Because if anyone from Nintendo of America had bothered to watch the latest episode of Modern Family, they may have seen this kid. “Oh great!”, they probably thought at first. “Free advertising!”

But the more observant of staffers would have noticed the odd colour of the cartridge stuck in the back of the DS. And then the cartridge’s funny shape, smooth on one side, a hole on the other.

Yup, the hole where a microSD card goes. Meaning it’s very likely the kid (don’t watch the show, don’t know his name) was using either an R4 cart, or a similar device. We don’t know for sure — I am also not involved in the show’s production — but take a look for yourself.

Which doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a pirate! After all, the R4 isn’t just for pirating games; it’s also for enabling homebrew, a noble endeavour if ever there was one.

Not that Nintendo would care to make the distinction.

[thanks Greg!]

More than a half a million unique contestants competed in the 15-week beta season of 1 vs 100, and Microsoft wants even more to show up for round two. The second season of the game show kicks off on November 19 at 5pm Pacific Time (12 noon AEDT), with 1 vs 100 Extended Play. Extended Play features new themed trivia every week night, giving players a chance to capitalise on their strengths, giving them a better chance at being chosen as one of The Mob or perhaps even The One himself.

Nearly two million Microsoft points were given away as prizes during the first season, so you might want to keep an eye on the schedule this time around. Even if you aren’t a big fan of trivia, you could win enough points to buy a game you really want to play. No pain, no gain?

Kotaku AU note: Meanwhile, we’re still waiting on a local launch.

Here’s a quick look at how the service works on the console once you get the disc. For now, you’ll have to pop the disc in to access the Netflix service from the Movie section of your PS3’s cross media bar.

The Netflix service is relatively similar to the offering found on the Xbox 360. Although you can’t watch a movie with friends online, everything else seems to be there for PS3 owners.

I actually like the interface a bit more on the PS3 than I do the Xbox 360. The PS3 version takes up most of your screen to show off the movies or shows available in a particular area. You can sort by a number of genres, including very specific ones keyed to your tastes, as well as look at your Instant View queue and browse through the selection of TV shows and movies just made available on the service.

Once streaming a video you can pause, rewind, fast-forward just like with a disc or downloaded movie.

While this may seem like old hat to Xbox 360 owners, it’s got to be a delight for PlayStation 3 users, especially those that landed the disc before the weekend.

That name may sound familiar. Hall has been in the games business for years, having been boss of Monolith when they put out classics like No One Lives Forever, Aliens vs Predator 2 and, most awesomely, Shogo: Mobile Armoured Division.

But that was then. And now, right now, Hall is focused on TV, which is a bit of a jump for someone used to working on video games. It’s also an interesting one; we’re generally so focused on seeing what movie and TV types can bring to games that we forget games can give a little back, too.

Speaking with VentureBeat, Hall had some interesting things to say on the subject.

I think that my ability to get traction in Hollywood has created a slight crack in the door on the perception. What’s going to be the biggest factor is how well V performs as a television series. If it works…if people watch and enjoy what’s being presented, then that will crack the door open a little bit further to altering the perception. Hollywood will start to look at creative people in the videogame industry as viable authors, or resources, to come in and create interesting television and film programming. I’m trying really hard to sort of represent some of the best, because I’m one of the first people to do it. But I’m certainly not the most talented, or the smartest of the people in the videogame business. If I can come in and do this, and show it successfully, I’m hoping that it helps pave the way for others in the videogame business to push their talents into this area. Because honestly, I would watch the programming they come up with.

I’m fully behind this. There just aren’t enough burly space marines on TV these days.

Video game creator Jace Hall tries hand at TV with ABC’s “V” remake [VentureBeat]

The Ultima and Tabula Rasa creator brought some of his prized automata and rat tail to the Martha Stewart set, talking about his massive collection of antique and modern day self-operating machines, some of which were previously featured on Kotaku.

Of course, that post didn’t feature the lovely and talented Martha Stewart, nor did it offer video of Garriott holding a tiny fully-functioning crossbow. But, like that post, there’s very little video game discussion here. Instead, expect more than 11 minutes worth of talking about Richard’s expensive toy lot and lust for outer space.

Thanks, Tamiko!

Automata Robot Collection [Martha Stewart Show]

It’s been a long time since we first heard rumours of a late 2008 launch and nearly as long since it really did launch in Europe. But Sony told us at the start of 2009 that we’d see PlayTV by the end of the year, and they’ve delivered… just in time.

PlayTV lets you watch, pause and record free-to-air TV, even while you’re playing a PS3 game. You can also use it in conjunction with your PSP to watch TV remotely. PlayStation Australia boss Michael Ephraim reckons it’s a “must-have for every Australian family.”

“PlayTV further extends the broad entertainment credentials of PS3,” says Ephraim.

“PS3 already provides the best High Definition gaming, Blu-ray Disc movie playback, VidZone music video streaming, video, photo album, web browsing and PlayStation Network content. With the introduction of PlayTV’s state of the art TV tuner and PVR functionality, PS3 continues to be the best choice for the home entertainment needs of the Australian family.”

PS3 owners, are you interested in picking up a PlayTV box?

Kotaku AU NZ Note: Quick update for our New Zealand readers. Sony has confirmed PlayTV will not be launching in NZ this year. A Sony spokesperson told us: “PlayTV will not be launching in New Zealand in 2009. We understand that there is a lot of anticipation for the domestic arrival of PlayTV, and we are working hard to make it a reality for PlayStation 3 users in New Zealand in the future. Sony Computer Entertainment NZ will advise of further developments and announcements in 2010.”

Last Friday, the ABC announced that Junglist had been replaced as Good Game co-host and Hex would be joing Bajo for the rest of the year. The pair would also present a spin-off show called Good Game: Spawn Point on ABC3 next year.

The reaction from the Good Game community ranged from anger to sadness and disbelief at Junglist’s departure. Some fans have even set up a website devoted to saving Junglist “from being axed by the ABC.”

Late yesterday afternoon, a statement was posted on the Good Game forum attributed to Team Good Game, saying that the “decision to take Junglist off air was not forced upon us by ABC Management and it’s one that is fully supported by all the GG team.”

The statement also addressed the fears of some viewers that the host changes would result in a “dumbed down” program, saying: “That’s absolutely not right. We, as ever, will continue our quest to bring you the show for gamers by gamers…”

This statement quickly drew a response from Junglist himself, refuting some of the claims made by Team Good Game. He said he knew a number of team members “clearly DON’T support this” and that the decision “was forced by ABC management, for a mass appeal direction”.

Later, Bajo responded to Junglist’s post, stating that “while Junglist may have his own version of events, so do we, and all we ever wanted to do was work with him but it’s not to be…”

Good Game staff are bound by confidentiality agreements and thus cannot discuss the details of the situation directly. The thread is now well over 40 pages long as the Good Game community continues to debate what may or may not have actually happened.

Those without Sky subscriptions can subscribe for £15 ($27) and for £19 ($34) for sports channels. Twenty-four channels are currently on the Sky service.

According to Sky’s David Mercer, terrestrial channels are not yet available and programs won’t be shown in HD because of poor British broadband speeds.

“For BSkyB it offers further evidence that its future subscriber growth is not dependent on its traditional satellite set-top box strategy,” said Mercer.

“For Microsoft it is further confirmation that the Xbox is on its way to becoming not just a games console, but rather a complete home entertainment system.”

When asked when Sky is coming to the PS3, Sky’s Stephen Nuttall told TechRadar, “So we – Microsoft and Sky – are very focused on making this an enormous success this autumn and working together to deliver a great project.

“…To be honest we’re kind of neutral about how people access our content and don’t feel we should proscribe how people should be watching Sky. Our job is just to give people options.”

For more impressions and pics of Sky Player on Xbox 360, check out Electripig.co.uk.

News: Sky dodges PS3 player question [CVG]
News: Sky on Xbox Live OUT with 24 channels [CVG]

From Monday, Bajo will be joined by Stephanie Bendixsen, or Hex as she’ll be known on the show. Meanwhile, Junglist takes a back seat in an off-camera reviewing position.

Here’s how the ABC describes Hex:

“Born to non gaming parents who had a strict “no console” policy in the family home, Hex was forced to take up an outdoors hobby, bike riding… straight around the corner to the neighbours and their Sega Megadrive.

In her teenage years Hex discovered Lensmoor a Multi User Dungeon (MUD) game that is completely text based and looked to her unsuspecting parents just like her homework. When her habit of swapping sleep for gaming caught up with her she was sent off to see a counsellor to attempt to cure her of her gaming obsession possibly making her the only Aussie Gamer to be treated before ever actually owning a game.”

From February next year, Good Game: Spawn Point will launch on ABC3 alongside the regular Good Game on ABC2. Also hosted by Bajo and Hex, Spawn Point is aimed at a younger audience and won’t cover MA15+ games. However it will be made by the same team and the ABC is conscious of not “dumbing it down.”