Hasta La Gadget!

While Sony didn’t necessarily dazzle us with unannounced exclusive titles, the company definitely cemented the console’s beefy lineup with a handful of live demos. Kicking it right off was gameplay footage of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, expected this holiday season. What some call the “male Tomb Raider,” Uncharted 2 was quite possibly the best-looking game of the conference.

(Credit: Gamespot)

Next up was MAG, a game teased at last year’s E3 promising 256 online players at once. We were treated to a live demo that accomplished the feat featuring players from all over the world. MAG is expect this fall.

Sony Computer Entertainment of America President and CEO Jack Tretton then briefly mentioned Rockstar Games’ Agent, claiming the title could only be possible on a PlayStation 3. Unfortunately no footage or release date was given. Two developers from Ubisoft then showed off Assassin’s Creed 2, though the game will not be a PS3 exclusive. It will be available this holiday season.

(Credit: Gamespot)

While we all knew Final Fantasy XIII was coming to both Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles in 2010, we had no idea that Final Fantasy XIV was in development, let alone an exclusive PS3 title. A trailer for the game noted the next chapter in the story would take players online as well.

Sticking with the theme of “play, create, share,” Modnation Racers will allow users to customize racetracks, cars, and racers very much in the vein of LittleBigPlanet. Gamers can also design their very own tracks to share and play with other PS3 owners–a demo that made us immediately think of Sim City….

While the link between cell phone use and brain damage is still debatable (personally, I don’t want to believe it), another body part may be paying the price for constant connectedness: the elbow.

According to health reports, doctors have identified a condition called “cell phone elbow,” also known as cubital tunnel syndrome.

Oh no! Is she on her way to "cell phone elbow?"

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

It’s basically pain in your elbow that results from compression of the ulnar nerve. This nerve problem can come from spending too much time folding the elbow in an unnatural stance, such as when you use the computer in a nonergonomic position or, most commonly, when you hold the phone to your ear. I often do both at the same time.

Doctors say this is an increasingly common issue among those who are reliant on technology, especially cell phones. The syndrome leads to chronic or periodic pain in the elbow, tingling along the fingers, and even loss of strength and control in your hands.

When talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device, the elbow is usually held in an unnatural, flexed position, at an angle greater than 90 degrees. Generally, doctors caution that the elbow is not naturally designed to be hyperflexed for longer than 10 minutes at a time, but many of us regularly talk for hours on end.

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Not to be outdone by the Wii Plus and Microsoft’s newly announced camera-based Project Natal, Sony today showed off a new gesture-based controller for the PlayStation 3, scheduled to ship in spring of 2010.

Still in the development stages, the prototype of the device resembles a microphone with an illuminated color-changing orb on the end. Based on the demo, the new device appears to have great precision, making it possible to use it to control weapons and characters, and even draw on walls.

At its E3 press conference today, Sony brought out Metal Gear designer Hideo Kojima to announce the release of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the PSP. The game is being described as a “true sequel” to Metal Gear Solid 3, taking place ten years after its predecessor, in the 1970s.

Kojima assured the room at the Shrine Auditorium that he will be fully participating in the “missing link” to the Metal Gear Solid series, writing the script and producing the game.

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker will be arriving in 2010.

Sony today made official what it called “the worst-kept secret of E3,” the PSP Go. The device is the latest iteration of the company’s popular handheld gaming console, the Play Station Portable. The new device is slimmer and offers a number of new features, includeing 16GB of internal flash memory, built-in Wi-Fi, and Integrated Bluetooth.

The company is also introducing Media Go, which will replace the Media Manager as a PC-accessible store.

The device will be available on October 21st for $249.99. Sony was careful to stress the fact that the device will not be replacing the PSP 3000. The company has expressed its commitment to both devices, as well as to UMD, despite the fact that the new device will no longer support that media platform.