Editorial by Michael Hawkes.

The SOPA bill (Stop Online Piracy Act), is a vile peice of corrupt legislation that should have never been introduced in the first place. Luckily, the Internet is comprised of smart people who are good at voicing their opinion, especially when it comes to gamers. Many insisted that their favorite game developers and publishers oppose SOPA, but opposition to this bill should have been in place by game companies from the beginning.

“To be against SOPA today is like saying ‘I’m against dictatorship’. Where were all these developers like Bungie and Epic when SOPA was first introduced?”Over the past week, dozens of developers and publishers have joined the anti-SOPA movement, some because of pressure from their customers, others simply because it’s now “cool” and will get you respect from gamers — respect which was never really earned.

To be against SOPA today is like saying “I’m against dictatorship”. Where were all these developers like Bungie and Epic when SOPA was first introduced? Companies like Google and Facebook opposed SOPA from the beginning, notifying their users and customers of their stance, explaining what the bill means, showing what the effects of it might be, etc.

Where were the game developers and game publishers then? Oh that’s right, they were supporting it — directly or indirectly through their trade organization ESA. Now that SOPA has been revealed to the mainstream audience (which includes gamers) for what it is, it’s easy to score points by opposing it. Credit should go to those who helped shed light on SOPA (and the Internet activists), credit should go to those companies who were the first to take a stance against it, not the current horde of developers and publishers who are simply jumping on the bandwagon to get some karma points from gamers. The current trend is not a company policy, it’s a marketing policy. It’s decided by PR departments to come out against SOPA because it’ll look good on the company.

The game developers and publishers we’re seeing these days coming out against SOPA is nothing but a massive Internet karma-whoring trend. They should have opposed it from the beginning. When it wasn’t cool.

If you’ve ever used WiiCade on your Wii, you’ll be familiar with this one – It was recently announced that the website DSiCade has gone live in a beta form.

DSiCade offers gamers with the chance to play free games on their Nintendo DSi using a web browser. There’s only 2 mediocre games and a shoutbox currently displayed but once the site continues to grow it will be a great stop for DSi users everywhere.

Read (DSiCade)

Nintendo has launched a new DSi but it looks like it is not solely for the portable gamers. The handheld gaming system will come complete with two new built-in cameras and an SD card for saving music files. The gadget comes complete for social networking abilities and priced at $169.

Nintendo DSi handheld is compatible with all 850 titles available for the DS and is supercharged with characteristics not found in the original handheld gaming system. The device comes with two cameras and 10 different interactive lenses that can be used for snapshots. Furthermore, gamers can fully engage with other players by using the new digital camera which offers a greater interactive experience.

DSi is also ideal for social networking Web sites including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. Users can merely save photos and share them across the Internet. Nintendo designed the new handheld to provide a better gaming experience.

While the Nintendo DSi Camera is one of the most distinct features, it also comes with a complete sound application, microphone, stereo headset, and offers full voice recording solutions. Users can actually modify their voices and change the rhythm and beat of a song when utilizing the application. Music files can be saved on an SD card for better portability.

Another impressive feature is the new Nintendo DSiWare application which lets users download new software for the device. This is similar to Nintendo’s WiiWare where developers can create new applications and make them ready for use online.

(Source) NEWSOxy