Something really interesting that I’ve seen lately is the melding of the toy and hobby industry with the game industry. Konami has released a line of action figures that come with software and a code that you can use to unlock the character and accessories that you’ve purchased in the online game version. You can then customize your character both physically and virtually for use in-game and for your own enjoyment.
And it also seems that Will Wright’s game design challenge a few years ago at GDC that produced the “Emily USB drive” has come to fruition in Japan. There’s been a line of figures lately that plugs in to the USB drive on your computer and installs software that pops up on your desktop that emulates the personality of the character that you bought. Very cool, might be hella annoying depending on who you have, like Mr. T or perhaps Alf, but very cool nonetheless.