In Episode 45 of Tekzilla Daily, Patrick Norton pointed out a website called System Requirements Lab that can help you determine if your PC has the minimum or recommended hardware and software necessary to run dozens of popular PC games.

I tried this myself and the way it works is to download either a signed Java or Active X component which collects information about your PC and compares it to System Requirements Lab's database of minimum game requirements. If you pass those requirements, it also tells you if your PC meets the recommended requirements for the game you chose. If your machine comes in above the minimum and below the recommended requirements, then certain features of the game will appear degraded or won't operate at all.

I asked System Requirements Lab if my Dell Latitude C810 can run UEFA Champions League 2006-2007. The site told me that my machine failed the CPU minimum requirement, CPU minimum speed, and video card minimum requirement test. It recommended that I buy a new machine, and referred me to a customized list at CNET.com. I guess it's a good thing that one is already on order.

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Earlier this week MacRumors reported that Apple had released the "Pole Position Remix" game for the iPhone. This is a remake of the classic Namco video game Pole Position that I played more than anyone else as a kid.

The last time I talked about Pole Position on Operation Gadget was three years ago when I picked up a copy of an inexpensive TV game called Namco II: Ms. PacMan and 5 TV Games. I loved that game. I hope that Apple releases "Pole Position Remix" for the iPhone after the iPhone Software Development Kit comes out next month.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Wall Street Journal reports that quite a few Nintendo Wii owners are developing aches and pains as a result of playing Wii Sports (included with the Wii console), Rayman Raving Rabbids and other games that require a bit of physical exertion.

One of the more interesting aspects of the article is a link that the author posted to the Wii Experience Page, a collection of videos that show how volunteers reacted when confronted with playing Wii games for the first time.

I'd love to give some of these games a try, if only to see what a relatively well-conditioned person would experience after playing some of the movement-oriented games for a couple of hours. The big problem of course is, how do you get a Wii console for anything close to the list price?

I think the Wii is going to be a hit and will change the video game business because it's going to force competitors to include more movement in game play. Every movement-oriented game I've ever tried in arcades has been interesting. A few have been a real blast to play. I hope that we see more of these games in the future.

Technorati Tags: Wii, Nintendo Wii, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts

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Martin O'Donnell pointed out an article from The Wall Street Journal that warns of more extreme toy and game shortages during this holiday season than in recent years. The shortages will be more extreme this year due to cautious retail strategies (brought on by poor sales of supposed-hot toys last year), production problems (resulting from labor shortages and infrastructure problems in China), and surprisingly high demand for the toys here in the USA.

All of this points to possible frustration and disappointment while shopping later this week. You may want to consider shopping for popular toys and games before Thanksgiving, if you have time.

An example of hot toy shortages cited in the article is the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Playset. This electronic clubhouse has a suggested retail price of $39, according to The Wall Street Journal article. Third parties are trying to capitalize on the shortage by selling the clubhouse for $90 or more. If you want this toy for your children, a far better option is to look on DisneyShopping.com, where the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Playset can be found for $49.95 as of this writing.

It's a good thing that my son doesn't have his heart set on anything in particular for Christmas, otherwise I'd be competing for the hot toy for my son's age group against his peers' parents. Next year we may have our first direct experience with toy shortages. [ Subscription required to read most articles in The Wall Street Journal. ]

Technorati Tags: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Playset, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts

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Martin O'Donnell pointed out that Brier Dudley of The Seattle Times didn't like The Sony PlayStation 3 as much as he would have if it had been less expensive. Dudley wrote:

Don't get me wrong. The PS3 is an amazing machine. I'd love to have one sitting beneath my TV. But not for $500 or $600. That's just too expensive for a game console, even one that incorporates a bleeding-edge Blu-ray disc player.

He goes on to point out that he doesn't think that the PS3 will necessarily make a better downloaded movie player than either the XBox or Apple iTV, the forthcoming set-top box from Apple. Is he going out on a limb by making such a prediction about a product that's only been seen in a Steve Jobs demo?

Technorati Tags: PS3, Xbox, Apple iTV

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I gave some more thought to the issues I raised in yesterday's article about "Deal or No Deal" and expected value calculations. I said that I think that the game should be played entirely on the basis of the expected value of an unopened suitcase at any given time in the game. I'm sure some people will disagree with me on this, but here's why I think it's particularly worthwhile in the case of the play-at-home games like the Deal or No Deal Handheld or Deal or No Deal Tabletop games.

In the game played on the TV show, the contestant has only one opportunity to play the game. The entire game is geared around putting pressure on the contestant to go with his or her gut, rather than the odds. The home versions, however, are infinitely playable. This means that there should be much more of an incentive to play the odds properly.

NBC currently has an Internet-based version of Deal or No Deal on its website. I played that game several times in preparing this series of articles. In every case, The Banker offered me less than the expected value of an unopened case until after the $1,000,000 case had been opened. In a couple of games, he offered me more than the expected value of an unopened case after that. When I took that deal, I ended up with more money than I would have if I kept the case I chose until the absolute end of the game.

In one game, The Banker offered me slightly less than the expected value of an unopened case after the $1,000,000 case was opened. I took the deal in that case, and ended up losing money because I was holding the highest value unopened case remaining in the game.

This discussion gave me another idea: With a play-at-home version of the game, you could try any strategy you choose and document the results. With enough trials, you would know if the expected value approach to this game was the right one or not.

Technorati Tags: Deal or No Deal, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts

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Kathleen and I occasionally turn on the TV and stumble upon the program Deal or No Deal. I find this program intriguing mainly because I think it ought to be played purely based on expected value calculations. For anyone who isn't aware, the expected value of an unopened case is the sum of the prize amounts that have not yet been displayed divided by the number of unopened cases. So, if the unopened cases are:

• $100
• $500
• $1000
• $1,000,000

... the expected value is $250,400.

You can play this game around the dining room table with your family during this holiday season. Deal or No Deal Tabletop Edition is a game for one to four players. The creators say that it's appropriate for ages 10 and up.

I think playing this game with family or friends would be fun. Can people avoid being overcome by the excitement of the game, when they play it with others? Is holding out for the expected value of the unopened cases always the right strategy?

Technorati Tags: Deal or No Deal, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts

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Step2Play is a game controller for the Sony PlayStation
that requires a young gamer to exercise while playing.
[ Photo: Oceana Trading ]

The BBC reported over the weekend that a British company called Oceana Trading has released a line of video game accessories that can be used to require exercise from kids who want to play video games. The Step2Play is an accessory for the Sony PlayStation that replaces a standard game controlller with a combination stepper and game controller.

The Step2Play is designed for people who weigh less than 150 pounds (68 kg), so it's clearly aimed at the kid segment of the gaming market. It appears to be sturdily designed. The unit itself weighs 19.5 pounds (8.9 kg).

I did a quick search around the Internet today to see if I could locate a retailer who is selling the Step2Play in America. So far I haven't found one. The company (that uses the tradename GymKids for this product line) appears to be marketing Step2Play and other exercise-oriented video game controllers direct to customers in the UK via the Internet. I'm not certain whether they will ship these products to the USA or not.

I've seen comments around the Internet about the Step2Play to the effect that products like it are a regrettable reflection on the sedentary nature of our society. I think video game accessories that require a level of physical activity are a fine idea, particularly if kids are not participating in organized athletics or spending a lot of time outdoors.

On the other hand, if you are a parent and haven't found an athletic activity that your child likes, you should keep looking and trying new things. Don't use gadgets like the Step2Play as a crutch.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A couple of weeks ago, I suggested to my wife Kathleen that her brother John might like playing Guitar Hero, a videogame for the Sony PlayStation 2, more than he would like playing a real guitar. John's been talking about learning to play the guitar for sometime.

Kathleen didn't think that playing a guitar video game would be that interesting for him. If all I heard was a description of how the game works, I might have felt that way also. But I keep reading stories about the game that lead me to believe that Guitar Hero is going to be a big hit with young adults at Christmas and Hanukkah this year.

The latest indication of this is a Page One article that appeared in today's Wall Street Journal called When Being a Fake Rock Star is Better Than Reality. The article says that musicians from bands such as Korn, Nine Inch Nails, and Rascal Flatts are playing Guitar Hero because it's so much fun for them. This sounds like the beginning of a trend similar to the one where video games like Madden NFL became a preoccupation with some players from the National Football League a few years ago.

The article appears to have been timed to roughly coincide with the release of Guitar Hero 2 which adds a number of new features to the game including:

• multi-track performance: now you can choose to play lead, bass, or rhythm on the tracks, instead of just lead as in the original game.
• new game modes: multi-player options have been increased so there are now cooperative, pro face-off, and face-off modes.
• practice mode: Guitar Hero 2 now includes a practice mode for people just learning to shred.

I think the practice mode will help players get up the learning curve faster because they won't have to play an entire track over and over to get to a lick that they need to practice that only occurs near the end of the song.

Possibly the most interesting aspect of The Wall Street Journal article about Guitar Hero is the link it provides to Two Dudes Playing Guitar Hero, a four-and-a-half minute video that demonstrates the fun you can have with the multi-player version of the game. This video is definitely worth watching if you came here wondering what all the fuss about Guitar Hero is about.

Once you get to the clip page on YouTube, you'll see a number of other video clips that people have made that show what the experience of playing Guitar Hero is like. [ Subscription required to read most articles in The Wall Street Journal. ]

Technorati Tags: Guitar Hero, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The other day, my brother Scott Aiello tipped me off to a device that can be used as a convenient one-stop place to charge all of your handheld devices. It's called the Personal Electronics Power Station and it's available from several vendors on Amazon.com.

The Personal Electronics Power Station is an outlet strip with a special housing that allows you to clamp your handheld devices to its body using adjustible dividers. The body has an internal space where the plug ends of your handhelds' charging cables go. When not in use, the Personal Electronics Powerstation sits on top of a table or a bookshelf with your charging cables neatly organized.

Some of the comments I've read about this unit say that the internal plugs for the charging cables are two-pronged only and that adapters won't fit inside. That's a fair point, so watch out for that. Another common complaint is that the Personal Electronics Power Station doesn't support USB. How many of your handhelds charge only through USB connections? I can't think of any of my devices that have this problem.

Technorati Tags: Personal Electronics Power Station, electronic gadgets.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Brad Feld's Treadputer: Venture capitalist
Brad Feld added a 3.2-GHz IBM ThinkCentre
to his Vision Fitness T9450HRT Treadmill.
This lets him get his runs in while he's on
conference calls. [ Photo: Brad Feld ].

Brad Feld is a managing director at Mobius Venture Capital based in Boulder, Colorado. He challenges himself by running marathons, and has set a goal of running a marathon in every state in the nation within the next 10 years.

Around the beginning of the year he and his coworkers built a "treadputer", a fitness club-quality treadmill with a big, fast Windows PC, and three 19-inch LCD displays.

The amazing aspect of Brad's story is that he finds he can use his PC while walking and running on this treadmill. According to the article:

It turns out that the Treadputer is highly functional when I’m running, which enables me to do some of my longer runs during the day while I’m on a call rather than having to get up at 5am to get them in before the day starts....

When we first assembled the Treadputer, {a co-worker} was skeptical that I would be able to read the screen while walking and assumed that reading while running would be impossible. While the three monitor setup helps a lot, it was surprisingly easy to read while walking or running. We’re running all three monitors at their standard 1280x1024 resolution and haven’t juiced up the font sizes.

Brad's article includes more details about his treadputer's configuration, and what he's learned about typing and mouse / trackball use. I found it quite interesting.

At least one other person bent on improving his life has built a treadputer. Walking Guy has begun a blog discussing his experiences building and using his treadputer. He says he began this quest because he needed to take off at least 40 pounds but was stuck in front of a computer 80 to 100 hours a week. He has his treadputer setup and has already gotten himself mentioned in the Lifehacker Coolest Workspace Contest.

I wonder how many more treadputer setups already exist, and how many will be built now that these articles have appeared on the Internet? I'll have to start looking for "bikeputer" articles as well.

Technorati Tags: fitness gadgets, treadputer.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We have a number of people who like math in our family, so Kathleen and I were pleased to discover Sudoku last week when we were shopping for Christmas gifts. Wikipedia says that Sudoku is a Japanese logic-based numeric placement puzzle which reportedly became popular in 1985 but only broke out to the rest of the world recently. According to the article:

The aim of the canonical puzzle is to enter a numerical digit from 1 through 9 in each cell of a 9×9 grid made up of 3×3 subgrids (called "regions"), starting with various digits given in some cells (the "givens"). Each row, column, and region must contain only one instance of each numeral.

The game we bought Sudoku - The Utterly Addictive Number Puzzle Game is apparently so popular that Amazon.com is having trouble keeping it in stock. Here are a few other options for people who are trying to find Sudoku to give as a gift for the holidays:

• Board Games
  • SuDoku Sensations
  • The Original SuDoku with Wood Playing Pieces
• Electronic Games
  • Handheld Sudoku
  • Play at Joe's Sudoku Challenge
  • Sudoku Puzzle Addict
• Books
  • The Official Book of Sudoku: Book 1
  • Sudoku Easy Presented by Will Shortz, Volume 1
  • Sudoku Easy to Hard Presented by Will Shortz, Volume 2

Even more Sudoku options can be found at Amazon.com by searching for Sudoku.

Technorati Tags: Sudoku, Sudoku electronic games, Sudoku books, Sudoku games, Sudoku software, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts

Posted by Dave Aiello at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the questions that Operation Gadget readers have about the Leapster L-Max learning game system is which Leapster games play on the television with the L-Max?. Here's a list of games that are known to work on your TV:

• Leapster Kindergarten,
• Leapster 1st Grade,
• Leapster 2nd Grade,
• Leapster Batman,
• Leapster Bratz World Jet Set,
• Leapster I-Spy Challenge,
• Leapster Math Baseball,
• Leapster Math Missions,
• Leapster Mr. Pencil Learn to Write & Draw,
• Leapster Reading with Phonics: Moles Huge Nose, and
• Leapster Thomas & Friends

LeapFrog takes a different approach. They provide a list of Leapster games that don't project on the TV with a Leapster L-Max. LeapFrog says that these games won't project to the TV for "quality and licensing reasons".

As far as I know, all of the L-Max games project to your TV. If I find out about any that don't work on the TV, I'll update this story. [ See also Leapster L-Max is a Popular Gift for 4 to 10 Year Olds ]

Technorati Tags: Leapster L-Max, Leapster, Hanukkah gifts, Christmas gifts, toys

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Leapster L-Max is turning out to be one of the most popular electronic learning games for the 2005 holiday season. I discovered this because of the response that has occurred since I mentioned the L-Max in an Operation Gadget called Electronics Dominate the Toy Wishes "Hot Dozen" Holiday Gift List for 2005.

The L-Max is the successor to the Leapster Multimedia Learning System which was very popular in 2004. The L-Max is compatible with games for the older Leapster system. It adds the ability to play many Leapster games on TV simply by connecting the L-Max to your television.

The L-Max also has an optional L-Max Recharging Kit which allows you to use a rechargeable battery pack instead of disposable AA batteries. The L-Max Recharging Kit will charge the L-Max in four hours, so it's perfect for recharging the L-Max overnight. I'm guessing that a charge will last for an entire day of L-Max use under normal conditions.

Technorati Tags: Leapster L-Max, Leapster, Hanukkah gifts, Christmas gifts, toys

Posted by Dave Aiello at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Many media organizations reported that TiVo announced that the ability to transfer recorded programming from TiVo Series 2 digital video recorders to iPods with Video Playback and PlayStation Portable handheld devices. I emphasize that this capability will be available from TiVo Series 2 DVRs such as the TiVo TCD540040 Series2 40-Hour or TiVo TCD540080 Series2 80-Hour units and not the DirecTV TiVo DVR that I have at my house. Bummer for us.

According to an article that appeared in The Wall Street Journal, recording formats used by TiVo and the iPod differ, so the TiVo Home Media Option will have to be extended to support this conversion and a Windows-compatible PC will be required. As a result, the process is expected to be an overnight synchronization rather than an immeidate transfer.

TiVo is trying to demonstrate the value of a subscription to their digital video recorder service. The Home Media Option that was announced with great fanfare in mid-2003 had little appeal for me, but this feature is far more interesting. I don't need to remind you that I said video playback is going to be a very hot feature of portable media players in 2006, do I? [ Paid subscription required to read many articles from The Wall Street Journal ]

Technorati Tags: TiVo, iPod, PSP, PlayStation Portable

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Since I published Electronics Dominate the Toy Wishes "Hot Dozen" Holiday Gift List for 2005, Operation Gadget readers have "voted with their wallets" by purchasing several of the toys and games that were highlighted. Early results indicate that the hottest selling toy among the dozen is Shell Shocker, a radio-controlled transforming vehicle for kids aged 8 and older. (Don't forget you need a Tyco Pro Flexpak Battery and Charger if you buy this.)

Close behind are:

• Dora the Explorer Talking Kitchen
• iZ
• PixelChix Beverly Hills House
• iDog

A couple of related toys that were not mentioned in this article have also been picked out by readers:

• 80th Anniversary Pooh: a commemorative Pooh bear exclusively available at Toys-R-Us and ToysRUs.com. It's already temporarily sold out at Amazon.com. Keep checking if you want one.
• Dora the Explorer Vamanos Van: an SUV that includes Dora and Mami figures.
• VuGo Multimedia System: a handheld video player I mentioned in the article called VuGo Portable Video System for Kids to be Target for TV Network Content Deal.

I'll report back periodically to tell you which toys and the hottest selling with our readers as the holiday season rolls on. If you have any comments on these toys or tips on others that you think are going to be hot, feel free to post them here.

Technorati Tags: Hot Dozen, toys, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts

Posted by Dave Aiello at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Toy Wishes Magazine has released its ever-popular Hot Dozen Toys for 2005. This list is intended to forecast which toys will be the most popular during the 2005 holidays. We can safely assume that if the magazine is correct, many of them will also become hard to find in stores at some point in the near future.

Dora's Talking Kitchen: One of my
favorites on the Toy Wishes Hot
Dozen Holiday List. Product photos
courtesy of Amazon.com.

The Hot Dozen List includes (in alphabetical order):

• Black Belts Karate Home Studio DVD: an inexpensive active play set with a video component.
• Dora's Talking Kitchen; My wife Kathleen says that the kitchen play set at her pediatrics office is the most popular toy in the waiting room.
• Fly Wheels Assortment; Couldn't figure out which toy this was, so I'm recommending the Fly Wheels Rapid Fire Launcher for the moment.
• Furby: an electronic friend that comes in multiple color combinations.
• iDog: an electronic dog that dances to music that's being played in the room. Accessories are also available.
• iZ: an interesting combination of cartoon character, speaker for music playback, and music mixing tool. You change the beat of the music by twisting iZ's ears and pressing on his belly.
• Leapster L-Max Learning System: portable version of Leapster learning system. Requires new games, available separately. Works in conjunction with TV, if connected.
• The Magnetix MagnaWorld Series: lead by Magnetix MagnaWorld City. MagnaWorld Clock Tower, MagnaWorld Magna Central, Rescue Center, and Airport also available.
• Pixel Chix: including Pixel Chix Cottage House, Beverly Hills House, and Miami Loft. Interesting electronic house simulators. Kids interact with a Pixel Chix Pal, paying attention to the Pal in order to keep advancing in the game; Ignore and Pixel Chix Pal moves out.
• Shell Shocker Radio Controlled Toy: a toy with a "bio-mechanical design" that can shift from a rolling bowling-ball type shape to a reptillian-looking robot and back. Requires a Tyco Pro Flexpak Battery and Charger and a 9-volt battery, which adds to the cost.
• VCam Now: digital camera / video camera designed for kids. Holds 480 pictures or 7 minutes of video.
• V-Smile Pocket: portable version of V Smile-- a 2004 favorite. Uses the same cartridges as the bigger unit, potentially a big savings.

VTech V-Smile Pocket:
Little brother of the V-Smile Learning
System, which was a big hit in 2004.

If the 2004 Hot Dozen list was heavy with electronics, the list is overloaded in 2005. There are only two toys on this list that don't have a big electronic component: Black Belts Karate Home Studio DVD (also available in VHS) and the Magnetics MagnaWorld Series. I bought a set of Magnetix building toys for my nephew, Ben, a year or two ago, and I really wish they had been around when I was a kid, because they're fun to build with.

Last year, Operation Gadget readers bought a lot of VTech V-Smile, a video game-based learning system for preschoolers. In my opinion, this either means that V-Smile Pocket will be a similar hit, or it will be a dud. VTech has a strong lineup of add-on cartridges compatible with both devices based on Winnie the Pooh, Mickey and Friends, and the Little Mermaid. If these cartridges are entertaining as well as educational, I'm sure parents and grandparents will buy them, and many hours of fun will be had by all.

I'm concerned that the mix of electronic and non-electronic products in the Hot Dozen has tilted too far toward the electronics this year. Will there be hits in the non-electronic genre this year, in spite of the lack of attention? What do you think?

Technorati Tags: Hot Dozen, Toy Wishes Magazine, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts

Posted by Dave Aiello at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (2)

I forgot to mention that yesterday's Wall Street Journal had a free article called Talk of the Internet that surprisingly focused on computer applications that support voice communications between users. The article begins by describing how users of Battlefield 2 from Electronic Arts can communicate with each other via a Voice over IP (VoIP) client that's embedded in the game itself. How cool is that?

Of course this is old hat to people that have been using XBox Live for a while, but I missed the peer-to-peer voice communications aspects of this on-line service until it was recently pointed out to me.

I keyed in on the discussion of Battlefield 2 in this article because it's a perfect example of an application for VoIP that's not simply about saving money on telephone calls by routing them over the Internet. The voice communications capability in Battlefield 2 is arguably a new dimension of Internet-aware computer applications.

Analysts like Maribel Lopez of Forrester Research believe that VoIP is overhyped because cheap long distance calling will not drive VoIP adoption as far into the mainstream as will new ways to use voice communications that come embedded in products and services we buy.

The article goes on to point out that VoIP is also being embedded in Instant Messaging and similar Internet communications apps that already have a huge number of users. The IM-feel of Skype was probably helpful in its rapid adoption. Google probably thought it would catch a wave of early adopters by designing Google Talk with a similar feature set.

I'd also like to point out that the WSJ article mentions my new friend Andy Abramson of VoIP Watch and how VoIP helped facilitate his long distance relationship with his fiancee Helene Malabed. This story has gotten a lot of play in VoIP-related blogs recently, but it's illustrative of the new opportunities that people will have to build close relationships with people who live some distance away.

I hate to think about how much money I spent on long distance charges talking to Kathleen when she lived in Philadelphia and I lived in Denville, NJ, before we got married. If that part of our relationship were taking place today, we could have saved most of that cost. It would be extremely difficult to quantify those savings without going through many dozens of phone bills, but I wouldn't be surprised to have paid a four-digit number of dollars over the three years Kathleen was in medical school.

Technorati Tags: VoIP

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Forbes Magazine has an article in its June 20, 2005 issue about the value that Electronic Arts has created in its EA Sports brand through exclusive licensing. It tells the story of the how they created Madden NFL 06, the edition of the Madden NFL game series for the forthcoming season, by inking an exclusive license with the NFL. EA Sports also has licenses with ESPN, the NBA, and FIFA, making it nearly impossible for a competitor to produce a legal video game about a major team sport at the professional level.

You may remember that I wrote an article about the EA Sports Platinum Series and how it does not provide the names of NFL and NHL players from the 1995 and 1996 seasons. These are the seasons for which the games on that controller are written. It's clear from this Forbes article that the omissions are all about the cost and difficulty of negotiating licenses.

I thought the Forbes article was really interesting and provided insight into a dimension of the sports, entertainment, and electronic industries that I had not understood up to now. [ Registration required to read articles on Forbes.com ]

Posted by Dave Aiello at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kevin Kelly of the Cool Tools website wrote a review of the 20 Questions Handheld Game from Radica that's definitely worth checking out. He says this is a slightly scaled-down version of the 20q.net website, which is a neural network designed to play a game of 20 questions against a visitor to the site.

According to the review:

Last year, after 1 million rounds of 20 questions online, the neural net had accumulated 10 million synaptic associations. It has a 73% success rate of guessing what you thought. Burgener then compressed the 20Q code to run on a chip, and had the neural net select 2,000 of the most popular 10,000 objects it then knew about. He then had the neural net select out the most useful 250,000 synaptic connections related to those 2,000 objects, and hard wired that learning into the chip in the orb.

This is neat. I'm going to have to get one and see how different it is from the 20Q website. I'm sure it will be interesting to have in the living room during a party.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm impressed with 1up.com's Essential 50, a list of what they consider the 50 most important computer games of all time. The authors have a good sense of history for placing games such as Spacewar from the PDP-1, Pong, Space Invaders, and Adventure at the top of the list. All of the games listed have detailed discussions of how they were developed or how they came to market.

Descriptions of game play are often anecdotes used to provide context to the history of the game. I particularly liked the fact that each game page contained a list of landmark features and a list of subsequent games that eventually borrowed features.

Some of the more esoteric things on the list, like Game & Watch from Nintendo were influential for their pioneering features, even if they were not played by everyone who was interested in electronic games at the time. [ via FirstAdopter.com ]

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My wife gave me EA Sports Platinum Series Controllers from Jakks Pacific for Valentine's Day. For some reason, Amazon.com's catalog says this controller set has three games built in, but it actually has only two games: Madden '95 and NHL '95.

This was a nice gift for me because enjoyed playing NHL '95 on the Sega Genesis game system very much. As far as I'm concerned, that's the only reason to own these controllers. While the NHL '95 game feels very much like the Sega Genesis game it emulates, the Madden '95 game seems less authentic.

I find the play calling interface in Madden '95 fairly difficult to use. Each play is represented by a descriptive phrase and a graphic representing the player formation. Some of the phrases that descibe the plays are difficult to read. This impairs the playability of the football game.

Every one of these Plug and Play TV Games made by Jakks has features that are slightly simplified, compared with the original games that are being reissued. In both Madden '95 and NHL '95, they've deleted the names of the players on each team, probably because having the names would have added to the licensing costs.

When I'm playing NHL '95 and I see the New York Rangers numbers 11, 35, and 2-- I immediately think of Mark Messier, Mike Richter, and Brian Leech. Clearly that's who the on-screen players are. The problem I run into is that I don't remember the players on many other NHL teams in 1995 as well.

I enjoyed playing NHL '95 very much and I think that game alone is worth what my wife paid for it. If you are a Madden '95 fan, I'd be cautious about getting my hopes up. I may understand the game better after I play it a few more times, but right now I find Madden '95 is more trouble than it's worth.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Glofun RayGun: a Java-based,
GPS-enabled game coming soon
for the Motorola i710 and i730.
[ Graphic: GloVentures LLC ]

I finally got the opportunity to put a new mobile phone game called Glofun RayGun to the test, and I was pretty surprised at the workout I got. Glofun RayGun is advertised as the first "high-intensity" location game for cell phones. You play it on a J2ME and GPS-enabled phone like the Motorola i710 and i730 for the Nextel network. Nextel is currently the only mobile carrier in the USA with GPS enabled to the handset.

Glofun RayGun is one of the only GPS applications available in the U.S. that is not aimed at business logistics. This country is far behind Japan in this regard. In Japan carriers deployed GPS gear on their infrastructures a while ago and location-based mobile phone services are really hot now.

Pointing the gun: You point
your ray gun by running or
walking in the direction of a
ghost.
[ Graphic: GloVentures LLC ]

The game is played by walking or running around an open space while facing in a direction that will allow you to intercept ghosts that appear on the screen of your mobile phone. You as the player are always in the center of the screen, so the RayGun game screen has a similar appearance to a RADAR screen.

In the the first screen shot, there is a ghost approaching (green blob) that is due north of your present location. You can attack it by running to the north and pressing the "OK" button on your mobile phone once the ghost is inside of your "energy cone" (the yellow pie slice-shaped area on the screen).

The further you move in a single direction (according to the GPS), the bigger your energy cone gets. This allows you to target and kill multiple ghosts at one time, if they are approaching from the same general direction.

In order for the game to recognize your motion, you must move at least 3 meters (10 feet) and keep moving in that same direction in order to remain oriented long enough to fire your ray gun. Ideally you move 10 feet in about one second in order to maximize the number of firing opportunites.

Moving in for the kill: The
ghost is in your sights.
Hit the "OK" button on the phone
to shoot your ray gun.
[ Graphic: GloVentures LLC ]

This is where the physical effort akin to a good workout comes in. Using my Polar S720i Heart Rate Monitor I was able to burn about 800 kilo calories per hour playing the game. That's pretty close to the effort per hour I'd expend biking, officiating a youth hockey game of moderate intensity, or in-line skating.

The surprising part of playing Glofun RayGun for me was that I realized this is a good cross-training activity. There's only so much running, biking, and in-line skating that I can do during the ice hockey off-season without getting a bit bored of the routine. A game like Glofun RayGun would be a fun alternative. It's also a bit of a different type of movement from those other training activities, which I think helps improve fitness and strength by emphasizing different muscle groups.

The biggest drawback I saw to the game was how much space is needed for a trained athlete to play it. In order to test out the game I went to Cranbury-Millstone Park in Cranbury, NJ on a Tuesday afternoon when I expected no one to be around. This park is a rectangle of open space about 0.2 miles by 0.1 miles (320 x 160 meters). That's about a 13 acre space-- big enough to contain a large soccer field, a baseball field, and a parking lot for 30 or 40 cars.

I was able to traverse most of this park's length and width several times during half an hour of play. Maybe other people who don't run as hard while playing a game like Glofun RayGun would not cover as much ground, but I had to stop running a few times in order to avoid crossing busy Old Trenton Road while looking at the display on my Motorola i710 mobile phone.

I think Glofun RayGun is an impressive first effort at Location Based Services gaming in the United States. If I owned a GPS-enabled phone, I'd keep a copy of this game and play it regularly. It's definitely good cross-training for athletes looking for a change of pace that helps maintain a high level of cardiovascular fitness.

I've collected a number of photos, as well screenshots from the game and from my Polar Precision Performance training diary in a Playing Glofun RayGun photo album. I hope they help you to get a feel for what it's like to play this fun and interesting new game.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Glofun RayGun: a Java-based,
GPS-enabled game coming soon
for the Nextel i710 and i730.
[ Graphic: GloVentures LLC ]

GloVentures sent me a Nextel i710 mobile phone with a Java-based, GPS-enabled game called Glofun RayGun installed on it. Glofun Raygun is expected to be available early in 2005, initially for Nextel i710 and i730 handsets.

This game allows you to track ghosts that are coming at you from all directions and "ionize" them before they ionize you. Running in the direction of the ghosts increases the range of your weapon. In the case of a GPS-enabled game like this "running" really means running. It looks like this game is best played at a park or in a backyard.

I'm hoping that Glofun Raygun is a good change-of-pace way to get some exercise outdoors. I plan to review it on that basis, in addition to how much fun it is to play.

I have to find a couple of good weather days when I don't have hockey games to officiate to put Glofun Raygun through its paces. The i710 arrived yesterday when the high temperature was about 12 degrees Fahrenheit. That wasn't a good day to try out the game. Maybe later in the week will be better, when the temperature is expected to moderate to the 40s and 50s.

Posted by Dave Aiello at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey performed a small study indicating that pre-surgery anxiety in children between four and 12 years old was reduced when they were given a Game Boy to entertain themselves. The study results will be presented by Dr. Anuradha Patel at a meeting of the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists in New York City on Saturday.

The study involved 78 children who were divided into three groups. Each child in one of the groups was given a Game Boy 30 minutes before they received general anesthesia. The other groups got to use other, more traditional anxiety coping mechanisms. According to Dr. Henry L.