

Regularly cited as the game visitors to Good Old Games most wanted to see, the rights to System Shock 2 have been tangled up for years between Electronic Arts and the company that aquired the IP once held by the orignial developer, Looking … Read more

The world isn't black and white anymore for the super slim PS3.

Sony's Japanese PlayStation division released information today about several new color options -- Azurite Blue and Garnet Red -- coming soon to the CECH-4000 series PlayStation 3. The reveal follows a German Amazon listing for the same variations that appeared last week.… Read more

With BioShock Infinite still months away, developer Irrational Games released a teaser trailer highlighting gameplay from the highly anticipated third installment of the series.

Previous BioShock games revolved around an underwater city called Rapture, but Infinite's story line -- set in the year 1912 -- takes place in a floating city names Columbia. We won't delve too much into the details, but the general synopsis is that the player "assumes the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, who is sent to Columbia to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned there since childhood," says the official Web site. … Read more

It's a Prizefight throwdown showdown! We're throwing two of the best point-and-shoot cameras that were made to outlast the elements. It's the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4 versus the Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS!

Panasonic's TS4 brings a sleeker design that's still rugged with better image quality results. Olympus' TG-1 is chunkier, but it brings a larger feature set and is even crushproof.

Both of these bad boys are waterproof, shockproof, and freezeproof; which do you think deserves to be crowned the Prizefight King of the Ring?

Cast your vote!

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Pitchfork's People's List polls readers for the best albums of the last 15 years.

- The new rise of a summer hit: Tweet It Maybe.

- How Murder by Death became the No. 3 most successful Kickstarter music campaign ever.

- The Internet has finally met its match: Avril Lavigne engaged to Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger.

- Lights turning off at Nintendo Power?

- Custom BioShock pinball machine is Rapturous.… Read more

There are plenty of geeky pinball machines in existence. You can conquer a pinball version of "Lord of the Rings," bash bumpers with Transformers, and roll your way through "Avatar."

What happens when the object of your obsession isn't available in pinball form? You make your own. Pinball hacker/maker rasmadrak is going all BioShock on a custom-made pinball machine.… Read more

I first posted this roundup not long after the iPhone 4 hit stores and it's been through several updates, and now only includes cases that fit both the iPhone 4 and 4S and carry the "universal fit" tag.

Update, May 15, 2012: Added Griffin Survivor and Gumdrop Drop Tech Series.

As I've said before, how you choose to protect -- or not protect -- your iPhone is a matter of personal preference. But if some heavy-duty shielding is what you're looking for, this is the list for you.

While I tried to pick tough, protective cases that look good and don't make your iPhone too bulky, a few of the cases have more extreme designs that aren't necessarily intended for everyday use. I should also note that some of the more rugged cases can be a bit of a chore to remove and aren't friendly toward iPod docks and certain charging accessories due to how recessed the ports become when the case is on.

… Read more

So you've purchased your new Mac and you've set it up in your home or office, but when you touched it--it might have been the chassis or the keyboard--you got a small shock. Don't worry; you aren't tempting fate or a trip to the hospital.

While annoying, the problem here is simply a matter of static electricity, which in the amounts most people encounter is not dangerous and does not indicate a fault in the system. In this case, your body has acted like a small capacitor (similar to that in a camera flash), and over … Read more

Download.com editor Jaymar Cabebe joins us as we discuss who's making money on Android, upcoming phones, and whether Google's new privacy policy violates its own "Don't be evil" mantra.

NEWS:

-How Google’s privacy policy changes will affect Android