EPA Energy Star Wants Consoles to Be GREENER

The EPA(Everybody Pisses Ass,lol) wants to throw game consoles into the mix.

Operational Mode Requirements

• Off Mode: ≤ 1 W Sleep or Auto-Off: ≤ 5 W

Power Management and Efficient Operation Requirements

• Sleep or Auto-Off - The console shall power down to a sleep mode after 1 hour of inactivity; andƒ Provide Game Developers the tools/features allowing APD within games or programs designed for the console; andƒ Automatically APD when games are in an inactive or paused game state; and ƒ Provide for Full Network Connectivity in sleep.
• TV/Display Sleep - The console shall have the ability to drop Component, Composite, DVI outputs (using in-place standards where applicable) when the system is inactive for 15 minutes. Ability to do this in HDMI should be implemented once a HDMI standard for doing so exists; andƒ Provide visual feedback on the console's integrated display or LEDs calling attention to the consoles continued active state while outputs are dropped.
• Power Scaling - Set Top Box (STB) and DVD/Blu Ray/Movie Playback functions must come within 10% of the requirements in place for the Energy Star STB Specification Version 2.0, Tier 2 (finalized on April 23, 2008). Game consoles must be tested using the test procedure in the Set Top Box specification to evaluate their ability to meet the requirement.
• Efficient Networking
• Implement IEEE 802.3az and Full Network Connectivity in Sleep for Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
• Wireless Access Point functions must use less than 10W.

Phahtrox: That won't kill too many Koopas, now will it?

Nintendo has done it again.

Backed by a variety of unique interfaces, Nintendo’s Wii™ console topped the U.S. video game hardware sales charts with nearly 687,000 units sold in September, according to the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. Nintendo DS™ was the No. 2 best-selling system, with nearly 537,000 sold.

Wii enjoyed the biggest monthly unit sales increase with 234,000 more units sold in September than August. Wii also saw a year-over-year increase of more than 37 percent over September 2007.

Four games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10 best-selling games of the month, including Wii Fit™ at No. 2 with nearly 518,000 sold, Mario Kart™ Wii at No. 4 with more than 353,000 sold, Wii Play™ at No. 7 with nearly 243,000 sold and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for Wii at No. 8 with more than 223,000 sold.

“The four Wii games in the top 10 all feature controls just not possible on other video game systems,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The Wii Balance Board and Wii Wheel give players new ways to interact with their games, while the Wii Remote controller transforms into a pool cue, table tennis paddle or lightsaber. Consumers have truly responded to this variety of entertainment options.”

Phahtrox: I totally knew it.

Guitar Hero: World Tour's guitar to work with RB2

There have been some mixed messages in gaming press, but I’m happy to confirm that the Wii Guitar Hero 3 guitar will be compatible with Rock Band 2 for the Wii. We wanted to clarify for all the Wii Rockers that have expressed confusion regarding this compatibility, and reassure that Harmonix will continue to advocate wide-ranging compatibility for instruments across music platforms.

Phahtrox: Whee!!!

World of Goo Gameplay Awesomeness

Phahtrox: If this won't make you buy it I don't know what will.