games

Nintendo Wii will come with Opera browser

Nintendo's next-generation Wii video game console will feature the Opera browser, Opera Software announced on Wednesday.

Wii users will browse the Internet using their consoles, navigating sites via the new Wii remote controller, a two-handed, motion-sensitive system that allows players to mimic actions on-screen with the movement of their hands.

"For our Wii console launch in 2006, we required a browser that was fast and secure, with support for the latest standards, including AJAX," said Genyo Takeda, senior managing director and general manager of Nintendo's Integrated Research & Development Division.

Earlier this year, Oslo, Norway-based Opera … Read more

Xbox 360 firmware hacked

Four months after its release, the Xbox 360 has had its firmware hacked, according to Xbox-Scene.

What does this mean? Well, it doesn't mean, for now, that people will be able to run homebrew games on their Xbox, but it does mean, according to the site, that players will be able to run bootlegs.

It's not easy, apparently, requiring some experience with assembly language. But for those for whom hacking is a way of life, beating the new Xbox at its game should be possible.

For now, and until Microsoft fights back. Though it's unclear how the … Read more

Xbox 360 honeymoon is over

Gamers' enthusiasm for the newly released Xbox 360 quickly waned after the first reports were posted online of problems with the machines crashing and overheating.

No word yet on how widespread the problem actually is, or what, if anything Microsoft plans to do about it.

But the heat is on, and not for the first time. In February, Microsoft recalled power cords on the Xbox following reports of injuries due to defective electrical components. And a couple has sued Microsoft in a Texas court and claimed that the faulty design of an Xbox caused their house to burn down, according … Read more

Gordon Freeman and the alien menace

When the original Half-Life appeared in 1998, gamers hailed it as the most gripping and realistic first-person shooter ever. Half-Life 2 is the long-awaited next chapter in the saga of Gordon Freeman and the alien menace from Black Mesa. It brings back the heart-pounding gameplay and engrossing storytelling of its predecessor, and its graphics set a new standard. The textures have never been better. The details are crisp and clear; allowing the characters to express subtle emotion. You'll need a modern DirectX 9 graphics card to take advantage of all the eye candy, but the game scales down surprisingly … Read more

Leading them by the nose

Why would somebody of sound mind wait 36 hours on the street just to be first in line when a store opens its doors for business? "It's fun," Richard Roth told our very own sleep-deprived reporter David Becker, after being the first person in San Francisco to buy a Sony PlayStation Portable. Then again, you should consider the source. Four years earlier, Roth said, he also was first in line to buy a PS2. "It's my 15 minutes of fame. You don't get on CNN for putting in a preorder at GameStop."

Such … Read more