Tech Digest

We love Wii because...

Where else can you spend a happy hour or two pulling worms out of rabbits' teeth? Click below for a bonkers clip from one of the mini-games in the upcoming Wii Rayman title. Since when did worms have teeth? Actually, since when did rabbits go to the dentist to have worms with teeth removed from their mouths? Maybe it's better not to ask.

Vodafone plans its own island in Second Life

It's an increasingly blurry line between real and virtual worlds, with criminals taking advantage of online games, the ability to own and earn from a virtual replica of our world, and now the possibility of linking up your mobile and messaging.

It appears that Vodafone want to create 'Vodafone Island' in the smash virtual world of Second Life. 3pointD.com reports that "Vodafone content should start appearing on the Grid in coming months. Besides activities like sports, music, film and events that are planned for Vodafone Island, the company will also try to give SL residents new ways to interact with each other and with the real world."

I'll be honest I'm starting to get a little confused as to what's completely real, what's completely virtual, and what services float in-between. On the one hand you've got Weblo where people can buy virtual copies of places, people and domain names, and then on the other you've got Second Life with the real world Vodafone setting up an island. What's all that about?

Anyone think this it's a good idea for companies to follow us into online worlds?

(Read (via Mobile Weblog)

One Minute Interview: XBox 360 on Windows Mobile

I speak to John Starkweather at Microsoft about the future of Xbox gaming, and how it's being developed to work with Windows Mobile. Hear about gaming on the move, and beaming your gaming creds to all and sundry when you're out and about.

Opera for Nintendo DS finally hits Europe

Web browsing has computer to the DS in Europe, with the Opera browser making its debut on Nintendo's handheld.

Available in Japan since February, the browser is available in Europe for both th DS and DS Lite. It iffers split screen browsing, with one screen showing en entire web page, the other showing a zoom portion you can scroll around. The downside is a lack of support for Flash sites, the positives include handwriting recognition and an on-scren keyboard for ttyping in web addresses.

Available now as a cartridge, it retails for £30.

Nintendo website

Online gaming: Women outnumber the men

A survey by Nielsen shows that of the 117 million active gamers in the US, 56% play games online, and of those, 64% are women. Active gamers were determined as being over 13, having at least one games device, and playing at least one hour of games each week. Men outnumber women gamers overall, but not online.

The survey also looked at casual gamers, who tend to jump around from free demo to free demo without any particular loyalty, and found that they spent around £5 per month on gaming. More dedicated gamers such as those playing MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft spent around £15 per month, though a lot of that would presumably be for ongoing subscriptions. At the top of the pile came Xbox 360 owners who spent around £20 per month.

Most console owners have at least one platform for playing games - either more than one console or a console and a PC. The Playstation 2 took most market share, with 59%, followed by Xbox's of all generations at 33%. The GameCube came in at 30%.

Active game players spend around 14 hours per week on consoles and 17 hours per week on handheld gaming systems. 24% used a mobile phone for gaming. However, PCs are very popular, with 64% of active gamers using one.

Playing games is also sociable (at least virtually) with gamers spending 5 hours per week playing online with other people. Not sure how many play in the same room with other gamers.

Whilst this is a US-based survey, I wouldn't expect the figures to be vastly different, at least proportionally, in the UK.

What kind of gamer are you? Me - sad to say probably very casual (or should that be cheapskate). I rarely buy games and either go for freeware or demos.

Games console workouts for kids

Apparently, sitting in front of the TV playing games doesn't have to mean piling on the pounds - a fitness and martial arts expert has developed a work out that will keep kids fit while they are glued to a game.

The man behind it is Kevin Allen, who has set up Lazyfitness.org and devised a ten stage fitness routine kids can do, console in hand, that will improve their strength, stamina, flexibility and even burn calories. The routine can last from 10 minutes to an hour - burning up to 300 calories without ever losing control of the game.

Want to know more? Read on after the turn for 10 exercises. Or visit Lazyfitness.org for around 500 more, plus exercises for lazy adults!

1. Power Kick

Kick ass on your console with these tough kicks, which help strengthen kids’ legs and hearts fast. Start jogging on the spot and kick your heels back as high as possible while jogging. Keep going for one minute for a lower body warm up. 

2. Bling Butt

From a standing position, squat down, hold for two seconds, then rise slowly to the count of four. Repeat ten times. Tones legs, butt and lower back.

3. Big Guns

Kids shouldn’t workout with heavy weights but they can develop muscles of steel with tension exercises. Hold control pad while standing. Lightly squeeze the pad inwards with hands while tensing arm muscles hard. Reverse by lightly pushing outwards on the pad while maintaining muscle tension. Repeat regularly. Tones arms, shoulders and chest. 

4. Zap Six Pack

A six pack with no sit ups. The laziest way to strengthen the stomach is to tense the muscles and not let go. From a standing position lightly tense your stomach muscles and hold this tension while you play. Works well for any level of fitness.

5. Macho Man

A tough karate pose. Stand with your feet a shoulder width apart. Take your right leg back and bend your front leg, keeping the back leg straight. Stand still for up to 30 seconds then change legs. Fast strengthening and static stretching for legs and bums.

6.Sumo Slammer

From a standing position take your legs twice shoulder width apart and bend your legs, lowering your bum as if you were going to sit down on an invisible chair. Sit like a Sumo for 30 seconds to stretch and strengthen the legs and bum.

7. Kung Fu Crane

This stealthy Kung Fu posture develops motor skills of co-ordination and balance.  Stand on one leg and bring the other one off the floor. Turn knee of raised leg outwards and bring the foot close to knee of the standing leg like a Crane. Balance for as long as you can then change legs.

8. Wild Child

Go wild with this great heart pounding cardio workout. Start jogging on the spot slowly for a few seconds then bust into a super fast sprint on the spot for 15 seconds or so. Slow back down to a jog, before busting back into a sprint. Keep rotating between slow and fast for five minutes.

9. Karate Crunchers

Karate-style sit ups. Lie on the floor with control pad in front of you. Bend knees and slowly sit up to an angle of 30 degrees while gently tensing stomach muscles then lower back to the floor. Support your feet under a chair and couch for added support if needed. Advanced move – twist to left or right on way up. Complete 10 sit ups.

10. Lazy Legs

Lie flat on the floor, legs out straight. Lift one leg off the ground at about 45 degrees and hold it up 10 to 15 seconds or for as long as you can.  Return your foot to the floor and repeat with the opposite leg. A great exercise for the deep stomach muscles.

BBC launches Red Dwarf: Beat The Geek interactive DVD

There must be plenty of Red Dwarf fans around - it was the longest running, highest-rated show on BBC Two. And if you're pining for its return - well, that's unlikely, but you can console yourself with Red Dwarf: Beat the Geek, an interactive DVD with new footage recorded just for the game.

The idea of the game is in the name - you have the chance to test your Red Dwarf geek knowledge against another geek. Or if you're more of a casual viewer, you get to test your general knowledge. It's all hosted by Holly (played by both Norman Lovett and Hattie Hayridge) and is played across eight levels aboard Red Dwarf. Each level takes you to a different part of the ship for a different batch of questions, visiting major locations from the series including Starbug, the Bunk Room, Science Lab, Prison and Officers’ Quarters.

Probably a game you'll be all over on Christmas morning or you'll want to run a mile from. If you're one of the former, it's out on 23rd October, priced at £19.99.

Find out more from the BBC shop

Fancy a Wii Watch?

Bayraider has been snuffling around eBay for promotional memorabilia around Nintendo's Wii console, and it's turned up quite a few items. Take these watches, which were produced for the European press launch of the console, and look set to become the discerning gamer's timepiece of choice. Also up for grabs are promotional playing cards, t-shirts and the usual domain-name madness – fancy paying $1,000 for GoBuyWii.com and GoGetWii.com? Thought not. Anyway, all the info's here.

Also today on Bayraider: George Clooney's screen-worn Batman cape, and Britney Spears' dressing gown, worn every day during the filming of Crossroads. And hopefully washed since.

Tuesday Top Ten: YouTube videos that'll make you want a Nintendo Wii

The headline says it all, really. Nintendo's Wii console launches here in the UK on December 8th, with a price of £179. And I for one cannot wait, having slapped my pre-order in as soon as the games retailers started taking orders. But if you're still unsure, or don't have a clue what all the fuss around Wii is about, here's ten videos from YouTube that should have you reaching for your wallet.

1. The Official Trailer (Pt. 1)
A decent introduction to what Wii is all about, courtesy of Nintendo. See Japanese families sharing the fun of virtual conducting! Fall head over heels in love with the Wario game! Marvel at why the grungey guy isn't out playing a gig rather than staying in playing first-person shooters! This is the video to watch if you're completely new to Wii, or need to convince a non-gaming husband/wife/parent of its charms.

2. See why it's called Wii
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto explains why exactly the console is called Wii, as thousands of British viewers collapse in mirth at the thought of the urine-related punning to be had once they've got one sitting in their living room.

3. Wii drumming
As someone unable to see a pair of chopsticks without recreating the solo from Led Zep's 'Moby Dick', the Wii Drumming game has got me PROPERLY excited. It's like SingStar on PS2, except for those of us who can't hold a tune, and like hitting things! In time or not.

4. Underwear attack
Okay, so Wii is being pitched as a break from console industry norms. But one thing remains the same – there's nothing like a woman in hotpants and a skimpy bra to get gamers hot under the collar about a new product. I don't know if Nintendo had anything to do with this cheeky Wii v PS3 parody of Apple's Mac v PC ads, but if they didn't think it up, they should have.

5. The overview
This one's another good video to show Wii virgins, as it provides an overview of the console feature by feature. By the end of it, you'll be as HELL YEAH enthusiastic as they are...

6. At last! Realistic fishing in video games
Okay, apart from Sega Bass Fishing on the Dreamcast. But in The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess you can fish by casting your Wiimote. Don't let your dad play on this, otherwise he'll monopolise it for hours and never let you get any further in the game. And that'd mean you miss the horseback bits...

7. Men in black show you how to play Zelda
More Zelda, which looks like being one of the most dribble-worthy launch titles for Wii (i.e. the one you'll choose if a retailer forces you to buy a 'Wii + 1 game' bundle). And who better to show you how this flagship game works than some blokes dressed in black looking sharp?

8. Bollywood Dancers love it
Check this video out. It appears to be a dubbed Bollywood-style video singing Wii's praises in typically over-the-top style. Who knows if the subtitles have just been slapped onto an old movie where they're singing about something completely different. Like PlayStation 3. EDIT - Thanks commenters for alerting me to the fact that this isn't a Bollywood video at all, it's actually a Tamil video. I'd still like to think they're singing about Wii though.

9. Geeks love it
This video's good too. It shows the stampede at this year's E3 conference when the doors opened, and hundreds of sweating mad-eyed gamers ran for the Wii stand. Don't be offended, by the way. In my household, being called a sweaty mad-eyed geek is the highest praise. And I did run for the stand one morning at E3...

10. Wii Tennis
Genius. Even when played by the people who created it on a big-screen, which is a bit embarrassing for all concerned.

Control over 250 trains with Hornby’s new Digital Command system

  Following the lead of Scalextric, another old favourite has gone digital - Hornby - with the launch of their new Digital Command Control (DCC) system, which allows up to 254 locomotives to be 'called up' and controlled individually without lots of messy wiring.

The digital system comes in two variations from October - Select and Elite. A small micro chip processor fitted into each locomotive communicates with the digital unit and responds to any instruction issued to it, such as to move forward, reverse, speed up, slow down or to turn lights on or off. The digital units also allow the user to remotely control the track’s railway points so that trains can be moved onto different sections of track at the touch of a button.

Both the Select and Elite Control units feature a keyboard used to programme or call up the locomotives and a LCD display to show which locomotive or accessories are being operated. Each unit has a rotary control which controls the acceleration and deceleration of the locomotive. The differences between the two units are the number of locomotives and track points that can be controlled. The Select controller can handle up to sixty locomotives and allow any ten of them to be ‘on command’ at any one time. The Elite controller can manage or call up to 254 locomotives on a track at any one time and allows any ten of them to be run simultaneously.

The Elite unit also contains a USB socket which can be connected to a personal computer and using the internet receive any future software download features for the Elite system. The Select system will sell for £70, while the Elite system retails for £140.

Hornby website