Computer game manufacturers are focusing on creating “ambient AI” to help games become more in tune with gamers as well as the time-limits the consumer may have when it comes to learning gaming skills and actually playing the game.

Excellent news, in my book. See, we’ve recently dusted off the PlayStation/2 around the Venomous Household and purchased a few new games and accessories to keep the Venomous Hubby and me entertained during those long, rainy nights we call “winter” here in Hawai’i. But, damn, I have to admit that most of the games are boring the hell out of me.

We bought The Sims, for instance. It started out looking fun enough, but after days of reminding my Sim character to cook, wash dishes, bathe, clean up the house, water the plants and call her friends …well, like the very same crap I was looking to take a break from. I haven’t touched it in two weeks.

Next, we bought James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire. No naked Halle Berry characters here, much to Hubby’s disappointment. He’s not terribly fond of the game itself, either.

This weekend, we’re going to finally bust open our new copy of LOTR: Return of the King. There’s lots of good hype surrounding this one, as you may have heard, and I’m looking forward to playing it regardless of whether it lives up to the hooplah. Anything that might get Hubby into the LOTR trilogy is a good thing in my book.

But our very favorite “new toy” is the PlayStation 2 Eye Toy that I put in Hubby’s stocking. We love this thing. Oh, the games are rather lame so far – although we’ve spent a couple of fun evenings competing with each other on Kung Foo – but the technology itself is amazing, and I have little doubt that we’re going to see a glut of new games for the Eye Toy coming out over the next year. The Big-Eyed Boy loves it, too – he’ll spend a good half-hour “washing windows” in Wishi Washi, using his whole body to clear the screen, and the “Underwater” theme in the Eye Toy’s “Playroom” has replaced Blue’s Clues as his favorite thing to watch on the TV. (My new cat, Remy, is also fond of the Underwater theme: he likes trying to catch the fish as they swim by.)

So, what’s in your PlayStation and how are you liking it?