Entertainment

Game industry sees hardware sales plummet 42 percent

The latest data out on the gaming industry indicates one, simple message: times are tough.

Overall spending on game industry products in the U.S. in April hit $495.2 million, down 25 percent compared to the $657.5 million consumers spent during the same period in 2012, according to monthly sales data on the game industry from research firm NPD. Hardware sales were hit hardest with just $109.5 million spent on consoles and handhelds last month. That figure is down 42 percent compared to the same period in April 2012.

Once again, the Xbox 360 led the market … Read more

Low Latency No. 62: No one is safe

Low Latency is a weekly comic on CNET's Crave blog written by CNET editor and podcast host Jeff Bakalar and illustrated by Blake Stevenson. Be sure to check Crave every Friday at 8 a.m. PT for new panels! Want more? Here's every Low Latency comic so far.

The sounds of 'Star Trek': This man makes them happen

NICASIO, Calif. -- Growing up in the 1960s, Ben Burtt was such a big "Star Trek" fan that when he went off to college at a school where he had no TV, he had his father record the audio from each week's episode and mail it to him.

Sitting in his dorm room, Burtt would listen to the shows with headphones on, taking in each new episode with no pictures. But he didn't need the video to understand what was going on. "It was so vividly portrayed with excellent sound effects," Burtt said, "… Read more

Apple TV to add more prime-time shows with CW Network app

Apple TV is branching into app partnerships with television networks by striking a deal with the CW Network.

CW, a joint venture between Warner Bros. and CBS, confirmed to CNET that the partnership is indeed in the works. (CBS is the parent company of CNET.)

"We can confirm that we will have an app launching on Apple TV soon," a CW spokesperson told CNET on Thursday. "No launch date at this time. The app will have full episodes of our prime-time shows, and be ad-supported, without requiring authentication from a cable provider."

Apple TV already offers … Read more

Trekify Bing by searching for 'beam me up'

I like my Khan clad in real Corinthian leather, so I'm not warping over to the closest theater to catch "Star Trek Into Darkness." And while many fanboys and fangirls are, Trek enthusiasts can also try Bing for some animation that's as fun as a locker full of tribbles.

The search engine will respond to "beam me up" with a series of interactive scenes promoting the latest installment in the J.J. Abrams reboot series.

Clicking on the floating Enterprise brings you to the bridge (littered with furry friends), where you can explore the science behind concepts from the show like the tractor beam and the tricorder. … Read more

The 404 1271: Where we Carey on just fine without Yu (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Wrapping up CNET's coverage of Google I/O 2013.

- Nerd fight!

- Follow Bridget on the Twitter.

- Watch CNET Update every single day of your life.

- Make sure you tune in to find out how you can win one of six MLB/NBA 2K Sports prize packs!… Read more

Caption this: Google's giant I/O robot hand

It's Google I/O 2013 time, and that means revamped Maps, subscription music, Glass apps, and giant robotic arms!

At a Google I/O fete Wednesday night in San Francisco, partygoers took in sights including a shirtless Billy Idol, an electronic dance floor, and multiple robots roaming the joint.

One of the most rockin' robots had to be this giant hydraulic hand that picked up and crushed 55-gallon drums.… Read more

Annoyed theatergoer ejected after grabbing cell phone and tossing it

I think of it less as a cell phone than as a self-phone.

So in a land so fond of the individual's primacy over the group, it's inevitable that having a gadget that contains the whole of your life is more mesmerizing than, well, anyone else or anything else.

The proof of this in public places is constant. And yet some choose to fight back.

In the very latest incident of someone using a cell phone when they should have been watching a cultural performance, Kevin Williamson decided he'd do something about it.… Read more

Hop aboard the spaceships seen in 'Star Trek'

From the USS Voyager to the many versions of the USS Enterprise, "Star Trek" featured an assortment of ships as the primary backdrop for each installment of the sci-fi series. Now you can view all of the main ships in one convenient gallery.

As the follow-up flick "Star Trek: Into Darkness" arrives in theaters this week, moviegoers young and old will once again follow the adventures of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the rest of the Enterprise crew. It's a new spin on an old story, a tale that will surely captivate the senses.… Read more

Electric guitar, dinosaur top new Lego Mindstorms EV3 models

SAN FRANCISCO--If you don't think a playable Lego electric guitar, complete with the ability to play different notes and adjust pitch, is possible, you don't have enough faith.

Later this year, Lego will launch the third generation of its popular Mindstorms programmable robotics platform. Known as EV3, the third-generation kit will come with plans for 17 different models. But 12 of those models were created by members of an elite, hand-picked, team of Lego community members.

Now, with the eighth-annual Maker Faire hitting the San Francisco Bay Area this weekend, Lego is unveiling three of the 12 community-created … Read more