Insert Credit has unearthed some patents from the early days of videogaming that are.. special.

There are some great little nuggets here, from an early design for the Nintendo Powerglove — sorry, "Forearm mounted multi-axis remote control unit" — to a 'button presser' that lets you hit two buttons alternately by rolling the device back and forth. This sounds ridiculous, until you think about Track & Field.

There is even a slice of true console history in the form of a prototype for the first NES cartridge.

My favourite, though, has to be the SEGA racing controller/game pictured above that has an actual model car that moves left to right on a shelf in front of your TV. Come on SEGA, the time is right for this thing to see the light of day - bring it out on a current-gen console & you will clean up.

News: Old videogame patents [InsertCredit via Boing Boing Gadgets]

In the upcoming issue of Famitsu, SEGA announced that it's making a PSP game starring Hatune Miku. Hatune Miku is a character for Vocaloid2 Character Vocal Series software, but has gone on to appear in manga, anime and even get a cameo in a DS game! Here, you can listen to her sing the Portal song in Japanese!

Anyway, about the PSP game, it's a rhythm game which lets players win stuff and decorate Miku's room. Beside rhythm games, you can watch her walk around. Oh, and it's called Hatsune Mikue -Project Diva-. Thrilling title.
Hatsune Miku on PSP [Canned Dogs]

Total PSP hardware and software sales figures for Japan have been announced. The console itself has shifted over ten million units in the period from December 12, 2004 and August 24, 2008. Software sales-wise, Capcom's Monster Hunter juggernaut is leading the charge. Here's the totals for the top selling PSP games so far in Japan:

1. Monster Hunter 2nd G (Capcom) March 27, 2008 Release: 2,396,642 copies sold
2. Monster Hunter 2nd (Capcom) February 22, 2007 Release: 1,706,387 copies sold
3. Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix) September 13, 2007: 790,705 copies sold
4. Monster Hunter Portable (Capcom) December 1, 2005: 668,964 copies sold
5. Phantasy Star Portable (SEGA) July 31, 2008: 545,242 copies sold

The PSP seems to have really taken off in the last two years here in Japan.

PSPの国内累計販売台数が1000万台を突破 [Famitsu] [Pic]

Hirokazu Yasuhara has been lucky enough to work in both the Japanese game industry and the Western game industry. In Japan, he was the third member of the first Team Sonic and fleshed out the level design for the early Sonic titles. In the West, he clocked time at Naughty Dog, working on the Jak series. Now, he's currently senior design director at Namco Bandai Games America. In an interview with game site Gamasutra, Yasuhara talks his level design philosophy (fascinating stuff) and offers insights like:

Don't mix beer and wine. Ever. And don't dabble in Golden Axe: Beast Rider when suffering from intercontinental jet lag. Let my folly become your wisdom. See, the Secret Level-developed update to the Golden Axe franchise is probably more... let's say... relaxing than it should be. That's a nice way of saying rather bland, as the rainbow of browns that permeate the game may lull hack 'n' slash fans into a restful slumber.

I mean, even the purple chicken things are brown.

That's not to say Golden Axe: Beast Rider is a bad game, from our hands on time with it. Just a bit uninspired, lacking in some tangible oomph, in the graphics department and the swordplay.

Beast Rider star Tyris Flare looks fantastic though. Whomever is responsible for her model and those perfectly modeled lower back dimples deserves a raise. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game does have its moments, visually. Hopping on a ridable beast that can camouflage itself with a Predator like effect looks pretty snazzy too.

Sega whipped up an exceedingly clever Games Convention press kit for the just announced The House of the Dead Overkill. Capitalising on the '70s horror schlock style of the on-rails Wii shooter, Sega stuffed a horrific post card and The House of the Dead T-shirt into a custom VHS sleeve case. Yes, that little brick is wearable — just add water.

We've secured two of these schwag boxes for future contests. Start brushing up on your The House of the Dead dialogue, kids. Oh, and check out the half-dozen pics of the press kit in our gallery below.

From the guys who brought you Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect comes Sonic Chronicles for the DS. In this video we get a quick look at the combat and what we can expect. The game will be hitting your Nintendo DS.

Sega wanted to clear something up about MadWorld at Games Convention. You won't just be cruising the black and white streets of Mad City, tossing scores of chumps into meat grinders, slicing them in half with Dumpster lids and beheading them in style with daggers akimbo. There's more to it than that.

First of all, there are mini-game challenges, like the Death Press, in which Jack, the star of MadWorld, will have to toss as many bodies into a spike-filled crusher before time runs out. You know, to break the monotony of turning faces into pulp and being showered with blood.

We already figured you'd be getting some replica maraca controller shells with a Samba De Amigo bundle, but now you'll also be able to stock up on spares, should you wish to give a second player the same kind of faux-Mexican authenticity. Or add a little flair to your kitchen utensils or tool set. Either or. Amazon have standalone maracas listed at $US 15 for the pair, and unlike the HMV ones, these are all red, so they should shake even faster.

Wii Maracas [Amazon, via Go Nintendo]

It's a shame that Sega hasn't released any screen shots of Bayonetta in action to share with you. Platinum Games' work on the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 action game really deserves to be seen by more people — this is the best looking game we've seen at Leipzig. It may sound like an odd proposition in print, a raven haired witch battles the forces of "good" with her mystical and impossibly groomed hair — hair that also acts as her clothing — along with a pair of pistol heels, but the style, sex appeal and mind blowing art direction of Bayonetta couldn't be more promising to fans of arse-kicking action.

Only in a game with a female lead could Bayonetta's contributions to the action genre make so much sense. A giant, mystical stiletto heel attack made of Bayonetta's black locks sounds silly in concept, yes, but in practice it's an enjoyable kick in the pants. Same for that flesh-eating dragon made of hair we saw during one boss fight and the balletic split kicks that rain gunfire in 360 degrees — this shit looks cool.