Video Games

What could be better than having your own arcade-style racing game? How about having your own arcade-style racing game with its own beer tap? The Octane 120 Pro Beer Arcade includes a wireless arcade control panel and 200 different games to satisfy all your gaming desires, along with a built-in keg to keep you hydrated. The arcade has a fully-adjustable steering wheel and seat, dual-motor force feedback, a 2-player control panel with built-in trackball, and a high-output HD projector. Read More

As any barkeep will tell you, the bar/pub industry is a very competitive one, with business owners taking every opportunity they can to attract clientele to their establishments. If the usual approaches such as cheap drinks aren't doing enough on their own, however, now there's something else that may help draw the customers in ... or at least, into the men's washroom. It's called Captive Media, and it consists of urinal-mounted video game systems, where men control the gameplay by changing the trajectory of their urine stream from side to side. Hey, whatever it takes to make your watering hole Number 1, right? Read More

Swedish company Fructel will soon offer a smartphone- and tablet-compatible accessory tailored for mobile gamers, in the form of the Gametel wireless controller. Compatible with over 50 titles, the gamepad connects via Bluetooth and supports devices running Android 2.1 or higher, as well as iPhone and iPad. Read More

When I was a good bit younger, I wasted far too much of my spare time blowing up wave after wave of space rocks - and the occasional flying saucer - trying to get to the flip-over. Atari's most successful game, Asteroids, has now been given a futuristic make-over by eye-tracking and eye control specialist Tobii, developers of the impressive laptop prototype and the stand-alone PCEye system for Windows PCs. Built as a free-standing arcade game, EyeAsteroids players use only their eyes to aim and fire a laser at flying rocks and save the world from impending pulverization. Read More

Despite the bad press that gaming often gets, there is increasing evidence that it can have positive effects. We've already seen studies suggesting that video games improve decision making and put players in a more relaxed frame of mind, now there's more good news for parents whose offspring are video game junkies. Research out of Michigan State University suggests that 12 year olds who play video games tend to be more creative ... and the more they play the more creative they are. Read More

Many people now carry pocket-sized computers around in the shape of smartphones, and the processing power and graphics capabilities offered by modern devices means that gamers can now enjoy a mobile experience that's not too far removed from console gaming - albeit on a much smaller scale. Unless you've opted for Sony's Xperia PLAY, though, smartphone gaming can be distinctly lacking in the level of control that console gamers are used to. With six face buttons, two rear trigger buttons and a digital D-pad, the iControlPad Bluetooth gaming controller aims to address this issue. It's compatible with just about all smartphones, and there's even an adjustable metal clamp to hold the phone securely in place above the controller. Read More

While the latest 3D TV revolution has had a slow start, the use of 3D technology for video games has proven more popular with over 600 3D-supported games currently available on the PC. However, one of the big downsides 3D gaming solutions, such as NVIDIA’s 3D Vision, share with 3D TV is the noticeably dimmer image that results from wearing active shutter glasses. NVIDIA has now updated its 3D gaming technology with the unveiling of 3D Vision 2, that uses a new technology called NVIDIA 3D LightBoost that is claimed to increase the brightness of 3D images by up to two times. Read More

Releasing scents during the projection of a film reportedly predates the introduction of sound. One early attempt at "Smell-O-Vision" involved a wad of cotton soaked in rose oil being placed in front of an electric fan during a newsreel in 1906, but despite such experiments, this is one technology that just hasn't taken off ... although the quest to add an extra olfactory experience to movies and, more recently, video games continues. This latest effort comes from French company Olf-Action which has created SMELLIT - a device designed to bring an aromatic dimension to your video game and movie experiences. Read More

In an article last month, I assumed that news of the PS Vita not hitting shelves until 2012 would have left Nintendo executives feeling as if they'd dodged a bullet - I was clearly mistaken. On August 12, Nintendo dropped the price of the 3DS to US$170, leading to a 260% jump in sales. A month later, just when you thought it was safe to buy a 3DS, Nintendo officially introduces the 3DS Slide Pad - which adds a second analog joystick to the 3DS. Read More