Gaming is hazardous to your health it seems - no, this is not another complaint from Jack Thompson, this time it's comes from the British Journal of Dermatology. 'Playstation Palmar hidradenitis' is a new disease dubbed by researchers after a 12 year old girl came into a Swiss hospital complaining about painful sores in the palm of her hands. "Doctors who examined her at the Geneva University Hospital concluded she had a condition known as 'idiopathic eccrine hidradenitis', a skin disorder that generally causes red, sore lumps on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet." After pausing on the gameplay for 10 days she fully ...

Want to play Guitar Hero on a budget? Well your in luck with Jam Legend. It's a Guitar Hero like game that uses the numeric pad on your keyboard to play along to music tracks, and its free! You can jam away by yourself or with others on the internet. It may seem like this type of gameplay is for babies, but after trying out a few sessions we can testify that it isn't as easy as it looks. Jam Legend even offers a decent playlist, but mostly it is comprised of songs that aren't very popular. More Guitar Hero Products

Last year Basic Fun made a splash with the debut of the Guitar Hero Carabiner. Building off of that momentum, Basic Fun featured an update with the Guitar Hero Carabiner II at this years Toy Fair '09. This time the guitar is enclosed in gray housing and it includes a set list of 10 songs: You Really Got Me, The Beast and the Harlot, Girlfriend, I Want to be Sedated, Carry on Wayward Son, Tonight I’m Going to Rock you Tonight, I Love Rock and Roll, Ace of Spades, Sharp Dressed Man, and Hush. The gameplay is the same as the original and will retail for $15.99. Head on over to Chip Chicklets to see more kid oriented coverage from Toy Fair '09.

If you looking to add a new keychain to your collection, might I suggest the Super Mario Light Mascot? Not only are they adorable and feature characters (good and bad) from the famous Nintendo game, each one is about 5cm in height and when you slide the switch under the brick it becomes lit. It won't be bright enough to replace a flashlight but will certainly add personality to these ever adorable mascots. Each Light Mascot costs $3.99.

We're really excited for Godfather II. For those of you who like GTA-like gameplay combined with strategy thinking, the Godfather II is going to win you over, capisce? The game lets you enjoy the foot action of combating and driving around as a mobster, but you also get to simultaneously work the town while strategically planning as a Don. You are a Don in the Corleone family, so that means you get to create your own story of deception, conquest, betrayal and whatever else you see fit - you create the consequences. At the same time, the story you create becomes interweaved with several of the events in the actual ...

So we had the gaming chair - now we have the gaming mat, the Zerk Checkerboard Game Terrain Video Gaming Mat. Say that fast three times. It really doesn't do anything and actually should have just been called checkerboard carpet. It can hold several players and is moisture proof for those sweat inducing levels. If you don't want to play games at the moment, it can be used as an exercise mat too. It retails for $229.98 for the checkerboard design or $189.98 for a solid color.

We got a chance to spend a little time yesterday with the latest installment of Resident Evil 5 from Capcom. Many will assume its the same thing all over again. Just another polished up release that features better graphics and more zombies to kill. However you would be wrong. Yes the basics are all there, kill the zombies save the world. However the graphics are extremely over the top and lifelike that I got nauseous at some points how realistic it looked. A nice touch for diehard Resident Evil fans will be the return of Chris Redfield from the very first game. He is buffed up to the extreme ...

Give me a W, Give me an i, Give me another ii. GOOO Wiiiii! So it turns out that there are actually cheer leading games for the Wii, who knew. Amongst them is Wee Cheer and All Star Cheer squad. But what would the cheer leading video game experience be without actual Pom Poms? These Wii Pom Poms by Hip Street are designed to attach to your Wii remote and Nunchuck so that you'll really be ready to Bring it on when you play. Is this the most useless Wii accessory ever? You decide. The Wii Hip Street Cheer Pom Poms...

The Tritton AX Pro is the gaming headset of champions. Get ready to to experience blood curling screams like have never before while taking your kill shot. This Surround Sound headset with microphone that will work with your PS3, Xbox 360, and PC/Mac. Or you can you use it with your stereo system as well that features a digital optical or 3.5mm analog 5.1 outputs. The headset features eight independent speakers to enhance the 5.1 surround sound audio in your ears as well as a new subwoofer to deliever better sound for low end bass punches. Included as well is an "illuminated inline controller with a microphone mute switch, ...

The new Thrustmaster T.16000M joystick is a new innovation in joysticks, boasting incredible accuracy utilizing a new technology based on magnetic sensors. This is all thanks to H.E.A.R.T- Hall Effect Accurate Technology. This new system allows for precision levels 256 times greater than most current systems. The zero friction magnets means this joystick will last much longer than its more mechanical counterparts. The best news for us lefties is that the joystick if fully ambidextrous, with 2 removable parts that makes it able to be tailored to your desire. With 16 buttons, surgical accuracy, and ambidextrous customizability, the new Thrustmaster is a steal at the MSRP of $49.99. Available in February at Thrustmaster.

Just in time to add to my dellusions of being a bonafide rock star is Peavey's real wood custom-made guitar controllers for Guitar Hero. The hardcore design of the body is sure to distract from the crayola colored Guitar Hero buttons. The strum bar and whammy bar are mounted to the basswood body. While there is a library of premade designs to choose from, you can send in your own custom design. After all, every rock star should have their signature guitar.  All that idiosyncracy comes with a Kingly price of $399.99. Available online at Peavey.

If you want a fast paced, adrenaline pumping game that doesn't require you to be an ace shooter but one that incorporates great graphics and running and jumping to save your own skin, then Mirror's Edge is the game for you. This is a one of a kind game, which to my knowledge has never been made before. Welcome to the very first, first person running game. Don't bother to fight back, shoot, just stay in the flow and keep running and complete the mission at hand. Let me begin first with some background on the game. You play the game as Faith, a kick ass 'runner' who delivers packages ...

EA's Celebrity Sports Showdown for Wii is a random combination of celebrities and obscure sports that delivers pure entertainment.  With 10 different characters and 12 outdoor sports to choose from, this is a game that has lasting appeal. Each player can choose a singer like Fergie, Avril Lavigne, LeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban and Nelly Furtado or athletes like Paul Pierce, Mia Hamm, Kristi Yamaguchi, Reggie Bush, and Sugar Ray Leonard to play anything from badminton to dodgeball.  I can't help but think that the creators of this game had a wonderful time coming up with this melting pot of public figures.  What twisted mind thought that Kristi Yamaguchi is someone who can compete in a rock climbing race?  Well, my mind for one, but I thought I was out on that limb alone.

Some people love Minesweeper, others are more of a Solitaire kind of person. For those who are the former, check out the MineField electronic game. Aside from being a physical version of the software game, the MineField game adds an interesting twist. Players get to take turns and choose from one of the 16 shock buttons to press, if they choose wrong they'll end up with a shock.  That definitely levels the playing field, eh? MineField retails for DKK 119,00 (about $21 USD).

It's kind of ironic that something designed to look like a Wii controller, would make you gain weight - considering the Wii controller would ordinarily be more likely to help you lose weight. Anyway, the Wii Klik-On Candy Dispenser is able to dispense candy with the push of a button. It even comes with an official Nintendo seal, which is probably why this thing looks so much like the real thing. You can pick up a 12 pack for $22.95.

With all this talk about a recession, everyone is trying to save money nowadays. Acid-play is a great site to boomark because they serve up over 1,000 totally free games. They have everything from a Super Mario 3 Clone, to the highly rated Sonic 3D Robo Blast Ii, and Wolfenstein Enemy Territory. Overall they have a large selection of games from RPGs to Action games. They also have a large selection of user reviews for each of the games so you can get a good feeling for the game before you actually download and install it. None of thse games are really impressive by ...

HP's Pavilion laptop is a truly affordable laptop aimed at consumers looking for a laptop that is able to handle serious multimedia tasks as well as gaming. Configurations for the dv5z start at $579.99, so we were doubtful that a sub $1000 laptop could handle such tasks, but we went ahead and gave the dv5z a spin to see if it could actually be an affordable laptop that doesn't sacrifice too much performance wise. We ended up being pleasantly surprised. Design / Build Quality The overall design of the HP Pavilian dv5z is sleek yet professional. It's combination of onyx/chrome glossy styling makes it look like an entertainment notebook with professional ...

Are you waking up your neighbors while playing the drums in Rock Band? If you're using the original Rock Band equipment, than things can get especially noisy. Luckily, PDP (Performance Designed Products) has come out with an inexpensive product that just might save you from getting an eviction notice. For just $19.99, you can pick up a pair of Drum Silencers which promise to effectively eliminate excess impact noise. Unfortunately there is no product that can mute a bad singer who is in control of the Rock Band mic.

Mama mia, this is one video game accessory we don't need but we want anyway. This 12" Super Mario figure is there to serve you by holding your Nintendo DS. His hands are held out in front of himself, so he can securely hold your favorite handheld gaming console. The Super Mario Brothers Mario Vinyl Nintendo DS Holder Figure costs $34.95, which is a bit pricey considering that all he does is hold your DS. But you want him anyway, heh?

I'm not one to get excited about printers unless they are super sleek and actually do something different than the scads of other printers out there. Well Z Corp is making printers that don't do the same old thing as its counterparts but instead they actually print 3D models of images that are scanned into the machine. Z Corps printers utilizes 2 inkjet printer heads, one that sprays on the color, the other that sprays a fluid that holds the mold together. So how would you use a machine like this you ask? Well to bring your favorite computer game avatars to life of course! Figureprints which specializes in World of Warcraft figures, has bought several of these machines to make all your wizards and other oddities of WOW, companions out of the computer. Rock Band also recently signed a deal with Z Corp so that players can upload images of their Rock Band avatars or what is called Bandmates, and have a 6" figure of your character sent to you. Plaster dust is the foundation of the 3D printer mold and layer by layer the magic happens to bring your video game avatar to life.  The printer is huge and unless you are making a business out of 3D figures, it isn't really meant for home use. (Source: Game Informer, November '08)

With Guitar Hero World Tour being released this Sunday, it only seems appropriate that Guitar Hero inspired merchandising would be making its way on to shelves too. MacFarlane Toys has released this week Series 1 of fan favorite action figures of Lars Ümlaut, Johnny Napalm, God of Rock, Axel Steel. In February 09', the action figures will keep on coming with releases of 5-Inch Guitar Hero 2009 Wave 1, Guitar Hero 2009 2-Pack Rockers which include two mini versions of 2-inch scale characters, and a 10-inch Guitar Hero 2009 Wave 1. All the figurines will be available at Toys 'R' Us, Walmart, and Amazon to name ...