Talk about wanting the best of both worlds: gamer mmmonkey wasn't getting along with his PlayStation 3 controller because his thumbs kept slipping off the thumbsticks. The solution? He got a donor original Xbox controller and replaced its joysticks with the PS3's (pictured left).

Read more in the full article.

Hydrapinion's Seamus Byrne decided to follow up the claim of Sony's SIXAXIS controller bagging an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts & Science (NATAS), and he's apparently found a rather large discrepancy.

The winner of the Emmy for Technology and Engineering isn't the SIXAXIS. It isn't even the Wiimote-Nunchuk combination.

It's the DUALSHOCK (or Dual Shock, if you prefer).

At first, Byrne was somewhat annoyed with the original announcement because the SIXAXIS didn't really have an original design, since it's an adaptation of Dual Shock controller and all, minus Immersion's rumble technology. Imagine his, and our, surprise when Christine Chin from NATAS sent a follow-up message. She writes,

I understand you had contacted Cheryl Daly, Director of Communications at NATAS to confirm if Sony won for their PS3 controller. This is incorrect, Sony won for their dual shock analog controller. The award is from the Video Game Technology Group. It was nominated by our internal group and considered along with the Nintendo D-Pad both of which were considered Emmy worthy for the development of the generation of controllers that followed the classic joysticks.

I would like to confirm that Sony did not win for their PS3 controller, they won for their Dual Shock Analog controller.

All we can say is, this really isn't the best way to start the year. Still, props to Sony for the Dual Shock win.

Computer pioneer and inventor Allan Kotok, has died of a heart attack at age 64 in his home in Cambridge Massachusetts. A native of Philadelphia, Kotok is an MIT alum and a W3C associate chairman.

Known for being "technically adept well beyond the norm," Kotok worked for a variety of high tech firms. While working at Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) Kotok designed a family of computers, did some consulting and went on to fulfill various leadership roles.

His background in creating the AI for chess computers was subsequently found to be indispensable in his capacity as a tech researcher and game inventor. Mr. Kotok's life was a catalyst for growth in the fledgling gaming and computing industries of his time, and he is someone all gamers should know about.

Credited with creating the first videogame, along with the joysticks used to play them, his role in the history of gaming and computing in general cannot be overstated. Who knows, without his contributions to the history of gaming, the gaming industry we see today could be drastically different.

Mr. Kotok is survived by two daughters, a son and two grandsons. Everyone who uses computers or enjoys gaming today should recognize Alan Kotok as an integral figure in the evolution of the videogame industry.