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Beauty Is In The Ear Of The Beholder With Turtle Beach’s New Line-up
At CES 2011, Kotaku went ears on with the latest gaming headphones from Turtle Beach. From the inexpensive to the damn that’s expensive, we walked away impressed, particularly with one headset’s ability to expertly handle phone calls and shell casings. That headset would be the Ear Force PX5, a pair of headphones designed with the…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2011 - Uncategorized
It took a team of physicists all this time to figure out how DVDs work
Though DVDs have been consumer-grade tech for years, it wasn’t until yesterday that scientists announced they were certain why they worked. Now we know that burning a DVD is really more like freezing it. DVD burning image by Filipe La Rotta It’s been well known for decades that if you train a laser onto a…
By Annalee Newitz Published January 10, 2011 -
UncategorizedThis Is How Kinect Turns Your Face Into A Talking Avatar
At CES 2011, Microsoft unveiled Avatar Kinect, a new Xbox 360 app that uses the Kinect camera to track your facial expressions for a personalized, glorified chatroom. Just what does Avatar Kinect see? More than you might think. This brief tech demo illustrates how Kinect follows the head and multiple points on a person’s face…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2011 -
UncategorizedFireHero: Guitar Hero With Actual Giant Flames
It’s been a while since I bothered playing Guitar Hero, but you know what would change that right quick? If each button I pressed lead to a corresponding flame shooting sky-high. That’s the magic of FireHero. And it is incredible. The twisted brainchild of Chris Marion, interfaces a Guitar Hero guitar with a microcontroller, which…
By Brian Barrett Published January 10, 2011 - Uncategorized
Nintendo Wants To Avoid Deadly Game Drought With 3DS
Suffering Nintendo fans may not have to suffer as much with the Nintendo 3DS. The company’s president says that owners of the stereoscopic 3D handheld won’t be twiddling their thumbs waiting for new games for the device. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata tells the Nikkei Keizai Shimbun newspaper that it’s “important that you be able to…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2011 -
UncategorizedZombie Snow Apocalypse II
I made it back from Vegas just in time it seems. Now I await the Zombie Snow Apocalypse. What you missed Gaming Still Grabs Some Spotlight at the Consumer Electronics Show Watch The PlayStation Phone Running PSone Games Kinect Brings Broken Bones To A Whole New Audience 4 Videos Of Resident Evil Games Looking Fantastic…
By Brian Crecente Published January 10, 2011 -
UncategorizedTron-ify Your Team Fortress 2 With Custom Skins, User
Kotaku reader “chandan1014” is taking his entry in last week’s Kotaku ‘Shop Contest to the next level. Now you can enjoy a Tron-ified Team Fortress 2, thanks to this Tron: Legacy-inspired skin pack. The first release of sleek black, blue and orange Team Fortress 2 skins contains “Tronified skins for all nine classes for both…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2011 - Uncategorized
Silent Hill 8 Is Now Silent Hill: Downpour
Expect some heavy rain in the next Silent Hill, now officially known as Silent Hill: Downpour. There will be plenty H2O in your horror, which you might have surmised from the game’s first, rain-soaked trailer
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2011 - Uncategorized
The Visible Yoshi
Take a look at Yoshi’s custom sculpted innards! Jason Freeny created this piece for the My Plastic Heart “New Moon 2011” Group Show in NYC. Related Rampages: Mario Anatomy Sculpt | Gingerbread Man Yoshi Anatomical Sculpt by Jason Freeny (Facebook) (Twitter) Via: gamefreaksnz Need your daily fill of geek eye candy? If so, head over…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2011 - Uncategorized
Wesley Snipes Lives Vicariously Through A Video Game
Wesley Snipes may be in prison, but that doesn’t mean he can’t let his inner action hero shine. The tax evading actor is working with Lapland Studios on Julius Styles: The International, a game for the ass-kicking thinking man. Wesley Snipes is currently serving three years in prison for tax evasion, and that sort of…
By Mike Fahey Published January 10, 2011 -
UncategorizedAn Unforgettable Plane Ride And The Rest Of My 10 Favorite Video Game Moments Of 2010
A fluke victory in a multiplayer game. A memorable battle against a giant foe. An amazing come-from-behind win. There were great moments in the games we at Kotaku played last year. These are my 10 favorite gaming moments. (Spoilers) We’ll have favorites from the rest of the team throughout the week. Note: This list is…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 10, 2011 - Uncategorized
Plastic Surgeon Topples Hot Sauce Man, Algebra Teacher To Claim Donkey Kong Throne
In the battle between three men over who is the world’s best Donkey Kong player, a New York plastic surgeon has claimed a fresh victory. Will this barrel hopping high score war ever end? Not any time soon. According to high score tracking group Twin Galaxies, expert Donkey Kong player Hank Chien has once again…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2011 -
UncategorizedThe Super Mario Bros. Version Of An Incredible Touchdown
You don’t have to like football to be impressed by Marshawn Lynch’s incredible touchdown run for the Seattle Seahawks against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday. But if you appreciate the sounds of Super Mario Bros, it helps. So since we already showed you the retro Tecmo Bowl version of the play, enjoy the Super…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 10, 2011 - Uncategorized
Monster Hunter Rings In The New Year Big For PSP
Another week, another ridiculous amount of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd served up to Japanese video game fans. Just how many more fans did the monster hunting action adventure managed to lure in this week? Another 284,000, inching sales of Capcom’s wildly successful Monster Hunter series closer to the 4 million mark. The PSP game managed…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 10, 2011 -
UncategorizedNow You’ll Forever Equate MindJack With Sniffing Dog Ass
MindJack, due out next week from Square Enix and feelplus, features futuristic technology that special agents use to jack into the minds of civilians, robots, and vehicles. Why not dogs? This viral video explains. It’s strange to think that I live in a day and age where a Square Enix game is due out next…
By Mike Fahey Published January 10, 2011 -
UncategorizedA Most Unexpected Rock Cover Of A Classic Nintendo Tune
Besides the Mario, Zelda and Metroid themes, one of the best musical compositions from Nintendo just might be the music that plays when you’re shopping for downloadable games on the Wii. Really! Someone has made a rock cover of it. For context, this is the regular Wii shopping music. It’s peppy and charming. It makes…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 10, 2011 -
UncategorizedThis Optical Illusion Will Silence Your Vision
Think your eyes have no trouble detecting when an object changes color, size, or shape? This new illusion crafted by Harvard’s Jordan W. Suchow and George A. Alvarez might just prove you wrong. Focus your eyes on the white dot in the center of the video above. While the dots arranged in each image remain…
By Mike Fahey Published January 10, 2011