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/ 25 April 2008

Train your brain

Many video games require quick thinking and fast reflexes that constantly engages the player’s mental faculties and affects reasoning, deduction and problem-solving skills. That has been the theory, anyway. So it’s interesting, then, that the game that may finally prove the point isn’t a video game in the traditional sense at all.

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/ 10 January 2008

What technological surprises does 2008 hold?

What’s in store for tech fans in 2008? Plenty. If the stirrings of the present are any indication of what’s on the horizon, technology buffs can look forward to products that are better, faster, and less expensive than those we rely on today. The best news of all is that some of the most exciting products should appear earlier in 2008 rather than later on.

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/ 9 January 2008

Japanese game sales hit record high in 2007

The booming popularity of Nintendo’s Wii console and DS handheld sent the combined sales of game machines and gaming software in Japan to a record high last year, according to research by a Japanese publisher. The results underline the stellar success of Nintendo, the company maker behind Super Mario and Pokemon games.

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/ 7 January 2008

Gates eyes next digital decade

Microsoft chairperson Bill Gates took centre stage at the world’s largest technology show for the last time on Sunday and predicted that his industry was on the cusp of the next "digital decade". Gates said computing will become a pervasive part of everyday life through devices like televisions and cellphones.

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/ 26 October 2007

Game guru Will Wright wants to plug it in

”Education was always known as the kiss of death in the software industry. But I think you want to focus on getting the player interested and emotionally involved.” Game designer Will Wright is responsible for some of the world’s most famous titles — but he’s really excited the prospect of plugging them directly into his brain, he tells Bobbie Johnson.

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/ 11 October 2007

Battle the bulge with the Wii balance board

Couch potatoes beware: Wii owners will be able to get an even more vigorous workout from December when Nintendo launches a new fitness balance board for its hit video-game console. The ”Wii Fit” board and software can be used for exercising, sports and games including yoga, virtual snowboarding, ski-jumping and aerobics.

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/ 3 October 2007

Nintendo softens the Wii blow

Nintendo’s ”Wiimote” is getting a cushion cover. The Japanese game maker’s Wii machine has become a global hit among players young and old alike. To help prevent accidents and soften possible blows, Nintendo is shipping for free rubbery silicone covers for the handheld devices.

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/ 25 September 2007

Microsoft’s Halo 3 launches amid spectacle

Microsoft began its midnight sales of Halo 3, the acclaimed alien shooter game that it hopes will widen its lead over Sony in the battle for industry dominance. Microsoft is backing the game with a marketing blitz that includes celebrity-studded sales events at about 10 000 retailers across the United States.

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/ 29 August 2007

Intel unveils powerful new processor

Chipmaker Intel unveiled its new high-performance central processing unit at the recent Leipzig Games Convention in Germany. The Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 was shown to members of the press and industry ahead of the official opening of Europe’s biggest show for interactive entertainment.

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/ 29 August 2007

Sony bridges games, TV with new PlayTV

Sony says it will start selling a combined television tuner and personal video recorder that lets users of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console capture live television that can be stored or transferred to the PlayStation Portable (PSP) for later viewing. Sony announced the new product at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany.