Games and gear

PhysX game shows promise

We finally got around to testing out CellFactor: Revolution for ourselves this week. To recap, CellFactor is a free downloadable game designed to show-off those fancy Ageia PhysX cards we're sure at least two or three of you may have purchased for your gaming PCs.

CellFactor is basically a straightforward fragfest, either with bots or with real players over a LAN. You can choose from three difference character types, but we spent all of our time with the Bishop character, whose psi-powers seemed best suited to trying out the advanced physics.

We definitely experienced some ooh and ahh moments … Read more

For those romantic nights with your Atari 2600

Dim the lights, chill the Courvoisier, and blow the dust off that Asteroids cartridge. It's time to give your vintage video-game system the affection it deserves. What better way to show you really care than lighting up a romantic display of candles sitting in ceramic replicas of the Atari 2600 joystick. The design is by Mixko and was spotted at this week's New York ICFF showcase.

(via BoingBoing)

Finally, a game to show off your DirectX 10 graphics card

It's been six months since PC gamers have been able to get their hands on Nvidia's GeForce 8000-series of 3D graphics cards, and this week saw the launch of ATI's own Radeon HD 2900 XT. All of these cards are DirectX 10 ready, which means they'll be able to play the next-generation, Vista gaming titles as soon as they're out. Today, thanks to the DirectX 10 demo of Capcom's Lost Planet, we finally get some software to put that next-gen hardware to work.

You'll need Windows Vista, and either an Nvidia GeForce 8000 … Read more

Flaunt your fanboyishness in Nintendo's new video contest

Nintendo is giving fanboy filmmakers a chance to shine, with its Short Cuts Showcase contest. Grab a camcorder (or animation software) and produce a Nintendo-themed video, then submit it to the contest site by June 6. The three best videos will be screened at Rockefeller Center's film showcase, June 19-22. The creator of the top-rated video will receive $10,000 and a trip to New York City for the screening, a meeting Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Craig Haktoff, plus a Nintendo Wii, a DS Lite, and games for both systems. The second and third place winners will get a … Read more

A cab with a view: two TVs, a laptop and a PlayStation 2

If New York is the business center of the United States and California is its imagination, then Austin, Texas, is the home of its tinkerers.

Exhibit A: cab driver Ricky Gray. Gray owns his cab--a minivan--but he doesn't want it to be ordinary, so he's outfitted it with a widescreen LCD TV in the backseat area that lets passengers watch TV shows, surf the Internet (with assistance with a wireless laptop beneath the front passenger seat) or play games on a PlayStation 2 wedged in the well between the two front buckets. There's also a flat-screen TV … Read more

Wii LED stand acts as cool as it looks

You've got a Wii, and you like it. A lot. And you want to show your affection by giving it a new wardrobe.

First, you might want to consider getting out more. Second, you have a lot of options, ranging from various colors to a full chrome job. But if you want something that's practical and pretty, there's the "Wii Crystal Cooler" from ever-prolific Brando. Not only does this console stand give off a blue LED light show, but Techie Diva says it also cools the box with a high-velocity fan. And your beloved Wii … Read more

And now, the 'Halo 3' Zune

We think it hardly compares with the "Simpsons" Xbox 360 as far as special editions are concerned, but Microsoft has come out with a promotional Halo 3 Zune, according to Engadget.

The company had said it would release the special 30GB media player next month, and GameStop is already taking pre-orders for a June 15 release at $250.

We'll get out our stopwatches to see how long it takes for them to show up on eBay.

'Halo 3' to launch September 25

Microsoft said on Tuesday evening, just hours before the Halo 3 beta was about to open, that the much-anticipated game will launch publicly on September 25.

This is the follow-up to Halo and Halo 2, which have been huge hits for the Xbox platform. Microsoft has been hoping it would be the monster hit it has been missing for the Xbox 360.

But reviews from a press event last week were mixed. Still, the fan base is huge and the game is almost certain to generate tremendous amounts of buzz, especially in the early going.

Microsoft also announced that next … Read more

There.com to add custom weather patterns

Users of the virtual world There.com may soon find themselves traversing many types of weather as they move around.

That's because There is planning on allowing anyone who owns zones, neighborhoods or property lots to set customizable weather and environments in their area.

For weather, they'll be able to choose from rain, snow or thunderstorms, and they'll also be able to choose from automatically changing weather.

They'll also be able to set environmental moods, including new dawns, high noon, romantic sunsets or moonlit nights, according to There's publisher, Makena Technologies.

Coming: The Oscars of virtual worlds

The tycoons, Anshe Chung of Second Life fame and Neverdie of Project Entropia riches said Tuesday that they are planning to launch what amounts to the Oscars of virtual worlds.

The so-called Virtual World Awards will celebrate the best achievements in visual artistry, technology, commerce and culture, the two said in a press release.

The idea is to produce the awards ceremonies in the respective virtual worlds. Submissions are being taken from now until November 15. Nominees for the awards will be announced next February, and the awards will be announced sometime after that.