Most people are reluctant to collect together and trade-in old electronics, games and software because they think it's a lot of effort for a relatively small reward. However, according to a new study the average gamer has more than £100 worth of unused games lying around that could be cashed in.

The research carried out by video game marketplace Playr2.com found that the average gamer has £135 worth of video games they'll never use again stashed away in ther home.

Most of the self-confessed gamers that were polled admitted to having traded-in or sold unwanted games in the past, but said they rarely keep on top of just how much money they could be making back from the rejects.

Simon Kilby, Founder of Playr2.com, said:

"We've all got games in our collection that just sit collecting dust; whether it be because we've completed them, got the latest franchise release or simply didn't like them in the first place. To ignore them is to flush money down the drain though, as the value in unused games can be significantly more that you'd expect, and you could end up making a pretty penny if you were to sell them on."

1,012 gamers took part in the poll in January 2012.

[Image via The D34N]

There are lots of mobile apps on the market designed to keep us motivated, track our runs and spur us on to beat that personal best time. We're big fans of Nike+ GPS because it's so simple to use, the interface is intuitive and the GPS tracking really accurately records your runs. However, if you find it hard to workout then a simple app might not motivate you to get down to the gym or out onto the roads, which is where Zombies, Run! comes in, a crazy (but very clever) new running game for your mobile that's guaranteed to have you running as fast as you can...

The basic premise behind the new game is that zombies are chasing you, so you've got to run as fast as you can to get away from them before they (presumably) maul you. The game, which will be available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android, delivers the scary zombie chasing story straight to your headphones and gives you orders and voice recordings to make it all the more realistic. How. Creepy.

The story is very similar to the likes of 28 Days Later or I Am Legend, you're running for your life away from zombies and creating a little den at home with supplies and the random food you can find. You can automatically collect these all important items, like medicine and ammo, as you're running around, so it's like you're inside a video game the whole time.

The great thing about Zombies, Run! is you don't have to sprint away outside (even though the game will make you want to) you can use it on a walk or on a treadmill too, but it won't be as authentic, obviously. Although listening to the audio is central to the whole game, you can also set your own playlist to play too in between the scary bits.

The game also keeps track of all the more important and serious stuff, like distance, time, pace and the calories you've burned. All of that info can then be synced with RunKeeper, so there's a central place to keep track of your runs, which is great if you get into Zombies, Run! but don't want to have to descend into a world of flesh-eating monsters every time you go out.

There are all kinds of examples of clever technology being used to transport us into exciting games as ways to motivate us to work out and keep us entertained, but there's just something so hilarious, terrifying and genius about Zombies, Run! that has us convinced it's going to be very, very popular.

Zombies, Run! isn't available quite yet, but you should be able to get your hands on it at some point in the next few months. We really can't wait!

[Via Connected Health Via @SianySianySiany]

A lot of exciting Nintendo news has been revealed this week, as well as giving us all some of the details about the Nintendo Network online community features, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata confirmed new capabilities were being added to the tablet-like controller of the upcoming Wii U console.

At the top of the list of these new and advanced features is NFC (or Near Field Communication) technology, the kind of standard we're used to seeing in many new smart phones (like Blackberry) and in London's Oyster Card transport payment system. Basically, allows the transfer of information just by putting two NFC-enabled devices close to each other, so it's being used as a way to share information, pay for stuff and enhance entertainment experiences.

Satoru Iwata said:

"By installing this functionality, it will become possible to create cards and figurines that can electronically read and write data via noncontact NFC and to expand the new play format in the video game world.

"Adoption of this functionality will enable various other possibilities such as using it as a means of making micropayments."

As of yet no date has been placed on the release of the Wii U, Nintendo yesterday revealed that they are on track for a Q4 2012 (October-December) release date, but we'll keep you posted.

Our experience with the record-breaking NES game controller last week has had us pining for the retro consoles of days gone by. So, we were really interested in the results from a recent study, which aimed to find out what the nation's favourite retro games console really is...

Although every individual obviously has their console of choice and will happily argue for days about why it's the best, it seems most gamers prefer the SEGA Mega Drive over any other retro console. Ooo controversial. And, as that was my first ever gaming console too (Alex the Kid anyone?), I'd have to agree.

According to the study carried out by video game price comparison site Playr2.com, the SEGA Mega Drive managed to just take the top spot over the Nintendo 64 when 1,411 self-confessed gamers were asked which console released before 2000 (wow, does that make it 'retro'?!) they liked the best.

Here are all of the (very close) results:

1) SEGA Mega Drive- 61%
2) Nintendo 64- 58%
3) Atari 2600- 55%
4) PlayStation (original)- 51%
5) Game Boy (original) - 48%
6) Super Nintendo Entertainment System - 43%
7) Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) - 38%
8) SEGA Game Gear- 37%
9) Neo-Geo - 31%
10) SEGA Master System- 28%

Obviously the study only asked 1,411 people, so it's not like it's conclusive or by any means really the nation's favourite, but it's interesting to see the battle between SEGA and Nintendo rage on and on...

The study polled 1,411 British people in 2012.

Today Shiny Shiny and our sister site Tech Digest went along to London's Liverpool Street Station to get some hands-on time with the daddy of all retro controllers. Read more about our (potentially) record breaking Tetris game and our interview with British electrical engineering student Ben Allen who put together the huge NES...

The Guinness World Record for the largest videogame controller on the planet has been broken! British electrical engineering student Ben Allen along with co-creators Stephen van 't Hof and Michel Verhulst put together a gigantic 12ft x 5ft 3 in x 1ft 8 in, 18 stone NES controller to take the title, a joypad so big it needs two people to operate!

"The idea basically came from a brainstorm," said Allen.

"We were sitting around between lectures having a chat and a coffee, someone came up with the NES idea and we ran with it. From the conception to the completion of the controller took about six months, and after spending a lot of time planning, the actual build took about four weeks. There were lots of late nights, and lots of not sleeping! In fact, I even fell asleep on the controller for about half an hour one night!"

Showcasing the achievement at London's Liverpool Street Station, Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny got some hands-on time with the daddy of all retro controllers. Though it takes some getting used to, the oversize buttons responded really well, pushing back against our hands with a satisfyingly spongy feel. Together we managed a respectable 67 lines on the NES version of Tetris, a potential record in itself on the unique controller.

The event was held in order to promote the release of the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2012, which also features other quirky gaming records like "Longest Gaming Session in Free-Fall" and "Largest Competitive Pokémon Videogame Family". We can't begin to imagine what the conversation around that family dinner table must be like!

"We've been burning the midnight oil like ninjas for the 2012 Gamer's Edition: witnessing record attempts, talking to developers and playing as many videogames as we could handle." said Guinness World Records Gaming Editor, Gaz Deaves.

"Gamers all over the world can finally get their hands on the result of our hard labour, and this year's book packed with all the amazing records, facts and feats that they have a right to expect from Guinness World Records."

Out on Thursday 19th January, the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2012 will be available from all good bookstores. And some rubbish ones too!

Lots of excited kids (and teens and adults of course) will probably be finding a games console under the Christmas tree this year, but with so many different options available, which is set to be the most popular?

Well, according to discount website MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, Microsoft's Xbox 360 is enjoying the most number of searches on the site so far, with the PS3 coming in second:

1. Microsoft Xbox 360 - 45% of searches
2. PS3 - 19% of searches
3. Nintendo Wii - 15% of searches
4. Nintendo DS - 12% of searches
5. Nintendo 3DS - 8% of searches

Of course this data doesn't necessarily mean the Xbox 360 will be crowned King of Christmas, but search patterns are generally pretty indicative of consumer buying behaviour. We shall have to wait and see come Christmas morning...

Yesterday Shiny Shiny headed down to London's Trocadero arcade with our sister site Tech Digest to try out the world's first eye-controlled arcade game, Eye Asteroids.

Basically you stand in front of the very normal looking retro arcade game and after a quick calibration test you shoot the asteroids that threaten to destroy your planet just by looking at them. We know, we know, it doesn't sound real but it is and it's surprisingly accurate too.

The game works by using an infra-red sensor just below the screen to track the reflections on the surface of your eye, as well as the minute changes in pupil size, to control the direction of your laser blasts.

Eye Asteroids is a game in its own right too, not just some rubbish planet moving around with no purpose. Although we were told you could score more than 1000 points by shooting all the asteroids and we got up to around 60. Oh well...

Eye Asteroids was created by Tobii, a company which specialises in developing eye-tracking solutions. Despite the fact this technology sounds like something from a sci-fi film, Anders Olsson from Tobii told us that this kind of super accurate and lightning fast eye-tracking could soon play an integral role in the way we use our computers and gaming consoles. The technology behind Eye Asteroids isn't just revolutionary for gaming either, but also has obvious applications for those living with disabilities.

Tobii Eye Asteroids is available for purchase by companies and individuals, but is limited to a production run of just 50 units, available for $15,000 each. Now that'd be one big Christmas present.

Tobii's Anders Olsson talks Gerald from Tech Digest through the technology, and his hopes for the future of eye-controlled gaming, in the video above.

Due to the excitement surrounding last week's highly anticipated release of Batman: Arkham City, it's clear that games based on big film franchises (and comic books too of course, but that's a different article) are increasingly popular despite some gamers finding them a little contrived at times.

A new study conducted by gaming comparison service Playr2 aimed to find out which was the ULTIMATE video game based on a film according to more than 1,100 gamers (they could select more than one answer). Transformers: Dark of the Moon clinched the top spot, even if the film was a bit disappointing. Some older games, like Goldeneye 007, interestingly ranked pretty highly too, making it into Playr2's top 10 list.

Check out the list for yourself and see where your favourite movie-based game ranks:

1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 33%
2. Batman: Arkham Asylum- 31%
3. Goldeneye 007- 27%
4. Aliens vs. Predator- 25%
5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed- 22%
6. Quantum of Solace - 18%
7. Spider -man 3- 16%
8. Tron: Evolution - 15%
9. The Godfather- 12%
10. The Lord of the Rings: Conquest- 9%

I've tried to get my eyes used to them on numerous occasions, but wow do 3D games and movies make me feel travel sick.

Considering everything is becoming 3D nowadays, I accepted the fact that maybe I just have a weird, messed up head/brain/pair of eyes but it seems I'm not the only one that gets sick of 3D from time to time (OK all of the time). Not only was there all kinds of controversy when Nintendo launched its 3DS device earlier in the year and gamers felt a bit too queasy, but a new study has proved that even hardcore gamers are apprehensive about the new consoles that are rumoured to be 3D enabled.

The study recently conducted by games comparison marketplace Playr2.com of more than 1,000 self confessed gamers found that over half wouldn't be in favour of more consoles adopting 3D technology, which is a pretty big deal considering that the next reincarnation of Microsoft's Xbox games console, known as Xbox 720, may well be 3D enabled.

Although the possibility of 3D enabled games doesn't seem to put the same bunch off too much, with 65% of them saying they're still likely to buy Xbox 720 regardless of any irritating new features it may or may not have.

[Image via]

We wrote about cutesy social game Me to You My Place back in December and thought it was time we revisited it to see how it has done.

Created by the gift card company behind the twee characters Tatty Puppy and the My Blue Nose Friends, you might have thought it strange that they so wholeheartedly embraced social media and everything that goes with it - their livelihood has for a long time been based around snail mail and not quick messages across the internet.

But embraced it Carte Blanche Greetings did, and with much success. Since its launch in December the adventure game, its objective being to "find, nurture and love the Friends", has had over 150,000 players on Facebook with the large online community interacting and sharing away within the game.

The Facebook version of Me to You My Place has been so popular that it has now expanded it beyond Facebook to enable people of all ages can take part in a safe and educational environment (you still have 'officially' to be over 13 to join Facebook). The new hub, metoyoumyplace.com, launched this week and offers fans the chance to play the game for free or through a subscription based membership to unlock premium content.

As part of the extension, Carte Blance is also introducing a new character, Tatty Puppy, to the Me to You family. The pup is available to buy as a real-life soft toy with a code that lets its owners unlock the virtual Tatty Puppy in the game.

"With the launch of metoyoumyplace.com Carte Blanche Greetings has successfully taken a 15 year old physical presence and made it even more digitally relevant, truly giving its dedicated following a space to claim for themselves and continue to enjoy the brand both offline and online," says Jocasta Kelsey, Head of Marketing at Carte Blanche Greetings.

With all the negativity around in the world these days, it has actually been quite enjoyable to spend some time digging for treasures and playing games with the tiny digital teddies. What do you think?

Interesting words from gaming expert Kam of Playgen about the recent craze for gamification that is sweeping start-ups and the tech-press.

Kam warned at a recent Silicon Roundabout meeting in London that gamification can be done in a gimmicky way that adds little to the whole experience and can actually take away from it. You don't want to be given a gold star on your facebook page for paying your council tax, but you might like a prompt payment discount.

If you're new to the term - it means what it sounds like: adding game-like elements to a task or web-service. Games can be compelling and rewarding experiences so the idea is that adding one into your product or website makes it all more fun!

Your tax return - FUN!
Your maths homework - FUN!
Putting rubbish in the bin - fun etc.

Usually making something more like a game means working in some kind of goal, some kind of measure of progression, and some kind of reward.

It's the reward bit that often goes wrong when people try to gamify.

Erm - he wasn't telling us The Answer (because, obviously, there isn't a catch-all one) but he did say:

"Games need points. The point has to be meaningful. Getting a point for something you were going to do anyway which cannot be exchanged for anything, is not a good reward system.

"Ideally it has to be useful back in the real world too."

Another gem of wisdom from his speech: good games are "10% game design, 90% psychology".

Think about it guys, think about it.

Get epic game World of Warcraft for free from now, as the classic online game switches to a freemium model.

Previously £7.99 a month, the first 20 levels of the game will be free as of now. And the first 20 levels is a sizeable chunk - that's a good month or two's solid gaming.

Freemium models - the try it and see approach - has been super successful online. Often giving users the incentive they need to get hooked. World of Warcraft also monetises itself by selling in-game magic objects and advantages like honor leveling.

Get a starter account here

It looks like open season on gaming groups. Following a bad run of luck for Sony, now Nintendo has come under attack from hackers.

Nintendo has confirmed a server for a website for its US division has been hacked this weekend, but the company told the Wall Street Journal no sensitive data was compromised. This means the attack is less severe than that on Sony's PlayStation Network, which saw details belonging to 100 million users exposed.

Nintendo launches a new online service this week, where users can buy and download games for the 3DS games console.

"We are always working to make sure our systems are secure," said Nintendo spokesman Ken Toyoda. Sony is also working on this issue, after the group was attacked by hacking group Lulzsec only last week. Judging from the uptick in attacks, it looks like gaming groups could find it prudent to increase security efforts across the board.

Playstation online faced a wave of traffic today as it finally got back online. Hundreds of thousands of Playstation users logged on this morning as the service got back online just under a month after it was taken off after a hack on 17th April.

The numbers of people trying to get back in resulted in a sticky restart with slow service and a hiccup where it was taken offline again briefly. All users have been asked to reset their passwords.

The culprits still remain to be caught. See our coverage of Who's Behind the Hack:

- Sony Chaos: Credit card details of PlayStation owners lost to hackers - internet's revenge on Sony could take the company down
- The Sony Hack: Who did it and why? UPDATED
- Sony Hack: Anonymous may not control the soliders... but they drew the battlelines

See more on Sony Playstation UK

STORY UPDATED: 17:00 03/05/11

Cyber criminals have just pulled off one of the biggest hacks in web history. The details of 43 million Playstation and Playstation online users have been stolen and Sony online services are still down. Three weeks after the Sony hack became public, the damage only seems to grow - with details emerging today of the Playstation online data theft affecting 25million.

Who did it? Why? It it a straightforward attempt to steal money from the victims? Is it a punishment on Sony? We look at what we know about the shady figures behind the attack -

Who did it?
The amorphous group Anonymous threatened Sony with attacks two weeks before the hack was revealed to the public. Anonymous - previously responsible for digs at Scientology and acts in defence of Wikileaks - published the message below a few days before Sony's PS3 service went down. It uses the Anonymous classic Guy Fawkes mask as a background.

But - did they do it? No, according to Sony and according to posters on Anonymous forums - and well - commenters on this blog post who have leapt to defend the hacktivist group.

According to a statement by Sony, Anonymous had launched a separate and much milder attack on the company's websites - a DDoS attack and the publishing of private details of Sony executives. The massive database hack was unrelated they said. Sony CEO Hirai released the following statement describing the Anonymous actions, but drawing clear lines between the two attacks:

"While there may be no relation to this attack, the Sony network has also been targeted by the Internet group Anonymous," said Hirai. "In addition, the personal information on Sony's top management, including the names of their children, the schools they attend, and the names of other family members, has been published on the Internet. They have also called for protests outside Sony stores around the world."

According to a commenter on this post called, err, "Anonymous" - "Anonymous never hacks for monetary gain". Certainly, it's not in their high-minded mission statement about Freedom of Information which quotes the United Nations Human Rights declaration - read it here.

The name Anonymous is more a blanket term for a philosophy or behaviour than a set group of people. The Wikipedia article on them contains this description:

"Anonymous is the first Internet-based superconsciousness. Anonymous is a group, in the sense that a flock of birds is a group. How do you know they're a group? Because they're traveling in the same direction."

Why was Sony targeted?
The Anonymous statement above suggests the hack was an act of revenge on Sony after they prosecuted two hackers for opening up the source-code of the Playstation 3 online. Sony had promised to prosecute everyone who downloaded the code as well as the two hackers who posted it online in the first place.

Even if it wasn't the Anonymous group who initiated the attack, it could have been someone motivated by similar causes to them. Sony's actions did stir up a lot of anger. Perhaps it was the 17 year old boy mentioned below by commenter below... "BULLSHIT its that 17yr old, dont know his name but got told it waass him, not anonymous" says 'Anonymous'.

If it is actually a 17 year old - after he gets out of prison - there will be a lot of people queuing up to employ him.

Of course the third option is just some very organised, very smart cyber criminals. But still? Why Sony?

It's hard to understand why Sony were targeted for a cyber crime of this magnitude. They are just one of many many big corporations who hold the credit card details of their customers online. And surely there other ones who would have been softer touches to hack.

Another thing that gets me about this affair is that though the hacking was very sophisticated and cut to the core of the multinational's databases, the idea for monetising the stolen data is quite simple and to be honest a bit shit - selling the data over the internet. Surely a true cyber criminal with this kind of brain-power would have worked that bit out as well.

Maybe details of a sophisticated financial fraud plan will emerge later, but this makes the hack seem almost more symbolic than than about monetary gain. That to me makes it seem more like a hacker's work than a criminals.

But the Anonymous spokespeople - such as there are any - have stepped back from it and condemned the hack. So their hands are clean as far as the internet is concerned.

What's going to happen to the data that has been stolen?

Reports earlier today suggest that the data will be put on sale on the internet, meaning that that hackers in possession of the data will make some profit from their hack. The data will most likely be sold to cyber criminals with an interest in using it for scams and hacks in an attempt to get money out of the victims.

How are they going to catch them?

Efforts at Sony have been focussed on determining the scale of the hack, fixing their security holes and getting their services back online, however, when they finally do, they'll be looking at a few more courtcases. The FBI's cyber-crime division are already working with Sony who must be desperate to avoid this ever happening again. Other corporations with their customers credit card details stored online will be similarly keen to see an example made of the hackers behind this huge attack.

Any more comments? DO post them below.
I might even update the article again.

A security breach at Sony is much bigger than previously thought and threatens to seriously rock the whole company.

The credit card details of 70 million PlayStation owners are believed to have leaked online as well as their addresses, dates of birth, Playstation passwords and email addresses.

Sony Playstation has been down since the 19th April when the hack was first acknowledged. Only now are full details of the damage coming out. While Sony believe that the security codes and expiry dates on cards have not been obtained, they are advising PS owners that their card numbers are known.

It is believed Sony was targeted by hackers for prosecuting a gamer called George Hotz who opened the PlayStation source code and published a software crack online. Sony also obtained permission from a San Francisco judge to identify and prosecute anyone who downloaded the crack files from Hotz's site.

The revenge of the internet has been severe.

The attack is thought to come from Anonymous - the amorphous hacktivist group who previous targets have included Youtube - for taking down music videos, British law firm ACS Law who prosecuted file-sharers and PayPal for disowning Wikileaks.

The length of time it has taken Sony to acknowledge the scale of the hack could also be damaging to its relationship with its customers, with many taking to Twitter to

Reactions on Twitter:

@kelcow: RT @AndyWandy: RT @IvoVegter Holy crap. This cld sink Sony RT @mcleodd Looks like Sony has a public relations catastrophe on its hands http://bit.ly/grEQEf

@StephenAtHome: Sony admits hackers stole information from people's PlayStations. I hope it wasn't my avatar. It took hours to get the eyebrows right.

Comments on the Sony blog post bemoaned the outage of service:

"Some of us have subscription services like Lovefilm that is used on PS3 and needs PSN signed in, if is going to be weeks before PSN is back may as well be cancelled for now, but if just some days or 1 week probably not worth cancelling."

"Now we find out a week later that yes user data was leaked but thats a week to late to if someone has spend £1000 pounds on your credit card or something. Mr Head of Communications I hope you get sacked over your complete lack of common sense when dealing with this situation."

Games of the future will plug into your emotional and physiological reactions to enhance the gameplay.

The game will be able to take inputs from your breathing, skin moistness and heart rate as well as what you thumb into the console, predicted psychologist Mike Ambinder. It could use the extra emotional intuition to heighten emotional effects - trying different scenarios on you until it gets a reaction.

Say you have a fear of heights or react particularly strongly to sound for example, you'd get more of a buzz out of scenario that pushed those kind of stimuli. It could also learn more about your particular metabolism over time.

Issues with the technology could include getting sensors on your skin - and whether the equipment required to detect your responses would detract from your enjoyment of the game..

It's the next step after the motion-sensitive gaming of the Wii and Kinect. We're looking forward it, and sweating slightly.

[via New Scientist]

A game designer, fed up with the lack of fear and tension in the computer games he loves has decided to reintroduce an element of terror to gaming.

So Anthony O'Dempsey made a game where when you die, you really do die. Okay, sorry: you really do die in the game - not real life. In all other games out today, "game over" just means you go back two or three steps, or, at worst have to start again from the beginning.

When you fall in One Single Life - it's game over and you can't play the game again, because you're dead.

Well of course, you can delete the app and re-download it, but by the rules of the game, that's it.

The app, with it's accompanying story of a young man trying to tell the truth about life and death has got a lot of attention in blogs. However there are a few critics in the comments sections, who think that existential pretensions don't make for a great game experience:

"This game isn't as deep as the developers seem to think it is. The only question I found myself asking is "why would anyone make this game?""

A commenter on the Wired article about it made a similar point:

"Simply disabling an application from future use isn't really a game play mechanic, it seems more like a poorly thought out gimmick. Some sort of consequence in game should be used instead of punishing the user for playing your game. Seems like a lazy excuse for game design and poorly thought out."

To me though, it makes sense, especially given the life-cycle of apps - usually not much more than a few days. Disposable apps that self-destruct after a few plays is a good idea, because, well, that's all we usually do with them. As for the philosophical bit about human life, well, I love that stuff so I'm a bit of a sucker for this from the get-go...

One Single Life is free on iTunes

[via Wired.co.uk]

The new Wrap 920 video eyewear from Vuzix promises to take the game off the screen and fill the room around you with it.

If you want a really immersive gaming experience then this new video eyewear is something you should check out. Okay so you'll hardly forget that you're in the sitting room, but it's a step on the way to much more complete experience..

Compatible with 100 popular PC games including Batman: Arkham Asylum, Call of Duty, GRID and World of Warcraft - the Wrap 920 VRs will actually "place" you in the game.

Vuzix make video eyewear with two tiny screens embedded in each lens. Having the screens so close to the eye allows for a panoramic effect with the image appearing much bigger than it actually is. They do an augmented reality version too - with a tiny camera embedded into the frame of the glasses.

These new gamer glasses- the Wrap 920 VR bundle - are special because they have two new features:

1) Head-Tracking: This feature lets the game surround you. Turn your head around and you're able to see what's behind you in the game, look to the left and you'll see what's on your left. Vuzix explain: "The tiny Wrap Tracker 6TC provides 'virtual' presence for first person games including action / shoot 'em ups, driving games and simulators. Less than the size of a penny, this device clips discreetly and securely into the eyewear and enables the wearer to be 'placed' within the game. Using the latest in magneto-resistive sensors, accelerometers and gyro's the Wrap 6TC offers high accuracy head tracking."

2) 3D video - it uses stereo images to render three-dimensional video. That means that not only is the game all around you, but it's projecting into three dimensional space.

Paul Travers, CEO Vuzix Corporation, said, "The Wrap 920 VR bundle adds a unique 3D 'in game' element for PC gamers. When you hear the enemy coming up behind you, the ability to physically turn your head and view them or to be able to view the complete landscape of the game play zone offers the player a unique advantage over their game opponents."

Sounds pretty exciting huh?

As with all these experimental gadgets, the actual user experience can be a little jumpy. And yes - I imagine this isn't great for your eyes, so you probably won't want to be doing this for 4 hour stints. Still, it's an interesting toy for the big gamers out there.

The Wrap 920 VR bundle is £399.99 from Vuzix

There are many reasons to pull a sickie - and being sick is only one of them.

A survey by www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk found that one in ten British men would pull a sickie to stay at home and game, one in a hundred would do it on a monthly basis. No stats for women unfortunately.

It reminds us of forum like this one, where Grand Theft Auto fans compared notes on who was going to take a sickie the day the new edition came out. One poster declared that he was booking a week off work just after the new GrandTheftAuto came out so he could stay home and play the game. Well at least that's company-agreed holiday time.

However, the researchers asked 1,756 men but only those who owned a gaming console - meaning the results are going to exaggerate the percentage of hardcore gamers out there.

Those polled were initially asked "Have you ever pretended to be ill in order to stay at home gaming?" to which 11% said yes. When asked how often they pulled a sickie at work in order to stay at home gaming, 9% said that they did it regularly, once a month or more, whereas 42% said they did it occasionally. 49% said that they rarely did it.