On Gear Live: Samsung S95C: The OLED TV You Can’t Afford (to Ignore!)

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GameStop Wii MotionPlus rip-off

If you are in the market for the , just make sure you stay away from GameStop. Why? Because they are charging you $5 more than any other retailer we’ve found that sells the device. Nintendo lists the Wii MotionPlus at a suggested retail price of $19.99. While it is just a suggestion, retails chains typically follow the suggested price. However, GameStop is charging $24.99 for the device. Save yourself $5, and buy the Wii MotionPlus at Amazon, cool?

Read More | Wii MotionPlus on Amazon via Ars


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E3 09: EA Booth Tour

Every convention has a booth that becomes the “hangout” or the “meet-up” booth for friends and crowds to gather after walking the show floor. At , the EA booth was certainly that spot. Located at the entrance of the South Hall with a stage ample enough to have three dance crews have dance offs, this booth became the ideal location. Not only did the girls working out with EA’s Active attract the crowds, but also great presentations like Real Time Worlds’ APB which had everyone sitting in awe. When you didn’t find me conversing with the many people I met up there, I was playing or watching others play games. Madden 10, Harry Potter, Dead Space Extraction, EA Active, Need for Speed Shift, G.I. Joe, Tiger Woods 10, Brutal Legends and NHL 10 are just some of the games that could be found at the show floor.

 

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Kids PlayingA recent study by Pew finds that 97% of American teens of the age 12 to 17 play computer, portable, console or online video games. When asked, half of them claimed they played yesterday and the ones who admitted to daily playing say they did so for at least an hour. Here are some of the other statistics:

  • 86% of teens play on a console like the Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii.
  • 73% play games on a desktop or a laptop computer.
  • 60% use a portable gaming device like a Sony PlayStation Portable, a Nintendo DS, or a Game Boy.
  • 48% use a cell phone or handheld organizer to play games.
  • 80% of teens play five or more different game genres, and 40% play eight or more types.
  • Girls play an average of 6 different game genres; boys average 8 different types.

We expect that if Pew queried adults, they would find at least the same statistics, or more for those who play MMORPGs like WOW. As for the good news, another study last September found that, for the most part, teens playing games resulted in positive social action.

Read More | Pew

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EA Active review

I want to workout without going to the gym – much like the millions of people that have purchased Wiifit. However, I’m not a huge fan of the game. Having to stop every time after a small workout was very time consuming and lead me not to want to “play”.  EA Sports Active does not only look like a lot of fun but it also gives you a real workout feeling.  Giving you the option to customize your routines and what parts of the body you want to work out, it gives you the variety you need to keep going. It also offers levels from easy to hard so everyone one can accomplish the routine they set out to do.

For those looking for more motivation, they can opt to the 30-day challenge. It’ll keep track of your workouts, nutrition, give you the historic graphs of your progress and will give you tips for relieving stress, eating healthier, and motivation to keep your challenge going.

EA Active is a gym, personal trainer and nutritionist all in one game-like experience.  Tons of workout modes, exercises and abilities to customize your sessions, your workouts are sure to never get repetitive and keep you going.  It’s a great substitution for anyone that feels WiiFit does not give them a real workout experience.


Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr unveiled their upcoming game ‘The Beatles: Rock Band’ Monday at the E3. The combined effort of Harmonix and MTV Games features their early days at the Cavern Club in Liverpool through some of their later appearances with 45 mastered tunes with multi-part vocal harmonies. If you are into the album Abbey Road, it will be downloadable shortly after the September 9 debut, the same day Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI release the remastered Beatles catalog.

 

Read More | CBC

Wii Vitality Sensor

During their Media Briefing, Nintendo announced the Wii Vitality Sensor. Yet another add-on peripheral for , the Wii Vitality Sensor clips on to your finger and monitors your heart rate, transmitting it to Wii and whatever game you happen to be playing. Obviously this fits in to Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus in some form, and could be used in interested ways for other games, but in all honesty, it just looks kind of annoying.

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Blockbuster logoBlockbuster continues to try to save its assets. This time it is offering video to its mail rental service to Wii, PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers. One subscription allows unlimited games, one at a time, for those with online-only service, while those with Total Access receive the same in-store exchange deal as they do with movies. Beginning with a pilot program in Cleveland in June, expect the service for all by the end of the year.

Read More | Blockbuster

DJ HeroWe already mentioned the new Guitar Hero 5 that will be coming out this year. In addition, Activision has released the rest of their lineup for PS2, PS3, Xbox and Wii that includes:

  • Tony Hawk: Ride
  • Modern Warfare 2
  • DJ Hero
  • Guitar Hero 5
  • Blur
  • Singularity
  • Prototype
  • Wolfenstein
  • Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
  • Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2

Lots of titles, lots of variety and, most important, a whole lotta music goin’ on.

By the way, you can win a set of 5 tickets to 5 different concerts if you enter the GH5 scavenger hunt. Look for the list of artists that will appear in the game by searching online and verify the information by June 25.

Read More |

Gold WiiTHQ one-upped the President in gift giving by sending their latest Wii title, “Big Family Games,” to the Queen of England. They also shipped her a gold-plated system with Remote and Nunchuck. The company stated the Royal Family is the most important one in the country and therefore needed one. While this is great publicity for THQ, we wonder if the monarch will send them a framed portrait as she did for the First Family. And, by the way, shouldn’t they send one to them too, as Sasha and Melia are certainly at an age to appreciate the gift.

Read More | Geek

Retro AdapterDeveloper Komodo has teamed with distributors Innex and created a Retro Adapter that lets you connect your NES, SNES or N64 controller (including the Analog Stick) with your Wii console. Plug into an open GameCube port and it will work with both 1st and 3rd party accessories. The Komodo adapter should be making its official debut at the E3 2009 and be available in mid-June for about $20.00.

Read More | crave

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