The Wii was already deprived of Grand Theft Auto IV and now Mediawatch UK wants to have MadWorld banned from it too - in Britain, at least. After declaring that they wanted the BBFC to deny the game a rating though, they received a number of emails to "shut the f- up," and others to that extent.

And Mediawatch's reaction? Read about it in the full article.

Reports have come in that Microsoft will be shelling out £500 million to repair the red ring of death issues with the Xbox 360 Elite. To find out more, head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

It's understandable that a football manager doesn't want any distractions for his team, but when a ban is placed on the "PlayStation culture," you have to wonder how deep Sony has penetrated U.K. mainstream. Italian manager Fabio Capello, for one, recognizes the PlayStation brand and doesn't want any traces of it in the England national football team. Check out the full article for details!

In a somewhat peculiar development in the scientific community today, China Daily reported that its motherland has produced the first cloned rabbit from cells taken from a fetus. "Chinese cloning research has reached a global advanced level," said Wang Hongguang, director of the China Centre for Biotechnology Development.

Although swamped immediately with claims from the international scene that French scientists have accomplished that same feat five years earlier, China Daily clarified that the "Chinese rabbit" was first to be cloned using "fibroblast" cells from a fetus.

As of press time, independent, third-party review or official publication of the find has yet to surface, inviting speculations that the discovery could turn out to be another South Korean cloning controversy - albeit no involvement of human cells.

The female rabbit grew steadily and normally since birth in February and currently resides in an animal center in Shanghai. The rabbit shares the same fate as many other animals such as mice and cattle, after the first cloned sheep, named Dolly, was attempted and successful back in 1996. Image courtesy of Daily Mail.

Sleep is important. Okay, maybe eight isn't the magic number anymore, but sleep is important. Now, it seems that medical research into the nature of sleep is paying off as the UK Daily Mail reports scientists are working on a "Sleep Machine."

It is not made of magic sand and run by a guy named Sandman.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison believe that it is possible to induce or "stimulate" the brain into going to sleep mode. It revolves around making the brain produce "slow-wave activity" which is typical of deep, non-dream state (no rapid eye movement or REM) sleep.

These researchers used harmless magnetic pulses to produce these waves. The effect is to produce a deep-sleep power nap, equivalent, they say, to the restorative effects of eight hours of rest.

There is some skepticism regarding its therapeutic use. One sleep expert contends that the real challenge is getting insomniacs to sleep in the first place. Although this is the claimed objective of the U. of Wisconsin-Madison research, perhaps the contention is that it's not enough to simply trigger slow-wave activity and induce the effects of sleep... The patient has to actually sleep in the first place and not merely simulate it.

In light of recent criticism being directed at their God of War II promo party in Athens, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has further stated that they did not condone animal cruelty.

"Sony Computer Entertainment Europe does not in any way, shape or form condone cruelty or mistreatment of animals," the SCEE spokesman stated. "Sony Computer Entertainment Europe takes the sensitivities of the general public and issues of animal welfare very seriously and is sorry for any offence or distress the event or perception of this event may have caused."

At the said promo party, UK's Daily Mail tabloid ran an article stating that the event's centerpiece was a "freshly decapitated" goat, as indicated in Official PlayStation Magazine. Sony has since apologized for the incident, and has promised to pull out OPM's latest issues from news stands. There is still no word regarding the company's stand on the boobies also sighted at the promo party. Just keep posted in case concerned animal rights groups (i.e. PETA) decide to come back with a reply.

British middle-market newspaper The Daily Mail reports that Sony is receiving criticism for a promo stunt gone bad. According to the newspaper, the electronics giant used a "freshly slaughtered goat" as the centerpiece of a party to promote the PS2 title God of War II. The stunt has sparked the ire of critics and animal rights organizations.

Images from the party in question, which was held last month in Athens, reportedly appeared in Sony's official PlayStation magazine, but according to the Mail, Sony issued "an apology for the gruesome stunt and promised to recall the entire print run." The magazine was due to hit newsstands on Tuesday. According to the Mail, however, subscribers have already gotten their copies.

A spokesman from Sony said that the animal had not been slaughtered for the event but had been bought from a local butcher by the Greek company hired to stage the event. Sony is currently conducting an internal inquiry into "aspects of the event in order to learn from the occurrence and put into place measures to ensure that this does not happen again."

MCV UK reports that in the Daily Mail, a newspaper, quoted MD Alan Stock as saying: "At least climbing trees gives kids an appreciation of our surroundings. But playing computer games doesn't really teach us anything. It's easy to end up sitting indoors for hours on end." This quote of course, showed up in a Daily Mail report that says that based on figures collected from UK hospitals, Repetitive Strain Injury has increased by 35 percent among children since 1999.

The newspaper then says that the increase in RSI may be the PlayStation's fault. The report even bears the headline: "PlayStation generation that will never climb a tree."

Figures have shown that the number of children treated for falling out of trees dropped by 36 percent between 1999 and 2006. Hence the depression of the good doctor, MD Alan Stock.

So go prove them cheeky Brits wrong kiddies. Go outside and go climb a tree. Once you're dirty from the moss on the bark, once you've broken your leg from falling or something, and once you're home-bound due to the injured limb, go back to playing God of War 2. Yes, that.

Great, what else are folks going to blame on videogames?

Oh oh, bonus points for Sony fans, they said "PlayStation Generation" a-hyuk.

The delay of the video iPod is raising a lot of buzz on what the next incarnation of Apple's ever popular digital player will be. Here are some of those rumors and why Think Secret thinks they will remain likely as rumors:

Rumor: The next-gen iPod will surface as a "talking" iPod  - with voice-activated controls.
The Rumor Buster: According to Think Secret sources say yes, the talking technology is there. But no as Apple has yet to figure out how to implement it. Plus the company doesn't think a talking iPod would be a big seller.

Rumor: Apple's next iPods will be lit by organic light-emitting diode displays (OLED)
Rumor Buster: Again Think Secret sources say Apple ruled out the display technology due to the limited life-span of OLED displays. Plus OLEDs don't shine out in direct sunlight. Apple will continue to use LCD displays.

Rumor: iPod will go wireless because the MS iPod Killer (a possible rumor itself) due out by Christmas will feature Wi-Fi functionality. The rumors were so convincing the Daily Mail ran a headline announcing Apple and Microsoft's "race to launch wireless iPod".
Rumor Buster: iPods will not go Wi-Fi because it doesn't fit Apple's media player plans explained the sources. Wi-Fi will compromise battery life which is one of Apple's top priorities for its portable devices. Plus going wireless means slower transfer speeds and Apple has no plans for a music store interface that enables users to purchase and download songs on the go.

Rumor: Apple has put its iPod phone (or iPhone) development plan in deep freeze but will thaw and release it next year.
Rumor Buster: Several analyst reports have suggested that the possibility of a 2006 release for the iPhone is as cold as as ice.