Conduit' videogame plans to change Wii's image

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - High Voltage studio's Matt Corso says videogame lovers that think Nintendo's family-friendly Wiiconsoles are for seniors and little siblings are in for a big surprise in June.

That is when the videogame maker's "Conduit" title will hit the US market and, Corso contends, prove Wiis are ideal for action-adventure play typically associated with hardware rivals Xbox 360and PlayStation 3.

"It feels like 'Halo,' but it's not," Corso said while demonstrating "Conduit" in a private room at a Game Developers Conference that ends Friday in San Francisco.

"Halo" is a blockbuster science fiction action videogame made forMicrosoft's Xbox 360 consoles. Players battle alien hordes as a fierce soldier known as Master Chief.

"A lot of it is just getting over the stigma that Wii is for grandparents and our little brother; that is complete nonsense. We were super excited about making a game for Nintendo Wii."

"Conduit" players start as a Mr. Ford character that begins as asecret service agent investigating terrorist activity in Washington.

Modder creates Nintoaster

The nintendo toaster modder is back at it, deiivering a Super Nintoaster that is part of your nutritious breakfast, assuming you already serve nutritious breakfasts in your home. Modder Vomitsaw (I went back to the original source on this, just so I could share that word with you) on the Henback forums gets the credit-slash-blame for this one

NVIDIA Provides PhysX for Playstation 3 and Wii

PhysX is coming to a console near you. Last week, NVIDIA signed an agreement with Sony to provide Playstation 3 developers the use of PhysX technology software. With the goal of realistic graphics and highly interactive environments, level designers and animators will be allowed to author and preview physics effects in real time.

"NVIDIA is proud to support Playstation 3 as an approved middleware provider," said Tony Tamasi, senior vice president of content and technology at NVIDIA. "Games developed for the Playstation 3 using PhysX technology offer a more realistic and lifelike interaction between the games characters and other objects within the game. We look forward to the new games that will redefine reality for a new generaProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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Metal Gear Solid Touch!

Witness the story of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots as told via the iPhone, in the action-packed official trailer for Metal Gear Solid Touch.

As revealed last week, Metal Gear Solid Touch basically retells the story of Metal Gear Solid 4 from a different perspective, with an over-the-shoulder view of Solid Snake's mullet as you tap the screen to take out enemies. I suppose it will be nice for those who want a quick synopsis of the story without have to sit through all of the cutscenes, but beyond that it doesn't look all that exciting.

PS3 Price Drop?!?!?!?

Analysts, journalists and gamers alike are all clamoring for a PlayStation 3 price drop, despite Sony's insistence that the machine is well worth the money, and they have no plans to issue a price reduction any time soon.

Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey predicted a price drop within the next month, but Sony quickly shot down that possibility, although they didn't rule out the chance of a price cut some time down the road.

MIT Scientists Developing Instant Charge Batteries

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Gerbrand Ceder is leading a group of MIT scientists in developing a battery that charges rapidly or within seconds instead of the current by hours.

The batteries uses lithium, already used as a battery material. The difference is the process by which the scientists will manufacture the rapid charge batteries, expected to be out in the market within the next two to three years.

Mike Tyson makes virtual return to the ring

Tyson will share the cover of EA Sports new Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game, "Fight Night Round 4," with another former boxing champion, Muhammad Ali, with both appearing in the game as playable characters at the peak of their fighting careers.

Apple's Ipod Shuffle shrinks in size

Apparently the tiny iPod Shuffle wasn't tiny enough. On Wednesday, Apple unveiled a 4GB Shuffle that's half the size of its predecessor. Priced at $79, it comes in silver or black. The aluminum body of the third-generation Shuffle stands 1.8 inches tall and is 0.3 inch thick.

Burnout Paradise comes to Steam

Burnout Paradise is coming to the PC world of video games. It will be available on Steam which you go download a Ultimate Box with the game updates and the game itself.

This week on the PSN

This week on the PSN(Playstation Network) for the PS3.

The games and updates are Watchmen:The End of Night,Prince of Persia:Epilogue, NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM Pack 10. These are some of the big updates and games available.

Sega takes Wii in new directions

More than two years after the launch of the Wii, most game publishers are still wrestling with the question of how to appeal to the broader, more casual audience that Nintendo has brought to the industry. Not Sega, though, which has this year's most impressive lineup of Wii releases — to some extent, more impressive than Nintendo itself.

That said, Sega is still trying to appeal to hardcore gamers who have felt neglected by Nintendo. Jeffery estimates that "70 to 80 percent of Wii owners are young males, and there hasn't been much fodder for them on the Wii." The solution: grown-up action games like the gory brawler "MadWorld" (out next week) and the first-person shooter "The Conduit" (due in June), built from the ground up with the Wii in mind.

Has Atlantis been found by Google Earth?

Might these be the ruins of the lost continent of Atlantis? Eager explorers certainly thought so, trumpeting this grid off the coast of Africa as streets in the mythical sunken city. Observers noted the area appeared to be the size of Wales, making such a large grid an impressive feat of ancient urban planning. The real explanation is far less fun: Google Earth engineers soon announced that the grid pattern was merely a digital artifact created by the sonar boats collecting mapping data. Whispers still linger, but it doesn't look like anyone will be dredging up a forgotten civilization anytime soon.

World of Warcraft to help Vevendi weather

Vivendi is betting on its Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft games to boost profits this year, despite the global economic slump.

Europe's largest entertainment group owns Activision Blizzard, the world's top video games company.

It also expects to benefit from slight growth at its pay-TV unit Canal Plus and its telecoms arm SFR. It said restructuring costs tied to acquisitions would be lower after it posted 2008 earnings in line with expectations.