“Insert 
quarter. Avoid missing ball for high score.”
That was the extent of the instructions for Pong, the first video game blockbuster.
Pong wasn’t the very first video game, by any means (that honor arguably goes to 1947’s “Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device”), but it was absolutely the first commercially successful one and remains of one the industry’s most iconic titles. Released on November 29th, 1972, it turns The Big Four-Oh today.
Nintendo’s 
global president is apologizing to gamers for the hefty, mandatory system update they’re forced to endure upon setting up their Wii U.
In a wide-ranging interview with IGN, Satoru Iwata said he regretted the need for the update, which enables the online functionality of the system.
Shopping 
for the gamer on your list should be the easiest part of your holiday gift gathering. Buy a good game and, bam! You’re finished, right?
Not necessarily. Gamers have the annoying habit of buying the best games right when they come out, ruining the plans of well-meaning gift givers. And if you don’t know precisely what game they’re looking for, you could inadvertently pick out a dud.
Gaming culture, thankfully, extends beyond games …
Nintendo 
was rightfully proud of the 400,000 Wii U consoles it sold in the system’s first week, which included Black Friday. But Microsoft has reason to be even prouder.
The Redmond-based company says some 750,000 Xbox 360s were sold over the same six-day time period, surpassing its own expectations and showing that there’s still life left in the console, which has now been available for eight Black Friday shopping frenzies.
Every 
Thursday, I join Chris Salcedo and Rick Roberts on the mid-day edition of America’s Radio News Network to discuss trends and news in the technology and video game space. This week’s topics were the launch of Nintendo’s Wii U, a widespread hoax regarding Facebook’s privacy policy (and a look at their actual privacy practices), and a gift guide for technically inclined kids.
Microsoft 
is rumored to be readying a low-cost “Xbox TV” console focused more on entertainment than games, but will the move confuse customers? Or will it ease the transition to a likely-expensive Durango?
Six years ago, when Microsoft launched the Xbox 360, people scratched their heads at the company’s strategy. Two notably different SKUs? Wouldn’t that confuse people? Surely this was a stumble by Microsoft, which would hurt it at retail.
Of course, it wasn’t long before Sony announced plans for a similar strategy — and Nintendo eventually followed suit with the Wii U. And you don’t have to look further than Microsoft’s 20-month run as the country’s best selling console to see the strategy worked — and worked well.
Now there are whispers that Microsoft is preparing to do it all over again, only this time instead of differentiating its systems by the size of their hard drives, it’s rumored to be preparing a low-cost alternative, dubbed “Xbox TV,” to its next-generation console, which will focus on “core entertainment services” (aka, the kind you don’t play with) and cater to a casual audience.
Just 
over a week after Nintendo rolled out its new Wii U console, the video game company is introducing another one. U.S. shoppers, however, won’t be able to get their hands on it yet.
The Wii Mini, a shrunken version of the now-officially-last-generation console, is going on sale December 7th exclusively in Canada. It will cost Great White North gamers (and those Yanks who slip across the border) a mere $100.
The 
Madden video game franchise has always prided itself on its realistic play. Now the NFL is looking to ratchet up that realism by several degrees.
Over the past few years, the NFL has been exploring ways to gather all sorts of new data points from players during games. But this season it’s getting serious about it — and that could dramatically impact the biggest football video game franchise on the planet.
Nintendo’s 
next generation console system is selling fast in the U.S., but it’s still falling a bit short of the pace set by its predecessor.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime says the company sold 400,000 units in its first six days of availability, including Black Friday, and that the system is currently “essentially sold out” at retail.
Spending 
on consumer electronics is expected to top $250 per shopper this holiday season and, according to the Consumer Electronics Assn., 76% of gift-giving adults plan to give a gadget as a present. That doesn’t mean finding the right item is an easy task, though. To help out, Variety offers up a few ideas that are bound to please even the most discriminating tech-lover.
Chris Morris: Journalist 