gaming
Valve Opens Pipeline for Mac Gaming
Valve one of the largest distributors of online games, has announced that it will make its Steam online gaming service and proprietary gaming engine, Source, available on the Mac. The service, Steamworks for the Mac, comes equipped with Steam Play, a feature that allows play on either a PC or Mac at no additional charge.
PCs for Pee-Wees
A new software package entertains kids while protecting them from the negative aspects of the Internet.
Is Sony Playing a Dangerous Game With PS3 Customers?
Gaming companies like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft ask a lot of their customers. Every few years, they are encouraged by the companies to spend a few hundred bucks to upgrade to a fancy new console. But as far as I can recall, only Sony has ever asked its fans to not play those consoles.
Microsoft Gaming Tech Has Broader Uses
Microsoft is working on software for 3-D displays of data and on-screen painting with intricate detail. And it hasn’t forgotten smart watches.
Sony Offers Limp Apology to Livid PS3 Gamers
Sony says a glitch that caused a global gaming lockdown for PlayStation 3 owners is due to a bug in the clock functionality of older PS3s. The lockdown affects owners of older PS3s as well as those who try to play newer games, which use trophies, such as “Heavy Rain” and “Final Fantasy XIII.”
‘FarmVille’ Provides a Sugar-Coated Taste of the Ag Biz
Even while calling Chicago home, Laura Hawkins Grimes is a country bumpkin. Her scenic rural spread has three dairy farms, two ponds and a log cabin, all skirted by a white picket fence as scarecrows stand sentry over her blackberries. The best part is the 40-year-old sex therapist never has to leave her computer to tend to it all.
‘FarmVille’ Provides a Sugar-Coated Taste of the Ag Biz
Even while calling Chicago home, Laura Hawkins Grimes is a country bumpkin. Her scenic rural spread has three dairy farms, two ponds and a log cabin, all skirted by a white picket fence as scarecrows stand sentry over her blackberries. The best part is the 40-year-old sex therapist never has to leave her computer to tend to it all.
100M Cellphone Users in Grip of ‘Tetris’ Addiction
More than 25 years after its birth, “Tetris” is the best-selling mobile game of all time, having surpassed 100 million paid downloads on cellphones around the world. Adam Sussman, vice president of worldwide publishing at Electronic Arts’ mobile unit, said the milestone marked “a huge moment not just for EA but for mobile gaming in general.
‘Zelda: Spirit Tracks’ – Thorny Challenges Make Up for Cuteness
It’s easy to take a series like “The Legend of Zelda” for granted. With more than a dozen releases over 23 years, even the most dedicated “Zelda” fan can be forgiven for having skipped a game or two. Some of those games — the original and 1998’s “Ocarina of Time” — are justly regarded as landmarks.
Hawk’s ‘Ride’ – Everything Except the Fresh Air
“Tony Hawk: Ride” is a groundbreaking video game that fits right in with the namesake skating legend’s no-rough-edges appeal. It’s a silky smooth experience with an inventive wireless skate deck controller and a friendly learning curve — but watch out. You can fall here too.
The Making of Mario
You might call him the Mickey Mouse of video games. He’s reminiscent of a doughnut, round and sweet and comforting. He’s also a vessel, devoid of a real personality so you can live vicariously through him. Mario, the pot-bellied Italian plumber with a penchant for rescuing princesses, collecting golden coins and gobbling magic mushrooms, has been around for nearly three decades.
What’s Apple Game Plan?
Last year, Apple began marketing its iPod touch as the “funnest iPod ever,” a nod to the significant popularity of the game applications available on the iPhone/iPod touch App Store. Games designed by third-party developers have been big sellers for the platform, and now Apple itself looks like it wants in on more of the fun — it’s advertising for an in-house game developer.


