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If you're a gamer or at least marginally interested in videogames, today's show is for you. With Justin Yu out of town for the day, Jeff invited gaming industry all-stars Russ Frushtick (Polygon) and Scott Jones (EP Daily) to take on a handful of gaming-related topics. Laughs were had, tears were shed, but at the end of the day we all got a little closer.

Topics from today's show:

- Scott is really digging Fieldrunners 2.

- If there's one thing we're all in agreement on, it's that Dishonored is already a top 3 game of 2012 -- and that Russ' new nickname is "Ghost."

- Will Need For Speed: Most Wanted finally give us the Burnout-esque game we've been asking for?

- What the hell is going to happen with the Wii U?

- Just how Assassin's Creed-y will Assassin's Creed III be?… Read more

The video game industry had a rough time in stores last month.

During September, total U.S. video-game industry sales, including physical game discs, consoles, and accessories, hit $848.3 million, down 24 percent compared with the $1.1 billion the industry generated during the same period last year, research firm NPD Group announced yesterday.

The hardware sector of the industry suffered through a similarly troubling period as sales slumped 39 percent year-over-year to end the month at $210.9 million. Software sales were down 18 percent from $609.7 million last year to $497.4 million this year. Accessories … Read more

Nintendo Chief Executive Satoru Iwata recently sat down with a handful of engineers to discuss what went into his company's Wii U. And before long, the discussion turned into a teardown.

Dubbed "Wii U: The Console," the discussion centers on the technologies that make the Wii U tick. And chief among those technologies might just be the device's multicore CPU. According to Nintendo, this is the first time it has used a multicore CPU, though the company stopped short of saying how many cores are actually in use.

The Wii U is based on a multichip … Read more

Nintendo's Wii U will launch with 23 games, the company announced yesterday.

Nintendo, of course, will be leading the charge with four titles on store shelves the day its console launches on November 18. Chief among those titles is New Super Mario Bros. U, the latest installment in that franchise's long and storied history. Nintendo's Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, Nintendo Land, and Sing Party will also launch on November 18.

The Wii U will also get support from several third-party publishers, like Activision, which will offer four titles on launch day, including Call of Duty: … Read more

If you had trouble finding this post, that's probably because you were using Apple's new Maps app. With the release of iOS 6, Apple replaced the awesome Google Maps with an app of its own. The result? A lot of frustrated, lost iPhone users.

Also this week, we check out a rumor that the Wii U will be region-locked, just like all the previous Nintendo consoles, and Nuance may be developing software that will allow you to wake up your phone by yelling at it. Great, just what we need.

Thanks for watching!

Heard a tech rumor you … Read more

Nintendo's Wii U is following in its predecessors' footsteps with region-locking.

A company representative reportedly told famed Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu recently that the Wii U won't allow gamers to play titles imported from other regions. The news was published today by posters on gaming forums NeoGaf. Nintendo then appeared to confirm its Famitsu statement to CVG.

Region-locking is common in the gaming space. The restriction stops gamers from playing titles available in other regions on their respective devices. Nintendo's Wii, along with all of its predecessors dating back to the Nintendo Entertainment System, are region-locked. Microsoft … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Nintendo turns on TVii for Wii U.

- The closest thing we've got to a Nintendo Wii U launch list.

- Nintendo Wii U arrives November 18 starting at $299.

- Is the iPhone 5 worth cutting off your penis?

- London theater employing volunteer ninjas to confront rude moviegoers.

- Enter CNET's Best Seats in the House Sweepstakes for a chance to win a home theater set!

- Bathroom break video: Hop! The Suitcase That Follows You… Read more

Is Nintendo's Wii U delivering the right value to consumers? The company's chief operating officer Reggie Fils-Aime certainly thinks so.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in an interview published today, Fils-Aime said that the Wii U Basic Set, which will retail for $299 when it goes on sale on November 18 in the U.S., "is a really strong value, and it's a value that's going to be strong for a long time."

Nintendo announced details of the Wii U at a press event yesterday in New York City. The device comes in two sets … Read more