Recently in Video Games & Gaming Category

Boy, those patent-reading Apple investigators have been busy, busy, busy! and now we can benefit from those that track Apple's hiring patterns.

Now we have a report that Apple has added video gaming expertise and is considering a move into the video gaming market.

(Didn't you think Apple was in this market already?)

(Reminds me when Sony was at the height of its powers and consumers thought of Sony for product categories that they weren't even in; at that heady time, Sony = gadget. Gone are the days ...)

Report goes into see-saw discussion about hardware sales vs. software (games) sales model.  Can't have one without the other, but is the tail wagging the dog?

No wonder people were going crazy to get their PS3! 

(Or someone else's for that matter.)

According to reports, Sony may not have hit its reduced target for the number of machines available at launch.

Now 400K units may seem like a lot, but just ask Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft how many of those big bad boy gaming units they can sell when they're hot!

Can't imagine there are too many PS3's left out there to purchase ...

Reminds me of Beanie Babies ...

... Cabbage Patch Kids ...

... Talking Elmo ...

... and all of those other holiday toy shortages.

Hey, hey, hey as Fat Albert used to say, we've now got all three new gaming systems out on the market -- granted, they all had their own unique paths to get there!

So what do you think? What's your thoughts on the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Which one will be the winner in the marketplace?

What's the best feature of each?  What's the worst?

The phone lines (I mean the blog lines) are open -- let's hear what you've got to say.

When Sony bought CBS way back when, they also bought the famous CBS "Eye," which sought of looked like a black eye.

I bet they didn't think they'd be using that symbol outside of the music or television business, but this year has been one big black eye for Sony -- notebook battery problems, PS3 production problems and now violence and mayhem over the PS3 launch.

Looks like the good folks of Boston aren't taking Sony's launch problems as a "normal course of doing business." Instead, the city plans to bill Sony for the police needed to quell a ruckus at the Sony Style store in Beantown.

Maybe Sony could have "gifted" every mayor of every major U.S. city to get on their good side?

Yes, while Sony is seemingly scaping together as many PS3 units as possible for the holidays, Nintendo plans to ship 4 million Wii gaming consoles by the end of the year.

(Thanks to Red Herring for the news and remember that is worldwide shipments, not U.S. only.)

Let's see, if each console sells for $249 and Nintendo sells 4 million that would be just shy of $1 billion in sales revenue. (That's a lot of money -- dollars, yen, Euros, etc. -- not matter how you look at it.)

Who says games are just for kids?

During the recent X06 event in Barcelona, Spain, Electronic Arts (EA) announced its upcoming holiday line-up for the Xbox 360.

(So many games, so little time ...)

While today's news is all abuzz about the Xbox 360 1080p upgrade (the more to battle the still-to-be-launched Sony PS3, my dear -- sorry to hear about even more shortages at launch) and other neat additions, isn't it all really about the games?

(Don't you think so?  )

So here's what EA will be rolling out in the way of holiday treats. Titles include:

• FIFA 07
• Need for Speed Carbon
• Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07
• NBA LIVE 07
• NHL 07
• Half Life 2
• Superman Returns: The Videogame

www.ea.com

www.xbox.com

It'a almost like writing a book report back in elementary school: "This book would be enjoyed by anyone between the ages of 8 and 80."

It seems like Nintendo is taking the same approach with its Wii gaming system -- positioning it not just for kids, but for seniors, too!

How else would you explain the company showing up at Life@50+, an annual event sponsored by AARP?

Intended for those over the age of 50, the event attracted more than 20,000 people and featured a wide range of panel discussions, celebrities and exhibitors showcasing products for older Americans.

How many of you out there will be buying a Wii for grandma this holiday season?

Seems like only the other day I blogged about video gamers and how cheaters never prosper.

Well, it's a new day, and Ziff Davis' beta of MyCheats.com makes use of the latest in collaborative content, social networking and search technologies to help gamers get the most out of their videogames.

MyCheats.com users can easily create and edit content themselves and can contribute to each others' content as well so that hundreds of gamers can collectively author a segmented, fully searchable game guide.

Following in the collaborative tradition of Wikipedia, the process is simplified so that no code is involved and anyone can contribute immediately.

The site includes strategies from the experts at 1UP.com, Computer Gaming World, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine and Electronic Gaming Monthly as well as the best gamers on the 1UP Network.

Today's top "What's Hot" rankings:

• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
• Bully
• Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
• Yoshi's Island 2
• Splinter Cell Double Agent

www.mycheats.com

Finally made it through the Washington Post article about a self-described "professional cheater" -- as in video game cheater.

Let's go to the source for a taste of what this article is all about:

Today's video games are anything but easy, the 24-year-old will tell you. And to get through the intricate, challenging, mind-numbing levels of City of Heroes and The Godfather, two games he's currently stuck on, he needs help.

Web sites such as 1Up.com provide gamers with tips, tricks, tutorials and outright cheating strategies for games. Magazines such as Tips & Tricks, boast of their "Cheat Code Blowout!" Or 150-page strategy guides, the Cliffs Notes of gamers, last year drew $67 million in sales, according to the NPD Group.

... Or how about MyCheats.com, a Wikipedia for the gaming set?

Does anybody out there use these sites -- or do you play strictly by the book?

What better way to celebrate a birthday than by giving a gift?

With that nice thought in mind, Reflexive Entertainment is giving everyone a gift -- the full version of its modern-day classic PC game Ricochet Xtreme, considered the measuring stick for all breakout-styled games.

(Until November 15, that is.)

Reflexive launched the Ricochet series back in 2001 and now those games, including the sequel Ricochet Lost Worlds and the further expanded Ricochet Lost Worlds: Recharged, have been downloaded more than 20 million times (and also released on Xbox, Mac and mobile phones).

Join the party at www.reflexive.com!