Games and gear

Rumor Has It: Watch out, Pandora -- here comes iRadio

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference begins next week, which means that a lot of rumors will finally be put to rest. What probably won't be put to rest, however, are rumors about the next iPhone.

Other than iOS 7, one big thing we're expecting will be announced next week is the long-rumored iRadio. What do you think? What features would you like to see in iRadio? Hit the comments below!

Also on the show: AirDrop might be coming to iOS 7, and the Xbox One and PS4 get some prices out of nowhere, thanks to an analyst who'… Read more

The 404 1,282: Where the water is rising (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Apple banned from selling some iPhones and iPads after Samsung patent win.

- Aunt Jill on LinkedIn: What I Learned in Italy (or, Economies in Perspective).

- Venice floods put more than half of city underwater.

- GameStop to recall 8GB Wii U Basic -- but why?

- Forget what you know, next-gen consoles change everything.

- The Last of Us is now the best reason to own a PS3.

- Game over for used games: How Xbox One and PS4 could gut gamers' wallets.… Read more

'Into the Pixel' shows extraordinary video game art

While the next generation of gaming comes later this year, you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on a new system to see great graphics, as plenty of gorgeous games are coming for existing platforms.

"Into the Pixel" -- a juried video game art exhibition that shows off some of the greatest concept and production art around -- makes a return to the E3 2013 gaming expo in Los Angeles from June 11 to 13. We've gathered high-resolution images from all the winners, ranging from popular titles such as League of Legends to up-and-comers like Destiny. … Read more

The 404 1,281: Where we take our dosh to the bank (podcast)

Spotify's "Most Viral" songs of the week:

1. Bubble Butt - Major Lazer feat. Bruno Mars, 2 Chainz, Tyga & Mystic

2. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke

3. Royals - Lorde

4. Take Me - Tiesto

5. We Own It (Fast & Furious) - 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa… Read more

New sex sim aims for hottest VR action ever

With all the recent advances in user interfaces and head-mounted displays, there's little reason virtual sex can't offer a truly 21st century, nearly realistic experience.

That's the sentiment behind VRSexKit.com, a set of sex simulators in the works from ThriXXX, a company that has been a leader in adapting technologies like Microsoft's Kinect for virtual-reality sex play.

Though ThriXXX was quick to figure out how to use the Kinect in virtual sex, founder Brad Abram now believes Microsoft's motion-control camera system doesn't offer a "granular enough" experience. … Read more

GTA IV gets Google Street View

While you cool your jets waiting for Grand Theft Auto V, take a walking tour of GTA IV's Liberty City -- in Google Street View.

Fan site GTA4.net has had a map of Liberty City based on the Google Maps API since early 2009, and it has been a pretty fun -- and useful -- piece of software that shows users where they can find health, armor, and weapons pickups, as well as pigeons, stunt jump locations, and window-cleaning platforms. But now it has received the ultimate upgrade: Google Street View. … Read more

Halo to hit Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 in July

The famous Halo game series is making its first assault onto Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 in July.

Known as Halo: Spartan Assault, the $6.99 app is the latest in the Halo franchise, but was designed exclusively for Microsoft's PC and mobile operating systems. As such, people can play the game on a touch-screen device by tapping and swiping their fingers or on a computer by using a traditional mouse and keyboard.

"With Halo: Spartan Assault, we wanted to take Halo out of the living room and create a brand new experience that was built specifically … Read more

Retooled WikiPad primed for launch

After an aborted launch last Halloween, the WikiPad Android gaming tablet looks ready to finally hit the market. So says WikiPad Inc., anyway, who this morning declared that its unique gaming device will finally hit shelves this coming Tuesday, June 11 (aka the first official day of E3).

This new WikiPad, you may recall, is a shrunken edition of the 10-inch behemoth (itself an update of the original 8-inch version) the company was showing off last year.

This new model, which came to light this past February, has the same core features as the 10-inch model -- removable standalone Android … Read more

Atari dig aims to uncover infamous E.T. game cartridges

There's a special place 200 miles south of where I live. It's a place of legend, an ancient burial ground. Supposedly, a stretch of land near Alamogordo, N.M., is the final resting place for one of the most infamous disasters in gaming history: the Atari E.T. game.

According to a New York Times report from 1983, Atari dumped 14 truckloads of unsold game cartridges and other detritus into a landfill. "Guards kept reporters and spectators away from the area yesterday as workers poured concrete over the dumped merchandise," it reads.

The E.T. game earned its status as one of gaming's biggest bombs by pretty much stinking up the entire video game industry at the time. Critics and gamers alike hated the plot, the way it looked, and just about everything else about it. That's why Atari got stuck with several million unsold copies.… Read more