stations

Xbox 360 again the most popular console among U.S. gamers

Microsoft has extended its streak of console sales leadership into its third year.

Research firm NPD yesterday released its game-market sales for January. Microsoft led U.S. console sales for the 25th consecutive month, tallying 281,000 units sold. At that sales level, Microsoft was able to grab 44 percent console market share. All told, consumers spent $338 million on Xbox 360 hardware, software, and accessories during the period.

Despite the Xbox 360's specific success, overall hardware sales for all devices were down 17 percent compared with January 2012, reaching $205 million during the period. Software sales hit $373.… Read more

PlayStation 4: What we expect, what it needs, and why

CNET's live coverage of Sony's event on Wednesday

Sony's February 20 event in New York City will likely mark the announcement of the PlayStation 4 and simultaneously usher in the next generation of console gaming. (Sorry, Wii U, but you're more last-gen than next-gen.)

Rumors mills are also churning out details confidently declaring that the Xbox 360 successor will also see the light of day before June's big E3 gaming show in Los Angeles.

Perhaps the biggest news? Both consoles could make their debuts -- gasp -- this year. That's a hyperspeed acceleration in … Read more

PS4 prototype controller revealed?

Sony will reveal the future of the PlayStation brand at a New York City event next Wednesday, but one of the company's surprises may have just leaked. Destructoid has obtained an image of what is rumored to be the PlayStation 4's new touch screen-equipped controller.

A "trusted source" has confirmed to IGN that the leaked PlayStation 4 controller image is indeed real, but is only a prototype. The final design could change. An industry source confirmed the same to gaming blog Kotaku.

The image matches up with previous reports, which suggested the PS4 controller would be … Read more

I heart iHeartRadio, and you will too

iHeartRadio is an old favorite of mine that lets you stream radio from over 1,500 live radio stations or create custom stations based on a song or artist. The best thing about it, though, is that your custom stations are completely ad-free.

Live radio stations from all over the U.S. are available, including everything from pop, country, rock, electronic, and urban, to talk and college stations. You can browse by genre or location and listen to music until you hit a song you don't like, then hit the Scan button to move on to another radio station (… Read more

Astronaut records song from space with Barenaked Ladies

Chris Hadfield may well be the coolest astronaut in the galaxy.

He spends his time hosting Google+ Hangouts; giving tutorials on how to clip one's fingernails while on the International Space Station; tweeting with William Shatner; and playing space guitar. Space guitar is pretty much like regular guitar, except it happens in zero gravity while in orbit above the Earth on-board the ISS.

Hadfield has applied his space guitar skills to a recording session where he played and sang live along with the Barenaked Ladies and a choir. A large screen projected his part over video so everyone was on the same page during the session.… Read more

How to make a video game console patch bay

Over the years you may have accumulated a lot of old video game consoles and, naturally, getting rid of them is not an option. After all, you've spent so much time with your beloved console. Like an old friend, full of memories and adventures, it's hard to let go.

Or maybe you're a collector who likes to play older games every now and then for the nostalgia. I'm in both camps. And unfortunately my television is not equipped with enough inputs to have all my game systems connected at once and ready to play at a moment's notice.

There is a solution to this problem! … Read more

Tesla's Elon Musk lambasts New York Times article

Tesla's CEO Elon Musk has become incensed over a news article critical of the all-electric car that was published in The New York Times last week.

"I do not think this is a he said, she said situation," Musk told Bloomberg West in an interview today. "It is really black and white. The facts are the facts."

The tussle got started after New York Times reporter John Broder wrote an article about taking the Tesla Model S out on a test drive in the East Coast's freezing weather. He claimed that the car couldn'… Read more

Awesome Antarctic research station can crawl out of the snow

Antarctica isn't the friendliest place on earth. It's cold. It's snowy. It's tough on researchers and tough on their research stations. The cold continent has seen its fair share of stations abandoned as they're slowly consumed by layers of snow and ice. A new research station is looking to outlast its predecessors by crawling up above the snow when needed.

The Halley VI research station is the newest addition to the family for the British Antarctic Survey. It's known as the "first fully re-locatable research station in the world." That means it's got legs and it knows how to use them.… Read more

In PS4, 'new playing options' to top better graphics -- report

Despite the talk of the PlayStation 4 becoming something of a graphics powerhouse, a new report suggests the importance of internal upgrades will be tossed aside in favor of "new playing options."

Sony plans to make a host of "new playing options" in its next console the focus of the device when it's unveiled on February 20, Japan-based news outlet Nikkei is reporting today, citing an unidentified Sony Computer Entertainment official. Engadget was first to report on the Nikkei's findings.

Rumors have suggested that Sony will unveil a major upgrade to its PlayStation 3. … Read more