gaming

The government of Vietnam, due to what they apparently see as too much online gaming from young people, has asked ISPs to block game traffic between the hours of 10PM and 8AM. The Vietnamese government has made statements as to the rationale of the actions, and one is that many game parlors in Vietnam blatantly refuse to close their doors to teens even though they are mandated by law to do so. How long is the ban going to last exactly? ...read more

Listen up all you console weenies (and we mean that endearingly), the long anticipated Fall update for Microsoft's Xbox 360 Dashboard is being kicked out today. This is a mandatory download, which means if you choose to shun the update, Microsoft will shun you right back by cutting off Live access. We're okay with that though, because the ability to (finally) search in Netflix is worth the update hassle alone. And the ESPN3 channel is pretty damn groovy too.

To get it, just sign into Xbox Live and...wait. Maybe you'll get the update right away, maybe you'll have to wait a bit. If it's the latter, signing in and out won't force Microsoft's hand, so don't do it because all you'll end up doing is pissing off your friends with constant notifications that you're online.

As it turns out this addicting little game started getting downloaded like hotcakes on Android phones as soon it was available for free at GetJar. Prior to that, this little app just wasn't as popular as it was on the iPhone. Some iPhone users are probably getting a little pissy since they had to pay a whole dollar on iTunes to pick it up. Now with over million downloads it's about ready to take over the world. If you don't know what the game is all about, check it out here. If you're one of the last few Android users that don't yet have it, hurry up and grab it for free while you still can. Source

If you recently bought a Sony PSP Go, hopefully you kept a receipt. If you did, bring it back to the store on Friday and see if they'll match refund the difference from the upcoming price drop. That's right, the PSP Go will soon be $50 cheaper, or so the Web chatter goes.

Even with the $50 price drop, the handheld console will still run $200. Kind of expensive if you ask us, especially with a PSP 2 and Nintendo 3DS both on the horizon.

We don't know what's more shocking, that people are still buying joysticks, or that Thrustmaster is charging $500 for its latest gaming peripherals. In case you though we inadvertently added and extra zero, we'll spell it -- Thrusmaster's HOTAS Warthog joystick costs FIVE HUNDRED dollars.

For that kind of scratch, we'd expect the Warthog to cook us breakfast and fetch the morning paper. Sadly it doesn't do either of those things, but it does come with 55 fully programmable buttons, 2 four-direction hat switches, and 19 action buttons, and other features of interest to flight sim fans.

Check out the product page here.

It does matter if you've made the naughty or nice list, the only way you're scoring a Nintendo 3DS console for Christmas (that's right, we're not afraid to say "Christmas") is if you find a prototype left behind in a bar, a la the iPhone 4 pre-release fiasco.

You can scratch off New Year's too. Nintendo doesn't plan on releasing the 3DS until February 26, 2011 in Japan, with "other markets" slated for March, according to a report in The New York Times.

That gives Nintendo one more holiday shopping season to shove its regular DS console into consumers' hands. After that, it's game on for the 3DS, Nintendo's upcoming glasses-free 3D console. And before you chalk it up as a gimmick, the 3DS has already been scoring praise from those who played with a prototype at this year's E3 convention. When it does finally launch, Nintendo will have the market all to itself, as no one else seems to yet be working on a 3D console.

It's a fact of life that no two persons hands are exactly the same; hell the variance between people can be down right HUGE. For this reason, manufacturers of peripheral components like the ubiquitous mouse, have to design for the mythical "average" person. This is great if you have an average hand, but its no fun if you don't. Mad Catz plans to change all that with their Cyborg R.A.T. 7 gaming mouse, as this marvel of engineering is ADJUSTABLE allowing for what in theory is the perfect custom fit. Is that what the R.A.T. 7 gaming mouse delivers? Check out my full review to find out.

http://www.everythingusb.com/mad-catz-cyborg-rat-7-gaming-mouse-19575.html

The Verdict:
Mad Catz really has created a monster with their R.A.T. 7 gaming mouse! Its combination of custom fit coupled with a bevy of software and hardware features really does make extended gaming sessions even more enjoyable. Even better was the fact that it is just as easy to use for everyday tasks as it was for fast twitch gaming fun. I just wish it came with a few more custom fit options.

The Good:

• Great sensitivity
• Independent X & Y axis tracking
• Extremely customizable
• Sturdy metal body
• Multiple weight system
• Good software
• Precision Aim button makes head shots almost too easy!
• Metal accessory case

The Bad:

• Weight system needs smaller weight options
• No large, high grip, palm attachment
• No large, high grip, pinkie attachment
• Feet are on the small side
• Pinkie attachments do not have any low friction feet
• Right handed only