In ear headphones makes gaming easier on your friends

If you've ever sat next to someone, a child, an uncle, a 40-year-old games-addled newspaperman, and had to listen to their PSP make all those pop, crackle and ping noises, well, it can drive you crazy.

A great solution for sanity is the new Icemat Audio Siberia in-ear PSP headset. This little bugger plugs directly into your PSP unit. It gave me peace from my son's attempts at Madden football on a recent trip to Asheville to watch some private school basketball state championship games.

He got to bang away (after his homework) and I got to enjoy talk radio, music and more talk radio. When I tried the Siberia, I discovered it's comfortable, small, blocks background noise pretty well and sounds good for what it is.

Did I mention it's small?

I find myself using it with my laptop and my ipod. It's so comfortable, you can forget you're wearing it. Strictly as a videogame solution this is a very good piece. Given that it can do a few other things, I'd highly recommend giving it a whirl (info? icemat.com)

MVP '07 NCAA Baseball: The best thing about this baseball title from EA Sports is a new "rock and fire" pitching control. You pull back on the analog stick to wind up your throw and then follow through. You can push through hard or soft and right or left, or high or low.

Once you get the hang of it, it's about as realistic an interface as we've seen in a baseball game.

The rest of the game isn't bad either. There are official fight songs, good graphics, even for the fast-dying PS2, and a pretty serious custom game engine, allowing you create Langston U and lead the Langstonians to the title game. Also EA Sports has added ESPN integration courtesy of a real-time sports ticker that provides radio updates every 20 minutes. It's a pretty cool package (Grade: B).