To celebrate the Zune HD's newfound support for 3D gaming, delivered via the recent v4.3 firmware, Microsoft has released six free games for its portable media device.

Among the touch and/or motion-controlled offerings are Project Gotham Racing and a specialized version of Dylan Fitterer's Audiosurf, in which players tilt the Zune HD to navigate the twists and turns of the track generated by their own music.

"As with the other games offered for Zune, these games are available for free to Zune HD users and feature a short ad at start-up," explained Microsoft.

All six are now available for download through the Zune Marketplace, with details on each, from Checkers and Bowling to Piano and Pool Service, following... Read more

AudioSurf (PC), Dylan Fitterer's music-generated puzzle-inspired racer (or is it racing-inspired puzzler?), is on sale on Valve's digital distribution service Steam for a measly $2.49--a 75% price drop for this week only.

"We've introduced a shopping cart to Steam. To celebrate AudioSurf is now just $2.49, this week only. ADD TO CART!" implores the Steam homepage.

AudioSurf takes users' music in a variety of file formats, including MP3 and audio CD, and creates a racetrack based on the song. Racers then collect blocks in sync with the song's rhythm. At that price, it's well worth trying out.

Indie record label Asthmatic Kitty has compiled a free fifteen track album of songs selected for use in Dylan Fitterer's puzzle-racer Audiosurf (PC), Pitchfork Media reports.

The compilation, entitled Music for Videogames v.1, includes a variety of previously unreleased as well as existing tracks from several artists including Sufjan Stevens, Dosh, and Fantastic Mr. Fox. The label said that the selected tracks complement Audiosurf's gameplay, which dynamically creates race tracks based on a user's imported music.

"The songs in Music for Videogames v.1 accordingly emphasize distinction, intensity, and dynamic," the label wrote on its website. "Each song represents a different challenge in the videogame, changing the feel from a puzzle game to frantic hyper-racer with each track."

Music for Videogames v.1 is available now as a free download from Asthmatic Kitty's website.

Dylan Fitter's unique musical puzzle racer Audiosurf was the top-selling title on Valve's digital distribution-based Steam platform during February, the company announced today.

Released on February 15, Audiosurf and its $9.95 price point topped the charts both in terms of revenue and units sold. The game, which dynamically creates race tracks based on a user's imported music, outsold such notable titles as Valve's The Orange Box and PopCap's Peggle Deluxe.

"This kind of runaway success for an independent title is a tribute to Dylan's work and millions of informed gamers connecting via Steam each week," said Valve business director Jason Holtman.

Dylan Fitterer's innovative rhythm-racing title Audiosurf is now available for purchase on Steam, Valve announced today. One of the first titles to make use of Steam achievements via Valve's recently released Steamworks tools, Audiosurf is a simple racer which analyzes user-provided audio tracks and integrates the rhythm and tempo of the song into the course. Valve has provided the entire Orange Box soundtrack, including Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive", for use in the game.

Gamers on the fence can download a free demo of Audiosurf on Steam to give the game a shot prior to purchase. Audiosurf is available at a $9.95 price point.

Valve today announced that Dylan Fitterer's innovative rhythm-racing title Audiosurf is now available for pre-order on Steam.

Audiosurf is a simple racing game that allows users to import their own audio tracks. The game then analyzes the tracks and integrates the rhythm information into the race course in the form of tempo-synced blocks, which players collect for points.

The Orange Box soundtrack will come free with the title, including Jonathan Coulton's hit Portal track "Still Alive." Audiosurf will also be one of the first Steamworks-supported games, with plenty of achievements built-in to the radical pipeline.

An award finalist at the Independent Games Festival, Audiosurf will be available on Steam this Friday, for a price of $9.95. Pre-ordering will shave a totally tubular 10% from said fee. A public beta is currently available at FileShack.