The holiday games market is under threat this year from actual, proper Somali pirates who are preying upon cargo ships off the Horn of Africa and beyond. Sadly, this lot seem to be eschewing Cornish accents and peg legs in favor of AK-47s and huge ex-Soviet trawler ships.

Shipping firms are now faced with the choice of braving pirate-infested waters or taking costly detours that can delay goods by several weeks.

"Despite all the publicity over piracy it will really hit home when consumers in the West find they haven't got their Nintendo gifts this Christmas," said Sam Dawson of the International Transport Workers' Federation.

No Nintendo Game This Xmas? Blame Somali Pirates

"We are entering a future that many in the game industry are still denying and fighting against," says Clickz's Kevin Carney, "We are watching the icon of gaming, the console, quickly and ungraciously bow to the internet."

You see, it is not just any old casual gaming - it is web-based casual gaming with an advertising-based revenue model. "Here's the beauty of this transition: advertisers are the prime movers. Online games are typically funded through advertising revenue," continues Carney.

Carney's theory may be slightly filtered through the web marketing-based publication he is writing for - most of his readership stand to gain from a boom in casual games, after all - but he does make the case that improvements in gameplay don't necessarily follow from improvements in console power.

Anyone out there ready to trade Gears 2 for Zoo Keeper?

“Consoles are facing competition and extinction” [Casual Gaming]

Energy Star are preparing a draft specification that will for the first time lay out the energy usage parameters for games consoles. As of July 2010 manufacturers who want to badge consoles with the Energy Star, er, Star will have to ensure that they use less than one watt during 'off' mode, and less than 5 watts in 'standby'.

After laying idle for an hour, consoles must automatically power down - a pain if you are trying to keep a Beta key from expiring, but good for the environment, obviously.

Gaming Consoles Finally Getting Attention from Energy Star [TreeHugger]

"Personally, I think the consoles are a problem," he told GamesDeveloper.bizGameDaily, "Years ago I was excited about consoles, but anything that makes development more expensive, rather than better, faster, cheaper, I think is a step backwards."

"I'm more excited about what I see happening on PC because I see it allowing for more smaller games to be sold that can be delivered to anyone who's connected at much lower price points."

I think what he is getting at is that you can just write a game for a PC and release it — you don't have to negotiate with LIVE or PSN, for example — and use the Internet to get the code out to whatever niche audience you like.

This may be the case, but if you are developing a big title (like, say, a new Oddworld game) surely the big money sink is in the creative side of the IP? All that artwork, music and writing — plus the code, of course. Is the open nature of the PC that much of a boon when you have multiple graohics cards to support?

'Consoles Are a Problem,' says Lorne Lanning [GameDaily]

Back in April, Dan Rubenfield (Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, etc.) ranted, raved, and put MMO developers 'on notice.' And, at the end, admonished developers to "quit making PC games. It’s a waste of time and money." Unsurprisingly, people hit back, and now over at GameSetWatch, Joe Ludwig (producer of Pirates of the Burning Sea) has a snappy little response detailing six reasons why MMOs are just plain harder to develop for consoles versus PCs. Does that mean it won't start happening in greater numbers? Of course not:

There is enough money to be made in console games that future MMO releases there are inevitable. It's just a question of when they arrive.

Several console MMOs have already launched. The most successful of these by far is Final Fantasy XI on the PlayStation 2. Everquest Online Adventures and Phantasy Star Universe (and Phantasy Star Online before it) are two more examples. There are probably more that I'm not coming up with. All of these games have seen some modest success, but none of them are either major console hits or major MMO hits.

... Eventually MMOs are going to come to consoles. It's just going to take them a while to get there, and they will probably never emerge in the same numbers as they do on PCs. Buck up, Dan. We'll get there some day.

He also points out that according to NPD, developing for PCs is anything but a waste of money. Overall, it's a really reasonable response to a sometimes reasonable, sometimes really not rant.

Why Aren't There More Console MMOs? [GameSetWatch]

"The console is now a baseline. If you look at Gears of War or Assassin's Creed, they came out on console and they were great experiences - but the PC versions had additional aspects to them that also made them attractive, whether you owned the console version or not," continued Taylor. "The PC version was better. That's something that people need to get their heads around - the console is a baseline, the PC is going to be an improved version. That's an exciting future, and that's why I don't see anything threatening about console at all.

Note that the PC versions are also generally later than their console counterparts, often requiring PC owners to upgrade to the latest NVIDIA products. Ah, an exciting future indeed!

"Consoles don't threaten PC gaming" [Eurogamer]

Yeah, at this point we've managed to replicate some of the effects, but I don't know what features will make it into the final release. Nearly all of our DX10 features are possible to do on the consoles if you give it enough time and resources, so we'll keep on working on them and see what happens.

World in Conflict Interview [Videogamers.com - Thanks David!]

I think that I speak for everyone here when I say, I was really on the fence about purchasing an ITC One. But now that it's packing a Blu-ray player, it's a no-brainer purchase.

$25,000 uber-box gets Blu-ray [Crave]

What if publishers could counteract the Blockbusters/GameFlys of the world by offering digital rentals, and taking the idea a step further, stick it to GameStop resales by offering a simple system in which gamers could trade or sell their games online?

Stepping back to compare the digital movie industry for a moment, Apple recently signed on all the major film studios to rent their releases online. How does such a system work technically? It's easy, if a movie could be purchased and downloaded before, a download that costs a little less and is tagged to expire is really no more difficult. How does such a system work pragmatically? Apple, wanting to support (read: profit) on their media hardware, only takes the most modest chunk off the song/movie's sale price. The rest goes to those who create the content.

Does this not seem like the obvious next step for the gaming industry?

As for building a digital resale marketplace, such a scenario grows far more complicated, but not impossible. Now that gamers are comfortable dealing in points, imagine this simple system: you buy a game for 100 points, sell it for 50 points, and buy a used games for 75. So what's the catch? You can't sell a used game, and you only get sale points credited if someone buys your game.

Is the plan flawed? I'm sure. It took all of ten seconds to think of. But the important idea here is that an all digital model could have publisher-profitable limits on trade that would be made up to consumers by its extreme ease of use.

But most of all, the truly enticing aspect of such a model (for publishers/devs) is that consoles could provide a relatively safe haven for such a rental/trading system to exist. Unlike PCs, the specialized hardware and OS of these closed boxes make potential exploits far less likely at the scale of the average user—and when they do occur—far more manageable to the infrastructure as a whole (because, face it, firmware wars work pretty freaking well).

And while I'd love to have complete freedom with my digital content, I'd gladly make a few sacrifices for one, simple to use system that works from my couch.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

It's important to not forget the PC side of the business to innovation. The PC provides the revenue stream every year for the team. If it was only a console business, we [AMD and NVIDIA] would not be here...

[With consoles] every few years you can reach out and do an interesting thing, but if you didn't have development every six months on the PC, you couldn't sustain your team.

The panel actually had a lot of interesting points for hardware geeks. Hit the link to give it a read. And if you're really a hardware geek, maybe you can name this video card.

IBM, AMD, Nvidia, Intel Talk The Future Of Processors [gamasutra]

Is your Wii ruining the black and red bordello theme of your bedroom? The PS3 just not fitting in with the teal carpet in the living room? ColorWare is offering a $99 solution more permanent than vanity case mods and skins - now you can send in your console (or buy one from them) and get it painted in one of 28 shades (or a combination of several).

I can't say that the boring black of my PS2 has ever really killed a decorating scheme, but the sky blue 360 would've blended in to my old bedroom quite well. I guess if you have the cash and time to spare, and are willing to gamble that you're not going to have to replace your console anytime soon, you too can have the designer console of your dreams. Maggie Greene

Colorware concocts competent console coloring [Joystiq]

A new Xbox could be coming our way as a patent reveals (rather complicatedly) some of the features that could be available on the next generation of a Microsoft console. Although it cites Xbox as an example of how the patent describes a "gaming device", it's not completely clear if that is what the patent is for:

A gaming system including handheld devices and console devices has variable functionality and processing performance as determined by the number of components in the system. Gaming components can be combined wirelessly, by wired connections (e.g., via a docking station), or a combination thereof. The processing capabilities and functionality of each gaming component in a combination are augmented by the processing capabilities and functionality of other gaming components in the combination. To take advantage of another gaming components processing capabilities and memory capacity, each gaming component is capable of utilizing another gaming component to process gaming applications. Further, each gaming component is capable of rendering audio and/or video information provided by another gaming component.

Basically, this new product will also have the ability to talk to any number of handheld devices, from mobile phones to PDAs. For what or why has yet to be seen. It's a lot to read, I know, but it makes for some fun bets you can have with your friends. I've got $20 that says it's full-sized robot shaped like a bunny rabbit. Kim Phu

United States Patent Application #20070087830 [US Patent & Trademark Office via Digg]

In what was surely a fun, backslapping roundtable foretelling great fortune on the PC gaming Windows platform, Butler received a message from the future, one that told him that the gaming console biz was on its last legs, CVG reports.

Quiet! Lars Butler's speaking:

I believe the days of the console are numbered. There is one more generation of gaming consoles and that is it.

Well, I believe I can fly. Furthermore, I believe I can touch the sky.

With consoles becoming more and more PC-like (i.e. network ready, stock rewritable storage, totally patchable), it makes me wonder what distinction we'll have between the two in the next-gen. But, one thing I know for sure, when Trion World Networks speaks, people listen. Michael McWhertor

"The days of consoles are numbered", claim PC bosses [CVG]

I'm just going to hit you with the quote here right off the bat.

I-play CEO David Gosen has predicted that the console gaming industry will be left with a "niche audience" to target as mobile gaming becomes ever more popular.

This really blows my mind. I've only ever downloaded on cell phone game in my life, and that one pretty much sucked completely. It all sounds like wishful thinking from a guy who makes a living selling casual mobile games, perhaps enhanced by the local Amsterdam foliage. Your thoughts? Michael Fahey

Mobile gaming will overtake consoles, says Gosen [GamesIndustry.biz]

It's a thing of beauty. Michael Fahey

Video Game Consoles Evolution [Knuttz.net - Thanks MrSaturn!]

ber 90 Telespielkonsolen [eBay UK via Arcade Heroes - Thanks Matt!]

Are you a gaming noob who's first console was a Wii? Do you want the street cred that having a fully realized gaming collection will give you? Well, look no further than this eBay auction where seller markcz5581 is selling what is sure to be the biggest console bundle of all time. In addition to an unopened PS3, this $25,000 uber-package includes an original Xbox, a Gamecube, a Dreamcast, a PS1, a Nintendo 64, a Super NES, a NES, a DS, DS Lite, GBA, GBA SP, Sega Game Gear Portable, NeoGeo pocket, Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Printer and last but not least, the headache inducing Virtual Boy. Also included are a truck full of over 400 games and all the appropriate controllers and hookups.

If the exorbitant $25,000 isn't quite within your price range, you might want to try the $75,000 Buy It Now price which will also net you a Wii. The seller has graciously waved the shipping fee and promises delivery by Christmas.

So why would a guy sell a collection that he's obviously spent a lifetime putting together. Why, for LOVE, of course. He's hoping to use the money to purchase his girlfriend an engagement ring and reminds us that not only are we making an awesome purchase, but "you're also investing in a love that will flourish for years to come."

Well, markcz5581, if you get divorced, I want my money back. Make the jump for the full list of auction items. Flynn De Marco

Playstation 3 plus MASSIVE Video Game Collection [eBay]
[via: Destructoid]

60 Gig PLAYSTATION 3 Console with one additional Wireless Controller (Unopened and with receipt)

XBOX 360 Console (Largest Hard Drive) with 2 Wireless Controllers

Includes the following games: Gears of War, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Elder Scrolls Oblivion, PGR 3, Condemned Criminal Origins, Call of Duty 2, Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy, Madden 06, NBA 2K6, Perfect Dark Zero, Saints Row, Burnout Revenge, Dead or Alive 4, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis, and Fight Night Round 3.

Original XBOX Console with HD AV Pack and 4 Controllers (3 of the Larger Model, and 1 S-type)

Includes the following games: Halo, Halo 2, Blitz The League, Timesplitters 2, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, ESPN NFL 2K5, High Heat Major League Baseball 2004, Intellivision Lives!, 007 Everything or Nothing, Midway Arcade Treasures, Midway Arcade Treasures 2, Enter the Matrix, Ninja Gaiden, The Guy Game, Spider-Man, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, NBA Street Vol. 2, Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, Dead or Alive 3, NFL 2K3, ESPN NBA 2K5, Cabela's Dangerous Hunts, NFL Street, Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1, MVP Baseball 2005, Fight Night 2004, NBA Ballers, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Top Spin, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Doom 3, Rocky, Burnout 3: Takedown, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, NBA 2K3, Knockout Kings 2002, NCAA Football 2003, NHL 2002, NFL Fever 2002, Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2, Far Cry Instincts, Trivial Pursuit Unhinged.

Gamecube Console (Indigo Colored) with 3 Wired Controllers, 1 Wavebird, Gameboy Advance Player, and 2 Memory Cards

Includes the following games: Donkey Konga (plus Bongo Drums), Soul Calibur II, Luigi's Mansion, Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II, WarioWare Inc.:Mega Party Games, NHL Hitz 20-02, FZERO GX, Madden 2002, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3, Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2 Echoes, Super Smash Bros. Melee, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, WaveRace: Blue Storm, Pikmin, Animal Crossing, Bomberman Generation, Simpson's Road Rage, Sonic Mega Collection, Sega Soccer Slam, Mega Man Anniversary Collection, Tony Hawk's ProSkater 3, The Legend of Zelda Complimation Pack (which came packaged with the preorder of Wind Waker).

Playstation 2 Games (sorry, no console, but they'll play on the Playstation 3): Maximo, Sega Sports Tennis, Britney's Dance Beat, Chess Master, Grand Theft Auto 3, MLB Slugfest 2003, Virtua Fighter 4, Twisted Metal Black, Karaoke Revolution (plus microphone), Karaoke Revolution: Volume 2, Guitar Hero (plus Guitar Controller), DDRMAX Dance Dance Revolution (plus Dance Mat), All Star Baseball 2002, Zone of the Enders (original copy with Metal Gear Solid 2 Demo Inside), NBA Street, Wheel of Fortune, FIFA 2001, MLS, Tony Hawk's Underground, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Madden 2001, SSX, NHL 2001, Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, State of Emergency, Star Wars Starfighter, Midnight Club II, Real World Golf (opened but never played, all peripherals included).

Sega Dreamcast Console with 2 Controllers and 2 VMU's (visual memory units)

Includes the following games: Sega Bass Fishing, Sega Smash Pack Volume 1, Virtua Tennis, Power Stone 2, NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC, Crazy Taxi, NBA 2K, Space Channel 5, Samba De Amigo, NFL 2K1, F355 Challenge: Passione Rossa, Dead or Alive 2, Seaman, Jet Grind Radio, NHL 2K, Soul Calibur, Street Fighter: 3rd Strike, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, Trickstyle, Toy Commander, Sonic Adventure 2, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Daytona USA, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Shenmue, World Series Baseball 2K2, Tony Hawk's ProSkater 2.

Playstation 1 Console (original gray model) with 2 Controllers

Includes the following games: Point Blank and Time Crisis (with 2 Namco Light Guns), Street Sk8ter, Duke Nukem: Time to Kill, MegaMan X6, Syphon Filter, Wild 9, March Madness 98, Tekken 3, Arcade's Greatest Hit's: The Midway Collection 2, Metal Gear Solid, Diablo, Final Fantasy VII, WWF Attitude, NCAA Final Four 99, Knockout Kings, G Darius, Poy Poy, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Ten Pin Alley, NBA Shoot Out 97, Street Fighter Collection, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Nintendo 64 Console with 3 Controllers

Includes the following games (with most of the original boxes): The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (gold cartridge), Perfect Dark, Waverace 64, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Goldeneye 007, Mortal Kombat 4, Pilotwings 64, Star Fox 64, San Fransisco Rush Extreme Racing, WWF Warzone, Wipeout 64, Diddy Kong Racing, FIFA Soccer 64, Mario Party, Cruis'n USA, Cruis'n World, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Doom 64, NHL 99, Beetle Adventure Racing, Snowboard Kids, Extreme G, The New Tetris, Glover, Jet Force Gemini, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (black cartridge), All Star Baseball 99, Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside, Banjo Kazooie, NFL Quarterback Club 98, Blast Corps, Buck Bumble, Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr., Quake, Excitebike 64, WCW vs. NWO World Tour, International Superstar Soccer 98, Jeopardy, Mario Tennis, NBA Hang Time, Rampage 2: Universal Tour, The NHLPA & NHL Present Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey, NFL Blitz, 1080 Snowboarding, Yoshi's Story, Gauntlet Legends, Wailae Country Club: True Golf Classics, Virtual Pool 64, FZERO X, Duke Nukem 64, Bomberman 64, South Park, Killer Instinct Gold, Mario Golf, Mario Kart 64, Donkey Kong 64 (yellow cartridge).

Super Nintendo Entertainment System with 2 original style Controllers, 1 Asciipad Controller, and Hudson Super Multitap (originally packaged with Bomberman)

Includes the following games (sorry, no boxes): Super Mario All Stars, Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Mario Kart, Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball, Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run, NCAA Basketball, Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse, NBA Give n' Go, NBA Live 95, NBA Jam, NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, The Lion King, Super Tennis, Earthworm Jim, Earthworm Jim 2, Killer Instinct (black cartridge), Pilotwings, Super Punch Out, Uniracers, Cybernator, Final Fight, Super Smash TV, NHL Stanley Cup, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, Super Metroid, Road Runner's Death Valley Rally, Mega Man X, Disney's Aladdin, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Flashback: The Quest for Identity, Super R-Type, Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game, WWF Super Wrestlemania, Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose, X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse, SNES: Super Scope 6 (Super Scope Included), Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind, Super Bomberman, Super Bomberman 2, Batman Returns, Mario Paint, Super Off Road, Super Ghouls and Ghosts, Stunt Race FX, Kirby's Avalanche, Joe and Mac, Super High Impact, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Nintendo Entertainment System with 2 Controllers, NES Advantage Joystick, Game Genie, Zapper and Power Pad

Includes the following games: (I'm still in the process of getting these all together, so in the interest of getting this posted in time for Christmas, I'll just say there's WELL over 50 (including MANY obscure, hard to find games). Check back later, or contact me if you have any specific questions.)

That does it for the consoles. Several Items From the Atari Era will also be offered (mainly Atari 7800). Once again, contact me with any questions.....

Now, onto the portables!!!

Original Nintendo DS (gray) and DS Lite (white) Portables (one of each)

Includes the following games: Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, StarFox Command, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Super Mario 64 DS, BIg Brain Academy, New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs: Chihuahua and Friends, Tetris DS, MarioKart DS, WarioWare Touched!, Metroid Prime Pinball (plus DS Rumble Pak), Feel the Magic XY XX, Kirby Canvas Curse, Advance Wars: Dual Strike.

Sony PSP (Playstation Portable) with Memory Stick Duo and Protective Sleeve

Includes the following games: Wipeout Pure, Daxter, Burnout Legends, Lumines, Mega Man Powered Up.

Gameboy Advance and Gameboy Advance SP (NES Edition) with Link Cable

Includes the following games: Megaman and Bass, Pokemon Fire Red Version, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, Tony Hawk's Proskater 2, Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, Wario Land 4, Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising, Classic NES Series: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Gunstar Super Heroes, WarioWare Inc. Mega Microgames, Metroid Fusion, Golden Sun, Punch King, Castlevania:Harmony of Dissonance.

You'll also get a Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Printer, and 1 unopened package of Gameboy Printer Paper

Additional Gameboy games: Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Top Gear Pocket, Flipull, Golf, Boxxel, James Bond 007, Wave Race (plus many more as I am still in the process of getting them all together).

Sega Game Gear Portable

Neo Geo Pocket Portable with King of Fighters R*2 Pocket Fighting Series

...and finally

Virtual Boy and AC Adapter

Includes the following games: Vertical Force, Teleroboxer, Nester's Funky Bowling, Water World, Galactic Pinball, Jack Bros., Red Alarm, Mario Clash, Golf, Virtual League Baseball, Panic Bomber, and 3D Tetris.

We've all heard it before, the story of the Great Atari Landfill. According to legend, Atari 2600's E.T. game sold so terribly, that in an attempt to literally bury the stink-bomb, a landfill was created out of all the unsold copies.

Devoted researcher, DigitalMadman, has created a whole website on the study of this phenomenon and tackles his subject with a fervor that would make Agents Mulder & Scully jealous. Through interviews and meticulous research he has set out to prove that the legendary pile of plastic actually exists and reveals the real some truths behind of legend.

What now has become stuff of urban legend (and many people doubting the event even happened), Atari Inc. sent a reported 10 to 20 semi trucks loaded to brim with unsold/returned Atari game carts, unsold Atari consoles, and countless other related hardware from it's El Paso warehouse. Where was it's destination? The answer, Alamogordo, New Mexico. Where as the story goes, the trucks were emptied into the local landfill and the Atari materials had concrete poured on top of them. Where they remain buried to this day.

Coincidentally, Alamogordo happens to be just southeast of the infamous Roswell. Will DigitalMadman really find a huge pile of Atari excrement a scant 50 miles from the world's most famous alien landing pad? Perhaps it will finally give truth to the theory that there is more than one extra-terrestrial buried in the New Mexico desert. (Insert X-Files theme here) Flynn De Marco

The Atari Landfill Revealed [Digital Madman]

Sadly, it looks like one of the Glasgow Gamestations is staffed by folks who don't know how to set a clock. You're not going to buy electronics from these people are you? Back to X-ing off days on the calendar. Thanks for nothin', Euan. Michael McWhertor

Sometimes just having your Legend of Zelda cartridge completely encased in bling isn't enough. Sometimes you need to gild the whole lily. Such was Kotomi's obsession, who was compelled to mod his NES to match the cart. After some of the true nightmarish muckups we've seen of painted consoles lately, it's refreshing to see someone not make a total mess of a paint job. Florian Eckhardt

NES Zelda Edition [Kotomi]

Eye topography enthusiasts, look no further. The precision ocular cartography you seek is available now, in handheld form, and in addition to medical applications it supports and estimated 600 game titles and only uses 6 AA batteries per hour and a half of playtime.

This device is a special frame grabber with data analysis software based on a SEGA Nomad 16-bit game console. The whole design fits into the standard SEGA cartridge and can be used on any 16-bit SEGA game console like SEGA Genesis or SEGA Megadrive. SEGA Nomad was used for portable applications. The cartridge has video input connector and any standard CCD video camera can be plugged into it. For eye topography measurement a high resolution monochrome CCD camera must be used. In addition the special lenses must be attached to the camera to allow making images of the eye at a 2-3 cm distance. The camera is focused on the eye cornea surface and captures the image produced by the light circle source.

This is a very specific device necessary for eye surgery clinics only.

This mod was apparently a professional deal by one Sergei Skorobogatov for an ophthalmologic centre called "Prozrenie", presumably in Moscow. Thanks for the head's-up, Seddon, and everyone keep your eyelids pinned open for more medical uses of consoles.

And send them to me. ME. That bastard Florian is always stealing my posts. Eliza gauger

Explanatory site with more photos here [cl.cam.ac.uk/]

According to a new report from the British government, consoles are wasting electricity at an alarming rate.

Last month, a group of bloggers in the United States reported that while the original PlayStation leaked just 0.2W - accounting for some 1.752kWh wasted each year - the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 both leak a massive 2W, or 17.52kWh each year.

The energy review proposes a number of measures to minimise energy waste, including working with electronics companies to phase out costly standby routines that drain energy while the device is not in use.

But even if policies on conservative standby modes are eventually made law, they would not affect this newest generation of consoles. It's too late to be modifying that hardware, but the next batch would be ripe for messing-with. Eliza gauger

More here [GamesIndustry.biz]

For your Thursday lunchtime perusal, Next Generation's Eric-Jon Rossel Waugh has posted a decent read for whilst you're otherwise employeed stuffing a sandwich into your craw: "How the Console 'Losers' Really Won."

A curious thing about videogames is that, underneath the bluster, you'll nearly always find that the "losing" platforms - from the Sega Saturn to the Turbografx-16 - are in many ways either objectively superior to or subjectively more intriguing than what "won"; what they typically lack is balance. Like root beers or politicians, typically the top candidates rise to the top not out of pure excellence; they rise because they serve the basic desires of the greatest audience while offending the fewest.

Like many articles with an overarcing thesis, the author (a man with both two first names and two last names) tries a bit too hard at points. Still, he's right that many features inherent in failed consoles were then polished by competition until they shined on their own. Florian Eckhardt

How the Console 'Losers' Really Won [Next Generation]

Finally... a console more expensive than the PS3! Envizions Computer Entertainment sent us the press release, announcing Evo: Phase One, a 'next generation media hub' that "allows customers to pause, rewind and record live TV, store family photos, play 3D PC games, and access console like applications." Stats?

The system will also boast amazing graphics supported by the Sapphire RADEON HDMI X1600 Pro graphic card. The Sapphire RADEON X1600 Pro has 12 pixel pipelines that provides the highest graphics performance in its class even for shader intensive gaming. Equipped with 128MB of DDR3 memory and this model features clock speeds of 500MHz (core) and 800MHz (memory). Other key features include customized liquid cooling system, built-in biometric fingerprint reader and digital video recording features.

The whole shebang will cost you $679.99 and the website is warning that there's a limit of one per customer. So all you millionaires envisioning building yourself a little fort entirely made of Evos will have to use 360s instead.

Press release after the jump. Florian Eckhardt

EVO: PHASE ONE LAUNCHES ON OCTOBER 20, 2006 IN NORTH AMERICA

Equipped with liquid cooling system, and integrated biometric fingerprint reader

For Immediate Release

Anniston, Alabama JULY 11, 2006 - Today the Envizions Computer Entertainment Corporation announced that the Evo: Phase One media entertainment console will go on sale via the internet October 20, 2006. The suggested retail price is $679.99 (80 GB HDD) The system will ship with the Akimbo video on demand application pre-installed, plus, customers can apply an additional discount on over 1,600 games from the Evo: Direct store upon purchase of their EVO unit.

Evo: Phase One combines computer, media center, and PC gaming into one unit. The system will also boast amazing graphics supported by the Sapphire RADEON HDMI X1600 Pro graphic card. The Sapphire RADEON X1600 Pro has 12 pixel pipelines that provides the highest graphics performance in its class even for shader intensive gaming. Equipped with 128MB of DDR3 memory and this model features clock speeds of 500MHz (core) and 800MHz (memory). Other key features include customized liquid cooling system, built-in biometric fingerprint reader and digital video recording features. EVO is designed much like a PC, customers can purchase extended warranties and get next day onsite assistance or 24/7 IT phone service and remote access service packages. The system's online and networkability will be more apparent in phase two and customized games will be available as the systems continues to expand. EVO will give customers the option to upgrade certain aspects of the system. The EVO: Phase One will offer one package option, with the suggested retail price of $679.99 . The package will carry one wireless PC game controller and a EVO: Direct discount card. Other accessories will sell separately. In addition, customers can order customize EVO paint applications upon request.

Derrick Samuels CEO and Founder reported today. "Evo will be one of the first true gaming hybrid consoles that will be built -to-order with few restrictions, but at the same time offer a platform that will constantly evolve to suit the customer's need. Evo is a computer but it will also provide the entire family the opportunity to access the different applications throughout the home via wireless network." Samuels added, " The final hardware units should be done in late August and is greatly improved from the unit displayed at E3 this year in Los Angeles. Upon request units will be available for review. Envizions' goal is to build on quality, service and reliability. To reward our customers we plan to ship all pre-orders first since the unit will have a limited release qualities available at launch."

So it is not surprising to me that, according to Matt Lee of Microsoft, Europe will be the most important territory to conquer in the next-gen console wars:

One thing to note, however, is that Japan is not necessarily the most important market for gaming these days. It is also not quite as large as the US and European markets. The japanese market is very important to the Xbox 360 and we've got a whole bunch of great Japanese titles on the way from major Japanese developers.

Both the Japanese and US markets are reaching saturation at this point. The big battleground for us (and for everyone) is going to be Europe.

Excellent! But Microsoft, I have some advice: if you really want to win the next-gen battle in Europe, how about stop charging us 25% more for consoles and games than you charge America and Japan? Seems to me that would go a long way to securing a victory. Florian Eckhardt

Microsoft Dev: Europe is the Battleground [1UP]

It's a handy little resource regardless, with lots of illustrative photos. The only thing lacking is checkboxes, and I've done that myself in the PDF I send to people who want to be my friend.

People who score between 30 and 46 are allowed to e-mail me once every fifteen minutes. Below that, I slam the little red button I had installed when I was casemodding my Pippin, and extremely angry seagulls appear in your toilet tank.

Go, leave snide and corrective comments about things they forgot, before someone else beats you to it! Eliza gauger

The Evolution of the Video Game Console 1972-Present [ThumbGods]

I wish I could link it right in here but it's not on YouTube, so you will just have to click with your lazy, cheeto-encrusted fingers.

UPDATE! A kind reader cured my Flash-ignorance.

Console Wars [SomethingAwful]

Curmudgeon Gamer put together this above inflationary chart graphing the price of all major consoles according to relative prices. So how bad is the PS3? As you can see above, the only consoles in the last twenty years more expensive than it are the Neo-Geo and 3DO... two consoles that obviously never controlled the market. Goping back to the late 70's and early 80's, there are a few consoles that were more expensive... but that's back in the days when video game consoles were still being built out of the shattered femurs of neolithic monkey men. Also note that, despite Sony's claims, the PS2 was a good 250 bucks cheaper in inflationary dollars.

History of Console Prices (or: $500 Ain't The Worse) [Curmudgeon Gamer]

Forbes via some guy at 1Up says that high schoolers aren't all that into games. The findings says 82% of student have one console, while 53% owned several. So, what's the prob? Seventy-percent of those teens said they were going to cut down on gaming. But, does that mean just because teens are playing less, the industry is doomed? Hate to point out the obvious Forbes, but people besides teens actually do game.

More Here From That Guy [1Up]

Cole predicts that Sony will not even try to compete with Live. Although the GDC06 keynote by Phil Harrison stressed that Sony was embracing online content, Cole points out that we heard the exact same thing at GDC2000 about the Playstation 2. While the Playstation 3 will be online ready, Cole argues that Sony already has enough headaches trying to produce the system itself without trying to tackle a robust online service on top of that. Instead, they are going to go with a laissez faire online strategy which encourages other parties to build their own services for use in the Playstation 3.

There's a lot more to digest in the article, including Live, Nintendo, Gametap and MMORPGs across all the next-gen consoles. Cole's feature is sure to generate a lot of debate and there's a lot of soothsaying here to digest. A great read.

How Online Services Will Shape the Console War [Next Generation]

Bushnell, the founder of Atari, said there were 44 million gamers in the United States in 1982 during the height of the Atari craze, but now there are only 18 million. He didn't cite his sources for those figures, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he did his research right.

Where did all these customers go? Bushnell said he thinks most were driven away by the "complexity" of modern games and women were turned off to all the violence. He even slammed the PS2 controller for being "scary" with all the inscrutable triangles, squares and circles.

I think he's right. I think there's something seriously wrong with the video game industry. It's so obsessed with its own young hipster propaganda that it's turning away anyone who isn't youthful or a hipster. You don't need an MBA from Stanford to figure out that's a stupid business strategy.

This attitude is pervasive in the industry. When I was working at Yahoo Games, I was astounded to learn that the majority of people who visited the site were older than 30 and almost half of them were women. Who are these people, demographically? Mostly folks who stay at home to take care of their kids and play casual games to pass the time, instead of watching soap operas. In other words, housewives. I thought this would be viewed as a bonanza: an audience as large as NBC's daytime who watched their computer screen without blinking for hours on end. The makers of Tide and Palmolive would kill to reach them. Instead, the advertising and marketing people at Yahoo viewed this as a disaster, a product management failure. They wanted to be associated with the handful of people who know who Tony Hawk is — ignoring the vastly larger and more captive casual game audience.

Here's a confession. Before I started working on Kotaku, I thought Nintendo was dead. I consider myself a hardcore gamer. I love first-person shooters, real-time strategy and multiplayer deathmatches. That's why my ranking of game machines has been the PC, Xbox, PlayStation and GameCube, in that order. I was sure the DS was going to be a flop, especially in comparison with the PSP. I had fallen in the same trap as the rest of the industry — it's gotta be hipper, more powerful, more edgy, more hardcore to succeed. Except things haven't turned out that way. So far, the DS is more than holding its own. The objective of one of the most popular and most lauded games of the year was tending puppies. And the source of Nintendo's continuing profitability (compared with Sony's decline) is concentration on casual gamers, women and older folks. (Don't get me started on Sony's idiotic policy of crippling the overpriced PSP, ham-fisted "street" advertising and the suicidal inclusion of DRM on music CDs.)

That's why I'm gonna place my next-generation console bet is on the dark horse, the Nintendo Revolution. I went from ridiculing Nintendo for not targeting the hardcore to someone who thinks it's a brilliant business strategy.

I'm not advocating that the industry stop working on Halo 3 to concentrate on Hexic. I'm saying the industry should probably step back to think of ways to grow. I wouldn't want to be in any business that has lost more than half of its customers in just 25 years. Jeez, the coal mining industry is doing better in comparison.

It starts with, perhaps, redefining the word "gamer." If the industry wants to thrive, the definition better be more inclusive.

Why can't they just let the Commodore brand rest in peace? According to TMCnet, Yeahronimo Media Ventures has bought the brand and will try to exploit the zombie company's reputation for games and multimedia to make a new batch of products, including a home media center, portable GPS unit (what the ...?) and media player.

If my precise count is correct, this is the 1,273rd time that someone has bought the Commodore brand to try to bring it back to life. What is it about Commodore that makes business people think they can "really do it this time, really"?

Is Commodore poised for a comeback? [TMCnet]

Adaptec is selling a cool little, over-priced device that lets you hook up your consoles to your computer. The GameBridge TV lets you "Play console games in real time through your computer, plus record your best moves. Watch and record TV shows in full screen on your computer."

Adaptec GameBridgeTV [Adaptec]