The Nintendo DS, much like the PlayStation Portable, is a system vexed by piracy. The DSi XL has some protection against copied games, but it's still a problem for Nintendo. It seems, however, that the 3DS has some nifty new technologies to make sure that gamers come by their software legally.

"The problem with the DS market in the last few years, particularly with the DS Lite, is that it's just been attacked by piracy. It's made it almost impossible to shift any significant volume. The DSi combated it a little bit, but the 3DS has taken that a step further," THQ's executive VP of global publishing Ian Curran told CVG.

Curran asked Nintendo to describe the technology, but was told the sophistication doesn't lend itself well to short explanations. Besides, any information on how exactly the hardware makes sure the games being played are legit would simply be used to try to crack the system; we don't expect any executive to wax poetic about the protection in any detail. Still, this is a great comfort to publishers who want to make sure the 3DS is a good investment for development, as a high installed base is useless if piracy is rampant.

"It's going to probably cost us more to do it all in 3D—so we want to make sure we get a return on our investment when we do it," Curran said. 

It's an interesting cost-benefit issue: the 3D is more expensive, but if Nintendo moves a high number of systems—which seems likely—and can assure publishers piracy won't be a big factor, it should be a simple thing to build the system's library.

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Blizzard did not make many friends with its recent decision to force users to post with their real names in its official forums. The response was immediate and deafening, with pages and pages of users complaining bitterly about the new rule. One Blizzard employee posted his own name to prove the system's safety only to have his personal information, including address and phone number, posted on the forum. The company listened to the feedback, and is now reversing course.

"We've been constantly monitoring the feedback you've given us, as well as internally discussing your concerns about the use of real names on our forums," Mike Morhaime, the CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment, wrote. "As a result of those discussions, we've decided at this time that real names will not be required for posting on official Blizzard forums." 

Playing Sonic 4 at E3 was like being splashed in the face with a bucket of cold water. Finally, a 2D Sonic, in high definition, that played as well as the classic games. This is what we've been  been hoping for through the years. After the show, I was able to speak with Ken Balough, the digital brand manager for Sonic 4, and Aaron Webber, the assistant community manager for Sega of America. My first question was a simple one: after all these games that disappointed what we consider to be the core fans, is Sonic damaged goods?

Last week a curious, free release popped up on Steam: Moonbase Alpha, a NASA-funded game where up to six players can team up in order to save a near-future Lunar base crippled by a meteor strike. The game is just the first release from NASA's Learning Technologies program, which aims to help raise interest in the space program through gaming.

Ars spoke with Daniel Laughlin, project manager of Learning Technologies, to learn more about the game and what we can expect to see in the future.

Laser tag is nice and all, but the weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend—at least where we are—and we're trying to get you people outside, away from the computer! SUCK UK has a sweet idea, a way to play with water guns that lets you know when the other player has scored a kill.

The concept is simple, yet genius. Each player wears a special vest that turns red when hit with water, and you get two water guns to play with. Shoot each other, and no more arguing over who hit whom! Sadly, the set is not actually available yet, but there are ways to rig up something similar yourself.