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The 404 1,097: Where what kind of man dresses like a bird (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Apple patents game controller.

- Check out Shellrazer, out now and available for everyone.

- Spelunky is a 2D platform game for Xbox Live Arcade and PCs that demands patience and a lot of time.

- The Verge has bad news about your favorite game.

- Subscribe to Polygon's gaming podcast The Besties, featuring Russ Frushtick. … Read more

Gaming handhelds relegated to 'niche' status by iOS, Android

Nintendo's GameBoy and its ilk were once all the rage in the mobile-gaming market. Now gaming handhelds are little more than niche products, according to one analyst.

"Mobile devices will compete with dedicated handheld gaming devices, but select consumer segments like core gamers and those individuals who do not want or have a smartphone or tablet will still provide some demand," ABI Research senior analyst Michael Inouye said today in a statement on handheld gaming.

ABI Research believes Sony and Nintendo will ship about 38 million gaming handhelds in 2013. In 2008, the handheld business hit a … Read more

E3: Wii U GamePad puts a new touch on gaming

In today's show we're gaming with multiple screens, dodging Flame attacks and looking for a new direction from Apple:

The video game conference E3 rolls on and Nintendo has shown off the new gaming capabilities of the Wii U console, which will be coming out in time for the holidays -- but no price announced yet. Players will have to use the second screen in the GamePad controller to activate different game controls, camera views and features. In some games you might hold it up to the television screen to scan for enemies. But if you're playing … Read more

Is Monoprice's $5.28 PS Vita case a steal?

If you've shopped around for a case for your PlayStation Vita, you probably know that they can get pretty pricey. In fact, I recently wrote about WaterField Designs' Vita cases, which are sweet but retail for upward of $50.

Shifting gears, I decided to go the budget route and checked out Monoprice's $5.28 Brushed Aluminum Clamshell case in silver (alas, that price doesn't include shipping, which brings the total up to $7.82).

The verdict? … Read more

Why Sony's Beyond may be one of the most important games of E3 2012

LOS ANGELES--At Sony's 2012 E3 press conference, one of the high notes of the entire show turned up during the opening minutes. Beyond: Two Souls, a new game from designer David Cage and his company, Quantic Dream, showed a lengthy, if noninteractive, trailer. In one sense, it's a new game from a quirky cult favorite who shies away from mainstream gaming conventions. In another sense, it's Sony, the only console maker that also runs a major movie studio, embracing the true cinematic potential of games.

To fully understand why I think this is one of the under-the-radar highlights of E3, we should look back at why Cage (the nom de game of French designer David De Gruttola) is up there with Miyamoto or any of the other handful of name-brand game designers, by taking a look his unique genre-bending projects over the past 14 years. … Read more

Sony lets games do the talking during press conference

LOS ANGELES--At the company's E3 2012 press conference, Sony let a collection of exclusive software and features do all the talking. Spread across the PlayStation 3 and Vita platforms, there was certainly an impressive display of thrilling -- and most importantly exclusive games that are only available on Sony's machines.

Getting things started was David Cage, the head of developer Quantic Dream, the house behind the PS3 story-driven success, Heavy Rain. Cage announced Beyond: Two Souls, the next title in the genre-redefining resume of games his studio has produced. Adding some star power to Beyond is actress Ellen Page, who plays the lead character in the new title. … Read more

PlayStation Mobile and PlayStation Vita: Too many screens for Sony?

LOS ANGELES--If E3 2012 is The Year of the Second Screen, then what does that make Sony, a company that seems to have one too many solutions to a single problem? The PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation 3 form a perfect hardware tandem, theoretically: with as many inputs as a Wii U tablet and a screen just an inch smaller, the Vita could the PS3's best friend. … Read more

Microsoft has a new gaming handheld...and it's the iPad

LOS ANGELES--You can forget about your dreams of an Xbox 360 Portable. That's so 2006. No, at this year's E3, Microsoft did something much more surprising: instead of getting proprietary, it hopped on everyone else's platform instead.

Xbox SmartGlass was the touted application, service, technology -- whatever you want to call it -- that stood for a new product at Microsoft's E3 press conference this morning in Los Angeles. It needed some jolt of new produce excitement, arguably, and SmartGlass can stand in as this year's "what is that?" buzzword, a second-screen concept for turning seemingly any smartphone or tablet into an additional display when watching movies, playing games, or browsing online. … Read more

Live blog: Sony's E3 2012 press conference

More details of God of War: Ascension? A cloud gaming acquisition? A reason to care about PlayStation Move?

We've already outlined what we expect Sony will announce at this year's E3 press conference. To see the news as it happens, heat up some dinner and check back here on Monday, June 4, at 5:45 p.m. PT/8:45 p.m. ET.

While you're waiting, feel free to peruse our ongoing coverage of E3 2012.

Five most unlikely E3 2012 announcements

The days before E3 are always filled with endless pontificating and predictions. The lesson? Throw enough predictions up against the wall and something is bound to stick. Of all the ideas we've heard, you'll probably agree that these are the least likely to happen, although each one still seems like a potential blockbuster to us.

Nintendo SmellDS Nintendo finally explores the next dimension in handheld gaming: olfactory. (Nintendo promises: sense of smell not necessary to enjoy SmellDS; scent slider included.) Reggie Fils-Aime promises, "You've never smelled Super Mario...like this."

Double-glasses 3D We tried regular stereoscopic 3D, didn't catch on. We tried no-glasses 3D, not much better. The answer is finally here: combining two sets of active-shutter lenses for extreme depth, with only a slightly increased chance of migraines.… Read more