AP - SAN FRANCISCO — Electronic Arts Inc. said Thursday that sales of its latest “Madden” football video game grossed more than $100 million in its first week, the biggest launch in the franchise’s 17-year history and the latest sign of an improving outlook for the industry.

Filed under: Gaming

As you’ve probably already discerned from the headline and the pictures themselves, the images above supposedly depict the demo kiosks that Sony and Nintendo will be setting up in retail locations to lure people into buying the PlayStation 3 and Wii, respectively. Since the photos are low-res, a little blurry, and of unknown origin, they have all the makings of a jolly good Internet hoax, but we’ll play along for now and assume that they’re the real deal. So, what new information can we glean about the upcoming consoles based on their respective kiosks? Well, by mounting the LCD so high, Sony is obviously targeting taller individuals with its marketing strategy, while Nintendo is going after the brainier crowd as evidenced by the lack of any informational pamphlets adorning its display. With all of this speculation swirling around, one thing is certain, though: tucked behind the Wii kiosk’s center column are a bevy of first aid kits, for the inevitable injuries that will occur when arm-swinging gamers collide with innocent passers-by in the impending blood baths sure to plague our favorite big box retailers.

[Via Joystiq]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Read full story for latest details.

AFP - US video game powerhouse Electronic Arts (EA) announced deals to craft updatable advertising into software for games made for personal computers and Xbox 360 consoles.

Reuters - Electronic Arts Inc. on
Thursday said “Madden NFL 07″ turned in the best first-week
performance in the 17-year history of the football video game
series with unit sales topping 2 million.

TechWeb - Electronics Arts Inc. said Thursday it has inked deals with video game advertising network Massive Inc. and IGA Worldwide to embed ads into its games.

Reuters - Electronic Arts Inc., the world’s
biggest video game publisher, on Thursday said it struck deals
with two in-game advertising companies, taking its first steps
into the nascent online ad business.

Reuters - A federal judge on Thursday extended
for another 30 days an order preventing indicted online gaming
company BETonSPORTS Plc from taking bets in the United States.

AP - The upcoming video game “Need for Speed Carbon” will have more than just gleaming sports cars and streets to race on: Drivers also will be speeding past real-time advertisements for upcoming films, automobiles and other products.

Reuters - Microsoft Corp. will start
selling its popular Xbox 360 gaming console in India by the end
of September, a company official said on Thursday.

Filed under: Gaming

Sony Japan has unveiled the launch dates, prices, and specifications of the official PSP GPS and camera peripherals. The camera, which will be available in Japan on November 2 at a recommended retail price of ¥5,000 (approx. $43 US), is a 1.3 Megapixel affair capable of shooting both stills and 30fps video in conjunction with a built-in microphone. The GPS receiver will be available just over a month after the camera on December 7, and will be priced at ¥6,000 (approx. $51 US). Although the camera will be bundled with software that will let you add effects to photos after they are taken, the GPS receiver doesn’t come with any mapping software — the (semi) good news is that carrying cases will be included with the two devices. Both peripherals will work with a handful of different PSP games, although it’s not clear exactly how at present. If the official shots of the devices don’t whet your appetite, you better book your plane tickets to Japan, because Sony will be showing them off at the Tokyo Games Show on September 22.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

The game is based on 5 card stud poker the ranking of hands are the same as other poker games. You are playing against the dealer and your hand must…

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

Researchers at Rutgers University don’t seem to have lost any of their homebrew skills, taking an Xbox and an Essential Reality P5 gaming glove to create a low-cost alternative to traditional virtual reality rehabilitation systems — systems which can cost up to ten times as much. This project uses some custom-made software to deliver exercises designed to help stroke patients regain hand movement, with one “game” consisting of wiping “dirty pixels” off four vertical bars, while another asks the patient to make a fist fast enough to scare a butterfly off the screen. Of course, the system isn’t quite up to snuff with the more expensive options — it has poorer accuracy and no force feedback, for instance — but the researchers say it could still be a boon to clinics that can’t afford the pricier gear and could even potentially be further modified to allow for home-care with monitoring via an Internet connection.

[Via BoingBoing]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Gaming

Philips is ready to put the funk back into Internationale Funkausstellung, where at this year’s consumer electronics show in Berlin (Sept. 1 - 6), it’ll show off the Entertaible just like it did back at CES. This electronic tabletop game combines more traditional board games (which we do love, by the by) with games of the electronic variety, so you and your loved one can duke it out across the world over the internet. However, while this newfangled table was merely a prototype back at CES, the Entertaible seems like it’s on its way to becoming a full-fledged product, but still no info on Philips’ timetable or price at this point. One more thing, though — we’re mystified by this part of Philips’ press release: “The use of physical objects like pawns and bats to directly manipulate the virtual world enhances the sense of magic.” Bats? Magic? We know the Netherlands didn’t do so well in the World Baseball Classic, but c’mon guys, that’s no reason to provide tools for people to beat each other up with, y’know?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Gaming

According to PlayStation Magazine — and we suppose they would know — Sony has a PSP redesign in the works. It’s not a PSP 2, the rumored device resides squarely in the realm of redesign, but the supposed 8GB flash drive from Samsung, built-in EyeToy and a thinner, lighter form factor would all be welcome improvements to the current PSP. Actually, all the specs match up nicely with the PSP 2 rumors we were hearing earlier this year, but supposedly Sony wants to go with the Apple model of iPod upgrades, and stick with the single PSP name. In recent interviews, Sony’s SCEA president Kaz Hirai didn’t directly discount the idea of a PSP redesign, but he didn’t really give it a lot of weight either. We’re willing to give this rumor a fair shake, but we’ll have to wait for more info and a real pic to see if this thing can have DS lite-ish success at its purported March 2007 launch — Sony sure could use a hit.

UPDATE: Our original post was based on a fan-made PSP mockup from Joystiq’s writeup that threw us off the trail, but now we’ve got a thumbnail of the magazine scan thanks to PSP Fanboy.

[Via Joystiq]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Gaming

It seems like launch delays and rumored shipment shortages have harried Sony since day one of the PS3, and they’ve sure been flying lately. Sony seems to stick to their claims of four million PS3s by year end, with another million to be shipped by March 31, 2007 — the end of Sony’s fiscal year. But supposedly Sony’s OEM makers in China and Japan are singing a different tune. DigiTimes reports that the manufacturers are still gearing up for volume production of the new PlayStation, and with a purported shortage of blue lasers and Cell processors, they’re thinking the total shipment by the end of the year may be as little as half of Sony’s projections. Sony naturally didn’t have much to say on the matter, and we’ve heard enough reports of shortages by now to be fairly skeptical of this one, but we can’t say we’d be incredibly surprised by such a failing either.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Gaming, GPS, Handhelds, Peripherals

We’re not sure how many more pictures of Sony’s GPS unit for the PSP we all need to see before we believe a) it’s real and b) it’s coming out in the near future, but hey, here it is and live n’ sprightly as can be. We still wish their right hand would talk to their left and synergize on that other GPS unit they recently launched, but hey, it’s Sony, they rule their roost as they please. Still, why does something tell us we’ll be hearing about a rash of snapped off GPS antennae?

[Thanks, Goku]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Probably not too hopeful about taking a big bite out of the PSP’s or DS’s market share, a company called Performance Designed Products is nonetheless releasing a new pair of portable 2.5-inch consoles that bring together the magic of Disney with the gaming excitement that only 90’s era 16-bit processing can provide. Although not being advertised as such, the flame-adorned “Classic Pals” and all-pink, heart-shaped “Princess Pals” are clearly being targeted at either one gender or the other, a notion only furthered by the mix of characters chosen for these so-called Disney GAME iT! devices. Each product comes preloaded with 12 different, relatively simple games (suggested ages are six and up); boys get such titles as Mickey’s Apple Cart, Pluto’s Buried Bone Treasure, and the oddly-named Goofy’s Loco Coconuts, while the girls’ edition sports winners like Sebastian’s Sea Urchin Symphony, Susie’s Buttons and Baubles, and Flotsam and Jetsam’s Potion Commotion. Although you can pick up a separate $15 kit that connects the $40 systems to your TV, there’s no way to add additional games a la more traditional consoles — which actually, will probably work out just fine, as chances are good that your kids will smash these portable units to bits before getting sick of the limited content.

[Via GameZone]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Read full story for latest details.

Heralding the start of an unusual entrepreneurial relationship, Tom Cruise and his producing partner said Monday they have joined forces with a new investment partnership that will fund the duo’s production endeavors for the next two years. The a