Games and gear

Sony's PSP has long been a favorite topic among rumor mongers, the latest nugget coming from the BBC about a British Telecom version that would function as a phone among other new features. Nothing has been confirmed, but reports are circulating about some patent filings by Sony for just such a device.

According to the schematic diagrams in its proposal, at least one version of a PSP phone would have a rotating screen not unlike other handsets now on the market. Depending on how the display is positioned, MobileWhack says the device can be used as a PSP, phone … Read more

The Transformers are hitting the big screen this July 4, and that means a whole lot of merchandising going on. Among the hordes of Transformers toys are Hasbro's Real Gear Transformers, a series of toy electronics that turn into robots. Remember Soundwave, the Transformer that became a tape deck? This is the next generation. Click for a slide show of all six Real Gear Transformers, plus the real-life gadgets we think they most resemble.

Do you think you're good at video games? Compared to these guys, you probably aren't.

The World Cyber Games is the world's largest professional gaming league, and it's kicking off its U.S. Open tournament series this weekend in New York. Pros from all across gamerdom are competing in this weekend's tournament for over $20,000 in cash and prices and a berth in the USA National Final tournament. Among the competitors in the U.S. Open are professional Starcraft gamer "Red_ScorpiO" (Ralph Geunhwa), professional Dead or Alive 4 gamer "Master" (… Read more

No one puts Baby in a corner, but someone is about to put her in a video game.

Codemasters Online Gaming announced plans this week for a game version of Dirty Dancing to coincide with the film's 20th anniversary. Codemasters describes the upcoming PC title as a "premium, action puzzler casual game" through which players can experience main character "Baby" Houseman's 1963 summer adventures at a Catskills resort.

This will, of course, include doing some major choreographed hip grinding with resident dance gurus Johnny and Penny and working alongside the team at the fictional … Read more

Nintendo said Wednesday that its Wi-Fi Connection service--which allows Nintendo DS users to play wirelessly against each other--has surpassed 5 million users.

All told, the video game giant said, users have initiated more than 200 million sessions, playing games like Animal Crossing: Wild World, Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime Hunters and others wirelessly.

And despite the attention paid to next-generation video game systems like the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360, the DS is currently the best-selling system of all, having moved 470,000 units in April, according to NPD Group.

If you've looked at a television, a movie screen, or a billboard at any time in the last year, you're probably already aware that Transformers is coming. And if you've done any of those things in the last 20 years, you probably already know the story: transforming robots from another planet fight other transforming robots while Earth hangs in the balance.

Let's see...robots, cartoons, new movie coming out...yep, this means merchandising and lots of it. The Transformers movie is going to get toys, toys, and more toys. Transformers is getting everything from action figures … Read more

Before yesterday's firmware update, the PlayStation 3 couldn't upscale standard-definition DVDs to high-def resolutions--a once high-end feature that's now built-in to nearly all DVD players with HDMI outputs. But what's the real benefit of upscaling (or upconverting, as it's also known)? Despite some of the marketing hype claiming that upscaling will make your DVDs appear in true high-def quality, the increase in picture quality will never come close to matching that of native HD material (HDTV broadcasts, HD DVD, and Blu-ray). Moreover, the video quality improvement is completely dependent on how good the upscaling and … Read more

We managed to get a sneak peek at EA's upcoming Wii The Sims game, MySims. It's cute. It's really, really, really, really cute.

Unlike the make-a-Sim/live-your-life gameplay of The Sims or The Sims 2, the Wii's MySims focuses much more on helping out friends and building up a village. The result is a game that's part The Sims, part Animal Crossing, and part Lego Star Wars (without the blasters or lightsabers). You can build structures--starting with your own home but eventually others' homes, stores, and even dance clubs--out of basic blocks. Once you have … Read more

LOS ANGELES--I'm really wishing I brought my X-wing with me down here today.

As I arrived at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the opening of Celebration IV, the biggest Star Wars fan fest ever--which just happens to be timed to the 30th anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars--I saw endless numbers of people decked out in the attire of both the Empire and the Rebellion.

Which made me think I should suit up and join the fight. Alas, I left my wings at home.

But anyway, there are thousands of people here, many of whom … Read more