Blog Posts by Chris Morris

Wii U (Nintendo)Historically, gamers get new consoles every five or six years. Like cell phones, game systems have a planned obsolescence -- and each subsequent generation offers eye-popping new features that reinvigorate sales.

But as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 start to get a bit long in the tooth, neither Microsoft nor Sony has uttered a word about their plans for new systems. And while Nintendo's Wii U will hit stores next year, there's a considerable amount of debate over whether that machine is truly "next gen."

While the companies themselves may not be making any statements, the grapevine has plenty to say.

Though the company has had its share of ups and downs over the years, Nintendo has been a profitable company for as long as it has been reporting earnings.

Not so SuperThat streak will end this year.

The company is now forecasting a loss of 20 billion yen ($264 million) for its full fiscal year, which ends in March 2012. The news follows a horrific second fiscal quarter for the company.

Nintendo lost 70.2 billion yen ($926 million) between July and September of this year — double what it had warned investors to expect. The company blames the loss on decreased software and hardware sales, price reductions on the Wii and 3DS and a challenging currency exchange.

John Belushi (AP/NBC)John Belushi played several memorable roles in his too-short life: Blues Brother, killer bee, samurai short-order cook, frat house legend.

But he never played a character in a video game.

Social game maker Entertainment Games is changing that, as the man many remember as Bluto has been revived as a playable avatar in 'Retro World', a free-to-play game that lets players walk in the shoes of their favorite celebrity icons.

Belushi's hardly the only famous name and likeness the company has licensed. Elvis Presley's estate has also given the green light for the King to appear in the game, and others will be announced soon.

Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar Games)Get ready to play in Rockstar's sandbox once again.

The developer has formally announced that Grand Theft Auto V is coming, though in true Rockstar fashion, that's about all it has to say so far.

The developer has wallpapered its website with the game's logo and promised to release the first trailer for the game on Nov. 2. Normally, that wouldn't be enough to put gamers into a tizzy — but GTA is hardly a normal game.

Battlefield 3 (EA)For the past few months, the war of words between Activision and Electronic Arts over their respective modern military shooters has been intense, to say the least. EA has been eager to unseat Call of Duty from its king-of-the-hill spot and hasn't shied away from trash talking to do so.

On Tuesday, the company's best bet to accomplish this — Battlefield 3 — will hit store shelves. And while EA's marketing machine is about to go into overdrive, analysts say the fight may be over before it starts.

Modern Warfare 3, due out Nov. 8, will sell twice as many units as Battlefield 3 this year, predicts Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities. He also believes it will likely set entertainment opening weekend records for the third year in a row.

Richard Garriott has always lived in a slightly different world than the rest of us.

Brittania Manor II (Photos courtesy Robin McCall Company)He's the creator of the revolutionary Ultima role-playing series. He's an astronaut. And he lives in one of the coolest houses in Texas.

Or used to live there, at least.

Garriott's epic digs can now be yours — if you've got a spare $4 million lying around.

Britannia Manor II, a 5,000 square foot home in Austin that overlooks 3,000 acres of protected land, was designed by Garriott -- and, as you might expect from a legendary game maker, it comes with some very unique features.

Forget Kinect. Scientists have now found a way to literally make you the controller in video games.

A study on human-computer interfaces at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Emerging Technology Conference this week included visual evidence of test subjects controlling games via electrodes attached to the surface of their brains -- completely redefining the term "head shot."

The players, who (it's worth noting) were initially wired up for treatment of illnesses such as epilepsy, were given the chance to play the shooter classic Doom. The position of the targeting reticule was controlled with an external controller, but the command to fire came directly from a patient's thoughts.

Nokia MorphFive years ago, the features of today's smart phones seemed the stuff of science fiction. Functions like voice-activated controls, high-definition cameras and video calls were largely considered geek daydreams, but the breathtaking evolution of the devices has turned them into reality seemingly overnight.

That's what makes the future so exciting for smart phones. No dream is too big. The better question, now, is when some kooky new feature will become reality. And in a lot of cases, it might not be too long.

Some of the features and functions of future smart phones are pretty obvious -- longer battery life, 4G connectivity, more immersive games, etc. -- but there are bigger, broader plans out there. Here are five that have caught our eye.