Games and gear

So much for those Beatles iPod rumors

By now you know it: one, Peyton Manning is pretty fantastic; and two, there was no big announcement from Apple last night involving the Beatles. No "Beatles Edition" widescreen iPod, no Fab Four tunes in the iTunes Music Store, nada. Guess we can file that one under "unsubstantiated Mac rumors."

The ad everyone's talking about, according to the similarly disappointed Cult of Mac, is the Coca-Cola spot that spoofed Grand Theft Auto. Kind of reminded me of that South Park episode where half the action took place in World of Warcraft. So, here it is; … Read more

Conan O'Brien beats Serena Williams in Wii Tennis

Maybe this will be a reassurance to the Anthrax guitarist who totally flubbed up his own song on Guitar Hero.

(Via Kotaku.)

Sony may look to cut PS3 price

PlayStation 3 price cuts already? That's what Sony may be eyeing in a bid to break even on the console by the end of fiscal 2008.

According to the Associated Press, Sony senior vice president Takao Yuhara said that while no specific plans have been made, the company is considering reducing the price as a way to boost sales. "We may look at the price as part of our strategy to expand the market when the timing is right," Yuhara said.

Sony had already reduced the price of the PS3 in Japan prior to launch. But with … Read more

World of Housecraft: Greatest apartment listing ever

Were I in San Francisco, I would proudly share a roof with these deranged nerds. In what is possibly the greatest listing Craigslist has ever seen, three roommates are looking for one more to share their rent by inviting gamers to join "World of Housecraft." $738 per month in SOMA is a pretty good price, and the apartment description makes it even harder to pass up:

"Descend into the World of Housecraft and join three mighty heroes in a world of myth, magic, and limitless adventure. Four rooms of wireless cable Internet, Xbox 360, and an epic … Read more

Anthrax guitarist rocked by 'Guitar Hero II'

If you've ever wasted away the weekend playing Guitar Hero II, there's nothing to feel guilty about. Feel proud. Feel like a rock star. Feel these things because you're probably better at Guitar Hero II than actual guitarist Scott Ian of Anthrax.

And he even gets to play his own song.

As this fascinating video on Kotaku.com shows (WARNING: Swear words are all over the place), Ian had a bit of trouble performing his own song on Guitar Hero II. During his first attempt, he fails 31 percent of the way through the song.

And if … Read more

The Wii may get its first makeover

Regardless of which game console you prefer, the Wii apparently has it all over the Playstation 3 in at least one category: colors. GameDrift says it has confirmed that Nintendo will release its game box in red, black and possibly other hues at an undisclosed time, according to CrunchGear. If true, it would be a smart move (and we think an obvious one), given the success that custom shops have seen just by adding a little color to PS3s and selling them on eBay for upwards of $1,400. Why Sony itself is taking so long to figure this out, … Read more

Secrets of great games: The 'Zelda' pattern

(WARNING: This post contains spoilers for the Legend of Zelda games.)

I've been playing a lot of Twilight Princess lately, and I can honestly say that it is a great Zelda game. It's possibly the best one I've played since Ocarina of Time, and it might be even a little bit better. It also made me notice an important fact about the Legend of Zelda series: almost all truly great Zelda games subscribe to the Zelda pattern.

The Zelda pattern is this: collect three things in three dungeons, go through a big plot twist (the "Zelda … Read more

News on your Wii? Sure, why not

Wow, you really can do just about everything with your Wii. You can play tennis or baseball, check the weather, fight bad guys...and now, stay informed on what's going on in the world. On Saturday, the "Wii News Channel" will be launching, available on all Wii consoles that have Internet-browsing capabilities through the downloadable Opera browser. News will be supplied by the Associated Press, which has inked a two-year deal with Nintendo. So far, it's just news stories and photographs, but you never know what they might add next. This way, you can take a … Read more

Why can't you upgrade your laptop's graphics chip?

Ever wanted to upgrade your laptop's graphics chip? HardOCP has a great feature up today on why this initiative has stalled. Pinging unnamed, inside sources from both Nvidia and ATI, this story provides a comprehensive overview of why we can't walk into Best Buy and pick up a laptop-compatible 3D graphics card. If you're thinking "standards" right now, you're not far off.

Nintendo DS hits 10 million in sales

Nintendo has announced that it's sold more than 10 million Nintendo DS and DS Lite systems in America, an average of 9 every minute since the system's United States launch in November 2004. According to Nintendo of America frontman Reggie Fils-Aime, Americans can't get enough of the DS.

"More than 5 million people joined the ranks as Nintendo DS owners in America last year alone," Fils-Aime said. "And right now, they're all saying the same thing--Give me more!'"

While I'm loathe to take any marketer at his word (No offense, Reggie), … Read more