Anytime a game is ported from PC to console or vice versa, it’s always an exercise in showcasing the strengths and weaknesses of each platform. This week’s release of The Sims 3 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii — the first ever Sims game to receive a full-fledged port from PC to all three consoles — is no exception. (A Nintendo DS version is also being released, but it’s practically a different game altogether.) Maxis and EA Games have long tried to bring its juggernaut franchise to consoles, but always wound up altering the gameplay to suit what they perceived as console players’ need for focused tasks. These past console entries have lacked the “sandbox” quality of the PC versions, never allowing console players to truly revel in doing whatever they wanted.

The Sims 3 for consoles aims to be the the first entry to change that. While the developers have added a “karma” system to this port, which contains various goals and objectives, the console Sims 3 still retains that “sandbox” quality, letting you micromanage and toy with your Sims for hours on end, to your heart’s content. Early reviews for the game are favorable, enjoying the ability to use the god-like qualities of the PC game on one’s favorite console, and even appreciating the new karma system and the inventive ways it lets you mess with your sims — for better and worse. There appear to be some lag issues with load times and movement between screens, but any effect this will have an effect on sales seems minimal. The numerous expansion packs that PC players enjoy are missing in the console version, but it’s not hard to imagine some forthcoming DLC that contains the same content.

Have console players’ dreams finally come true? Is one of the bestselling PC games of all time at last fully playable via Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo? Let us know what you think if you get to play the game for yourself!

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Enter IGUGU’s Gamecore, a wireless controller featuring a trackball, direction pad, joystick, programmable action buttons, a full QWERTY keyboard and six accelerometers that accurately detect your movements.

Not only does this open up a wealth of game-controlling possibilities, but because the system is PC based it can run 99% of all PC games and all Internet-based ones. That’s something your console-owning friends can’t boast.

It can all link up to your TV either via VGA or HDMI input. You just need a receiver near to your TV and you’re free to go wireless.

OK, so wireless controllers aren’t exactly new in the console arena, but if you’re approaching a serious PC gamer, this could be what your setup needs.

What’s more, it’s expected to retail for just $79, which doesn’t sound at all bad to me. You don’t need any new games, either, though once you start playing you may well want to get some more.

IGUGU Gamecore

Backing up, travelling with important files on a USB stick or accessing your home PC via the Internet are all possibilities but Iomega’s solution means that you have an exact replica of your primary PC’s contents and can access it from any Windows-based PC with a USB port.

The best features are that no data trail is left on the host PC once you’ve finished using it, it’s password secured and data encrypted, and it seamlessly synchronises with your PC so it’s always up-to-date. It can even be used immediately if there’s an emergency and your real PC dies.

The software will begin shipping on Iomega USB 2.0 hard drives this spring, pricing to be confirmed.

Iomega

Take a look at this beast. Pretty beautiful isn’t it? (I have to assume that you enjoy gear pr0n, of course)

Not only that, but it has a heck of a lot of power under the hood, utilising Intel’s new Core i7 processors and either an Intel Kingsberg P55 Extreme or EVGA X58 SLI Classified motherboard.

Cram it full of storage (up to six hard drives or 12 SSDs), your choice of graphics and sound cards, and up to 12GB of RAM and you’re set for a powerful computing experience.

Cooling is vital, and the SHIFT features bottom to top airflow, liquid cooling and 90-degree rotation of the motherboard.

There’s even personal support from the person who built each machine, should something go wrong.

Forget tacky plastic: SHIFT features an aluminium skin and steel skeleton, and goes for the classy, minimalist look.

Prices start at $2,199 for the SHIFT Intel P55 and $2,599 for the SHIFT Intel X58.

MAINGEAR

The first pair were obviously conceived by Mac fans.

Whereas the second pair come from Windows fans.

No matter. No need for a tiresome debate on Macs versus PCs.

All I can say is that this would surely work for triplets, quadruplets, and more. Just buy more “Paste” T-shirts and you’re done!

Via

One of the reasons for the fans’ continued support for Starcraft, aside from the deep, strategic gameplay is the fact that you can play it with your friends and mount frenetic multiplayer battles during LAN parties. Nothing beats having a heated game in a room with all the trash talking going on between two competitors.

But if Blizzard’s plan for Starcraft II does push through we won’t see those cool Starcraft LAN parties anymore. Blizzard confirmed what many are speculating about Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. The game will be launched for the PC at about the same time the newly revamped Battle.net online network service, which is at the last part of 2009. Unfortunately, the game will be releaed without any LAN multiplayer option.

Blizzard said that the decision to remove this popular option is a type piracy prevention mechanism and also a way to maintain quality assurance. Blizzard wants to direct players to Battle.net as the best, and now the only, option for multiplayer gaming for Starcraft II.

I’m not too sold on the whole anti-piracy thing idea. Why would long-time fans of the game suffer for what pirates are doing? By removing the LAN multiplayer option, Blizzard is effectively alienating a large majority of Starcraft fans who plan on playing the game through their local networks. LAN multiplayer will obviously not need an internet connection — why would Blizzard expect players to connect to the internet to play with people who are all in the same room? And what about the lag, which is obviously not going to be a problem with LAN multiplayer? I think Blizzard is making a big mistake with this move.

Great, so what does that mean practically? This lightweight 10.1-inch machine has a frameless, scratch-proof LED screen and pebble design keyboard. Not only that, but the case is durable and strong – pretty much a necessity when on the move – and Samsung has even been thoughtful enough to coat the keyboard with an anti-bacterial finish so that all the crud that drops into it during its lifetime won’t breed and then pass on some rare fungal infection or airborne virus to you. Good news.

As for the other tech: it uses an Intel Atom processor, up to five hours of battery life, has internal microphone, webcam, 3-in-1 card reader, three USB ports and optional Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. It’ll have Windows XP Home Edition preloaded as well, but you can soon kick that off if you want.

It’s coming in May to… pretty much everywhere, but the price hasn’t been confirmed yet.

In fact, the new Adamo notebook is the new “world’s thinnest”. At 0.65 inches, it beats the MacBook Air by over a tenth of an inch. It features a 13.4-inch widescreen high definition edge-to-edge glass display, 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband, solid state drives (naturally) and a backlit keyboard.

Other options include external hard or optical drives, including Blu-ray, 8GB USB drive, and a collection of cables for connecting to external displays and TVs.

It will set you back a fair amount of cash – £1,649 ($1,999) is the starting price – but then this is a Dell, and it is the start of a brand new premium product line, so it’s to be expected. In fact, get this, “Adamo” is derived from the Latin word meaning “to fall in love”. Yep, Dell wants to fall in love with your credit card all over again.

Dell is taking pre-orders now.

Adamo by Dell

Detailed specs aren’t easily available yet, though Slashgear suggests it will sport a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom processor and come with a gigabyte of DDR2 memory and either 16GB or 32GB of SSD storage.

What’s really nice is that it interfaces wirelessly with a display via HDMI using Ultra Wide Band technology. Also nice is the five inch touch panel that makes it easy to control the on-screen cursor and can also be used as a mini media player or browser. This opens up a lot of possibilities for using the Eee Keyboard PC in a home entertainment set-up.

Unfortunately there’s no official word on pricing or availability at the moment, but hopefully it won’t take too long to make it to market.

Update: Specs and price estimates have been released by Asus CEO Jerry Shen.

• Self-contained PC / keyboard combo with integrated 5-inch touchscreen display
• OS: Windows XP Home Edition
• 1.6GHz Intel Atom microprocessor
• 1GB of DDR2 DRAM
• 16GB or 32GB SSD
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Ultra Wideband HDMI
• USB 2.0 x2, VGA, HDMI, headphone and mic ports
• Weight: 2 lbs

Price for the wireless model will be between $400 and $600.

Featuring an ARM OMAP3 processor from Texas Instruments, it uses a lot less energy than a standard system and, coupled with its two batteries (one in each section) it could offer up to 15 hours of use from a single charge.

It features a 1,024 x 600 resolution 8.9-inch screen with an easy-to-use 3D user interface, has accelerometer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, six USBs, and uses 8GB micro SD cards for storage.

The screen portion is magnetic, so you could stick it to the fridge or other metal surface, and it runs on open source software.

It all comes in at US$399, too, which isn’t at all bad for something that sounds so versatile. The first batch is going to be limited, so if you’re interested you’d better get over to the web site and pre-order now. It’s going to be available from early summer this year.

Now, we bring you the first thing you can do with your PS2, well, not the console itself actually. Many fans complained about the PS3′s new boomerang-like controller, however a company named Buffalo is now selling a couple of adapters that allow you to connect one or a couple of controllers to your PC. They are currently available only through IO-DATA in Japan.

Via AkihabaraNews