Who says mo-cap is the technical capturing of data to create realistic, fluid motion in gaming that's devoid of soul? Sports writer Bill "The Sports Guy" Simmons did a piece for ESPN's new show, E:60, wherein he heads to EA Sports studios to undergo the motion capture process for NBA Live 08. He even schools Boston Celtics all-star Paul "The Truth" Pierce in the process -- sorta.

While you might have seen mo-cap videos before, Simmons speaks candidly about the technology, observing that sweat makes the suit moist. TMI there, Bill. T-M-I.

"Bullshot" is a term used for a screenshot that's been altered through the Devil's workshop Photoshop to be more than it is. A large majority of screenshots are altered before they go out for public consumption. Things will be a little crisper, glossier and/or just plain altered to make the game look better than it is. Although the latest batch of NBA Live '08 screens on Gamespot all look altered, the one above is a standout of the bunch. It's the one you can clearly point to and say, "Beyond the things I think are altered, that's definitely been Photoshopped." Can you see it? Click the image to enlarge if you need it -- answer is after the break.

The Electronic Arts sports titles on Nintendo Wii are making every effort to appeal to every Wii owner possible. In addition to throwing on minigames like they were free gifts in an informercial offer, the publisher is also introducing Family Play controls to their upcoming Madden, NBA Live and FIFA Soccer releases.

According to the press release, those who opt for the Family Play controls play without the nunchuk adapter and handle the key actions (e.g., shooting, passing, snapping, and throwing) while the game handles everything else. It sounds a lot like how Wii Sports handled tennis and baseball.

More fleshed-out and advanced controls are still available and can be used alongside a Family-style player. Let's hope the Family Play-assisted AI isn't too helpful and gives them an unfair advantage in multiplayer.

EA and Nike have teamed up to do the limited-edition Air Jordan thing. 100 pairs of these decidedly un-street, Street-branded kicks will be manufactured -- 60 pairs apparently set aside for an online contest next week.

Part of the Jordan "B'Loyal" line, the shoes were designed by EA in black nubuck leather with blue stitching. Note the speckled mid-sole accent. Ooohhh... Awww...

N'Gai Croal of Newsweek reports that even Washington Wizard's point guard Gilbert Arenas can't get a Wii or PS3 using that most powerful of skills: Celebrity. Arenas writes on his blog that if he had called up stores saying he was LeBron (LeBron James) or D-Wade (Dwyane Wade) that he would have gotten a system.

We're going to go out on a limb here and guess that if Arenas wants a console bad enough he'll have no problem scoring one on eBay, considering his six-year contract, expiring in 2009, will earn him $65 million. N'Gai Croal ends his piece advocating for Sony or Nintendo to, "Hook a brotha up." Wish N'Gai would advocate to hook us and a couple readers up while he's advocating for multi-million dollar earning athletes.

EA is collaborating with the ESPN network to include real world sports coverage in NBA Live 07 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Aside from SportsCenter updates every twenty minutes, gamers will also have access to live streaming podcasts, including The Dan Patrick Show and Mike & Mike in the Morning. In addition, downloadable highlights from around the sport's world will be updated every hour. Here's to hoping Madden will get the same treatment.

Former Dukie and current Memphis Grizzlies Forward Shane Battier takes his games on the road. According to the March 13th edition of Sports Illustrated, his travel bag is stuffed with all sorts of gaming paraphernalia, including:

• Slim PS2: He tells SI, "Even with my PlayStation Portable, I carry this console with me. On games like Grand Theft Auto you want the larger screen experience. The problem is a lot of hotels use this LodgeNet movie system, which ties up the inputs where PlayStation cables should go. I have to get a cleaning lady to unlock it."
• Alienware laptop: "I have emulators loaded onto this, so I can replay games from my childhood. The biggest for me was Mike Tyson's Punch-Out. When I knocked out Mike for the first time, I must have been 10. None of my friends had beaten him. It was one of the greatest moments of my life."

This is a dude that's won all sorts of awards for his skills on the court (National Player of the Year, First-Team All-America, lead Duke to the national basketball championship) yet "one of the greatest moments of his life" was knocking out Mike Tyson before the rest of the kids on his block? A true gamer at heart!