iPlayer on Xbox explained in hands-on photos 
Games and GearBBC iPlayer arrives on the Xbox today for free, bringing some nifty motion and voice control to Auntie's catch-up service via Microsoft's Kinect sensor bar. I've had the chance to play with the app already, so click through the pictures above to go eyes-on, and read downward to find out what you can do with it.
Controlling the iPlayer interface by waving your paws around works reasonably well. Mischievous rival humans milling around in the background will make the controls less accurate, but that's true of using Kinect in general. Continue reading...
BBC iPlayer on Xbox 360 from today, for free
Games and GearThe iPlayer has arrived on the Xbox 360, bringing video streaming from the BBC direct to your console, for free.
Word of iPlayer's imminent arrival on Microsoft's machine was doing the rounds last week, and those rumours have now been proved true. The app will be rolling out to Xbox consoles in the UK from today, though I've been informed it may take a few days for the app to appear on your dashboard. If you don't see it yet, it should be there soon. Continue reading...
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Xbox and Windows Phone unite in new Sonic game
Games and GearSonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II looks set to be the first game to showcase full integration between the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7.
Windows Phone 7 already chums up to your Xbox Live account, letting you message your friends, mess about with your avatar and peruse leaderboards, but actual game integration between the two platforms hasn't been available -- until now. Or soon, anyway. Continue reading...
New Xbox not coming at E3 or any time soon, says Microsoft
Games and GearThere won't be a new Xbox at E3. Microsoft has confirmed we won't see a new console at the annual gaming extravaganza, leaving fans disappointed for another year.
The rumoured Xbox 720 may play 3D games, but we won't be getting any clues at E3 in June, when the gaming industry comes together in Los Angeles to reveal the hottest games and gear for the year. Continue reading...
Acer Aspire M3 ultrabook plays Battlefield 3 on ultra
LaptopsI've had a whole raft of ultrabooks land on my desk, but so far none have been able to handle much in the way of gaming. Acer's new Aspire M3 ultrabook, however, packs Nvidia's latest GeForce GT 640M graphics card -- and it delivered incredible performance, comfortably running online war sim Battlefield 3 with the settings ramped to 'ultra'.
Typically, if you want a laptop for gaming, you need to be looking at machines like the MSI GT680 or the Toshiba Qosmio X770, which are absolutely enormous, so I was extremely excited by the promise of such good performance from a machine that can slide easily into a messenger bag. Continue reading...
BBC iPlayer on Xbox arriving next week?
Games and GeariPlayer, the BBC's streaming video service, could be arriving on the Xbox 360 next week, according to a report from Eurogamer.
The site reckons that the service, which has been long absent from Xbox Live, will be hitting Microsoft's console in a matter of days, and will be available for free, whether you're an Xbox Live Gold subscriber or using the free option, previously known as Xbox Silver. Continue reading...
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Metroid NES hits 3DS eShop this week
Games and GearClassic NES title Metroid arrives on the 3DS this week, beaming space-shooty antics direct from the late- 80s on to your handheld.
You can download the title -- which became available for 3DS owners in the US at the beginning of the month -- from Thursday 15 March, via the 3DS' eShop, for £4.50. Continue reading...
Mass Effect 3 character face bug ruins UK gamers' weekend
Games and GearUK gamers sitting down to Mass Effect 3, the most exciting release of the year so far, were crushingly disappointed on Friday night when a bug meant they couldn't import their existing characters properly.
The bug means some characters created in the original Mass Effect fail to import their beautiful custom faces. The choices you made in the first two games are unaffected, but gamers particularly attached to their Commander Shepards are up in arms. Continue reading...
Game set for administration in two weeks
Games and GearHigh street games retailer Game has just two weeks to turn around its fortunes or face administration, MCV reports.
Senior staff were told in a meeting with CEO Ian Shepherd earlier this week about the state of affairs. Fingers are crossed a US rival will buy it out and keep it afloat. Here's hoping. Continue reading...
Sony admits selection of PS Move games "not so great"
Games and GearSony's PlayStation Move takes the Wii's motion controls and adds a dimension, making them more sensitive to your movements. Except it hasn't been the runaway success some predicted. So what happened?
Well Sony's UK VP and MD Fergal Gara was pretty candid in an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine. He admitted Sony "could have done a better job" with the games, and said the range of applications was "probably not so great". Cripes. Read on for the full statement. Continue reading...
Angry Birds Space takes to ISS for trailer
Games and GearAngry Birds Space launches in a couple of weeks, but if you can't wait until then, you can have a look at the latest trailer below. And it's a doozy.
To show off the new game's physics, Rovio has enlisted NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who took time out from his busy schedule to demonstrate how the lack of gravity will make the birds go in a straight trajectory. So it should make the game a cinch then, right? Well this is Angry Birds we're dealing with, nothing is as simple as it looks. Continue reading...
Sony PS Vita gets new games as PlayStation Suite opens April
Games and GearThe Sony PlayStation Vita will be getting a slew of new games from April, as Sony tells game-builders how to create new titles for the portable console.
Sony is throwing open the instruction manuals and tools for building Vita games next month when it releases an open beta version of the PlayStation Suite software development kit. Up until now the SDK has only been open to selected developers. Continue reading...
Skin-stretching game controller pitched for next Xbox
Games and GearAn experimental game controller that stretches the skin of your thumbs has been pitched to Microsoft and other console makers, according to the BBC.
We've spent years prodding and poking at games controllers, but now it looks like they're finally fighting back. The painful-sounding peripheral has been crafted by engineers from the University of Utah, and features two red 'tactors' that sit under your thumbs, and feel like the prickly cursor controllers you find in the middle of some laptops. Continue reading...
Mass Effect 3 conquers gaming galaxy in reviews roundup
Games and GearAfter nearly five years, thousands of dead aliens and hundreds of hours spent in lifts, BioWare's spectacular sci-fi trilogy Mass Effect has come to an end. Mass Effect 3 is out today in America on PS3, Xbox and PC and the first reviews are online, lashing rich dollops of praise on this most forward-thinking of roleplaying games.
Intergalactic bad/good/girl/guy -- the choice, as always, is up to you -- Commander Shepard is up against the Reapers once more, and this time the implacable alien-robot foe is invading the universe in force, laying siege to Earth and the rest of the populated worlds of the galaxy, hell-bent on wiping out all organic life. Continue reading...
Valve Steam Box to be 'the Android of gaming'
Games and GearValve -- the company behind Half-Life and the Steam gaming service -- is said to be working on a games console. Not only that, it'll sit at the centre of an entire gaming ecosystem, much like what Google has done with Android, The Verge reports.
And even more excitingly, this could all be unveiled at the Games Developers Conference (GDC), which kicks off on Monday in San Francisco. Continue reading...
PS Vita sells 1.2 million units worldwide
Games and GearSony has sold 1.2 million PS Vitas worldwide, a promising start for the gigantic handheld console. It's just over two months since the Vita went on sale in Japan, and a week since us Brits were able to pop to our local games emporium and pick one up.
There's no knowing how much we contributed to the total sales, as Sony didn't break down the figures by region. But it did acknowledge the European and US launches helped the Vita "exceed expectations". It's still early days, but maybe smart phones haven't killed the handheld console after all. Continue reading...
Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 adds gyroscope, Gingerbread
MP3 PlayersThe 4-inch Samsung Galaxy S WiFi already had the iPod touch firmly in its sights, and now with this latest update Samsung has its finger on the trigger. The Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 bumps up the screen size from 4 inches to 4.2 -- still a way off the Galaxy S WiFi 5.0.
Not only that, it adds a gyroscope so you can control games by tilting the device -- far more intuitive than on-screen controls that block the action, if you ask me. And it's updated the player to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, up from 2.2 Froyo on the 4.0 and 5.0 models.
While Ice Cream Sandwich would've been nice, like on many phones announced at Mobile World Congress, it's not essential. The device isn't actually a phone, and you can only get online using Wi-Fi, so you'll be using it mostly for games, and some apps. Continue reading...
PS Vita has Mini problem, Facebook app pulled
Games and GearIts Japanese launch was beset with problems, with buyers complaining of cracked screens and faulty devices. Now the PS Vita has launched in the UK, it has problems of its own. This time, though, the niggles seem to be software-based.
People have popped up on the PlayStation Forum complaining they can't play PlayStation Mini games on their shiny new Vitas, SlashGear reports. Meanwhile, the Vita's Facebook app has been yanked due to issues, though these are all Facebook's fault, apparently. Continue reading...
Gallery: Sony PS Vita on sale now in the UK
Games and GearA 21-year-old from Uxbridge was the first UK gamer to pick up the Sony handheld, which went on sale at midnight. Zohaib Ali had queued outside Game on Oxford Street since Sunday. Well at least the weather was a bit milder than it has been.
Gamers packed the shop, clamouring to be the first to get their hands on the eagerly awaited console. But don't be annoyed if you missed out, you can pick one up for a song without even leaving the house. Continue reading...
PS Vita cheapest deal is £197 at Asda
Games and GearThe PlayStation Vita goes on sale in the UK tomorrow, and Asda has jumped in just in time with an offer sure to tempt bargain hunting gamers.
The supermarket is offering the Wi-Fi-only Vita for £197, either in store or if you buy online. That's a saving of £33 on the RRP of £230. If you find Sony's new handheld anywhere for cheaper... buy it. Then let us know -- we had a good look round and couldn't find anywhere else under £200, but other supermarkets are yet to announce their deals. Continue reading...
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