Continue reading Kinect adds Sesame Street and National Geographic to Xbox Live, makes motion control wholesome fun

Kinect adds Sesame Street and National Geographic to Xbox Live, makes motion control wholesome fun originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just two months to go, and gamers of the Sony persuasion can get their thumbs-on the PS Vita. While we were getting comfy with the available list of this PSP successor’s dos and don’ts, out comes further info to rain on our anticipated PlayStation Suite parade. According to a report from ASCII, game downloads over 3G connections will be limited to a max of 20MB. What does that mean for you, prospective buyer? Well, kiss that 500 – 600 strong library of PSP titles goodbye, and say hello to a catalog of minis. Sure, you could always hook up to some decent WiFi to purchase and play those old favorites uninterrupted, but that kind of defeats this portable’s on-the-go design. Rest assured, this download cap could still change before the handheld launches in the US and UK. And anyway, you didn’t think you were going to get far on that three to five hour charge, now did you?

Sony PS Vita caps 3G downloads at 20MB, encourages extensive mini play originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a small victory for gamers and TV junkies everywhere, scientists found that viewing 2D images helped create long-term memories, meaning that visual media can help your learn. To form lasting memories, nerve cells normally experience “long-term potentiation” and “long-term depression” — both essential for learning. Researchers found that long-term depression was achieved when they let rats actively wander around a new environment. When they replaced the explorable area with a computer screen, the same memory-making phenomenon still occurred. The study’s conclusion? Video games and TV shows can help us learn, similarly to traditional non-electronic methods. Of course, there are concerns that visual media overload could lead to shorter attention spans, interfere with lessons taught at school and… oh look! A cat! Check out the full findings by hitting the source link below.

Scientists prove that active exploration isn’t required to create memories, +1 for 2D learning originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No gamer’s escaped the throes of adolescence without hearing the damning refrain, “Video games’ll rot your brain.” While scientific research into that claim has so far proved inconclusive, it turns out the preferred pastime of our digital era could potentially cure cancer, and even help prevent AIDS — in monkeys. Utilizing crowdsourced results from the downloadable protein-manipulating “game” Foldit, scientists at the University of Washington were able to attain a successful model of the simian AIDS-causing Mason – Pfizer monkey virus retroviral protease. For over a decade, researchers have been arduously attempting to reconstruct the folded shape of M-PMV with the aid of the task-specific Rosetta software, but to no avail. Now, in what they’re calling a possible first, gamers were able to do what scientific brains and algorithms could not, creating a sufficient model for molecular replacement — all in just three weeks. Feel like dedicating your leisure hours to this worthwhile cause? Then be sure to hit up the source link below, and transform yourself from couch potato to couch crusader.

Continue reading Gamers pwn University of Washington scientists, solve decade-long simian AIDS protein conundrum (video)

Gamers pwn University of Washington scientists, solve decade-long simian AIDS protein conundrum (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autumn is fast approaching — and you know what that means: it’s round about time for an Xbox Dashboard update. Sure, we got a peek of Microsoft’s upcoming harvest back at E3, but the good folks from Redmond invited us to take a closer look at what they’re calling the “most significant update to the Dashboard since NXE.” Senior project Manager Terry Ferrell was on-site to walk us through an early engineering beta and show us how an updated Metro UI, Bing search and deeper Kinect integration is going to change the way folks manage their entertainment content.

Continue reading Xbox Live Fall 2011 Dashboard update preview: Bing search, voice control, and a Metro overhaul

Filed under: HDTV

Xbox Live Fall 2011 Dashboard update preview: Bing search, voice control, and a Metro overhaul originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve ever caught yourself humming the Angry Birds theme song, then perhaps you should check out tonight’s London Philharmonic Orchestra’s video game tribute concert. The group will play more than 20 songs made famous by games like Tetris, Zelda, Call of Duty and of course, Mario Bros., as part of London’s annual music festival. When asked to create the ultimate gaming remix, composer and arranger Andrew Skeet vowed to keep it old school, while giving folks the best bits of music. It’s not the first time someone’s paid tribute to these hits, and we’re hoping it’s not the last. Check out the full setlist and video after the break.

Continue reading London Philharmonic Orchestra goes cover band with tribute to video game themes

London Philharmonic Orchestra goes cover band with tribute to video game themes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nowadays, you can’t really claim to have a mobile OS worthy of the title if your users can’t run Angry Birds on it. Good news from Microsoft, then, as Windows Phone 7 can finally be admitted at the grown-up table now that it has released its port of Rovio’s epic bird-launching experience. $2.99 is the Marketplace price for the full version, though there’s also the option to try out the first few levels for free. Because, you know, there might still be people out there who haven’t yet been exposed to the charms of this perniciously addictive little game.

Continue reading Angry Birds lands on Windows Phone 7, ready to explore the third ecosystem

Angry Birds lands on Windows Phone 7, ready to explore the third ecosystem originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s already been found unconstitutional by lower courts, and now the Supreme Court of the United States has finally weighed in on the infamous California state law that sought to ban the sale of violent video games to minors. In a seven-to-two ruling on the Brown v. The Entertainment Merchants Association case, the Supreme Court said that video games are indeed protected as free speech under the First Amendment, and noted that under the constitution, “esthetic and moral judgments about art and literature . . . are for the individual to make, not for the Government to decree, even with the mandate or approval of a majority.” Inevitable, perhaps, but still a fairly historic day or the video game industry — and one that we’re guessing will be a bit more positively received than a certain other milestone involving violent video games this year. You can find the complete ruling in PDF form at the source link below.

US Supreme Court strikes down California law, says video games are protected as free speech originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3DS owners outside of Japan can look forward to missing out on yet another Nintendo sponsored video service — at least for now. With the help of Fuji TV, Nintendo’s Itsu no Ma ni Terebi (or “SpotPass TV”) will bring a number of short format 3D TV programs to the fledgling handheld, including shows featuring cute animals, sumo wrestling idol girls, and daily tips on performing magic tricks. Like its Wii predecessor, this video service is currently a Japan-only affair, but there’s still plenty of summer left for the big-N to make good on its GDC Netflix promise.

Japanese 3DS to get 3D TV service, North America waits with bated breath originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We gave you a glimpse of Nyko’s 2011 accessories lineup earlier this week, and today we got some quality time with the company’s gear at E3 2011. We tried out Zoom Kinect, a set of lenses for Microsoft’s favorite sensor bar that lets those residing in diminutive domiciles be the controller without rearranging their furniture. The add-on worked flawlessly when we gave it a go on Kinect Adventures — Kinect had no trouble tracking our movements even though we were a few feet closer to the sensor than recommended. Zoom Kinect is slated for an August 16th release and will cost $29.99, a paltry sum compared to the price of buying a bigger living room. But wait, there’s more! See our impressions of Nyko’s other new products after the break.

Continue reading Hands-on with Nyko’s Zoom Kinect and extended battery packs for the 3DS

Hands-on with Nyko’s Zoom Kinect and extended battery packs for the 3DS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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