Games and gear

Virtual skateboard for the injury-prone

So your kid is getting older, and you want to protect him from the hazards of skateboarding. Good luck.

It may be almost impossible to keep boys from undergoing this rite of passage, but you might be able to limit their board time by offering a virtual version as a part-time substitute. This skateboard game plugs into the TV and "translates a child's motion into real-time tricks and movements as players navigate multiple urban skateboard challenges such as timed races, slalom and obstacle courses, half-pipe environments, free skating and tournament play," according to Hammacher Schlemmer. And they … Read more

Rated XXX: overclocked GeForce 8800 cards

When Nvidia rolled out its GeForce 8800 cards last month, word was Nvidia wasn't giving the green light to its partners to sell overclocked versions of the cards. Sure enough, the initial batch from the usual suspects ran at stock speeds. There wasn't too much to complain about, however, since these next-gen graphics cards represented far more than a mere speed bump to the core clock and memory. Plus, they were insanely fast on any game you'd care to throw at them. Well, insanely fast isn't fast enough for the good people at XFX. According to … Read more

More of your old games now playable on the Xbox 360

Microsoft has again updated the Xbox 360 to be able to play a few dozen more titles released for the original Xbox game console. The complete list of new and updated titles is as follows:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Burnout 3: Takedown (support updated) Conker: Live and Reloaded Dead or Alive Ultimate Destroy All Humans! Dynasty Warriors 4 Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick Ex Chaser (Japan only) Family Guy Far Cry: Instincts Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy I-Ninja The Incredibles Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Mortal Kombat: Armageddon MotoGP Muzzle Flash (Japan only) MX Unleashed Open Season Pariah Plus Plumb … Read more

'Rally Chair' a license to daydream

All right, so $300,000 may be a tad steep for a simulated racing system. How does $19,000 sound? $4,000?

OK, you can at least pretend to have a racing system--and probably be a lot more comfortable--while continuing to do your work in a "Rally Office Chair" that sports a "genuine 'Cobra' seat" mounted on a swivel base for around $300 or $400. Depending on your price range, you can choose either geniune leather or "'leather look' vinyl." That's one classy ride.

Persuasive Games takes on holiday shopping

If you've played Persuasive Games' past titles such as Bacteria Salad, Oil God, or Airport Security, chances are you'll get the idea behind its latest Flash diversion, Xtreme Xmas Shopping. On the surface, you play a shopper with a demanding wish list to satisfy. If an item on your list runs out of stock before you can purchase it, you lose, presumably having ruined Christmas. As with most of Persuasive Games' titles, though, Xtreme Xmas Shopping attempts to engage players in thinking about a broader social issue--in this case, rabid holiday consumerism--in a participatory kind of way.

While … Read more

All I want for Christmas is a PSP viral-marketing campaign

This is simply sad. Alliwantforxmasisapsp.com is one of the most transparent and pathetic examples of viral marketing the Internet has seen, and that's being nice about it. This thinly veiled commercial in the form of a blog chronicles two target-demographic hipster tweens named "Charlie" and "Jeremy" in their quest to get a PSP for Christmas. In reality, the site is a blatant and cringe-worthy ploy developed by Zipatoni, a marketing company that seems to be experiencing a dearth of actual talent.

With all the style of a sitcom dad trying to seem cool to … Read more

Ford's twin-simulator: drag racing in your basement

Attention, cheapskates: So you refuse to pony up a measly $300,000 for the "Morphis ESP" simulator we told you about. And you call yourself a gamer?

If you absolutely must go bargain-basement, Uncrate says there's a twin-unit "Ford Racing Arcade Game" selling for just $19,000 on Amazon. It doesn't seat eight as the Morphis does, but these machines do have "force-feedback wheels, driving pedals and authentic racing seats."

Most important, if you're a Ford buff, are the legendary cars featured in the game: a '68 Mustang GT, '66 Thunderbird … Read more

Video game creation: See if you can do better

In the movie industry, there is a prevalence of rehashed sure-fire "hits" churned out by studios. The same goes for video games these days. Almost no one wants to take big risks when you need up to three years to develop a video game, which is why there are so many II and IIIs.

But in the movie industry, cheaper high-end camcorders and better video-sharing sites have also boosted the capability and exposure of indie filmmakers everywhere. Now the same may become possible for indie video game developers.

Microsoft has released XNA Game Studio Express 1.0, free, … Read more

Tiny hydrogen cars not just child's play

Automobiles have paved the way for hybrid and alternative energies in transportation, but other vehicles are quickly following their tracks. We've seen trains, golf carts and even wheelchairs running on non-fossil power sources in recent months alone. But one there's one category we hadn't anticipated: toys.

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies first made headlines with its hydrogen-powered "H-racer" remote-controlled miniature car, which Gizmag says is the "best-selling fuel cell product in the world." Now, Horizon has developed what it calls the "H-cell" power source, which it claims allows miniature cars to reach … Read more

Is your cell phone skinny enough for virtual model avatars?

If you're an "America's Next Top Model" watcher who can't get enough of the CW network reality show, you might be interested in this. Thanks to a new tie-in, you can play your own version of the game on your cell phone. It's a product of CBS Interactive, the new-media wing of CW co-parent CBS; and Hong Kong-based avatar and mobile-game company Artificial Life--yes, the creator of the V-Girl cell phone girlfriends. (Artificial Life also created the far awesomer V-Penguins.)

But the "ANTM" collaboration doesn't seem to be a virtual-girlfriend … Read more