Geek News Roundup for 01/24/10 -- Small of Two Roundups

The iPad is probably the most talked about new gadget right now.  This may or may not be good for the device.  My thoughts on this device are: I don't care, let's talk about games.

Yoshinori Kitase revealed that part of the delay in development for Final Fantasy XIII was due to the PlayStation 3's arrival on the market.  In other words, it's all Sony's fault.  It makes me wonder what effect the decision to create a version for the 360 had on the development time for the game.  So what Kitase is saying is that if they'd just stuck with the PlayStation 2, the game would be out by now?  And speaking of March releases on the PS3 for games that are also available on the 360, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City is being ported to the PS3.

Mass Effect 2 is out for the Xbox 360 and it's been selling very well.  Unless you live in certain places that, for some reason, haven't received copies of the game yet.  This doesn't seem to be Microsoft's main worry, though, for they have other fish to fry.  Microsoft's lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss an anti-trust lawsuit filed against them by Datel, a company that made unauthorized memory cards and game controllers for the Xbox 360, citing an earlier precedent set by Apple.  An observation: it seems like the only times anyone working for Microsoft are brutally honest about their products are when companies like Datel threaten the dominance that Microsoft tries to get on the market.  One could argue, though, that it's not really a monopoly as long as there's competition, and it's not like anyone's allowed to make unauthorized games for these systems.

Is it possible that video games can improve your sex life?  That's what Lara Roberts is saying.  She is a mother of two who says she lost over a hundred pounds while using Nintendo's Wii Fit software, and claims it saved her life.  And trust me when I say there is a major difference between her before and after pictures.  And come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if this is why Jann Arden looks like she's lost weight on the cover of her new 2009 album, "Free".

And last but not least, Google Street View seems to have caught some illegal tree cutting in Vancouver.  Given that a lot of this kind of thing happens over there, it's good that some of it happened on camera.  And since I missed last week, stay tuned tomorrow for more geek news!