Report: Sony could remotely disable jailbroken PS3s

With PS3 open territory for hackers and pirates, many have been wondering what action Sony will take to secure its system. The platform-destroying piracy rampant on PSP makes it clear exactly how much is at stake. To date, Sony's response to the jailbreak has been limited to mandatory firmware updates and revoking PSN access to those that refuse to use official system software.

However, a report by Digital Foundry claims that Sony can take far more drastic measures. Even if you've never signed up for a PSN account, your console will communicate with Sony servers every time it boots up. That initial load process is used to upload error logs, download updates to the "What's New" module, and a list of recently-run applications, including any unauthorized backup manager software.

Sony has yet to ban any consoles for taking advantage of the jailbreak, but the terms and conditions of the PlayStation Network make it clear that Sony has the authority to carry them out. Thanks to the system's constant self-reporting feature, "the company even has the means to irrevocably disable your console should it so wish," rendering affected PS3 consoles unusable, online and off. But will Sony ever use such a drastic measure? And if so, how will the hacker scene retaliate?

[Thanks, Vallanthaz]

Resident Evil Mercenaries Vs. gets competitive on iPhone

The 3DS isn't the only handheld on which you'll be able to play a game based on Resident Evil's Mercenaries mode. During a Capcom Mobile event, Touch Arcade got a look at Resident Evil Mercenaries Vs., a multiplayer-focused game for iOS.

Up to four players, alone or in teams, compete to earn points by shooting one another, while also dealing with roaming zombies. Players in trouble can summon AI helpers "like the creepy chainsaw guy with the burlap sack on his head from Resident Evil 4." Players can choose to play online or locally via Bluetooth.

TouchArcade noted some issues in the early version, including a "horribly laggy experience" in local multiplayer, and a disappointingly small character selection. You can see the current pre-release version in action after the break.
<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EJy_9ItPcOY?fs=1" width="480" frameborder="0" height="295"></iframe>

EA to kick off GDC with Battlefield 3, Alice, Crysis 2, and more

EA to kick off GDC with Battlefield 3, Alice, Crysis 2, and more
By Ben Kuchera | Last updated about 2 hours ago
The Game Developers Conference has always been a show worth covering, but the hard game news and reveals tend to take place during E3. EA is bucking the trend with a press-only event taking place the day before this year's GDC, with some big games on display. What is going to be shown?

Alice Madness Returns
Crysis 2
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Shadows of the Damned
Battlefield Play4Free
Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 will in fact have its own reveal event, and interviews and hands-on time are promised for the above-mentioned titles. This is a smart move: the majority of the gaming press will be in San Francisco anyway, and this is a good time to make sure everyone is writing about your titles. Plus, that's a pretty impressive list of games to put on display.

Ars will be there to cover GDC, which begins March 2, as well as the EA event taking place a day before.

Rullingnet's Vinci tablet is a rugged Galaxy Tab for babies, we go hands-on (video)

As technology advances, so do babies. Seriously, it's amazing how often we see toddlers finding their way round smartphones and tablets these days, but according to Rullingnet founder Dr. Dan D. Yang, a lot of these products or apps are either too predictable or too dull to inspire the younglings, especially her own two-year-old daughter. As such, Dr. Yang came up with the Vinci tablet, which is essentially a seven-inch Android Froyo tablet bundled with educational 3D games, music videos and animated storybooks for ages of three and under.



The prototype we saw was actually a Galaxy Tab housed within a rubber frame, but Rullingnet is working with Samsung to produce a similar-looking 1.3-pound device sporting a flush spill-proof housing, an unnamed Cortex-A8 processor, a 3 megapixel camera on the back, and a microSD slot. Wireless components are removed to reduce radiation exposed to children, but parents will be able to install or upgrade apps via the micro-USB port. Expect to see a late Q1 or early Q2 release for about $479. For now, have a look at one of the preloaded games after the break.

NES Ghosts 'N Goblins removed from Virtual Console

Arthur has bested demons, specters and all manner of otherworldly monsters, but now he's finally found an unbeatable foe: Erasure. No, we're not speaking about the greatest band of all time -- we're speaking about actual, literal erasure. The NES version of Ghosts 'N Goblins has mysteriously vanished off of the Wii Virtual Console platform, leaving only the slightly more expensive, 800 Nintendo Point arcade version in its wake.

Capcom hasn't formally explained why the NES version of the game disappeared, but it certainly isn't the first title to vanish off of Nintendo's downloadable games services without warning or cause. Ironically enough, our best guess for the reason behind these disappearances involve both ghosts and goblins. We'll see if we can get something a little more official than that.

A Still Life For Gamers

 

Submitted for your perusal, this digital painting gives a modern day-twist to the classic still life typically packed with fruit. Designer and illustrator Marco Luna says it took him 8 hours to complete.

Send an email to the author of this post at editor@kotaku.com.

Minecraft, FarmVille, What's The Difference?

 

Colorfully named Kotaku commenter BubbleF**kingBuddy keeps it short and sweet in today's Speak-Up on Kotaku, asking why our readers love Minecraft but hate FarmVille.

Does it seem fair that Kotakuites often shit on Farmville for being "casual" or "pointless", and then go on to play Minecraft all day? Why the double standard?

About Speak-Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say has nothing to do with the stories we run. That's why we have that little box on the front page of Kotaku. You know, the one with "Got something to say?" written in it? That's the place to post anecdotes, photos, game tips and hints, and anything you want to share with Kotaku at large. Just make sure to include #speakup in your comment so we can find it. Every weekday we'll pull one of the best #speakup posts we can find and highlight it here.

Send an email to Michael Fahey, the author of this post, at fahey@kotaku.com.

Updated Google Goggles Scans Faster; Solves Sudoku Puzzles

Google Goggles, the popular scan-the-real-world mobile app, has updated to include some great improvements and a novel trick–the ability to solve Sudoku puzzles at a lightning pace.

The barcode scanner is now significantly faster. Just hold the barcode in view of the phone and it will vibrate when it has captured the barcode. No fussing with button pushing necessary. Goggles also rocks a print-to-web identification tool; snap a picture of an ad in a major newspaper or magazine published after August 2010 and you’ll be linked to web results related to the product.

The most novel update, however, is the lightning fast Sudoku solver. Check out the demo video below:

The improved barcode scanning is only available for the Android version, the iPhone version (part of Google Mobile Apps on iPhone) still gets the print-ad recognition and Sudoku solver. Visit the link below for additional information or simply update your existing Google Goggles install to start using the new features.

Google Goggles Gets Faster, Smarter, and Solves Sudoku [The Official Google Blog]

 

 

Bulletstorm Mocks Halo With Evocative, Projectile-Vomiting Diorama

Nothing says serious business like a slow pan through a minutely detailed diorama set to moody music.

A little projectile vomiting? A hot dog on a stick, shoved through a guy? A fireball about to enter an orifice? How can that hurt?

Thanks for the Bulletstorm-laughs People Can Fly and Epic, now deliver a fantastic shooter or people will be coming for you.

Send an email to the author of this post at editor@kotaku.com.

Bulletstorm vid spoofs Halo 3's 'Believe' diorama, arrives in big box full of little things

Last time we got a package in the mail for People Can Fly's lewd, crude, and full of 'tude shooter Bulletstorm, it was a pile of meat, hair, and teeth with a prominent "do not consume" sticker on it. Today's package, while nearly as inscrutable, at least sheds the "do not consume" warning, which is a step in the right direction as far as we're concerned. At the end of this post is a new Bulletstorm video spoofing Halo 3's now famous "Believe" diorama commercial; however, if you want to see it you'll need to walk the same path we did. Come, join us, as we journey deep inside The Box.

Bulletstorm (mini box)

Okay, so it's a wooden crate. After our previous experience with Bulletstorm mailings, we were honestly half-expecting a box full of severed penises. (Penii?).

Phew! It's just a bunch of hay and leaves (wait, what?) ... but there's something in the corner.

What is that? Glasses and a business card holder?

Yes, we realize some gloves would've been advisable at this point, but we were too caught up in the moment. It's a mini briefcase! And those latches totally work! Think about it, somewhere on planet Earth these things are manufactured, and EA Partners' marketing people tracked them down.

It looks like a bunch of dollhouse-sized bottles. Let's use that magnifying glass to get a better look.

It's a bunch of mini-booze, a shot glass, a mini bottle of maraschino cherries, and some mini-aspirin.

But what's that bottle of aspirin have written on it? Graysonbelieves.com, eh? A quick tappity tap into the ol' web browser, and we were directed to a private YouTube vid of the below video, the aforementioned spoof of the Halo 3 diorama ad. Sure, they could've sent over a link to the video, saved the FedEx guy a trip up the stairs, and saved a lot of waste from ending up right in the trash can, but did you even bother to think about the mini-briefcase manufacturing industry? Now, enjoy.

Will the iPhone Crush Verizon's Network?

It's conventional wisdom now that iPhone exclusivity is the best and worst thing that ever happened to AT&T.

A rocket that sent them into space—and directly into the sun. Will the same thing happen to Verizon?
Wired's Fred Vogelstein has chronicled the iPhone-induced #attfail more completely than anybody. The same phone that delivered AT&T millions upon millions of customers every quarter—sometimes over half of their new customers rode in on the iPhone—also obliterated their network. The original iPhone, a pokey little thing running on EDGE, still managed to eat up 50 percent more data than AT&T thought it would, Vogelstein reported. So AT&T's plunged around $50 billion into their network since launching the iPhone, according to Vogelstein's numbers, in an attempt to feverishly build out capacity. End result? The iPhone is still un-fucking-usable in plenty of places around the country.
It's safe to say that Verizon takes more pride in its network than any other carrier in the country. It's what feeds the ego that led them to tell Apple to shove off when they originally came to Verizon with the iPhone. They have the biggest, best—and now, thanks to LTE, fastest—network in the country, and they know it. They'll tell you all about it, as they did today at the iPhone announcement. What's going to happen when the iPhone leaps onto it? Will it be crushed under the weight of data from millions of iPhones running bajillions of byte-hungry apps and wireless hotspots?
Probably not, says Gartner wireless analyst Phil Redman. Verizon's "had more time to plan than anybody else and knows the repercussions of not preparing enough." Just look at how much some people loathe AT&T. Verizon's already "put in more work than AT&T did at the start of their venture." Not only has Verizon "increased their CDMA capacity over the last 12-18 months" to be ready for the iPhone and other smartphones, says Redman, they've been "more aggressive than others increasing their backhaul capacity." Specifically, they've been more aggressive about running more fiber to their towers than any other carrier, a point they brought up during the iPhone announcement as well.
Backhaul, if you're unfamiliar, is basically the pipes that carry the data from the cell tower to the main network and vice versa. If the backhaul is flooded with too much data, it effectively cripples the towers, and slows your connection to a crawl. Just like when your roommate is running BitTorrent while you're trying to watch an HD movie on Netflix.
All of the carriers have been moving to replace old copper lines with fiber to boost backhaul capacity over the last few years, though none of them like to talk about how much fiber they actually have in place for competitive reasons. So, it's hard to estimate how much capacity they each have. But if it says anything about how much capacity Verizon's likely to have built into their network to be ready, AT&T initially "built 3-4x more capacity in their network than they thought they needed, and we know what that got them," says Redman. David McCarley, Verizon's executive director of technology, told me a couple months ago that Verizon was "staying well ahead of demand," even though they've seen a "phenomenal growth in data" thanks to "Droid-class devices."
In other words, Verizon's going to be better prepared for the iPhone than AT&T, and iPhone customers will probably have a smoother experience. Which means more than a few disgruntled AT&T customers will abandon ship, especially in New York and San Francisco. Won't fewer iPhones on the network make things better for the AT&T customers that stay behind? "Nah," says Redman. "The truth is, though the iPhone was the first smartphone to impact network capability, it's not the only one." Depending on whose numbers you're looking at, Android phones use just as much, if not more data than iPhone. Not being ready for the iPhone, at this point, is really just not being ready for the future.
Bottom line, if you have a terrible AT&T experience wherever you're at, and want a shot at a more reliable one, Verizon really is going to be your best bet. Just don't plan to use voice and data at the same time, or expect to gloat too much, since Redman thinks there "won't be any measurable difference" in speed between the two, once AT&T's HSPA+ network is up running. But there's always that sweet, sweet relief from dropped calls.

Send an email to matt buchanan, the author of this post, at matt@gizmodo.com.

Cisco's Cius tablet gets the Verizon LTE treatment

It looks like Verizon's gone and added yet another device -- make that two -- to their 4G LTE network. The company announced Thursday that it will offer the business-savvy Cius tablet on LTE starting this March, and will also offer LTE interfaces for Cisco's second generation Integrated Service Router. Verizon says it's got about one-third of the US covered with LTE, which offers downstream speeds between 5Mbps and 12Mbps, and will have the other two-thrids blanketed by 2012. If you're lucky enough to live in that first one-third, the Cius tablet, which sports a 7-inch diagonal touchscreen and weighs about 1.15lbs, could become your preferred form of business communication -- it offers HD video streaming, real-time video, and multi-party conferencing. Cius will also have 3G capability for those unfortunate souls operating outside of the LTE sphere. Verizon isn't ready to settle on a data plan for the tablet, as its main functions have potential to eat up a ton of bandwidth, but they're pretty sure employers will be the ones footing the bill.

Nook Color meet Ubuntu, Ubuntu meet Nook Color

Although you won't hear this through official channels, Barnes and Noble's Nook has been plenty of fun for hacksters. And what spells fun better than U-b-u-n-t-u? Certainly nothing that we can mention in mixed company, that's for sure! If you pop over to the always lively XDA Developers Forum, you'll see a crazy little post wherein the author took inspiration from a Nexus One hack and decided to port Ubuntu to the Nook Color. And by jove, it looks like it's worked... even if it is by accounts "a little laggy" and not without errors. Please feel free to hit the source link if you'd like to take in the details on what made this work... and to keep abreast of further developments, to boot.

Motorcycle Helmet of the Apocalypse

 shot these photos of my office mate and fellow artist Josh Jay, who sculpted and detailed this amazing replica helmet from the post-apocalyptic video game Fallout 3. I think this would be ideal for cold-weather riding, don't you? It even comes with headlights. So, why can't we get helmets designed like these for riding motorcycles??

...and don't say because they're not safe due to limited visibility, odd angles or something else ridiculously practical.

Update: Here are the photos of Josh's process from Pepakura model to finished helmet:
Set 1   |  Set 2  

Also, if you're looking for more geek-inspired head protection (from Tatooine sandstorms for example), check out this Tosche Station Trucker hat from TK409.com for $20 shipped.
"Power Converters not included."

Via HER...

Fable Coin Golf, Game Room coming to Windows Phone 7

After dropping details on Avatar Kinect and the crazy amount of Kinects sold in its first 60 days on shelves, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer moved onto another recent Microsoft product launch: Windows Phone 7. While the Crackdown and Halo brands already have some presence on the platform, Ballmer took the opportunity to reveal that another major Microsoft Game Studios brand is making the leap to the small screen. Fable Coin Golf brings everything you know and love about Fable to your phone ... specifically, the coin golf part.

Alright, so we didn't see what Fable Coin Golf is exactly, but Ballmer did reveal that all the gold earned in Fable Coin Golf (presumably earned playing golf?) will be sent straight to your Fable 3 character on the Xbox 360, ala Fable Pub Games and Fable 2, for the old-timers in the house. During a montage that followed the reveal, we also spotted the retro-themed Game Room service, specifically arcade classic Centipede. We'll try to dig up more on the service's mobile offering during CES this week. For now, make your best guess as to what precisely Fable Coin Golf is.

PacMap lets you chomp around your city as Pac-Man

Cities are boring. Architecture? Good food spots? Stuff to do? Who cares -- unless it's absolutely necessary for us to leave the comfort and security of our private basement apartment, we're just not gonna do it. That could change, though, thanks to PacMap, a new Android app that jazzes up those boring city grids with a meta-game featuring power pellets, ghosts and Puck-Man Pac-Man himself.

Sure, you could just litter power pellets around your city, dress up as Pac-Man and maybe have a few of your friends cosplay as ghosts and run around, but that's an awful lot of work. Also, you'd essentially be eating food off the ground. Hit the jump to check out PacMap in action.

Pro Evo Soccer 2011 coming soon to Windows Phone 7

Paul Briden

Konami reveal PES 2011 is under development for Windows Phones and will be available shortly

Published on Jan 11, 2011

Konami has officially announced a handheld edition of Pro Evo Soccer 2011 has been developed for Windows Phone 7 and will launch soon.

In the press release Konami says PES 2011 will offer "the most advanced team and player AI in a mobile game."

The mobile version will include a new 'true flow' system, allowing players to configure their player control, either with AI support or on-screen buttons designed to replicate console joypads.

The game will include official tournaments such as the UEFA Champions League and will feature online leaderboards where players can compete with friends or against the world for the top spot. The Windows Mobile 7 version will also allow gamers to unlock Xbox Live achievements.

A price or an exact release date has yet to be announced.

Wesley Snipes bringing 'Julius Styles' to iOS this June

Let's role play for a second. You're Wesley Snipes, renowned action star, currently serving a sentence for tax evasion. You decide to create a new video game based on your action hero creation, Julius Styles (no relation), an amalgam of your lead characters in Murder at 1600, Passenger 57 and Art of War. This game will be accompanied by a movie following your release in 2013.

The game, entitled Julius Styles: The International, will feature a blend of action and puzzles and will debut on iOS this June, with XBLA, PSN and Android versions to follow. But who will develop this game? Who will tame this wild meerkat of an idea? And then it hits you. Lapland Studio, creators of WiiWare sensation Lead the Meerkats. Yes. It's all falling into place.

Crysis 2 Novel Announced

Published by Cry-Tom: Dec 01, 2010 / 16:16

Today we're extremely pleased to announce the Crysis 2 novel written by Peter Watts!  This book will be based on events happening in Crysis 2 and provide an exciting and thrilling adaptation of the Crysis 2 game.

 The book is set to release in March 2011. 

For more information we have included the press release below.  You may also leave questions for the author Peter Watts in the comments section, we'll take a selection of the best questions and present them to him.  An article with all of his answers will be published in the near future.
 

DEL REY BOOKS ANNOUNCES NOVEL BASED ON THE CRYSIS^® VIDEO GAME SERIES

NEW YORK, NY – December 1, 2010 –Del Rey, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that Del Rey Books will publish a novel based on the award-winning Crysis^® video game series. CRYSIS: LEGION, an adaptation of the highly-anticipated Crysis^®2 video game, will be written by author Peter Watts and will release in March 2011.

In CRYSIS: LEGION, terrifying armored alien invaders stalk the streets of New York, while a nightmare plague strikes down its human population with brutal speed. The city is in chaos, its streets and skyline in smashed and flaming ruin. Nothing can stand against the invaders, leaving New Yorkers with a stark choice - flee or die. Just to survive in this inferno will require technology and armor beyond anything any modern soldier has ever seen. One man will inherit that means to survive. His mission: shake off death, carry the fight to the aliens and drive them back.

ABOUT THE GAME:The world has been ravaged by a series of climatic disasters and society is on the verge of total breakdown.  Now the aliens have returned, with a full invasion force bent on nothing less than the total annihilation of mankind, starting by trying to rip the heart out of Earth's most iconic city.

In New York, terrifying alien invaders stalk the streets and a nightmare plague strikes down the city's myriad inhabitants with brutal epidemic speed.  The city's systems are in chaos, its streets and skyline are smashed and in flaming ruin. This is New York City like you've never seen it before.

Neither paramilitary law enforcement nor the might of the US military machine can stand against the invaders, and all who choose not to flee are dead men walking.  Just to survive in this maelstrom of death will require technology beyond anything any modern soldier has ever seen. One man will inherit that means to survive.

One supersoldier, wielding the combat enhancement technology of the future with Nanosuit 2, will make the last stand to save humanity from destruction in the urban jungle that is New York City.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Peter Watts has spent much of his adult life deciding whether to be a writer or a scientist, settling somewhere in between both.  His original novels, Starfish, Maelstrom, and Behemoth are all universally acknowledged as some of the best hard sci-fi of the last 20 years.  His most recent novel, Blindsight, was published by Tor in 2006 and was met by both critical and commercial success.  He currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

ABOUT DEL REY:Del Rey Books (http://www.delreybooks.com) was founded in 1977 as an imprint of Ballantine Books, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, under the guidance of the renowned Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, Lester del Rey. Del Rey publishes the best of modern fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history.

ABOUT CRYTEK: Crytek GmbH ("Crytek") is one of the world’s leading independent development studios for interactive entertainment.  It is based in Frankfurt am Main (Germany) and has additional studios in Kiev (Ukraine), Budapest (Hungary), Sofia (Bulgaria), Seoul (South Korea) and Nottingham (UK).  Crytek is dedicated to creating exceptionally high-quality video games for next-generation consoles and PC, powered by their proprietary cutting-edge 3D-Game-Technology, CryENGINE^®.  Since its foundation in 1999, Crytek has created the multi-award winning PC titles Far Cry^®, Crysis^® (awarded best PC Game of E3 2007 and Best Technology at the 2008 Game Developers Choice Awards) and Crysis Warhead^® (awarded Best Graphics Technology at IGN Best of 2008 Awards). In March 2011, Crytek will release the newest instalment of its multi-award winning FPS Crysis® series, Crysis® 2 – the first Crytek game to be available on all three major platforms.

Crytek and Crysis are registered trademarks or trademarks of Crytek GmbH in the USA, Germany and/or other countries.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Nanosuit 2 wins red dot: best of the best award

Published by Cry-Tom: Dec 09, 2010 / 17:15

In line with yesterday's Red Dot Gala in Essen the Nanosuit 2 has been awarded for the best design achievement with a "red dot: best of the best" award.

The jurors’ decision was clear: In recognition of the excellent design of the Nanosuit 2 Crytek received the most sought-after quality mark of all, namely the “red dot: best of the best”, one of the world’s toughest and most acclaimed design competitions.

15 jury members, who are well-known design experts from around the world, assessed each one of the total 6,369 entries during a judging phase spanning several days and finally announced their result. 10% of the works were awarded a red dot, while not even 1% received the “red dot: best of the best” for the best design achievements.

All of the award-winning works will be displayed at an exhibition in the red dot design museum from December 9, 2010 to January 9, 2011.

#clips

Real Life Barely Looks Better Than Gran Turismo 5

We know that Gran Turismo 5 looks realistic. The people who made the PlayStation 3 game wanted us to see how close they got. This is their racing game splitscreened with real life, on Germany's famous Nürburgri

New Release - DC Universe Online

DC Universe Online is now available on Steam.

Fight alongside or against your favorite DC heroes and villains including Batman, The Joker, Superman, Wonder Woman and others…The next legend is YOU!

Nexus S receives MeeGo and Ubuntu ports, makes our nerd senses tingle (video)

You've got to hand it to the Nexus S. In spite of being a souped-up smartphone, it's still unpretentious enough to accept power from a BlackBerry microUSB cable and easy enough to hack that it's just received not one, but two OS ports. MeeGo, in its very raw and unfinished form, has been dropped onto the phone's internal memory without the need for any flashing, and the method has also been successfully used to install Ubuntu on the current Google flagship. There's very little that's actually functional about the MeeGo install at the moment, but the ball has begun rolling and there's a resulting question that's occupying our minds right now -- will the Nexus S have a perfectly hacked copy of MeeGo before or after Nokia releases its device for the platform? Answers on a postcard.

[Thanks, Michelle and Brad]

Beer cooler built in the shape of Google's Android... just because (video)

The bounds of Android fandom, will we ever know them? The latest exhibition of one man's love for his mobile OS is this here beverage (we know it's only going to house beer, let's be honest) cooler, which has been lovingly recreated in the form and proportions of the Android logo. Standing somewhere over four feet tall, it's really a fantastically well executed DIY project, and its maker has taken the time to document it on video for us as well. You'll probably find the unfinished droid a little disturbing to see, what with its unpolished skin and rough edges, but maybe that's a fitting metaphor for the constantly evolving operating system anyway. All we know is that the end result is at least as sweet as Gingerbread, if not more so. See it all just past the break.
[Thanks, Tony]

Google Science Fair Channel

An Unforgettable Plane Ride And The Rest Of My 10 Favorite Video Game Moments Of 2010

#list

A fluke victory in a multiplayer game. A memorable battle against a giant foe. An amazing come-from-behind win. There were great moments in the games we at Kotaku played last year. These are my 10 favorite gaming moments. (Spoilers) More »

Is The Nintendo DSi Dead?

First released in Japan in Fall 2008, the Nintendo DSi brought a new era to Nintendo's handheld gaming with a low-res camera. That era, it seems, is apparently finished.

According to a Japanese retail source, the Nintendo DSi seems to be out of production. The available DSi consoles are apparently only those currently in inventory, and there are supposedly areas where it is sold out.

However, the DSiXL (or DSiLL as it's called in Japan) still seems to be in production.

With the Nintendo 3DS coming out shortly, Nintendo might want to avoid consumer confusion between the similarly-sized 3DS and the DSi.

If this is true, don't look for Nintendo to cease support for DSiXL just yet. The console still fills a gap by offering the DSi experience, but on larger scale.

Kotaku is following up with Nintendo and will update this post should the company comment.

ニンテンドーＤＳｉ生産終了。 そして３ＤＳ予約の問い合わせがはいってきています。 [ゲーム屋さんのお店だより]

Send an email to the author of this post at bashcraft@kotaku.com.

Fix TV Show Sorting Issues on iOS Devices

If you’ve populated your iOS device with televisions shows from sources outside of iTunes you may have noticed that many shows get sorted incorrectly. Fix the sort issue by amending the show’s metadata.

At GigaOM they noticed a peculiar problem with sorting on iOS devices. The shows could be perfectly labeled in iTunes but when on the device they sorted oddly. Some show listings, for example, would have multiple different shows scattered about inside. The solution they discovered involves editing the “Info” tab for the show in iTunes:

The solution is to go to the “Info” tab where the “Name” of the episode is found, and under “Artist” enter the show’s name. It makes no sense, but it works. As can be seen above, the episode number is also entered under “Track Number.” Previously, shows that were correctly grouped might have episodes listed alphabetically unless ordered with the Track Number. Apparently, that was fixed in iOS 4. Hopefully, the this bug will soon be fixed, too, but until then this workaround solves the problem of missorted television shows.

How to Fix TV Show Sorting on iOS Devices [GigaOM]

Skyrim behind-the-scenes video isn't what you hope it is

First up, no, there is no gameplay footage in Game Informer's Skyrim behind-the-scenes video. If you're still reading this, you should know the video goes behind the scenes of Bethesda's actual studio with Skyrim director Todd Howard. Also, there are a few tidbits from Skyrim, like some nifty concept art and the world map seen above. Head over to Game Informer to check it out.

#fromthetipsbox

From the Tips Box: Online Shopping, Twitter for Mac, and Static Electricity

Readers offer their best tips for getting deals online, getting extra features in Twitter for Mac, and getting static out of your clothing. More »

#cosplay

You've Probably Never Been This Close To Princess Zelda Before

Normally, the art of cosplay is best served with pictures. Movies only show up the costume's inadequacies. But this Zelda gear is so good it looks better in motion. More »

#contest

Have a Thing for Sports Tech?

Well, after you take this survey and email the last question tosurveys@gawker.com, you'll be entered to win a $150 gift card from Nike. Bring on the the distance-tracking, USB-enabled SportBand, the cardio parachute and the opponent-distracting football gloves that you've always wanted. More »