Isn't this the coolest coffee table ever - granted, it won't be able to do what Microsoft's Surface can, but Kyle Downes has poured in a whole lot of sweat and tears into this NES Controller Coffee Table, complete with a high quality finish and glass top that oozes with class. What makes this coffee table all the more fantastic is the fact that it works - as long as it is hooked up to a working NES console. Amazing, isn't it? Makes me feel as though I'm in Wonderland where everything else has been super-sized. I forsee a niche market for this - bring it on with other console-themed tables!

Driving a train in Japan is an extremely stressful job, as you have to arrive at your destination at the exact second and not minute unlike other parts of the world. With this, a comprehensive training system is a must, and Fujitsu certainly does its part this time round by working with video game and simulator developer Ongakukan to develop the first train simulation system using full high-definition video in the world. You get variable-speed playback technology for high-definition video shot on actual train lines, offering an unprecedented level of realism where train operation simulation is concerned. There won't be any lag since accurate responses to the trainee-operator's input and high image quality is possible despite variable-speed playback. There is a second chance here unlike real life, and it is reassuring to know that the training provided is the best to date in Japan.

Fancy a portable Xbox? I'm sure many people have thought about it before, and it will really see Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony slug it out both in the living room as well as on the portable front. How would you like the portable Xbox to look like? There are several major pitfalls for the big M to look out for, and one of them would be the lack of connectivity. Microsoft's Xbox Live is one of the biggest attractions to date, and has not seen any serious competition from either Sony or Nintendo, so that will be quite a problem unless WiMAX is rolled out extensively. Also, disc changing on the go just isn't viable, so Microsoft will have to think of a way to circumvent this. Should one be able to engage in online multiplayer, there is also the issue of lag to deal with - will there be a good enough coding like Quakeworld to compensate for latency found using 56k modems? As for the number of games available, I wonder whether Microsoft has it in them to court developers over to their side in such an unchartered territory.

Let's take a sneak peek at the Gigabyte GK-K8000 gaming keyboard which will soon be completed and ready to be unleashed upon the masses. Apparently, "design issues" is proving to be a damper and causing all the unnecessary delays. It looks all too square to me, and the bright orange function keys at the top don't really look appealing at all. This definitely won't do for a gaming keyboard in my books, since the keys themselves don't look as though they are backlit, which pretty much rules out the coolness factor when it comes to playing in the dark.

Have you jumped onto the Wii Fit bandwagon yet? If you do (and are hooked on it), I'm pretty sure you've experienced the sudden interruption while playing when the Wii balance board runs out of juice unexpectedly. This scenario can be disappointing, especially when you're halfway through working up a sweat. Nyko aims to save the day with the Energy Pak which was developed specifically for the Wii balance board. It is installed at the bottom of the board, and is a snap to plug in for a recharge without having to remove the device nor turn the board over. The Nyko Energy Pak will be released this May 19th for $19.99.

Word on the street has it that the first 65nm GPU chip equipped Xbox 360, known as Jasper, will be out in August. This is an improvement to the current generation of 360s, also known as the Falcon, which features a 65nm CPU but has a larger GPU. There will be two main advantages with the release of the Jasper - you will get cooler and quieter Xbox 360s as you continue gaming. Will the Xbox 360 run out of steam by then, and is this a case of a little too late? After all, the tide is beginning to swing in the PS3's favor.

The PSP Headset Kit for Skype is now available in the US, allowing you to do more than just game and surf the Web with your PSP. This follows Japan's release which happened a few days before, and all functionality is retained. Features include street-style earphones, an adjustable boom mic, and a remote control for managing volume without having to fiddle with the PSP itself. Just make sure you have version 3.9 of the PSP firmware installed before you will be able to use the Skype headset. Not only can you use it for chatting with your friends over Skype, it also functions as a communicator in games. You ought to pay nothing more than $30 for this I believe.

Apple filed a new patent in 2006 which involves research on a 3D remote control system that will be available on the Apple TV, with the ultimate aim of delivering several features akin to multi-touch technology while mimicking the functionality of the Nintendo Wiimote. According to the patent, "the absolute x- and y-positions of [the] remote control can be used, for example, in video games to position a user's character or to otherwise track the movement of the remote control in a user's environment." It can also "zoom into and out of an image or a portion thereof based on the absolute position of the remote control in the third axis", making it seem to fit the photo and video browser components of Apple TV just fine. Should this be released, will the Wii be threatened?

The Wiimote is certainly more useful than just controlling Mario's kart - it can even be hacked to control the Wanetlight - a luminous suspension composed of 25 blown glass candles which ultimately form a 3D matrix of light. It comprises of 5 x 5 x 5 LEDs clustered across all three axes in order to form a luminous 3D screen cage. All the LEDs can be individually pilored, alloing users to configure a light composition of their choice in space. Well, I suppose this would be a much better use for the Wiimote compared to pole dancing...

Do you think the Nintendo Wii will lose its innocence with Peekaboo Pole Dancing? After all, the latter is looking for a firm to license their brand to, hoping to get someone to develop a pole dancing sim for the Wii. I suppose it could be used as a tool to spice up a stale marriage where romance is concerned, but what about our poor kids who wonder why must mommy and daddy bring the Nintendo Wii into their bedrooms every night? No idea on whether the husbands will want to participate, but I suspect it'll be the wives who'll be doing most of the dancing.

While the NES was the king of home consoles back in its heydays and product redesigns were practically unheard of at that time, Javier Segovia decided to pay homage to the little home video game console that could by coming up with an industrial concept redesign - 25 years too late, I might add. Called reNESED (for obvious reasons), it certainly looks easy on the eyes, and I just love the blue glow on the console itself.

Dan Middle, owner of Sony's UX UMPC, found that platform to be less than attractive when it came to portable gaming, decided to literally take things into his own hands by hacking a cheap USB gamepad, resulting in a set of controls that make available all eight buttons on a single hand, while the other hand will be free to aim with the UX's mouse controls. The gamepad, originally a “Genius MaxFire Pandora Pro Foldable Mini USB Gamepad for PC” has been attached to a CF dummy card, slotting beautifully into the UX’s CF port. After some testing, it seems that usability is pretty decent, with Vista even recognizing it as a gaming peripheral. Does that mean the PSP and DS Lite are doomed?

I know that the PSP is used primarily for games, while others also use it for watching media and answering Skype calls, a few among us will probably use its bright display as some sort of torch at night instead. No longer do you need to do that with the XCM Magic Night Glow face plate which was created specially for the PSP Slim (read our review). While it looks pretty much ordinary during the day, everything changes at night as it glows eerily, making mom think that the PSP is possessed. There is no word on pricing as at press time.

In Europe, that is. Over 5 millions PS3s have moved across the continent, despite having the Xbox 360 released a good 16 months before the PS3 made its debut in that territory. What makes this sales victory all the more remarkable is the more expensive price of the PS3 console compared to the Xbox 360, with the cheapest PS3 retailing for £299 compared to £159 for the entry-level Xbox 360. Granted, both aren't exactly the same in terms of specifications, but they're certainly most similar where graphical ability in games to date are concerned. Do you think the PS3 will be able to overhaul the Xbox 360 in North America within a few years' time?