stations

Saturday saw a first for NASA and the International Space Station, as two astronauts conducted an impromptu spacewalk to try to locate the source of a problem on the craft's exterior.

The space agency hadn't yet ordered such a spur-of-the-moment maneuver in regard to the ISS, according to the Associated Press, but when crewmembers on the craft spotted ammonia flakes floating through space beyond a window Thursday, the spacewalk was hastily planned.

After Mission Control and the ISS crewmembers prepped intensely -- for less than 48 hours -- astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Christopher Cassidy exited a hatch and … Read more

The International Space Station is leaking ammonia coolant used to prevent the station's power systems from overheating, but it doesn't pose a danger to the crew, NASA announced Thursday.

Crew aboard the space station alerted Mission Control to the appearance of small white flakes floating away from the station's P6 truss solar array this morning, NASA said in a statement. The ammonia loop affected is the same loop at which spacewalking astronauts attempted to troubleshoot a leak last November, NASA reported.

"There's a very steady stream of flakes or bits coming out as the truss … Read more

Hot on the heels of Microsoft's invitation to check out the next Xbox, Sony pushed out a shiny, new YouTube video highlighting the added features of the PlayStation 4 controller, along with a healthy peppering of praise from its creators.

"Everything's been tuned -- the feel of the analog sticks, the sensitivity of both different types of triggers," Scott Rohde, PlayStation product development SVP, says in the video.… Read more

Microsoft has made it official: the next Xbox will be unveiled at a May 21 event in Redmond, Wash., just weeks before E3 opens its doors. This looks like the inevitable Xbox-PlayStation next-gen console war we've all been expecting.

What will it take for Microsoft to keep its strong foothold in the gaming industry? Here's what I'm looking for.

Be the ultimate TV-streaming (and movie-playing) box The Xbox 360 has already carved a great role for itself as a streaming-media hub, and rumors point to the next Xbox possibly being a true rival to a future Apple … Read more

Vroom vroom! PlayStation gamers should get ready to rev up their racing rigs as it appears Gran Turismo 6 might be coming later this year.

Following last week's discovery of Newegg's nondescript placeholder for Gran Turismo 6, Italian retailer Multiplayer put up a very revealing listing for the unannounced racing game on its Web site. Surprisingly, the page hosts a never before seen image of what could be GT6's box art as well as a November 28 release date. Keep in mind these details could be exclusive to Europe and the North America version may differ. … Read more

The rumor was right. Konami today confirmed Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection, slating the comprehensive PlayStation 3-exclusive bundle to arrive this June. The company did not specify a price.

Game designer Hideo Kojima teased the project last week, revealing an image of the game's box art. In addition, the Korean Game Ratings board had published an entry for the bundle.

Read more of "Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection confirmed" at GameSpot.

The next time you mash buttons on a video game controller, keep in mind that there's more than half a century of innovation behind the venerable input device.

To remind you of this fact, Pop Chart Lab's eye-catching poster, titled "The Evolution of Video Game Controllers," sheds light on the incredible technological progression of controller hardware. You'll probably never again see more joysticks, knobs, and buttons in one place -- well, unless you're hanging around CNET producer Stephen Beacham's retro video game console patch bay.… Read more

Thanks to astronaut Chris Hadfield and a series of videos from the Canadian Space Agency, we've had incredible access to all aspects of life on the International Space Station. Activities that are so mundane here on Earth (like clipping nails and heating up some spinach) become things of wonder in zero gravity. That's why we're all going ga-ga over Hadfield wringing out a washcloth.

If I told you nearly 600,000 people would tune into YouTube to watch a piece of cloth get wrung out, you would probably laugh and tell me to take the day off. Fortunately, we're not all suffering from a mass delusion. Hadfield soaking up a washcloth with water and then wringing it out really is that cool.… Read more

Naughty Dog's series of developer diaries for The Last of Us aren't exactly coming thick and fast (the last one appeared a bit over a month ago), but they certainly are worth the wait.

This video deals with the environments of The Last of Us. The game envisions a setting in which the near-demise of humanity has given nature time to reclaim the world around it. Verdant, lush plant life contrasts with decayed, fallen cities.

The video provides an interesting look at the transition from concept art to gameplay, as well as how the correct use of lighting can help a game seem more real. … Read more