We’re 
still a good two months out from the official North American launch of the Wii U, but Nintendo’s next generation console system is already proving to be one of the holiday’s must-have items.
Several major retailers are already old out of the system online, meaning they’ve put a halt on pre-orders. Others, it seems, aren’t even giving people the online pre-order option, apparently reserving their stock for the launch day stampede.
Nintendo’s 
announcement on Thursday that the Wii U would come in two flavors costing either $300 or $350 instantly sparked a lot of arguments.
Some thought it was too high a number. Some felt it fair. Few, it’s worth noting, vowed to boycott the system, so any objections fell short of the ones Sony faced when the PlayStation 3 was initially priced at an astronomical $500.
It’s 
been five months since the story of Caine Monroy’s cardboard arcade touched the hearts of Internet surfers. Now the filmmaker who made the nine-year old famous is hoping that spark of creativity can go as viral as his movie.
Filmmaker Nirvan Mullick introduced the world to Caine, and has stayed in close touch with the young entrepreneur. And fame, it seems, has been good for Caine.
There 
weren’t a lot of surprises at Apple’s press event Tuesday. The rumor mill was pretty much spot-on when it came to the iPhone 5, taking a little of the wind out of the company’s sails.
But that doesn’t make the iPhone 5 — and the slew of new iPod Touch devices that the company also debuted — any less important to gaming. In fact, Apple might be further cementing its presence as a major player in the video game industry.
Nintendo’s 
next generation will kick off November 18.
That’s the day the Wii U will go on sale in North America, with two versions for consumers to choose from. But neither is going to be dirt-cheap.
Not 
only can playing video games with a friend make the experience more fun, it could make you a more giving person.
A pair of studies from Ohio State University finds that playing games like Halo, Call of Duty and Unreal Tournament with a teammate can reduce the negative behavioral effects that are associated with those games.
In 
2000, Lindy Ruble suffered a stroke. She survived, but was left unable to recognize text, which made using a PC keyboard — and most Internet-based forms of communications — impossible.
But a clever tech hack by her son has allowed her to start sending emails once again.
This 
year’s Madden is showing some serious MVP potential.
The latest installment of the venerable sports franchise is breaking records left and right — a victory for EA, which gambled with major gameplay changes this year.
They 
have no value in the real world (yet), but good luck telling that to the millions of gamers hopeless addicted to Microsoft’s Xbox Achievements. Earning some of these digital tips of the cap can takes hours, if not days or weeks. Yet, for many, many gamers, they’re an integral part of what makes the Xbox 360 such a great console.
Admittedly, the thrill of seeing “Achievement Unlocked” and hearing that pleasing little chime after long hours of hunting down in-game items is often its own reward. Some Achievements, though, can test the mettle of even the most dedicated gamers, remaining just a pipe dream no matter how hard they try. Stretch your thumbs and grab some extra batteries before trying to take down the 10 hardest Xbox Achievements.
Video 
game makers just can’t catch a break.
For the ninth month in a row, brick and mortar retail sales of video game hardware and software was down — and down sharply. The NPD Group, which tracks the sales, says overall numbers for the month were down 20 percent compared to a year ago.
Chris Morris: Journalist 