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Saturday night Spike aired the 2005 SpikeTV Video Game Awards show, showing us via imagery what we already knew from press releases about a month ago. If you want some snarky blow-by-blow netjak has some liveblogging for you to enjoy. It's still sitting on my Tivo, but from all accounts it was marginally better than last year, but still not very good. Both Kotaku and Joystiq have comments on the 'Best Game Blog' category. From the netjak commentary: "It's apparently been too many awards at once - I mean, one before the first ten minutes? We obviously need a 50 Cent song right now. Personally, I like how they find the least ghetto people in the audience to show them barely nodding to the beat. Come on, in the pan-outs, I can see people actually getting into the music. Maybe the cameraman might want to focus on them? It's nice to know, though, that Spike doesn't just get incompetent people in supervisory positions, but in every place of their network."

Gamespot reports that the 360 sold out ... at the Shibuya 'official' launch location. Sales from the rest of the country still have to come in, but given launch day experiences, I imagine the customer reaction wasn't as fierce as it was here. From the Kotaku on-hand piece: "A customer! I see a customer! It's a few minutes after seven, and somebody else has come to wait for the Xbox. I feel like a sailor who's been lost at sea and finally spots land. He stands in front of Sofmap for a moment, awkwardly, and he looks around. Nobody but him and me and the vending machine. I make a quick inventory: tall, painfully thin, wearing a brown coat, black and grey backpack, looks like Ichabod Crane."

Wired is running an article examining the ups and downs of the Neopet Addiction. The overly cute online 'game' mostly consists of teaching kids to look at ads, but somehow has developed a large following online. From the article: "A generation agrees. Neopets has a staggering 25 million members worldwide. It has been translated into 10 languages and gets more than 2.2 billion pageviews per month. These dedicated Neopians spend an average of 6 hours and 15 minutes per month on the site. That makes Neopets the second-stickiest site on the Internet - ahead of Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, and eBay, according to Media Metrix. What's more, its demographics are the stuff of marketers' dreams: Four out of five Neopians are under age 18, and two out of five are under 13." Relatedly, Kotaku has a quick blurb about the Scientology backdrop against which this cuteness is projected. Update: 12/09 19:14 GMT by Z : Fixed broken link. There's a bug there, methinks.

Chris Kohler's Game|Life column wonders aloud Where is the 360? Despite assurances from Microsoft that more units are making their way to retail channels, it is still effectively impossible to get ahold of one from a store. From the article: "So, uh... where's the press release for Xbox 360? The congratulatory hype over how much cash they pulled in during the first 24 hours? Xbox dot com has nothing. Were it not for that Halo 2 press release, I wouldn't be asking, but... For that matter, where's the 360 itself? It's now been over two weeks since the launch of the 360, and that nebulous ether affectionately referred to as 'the retail channel' has not seen a single additional Xbox 360 unit. How do I know? As has been well-documented here, I had a preorder reservation placed at the downtown EB Games that was originally supposed to be a launch-day unit but got bumped back to 'second shipment.'" Kotaku has commentary on this as well. I'm in a similar situation as Mr. Kohler, since Slashdot is not cool enough to receive a review console.

Kotaku has been reporting from the Digital Interactive Entertainment Conference this past week, and they have a short piece on Industry giants talking about gaming on the Revolution. From the article: "Miyamoto keeps dropping his receiver, which is connected to an earpiece through which English is translated into Japanese. The perky student that greeted me at the door tells me that they didn't have money for a Japanese-to-English translator, meaning that I have to pay extra attention to what Miyamoto's saying right now. He's talking about the Revolution controller."

Well, it's here. Braving long lines and launch parties, and even jail time, those that were willing to pony up the time and money have their hands on the first player in the next-gen war. 360 impressions are available all across the web, with [H]ardOCP and Gamespot offering exhaustive experiences for the interested gamer. The BBC, as always, offers a bigger perspective on the launch, and Gamasutra confirms that Microsoft is in for the long haul in the games industry. From the BBC: "Sony and Nintendo are planning to unleash their next gen consoles during 2006, giving Microsoft an edge over its rivals. The software giant is virtually tied with Nintendo for second place, way behind Sony, in a games market worth $25 billion globally. Microsoft has ambitious plans for its new machine. It said it expects to ship up to three million 360s worldwide within 90 days. But the company has admitted that the worldwide launch of the console could mean shortages in the run-up to Christmas. The console is due to hit Europe on 2 December and Japan on 10 December and some retailers are also warning about limited supplies."

News for nerds writes "Next Generation magazine runs a quick report for the Xbox 360 Zero Hour launch event. According to avid Xbox fans joining the party in Mojave Desert, while games to be released in mid 2006 such as Gears of War and Ninety Nine Nights got positive reviews, the initial offers on 360 couldn't impress them as much." Kotaku has a pair of photo essays from the event.

News for nerds writes "Next Generation magazine runs a quick report for the Xbox 360 Zero Hour launch event. According to avid Xbox fans joining the party in Mojave Desert, while games to be released in mid 2006 such as Gears of War and Ninety Nine Nights got positive reviews, the initial offers on 360 couldn't impress them as much." Kotaku has a pair of photo essays from the event.

Kotaku has a long day's worth of hands-on information about the Xbox 360. Information covers packaging, hookup, the Interoperability, Multimedia, and Live interfaces. They also have hands-on impressions of some of the launch titles, including Kameo, PGR3, Amped, and NBA 2K6. From the hookup article: "I was surprised at how much I like the new controller. The design feels lighter that current gen stuff and the minor tweaks to the shape really help make holding it a pleasure. The button layout is mostly the same as with the xbox controllers with one major exception. The black and white buttons, always a pain in the ass to find in the middle of intense Xbox games, have been converted into two small rectangles located over the triggers, making them much more intuitive to use."

Kotaku has a long day's worth of hands-on information about the Xbox 360. Information covers packaging, hookup, the Interoperability, Multimedia, and Live interfaces. They also have hands-on impressions of some of the launch titles, including Kameo, PGR3, Amped, and NBA 2K6. From the hookup article: "I was surprised at how much I like the new controller. The design feels lighter that current gen stuff and the minor tweaks to the shape really help make holding it a pleasure. The button layout is mostly the same as with the xbox controllers with one major exception. The black and white buttons, always a pain in the ass to find in the middle of intense Xbox games, have been converted into two small rectangles located over the triggers, making them much more intuitive to use."

Kotaku has a long day's worth of hands-on information about the Xbox 360. Information covers packaging, hookup, the Interoperability, Multimedia, and Live interfaces. They also have hands-on impressions of some of the launch titles, including Kameo, PGR3, Amped, and NBA 2K6. From the hookup article: "I was surprised at how much I like the new controller. The design feels lighter that current gen stuff and the minor tweaks to the shape really help make holding it a pleasure. The button layout is mostly the same as with the xbox controllers with one major exception. The black and white buttons, always a pain in the ass to find in the middle of intense Xbox games, have been converted into two small rectangles located over the triggers, making them much more intuitive to use."

Kotaku has a long day's worth of hands-on information about the Xbox 360. Information covers packaging, hookup, the Interoperability, Multimedia, and Live interfaces. They also have hands-on impressions of some of the launch titles, including Kameo, PGR3, Amped, and NBA 2K6. From the hookup article: "I was surprised at how much I like the new controller. The design feels lighter that current gen stuff and the minor tweaks to the shape really help make holding it a pleasure. The button layout is mostly the same as with the xbox controllers with one major exception. The black and white buttons, always a pain in the ass to find in the middle of intense Xbox games, have been converted into two small rectangles located over the triggers, making them much more intuitive to use."

Kotaku has a long day's worth of hands-on information about the Xbox 360. Information covers packaging, hookup, the Interoperability, Multimedia, and Live interfaces. They also have hands-on impressions of some of the launch titles, including Kameo, PGR3, Amped, and NBA 2K6. From the hookup article: "I was surprised at how much I like the new controller. The design feels lighter that current gen stuff and the minor tweaks to the shape really help make holding it a pleasure. The button layout is mostly the same as with the xbox controllers with one major exception. The black and white buttons, always a pain in the ass to find in the middle of intense Xbox games, have been converted into two small rectangles located over the triggers, making them much more intuitive to use."

Kotaku has a long day's worth of hands-on information about the Xbox 360. Information covers packaging, hookup, the Interoperability, Multimedia, and Live interfaces. They also have hands-on impressions of some of the launch titles, including Kameo, PGR3, Amped, and NBA 2K6. From the hookup article: "I was surprised at how much I like the new controller. The design feels lighter that current gen stuff and the minor tweaks to the shape really help make holding it a pleasure. The button layout is mostly the same as with the xbox controllers with one major exception. The black and white buttons, always a pain in the ass to find in the middle of intense Xbox games, have been converted into two small rectangles located over the triggers, making them much more intuitive to use."

Kotaku has a long day's worth of hands-on information about the Xbox 360. Information covers packaging, hookup, the Interoperability, Multimedia, and Live interfaces. They also have hands-on impressions of some of the launch titles, including Kameo, PGR3, Amped, and NBA 2K6. From the hookup article: "I was surprised at how much I like the new controller. The design feels lighter that current gen stuff and the minor tweaks to the shape really help make holding it a pleasure. The button layout is mostly the same as with the xbox controllers with one major exception. The black and white buttons, always a pain in the ass to find in the middle of intense Xbox games, have been converted into two small rectangles located over the triggers, making them much more intuitive to use."

Kotaku has a long day's worth of hands-on information about the Xbox 360. Information covers packaging, hookup, the Interoperability, Multimedia, and Live interfaces. They also have hands-on impressions of some of the launch titles, including Kameo, PGR3, Amped, and NBA 2K6. From the hookup article: "I was surprised at how much I like the new controller. The design feels lighter that current gen stuff and the minor tweaks to the shape really help make holding it a pleasure. The button layout is mostly the same as with the xbox controllers with one major exception. The black and white buttons, always a pain in the ass to find in the middle of intense Xbox games, have been converted into two small rectangles located over the triggers, making them much more intuitive to use."

Kotaku has a long day's worth of hands-on information about the Xbox 360. Information covers packaging, hookup, the Interoperability, Multimedia, and Live interfaces. They also have hands-on impressions of some of the launch titles, including Kameo, PGR3, Amped, and NBA 2K6. From the hookup article: "I was surprised at how much I like the new controller. The design feels lighter that current gen stuff and the minor tweaks to the shape really help make holding it a pleasure. The button layout is mostly the same as with the xbox controllers with one major exception. The black and white buttons, always a pain in the ass to find in the middle of intense Xbox games, have been converted into two small rectangles located over the triggers, making them much more intuitive to use."

nb caffeine writes "Spike TV has announced the nominees for this year's VG awards. Oddly enough, there are several nominations for games that are not even out yet." From the article: "The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vin Diesel, The Rock, Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg, Carmen Electra, Xzibit and Ozzy Osbourne are also set to appear at the third annual awards event. Casey Patterson, Executive Producer of the awards, commented: 'Video games have taken over the world as the most creative, cutting edge platform for major names in entertainment to showcase their talent and reach a massive audience. Sam Jackson is one of the coolest guys on the planet; we're thrilled to have him hosting this year's show which promises more stars, more rock and more games than ever before.'" Sounds like it's just as much about the games as it was last year. Interestingly, Games.slashdot.org was tapped, along with Joystiq and Kotaku, to be nominated for Best Blog. Guess they don't hold grudges.

Nintendo's official birthday for the stout plumber is September 13th, and today marks his 20th Anniversary. Via Kotaku, an Edge Online article celebrating the man's greatness. From the article: "Undoubtedly, you will have played at least one of those games - so let's talk about how far he's come, and why he's so great. In terms of his history, it's one filled with successes, and a few mysteries to boot. The working class hero has spent more time beating a fantasy tyrant to save royalty than he has on his serviceman job" Nintendo.jp also has a bunch of congratulatory messages from Japanese groups, all for the man in red. Update: 09/14 05:48 GMT by Z : Push the Buttons has a really great tribute to Nintendo's finest that I felt should be added to this post.

Despite the media's portrayal, Gamers are people too. hollismb writes "From IGN Xbox comes the news today Bungie, the developer of the Halo series, is raising money to aid the hurricane victims. How are they doing it? With a tee-shirt you can purchase from Bungie's store: 'Just so that we're clear, of the $19.95 the shirt costs, about $15 in cleared funds will go straight to the Red Cross and directly to the disaster relief. Nobody, not Bungie, the Bungie store, or the distributor will clear a penny profit.'" Kotaku has a story up with a firsthand account from a gamer trapped in the flood zone, and to provide relief has up a swag auction. If you've been looking for a pair of City of Heroes boxing gloves, this is the place to go. Similarly, Penny Arcade has an auction going, where they're selling the original artwork for the PAX 2005 program.

Despite the media's portrayal, Gamers are people too. hollismb writes "From IGN Xbox comes the news today Bungie, the developer of the Halo series, is raising money to aid the hurricane victims. How are they doing it? With a tee-shirt you can purchase from Bungie's store: 'Just so that we're clear, of the $19.95 the shirt costs, about $15 in cleared funds will go straight to the Red Cross and directly to the disaster relief. Nobody, not Bungie, the Bungie store, or the distributor will clear a penny profit.'" Kotaku has a story up with a firsthand account from a gamer trapped in the flood zone, and to provide relief has up a swag auction. If you've been looking for a pair of City of Heroes boxing gloves, this is the place to go. Similarly, Penny Arcade has an auction going, where they're selling the original artwork for the PAX 2005 program.

Rockstar's next title, Bully, has already come under fire from anti-bullying groups. Activists have taken it up another notch, though, by demonstrating outside of the NY Rockstar offices. They've also laid out a list of demands to the game developer, hoping to get the company to change its ways. The Peaceoholics demand Rockstar "Not to release Bully under any circumstances, Volunteer to sell its violent and sexually explicit games in adult video stores only, Let parents return Grand Theft Auto for a full refund until they do a national awareness campaign to educate parents of content and possible effects, Create a fund for victims of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and car-jackings, etc, Make a national apology for misleading and lying to children, parents, and legislators about their intentions and causing insurance premiums to sky rocket, Give a written response within five business days of receipt of these demands" Press the Buttons has commentary, and uses some words I'd like to myself.

At first, it was nothing more than a rumour. A "sex mini-game" in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, left in the code for the PC version and unlocked by inquisitive players. Then, as more and more information became available it seemed as though the sex game might be real. This revelation has lead to California Speaker pro-tem Yee blasting the ESRB for their apparent slip-up in examining all the content in the game. The ESRB has responded by pledging a "thorough and objective investigation" of the claims to get to the bottom of the situation. Commentary is available from Joystiq, GamesAreFun, and Buttonmashing.

Via Kotaku, an interview at AtariHQ with Michael Rideout, the winner of the Fireworld Contest. Fireworld was a portion of the four-part SwordQuest Contest, meant to publicize Atari's sequel to the classic title Adventure. From the article: "Q: Can you describe the Chalice for us? What's its composition, etc? A: It's around seven to eight inches tall. The cup part of it is platinum and is maybe three or four inches across the top. The base is made of gold and has little diamonds on it. It also has three jade rings, two around the middle and one around the base. It has rubies and pearls going around the middle of it. There are five sapphires and some citrines in the middle section, as well as five lapis lazuli stones near the base."

databeam writes "The official Xbox 360 press conference was Monday evening, and an AP article has news that the 360 is backwards compatible, and that Square Enix will be releasing Final Fantasy XI for the console." Coverage also available at Gamespot. From the article: "Along with a firm release date and price point, the other big question surrounding the 360 was backward compatibility with the library of games from the original Xbox. Robbie Bach, senior vice president and chief Xbox officer in the Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft, made Xbox fans around the world happy when he announced that the 360 will indeed play Xbox games." Mostly. Gamasutra points out that backwards compatibility will be selective, with most but not all of the top selling games supported. Kotaku and the Guardian Gamesblog have firsthand accounts from the event, and to watch the conference for yourself Xbox.com has the footage. Update: 05/18 20:49 GMT by Z : Of course, not all the people there were people, if you catch my meaning.

The PlayStation 3 was unveiled yesterday afternoon in a press conference at Sony Pictures Studio. The event was full of beautiful demonstrations, specifications, and talk of the games of tomorrow. The machine is certainly impressive, with backwards compatibility, support for up to seven Bluetooth controllers, multiple HD signals, and intimate interactions with the PSP. Coverage, screenshots, and specs available from 1up.com, Gamespot, Joystiq, NYT, Voodoo Extreme, Gamespy, BBC, GamesIndustry.biz, Engadget, Anandtech, Kotaku, Gamasutra, and CNN Money. The only downside I see so far? The controller. Update: 05/18 21:35 GMT by Z : Gamespot has up a comprehensive look at the console based on what is known so far.

The official unveiling of the PlayStation 3 is set to happen tonight, with folks such as the Guardian Gamesblog, Kotaku, and GamesAreFun live blogging the event as it happens. From the Guardian post: "The sign on the way into the Sony Press Conference is big - Wi-Fi access will be only available after the event. They lied - a quick wireless search has found me some access and now I'm on. The clock says 1.00pm but my body says 9pm. By the time Microsoft unveils the 360 again tonight I'll be ready for my cornflakes."

If you're looking for more to do with your PSP, Kotaku has a few suggestions for you. Music Videos, Advermovies, and AtomFilms are all being formatted for Sony's new handheld. From the article: "...AtomFilms is making some of their free movies available for PSP download. Interestingly, Sony actually paid AtomFilms to make this happen. In return, AtomFilms is reporting download stats back to Sony."

In the past few days there have been several new developments in the Massive Gaming market. Jessica Mulligan's departure from Turbine now has an end destination, with the announcement that she'll be the executive producer for Nevrax's Saga of Ryzom. In a swashbuckling tie-in, Disney announced they'll be adding to their Massive Gaming portfolio, with a Pirates of the Carribean MMOG joining Toontown Online sometime next year. The always excellent CNN Money column Game Over has word that Sony Online is planning a new Action MMOG, a possible strategy title, and some new non-mmog titles. From the article: "Though the numbers for massively multiplayer games aren't bad, they remain a niche in the gaming industry. To expand SOE's potential audience, the company will soon announce smaller puzzle games for two and four players. While those games won't be massively multiplayer or have any sort of persistent world, it's not out of the question for the long term." Finally, there are many stories over on Gametab discussing the "I'm cancelling because of the WoW Honor System" thread on the official World of Warcraft boards. They were likely sparked by this Kotaku post about the thread. I just want to put in my two cents and state that this isn't news. Forums are not an accurate way to get a picture of a game's user base. Doom may be coming to Blizzard's game, but the subscriber charts are the only real way to know for sure.

Via Kotaku, the news that a Hollywood Bowl concert to be held on July 6th of this year will feature music from several AAA game titles, and will be performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. From the concert's set list: "Games scheduled to be included are: Halo, Metal Gear Solid, Warcraft, Tron, Myst"

Via Kotaku, an MSNBC report entitled School shooter followed video game-like 'script'. If you're going to scapegoat in the wake of a tragedy, who better than the entertainment industry? From the article: "What I mean by 'a script' is that when you look at popular culture, movies, video games, you will see this kind of "shoot 'em" pathway running through many of them. It's not an original idea of his; it's something that kids are exposed to by the millions." Given that another story on the MSNBC site states that the suspect talked about shooting people before the incident, it seems like there is more than enough finger pointing to go around.

An anonymous reader writes "The president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board wrote an open letter to Kotaku in response to an editorial that ran there a few days back about the ESRB and the system used to rate games. The editorial basically said that the ESRB isn't doing their job and needs to start if they don't want to be replaced by the Feds. The letter today said Kotaku is wrong and explained why. Does the current rating system serve its purpose?"

An anonymous reader writes "The president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board wrote an open letter to Kotaku in response to an editorial that ran there a few days back about the ESRB and the system used to rate games. The editorial basically said that the ESRB isn't doing their job and needs to start if they don't want to be replaced by the Feds. The letter today said Kotaku is wrong and explained why. Does the current rating system serve its purpose?"

Kotaku has yet more commentary on the gaming press, where Brian Crecente complains about the childish nature of gaming magazine coverage. This commentary is based on an IGDA commentary piece by Matthew Sakey about the sad state of adult-oriented gaming press. From the article: "What about the magazine did I like the least? Maybe it was the jet lag, but I answered truthfully: 'Sometimes I think your magazine acts too childish. I could do without the stuffed animals and Godzilla jokes and Nerf gun battle pictorials. I'd rather see more in-depth coverage of gaming trends and the ideas that games produce, and less obsession with technology. If we want games treated as a hobby that's as much for adults as children, then we should act more adult. Fun, but grown-up.' This answer pleased them not, and in retrospect it occurs to me that had I shown a bit more tact - for which I am admittedly not famous - I might have gotten the job."

An anonymous reader writes "Kotaku asks Do Game Reviews Have to Be Puerile? in a short editorial about the state of game reviews. The article points to a recent story in The New Gamer about Silent Hill 4 as an "experiential piece of writing about the emotions and thoughts that swirl through a gamer's head as they play a game over time" The Kotaku article ends on this note: 'The problem with many reviews is that both their writers and readers expect a formula. They don't want to be challenged, instead, they want to have the ideas swirling in the writer's head synthesized and explained. But critical thought, in its truest form, should be something that inspires others to think critically, not just accept what has been handed to them.' What are your thoughts on game reviews? Do they need to have scores and a summary of what's good or bad about the game to be counted? Is experiential commentary more or less useful than a breakdown of the game's design?"

An anonymous reader writes "Xbox head-honcho Robbie Bach has written up a State of the Xbox in which he gloats about the continuing success of the console but fails to say a word about its evolution." From the article: "You may have seen the October Game Developers Magazine, which announced its top 20 Publishers of the Year. Microsoft Game Studios was named the number two publisher, just behind EA, based on revenue as well as use of third-party developers, average critical response to titles, percentage of original intellectual properties (IPs), and developer opinion."

bippy writes "Tired of hearing about all the bad things games do? I've mirrored a list on Kotaku of recent positive research done into gaming. All told, the list includes six studies and books summarized into bite-sized morsels with quotes and links. Finally, something to throw in the face of all those obnoxious politicians and sue-happy lawyers."

bippy writes "Tired of hearing about all the bad things games do? I've mirrored a list on Kotaku of recent positive research done into gaming. All told, the list includes six studies and books summarized into bite-sized morsels with quotes and links. Finally, something to throw in the face of all those obnoxious politicians and sue-happy lawyers."

bippy writes "Tired of hearing about all the bad things games do? I've mirrored a list on Kotaku of recent positive research done into gaming. All told, the list includes six studies and books summarized into bite-sized morsels with quotes and links. Finally, something to throw in the face of all those obnoxious politicians and sue-happy lawyers."

Kotaku has a piece up today mentioning a style of video game editorializing called The New Games Journalism. This piece links to several others. State Wiki has a piece from early this year on what New Games Journalism is, and an examination of its goals. An example of the style is available on the Eve Online site in the PC Gamer article All About Eve. (large pdf) A seminal work referenced when discussing the style is Bow, Nigger, a sharply written and gripping piece about a duel in Jedi Outcast. From the editorial: "For one thing, my screen name has nothing to do with my ethnicity and for another, it's only a game and the fascist doing the typing is probably hundreds of miles away and far beyond anything you could call an actual influence on my life. But still... It's not very nice is it?"

An anonymous reader writes "Kotaku has a story about the EA_Spouse Live Journal, which has become its own community of sorts, fostering endless rumors and gossip about EA culture. The site has more than 3,500 replies to the original diatribe post and grows daily. The latest finds include a link to an NPR story on the whole EA fiasco (the NPR reporter trolled the board for interviews) and copies of the contracts for Senior Vice President of Human Resources Rusty Rueff and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial & Administration Officer Warren Jenson. When is a T-shirt coming out?"

bippy writes "An internal memo leaked from EA to its employees says that the company plans to make more employees elgible for overtime. Rusty Rueff, senior vice president of human resources, bemoans the bad press and begs forgiveness: "As much as I don't like what's been said about our company and our industry, I recognize that at the heart of the matter is a core truth." GamesIndustry.biz has commentary on the story as well.

An anonymous reader writes "Kotaku points to the official auction site for Acclaim, the game publisher that was. The Auction includes the building and everything that was in it, including arcade games, boardroom tables, an odd collection of football helmets and 43,000 copies of video games." Our previous story of their bankruptcy.

bippy writes "I had a chance to shoot Richard "Lord British" Garriott a short list of questions for Kotaku. In the five question Q&A Garriott talks about his house, his favorite games and what he thinks the next big thing will be in MMOG."

Pascal writes "Lik Sang received an initial batch of Nintendo DS systems and went ahead with their own hands-on reviews. Apart from some interesting GBA SP accessories cross-testing and their own impressions about the new Nintendo baby, they also had one of their traditional open-up sessions, exposing the guts of the new handheld to the public." Kotaku has a look from earlier in the week as well.

An anonymous reader writes "Kotaku has an outline of a discussion with one of the attorneys handling the EA case. It has some interesting details, including the fact that if the judgment is in favor of the employees it will likely force the entire game industry, at least in California, to start paying OT and Comp. "Depending on the nature of a positive judgment, other employers with similar job descriptions would most likely be required to start paying their employees by the hour and paying overtime" The article also hints that other game industry cases might be forthcoming."

As a follow-up to yesterday's story about a frustrated EA employee's spouse, several readers wrote in to report that EA is now facing a possible class action lawsuit from disgruntled employees. Besides the Gamespot coverage, Kotaku has a discussion of it as well. To add to the "frustrated EA worker" momentum, a former employee named Joe Straitiff has posted about his experiences as well. From his post: "So I'm posting under my real name -- you have to stand up to this type of thing or it will continue. And every company will become EA so that can compete... Remember, you can't spell ExploitAtion without EA."

An anonymous reader writes "Kotaku has an exclusive interview with game hating attorney Jack Thompson -- sort of. Actually it's a pretty funny, and telling, email back and forth between Kotaku's editor and Thompson that seems to reflect his disdain for gamers. Love the kicker - what an ass." The pleasant Mr. Thompson has been discussed previously on the site.

An anonymous reader writes "Since the release of Halo 2 (ed: and just before), Microsoft has been banning modified Xboxes from Xbox Live. Some have even been banned with their mod-chips turned off. Previously many users had been able to use Xbox Live provided they disabled their mod-chip. There are a few theories floating around as to how MS is doing this: from scanning the hard-drive for non-MS material to being able to check if the DVD-drive/Hard-disk serial number is from stock or not."

An anonymous reader writes "Kotaku has details of a discussion with one of the attorneys handling the EA case. It has some interesting details, including the fact that if the judgment is in favor of the employees it will likely force the entire game industry, at least in California, to start paying OT and Comp. "Depending on the nature of a positive judgment, other employers with similar job descriptions would most likely be required to start paying their employees by the hour and paying overtime" The article also hints that other game industry cases might be forthcoming."