I don't like that 'easy to fly' flying boat too much...expect to see lots of rich fucks crashing.

aerospaceman

@bestpersonintheunivers:
DRM has nothing to do with innovation. So you don't like the measures EA chose to protect what's theirs. Fine, whatever.

There's no denying that Spore broke new ground in procedurally generated game content, which is what got Spore on the list.

DisposableInterloper

I don't think Spore should be mentioned, mostly because of it's terrible DRM

bestpersonintheunivers

kindle are u serious? shouldnt it at least be touch and have a nicer design

medopal

why is force unleashed on there? sure it was great but look at all the better games.Little Big Planet,gta4, Mario kart, Super smash, Resistance 2. Next thing they will put shit gow2 on it.

ccgman8

I think the engineering section is spot on, I remember reading an article about the Hillman composite beams (I think it might have been in PopSci), basically its a Steel/plastic hybrid truss that is more efficient, stronger, and cheaper than a steel structure alone. I wouldn't be surprised if Dubai ordered a shit-load of these for all the crazy stuff they are building.

Also, does anybody know if Carbon nanotubules were discovered this year? If so they should make the list.

pharmerchris

@DisposableInterloper:

Spore is a horrible horrible game. It started out with so much potential too. I have been following it for a long time and purchased it on release date. The "sandbox" style game I so looked forward to was nowhere to be found. Instead my gameplay was exactly the same (basically forced) as everyone else out there playing. The only things that were different were how the creatures/buildings looked. It was sooooo disapointing.

aprather

I really had my fingers crossed for the USB Volcano. C'mon, how do y'all survive without one?

SouthendXGF

Two words missing: Carbon Nanotubes!

weshirecat

@ccgman8: I'm not much into the single player, but Horde mode with your friends in GoW2 is more fun than I've had in a long time. Just hearing them coming without knowing where they are coming from really ratchets up the anxiety.

Dancing Milkcarton

@pharmerchris: Nah.

[en.wikipedia.org]

Mark Wilson

iPhone 3G!
LHC is 2009.

ypctx

@aprather:
Hey, I was disappointed with the final result myself. Turned out to be the most boring parts of The Sims and SimCity, distilled and mixed together. The different editors weren't even as rich as the early demo videos showed.

Even then, the technical innovation is hard to deny. Sometimes things can be technically advanced and just not be fun.

DisposableInterloper

@medopal:
It was a huge step forward for e-book readers. The design is a bit rough around the edges, but it's a pretty solid device all the same.

DisposableInterloper

@DisposableInterloper: yeah, um, actually I'm going to have to deny that. It's a highly derivative, mediocre game that has some clever bits when it comes to designing creatures. As aprather says, it fails to live up to its potential. Can't wait for Spore II though, assuming that they can learn from their hubris.

weatherman

@DisposableInterloper: agreed. Adding the "whispernet" was a masterstroke. If design catches up to engineering any time soon, it'll be a big hit.

weatherman

@weshirecat:

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I guess that they are just getting more press nowadays.

pharmerchris

Icon A5 definitely at the top. Great choice of selecting Icon's image to be the main image for this post. Check out http://gizmoave.com/2008/09/29/icon-a5-birth-of-the-recreational-aircraft.../ for specification on this recreational plane. I talked to an engineer who worked on the design, he told me that his company was getting offered to be bought out from left to right, including big names like boeing. A problem that may arise is that Icon has been pre-selling the A5's way too loosely, I doubt they can keep up with the shipment since they are such a small company. -KS

LoralieJahoob

@ccgman8: this sounds more like bitter ramblings of someone who just hates 360 ... and GoW2 is absolutly amazing ... and it should of made the list ...

Daemonicus

@weshirecat: carbon nanotubes were first discovered in 1952. "In 1952 L. V. Radushkevich and V. M. Lukyanovich published clear images of 50 nanometer diameter tubes made of carbon in the Soviet Journal of Physical Chemistry." -wikipedia maybe the made in the best of whats new 1952 list?

OprahMalingsia

@LoralieJahoob: the icon is a brialliant design. We'll have to see if the mechanics and price live up to the predictions, of course. So many fledgling companies start with something they think they can pull off and then end up folding because they misunderestimate the regulatory approval process, manufacturing challenges, etc.

weatherman

@weatherman:
Like I said, gameplay fell short of its goal. Its innovation doesn't lie in how fun it is. This list here isn't a gamer's list. It doesn't list the most entertaining games. It lists technical innovations.

I challenge you to name one game built around prodedural user content. Can you name even one? For the most part, Spore is little more than a software toy, but the tech behind it broke new ground. That's all there is to it.

DisposableInterloper

Popular Science really is deviating from science and turning into the thinner, cheaper 101-page Wired magazine. I'm not sure I like that.

I freebase cocaine for a living

@I freebase cocaine for a living: that's what they've always been. You want real science, read Scientific American. Great magazine.

weatherman

@weatherman: I second that. You don't tend to get top lists in SA, but hey, it's still good.

Then, after a year of that, add 'Nature' to the mix.

shockwaver

The DraganFlyer looks awesome.

ZAPPO1123

This list is total crap - it leaves off the greatest one:

Beamz

+ Watch video

bilups

@weatherman: Yeah, SA or Discover. Those are the ones with the 'hard' sciences.

I freebase cocaine for a living

@ccgman8: Pretty sure it's on there because it's the first game with that nifty new physics engine of theirs, making it an actual innovator, which nothing else you listed really is, except LBP, and even then not technologically.

ScruffytheJanitor

It's the Festool Kapex, not Lapex. First time I've ever seen a sliding compound miter saw in the company of the LHC. Strange.

Nice saw tho'.

Thud

why don't my comments show up

gameplace123

this list is a lot better than Time's list

gameplace123