Gaming

Blindness doesn't stop game whiz

To most people, becoming an expert at video games like "Mortal Combat" takes hours of practice and a sharp eye.

But Brice Mellen, a 17-year-old from Lincoln, Neb., routinely knocks off opponents even though he's at a slight disadvantage. He's blind.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Mellen, who was born blind as a result of Leber's disease, became a game whiz through years of carefully memorizing key combinations, joystick movements and other in-game strategies.

Having cut his teeth on "Space Invaders," Mellen is now the alpha "Soul Caliber 2" player … Read more

Sex scandal leads to game rating change

The video game industry has changed the rating for the hot-button video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" from M for mature to AO for adults only.

The move follows weeks of mounting controversy over a software modification that allows players to unlock sexually explicit content in the game. The scenes elicited outrage from parents' groups and politicians calling for federal oversight of video game ratings.

The game's producer, Take-Two Interactive Software's Rockstar Games, said it stopped making the current version of the game and is now working on an iteration with enhanced security to prevent … Read more

Scarier than Resident Evil -- gamers with chainsaws

A recent announcement from NubyTech shows just how far the gaming industry has come since the days of the joystick.

The gaming accessories company, based in Santa Monica, Calif., said it will release Chainsaw Controller for Sony PlayStation 2 in October. The device, designed for the Resident Evil 4 video game, resembles a bloody chainsaw and comes with a ripcord that triggers a chilling roar.

"Resident Evil 4's stunning 3-D visuals come to life as players slice and dice their way through the undead," the company says on its Web site. "It's like taking the … Read more

P2P becomes a cash cow for PC gamers

Video game players will now be able to legally download PC games and earn cash back for sharing them through a closed peer-to-peer network, thanks to a new deal between Wurld Media and Trymedia.

The owner of the P2P site Peer Impact said it has opened its doors to the PC gaming provider in a contract that makes more than 1,000 titles available to Wurld Media subscribers. The two companies are currently in beta testing. Officials said Peer Impact is expected to have games available for download in the coming weeks.

Members earn cash back if they help redistribute … Read more

Orchestral maneuvers in the game

Bela Bartok drew on Hungarian folk songs. Aaron Copland famously recrafted a simple Shaker hymn. For contemporary composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, inspiration lies in video games.

Tonight, Tallarico will be a featured performer with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as it presents "Video Games Live" at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert will feature both a full orchestra and a choir, as well as a laser show, video clips and live characters. Games in the lineup include "Halo," "Metal Gear Solid," "Mario" and "Ghost Recon." Tickets range in price from $… Read more

China opens game-addiction clinic

My name is John, and I play computer games.

No, no, I don't have a problem, not like that. At least I don't think I do (although isn't denial the first stage of something or other?) But over in China, a new clinic is opening for people who show the "clinical" signs of video game addiction: "depression, nervousness, fear and unwillingness to interact with others, panic and agitation."

The Associated Press reports on the new clinic and others like it around the world, as well as the patients. Take the case of the … Read more

Sony wins injunction against PSP reseller

Sony has gotten a court injunction to halt a one-man PSP reseller in Britain, reports Channel Register and other sources.

Sony Computer Entertainment won an interim injunction to stop online retailer ElectricBirdLand from infringing its trademarks and selling PSPs imported from Japan and the United States before the official European launch date of Sept. 1, according to reports. ElectricBirdLand, run by Dan Morelle, has 28 days to prepare a defense and will be back in court on 18 July. In a Monday posting on his blog, Morelle said he is the first one-person online shop to face legal action from … Read more

PSP shows portable movies have potential

One of the big questions in Silicon Valley and Hollywood these days is: Do people want portable video? The Watchman, a portable TV from Sony, never achieved widespread popular cult status. The "usage pattern" as they say also differs from portable music. You can't walk around and use the device without sauntering into a telephone pole.

Yet, some early trials with TV on cell phones in South Korea, where people commute by train, show promise. (Because the early versions delivered phone on cellular networks, watching a soccer match could run $ but now it's on regular TV … Read more

Supercomputer checks chess grandmaster

UPDATE--Chess supercomputer Hydra took advantage of human weakness to beat Britain's top chess player Michael Adams in Game 3 of their six-game match worth $150,000 in prize money.

After Wednesday's grueling five and a half hour draw, a worn-out Adams resigned in a relatively short third game on Thursday. Not surprisingly, supercomputer didn't appear to be the least bit tired. Hydra now leads with 2 and a half points to one-half point for Adams.

The Hydra team refused to gloat saying they weren't out to expose human frailties but to improve the game of chess … Read more

Microsoft's Moore expects big things out of Xbox 360

Microsoft is setting some aggressive sales goals for its next-generation Xbox.

Apparently, it should only take the 12 to 16 months for the team in Redmond to sell more than 10 million units around the globe. This is according to Peter Moore, Microsoft's vice president in charge of marketing and resident Xbox pitch man.

Moore made the claim during his keynote at an Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) event in Kensington, London on Tuesday.

Certainly it's a better prognosis than Microsoft made four years ago when the original Xbox had trouble selling more than one million … Read more