Cori sent us treats! <3
(Credit: The 404/Sadacori)Believe it or not, the fourth host on today's episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast is the Nook, Barnes & Noble's e-book reader with a color touch screen and Wi-Fi. The device is currently sold out and on back order throughout B&N, so it wasn't easy to obtain. We had to walk 500 miles and battle a Nazgul to get it, but the in-studio demo was worth the wait. If you haven't seen a Nook up close, you're in for a treat.
Speaking of treats, the holidays come early for The 404 this year! Today's episode starts off normal enough, with another story about a crazed girlfriend who destroys her boyfriend's precious PS3 and a couple making their own paranormal activity to fund their wedding, but the real story is the package we receive halfway through the live show from dedicated 404 listener Cori (Sadacori in the chat room). We've received care packages before, but this one is definitely the best. Just check out the picture up top! Thanks a million Cori, we really appreciate all the Yuletide pounds! :)
Our ill-deserved holiday break is coming up in two weeks, and we get awfully lonely if we don't hear from you, so won't you leave us a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET and let us know how your holiday season is going? We'd love to hear your voices, but you can also e-mail us at the404(at)cnet[dot]com or add us on Twitter and Facebook as well!
EPISODE 481
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The economy may seem bleak, but the game lineup in 2010 looks promising.
Say what you will about the gaming industry in 2009. Yeah, it was a little rough, with consumers tightening their belts and only a few megahits. However, we did see price drops for all the major consoles, a gazillion new iPhone games, and a smattering of amazing titles, some of which we're still playing.
But forget about the past, it's time to look ahead and search out the most anticipated games of next year. Our list nearly doubles 2009's, so there is a lot to get excited about.
While most of the titles on our list are scheduled for a 2010 release (and yes, several were supposed to come out in 2009), needless to say some release dates are more iffy than others. Check out our slideshow to see if your picks match up with ours.
Click on an image to start the slideshow. (Titles are listed in order of release date.)
Don't see the game you're looking forward to in 2010? Make sure you let yourself be heard by mentioning it in the comments section.
It feels good to let the poison out every once in a while, so today's episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast is all about human vices, starting with a story about a controversial secret love scene in Dragon Age: Origins between two gay elves. While conservatives are up in arms about the cut scene, Wilson and Jeff stand by the Mature rating and hold parents responsible for making the final buying decision, but I have to play devil's advocate and ask why it's necessary to have sex scenes in video games in the first place; are there really gamers out there actually getting a kick out of seeing it, or is it just creating more trouble than it's worth?
While we're on the subject of nerds, World of Warcraft players are rejoicing at Blizzard's "ever-expanding line of merchandise" that now includes customized posters featuring your in-game WoW character. It's called Print Warcraft, and it's already so popular that the Web site is apologizing for its overloaded servers. We have a few problems with the idea of the service, so be sure to listen to the whole episode for our breakdown.
The last vice of the day might change the way you party on the weekends: a researcher in Russia has found a way to solidify your favorite liquors into pill form. Evgeny Moskalev of the Saint Petersburg Technological University has figured out how to turn alcohol into powder and pack the concentration into a "dry pill." We seriously doubt party animals in Russia will be able to measure out the exact vodka dosage needed to get blotto, but we'll raise our pill box to it anyway.
(Credit:
Otterbox)
We've also got two new user submitted theme songs thanks to PA Stubbs and David, and DON'T FORGET! It's not to late to enter for a chance to win one of ten Otterbox cases for your iPhone 3G or 3GS. All you have to do is leave a comment on yesterday's episode and wait to see if you win! The contest runs until noon tomorrow, December 4, so don't forget!
EPISODE 479
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Before you shell out hundreds of dollars on holiday hits like Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed II, and Uncharted 2, you could easily be enjoying some of this generation's classics for a fraction of the price.
Console games are expensive and this holiday season everyone is watching their budget. So when Black Friday arrives, resist the urge to go straight to the new releases rack and instead pick up a few of these gems for yourself or the gamer in your life. Besides, if you haven't played these epics before, they're new to you!
Click on over to our slideshow to see our top-rated picks for holiday gaming on the cheap. Most titles featured can be had for well under $30.
Will 3D gaming help the PS3, or is it a gimmick?
(Credit: Kotaku)Sony has a strategy for upping the quality of its content and providing an incentive for gamers to upgrade their home entertainment systems next year, and it involves the PS3 going 3D.
A presentation to investors yesterday underlined that the PlayStation 3 will be a fully 3D-capable game console by the end of 2010, and that a firmware update would share this upgrade across all existing PS3s. A few demos of PS3 3D gaming have been shown previously, but the news of an across-the-board firmware update is new. Of course, a gamer would still need a 3D-capable Bravia HDTV and glasses, the latter of which haven't been announced yet.
We're curious how the quality will be--Nvidia's 3D game technology, now being embedded into laptops, looks great, but requires a 120Hz monitor for fluid motion. But it's a smart idea, if manufacturers want anyone to adopt 3D tech, to include it as a Trojan horse inside laptops and game consoles. And we hope it works on HDTVs other than specific Bravias. It doesn't sound like the PS3 will double as a 3D Blu-ray player, but we certainly hope that's the case.
Does 3D gaming appeal to you? How about 3D movie-watching? We're certain to hear a lot more 3D news at CES.
(Via Kotaku)
Rumor has it Sony's in talks with Mozilla about porting Firefox over to the PS3.
(Credit: Gizmodo)We've been hoping for a while that Sony would replace the PS3's mediocre built-in Web browser with something more robust, so it's nice to hear that Sony might be in talks with Mozilla to port Firefox over to the PS3--even if it's just a rumor.
The folks at PlayStation Insider say they've "received a tip from a source very close to Sony" about possible conversations between Mozilla and Sony. No word on whether a deal is close, but having Firefox on board would put a little more wood behind the PS3's arrow in its battle against the XBox 360 and the Wii.
Do you agree?
There's no denying that the online multiplayer experience is a major selling point for video games like the just-released Modern Warfare 2. The ability to play with (and against) other players from around the world adds an expanded dimension and a social component that single-player titles lack.
But while the bulk of the mainstream media criticism of these games tends to focus on the violence, gore, and questionable ethics in such combat-centric titles, little is spoken about a growing issue that can affect online gamers playing any title: instances of racism, misogyny, and homophobia (see below for a Current TV video on the latter subject).
Increasingly sophisticated gaming networks such as Microsoft's Xbox Live and Sony's PlayStation Network allow players to communicate with one another before, during, and after gaming sessions via text and voice. Having participated in online gaming for more than a decade, I've heard every last profane muttering and expletive known to man.
But when my attention to online gaming shifted from the PC to the home console, I began to notice a comparatively more hostile environment. For whatever reason, this hostility usually came in the form of racial insensitivity and homophobic behavior.
Fast-forward to the current generation of games, and hearing racial epithets like the "n word" or homophobic slang like the "f word" shouted online is more commonplace than you might want to believe. Meanwhile, women who play in the male-dominated world of online gaming sometimes find themselves the victims of sexually suggestive comments and gender-based taunting.
(Credit:
Nexus404)
While this type of behavior and language is actively discouraged in polite society, that mindset is totally disregarded by some in the online gaming world. Odds are that if you play enough online, you'll experience it firsthand.
A quick survey in the CNET office of gamers who play online using voicechat told us that all had had at least one negative experience. And unfortunately, it only takes a single unpleasant match online to really slam you back down to reality.
Perhaps the cloak of anonymity that playing a video game online provides increases the prevalence of these instances. Or maybe the brutal reality is that social issues like racism are more of a problem than we'd like to admit. The fact remains that there are some seriously deranged and troubled people out there, and they are speaking into my headset.
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The Wii is coming to...Sports Authority?
(Credit: Nintendo)You might be used to buying your video game consoles only at an electronics store, but all that will soon change. National sports retailer Sports Authority announced Tuesday that it will start selling the Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit Plus in its stores.
Aside from being able to pick up a Wii and Wii Fit Plus, consumers will also find Sports Authority stores that boast a Wii "interactive fitness experience." The section of the store will have "knowledgeable fitness trainers allowing customers to try Wii and Wii Fit Plus before they buy."
While it's certainly interesting to see a Wii being used by a fitness instructor in a sports store, Sports Authority said it believes that it will help set it apart in the marketplace. According to the company, users will now be able to "satisfy their fitness- and sports-gaming needs under one roof."
But just how much of a benefit Wii Fit actually affords its users is up for debate. Sports Authority might claim that it helps users "achieve better health," but a recent study (PDF) from the American Council on Exercise found that the game offers a "very, very mild workout."
That could throw a wrench in Sports Authority's plans as it attempts to make the case that the Wii and the Wii Fit Plus make sense next to other products designed specifically to improve the health of its users. As appealing as it might be to some, Nintendo's game might not be able to stand up against fitness-focused products.
Regardless, Sports Authority has thrown its support behind Nintendo's console. The Wii and the Wii Fit Plus will be available in 102 stores starting on Thursday. It will be rolled out to remaining company stores by spring 2010.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
Sony took some heat for removing backward compatibility from the PlayStation 3 so early in its lifetime, but the elimination of such functionality has opened the door for re-releases of classic PS2 games like the God of War franchise. We already chatted with John Hight, Director of Product Development for Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, at Santa Monica Studio about what to expect from the Collection, so let's see what we think after a week's worth of playtime with Kratos and the final version.
In the God of War Collection, both God of War I and II have received major face-lifts and performance upgrades that are immediately apparent the moment you begin playing. The game's 60 frames-per-second gameplay is incredibly smooth, so much so that it's actually jarring when a cut scene of lesser quality leads into the action.
The games graphics have also been adjusted to fit HD resolution displays and, as a result, look fantastic even by today's standards. Some textures have been bumped up as well, though they may be less apparent.
Like Hight said, there is absolutely no difference in gameplay between the classic PS2 versions and the Collection. If you've played the original titles, there isn't anything new to discover here. We think the first two PS2 titles are perfect as is and we're glad their experiences were kept intact.
So is it worth it for veterans of the God of War franchise who've mastered the previous two games to buy God of War Collection? It's tough to recommend purchasing a rehash of a game to anyone who has played through the original. Sure it's nice that both games--and some additional video footage--are packed into one Blu-ray Disc and priced right at $40, but there are sure to be some PS3 owners who will resent the fact that they are essentially "buying" backward compatibility.
That said, die-hard fans of the series may find value in the technical upgrades and new PlayStation Network trophy support. Also, if you can't wait until March 2010 for God of War III, the Collection includes a voucher that will let you play through the entire E3 2009 demo--which, as it turns out, is one of the best sneak peeks we've ever played.
On Sale Now: $36.99 - $38.99
View the latest prices for God of War Collection (PlayStation 3)
(Credit:
Mad Catz)
On the heels of last week's official Xbox Wireless-N adapter release, today Mad Catz announced a similar, cheaper alternative that will provide your Xbox 360 with the same wireless capability. Priced at $80 it appears to be a no-brainer over the $100 Microsoft-branded adapter, and did we mention it works with the PlayStation 3, as well?
Instead of a USB interface, the Mad Catz adapter will have an Ethernet port, enabling you to use it with either console. Also in the box will be a 3.3-foot Ethernet cable, which should net you enough slack for optimal reception.
The Mad Catz Wireless-N Gaming Adapter is available via the GameShark store.
