Stylish gadget maker Apple may be plotting an expansion into video game hardware, going by a recent application to expand the breadth of the Apple trademark.

Though most of the application could apply to Apple's iPod line, at least one descriptor--"stand alone video game machines"--goes far beyond anything the company has offered thus far.

While some consider the 1996 Apple-created Pipin platform to be a game console, the short-lived hardware was licensed to and produced by third parties, not Apple, and marketed as a cheap multimedia computer.

Judging from the rest of the listing, which was uncovered by Trademork, any "stand alone video game machine" covered by the as-yet-unapproved trademark expansion would most likely be a battery-powered portable device that utilizes an LCD screen.

Tired of old and busted input methods like controllers and Wii-wagglin'? Too lazy to make even the slightest movement of one or two fingers to play a game? OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator might be for you.

The Tech Report's Scott Wasson had some hands-on time with the device and explains how it works in a piece published today. Fitting around the head, the NIA is equipped with three sensors across the front of the band that pick up and interpret electrical signals commonly associated with facial movements and even some patterns of thought.

The NIA's DirectX-based software then maps these signals to particular control functions in games, allowing certain actions to be controlled via subtle facial expressions and even certain patterns of thought.

The report discusses how technical development VP Dr. Michael Schuette (pictured left) had mapped basic controls for Epic Games' Unreal Tournament III (PC, PS3, X360) to facial muscle inputs, but assigned what he calls his "Tourette's impulse" to the jump key—he'd simply think of a dirty word to jump.

OCZ hopes to bring the Neural Impulse Actuator to the market within the next three to four months at a price point range of $300 to $400.

Outspoken God of War and Twisted Metal creator David Jaffe (pictured left) is the latest industry figure to show support of a single console model for the gaming industry.

"We have [an industry standard] with DVD, we had it with VHS," argues Jaffe. "Sure, you miss out on a cool feature here, a neat feature there. But we’ve gotten used to this in so many other hardware products and—in doing so—reaped the many more benefits of a single system."

In a direct response to a counterpoint issued by Game|Life, Jaffe concedes his belief that "80% of the game innovation I care about comes via design, not tech."

Jaffe's suggestion that the industry move towards a single console hardware scheme settles him among other proponents of the model, including Denis Dyack and John Romero. Advocates of the model argue that a movement towards a single console would ease development and resolve fragmentation of the current console market.

Sure, there's a bit of scattered video game representation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but it's really all about gadgets. Our own Nick Breckon took a break from testing amazing chairs and hunting down game coverage to focus on testing out a whole bunch of wacky, impractical technology.

Among the products previewed are the touch-sensitive Microsoft Surface, VR-esque Vuzix iWear glasses, well-endowed The Shaft controller for Wii, wireless power (!), brain-controlled robots (!!), and a $25,000 home theater case. Check it all out.

This model was designed specifically for PC games, and features some pretty spiffy head tracking technology. What this means is that, in a game like Flight Simulator, you don't have to use a mouse to look around--you can simply turn your head to the left in order to look out the window of a plane.

Which is exactly what I was doing the second I put on the glasses. The view is the same as the AV920-C, but the head tracking makes it. You have a full 360 degrees of movement to work with, so turning fully around gives you a view of the back of your seat. Read more...

Chair connoisseur Nick Breckon has had some exciting adventures during this year's Consumer Electronic Show, but none quite as exhilarating as his exploration of the conference's various innovations in seat technology.

Awards include achievement in overall utility, achievement in plastics, worst bargain, achievement in whiteness, and more. But what device swept Nick off his feet and came away with the coveted CES chair of the year title? Click through to find out.

A resolution of 2880x900. Dimensions equivalent to two 24" widescreen monitors standing end-to-end. DLP rear projection on a curved screen, with OLED illumination. An insignificant .02ms response time.

Alienware's new curved monitor caused quite a stir when it was revealed here at CES. It seemed like the natural evolution of monitor technology had finally arrived. After all, the human eye is curved, so why shouldn't our monitors curve too? What a great idea.

So is it that great? Well, it's as quick as advertised, and as curved. Not that any of that means much right now, because this monitor has major problems.

Pulling up to the beast, the Crysis demo loaded and ready to go, I was... Read more

Financial publication Forbes has named PC graphics card manufacturer Nvidia its 2007 Company of the Year, as reported in the January 7, 2008 issue of the magazine.

Forbes points to Nvidia's current advantage in the graphics market as well as its incredible growth as a company, over the last five years and in the last year particularly, as the reasoning behind the honor--the company's revenues are at $4 billion, up 33% year over year, and its profits are at $900 million, up 50% year over year, while its share price is up 2100% since its 1999 IPO.

The success of the Santa Clara, California-based company is pinned on CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, who cofounded it in 1993. As Nvidia competes with Intel's integrated graphics solutions on the low end, and new AMD subsidiary ATI's dedicated cards on the high end, Huang indicated he plans to continue running Nvidia the way that has brought its current success: by constantly iterating and improving its core product.

Meanwhile it provides the graphics chip for the PS3, is expanding out into the non-gaming arena of research analysis hardware, and hopes to drive sophisticated graphics in less-hardcore areas such as web interfaces. "What if Google Earth had a 3D representation of every single building, every single square meter on Earth, and you could access it in the blink of an eye?" Huang asked. "The more content there is, the more visual interest there can be, the more processing horsepower people need."

Thanks to today's digidump, your screen will get splattered with screenshots from Aliens vs Predator: Requiem, Baby Pals, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, MX vs ATV Untamed and Stranger. We also have videos from Beowulf, FlatOut Head On, Godzilla Unleashed and SimCity Societies.

Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (PSP)Baby Pals (DS)... Read more

New York-based game giant Take-Two sold its gaming accessories subsidiary Joytech to competing peripheral manufacturer Mad Catz, Take-Two announced today. The sale is part of the new Take-Two management team's plan to sell off unessential businesses, as the move returns the whole of Take-Two's interests to the software realm.

The acquisition cost Mad Catz $3.7 million, according to a release from the San Diego-headquartered accessories provider. "Joytech's strong presence in Europe and growing presence in North America are expected to complement our current operations and further enhance our worldwide distribution network enabling Mad Catz to more efficiently deliver a larger portfolio of innovative gaming accessories to our customers worldwide," Mad Catz CEO Darren Richardson said in the statement.

According to the announcement from Take-Two, Mad Catz will acquire "substantially all of our Joytech employees in the U.S.... Read more

Electronic Arts will be adopting a new organizational structure that will see the company's efforts and development teams categorized under four labels.

The creation of the new model is credited to EA's Sims division team, which will now operate under The Sims label. Helmed by Nancy Smith, The Sims label will encompass all of EA's Sim projects, including EA Redwood Shores' MySim (Wii, DS), Tilted Mill's SimCity Societies (PC), and Maxis' The Sims Castaway Stories (PC).

The EA Games label will be lead by Frank Gibeau and handle franchises such as Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, Spore, Battlefield, ... Read more