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Mayo Clinic prescribes active games
The Wii has been getting a lot of attention lately, mainly because of its different control mechanism. However, movement in gaming isn't a new concept, which hearkens to days such as the NES Power Pad. Now, exergaming is getting a supporter. The Mayo Clinic has released a report on the results of an exergaming study. Using a sedentary base, games that use a camera (such as EyeToy) and using a treadmill while gaming burned triple the amount of calories as sitting (five times over for more obese children); dance games registered the greatest calorie burn at six times the sitting rate. With this new study, Nintendo is likely to jump on and further promote the health benefits of playing the Wii. Pulling children away from video games is a difficult task these days. While the Wii will unlikely burn the fat like Dance Dance Revolution would, they can add a bit to the marketing pamphlet to say the Wii requires exercise (if used right) for something their kid would otherwise be vegetating to do. As if we needed any more reasons to buy a Wii. [Thanks, Ben]
What if... you could learn real guitar through games?
When the New York Times wrote about the PC Recording Studio Guitar (a guitar that plugs in to a Mac or PC via USB), we wondered immediately whether the device could be used for a more authentic guitar-hero experience. Instead of mindless entertainment that does little to advance skills that are appreciated by the non-gaming public, game technology could be used to teach us skills that might help us climb the Maslovian pyramid to self actualization. If a capable game developer were to write a strong rhythm game that used a real guitar as a controller, we'd gladly slap down the 200 bones required to learn guitar. It'd be a steal, and an investment in the future.
$300,000 worth of Hynix DDR RAM modules hijacked
It seems the traditional method of acquiring goods -- you know, that "money for product" approach we've been testing out for centuries -- is going to the wayside quite often these days, as yet another major heist has gone down in Taiwan. Twenty boxes of Hynix Semiconductor DDR RAM modules were stolen yesterday, as a trio of assailants reportedly used a machete and stun gun to threaten the driver. The hijacking is likely a planned, organized move, as reports say that the thieves were seen headed to the airport, where they probably hopped a flight to China. Interestingly, it was stated that "ownership of the chips is still unknown," a fact that's sure to make insurance companies drool, considering the $306,000 of missing goods that somebody is going to be out for. Incidents like this do wonders in making those $169 GPS / RFID adornments seem fairly inexpensive, eh?[Via Inquirer]
West Virginia University study says DDR helps fitness attitude
Preliminary findings of a West Virginia University clinical study show that playing Dance Dance Revolution is "helping kids improve heart health and fitness, even if weight loss isn't always occurring." Let's review some basics before the comments section explodes in a collective "DUH!" Studies are required to show proof of something and although it seems quite obvious that getting kids -- or anyone else for that matter -- playing DDR would obviously improve their health and fitness, it still needs to be studied. Earlier this year West Virginia was incredibly progressive, announcing they'd place Dance Dance Revolution in all 765 public schools in the state to fight obesity. This study, although apparently unrelated, definitely helps defend the DDR decision from earlier this year.This study was a 24-week at-home clinical study of 35 children. Ages 7 to 12 with higher than the 85th percentile for body-mass index. The greatest difference found by the researchers was just general attitude towards fitness improved. Kids don't hate being fit, they hate doing boring stuff or suffering through schoolyard indignity to do it. There's really nothing wrong with DDR or this entire school initiative. According to the article, DDR will fully saturate the West Virginia school system by the summer of 2007. Now we wait twenty years to see if West Virginia ends up becoming the skinniest or healthiest state in the nation.
Tutorial for running homebrew on 2.80 firmware
Being able to play homebrew on firmware 2.80 is an amazing accomplishment. However, most people that have firmware 2.80 probably don't know the very basics of running homebrew on their system. While there have been guides created in the past, a new one has popped up on the PlayStation boards. Shamoo teaches you the steps necessary to run fan-favorite DDR clone, PSP Revolution, on your system. Download the eLoader on your computer. Connect your PSP to your computer via USB. Install the eLoader. Make sure you choose this kind of installation: "TIFF, Installatron + Xloader - RECOMMENDED" Ensure the following options are checked: "TIFF, xLoader (for 2.80), Installatron, emenu" You're done installing the eLoader. Now, it's time to get homebrew programs. The full tutorial shows you how to download and install PSP Revolution on your system. It's not complicated at all--it just involves moving some folders into your PSP's GAME directory, and a few more steps. Of course, with firmware 3.0 on the horizon, what choice will you make? Stick with homebrew, or keep advancing with Sony's official upgrades?
Pump It Up heading to PSP (in Korea, at least)
PSP continues to prove itself as one of the best platforms for music games out there. Pump It Up is a game very much like Dance Dance Revolution, and it's insanely popular in Korea. PSP Vault discovered a new listing for a PSP version of the popular dancing game on Sony's official Korean website.The homebrew community embraced dance-style games through projects like PSP Revolution. However, DDR and its clones require you to input buttons that correspond to up, down, left and right. Pump It Up uses diagonals and a center button: how will these be mapped on the PSP? Puzzling, no?See also:DJ Max Portable, for non-Korean speakers
Serious Games Summit: ExerGaming + EduGaming = ExerLearning
It's a no-brainer that games like Dance Dance Revolution can do wonders in combating our country's growing youth obesity epidemic. But can rhythm-action games also help children improve cognitive skills like reading comprehension and concentration?Former Florida teacher Judy Shasek would likely answer that question with an emphatic yes. With the help of a $125,000 sponsorship from RedOctane, Shasek has integrated games like Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero and accessories like the X-Board into the curricula at three test schools around the country for the past three years. The results, Shasek said in a presentation at the Serious Games Summit, mirror the results of numerous academic studies that show 10 minutes of aerobic activity before a test can be more helpful than 20 minutes of tutoring, and that replacing four hours per week of class time with physical education helps standardized test scores go up.What's more, playing rhythm games leads to improved algebra skills, Shasek says, and reading fast-moving notes in games like DDR helps train children's eyes for reading text. No ones really sure why these games have the cognitive effects that they do, but the working theories involve increased oxygenation to the brain and hidden, unlocked power in the cerebellum, the brain's motion and balance center. Whatever the science, Shasek says introducing the games also has fringe benefits like decreased absenteeism and improved attentiveness among students.Shasek is hoping to expand her program to teachers and schools across the country through her web site, Generation Fit, which includes some great videos of students getting their dance on. She's also trying to expand the benefits to the adult workplace with Revive! Nation, a program focused on adding rhythm games to break/lunch rooms. With physical activity on the decline among kids and adults, we can only say more power to her.
DDR dances its way out of 2006
It looks like Dance Dance Revolution Universe has run out of breath. Originally set for a fall 2006 debut on the Xbox 360, Gamespot is reporting that DDRU has been delayed until early 2007. Konami cited Microsoft's draconian rules for 3rd party peripherals as the reason for the delay. Which leads to the next tidbit: because of said draconian rules, the DDR dance pads will be wired on 360 (at least initially). Wireless pads are a definite possibility for the future. We didn't even realize a DDR game was bound for the 360 in the first place, so the news has only partially saddened us. What about the rest of you? Were any of you anxiously awaiting Dance Dance Revolution Universe?[Via Evil Avatar]
In The Groove to "respect" Dance Dance Revolution
Konami, publisher of Dance Dance Revolution, has settled a lawsuit with In The Groove's developer Roxor. With mighty samba moves and Euro Beat legal techniques, Konami now owns the intellectual property rights to In The Groove -- guess the games were a little too similar.The best part of the agreement is that Roxor must agree to "respect Konami's intellectual property rights." Can you feel that pimp-slap Roxor?Roxor may have been the developer of In The Groove, but Red Octane was the publisher. Red Octane is also the publisher of Harmonix's Guitar Hero, which shares similarities to Konami's GuitarFreak. RedOctane, owned by the Activision, may not have put up too much of a fight to lose In The Groove, but you know the nails are coming out if Konami's legal team goes after the infinitely more successful Guitar Hero. RedOctane may become better known for their legal issues than their games soon.
Exercise without a shouting trainer [update 1]
Reuters discusses a trend of exercise games for people who want workout instruction without a personal trainer shouting slogans at them. While some of the article is overplayed and inaccurate -- DDR gets coverage and reportedly uses hands in addition to feet -- the PS2 game, Kinetic is also featured. Kinetic tracks player movements with the EyeToy camera while on-screen trainers direct the workout. Even though Kinetic was released almost a year ago, we've rarely seen it covered in the mainstream press. Anecdotally, people seem to like videogame workouts; we have friends who still use Yourself!Fitness. Maybe the exercise-game audience will expand as motion-tracking controllers become standard. We've contemplated controller-per-hand boxing game workouts. Maybe a developer will take it further with a barbell or rubber band kit for controller resistance. See also: W. Virginia to put DDR in all 765 public schools [Update 1: Thanks Sam and lolersticks for reminding us about the versions of DDR that work with the EyeToy.]
Scenes from Barcelona: La Maquina de Bailar
I was literally in Spain for only an hour before running into the above ad for La Maquina de Bailar (The Dance Machine), the first film I'm aware of in any country whose plot hinges on Dance Dance Revolution. My Spanish is a little rusty, but according to this translated trailer, the movie seems to be a classic tale of boy meets girl, boy gets mentored by a curly-haired disco star to beat an Asian DDR-master in some sort of competition to impress the girl, boy gets girl. Also, organized crime seems to be involved. Fun for the whole family!Despite seeing this first ad poster almost immediately after entering the country, the movie seemed severely under-advertised around the streets of Barcelona. This could be part of why the movie opened in Spain last weekend in ninth place, behind such quality films as Little Man and Miami Vice. Continue reading to see a short clip of the movie that you and, apparently, much of Spain is missing out on.
Loco Roco meets DDR in new PSP Revolution Style
I'm personally surprised by the lack of PSP Revolution coverage on the Fanboy. Is it because the idea of playing a DDR-clone without the ability to dance seems a bit futile? Or is it because we're too afraid to admit that we bust a groove to the sounds of NAOKI all the time? Well, no more silence, I say! Typo-laden QJ.net has revealed a new iteration of the popular homebrew "dancing" game: Loco Roco Style. It features art and two songs from the Loco Roco game, with more to come on the way.
Konami to shut down Hawaiian studio
Much like the spritely amphibian star of Frogger, it seems that Konami's Hawaiian studio is destined to be mangled by a large (and largely oblivious) truck traveling on the "streamlining operations" freeway. Roughly 40 employees will be affected by the year-end closure, with Konami hoping to relocate most of them to positions throughout the rest of the company. No specific reasons for the change are cited, though John Strom of Enterprise Honolulu suggests that it stems from Konami's desire to scale back all game development in the US and focus on casino gaming facilities instead. Konami has not confirmed such a plan, but with most of their titles emerging from the buff Japanese arm, it's hardly inconceivable. The Hawaiian studio was responsible for games such as Frogger Beyond and Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix -- a roster not nearly as impressive as their valiant resisting of the obvious impulse to combine the two franchises into some sort of rhythmic, frog-stomping adventure.See also: Real-life Frogger (or: Roomba hacking is fun) XBLA Wednesdays unveiled
DDR Disney Mix, no console required
Looking to get down with The Mouse without visiting the Magic Kingdom? Konami, Buena Vista Games, and Majesco will be partnering to produce a Plug 'N' Play version of Dance Dance Revolution Disney Mix. The game plugs directly into TVs and includes a custom Disney dance pad. DDR Disney was originally released for the PlayStation back in 2001 to average reviews, but console-free technologies have been giving older games second lives. How many Plug 'N' Play titles do you own?
Dance pad for DDR DIYers
Is your plastic, roll-up DDR pad seriously crimping your krumping? Do you need the solid feel of an arcade pad to grant you the superhuman celerity that marks the series? Yeah, that's what I keep telling myself also. If you know your way around some tools, have some basic welding experience (what, you don't?), and have the requisite dedication to house a rather unwieldy dance pad, this'll make for a fun weekend project.[Via hack a day]
Hands on with DDR Mobile
One of the sleeper hits at the Konami booth is something that's hardly noticeable at all. Having only about a two square yards of space, Dance Dance Revolution Mobile for cell phones is something that deserves an honorable mention.Some DDR veterans may think this is taboo, but playing it on-the-go with a cell phone is surprisingly lucid. The demo I got my mitts on had such songs like Paranoia and B4U on it, totally revamped for the mobile platform.If you play on light or standard mode, you may even be able to get away with using the familiar center controls. However the real action starts when you up the ante to hard mode and use the number pad. Even digits mark the arrow directions, giving both thumbs enough room to cross from side to side. If you're the type gamer who embraces cell phone games, then this is something to keep an eye out for.
Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode
In case you missed it on Friday, IGN posted a pre-E3 hands-on preview of Guitar Hero II's new co-op mode. It's a departure from the first game's multiplayer mode in that the two players have to depend on each other a lot more to pass each song and thereby make beautiful music together.While the old multiplayer option will still be around in the sequel, the new mode mixes distinct lead guitar and bass or rhythm parts where each player affects the other in various ways, whether by failing if either performance slips (as in DDR), sharing the same Rock Meter (with mistakes from either player resetting the score multiplier), and needing to both go vertical at the same time to activate the shared Star Power. Thankfully, different difficulty levels can be assigned to each player.The Joystiq team out in L.A. will probably find something to do until they get their sweaty paws on a guitar controller or two on the E3 show floor (maybe one of those wacky press conferences will help pass the time), but we're sure the wait to try the latest build of this rockin' series will be worth it. The seven songs available at E3 are listed below.[Thanks, murph]
The Pipeline: Pundits go Wii!
Welcome back to The Pipeline, a weekly feature where we dig through the mainstream media and see what the pundits, prognosticators and and pencil pushers have been discussing over the past week. This week, the media was all over Nintendo's announcement that the gaming console formerly codenamed Revolution would henceforth be known as Wii. And, not surprisingly, most of the mainstream journos covering the story concurred with our assessment that the name somehow isn't going to wiin Niintendo any kudos. "Is Nintendo being desperately silly to attract attention, or is it just desperately short of clue?" asked the Guardian, while the Financial Times headlined its article "Wii aren't too sure about this." However, Nintendo did have at least one defender, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, who pointed out that "N-Gage and Gizmondo are cool names" that didn't help those products win many fans. "Consumers relate to the coolness of the product, not the name." Wii'll see, Michael, Wii'll see.Of course, the Wii announcement wasn't the only story in the news this week, and the mainstream press managed to crank out a few other interesting nuggets. USA Today took a look at the Pioneer Inno, and declared it "a winner," while The New York Times looked at the growing number of home docking systems for cellphones. Meanwhile, Forbes looked at another way to use cellphones at home, checking out the market for UMA-enabled handsets. Our favorite media hit this week, though, came from the Washington Post, which took an in-depth look at the DDR-as-exercise phenom, with the paper's reporter declaring, "Hello, my name is Caroline, and I'm addicted to 'Dance Dance Revolution.'" Hey, at least she's not addicted to the Wii. Nintendo goes Wii ... (not a typo) Guardian - Nintendo Wii is twee Financial Times - Wii aren't too sure about this BBC - Nintendo name swap sparks satire Seattle PI - Wii is for everyone AP - Nintendo names new video game console USA Today - Look out iPod, Inno marries satellite radio, portable music The New York Times - A cellphone in park, even more powerful Forbes - Double-duty phones The Washington Post - Get a move on
Konami pitches DDR to phys ed teachers [update 1]
Back when most of us were in high school, our Phys Ed teachers preached against sedentary lifestyles and warned us that playing video games would lead to obesity. Times have changed. Konami attended this week what they call "one of the largest gatherings of health and physical educators in the nation" to encourage use of their popular Dance Dance Revolution product. According to a company press release, Konami wants to teach teachers how DDR can contribute to physical health, a line that at least one state (West Virginia) evidently believed enough to make DDR a part of the public school curriculum. That's cool and all, but what we're more excited about is the inevitable flood of Youtube and Google videos created by mean kids using cell phone cameras to record clumsy classmates tripping over themselves on DDR pads. Click "read" for the full press release. [Update 1: Thanks for the sweet link, Radjago! Check it out, folks, in paragraph three.]
MPC TransPort T3200 business laptop
MPC Computers just announced their stoic little TransPort T3200 laptop targeting high-end, security-minded professionals. If that's your gig sonny, then listen up. The T3200 gets it done with a full line-up of Intel Core Duo processor options, up to 2GB DDR2 RAM, 120GB S-ATA (5400RPM) disks, DVD/RW combo drive, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, integrated fingerprint scanner, and 15.4-inch WSXGA (1680 x 1050) display driven by ATI Mobility X1600 graphics for right around $3,000 large, fully-spec'd. Slap in an optional GPS and GPRS module and set the workers free![Via MobileWhack]
