NASA Creates A Virtual Mars You Can Explore With The Oculus Rift

NASA’s JPL is using satellite imagery of Mars, combined with the Oculus Rift headset and the Virtuix Omni to create a simulation, where people can feel like they’re actually walking on the Mars terrain. One of the engineers explained in an interview to Engadget, that initially explorers would use an Xbox controller to wander the…

How Japan Is Making Twitter Stronger

Late last week, Japanese Twitter users set a new Twitter world record: a staggering 143,199 tweets per second. This was no accident. And it will, no doubt, make Twitter better. According to the verified account of Twitter’s Japanese branch, the record breaking number occurred last Friday at 11:21:50 PM Japan Time. Why? What caused this?…

Dark Souls as an isometric, 2D game? Yes please! The memorable bossfight against Ornstein and Smough looks absolutely stunning in digital artists Cyangmou‘s and Wolfenoctis‘ reimagination. Dayshot is an image-based feature that runs every morning, showcasing some of the prettiest, funniest game-related screenshots and art that we can find. Send us suggestions if you’ve got…

Not All Saints Row Developers Were Thrilled with the Porn Stars

Dildo bats. Adult video stars. Alien anal probes. Yep, this is the world of Saints Row. That doesn’t mean everyone making the games have been happy with how Saints Row has been handled or happy about porn star producers. In an interview with Edge, Saints Row IV associate producer Kate Nelson talked about how the…

Don’t Expect Street Fighter V Until Around 2018!

In an interview with VG247, Capcom producer Tomoaki Ayano explained that making each numeric entry in the Street Fighter series takes a long time. A long, long time. “If you look at the history of the series,” Ayano said, “it took six years to go from Street Fighter II to Street Fighter III, and nine…

In Japan, You Can Visit the Totoro House. For Real.

When Studio Ghibli fans visit Japan, they typically make a beeline for the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. But there’s another spot that should be on any fan’s list. Make that every fan’s list. Back in 2005, a full-scale replica of Satsuki and Mei’s house from My Neighbor Totoro was created for the World’s Fair held…

Check out this footage of the upcoming Sonic Lost World, which is headed to the Wii U and the 3DS this October. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft

Inside a Swanky Tokyo Shop for PC Gamers

This month, a new shop dedicated to PC gaming opened in Tokyo’s Akihabara. It’s called G-Tune: Garage and looks pretty slick. The retail space sells G-Tune computers, which are branded the “ultimate gaming machine.” In case you are not familiar with them, they’ve been around for a while from Tokyo-based Mouse Computer. The shop puts…

Gamers Anonymous and MetaLogic Computers, PC and video game retailers in Albuquerque, were both apparently hit with serious flood damage and are asking for contributions so they can get back on their feet. More on Indiegogo. Have a look.

Why You Shouldn’t Get Chinese Script Tattoos (If You Can’t Read Them)

Chinese characters are beautiful. That’s perhaps why many Westerners find the notion of the script etched on their bodies so appealing. If only they could read the tattoos! Enter blog Hanzi Smatter For years now, the site, which is run by a blogger named Tian, has been helping readers decipher the meaning of Chinese (or…

Boy Credits Mario Kart After He Stops Out-of-Control Car

Ten year-old Gryffin Sanders and his four year-old brother were riding with their great-grandmother when she suddenly passed out. “I tried to wake her up at first,” Gryffin said. The car was going 60 miles an hour and heading towards oncoming traffic. “My first thought was actually, is this a test or what?” Gryffin told…

3DS Update Adds StreetPass Relay Points, Removes Need For Real People

Hear that? It’s rural America’s sprawling masses roaring their approval for Nintendo’s latest 3DS update, allowing North American owners to exchange StreetPasses for games via one of the country’s more than 29,000 Nintendo Zone locations instead of sitting in the empty mall cradling their console and crying. Living in the suburbs myself, I only get…

Cool, There’s Some Adventure Time In The New Futurama

Your eyes don’t deceive you, nor is this fan art. That’s Adventure Time’s Finn and Jake in Futurama. This week’s Futurama episode will feature a crossover…which will be interesting because Jake and Bender are voiced by the same person!

Batman’s toys may be useful for battle, but for dating? Not so much, freddiew discovers. Or maybe very useful, depending on your perspective.

Grand Theft Auto V‘s Gameplay Heritage Spans Manhunt and Midnight Club

Last week we saw a side-by-side comparison showing how the combat in Grand Theft Auto V compares to Max Payne 3. Another YouTube video examines other components and finds the DNA of titles ranging from Midnight Club to Manhunt. The video, by FunWithGuru, points out the obvious similarities with Max Payne 3, but goes on…

Valve Tour Leaks Left 4 Dead 3?

Well this is certainly interesting. Tourists at Valve’s Bellevue-based headquarters may have inadvertently leaked the existence of Left 4 Dead 3, a sequel that is not entirely unexpected, but still unannounced. Check out the following photo, shot by members of the Dota 2 Reddit community, who were invited to visit Valve while in town for…

Each a cappella video-game cover Smooth McGroove releases makes the world a slightly better, happier place. Here he is taking on Super Mario World‘s overworld theme. I’m pretty sure the cat is his secret weapon.

I Can’t Believe How Human This Wall-E Robot Seems

Mike McMaster did it. He built a Wall-E that is so good, not only is it a working robot, it’s also so emotive, looking into its eyes could very well break your heart. Nevermind when it actually says something. Oh, my heart! Ack, how can a trash compacter from a Pixar film be so sweet?…

He Forged The Master Sword From Zelda. Then, He Cut Stuff With It.

Folks couldn’t stop asking master blacksmith Tony Swatton to make The Legend of Zelda’s Master sword, and finally, AweMeChannel obliged. Feast your eyes on an incredibly deadly version of an oft-reproduced sword. The man makes real weapons, not toys, people! See? Watch the full episode here: Previously: Wolverine’s claws, and a battleaxe from Skyrim.Tony doesn’t…

I always did find the corporate intrigue at the heart of the Deus Ex games a bit difficult to follow. So even though I didn’t ask for this, I liked this video from Lore, which sums up the setup for Human Revolution in just over a minute.