Actually, it’s likely an Xbox 360 Controller for Windows – I doubt they’re using a console to display the video. It’s probably something their production team put together on a PC and gave Pereira the controller for ease of use.

But it is intriguing, I suppose. It also reminds me of how I completely screw up my replays in Madden and NCAA 10 because I’m moving the two sticks like an FPS camera.

Publisher Electronic Arts has released a De-Authorization Management Tool for PC gamers afflicted with one of its many catalog titles packaged with SecuROM for digital rights management. This is for you, disgruntled Mass Effect owner.

With the EA De-Authorization Management Tool, you can now do sane things like reformat your hard drive and install new video game hardware without the same level of hassle (or using up one of your handful of permitted activations). Simply de-authorize your installed PC game, then install the game on another machine, without wasting those previous software activations.

This applies to games like Mass Effect, Dead Space and even your copy of The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff expansion—any EA published PC game released after May 2008.

For the full list of applicable games, read on.

• Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
• Crysis Warhead
• Dead Space
• FiFA Manager 09
• FIFA Soccer 09
• Littlest Pet Shop
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
• Mass Effect
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
• Mirror’s Edge
• MySims
• Need for Speed: Undercover
• NHL 09
• Spore
• Spore Creature Creator
• The Sims 2: Apartment Life
• The Sims 2 IKEA Home Stuff
• The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff

EA Game Authorization Management [EA via Blues News]

Dance Dance Revolution is great. If you like dancing. If not, its applications are somewhat limited. Note we say somewhat, though, and not totally, as you can still use it to drive… Windows Media Centre.

Why you’d do this, we don’t know. Unless you had no arms, or something. It could at least have some back-up dancing and maybe some kind of highland jig. Or be put to use on something a little more interesting. Like a game. But still, seeing two DDR dancemats (for the PS2, no less) stitched together and made to do something practical is worth a “well done” and a pat on the head.

Largest TV Remote Ever Controls Windows Media Center [Gizmodo]

Owners of the “Games For Windows” release of Gears Of War have found themselves unable to play the game they own today. The reason? An expired Windows digital certificate, which went digitally sour yesterday.

Epic Games’ forum dwellers began kvetching about the issue within the past 24 hours, when presented with a warning that read “The certificate has expired or is not yet valid.” Gears Of War PC players found that resetting their system clocks back to the day before the Verisign certificate expired or earlier let them play as normal.

Fortunately, Epic seems to be well aware of the problem, responding in the official forum with “We have been notified of the issue and are working with Microsoft to get it resolved.”

Epic reps offered their apologies, opting not to point the finger at any party possibly responsible for the lapse in certificate renewal.

Given Microsoft’s recent problems with keeping Zunes working on a day-to-day basis, we think we might know who the culprit is.

Modified executable code!! HELP!! [Epic Games Forums via Ripten]

Despite deep cuts into Microsoft’s gaming division, the company says today they remain dedicated to Windows as a “first-class gaming platform.”

The company also confirmed to Kotaku that Chris Early, former general manager of Games for Windows Live, was indeed laid off. Ron Pessner, who comes from Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division, will be assuming his duties as well as other areas within Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business.

“Moving ahead, Microsoft will continue to invest in Windows as a first-class gaming platform through great Windows out of box experiences, our online gaming services including Games for Windows – LIVE, MSN Games, and Messenger games, and through new games for Windows developed by Microsoft Games Studios,” a Microsoft spokesperson said. “Our Windows gaming service efforts will be led by General Manager Ron Pessner, who is joining Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business. He comes from within Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division.

“Working closely with Ron will be Dave Luehmann, a long time Microsoft games veteran and General Manager within Microsoft Games Studios, who will now be overseeing internal development and publishing for all Windows-based games.

Beyond these changes, we are not commenting on specific personnel issues at this time.”

Earlier today we wrote about a possible reason behind the high number of lay offs in the Entertainment and Devices division, which includes Xbox 360. It looks like maybe Microsoft is trying to consolidate some of those management positions.

Windows 7 is out and up for download, provided you’re OK with using a beta operating system. It promises a raft of improvements over Windows Vista, but how’s it shaping up for games?

FiringSquad have taken a look at how it runs across two systems: a mid-spec one (AMD Athlon X2 5000+ Black Edition) and a high-end machine (Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition). While the results are worth a look at, it’s worth remembering, remembering then remembering again that Windows 7 is still in beta. So there’s room for improvement.

Anyway, that caveat out of the way, above are some of the results more relevant to you, the game-playing public.

More detailed break-downs – including Crysis at DirectX 10 – below.

Windows 7 Beta Gaming Performance: XP vs Vista vs 7 [FiringSquad, via Evil Avatar]

Unfortunately, that’s all the info that Squenix is providing, noting that whatever those new features are will be announced later. Date? No. Price? Nuh-uh. Just know that The Last Remnant is coming and that it will have an .exe.

The PlayStation 3 port of the RPG is still “TBA,” if you’re holding out for it.

MARVEL at the luminous ‘magic is happening’ lightshow! THRILL to the giant spiders! SWOON at the one where it is all dark apart from the glowy red bits!

And GAWP at the really quite improbable physique of the protagonist Ayumi. That’s quite a big sword for a lass with arms like two Men’s Pocky.

There have been a few minor gems since the iPhone 3G arrived and Steve Jobs made his bold claim, but the Boing Boing Gadgets crew seem rather taken with action/strategy title Galcon.

The game is a conversion of the desktop title for Windows, OSX and Linux and offers fast-paced Risk-like gameplay with an emphasis on short-burst battles – just the thing for a quick bus journey but with solid enough strategy element to keep you coming back.

The game costs just $US5 (compared to $US20 for the desktop incarnation) and there is a ‘Lite’ version available as a free demo through the App Store.

A few hours with Galcon, the first killer game for iPhone [BB Gadgets]