GameStop has been cagey about its plans to deal with the impending digital age, but the new CEO Paul Raines spoke frankly about it in a recent interview with The Street. He says he wants the GameStop Website to be a “destination for gamers, whether they are getting content via online, mobile, console or any other platform. We are also migrating our website from a purely e-commerce site to a gaming platform that users can visit to play, learn and purchase games.”

He says the company is taking a look at other online companies that have successfully started their transition to digital formats. “We have studied Netflix a lot, and most of their users still absorb physical content rather than streaming,” Raines said. “Now we are looking to see how gaming compares. We are focusing on consumer acceptance. The world won’t be all digital tomorrow, even though that’s what people are claiming. In this business, users still want physical content.”

He also remarked on the difficulty of sustaining a used game sales model, echoing recent comments made at the Develop conference. “In tough economic times the consumer doesn’t want to spend $59 for a new game,” he said. “They may not have $59, but they may have $40 and an old game under their bed that they can trade in for a new title.” He also shrugged off competition in the used games space. “Pricing buybacks and sales is complex. We have a refurbishment facility and last year recycled 100 million units. This system is difficult to replicate.”

GameStop has always seemed unconcerned about the advent of digital content, even dismissing EA’s Online Pass as an opportunity to sell downloadable content. Plans to turn the site into a gaming portal might explain their confidence, but raises new questions about online competition with existing services.

It was a year ago that Nintendo teased the world that it will be unveiling a new peripheral, one they claimed will expand the appeal of video games. First announced at E3 2009’s Nintendo press conference they called it the Wii Vitality Sensor. Nintendo says it will sense a user’s pulse and other body signals being transmitted, it will then provide information to users about the persons body. With little to no more info on the Wii Vitality Sensor it has since disappeared or has it?

Well while not actually from Nintendo, Ubisoft has emerged with their own sensor and game called Innergy. The game is designed to focus players on their inner being via a number of games played with a special sensor that monitors their breathing and heartbeat. It will provide different methods of exercise to improve heart rate and blood flow. All of this would seem that Ubisoft has beaten Nintendo to the punch? Not really.

This tech has potential to discover new possibilities in the way we play games, regulating fear controlled in a horror? Or perhaps knowing when to slow down the action depending on the heart rate? These ideas sound great however Ubisoft’s focus with this new product is to improve the way you feel and allow you to enjoy life more fully. They also want to make this a portable experience for everyone. Until their is more info on either product we won’t know for sure what the future holds for them but it seems like both parties may have the same thing in mind.

Gameplay Footage of Innergy from Ubisoft’s press conference

““Their new video game controller will take racing games to a new level of challenge and realism by allowing players to replicate the bets driving techniques used by race drivers.” They will also be showing some of what they have to offer at this years E3 convention.

If you own an Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii its no surprise that with normal use of the controller, the rubber on the thumb sticks start to wear off. Those crisp little buds on the surface of the Xbox 360 controller, ridges of the PS3 and Wii controller will be no worn in only a couple of months. Caps4Stix rejuvenates your thumb sticks with their analog stick covers.

Caps4Stix are soft rubber thumb grips for your analog controllers and due to the soft grippy buds on the ends of the rubber, it will completely eliminate
the problem of your thumbs slipping off the stick during game play. We tested it for several different controls and consoles, our first was the Xbox 360. A snug fit and ideal use for the Xbox 360. It feels much better then the original analog grips, example when playing Modern Warfare 2 it added a little more precision with movements. On the PS3 since the analog sticks come up the buds on the covers pop out. It took us a second to get used to this feeling but again felt better then the original analog sticks.

These covers feel very natural and should have little to no slipping issues. They also work for various different controls on different consoles as well, the nunchuk for the Wii works great as well, however older controller thumb sticks may get stuck around the edges when fully rotating. That is because they evidently make the analog sticks bigger since this is a cover for the existing ones.

Overall these are a must for anyone that want as much precision as possible during gameplay. Whether you have an old or new controller they are definitely better then the factory made analog sticks. They will last longer and even when you get to the point where it will be worn out they are better then the original rubber. For about $1.99 you can’t go wrong with this product.

Pros: Feels great, Better feedback and easy to mount.

Con: Could use more colors

There were plenty of gaming goodies all over the show floor at Pax East 2010. One gaming goodness that stood out to me were Gunnar’s Digital Performance Eyeware. These glasses are designed to ease the relentless stream of information that comes from computers, tvs, and handheld screens to your eyes. We were going to use them for gaming as that is one of their main focuses. I actual bought a pair (the Weezer model) because I was in dire need of lenses to help with my constant eyestrain from monitors and gaming. Were Gunnar eyeware really the new gaming glasses they say they are?

For starters, Gunnar claims that these glasses reduce “Digital Eye Fatigue” and “Computer Vision Syndrome, so let us review the features to familiarize ourselves to understand the full spectrum. In terms of comfortability, they feel very natural when put on. Our glasses were ultra-light stainless steel frames, so they are flexible and can be easily adjusted. They are not heavy and have a very snug fit. Wearing them will help you appreciate the vision you already have and aware of how sensitive they are by reducing the artificial light that comes in.

Gunner utilizes innovative i-AMP Lens Technology. The four technologies used for their glasses are diAMIX lens material, i-FL lens coating, FRACTYL lens geometry and iONik lens tints. Each pair provides its own unique aspect and overall experience. When in use, you will see a difference because they refocus your sight and give everything a magnified appearance. Believe it or not this helps, giving your eyes a break from having to keeping focusing, putting less stress on them.

The lenses have a yellow hue, and is used to help your eyes stay relaxed when viewing monitors at relatively short distance. What make monitors damaging to your eyes is that the artificial light is constanly going through your eyes. What the yellow hue does is when the light passes through, your eyes have a much easier time processing the light. After taking them off, I notice my eyes were dialaiting and watering to refocus which shows how much we go through to process this information.

What makes Gunnar’s glasses so great is how light they are. When I wore them it was easy to forget I had them on (aside of everything looking slightly yellow of course.), my ears don’t feel starined from the weight at all. This seemed perfect as I managed to play a number of games like Modern Warfare 2, Final Fantasy 13, etc. for an extented period of time without feel a hint of eyestrain.

The Gunnar glasses are a vital asset to my gaming experience. Prices range from $70 up to $150. The differences in price vary from style and the quality of the frames, the lense quality are pretty much the same. Any choice would be a wise investment. We all know that prolonged periods of viewing monitors can damage your eyes in the long term. With Gunnar’s glasses, you can rest assure that your eyes are well taken care of. Depending on the kind of gamer or computer user you are, this won’t appeal to everyone but once you try them you will definitely notice the difference.

>Side Note – The glasses can be prescriptioned filled at selected Gunnar retailers, they also have an outdoor edition and have clear lenses as well, to learn more about Gunnars’s products, go to gunnars.com

For those who did not attend PAX, Harmonix had a Rock Band lounge setup on the main floor. We actually ran into one of the developers there and tried to get some info on future plans for the Rock Band series. He said “We want to try to take new steps in the franchise, someplace where no one would even guess we’d go”. Trying to dig more info out of him I got him to admit that the approach for music would be totally different and that they want to get into an untapped market. He said “Without saying much if your into any kind of spanish music lets say Aventura, then you should definitely stay tuned on what’s to come”.

click image to enlarge

Does this mean there will be a Spanish Rock Band?, we took this news with a grain of salt. However I did exchange business cards with the developer and had received a strange email this morning with a picture of what looks to be an actual bundle for the unit!. The email also stated that it was confidential but to stay tuned to this years E3.

If you haven’t guessed it already this is an April fools joke, it would be interesting to see what a spanish rockband looked like.

Their comes a time in gaming history where the technology is truly ground breaking. Where it will stand in time as the innovator, leading to bigger and better things. The N64’s rumble pack, playstations duel analog controller, the Wii controller, guitar hero etc. Unfortunately where those succeeded on being innovative, this one seems to miss its mark.

The Tony hawk franchise has been slowly pummeling itself on a downward spiral of games until Skate came along and knocked off its horse completely. Taking a 2 year hiatus the series, it planned to make the skating experience as authentic as possible, what we get is something that just doesn’t feel that put together in any aspect. The board has two accelerometers and four sensors to track movement. The sides will track you kicking the board for more speed while the front and back are for grabs. Don’t get us wrong it feels very durable but (and maybe it was just us) you do have this overwhelming feeling like your going to fall all the time.

Getting on the board and turning the game on will put you through the configuration process, once done your ready to begin. You’ll notice their are 3 types of modes when you get in which are career, online and party play. Their are 3 difficultly types, casual, confident and expert, the first of which basically plays itself. Career mode lets you run through the story but is the same 3 types of play throughout the entire game. Stages seem pretty linear offering little variety between them, thats also do to the fact that you feel limited in movement when on the board. The game is pretty stripped of features and gameplay elements, from the single player to the online player which still seems to be single player. The soundtrack is the real hero in this offering a great mix bag and has never failed the Tony hawk series before.

For $120 the game only offers a casual experience that not everyone will get into. With only a great soundtrack to hold on to its tough to tell what direction future games might go from here, one thing is for certain, it might be back to the drawing board for this one.

overall = 6.5

Madcatz just announced that Tatsunoko VS. Capcom Arcade FightStick for the Nintendo Wii will be releasing alongside the US launch of Tasunoko vs. Capcom. This will be the first time the FightStick will be releasing on the Wii and will connect directly to the official or Mad Catz Wii Remote. The Arcade FightStick does not need to be connected directly to the console, thus providing tether free operation. Look for the Tatsunoko VS. Capcom Arcade FightStick sometime mid January.

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