Kotaku

PC Hardware

"World's Fastest PC" Runs Crysis At 60FPS

Give a big, warm welcome to the Falcon Northwest Mach V! Cnet reckon, based on tests, that it's the fastest consumer PC on the planet. It's so fast, in fact, that it's the first off-the-shelf PC they (or we) have seen that can run Crysis at 60FPS. On its highest settings. Of course, it had want to run Crysis at 60FPS, since it costs $8000. That's the kind of price bracket where we'd joke that the metallic red paint job costs an extra $500 and...oh, the metallic red paint job really does cost an extra $500.

Falcon Northwest Mach V: Fastest PC Yet Runs Crysis at 60FPS [Gizmodo]

Playstation 3

Half Of PS3 Owners Also Have A PSP

Posting on his company's official boards, Capcom PR man Christian Svensson's has revealed a little piece of information Sony "have been sharing" with them. That information says that "about" 50% of PS3 owners also own a PSP. It's the kind of statistic that's both immediately interesting and utterly inconsequential at the same time, but it does make you wonder: if half the PS3's in the US/world (it's not made clear) have a PSP in the same house, why aren't developers making more use of the little guy with their PS3 games?

[Capcom Unity]

King Of Fighters XII

King Of Fighters XII For US, Europe In 2009

You'd have thought this news was to be simply expected, not highlighted, but in these days of not-getting-SFIV-cabinets, you can't take anything for granted: Ignition Entertainment have today announced that they'll be publishing console versions of SNK's King of Fighters XII in the US and Europe. And that's about all they announced. No price, no intended platforms, not even a vague release window, though with it not due in Japanese arcades until next April, don't go expecting it too soon. More »

new Xbox experience

NXE Avatar Clothes Packs Coming In "Theme Packs"

If you've got the New Xbox Experience, you'll no doubt have already made yourself an avatar. And no doubt frowned a little at the lack of options you'll find while trying to make one. The physical choices, they're OK, but the clothing choices are limited. And that's being kind. There's a reason for that. Xbox Live's Jerry Johnson:

We’re going to be continually releasing and unlocking clothes for the next six months. They’ll be coming out in theme packs.

Can't wait for the "we're finding ways to monetise this service" interview responses! And the theme packs! If we're lucky, we'll get the J Allard "mansformation" pack, or maybe even the Steve Ballmer "sweaty pits" shirt range!

NXE: Avatar theme packs confirmed for next six months [VG247]

Game Boy

Game Boy Calculator Earns A Perfect 10 From The Nerd Judges

You know how it goes. You're waist-deep in physics exams, calculations and numbers out the wahzoo, and all you really want to do is play Tetris. Whipping out a Game Boy in the lab, that's poor form, but whipping out a calculator? That's cool. Cooler when your calculator isn't a calculator at all, but this cleverly-disguised...yes, Game Boy.

GameBoy Color inside a TI-83 series calculator [Mark Bowers, via Boing-Boing]

new Xbox experience

NXE Rollout "Will Take A Few Hours"

Writing on his blog, Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has told Xbox 360 users that, while the New Xbox Experience is now out and out there, it's not out there for everyone. Looks like instead of flipping a single, enormous, magic switch, Microsoft are having to flip a whole ton of switches, one after the other

The New Xbox Experience is in the process of being deployed to all Xbox LIVE members, but it will take a few hours for everyone to get the prompt to update to NXE….be patient!

Now's a good time to tell you once you do get the prompt...be patient again! Your screen may go black and/or look like it's frozen up. Don't panic. That's just the NXE building up the confidence to do it's stuff.

Top 10 things to do when you get the New Xbox Experience [Microsoft]

frets on fire

Frets On Fire For The Blind

Although you might expect music based games like Guitar Hero to appeal to visually impaired gamers, they do tend to rely on on-screen cues which makes following a tune difficult/impossible.

Open-source Guitar Hero clone Frets On Fire lends itself to experimentation, so Eelke Folmer - a usability Professor at Nevada Reno University - has mashed it up with a wireless controller and a 'haptic feedback' glove to create the first Guitar Hero clone designed to be played by touch and sound alone.

Sure, it's a niche idea now, but I wouldn't bet against Mad Catz giving it a whirl if they see a buck or two to be made.

Blind Hero, Guitar Hero for the blind [Eelke Folmer]

littlebigplanet

Sony On LittleBigPlanet For PSP

There's been a LittleBigPlanet rumour this year that's been so strong it's popped up twice, once in April, and again last week. Said rumour involves the popular (if a little oversold) platformer making its way to the PSP. MTV asked Sony's John Koller about it, and his response was:

LittleBigPlanet’ is so expansionary. I think the developer’s really concentrating on right now making sure that the launched product is everything it could be and can be. We’re watching the UGC [user generated content] and seeing how that’s playing out. But for the future, I think certainly, we’d look at a wide variety of opportunities. Whether that’s the PSP or not, I can’t really say. We certainly look at ‘LittleBigPlanet’ franchise as a going forward franchise for us, and that speaks to the PlayStation brand overall.

Can't really say? Pretty sure you just did.

Sony Discusses PSP Possibilities For ‘LittleBigPlanet,’ ‘Guitar Hero,’ And ‘Rock Band’ [MTV]

You've been hearing a lot of stuff about the New Xbox Experience over the last few months. How it'll change the 360, how it'll add a whole bunch of new features to the console, how it'll alter the very fabric of space and time around you. Well, provided you're not already playing around with it, the time for hearing about the NXE is almost over. The update is due to go live at 2:00am Pacific Time, November 19 (ie very, very soon) and provided everything goes according to plan, millions of blades and gamerpics around the world will cry out in terror, before being suddenly silenced. Then summarily replaced with something slicker, brighter and easier to use.

If you're up (or are staying up) for it, and don't live on the West Coast of the USA, here's a chart showing just when 2am Pacific Time is for you. If that time is very late/very early for you, and your significant other asks why you're up, whatever you do, don't tell them it's for a major firmware update for a home video game console.

UPDATE - Aaaanndd...it's out! Or, at least, it's out there for some. Microsoft say the rollout will take a few hours, and ask that you "be patient".

Nintendo

The Wii Enters Its Terrible Twos Today

Can you believe it's already been two whole years since Nintendo launched the Wii in North America? What heady times! We were still reeling from the PlayStation 3 launch two days prior, still making off-color Wii puns, confident that we'd be able to stroll into a Best Buy, Target or GameCube Hut and walk away with one of the many Wiis that would be available at retailers nationwide. And we'd pay for it with the winnings from our recently auctioned-off PS3.

Obviously, that didn't happen. More »