Handheld video games will enter a new age of visual excitement in January at the annual CES trade show with the introduction of the V-Screen from RealViewTM Innovations, a developer of optical technology located in Ireland. Designed specifically for the Sony® PSPTM , the V-Screen provides patented "Depth-Enhancing" screen technology that makes 2-dimensional content appear more clear, bright and realistic than ever before, similar to a 3D experience. The V-Screen will be on display at Booth #5621 North Hall.

A New Visual Experience
The V-Screen uses patented optical technology first developed for the medical world in order to enhance depth cues hidden in existing images. Now video gamers can experience the same depth-enhancement technology with PSPTM 1000, 2000, 3000 and Slim. Equally impressive, the V-Screen doesn't require any software, electronics or head gear. It simply attaches to the PSPTM as a flip-up screen that includes a protective shell to guard the PSPTM from exterior damage.

Product Highlights:
• Patented Depth-Enhancing Technology Improves Visual Impact of PSPTM Games and Videos
• Works with PSPTM 1000, 2000, 3000, and Slim
• Works with all mediums including video games, videos and movies played on the PSPTM
• Sturdy, Form Fitting Case Protects Screen and PSPTM from Exterior Damage
• Fast, Easy Flip-Up Screen
• No Software or Electronics Required
• Available January 2010
• Suggested Retail $39.99 US
• Booth #5621 North Hall

"The V-Screen offers substantial visual improvement for the PSPTM," stated Eamonn Ansbro, Optical Engineer and Co-Executive Director of RealView Innovations. "Our team of developers has collaborated on an array of technological projects ranging from medical imaging, industrial and military optics, to astronomy and 3D imaging. All that expertise has been used in developing the V-Screen, creating an entirely new visual PSPTM experience."

The V-Screen will be available at retail in the United States and Europe January 2010. ...

VEEMEE have released details of the first virtual London Pub releasing on January 7th 2010 in PlayStation Home, priced at €4.99.

Based on your favourite London watering hole, situated on the banks of the river Thames overlooking The Houses of Parliament, The London Pub personal space comes complete with a multi-player darts game, a roaring open fire, comedy beer pumps, crank phone calls and hand dryers that don’t dry your hands (they’re only virtual you know).

Commenting on the upcoming release of The London Pub, Caspar Thykier, CEO at VEEMEE said, “We’re really excited to be launching such a high quality, interactive PlayStation Home space, themed around such a famous and quintessentially British icon. The London Pub in Home is sure to become a favourite hang-out for the ever growing community of Home inhabitants, and is the perfect place to relax, meet friends and play games after a hard day at work.”

Priced at €4.99, less than the price of a round, The London Pub personal space allows PlayStation Home users to meet up, hang out and become their very own pub landlord.

“Time, ladies and gentlemen, please!” ...

Glu today announced the availability of its Glyder 2 App on the App Store. In Glyder 2, players use iPhone or iPod touch to guide the game’s heroine Eryn, and her unique handmade glider, on a quest to explore and unlock new lands. The sequel builds on the original with six new fantastical worlds, robust customization features and the addition of challenges and puzzles.

“We are excited about the Glyder 2 App and highly anticipate adding it to the list of successful original Glu games like Super K.O. Boxing and Stranded,” said Alex Galvagni, CTO & SVP Global Product Development, Glu. “The accelerometer is just one feature of the iPhone and iPod touch that has inspired our creativity during development and we're proud of the exceptional gameplay Glyder 2 delivers to users."

Glyder 2 follows the success of the original version, Glyder, which reached the Top 5 of the App Store’s Top Paid Apps in several markets around the world including the US, UK and Japan. This game’s unique open game play, expansive world of flight, and pick-up-and-play fun appeal to a wide range of game enthusiasts, from hardcore to casual gamers.

Features include:

• Six New Worlds – journey through the six exciting worlds: Oasis, Arctasia, Magma Core, Spiral Heights, Sporelle and Ascension.

• Robust Customizable Wardrobe – unlock unique wings - each with their own unique flying properties - and special outfits, some with special abilities like boost crystal storage!

• New Challenges And Puzzles – fly to Perpetua for a completely unique experience flying faster and faster through an obstacle course. Players can master the flight path and record their best scores in all new trips, which include waypoint rings for exciting new routes around each world.

• More Collectables And Rewards – complete 24 Goals, collect over 400 crystals, and earn over 35 achievements to unlock all of the hidden secrets scattered throughout the world.

Features in the first update include:

• Facebook Features – in the new world, Isle of Friendship, gamers are able to log in to Facebook to upload their status for “friend points.” Friend points are earned by collecting crystals, completing goals, earning achievements, and by having Facebook friends who are also Glyder gamers.

• Unlockable Rewards - accumulate “friend points” to grow towers at different point milestones. As the tower grows, new wings, outfits and achievements will be unlocked.

Glyder 2 is now available worldwide for £2.39 on the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. ...

Konami has announced that it will release a playable demo of Hideo Kojima’s eagerly-awaited METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER today.

With METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER recently confirmed as a May 28th launch, Konami is giving people the chance to get an early taste of the new game with an extensive English language European demo. Available via the PlayStation®Store, the free demo titled “METAL GEAR SOLID PEACE WALKER: DEMO-OPS” showcases four mission types featuring new content previously playable only on the show floor of the Tokyo Game Show, and more.

METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER marks the return of the world-renowned stealth-action series. Hand-crafted by series creator Hideo Kojima, the all-new sequel delivers an original game design, story, and scenario as it picks up where Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for the PlayStation®2 leaves off.

The game is set in Central America in 1974, as players take control of the famed Naked Snake (Big Boss): the legendary hero who had once saved the world from the brink of nuclear war. Snake has now turned his back on his mother country and established ‘An Army without a Government’ in South America, and is approached by visitors from ‘A Nation without a Military’ to investigate suspicious activity in the peaceful paradise of Costa Rica. Amidst the turmoil of the cold war, Costa Rica alone had managed to be a beacon of peace in a region torn by conflict, but all of that may change. ...

The Amazing Brain Train! is a brain training game like no other. Hosted by the diminutive genius Professor Fizzwizzle, the player is taken on a brain-boosting adventure around the Professors cartoon world, stopping to solve challenges and help his friends along the way. Fueled only by mental energy, The Amazing Brain Train! guides the player through 15 different mini-games in three addictive game play modes—quest, test and practice.

"This is no ordinary brain game. The Amazing Brain Train! contains features never before seen in the genre. Its a departure from the minimalist brain games we've seen in the past. You can forget about goal-less gameplay: The Amazing Brain Train! is packed with quests, trophies and high scores that add an aspect of gameplay that other brain games just dont have." -Ryan Clark, co-founder of Grubby Games

Features

• 15 different brain games, in 5 categories:
o Search - Find the solution, and your hidden talent!
o Planning - Think ahead, to victory!
o Spatial - You'll be a master of mental manipulation!
o Memory - Make the most of your powerful memory!
o Numbers - Become a numerical ninja!

• Three different ways to play:
o Test Mode - Test yourself in all categories and see if you make the grade!
o Quest Mode - Put your brain power to good use performing quests and epic deeds!
o Practice Mode - Master any of the 15 games in "timed" or "unlimited" modes!

• Tons of extra features:
o High scores - 16 categories of brainy high score competition! Prove your superior brain power by beating best scores of friends and family.
o Trophies - 32 unique trophies to unlock! Strengthen your brain and achieve them all!
o Easy to play - Each game is demonstrated visually; everything is easy to learn!
o Challenging for all ages – Each brain game becomes increasingly difficult as you correctly solve puzzles, tailoring the difficulty to each player’s ability. Don’t let the cartoon-style fool you, this game is tough!
o Unlockable tracks – Progress your way through quest mode to unlock new tracks, quests and challenges! ...

Discovery Communications and Capcom Mobile today announced the availability of the Cash Cab game on the App Store. Based on the hit Discovery Channel game show series, the Cash Cab App for iPhone and iPod Touch features tons of questions, 21 New York City landmarks, the ability to play your own music in-game, and players can now post their favorite scores directly to Facebook. Additionally, question expansion packs are now available from within the App for near limitless replayability.

In the television show Cash Cab, contestants ride in the back seat of a New York City taxicab and are quizzed on general knowledge questions all the way to their destination. As the meter ticks, the questions get harder and the stakes get higher. Miss three questions and the Cash Cab pulls over and ejects the contestants onto the sidewalk, no matter where they are in the city.

The Cash Cab App uses the Emmy Award-winning show's signature concept and challenges players to answer a series of progressively difficult questions before they get to their destination. Extending the TV show experience, gamers can keep coming back for more as questions are pulled from subjects as diverse as History, Pop Culture, Language and Science. The app also features a "Ride with a Friend" feature similar to the "Shout Out" option featured in the show.

The Cash Cab App is available for $4.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod Touch or atwww.itunes.com/appstore/. ...

Konami today announced Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia for Nintendo DS™. Torn from the immensely popular Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's animated series in TheCW4Kids block on The CW Television Network and on Cartoon Network. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia marries intricate storylines and new gameplay features making for the most robust Yu-Gi-Oh! experience to ever hit the Nintendo DS!

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia's story mode proceeds with a parallel story arch from the animated series involving the reprise of the Dark Signers and their quest for supremacy over New Domino City. After being banned to the Underworld, these Earthbound Immortals will stop at nothing to overthrow the rule of New Domino City and destroy Satellite. To defeat them, players will enlist the help of some of their favorite characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe! Compete in story mode or free duel mode against Jack, Yusei or any of the 20 new characters to take on the Dark Signers in an epic battle to settle the score between light and dark!

The latest iteration of Yu-Gi-Oh! for the Nintendo DS expands on gameplay features to make this the biggest Yu-Gi-Oh! game with the most robust feature set EVER! Players now have 3,200 cards, including cards from the Absolute Powerforce series, to compete against friends or players worldwide via Wi-Fi connection. New features allow players to battle for the ultimate bragging rights by viewing leaderboards including their last 20 battles or using the new Wi-Fi ranking system to track win percentages against other duelists worldwide by elevating and decreasing their ranking based on the strength of opponents. With 3,200 cards, players can utilize the new Duelist Calculator to help quickly and accurately calculate attack and defense points while battling opponents! In addition, the Turbo Dueling, race mechanics have been enhanced to include obstacles, puzzles, hidden pathways and increased collection points. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia includes three exclusive trading cards in package.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2010 on Nintendo DS. For more information and screenshots, please visit: www.konami.com/yugioh ...

Konami today unveiled new details and mini-game mechanics for Walk It Out! Coming to retail stores nationwide on Wii™ in January 2010, Walk It Out! is a unique game that marries a high-energy/low impact fitness game with rhythm-based gameplay to make for a fun and rewarding exer-gaming experience for the whole family.

Walk It Out! sets itself apart from other fitness games by offering one of the largest and most diverse on-disc music libraries of ANY game across all genres. Players can step to the beat to over 100 great songs, including licensed master tracks and re-records of some of yesterday and today's hottest artists (Demi Lovato, Jesse McCartney, Ne-Yo and more) to original songs from some of the same artists who created music for the legendary DanceDanceRevolution® series.

In addition to the robust musical content, Walk It Out! core appeal is the unique gameplay elements. Part exploration and part fitness game, players step to the beat to unlock the secrets of an ever-growing and expansive in-game world. Stroll past oceanside harbors, gaze up at skyscrapers, amble through bustling city squares, parks and other vistas. The whole while, players are reinforced of their efforts as the game tracks progress with in-game charts, graphs and visuals to show calories burned, distance traveled, steps taken and more!

In addition to the main exploration game, which two players can play cooperatively, Walk It Out! also contains mini-games and puzzles to offer additional modes of gameplay that utilize the full library of music you've unlocked in the main game. Some of the fun and exciting games include:

Whack-a-Slack: Stomp on Slackies (negative energy creatures) as they emerge through circles corresponding to the directional arrows on your DanceDanceRevolution controller or your Wii Remote™ controller. Select your difficulty, and then play through a single song you've unlocked in the main game or endless to play as long as you want!

Psycolo: Solve a brainteaser while you step to the rhythm of one of your favorite songs to keep your health up!

Smash 'n' Run!: Put a good record on, chase down those Slackies and whack them with your hammer! Build up your hammer by moving to the beat so that you can smash even bigger and lazier Slackies!

Walk It Out! has a very easy-to-use control scheme and is compatible with a DanceDanceRevolution Controller or a Wii Balance Board™. In addition, the game can be played with just the Wii Remote and Nunchuk™ as well.

Walk It Out! for Wii will be available in January 2010. For screenshots, product information and more, please visit www.konami.com/downloads ...

Microsoft's taken steps to appeal to the casual crowd, sure. The first was NXE, which brought us all things like Avatars and Netflix, with subsequent updates adding Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm. These are experiences meant to broaden the appeal of the Xbox 360 to casual gamers, a group that Microsoft spokesperson David Dennis told GI.biz is pretty tricky to hook.

Project Natal will play a big part in Microsoft's continuing goal to interest more casual players, Dennis said. He compared the interactive, controller-less experience to having the broad appeal of a title like Wii Fit -- something Dennis calls "an experience done right" that goes beyond the core yet still manages to "capture the imagination of the core." It's this dual-catering that Dennis thinks Natal excel at, as he predicts the hardware will enable experiences that the core will look forward to, as well as "casual game experiences that are easy to jump in and play."

In the interim, we offer Microsoft this ProTip for appealing to more casual players: Make more games with "Party" in the title. Who doesn't like a party?

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/12/16/mi...-broaden-audi/ ...