On Friday, Mahoney and I went to Panasonic HQ to check out one of the first prototypes of their ludicrous 150-inch plasma TV. This thing puts the 103-incher that I checked out last year to shame, weighing a whopping 1700 pounds before the stand is attached and sucking up 7kW of power while it runs. We hooked up our energy-efficient-in-comparison PS3 and suffered through playing a bunch of video games on it to report back to you. You're welcome! Today, a taste, with me sizing up a weighted companion cube in Portal, above, and, after the jump, seeing what a 42-inch steering wheel on Gran Turismo would be like in real life and learning the ropes in Call of Duty 4. Check back tomorrow for a full report out Mahoney's in-depth FAQ on the set and my essay on our visit to Panasonic HQ.

Yes, my job is pretty awesome sometimes.

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