EA Sports has just announced the next installment of their hugely popular Sports Active workout systems for the Wii. It is called EA Sports Active 2.0, and will be available in the fall. It will also be available for the Sony PS3, iphone, and ipod touch.

The new innovations with this game are a wireless control system, leg and arm straps with motion sensors, and a heart rate monitor. They are also launching an online community where you can track your workouts and share with others.

The first fitness program (EA Sports Active) featured a 30 day workout challenge to get you motivated and into a daily workout routine. The second installment (More Workouts) went to a 6-week challenge, and 2.0 is advertising they will be featuring a 9-week total body conditioning program.

I am a huge fan of the EA sports workout series. It is an easy-to-use affordable option to help you maintain your physical fitness. The workouts go from “I am a couch potato and need to get back in shape easy” to “I am in great shape, but damn I can’t walk the next day hard”. :-)

I purchased the first one last fall. I work from home (usually on a laptop on the couch), and was looking for a quick workout to do from home that I could incorporate into my schedule. I have done 2 30-day challenges on it and have lost pounds and inches, but the best part is how much better I feel when I can get off the couch and even put in a 20 or 30 minute workout that makes you feel like you have actually done something. I got the More Workouts at Christmas and have started on the 6-week challenge, but it is on hold due to my “New Puppy” workout plan. LOL The More Workouts is more intense than the original, so I am looking forward to getting back into that one.

And I am definitely looking forward to the new installment coming out in the fall. Read the EA Sports blog post here.

Visit our new merchant Star Wars Shop for everything you can think of in Star Wars products.

They have action figures, collectibles, arts, clothing, video games, toys, costumes and much more! A ton of great gift ideas for the Star Wars geek in your life. The Darth Vader Projection Alarm Clock is going on my wish list. :-)

I am sure most of you out there have already heard the announcement today of Apple’s new tablet computer: the Ipad. It was unveiled at MacWorld this morning (PST) and definitely looks like it is going to live up to all the hype.

I won’t go into all the ‘cool factor’ details as I am sure they are everywhere on the web, but for those that just want the quick features here they are.

Like thousands of other people, is getting back in shape on top of your New Year’s resolutions list? Often, we blame video games for the large number of obesity cases in children, but with the Wii Fit and the new Wii Fit Plus, fitness is the star of the game.

Wii Fit uses a sophisticated electronic board to evaluate your movements. The concept is simple: you stand on the board and follow the sequence of movements shown on the screen. The board evaluates your position and helps you make adjustments, if necessary. This way you can participate into interactive sports, take a virtual yoga class or create your own aerobics routine. With the Wii Fit Plus, you can now save a sequence of yoga positions or strengthening exercises to repeat every day, a little bit like a circuit at the gym. There is even a tool that evaluates the caloric intake of the foods you eat, and that estimates the calories burned during exercise.

The Wii Fit will never replace an outdoors exercise session, but it is an excellent video game for those who want to start by making exercise fun!

Electronics and computers are so popular over Christmas that we just couldn’t call ourselves shopping experts without a few gift lists tailored to the techies and gamers out there.

If you think that Dell only sells computers, you are will be pleasantly surprised to learn that they also have a ton of gadgets, video games, movies and electronics available on their site. When we asked them to send a few Christmas gift suggestions our way, they were more than helpful in creating lists of ideas that would appeal to almost everyone on your list.

In the Holiday Gamer Gifts list, you will find some of the year’s most popular releases like James Cameron’s Avatar, and the latest Assassin’s Creed. In Holiday Gadget Ideas you’ll find a bunch a suggestions ranging from home theater systems to flash drives. For more classic holiday gifts, you can also take a look at the TVs & Cams and the Computers lists.

No matter what your loved ones want or need to stay connected this Christmas, we’re pretty sure Dell can help you out!

If you just love video games that send chills down your back, get ready because Visceral Games, one of the Electronic Arts Inc studios, launched the second installment of the famous Dead Space game titled Dead Space Extraction on September 29.

Following in the steps of its big brother, Dead Space Extraction is destined for the Wii platform and offers 10 unique modes that you will be able to unlock during the game.

The game opens in the drilling space station Aegis VII where a horrible infection is slowly decimating the members of the crew.  Your mission will be to protect Lexine, a new character of the opus, who appears to be their only survival hope…

According to Steve singer, Vice-President of Licenses for Nintendo of America, ‘Dead Space Extraction is a game full of promise and this high quality title will be a big addition to the Wii family’.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) recently announced the launch of a Limited Edition Gran Turismo PSP set for October 20.

The release of this game for PSP is a first and will appeal to the fans of this game of which the reputation no longer has to be made!

This set will not only offer you the opportunity to participate in multiple races on the 35 circuits of the game, but will also allow you to unlock the white Corvette ZR-1, which is impossible to do in Gran Turismo.

That is without counting the 800 car models (or rather 4500 when you include the many different versions of each depending on the color chosen) that you can try during your numerous plays!

‘Illustrating the graphical prowess of Polyphony Digital, a ton of automobile content ( … ) and an exalting racing experience especially created for PSP, Gran Turismo is still destined to bring the racing game world to a superior level’ has declared John Koller, SCEA’s Marketing Director.

Available October 20th for $199, the set will include a Mystic Silver PSP-3000, the Gran Turismo game developed exclusively for the console, a bond to unlock the white Corvette ZR1, a bond for downloading a movie as well as a 2 Go memory card.

Starting Sunday September 27th, Nintendo will be lowering the price of the most popular console on the market today.  It will now be possible to acquire a Wii for $219.95, $60 less than the current suggested retail price.  The Wii has never been this attractive!

For this new price, Nintendo also includes the Wii Remote, the Nunchuck remote and the Wii Sports game.

Also coming soon for the console are Wii Fit Plus (launch expected on October 4) and New Super Mario Bros.

‘Our research indicates that at least 50 million people in North America are thinking about adopting the video game. Our more affordable price and extended game selection to come means that many of them will now be able to enjoy the game’, claims Cammie Dunaway, vice-president of Nintendo of America.

This way, Nintendo hopes to stay competitive against Sony’s Playstation 3, that also lowered its prices last month.

Sony recently launched its latest game console: the PS3 Slim. It has been available in Canada since September 1st.

The first novelty of this new console is, of course, its size. Compared to the Playstation 3, this latest gadget from Sony is 32% smaller and 36% lighter. It is also more energy efficient since it consumes close to 34% less energy than the previous model!

In terms of memory, the PS3 Slim is equipped with a larger hard drive than the PS3 with less than 120Go and as for your favorite PS3 applications like WiFi controllers, Ethernet, USB ports, HDMI and Blu-ray: no worries there. In spite of its small size, the PS3 slim has them all.

The price is also fairly “slim”! The new PS3 Slim is available in Canada for purchase for $299.

EA Montreal just announced that the second installment of “Army of Two” is set to launch on January 12th, 2010, under the name “Army of Two: the 40th Day”.

Tyson Salem and Elliot Rios, two soldiers already present in the first installement launched in 2008, are back.   This time, our two heroes find themselves stuck in Shanghai and have to work together to get out alive, while fighting numerous enemies to escape a city in destruction.

The cool thing about this combat game is how it will get your brain working because as you reach certain stages, you and your partner will have to make choices that will have irreversible consequences…

The game will be available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PSP, allowing you to get fully immersed in this crazy adventure no matter which console you own!

UPDATE (Feb 2010): Available now on Shoptoit.ca.