Zeemote, the company behind intelligent wireless controllers for mobile devices, have teamed up with Sony Ericsson to bring a totally different gaming experience to the world of cell phones by offering the Zeemote JS1 Controller to come bundled with the Sony Ericsson W760i. This unique controller will pair up with the handset using Bluetooth technology, and will be offered in an exclusive promotion throughout the Netherlands. Funny thing that this isn’t offered to other countries around the world - is there something we’re missing out on here? Did market research show that the Dutch are more prone to playing games on their cell phones, while the rest of the world uses our phones to, you know, carry out conversations? Well, that will be one of the mysteries in life I suppose, but I digress. On to the Zeemote JS1 shortly.

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When surveyed as to whether customers would prefer a stand alone Blu-ray player over a Sony PS3 with same player, the majority preferred to pay less for the player and have a hi-def video game console tossed in for good measure. The study, conducted by ABI Research shows that more than half of consumers aren’t thrilled with the obscene price point of a stand alone alone player, preferring to add value to their purpose by going with the Playstation 3 instead. The study goes on to say that, although 23 percent of consumers are planning a Blu-ray purchase, even those aren’t in a hurry to get one, choosing to wait until at least 2009 before they take the Blu-ray leap.

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Out of all three current generation consoles, the Nintendo Wii has the most problems when it comes to storage. Having an SD memory card slot with no hard drive at all makes it really tough for Wii owners to expand upon their collection of downloaded games, since that would mean building up a sizable amount of SD cards in due time. Nintendo is looking towards the future by considering a futuristic storage format as the solution - by filing a patent application for “Miniature flexure based scanners for angle multiplexing”, making a fair number of references to holographic storage. Several advantages of this include storing data at a much faster rate compared to current technologies, but since Wii titles aren’t that data intensive, it wouldn’t really need fast read/write speeds. Well, this is still all speculation at this point in time, so it remains to be seen whether the Wii will actually get holographic storage or not.

Source: RegHardware

Are you missing the Venetian and Bellagio so badly but you don’t have the dough to book the next flight to Vegas? Well, get your Blackjack fix with the Portable Touchscreen Blackjack Game.

This video blackjack games color touchscreen LCD allows fast, casino-style game-play, and the entire unit is smaller than a laptop computer, ensuring ease of use when traveling. You can employ authentic blackjack strategies to take down the house; splitting aces, taking insurance to guard against a natural 21, and doubling down when youre holding an ace or a ten require only the touch of the screen. You can late surrender to cut your losses, and games can be played with one, two, or six decks to limit the effectiveness of card counting. The screen folds down and the device stores unobtrusively in a backpack or carry-on bag. Operates using three AAA batteries (not included) or the included AC adapter.

Of course, you won’t be able to make a quick killing on this and one thing’s for sure - you’ll end up $119.95 poorer after buying this, but at least you managed to stave off the Blackjack monster but for a moment.

Logitech, the famous Swiss maestros who have produced some pretty decent hardware to date, will be working on premium instrument controllers for the upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour title that will be released across the PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 platforms. These will be compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour’s advanced feature set, “enabling players to elevate their Guitar Hero jam sessions to full-fledged rock concerts.” I wouldn’t go smashing those controllers after gaining a “Perfect” score in the game though, as it’d be mighty expensive to replace. Hopefully these guitar controllers won’t be made out of cheap plastic.

Press Release

Don’t you just love how games evolve? From the times when they were just pure single player titles that had the rest of the kids waiting patiently for their turn at the controller to the modern equivalent of teamplay, where you and your gang go up against another team, keeping the lines of communication open through a headset and celebrating the true spirit of teamwork. Not all multiplayer games feature voice support at this point in time (most crucial games to offer this feature would be tactical titles), but the Station Voice service aims to change this. Powered by Vivox, this new service enables players to talk to each other in online titles, and it is currently a feature available in MMORPGs such as EverQuest II and Star Wars Galaxies. Players don’t have to fork out an additional cent for this feature to use with their current subscription plan, which is a good thing.

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There is a new router in town, and this one caters to the gaming crowd. The WL-308 Wireless 300N XR Gigabit Gaming Router is touted to offer low-latency online gaming, lag-free local network gaming and uninterrupted VoIP use. I’m still rather skeptical of the claims and will believe it only when I’ve used this, but obviously for a company to be this bold in their marketing, there must be some semblance of truth in it (no matter how skewed). Have any of our readers out there tried solutions like this, and do such devices live up to the hype and claims? This Gaming Router is said to be uniquely developed and designed for gamers and hardcore users, merging both innovative design and a supposed ‘evolution’ in networking.

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If you’re a true blue gaming geek, then the Octane 120 arcade cabinet from Dream Arcades will definitely be the platform of choice. It is based upon a “high end gaming PC”, featuring an integrated projector that throws a 10-foot screen for you to enjoy. In addition to that, it will also boast a kegerator that keeps your beer (or other favorite beverages) ice cold at all times. Heck, there are even a couple of taps - one located by the steering wheel with another behind for easy access to your drinks, and a cup holder by the wheel ensures you don’t have to keep on getting up to get your drink. The Octane 120 can play up to 200 licensed PC titles, PS3 racing games, and other Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 games through the included joystick. Audio is provided via a 5.1 surround sound system in the chassis. You’ll need to fork out a whopping $6,995 for this though.

Source: Gizmodo