VIDEO GAME NEWS

First lady pushes healthy kids campaign forward (AP)
AP - First lady Michelle Obama is challenging software and video game designers to develop games and applications that get kids excited about living healthy.

Review: `Final Fantasy XIII' falls flat (AP)

AP - During the 1990s, the Square brand was synonymous with the role-playing video game. A generation of gamers got hooked on the challenging quests, quirky characters and sweeping story lines of Square RPGs like "Chrono Trigger,""The Secret of Mana" and, of course, the "Final Fantasy" series.

"Logorama" duo take aim at "Ghost Recon" videogame (Reuters)
Reuters - The directors behind the Oscar-winning animated short "Logorama," are moving into the live-action world -- but they aren't going Hollywood just yet.

On latest guitar game, players strum real strings (AP)

AP - An upcoming musical video game lets players strum a real six-string electric guitar instead of tapping buttons on a fake instrument.

Sony Signs Major HD Deals for PlayStation Network (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - In the ongoing battle for content, Sony said Tuesday that it had locked in the five top studios to supply HD content to the PlayStation Network.

Bigpoint to unveil platform for MMO games on Mac, iPhone (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - Perhaps you’ve seen that recent Microsoft demo where a game could save and load progress from Xbox 360, Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 Series devices. My first thought upon seeing that was “So, why doesn’t Microsoft have something that can do that on Xbox and PC right now?” My second thought was “Boy, wouldn’t it be nice if there was something like that for the iPhone and Mac OS X?” It turns out that I wasn’t alone.

WiMax Hitches a Ride on 1000 Taxis in Taipei (PC World)
PC World - People in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei will on Tuesday be able to surf the Internet, watch Web TV, play online games and more in 1000 taxis that have been equipped with Mobile WiMax wireless broadband service.

Sony to Begin Worldwide 3D TV Launch in June (PC World)
PC World - Sony will begin selling 3D TVs in Japan on June 10 and worldwide at about the same time, it said Tuesday. A firmware upgrade to its PlayStation 3 console that adds 3D support and other 3D-compatible home electronics products will also be available to coincide with the television launch.

Analyst: PlayStation 3 to Smoke Xbox 360 and Wii (PC World)
PC World - Begging trouble, Strategy Analytics forecasts Sony's PlayStation 3 will outsell both the Xbox 360 and Wii by the time things are winding down for all three. That's not all: In a report titled "Taming the Waves: Games Console Life Cycles and Platform Competition," the company offers specific figures, predicting everything from transitional timeframes to life unit sales.

2K mobster videogame gets vintage Playboy touch (AFP)

AFP - 2K Games on Monday announced a deal with Playboy to use some the iconic magazine's vintage covers and centerfold photos to set the mood in its "Mafia II' videogame.

Analyst: Sony PlayStation 3 Will Win in the End (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - The Sony PlayStation 3 may be the number-two console now, but one analyst group predicted that the console will be the last man standing. The firm also speculated on when the industry will have to start shifting consumers to next-generation devices.

The Final Fantasy XIII Buyer's Guide (PC World)
PC World - Final Fantasy XIII goes on sale in less than 24 hours, location depending. Is it any good? Which version--PS3 or Xbox 360--should you buy? What about the midnight launches? Did you preorder the game? Want to know what to do if you didn't?

Videogame makers racing to develop iPad games (AFP)

AFP - As an electronic reader, Apple's iPad has been touted as a possible "Kindle killer" but what has videogame makers buzzing is the potential of the touchscreen tablet computer as a gaming platform.

10 Classic and Forgotten CD-ROMs (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Before the arrival of the Internet and powerful gaming consoles, there were these PC-based gems.

This Week in Geek: New Chips, More 3D, Wii Hacks, and Human Touchscreens (PC World)
PC World - Despite the above photo, I'm sorry to report that there were no lolcats in the news this week. But that doesn't mean there wasn't anything to report. This past week saw various chip announcements, more news on 3D displays, and a novel prototype that can effectively turn your skin into a touchscreen. Let's take a look.

Xbox Live lifts taboos on race-sexual preference (AFP)

AFP - Xbox Live users are now free to express their race, religion, nationality and sexual orientation in profiles at the popular online videogame community.

Ballmer Hints at More Xbox Form Factors (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - On Thursday, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer spoke at the University of Washington supposedly on the topic of cloud computing. But the conversation also wandered into other topics, one that might include the future of the Xbox.

Sony Calls PlayStation Phone 'Speculation' (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Sony on Friday dismissed as speculation the idea that it will produce a phone that could download and play PlayStation games, as well as an iPad-like tablet device.

Olympic snowboard champ stars in skateboard videogame (AFP)

AFP - Ubisoft announced that it has teamed up with Olympic gold medal winning snowboarder Shaun White on a skateboarding videogame.

To Call or To Game? Sony Plans a PlayStation Phone (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - Japanese electronics giant Sony has been busy developing new handheld devices in an effort to better compete in the mobile market. Under way is a suite of new devices, including a PlayStation game-playing phone.