The Sony PS3 is one of the most popular game consoles on the market. One of the best things about the console for me is that I can use it as a Blu-ray player in addition to a gaming system. I also believe that it is one of the best Blu-ray players around thanks to the continual updates Sony adds to the Blu-ray player via downloads.

Another nice thing about the PS3 is the PlayStation Network and Sony says that the network has reached a significant milestone. After being available for two years and three months the network has exceeded 20 million registered accounts worldwide.

Best known for their gaming machines and workstations CyberPower has jumped into the Windows Home Server market. The Windows Home Server 100 is packaged in a compact Mini-ITX enclosure, offers 500GB of storage for $399, and is designed to be quiet and energy-efficient.

The hardware specs aren’t bad either featuring a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of DDR2 Memory, 7200 RPM SATA-II HDD, Gigabit Ethernet, and S-Video & Audio output support via its Intel GMA 950 mainboard. Full press release below.

IBuyPower has two new affordable gaming rigs that look good and boast great specs. The Gamer HAF 91B and the Gamer Fire, both based on AMD’s latest Dragon platform and Phenom II CPU. The Gamer HAF 91B starts at $999 and includes the Phenom II X4 920 processor, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 500GB SATA II hard drive, a dual-layer DVD writer, ATI’s 512MB Radeon HD 4850 graphics card, a CoolerMaster HAS 932 case and a 550-watt power supply.

It’s big brother turns up the heat with a Phenom II X4 940 CPU, a 750GB HDD, LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray drive and an NZXT Guardian 921 chassis. The Gamer Fire will cost you $1,439.

Corsair has been one of the top and most popular memory makers in the PC world for a long time. Some of the highest of high-end gaming PC makers use Corsair RAM in their machines. When the Intel Core i7 CPU and X58 chipset combo launched one of the bad parts was that the system required new low voltage RAM.

The Dominator GT RAM is designed for the i7 and X58 combo with low voltage requirement. The DDR3 RAM is available in triple-channel kits up to 6GB. Corsair uses its Dual-path Heat eXchange technology in the heat sink to keep the modules cool.

I have a couple PSPs lying around my house and both of them are boring, shiny black devices. Sure, you can get silver PSP here in the states, but that’s not really any better than black. What I really want is a PSP with a bright color like Nintendo offers with its DS portable.

Sony is offering portable gamers in Japan the option of four new and very bright colors for their gaming enjoyment. The bright shades are called Carnival colors and the machines can be had in blue, red, green, and yellow.

Antec unveiled yesterday its latest high-performance gaming case for PC gamers. It is called the Nine Hundred Two and it prices around $165.

The Antec Nine Hundred Two is designed to better offer cooling for overclocked computer parts. These cooling options include a perforated front bezel for better air intake, a top-mounted 200mm Big Boy 200 exhaust fan with blue LED illumination, three 120mm fans and a fan mount on the window side panel for graphics card cooling.

Add this one to the ever growing pantheon of Apple rumors. PCPerspective has reason to believe that Apple is preparing a 24″ iMac. They say that we will get a set of four new iMac computers announced this week. Two 20″ iMacs with an NVIDIA integrated-GPU chipset based on the MCP79 design (the same used in the most recent MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks) and one of those will include the mobility GeForce 9600-series discrete GPU as well. This integrated + discrete graphics solution is basically identical the setup the new 15″ MacBook Pro includes.

If you buy into the hype, the 24″ iMacs will have the same integrated chipset but both of these will include discrete graphics solutions. The lower-end 24″ model will use the same mobility 9600 series that the MacBook Pro uses and the higher-end model will use a slightly faster GeForce 9800M solution. That would make the new 24″ iMac a useful gaming machine.

Using the Wii-Fit’s balance board is great for some sports simulations, but it can only go so far. The Ski Home Simulator is another option for those with large bank accounts and too much time on their hands at $2285. It has features for the ski beginner, as well as more advanced users.

Apparently it’s for the PC only, meaning that you need to plug it to your PC or laptop. With 32 different courses from 18 real life venues including Beaver Lake, Lake Louise and Chamonix, these are still pretty expensive courses when you take the price into account.

I always see some really cool gear at CES each year and CES 2009 will be no different. At CES 2008, one of the coolest things I saw was a 3D gaming demo NVIDIA put on. I can’t wait for 3D gaming to be more accessible for the average gamer. Perhaps one of the most exciting things at last year’s show and this year’s show will be technology to allow for 3D full HD TV viewing.

A company called TDVision has announced that it will be showing the world’s first 3D/2D compatible full HD stereoscopic broadcast and Blu-ray format. The TDVCodec is a system for encoding and decoding HD 3D video streams that can broadcast at 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Although we wish it were so, we have to face reality: Your cell phone is not going to become your primary portable gaming device anytime soon. The best it can hope for is offer a decent alternative to the DS and PSP, especially with the iPhone’s capability. But what about other powerful handsets that could prove to be decent gaming platforms, but lack the proper controls?

The BGP100 Bluetooth gamepad for phones aims to fill this void, and supports a bunch of smartphone platforms including Windows Mobile, PocketPC and Symbian UIQ. It features a special twisting design and you can attach the BGP100 to a wide range of phones as long as they do not exceed 55mm in width. If it turns out that your handset is too large for the BGP100, you can also use it as a standalone gamepad when folded up.

I am a big fan of netbook computers. I have tested several and found them to be great for reducing my load when traveling to places like CES. The catch is that netbooks offer little graphics power meaning that you get a less than ideal HD video and gaming experience on most netbook computers.

NVIDIA announced a new platform this week called Ion that promises to provide Intel Atom powered netbooks and net tops with the graphics muscle they need for better HD video viewing and even PC gaming.

There have been gamepads on the market for a long time now from Saitek and Belkin to name a couple. The idea behind a gamepad is to place fewer keys in an arrangement that makes them easier to reach and removes extra keys not needed when gaming. The reality of a game pad is that you often end up having to use it and the keyboard to play complex games needing many keys.

Logitech has announced its first entry into the gamepad market with the G13. According to Logitech, the gamepad is intended to complement the mouse and keyboard, ideally the Logitech G15 keyboard and G9 mouse. The G13 offers three game modes with 25 programmable keys each and a programmable analog stick.

When it comes to peripherals for PC gaming, normal mice and keyboards that ship with computers today really don’t cut it. Gamers need peripherals with more performance and customization options. Gaming with a normal 800 dpi mouse is not what gamers really want.

Back at E3 2007 I first laid eyes on the Logitech G9 gaming mouse. The mouse offered some interesting features including very high resolution for excellent sensitivity and customization with interchangeable grips to change the look and feel of the mouse. At the time, Logitech said that it would be introducing additional grips with different shapes and customized artwork.

Music games are among the most popular video games around right now and they are available on virtually all gaming systems form consoles to the PC. Mobile phone users that like to play games while on the go can also get into the action with a new Guitar Hero game.

Guitar Hero World Tour mobile is available now on all major carriers nationwide and will be debuting for the Android platform in January. The game offers real-time multiplayer gaming capabilities for players no matter what network their handheld device operates on.

MLB fans will love these MLB-themed gaming PCs from Commodore. Whether they will hit a home run with them is hard to say, but Baseball fans now have their own fancy machines. The officially licensed desktops feature an exclusive C-kin high-definition paint job and a Core i7 inside.

Don’t expect them to be cheap. The paint job process alone is much like the one on your car. Not some vinyl sticker. It’s baked on. The MLB range of Commodore Gaming computers is being launched now with a choice from four teams, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets. Additional teams will be added in the coming weeks.