Syrian rebels now have a tank operated with a PlayStation controller

As Syria's rebels work to overthrow the tank-equipped Assad regime, they've learned that it helps to have tanks of their own. They deserve bonus points for integrating video game technology. This is no exaggeration. Have a look at the opposition forces' "100 percent made in Syria" armored vehicle, the Sham II. RELATED: What Dennis Kucinich Really Said in Syria Named for ancient Syria and assembled out of spare parts over the course of a month, the Sham II is sort of rough around the edges, but it's got impressive guts. It rides on the chassis of an old diesel car and is fully encased in light steel that's rusted from the elements. Five cameras are mounted on the tank's exterior, and there's a machine gun mounted on a turning turret. Inside, it kind of looks like a man cave. A couple of flat-screen TVs are mounted on opposite walls. The driver sits in front of one, controlling the vehicle with a steering wheel, and the gunner sits at the other, aiming the machine gun with a PlayStation controller. RELATED: It's Never a Good Idea to Put Your Torture Victims on YouTube Sham II is heading up to the devastated city of Aleppo to join the combat forces there. Meanwhile, rebel forces continue to close in on Damascus and Assad's shrinking regime. Diplomats have already begun to speculate about what the Syrian president's next move would be. We do know that Assad has been exploring the option of seeking political asylum in the Middle East or in Latin America. However, it looks more likely that Assad and his cronies will retreat to the Alawite-controlled mountains on Syria's Mediterranean coast. The only other alternative -- chemical weapons attack notwithstanding -- would be for Assad to stay in the palace and fight to the end. And can you imagine standing helpless as a fierce machine like Sham II roared up the palace steps? Run, Bashar. Run.

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The Wii U uses less than half the power of the Xbox 360 and the PS3

Nintendo’s (NTDOY) Wii prided itself for being a super energy-efficient console that ran nearly silent and sipped very little electricity. And although Microsoft’s (MSFT) Xbox 360 was originally a loud monster with a penchant for Red-Ring-of-Death-ing itself, the amount of power it consumed was never as much as Sony’s (SNE) launch PlayStation 3, which used more power than a refrigerator. Eurogamer took it upon itself to pit the Wii U against the Xbox 360 S and new super slim PS3 and concluded that Nintendo’s new console “draws so little power in comparison to its rivals that its tiny casing still feels cool to the touch during intense gaming.” Most impressive is that the Wii U maintains its low-wattage while fitting in a chassis that’s smaller than both the Xbox 360 and PS3. According to Eurogamer’s tests, the Wii U draws only 32 watts of power during gameplay of games that are as graphically intensive as the 360 and PS3, with both consoles using 118% and 139$% more power, respectively. To achieve such “green” levels, Nintendo clocks the Wii U’s CPU to 1.24GHz and “uses far fewer transistors than the competition.” While there are still some mysteries as to how the hardware remains cool, Eurogamer also discovered that the AMD-built GPU increases performance by “40 per cent per square millimetre of silicon – another big leap in efficiency.” Most disappointing in Eurogamer’s analysis is that they weren’t able to get the Wii U’s wattage to spike more than 33 watts, suggesting that the console can’t be over-clocked in the future to pump out more polygons. If you’re still on the fence on which console you should buy or play games on, the Wii U looks to be the one that’ll keep your electric bill nice and low.

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'Angry Birds' Movie Arrives in 2016 From Producer of 'Despicable Me'

Rovio Entertainment celebrated the three-year anniversary of the Angry Birds franchise Tuesday by releasing 30 new levels for the game and announcing details for the Angry Birds movie. The still untitled 3D computer generated feature film will debut in mid-2016 with Despicable Me producer John Cohen taking the production helm. Former Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel, a senior adviser to Rovio, will remain as executive producer. . "With John's hands-on producer background and David's expertise in establishing and running his own successful studio, these two are the dream team for making a movie outside the studio system," Rovio's CEO Mikael Hed said in a statement. "Both professionals have the ideal skills and vision to achieve incredible things.” [More from Mashable: 7 Kid-Friendly Games for the Holidays] SEE ALSO: 'Angry Birds' Turns Queen's Freddie Mercury Into an Honorary Character Cohen -- who also lent his talents to such movies as Hop, Ice Age, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who, Robots and Ice Age: The Meltdown -- touts Rovio for "trailblazing terrific new ways for Angry Birds fans to interact with these characters." [More from Mashable: Big Boi: Music Piracy Produces ‘Bullsh-t’ Records] No plot details about the movie have been revealed, but Rovio plans to produce and finance the movie to avoid losing "creative control" at the hands of a movie studio. 1. Torchlight 2 The fantasy-RPG sequel to the wildly popular 2009 game Torchlight, Runic Games' latest installment in the franchise, doesn't mess with its recipe too much. And in this case, that's a big positive. Part steam-punk treasure hunt, part magic-heavy flight of fancy, Torchlight 2 capitalizes on the fast-paced, action-filled environment crafted by the designers of Diablo, Diablo 2 and Fate. Expect a lot of loot-grabbing from this game, as a bulk of the fun takes place in expansive and randomly generated cave systems practically filled to the brim with treasure and fancy equipment for your specific character class. Torchlight 2 really gilds the lily with a long-awaited and happily embraced local LAN option — meaning you can raid dungeons with three of your closest friends. This makes the experience, for the first time, a cooperative one, and has been one of the best new features. This game is really a continuation of that old-school play style seen in the previous Diablo installments, so if solo (or small group) hunting is your thing, download away. Price: $19.99 on Steam Platform: Windows Click here to view this gallery.

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Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 might not launch until 2014

Nintendo (NTDOY) says its kickstarted the next generation of video game consoles with the Wii U. But considering its graphics and processing power are comparable to Microsoft’s (MSFT) Xbox 360 and Sony’s (SNE) PlayStation 3, hardcore gamers are holding out for the next Xbox, tentatively dubbed “Xbox 720,” and next-generation PlayStation, tentatively called PS4. Rumors insist Microsoft and Sony will both launch their next consoles in the fall of 2013, but SemiAccurate, the website that first reported the next Xbox could see a delay, says there is a bit of confusion over how the consoles are progressing and when they’ll arrive. According to SemiAccurate, the next Xbox is currently code-named “Kryptos” and not “Durango” anymore, and the next PlayStation is now code-named “Thebes” rather than “Orbis.” The PS4 will reportedly have a 28-nanometer AMD chipset and will be produced by IBM or Global Foundries. SemiAccurate says the PS4 could be released in spring of 2014 or fall 2014 and the Xbox 720 could still see the delay from fall 2013 to 2014. Xbox World claimed last month that the next Xbox will have a Blu-ray disc drive, Kinect 2.0, directional audio, TV output and input, an “innovative controller” and support for augmented reality glasses – all packaged in a magnesium alloy shell that will supposedly use the same patented “VaporMg” process found on the Surface tablet. Not only that, but Microsoft is also working on an “Xbox Lite,” according to reports from earlier this year. As for PS4 details, VG247 reported in November that Sony has already sent out various developer kits with specs including 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Sony and Microsoft are expected to reveal their next consoles at E3 2013 this coming June.

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Microsoft plots living room domination with 43 new entertainment apps for Xbox 360

Game consoles are no longer simply for video games, as evidenced by last week’s announcement that the PlayStation 3 is the top Netflix (NFLX) streaming device of the year. Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s (MSFT) chief marketing officer for its Interactive Entertainment Division, said this past March that Xbox 360 owners were spending more hours watching online entertainment than playing online games. And now, in a bid to bolster its efforts to conquer the living room, Microsoft Director of Programming for Xbox Live Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb announced in a blog post that 43 new entertainment apps (mostly video) will launch between now and spring of 2013 in various regions. Ten new apps including ARTE, CinemaNow, CNET, Karaoke, Maxim, Napster, SkyDrive, SPORT1, VEVO and Zattoo will arrive this week. Microsoft’s full list of upcoming apps follows below. 1. All3M (United Kingdom, United States) 2. Ameba TV (Canada, United States) 3. ARTE (Germany, France) 4. Azteca (Mexico) 5. Canalplay Infinity (France) 6. CBC’s Hockey Night (Canada) 7. CrunchyRoll (Majority of LIVE Regions) 8. Deezer (Majority of LIVE Regions) 9. Eredivisie Live (Netherlands) 10. Fightbox (Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom) 11. Flixster (United States) 12. GameTrailers (Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States) 13. Globosat Muu (Brazil) 14. Gulli Replay (France) 15. HBO Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden) 16. IndieFlix (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States) 17. Livesport.tv (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom) 18. Machinima (Majority of LIVE Regions) 19. Maxim (United States) 20. MTV (United States) 21. MyTF1 (France) 22. MyTF1VOD (France) 23. Napster (Germany, United Kingdom) 24. Pathe Thuis (Netherlands) 25. PBS (United States) 26. PopcornFlix (United States) 27. Rai TV (Italy) 28. Sainsbury (United Kingdom) 29. Saraiva (Brazil) 30. SBS (Netherlands) 31. SF Anytime (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden) 32. Slacker Radio (Canada, United States) 33. SPORT1 (Austria, Germany) 34. The CW Network (United States) 35. Televisa (Mexico) 36. TV3 (Spain) 37. Viaplay (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden) 38. Vidéo à la Demande d’Orange (France) 39. Vimeo (United States) 40. VIVO Play (Brazil) 41. Watchever (Austria, Germany) 42. Zattoo (Germany) 43. Ziggo (Netherlands)

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Healthy Hollywood: Get Movin' Monday - A Toning Must For 50-Plus Women!

Who says everything goes south after 50? Just look at the rock-solid bodies of Madonna, Christie Brinkley, and Sharon Stone and you know mature women can be and are hotter than ever. The celebrity magnet, Physique 57, (a favorite toning regimen of Kelly Ripa & Sofia Vergara) has put together a new class/workout for women over 50. "Our 'Fit for Life' classes are small group training sessions (limited to 10 participants) that we developed to meet the specific needs of women fifty and over. These one-hour classes are done twice a week over a four-week period, combine low impact strength training exercises, light cardio, and stretches that are designed to create strong, lean, supple, muscles leaving participants feeling more energized, confident, and youthful," Physique 57 co-founder, Tanya Becker. Once the ladies finish the four-week session, they'll be up to speed and ready to join the other classes. It's important that older women are extra careful and do the exercises with the proper form since they are more prone to injuries, says Tanya, "Exercises should be modified appropriately, however, you still want to challenge your muscles otherwise you won't achieve your desired results. Physique 57's exercises are non-jarring on the joints (no jumping or pounding), which is also very important to avoid any injuries while still getting a great workout." Tanya helped create the groundbreaking workout that combines interval training with toning exercises. For now, Physique 57 studios are only in New York and LA, but the training center just released a book, "The Physique 57 Solution: Lose Up To 10 Inches Fast" and there are workout DVDs, so women everyone can learn this celebrity-endorsed secret to a long and lean body. Physique 57 shares with Healthy Hollywood 4 good reasons to exercise - especially as you age! 1. As we age, our metabolic rate slows down which can lead to extra body fat. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn all day long. Also, the less weight you have to carry on your body, the less stress there will be on your joints- not to mention how fabulous you'll look and feel! 2. Decrease your risk of osteoporosis and loss of bone density. Keeping your muscles toned and strong will keep your bones strong. You'll be able to stand taller and exude confidence and grace. 3. Reduce your risk of injuries. Whether you enjoy playing golf, tennis, or just want to stay active for many years, you want a youthful supple body to enjoy life. 4. Keep a good attitude. When you're healthy and fit, you feel good about yourself. Plus, chances are you'll be less prone to depression and have a more positive perspective on life! "The Physique 57 Solution: Lose Up To 10 Inches Fast" is in bookstores now and available at www.amazon. com.

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US late-night host Conan O'Brien shares his workout playlist

This week, famed American late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien shared his favorite music for staying motivated in the gym. While not known for his rock-hard gym body, O'Brien is a fitness fan and music lover, and he released his top 16 playlist of gym-friendly tunes as part of his weekly series for streaming service Rdio's Guest DJ. Here is Conan's playlist or in certain countries, stream it here at Rdio. 1. Vampire Weekend, "A-Punk" 2. The Dovells, "You Can't Sit Down" 3. Cheap Trick, "Dream Police" 4. The Raconteurs, "Steady, As She Goes" 5. Jay-Z, "99 Problems" 6. The Police, "So Lonely" 7. Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody" 8. Ronnie Hawkins, "Forty Days" 9. The Who, "The Real Me" 10. Naughty by Nature, "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" 11. Thin Lizzy, "The Boys Are Back in Town" 12. The Brian Setzer Orchestra, "Jump Jive An' Wail" 13. Electric Six, "Danger! High Voltage (Soulchild Radio Mix)" 14. Green Day, "Basket Case" 15. Boz Scaggs, "Lido Shuffle" 16. Elvis Presley, "Promised Land"

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