Part casino, part MMO, ZT Online proves that not all gamers are willing to invest time into an MMO to be successful but rather, their own money.

“Chinese gamers are an unwelcome species on European and American servers,” said a game manager who once worked on World of Warcraft. Chinese players always have ways of quickly ascending levels that leave European and American gamers in the dust, and on group missions they do not like to respect the tacit rules of profit division. For those “pedantic” European and American gamers, Chinese players are like fearsome pagans. “European and American games do not encourage unlimited superiority of power; they put more of an emphasis on balance and cooperative support.” The former WOW manager said, “Perhaps this is because of the influence of traditional culture and the current environment; truth be told, Chinese gamers are better suited to jungle-style gaming.”

An online game manager recalled that he once received at the company a gamer who had money but no patience. This gamer came with an inquiry: could he simply pay to purchase high-level equipment? Everyone at the company had a good chuckle at that. Now, the manager sighs regretfully: they did not realize that the gamer represented an immense business opportunity. ZT Online, on the other hand, saw it and achieved success.

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I’ve written many an opinion column on why the Playstation 3 is the best console out there. After HD DVD died, my argument was strengthened further. Ryan then put the nail in the coffin by confirming that the only BD Live-enabled player on the market right now is the PS3.

A lot of talk has gone on revolving around the price of Blu-Ray players on the market. Some argue that prices have increased since HD DVD died out. Others state that prices are going down on specific players. While each side has some truth to it, the Playstation 3 remains at $399 and gives you both the best Blu-Ray player available and the most powerful gaming console on the market. Either way, consumers shouldn’t have any second thoughts about picking up a PS3 if they’re considering an HD solution for movies.

I’m glad we had this little talk. In the end, I’m just trying to keep you informed.

The new jDome looks to be quite the experience. With help from a projector on the back end of the dome, the jDome offers players a full 180 degree field of view, with about 125 to 145 game world creations being shown. This will ensure you won’t miss that camper hiding besides some crates to the far right of you.

Designed by John Nilsson, the “semi-transparent dome” dubbed jDome will have gamers jumping from their seats, ready and willing to stand in front of this thing for prolonged hours. Still currently in its design phase, Nilsson claims the product will cost the consumer anywhere from $125-200.

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For those not familiar with the storage device known as N5 let me be the first to tell you: it’s illegal to use this device for downloading Nintendo DS games off the ‘net. Of course, that doesn’t mean you won’t do it. 100-percent of the gamers interested in purchasing the N5 or it’s predecessor the R4 have every intention of downloading a slew of DS games. It’s pretty much its only use aside from loading up shitty Robert Palmer MP3s.

It does have the capability of storing other data types, after all it has a card slot for Micro SD and supports FAT16 or FAT32 filesystems. Don’t be worried about online or multi-card play either, as the N5 supports it so finding people to play against shouldn’t be hard if you grab the Metro-Wardrive with it. A one time fee of 70 bucks only to have access to every DS game in existence? What a steal. Literally.

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Udon Entertainment is offering a chance to win a free Nintendo Wii game. If you’re a fan of the fighting game genre then you know of Street Fighter. Orders placed today for a limited edition art book based upon Capcom’s storied Street Fighter and the many characters within puts you in the running for a chance to win a copy of Okami for Wii.

Also, Capcom will be creating a collection of figurines based on the upcoming Street Fighter IV. They’re looking for fanboy input, so check out the poll on Capcom’s blog. Now, this isn’t official but c’mon…it’s Capcom! Whenever it gets the chance to bleed out plastic figurines resembling Cammy, it will.

With Street Fighter IV coming our way, the art book would make a great gift for any Capcom fanboy. Don’t forget about Okami, either. That game is sweet.

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Chalk Chess is the brainchild of UK design studio SUCK. Each piece is a piece of chalk that can be used to draw a chess board anywhere you please. Just draw a grid, color it in with your pieces and you’re ready to whoop anyone’s ass in a straight-thuggin’ game of chess.

Though it’s just a prototype at the moment, I could see Chalk Chess becoming a reality sometime soon. The only issue I have is that eventually, the pieces will become worn down and unrecognizable as time goes on. Also, what if it starts to rain? Will your pieces melt quickly? Surely the board would wash away. Perhaps Chalk Chess is best left for a beautiful day in the park.

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There’s nothing I love more than making good electronic music from classic video game consoles. This video is a great example of someone using circuit bending techniques to generate sounds from an old Atari 2600. Using Paul Siocum’s Synthcart, the user is able to create original pieces using the 2600’s built-in sound chips.

Nothing beats the DIY instrument movement. If you have an 2600 collecting dust in your home, you should seriously consider getting yourself a Synthcart. At $25, it’s a dirt-cheap investment that will allow you to get started at creating your own chiptunes. The author even offers a downloadable ROM for free in case you want to try before your buy.

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The Atari 1980 masterpiece Missile Command is given a whole new take on interactive gaming thanks to Steven Mason. Steve wrote the clone for the multi-touch wall at Obscure Digital. It’s the same classic game, except you touch to shoot defending projectiles at incoming missiles. This adds a new element of game play and also gets your lazy ass off the couch. Chances are it’ll have you frantically slapping your hands against a wall for both exercise and entertainment.

We’ve seen this sort of technology before, even some with some newer games like Warcraft 3, but a classic such as Missile Command gives us a retro game with a fresh take on gameplay. I don’t see this kind of technology boosting the gaming industry’s innovation anymore than the Wii (a modern-day power glove), but seeing old Atari classics brought to life again makes me nostalgic.

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We’re not saying that GameCube was the smoothest gaming console to begin with (or even one of our top 5 choices) but it was certainly nowhere near as irritating as the purposely frustrating Frube. Even the colors chosen for this device are annoying as hell.

The Frube gives the GameCube a new parallelogram shape which makes the system almost impossible to fit on a spare spot on the shelf in any sort of comfortable way. The Frube also features a set of asymmetrical controller ports and a jaggedly cut disc opening flap which helps confuse the users even further. Of course this all depends on whether a user still has his sight after gazing eyes on the yellow and purple color clash. (more…)

I’m a huge fan of Crocodile Dundee and Leatherhead was by far my favorite villain from T.M.N.T.. I can appreciate the time and effort this gamer has put into this case mod but nothing screams “geek” more than spending that much time to put some ‘bling’ on your 360, well maybe except for this awkwardly-designed computer.

The alligator-themed Xbox 360 is covered with reptilian skin and even has a creepy eye instead of the standard 360 power switch. With all the sweat poured into this 360, it’d be a real shame for him to get the red ring of death. Of course, it’d just make the alligator eye look almost as cool as a portable Atari 2600, except you wouldn’t be able to play it.

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