(This has nothing to do with video games, but when I break news, I want someone to read it.)

One of the random images to appear on watchmaker Nooka's Japan Web site is of a man, naked, at least from the waist-up, wearing a watch never before seen by the public.

The watch has a white, especially horizontal face not centered on its white strap. 12 dots in a circle, presumably representing hours, are in the upper-left corner of the face. The Nooka logo is to the right of the circle of dots. A horizontal bar, likely for minutes, is on the bottom, centered. Three more dots; probably a.m., p.m. and alarm; are just above the right side of the bar and directly below the logo. This watch does not appear to display seconds, unlike all other Nooka watches.

This watch has not yet been announced. It does not appear on Nooka's English-language Web site, nor on Web sites that sell or cover timepieces.

Zirc: unannounced, currently unavailable watch from Nooka

Additionally, Internet-based furniture retailer 2Modern is now selling Nooka's fall 2005 line of leather-strapped digital watches (Zot V2, Zoo V2, Zen V, Zen H) with blue or gray faces and matching leather straps. These watches do not appear to be available in these colors elsewhere.

Zot V2 watch in blue

Nooka has not yet responded to a request for a comment.

Nooka, founded in 2005 by designer Matthew Waldman, specializes in digital watches that display time in non-traditional ways, often using dots or bars. Prior to Nooka the company, Waldman collaborated with Seiko to produce a watch called Nooka, which is similar in appearance to Nooka the company's Zoo line of watches.

[UPDATE] Nooka estimates that the new watches will be added to its English-language Web site by the end of the week and start shipping next week. The company does not make it clear whether this applies to the blue and gray versions of its already known watches, the unannounced watch on its Japan Web site or both.

[UPDATE 2] The unannounced watch is named Zirc. It will be available in late November or early December.

Few were more excited than I when Sony announced at its pre-E3 2006 keynote address that the PlayStation 3 controller, the Sixaxis, would be motion-sensitive, or have "tilty support," as the cool kids call it.

Superior visuals and audio are expected from a new game console, and intelligent artificial intelligence, realistic physics and more simultaneous characters on screen are not immediately tangible. Motion-sensitive controls are an unexpected, major, immediately noticeable change to the way we play video games.

Motion controls on the PlayStation 3 came at the expense of vibration--that might change--but after years of using Nintendo's vibration-free WaveBird wireless GameCube controller and wireless PlayStation 2 controllers from Hori and Logitech with options to disable vibration to increase battery life, I discovered that I didn't miss vibration.

But in the 10 months since the release of the PlayStation 3, we have yet to see a good PS3 game that relies on motion-sensitive controls.

Tony Hawk's Project 8, available at the PlayStation 3's launch, could be played almost entirely with motion-based controls. It didn't work well, but we let it go because it was a launch game, and new concepts rarely work perfectly on the first try. Besides, the game could be played the old-fashioned way: by pressing buttons, triggers and thumbsticks.

Three months later came flOw. The required motion controls worked, and it was fun, but it was fun only for a few minutes. flOw was a tech demo, and like most tech demos, there was not enough to it to hold interest for a significant period of time.

Another three months later, we got Super Rub a Dub: another tech demo. The motion controls in this one were broken, somehow managing to be simultaneously too sensitive and too loose, making the game not fun, not even for a few minutes.

And now we have Lair: the first full-fledged game designed from the ground up to make use of the PlayStation 3's motion-sensitive controls.

You would think that almost a year after the release of the PlayStation 3 that game designers would have figured out how to properly make use of the Sixaxis' motion control ability, but no, Lair's required tilty controls are broken. Some disagree, and insist that Lair's motion controls work well, and a recent PlayStation 3 System Software update is rumored to have fixed them, but controls are not the only issue bringing Lair down, so fixed (or never broken) motion controls alone do not turn Lair from an awful game into a good one.

And that's just four games. Beyond those, motion-based controls in PlayStation 3 games have been token, and often out of place or awkward, if they exist at all.

The PlayStation 3 does not rely on its motion-sensitive abilities like the Wii, the other game console with a motion-sensitive controller, so it is not as big a disappointment when a PS3 game has token or no motion controls than it is when a Wii game has token or no motion controls, but motion controls are one of the things that differentiate the PS3 from the Xbox 360, its closest competitor, so not having a single good PlayStation 3 game that relies on or makes good use of motion-sensitivity makes this advantage moot, especially since the Xbox 360 Controller can vibrate and the Sixaxis cannot--again, this might change.

By now there should be multiple, full-fledged games (not tech demos) for the PlayStation 3 that rely on its controller's motion-sensing abilities, and countless others that make good use of it. That this is not the case almost a year after the PlayStation 3's launch should be an embarrassment to Sony Computer Entertainment.

What attracted me to the Nintendo DS was its ability, thanks to its touch screen and second screen, to play games not possible on other home game hardware.

A more traditional game--one that relies on pressing buttons rather than touching a touch screen--on the DS has to be really, really good for me to buy it.

Much of the game library for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo's previous handheld, amounts to been there done that, often literally. I'm not against nostalgia--I own a few too many classic game compilations for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2--but I want my nostalgia to be at least as good as my initial experiences, and the Game Boy Advance's lower-resolution-than-a-television-screen screen creates frustrations.

So while the DS can play Game Boy Advance games, I, a DS Lite owner, never had any desire to buy a Game Boy Advance game.

Until two weeks ago.

I never owned a Game Boy Advance, but one of the games that I would have purchased if I had one would have been WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$. Its large collection of silly, varied, ultra-short minigames; the random order in which you play those minigames; the fast and ever-increasing pace and its eclectic appearance looked like a lot of fun.

By the time I bought a DS Lite, there was a WarioWare game available for the DS: WarioWare: Touched!. Unfortunately for Wario, it received a lower score than the two Game Boy Advance WarioWare games, Mega Microgame$ and Twisted!, because it was "not as much fun as the other games in the series," so I decided not to buy it. That and Cooking Mama, a then upcoming WarioWare-like minigame collection but less random and slower-paced for the DS, at the time had greater appeal to me.

More than a year and many views of WarioWare game videos later, I was ready for a new minigame collection.

I searched for a copy of WarioWare: Touched!, but I discovered that it was no longer available unless I was willing to pay a premium over the suggested retail price. After several days I was close to breaking down and paying an excessive price for the game.

Eventually I questioned myself, "Am I not buying a Game Boy Advance WarioWare game, which is apparently better than the DS WarioWare game, because it is a Game Boy Advance game?"

That was silly.

I started an Internet search for WarioWare Inc.: Mega MicroGame$. Within minutes I found a place selling it, new, for the suggested retail price. My copy arrived almost two weeks later--U.S. Postal Service Media Mail is slow.

It's just as fun as I thought it would be.

BioShock, one of the best games released in a long time and the first to feature intelligent artificial intelligence, is available now and its demo runs well on my computer.

Yet I don't purchase it.

I am waiting, praying for a PlayStation 3 version of BioShock to be announced.

There have been some hints that BioShock might be coming to the PlayStation 3, but there has also been indication that the game will never come to the PS3.

BioShock is to PlayStation 3 owners as Metal Gear Solid 4 is to Xbox 360 owners.

So why don't I buy a copy of the Windows version of BioShock so I can play the game now rather than wait months for an unannounced PlayStation 3 version that may or may not happen?

I don't like playing games on a computer. Sitting hunched at a desk is not relaxing. I will put up with it for adventure games and solitaire, but rarely anything else.

I could be playing my PlayStation 3 games in high definition now by connecting the console to my computer monitor's component video inputs--the DVI and VGA ports are in use--but I prefer the comfort of lying on my bed and using my standard definition television set to the superior image quality of games on my computer monitor.

In short, comfortable chair, couch or bed > computer chair.

BioShock is so good that it could be one of the rare non-adventure, non-solitaire games I am willing to play while hunched at a computer desk, but I want to be sure that I have to play it while hunched at a computer desk before I buy a copy of the Windows version and force myself to play it while hunched at a computer desk.

This is why I hate lawyers. If BioShock is coming to the PlayStation 3, presumably Microsoft's "exclusive" contract prevents publisher Take-Two from saying anything about a PS3 version for the time being. And if there is no PlayStation 3 version, Take-Two's legal department will never allow the company to outright say that the game is never coming because that could lead to a lawsuit if the company later changes its mind.

My slim PlayStation 2's DVD remote made me lazy.

Yesterday, on a whim, I decided to take my Super NES out of the drawer in which it had been stored for years, connect it to my television set and play some old games.

I had a fun time. Nostalgia is great when you choose things that have aged well.

But there was a problem when I was finished.

I had to get up and walk all the way from my bed to my TV stand to turn off my Super NES.

It felt almost archaic. This was the first time in almost a year (when I sold my GameCube) that I turned off a game console this way.

In the summer of 2005, I traded in my original PlayStation 2 for a slim model. I soon learned the joy of playing video games without ever having to get up. Assuming there was already a disc in the system and the correct memory card inserted, all I had to do was press the "POWER" button on my PS2's DVD remote to start playing. And when I was finished, I held the remote's "POWER" button to turn the system off.

Convenient when I was falling asleep.

That was the only reason why I owned a PlayStation 2 DVD remote. I never used my slim PS2 to play DVD-Videos.

This continues today with my PlayStation 3. I don't even need its Blu-ray remote--which I don't own--to do this. I can press the "PlayStation Home" button on a Sixaxis controller to turn the console on or off.

This is only going to get worse (better) with the next generation of game consoles, when every game is distributed digitally. Inserting and removing discs will be a thing of the past; we will never have to get up again.

Suddenly I once again have a desire to buy a Wii, if only for the Virtual Console.

I am not a couch potato. I lift weights, I do all sorts of cardiovascular exercises and I probably walk more in a day than you do in a week--sometimes while holding heavy objects--but playing a video game is usually the opposite of exercise, so I do not want to put forth any physical effort to start or end the process.

Yellow is out; purple is in.

This happens every three months. A new color is suddenly trendy, and being the fashion-conscious person that I am, especially when it comes to color trends, I want some of my clothing to be that color. All clothing in that color will look dated within six months and then hang in my closet, not to be worn again for years, but for now, that color looks really, really cool.

It got me thinking, why don't game hardware makers do the same thing? They offer multiple color options now, but they tend to stick to "safe" colors and corporate colors--indigo was once Nintendo's official color, although the shade it used looked more like purple. If you need a 3rd Xbox 360 controller, you might as well get it in blue (or pink, if you're into pink) so you can tell it apart from your black and white ones, but few get excited when seeing a blue (or pink) game controller, unless it is an at the time trendy shade of blue (or pink)--which is unlikely, because game hardware makers tend to use safe shades of those safe colors.

I propose that game hardware makers sell game systems, controllers and other appropriate accessories in trendy colors.

You lust for a purple PlayStation 3, even if you do not want a PlayStation 3. (Image courtesy of ColorWare.)

These trendy-color game systems and accessories should not be permanently available. That would lead to eventual overstocks, as trendiness is fleeting. These should be limited edition releases designed to be sold out in a few months to give retailers space for the same products in the next set of trendy colors.

Again, few people get excited when seeing a blue game controller. But a purple one? (Or one in some other currently trendy color?) That's an impulse buy and a conversation piece for many, especially if its packaging makes it clear that it is a limited edition. And because color trends change, consumers are more likely to replace still-working items with new ones, which is good for game hardware makers and retailers.

You don't care about color? You only care about the games? You are the "core gamer." The video game industry is expanding beyond you. People outside the core need incentives to purchase something, and bigger incentives to purchase a lot of somethings. And just like color is the number one reason why consumers choose one car over another, it could be the reason why they choose one game system and its peripherals over another.

I don't like the band Dragonforce. I respect its members' abilities to perform ultra-high tempo, ultra-complicated music that makes old Megadeth and Slayer songs seem slow and simple, but that does not make Dragonforce's music any less corny.

Double-lead guitar, electronic sound effects and fantasy lyrics rarely sound good, no matter how technically accomplished. And keyboard has no place in metal.

So I never paid attention to Dragonforce.

But then GameSpot Associate Editor Alex Navarro wrote an editorial praising the rivalry between Guitar Hero III and Rock Band and ended it with a Guitar Hero III trailer of "Through the Fire and Flames" "as performed by Dragonforce."

Again, I am no Dragonforce fan, but I read the entire editorial, so it only made sense to watch the video.

Viewing someone "perform" that song with few mistakes was impressive. I needed to see it a second time.

And a third time.

And countless more times over the next few days.

By then, "Through the Fire and Flames" was stuck in my head and I needed to listen to the full version along with other Dragonforce songs on Rhapsody, RealNetworks' free and paid Internet music service, and view Dragonforce videos on URGE, MTV Networks' competitor with no free music (other than 30-second samples) but more free videos.

This experience is close to making me buy Dragonforce albums or using it as an excuse to sign up for an Internet music download subscription service such as URGE All Access To Go or Napster To Go. And again, I do not like Dragonforce.

So here I am, a week after first viewing the trailer, writing about the experience in an attempt to get this stupid, corny song out of my head.

And with this, I now understand why GameSpot hates Alex Navarro.

Just like a good demo can sell a game, a disappointing one can lead to lost sales.

Heavenly Sword has been one of the most anticipated PlayStation 3 games since it was unveiled at E3 2005, so when a demo of it was released Thursday, I, like all PlayStation 3 owners in their right minds, downloaded it as soon as it was made available.

After playing the demo, my interest in Heavenly Sword has dropped.

There is not enough variety to the Heavenly Sword demo. After a long, non-interactive introduction you play a short, God of War-like minigame in which you are given on-screen prompts to press specific buttons at specific times to run and jump across severed ropes to reach a small platform. When you reach the platform, you fight a large number of enemies all at once. When you defeat them all, you play a shorter God of War-like minigame and then fight another large group of enemies in a small area, this time on the ground. When you defeat this second group of enemies, larger, more intimidating-looking characters break down a door, implying that a 3rd battle in a tight area against a large number of enemies is about to begin, but the demo ends there.

The combat system in Heavenly Sword is surprisingly deep, but if fighting large numbers of enemies simultaneously in small arenas is what you do for the vast majority of the full game, as the demo implies, that deep combat is going to get monotonous early.

I have been tracking Heavenly Sword for more than a year, so I know that there will be more to the full game than multi-enemy combat in tight spaces and short, God of War-like minigames (such as boss battles; more stealthy, less action-y sequences and use of cannons), but the demo's almost complete focus on multi-enemy combat has me wondering if there will be enough of the other elements to prevent the game from getting dull.

I still have some interest in Heavenly Sword because of what I know from earlier previews and gameplay videos, but if the demo were my first knowledge of the game, I would ignore all future information about it (the full game), and I certainly would not buy a retail copy.

Indeed. A disappointing demo can lead to lost sales.

Perhaps if the Heavenly Sword demo's 2nd minigame had been followed by something other than a 2nd multi-enemy combat sequence (or 3rd minigame) I would be just as excited (or more) for Heavenly Sword as I was before playing the demo, but as it is, the demo does not leave a positive impression.

Or maybe that not a fight against a large number of enemies in a tight area would have convinced me not to buy the full game. The lack of variety in the demo has me worried that Heavenly Sword's other elements might be broken.

The Heavenly Sword demo is certainly not the first disappointing demo for an anticipated, upcoming game, and a disappointing demo does not necessarily mean that the full game will also disappoint, but the first direct impression is the most important--if I hadn't been so hyped for Shadow of the Colossus by the time I played its too short and too easy demo I would not have purchased the full game--and with digital distribution now a viable option for game demos, demos have the potential to be the greatest influence on game sales--more than professional reviews or word-of-mouth.

A game demo should not focus on a single element of the full game. It might be the best element, but giving players the impression that that is what they will be doing for the vast majority of 20+ hours turns them off. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. We need variety to stay interested for more than a few minutes at a time.

For example, the Ninja Gaiden Sigma demo sold me Ninja Gaiden Sigma. I was ignoring this game prior to the demo, passing it off as a rehash of an Xbox game (and it is, but it has aged better than expected). Fighting large numbers of enemies in tight areas is a part of the demo, but it does not dominate; there is also fighting fewer enemies in more open environments, exploration, a puzzle, a boss battle and an arena battle mode separate from the rest of the demo. Enough to tell me that I would not get bored from doing one thing over and over again for the vast majority of the full game. Had the demo focused entirely (or almost entirely) on just one of those elements, I would have gone back to ignoring it, never learning that the full game would be must-own.

I didn't decide to buy a watch instead of a Wii, but I needed something to make this entry video game-related so I would have an excuse to post it in a blog that more than three people read, and that my new watch costs the same as a Wii is just that excuse.

(Besides, this title complements my entry from early this year, Trendy eyeglasses > PlayStation 3, in which I explained why I decided to spend $600 on two pairs of eyeglasses rather than a PlayStation 3.)

Also available in white, gold or mirror (unlike the Wii, which is still available only in white).

This is the Zot V2 from Nooka. I discovered it by accident in February while searching for pictures of glasses I owned or was about to own--wow, another link to my glasses entry.

I needed--not wanted--a Zot V2 as soon as I saw a picture of it. I had never seen a watch that looked anything like this one, and it looked good too (which is more than can be said for some other watches that don't look like anything else I have seen).

But I didn't buy a Zot V2 right away. I had just spent about $600 on glasses and more than $200 on underwear and socks, and seeing a $250 charge on that credit card bill in addition to the other two charges (not to mention my phone bills, groceries and whatever else I charged to that credit card during that period) would have made my heart skip a beat.

Beyond that, as much as I "needed" a Zot V2, I didn't need a watch. I don't know how, but somehow I know what time it is without looking at a watch or clock, and I can will myself to wake up at a specific time without an alarm. A Zot V2 would be nothing but an expensive fashion accessory for me.

But after several months passing without me purchasing anything expensive that I wouldn't normally buy, I have my expensive fashion accessory, and my heart will not skip when I see my next credit card bill.

Who knew that a digital watch could look stylish.

And before you ask, the dots represent hours; the horizontal bar is for minutes and the traditional, digital numbers are seconds.

I am not usually one to discuss politics. I have my opinions, but I prefer food and shelter over expressing those opinions.

Rarely is it a good idea to list your memberships in politically-active organizations on your resume, even if it is for a government job. U.S. federal, state and local government organizations cannot hire and fire based on one's political beliefs, but it is difficult to prove that you were fired or not hired because your political beliefs, and you get no such protection for a non-government job.

But some issues are too important for me to remain silent.

Recently GameSpot replaced everyone's "Turkey" emblems with "Cake" or "Pie" emblems.

I participated in a poll that asked if I preferred cake or pie. I did not have a strong opinion on the subject, but after much thought I decided that I had a slight preference for cake, so I voted for cake.

I thought it was a secret ballot. Nowhere did it say that I voted for cake. All that appeared to happen was cake's value increasing by one.

A few days later I saw a cake emblem in my GameSpot badge.

Now I will never be able to get a job in a pie factory. Potential employers will see my cake emblem and assume that I am biased in favor of cake over pie. They may even think that I am a spy for the cake industry.

You can argue that I was not forced to vote, and this is true, but if you do not vote, other people make the decisions for you.

I am not even sure if choosing cake over pie was the right decision anymore anyway. Cake is good, but pie has its advantages too.

And what was wrong with the turkey emblem? Unlike cake and pie, there is little argument that turkey is good, and most of the people who disagree have ties to terrorist organizations.