Gamertell

It’s difficult for the parents of a child diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) to find ways to control their child’s disorder and help him or her live a normal childhood.

PopCap Games recently contracted Information Solutions Group to conduct a unique survey in April 2008 in which 2,728 respondents (of the 13,296 casual gamers surveyed) indicated they or someone they are caring for has a disability…

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Nintendo recently conducted a web poll concerning the GameBoy and, whether I fit some key demographic profile or it was a lucky pick of the draw, I happen to be selected to partake in the survey this weekend (January 20, 2008).

I was sent an email link to a survey site that was marked with the Nintendo logo and featured a few questions about handheld gaming in general, followed by five or six screens of questions specifically about the Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP, followed by several screens of DS Lite questions. Bascially, the tone of the survey pretty much pitted the GameBoy against the DS. (Note that at one point the survey indicated all references to “GameBoy” were meant to be “GameBoy Advance SP”).

A few of the GameBoy-related questions in the survey include…

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Check out the gallery: Nintendo's GameBoy Survey - January 2008

When the 7th generation console war first began, many gamers spent sleepless nights over making the costly transition to the next-gen consoles. It was not only the actual price of the consoles, but the price of accessories deemed vital for the truest next-gen gaming experience, which played heavily on gamers’ minds . One of the most important things for a true next-gen gaming experience is an HDTV, sales of which were only beginning to pick-up at the beginning of the 7th gen of consoles. A couple of years since, it is interesting to note which console owners are big on HDTV’s and high-end setups.

A Nielsen study titled THX Gaming Study has concluded that PS3 owners have adopted HD displays the fastest, with 71% of them owning an HDTV. Around 54% of the PS3 owners also enjoy their games with surround sound. Xbox 360 users come in next with 66% of them possessing an HDTV. But the Wii owners are hot on the heels of their 360-owning counterparts with 65% having an HD display. As for surround sound, the numbers for the Xbox 360 and Wii are 48% and 43% respectively.

That PS3 owners are more HD-friendly hasn’t surprised me one bit, but the fact that the Wii and Xbox 360 numbers were so close has.

Read [Gizmodo]

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Nintendo may need to rethink their Wii ads, as a recent poll conducted by AOL Games and the Associated Press has revealed that 62% of the adults who answered do not play video games. The same poll did reveal that 81% of people ages four to 17 do play video games. The information from the survey also revealed that 43% of parents whose children play games make no effort to join in the activity.

The survey also looked into the deciding factors for people when they are buying a video game console. The 18% of people surveyed who confirmed that they would be buying a console before the year ends said that the cost of the system was a major selling point and that the console’s ability to play movies was a minor issue. This revelation could mean that the Wii and Playstation 2 may be the more popular systems this season, compared to the more expensive Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

It would have been more helpful if they provided information as to what the survey considered an adult. Many hardcore gamers fall between the ages of 18 and 25. Depending on where the poll was originally available and what kinds of brackets they had for age ranges, a large group may have been misrepresented.

Read [Baltimore Sun] Also Read [AOL News]

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A recent online survey by Valve points out that, only one in 50 gamers have Windows Vista and DirectX 10 compatible graphics cards to play DirectX 10-based games. It also has found that only 8% PC gamers run Windows Vista. The results of this Valve survey hold significance because Microsoft has announced Vista exclusivity for DirectX 10 prompting panic among PC gamers who don’t have the OS (a majority).

Gabe Newell, president Valve Software, in an interview to a German gaming website,  termed the Vista exclusivity of DirectX 10 a “terrible mistake” on part of Microsoft.

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