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On this week's Digital City, we tackle one of the most contentious issues of our time -- Mac vs. PC -- as Dan offers an enlightened path to peace for both camps. We also hear about some free municipal Wi-Fi for the new Times Square pedestrian mall; a sweet TV/PS3 combo deal at Best Buy; and discuss the fate of the vaporware-like CrunchPad.

Later, Scott laments the lack of Microsoft synergy in the Zune gaming business model; we check out some new game releases, including Zelda: Spirit Tracks and The Saboteur; and debate the ethics of adding adults-only DLC to games.

Quick note: tune in next week for a chance to win a Zune HD!

Related links:
>>A modest proposal: Detente between Mac and PC laptop fans
>>Can Zune gaming compete?
>>Times Square gets free WiFi

>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
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This is what we get for calling our show "The 404." Despite literally everything going wrong on today's show (sorry, live listeners!), we get it in gear for what turns out to be a hilarious show, thanks to CNET reporter Caroline McCarthy who comes in and saves the day. Today, Jeff previews us on the latest Nintendo Wii games, including the new Wii Fit Plus, Super Mario Bros, Wii Sports Resort, and more!

Mezrich's new book about the founding of Facebook.

(Credit: Doubleday)

Caroline McCarthy of CNET News' The Social comes on the show today to give us her unique take on a bunch of different stories. First off, we want to apologize to ALL of our beloved live listeners. For one reason or another, our broadcasting engine pooped out and we were unable to broadcast live. All is not lost, however--you can still definitely download or watch the stream here! Rest assured that Jason Howell, aka Superman, is on the job. Thanks, Jason!

First up, Jeff tells us all about yesterday's Nintendo event, where he got a chance to preview a bunch of exciting new games, including the new Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. He also got a chance to try out the new Wii Fit Plus. Last year, when Jeff went onto the balance board to demo the original Wii Fit, the machine actually gave up and unplugged itself, committing console suicide, so we're all anxious to see if Nintendo beefed up this new version.

Caroline also surprises us with a very positive review of the new "Transformers" movie. It turns out that the movie is geared toward...teenage boys. Which makes us question why Caroline was there in the first place--what a cougar! She also tells us even more horrifying news about the upcoming Facebook movie based on Ben Mezrich's upcoming book, "The Accidental Billionaires." Caro tells us that Shia Labeouf and Michael Cera are being eyeballed to play the role of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, but the rest of us think those are both terrible choices. Actually, maybe it should be Labeouf; his portrayal of Zuckerberg would at least be more believable than his relationship with hottie biscotti Megan Fox in "Transformers 2." There's NO WAY a woman of that caliber would even sneeze in Lebeouf's general direction!

While Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary game designer behind Nintendo hits such as Mario and Zelda, did not make an appearance during Nintendo's big E3 press conference, we did get a chance to see him host a small, intimate behind-closed-doors session (no photos or video allowed) later in the day with a select group of journalists and developers.

Speaking through a translator, Miyamoto personally grabbed a controller to demonstrate the New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii, talked the crowd through a Wii Sports Resort demo, and showed video of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the new Zelda game for the Nintendo DS. But the real attraction was in hearing one of gaming's great minds hold court on a variety of topics, usually while his corporate minders cringed in horror (Miyamoto is as notoriously loose-lipped as Nintendo is secretive).

One new project Miyamoto said he was interested in pursuing was a software package for the Nintendo DS, aiming to make it useful as a carry-around digital device for everyday life. The examples he gave included being out shopping and being able to use the DSi's Wi-Fi connection to call up a map of the shopping mall you're in, or a classroom where teachers and students use DSi systems like a tiny tablet PC. "A program like that is something I've been interested in for a while," Miyamoto said.

Having worked on Mario games for about 20 years, Miyamoto says there's one thing he's been trying to do all that time--recreate the classic single-play Mario Bros. experience within a multiplayer environment. ... Read more

Wednesday's Nintendo press conference at this year's GDC 2009 shed some light on various details about the company's ambitions. We now know about the Wii storage solution and the pricing structure and details surrounding DSiWare. While we would have liked to see a new Wii title announced, instead we were treated to a taste of a brand-new Zelda title for the Nintendo DS.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will be the latest adventure in the Zelda franchise exclusively for the Nintendo DS. There's not much information on the title, but it seems this adventure will have Link as the conductor of a train, traveling from dungeon to dungeon. The game's art style is very similar to 2007's portable hit, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

Nintendo says we can expect Spirit Tracks to release by year's end, but for now you can enjoy this fresh new trailer of the game in action.

Team Teamwork presents: The Ocarina of Rhyme

(Credit: 8Tracks.com)

If you enjoyed Eric Franklin's post on 8-bit NES-style hip-hop, you'll definitely enjoy Team Teamwork's "The Ocarina of Rhyme." It's a mix tape of mashups that combines hip-hop tracks with the score to the Zelda game Ocarina of Time.

Team Teamwork produced the mix, which features unique tracks by Spank Rock, Common, Aesop Rock, Clipse, and my personal pick: MF Doom. Most of the songs fit well with the background score; for example, in "Fumbling Over Words," artist Edan Portnoy's intensity melds seamlessly into the rumblings of the "Battle" music from OoT, but other tracks, like Common's classic "I Used to Love H.E.R.," just sound too silly over the theme from the Hyrule Marketplace.

Stream the album above or download it here, and let me know what you think in the comments!

Someone in Japan plays Mozart and you are there!

Smule has quickly become my favorite iPhone app developer.

It's not that their apps have been particularly useful, but they're the ones I get the most excited about. From Sonic Lighter to Sonic Boom and Sonic Vox, these guys are IMO currently the masters of fun, cool, quirky iPhone apps.

Now they're going completely bohemian with their latest release, Ocarina. According to Smule, this is the first true musical instrument for the iPhone with no precompiled riffs.

By simply blowing into your iPhone's mic you'll create sound, and by holding the "holes" on the screen you'll be able to create music. After some practice, that is.

You have the option of choosing between modes including Dorian, Lydian, or my personal favorite--Zeldarian. With Zeldarian, you'll be able to play the Zelda theme from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Smule's site teaches the basics, from how to hold your new instrument to how to lightly blow. It even has an online score generator that lets you translate music into Smule's Ocarina language by telling you the proper fingering to create the song you want.

By far my favorite feature, though, is the ability to listen to other people playing all over the world in real time. There's just something really cool about being able to hear a guy in Japan play Mozart from a world away.

Ocarina is available from the App Store for 99 cents.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of monster hits like 'Donkey Kong,' 'Super Mario Bros.,' and 'The Legend of Zelda,' discusses his newest game, 'Wii Music.'

(Credit: James Martin/CNET News.com)

Last Monday, Nintendo released its latest would-be blockbuster game, Wii Music.

The new game, for the company's monster hit console, the Wii, is from Nintendo senior managing director Shigeru Miyamoto, one of the video game industry's true legends. This is the man who developed titles like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda, and who is viewed among gamers with a level of reverence that may be unsurpassed.

Wii Music is a participatory game that, at its simplest form, lets players have fun making music. Unlike hit franchises like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, which at their core task players with playing music on fake guitars and drums to the accurate beat of existing songs, Wii Music is more about putting musical tools in the hands of a broad spectrum of players, from kids to grandparents, and letting them find their own creativity.

For Nintendo, the game comes at an important time: the holidays are approaching and the company needs a new standard-bearer game to help sell Wiis during the coming months. To be sure, the Wii has never had any problems moving units--usually selling out within hours of retailers getting shipments. Still, with the economy rapidly deteriorating around us, even Nintendo could use some help.

And where better to look for that help than to Miyamoto, a man who is seen as the king of gaming creativity and whose nose for simple and silly fun may well be unmatched in the industry.

On a recent publicity tour for the game, Miyamoto took some time to sit down with CNET News to talk about the game. Nintendo mandated that the discussion be related solely to Wii Music, meaning that his former work was largely off-limits, except in the context of the new game.

Q: Where did the idea for Wii Music come from?
Shigeru Miyamoto: When we first came up with the concept for the Wii itself, we wanted the Wii to be a device that everyone in the house would relate to, so we needed to have several key software topics available for people to play: sports, health and fitness, and music. So that was the genesis for creating Wii Music. Our initial experiments were finding ways to use the Wii remote and nunchuk to perform different instruments, and then we experimented with using the Wii remote to conduct an orchestra. We found that both of those produced an experience that was fun. I've been a musician for the last 30 years, and I've thought back often on what is the most enjoyable part of playing and performing music. So we worked very hard to take the experience and joy of creating music and really implement that into the Wii Music experience.

Five college guys plan to spend their entire weekend playing Zelda--and they don't even have to apologize to their girlfriends.

That's because they'll be playing the Ocarina and wielding swords with a virtuous goal--raising money for Child's Play, a game industry charity that brings toys and games to children in more than 40 hospitals around the world.

(Credit: Zelda Universe)

The 72-hour Zelda Marathon, or Zeldathon, kicks off at 7 p.m. EDT Friday and will last through Monday--if at least one team member can keep his hand on a controller at all times. Sean Gonzalez, Pablo Penton, Bobby Martinez, and Andrew Julian will play from college radio station WRGP at Florida International University, where two of the players are DJs.

All the action will be Webcast here via live feed; the marathoners hope viewers will be inspired to contribute to the cause (via the ChipIn service on the donation page)--and not just with rupees.

"We all have free time at the moment and we figured it'd be good to try to raise money for Child's Play while also having a lot of fun," Penton said.

The idea, he said in Hylian (not really), came from other video game marathons, specifically the Super Mario Marathon.

The game guys do plan to get off the couch for bathroom and rest breaks, but say that at least one will always be actively Zelda-ing at any given time. They'll be tackling seven titles in the action-adventure series: The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, A Link To The Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess.