Powder Monkeys offers challenging fun for young gamers

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="203" mce_src="http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/7778/powdermonkeysbattle.jpg" mce_style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;" src="http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/7778/powdermonkeysbattle.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="270" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Powder Monkeys from XMG Studio (US$0.99, universal) is a big, varied game for the iPhone and iPad with enough going on to entertain kids and adults alike. Its good looks, many quests, game mechanics and upgrade opportunities increase longevity and keep players coming back for more. Plus, who wouldn't want to help monkey pirates battle enormous bugs on the high seas? Here's our look at Powder Monkeys.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Way back in the 17th century, a "powder monkey" was a member of a warship's crew. It was his job to deliver bags of gunpowder to the gun crew, and keep the fight alive. XMG has had a bit of fun with the term, casting animated monkeys as its seafaring heroes, sworn to defend their turf against evil, enormous bugs. As the player, you must aide the monkeys by completing quests, surviving battles, upgrading your weapons and more. Before we get to that, let's take a look at the game itself.</div> <h3 style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> UI</h3> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Powder Monkeys features big, chunky "cartoonish" illustrations that look fantastic on the iPad as well as a less detailed overview of your character's position on the sea. Other elements are easily identified, like treasure chests, islands of interest and enemy ships. There's not a lot of reading to be done, either, which benefits younger players (both my 6-year-old and 8-year-old tested out Powder Monkeys for me).</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Gallery: Powder Monkeys</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <a href="http://localhost/1/wp-admin/post.php?post=6500&action=edit&message=1" mce_href="http://" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="Repair your ship" mce_src="http://img573.imageshack.us/img573/4647/img0033thumbnail.jpg" src="http://img573.imageshack.us/img573/4647/img0033thumbnail.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Repair your ship" /></a><a href="http://localhost/1/wp-admin/post.php?post=6500&action=edit&message=1" mce_href="http://" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="Sailing around" mce_src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6339/img0034thumbnail.jpg" src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6339/img0034thumbnail.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Sailing around" /></a><a href="http://localhost/1/wp-admin/post.php?post=6500&action=edit&message=1" mce_href="http://" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="Spin the wheel!" mce_src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9073/img0035thumbnail.jpg" src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9073/img0035thumbnail.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Spin the wheel!" /></a><a href="http://localhost/1/wp-admin/post.php?post=6500&action=edit&message=1" mce_href="http://" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="Overhead view" mce_src="http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/9703/img0036thumbnail.jpg" src="http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/9703/img0036thumbnail.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Overhead view" /></a><a href="http://localhost/1/wp-admin/post.php?post=6500&action=edit&message=1" mce_href="http://" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="Choose your character" mce_src="http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/9665/img0037thumbnail.jpg" src="http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/9665/img0037thumbnail.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Choose your character" /></a></div> </div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> As you sail around the environment, seeking adventure, a large ship's wheel appears, though you only really need to drag to move. If you're on a quest, an arrow points you in the right direction.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Other elements, like the store (for buying ammo, coins and upgrading equipment) repair shop and quest log are also attractive and legible, and a badge identifies the number of open quests you've got.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Finally, two badges in the lower right-hand corner of the screen monitor your inventory.</div> <h3 style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Gameplay</h3> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The real advantage here is the variation. This could easily have become a game of repetitive shooting, which gets old fast. Instead, XMG has included asset management, travel and some puzzle solving, which keeps the games interesting.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> You begin by sailing into a cluster of islands and receiving a quest to visit one in particular. Of course, the bugs are waiting! Engage in your first battle.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Battle mode begins as two ships line up side-by-side. Each ship has four canons and various "bullets," including watermelons, darts and, if you're desperate, cutlery. Load a canon by tapping the type of ammo you'd like to load and then tapping the desired canon (bullets will destroy incoming bullets mid-air). A shot is fired and health decreased. The first player to run out of XP loses.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Fortunately, you've got powerups at your disposal. These special, upgradeable attacks will slow down the action, erect a defensive shield or increase your rate of attack, among other things. They're all handy when your enemy's vessel is superior to your own. If you win, a barrage of coins appear. Pick them up with a tap.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Pick up additional quests by traveling from island to island. One required me to navigate a maze filled with superior ships. Another had me escort a companion across dangerous seas. Again, the variation keeps it interesting.</div> <h3 style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Other elements</h3> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Gather coins by winning battles and completing quests. You'll also need wood, iron and special Banana Coins. These can be obtained by completing quests, opening treasure boxes (found floating in the sea) or spinning the wheel! Some treasure boxes contain goodies, while others offer a Wheel-Of-Fortune type spinner, lined with various assets. Tap anywhere to stop the spinner and see what you've won.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Coins are used to buy additional ammo, powerups and upgrades via the "store." Additionally, changes to your ship's hull, canons, rigging and armor also require wood and iron.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The all-important Banana Coins can be found in the game or purchased with real money via an in-app purchase. My 6-year-old was tempted to put dad's hard-earned cash down on a pretend coin, but I put the kibosh on that (big meanine). Plus, the app required my Apple ID (as you'd expect) which he does not have.</div> <h3 style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Conclusion</h3> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> My only complaint is with the overhead map. You can zoom out at anytime to get an overview of your location, but must zoom back in to move. This probably defeats the sense of adventure, but I'd like to be able to move while in the distant, overhead view. Plus, the tiny island icons are tiny indeed on the iPhone.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Other than that, Powder Monkeys is a winner. It feels much deeper than you'd expect from a 0.99 app, with all the questing and upgrade options. Game Center achievements are also supported. It's just as comfortable on both devices and just plain fun. Plus, I dare you to get that Caribbean theme song out of your head.</div> </div> </div>

Powder Monkeys offers challenging fun for young gamers

Powder Monkeys from XMG Studio (US$0.99, universal) is a big, varied game for the iPhone and iPad with enough going on to entertain ki...

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RIM pacifies customers with free premium apps

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-92186 aligncenter" height="124" mce_src="http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8434/bbrewards.jpg" src="http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8434/bbrewards.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="bb-rewards" width="140" />Remember the 3-day outage that BlackBerry users suffered just last week? Research In Motion (RIM) wants to kiss and make up by offering free premium apps to those who were affected by the services interruptions. The whole range of premium apps will be worth a total of over $100, and this olive branch is a sign of RIM’s appreciation for their customers’ patience.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> These apps will make their way to affected customers in the coming weeks via BlackBerry App World, and will be there until the end of the year. RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis had this to say, “Our global network supports the communications needs of more than 70 million customers. We truly appreciate and value our relationship with our customers. We’ve worked hard to earn their trust over the past 12 years, and we’re committed to providing the high standard of reliability they expect, today and in the future.”</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The whole works of premium apps can be downloaded from October 19th onwards, where among them include Sims 3, Bejeweled, N.O.V.A., Texas Hold’em Poker 2, Bubble Bash 2, Photo Editor Ultimate, DriveSafe.ly Pro, iSpeech Translator Pro, Drive Safe.ly Enterprise, Nobex Radio Premium, Shazam Encore and Vlingo Plus amongst others. I would say the games would be the fastest moving out of the lot – what about you?</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=YPGP9a_jKWE:ITwZS5U_cnw:qj6IDK7rITs" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=YPGP9a_jKWE:ITwZS5U_cnw:qj6IDK7rITs" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/8438/66383761.gif" src="http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/8438/66383761.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=YPGP9a_jKWE:ITwZS5U_cnw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=YPGP9a_jKWE:ITwZS5U_cnw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1060/51745240.gif" src="http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1060/51745240.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=YPGP9a_jKWE:ITwZS5U_cnw:V_sGLiPBpWU" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=YPGP9a_jKWE:ITwZS5U_cnw:V_sGLiPBpWU" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/1705/94838905.gif" src="http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/1705/94838905.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a></div> </div> </div>

RIM pacifies customers with free premium apps

Remember the 3-day outage that BlackBerry users suffered just last week? Research In Motion (RIM) wants to kiss and make up by offering ...

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Unreal Engine runs in Flash

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Unreal Tournament 3 in a web browser" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-90905" height="400" mce_src="http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/6261/09unrealtournament3webb.jpg" src="http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/6261/09unrealtournament3webb.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Unreal Tournament 3 in a web browser" width="640" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Wow, just when we thought Flash was being shunned by everyone in favor of HTML5, it looks like a lot of companies still have faith in it. Earlier today at the Adobe Max event, Epic Games’ Tim Sweeny announced that the Unreal Engine could run in Flash. To prove his point, he showed off a demonstration of Unreal Tournament 3 running in a web browser using Flash. In Sweeny’s words: “It turned out to look even better than the version we shipped on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with improvements like global illumination, better shadows, and god rays!”</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> While it’s not arriving on mobile devices anytime that support Flash anytime soon, running the Unreal Engine in a web browser is a pretty impressive feat on its own. You can imagine what games of the future can look like once this baby gets licensed out to other developers. Head over to the official Unreal blog to read more about it.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=OCltpv0av_Y:DLPYV9ui_Po:qj6IDK7rITs" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=OCltpv0av_Y:DLPYV9ui_Po:qj6IDK7rITs" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7352/65671553.gif" src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7352/65671553.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=OCltpv0av_Y:DLPYV9ui_Po:gIN9vFwOqvQ" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=OCltpv0av_Y:DLPYV9ui_Po:gIN9vFwOqvQ" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6349/21738445.gif" src="http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6349/21738445.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=OCltpv0av_Y:DLPYV9ui_Po:V_sGLiPBpWU" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=OCltpv0av_Y:DLPYV9ui_Po:V_sGLiPBpWU" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/1995/10784569.gif" src="http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/1995/10784569.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a></div> </div> </div>

Unreal Engine runs in Flash

Wow, just when we thought Flash was being shunned by everyone in favor of HTML5, it looks like a lot of companies still have faith in ...

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Sphero for Android coming late 2011

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="197" mce_src="http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4669/spheroimage540x328.png" src="http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4669/spheroimage540x328.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Sphero image" width="324" />Well folks, this is a pretty unique accessory or game for Android that has finally entered full production mode and should be available for Android coming late in 2011. This is Sphero, and you can control it with your phone or tablet. Below are some final production pictures as well as a neat hands-on video</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Essentially we have a multicolored glow in the dark tennis ball that is completely controlled by your Android device. There is much, much more to this entire project and that is more of a simple term for the accessory. Sphero is an electronic polycarbonate ball that glows different colors depending on user settings and application options available and the video below should help you understand the possibilities with Sphero. Using on-screen controls to navigate and drive the Sphero users have ultimate control. This was originally showed off at CES with many iDevices like shown in the video but it has finally reached full production level for Android and is available for pre-order from Sphero. It may not be the most practical toy but the options and development opportunities are quite large with this. Available for pre-order now on their website for $129. Some may find that a pretty large price to pay but if you intend on developing for this it’s a small price to pay for a first hand look when the device ships. I want one to play some mini golf throughout my house and to tease the dogs. [via Androidandme] )</div> </div> </div>

Sphero for Android coming late 2011

Well folks, this is a pretty unique accessory or game for Android that has finally entered full production mode and should be available ...

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Review: LG BD670

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="150" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20199/HCC199.lgbd670.02-200-200.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20199/HCC199.lgbd670.02-200-200.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="200" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> LG is currently embroiled in a smart TV war with rival Samsung for dominance of the internet-connected living room landscape. In both TV and Blu-ray, the pair are going head to head with similarly monikered portals (Smart TV and Smart Hub) stuffed with comparable apps and video streaming content, such as in Samsung's recent BD-D7500, which costs around £100 more than the LG BD670 we have for review here.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> A cursory glance might indicate that there's not much between the two brands. But just how compelling is LG's Intelligence Quotient?</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Certainly, at first glance the BD670 doesn't look particularly smart. It's quite scruffy in fact; from its dull black plastic body, to the embossed buttonry, it's a bit of a duffer.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Rear side connectivity comprises a single HDMI, Ethernet LAN, optical digital audio, phono AV and component port. There's only one USB port, and that's on the front. This is an inconvenience, because the Blu-ray player lacks persistent memory for BD Live applications, so you'll have to live with a thumbdrive sticking out the front if you use BD Live, swapping it over when you want to play media.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> At least there's no need for a Wi-Fi dongle – that's built-in and works well. You can connect via WPS (if your router supports this) or manually. I took the latter route, and popped the player wirelessly on my network in as much time as it took me to plod around the soft-keyboard.</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="LG ui" class="aligncenter" height="140" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20199/HCC199.lgbd670.menu-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20199/HCC199.lgbd670.menu-420-90.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Thankfully, the LG BD670 smartens up its act considerably when you get to the user interface. The main Home menu consists of a jolly line of colourful function buttons, designated Movie, Photo, Music, Premium and Apps. Click on any one of the first three and the player will show you other DLNA/uPnP clients on your network, allowing you to drill down and stream your media content.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> For online content options, hit the remaining buttons. Premium takes you to LG's streaming portal (which, bizarrely, appears to reside at the fork in a virtual road, if the background graphic is anything to go by).</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> There's a fair amount of entertainment on tap. In addition to BBC iPlayer and YouTube, there's DailyMotion, Acetrax, Cinetrailers and internet radio service VTuner. Filling out the roster is some easy-to-ignore Google Maps twaddle.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Hop over to the apps store and there's more to explore. Curiously, sandwiched between various colour blindness tests and a typo-ridden keep fit tutorial, we found more than a dozen movies, all free to watch. Ultra low-budget indie efforts, they have rather inventively sidestepped traditional movie distribution to end up as download fodder. We don't mind saying that we were rather chuffed with this haul. It's like suddenly discovering a film festival on your doorstep. Free treats like this make smart TV tech such fun to own.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The LG BD670 can also stream media across a network and from USB, with a generally good hit rate. MP3s play, along with album art when available, as do AAC files, although both FLAC and WAV are off limits. And, for reasons I can't explain, my standard WMA test rolled out at high speed. Video file support over the network covered AVI, MKV and MOV content.</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="LG bd670" class="aligncenter" height="158" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20199/HCC199.lgbd670.wood01-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Home%20Cinema%20Choice/HCC%20199/HCC199.lgbd670.wood01-420-90.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="420" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> High-definition image quality is suitably sharp from the LG BD670. The Blu-ray deck scrapes a massive amount of detail from 2D HD platters. <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Battle: Los Angeles</span> looks sumptuous. Shot in a high frame rate HD, shaky cam-style, skin tones and textures pop from the screen.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The smart, connected Blu-ray player also does a reliable job disgorging the DTS-HD MA soundtrack.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Stereoscopic footage has the potential to look equally sharp. Of course much depends on what your display will do to the image before it hits your peepers. At least the deck itself does a fine job. Naturally, the LG BD670 is quite at home with home-grown, DIY 3D shot in AVCHD.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Disc loading is a tad tardy. The player took a lazy one minute six seconds to go from tray to Bond logo, on the Java-heavy <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">Goldfinger</span>Blu-ray disc. Simpler Blu-rays load rather faster.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> As a CD spinner, the LG BD670's performance is functional. With no Super Audio CD compatibility to give it a resolution boost, this player's unlikely to convert too many audiophiles to its cause.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> But its overall presentation is fun: when playing a CD, it pulls album art direct from the Gracenote database. It also features Music ID, designed to identify any tunes in a platter you're playing, at the touch of a button (it sometimes works).</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> As a DVD player, the LG BD670 does a decent job. My venerable Silicon Optix HQV test platter confirms deinterlacing and upscaling to be of a creditable standard. If you have a large collection of SD discs, they'll be in reasonable hands here.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Overall, the LG BD670 is a great value internet-connected Blu-ray disc player. Sure, it might have the sartorial style of an impoverished funeral director who dresses in the dark, but it's jazzy where it counts.</div> </div> </div>

Review: LG BD670

LG is currently embroiled in a smart TV war with rival Samsung for dominance of the internet-connected living room landscape. In both ...

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Nintendo shareholders revolt, demand Mario & Co. on iPhones

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="239" mce_src="http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/8706/051303warioworldwario05.jpg" src="http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/8706/051303warioworldwario05.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="270" />Bloomberg is reporting that Nintendo shareholders are growing irate with the company and its president, Satoru Iwata, after shares of the company hit a six-year low. Nintendo has seen slouching profits in recent years as mobile phones like the iPhone and other devices like the iPod touch have quickly become must-have portable gaming devices. Shareholders say the company should begin porting its catalog of titles to devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Android phones, something Iwata says won't happen as long as he's in charge.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Nintendo's attempt to push back against smartphone gaming -- the Nintendo 3DS -- flopped causing the company to cut its price by 40% in Japan. With smartphones selling more than ever, and a majority of apps for the iPhone being games, there's no sign of smartphones as the new mobile gaming platform of choice abating. That spells bad news for Nintendo and other makers of dedicated portable gaming platform like Sony.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Another way out of Nintendo's slump if Iwata continues to refuse to port Nintendo's game portfolio to non-Nintendo devices would be for the company to acquire a successful iPhone game developer. That way Nintendo could at least have a presence on the iOS platform while keeping its classic portfolio of games and characters for Nintendo-only devices. Short of doing either of those things it doesn't look like even a real life Mario can save Nintendo's future.</div> </div> </div>

Nintendo shareholders revolt, demand Mario & Co. on iPhones

Bloomberg is reporting that Nintendo shareholders are growing irate with the company and its president, Satoru Iwata, after shares of th...

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play PlayStation One emulator reverse engineered to play custom ISOs

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 24px;"></span><br /> <div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Crash Bandicoot 3 Xperia Play" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-83837" height="189" mce_src="http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/3969/29crashbandicoot3xperia.jpg" src="http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/3969/29crashbandicoot3xperia.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Crash Bandicoot 3 Xperia Play" width="335" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Let’s face it, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play didn’t exactly make a huge splash when it dropped onto the market, and until now, it hasn’t really gained any traction. While the phone has very capable hardware for gaming (bar the terrible touchpads), its success has been marred largely due to the lack of legitimate PlayStation One games from the PlayStation Suite.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=dY7WHML0ins:r2AvAyec9VQ:yIl2AUoC8zA" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=dY7WHML0ins:r2AvAyec9VQ:yIl2AUoC8zA" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5158/99985305.gif" src="http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5158/99985305.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=dY7WHML0ins:r2AvAyec9VQ:qj6IDK7rITs" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=dY7WHML0ins:r2AvAyec9VQ:qj6IDK7rITs" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/3571/34442620.gif" src="http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/3571/34442620.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=dY7WHML0ins:r2AvAyec9VQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=dY7WHML0ins:r2AvAyec9VQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/2721/87445692.gif" src="http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/2721/87445692.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=dY7WHML0ins:r2AvAyec9VQ:-BTjWOF_DHI" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=dY7WHML0ins:r2AvAyec9VQ:-BTjWOF_DHI" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/2613/17484375.gif" src="http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/2613/17484375.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a></div> </div> </div>

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play PlayStation One emulator reverse engineered to play custom ISOs

Let’s face it, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play didn’t exactly make a huge splash when it dropped onto the market, and until now, it hasn...

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Buying Guide: Best PC gamepad: 6 reviewed and rated

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="150" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_razer800-200-200.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_razer800-200-200.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="200" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> For most PC gamers, the mouse and keyboard combination is the ultimate way to control our games. The mouse offers lightning-fast responses that are essential for positioning the camera or lining up the scopes for a headshot.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> On the other hand - literally - is the keyboard. Its plethora of keys has been etched into our muscle memory through years of web browsing and typing, giving us options and control that most gamepads can only dream of.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> However, it's not as clear-cut as it first seems. While the mouse and keyboard is undoubtedly the best control method for certain genres - such as first-person shooters and real-time strategy games - for other titles this means of control can feel awkward or unwieldy. Third-person hack 'n' slash games and racing sims in particular suffer from this.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> There's also the issue of console games catching up with PC titles in some respects. While this might seem like heresy to some PC gaming purists (the current generation of consoles struggles to compete with even mid-range PCs, after all), console games have become more complicated and in-depth than their 8-bit ancestors. As they've evolved, so too have the gamepads we play them on.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Modern gamepads have adapted to become flexible and give us better control over our more complicated games. Some are able to overcome obstacles such as having a limited number of buttons with macro functionality, while others offer features that the mouse and keyboard combination can't, such as force feedback.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> In this roundup, we've gathered six gamepads that cover a range of prices and designs. Some are models from the current generation of consoles adapted to work with the PC, others are based on the console's own gamepads and some are entirely new designs.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Having a gamepad connected to your PC doesn't mean that you're dumbing down your gaming experience - in some respects you're actually broadening it. But which gamepads offer you a viable alternative to the trusty mouse and keyboard, make gaming more fun and are worthy of your money? This is exactly where this round-up comes in.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows - £28<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />Web: www.microsoft.com/hardware</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Xbox 360" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread1_xbox360-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread1_xbox360-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The Xbox 360 Wireless Controller is small enough to hold comfortably in your hands, with easy access to all the buttons.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Unlike the PlayStation 3's DualShock controller, and gamepads that have been influenced by that design, the dual analogue sticks on the Xbox 360 pad aren't aligned horizontally. Instead, they're placed in a far more natural position that makes long gaming sessions more bearable.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The build design in general is great, and it feels incredibly comfortable to hold. Unfortunately, the D-pad is bulky and unresponsive - a real let-down when you consider the other areas in which this gamepad excels.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> As you should expect from a product created by Microsoft, there are no compatibility problems when using this controller with a Windows PC. Plugging in the wireless dongle lets you control your games without having to be sat right next to your computer, and the gamepad is identified and installed in seconds. The controller does need two AA batteries that will need to be replaced often - and that can be annoying.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Verdict: 87%</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Sony DualShock 3 PS3 Ccontroller - £28<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />Web: uk.playstation.com</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Sony dualshock 3" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread1_ps3-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread1_ps3-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Unlike the other gamepads we've tested here, the Sony DualShock 3 PS3 controller doesn't officially support PC compatibility. So why is it included? Well, there are a number of unofficial drivers you can download that enable your PC to interact with the controller.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Typing 'DualShock 3 for PC' into Google brings back plenty of options. Most offer force feedback and even wireless capability via a Bluetooth dongle. If you don't have one, you can connect it via the supplied mini USB lead. BtSix 1.4 is an excellent choice that allows you to use all the features of the DualShock - including the tilt motion control.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> This controller has a built-in rechargeable battery that charges up when plugged in via USB. Installation is tricky, but the controller is sturdy and full of features. It's well built and, if you're familiar with the PlayStation's iconic controller layout, adapting it to PC games takes no time at all.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The 10-year-old design is not the most comfortable of shapes, however. If you have a PS3 then this is a free and convenient solution.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Verdict: 81%</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Genius Wireless Grandias 12V - £20<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />Web: www.geniusnet.com</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Genius wireless grandias 12v" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_genius-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_genius-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> There are good and bad points about the Genius Wireless Grandias 12V. Unlike most of the other gamepads of its price range, this one is wireless and it also has a vibration function. On the downside, it feels like it's made out of cheap materials.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The buttons are plasticky, and they can sometimes fail to register unless you push them hard. There were instances when they behaved erratically, performing actions when pressed that they weren't supposed to.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The dual analogue sticks also feel slightly uncomfortable to use after a while, as they're relatively small and don't offer the thumb support of larger sticks.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The macro function lets you bind a number of complex moves to a single button press. While some might consider this cheating, it can help make gaming with this pad a lot more intuitive and easy. For 2D platforming games, this is a perfectly accessible, cheap control method, with the added bonus of wireless support. However, for serious multiplayer gaming the unreliable buttons make this controller a defi nite no-no.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Verdict: 61%</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Thrustmaster 3-In-1 Dual Trigger Game Pad - £20<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />Web: www.thrustmaster.com</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Thrustmaster" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_thrust-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_thrust-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The Thrustmaster 3 in 1 Dual Trigger Game Pad isn't attractive. It's thick, bulky and sits rather uncomfortably in your hands. This is mainly due to the additional third shoulder trigger buttons.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> After a while, the gamepad starts to gel, and the buttons are responsive, as are the analogue thumb sticks. Looking about with them may not have the immediacy of the mouse, but it compares favourably with other, more expensive, gamepads. You'll need to configure the buttons yourself, which is an annoying distraction after the Xbox 360 controller's plug-and-play simplicity.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The buttons are springy and responsive, and most feel comfortable to use, but the shoulder buttons are a bit too thin for comfort.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Along with the standard USB connection, there's a PlayStation 2 connector, which gives a little extra value. This is a budget gamepad that does the job, but it takes time to configure, and the supplied software and Thrustmaster website aren't much help. It's not a terrible gamepad at all, but there are better models out there.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Verdict: 71%</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Trust GXT 28 - £18<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />Web: trust.com</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Trust gxt 28" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_trust-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_trust-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The Trust GXT 28 is closely modelled on Sony's DualShock 3 gamepad, though unlike the Razer Onza Tournament Edition adaptation of Microsoft's design, the GXT 28 does nothing to improve an established gamepad style.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The GXT 28 is lightweight and feels hollow, but the buttons do feel nice and responsive, and give a satisfying click with every push. Each thumb stick also feels good to use, with the right amount of resistance.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> This might not be the flashiest gamepad out there, but at least it does the job competently. The design is comfortable, and will feel familiar to anyone who uses Sony's official gamepads. There's a turbo mode, but it's only really of use if you're terrified of developing RSI from fast button pushing. For most gamers though, this novelty feature won't be used often.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> You can plug the GXT 28 straight into a PS3 too, which adds value. Trust has been making game peripherals for a long time, and it's come up with a cheap yet reliable alternative to the offi cial PS3 controller.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Verdict: 69%</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Razer Onza Tournament Edition - £48<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5;" />Web: eu.razerzone.com</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="Razer onza" class="aligncenter" height="189" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_razer-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/PC%20Format/PCF%20254/PCF254.w_roundup.spread2_razer-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="252" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> You might be forgiven for thinking at first glance that this is an official Xbox 360 controller. The shape and design are almost identical and the build quality is top-notch.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> There are a few subtle differences, though. The D-pad is much improved and actually usable - something Microsoft's official controller can't boast. Another great addition is the glowing face buttons, which help to make gaming in the dark a lot easier.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> This gamepad also comes with two buttons carefully placed at the back of the pad that can be used to recalibrate the gamepad on-the-fly. You can also twist the analogue thumb sticks to tweak their sensitivity without pausing your game.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The gamepad itself feels incredibly comfortable, using the same ergonomic design as the official Xbox 360 pad. It's quite a bit lighter as well - due to the lack of wireless functionality and the need for batteries. While it would have been nice to have it wireless, the long cord goes a long way to compensating for this.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Overall, this is a great gamepad that improves on an already excellent design.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Verdict: 92%</span></div> </div> </span></div>

Buying Guide: Best PC gamepad: 6 reviewed and rated

For most PC gamers, the mouse and keyboard combination is the ultimate way to control our games. The mouse offers lightning-fast respon...

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EA boss claims 3D gaming is giving 'poor returns'

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="150" mce_src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/images/3d%20tv%20lifestyle%20image-%20cropped34-200-200.jpg" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/images/3d%20tv%20lifestyle%20image-%20cropped34-200-200.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="200" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> EA boss John Riccitiello has claimed this week that the publisher sees little current demand for 3D gaming, with poor returns to date from the investments the company has made in 3D console and PC game development.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The gaming exec said that EA was "not here to drive a market" when discussing what he thought to be the slow uptake of 3D TVs in the home.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">What customers want</span></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> "We are here to react to what customers want," said Riccitiello. And what gamers want (according to the hive-mind at EA HQ) is mobile and social gaming, not high def 3D console gaming.</div> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="3D watchers" class="aligncenter" height="315" mce_src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/images/3d%20tv%20lifestyle%20image-%20cropped34-420-90.jpg" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/images/3d%20tv%20lifestyle%20image-%20cropped34-420-90.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="420" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Following EA's recent buy-out of leading mobile and social gaming developer PopCap, Riccitiello added: "We really see high returns in these markets…and very poor returns focusing on 3D, so we are allocating our resources toward new innovations."</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Riccitiello added that most of the games industry's console development is focused on making games in 3D already, hence there is no need for a massive extra investment to produce stereoscopic 3D gaming content, unlike the current situation in the TV industry.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Nintendo has had to slash the cost of its glasses-free stereoscopic 3DS handheld this week, reportedly now losing money on every 3DS handheld sold.</div> </div> </span></div>

EA boss claims 3D gaming is giving 'poor returns'

EA boss John Riccitiello has claimed this week that the publisher sees little current demand for 3D gaming, with poor returns to date f...

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HypnoBlocks offers 3-D block matching challenge

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" height="238" mce_src="http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/2441/screenshot20110727at420.jpg" src="http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/2441/screenshot20110727at420.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; height: 301px; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0pt auto 8px; max-width: 640px; width: 226px;" width="179" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> HypnoBlocks from venerable Mac and iOS developers Ambrosia Software is a new block-matching challenge game for the iPad. It's a fun game if a little nerve-wracking as the action gets faster and faster over time.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> You're presented with a number of cubes. Your job is to select matching cubes. They don't have to be touching, there's no set number like connect-4-blocks-in-a-row as in other matching games.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> As soon as you touch the first block, you set a color. You then have to touch as many other matching colors as you can. When the timer runs out (in a second or two, it's really fast), the matching color blocks clear.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> More blocks keep coming in from off-screen and you need to drag on the display to rotate the blocks so you can find matching items that are otherwise hidden.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Making things harder are challenge items like spikes. You're penalized for touching them, so you have to be careful during the game while still minding your remaining time.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> There is a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">very</span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>small Pause button at the bottom left of the game screen, which you'll probably want to use every now and then to catch your breath. The game runs in portrait only and as a new product does have a few quirks. You cannot opt out of the high score records, and the game will keep buzzing at you until you enter some name, for example.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> The production values for the game are high. There's quality art and music supporting the core game-play which is both simple and challenging. I enjoyed playing it although it's somewhat frantic nature is not something I think I'm going to add to my permanent game rotation.</div> </div> </span></div>

HypnoBlocks offers 3-D block matching challenge

HypnoBlocks from venerable Mac and iOS developers Ambrosia Software is a new block-matching challenge game for the iPad. It's a fun...

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Make-a-wish game, Allied Star Police, out now on the App Store

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman','Bitstream Charter',Times,serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding: 0.6em;"> <div mce_style="text-align: center;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px; text-align: center;"> <img alt="" border="0" class="aligncenter" height="184" mce_src="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/9336/alliedstarpoliceapp.jpg" src="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/9336/alliedstarpoliceapp.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px auto 12px; max-width: 640px;" width="279" /></div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> You may remember the story of Owain Weinert, a 9 year-old diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, who got invited to PopCap Games via the Make-a-wish foundation to help design and release a brand new iOS game. That title, eventually called Allied Star Police, is available now for free on the App Store. It's available through PopCap's experimental 4th and Battery studio, and I have to say -- it's pretty darn good. The game plays kind of like a more dynamic version of Plants vs. Zombies, where you summon various types of shooter ships to fly down lanes of attackers, eventually fighting their way over to blow up an enemy base.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> There are some good game design ideas here, too -- as you earn money for destroying enemy ships, you can slowly build up to more and more powerful weaponry, eventually leading an army of destroyers to take out your enemy. I like it a lot, and Plants vs. Zombies fans will probably enjoy it as well. Kudos to Owain on his work (and PopCap for their help, I'm sure), very nice job.</div> <div style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 24px;"> Owain also gets the honor of helping PopCap release their very first game after the recent EA takeover, so congrats on that one, too. Once again, you can try it out for yourself: it's a universal app available for free.</div> </div> </span></div>

Make-a-wish game, Allied Star Police, out now on the App Store

You may remember the story of Owain Weinert, a 9 year-old diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, who got invited to PopCap Games ...

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Microsoft thinks PlayStation Vita will fail, bets on Windows Phone 7

<p style="text-align: center;"></p><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Sony-PlayStation-Vita-Next-Gen-Portable-Gaming-Device" border="0" height="288" src="http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/3453/sonyplaystationvitanext.jpg" title="Sony-PlayStation-Vita-Next-Gen-Portable-Gaming-Device" width="170" /></div><br/>Xbox COO Dennis Durkin spoke to Industry Gamers about their view of the mobile gaming market, including the recently launched and very powerful PlayStation Vita.<br/><br/>"I’m not sure I would want to be launching a dedicated portable device right now into that market. I think the DS – if you look at the 3DS, certainly versus people’s expectation’s it’s not been as successful as people would have thought. So that’s a very crowded market and a very, very red ocean right now with a lot of change happening. So I’m not sure it’s [a good idea]," he said.<br/><br/>Microsoft has said repeatedly that Windows Phone 7 was their portable gaming device, and there are increasing evidence of ever deeper integration and capabilities including multiplayer gaming and in-game voice chat in Windows Phone 7 Mango.<br/><br/>"You only have a certain number of bets you can make as a company and you have to decide what you want to put your wood behind and I’m just not sure that that’s a place (<em>a dedicated handheld console</em>) that I would put mine."<br/><br/>Via <a href="http://attackofthefanboy.com/news/xbox-exec-doubtful-of-playstation-vita-success/" target="_blank">Attackofthefanboy</a>

Microsoft thinks PlayStation Vita will fail, bets on Windows Phone 7

Xbox COO Dennis Durkin spoke to Industry Gamers about their view of the mobile gaming market, including the recently launched and very power...

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Sony prepares consumers for pricey NGP

<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/6049/5392426376c80584228fo20.jpg" /></p><br/>Sony is readying the launch of the successor to the PSP later this year, currently known as the Sony NGP, with Sony boss Jack Tretton already preparing consumers for what may well be a high launch price point.<br/><br/>The Sony NGP and Nintendo 3DS are clearly going to be big talking points of this year's forthcoming E3 trade event in Los Angeles, with Sony's top US brass already readying gamers for a potential shock with the initial NGP pricing strategy.<br/><br/><strong>What makes a games platform?</strong><br/><br/>While many in the games industry are privately hoping that Sony doesn't make the same mistakes that it made with the PlayStation 3 launch – almost pricing itself out of the market – Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Jack Tretton has said this week that he doesn't "think price makes or kills a platform."<br/><br/>Sony first unveiled the new NGP console back in January, when Sony president Kaz Hirai said it would be priced at a level which would be "well-received by consumers."<br/><br/>Yet this month, Tretton told an interviewer that consumers are now "used to spending hundreds of dollars" on portable devices, citing Apple's iPhone and iPod touch as evidence that this was the case.<br/><br/>"I think when you're buying a platform, when you're buying technology, you're hopefully buying a device that you're going to enjoy for many, many years," said the PlayStation boss, adding that "the amount of money you spend on the hardware is a relatively small percentage of the total investment."<br/><br/>Tretton continued: "Something that's lousy, that's very inexpensive, is not going to be successful, and something that's pricey will ultimately find its audience if there's enough value there."<br/><br/>In the murky world of consumer technology marketing, this talk is generally referred to as 'managing expectations'.<br/><br/>Whereas on videogame forums worldwide, it is generally referred to in words that are not really acceptable for a family audience…<br/><br/><img alt="" height="1" src="http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/4692/77218338.gif" width="1" />

Sony prepares consumers for pricey NGP

Sony is readying the launch of the successor to the PSP later this year, currently known as the Sony NGP, with Sony boss Jack Tretton alread...

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Buying Guide: 7 best iPhone platform games

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/Tap/Tap%2002/TAP02.games_feat.pix_love_rush-200-200.jpg"/><p>Nintendo has quite a lot in common with Apple. Both companies are innovators in their chosen fields, developing and selling profitable consumer hardware, backed by unique intellectual property that simply cannot be found on other platforms. </p><p><p>In the same way that you won't find Apple's iLife suddenly available for Windows, you won't see Mario, Nintendo's famous plumber, in a game on iOS (or any other non-Nintendo platform) any time soon. </p><p>Luckily, though, there are plenty of games available for iOS that are in a similar vein to Nintendo's <em>Super Mario Bros</em>, providing a more than adequate fix for platform-game fanatics. </p><p>Probably the closest gaming experience to <em>Super Mario Bros</em> on iOS is <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/giana-sisters/id347349722?mt=8">Giana Sisters</a>, (£2.99) a title that has something of a chequered past. The original version of the game was released way back in 1987 for the Commodore 64 and other home micros of the day, but rapidly found itself in a one-sided battle with Nintendo's Legal Hammer of Doom. (To be fair to Nintendo, <em>Giana Sisters</em> offers very similar gameplay to <em>Super Mario Bros</em>, including block-smashing, jumping on enemies and altered-state power-up; and some of the early backgrounds and maps are eerily similar to those in Nintendo's game.) </p><p>Very few copies of <em>Giana Sisters</em> made it to stores before it was recalled and deleted, and its rarity ensured the game cult status. Oddly, Nintendo soon gave up trying to batter into submission other Mario clones on 8-bit systems. </p><p><img alt="Giana sisters" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Tap/Tap%2002/TAP02.games_feat.giana_sisters_grassy-420-90.jpg" width="420"></img></p><p>Over 20 years later, and Nintendo appeared to have forgotten its spat with the punchy female Mario impersonators, and <em>Giana Sisters</em> cautiously crept on to the Nintendo DS, with spruced-up graphics, level design and controls. </p><p>In 2010, the game made the leap to iOS, boasting new graphics, 80 levels, 32 'retro' levels, and a remixed soundtrack based on the original C64 score. Fortunately, the conversion was a success. </p><p>The game is a highly enjoyable romp through varied and challenging environments, and, for the most part, the controls are tight enough (and the level design forgiving enough) that you never want to hurl your device out of the window due to being 'unfairly' killed. And while the game gets very tough later on, canny players can amass a huge number of extra lives by collecting the diamonds sprinkled around each level. </p><p><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pizza-boy/id389318128?mt=8">Pizza Boy</a> (£1.19) is a similar if rather smaller game. The story is amusingly throwaway compared to the high drama of Princess Peach being kidnapped for the umpteenth time in practically every Mario game. Instead, the eponymous hero is giving a pizza to his love when it's snatched by a bird. </p><p><img alt="Pizza boy" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Tap/Tap%2002/TAP02.games_feat.pizza_boy-420-90.jpg" width="420"></img></p><p>You have to work your way through levels packed full of spikes and hostile animals, to catch up with the tormenting avian, who'll fly away again when you approach. </p><p>Despite only boasting a dozen levels, we found Pizza Boy a tough challenge; there's the odd bit of cheap level design (areas clearly designed to kill you), but it looks great, plays well, has unique features (such as stomping on soda machines that spit out bottles you can collect to hurl at foes), rewards perseverance, and offers bonuses for bettering your scores during repeated plays. </p><p>Elsewhere, other iOS games offer 2D platform mechanics, but also take inspiration from later platform games. <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/frogatto/id382015046?mt=8">Frogatto</a> (59p) resembles somewhat sedate quest-oriented Sega platform games such as <em>Alex Kidd in Miracle World</em>. The amphibian hero is placed in the middle of an adventure that finds him working to unravel a dastardly plot against his townspeople. </p><p><img alt="Frogatto" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Tap/Tap%2002/TAP02.games_feat.frogatto-420-90.jpg" width="420"></img></p><p>You still get plenty of Mario-style leaping-about action, but there are also characters to meet, puzzles to solve and occasional boss fights, making the game a refreshing change from others in the genre. Also, you don't jump on heads to dispatch adversaries - instead, Frogatto in gruesome fashion sucks in foes and spits them at other enemies, in a manner not entirely dissimilar to Nintendo stalwart and second-division player Kirby. </p><p>For <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/soosiz/id331891505?mt=8">Soosiz</a> (£1.19) and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/they-need-to-be-fed/id402181349?mt=8">They Need To Be Fed</a> (59p), <em>Super Mario Galaxy</em> could be considered the catalyst. Nintendo's 2007 Wii title took Mario into space, exploring tiny planets that each have their own gravitational field. It's an interesting idea, and it works brilliantly when welded to a 2D platform game more akin to the original <em>Super Mario Bros</em>. </p><p><img alt="Soosiz" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Tap/Tap%2002/TAP02.games_feat.soosiz-420-90.jpg" width="420"></img></p><p>In <em>Soosiz</em>, your little ball with feet has to locate his chums, while avoiding or jumping on bad guys and grabbing coins; so far, so Mario. But as soon as you start playing and the tiny world you're on spins about its axis as you run, you know <em>Soosiz</em> isn't another me-too game; the weird gravity hugely adds to the challenge, forcing you to take risks and regularly disorienting you. (While you can tap the zoom button to find out in which direction your pals are located, you need serious navigational skills to keep track once you've jumped between a few mini planets.)</p><p> Mercifully, the controls are extremely simple (left, right, jump) and tight, so you've only yourself to blame if your ball ends up flying off into space rather than safely landing on terra firma. </p><p><em>They Need To Be Fed</em> is in a similar space, but distills everything to its purest essence. There's no accidentally flying off into space, and clockwork-like level structures are the order of the day; in a sense, there's a cleanness and precision to the level design that recalls platform games that pre-date the original <em>Super Mario Bros</em>. (such as 8-bit classic <em>Pitfall!</em>), and while it's quite short, <em>They Need To Be Fed</em> is great fun and stylish to boot. </p><p><img alt="They need to be fed" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/Review%20images/Tap/Tap%2002/TAP02.games_feat.tntbf-420-90.jpg" width="420"></img></p><p>But no round-up of platform games would be complete without Tap! favourite <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pixn-love-rush/id373962521?mt=8">Pix'N Love Rush</a> (59p) , which combines platforming action with the quick-fire level gameplay mechanics found in the likes of Nintendo's <em>WarioWare</em>. </p><p>Instead of providing horizontally scrolling levels that you can tackle at a somewhat leisurely pace, <em>Pix'N Love Rush</em> continually reinvents itself. One minute, it's a simplified <em>Super Mario Bros</em> platform game; the next, it's scrolling up, like <em>Doodle Jump</em> or <em>Rainbow Islands</em>; then it's static, like the original <em>Mario Bros</em> or <em>Bubble Bobble</em>. </p><p>Essentially, it's all the best 2D platform games you've ever played, fired at your brain at breakneck speed - utterly brilliant and a steal at 59p.</p><p> In fact, the value of the games in this feature is astonishing - the shopping list's total price is just a quarter of the RRP of the 2006 Nintendo DS version of <em>Super Mario Bros</em>. </p><p>Finally, a little nod to iPad owners. We've so far only mentioned iPhone/iPod touch games, because retro-oriented platform games are more suited to smaller handheld devices; however, iPad owners aren't left out. <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/giana-sisters-hd/id375989625?mt=8">Giana Sisters HD</a> (also £2.99) matches the iPhone version and handily provides custom controls, <em>Soosiz</em> and <em>They Need To Be Fed</em> both exist in 'HD' form for £1.19 each, and <em>Pix'N Love Rush</em> works surprisingly well in 2x mode.</p></p><img border="0" height="1" src="http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/9809/s/13a974b6/mf.gif" width="1"/><div class='mf-related'><p>Related Stories</p><ul><li><a href="http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/9809/s/13a5b7e6/l/0L0Stechradar0N0Cnews0Csoftware0Capplications0C20A0Ethings0Ewe0Ed0Echange0Eabout0Eopenoffice0Eorg0E9376170Dsrc0Frss0Gattr0Fall/story01.htm">20 things we'd change about OpenOffice.org</a></li><li><a href="http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/9809/s/13a5cd3f/l/0Lfeedproxy0Bgoogle0N0C0Vr0Ctechradar0Callnews0C0V30CFjESgiOMQ6g0Cstory0A10Bhtm/story01.htm">20 things we'd change about OpenOffice.org</a></li></ul></div><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/sendemail2.html?title=Buying+Guide%3A+7+best+iPhone+platform+games&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Fnews%2Fsoftware%2Fapplications%2F7-best-iphone-platform-games-937644%3Fsrc%3Drss%26attr%3Dall" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Buying+Guide%3A+7+best+iPhone+platform+games&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Fnews%2Fsoftware%2Fapplications%2F7-best-iphone-platform-games-937644%3Fsrc%3Drss%26attr%3Dall" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/98747081190/u/49/f/9809/c/669/s/13a974b6/kg/216-221/a2.htm"><img border="0" src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/98747081190/u/49/f/9809/c/669/s/13a974b6/kg/216-221/a2.img"/></a><img height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/allnews/~4/Qy6SWYsxSV0" width="1"/><br /><p><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/techradar/allnews/~3/Qy6SWYsxSV0/story01.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Article</a></p>

Buying Guide: 7 best iPhone platform games

Nintendo has quite a lot in common with Apple. Both companies are innovators in their chosen fields, developing and selling profitable cons...

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Download Free PSP Games - Avoid Getting Scammed

<br /> <p>Even though the PSP has only been on the market for a little over two years, it has probably been one of the most important advances in gaming technology in the last decade because it gives people the option to play their PSP games anywhere, anytime, without being confined to their living room couch.</p><p>As with any gaming console used by younger generation there is a demand for cheaper games and accessories and the question of being able to download free PSP games is one of the most common queries I hear.</p><p>The question is, is this possible?</p><p>Well, when you begin to search for free PSP games, you'll find that there are a number of options. In fact, you'll be overloaded with them. Some are good and some are downright dangerous!</p><p><b>Download Free PSP Games </b>- Alternative #1</p><p>If you type in 'download free PSP games' into Google or indeed any of the other search engines, you'll be faced with literally millions of results. One of the first sites you'll come across is probably Ebay.</p><p>Now the last time I checked, there were over a thousand listings claiming to have free psp game downloads but obviously, as with everything on ebay, there is a price to pay. You can't give stuff away for free; it's against their terms of service and I don't know about you but I would trust this type of listing. I even came across one guy who was claiming to tell you the secret of where to download free PSP games - if you paid him for the privilege. Yeah right!</p><p>Ok so Ebay is no good. On to the next option:</p><p><b>Download Free PSP Games </b>- Alternative #2</p><p>Obviously there are many suppliers online and reputable ones at that. The thing is these are big multinational companies. They need to make a profit and offering their members the privilege of being able to download free PSP games just isn't going to happen.</p><p>Many appeared to offer it but there was a catch. What it entailed was paying an on-going monthly fee to get access to as many free PSP downloads as you wanted.</p><p>In some ways this seemed like quite a good deal, although the cost between $50 and $100 per month seemed a bit steep.</p><p>In other words you could be paying up to $1000 a year just to download the latest psp games, movies and accessories. In short, there are better options.</p><p><b>Download Free PSP Games </b>- Alternative #3</p><p>Ok, this is where you've got to be extremely cautious. Again, if you do a search for free PSP games, you'll come across an array of sites trying to attract your attention.</p><p>But here's the thing. If you visit these websites one of two things could happen. Or both!</p><p>The first is that as soon as you hit the landing page, you'll be faced with one of those vibrating banner ads that'll say in flashing writing 'click here to download free PSP games'. Of course, if you click it, you won't find any PSP games at all; you'll just be directed to another page with more banners and pop-ups and this'll just carry on until you close the website down. (if it lets you of course!)</p><p>The second thing that could happen is that the website really does allow you to download free psp games but once you are directed to the page that contains the links and you start downloading them, you'll soon find that your anti-virus software is working over time to stop the flood of spy ware and other baddies that are trying to infect your computer. In conclusion, an obvious no no.</p><p><b>Download Free PSP Games </b>- Alternative #4</p><p>The final option is by far the best. As I discovered, there are a number of websites out that are safe and have legally sound licences that allow you to <a href="http://www.bizazi.com/psp" rel="nofollow" target="_new">download free PSP games</a> by the bundle. And these aren't hacked versions either, they're the real thing.</p><p>As well, you'll also get access to music, movies, videos and other accessories that are all compatible with your PSP device.</p><p>The price? Well to be honest, it's as good as free. Depending on which service you choose (and as you'll discover, there are only three decent ones) you'll pay around a $37 one time fee which will give you unrestricted access to over 20 million free PSP game downloads. And you'll have unlimited access for as long as you own your console.</p> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

Download Free PSP Games - Avoid Getting Scammed

Even though the PSP has only been on the market for a little over two years, it has probably been one of the most important advances in g...

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