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At a Senate subcommittee hearing on video game restrictions, the rhetoric flowed more freely than beer at Oktoberfest. It continues to be an uphill battle for lawmakers, though. Another federal judge has struck down yet another game-sales law in Michigan.

Lots of smoke, little fire... >>
A Federal Trade Commission study found that sales of M-rated games to minors dipped sharply. Unfortunately, they still walk out of the store with the game more than 40 percent of the time.

Why are there no similar studies on sales of R-rated DVDs? >>
As more studios jump off the UMD-movie bandwagon, rumors are about that Sony will finally introduce PSP-to-TV connectivity to maintain UMD-movie support. The dirty secret though is that UMD resolution would probably look terrible on most TVs.

Of course, it'll be another few months before people figure that out... >>
The maker of Oblivion has released its first bit of premium content, horse armor, for the wildly popular role-playing game. It'll cost you $2.50, though, putting a spotlight on the pros and cons of microtransactions.

How soon before you can't get a sword until you pony up an extra three bucks? >>
Who ever said the Big N was dead? They're raking in money hand over fist, in spite of the continuing decay of the GameCube. Selling two or three DSs to everyone might have something to do with it.

They made a cool $800 million net income... >>
At least one thing about the Revolution won't be next gen: the prices of the games. In a recent interview, Iwata proclaimed that he "can't imagine any first-party title could be priced for more than $50," sensitive to customers who may balk at increased prices.

Storage on the Revo will also be addressed at E3. >>
Bob Ross's painting legacy will soon live on, on your Nintendo DS, Revolution, and PC. Soon you'll be able to paint your own happy little trees and landscapes on a console or PC.

But will it be better than Mario Paint? >>
Post 9/11 hysteria in the US continues, as girls who created Super Mario question blocks and left them around a sleepy town in Ohio face trumped up criminal charges. Way to overreact!

As they say in Counter-Strike, terrorists win. >>

The HotSpot 4/4/06

The Senate met to discuss video game violence again, while Hollywood jumped off the UMD bandwagon. Oh and don't pull any pranks in Ravenna, Ohio while playing Bob Ross painting on your DS. The HotSpot crew tackles these and other pressing issues!

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