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! CYBER CORNER !
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IN THE NEWS: WAL-MART VS. GAMESTOP
NEW YORK (AP) — If it were a video game, it would be the saga of a giant who tries to invade the prosperous territory of a smaller, but well entrenched rival. But the battle between Wal-Mart and the world's biggest dealers in new and used video games will be decided at the cash registers and spread sheets — not on a make-believe battlefield. Wal-Mart has fired the first salvo, announcing that it will soon let customers trade used video games in exchange for credit toward the purchase of other items. GameStop draws about half its profits from buying and selling used video games. The exchange program at Wal-Mart begins next week. And it is touting the fact that credits for used games can be used for any product Wal-Mart or Sam's Club sells — not just video game games or gear. GameStop hasn't respond to a request for comment on Wal-Mart's plans to move into its turf.
IN THE NEWS: IRS WORKER TOOK PERSONAL INFO ON FORMER COLLEAGUES
WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS says some of those who are or have been on its payroll could have had their personal information compromised. The agency says an Internal Revenue Service employee took home personal information on about 20,000 IRS workers, former workers and contractors. The data was on a computer thumb drive — and contained names, Social Security numbers and addresses of the workers. The drive was plugged into an unsecured home network, which made it vulnerable to would-be hackers. In a statement, the IRS says there's no evidence the information has been used inappropriately. And it says the incident involved no taxpayer information.
ON THE WEB: LAWSUIT OVER WEST-KARDASHIAN ENGAGEMENT TO GO FORWARD
CYBERSPACE (AP) — Did you see the grainy clip of Kanye West proposing to Kim Kardashian — or watch the produced version on E! Entertainment Television? If you caught it online, you can understand the lawsuit West and his fiancee have filed against Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube and head of a new video-sharing site, MixBit. The suit claims the leaked footage pre-empted the official release of footage by E!. Hurley claims the clip was protected by first amendment rights of free speech. But a judge has ruled the lawsuit can go forward.
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Online:
MixBit site: http://www.mixbit.com
IN STORES: SONY LAUNCHING VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sony is trying to make its foray into virtual reality — a reality. The company has taken the wraps off a prototype VR headset to be used along with its PlayStation 4 video game console. The head of Sony Entertainment studios showed off the headset during a chat yesterday at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The headset is code-named Project Morpheus. It features a head-mounted display with 1080p resolution and a 90-degree field of view. The device would also have built-in sensors to track a person's head orientation and movement. As for when it will be released or how much it will cost — Sony isn't saying just yet.
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Online:
Sony site: http://www.sony.com
by Oscar Wells Gabriel II
Oscar Gabriel can be reached at ogabriel@ap.org.
Follow Oscar Gabriel on Twitter at https://twitter.com/OWGabriel2
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