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We were excited for the merger talks between Blockbuster Video and Circuit City, as that union could create a probable entertainment behemoth, and we don’t mean like Paula Abdul. Sadly word is coming down that Blockbuster is pulling its offer for Circuit off the table. Apparently it was ultimately decided that the match wasn’t a good fit for Blockbuster’s shareholders, so the plans have been scrapped. What could have been and awesome two-front retailer now means Blockbuster has to find new ways to catch up with Netflix, and Circuit City has to keep its head above water without any help. Bets on what happens next? [Forbes]

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Japanese game manufacturer Mega House has come up with a winner. Biri Biri Kaze Hiki Wanko (which, translated, means Shocking Sick Puppy) is a cross between seminal kids’ game Operation, where you had to remove various parts of a patient’s anatomy with a pair of wired-up tweezers, without letting on to your parents that you’d swallowed the best part of a bottle of bourbon the night before touching the sides, and that equally seminal ’70s plaything, Slime. A fearsome mess of green snot and drool emerges from the dog’s mouth and nose, and you have to pick out plastic “germs” embedded in the ectoplasm. Trouble is, if the metal tweezers touch the slime, you get an electric shock. Out in Japan this August, Shocking Sick Puppy needs a worldwide release if it is to realize its full genius potential. [Trends in Japan]

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According to Pocket-Lint, Sony Ericsson has signed a deal with GestureTek to utilize a software engine which uses a cellphone camera as a motion sensor. Because the software is currently used in the PS2 EyeToy, it will be used to launch a new range of Sony Ericsson motion sensitive games. And apparently, Super Monkey Ball and Crash Bandicoot are in the works (see photo).

Similar in function to the camera-based motion sensor in the Samsung Instinct, GestureTek’s technology is cheaper to implement that the accelerometers found in phones like the LG Secret and iPhone. It can also be retroactively applied to old Sony E cameraphones. Is Sony Ericsson finally getting serious about cellphone gaming? We’ll see. Check out Pocket Lint for more photos.[Pocket-Lint]

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According to Pocket-Lint, Sony Ericsson has signed a deal with GestureTek to utilize a software engine which uses a cellphone camera as a motion sensor. Because the software is currently used in the PS2 EyeToy, it will be used to launch a new range of Sony Ericsson motion sensitive games. And apparently, Super Monkey Ball and Crash Bandicoot are in the works (see photo).

Similar in function to the camera-based motion sensor in the Samsung Instinct, GestureTek’s technology is cheaper to implement that the accelerometers found in phones like the LG Secret and iPhone. It can also be retroactively applied to old Sony E cameraphones. Is Sony Ericsson finally getting serious about cellphone gaming? We’ll see. Check out Pocket Lint for more photos.[Pocket-Lint]

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When tabletop arcade manufacturer Retro-Tech makes a coffee table, it’s gotta do more than hold a books on Famous Chateaus of the 18th Century and What Things Look Like From the Sky. It has to hold that stuff and piss off your home theater.

So they start with a 19″ touch screen, add a Blu-ray drive with video out and a Microsoft keyboard and mouse to control is all. (And we’re pretty sure a PC is stuck in there too.) To round it out, 6mm of “toughened glass” protects the top, though we’re a bit confused if the touch screen still works when covered. You can definitely see the arcade influence in the design, but we wish they’d gone a step or two further in incorporating the glossier elements of tabletop games. And would a splash of color hurt anyone? Price TBA. [Retro-Tech via Ubergizmo]

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