Forget for a moment that libraries are supposedly places where one can go for some quiet reading. Forget too that librarians are typically known for being shushers and squelchers of anything resembling fun. Finally, forget that there's an inverse relationship between time spent exercising and time spent sitting in a library.

Now you're ready to accept the wackiness of a situation in which a teenaged librarian uses DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) to settle disputes between patrons and to determine whether an overdue fine should be waived. Totally awesome, if completely inappropriate in a library environment.

[Via BoingBoing]

[Image via flickr user Librarian Avenger]

Got a disagreement? A dance-off will settle it! originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 21 Jan 2007 22:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Blizzard's just-released Burning Crusade expansion for World of Warcraft appears to have inspired customers (old and new) to return in droves. The screenshot above was taken moments ago. It demonstrates that the huddled masses, yearning to breathe digitally, are forming long lines at the borders to Azeroth. "Let us in," the wretched refuse cry!

World waits for World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We're confused about Apple's plans for games on their new Apple TV device.

Marketing copy running across the top of the official "Apple TV" website promises "If it's on iTunes, it's on TV," yet small, grey text at the bottom of the screen takes that promise back: "iPod games will not play on Apple TV."

Further confusion results from the image at right, showing a screenshot of a Harris Poll administered back in October in which consumers were asked what sort of content they might like to purchase for an Apple TV device. Games are listed.

Is the absence of gaming from Apple TV an indication that poll respondents showed little interest in games? Is the absence of gaming due to technical limitations that might be fixed in future versions of Apple TV hardware? Is the absence of gaming an indication that iPod gaming itself might not be faring so well in the iTunes marketplace? (EA's embrace of iTunes gaming indicates otherwise.)

Whatever the case may be, it looks like consumers will have to stick to their latest-gen consoles if they want to play inexpensive, digitally downloaded games from the couch... for now.

Apple TV: games or no games? originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A cautionary tale for D&D geeks originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ayiti: The Cost of Life is a simple, web-based strategy game built by NYC-based developers gameLab and students from Brooklyn's South Shore High School. The game's purpose is to teach about poverty in developing nations, but don't let the game's educational mission deter you from giving it a shot.

It's not easy. In eight attempts to win with the "Money" strategy, we lost eight times (Cholera being the leading cause of death in the game). If you find a strategy that keeps your family from crapping themselves to death, do share, because the game's not at all easy.

Then again, maybe the point is that you're not supposed to be able to win this one.

Ayiti: The Cost of Life originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 04:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Scholastic News reporter Aaron Broder (pictured here) needs another four years before he'll be able to play M-rated, thrice-platinum Gears of War, a situation that put Xbox chief Peter Moore in "the difficult position of advising a reporter not to play one of the top games for the company's Xbox 360," according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

See also: Aaron Broder interviewed, Aaron Broder's report from CES.

[Photo credit: Aaron Broder, Scholastic News.]

Peter Moore tells reporter not to play Gears of War originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to readings taken with an analog sound meter that audio geeks like to use to calibrate their home theater systems, the Wii is the loudest of the three consoles when reading disc-based media. Surprised? Us too.

[Via Engadget]

Wii noisier than Xbox 360 and PS3, says sound meter test originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So you've beat the latest Zelda and you're still jonesing for more of the pointy-eared boy-hero in green tights? TV Links compiled this handy link listing pointing to 13 episodes of the series that originally aired in 1989 and 1990.

1. The Ringer part 1, part 2
2. Cold Spells part 1, part 2
3. The White Knight part 1, part 2
4. Kiss n Tell part 1, part 2
5. Sing for the Unicorn part 1, part 2
6. That Sinking Feeling part 1, part 2
7. Doppelganger part 1, part 2
8. Underworld Connections part 1, part 2
9. Stinging the Stinger part 1, part 2
10. A Hitch in the Works part 1, part 2
11. Fairies in the Spring part 1, part 2
12. The Missing Link part 1, part 2
13. Moblins are Revolting part 1, part 2

[Via Plusmail]

Zelda cartoon retro blast originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 14 Jan 2007 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As often happens during lunchtime jaunts through Flickr, our stomach led us to pictures of food, where we happened upon Mr. Bento sets, which subsequently led to this delectable Ms. Pac-Man bento box. It may look like Ms. Pac-Man's about to gobble the ghost, but truth is both were munched by one "nadja.robot," the creator and the destroyer of this gastronomical artwork.

Adorable and nutritious? See, games are good for you.

Ms. Pac-Man has invited you to lunch originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ok, pop quiz time. Reader, tell us, are you confused between this site and this site? How about between this site and this site? Or this one and this one? Didn't think so.

Therefore, a little anger on the part of the YTMND community seems warranted. Sega just threw water an on oil fire. This response, in particular, seems particularly creative. Check it out, but brace yourself for some salty language.

We've left a voicemail with Sega Europe's legal department, we'll let you know if we hear back from them.

[Image credit: Flickr user Zacharo2000.]

Sega lawyers harass YTMND originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 03:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The most successful MMORPG of all time just got successfuller: Blizzard today announced that World of Warcraft has surpassed 8 million subscribers. Two million of those subscribers are in North America, 1.5 million in Europe, and 3.5 million in China (the remainder are scattered throughout other parts of the world).

Will nothing stop this juggernaut? We recall attending a GDC 2005 session in which pundits asked (and failed to answer) the following question, "When will we see our first truly mass-market MMORPG?"

[Image credit: World of Warcraft Coke cans spotted at a supermarket by Flickr user hey-gem]

[Via WoW Insider.com]

World of Warcraft breaks 8 million subscribers originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Looks like reports of Wii damage aren't going away anytime soon: people are still damaging their television sets, lamps, windows, pets, and selves as they flail about living rooms designed more for lounging than energetic indoor video games.

Rather than fight it, flow with it. The KNOCK-OFF LAMP's beautiful, white polyproylene exterior echoes the Wii aesthetic, and it's made to be knocked over. At just $22.00, it's also probably cheaper than non Wii-proof lamps, too.

[Via funfurde]

Finally! A Wii-proof lamp built to survive Wiisports originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When Nintendo unveiled the controversial "Wii" name, many readers noted the unfortunate similarity between the English slang term for a certain human reproductive organ. The resemblances don't stop there. The Wiimote's unique shape is a touch more phallic than the humble television remote control.

No surprise then, that the fan community has produced this PG-13 video making the implicit a little more explicit. Enjoy.

Wiirotic originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 21:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Before you lynch us for recommending entertainment that's neither electronic nor interactive (books, they're the ultimate retro portable), know that GEEK MAFIA ain't just any book. First, it's hella cheap: $5. Second, the book features as hero protagonist a video game designer who gets entangled in a comic book counterfeiting scheme and uses game design skills to pull off a big con.

Author Rick Dakan's bio includes a hint of the intrigue that may have inspired the novel. According to his bio, Dakan dreamed up the idea for popular MMORPG City of Heroes, helped found Cryptic Studios, and was fired by his business partners three years later.

The kid's got chops, the book's getting props, and the price is right. We bought one.

[Via Seth Godin]

Game designer turns geek mafia originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Go redeem those cards. $16 million buys a lot of game loot. Don't let it rot.

[Photo credit: Flickr user XoXoAndy&LebronXoXo, who has accumulated $365 worth of the cards.]

Unredeemed gift cards dwarf credit- and debit-card fraud originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Got any games-specific resolutions that you'd care to share? Here are a few suggested to us by friends and family over the last few weeks as we canvassed for suggestions on this topic:

• Buy used. Few games get so badly beaten up that they won't play, and those that do can be returned for the same product. Why pay full price?
• Play your old games. Admit it. You've got a ton of great games sitting on your shelf that you still haven't beat. Think of all the little Kazakhstani kids who never get to play video games. You'll finish your games before you get up from that sofa, young man, or you won't get another game to play.
• Check the reviews. No matter what we say on this point, Sports Roster Update '08 will still sell millions of copies, but we all know that smart consumers do try to take into consideration that mass of criticism available on just about every game released. If you care about games, you'll starve bad developers and bad publishers so that innovative, creative games will find some breathing space on store shelves.
• Widen your horizons. Don't be provincial: if you're a diehard fanboy of console Z, try one of the other guys with an open mind. If you're a diehard video gamer, try a paper-based game or a board game. Reconnecting with classics like chess and backgammon can teach us to be better critics of game balance.
• Defend your hobby. There's no shortage of opportunistic politicians who attack gaming because it'll win them voter brownie points. Authority figures love to demonize our favorite hobby -- don't let them.
• Avoid HD-formats, but embrace HD. The Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD debacle won't be sorted out in 2007, but high-def content is here to stay. Once you go HD, it's tough to go back.

Got any gamer resolutions? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You've watched or listened to the keynote, checked out the interface screenshots, watched the video, or simply heard about it through one of the 250+ news organizations that have already covered Microsoft's plans to add IPTV capability to the Xbox 360 in time for consumermas 2007.

So what?

What might this mean for the console wars? How will this change the game? We're not nearly as smart or creative as our collected readership (after all, Time made YOU the person of the year), so rather than rack our brains, we'll sift through yours and publish the best responses in a subsequent post.

Task: in your pithy best, share how you believe that this announcement might change the console war now underway, if at all.

Let's get a couple obvious ones out of the way first:

• A larger hard drive is assured. Ain't no DVR going on with a measly 20GB hard drive.
• Perhaps content partners might offer free Xbox 360s to consumers who purchase multi-month (or multi-year) IPTV service contracts, in much the same way that mobile phone service providers offer highly subsidized phones for customers who sign a one- or two-year service agreement.
• Sony announces intent to match this functionality, but does as well copying Xbox IPTV as they've done copying Xbox Live.

Implications of IPTV-enabled Xbox 360? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 04:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

During the Microsoft keynote at CES on Sunday, Microsoft gave us evidence that surprise hit Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (an Xbox 360 launch title) is headed to the PC (the confirmation occurs at timestamp 44:28 on the official keynote video). No surprise there, because genuine hits like GW are so rare that hay must be made while the sun shines. We've already blogged about a mobile version of the game; a PC version was inevitable.

No word on timing or price, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect it to land this year for between $5 (the price on XBLA) and $20 (the price for most "casual" PC games).

[Update 1: noted that confirmation occurs at timestamp 44:28 on the official keynote video.]

Top XBLA title Geometry Wars headed to PC [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sure, you probably caught the Engadget liveblog of the keynote, but Microsoft just published streaming video for the keynote given by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. Let us know what sorts of interesting things pop out at you after a more careful inspection of the keynote. If the video stream proves too glitchy, Xbox Live's Major Nelson has posted audio-only files.

[Update 1: looks like the video stream isn't quite working yet, despite a note on the official Microsoft at CES blog indicating that video would be available 10 pm PST on Sunday. Keep hitting the link, it'll eventually show up.

Miss the Gates CES keynote? Full audio/video available now [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 01:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When the New York Times wrote about the PC Recording Studio Guitar (a guitar that plugs in to a Mac or PC via USB), we wondered immediately whether the device could be used for a more authentic guitar-hero experience.

Instead of mindless entertainment that does little to advance skills that are appreciated by the non-gaming public, game technology could be used to teach us skills that might help us climb the Maslovian pyramid to self actualization. If a capable game developer were to write a strong rhythm game that used a real guitar as a controller, we'd gladly slap down the 200 bones required to learn guitar. It'd be a steal, and an investment in the future.

What if... you could learn real guitar through games? originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Joystiq readers have long asked for Settlers of Catan to be brought to Xbox Live Arcade. When Microsoft confirmed that they're working on the game, some readers rejoiced:

• "Now THAT is cool. It almost makes a Nintendo fanboy like me want to buy a 360." -- RiemannMeetLebesgue
• "A dream come true. All current online versions of Settlers of Catan are missing the main aspect of the game... voice communication. I cannot wait for this game." -- Ray Kasten
• "prepare for the new most addicting game on XBL" -- Deadpool
• "YES!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS BOARD GAME SO MUCH! This is the best news I've ever heard for 360 :-)" -- CrossFireXT17

(You get the picture.)

But some Joystiqers (self included) never really understood what all the fuss was about. Well, count another convert, as of last night. Here's a (brief) tale of how I became a Settlers of Catan addict.

The invitation to the New Year's Eve get-together encouraged partygoers to bring their favorite board or card games. Being provincial, I brought over a couple DSs with Tetris DS, intending to share my love of head-to-head Tetris with attendees. When I arrived, however, a game of Settlers of Catan had just been laid out on the dining room table. Curious to see what the fuss was about, I put away the DSs. They were not touched all evening.

We had trouble tearing ourselves away from the game board for the New Year's countdown, we were so into the game. After the ball dropped over the slack-jawed revelers in Times Square, we returned to the den and played for a couple more hours. Settlers of Catan plays like a multiplayer version of Civilization, with four players taking turns to build roads, settlements, and cities in an attempt to control scarce natural resources. It's simple, it's fun, and it's -- huzzah! -- coming to XBLA, eventually. Waiting's hard, though -- I've already filled and abandoned two shopping carts full of Settlers merch, but will wait to see if the XBLA version satisfies the jones.

[Image credit: Shifting Lands.com's homebew 3d Settlers of Catan set.]

Settlers of Catan ... hot! Now where is it? originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Happy New Year, readers (except those of you in Hawaii, who still have about a few minutes to go before you've joined us in 2007).

2006 was a wild year, what with the release of the Wii and PS3. Over the course of 2006, we made 7,269 posts on Joystiq.com alone, and you added over 276,000 comments to those posts. Nice.

Because we haven't yet written our New Year's resolutions, we'd like to give you a chance to influence them when we do sit down to put together Joystiq's 2007 resolutions. What should we do different? What should we focus on? What do you think our top five resolutions should be for 2007?

Happy New Year! originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Flickr user "Sabellachan" made this sweet hoodie for her boyfriend for consumermas, then shot him in the back with her new D80 as he strolled down Palo Alto streets. Nice work on both counts.

For fun and insight into our editorial process here at Joystiq, we share with you rejected headlines for this post:

• Mushrooms, they're the new Viagra
• Mushrooms, "We're here to pump [clap] you up!"
• Bigger mushrooms make him. An existential dilemma solved by fungus.
• What's black, white, red, and worn all over?

Girlfriend's gift to boyfriend: Mario Bros hoodie originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 31 Dec 2006 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're the first Joystiq reader to find the code we've hid in a Joystiq post, you'll earn yourself a free copy of Bankshot Billiards 2 (a $15 Xbox Live Arcade title). The code's been embedded in a post tagged "XBLA" (joystiq.com/tag/xbla). Let the scavenger hunt begin! Good luck!

Update 1: The contest has been won. The code was contained in this post. Congrats to the winner!]

[Image credit: Flickr user TheCapt'n]

Bankshot Billiards 2 - free for one reader [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 30 Dec 2006 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Joystiq reader "epobirs" disagreed with our comment earlier today that Xbox Live Arcade title Gauntlet is broken. We'd like to dig into the issue a little more, because we feel that developers are missing a major opportunity to resurrect the true arcade experience.

Games like Gauntlet were designed for an era in which expensive game cabinets were purchased by small businessmen who hoped that the large up-front purchase would be paid for (and them some) by teens plunking quarter after quarter into the machines in order to keep playing. Game designers therefore had to make sure (1) that the average player would die frequently; (2) that the game was fun enough to convince the average player to drop another quarter in the slot.

Gauntlet, released in 1985 (at the height of the arcade craze) was a masterpiece of the form. It greedily gobbled quarters from addicted gamers who were enthralled by the game's tight design. What made the game so fun was the fact that your money was always at stake. A mistake meant that you had to reach into your pocket and insert more money. There was a constant tension between performance and pocketbook, and this tension made the game.

Every non coin-operated release of Gauntlet since then has missed the point. The Xbox Live Arcade version, for instance, allows players to hit a button on the Xbox 360 controller in order to simulate putting a quarter in the machine. Of course, a button press costs nothing, and so the essential tension is lost. The game loses a fundamental game play mechanism by replacing quarter insertion with button pressing.

What we'd love to see is a release of Gauntlet for Xbox Live Arcade (or for a competing service) that's free (or very cheap) to "purchase" but that costs $.25 per health increase (equivalent to 20 MS Points). The developer that brings back this core game play mechanism will claim the title of "most authentic arcade experience."

We're certain that are some great arcade titles slated for release in 2007. They'd be better if they stayed true to the arcade experience.

Continue reading Quarter gobblers are broken on XBLA [update 2]

Quarter gobblers are broken on XBLA [update 2] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 30 Dec 2006 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

1 UNO
2 Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting
3 Geometry Wars Evolved
4 Marble Blast Ultra
5 PAC-MAN
6 DOOM
7 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
8 GALAGA
9 Gauntlet
10 Frogger
11 Bankshot Billiards 2
12 SmashTV
13 Contra
14 Zuma
15 Texas Hold 'em
16 Bejeweled 2
17 Feeding Frenzy
18 Small Arms
19 Cloning Clyde
20 LUMINES LIVE!

A few comments:

1. Who the heck is purchasing Gauntlet? That game is broken! (Hitting "Y" on the controller is the same as inserting a quarter into the original arcade game, but it can be hit an unlimited number of times, making it equivalent to an "invincibility" button.) Gauntlet's place on this list demonstrates the power of nostalgia over gameplay when it comes to arcade titles. We suspect that Nintendo's virtual console is benefiting from the same misguided gamer nostalgia. Some old games just don't hold up.

2. Most (all?) annual Xbox Live Gold subscriptions sold in the retail box (the one with the cheapo headset) included a free game code to redeem Bankshot Billiards 2, making that $15 game's rank on this list suspect.

3. Feeding Frenzy would be higher on this list if there were a reason to pay for it. It feels like the demo mode lasts forever. It's quite satisfying to play without ever purchasing it.

4. Street Fighter II would have been number one on this list if a solid arcade joystiq had been released simultaneously with the game. First- and third-party peripheral manufacturers really blew an opportunity there.

Top 20 XBLA titles purchased in 2006 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 30 Dec 2006 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The post-consumermas deals just keep pouring in. Joystiq readers in Los Angeles might want to check out GAME PLAY stores for a promised $99.00 Xbox 360 HD-DVD add on that was advertised in this flyer (page one, page two).

Readers who aren't in LA might be able to print a copy of the flyer and ask their local retailer to price-match. At just $99, the HD-DVD player is a steal. Chances are, this is a typo, so price-matching might be the only way to score this one. That's why we provided you with the two humongous images. Let us know if you get lucky!

[Via FatWallet]

$99 for Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 30 Dec 2006 05:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Thanks to a promotion by Sony Style (Sony's retail operation), folks who sign up for a Sony-branded credit card by January 4, 2007 and who purchase stuff with said card by March 31, 2007, will receive $150 off of their first credit card statement.

If you're feeling charitable towards Sony as a result of their generosity, you could apply the $150 bonanza to your purchase of a PlayStation 3, bringing the price of that budget-busting beast into blue-collar range.

On the other hand, if you're the Billy Joe-Bobby Sue type, take the Sony card and run to your preferred online retailer who'll be more than happy to sell you an Xbox 360 or a Wii, either of which -- at $150 off -- would be a very nice deal.

[Update 1: lots of questions appearing in the comments ... check out this Fatwallet thread for answers.]

[Thanks, Mike!]

$150 PlayStation 3 discount [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 30 Dec 2006 01:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Graphics card maker NVIDIA and pants tent maker Adrienne Curry (of America's Next Top Model fame) have teamed to create "the world's first real-time, virtual celebrity," according to an NVIDIA press release. Though the "world's first" claim is dubious (companies have been working on this sort of thing since before the days of Max Headroom), we like that Ms. Curry took a dig at Lara Croft via the release:

"The Digital Adrianne is so realistic, it's really trippy. Lara Croft, eat my shorts!"

Actually, that's a great idea, Adrienne. Make it happen, NVIDIA. Literally -- by this time next year, virtual Lara needs to wrestle off and eat virtual Adrienne's shorts. As a tech demonstration to prove Adrienne's polygonal superiority and stuff.

Click "continue" for some video of the virtual Curry.

Continue reading Catfight: Adrienne Curry vs. Lara Croft

Catfight: Adrienne Curry vs. Lara Croft originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Dec 2006 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you celebrated the just-passed consumer holiday (Christmas, X-mas, Consumermas, Christmahanakwanza, whatever) we're interested in hearing from you. You've dug out from under the hills of wrapping paper, awoken fat and swollen from your food comas, and mothballed the hideous holiday sweaters, so perhaps you've got time to share with us your holiday haul. What did you receive?

Now, economists tell us that Christmas creates waste of $152 billion every year as gift givers pay $457 billion for gifts that recipients value at just about $305 billion. Did this happen to you? Are you planning to haul any of your game-related presents in for a refund? Post freely, we won't rat you out to Aunt Bethany.

[Image credit: Flickr user Luciana DB]

So watcha get for Consumermas? originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Critics say that the American version of British TV's The Office lacks the edge or brilliance of the original show, but they clearly missed this episode from the third season featuring an office ritual involving Call of Duty. While neither particularly brilliant nor particularly edgy, this particular episode redeems itself through product placement of the sort that we always welcome.

To save a little time, the CoD scenes begin at timestamp 3:35.

To waste a lot of time, kick back and enjoy the entire first season, second season, and third season.

Bond with your (American) office mates through Call of Duty originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Dec 2006 02:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Blog MilitantGeek helps us make sense of the difference between geeks, nerds and dorks with this handy table. We've carefully assessed ourselves (and our readers) against this handy chart, and have determined that most of us are nerds, though a few of us (hackers in the mod & homebrew community come to mind) have ascended to the level of geek.

Because MilitantGeek asks "What did we miss?" we provide the following suggested updates:

[Via reddit]

Geek, nerd, or dork? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Dec 2006 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Wii's low-resolution display can make navigating messy sites like YouTube a real pain, but a site called SofaTube (screenshot shown here) might have a solution for you. The site taps into YouTube's sizable video archive and reskins the experience with simplified navigation, oversized fonts, and low pageweight. The redesign should make for a more pleasurable lean-back experience. For those of you who've given it a shot, what did you think of it?

Xbox 360 users can forget about tossing back Elsinore brew and jelly donuts while enjoying underage camho dance videos from the comfort of the sofa: you've got no browser! Take off, hosers.

[Via Mashable]

SofaTube brings YouTube to Wii/PS3 couch potatoes originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Dec 2006 08:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Thanks to experience picked up at his dad's car dealership and bodyshop in Montreal, Michal Birecki knows how to handle a paint nozzle, skills that he puts to good use as he disassembles and paints a PS3 glossy white, just in time for Festivus.

If you lack the coin to acquire Michal's modified PS3 on eBay, fear not. An official white PlayStation 3 is inevitable, and you won't have to void your warranty or huff dangerous fumes to get one.

Dreaming of a White PS3? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Dec 2006 05:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The DVD celebrated its 10-year anniversary this fall, but DVD players have only just this week surpassed VHS players in number, according to a survey by Nielsen Media Research, as reported by the New York Times.

Because Microsoft and Sony have entangled gaming in a new format war, we often blog on the HD-DVD versus Blu-ray debate that began this year. If DVD took ten years to reach this important milestone, how long will it take one of the new formats to "win," considering that the DVD didn't have to battle against a rival format? In 2016, won't the whole idea of physical distribution of digital content seem rather archaic? Will the DVD last long enough to bridge the gap to the all-digital utopia, or will we need a stopgap format like Blu-ray or HD-DVD?

Nobody knows, but we do know that so long as games like fl0w and Geometry Wars exist, Luddite gamers can rest easy knowing that there will be at least some very good games that don't require a $200 gamble on stopgap formats.

DVD players finally more common than VCRs originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Dec 2006 01:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's no secret that some of us at Joystiq love Xbox Live Arcade title Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved a whole bunch -- so much so in fact that we declared Geometry Wars the Xbox 360's best launch title. A year later, we're still finding the time to fire up the 360 for a quick run at Bizarre's masterpiece. It still holds it down.

And so I didn't hesitate to snap up Anastasia M. Wong's work titled "Geometry War," (shown above, click for a larger image), when I spotted it at a charity art auction held at the University of Pennsylvania earlier this month.

After I sent her a note thanking her for making the art, Anastasia responded, "I got some really great screen shots of the game. they are really beautiful and the more i look at them the more i see them in prints or drawings."

Geometry Wars as art originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 24 Dec 2006 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Matt Harding was designing Xbox games for Pandemic Studios Australia when a family-friendly game he had been working on was cancelled. Piqued, he pitched a game to management about "blowing up everything and killing everyone" as a comment on the games industry's obsession with violent games like Grand Theft Auto and Halo.

When publishers saw the proposal, they responded enthusiastically, "Yeah! That is exactly what we want, we want a game about killing everyone!" And so Destroy All Humans was given the green light, despite the fact that it had been conceived as a joke.

Matt wasn't too thrilled with the idea of making that sort of game, so he emptied his savings account and embarked on a 17-country, six-month trip around the world. At some point during the trip, he got the idea of filming himself dancing in each location. Many of you have seen the results, but just in case you h'ain't, you can watch the videos here and here.

Who said violent games do nothing positive for the world? Without GTA, Matt might have never have embarked on his magical dance journey, and we'd all be the poorer for it.

Destroy All Humans started as a joke, launched a "dance" career originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 24 Dec 2006 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The New York Times dissed the PlayStation 3, and now Slate has dissed the Wii. What is this world coming to?

Highlights from Erik Sofge's "The Case against the Wii":

• Like many of us (self included), Erik "was in love" with the Wii before he'd ever laid a hand on it. You won't be able to pin the hater tail on him, because he was predisposed to want to like the console after "months of giddy anticipation."
• "The Nintendo pointer felt less accurate than even the light guns used in antique games like Duck Hunt. Every time I sighted down the controller at the TV, the crosshairs were off-center. This inaccuracy becomes a mini-game of its own: In order to kill the guy on the left, you need to aim left and slightly down."
• "... for the most part, the Wii compensates for its lousy motion detection by coddling users."
• "The Wii Remote is the most advanced motion-sensing device in the history of gaming, but in the interests of accommodating almost unlimited variables, from the size of the TV to the player's physical proportions, the Wii tosses out much of the data that are collected."
• "For a console that wants to start a revolution, making users doubt their reflexes is a serious design flaw. By playing fast and loose with motion detection, the Wii swings wildly between deal-breaking frustration and hollow victories."

You may now proceed to shoot the messenger...

[Update 1: It's worth mentioning that another Slate author posted a somewhat more favorable review of the Wii here. Thanks for pointing that out, NothingShocking.]

Wii ennui from Slate: "Nintendon't" [update 1] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 Nov 2006 01:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Wii's been available for over a day now and if you're like many Joystiq readers who managed to score one at launch, you've been playing it nonstop with nary a break for biological necessities.

So: what are your impressions of the system and the games you purchased with it? What's your favorite title? Any niggles? Any unexpected delights? Do share.

New Wii owners: your impressions? originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pure conjecture, but bear with us:

• The Wii is inexpensive to manufacture. Super inexpensive, even.
• The Wii is architected for very low power consumption (great for portability)
• The Wii is tiny. It's the smallest of the consoles, and box space is taken up by the optical disc drive, connectors for controllers, memory, video cables, and other stuff that'd be completely uneccessary in a mobile device
• Motion-sensing capabilities can be embedded in the device housing itself

Of all three new consoles, the Wii is certainly closest to portability. Home modders like Ben Heckendorn will likely create a portable (but chunky) Wii without too much difficulty. Could a portable version of the device be far away?

We're not suggesting the hypothetical Wiiboy will be released in time for this Consumermas, but 2008-2009 doesn't seem like a stretch, does it?

Call to action: let's got a hot mockup up in here. The Wii may be a GameCube at heart, but it certainly doesn't look like one; it's time for Photoshop pros to whip up some Wiiboy mockups.

Wiiboy portable -- sooner than you think? originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 19 Nov 2006 08:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.