TechDigest's Gerald spend some quality time with the new handheld gaming console from Nintendo. His mum even tried it. Here is his verdict:

Name: Nintendo 3DS

Type: Handheld gaming console with glasses-free 3D visuals

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: £187 from Amazon

Image Gallery: Click here

"How do you follow up the most successful handheld console of all time?"

It's a question that's likely plagued the Nintendo hardware development team following the monumental success of the Nintendo DS, which has sold a whopping 145 million units to date. That console introduced touchscreen gaming to the masses, which could arguably be held to account for the massive boom in touchscreen app gaming on smartphones. Once again looking to set the trends for the competition to follow, Nintendo's latest console, the 3DS, introduces glasses-free 3D visuals into a handheld for the first time. Is it a game-changing addition however, or merely a gimmick? Read on to find out.

At first glance, the 3DS doesn't look all that different from its DS predecessors. Featuring a dual-screen clamshell design, it's fractionally smaller than the DS Lite at 135 x 20 x 74mm. At 230 grams it's a tad heavier, but barely noticeably. It'll initially be available in two colours, blue and black, with the gloss finish rather prone to smudgy finger marks. You'll undoubtedly be able to pick up the 3DS in several colours before the year is out, should the previous Nintendo handheld's history be any sort of guide.

The devil, of course, is in the detail. Open up the console and you'll find there's now a control stick (dubbed the Circle Pad) that sits dominantly above the traditional D-Pad, acting now as the primary means of control in most games. There's a slight recess in the stick that makes your thumb sit comfortably on the Circle Pad, with the stick itself snapping back to a central position when no pressure is applied.

While the diamond A, B, X, Y buttons remain unchanged (and the trigger L and R buttons positioned the same as the DS too, if now a little too small for our liking), Nintendo now put the Start and Select buttons below the lower touchscreen. They also introduce a Home button between the two, which is used to jump back to the main Nintendo 3DS menu when you're in a game. The power button sits below the A, B, X, Y buttons, which may seem like a ludicrous decision in terms of upping the possibility of accidentally switching the console off, but it all works quite nicely as it first requires a confirmation input on the touchscreen before powering down.

There's now a slot on the left hand edge for inserting an SD card, which can be used to store MP3s, images, and eventually downloads once the 3DS Store launches. Under the hood there is now also a motion sensor as well as a gyroscope. The Gameboy Advance cartridge slot sadly hasn't made the cut this time. The bottom edge now houses the 3.5mm headphone port, with 3DS cartridges slotting in with a satisfying click to the rear top edge. On the rear of the top screen sits dual-camera sensors for 3D photography, while inside a single camera sits centrally above that top main screen.

Ahh, those all-important dual-screens. The bottom one remains largely unchanged from previous models, a 3 inch resistive touchscreen running at a resolution of 320x240 pixels. The all new, wider top screen is 3.5 inches in size, running at a higher resolution of 800 x 240. And it's 3D capable. Without glasses. Here's where things get interesting.

By employing a parallax barrier, which allows two images to be displayed at slightly differing angles, you'll get the illusion of depth in the 3DS's top screen. Those 800 x 240 pixels therefore get split across both eyes, meaning you may not necessarily see a sharper image, but instead one that appears to be stretching back into an impossible 3D space behind the top screen.

It's quite remarkable; though the images don't appear to jump out in the same way as a trip to a 3D cinema screening does, you'll be tricked into believing you could reach into the 3DS and pull out tangible objects. We're still yet to see any advanced uses of the effect in the launch games we've tried, but it certainly makes them visually more arresting, and certainly unlike any other handheld we've played.

It won't be to everyone's taste however. Some users have complained of the effect causing a strain on their eyes, as you have to quite frequently adjust focus to changing perceived depth levels. Recognising this, Nintendo put a slider to the right of the screen, which allows you to adjust the intensity of the effect, or switch it off altogether. Though maxing out the 3D effect is initially quite good fun, we'd advise setting it to about two-thirds of the way up for the best compromise between 3D visuals and comfort. A larger problem is the tight viewing angle; veer just a few centimetres away from the screen's sweet spot where the 3D effect is most impressive (we'd place it at about 35 centimetres away from your face, straight-on), and you'll find nasty ghosting, reduced contrast, and unbearable flicker. If you're sitting comfortably and relatively still it's not a problem, but taking the 3DS on the road, with 3D effects turned on, probably isn't advised. We're also not looking forward to the wave of games that will undoubtedly make use of the motion sensors and 3D effects; with the depth settings turned up we expect they'll be all-but-unplayable.

The 3DS interface defaults to a scrolling tile set up along the lower screen, the size of which you can tweak to squeeze more tiles onscreen at once. Each tile represents an app or system settings menu that you can explore. It's similar to the homescreen of the Wii console, except that the benefits of a dual-screen set-up mean that the top screen can be used to give you info on what each tile does before you select it.

Though you'll be able to add more over time, there are seven pre-installed software tiles (not including the Health and Safety warning tiles, the Settings tile and the Download Play tile, which is used for organising multiplayer sessions with pals). The Mii Maker lets you create little avatars to represent you in certain games, as well as your virtual presence when you interact with other people's 3DS console via StreetPass (more on that in a second). StreetPass Mii Plaza lets you see all the other 3DS owner's Mii's you've interacted with, as well as offering a collectable puzzle game and a lite RPG title centred around your Mii. Activity Log tracks the amount of time you've spent playing each game, as well as recording your physical movements like a pedometer, turning steps into "Play Coins" for use in certain games accrued by walking around with the 3DS in sleep mode. Nintendo 3DS Sound is an application for making quick audio notes, which you can save to an SD card and manipulate the pitch and speed of. Nintendo 3DS Camera does what you'd expect it to, capturing 3D images using the rear cameras, though the low resolution means it wont trouble any dedicated camera kit.

The 3DS makes good use of Augmented Reality features. Using those rear cameras and the console's screen in tandem, Augmented Reality apps can be used to make virtual things appear to be invading your real world surroundings, through the window of the console screen. The console ships with cards roughly the shape of a playing card, each with an image on it that the console can recognise, all producing different augmented reality effects. For instance, we had our tabletop turn into a dragon, a fishing pool and a marble run, while we also played a space-invaders style game where we had to shoot down little floating heads with our faces on that appeared to be coming out of the walls. Still only a limited application, we can't wait to see augmented reality features implemented into full retail titles.

The 3DS can connect wirelessly to the internet for gaming, as well as featuring a local wireless communication system called StreetPass. It's a little like a basic social network for gamers, allowing the 3DS to automatically send data between systems within close range. You'll swap Mii information, inavading other gamers consoles with your avatars, while some retails games will have StreetPass features that allow you to identify nearby players or trade in-game items.

Again, it's application so far has been limited, but within the sphere of a game like Pokemon, where being able to easily challenge and trade with other real-world players is key, it could become a really useful feature.

The 3DS uses a 5Wh battery pack, with the console sold with a charging cradle included in the box. It takes about 3 and half hours to fully charge an empty 3DS battery. Whether it be the wireless or the 3D effect, the 3DS burns through power at a pretty alarming rate. Turn the screen brightness down to its lowest level and power off the wireless connection, and you'll get just over 5 hours worth of constant use from the console. Turn them all on at full power to have the 3DS running in its optimal state and you'll be lucky to squeeze out just 3 hours worth of juice.

That's significantly less than the 10 hours an iPad offers from a single charge, a few hours less than the average smartphone, and again a few hours less than even the original Nintendo DS console too. While it's not a deal-breaker (you'll have to be pretty hardcore to play for longer than 3 hours in a single sitting) it's not ideal for long journeys on the road or by plane where a power supply may not be easily reached. It's these situations where portable consoles should come into their own, and the 3DS is quite lacking in this regard. You'll get a solid day out of the console in sleep mode though, so don't fear shutting the 3DS without fully powering it down first.

In many senses the 3DS makes nowhere near the hardware jump that the DS did compared to the Gameboy Advance. You had there a mad new form factor, touchscreen controls and impressive polygonal gaming for the first time from a Nintendo handheld. Regardless, the 3DS is still a marvel to behold; it's hard not to be totally blown away not only by the fact the glasses-free 3D works, but works with forgivably few flaws. The temperamental viewing angle is troublesome, particularly if you plan on using the 3D features during the hustle and bustle of the work commute for instance. But cosy on up with the console on the sofa and all is forgiven. You'll become completely engrossed with the visuals. The reality is that the meagre battery life is more of a concern than anything else.

What really endears me to the 3DS however is its charm. It's got the Nintendo stamp written all over it, from the quirky little characters that hold your hand through the intricacies of the interface, to the chirpy music that plays alongside each built-in software area. For a console that's unmatched in technical power (at least until the Sony NGP comes out), it still has the childishly magical buzz of delving into a toy-box for the first time. And that, if anything, is the 3DS's greatest strength.

Do you still play Guitar Hero? Drum Hero? Band Hero!? Or are music games with plastic instruments dead to you now?

Games blog Kotaku poured cold water over the suggestion that Ubisoft are about to release yet another version of Guitar Hero - this time called RockSmith - and stated that the age of the music accessory game is over.

Last month Activision pulled the plug on their once very successful Guitar Hero franchise, laying off 500 workers and putting the cuts down to "continued declines in the music genre".

The twist with RockSmith is that you plug in a real electric guitar: no plastic instruments here - the game just comes with a jack that allows users to plug an electric guitar into an Xbox 360 or PS3. You can buy the electric guitar too if you need to - and the whole lot will cost you $200.

The brand new Radeon HD 6990 graphics processor is the fastest graphics technology in the world - no small claim by semiconductor design company AMD, but it seems to be merited.

'This is for the really high-end gaming market,' Leslie Sobon, vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing at AMD, told Shiny Shiny. 'It's faster, more realistic, and delivers a much better visual experience.'

But it's not only gamers who will benefit from this cutting edge technology - anyone working with high-end visuals will benefit, says Sobon. 'Those working with video editing or creating can take advantage of this as well. It's the top of the line, so it's ideal for anyone who considers themselves an enthusiast.'

On to the specs: The card records score of P11865 in the industry standard 3DMark11 benchmark. There is native support for up to five displays, with potential to upgrade to six with additional components. There is also a dual-BIOS toggle switch, allowing enthusiast gamers to unlock the card and rev up the clocks and voltages for even more performance. The card also allows for stereoscopic 3D gaming and film viewing as it has HDMI 1.4a support.

Into affordable laptops
While gamers will be salivating over the news, others may be more enthused to hear AMD is taking this cutting-edge graphics technology beyond the gaming world. Fusion APU is the company's new combined technology, where the graphics capabilities are joined with the regular computer brain onto a single chip. This means faster processing, and AMD expects to see this top-of-the-line technology become available for even basic laptops, explains Leslie Sobon.

'The improvements are still very much about the visuals and the graphics, but with the new chip you get this without sacrificing the battery life.'

Equally interesting is the fact that these jacked-up laptops will come in at modest price points too: 'They will be highly affordable as well,' says Sobon, suggesting prices under the £500 mark.

Fusion has now been officially launched with products including the Sony VAIO Y Series, Acer Aspire One AO522 and Toshiba NB520, and AMD expects budget Fusion APU-powered laptops to become available also from Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, MSI and Samsung.

Specs for the Fusion APU: Multi-core CPU (x86) technology, a high-definition video acceleration block and a high-speed "bus" that speeds data across the differing types of processor cores. Furthermore there's stutter-free HD video playback, DirectX 11-capable graphics and "all-day" battery life.

Sobon says upgrades to the Fusion APU range will continue to be announced on a bi-annual schedule: 'We're moving forward in leaps and bounds.'

In the booming arena of mobile phone gaming, girls outnumber boys. Only just - by 53% to 47% - but the edge is significant because the figures are the other way round in traditonal gaming on consoles like the Xbox or PS3.

According to research by Flurry Analytics on RWW, the mobile social gaming audience is also likely to be younger than the normal gaming audience with an average age of 28 compared to 34 for traditional gaming. Mobile social gamers also have more disposable income than traditional gamers.

And Asians are disportionately represented among mobile gamers compared to other ethnicities.

In fact, Flurry go so far as to say that the age of the hardcore 18-34 year old game is over:
"The video game industry is transitioning from an era of hardcore male gamers who have dominated the landscape, to more mass-market usage across mobile social games. 18 - 34 year old males are being supplanted as the most attractive segment to target by big brands and agencies. The Mobile Social Gamer segment is highly engaged, younger, made up of more females, more educated and more affluent. In terms of usage behavior, they use social games far more often than they watch prime-time television shows, and using for 25 minutes per day, are heavy users of this interactive content. Mobile social gamers are the new mass-market powerhouse."

Here are the graphs...

With today's graphics technology, video games can look like proper works of art. But it wasn't always like that - do you remember the old, basic-looking Atari games, or even the clunkiness of the first Super Mario?

Brooklyn-based artist Cory Arcangel remembers it - and he's feeling nostalgic about it too. Arcangel has placed video gaming tech specs at the heart of his new art exhibition at London's Barbican gallery. Sounds a bit out of left-field, this, but the result is fascinating.

The Barbican presents 14 bowling video games from the 1970s to the 2000s, having hacked each of them to play a loop where the bowler fails to score. The image gallery below gives you an idea of how the games have changed over time. Going to the gallery itself would add a collage of sound from the games, starting with the abstract static of Atari, to Nintendo's bleeps, all the way to the more realistic simulation of bowling sounds of newer PlayStation consoles.

Videogames as art
Arcangel takes a retrospective look at the art of videogames, but there are others now using the medium in a more forward-looking manner. For example, Greg Wohlwend and design partner Mike Boxleiter of Mikengreg, have developed Solipskier for the iPhone, and are already working on their next project.

As pointed out by Flavorwire, which has a nice roundup of videogames as an artistic medium here, the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC is currently preparing a major exhibition on the art of video games. Something is definitely up in the world of gaming - maybe it's because the first generation of gamers are now old enough to really start to feel nostalgic about their youths, technologically primitive as it seems now.

This is a guest post from TechDigest

While we knew playing games on mobiles was becoming increasingly more popular, a new study suggests there may be a revolution in the wings. Game playing on mobiles might replace games consoles altogether by the year 2025, according to findings from GoodMobilePhones.co.uk.

Or at least this is what 52% of the respondents of the survey from mobile phone comparison site said. A quick look at the study does seem to suggest a drift from gaming consoles towards mobiles; while all the 942 respondents owned a mobile phone, 76% of them used it to play games. Only 29% actually owned a games console, and only 11% of these were confident they would continue to buy future generations of consoles. A number of conclusions could be drawn from this - one of them being how when people get older, they place less emphasis on high-spec gamin;. all the respondents were over 18 years old.

Among the 41% who said they would definitely not buy any more consoles, just over half of them said they believed that they would be able to play the majority of their preferred games on their mobile phones within the next few years. This is not a particularly large study, and with the attraction of gaming is a bit of a mystery to those of us who don't do it, it would be easy for us to say that sure, mobiles should be able to fill this need in the future.

While the study does seem to support the rising trend of mobile gaming, it seems even Mark Owen, founder of GoodMobilePhones.co.uk, is sceptical of any future mobile gaming dominance altogether:

'Whilst it may be possible that Smartphone gaming could replace games consoles by 2025, I find it unlikely that games consoles will ever become obsolete. Technological advances in games consoles, such as hands-free gaming, will take a good while to be caught up with on the mobile market; and far too many people enjoy the social interaction of console gaming to let it become extinct so soon.'

Nintendo promise a game to please everybody on the launch of their new 3D gaming console - the Nintendo 3DS - on March 25th.

There'll be 13 full 3D games on offer from the start including Nintendogs and Streetfighter, from Ubisoft.

Full list of the games:
Pilotwings resort
Nintendogs (x3 editions)
Super Streetfighter
Pro Evolution Soccer
The Sims
Lego Star Wars
Ridge Racer
Super Monkey Ball
SAMURAI WARRIORS: Chronicles
Asphalt
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
Tom Clancy's™ Splinter Cell® 3D
Rayman 3d

See more: Video Review: Nintendo 3DS hands-on

Sony unveiled their new handheld games console at their PlayStation Meeting 2011. And dropping the PSP name is only one of the surprises in the new Next Generation Portable (NGP).

Resolution on the NGP's screen will be four times sharper thanks to a faster four-core chip (ARM CortexTM-A9). The motion sensors are now the same ones as used in the PS3 and connectivity comes not only from Wi-Fi, but also a 3G connection, as well as Bluetooth 2.1.

The biggest change is in the NGP touchpanel which allow for a whole bunch of new ways to control a game. "Touch, Grab, Trace, Push, Pull," is the tagline for the new device and this touch sensitive panel allows for gestures and taps to be used alongside the physical buttons for an immersive experience with thousands of complex controls now possible for any game.

The NGP will also feature a new cross platform initiative called PlayStation Suite, which will allow games to be played across select Android smartphones as well as the NGP console.

The Sony NGP is expected to launch this winter, likely in Japan before the rest of the world.

Of course it wasn't going to be long before someone decided to turn the rollercoaster story of the world's largest secret-busting website into a game.

Well it is a game, an app game. However, rather than being the information outlaw Julian Assange, busting open the secrets of government and big corporations, you play the part of a US security agent who has to stamp out the dangerous leakers, before some US politicians get embarrassed. As the app puts it:

"stop leaked diplomatic cables from getting onto the internet, where they will cause unforeseeable damage to America's reputation!"

That sounds a lot like bumping off a certain Australian, the aforementioned Julian Assange. However we would like to stress that it is *just* a game. A game that is free in its "lite" version.

The game-makers Super Boise sound sort of terrifying, "chock full of grit and hell-bent on crafting the best slice of gaming your starved mind has ever tasted."

Wikileak Defender is £0.59 on iTunes

(It's already slated for a film btw)

You'd have thought scented candles were more likely to have ended up in Granny's Xmas stocking than an Xbox or the Nintendo Wii, but it seems that 1 out of 10 of us either have bought our grandparents a gaming console or are thinking of doing it this year, according to research by www.MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.

Consoles have been aimed at a youth market, but the benefits for the elderly are obvious. Games can keep your mind sharp while entertaining you and there can be a social element to multiplayer games.

Movement based games like the Wii and the Kinect offer the chance for

But it also seems that oldies just want the games too. The survey asked those that said they would buy a games console for their grandparents to explain why. Here's what they said:

"Just over a third, 35%, explained they were doing so to 'encourage their grandparent to exercise more;' whilst one in five, 22%, were doing so 'to help stimulate' their grandparent's brain activity. The majority, 37%, were doing so simply because their grandparent wanted a games console."

Sounds reasonable to me.

When I get old I'm just going play computer games aalll day long....

One way to celebrate your favourite mobile phone game is to dress up as a character from it and parade around town. Angry Birds day is a thing. Let's have one in the UK!

Take our Are You Addicted to Angry Birds Poll to help us measure the spread of the game..

[pictures from the NYT and Flickr]

With news that Angry Birds has been the most successful mobile game this year - selling an eyepopping 12million on top of 30 million free downloads we just thought we'd look at the effect this fun little game has had on the lives of its users.

In case you're not aware of it - in the game available on iPhone, Android and Nokia. In the game you are a bird, some green pigs have stolen your eggs, and you want to beat the crap out of them. Different birds have different powers and you need to think about physics, timing, flight patterns and more. There are 135 different levels. Their Christmas edition is at the top of the iPhone paid apps with the standard Angry Bird app second, despite being released over a year ago...

See all you ever wanted to know at Angry Birds here

A British scientist has just been granted £35,000 to play Nintendo Wii games with Parkinson's sufferers. Dr Cathy Craig of Queen's University, Belfast won a research grant to test whether exercise on the Wii can help people with Parkinson's disease.

It seems obvious that the console would help anyone requiring gentle, easily accessible exercise. But because games consoles have been a young person's toy up till now, it has taken a while for everyone to catch on to just how useful the games gadget could be in rehabilitating people with muscle problems for whatever reason.

Parkinson's UK awarded the grant because they have received overwhelming feedback from people with Parkinson's who find that using a Wii is a really good way to exercise at home and has helped them with their balance, movements and mood.

The research aims to address two questions:
-- Does the use of the Wii system improve the physical abilities and lifestyle of people with Parkinson's?
-- How do the various games improve specific symptoms of Parkinson's including tremor, slowness of movement and balance?

Two groups of people with Parkinson's will take part in the research. One group will be asked to use the existing Wii system. The second group will try out new, specially designed bespoke movement-based games.

See more: the Wii on Parkinson's UK

Sorry - we had to bring this up. So it is theoretically possible to have remote e-sex using Microsoft's new Kinect Motion Controller.

One of the greatest minds in the field of teledildonics -Kyle Machulis - has already tackled the question of how to have sex through the Kinect, and he blogs about the possibilities at Slashdong.

What he works out, after some experimentation, is that the Kinect's camera, though it is sensitive enough to pick up body movements like running and jumping isn't sensitive enough to pick up more subtle movements of the human body. Kyle noted that the Kinect camera had difficulty picking up his tongue, among other examples of movement.

He writes:

"Microsoft put a ton of work into making the kinect track the human body as a whole, so you can play games by jumping and running and generally acting the fucking fool and feel like you're in the game instead of just sad. Genitalia, for the most part, are not a major geometric feature of the human body when taken in perspective of physical size."

Do read the full blog post analysis at Slashdong

[cnet, via shellypalmer]

The Kinect for Xbox 360 has been making big news since launching Two weeks ago, and has already sold over one million devices in just Ten days. Hackers also seem to love the new controller free gaming device, and within just a few days of its launch programmers were already uploading videos to YouTube showing off all sorts of interesting ways to use Microsoft's Kinect peripheral with a PC.

Kinect chief Alex Kipman recently spoke on NPR (National Public Radio) in the US stating that the peripheral had actually been left unprotected "by design" and that as far as the manufacturer is concerned, the Kinect has not actually been hacked.

Kipman went on to explain that the hardware and software were still intact and that these modifications do not affect how the device might be used with an X-box. Therefore, it's technically not a hack, just some really smart programmers making use of the sensor's eyes and ears by writing a PC driver. Regardless, hack sounds cooler so we are sticking with it.

So what does this mean? Well for one any programmers out there wanting to play around with the Kinect don't need to worry about the wrath of Microsoft's lawyers, but more exciting, it opens the doors for developers to come up with some awesome uses for the hardware.

To celebrate this news we have pulled together 5 of our favourite "Hacks" so far:

Interactive Puppet Prototype

Interactive Puppet Prototype with Xbox Kinect from Theo Watson on Vimeo.

Kinect Controls Windows 7

Lightsaber Hack

Object recognition using Kinect

Controlling Mario Kart with Kinect

Kinect Kart from Dominick D'Aniello on Vimeo.

The Xbox Kinect is slated to be a big seller this Christmas, but the motion game controller that tracks your movements to control your character in the game has been shown to have its dangers as well as its thrills. The first video of a Kinect injury has hit Youtube. A man waving his arms around too enthusiastically whacks his son on the head - cue youtube gold. Elbow room guys - always think of the elbow room.

Damage by Nintendo's Wiimote is a well-known phenomenon. TV screens tend to be particularly vulnerable to WiiMotes flying out of their user's hands and damaging. This video below isn't the finest of its genre but it does show one of the dangers of using the Wii remote without a wrist strap.

Since web giants like Google are only 12 years old, it may be a surprise to learn that top game makers Nintendo are a venerable 121 years old, dating right back to the 19th century in a way that few tech companies do.

Of course, they were not selling the Wii back then, they were selling its 19th century equivalent - playing cards. Yeah, bet you're glad you live now right.

Obviously they have been very successful in updating their business model because as you may have noticed, playing cards don't exactly rake in the $$s the way that computer games do..

A new book called The History of Nintendo 1889-1980 has just been published which charts the changes in the company history. Written by Florent Gorges in collaboration with Isao Yamazaki, it also explains the genesis of the Nintendo name by going through Japanese character etymology in more detail than I've seen in my life (as reported on Japo-phile blog Kotaku). Basically Gorges suggests that Nintendo means "the company that is allowed to make (or sell) hanafuda cards". More popular and romantic interpretations suggest it means "leave luck to heaven".

Well we'll let you make your own minds up on this one...

[via Kotaku]

Playstation takes game-playing into a third dimension with their new Move motion controller which hits shelves on September 17.

Coupled with a PlayStation Eye camera it will register the moves you make in three dimensions giving you a whole new way to control a game. Like a Wii, yes.

They say:

"PlayStation Move takes entertainment into a new dimension, offering a more immersive and more intuitive entertainment experience that gives you complete control over how you play. Whether you want to serve up an ace in a tennis match with your mates, cast a spell, grab a paint brush or take up your sniper's position, the range of PlayStation Move titles arriving on shelves over the following weeks will offer something for everyone."

Four games that use the Move controller will the available on release: Sports Champions £34.99, Pet Move edition £24.99, Kung Fu Rider £34.99 and Start the Party! £34.99.

The PlayStation Move motion controller will be available for £34.99 RRP, with the PlayStation Move navigation controller at £24.99 RRP, from 17th September.
The starter pack, which comprises of a PlayStation Move motion controller, PlayStation Eye camera and a starter disc including demos of the titles Sports Champions, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, Start the Party! and more, will be available for £49.99 RRP.

He's 25 years old today, but though he's got a lot more pixels than he started off with, he is still true to his old retro looks.

Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, The Super Mario Bros series is the best-selling video game series of all time, with more than 240 million units sold globally. Apparently the character was originally called Jumpman but because of its resemblance to the caretaker in the New York office where the game was designed the programmers named their character after him - Mario Segali.

According to the same source, more-nintendo, Mario wears a hat because at the time it was really difficult to animate hairs in motion. And those dungarees? Well having differently coloured arms and legs made it easier to animate images of him walking.

A quick picture gallery of how the little mustachioed game hero has evolved through his quarter century:

Playsoft have extended into the field of iPad apps with a creative play-with-the-kids app called Touch of Fun.

Touch of Fun contains 8 different games and makes full use of the iPad's multitouch facilities - the games are for 2 to 4 players and it's all done intuitively with the hands.

Sounds like a bunch of fun to me.. Just make sure they aren't putting chocolate all over the 'Pad. Playsoft are proud that they adapt all their games to fit the platform they appear on - a key attribute these days when games are being played everywhere from phones to Facebook:

Playsoft CEO comments: "we create our own games with a goal to take maximum advantage of the innovative features of new gaming platforms (iPhone4G, iPad, Facebook ...). We can thus create novel game experiences! This allows us to develop our unique expertise and the best possible expertise on platforms of the future."

The eight games include:

•BURIED TREASURES: Dig through the sand with your fingers to collect the most treasure chests. Everything goes here: you can steal other player's treasures, hinder their digging etc...
•BUBBLE GEYSER: Drag as many bubbles of your assigned color to your side, or pop your opponents' bubbles!
•AIR SOCCER: Protect your goal and score with the tip of your fingertips.
•SHOOT FOR THE STARS: Control your laser cannon and shoot the stars to score points.
•SPLASH PAINTER: Be the craziest painter and cover as much of the canvas as you can.
•COOKING MADNESS: Drag your necessary ingredients to your pot to quickly complete recipes.
•GHOST CATCHER: Be ready to catch the wandering ghost when he appears to score points.
•TOTEM OF FURY: Hit the totem as much as possible without breaking it in this nerve-breaking game.

Touch of Fun free on iTunes