Gamers of a certain age will remember the Official Nintendo Seal of Quality . It was a little mark placed on official Nintendo products in the NES/SNES era (well, that's when it mattered) that let buyers know that, yes, this product has been blessed by Nintendo. It will not harm you, your cat or your NES. Fast-forward several years and now Sony has gotten into the business of slapping their logo on officially licensed gear with the " Official Licensed Product " gimmick. In exchange for a big sack of money, Sony will give peripheral developers "access to technical documentations necessary for designing and creating variety of licensed products for PlayStation platforms. " . I think Sony wins Beanie Cup today: new hope for PS2 backwards compatibility, and this new money-making scheme.

Not to turn this into a secondary job board for Apple or anything, but they're opening up a position for a digital 3D modeler/CAD sculptor to create renderings of possible and future products. It's interesting because the turnover there for the position is really low, and it may be the only time you get a chance to get into that position for a few years. Plus, it pays quite a lot more than usual design jobs. [ Dezeen via Cultofmac ].

An arcade on wheels? Now THAT is a good idea. Don't get too excited, though, as these are basically glorified console setups, not old-school arcade machines. This isn't about us, though, this is about the children. And the children think Ms. Pac-Man is boring. Ergo, no stand-up arcade machines. This all comes courtesy of a franchise called Games2U (get it?). Rolling fun-time options include vehicles with screens like the one pictured above, full trailers with indoor climate-controlled playing areas, laser tag, hamster balls (yes!), and stuff like that. Perfect for birthday parties and various other outings swarmed with kids. Though as Kotaku's Brian Crecente, who I can only assume is close to the same age as I am, says:. "I like the idea, but I would love it if they actually carted arcade games around to parties. Or better still, like a huge stage that unfolds with fog machines, pyro effects and a stage to play Rock Band or Guitar Hero on. Oh… and groupies, totally need groupies. ". Better still, maybe an exact replica of the living room of my house junior year in college (1999) with furniture from Goodwill, Olympia beer as far as the eye can see, and Mario Kart 64. And Tony Hawk on the PlayStation. Ooh! and GoldenEye. [ Games2U via Kotaku ].

We caught Alienware's OptX AW2210 21. 5-inch gaming monitor a couple months back—it's part of Alienware's "more accessible" push, but it's got respectable specs, cramming in a 1920x1080 resolution with a supposed 80,000:1 contrast ratio for $299. You've also got dual HDMI ports, four USB ports and what has to be the most straightforward design of anything Alienware's every shipped, which is in and of itself an accomplishment. They're also selling what appears to be an Alienware-branded version of SteelSeries' nearly 2-year-old 5HV2 headset that they're calling TactX. And really, we're still using X for Xtreme? Mountain Dew is gross guys. ALIENWARE PUTS YOU IN THE GAME WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE ALIENWARE OPTX™AW2210 21. 5" FULL HD MONITOR AND ALIENWARE TACTX™ HEADSET. · Eye-catching Alienware OptX Monitor boasts 1080p HD, ultra-fast response time and features low-input lag. · New Alienware TactX Headphones single out in-game sounds for a truly immersive experience. · Together, the Alienware OptX AW2210 Monitor and Alienware TactX Headset help to create the ultimate gaming experience. MIAMI – June 30, 2009 –Gamers looking for a completely immersive gaming experience can now arm themselves with two new weapons from Alienware – the 21. 5-inch Alienware OptX™ AW2210 Full HD Monitor and the Alienware TactX™ Headset offering a unique custom-engineered audio experience. The Alienware OptX AW2210 Monitor, which goes on sale today for $299, features a Full HD screen resolution ideal for the latest-generation games and high-definition movies in glorious 1080p. To give gamers that extra edge, the monitor features low-input lag and a 2ms response time for a more real time gaming experience. With sleek looks and a dramatic profile that catch every eye in the room, the display's key features include:. • 21. 5-inch Widescreen Flat Panel LCD. • 1920 x 1080 Full HD Resolution. • Ultra-Fast 2ms Response Time. • Low Input-Lag for Intense Gaming. • 16. 7 Million Colors for Vibrant Images. • 80,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio. • Tilt, Swivel and Height Adjustable Stand. • 2 x HDMI ports allow for you to plug in to your PC or your TV for either PC or console gaming sessions. • 4 x Universal Serial Bus ports for hassle free connection to flash drives, mouse, keyboard and other peripherals. Serious gamers know that every single component of their set-up is part of creating the best gaming experience possible. The same is true when it comes to their peripherals. Alienware TactX headphones are optimized to single out key in-game sounds, enabling you to detect gunfire, footsteps, reloads and more with precision clarity. The headset also features:. • Convenient Retractable Microphone for Headphone-Only Use. • Custom Audio Environment for Optimized In-Game Sounds. • Closed Circumaural Ear Cups for Long Term Comfort. • Gold-Plated Connectors for Increased Fidelity. • 3-Piece Design for Quick Break-Down and Easy Transport. "The ultimate gaming experience requires more than just a great PC," explained Frank Azor, Dell Gaming. "Alienware is building an ecosystem around our machines to give gamers the complete gaming experience. We're proud to offer peripherals like these that can make all the difference. ". The Premium Panel Guarantee. Alienware monitors are designed and built to our highest standards, providing the quality and reliability you expect when you see the Alienware logo. Each has been exhaustively tested and comes backed by a Dell Limited Warranty1. Unyielding commitment to quality and the satisfaction of our customers has driven Dell to offer a Premium Panel Guarantee ensuring replacement of Alienware OptX series monitors with zero bright pixels. Even if only one bright pixel is found, a free panel exchange is guaranteed during the limited warranty period, so customers can rest assured their investment is protected. [ Alienware , Alienware ].

Only a few hours into its general release, Mozilla's Firefox 3. 5 is already approaching one million downloads. As of 1:22ET, Firefox 3. 5 had been downloaded 741,417 times. How do we know this? Because Mozilla has launched a real-time tracker , where you can see exactly how many times the browser has been downloaded. Additionally, you can also see how many downloads there have been by country, the current number of downloads per second, and how download activity is trending. So far, the new browser has been downloaded the most by users in the US, Germany, France, and the UK. While that is a huge start, it seems unlikely that the launch will match that of Firefox 3. 0, which saw 8 million downloads in its first 24 hours. That's not surprising given all of the hype for 3. 0, but nonetheless shows the huge enthusiasm that Firefox fanatics still have for the browser. Reviews: Firefox .

To celebrate Steve Jobs' official return to Apple ( AAPL ) this week, Kobi Shely has posted a YouTube clip from Macheads , his 54-minute "fanboy documentary" on the cult surrounding the company and its charismatic CEO. Shely wrote, directed, produced and edited the film. The 2-minute 22-second segment he selected is centered around the return of Jobs to Apple in Dec. 1996 after he was ousted in a boardroom coup nearly a dozen years earlier. The clip includes rare footage from the July 1998 keynote in which a younger, chubbier Jobs announces Apple's return to profitability and introduces the first iMac. It's worth a look, if you can ignore the first 15 seconds of computer-generated weirdness, the bizarre Church of Mac segment in the middle and the young woman stroking and kissing her computer at the end. The clip is pasted below. The full movie is available on iTunes and Amazon Video on Demand. Or you can order a DVD here . See also:. Top 10 moments in Steve Jobs' career .

Think back to the autumn of 2006, right before the big PS3 launch. Expecting someone to pay five-hundred-and-ninety-nine-U. S. -dollars was (rightly) considered ludicrous, but the ability to play the entire PS2 library on the system somewhat lessened the blow. But then Sony removed the Emotion Engine chip from the PS3, thus rendering it unable to play PS2 games. (More recent models, like the one found in the Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle, used a just-sorta-okay software emulation method to grant partial PS2 backwards compatibility. ) All that may well change if Sony goes ahead and executes the idea found in this recently unearthed patent . The patent, which was filed in December, 2008, shows a method whereby Sony would harness the power of its fancy-pants Cell processor to emulate, from soup to nuts, the Emotion Engine. Emulate that, and it's like having a tiny PS2 inside your PS3, and all that that implies. The best part is that since every single PS3 on planet Earth has a Cell processor, every single PS3 could take advantage of this latest bit of technological wizardry. Keep in mind that patents are filed all the time, so this is by no means any soft of "confirmation" that you'll be able to play Final Fantasy X or Shadow of the Colossus on your PS3. Then there's also the issue of whether or not you'll merely be able to use your actual PS2 discs, or whether Sony has some sort of "Classic PS2 Games!" PlayStation Network store up its sleeves.

This video purports to be of some unknown creatures in the sewers under Cameron Village in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's probably some early viral marketing for a movie. But! What if it isn't? Oh god, what if it isn't?? [ io9 ].

Admit it: you've been sitting around all day waiting to hear tell of the latest Joybook offering from BenQ , right? Well, have we got the story for you! BenQ's just dropped word of its newest -- the Joybook Lite U102. While we don't have full specs, we do know that this 10. 1-inch baby boasts a 16:9 WSVGA backlit LED, an Intel Atom CPU, and a 250GB HDD, with a 90 percent-sized keyboard. Pretty generic netbook specs, but its super-shiny black shell also makes it decently attractive. The BenQ Joybook Lite U102 will be available any day now in Taiwan, Thailand, and China. [Via FarEast Gizmos ]. Filed under: Laptops . BenQ shocker! Joybook Lite U102 outed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments .

Electronic musicians are always looking for new ways to do the same old things. Case in point: OTTO, developed by Luca De Rosso at the IUAV University of Venice for a master's thesis. Based on an Arduino and Cycling '74's Max / MSP software, you can drop an audio loop in it (via USB) and manipulate it in real time by moving your hands around the touch surface. Sure we've heard these kind of edits before, but never on a device that somewhat resembles the old Simon memory game. That has to count for something, right? Suffice it to say: we want one. Be sure to check it in action after the break. Continue reading OTTO slices beats, has no effect on tin cans . OTTO slices beats, has no effect on tin cans originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments .