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A University of Tasmania researcher is looking at using modern gaming technology to investigate ways of improving motor skills which could lead to more rewarding participation in sport for some children. The simple act of reaching your right hand across your body to pick up an object on your left side seems like second nature to most, but this movement can be difficult for some children.

Imagine playing a frantic session of the video game Modern Warfare 2 in the virtual ruins of suburban USA, and suddenly seeing a scrolling message that announces a real manmade or natural disaster appear on the TV. Such a meta-experience may soon arrive via your Xbox, PlayStation or Wii, because New York State officials have begun testing a plan for emergency alert broadcasts over online gaming networks.

Energizer’s Power & Play package wirelessly recharges the batteries in Nintendo’s Wii remote controllers, spelling the end for one of the most annoying things about the novel games machine: Having to replace the AA-sized batteries every time they run out. And if you’re a casual gamer who only picks up a game a couple of times a month – which is the majority of Wii owners – that probably means having to replace the batteries every second time you decide to switch the machine on.

People who hate creepy kids and Halloween aren't out of the woods yet. A new Wii-exclusive Baby and Me arrives just in time for the holiday season, so that every Nintendo-loving household can stick a wiimote in an anatomically correct doll's back to rock it lovingly via accelerometer and hear its gurgles, giggles and wails through a tinny Wiimote speaker.

Airport screening technology has turned to an unusual accessory -- the Nintendo Wii balance board -- to identify fidgety, nervous passengers who might have explosives or illegal items concealed on their persons. Or they could have had a long day and just don't want to stand still.

You can already swing a metaphorical tennis racket, do the virtual hula or drive a virtual steering wheel. So what could possibly be next for the Wii?

Why, this inflatable horseback riding saddle controller, of course. Seriously—-a saddle. To ride in your living room.

Heartening or horrifying news, depending on your outlook -- the American Heart Association has pledged $50,000 in funding for a student project to develop a CPR teaching program for Nintendo's motion-controlled Wii.

All day, we’ve been bringing you new impressions of Nintendo’s big holiday games, but allow us to note some little things of possible importance from our time with those titles.

Small things I observed:

Apparently Nintendo executives frequent PopSci.com. Last year we evaluated the Wii Fit and begged for more technical ways to quantify how hard someone is working on the Wii. Yesterday, at the E3 conference, Nintendo did just that, unveiling the Wii Vitality Sensor--a finger-clip heart rate monitor add-on.

Nintendo Australia has finally revealed the release dates and prices of the Wii MotionPlus add-on and their first game to use it, Wii Sports Resort.

MotionPlus is out on June 11 and will set you back $30. It clips onto the base of your Wiimote to enable finer motion control.

Wii Sports Resort follows six weeks later on July 23 in a $100 bundle that includes the MotionPlus accessory. The successor to Wii Sports adds a bunch of new events, including jet skiing, swordfighting and, er… playing catch with your dog.

The video game industry racked up impressive sales in 2008, pulling in more than $21 billion in sales in the United States alone. That makes for a similarly impressive marketing tab.

According to researchers at the Nielsen Company and its Monitor-Plus advertising monitoring service, the industry spent an astounding $823 million promoting its video game wares to consumers. Hey, you gotta spend money to make money, right? Surely we wouldn't complain.

Calling all cars: Be on lookout for this Mii in connection with a hit and run. Driver last seen in Moo Moo Meadows wearing Mii Outfit B. Suspect is believed to have unlimited blue shells.

Story from Kotaku Australia

There's a reason the Gaming Showcase at CES doesn't light the gaming world on fire. It's packed to its borders with subwoofer-filled seating designed for games and lame Chinese knock-offs, like the iSports.