SEGA UP TO SOMETHING FOR 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF DREAMCAST?

Well, I can't say what is going on over at Sega, but they apparently have something up their sleeves to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Dreamcast's launch. 

Reports from around the internet have been coming in for the last few days stating that visitors to Dreamcast.com were being greeted with a message asking them whether or not they still own a Dreamcast. Clicking past that screen apparently led to some form of registration page where the user was asked to enter their console's serial number. Unfortunately, it also appears that the volume of responses was so heavy that Sega has, at least temporarily, shut down access to the registration page.

"Due the high volume of account requests, the service will be temporally suspended." – Dreamcast.com

While I'm not going to believe any rumors of a new Sega console, I would love to know what game Sega is playing at. While it's time on the scene was short, I would never say I didn't get my money's worth out of it and then some – unlike some other Sega products I could mention. (*cough* Sega CD *cough*)

Before I start rambling on about the likes of Soul Calibur, NFL2K, Resident Evil Code: Veronica, Crazy Taxi and the rest, I'll cut this one short and get with the linkage. 

I'll be sure to report back on this one as soon as more information on what Sega is up to becomes available.

• Do You Still Own a Dreamcast? – Dreamcast.com 

GOD OF WAR III “COMING SOON” TO PLAYSTATION 3?

Yes folks, God of War III is coming to the PlayStation 3. Naturally, right about now you're saying something snarky and wondering how this is news – after all, I don't think anyone has ever doubted that Sony would be bringing God of War III to the system. 

Well, what you may not know is that apparently the game is "coming soon" – at least that's the word according to the instruction manual for God of War: Chains of Olympus on the PSP. You see, IGN is reporting that much like the back cover of the God of War II manual which announced that Chains would be coming, the back of Chains' manual shows the familiar God of War "Omega" logo with the PS3 logo and "coming soon" written under it.

While there's certainly been no official word from Sony as to when God of War 3 will be hitting retail, one does have to wonder how long it's been in production and if this could be Sony's counterweight to Microsoft's Gears of War 2 come November. Regardless of what the situation is, we'll be sure to keep you updated on any developments as we hear about them.

• God of War III Ad – IGN 

GAMEFLY RESUMES USING CARDBOARD MAILER INSERTS?

Last June, I reported that Gamefly had decided (in what was most likely a cost cutting move) to cease using protective cardboard inserts in their mailers. While I wasn't particularly fond of that decision, I will admit that I never received a damaged game from the company when the insert wasn't present.

Apparently, something with that plan didn't quite work out as they envisioned. Over the last week, I've noticed that the company has begun including that protective insert with rentals once more. I can only assume that they found that the increase in the number of damaged discs received when the insert wasn't present outweighed any savings they were seeing from the lighter weight of the packaging.

I've shot an e-mail off to Gamefly seeing if I can get some more information on the insert's return, specifically whether or not this is a permanent change. I'll be sure to report back once I've received an answer. 

• Gamefly Confirms Missing Cardboard Inserts – nylatenite.com
• Gamefly stops using protective cardboard mailers? – nylatenite.com

ELECTRONIC ARTS MAKES OFFER FOR TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE

Yeah, you're probably groaning right now as much as I am. If this article over at Kotaku is right, then it appears that Electronic Arts has made a considerable offer to acquire longtime rival Take-Two Interactive (2KGames, Rockstar, etc). 

According to the article, EA isn't fooling around either. The offer they've made is supposedly $26 a share – some 64 percent higher than the stock was selling for roughly one week ago. That's considerable money, though I'm sure the stock itself would see a rise as we approach the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV. 

It also seems that Take-Two has already spurned this offer, and much like the ongoing situation between Microsoft and Yahoo, Electronic Arts will be taking their offer directly to the shareholders of the company – the question now is just how much faith do those shareholders have in TakeTwo's current management and GTAIV.

Wow, I didn't think I'd hear one this week that would dwarf the rumor that Microsoft was looking to acquire Epic, but here it is. We'll be sure to keep you updated on any movement on this story as we hear about it. 

EDIT: While posting this one, it appears the news is breaking everywhere about this offer, making it appear that it is indeed legitimate. May God have mercy on our consoles. Consider this rumor confirmed. (The offer, not that it is a done deal)

• Electronic Arts – Company website
• Take-Two Interactive – Company website
• EA Makes Offer to Buy TakeTwo – Kotaku 

RUMOR MILL: SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL… NOW WITH R.O.B.?!

Okay, I'll freely admit that I haven't been following all the supposed leaks surrounding Super Smash Bros. Brawl as closely as I should, but one thing I saw over at Joystiq today certainly caught my attention… R.O.B..

For those of you who may be too young to remember R.O.B., back when the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) launched in the United States, it included R.O.B., your Robotic Operating Buddy, a little robot who would play along with you in one of the included games. The initial idea was to use R.O.B. to help differentiate the NES from other gaming systems in an attempt to get retailers and customers to accept it in a post-console crash world. 

In reality, R.O.B. was a dismal failure. Only two games were ever released that made use of him (including the pack-in) and in truth, even those games played better without R.O.B. than they did with him. At his best, R.O.B. was a trojan horse that got the NES onto retailers shelves in those early test markets, but one that soon found himself on the outside looking in on the NES' success. Discontinued and alone, it seemed R.O.B.'s glory days had passed – at least until today…

If the screenshots over at Joystiq are real, it would appear that R.O.B. (along with many other borderline Nintendo stars) has found his way into Nintendo's highly anticipated Wii title Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I've always held a soft spot in my heart for the little guy, and the fact that he may finally be seeing the light of day once more is more than enough to pique my interest in the title.

Check out all the latest details at the below links – Good luck little buddy, I'm pulling for you. 

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Official website
• Super Spoiler Bros. Brawl: Major leaked roster update, videos & more – Joystiq
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wikipedia entry
• R.O.B. – Wikipedia entry

XBOX LIVE STILL RECOVERING, RUMORS OF COMPENSATION SURFACE

As many of you have no doubt noticed, Xbox Live has been a bit wonky since just after Christmas. Numerous reports of issues with signing in, buying marketplace content, accessing downloaded content and matchmaking problems in both Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 have been flooding in since just after the start of the holidays.

Rest assured, the folks at Microsoft are well aware of the situation and, according to Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb, have been working around the clock to get the problems resolved. While most of the service is back up and running, some users may still be experiencing issues – and unfortunately, there is still no ETA on a full fix.

"You may have noticed that the LIVE service has been having a few issues over the past few days. This includes things like signing in, matchmaking and account recovery. Not everyone has had problems, but I know some of you have and I wanted to give you and update. While the service was never completely offline, problems like this are not acceptable. The entire LIVE team has been working day and night to ensure that you can have a great LIVE experience. While we’re not done yet, I wanted to let you know that things are getting better each hour and that no one on the team is going anywhere until the job is done. Thanks for your patience.

Edit: As people have noticed, we have made good progress. We have a bit more work to do, but we’re doing much better now. I know some of you still may be having issues, and we’re working on those. Oh, and Happy New Year to those that are celebrating." – Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb

Before anyone runs off to get the torches, according to a gaming blog called The Bitbag (found by way of Kotaku), an unnamed source at Microsoft confirmed that the company does plan on compensating Xbox Live Gold members for the outage, though no exact details on what that would entail were given.

"I got some info from my Microsoft contact after questioning whether or not Gold Members will get thrown a bone for all the downtime they had to sit through. While nothing has been officially announced, they have stated, “…we will definitely be doing something for our Gold members that weren’t able to get online over the last week.”" – Torrence Davis, The Bitbag

While it's just an unconfirmed rumor at this point, I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see at least a few days added onto everyone's expiry dates or the like.

• Xbox LIVE Status (Updated) – Major Nelson
• Microsoft Taking Care Of It's Gold Members After Last Weeks Live Outage – The Bitbag
• Microsoft to Compensate Customers For LIVE Downtime? – Kotaku

RUMOR MILL – UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE RELEASED EARLY?

Just a quick note here for those of you waiting on Sony's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune – some retailers (and Gamefly) are now listing the game as available. I'm not sure if Sony moved the launch date up at the last minute, or if some locations have decided to break the release date, but it appears the game is, at least unofficially, out in the wild.

• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune – Official Website

RUMOR MILL: AMAZON TO HAVE WII IN STOCK TODAY?

Consider this one a public service announcement for those of you still desperately searching for a Wii – according to a rumor posted over at Kotaku, Amazon.com will be putting their inventory of Nintendo's Wii up for sale today (10/31) at 1pm EST/10am PST. 

Even if the rumor is true, don't expect them to last long – the Wii is still highly in demand, and I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who are going to be clicking like mad as zero hour approaches. If you're going to give it a shot, let me be the first to wish you the best of luck.

• Who Still Needs A Wii? – Kotaku

RUMOR MILL: BUNGIE & MICROSOFT PARTING WAYS?

As hard as it is to believe, that’s the rumor floating around the old internet water-cooler. It all started with a post over at 8BitJoystick (found by way of Kotaku) in which the poster stated that he had inside information from an unidentified Bungie staffer that the company would be parting ways with Microsoft.

“So heres my big secret. You should google Bungie + Microsoft + separation this week.

You know that big ol BILLION dollar franchise Bungie has created for Microsoft, to show their appreciate Microsoft is letting Bungie leave. Of course Microsoft gets to keep all rights to the Halo franchise, but as today Bungie no longer part of Microsoft. Ask anyone who works there to search the global address book, they’re no longer in there. Microsoft was supposed to release the press release today but if they wait till the 10/6 the impact wont effect the quarterly results. However today is the actual official date and the day the NDAs expire, however you still didn‘t hear this from me.” – 8BitJoystick source e-mail

Now I’ve certainly heard rumblings in the past that Bungie wanted to work on something other than the Halo franchise and were basically forced to work on Halo 3 instead, but this one is a little hard to swallow. I would have to imagine that Microsoft, having now completed the Halo trilogy, would love for Bungie to come up with a new franchise for them – and more importantly, given the cash cow that Bungie has been for the company, would probably do quite a bit to keep them happy.

Kotaku picked up the story and contacted Edelman Public Relations, the firm that handles PR for Microsoft, in order to see if they could get more information on what exactly is going on. The answer they received was not the most reassuring of statements;

“There’s been no such announcement. We continue to celebrate the tremendous success of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3” – Edelman Public Relations

Yeah, not a ringing endorsement of corporate stability there, is it? Then again, if most companies commented on every rumor floating around, they’d spend all day just releasing denial statements.

8BitJoystick then posted a follow-up article discussing possible reasons why they believe the story to be true. Namely that in most developer acquisition deals, the current staff of a company sign 3, 5 or 7 year contracts with the aquiring firm. Based on 8Bit’s math, that time could be just about up, meaning that the core Bungie staff would suddenly be free to resign, seek employment elsewhere or start a new, independant development house – both of which would certainly bring them more money than they’re seeing now.

“The scenario is not hard to believe. You buy a company and you sign retention agreements for key employees, i.e. the team. These employees have HUGE financial incentive to stay so they do.

3 or 5 or 7 years later depending upon the contract, the time is up. MS formally acquired bungie about 7 years ago at this time… they announced intention on june 19th, add 3 months for presumed legal stuff, and you get september 19th, which is close today, give or take. So… retention contracts go POOF, and suddenly a bunch of key people can leave with no penalty.” – 8BitJoystick

If that is indeed the case, then it makes a great deal of sense for Microsoft to cut some form of a deal to keep Bungie working solely on the Xbox 360 for at least the time being.

How would they be able to do that? By allowing Bungie to break away from Microsoft, yet still keep all the tools it pioneered during the development of the Halo trilogy. In return, one would assume, Bungie would sign some sort of an exclusivity agreement with Microsoft stipulating that the next set number of titles would be exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform (or maybe 360 and PC).

So where in all of this does the truth lie? I really couldn’t tell you at this point, but if I had to bet on it, I’d say this one will turn out to be false.  I will say this though, after the shocking departure of Peter Moore and Activision‘s acquisition of Bizarre Creations, I’m not willing to write off anything at this point.

• Microsoft – Xbox.com
• Bungie – Company website
• Bungie Leaving Microsoft!! You heard it here first folks – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie and Microsoft Are Splitting Up and That’s My Story – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie, Microsoft Tight-Lipped On Separation Rumors – Kotaku

RUMOR MILL: BUNGIE & MICROSOFT PARTING WAYS?

As hard as it is to believe, that’s the rumor floating around the old internet water-cooler. It all started with a post over at 8BitJoystick (found by way of Kotaku) in which the poster stated that he had inside information from an unidentified Bungie staffer that the company would be parting ways with Microsoft.

“So heres my big secret. You should google Bungie + Microsoft + separation this week.

You know that big ol BILLION dollar franchise Bungie has created for Microsoft, to show their appreciate Microsoft is letting Bungie leave. Of course Microsoft gets to keep all rights to the Halo franchise, but as today Bungie no longer part of Microsoft. Ask anyone who works there to search the global address book, they’re no longer in there. Microsoft was supposed to release the press release today but if they wait till the 10/6 the impact wont effect the quarterly results. However today is the actual official date and the day the NDAs expire, however you still didn‘t hear this from me.” – 8BitJoystick source e-mail

Now I’ve certainly heard rumblings in the past that Bungie wanted to work on something other than the Halo franchise and were basically forced to work on Halo 3 instead, but this one is a little hard to swallow. I would have to imagine that Microsoft, having now completed the Halo trilogy, would love for Bungie to come up with a new franchise for them – and more importantly, given the cash cow that Bungie has been for the company, would probably do quite a bit to keep them happy.

Kotaku picked up the story and contacted Edelman Public Relations, the firm that handles PR for Microsoft, in order to see if they could get more information on what exactly is going on. The answer they received was not the most reassuring of statements;

“There’s been no such announcement. We continue to celebrate the tremendous success of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3” – Edelman Public Relations

Yeah, not a ringing endorsement of corporate stability there, is it? Then again, if most companies commented on every rumor floating around, they’d spend all day just releasing denial statements.

8BitJoystick then posted a follow-up article discussing possible reasons why they believe the story to be true. Namely that in most developer acquisition deals, the current staff of a company sign 3, 5 or 7 year contracts with the aquiring firm. Based on 8Bit’s math, that time could be just about up, meaning that the core Bungie staff would suddenly be free to resign, seek employment elsewhere or start a new, independant development house – both of which would certainly bring them more money than they’re seeing now.

“The scenario is not hard to believe. You buy a company and you sign retention agreements for key employees, i.e. the team. These employees have HUGE financial incentive to stay so they do.

3 or 5 or 7 years later depending upon the contract, the time is up. MS formally acquired bungie about 7 years ago at this time… they announced intention on june 19th, add 3 months for presumed legal stuff, and you get september 19th, which is close today, give or take. So… retention contracts go POOF, and suddenly a bunch of key people can leave with no penalty.” – 8BitJoystick

If that is indeed the case, then it makes a great deal of sense for Microsoft to cut some form of a deal to keep Bungie working solely on the Xbox 360 for at least the time being.

How would they be able to do that? By allowing Bungie to break away from Microsoft, yet still keep all the tools it pioneered during the development of the Halo trilogy. In return, one would assume, Bungie would sign some sort of an exclusivity agreement with Microsoft stipulating that the next set number of titles would be exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform (or maybe 360 and PC).

So where in all of this does the truth lie? I really couldn’t tell you at this point, but if I had to bet on it, I’d say this one will turn out to be false.  I will say this though, after the shocking departure of Peter Moore and Activision‘s acquisition of Bizarre Creations, I’m not willing to write off anything at this point.

• Microsoft – Xbox.com
• Bungie – Company website
• Bungie Leaving Microsoft!! You heard it here first folks – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie and Microsoft Are Splitting Up and That’s My Story – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie, Microsoft Tight-Lipped On Separation Rumors – Kotaku

RUMOR MILL: BUNGIE & MICROSOFT PARTING WAYS?

As hard as it is to believe, that’s the rumor floating around the old internet water-cooler. It all started with a post over at 8BitJoystick (found by way of Kotaku) in which the poster stated that he had inside information from an unidentified Bungie staffer that the company would be parting ways with Microsoft.

“So heres my big secret. You should google Bungie + Microsoft + separation this week.

You know that big ol BILLION dollar franchise Bungie has created for Microsoft, to show their appreciate Microsoft is letting Bungie leave. Of course Microsoft gets to keep all rights to the Halo franchise, but as today Bungie no longer part of Microsoft. Ask anyone who works there to search the global address book, they’re no longer in there. Microsoft was supposed to release the press release today but if they wait till the 10/6 the impact wont effect the quarterly results. However today is the actual official date and the day the NDAs expire, however you still didn‘t hear this from me.” – 8BitJoystick source e-mail

Now I’ve certainly heard rumblings in the past that Bungie wanted to work on something other than the Halo franchise and were basically forced to work on Halo 3 instead, but this one is a little hard to swallow. I would have to imagine that Microsoft, having now completed the Halo trilogy, would love for Bungie to come up with a new franchise for them – and more importantly, given the cash cow that Bungie has been for the company, would probably do quite a bit to keep them happy.

Kotaku picked up the story and contacted Edelman Public Relations, the firm that handles PR for Microsoft, in order to see if they could get more information on what exactly is going on. The answer they received was not the most reassuring of statements;

“There’s been no such announcement. We continue to celebrate the tremendous success of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3” – Edelman Public Relations

Yeah, not a ringing endorsement of corporate stability there, is it? Then again, if most companies commented on every rumor floating around, they’d spend all day just releasing denial statements.

8BitJoystick then posted a follow-up article discussing possible reasons why they believe the story to be true. Namely that in most developer acquisition deals, the current staff of a company sign 3, 5 or 7 year contracts with the aquiring firm. Based on 8Bit’s math, that time could be just about up, meaning that the core Bungie staff would suddenly be free to resign, seek employment elsewhere or start a new, independant development house – both of which would certainly bring them more money than they’re seeing now.

“The scenario is not hard to believe. You buy a company and you sign retention agreements for key employees, i.e. the team. These employees have HUGE financial incentive to stay so they do.

3 or 5 or 7 years later depending upon the contract, the time is up. MS formally acquired bungie about 7 years ago at this time… they announced intention on june 19th, add 3 months for presumed legal stuff, and you get september 19th, which is close today, give or take. So… retention contracts go POOF, and suddenly a bunch of key people can leave with no penalty.” – 8BitJoystick

If that is indeed the case, then it makes a great deal of sense for Microsoft to cut some form of a deal to keep Bungie working solely on the Xbox 360 for at least the time being.

How would they be able to do that? By allowing Bungie to break away from Microsoft, yet still keep all the tools it pioneered during the development of the Halo trilogy. In return, one would assume, Bungie would sign some sort of an exclusivity agreement with Microsoft stipulating that the next set number of titles would be exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform (or maybe 360 and PC).

So where in all of this does the truth lie? I really couldn’t tell you at this point, but if I had to bet on it, I’d say this one will turn out to be false.  I will say this though, after the shocking departure of Peter Moore and Activision‘s acquisition of Bizarre Creations, I’m not willing to write off anything at this point.

• Microsoft – Xbox.com
• Bungie – Company website
• Bungie Leaving Microsoft!! You heard it here first folks – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie and Microsoft Are Splitting Up and That’s My Story – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie, Microsoft Tight-Lipped On Separation Rumors – Kotaku

RUMOR MILL: BUNGIE & MICROSOFT PARTING WAYS?

As hard as it is to believe, that’s the rumor floating around the old internet water-cooler. It all started with a post over at 8BitJoystick (found by way of Kotaku) in which the poster stated that he had inside information from an unidentified Bungie staffer that the company would be parting ways with Microsoft.

“So heres my big secret. You should google Bungie + Microsoft + separation this week.

You know that big ol BILLION dollar franchise Bungie has created for Microsoft, to show their appreciate Microsoft is letting Bungie leave. Of course Microsoft gets to keep all rights to the Halo franchise, but as today Bungie no longer part of Microsoft. Ask anyone who works there to search the global address book, they’re no longer in there. Microsoft was supposed to release the press release today but if they wait till the 10/6 the impact wont effect the quarterly results. However today is the actual official date and the day the NDAs expire, however you still didn‘t hear this from me.” – 8BitJoystick source e-mail

Now I’ve certainly heard rumblings in the past that Bungie wanted to work on something other than the Halo franchise and were basically forced to work on Halo 3 instead, but this one is a little hard to swallow. I would have to imagine that Microsoft, having now completed the Halo trilogy, would love for Bungie to come up with a new franchise for them – and more importantly, given the cash cow that Bungie has been for the company, would probably do quite a bit to keep them happy.

Kotaku picked up the story and contacted Edelman Public Relations, the firm that handles PR for Microsoft, in order to see if they could get more information on what exactly is going on. The answer they received was not the most reassuring of statements;

“There’s been no such announcement. We continue to celebrate the tremendous success of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3” – Edelman Public Relations

Yeah, not a ringing endorsement of corporate stability there, is it? Then again, if most companies commented on every rumor floating around, they’d spend all day just releasing denial statements.

8BitJoystick then posted a follow-up article discussing possible reasons why they believe the story to be true. Namely that in most developer acquisition deals, the current staff of a company sign 3, 5 or 7 year contracts with the aquiring firm. Based on 8Bit’s math, that time could be just about up, meaning that the core Bungie staff would suddenly be free to resign, seek employment elsewhere or start a new, independant development house – both of which would certainly bring them more money than they’re seeing now.

“The scenario is not hard to believe. You buy a company and you sign retention agreements for key employees, i.e. the team. These employees have HUGE financial incentive to stay so they do.

3 or 5 or 7 years later depending upon the contract, the time is up. MS formally acquired bungie about 7 years ago at this time… they announced intention on june 19th, add 3 months for presumed legal stuff, and you get september 19th, which is close today, give or take. So… retention contracts go POOF, and suddenly a bunch of key people can leave with no penalty.” – 8BitJoystick

If that is indeed the case, then it makes a great deal of sense for Microsoft to cut some form of a deal to keep Bungie working solely on the Xbox 360 for at least the time being.

How would they be able to do that? By allowing Bungie to break away from Microsoft, yet still keep all the tools it pioneered during the development of the Halo trilogy. In return, one would assume, Bungie would sign some sort of an exclusivity agreement with Microsoft stipulating that the next set number of titles would be exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform (or maybe 360 and PC).

So where in all of this does the truth lie? I really couldn’t tell you at this point, but if I had to bet on it, I’d say this one will turn out to be false.  I will say this though, after the shocking departure of Peter Moore and Activision‘s acquisition of Bizarre Creations, I’m not willing to write off anything at this point.

• Microsoft – Xbox.com
• Bungie – Company website
• Bungie Leaving Microsoft!! You heard it here first folks – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie and Microsoft Are Splitting Up and That’s My Story – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie, Microsoft Tight-Lipped On Separation Rumors – Kotaku

RUMOR MILL: BUNGIE & MICROSOFT PARTING WAYS?

As hard as it is to believe, that’s the rumor floating around the old internet water-cooler. It all started with a post over at 8BitJoystick (found by way of Kotaku) in which the poster stated that he had inside information from an unidentified Bungie staffer that the company would be parting ways with Microsoft.

“So heres my big secret. You should google Bungie + Microsoft + separation this week.

You know that big ol BILLION dollar franchise Bungie has created for Microsoft, to show their appreciate Microsoft is letting Bungie leave. Of course Microsoft gets to keep all rights to the Halo franchise, but as today Bungie no longer part of Microsoft. Ask anyone who works there to search the global address book, they’re no longer in there. Microsoft was supposed to release the press release today but if they wait till the 10/6 the impact wont effect the quarterly results. However today is the actual official date and the day the NDAs expire, however you still didn‘t hear this from me.” – 8BitJoystick source e-mail

Now I’ve certainly heard rumblings in the past that Bungie wanted to work on something other than the Halo franchise and were basically forced to work on Halo 3 instead, but this one is a little hard to swallow. I would have to imagine that Microsoft, having now completed the Halo trilogy, would love for Bungie to come up with a new franchise for them – and more importantly, given the cash cow that Bungie has been for the company, would probably do quite a bit to keep them happy.

Kotaku picked up the story and contacted Edelman Public Relations, the firm that handles PR for Microsoft, in order to see if they could get more information on what exactly is going on. The answer they received was not the most reassuring of statements;

“There’s been no such announcement. We continue to celebrate the tremendous success of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3” – Edelman Public Relations

Yeah, not a ringing endorsement of corporate stability there, is it? Then again, if most companies commented on every rumor floating around, they’d spend all day just releasing denial statements.

8BitJoystick then posted a follow-up article discussing possible reasons why they believe the story to be true. Namely that in most developer acquisition deals, the current staff of a company sign 3, 5 or 7 year contracts with the aquiring firm. Based on 8Bit’s math, that time could be just about up, meaning that the core Bungie staff would suddenly be free to resign, seek employment elsewhere or start a new, independant development house – both of which would certainly bring them more money than they’re seeing now.

“The scenario is not hard to believe. You buy a company and you sign retention agreements for key employees, i.e. the team. These employees have HUGE financial incentive to stay so they do.

3 or 5 or 7 years later depending upon the contract, the time is up. MS formally acquired bungie about 7 years ago at this time… they announced intention on june 19th, add 3 months for presumed legal stuff, and you get september 19th, which is close today, give or take. So… retention contracts go POOF, and suddenly a bunch of key people can leave with no penalty.” – 8BitJoystick

If that is indeed the case, then it makes a great deal of sense for Microsoft to cut some form of a deal to keep Bungie working solely on the Xbox 360 for at least the time being.

How would they be able to do that? By allowing Bungie to break away from Microsoft, yet still keep all the tools it pioneered during the development of the Halo trilogy. In return, one would assume, Bungie would sign some sort of an exclusivity agreement with Microsoft stipulating that the next set number of titles would be exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform (or maybe 360 and PC).

So where in all of this does the truth lie? I really couldn’t tell you at this point, but if I had to bet on it, I’d say this one will turn out to be false.  I will say this though, after the shocking departure of Peter Moore and Activision‘s acquisition of Bizarre Creations, I’m not willing to write off anything at this point.

• Microsoft – Xbox.com
• Bungie – Company website
• Bungie Leaving Microsoft!! You heard it here first folks – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie and Microsoft Are Splitting Up and That’s My Story – 8BitJoystick
• Bungie, Microsoft Tight-Lipped On Separation Rumors – Kotaku

XBOX 360 PRICE DROP COMING?

It may have taken over a year and a half, but it appears as if Microsoft is finally ready to lower the price of the Xbox 360. According to CheapAssGamer, flyers obtained for the week of August 12th from both Walmart and Toys R Us are showing a $50 price drop on the Xbox 360 premium model.

While a price drop has been rumored for some time due to the recent decline in Xbox 360 console sales and the lower costs associated with the upcoming 65nm processor, this is really the first time that we’ve seen any kind of concrete proof that it’s really going to happen. Now we’re left with the questions of whether a $50 drop will be enough to reinvigorate sales of the 360 and if the price drop will be spread across all models of the console, or if it will just be an inventory cleaning solution prior to the roll out of the 65nm processors.

Hopefully Microsoft will clear things up a bit over the course of the coming week. We’ll be sure to let you know of anything we find out about this as soon as possible.

• Walmart & Toys R Us Ads Confirm $50 Xbox 360 Price Cut – CheapAssGamer

HALO 3 ONLINE CO-OP SHELVED?

ArsTechnica (by way of Joystiq, CVG and Kotaku) is reporting that Bungie is currently looking to shelve the online co-op mode in Halo 3 – at least temporarily. In an upcoming interview with EGM, Bungie’s Frank O’Connor apparently highlighted one of the main issues behind the possible exclusion of the mode;

"I think the biggest problem for us for online co-op is that we have a situation where you can be in a Warthog with five troops, almost a mile away from the other player. That’s a significant challenge. And there’s lots of design things you could do to prevent that from happening, but they would make it not feel like Halo anymore. If we can make it happen in a way that works well, we will – and if it works badly, we won’t" – Frank O’Connor as quoted in the alleged EGM article

O’Connor supposedly did not rule out the possibility of online co-op being included via download at a later date. Since the issue the interview was supposedly printed in hits newsstands August 11th, I guess we’ll know more then.

Keep your fingers crossed that it all gets worked out before launch – or expect to pay yet more money for the complete Halo 3 experience. (Sorry, I’m still a little bitter over the current situation regarding the content that won’t be included with the Legendary edition of the game)

• Halo 3 – Official website
• Bungie – Company website
• Halo 3 online co-op in question – ArsTechnica
• Halo 3 co-op heads offline – CVG
• Online Co-Op for Halo 3 is Tricky – Kotaku
• Halo 3 co-op is offline, for now – Joystiq

NORTH AMERICAN 60GB PLAYSTATION 3 TO BE DISCONTINUED?

So much for a long term price cut… GamesIndustry.Biz (by way of Kotaku) is reporting that in an interview with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves, Reeves answered the question of why Europe was not seeing a price cut by announcing that once Sony expends all it’s existing stock of the 60GB PlayStation 3 in the United States, the company will only supply 80GB models to the region;

"GamesIndustry.Biz: How concerned are you about possible criticisms that you should have given European consumers what SCEA has given US consumers, i.e. the option to pay a lower price?

David Reeves: Well, they’re not really are they, because what the US are offering from the 1st of August is a USD 599 version with one game. All they’re doing is taking their stock in trade that they’ve got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July.

GamesIndustry.Biz: So once the 60GB is gone, that will be the end of the 60GB then?

David Reeves: In America, yes." – GamesIndustry.Biz interview with David Reeves

Now, either Reeves is just trying to cover for the lack of a European price drop or Sony really does plan on shooting itself in the foot yet again. What a public relations nightmare this one is going to be. Leave it to Sony to take the one positive piece of press they’ve gotten recently and totally screw it in a matter of days.

• E3: David Reeves Talks PS3 – GamesIndustry.Biz
• 60GB PS3 Being Taken Out To Pasture – Kotaku

PLAYSTATION 3 TO GET $100 PRICE CUT ON JULY 12TH?

That’s the current rumor floating about the internet. According to Kotaku, a poster over at the DVD Talk forums is advising he got an early look at the Circuit City sale circular for the weekend of July 15th. According to the poster, the 60GB PlayStation 3 will be advertised with a $100 price break, bringing the cost of the system down to $499.99.

Many would argue that the circular could be taken to indicate either an as-of-yet unannounced price drop or perhaps just a one week sale to clear inventory, GameDaily Biz followed up the story by announcing that they had received confirmation from an insider at “one of the world’s biggest retailers” that the price of the PlayStation 3 will be dropped by $100 effective July 12th. Looks like Sony has one heck of an announcement on their hands for E3, eh?

While I think it’s definitely the right move for Sony given the relatively lackluster sales of the PS3, as an early adopter – and someone who understands that early adopters always take some degree of risk – I can’t help but feel completely shafted now. I’ll tell you why;

1. Unlike other systems I’ve owned, even after 8 months I really don’t feel like I’ve gotten any benefit by having been an early adopter. There hasn’t been a single “must have” game on the system since launch (and I’d even dispute whether one could call Resistance: Fall of Man a “must-have” title) and at this point, a price drop would just serve to reinforce the “sucker” feeling.
2. I get the feeling that by the time Sony gets any product worth playing that hasn’t been on other platforms into the stores, my factory one year warranty will either have expired or be close to expiring. From a piece of mind perspective, I would have liked to have seen that the PlayStation 3 could handle the load of being played on a daily basis. Now, given the low number of failure reports for the PS3, I doubt this will be an issue, but it’s one of those nagging thoughts that sticks with me.
3. Between the rumored price drop, new 5 Blu-Ray Disc movie offer and the prospects of having to purchase new Sixaxis controllers when the vibration feedback enabled models become available, I just can’t help but feel like Sony has taken advantage of me.
4. Everything I’ve experienced with the PlayStation 3 to this point has really made me feel like I paid to beta test the system. From the disorganization of the PlayStation Store to the lack of quality titles on the shelves, everything just feels like it wasn’t quite ready for release.

Again, I know this is a move Sony must take in order for the PlayStation 3 to have any chance of surviving, and I know that as an early adopter, there’s always an inherent risk of getting burned, but I’m not going to lie and say that I’m happy with the situation as it stands. The only thing I can hope is that since Sony has not made any official comment on the matter as of yet, there’s always a chance they will do something to show a bit of loyalty to those who were willing to buy the system at it’s original price.

I’ll be sure to update this story with any new information that comes in. As of right now, it’s looking pretty solid, so to those of you who have been waiting for a price drop before picking up a PlayStation 3, your wait may finally be nearing an end.

• PLAYSTATION 3 $100 Price Cut Hits July 15 – Kotaku
• Report: PS3 $499 on July 12 – GameDaily BIZ
• Circuit City Prices: July 15 – July 21, 2007 – DVDTalk Forums

RUMOR SMASHED: GEARS OF WAR NOT GOING MULTIPLATFORM

If you’ve been hanging around the internet water cooler, you may have heard a rumor that Epic Games is so pissed off with Microsoft at the moment that they’re considering bringing Gears of War to the PlayStation 3… well, in a post on Gears’ official forums, Epic Vice President Mark Rein decided to set the record straight once and for all;

“This story is complete bull****. I emailed the site and asked them to take it down. We’re very happy with our relationship with Microsoft. If it weren’t for them Gears wouldn’t be the huge hit it has become.” – Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games

According to this article over at Kotaku, the rumor began on the forums of a small PlayStation 3 site called “The Sony Protection Group“and even went so far as to claim Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski had threatened to move the series to the PlayStation 3. Needless to say, as with anything on the internet, the story continued to grow from there.

Not content with just debunking the rumor over at the Gears of War forums, Rein also sent a little nasty-gram to the staff of the site expressing his displeasure;

“Please remove that complete b******* story about Gears going to PS3. Cliff Bleszinski has NEVER been quoted as “threatening Microsoft to port over Gears to the PS3″. We’re very happy with our relationship with Microsoft and are extremely grateful of everything they’ve done to help make Gears the huge success it has become. Part of that success came from being an Xbox 360 exclusive FIRST PARTY title and Microsoft getting behind it in a huge way. They’re the publisher of Gears of War and, unless they say otherwise, there is no chance Gears is coming to PS3. For PS3 we have Unreal Tournament 3 and it’s going to be fantastic.” – Mark Rein

So there you have it folks, there’s no double-talk or hidden meanings in this one – it looks like Gears of War will be remaining an Xbox 360 exclusive. While I don’t think it’s the case here, one thing I often wonder when I hear wild stories such as this is whether or not the sites in question run these kind of stories knowing full well that they’re false, but are hoping that the traffic the story is bound to create will increase their readership.

• Gears of War coming to the PS3?! – Official Gears of War forums
• Could Gears of War2 go multiplat? – Sony Protection Group Forums
• GoW Definitely Not Coming to PS3 – Kotaku

IS THE XBOX 360 GUITAR HERO II X-PLORER GUITAR DEFECTIVE?

There have been numerous complaints across the internet regarding the X-plorer guitar included with the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II, and yesterday word began to circulate that RedOctane’s customer service had notified someone that there were two (2) models of guitar that were in fact defective.

The reported problem with the guitars, aside from having the worst back button in the history of the franchise, is that the whammy bar is partially or totally unresponsive, the yellow fret button sticks, the “tilt” function for Star Power works, but only sporadically and that some form of issue with the strummer exists, be it that it’s too loose, too tight, doesn’t work, etc. (For those wondering about my comment regarding the back button, that’s the button used to activate Star Power if you don’t feel like tilting the guitar – and it’s miniscule and recessed on the X-plorer)

According to Kotaku, one of their readers got the following response to his queries regarding some of the issues he was having with his controller;

“We have isolated this issue to two model numbers that can be found on the guitar’s packaging. The numbers are 95065 and 95055. We are asking that customers who puchased their items from a retailer perform an exchange with that respective store (for a model number other than the defective two listed above). Customer’s who purchased through our online story can complete an rma request for their defective item and we will exchange it for a fully function guitar controller. We do apologize for the inconvenience and will [resolve] these matters.” – Quote from RedOctane customer support as per the Kotaku article

Since my guitar is a 95055 and it most certainly has lag issues with the whammy-bar, I started to look to see if there was any official word regarding that comment. In searching through RedOctane’s site and the official Guitar Hero forums, I couldn’t find anything other than links back to the Kotaku article or other sites that had picked up on that quote. There was no official comment from RedOctane to be found.

Here is what I did find in my search for answers;

1. It appears that there are only two models of guitar – the 95055 and 95065. The few sites that stated the box they had said “95067” advised that the guitar inside was labeled as a 95065.
2. I Called my local Gamestop (where I bought the game) and they advised they haven’t heard anything about the issues with the guitars or any kind of a recall / return request.

Given the horror stories about some of the guitars and the fact that mine, while off, isn’t badly off, I’m really inclined to hold onto it for a few more days until someone knows something concrete as I’d hate to bring it back and get one that’s even worse. (Especially since the only guitars out there are apparently the problematic 95055 and 95065 models)

So, is RedOctane really asking people to return their guitars? I don’t know. I know I’ll be holding onto mine at least until next week in hopes that someone makes an official, on the record, statement about this whole mess.

• Red Octane Responds To Defective 360 Guitars– Kotaku
• Red Octane says two Xbox guitar models “defective” – Joystiq
• Official Guitar Hero forums – Guitarherogame.com

GAMESPOT LEAKS MAY 7TH XBOX 360 DASHBOARD UPDATE NEWS?

Now don’t take this at 100% face value, but according to MyGamerCard.net, Gamespot accidentally posted the below video about the new features coming to the Xbox 360 Dashboard on May 7th. The video was supposedly taken down almost immediately at Gamespot, but resurfaced on YouTube a short time later. Since Gamespot hasn’t mentioned the video one way or another as of yet, there’s really no way of knowing if they were just posting a video they saw somewhere, if this was actually one of their in-house produced videos or if they have nothing to do with the video at all.

I will say that the guy saying “yippee” in response to one of the features is what tripped my “I’m not sure if I believe this” radar. Check it out below;

As for what’s actually showcased in the video, I’ll say this…

1. They talk about the new Achievements message, but don’t actually show an example of it. I, for one, would love this feature as I freely admit I probably hit the guide button every time I get an achievement to see what it was for – unless it was something obvious and/or expected.
2. Am I the only one who got really nervous when they were talking about low-power background downloads and the fact that the 360’s cooling fans would shut off during this process?

• Xbox 360 Spring 2007 Dashboard Update – MyGamerCard.net
• Xbox 360 Spring 2007 Dashboard Update Video – YouTube

SONY TO DROP PSP CORE SYSTEM TO $169.99?

Kotaku is reporting that Sony will be dropping the price of the PlayStation Portable’s Core pack to $169.99 effective immediately. While I’ve certainly been impressed with the direction Sony has been taking with the PSP lately, I still think that the buy in is still a bit too high. The Core PSP includes only an AC adapter and battery, meaning at the very least you’re going to be on the hook for a memory stick as well.

Given the fact that the rumor mill is still pointing towards the possible announcement of a PSP2 sometime this year, you have to wonder if this is an attempt to bolster the system’s install base or if it’s more about clearing out inventory. I don’t know about you guys, but I think I’ll wait for the price to hit $149.99 or less before I bite – even with the enhanced version of Rondo of Blood coming this year.

• Sony PlayStation Portable – Official site
• PSP Core Drops To $169 Tomorrow– Kotaku
• Rumor: No Denying It, PSP2 Is Coming – Kotaku
• Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles – Gamespot

MASS EFFECT TO SHIP ON JUNE 5TH?

That’s at least the word over at Destructoid. According to this story, Mass Effect, the highly anticipated opening to Bioware’s sci-fi trilogy, will be gracing Xbox 360 owners with it’s presence on June 5th, 2007. While the folks over at Bioware aren’t confirming the date, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this one turns out to be true.

While we’re on the topic of Destructoid, I’d also like to give a huge shout-out to them on celebrating their first anniversary just two days ago – you guys make me feel so inadequate, it’s not even funny. Congratulations on building an awesome site and community!

• Mass Effect (finally) has a release date – Destructoid
• Destructoid says June 5th release date, is this right? – Mass Effect forums
• Mass Effect – Official website

MICROSOFT TO SHUT DOWN FASA STUDIOS?

Is Microsoft planning on shutting down FASA Studios? According to Game|Life, that’s the word around the old internet water-cooler. The rumor got started due to a post on the forums for the company’s upcoming title Shadowrun by what would appear to be a disgruntled ex-employee. The rumor has been further backed up by Game|Life’s editor Chris Kohler, who stated that he’s heard the very same thing from a source he has close to Microsoft. Let’s take a look at the two most important comments made on the aforementioned post in the Shadowrun forums;

"Fasa Studios is closing and good riddance. After years of substandard management (Mitch) and bad hiring decisions (Evan). Many of its employees (my friends) left to greener pastures because of the reasons stated earlier. It seems that someone finally took notice and decided to cut the tumor that is Fasa studios from the body of Microsoft. The Shadowrun game offers nothing new in the aspect of first person shooters and that it looks visually uninspiring and mediocre. Save your money for Halo3" – BoomStick, poster who started it all

The same poster later continues his assault making it apparent that much of his anger is based on the way many current and past FASA Studio employees have been treated by the company’s human resources department. He also makes it clear that much of the staff has already been informed that their services will no longer be required by the company. The thread itself was quickly closed by the site admin, however one of FASA’s employees did respond to the allegations right before that;

"Shadowrun will be shipping soon.  It’s been a long three years for many on the team.  I’m certain that some folks will be leaving us to do other things after we ship.  That’s normal, and it’s healthy, too.  As for our contingent staff here, they’re just that – contingent.  They have a maximum amount of time they can work here before taking a mandatory break.  Many of them are complete star performers, but when the job’s done, they move on, and the job’s almost done." – Kimona, Project Lead – FASA Studios

As Game|Life pointed out, you’ll notice that they never actually denied that FASA will be closing in that statement, which is something that I really would have assumed they would have done right off the bat. Is this a case of an ex-employee just looking to cause trouble, or a story in the process of breaking? – the world may never… oh wait, we’ll actually probably find out the truth right after Shadowrun hits retail.

• Rumor: Something’s Up With FASA – Game|Life
• Studio closing – Official Shadowrun forums
• FASA Studios – Company website
• Shadowrun – Official website

WALMART PUTTING THE XBOX 360 HD-DVD PLAYER ON CLEARANCE?

That’s the rumor over at CheapAssGamer (by way of Kotaku) – It appears that several CAG forum members have noticed the Xbox 360’s HD-DVD player on sale at Walmart for the much reduced price of $130.00. While the price isn’t listed on the company’s website, those of you feeling the need to pick up the peripheral may want to check your local Wallyworld over the next few days to see what pricetag they actually have on the drive.

It should also be noted that ever since the launch of the PlayStation 3, Blu-Ray has been starting to pull away from HD-DVD in the high-def movie format war, so this may be a pretty good indication that we’re going to have an early winner. In other words, don’t blame me if you buy the damn thing tomorrow and the HD-DVD format goes in the crapper later in the year. While I wouldn’t say the war over just yet, if the stories on the CAG forums about Walmart saying they’re clearing out their inventory are true, it certainly is a major blow to the format.

• Was there a big price drop on xbox 360 hd dvd players – CheapAssGamer
• Rumor: 360 HD DVD Players Now Cheaper? – Kotaku

120GB HARD DRIVE, HDMI EQUIPPED XBOX 360 COMING NEXT MONTH?

It’s a really big day for rumor-mongoring, so let’s move on to the next one. According to Kotaku, this months Game Informer magazine is carrying a story that Microsoft will be launching a new model of the Xbox 360 some time next month. This new model will not only come in black, but will feature a 120gb hard drive as well as a built in HDMI port. The projected cost of the system? $479.99.

While the issue in question is the April edition of the magazine, meaning that this could just be another April Fool’s hoax, Kotaku is also reporting that they’ve received confirmation from a senior editor over at Game Informer that the story is indeed true. Since that confirmation didn’t come on April Fool’s Day, I’ve got to assume that at the very least, the folks over at Game Informer believe the story to be true.

While the article also states that the updated system will not feature a built in HD-DVD drive, it doesn’t provide any details on whether this model will include support for Microsoft’s foray into IPTV service. Finally, there was also an indication that the 120gb hard drive will be sold separately for "under $200".

• Game Mag Says Black Xbox 360 Is Coming – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

ACE COMBAT 6, KATAMARI DAMACY & WARHAMMER COMING TO THE 360?

Last week, Gamespot’s "Rumor Control" reported that there was a strong possibility that Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Beautiful Katamari Damacy and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos would be coming to the Xbox 360. This rumor was based on a supposed cell phone camera photo of Blockbuster Video’s inventory database in which the three titles were listed as future titles for the 360.

Yesterday, Kotaku added to the story when they reported that not only is the current issue of Famitsu backing up the story as far as an Xbox 360 version of Ace Combat 6 is concerned, but that the article apparently also states that the title will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. If this turns out to be true, it’s the case of another series that has always been associated with the PlayStation brand making the jump to other platforms. You’ve got to think that someone at Sony has to be getting pretty concerned with how things are going, because right now, I’d be sorely tempted to find a solid reason to tell anyone to choose the PlayStation 3 over the Xbox 360, unless of course you choose to take the 360’s reliability issues into account.

• Katamari, Mark of Chaos, Ace Combat rolling to 360s? – Gamespot
• Kotaku Magu: Ace Combat Landing On Xbox 360 – Kotaku

WARHAWK DOWNGRADED TO DOWNLOADABLE MULTIPLAYER GAME

As the rumor mill hinted at awhile back, it appears that Sony’s PlayStation 3 title Warhawk will no longer be seeing a full retail release. According to an article over at Kotaku, IGN’s weekly webcast features an interview with the developers over at Incognito Entertainment, where they confirm that the game will indeed be reduced to a multiplayer game only available via a download from the PlayStation Store. According to Warhawk’s director, Dylan Jobe, the reason behind the change is that the single player mode just wasn’t coming along well, so they decided to just focus on the multiplayer aspects of the game.

I’m getting more and more nervous about Heavenly Sword’s fate. It seems to me that the less Sony mentions a game, the worse things are going for it – and we haven’t heard anything official about Heavenly Sword in awhile now. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.

• Warhawk Goes Multiplayer, Download Only (Really, This Time) – Kotaku
• IGN Weekly – IGN (the episode you’re looking for is #38)

PLAYSTATION 3 TO GAIN DVD UPSCALING CAPABILITY?

Kotaku is reporting that in an interview with Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal, Sony’s Phil Harrison leaked the news many PlayStation 3 owners have been waiting to hear… Sony is working on bringing DVD upscaling to the PlayStation 3;

“I think in order to engender trust in our users, we have to share some things that might be not quite perfect, but are ready to give you an indication of what’s coming. So we could say, “You know, we’re not sure when it’s coming, but we’re going to have DVD upscaling on Playstation 3.” – Phil Harrison

For those of you who don’t know what the big deal is, DVD upscaling is a process in which standard DVD’s which are normally only capable of being displayed at 480p are digitally upgraded to support 720p resolution. In other words, it makes regular DVD’s play in high-definition. While you can buy regular DVD players that perform the same function, the fact that this is something that can apparently be added free of charge via a firmware update will definitely be a positive boost to the PS3’s image.

• PS3 Getting DVD Upscaling – Kotaku

MERCENARIES 2 COMING TO THE XBOX 360?

UK site Computer and Video Games has reported that Pandemic will be bringing the sequel to Mercenaries to both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. While details are still a bit scarce, CVG has advised that they’ve been told by a reliable source that while Mercenaries 2: World in Flames has only been announced for the Playstation 3, it will indeed be appearing on Microsoft’s next-gen console as well.

"World in flames has so far only been announced for PlayStation 3, but although we can’t actually tell you why, we’ve got it on very good authority that it will be Xbox 360 bound, even if there’s a short PS3 exclusive period first. Pandemic haven’t even signed a publisher yet, but we can tell you that it won’t be LucasArts/Activision again." -Computer and Video Games

I’m hoping that this rumor turns out to be true as I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to pick up a Playstation 3 anytime soon and really don’t want to miss out on any of the explosive goodness that the Mercenaries name brings to mind.

Check out the Computer and Video Games article here and keep your fingers crossed for a multi-system release.

XBOX LIVE ARCADE TEXAS HOLD’EM NOT FREE?

A few days back we reported on a Gamespot story that stated that the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade Texas Hold’Em title would be a free download. Well, it now seems either Gamespot’s source was mistaken or Microsoft is having second thoughts about giving something away for nothing. A recent posting on Gamerscore Blog states that the title may not be free of charge after all and that no definitive decisions on any details about the game have been made at this time.

“As Greg Canessa pointed out in an interview with Joystiq, Xbox Live Arcade’s upcoming Texas Hold ‘Em Poker will be coming soon, and he said something about it not being free.  After talking to the product team to see what the story is, I’m told that specific details regarding the launch of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker have not yet been announced, and it’s too early to say anything yet.  I’m told we should stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks. “ -Gamerscore Blog

The interview that quote refers to can be found over at Joystiq. While Gamerscore Blog may be playing the pricing angle carefully, Canessa was much clearer in the interview, stating that the title would not be free – no ambiguity there.

“First of all, it won’t be free. We haven’t decided on what the final price will be, but it will not be free.” -Greg Canessa as per Joystiq

So there you have it, XBLA Texas Hold’Em will not be free, but no price has been decided on at this time. Click here for the original Gamespot story, here for the Gamerscore Blog posting, here for the full Joystiq interview and here to seek help for your gambling problem.

RUMOR MILL: PLAYSTATION 3 NOW IN PRODUCTION

Next Generation is carrying a story that Chinese newspaper “The Commercial Times” has reported that Asustek Computer (Asus) is currently producing Playstation 3 units and plans on delivering 200,000 of them to Sony later this month.

“The Commercial Times, a Chinese business paper, claims that manufacturer Asustek Computer is delivering as many as 200,000 machines to Sony this month, with more manufacturers coming online in August.

The paper said that Asustek had been given the task of pulling together components since early July, as Sony seeks to iron out any potential manufacturing problems, such as those that dogged the launch of Xbox 360 last year.

The reports are unconfirmed.“ – Next Generation

While 200,000 units certainly isn’t a large number, should this report turn out to be true, it at least shows that Sony has finalized the design of the PS3 and that they’ve apparently cleared many of the also rumored design problems.

DOES THE DS-LITE HAVE A CRACK PROBLEM?

It seems there’s a crack in the armor of Nintendo’s handheld juggernaut. Reports are coming in from all over the web that the hinges on the DS-Lite are prone to cracking. The story began with a few posts over at MaxConsole and quickly spread to other sites as they picked up the news and started hearing about their own readers crack problems.

In a poll over at Kotaku, nearly 14 percent of the respondents that owned a DS-Lite reported some type of crack around the hinges. Nintendo has not officially commented on the crack epidemic it’s latest handheld is facing at this time, but I somehow doubt they’re going to give it the same loving attention they recently gave a man who claimed his dog ate his DS-Lite.

Now I haven’t played with a DS-Lite yet, so I don’t know how sturdy the plastic it’s made out of is, but if it’s anything like the hinges on the GBA:SP or the fatty DS, I’d have to assume there’s something more to it… like people “snapping” the screen open, pressing down on it/over-extending it or the like. Why? Because if my GBA:SP can still be intact despite the things that have happened to it, I can’t see the crack just forming from normal wear and tear.

Click here for the MaxConsole forum post, here for the Kotaku DS-Lite crack poll and here just because I can’t come up with something witty to write here despite the billions of possibilities the term crack allows for.

XBOX 360 TO BE BUNDLED WITH PGR3?

Gamespot’s rumor mill is carrying a story that Microsoft is planning on releasing a new $399 Xbox 360 bundle this fall to compete against the launches of the Wii and Playstation 3.

The story makes it very clear that the rumor started on the forums of another gaming site and that it’s source is dubious at best, so take the following with a grain of salt. According to the rumor, the price of the premium 360 package would remain unchanged, but the system would now come bundled with Project Gotham Racing 3, a 3 month Xbox Live Gold subscription and 1250 marketplace points.

While the source is unproven, I’ve got to agree with Gamespot’s position that it’s at least possible. Let’s look at it from Microsoft’s possible point of view;

• Project Gotham Racing 3
  • PGR 3is a game that showcases the 360’s power quite nicely, it’s a Microsoft Games title and has 2 pay content packs in the marketplace that are highly desirable. While it’s probably one of the best selling 360 titles now, come October when Forza Motorsport 2 launches, it’s going to see a serious decline in sales. On the flip side, you could also argue that PGR3 being provided free of charge could hurt Forza 2 sales, so I do see the potential hole in this side of the argument.
• 3 Months free Xbox Live Gold
  • The 360 already comes with a free month of Live Gold, so it’s not too far of a stretch to see MS raising the bar to 3 months – especially given the recent attach numbers Live has seen with the 360. While new adopters may not use Live enough in that first month, by the third they’ve probably picked up a few more titles and have expanded their friends lists to a point where there’s usually someone around to play with. Think of it this way – hook ’em now, so they pay later.
• 1250 Marketplace Points
  • Want to get new users to get into the habit of using the marketplace for purchases? Why not give them a ton of points to play with. It’s another case of getting them used to the idea of paying for content before they actually have to face shelling out money for it.

So there you have it, while it may not be true, it at least could make some sense. I guess we’ll know the real deal later this fall when Microsoft’s competition finally makes it to market.

Click here to head over to Gamespot’s rumor control to see their take on it or here to see the post that started the rumor. You could click here too, but it wouldn’t have anything to do with this story.

GAME MOVIE RUMORS ABOUND!

2 Game to movie rumors have been making the rounds this week, so I figured we’d just add to the growing pile of speculation. The first rumor concerns the casting of Master Chief in the upcoming Halo film.

According to the rumor mill, Denzel Washington met with Peter Jackson to discuss taking the lead in the film. After much ‘net travel, Denzel put the rumor to rest by stating that he met with Jackson to discuss Jackson handling the special effects for a film Washington plans on directing. In other words, nope no Denzel for Halo. Personally, I’m pulling for Steve Downes to get the role – at least as far as MC’s voice goes. From what I’ve read of the supposedly leaked script to the movie, it’s not like we ever get to see Master Chief’s face anyway.

The second rumor is that Tim Burton has expressed interest in making a film based on Grim Fandango. This one apparently got it’s start on a site called The Movie Center where they patched together several different quotes from Burton to form an interview, and one of those quotes indicated that he was interested in making Grim Fandango into a movie. While most of the comments have now been tracked back to their original sources, no one has been able to verify where the Grim Fandango comments came from. File this one under probably fake for now.

Check out a good summary Gamespot put together here and think about who you’d like to see play Master Chief in the Halo movie. Got a good one? why not post it in the comments for this article – even if it’s a horrible idea, we won’t laugh at you… much.

RESIDENT EVIL COMING TO THE WII?

While worshipping at the gaming shrine that is Kotaku today, I came across this little rumor; it seems the latest issue of the UK Official Nintendo Magazine ended with a little bit of a teaser – a simple note stating that they got a scoop on an upcoming Wii title, but got the information too late to make the current issue. They do give a hint though in the form of a picture next to the teaser which appears to be a silhouette of Leon Kennedy. Pretty slim, but worth noting at the very least. Here’s to hoping it’s true.

Check out the Kotaku article here and then start preparing for the inevitable by picking up The Zombie Survival Guide.

SILICON KNIGHTS CONSIDERING SEQUEL TO ETERNAL DARKNESS?

1up.com is reporting that in a recent talk with Denis Dyack of Silicon Knights, Dyack confirmed that the company “absolutely, yes” has plans for a sequel to their hit Gamecube title Eternal Darkness;

“When creating an original game we start by conceptualizing an entire universe. Once the universe is conceptualized we then tell a story within that world,” he says. “Although this is just one story we had in mind for the Eternal Darkness universe, there are even more manipulations, great ancients, and numerous other stories to tell…” -Denis Dyack, Silicon Knights

Before you get too excited, word is they won’t begin work on any Eternal Darkness sequel until they finish the Too Human trilogy of games for the Xbox 360. Based on reports from those who saw Too Human it in action at E3, if some serious improvements aren’t made to the title, I’d question if Silicon Knights would even still be around by then.

Check out the 1up.com story here and hope that if Too Human becomes a train wreck that Silicon Knights is smart enough to get off after the first stop.

NINTENDO SHOOTS DOWN EARLY LAUNCH RUMOR

Nintendo Revolution is reporting that Nintendo has responded to CNN Money’s article about a possible early launch for the Wii with a resounding “not true”. According to Nintendo Revolution, in an talk with financial site Bloomberg.com a Nintendo rep put the brakes on the racing hearts of Nintendo fans everywhere;

“There’s no change in our plan to release the console in the last quarter of this year. We are planning an announcement in September and it may be causing some confusion” -Nintendo rep as per Bloomberg.com by way of Nintendo Revolution

Just as that bit of crushing news was revealed, Kotaku brought hope back in the form of a new rumor, citing a tip from an insider at a development team working on Wii games, Kotaku reported that the insider stated that their deadlines for completion have been vastly moved up.

“The source tells us that Alpha, Beta and Final times for the game just got vastly reduced and the common belief among the team is that the Wii will in fact be hitting this October.” -Brian Crecente, Editor – Kotaku

Check out our earlier story on the CNN Money article here, the Nintendo Revolution’s article here and Kotaku’s recent rumor report here. Put it all together, and that’s one big bag of snakes – too bad they aren’t on a plane.

SHADY BUSINESS PRACTICES 101

If this story in the Consumerist is to be believed, BestBuy has started trying to push extended warranties for game purchases on customers. According to the article, they are not only giving the hard sell on it, but making some questionable claims about the reliability of game software;

“Today I bought Tetris DS at my local Best Buy, and they tried to sell me the 2-year protection plan or whatever it is. I refused the coverage, but I was surprised that it was offered. I’ve never received the protection spiel from a cashier when buying software… only hardware ( (I haven’t shopped at Best Buy in a while, so I have no idea if it s a recent development). After my refusal, the cashier tried to scare me by telling me “we get a lot of these things returned. I just want you to know that.” I’m mostly convinced that she was full of crap, but I’m just one DS owner… I’ve been playing video games for more than 25 years, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a cartridge or disc go bad on me. I had been led to believe that Flash memory is more durable than the old GBA cartridges.” -Reader Phil H. as reported by the Consumerist.

Going beyond the issue of if a 2 year warranty is really needed on a game cartridge and whether or not BestBuy is playing hard and fast with the rules as far as what they’re telling their customers, think about this… If the game breaks 2 years down the road, what are the odds that they’re still going to have a copy of it on the shelves to replace yours with? It’s not like a stereo system where “something similar” is going to cut it.

Anyway, check out the Consumerist article here, and if you pick up a game in BestBuy anytime soon, feel free to drop us a line and let us know if the same type of offer was made to you.

WII TO LAUNCH IN LATE SEPT/EARLY OCT?

CNN Money is reporting that an analyst from American Technology Research has stated that final retail model Wii’s are already in production and could be ready for a late September/early October launch. The article also credits several unnamed “industry insiders” as confirming the possibility of an early launch. I don’t know if this is real or just conclusions based on more market research from people who don’t know the industry, but if you absolutely must have a Wii at launch, I’d suggest you starting to get your money together ASAP.

Check out the full CNN Money article here and pull those red overalls out of storage!

WII TO LAUNCH ON NOVEMBER 6TH?

GoNintendo is reporting that in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids there is an article that discusses both the Playstation 3 and Wii and their upcoming titles. Normally that wouldn’t be news, but the Nintendo Wii section of the article includes an interesting little tidbit… namely a launch date. If SI Kids is to be believed, the Nintendo Wii will be launching in the U.S. on November 6th. Check out the GoNintendo story here and start limbering up now – you’re gonna need it, you lazy bum, you.

NO INTERNAL HD-DVD DRIVE FOR XBOX 360

There have been rumors floating around that Microsoft will be releasing a new version of the Xbox 360 that includes a built in HD-DVD drive. In a posting yesterday, Microsoft’s in-house employee blog, Gamerscore blog, shot that rumor down before it could start making the talk-show rounds;

“Saw a few stories online about an Xbox 360 with a built-in HD DVD drive: not true. We have no plans to release an Xbox 360 with an internal HD DVD. What we showcased at E3 was an external HD DVD drive, and we’re sticking with that.

We’ve always had a games-first emphasis with the Xbox, but some consumers can build on the platform – like by adding a Windows Media Center Edition PC. By keeping the drive external, we’re offering consumers a choice in creating their own hi-def experiences. So: no plans for an internal HD DVD.” -Cesar Menendez, Gamerscore Blog

While I would never suggest trusting the word of a corporate employee at face value, it certainly makes sense that this rumor would be false. Simply put, Microsoft is pushing the angle that the 360 offers you a choice regarding HD, whereas Sony is forcing you to buy a player now. Any moves against that concept would just lend credence to Sony’s position that the Blu-Ray drive is necessary. Besides, with the HD format wars just starting, I can’t see MS marrying HD-DVD technology just yet.

Check out the Gamerscore Blog posting here and remember that whole Betamax incident you were involved in before you get behind either technology just yet.

PLAYSTATION 3 GAMES TO COST MORE THAN $60?

You know, even I’m getting sick of reporting negative news about the Playstation 3. While surfing over at Kotaku, I came across a link to this article from NexTechNews in which SCE President Kaz Hirai talked game prices with the folks over at PSM.

Now I’m not sure if this is from the same issue interview and issue of PSM that we mentioned in a story below, but this time around the question was whether or not Playstation 3 games would follow the same pricing scheme as Xbox 360 games. The answer Hirai gave was a bit disturbing to say the least;

“Generally Speaking, over the past twelve years or so, there has been a consumer expectation that disc-based games are maybe $59 on the high end to $39 on the low end. So, what I can say now is, I think it would be a bit of a stretch to think that we could suddenly turn around and say “PS3 Games now $99.99.” I don’t think consumers expect software pricing to suddenly double. So, the quick answer is that we want to make it as affordable as possible, knowing that there is a set consumer expectation for what software has cost for the past twelve years. That’s kind of the best answer I can give you. So, if it becomes a bit higher than $59, don’t ding me, but, again, I don’t expect it to be $100.“ – Kaz Hirai

Now maybe I’m taking this the wrong way because of all the insane things Sony executives have said recently, but to me that answer just screams “Yes, our games are going to be priced higher than $59.99”.

More importantly, ask yourself if I essentially pawned a days worth of news off on you by just reading the current issue of PSM Magazine. (-ed: I didn’t, but even I’d wonder with 3 stories referencing them in one day)

Check out the NexTechNews article here for more details and the August issue of PSM for the full interview. (-ed: also for the record, I’m not getting advertising bucks by pushing the print editions of PSM either, so get that thought right out of your suspicious little minds right now! =) )

MICROSOFT SHOOTS DOWN 360 PRICE DROP RUMOR

Microsoft’s in house blog, Gamerscore Blog, posted a reply from John Porcaro to the recent holiday price drop rumors. For those who were thinking of holding off picking up a 360 in anticipation of a drop later this year, the news was not good;

“As you’re all aware, there have been rumors of a price drop for the Xbox 360 coming along later this year.   The official word from folks in the know is that there are currently no plans for a price drop this fall. “ -John Porcaro

Now while he did specify that there were currently no plans for a price drop, I’d probably also guess that it’s a safe bet things will stay that way for the foreseeable future. Simply put, unless Sony somehow magically drops the price of the PS3 or the Wii puts up unheard of sales numbers, Microsoft has no need to drop the price of the 360.

Porcaro’s advice for those sitting on the proverbial 360 fence?;

“Pick one up on the way home from work, and tell your S.O. that you got a killer deal that you just couldn’t pass up.   C’mon.  You know you want to…” -John Porcaro

Check out the full text of the Gamerscore Blog entry here and then figure out a good story to tell about how you got that 360 for free, but had car trouble…

WII DEVELOPMENT KITS FOR UNDER $1,800?

We’re reporting that Kotaku found a post at Wiivolution.com that says someone over at Codename Revolution is reporting that based on an article at N-Sider.com, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has stated that Wii development kits would be sold to developers for as low as $1,732;

“Nintendo President Satoru Iwata along with the Board of Directors answered many questions at a corporate management policy briefing held last week which revealed that the price of the Wii development kits would now cost as low as $1,732. Iwata expects to increase funding for research and development to prepare for launch.” -Wiivolution.com

If Nintendo can pull off a development kit for that low of a price, it’s sure to attract legions of independent developers to the system. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on what safeguards Nintendo puts in place to prevent shoddy games from making it onto the system as well as preventing the market from being glutted with said product. That said, it’s definitely still a move that could pay off with huge dividends for Nintendo.

Yes, it’s a lot of links, but here they are; Get the Kotaku article here, the Wiivolution article here, the Codename Revolution article here and the N-Sider article here. If your fingers haven’t cramped up from all that clicking, feel free to click on the comment link below and tell us what you think!

GAMESPOT RAINS ON MY SOUL

Gamespot has cast some doubt on the GameDaily report that Soul Calibur IV is now in production. According to Gamespot, they feel that there may have been some errors in translation as far as the comments regarding Soul Calibur IV went;

” Because it’s a paraphrased response in an almost certainly translated interview, it’s impossible to parse words here and see if there might have been some misunderstanding on either Uchiyama’s part or the writer’s. In any case, it just says that a new Soul Calibur was taking up the development team’s time when the Bandai-Namco merger was finalized. Uchiyama doesn’t appear to mention Soul Calibur IV by name, so the new game could be a PSP version of an existing Soul Calibur game, or maybe even a project that was already known about.

The Bandai-Namco merger was finalized in September. Soul Calibur III was released in October, so there’s even a slight chance Uchiyama was referring to that game as the incomplete Soul Calibur project in question. However, that seems unlikely, given how close to completion the game already was. ” – Gamespot

It certainly would be a bit of a downer if it turned out just to be an error in translation. Hopefully Namco Bandai will give some type of official word either way in the coming days in response to the story. You can check out the Gamespot article here and the original GameDaily story here.

XBOX 360 HOLIDAY PRICE CUT RUMORS ARE BACK

UK game site Britbox is reporting that a source close to Microsoft has told them that the company is working on redesigning the hardware for the Xbox 360 in hopes of lowering the price in time for the holiday season and the launches of both the Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. As per their source;

“A new version of the Xbox 360 would be cheaper to manufacture and debut about a year after launch.

“If they hit their targets, the Microsoft would be able to cut the costs of its console in the autumn of 2006. Microsoft would have the option of slashing the price of its console, just as rivals come out with their first consoles.

“That would put a lot of pressure on Sony and Nintendo.”-Britbox unnamed source

I’m not sure what to make of this one. While I’m sure Microsoft is working hard on lowering the production costs of the 360, the wording of the quote above strikes me as odd. It almost sounds as if it was said much longer ago than this week – you’ll note how it doesn’t talk about “this holiday”, but rather “a year after launch” and “in the autumn of 2006” rather than this fall. It just strikes me as odd. While the price drop certainly would be welcome to many people still on the fence about the 360, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it. Check out the BritBox article here.

THE SOUL STILL BURNS: SOUL CALIBUR IV CONFIRMED

GameDaily recently scored an exclusive interview with Namco Bandai Chief Producer Daisuke Uchiyama. In the course of the interview, Uchiyama let slip that Soul Calibur IV is already in production. GameDaily also added some speculation that the title may go direct to home consoles and may be the rumored Xbox 360 Soul Calibur game that was hinted at back when Soul Calibur III was released exclusively on the Playstation 2. It should be noted that Uchiyama did not give any further details regarding the general release window for the game or what consoles it would be appearing on.

As one of my all time favorite games, and certainly my all time favorite fighting game series, I for one could not be more stoked. Find out more by heading over to GameDaily at this link.

SONY DENIES FURTHER PS3 DOWNGRADES

There have been a lot of rumors of late that Sony is going to wind up further downgrading the specs on the Playstation 3 for a variety of reasons ranging from not being able to fit all the components into the form-factor and low yields on the Cell Processor at 3.2ghz to overheating issues. While all of these are certainly believable as they sound like production problems and are certainly within the realm of possibility, Sony spokesman Jonathan Fargher categorically denied the rumors of any PS3 downgrades while speaking with EuroGamer;

“Developers have been working with PS3 dev kits for anywhere between eight and 12 months, and to suggest that we’d now take the decision to downgrade the hardware at such a late stage, is, well, ridiculous. Worse still is the suggestion that we couldn’t fit all the technical components into a plastic box. Granted, whilst all products are not perfect, we do have over 40 years of experience making consumer electronics equipment, and therefore, extensive experience in making things fit – PSone and Slimline PS2 being just two examples of that.” -Jonathan Fargher

While I’ve been quick to dismiss a lot of the Sony rumors in the past because they’ve been so ridiculous, I’m still not quite ready to fully let this one go, and I’ll tell you why. Most of the problems, as I stated earlier, sound like production issues, which would certainly explain the low available launch numbers Sony has claimed for the PS3. They’re also all things that could still be corrected without significant downgrades.

If you look back to the Xbox 360 launch, there were stories of units overheating to such an extent that they would actually melt the form-factor cases they were in while running. While the 360 still runs hot, it certainly doesn’t run that hot anymore. That’s why while I’m willing to believe that Sony has no plans to downgrade the PS3 at the moment, and keep in mind that could change if the problems persist, I don’t believe that development is going as smoothly as they claim, just because history has shown us that it never does.

Check out the Eurogamer article at this link and hope that the Sony public relations team gets a really long vacation once the system launches… or at least that Kutaragi can keep his mouth shut for a week or so.

PLAYSTATION 3 ONLINE GAMING TO BE FREE?

ArsTechnica is reporting that In comments to Japanese website PC Impress Watch, Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken Kutaragi hinted that online matchmaking and gaming will be provided for free on the Playstation 3, and that Sony plans on keeping the service profitable by selling online content, much the way Xbox Live does.

“We don’t charge for the basic functions of the network like matching services. Things like that are taken for granted on a PC, aren’t they? There’s the feeling of why a game console gets to charge for a service that’s normal on a PC. So, we just made the basic services available, and based our business on the contents,” -Ken Kutaragi, Sony Computer Entertainment as translated by ArsTechnica staff

Sony has apparently been bouncing back and forth on what they plan on offering for free and that statement seems a little vague to me, specifically as it’s based on what Sony would consider “basic services”, but if free online play holds true, it could be the first weapon Sony has come up with in their battle against the Xbox 360 that hasn’t blown up in their faces.

The real question here is, does digital distribution make enough profit to cover the expenses of running a free online service would generate, and if it doesn’t, will Sony scrimp on the online experience to cut costs. Either way, it’s nice to see something positive announced about the Playstation 3, especially when it comes to something that’s not going to further increase the buy-in price.

Check out the ArsTechnica article here and keep your fingers crossed. Who knows, with Microsoft having bought online advertiser Massive, maybe they’ll respond by killing the fees on Xbox Live Gold membership and relying on advertising revenue and content downloads to make their money back. (Yeah, right)

DS-LITE: IS THERE A PROBLEM, OFFICER?

There are a lot of reports coming in from around the ‘net about fresh out of the box DS-Lites with dead pixels on screen. Whether this is a case of a widespread problem or just the fact that those who wind up with dead pixels are going to gripe while those with perfect units remain silent remains to be seen, but it certainly casts a slight pall over the DS-Lite launch. The good news is from most of the sites I read about people trying to return their DS-Lite’s for a replacement, no one seems to be giving consumers a hard time yet. However, I’m sure as the available supply of DS-Lite’s gets lower, that could change pretty fast.

My advice? If you wound up with a less than perfect DS-Lite, and feel the problem is bad enough that you want a replacement, do it as soon as possible, otherwise you may run into hassles. If you’ve got a story about your return experience at a particular retailer, be it good or bad, please feel free to share it in the comments section – I’m sure people would like to hear about it.

Nintendo hasn’t made any official comment on the situation as of yet, but if you read this article over at Kotaku, it appears that retailers aren’t exactly thrilled with the situation.

NINTENDO GETTING READY TO PUT THE GBA OUT TO PASTURE?

With the wild success of the Nintendo DS and the related drop in Gameboy Advance sales, the fact that the Gameboy Advance’s life cycle is beginning to come to an end isn’t really in doubt. It’s not a question of if the GBA is going to be put out to pasture, but more a question of when it will happen.

Along those lines, I received an e-mail from Nintendo today asking me to participate in a survey regarding both of their handheld consoles, and most of the GBA questions seemed to revolve around if I thought it was still a viable option and whether or nor I planned to make any purchases for it in the coming months. The feeling I took away from the survey was that Nintendo is trying to gauge exactly when the best time to kill off the GBA will be by referencing how much more money GBA owners plan to put into it balanced against their plans regarding their next handheld purchase.

Keep in mind this is just pure conjecture on my part, but I think we all know the GBA has to die sometime, and I’ve got the feeling Nintendo is beginning to try and set a timeframe for it that will minimize any damage done in the transition. That shouldn’t be a major revelation to anyone, as it would simply be good business practice, but I figure it was worth a comment or two.

PLAYSTATION 3 HARDWARE SLOW? – STORY UPDATED

Kotaku is now reporting that the techies over at Slashdot are currently debating the story and what exactly the specs mean. As I stated earlier, I’m not a master programmer, nor am I an engineer, so take anything I say here with a grain of salt, but the gist of the debate seems to be whether the specs are in fact horrible, if it’s just a bad benchmark or if the problem is moot because the Cell Processor doesn’t have to read information coming from the problem area anyway. Of course, the argument has also broken down into a fanboy argument in some areas, so expect plenty of mindless stupidity to interrupt what seems to be a very technical argument. I think I’m going to take the advice of Kotaku’s Florian Eckhardt and just wait for the games to determine whether or not the PS3 is slow.

PLAYSTATION 3 HARDWARE SLOW?

The Inquirer has an interesting article up currently where they reveal what appears to be a massive dent in the Playstation 3’s armor. According to the article, it would appear the Cell Processor has a massively slow read speed, which bogs down the performance of the console and makes code checking very difficult. Allow me to let the Inquirer explain it a lot better than I can right now… (It’s almost 5am here now! *Double Yawn*)

“For local memory, the measured vs theoretical bandwidth is missing, I wonder why? RSX is at a solid 22.4GBps for both read and write, good job there green team. Then comes the blue team with Cell. Local memory write is about 4GBps, 40% of the next slowest bandwidth there. Then comes the bomb from hell, the Cell local memory read bandwidth is a stunning 16MBps, note that is a capital M to connote Mega vs a capital G to connote Giga. This is a three order of magnitude oopsie, and it is an oopsie, as Sony put it “(no, this isn’t a typo…)”.

If you can write at 250x the read speed, it makes Cell local memory just about useless. That means you do all your work out of main memory, and the whole point of local is, well, pointless. This can lead to contention issues for the main memory bus, and all sorts of nightmarish to debug performance problems. Basically, if this Sony presentation to PS3 devs shown to us is correct, it looks like PS3 will be hobbled in a serious way.” -The Inquirer

Now I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of game programming is pretty much limited making simple Macromedia Flash based games and time spent as a kid changing around the text files in games to be a bit more… amusing, but if the above is true and not coated with some anti-Sony slant that’s hiding some way this does work out, that seems like a screw-up of monumental proportions. If anyone has some further insight into this, feel free to comment on this article at the appropriate link below.

Check out the full Inquirer article here to read about all the gory details.

UPDATE 1: 9:15am 6/06/06 –Kotaku is now reporting that the techies over at Slashdot are currently debating the story and what exactly the specs mean. As I stated earlier, I’m not a master programmer, nor am I an engineer, so take anything I say here with a grain of salt, but the gist of the debate seems to be whether the specs are in fact horrible, if it’s just a bad benchmark or if the problem is moot because the Cell Processor doesn’t have to read information coming from the problem area anyway. Of course, the argument has also broken down into a fanboy argument in some areas, so expect plenty of mindless stupidity to interrupt what seems to be a very technical argument. I think I’m going to take the advice of Kotaku’s Florian Eckhardt and just wait for the games to determine whether or not the PS3 is slow.

PS3 BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY VIA PS2 HARDWARE?

IGN is reporting that Japan’s Ultra One magazine states that despite initial reports, Sony will be achieving backwards compatibility on the Playstation 3 via hardware rather than emulation. According to IGN, the magazine’s article states that each of the initial PS3 units will include the same combo CPU/Graphic chip that is currently found in the slimline PS2. Once Sony perfects the systems previously announced software based PS2 emulator, they would cut production costs by removing the chipset and simply adding the emulator to newer models of the PS3.

While this would certainly add to the cost to manufacture the system, it would also virtually guarantee complete backwards compatibility from the word go. By the same token however, it would also ensure that there would be little to no visual upgrade when playing PS2 games on the PS3. If you ask me, that’s a small price to pay.

The article also details a few other features of the Playstation 3, namely that there may be other, higher priced versions of the console in the works (ed- Sheesh!) and that based on IGN’s interpretation of the article, users will be able to swap out the PS3 hard drive using standard PC hard drives you can pick up in most stores.

“The PS3 comes equipped with, in addition to a default hard disk, a “large amount of flash memory,” the magazine reveals. This is used to house the operating system and all future system updates. Based on the wording in the magazine, it seems that the hard disk is to be used exclusively for multimedia content and will not contain any system features; users will, after all, be able to swap the built in hard drive out with any standard drive they pick up at a computer hardware store.” -IGN

While I’m left to wonder how much the price of the PS3 would drop without the inclusion of the PS2 combo chip, I can’t say that I’m against it. With a user-base and library as strong as the Playstation 2 has, it would be foolish to scrimp on backwards compatibility early on. (are you listening, Microsoft? hint, hint)

Check out the full IGN article here for all the juicy details I may have missed at 4:30 in the morning. *yawn*

SONY PREPARING FOR THE WORST?

Kikizio Games is reporting on an interview trade magazine MCV had with Sony Europe’s David Reeves in which Reeves not only claims that Sony had been working on the tilt technology they premiered at E3 for “around two and a half years” but quite interestingly stated that Sony is not concerned with market share with the upcoming Playstation 3;

“The name of the game is not market share, it’s how fast we can grow the industry – our ambition is to grow 15 percent a year on hardware and software if we can, we want to try and double digital entertainment in the next five to six years. Whether we have 40, 50, or 60 per cent market share is not that important.” -David Reeves

This is a pretty surprising admission coming from the industry market share leader for the last two console generations. It makes you wonder if Sony is preparing for the possibility that they could lose the top slot this time around. The interesting part of the quote however is that with Sony’s current dominance in the industry, you would assume that the only way they could grow 15 percent a year would be by retaining that lead or expanding it.

One is left to wonder if Sony expects the video game market to increase in terms of installed base, software sales and advertising sales to such an extent that it would be possible for them to expand their earnings while losing the battle for the top slot or if they’re simply blowing smoke to try and cover the possibility of losing to either Microsoft or Nintendo.

No matter how you look at the statement, it would at the very least seem that Sony is preparing for the possibility of losing some dominance this time around, and with the current missteps with the Playstation 3 and how it’s being perceived, that’s not overly surprising. As for the question of how long Sony had been working on that tilt technology, no matter what they may say about wanting to hide it for fear it would have been stopped by some patent maneuvering by the competition, you would think two and a half years of work would have looked a bit better in action. Click here to check out the Kikizo Games article.

MICROSOFT TO RELEASE PORTABLE GAME CONSOLE?

An article over at Gamasutra takes a look at a report entitled “On the Future of Portable Game Consoles: Analysis & Forecasts” from the consulting firm, The Diffusion Group, which states that they predict that Microsoft will be entering the handheld game business sometime in 2007 or 2008 once they fully stabilize the console end of their business.

By piecing together that report with recent comments made by Bill Gates as well as the noticeable absence of J. Allard from the public scene since the Xbox 360 launch, it’s easy to further support the concept that Microsoft is at the very least looking into the possibility of entering the portable market. One thing I like about the supposed approach Microsoft would be taking this way is waiting until they can focus on the handheld entirely, rather than trying to fight two battles at once.

Check out the Gamasutra article here, and a Gamasutra article regarding Bill Gates earlier comments on the portable market here

EIDOS REMAKING THE FIRST TOMB RAIDER?

Kotaku is reporting that they’ve been tipped by an insider at Eidos Interactive that the company is working on a re-make of the original Tomb Raider for the PSP and perhaps the PS2. According to a quote attributed to the source over at Kotaku;

“Eidos/SCi are planning on celebrating Lara’s 10th birthday by releasing a remake of her original adventure. We are talking improved graphics, new moves, the lot. If there is time, the “new” game will feature a remake of both Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II: The Dagger of Xian, but right now the developers are focusing on Lara Crofts first adventure.” – un-named source as per the Kotaku article

I was just thinking the other day that they really ought to update the original game as it’s certainly been long enough that it would in essence feel “new”. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the rumor is true and that they do make a PS2 port, as the odds of me having a PSP anytime soon are pretty remote. Click here to head over to the Kotaku article.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

WIIMOTE TO SUPPORT MICROPHONE & VOIP?

Gamespot is reporting that Nintendo may have a few more tricks up it’s sleeve when it comes to the Wiimote. According to an article posted today, Nintendo has taken out the domain name “wiikaraoke.com” sparking rumors that in addition to there being a speaker built into the Wii‘s remote control, there will also be some type of microphone. From there, it’s only a short jump to the possibility that the Wii could offer Voice over IP features as well. To quote the Gamespot article;

“Besides karaoke games, the obvious application for a Wii-mote-mic would be a voice commands a la Nintendogs or Odama. However, some sites have gone one step further. A string of reports tracing back to a MegaGames.com article speculates that, with the Wii’s built-in wireless internet functionality, the Wii-mote could support voice-over IP. That would give it functionality like an Xbox Live headset and could allow it to be used like a phone. As Yanko notes, that would be a very big draw to non-gamers indeed.” – Gamespot

Click here to head on over to Gamespot and get the full story. The Wii saga certainly is getting more and more interesting.

SONY DENIES “NO USED GAMES” RUMOR

Eurogamer has published a response by Jennie Kong, a Sony UK spokesperson stating that the rumor about Sony looking to restrict the sale of used games is false. To quote the Eurogamer article;

“However, a Sony Computer Entertainment UK spokesperson today outright denied that any such message had been conveyed to retailers – telling GI.biz that following conversations with the firm’s European parent company, neither division has “any knowledge” of such a strategy. “We have definitely not been communicating that,” UK spokesperson Jennie Kong confirmed. “It’s false speculation. We don’t have any further knowledge about this topic – either officially or unofficially, to be frank.”” – Eurogamer Article.

So there you have it folks, Sony goes on the record with more than the regular “We don’t comment on rumors” statement and flatly denies the story. From the way the statement from Ms. Kong is worded, it almost sounds like Sony is beginning to get a little tired of the constant negative rumors surrounding the console. Click here to head over to the Eurogamer article.

GAMES RADAR AT IT AGAIN – NO USED GAMES ON PLAYSTATION 3?

U.K. rumor-monger Games Radar, the same people who brought you the false “No wireless controller support for the 20gig PS3” story, have now resurrected the “No Used Games” on Playstation 3 rumor. The original rumor was based upon a technology patent Sony had taken out that would restrict software to the original machine it was purchased on. This time, the rumor as per Games Radar is the following;

“High street games shops have been told by Sony that there will be no PS3 pre-owned sections in their stores as it will be illegal for customers to sell any next-gen PlayStation games that they’ve bought, retail sources have revealed to GamesRadar.

It seems that Sony is planning to adopt a licensing system that will mean gamers won’t own the PS3 titles that they’ve paid money for. Instead, they will only be purchasing the licence to play the game and that the software itself will still be Sony property – meaning that the disc won’t be the customer’s to sell.“ -Games Radar

Beyond the many legal issues a scheme like that would invariably bring up, based on the wild nature of the rumor, the fact that it’s source is completely anonymous and the past history of Games Radar in terms of stories like this, and you’ll probably come to the same conclusion that I have – until I see something official from a solid source, I consider it false. This is just my opinion, but something here smells not only rotten, but reeks of a publicity stunt – and based on the server overload at Games Radar right now, I’d say it’s working.

Click here if you must for the Games Radar article, and then wash your hands. If you’re really concerned, click here for the older rumor as summed up by Gamespot. Stay tuned as we specifically don’t follow this story. Thanks to JG for the heads up on this one.

SONY COMPLETELY CLEARS UP LOWER END PS3 WIRELESS RUMOR

Eurogamer is stating that they got a reply from Sony on the whole Games Radar “the $499 Playstation 3 will not support wireless controllers” rumor, and as we all guessed, it’s false. From the Eurogamer article;

“Both configurations will support Bluetooth PS3 controllers. The only non-upgradeable feature of the 20GB configuration will be the HDMI output.”– Sony representative by way of Eurogamer

Nice to see the matter finally get completely cleared up – you’ll be able to play your PS3 wirelessly no matter which model you pick up. Too bad the lack of HDMI wasn’t just a rumor as well. Click here to head over to the article at Eurogamer.

MORE PROOF BOTH PS3 MODELS WILL SUPPORT WIRELESS CONTROLS

Further nailing the coffin closed on the “no wireless support” rumor surrounding the lower end Playstation 3, we came across this Sony press release dated May 8th, 2006. The press release notes that the PS3 will have one standardized controller, and that the controller will be wireless. Here are some excerpts from the release;

“Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced the new controller for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3), which will become available as standard with the system.” – Sony Press Release

and more importantly,

“All input information will be immediately transferred to the PS3 system through the Bluetooth® wireless technology.  By using a USB cable, the PS3 controller can be swapped seamlessly from wireless to wired, and can be charged automatically.  The cable can be attached and detached at anytime.

By integrating all these features into one standard PlayStation controller, SCEI, together with content creators, expects to further expand and accelerate the world of next generation computer entertainment.” – Sony Press Release

Based on those statements, there is one standard Playstation 3 controller, and it is in fact a Bluetooth wireless device. At this point, we’ll stop following this story religiously unless some bit of news comes up that settles the matter beyond a shadow of a doubt. For now, it looks to us like both machines will support wireless controls. Check out the press release we’re referring to here.