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Microsoft demos in-game advertising

Microsoft showed off its Massive advertising platform in Times Square in New York on Tuesday.

The tech giant wanted to show the advertising world, which is gathered in New York for the annual Advertising Week conference, exactly how the dynamic in-game advertisements work.

Flashing high above 43rd Street were clips from a series of games that showed avatars stopping to view a movie trailer for the Hollywood blockbuster 300. A Toyota advertisement also lined the outfield wall in a baseball game that's played on Microsoft's Xbox game console.

"The idea is to have advertisements appear and fit … Read more

WMS Gaming: bringing slot machines into 21st century

How to bring an $86 billion older-than-old-school industry into the present? WMS Gaming, a company that makes 80 slot machine games for casinos a year is mixing mechanical slots with digital tech. At DemoFall they showed off a new Monopoly Money Grab game.

Most of the thousands of slots on casino floors with old-school handle, which has basically remain unchanged since late 19th century. Mechanical slots are more trustworthy to people, says WMS. So they decided to combine the two--transparent display technology over traditional mechanical slots. The benefit is there are more mathematical outcomes with digital reels.

The company is … Read more

Vyro Games: A relaxing contest

Vyro Games presented a way to de-stress by playing a game. Call it the ultimate in casual gaming.

A biosensor, or a little egg-shaped "personal input pod," connects to a mobile phone via Bluetooth and pits you versus the computer or someone else to see who can relax the quickest. Stick your finger in it and it tracks your heart rate. Vyro is pitching it as a health aid, citing stats including that there are 12.8 million work days taken off due to stress.

There are two games so far: in the first, the more you relax, … Read more

'Yoshi's Island': A faux DS Lite

We don't know if kids these days are capable of having fun without a computer or (real) handheld console these days, but this low-tech substitute should provide a bit of amusement--for all of 2 minutes. Yoshi's Island is a faux DS Lite puzzle game that's filled with water and two buttons to control streams of bubbles that move tiny rings inside. The objective is to land the rings into the right spots using your amazing bubble navigation skills. Good luck selling this to Junior.

(Source: Crave Asia)

Microsoft reaches out to Silicon Valley elite with 'Halo 3' event

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--With thousands of Halo fans lined up for midnight madness events in cities around the country, you might wonder why Microsoft is hosting a pre-launch event at its Silicon Valley campus here just hours before.

Well, according to Doug Free, the company's Silicon Valley public relations director, it's a chance to celebrate the developer community here and the theory that some of the most important coders in the region may also be serious gamers.

That was the concept, at least, behind planning this event--for which more than 700 people registered to attend.

"The whole … Read more

In New York, approaching zero Halo hour. Plus: Master Chief interview!

Leave it to Microsoft to turn the glitz factor up to eleven. The company that brought us interpretive dancers on bungee cords for its Vista operating system has brought in spotlights, prizes, NFL players, and rappers for the launch of Halo 3, the final installment of its hit first-person shooter trilogy, which launches at midnight on Tuesday.

They kind of need to do it. As Halo is a piece of software, not a harder-to-manufacture gaming console or handheld device, the way that Microsoft has drawn the crowds for this Xbox 360 release is with star power. If there weren't … Read more

With half a day to go, N.Y. hearts 'Halo 3'

It doesn't hold a candle to the lengthy queue that assembled a few blocks north for Apple's iPhone in June, but a handful of New Yorkers decided to sacrifice a full day's work (and then some) to wait in line for Halo 3, the highly anticipated title for Microsoft's Xbox 360 that hits stores at midnight on Tuesday.

First in line at the Best Buy on Fifth Avenue and 44th Street, the official launch site for the city, is 28-year-old Uche Nwachukwu, a Web designer from the neighboring borough of Staten Island. "I want the … Read more

More details on the Dual Shock 3 PS3 controller

The official announcement of the vibration-enabled Dual Shock 3 controller for the PlayStation 3 was the biggest news from Sony's otherwise lackluster Tokyo Game Show keynote address. Since the broad strokes of the original announcement, GameSpot was able to glean some additional details on the new controller--and get some hands-on testing of the unit as well. Here's what they found: … Read more

Gamers' high ends in spyware low

PC gamers would risk a lot for the sake of gameplay, even ignoring security warning signs or remaining coolly unconcerned.

Meet two young teens whose quest for the gamer's high set them on a collision course with a whole horde of Trojan malware scarier than anything they'd encounter in RuneScape or World of Warcraft.

Read of the duo's travails in "Fools for the game," and also pick up valuable security do's and don'ts from other Spyware Horror Stories.

Hot deal: Razer DeathAdder gaming mouse, $46

The main competitor to Logitech's famed G5 gaming mouse, Razer's DeathAdder boasts better axial accuracy and greater customizability--differences which you may enjoy discovering in splendid detail over at sister site CNET Reviews. Please note, this mouse is made for right-handers, so lefties may have an issue with the thumb buttons. Check out the full review for information on system compatibility before you buy.

Not an avid gamer myself, I can only point out that the mouse sports an intimidating reptilian name and a neat glowing blue tri-snake-ular logo. Allow me to quote from colleague Rich Brown, who provides … Read more