The name Michael Pachter is no stranger in the gaming industry. Every so often, the Wedbush Morgan industry analyst makes a prediction, states an opinion, sometimes even throws a controversial comment. With that said, Pachter will be lending his voice and his knowledge of the industry to keynote the Game Investment Conference this November.

Newport Beach, California-based firm,  Shared Memory Graphics LLC, is taking out the big guns and going after three of the top tech makers in the industry, namely Apple, Nintendo and Sony, alleging that these companies have infringed on their patent rights.

Remember the California game law? You know, the one that wants to restrict the sale and rental of violent video games? Well, they went to the Court of Appeals to challenge the ruling, and guess what they got. Their appeal was denied, and the US Court of Appeals has ruled against the 2005 California gaming law. More in the full article.

Studies on violent video games can be very fickle. One minute violent video games are a healthy way of releasing pent up energy, and the next minute they're murder simulators. Sometimes you just have to wonder if the studies are actually credible.

According to the ECA, the latest one - the one that says violent video games make you more aggressive - is one such example of a study whose credibility is questionable. Right on.

Remember the California video game law? The one that wants to restrict violent video games? Well it's back, and it may even go as far as the US Supreme Court. More in the full article.

This Wednesday, California will be pitching the old anti-violent video game law to the Court of Appeals. This is the same law that received an injunction last year when it was ruled to be a threat to free-speech rights. This would probably get out of hand if Jack Thompson still had a say. It'll be more amusing though.

For shame! All this, right after hearing about the new anti-piracy law yesterday? Yeouch. Looks like these guys just got a golden ticket to a life of misery. We hear that SCEA filed a lawsuit against some PSP pirates hawking their wares on Craigslist and offering "to 'mod' or 'unbrick' PSP consoles so as to allow illegal unauthorized copies of SCEA's video game software."

It was roughly a few weeks ago that Emotiv was able to introduce their EPOC neuroheadset to the whole world.

Now we got wind that the company is looking for candidates to be the beta evaluators for upcoming brain-controlled gadget. Find out the details after the jump!

Sony is sending out word that they will be holding a presence at the upcoming Esurance Icer Air 2007 event this November 2 to 3. The Icer Air event itself will offer visitors with plenty of extreme sports events ranging from a big air ski and snowboard competition, freestyle motocross, skate and bmx vert, and park courses.

Aside from Sony, there are also expected to be 60 different exhibitors on-site, with a live performance by Mos Def and Talib Kweli scheduled for Saturday (November 3), following the day's Big Air invitational bout featuring Travis Rice and TJ Schiller. There will also be a Beer Garden, and the Village, where visitors can opt to buy related souvenirs.

The PlayStation tents will be in the ballpark by the vert ramp and within the Village, and will feature merchandise such as Sony's new PSP Slim. This year's Esurance Icer Air event will be taking place at the AT&T Park, at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, SF California 94107. Full details for the event are available via the read link.

As expected, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has filed a notice of appeal to the recent decision of courts that declared California's video game violence law unconstitutional. According to the said bill signed back in 2005, the sale of video games is restricted to anyone below 18 years of age. The Governor explained:

Many studies show the link between plagying ultra-violent video games and violent behavior. We have a responsibility to our kids and our communities to protect against the effects of games that depict ultra-violent actions. We protect our children from buying inappropriate movies and ought to be able to protect them from buying inappropriate video games as well.

In a counter move, the Entertainment Software Association or ESA has filed a motion to Judge Ronald M. Whyte of the Northern District of California for the reimbursement of attorney fees and other expenses during the trial from Schwarzenegger. The amount bring asked by the association totals US$ 324,480. ESA President Michael Gallagher had this to say:

California citizens should be outraged at their elected leaders. Hard-earned tax dollars were spent on defending this law that California's state leaders knew was unconstitutional... From early on, the industry warned Governor Schwarzenegger and Senator Yee that this bill was unconstitutional and would be thrown out by the courts and that California taxpayers would pay the cost.

Both the ESA and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) believe that the governor's appeal is going to be a disappointment as other rulings on prior similar cases are consistent with the decision of the California courts. EMA President Bo Andersen gave this piece of advice to Governor Schwarzenegger:

The court's ruling is consistent with rulings that have barred eight similar laws around the nation, and we fully expect it to be upheld on appeal. Rather than wasting more public funds in trying to defend a patently unconstitutional law, we believe the state should invest in helping parents make informed decisions about the video games brought into their homes.