In the short write up he says that he finds it "humbling that I listen to more music while playing Rock Band than I do on my iPod". The game's biggest draw, it seems, to Null is its ever expanding set list and diverse music selection.

Makes sense, that's probably why music games are having such an impact on music sales.

Null than turns his sites on the worst tech of 2008. On the list, Blu-ray, calling the technology "bafflingly, dog-slow."

Ouch.

The best and worst tech products of 2008 [Yahoo! Tech]

Impressive, yes, but also slightly misleading. See, by limiting it to "technology", we get a doctored playing field. What would be really impressive would be if a game or console made the overall top 10. A game like, say, Runescape.

Yeah, Runescape. Yahoo! say it was the fifth most-searched word on their search engine for the year. Ahead of WoW, ahead of Eve Online, ahead of, well, all but four other words/terms in existence. That's impressive.

Back on the technology list, here's the top 10:

1. Digital Camera
2. iPhone
3. Wii
4. Xbox 360
5. PSP
6. Blackberry
7. Skype
8. PS3
9. iPod
10. Garmin

Yahoo!: Wii, Xbox 360 Most Searched Console Terms In 2008 [Gamasutra]

So how does Runescape snag top honors? One need only look at the remainder of the list to understand that a special cross-section of the populace is using Yahoo! to search the web. Half of the list reads like the front of a supermarket tabloid, with Angelina Jolie, Lohan, Alba, Miley Cyrus, and this year's number 1 search - Britney Spears. Number 2 on the list is the WWE. Of the whole list, the only two that really make sense are Barack Obama and Naruto, two characters I never thought I'd have to mention in the same sentence.

What does this say about Runescape players? I'm not going to speculate, as there are a lot more of them than there are of me.

Top 10 Searches for 2008 [Yahoo! - Thanks Alan]

As well as the heart-warming finding that 87% of parents regularly play videogames with their children, the survey also looked at how parents perceived their child's development being affected by gaming.

Perhaps surprisingly, the survey conducted by a major games console manufacturer found that many parents noticed improvements in their kids that they attributed directly to gaming!

75% of surveyed parents think that their children's hand/eye coordination has been improved by gaming, while 84% say that PC gaming has boosted their kid's typing skills.

Parents See Benefit of Children Playing Video Games [GameSpy]

As the sale of Metal Gear Solid 4 coming up, are you interested in the game? (Collaboration with Famitsu White Paper Editorial Dept)

Already own the PS3 and plan on purchasing MGS4: 28 percent 173 votes
Plan on purchasing it with PS3: 13 percent 81 votes
Own a PS3, but don't intend on purchasing: 15 percent 89 votes
Interested, but don't plan on purchasing it with a PS3: 46 percent 282 votes

Let's look at the numbers: The results show that 41 percent of those polled have already decided to purchase the game, but 61 percent of those polled do not have plans to pick up the game. However, that not-buying-but-interested 46 percent of those polled certainly could be considered potential customers — for whatever that's worth. That perfect Famitsu review should also help move some copies of the game. And if you add all those numbers up, you'll see that one hundred percent of those polled either own a PS3 or are interested in MGS4 — for whatever that's worth.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Interest Poll [Yahoo! Games Thanks, muu!]

You know, we went around to Yahoo, Microsoft...and anybody who seemed like a likely candidate to build something like Steam.

We basically had our feature list that we wanted. We wanted auto-updating, we wanted better anti-piracy, better anti-cheat, and selling the games over the wire was something we came up with later.

We went around to everybody and asked 'Are you guys doing anything like this?' And everyone was like 'That's a million miles in the future...We can't help you.

It's far too early to tell if the game will be any better than the last two bombs, but I like the direction they're heading in. Darker is better.

Yahoo! Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows Premier [Yahoo! Videogames - Thanks Charlie!]

"It was a rewarding experience to score The Bourne Conspiracy video game — I have always been a fan of the series and the pace of the game is an ideal match for my musical tempo and style," said Paul Oakenfold. "I look forward to premiering the soundtrack during "The Bourne Sessions" at WMC."

Sierra Entertainment and Yahoo! to Debut Original Soundtrack by Award Winning Recording Artist Paul Oakenfold for Upcoming Video Game The Bourne Conspiracy(TM)

Live World Premiere presented by Sierra and Yahoo! will feature Oakenfold, members of the Florida Classical Symphony, with Special Guest Appearance by Cee-Lo, at Winter Music Conference 2008

LOS ANGELES, March 24 /PRNewswire/ — Sierra Entertainment and Yahoo! today announced that they will debut part of an original soundtrack by world renowned DJ, remixer and producer Paul Oakenfold for Sierra's upcoming video game Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy(TM). The companies have partnered to present the world premiere of Oakenfold's score with "The Bourne Sessions," a live concert featuring Oakenfold and members of the Florida Classical Symphony, with a special performance by Atlantic recording artist Cee-Lo Green, at the 2008 Winter Music Conference (WMC) in Miami, Florida. "The Bourne Sessions" takes place at Mansion, one of Miami's newest super clubs, on March 25, 2008, with live webcasts by Yahoo! Live and through Sierra's The Bourne Conspiracy Web site.

Yahoo!, co-presenter of "The Bourne Sessions," will be broadcasting the event to viewers worldwide in several capacities:

— Yahoo! Live http://live.yahoo.com/ a new service from Yahoo! which
provides a social broadcasting experience, will air the event live on
March 25th from multiple perspectives so viewers can interact with each
other, in real-time. Sierra Entertainment is also partnering with
Yahoo! to broadcast live coverage of the event at
http://www.bournesessions.com/
— Yahoo! Music will air a fully produced, world broadcast premier of the
event via http://music.yahoo.com in late April
— Yahoo! will have the exclusive premier of Oakenfold's "Falling" music
video, featuring Cee-Lo
— Yahoo! Games will launch an exclusive, never-before-seen trailer of The
Bourne Conspiracy, on the day of the event

"We're thrilled to be co-sponsoring "The Bourne Sessions" event and to be able to bring the exciting content, music and action of The Bourne Conspiracy to viewers and fans all over the world," said Karin Gilford, GM of Yahoo! Entertainment. "By utilizing the different capabilities of Yahoo's programs, we can make sure that fans don't miss a beat."

"It was a rewarding experience to score The Bourne Conspiracy video game — I have always been a fan of the series and the pace of the game is an ideal match for my musical tempo and style," said Paul Oakenfold. "I look forward to premiering the soundtrack during "The Bourne Sessions" at WMC."

Oakenfold's intense soundtrack features his distinct style of up-tempo music and adds another tremendous layer to the game's cinematography techniques, presentation and pacing inspired by the Bourne films. As an added feature to the game, players will be able to unlock original tracks scored by Oakenfold and play them on demand by completing levels and achievements.

Created in collaboration with Ludlum Entertainment, and with story and character development in conjunction with Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy, The Bourne Conspiracy is a companion to the blockbuster series with an original story that uncovers the details of Jason Bourne's past. The third-person action game, developed by High Moon Studios, blends hunter-prey game play through a seamless mix of hand-to-hand fighting, gunplay and dramatic escapes. The action in the game is designed around Jason Bourne's signature combat style, with a combat system co-designed by renowned Hollywood stunt choreographer and Bourne fight coordinator, Jeff Imada.

"The Bourne Conspiracy takes gamers beyond the standard licensed video game and into a distinctively original world full of intense action, unprecedented music and a visceral cinematic experience," said Al Simone, senior vice president, global marketing for Sierra Entertainment. "Paul's music drives the rhythm and soul of the energetic and immersive gameplay. The result sets a new bar for action titles and gives gamers an authentic Bourne experience."

For more information on the Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy video game, including screenshots and video trailers, please visit http://www.bournethegame.com.

Me? I remember shopping my late uncle in Pennsylvania at a department store, searching for Happy Days View-Master reels (I'm serious!), still playing my Atari 2600 regularly, seeing the R.O.B. and lightgun set on a display table. While totally new to me, I thought "I must have this." Michael McWhertor

UPDATE: Shigeru Miyamoto actually did submit this question to Yahoo! Answers. No. Seriously. Nintendo told me so!

Shiggy's Asks [Yahoo! Answers]

From now on, whenever someone out there makes a "funny" Wii dick joke, they get put on the Wii Dick Joke Suspect List. I've had it! I realize even I have been guilty of this offense but it's not funny anymore. Michael McWhertor

Yahoo! Games - World of Wii

For those that want them, the consoles are there. And not even at that much of a price, really. The intertubes have been flooded with consoles, and Yahoo! Auctions in Japan has the PLAYSTATION 3 coming out the whazoo. And at near deals at that!

The Associated Press reports that the 60 GB version has selling close to the retail price of 60,000 yen (US $510). And that's with software thrown in.

That is, many resellers might be losing money on their investments. The huge bids placed on Yahoo! turned out to be bogus and were cancelled. My question: Is this launch turning out to a total bust? Brian Ashcraft

PS3 Resells Hit Reasonable [IHT, Thanks Michael!]

Last fall, in-game advertising company Double Fusion brought on Yahoo Games General Manager Geoff Graber as the company's new CEO. "With more options becoming available for gamers in the next year, and as the industry continues to mature, we feel that the biggest days for in-game advertising are just on the horizon," Graber told GameSpot last November. With recent deals with Midway and THQ, things look bright for Double Fusion. Things for Graber apparently could be better. An insider just dropped word that the CEO has been "canned." Reasons for Graber's dismissal are not yet clear, but if this is true, things aren't so rosy at Double Fusion.

Eds. Update: Another insider sent us the following email about the situation at Double Fusion. It goes:

It didn't work. They let him go, and I'm sure they'll find a suitable replacement to lead."

Sure hope so! Thanks for the heads up.

Update This Page Please [Harper Collins]

The country's largest portal site Yahoo Japan just released 2005's top requested searches from their search engine. The results were broken down into several categories. Here are the highlights:

GAMING
1. Hangame
2. Final Fantasy
3. YuGiOh
4. Pokemon
5. Dragon Ball

ANIME & MANGA
1. Gundam
2. Naurto
3. Gokusen
4. Bleach
5. NANA

OVERALL
1. 2channel (Japanese web forum)
2. Google
3. Rakuten (online shopping)
4. goo (portal)
5. Amazon

Full Results Here [Yahoo] via Anime News Network