Nintendo Revolution to Include a Touchscreen Controller?

Mr. Hat writes in that this month’s Game Informer may let the cat out of the bag about what’s so revolutionary about the Revolution. Hasn’t this been done before? Mr. Hat writes… For months and months we’ve all been wondering what the new and “revolutionary” aspects of the Nintendo Revolution would be. It looks like we finally have an answer… I just got the newest issue of Game Informer today, and there’s a pretty lengthy article in there about everything the magazine knows so far about the next generation consoles. Hidden pretty well in there is the Nintendo update- “However, Nintendo may have to pull a rabbit out of it’s hat to become a major player in the next generation. That rabbit, GI has learned, *is a touch screen*. A source at a major development studio recently revealed to us details regarding Nintedo’s devlopment kit for the Revolution… The most shocking is that the Revolution *Uses a touch screen as it’s controller. There is no analog stick or shoulder buttons. The touch screen on the face of the controller is designed to be fully customizable. So, the developer can configure the buttons any way they se4e fit, instead opting for virtual levers or other stylus-related inputs.*” This makes perfect sense- even though the touch screen is currently being utilized with the DS, it’s still a technology that hasn’t been widely used before. This also speaks to Iwata’s statement that developers may be wary of the new technology- after all, we’ve spent a decade expecting to control our characters with some kind of D-Pad or Analog stick. This would change everything, and could potentially scare people away. I’m betting that this is for real.
Article at Joystiq

Apple Developing a Two Button Mouse?

Appleinsider claims that Apple is "feverishly working" on a two-button wireless optical mouse to be released soon. According to the rumor site, the reason for the departure from the single-mouse stance stems from Apple's recent foray into attracting the low-end PC market with the Mac Mini. One teaser quote included claims "Jaws will drop". No timeframe for introduction is provided. Two buttoned mice have been long rumored from Apple. The earliest in our archives date back to 2002. Meanwhile, a October 2000 Wired article speculating the introduction of a two-button Apple mouse for the (then) beta Mac OS X.Mac Rumors: Apple Mac Rumors and News You Care About

Comcast and TiVo Strike a Deal

It's official. After reported rumors in both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, TiVo and Comcast have announced a deal this morning. Comcast Corp. expects to begin selling the new DVRs, which will carry the TiVo brand, by mid to late 2006. Financial details were not disclosed but it was reported that Comcast will let TiVo extend to Comcast subscribers the advertising it sells in the form of interactive video clips that automatically appear in the TiVo menu.