MKTG

Today’s video games tap into who we are as people, and into the existing systems of our world. Kill Screen Magazine strives to explore these ideas of human behavior, aiming to reach a more mature demographic.

A medical non-profit organization has put its stamp of approval on a video game console.

Excellent news for Wii-owning Netflix subscribers: the company has just announced that it has commenced shipments of instant streaming disks to all members who want to start streaming movies and TV shows from their Nintendo console.

Nintendo and Netflix initially announced partnership plans in January and are making Netflix on the Wii fully available as of today, after putting out a teaser and sending out disks to a subset of members a couple of weeks ago.

Facebook annoyances, Apple’s manifest destiny and an F.C.C. regulatory work-around top Thursday’s reading list.

Facebook annoyances, Apple’s manifest destiny and an F.C.C. regulatory work-around top Thursday’s reading list.

Facebook annoyances, Apple’s manifest destiny and an F.C.C. regulatory work-around top Thursday’s reading list.

This just in from the “Strange Bedfellows” department: apparently Nintendo has enlisted the help of Google to create a Wii game where players compete to guess the most popular search terms.

The game, entitled Ando Kensaku, will be out in Japan on April 29 and won’t likely see much of a release elsewhere given its quirkiness. The screenshot above gives you an idea of the cutesy avatar style of the title, featuring 14 mini-games where several players can choose from a multiple choice search term spread.

Who knew SEO could be fodder for a casual Wii game? Anyone else have a hankering for a special Web Nerd U.S. Edition of this thing?

For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter

Tags: Ando Kensaku, games, Google, Nintendo, Search, SEO, video games, Wii

This just in from the “Strange Bedfellows” department: apparently Nintendo has enlisted the help of Google to create a Wii game where players compete to guess the most popular search terms.

The game, entitled Ando Kensaku, will be out in Japan on April 29 and won’t likely see much of a release elsewhere given its quirkiness. The screenshot above gives you an idea of the cutesy avatar style of the title, featuring 14 mini-games where several players can choose from a multiple choice search term spread.

Who knew SEO could be fodder for a casual Wii game? Anyone else have a hankering for a special Web Nerd U.S. Edition of this thing?

For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Reviews: Facebook, Twitter

Tags: Ando Kensaku, games, Google, Nintendo, Search, SEO, video games, Wii

Advice for women in Silicon Valley, a Google game on Wii and Yahoo closes an ad network.

Netflix has announced that it’s entered the final stages for the rollout of Netflix for the Wii. Starting in the next few days, several lucky customers are going to get the new Netflix via Wii to so that Netflix can gather final feedback.

The announcement, from Netflix Vice President of Marketing Jessie Becker, is short but sweet: Starting today, Netflix is sending out instant streaming discs to some Netflix members. Their feedback on the experience will help the company fine-tune the experience. After that, Netflix via Wii will be part of the Netflix unlimited plan ($8.99 per month).

We first learned about Netflix for the Wii in January. The move makes sense; the PS3 and XBox 360 already have Netflix streaming, and the Wii is the best selling current-generation console in the U.S.

Wii owners, will you be using Netflix via Wii? Let us know in the comments.

Tags: netflix, Nintendo, streaming, streaming video, Wii

The reading list includes AT&T 3G dog collars and femtocells needed to bolster AT&T coverage.

PlayStation’s own Kevin Butler, VP of humorous adverts, is coming at you from the future in this latest promo clip for the recently-named Move motion controller.

While demoing the abilities of the Move with a boxing game and an FPS, Butler manages to poke fun at both the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s coming-soon Project Natal system for the Xbox 360 that takes motion control a step further by making your body the controller.

“Come on, who wants to pretend their hand is a gun? What is this, third grade?” Butler asks, while stating that the Move offers “what we in the future call ‘buttons’ which turn out to be pretty important to those handful of millions of people who enjoy playing shooters, or platformers, well, anything that doesn’t involve catching a big, red ball” — the latter in reference to a Natal demo.

Hit play now to see the “now-eristic” Move in action, as well as a baseball tip-off for the coming season:

Tags: advertising, kevin butler, microsoft, motion gaming, Natal, Nintendo, playstation, playstation move, project natal, sony, video, video games, Wii, wiimote

Last week, Sony announced the PlayStation Move, a new motion-based controller to compete with both the Wii and, more importantly, Microsoft’s upcoming Project Natal full-body motion controller.

That’s why we made the topic of the latest edition of our Web Faceoff about Sony and Microsoft’s upcoming next-generation gaming controllers. We asked you to tell us which excited you more: Microsoft’s Natal or Sony’s Move. After more than 2,000 votes…

…Project Natal emerged victorious. With 56% of the vote (1,268 votes), Natal was more than a match for the PlayStation Move, which mustered 30% of the ballots (668 votes). One hundred and seventy of you voted that you didn’t care for motion controllers, while another 150 preferred the Wii.

Tune in tomorrow for the next edition of our Web Faceoff series!

Tags: microsoft, Nintendo, playstation move, poll, project natal, PS3, sony, web faceoff, Wii, xbox, Xbox 360

On November 19, 2006, Nintendo launched its fifth home console to the world. The Nintendo Wii was both ridiculed and praised for its unique controller system — the Wiimote — which detects movements in three dimensions.

Three and a half years later, the Wii has dominated the market, shattered sales records, and put its two main rivals, Microsoft and Sony, on the defensive. Both companies are responding with motion-based controllers of their own, though.

Microsoft has generated some big buzz with the revelation of Project Natal, a new camera-based system that requires no controller, just the movement of your body to function. And yesterday, Sony officially announced PlayStation Move, a controller setup that utilizes a camera and a remote-like controller to interact with the screen.

Here’s the question we have for all of you gamers. Which next-generation controller system excites you more: Microsoft’s Natal or Sony’s Move?

Our poll for this week’s Web Faceoff ends on Sunday, March 14, at 12:00 p.m. PT. Let us know your choice, and don’t forget to leave your opinion in the comments!

What excites you more: Microsoft’s Project Natal or Sony’s PlayStation Move?polls

PlayStation Move in Action

Project Natal Announcement

Tags: microsoft, Natal, Nintendo, playstation, playstation move, project natal, sony, Wii, wiimote

If you’re a gamer, you might have heard about yesterday’s news about the PlayStation Move, Sony’s answer to the Wii Remote and Microsoft’s upcoming Project Natal motion controller. In a demonstration yesterday, the company showed off the device, which utilizes remote-like controllers and the PlayStation Eye camera to capture your movements and turn them into actions on the screen.

We’ve seen plenty of screenshots and heard a lot about the controller’s capabilities, but we wanted to find out for ourselves whether it really could make the PlayStation more competitive with its counterparts. That’s why I decided to take the system for a test drive here at the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, California.

Did it live up to expectations? Could it challenge Nintendo and Microsoft in gaming? I’ve got some thoughts on the matter:

PlayStation Move: Sony Played It Safe

First, a little bit about the PlayStation Move: It’s a two-part control system. First are the handheld controllers, which act essentially as Wiimotes. The main controller comes with a lighted color ball on the top though — this is an essential component for the second part of the Move: the PlayStation Eye camera, which tracks your movements on screen. Combined, you get a controller system.

When I held the remote-like device in my hands and actually got to play with it, I immediately became aware of two things: its accuracy and its augmented reality features. It feels just a little more precise than a Wiimote with the MotionPlus controller. Because it uses the camera rather than the sensor bar that the Wii utilizes, it can more accurately catch your motions. It also translates them onto the screen with your face on the TV.

I was impressed with the augmented reality aspect of the PlayStation Move more, though. The lighted ball on my controller turned first into a paintbrush, and then a fly swatter. It didn’t have the lag that a lot of other systems deal with, which made the experience enjoyable.

Is it that much better than the Wii, though? To be honest, I think the answer to that question depends on how developers use the PlayStation Eye camera to enhance their games. If they focus on the controllers, then it’s just a fancy Wiimote. If it focuses on bringing you into the game via the camera, then there are some real possibilities.

In the end though, Microsoft’s Project Natal is still going to garner the attention and the hype, as it is a bolder step into motion control. Sony essentially played it safe with the Move, while Microsoft’s implementing an all-or-nothing strategy with Natal.

Here is me in action with the PlayStation Move:

PlayStation Move Demo Video

Tags: games, gaming, microsoft, Natal, Nintendo, playstation, playstation move, project natal, sony, video games, Wii, xbox

The first Lady Gaga song pack for the Rock Band music video game is coming next week. It will include the songs “Bad Romance,” “Just Dance,” “Monster” and “Poker Face.” You’ll be able to buy each song for $2 or all of them for $6.99.

Yes, “Paparazzi” and “LoveGame” are missing from the list, but this might be just the beginning of Rock Band’s Gaga content. Gaga is a hit in geek culture. She’s a spokeswoman for Polaroid. One hundred thousand Facebook users rallied to create and celebrate National Lady Gaga day. Twenty-five percent of Vevo’s 35 million visitors only watch Gaga videos. And her “Bad Romance” music video (which has almost 143 million views on YouTube) is loaded with gadgets like iPods, laptops, and Wii remotes.

Rock Band and Lady Gaga are already in the zeitgeist together. Last year, South Park ran a scene with Cartman performing Gaga’s “Poker Face” on Rock Band with his friends and it became a viral YouTube video. We’ve embedded it below. Have fun, and get this: This South Park version will be available for Rock Band, too!

You’ll be able to start bluffin’ with your muffin’ (or at least your suite of fake musical instruments) on the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii on Tuesday, March 16, and on the Sony PlayStation 3 the following Thursday, March 18.

South Park Does Lady Gaga in Rock Band

Reviews: Facebook, YouTube

Tags: celebrities, electronic arts, harmonix, Lady Gaga, music, playstation 3, PS3, rock band, South Park, video, video games, Wii, Xbox 360