Lexar announced their new “gaming” memory cards today. I”m curious what exactly makes these cards specifically for gamers? Do they drink Mountain Dew? Do they call other memory cards ‘Bro’ while giving them dead leg?

Other then labeling, I’m not sure what else makes these gamer level memory cards special.

Even though Starcraft II was playable more than a year ago, Blizzard has still been extremely selective about the assets that they release. This latest video shows off the “Story Mode,” also known as the game, in which you can see a few characters driving the story, directing the flow of the game, and so on. The graphics, as we know, are very reminiscent of the original, yet polished and in high resolution; the added depth of 3D makes that Yamato Battle Cruiser look way meaner than it did in Starcraft. And the environment seems way more dynamic with the emphasis on high/low ground. How about that lava?

Check out the video inside.

Last time Dreamcasts were spotted for sale, the price was north of $100, but Amazon now has the system for only $79. It’s NIB too. Ladies, this could make a great Christmas gift for your nerd boyfriend.

The “de-make” is a class of indie game where a popular new game is crushed into a low-fidelity environment; we’ve seen D-Pad Hero, Gang Garrison II (my favorite), and a whole competition based on the idea over at The Independent Gaming Source.

The latest victim of this ridiculous trend is Left 4 Dead — check out the video inside.

I haven’t played through all of Super Mario Galaxy, but what I did play was pretty forgiving. Compare that to the punishing, yet rewarding, difficulty curve of the original games or newer games like Demon’s Souls — it’s like comparing a sprint to a ramble. However, Miyamoto has stated in a recent interview that Mario Galaxy 2 will be “really challenging,” which is encouraging. They need to remember that their company has its roots in games that were hard as coffin nails.

Now, it’s not this blog’s intention to post every little bit of gaming news (or is it?), but this is a more signal event than all the PR out there. Modern Warfare 2 for the PC, which infamously lacks dedicated servers, a console, the ability to kick players, and other things integral to a good PC game. Infinity Ward, maddeningly apathetic to the needs and requests of their users, has said that no changes to the stated areas are forthcoming.

Well, you can’t keep a good PC gamer down. They’ve cracked it wide open.

Were you one of the 1 million Xbox live users that got banned yesterday? Well, you might not want to go buy that new Xbox quite yet. Some of the modders (you know, the ones who got you banned in the first place) are working on a solution that returns the firmware to an almost stock configuration, which would allow you to actually use your console again.

These days, when people aren’t talking about the Apple Tablet, they’re talking about how Apple’s next target is the Big Three gaming companies. The iPhone will topple them! The iPhone is a revolutionary gaming device! Well, certainly a little optimism is warranted; the iPhone has inarguably changed the landscape of mobile phones, personal media players, and to a lesser extent personal computers. Why shouldn’t Apple extend its holy sovereignty to gaming?

It already has, in fact. But Apple has come kicking and screaming the whole way. The iPhone, you understand, was not meant to be a gaming device, and in Cupertino, Apple’s intentions are paramount. Apple could never accidentally create a platform for gaming; if it wasn’t meant for gaming (or enterprise, or medical use, or reading e-books, etc.) from the beginning, Apple doesn’t want it happening at all. Because if Apple didn’t intend it, it’s outside of the bounds they set into the platform (regardless of how well it works, much like tethering) — it breaks the mold and, ironically, that’s the last thing Apple wants. And there are plenty other reasons not to expect Apple to jump into the gaming arena any time soon.

Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of virtual currencies. They certainly have their place, but usually they’re just an obstacle between you and the object you want. Why do I have to buy points if points are just your version of dollars?

There are exceptions: here in Seattle there are a couple alternate currencies being traded for goods and services which work on a different level from dollars — and GamersGate, the direct-download games site, appears to have something of a good deal in their blue coins.

Yes. It is finished. We can shut down NASA, DARPA, all the arts and sciences, and stop trying now. The pinnacle of human achievement has been reached. Robot vacuums have been hacked to play the parts in a real-life game of Pac-Man.

Video inside.

When someone says “portable,” what do you think? I think “fits in a bag or pocket,” but some people would go the “portable” generator route and say “is not physically fixed in position.” That seems to be the “portable” that the creators of the SNEGENES had in mind when they said their device was so. Now, I don’t want to detract from the obvious glory of what has been created here: a (technically) handheld device that will play cartridges from NES, SNES, and Genesis — but really, that thing is about as portable as my bathtub.

It’s not that we want to rush Nintendo in the creation of their next opus, but it might have been nice to have it in 2010. Perhaps the biggest of the “big three” Nintendo franchise games in the works (along with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M) is “tracking” for 2010 but Nintendo isn’t committed to the year. I’m guessing they’re not going to push for a holiday 2010 release, but may have preorders available then so they can get in on the season.

Well, Netflix streaming on the PS3 works. Of course, you need to use the special disk (can’t just download the software eh? how quaint). But it appears to be working correctly. Check out the video inside, which demonstrates that it’s working, and working smoothly.

A virtual pinball machine sounds like a really good idea. No less then 17 tables, on a LCD display (so the playfield doesn’t wear out). Best yet, the virtual pinball machine has some of the most famous Gottlieb games like 2001 and Gold Strike. Sure, it’s expensive, but compared to the cost of actually buying 17 pinball machines? It’s quite reasonable. And takes up a lot less space in the ol man cave.

Poor Wii owners (I’m one of them). There will be no Modern Warfare 2 for us. In a recent interview, Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling explained that the Wii’s relatively underpowered innards in comparison to the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 make it impossible to replicate “the cinematic experience” across all platforms.

While the Nintendo Wii continues to have a stranglehold on console sales, both worldwide and in the United States, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are battling it out for the the second place position for year-to-date sales. Just a little over two months ago, Sony announced that they would be slashing the price of their game console, the PS3, to $299. Microsoft quickly followed suit, and in just ten days dropped the price of their most expensive console, the Xbox 360 Elite, to $299. Nintendo, who has sold nearly double the number of consoles worldwide as these two, decided to lower the price of the Wii on September 27th to $199: this was the first time since its inception that the Wii has had a price cut. All three console manufacturers hoped that the decrease in price would help them to increase sales and finish the year on a strong note. The results have been mixed: while all three consoles have seen an increase in sales, the PS3 has seen astonishing growth in the US and abroad, and has wrestled the second-place position in worldwide YTD sales from the 360. As for the Xbox, even in its upgraded Elite form it has seen only minimal gains since the price drop.

While it’s a little bit early to be busting out the green outfits to cosplay while you wait in line at midnight, there is some information trickling out about the new Zelda game. In particular, Miyamoto is talking about gameplay.

MotionPlus, anyone?