Microsoft has announced that it will release a high-end Xbox 360 Kinect bundle in the UK on November 10.

An Xbox 360 250GB with Kinect and Kinect Adventures will be “available for a limited period” for £299.99, alongside the previously announced Xbox 360 4GB console with Kinect and Kinect Adventures for £249.99, the company said.

The Xbox 360 250GB Kinect bundle will also be available in the US for $399 from November 4. Additionally, the platform holder detailed a November 20 launch for Kinect in Japan, where the device will be available alongside a previously unannounced Kinect Dr Kawashima Brain Training title from Namco Bandai.

Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/news/%C2%A3300-kinect-bundle-revealed

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII is to receive a long overdue release on Xbox 360 in Japan.

The RPG will launch for Microsoft’s console on December 16 for 4,980 yen, (£39 / $60), a year after its December 17, 2009 PS3 release, according to Famitsu (via Gamasutra).

Dubbed Final Fantasy XIII Ultimate Hits Edition, it will be an international edition boasting content from the Western versions of the game not present in the PS3 original. It will also feature an easy mode, English voice-acting, a post-completion quest called ‘Episode I’ and sections of content cut from the original release, which had sold 5.5 million copies as of May 2010.

“We feel that there are…a lot of people in Japan who own nothing but 360s,” producer Yoshinori Kitase said about the decision to bring the game to Xbox. “Thanks to the new [Slim] system and such, the situation’s a lot different than it was in July 2008.”

FFXIII director Motomu Toriyama also confirmed that initial plans to release downloadable content for the game had been scrapped.

The news came alongside Microsoft’s announcement that Kinect will launch on Japan on November 20.

Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/news/japan-finally-getting-final-fantasy-xiii-on-xbox-360

Apple has revealed that the iOS 4.1 update will be launched tomorrow.

For a brief time over the weekend, the company's U.K. site stated that the update, which CEO Steve Jobs said would be released this week, would be available Wednesday, Sept. 8.

The site was quickly revised to show a notice saying only that the download was "Coming soon," the same message that has been posted on Apple's U.S. site since Jobs introduced the operating system upgrade and touted its new features last week.

Along with new functionality included with iOS 4.1 -- ranging from "high dynamic range" (HDR) photography that produces more detail in over- and under-exposed areas, to the launch of Apple's Game Center multi-player online network -- Jobs also promised that the update would fix some of the bugs in iOS 4.0 that users have been complaining about since that version's June 21 debut.

Owners of older iPhones, especially 2008's iPhone 3G, are hoping that iOS 4.1 solves the slow-down problems many have experienced since they upgraded this summer.

Jobs listed "iPhone 3G performance bugs" last week when he ticked off the fixes to expect in iOS 4.1.

According to Lifehacker.com, which got its hands on an unauthorized version of iOS 4.1, the update outperformed iOS 4.0 in informal tests, although the speed improvements were sometimes minor.

Unlike rival OS developers, such as Microsoft, Apple doesn't issue updates on a specific day of the week. Apple released iOS 4.0 on a Monday, iOS 3.1 on a Wednesday, iOS 3.0 on a Wednesday, and iOS 2.2 on a Friday.

Leaked developer builds of iOS 4.1 weigh in between 308MB and 590MB, but it's unknown how large the production versions of the upgrade will be tomorrow.

Apple releases its mobile operating system updates via iTunes. Users will have to download iOS 4.1 to their Windows PC or Mac using iTunes, then sync their iPod Touches or iPhones to the machine.

Source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9183843/Apple_leaks_Wednesday_release_for_iOS_4.1

Well, that didn't take long. Sony has just pushed out a firmware update for the PlayStation 3, with users reporting that it "breaks" devices like the PSJailbreak.

Able to circumvent the PlayStation 3's copy protection and allow users to run games installed to a hard drive, a flood of these jailbreak contraptions have hit markets around the world in the last two weeks, along with a free, downloadable version for more tech-savvy users.

Gaming site eXophase claims that, since Sony released firmware update 3.42 earlier today, it has been able to verify that "all variants of the USB-hub emulating exploit (PSFreedom, PSGroove, PSJailbreak) are no longer functional".

It's far from the end of this war - many of the device's suppliers claim that they in turn can update their devices to get around Sony's future firmware - but for this week at least, it seems to be the end of this battle.

Source: http://kotaku.com/5631427/

Emily Rose, voice actor for Uncharted and Uncharted 2's Elena Fisher was in Los Angeles today She Tweets that she is "filming my first Night show today 4 #HAVEN then work on #UNCHARTED!"

Voice acting for Uncharted 3 maybe?

Bungie plans to do a reset of Halo: Reach's point system come launch.

Between illegal downloads, and the inevitable leaks from retail chains, Bungie reckons that a fair few people now have the game earlier than they would like.

To counter this, any points earned online before the official release date, as well as items unlocked, will be wiped come next Tuesday.

"Don't get too attached to any fancy new gear you might have already acquired. Consider any expenditures or investments you've made in the Armory the cost of doing business early. It's nothing personal; we just want to make sure the playing field is kept nice and level upon launch. It's only fair," said Bungie's Eric Osbourne

Halo: Reach will be getting a worldwide simultaneous launch on Tuesday 14th September.

Reach level 69 with a free update to be released around the same time as the Borderlands GotY Edition.

When details of the latest Borderlands DLC, Claptrap's New Robot Revolution, were announced, there was no mention of a level cap increase. Fortunately, one is coming -- and even better, it will be coming free of charge to all owners of Borderlands on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

When he wasn't busy discussing the return of Duke Nukem, Gearbox co-founder and CEO Randy Pitchford spent some time at PAX revealing that, around the release of the Borderlands Game of the Year edition (scheduled for October 12), Gearbox will update the game to increase the level cap by eight, bringing it to 69. They decided on an increase of 8 because they didn't want it to be too low, or as high as the 11-level increase that the General Knoxx brought.

Joystiq reports that Pitchford explained that Gearbox opted to make the increase a free update instead of including it in the Claptrap DLC because then "you'd have to buy every previous DLC." Also included in the free update will be a rebalancing of the original game to cater to the new level cap. Given that these are the sort of things you might expect to see in a premium DLC release, it's nice to see Gearbox instead release them to fans for free.

Source: http://www.1up.com/news/borderlands-free-level-cap-increase

The Army and Air Force Exchange Services have requested that upcoming shooter Medal Of Honor be pulled from sale at retail stores operating on United States military installations worldwide.

The move was made after it came to light that Medal Of Honor’s multiplayer mode will allow players to assume the role of Taliban soldiers fighting against US ones.

The retail outlets affected include 49 GameStop stores located on military bases in the US.

"GameStop has agreed out of respect for our past and present men and women in uniform we will not carry  Medal Of Honor in any of our AAFES based stores," read a company email obtained by Kotaku. "As such, GameStop agreed to have all marketing material pulled by noon today and to stop taking reservations. Customers who enter our AAFES stores and wish to reserve Medal of Honor can and should be directed to the nearest GameStop location off base.

"GameStop fully supports AAFES in this endeavor and is sensitive to the fact that in multiplayer mode one side will assume the role of Taliban fighter," the retailer added.

Medal Of Honor publisher Electronic Arts declined to comment.

Last month, UK defence secretary Liam Fox urged retailers to ban sales of the Afghanistan-based game, saying he was "disgusted and angry" to learn that it lets players to take on the role of Taliban soldiers.

EA said at the time: "We give gamers the opportunity to play both sides. Most of us have been doing this since we were seven: someone plays cop, someone must be robber. In Medal Of Honor multiplayer, someone's got to be the Taliban. Nobody who plays videogames is going to be shocked or surprised by this."

Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/news/us-military-bans-medal-of-honor

Mafia II retained the top spot on the UK all formats chart during the week ended September 4, according to data from GfK Chart-Track.

Kane & Lynch: Dog Days remained in second place, ahead of Wii Sports Resort, Toy Story 3 and Red Dead Redemption.

Three new entries made the top 40, Ubisoft’s HAWX 2 debuting at ten, and Nintendo’s Metroid: Other M and Tetris Party Deluxe at 12 and 23 respectively. It's a disappointing start for Other: M, which received a strong TV and print advertising campaign ahead of its UK launch, and the game's early performance will likely raise questions again about the sales potential of core-focused titles on Nintendo’s home console.

01. Mafia II (Take-Two)
02. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (Square Enix)
03. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
04. Toy Story 3 (Disney)
05. Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar)
06. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
07. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo)
08. Sniper: Ghost Warrior (City Interactive)
09. Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Ubisoft)
10. Tom Clancy’s HAWX 2 (Ubisoft)

Source
UK chart history

This is amazing. I never thought this would happen. I thought Duke Nukem Forever would fade into the darkness after all this waiting. Who would have thought that Duke would make his triumphant return?!

But the truth remains that he is. And he's coming back strong.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Gearbox picked up the game in late 2009 to finish the game that 3D Realms left behind.

And this isn't a rumor. Duke Nukem Forever is playable at PAX right now and Gearbox is proud of what they've put out.

The graphics look really solid and the gameplay looks fun as well. There isn't much that separates it from other games for me yet, but I hear that the usual Duke interactions (checking out strippers, Duke relieving himself and even pumping iron) are all still there.

Gearbox has put out some really high-quality stuff (Borderlands, Brothers In Arms) and I can't wait to see how they've done with the King. The entire football stadium scene not only looked beautiful, but just outright fun to play.

Hail to the king, baby.

Look for some more impressions in later posts, for now, check out the game in action!

Gameplay Videos:

Source: http://www.destructoid.com/yup-gearbox-brings-duke-nukem-forever-to-pax-183058.phtml

Scans of UK gaming magazine Shortlist have been posted on the internet today, revealing some revolutionary changes to the Call of Duty multiplayer formula. The most notable addition is currency: earned by playing multiplayer matches, you can use it to buy weapons, uniforms and accessories for your player. There are also several brand new gametypes which are unlike anything seen in Call of Duty before.

Customization

Customization will also play a huge part in the new Call of Duty. David Vonderhaar, lead multiplayer designer at Treyarch, told the magazine: “You can create a tag and etch it onto your weapons, so they’re stamped as yours. The option is also there to alter your sights and clip on attachtments such as flame-throwers.”

These attachments, sights and tags can be bought with in-game cash and will help to make your character ‘unique’. However, it seems likely that some elements of the traditional rank system from previous Call of Duty games will remain, given that players in the Multiplayer Teaser Trailer had ranks next to their names. It’s likely that we’ll find out more on this later tonight, at the Multiplayer Reveal Event.

‘Wager Match’

Another new addition is a Team Tactical gametype called ‘Wager Match’. When you choose to play Wager Match, you’ll be randomly placed in one of four modes: ‘One in the Chamber’, which sees players given one bullet to kill other players: miss, and they’re forced to use the knife, ‘Sharpshooter’, which sees players given a random weapon, ‘Sticks and Stones’, which involves the crossbow, ballistic knife and Tomahawk, and ‘Gun Game’ (formerly a mod for Call of Duty 4), which sees players vying to get kills with 20 different weapons: knife someone, and they move down a level.

“You gamble with your own currency, and the fear of loss is so incredibly great that it intensifies the action.” – David Vonderhaar

Team Deathmatch, the popular and ever-present gametype which pits teams of 6 against each other, will return in Black Ops. However, points for headshots and other bonuses will apparently add to the team score, encouraging players to be as accurate as possible.

Three maps were confirmed in the magazine extract: Launch and Summit have already been seen in the Multiplayer Teaser Trailer, but Radiation, set in a power station, is brand new. It was also confirmed that the rocket seen on the map Launch will indeed lift off during gameplay and 'fry anyone underneath it'.

Source: http://www.codblackopsnews.com/2010/09/01/black-ops-multiplayer-info-leaked-ahead-of-reveal/

Games & Demos for PlayStation 3

Castle Crashers ($14.99)
Sam And Max Episode 5: The City That Dares Not Sleep (free with purchase of full season)
PSone Classics: Theme Hospital ($5.99)
Castle Crashers demo
Vanquish demo
R.U.S.E. demo

Games & Demos for PSP

Valkyria Chronicles 2 ($39.99)
PSP minis: Coconut Dodge ($3.99)

Add-ons & Expansions

Bioshock 2 – Minerva's Den ($9.99)
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days – Alliance Weapon Pack ($2.99)
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days – Multiplayer Mask Pack ($1.99)
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days – The Doggie Bag ($5.99)
ModNation Racers: Lil' Tinker Mod ($0.99)
ModNation Racers: Lil' Tinker Kart ($0.99)
ModNation Racers: Lil' Tinker Mod and Kart ($1.75)
MAG – Characters Slot B ($0.99/month)
MAG – Characters Slot C ($0.99/month)
Split/Second Elite Vehicle Livery Pack (free)
Split/Second Elite High Octane Supercar Vehicle Pack ($1.99)
Split/Second Elite Ryback Cyclone Special (free)
Yakuza 3: Challenge Pack ($3.99)

Guitar Hero tracks

• "Boom" by P.O.D. ($1.99)
• "Southtown" by P.O.D. ($1.99)
• "Youth of the Nation" by P.O.D. ($1.99)
• P.O.D. Track Pack ($5.49) – "Boom", "Southtown", and "Youth of the Nation" by P.O.D

Rock Band tracks

• "Days Go By" by Keith Urban ($1.99)

• "Fancy" by Reba McEntire ($1.99)
• "Hell On The Heart" by Eric Church ($1.99)
• "It Happens" by Sugarland ($1.99)
• "Lookin' For A Good Time" by Lady Antebellum ($1.99)
• "Rebound" by Laura Bell Bundy ($1.99)
• "What Was I Thinkin'" by Dierks Bentley ($1.99)
• "Women" by Jamey Johnson ($1.99)
• "Would You Go With Me" by Josh Turner ($1.99)

• Country Pack 04 ($14.99) – "Days Go By" by Keith Urban, "Fancy" by Reba McEntire, "Hell On The Heart" by Eric Church, "It Happens" by Sugarland, "Lookin' For A Good Time" by Lady Antebellum, "Rebound" by Laura Bell Bundy, "What Was I Thinkin'" by Dierks Bentley, "Women" by Jamey Johnson, and "Would You Go With Me" by Josh Turner.

• "Bang Camaro" – Bang Camaro ($1.99)
  "Do Not Disturb (Tell Me How Bad)" – Let's Get It ($0.99)
  "Hard To See" – Five Finger Death Punch ($1.99)
  "Seven" – Sunny Day Real Estate ($1.99)
  "Where Were You" – Every Avenue ($1.99)

Game Videos

Bioshock 2 – Protector Trials Trailer
Mafia II – Developer Diary #3
Mafia II – Launch Trailer
Brink Developer Diary #4
Neverdead E3 2010 Trailer
Neverdead Gamescom 2010 Trailer
Thor: The Video Game Announcement Trailer
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days – Gaming's Most Notorious Criminals Trailer
Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light – Weapons, Artifacts, and Relics Trailer
Sam And Max – The Devil's Playhouse – Full Series Trailer
LORD Of ARCANA – Gamescom Trailer

Themes, Wallpapers & Avatars

PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap Theme (free)
Young Thor Theme (free)
NCAA Dynamic Theme – Texas ($2.99)
NCAA Dynamic Theme – Alabama ($2.99)
NCAA Dynamic Theme – Miami ($2.99)
NCAA Dynamic Theme – North Carolina ($2.99)
NCAA Dynamic Theme – Georgia ($2.99)
NCAA Dynamic Theme – Kentucky ($2.99)
NCAA Dynamic Theme – Florida ($2.99)
NCAA Dynamic Theme – Oregon ($2.99)
Romantic Petals theme ($0.99)
Dr. Butcher theme ($1.99)
PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap Wallpaper #1
Shank Wallpaper 1
Shank Wallpaper 2
Shank Wallpaper 3
Mega Man 10 Avatars ($0.49) (x3)
Super Street Fighter IV Avatars ($0.49) (x3)
Top Gun Avatar ($0.49)
Savage Moon Avatars ($0.49) (x4)
Savage Moon Avatar Bundle ($1.25)

Sales, Price Drops & Bundles

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix – Sale (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
Digger HD – Sale (now $5.99, original price $9.99)
Mushroom Wars – Sale (now $5.99, original price $9.99)
Worms – Sale (now $6.49, original price $12.99)
Sam And Max – The Devil's Playhouse – Full Season – Sale (now $19.99, original price $29.99)
Cuboid – Sale (now $5.99, original price $9.99)
Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos – Sale (now $5.99, original price $9.99)
Magic Orbz – Sale (now $5.99, original price $9.99)
Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom – Sale (now $5.99, original price $9.99)
Smash Cars – Sale (now $8.99, original price $14.99)
Wakeboarding HD – Sale (now $8.99, original price $14.99)
Hamsterball – Sale (now $5.99, original price $9.99)
DYNOGEMS – minis – Sale (now $1.99, original price $2.99)
Tehra: Dark Warrior – minis – Sale (now $2.99, original price $4.99)

EA have released the launch trailer for the Ultimate Edition of their highly successful Battlefield Bad Company 2. The package contains a plethora of extra-content including -- Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the co-op expansion Onslaught Mode, extra unlocks and Battlefield 1943.

Word is: "Jimmy’s Vendetta takes players into an alternate perspective of the mob through the eyes of Jimmy, the guy the other guys call when they need to finish the job. Players will get their hands dirty helping Jimmy clean up other people’s messes as they deal with the Italian and Irish mobsters that reside in Empire Bay. As players progress, a slew of new quests are unlocked, including assassination and timed vehicle pursuits ending in dramatic shoot-outs and explosive car chases. Execute with deadly head shots or charged explosives, and rack up points for precision-timed vehicular power slides, lofty jumps, and supercharged velocity. Multipliers and combos add bonus points to overall scores that will be immediately posted to thenew online leaderboard system, providing extensive re-playability as players work to rise to the top of the ranks."

Jimmy’s Vendetta is set to land on September 7, offering over 30 new quests and leaderboard ranking. The add-on will be available via PlayStation Store (PS3), Xbox Live Marketplace (360) and for Windows PC for $9.99/800 Microsoft Points.

The UK video game sales chart for the week ending August 28th:

1. Mafia II (Take-Two)
2. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days (Square Enix)
3. Toy Story 3 (Disney)
4. Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar)
5. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
6. Just Dance (Ubisoft) Art Academy (Headstrong Games)
7. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo) Dragon Quest IX (Square Enix)
8. Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner)
9. Sniper: Ghost Warrior (City Interactive)
10. Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Ubisoft)

Joystiq.com reported that the Xbox 360 controller may be seeing a much needed upgrade. The one part of the 360 controller that nearly everyone can agree is a bit... flimsy is the d-pad. When compared to the Dualshock (whose d-pad is one of the only truly great parts of the controller), the d-pad of the 360 controller was more than lacking. Fighting gamers rely on a good d-pad and have often stated that the 360 pad is not fit for their playstyle. This possible redesign could finally please those masses. The source states that we may see this redesign near the holidays. This special d-pad can be raised up after being rotated. It would give a better sense of control and raise the overall sturdiness of the weakest link of a pretty awesome controller.

Hey, who knows? If this redesign is good enough, maybe we can forget about the raised Xbox Live price...? Maybe?

No?

Okay...

If you live in Los Angeles and love God of War, you're in luck. Sony is getting the directors of all of the God of War games so far -- that's David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, Stig Asmussen, Ru Weerasuiya and Dana Jan, for those of you keeping score -- together this Wednesday in the City of Angels to film a documentary extra for the upcoming Ghost of Sparta preorder bundle, and it's inviting the public to watch.

Starting at 4:00 p.m. PDT on September 1, fans can arrive at the El Portal theater in North Hollywood, and the first 150 on the scene (which means you better show up early) will get seats to see the show. You can RSVP on the Facebook page (though it doesn't appear that you have to -- it's just first come, first served) and you must be 18+ or accompanied by a parent to enter. Sony's also promising "gifts and prizes for all in attendance," so if you make it in, you'll probably get to take something home, too. We mean besides the insight and wit of David Jaffe and company.

Source: PlayStation blog

In an interesting turn of events, Microsoft has announced that starting November 1st, 2010, Xbox Live subscriptions will cost a bit more in the US, Mexico, Canada and the UK. Xbox Live Gold subscribers will see their 12 month subscription shoot from $49.99 to $59.99, the three-month from $19.99 to $24.99 and the one month from $7.99 to $9.99.

It's a bit odd that they would make a decision like this without making an official statement to justify the reasoning behind it. The old prices are still active, so if you want to stock up on subscriptions, now is the time to do it.

The only reason they do this is because they know the people will pay the extra money. They do provide some good services but I still don't see myself ever paying $59.99 for a year of service when there is both the PS3 and PC with free online services waiting for me to play.

But this is a huge portion of Microsoft's money and it only makes sense that it would at one point increase in price. What a difference a day makes.

According to third party web reports, the PSJailbreak team has revealed that they will be releasing Backup Manager v1.1 shortly. This new revision will include new features and tweaks. Elsewhere they took a moment to clarify that the launch delay was due to a need to finish the packaging and finalize the latest software. Finally, they have reportedly made a large donation to those retailers involved in the fight against Sony regarding the sale of PSJailbreak.

Source: http://www.maxconsole.net/content.php?41980-PSJailbreak-promise-new-software-donate-money-to-fight-against-Sony

We have some important news for Xbox 360 owners looking to pick up the next installment in the super popular Call of Duty franchise, as it has been rumored that sign-ups for the multiplayer beta for Black Ops will begin this week.

That is according to this report from COD7BlackOps.com, who have captured a screenshot of Google News which shows that a beta is on the way – despite the fact that it hasn’t been announced by Treyarch – remind you of something?

They report that the beta will be exclusive to the Xbox 360, and that sign-ups will begin on Wednesday 1st September. There is some truth to this, since we already know that Treyarch will be unveiling multiplayer mode on Wednesday – we just hadn’t heard anything related to a beta before.

It is safe to say that Black Ops will be the most played game over the holiday period, so a beta would be pretty logical for Treyarch. It is just a shame that it will be exclusive to one console again.

For your very early morning™ reading pleasure, SystemLink is reporting that EA has registered TheSims4.com, suggesting it may be currently working on yet another title in the series.

Speaking to PC Gamer, Newell revealed that they've actually gotten tons of studio offers in the past. "There was a whole bunch of meetings with people from Hollywood [after Half-Life 1 shipped]," Newell explained. "Directors down there wanted to make a Half-Life movie and stuff, so they'd bring in a writer or some talent agency would bring in writers, and they would pitch us on their story. And their stories were just so bad. I mean, brutally, the worst. Not understanding what made the game a good game, or what made the property an interesting thing for people to be a fan of."

And that, Newell said, is when they decided only one company could get it right: Valve. "That's when we started saying: 'Wow, the best thing we could ever do is to just not do this as a movie, or we'd have to make it ourselves,'" he said. "And I was like, 'Make it ourselves? Well that's impossible.' But the Team Fortress 2 thing, the Meet the Team shorts, is us trying to explore that."

Those "Meet the Team" videos were certainly a big hit with gamers, so the thought that they could potentially be a small-scale test for a potentially bigger feature-length movie is definitely exciting.

http://www.1up.com/news/no-half-life-movie-valve

Kazunori Yamauchi, who is also Polyphony Digital's CEO, said via Twitter (translated by Andriasang) that the 10GB install is what you'll want for a "smooth" experience.

What that means exactly is anyone's guess (nor how "less smooth" a 256MB installation would be.) But if you have less than 10GB of space on your PS3, you probably need a bigger drive, or need to clear some crap off your old one. It's nice of Polyphonyto accommodate the pack rats though.

Gran Turismo 5 Has Optional Hard Drive Install [Andriasang]

PS3 was the bestselling individual system in Japan during the week ended August 22 as Bandai Namco’s Another Century’s Episode R made a chart-topping debut.

It was a relatively slow seven days for hardware, with sales of all systems down week-over-week. While PS3 was the bestselling system ahead of PSP, Nintendo’s DS line of handhelds claimed an overall sales victory, moving a combined total of over 45,000 units.

Hardware sales week ended August 22 (previous week):
PS3 – 29,433 (33,057)
PSP – 27,554 (35,734)
DSi LL -  21,179 (27,923)
DSi – 20,030 (24,850)
Wii – 18,145 (25,072)
DS Lite – 4,012 (4,809)
Xbox 360 – 3,842 (5,065)
PS2 – 1,366 (1,675)
PSPgo – 631 (608)

On the software front, Another Century’s Episode R for PS3 sold 220,000 in its debut week to top the chart. Wii Play placed second with 69,000 sales, while Heart’s Super Dimensional Game Neptune for PS3 entered in third with 23,000 sales.

01. Another Century’s Episode R (PS3, Bandai Namco) – 220,000
02. Wii Party (Wii, Nintendo) – 69,000
03. Super Dimensional Game Neptune (PS3, Compile Heart) – 23,000
04. Inazuma Eleven 3 (DS, Level 5) – 18,000
05. Sengoku Basara 3 (PS3, Capcom) – 18,000
06. Tales Of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X (PSP, Bandai Namco) – 16,000
07. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii, Nintendo) – 14,000
08. Art Academy (DS, Nintendo) – 13,000
09. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva 2 (PSP, Sega) – 13,000
10. Friend Collection (DS, Nintendo) – 10,000

Sources: Media Create / el33tonline
Japanese sales history

New research by Deloitte indicates that just two per cent of UK consumers plan to buy a 3D television in the next year.

A survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of Deloitte found that only 89 of 4,199 respondents polled were likely to spend money on a 3D-enabled TV in the next 12 months, the Telegraph reports.

“It is remarkable how conservative people’s predictions for their own technology spending habits over the coming year were," said Deloitte’s media director Paul Lee. “They didn’t have to commit to buying anything during the research and yet still predicted very little spend on TV products moving forward. Belts have tightened after the economic downturn and with little understanding of what lies ahead, consumers are still being cautious.”

Despite the apparent lack of interest in the technology, UK retailers have reported encouraging 3D TV sales. John Lewis has said that 15 per cent of all TVs over 40 inches sold in its stores are 3D enabled, while Comet commercial director Bob Darke said that "3D TVs have been selling very well”, moving “thousands” of units since launch.

French publisher Ubisoft said recently that it expects a 3D-enabled TV to be in every living room in just three years time, while Sony thinks 3D playback devices will be in 40 per cent of UK homes by 2014.

Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/news/uk-3d-tv-consumer-interest-low

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia has been granted an injunction until August 31 to block the importation and sale of the new PS3 mod PS Jailbreak.

The ruling by the nation’s Federal Court requires sellers of the device to give their existing stock to Sony’s solicitors until the deadline passes, Kotaku reports.

Between now and September 1 the platform holder will attempt to convince the court that the injunction should become a permanent one, making sales of the device illegal. If unsuccessful, PS Jailbreak will be available again from that date.

PSJailbreak is a USB dongle that contains software allowing users to copy PS3 games to the system’s hard drive and play the backed-up titles without the need for a disc.

Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/news/australian-court-blocks-ps-jailbreak-sales

At the moment, the console wars show no sign of subsiding. It would be extremely difficult to pit the consoles against each other when it comes to games, where opinion can frequently be divided on the quality of many of the repertoire of exclusive games for each respective console. However, technical specifications are both impartial and irrefutable. They have been broken into ten technical categories for comparison, as followed, and are based on the most recent versions of the consoles. 

Well if you're a US resident (sorry UK folk!), and 18 or older, all you have to do is visit www.theeventsweeps.com/, scroll down past the banner with the beautiful man on it, and input a few details about yourself. Namely, your name (natch) home address, a phone number, and an email address. All of that will net you a chance to win a pair of tickets to BlizzCon 2010, and bragging rights to your moppet crew you call friends.

Get going, though, the deadline is August 31, 2010! Only five lucky people will win a pair of tickets (10 in all), so the odds are pretty stiff!

Img Source: http://www.infoaddict.com/tag/diablo

Activision’s Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become the bestselling game in UK history, according to sales monitor GfK Chart-Track.

The Infinity Ward developed FPS overtook unit sales of previous record holder Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training in just 41 weeks, of which only three were spent outside of the UK's top ten sellers list.

While no specific sales figures were released for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC shooter, Chart-Track said that it took DS exclusive Dr Kawashima around 36 months to overtake the previous record holder, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which was released for PS2, Xbox and PC.

Press Release

With Xbox LIVE and a Blockbuster Title Lineup, Windows Phone 7 Marks a New Era in Mobile Gaming

First wave of Xbox LIVE titles from award-winning publishers announced for the launch of Windows Phone 7.

COLOGNE, Germany - Aug. 17, 2010 - Today at gamescom 2010, the world's largest consumer-oriented games showcase, Microsoft Corp. premiered the first wave of Xbox LIVE games launching on Windows Phone 7 this holiday. With even more games and applications to come, Windows Phone 7 is putting the power of Xbox LIVE into the palm of your hand - from Xbox LIVE Avatars to staying connected with friends, Xbox LIVE is now at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere.*

"We believe that no matter where life takes you, the best in gaming and entertainment should follow," said Marc Whitten, corporate vice president of Xbox LIVE at Microsoft. "Windows Phone 7 takes a different approach to handheld gaming, utilizing Xbox LIVE, Microsoft Game Studios, leading game publishers, and innovative indie developers, to create powerful, shared experiences for everyone."
The Games You Want, Played When and Wherever You Want Them

In a sea of games, apps, gadgets and gizmos, the biggest obstacle can be finding the game that's right for you. Only Windows Phone 7 has a Games hub featuring Xbox LIVE, creating a different kind of mobile gaming experience that puts the games you want front and center. Xbox LIVE games on Windows Phone 7 will be specially selected from the top names in mobile, PC and console game development, making the best mobile games even better, thanks to Xbox LIVE. With try-before-you-buy demos, Xbox LIVE leaderboards, turn-based multiplayer, Achievements and more, Windows Phone 7 brings the quality, consistency and community of the Xbox experience to gamers on the go.

Windows Phone 7 also will be supported by content from Microsoft Game Studios (MGS), providing strong first-party gaming titles and intellectual property for the phone. For Xbox fans, this means that Windows Phone 7 will offer companion titles to familiar names, such as "Halo: Waypoint," and "Crackdown 2," extending the experience of their favorite Xbox 360 franchises.

"Windows Phone 7 is the launch of a major gaming platform for Microsoft," said Matt Booty, general manager of mobile gaming for MGS. "Just like we've done with Xbox 360, our charter is to push the envelope and deliver definitive games that maximize the platform. We will have an incredible lineup of MGS titles, and that's just the beginning."

The most creative minds in game development are bringing the biggest franchises to Windows Phone 7. The first wave of launch portfolio titles includes Xbox LIVE games from the likes of Gameloft, Konami Digital Entertainment, Namco Bandai, PopCap and THQ. Whether you choose to play a gem of a puzzler with "Bejeweled™ LIVE" (PopCap), bring down the house with "Guitar Hero 5" (Glu Mobile), fight off a destructive alien invasion in "The Harvest" (MGS), paint your way out of a corner with "Max and the Magic Marker" (PressPlay) or defend your city in "Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst" (MGS), the first wave of games announced in the launch portfolio of Xbox LIVE games on Windows Phone 7 has something for every mobile gamer:

Gratz to Musashi who is this week's 'Featured Gamer' on ForceDisconnect!

To vote for Mark, register with the site and comment on this article. The gamer with the most votes at the end of the year will win ForceDisconnects Featured Gamer contest.

Name: Mark Dorney

PSN: Musashi1596

Home town: Warrington, Cheshire, United Kingdom

Favorite video games: Metal Gear Solid series, Demon’s Souls, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Resident Evil 3, Dead Space, Final Fantasy 8, Persona 3: FES, Command and Conquer, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect…

Why you are such an awesome gamer: I’ve been an avid gamer for sixteen of the eighteen years of my life. I’m the type of gamer who throws themselves into games on the hardest difficulty and sticks with it until it’s fully completed without too much trouble. I relish a challenge and I’m good enough to see it through. However, even now I’m still learning and improving from every single game I play, picking up new techniques and strategies with every session, be it co-operating or competing with friends, strangers or AI. I’m a dedicated retro-head who still misses the days of the Mega Drive, and I’m always willing to diversify my genres. I always strive to be a better gamer than I am, and I’m a team player who hates trash talk.

Other hobbies: I’m a dedicated martial artist, and I thoroughly enjoy reading books and writing a lot. I also love watching films, listening to music and learning more about history. Though not necessarily all at the same time.

Occupation: Student.

Other info: I’m an Administrator and writer for the ForceDisconnect affiliate, PrestigeGamerz.

Mark and many others from PrestigeGamerz.com have been good friends to us here at ForceDisconnect.com . We are always happy to have them as part of our site, whether as a featured gamer, in the forums or communicating through twitter. I recommend you take a look at their site as well. Thanks Mark.  -Eric Hoff / EchoThruMe

Register on ForceDisconnect and leave a comment, as every comment counts as a vote!

www.forcedisconnect.com

Multiplayer

Story

-The story behind Multiplayer is part of the Templar's side. The players are Templars in training at the Abstergo facility. They use the Animus and the Bleeding Effect to train in combat, stealth and free running.
-They've modified the animus to be able to plant memories of assassins into other people using it.
-While you're playing as your favorite character in the multiplayer, you're really playing a Templar assassin in training.
-A beta will be released for Multiplayer exclusive to the PS3 prior to the game's launch. The only information given as to when the beta will launch is that it will come out in Autumn.

Game Modes

Wanted
-8 players
-Each player is given another player as a target.
*A picture of the target is displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen along with some white diamonds equal in number to the amount of additional pursuers that are hunting your target.
-The higher your rank, the more likely you will have multiple players hunting you.
-Your rank is displayed in the upper-left corner of the screen. Next to your rank are red diamonds equal in number to the amount of pursuers hunting you.
-The winner is based on who gains the most points
-Points are gained by making kills and escaping your pursuer.
-More points will be awarded per kill based on the style of the kill. For example, an aerial kill will give more points than just running up and killing the target.
More modes are to come.

Hunter
-One player will take the role of an assassin while other players play as guards.
-Before the beginning of the mission the player will have to choose his class - there is no information how many classes will be available, but each class will have different animations and weapons.
-After the player has chosen his class, the radar will show him the area where his target is located and the number of enemy players that are searching for him.
-After the player has found the location where the victim is hiding they must then locate their target.
-There aren’t many skins for the NPCs so the player might find several identical people on the same location. That will make his job a lot harder because he should kill only one person, and if the player accidentally kills an innocent person he will lose his contract.

Title: Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: November 16, 2010
Genre: Action
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal


Assassins Creed: Brotherhood Boxart

Single Player

Story

-The game picks up right where AC2 left off (1499) with Ezio in the vault having just met Minerva.
-He returns to Monteriggioni to rest and take a break, however, after a surprise Templar attack on the town of Monteriggioni, led by Cesare Borgia, the Assassins are brought to the verge of extinction, and the Apple lost.
-Ezio fights to defend the villa but is ultimately defeated and wounded.
-With Ezio's uncle Mario dead and his villa in ruins, Ezio travels to Rome, center of corruption and power and home of the Templar Order in Italy in order to regain the Apple of Eden and bring the Templar Order to its knees once and for all.
-There he will rebuild the assassin brotherhood to assist him and save Italy.
-The story missions are said to contain more exotic gameplay moments.
-Story missions will be re-playable this time around.
-Desmond's story will also be continued.
-Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will include new features, especially small gameplay add-on (i.e.: the flying Sequence in Assassin's Creed II, different from the rest of the gameplay).

Assassins

-Ezio Auditore da Firenze returns, now a legendary master assassin is determined to revenge the death of his uncle and bring the reign of the templar in rome to a end, and this time he’s brought friends.


-Mario Auditore becomes wounded and captured by Cesare. Mario walks back to the city, but collapses at the city gates, followed by Cesare Borgia and his lieutenants. Cesare, holding the Apple in his hand, shoots Mario as an 'invitation' from his family to Ezio's.


-Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli is an Italian philosopher, writer, diplomat, political philosopher, musician, and playwright, but foremost was a secret member of the Assassin's Order, and the leader of the Florentine Republic.


Knights Templar

-Rodrigo Borgia born Roderic Llançol, later Roderic de Borja i Borja, was the leader of the Knights Templar during the Renaissance in Italy. He was elected Pope from 1492 to 1503 as Alexander VI. His enemies called him "The Spaniard" (due to his Spanish origins) while his Templar followers called him "Maestro" ("Master" in Italian and "teacher" in Spanish).


-Cesare Borgia is the son of Rodrigo Borgia the leader of the Knights Templar and the arch-nemesis of Master Assassin Ezio Auditore. Like his father, he was a Templar. Eventually, he became the commander of the Papal army and a leader in the Templar Order.


-Lucrezia Borgia - She is the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia and younger sister of Cesare Borgia.

Allies

-Leonardo da Vinci befriends Ezio early on in Assassin's Creed II and they remain as such for the remainder of the game. His main role is to decipher codex pages that are found throughout Italy, some of which turn out to be design sketches that he uses to make upgrades to Ezio’s Hidden Blade. He also invented the Flying Machine.


-Caterina Sforza is the Countess of Forlì and Imola and the daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza. She married the Pope's nephew, Girolamo Riario, at only 14 years of age. She is depicted as a strong, fierce woman with a dirty mouth, but also seems to be quite maternal and caring.


Gameplay

Combat

-"Strike first; strike fast" is the motto that the development team approached combat with this time around. A more aggressive style will reward the player with a quickly accumulated pile of bodies.
-Chaining attacks together will allow the player to begin a long chain of moves, each of which instantly kills the adversary it is used on.
-Guards are more aggressive and will rush to surround Ezio and attack from all sides, even interrupting counter kills and combo strings.
-Counter kills are still a prominent feature in the combat.
-Disarms return
-Ezio can now throw heavy weapons to quickly bring down an enemy with them.
-Ezio also can quickly use the hidden gun in combat now.

Enemies

-Papal Guard - Are elite soldiers commanded by the Papacy to serve and protect the pontiff during his tenure. The armor worn by these guards seemed largely ceremonial in design, although it seemed to serve its purpose well enough,it was unable to stop the blade of an assassin.
-Brutes - Are essentially human tanks, wearing heavy, durable armor and carrying large, heavy weapons, and also moving very slowly due to the weight of their equipment
-Seekers - Are fairly uncommon enemies of medium strength and speed. They are slightly more heavily armored than a normal guard, though less than Brutes, and carry long weapons such as spears or halberds
-Arquebusiers - Were firearm-wielding soldiers who served and protected the pontiff during their tenure. One arquebusier managed to wound Ezio Auditore da Firenze during the later stages of the assault on Monteriggioni.
-Common Guards - Can be found almost everywhere on the ground. However, they use a large variety of weapons. Those regular troops are divided into three ranks themselves: Militia, Elite and Leaders.

Free-running

-All the usual free-running elements make a return.
-A new addition are "chase breakers" which will feature prominently in the Multiplayer. Players can activate chase-breakers to delay their chaser, giving them more time to escape. They are covered in shimmering white light to help distinguish them better from the surrounding environment.

Stealth

-The usual hiding spots are back: Crowds, Hay bales, benches, and most likely rooftop gardens.
-One new hiding spot has been introduced and that is in front of a merchant stall. Position your character in front of the stall and (s)he will begin talking to the merchant and just look like an ordinary customer.

Equestrian

-Horseback combat mechanics have been improved.
-Changes include: Fighting other enemies on horse-back, horse to ground and horse to horse assassination moves are promised.
-Ezio will also be able to use most weapons available, like crossbows etc.
-You can ride a horse inside the city

Weapons/gadgets

-The basics return from Assassin's Creed 2: Longswords, Double Hidden Blades, Hidden Gun(s), Daggers, Spears, Halberds and Pikes, Throwing Knives, Warhammers and Maces, Axes and Smoke bombs.
-New weapons include: Crossbow, Poison Darts, Arquebus* (unknown if usable by players),Calivers and Wheelock Pistols.
-Mounted Cannons
-A new and improved flying machine will make an appearance.
-Parachutes will be introduced

The Brotherhood

-During the game you will have the option of sending Assassins to different areas to complete tasks.
-You will have the ability to send new assassins to other European countries and complete missions to gain status.
-Once they have proven themselves effectively, they can accompany you on missions in Rome.
-The new assassins are recruited when Ezio rescues them from harassing guards, which leads them to join the Assassins.
-You can have the ability to train young Assassins and have them do jobs for you such as: Eliminate a group of guards with a volley of arrows, Engage a group of guards in hand to hand combat, Throw down smoke bombs to cover Ezio and Eliminate some rooftop guards...etc.
-If an Assassin fails to pass a mission, he can't be used again.
-This success will depend on abilities of the assassins sent, where younger, less experienced assassins will have a higher failure rate than older, more experienced ones.
-You can also customize the assassins' armor and weaponry, and each one has a different personality. Later on you can use experience points they've gained to upgrade their fighting and free-running abilities.
- Also mentioned is the ability to select an assassin as Ezio's "personal assassin”.
-So far it's known that you will be able to train at least twelve assassins, male or female,
at a time.
-It’s possible to bring up to five Assassins, including the "personal assassin", on missions using a function called, "BAM".
-BAM is an abbreviation for "Brotherhood Assistance Move".

Economy

-Shops return
-Ezio will be able to renovate areas of Rome.
-In this way he "brings the Renaissance to Rome".
-The city will look less gloomy and the guards presence will lessen in districts that Ezio invests in.

Fans looking to get the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer beta next month will have to pre-order the game at GameStop, Ubisoft announced.

As Sony declared at E3, the beta is exclusive to PlayStation 3 owners and begins on September 13. If you've already pre-ordered the game, you can take your receipt to GameStop starting on August 9 to receive a beta token.

"The pre-launch beta will feature brand new multiplayer gameplay and serve as a final stress test for the online systems of the game, allowing fans to get a glimpse of the one-of-a-kind gameplay and a chance to provide feedback to the development team prior to its release," Ubisoft says.

The one drawback is that there are a limited number of slots available, meaning GameStop will hand out tokens on a first-come, first-served basis, so don't wait around.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood ships on November 16 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 .

Sony has clarified PlayStation Move pricing and launch offerings for the UK market.

The PlayStation Move Pack, including one Move controller, a PlayStation Eye camera and a starter disk will retail for £49.99. Confirmed contents for the starter pack include an instructional video for setting up the hardware, along with playable demos of Sports Champions, Start The Party, The Shoot, EyePet: Move Edition, TV Superstars, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11, echochrome ii, Tumble and Beat Sketchers.

The standalone Move controller will cost £34.99, the PS Eye camera £24.99, and the Move sub-controller £24.99. The company also pointed out that Move games can be played using one Move controller, and that a regular PS3 pad can be used instead of the Move sub-controller. Move is set to launch in Europe on September 15.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has said that its rival motion control offering, Kinect for Xbox 360, is “very competitively priced".

Set to launch in November, the Kinect sensor will retail for £129.99 and come with Kinect Adventures. It will also be bundled with a new Xbox 360 4GB console and Kinect Adventures for £249.99.

"The camera tracks six people – with two active gamers – you don't have to buy anything else,” Microsoft group marketing manager Brett Siddons told TechRadar.

“I'll let you do the maths but when you say Nintendo Wii or PlayStation Move you buy this and this, even for a two player games. What do you need and what do actually have to spend for a two player game for this device versus that device. You actually find that [Kinect] is very competitively priced."

Source: http://www.next-gen.biz/news/sony-clarifies-move-pricing-microsoft-defends-kinects

Unfortunately, it seems we are to feel the bite of regional exclusivity once again. Japanese arcades are set to receive an interesting addition in the form of Metal Gear Arcade. Screenshots seem to resemble Metal Gear Online, which is sadly now difficult to play at all, and suggest a lightgun input. 

It seems highly unlikely that it will be ported to consoles but we can still dream. Lightgun games have been declining rapidly since the days of the PS2, with one of the only options for console gamers being Time Crisis IV. Either way, all I know is I want to play it, and I want to play it now.

Source: Destructoid

For nearly two decades, elected officials have tried to regulate which video games you can buy, rent and play. Every single time they’ve passed a law, the federal courts have struck it down as unconstitutional. But this may change this fall.

The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear the State ofCalifornia’s infamous ‘violent video game case,’ Schwarzenegger v. EMA. That means that this year, or early next, the Court is going to decide whether to agree with the lower federal courts or not. Agreeing would mean that they believe that video games are, and should continue to be, First Amendment protected speech; just like books, movies and music. The courtdisagreeing would mean that they think video games should be treated differently. This could lead to new bills and laws curtailing video game access in states across the country.

Please visit the Entertainment Consumers Association and sign their petition.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick believes consumers are “clamouring” for an online, subscription-based Call Of Duty service.

"If you could snap your fingers, and instantly make one change in your company what would it be?" Kotick was asked by the Wall Street Journal.

"I would have Call Of Duty be an online subscription service tomorrow,” he replied (via Spong). “When you think about what the audience's interests are and how you could really satisfy bigger audiences with more inspired, creative opportunities, I would love to see us have an online Call Of Duty world. I think our players would just have so much of a more compelling experience.

"I think our audiences are clamouring for it,” Kotick added. “If you look at what they're playing on Xbox Live today, we've had 1.7 billion hours of multiplayer play on Live. I think we could do a lot more to really satisfy the interests of the customers. I think we could create so many things, and make the game even more fun to play. We haven't really had a chance to do that yet."

Late last year Activision Blizzard CFO Thomas Tippl said that the publisher was planning “to test and ultimately launch additional online monetisation models” for leading franchises like COD.

Since debuting in 2003 the COD franchise has sold over 50 million units, with the most recent entry, November 2009’s Modern Warfare 2, recently clearing 20 million sales alone.

The next entry in the series, COD: Black Ops, is due for release on November 9.

Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian expects Microsoft to ship three million Kinect units this calendar year.

“Kinect should broaden the Xbox appeal,” he said in a research note. “With the Kinect motion sensor, games will initially include fitness, dance, sports and kart racing, suggesting that Microsoft is targeting the Wii audience.

“Microsoft is planning for a global release of Kinect in November, with 15 titles available at launch. We expect roughly three million units of Kinect to ship worldwide in calendar year 2010, with Microsoft selling Kinect on its own or as part of a hardware bundle.”

Much of Microsoft’s E3 press conference was dedicated to its motion sensing camera. We’ve been told that the device will retail for $149 and that Kinect games will be cheaper than traditional Xbox 360 titles, although Microsoft has refused to be drawn on Kinect pricing.

"We expect that Microsoft will be tenacious with the ramp of Kinect, with a long-term strategy for growth of the Xbox entertainment platform,” Sebastian said in another note. “While Microsoft withheld specific pricing information, we do not expect the company to subsidize Kinect in order to drive adoption, and we now expect launch pricing in the $100-$150 range. We believe that Kinect has the potential to drive accelerating growth for Xbox and increase attach rates, which are already fairly robust.”

Pic: OXM

Microsoft has detailed the line-up for its third annual Summer of Arcade promotion.

The downloadable titles to feature are Konami’s Castlevania: Harmony Of Despair, Square Enix’s Lara Croft And The Guardian Of The Light, and first party games Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Limbo and Monday Night Combat.

They’ll be released via Xbox Live Arcade over a five week period beginning next month.

Microsoft said previously that last year’s Summer of Arcade promotion – which featured the likes of Shadow Complex and Trials HD – drove record monthly revenue for the download service.

SEGA has been hiding in the shadows of Microsoft and Sony for years now.   Did they not have what it takes to play with the big boys of the console industry?  Or, have they simply been refining what may become the most powerful gaming console to date?   My money is on the latter.

While gaming with a friend last night, he got an email from a longtime friend - a very trusted source in the gaming industry.   I cant reveal the contents of the email, but I can include some speculation (regarding the new SEGA console) from the web, which this email confirmed as being true.

The upcoming SEGA console currently going under the codenames "NEPTUNE" "SEGADRIVE" has officially received a final product title. 

According to our source, upper management of SEGA SAMMY Holdings have officially settled on the title "SEGA 3D". 

We were told that SEGA shall market the new system as the world's first stereoscopic 3D games system. Indeed, head of SEGA's worldwide consumer business Naoya Tsurumi late last month made the proclamation "I believe 3D will become a big wave". 

Current games consoles available on the market such as the PS3 are only capable of 3D by heavily degrading the on-screen graphics, resolution and frame rates by as much as 50%, as these systems were not initially designed for stereoscopic 3D when they were in development in the first half of last decade.

 If SEGA launches in 2011 as is currently expected, and manages to get a 1-2 year true stereoscopic 3D advantage on both Microsoft and Sony, then the company may find itself as the undisputed worldwide leader in the console market, a position it has not held in 15 years.

Confirmed minimum specs on the SEGA 3D console:

Central Processor

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield

- 2.8GHz

- Quad Core

- 8MB L3 Cache

- Hyper-Threading

 Co-Processor

Nvidia PhysX P2 PPU

- 2 TFLOPS

 Graphics Processor

Nvidia GeForce GTX 470

- Shader Model 5.0 Compliant

- Hardware Based Tesselation

 Audio Processor

Digital Signal Processor

- 32-Bit

- 192KHz

- 7.1 Channel

 System Memory

4 Gigabytes

- Unified Memory Architecture

- 384-Bit GDDR5

- 177GB/s

 Disc Drive

Blu-Ray

 Storage

120GB 2.5" HDD

 Connectivity

802.11n Wi-Fi

 Operating System

Linux

If you aren't a technonerd and have no comprehension of these specs, I'd suggest asking a a more knowledgeable friend for translation.  Or, simply trust me when I say that SEGA 3D will blow the doors off any console on the current market and will be the benchmark for the PS4 and XBOX 720.

It has been announced that Sega will be bringing Dreamcast titles to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

The first two games to feature will be Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure, scheduled for release this Autumn.

"The Dreamcast is fondly remembered by a large community of dedicated fans as a console that was ahead of its time in terms of graphics, quality and online gaming," stated Haruki Satomi, vice president of digital business at Sega.

Re-releases will feature updated, high resolution graphics as well as surround sound and trophies/ achievements. The rest of the games to be released, to be chosen from its 650 title library, have yet to be announced.

If the video game world were following its normal cycle, console makers would be revealing details of their next generation systems in less than two weeks. This cycle is anything but normal, though – and so at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), game makers will instead chart a new path.

Rather than introducing new systems, Microsoft and Sony will both introduce motion sensor controllers that are intended to both attract a new audience to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 – and extend the lifespan of those systems by at least another three years. Nintendo, which is still seeing great success with the Wii, will focus instead on once again innovating the portable world.

Here's a look at what to expect from some of the industry's big players:

Microsoft:

The motion sensor, currently code-named "Project Natal," will have its debut three days before E3's official kickoff, with an opulent coming-out party that will feature a performance by Cirque du Soleil. The retail name of the system, its full functionality (both gaming- and non-gaming) and several titles that will utilize it will be unveiled. The retail price might remain under wraps a bit longer, though, as 'Natal' isn't expected to go on sale until late this year.

Xbox 360

Project Natal

Microsoft will also likely further broaden the Xbox 360's non-gaming functionality, introducing a new general entertainment partner as it has the past two years (when Netflix and Last.fm were integrated into the system). Hulu.com has been rumored as a contender, but there are several hurdles that would need to be cleared (though this would be a good opportunity for the television- and film-streaming service to introduce a pay model for).

Gamewise, "Halo: Reach" will be in the spotlight – as it's expected to be Microsoft's biggest title this holiday season. And "Gears of War III" – next year's tentpole – will have plenty of exposure as well.

Sony:

Beyond the Move controller, Sony may finally follow through on plans to introduce a paid premium service for its PlayStation Network online portal. This would be on top of the existing free service, with added benefits, though exactly what those will be is still unclear.

Playstation Move

Wall Street is also watching to see if rumors of a new portable gaming device prove to be true. Whispers indicate Sony will unveil the PSP 2 at the show – a true sequel to their handheld system, as opposed to last year's PSP Go, which offered changes to the existing hardware and was generally considered a sales disappointment. With the growing strength of Apple in the handheld gaming space, Sony will need to radically shake up its PSP product line if it hopes to remain competitive.

Finally, expect Sony to give 3D a little lip service, announcing a U.S. launch date for a system update that will let the PS3 play games in stereoscopic 3D, along with backward compatibility for several existing titles and some downloadable new ones specifically designed for 3D. It will turn heads, but without a 3D-capable television, which have only gone on sale in the last few months, it won't impact many players.

Nintendo:

Nintendo typically has the biggest surprises of the show, but many of those have already leaked out. The biggest is the forthcoming release of the 3DS, a handheld gaming system that shows games in stereoscopic 3D without the need for special glasses. It's a virtual certainty the company will have the system playable at the show – and many expect Nintendo to announce a launch date of this holiday.

The company will also give more details on the Vitality Sensor it briefly announced last year. Like "Wii Fit," this peripheral seems an odd fit for a gaming machine at first glance, given its purpose is to relax players, rather than excite and engage them. But Nintendo has proven itself quite adept at making seemingly incompatible peripherals big sellers.

Another "Zelda" title will be unveiled at the show as well – and fans might hear a bit more about the next installment in the “Pikmin” franchise as well.

Activision Blizzard:

With 2010 shaping up to be a strong year for the industry’s largest third-party publisher, expect to see plenty of details about the next "Call of Duty" game – due this fall. Titles from the Blizzard side of the house – including"Starcraft 2" and the upcoming "World of Warcraft" expansion – won't be on display, though, as the company will unveil those at a separate event later this year.

EA:

The reboot of the "Medal of Honor" franchise will be one of EA's chief focuses this year. It is, at present, the company’s most important game of 2010. While no one expects it to hit the sales numbers of Activision's"Modern Warfare 2" last year, investors are hoping for a very solid hit. Look, too, for more details on "Star Wars: The Old Republic," the massively multiplayer online game that won't be out until at least mid-2011, if only to keep stoking fan interest.

THQ:

THQ and Dreamworks will announce a partnership at the show this year, which is likely more than a simply licensing deal. THQ may well join the number of publishers creating 3D games, given Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg’s enthusiasm for the technology. The company will also give a progress report on several games key to its ongoing turnaround, including “Homefront,” a first person shooter in which Americans must retake their country after a North Korean occupation. The game may be a dark horse this year in the action genre, which could impact sales of both "Call of Duty" and "Medal of Honor".

Copyright 2010 CNBC.com

For many, GoldenEye was the turning point for first-person shooters on consoles, and in many ways defined the Nintendo 64-era of gaming. Since then, publishers and developers haven't been able to capture the same magic of Rare's original. So what do you do? You remake it, apparently.

According to a leaked survey, Activision will be releasing a new version of GoldenEye for the Wii, "developed from the ground up" to take "advantage of the latest technology to deliver the same intense experience with today's graphics and physics." The title will supposedly "modernize" the classic story, placing Daniel Craig in the role of Bond. The survey suggests that many (if not all) of the originals areas from the N64 title will return, along with its weapons and four-player split-screen. The game will reportedly support 8-player online matches, as well.

A potential golden Wii Remote shell, as well as a golden Classic controller, were also hinted at in the survey.

Following this survey leak, Eurogamer has received word that Eurocom (responsible for the N64 Bond outing, The World is Not Enough) will be developing the title, along with n-Space. GoldenEye for Wii, along with an Nintendo DS title of the same name, is said to be revealed at this year's E3.

Source: http://www.destructoid.com/ooops-activision-s-goldeneye-wii-and-ds-remake-leaked-175549.phtml&mainnav=Top+stories

Treyarch, the company responsible for Call of Duty Black Ops, is now "100%" focused on Call of Duty, and will not be developing other video games,  examples being  Spiderman and sports games, for some time.  Treyarch studio head, Mark Lamia, said that they are now solely focused on Activision's hit franchise. Also mentioned by Lamia, this dedication is unrelated to the recent events at Infinity Ward.

source- CVG (Computer and Video Games)

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=248863

This co-op mode is finally coming to one of this years best FPS.  For those of you unfamiliar with this upcoming mode, here's the low-down:

Onslaught will pit a squad of four human players against some very tough AI.   The basis behind this co-op is for your squad to capture key points on the map, while being timed.   You'll want to do this as quickly as possible if you have hopes of staying high on the global leaderboards.   Initial reports from folks who have played this at EA HQ indicate that the AI is extremely difficult (although you do have 4 different difficulty settings).   It seems that EA has made this a bit challenging to promote actual teamwork.   

If you've played BC2, then you should already be familiar with the Onslaught maps - Atacama Desert, Nelson Bay, Isla Inocentes and Valparaiso.   Some tweaking was done to these maps, mostly climate and time of day adjustments.

Dont worry about having to use "generic" weapons.  Your Onslaught character and rank will be the same as your online multiplayer one.   This is great and paves the way for MP XP being earned in co-op, which has been confirmed.  

According to an EA insider, the DLC is set to be released in early June, although no official announcement has been made.

Here's some more info, recently added to the BC2 official website:

I have made a PrestigeGamerz PS3 theme as a birthday present for the community.   We've been at it for a year now!   There have been some ups and downs - people have joined and left.   Through this all, we've grown into a great community, though it wasnt without hard work and contributions from dozens of people.   I'd like to thank you all for making PGz what it is today.

Here's to another GREAT year!

PGz PS3 Theme

Simply download the theme to your computer and place it on a USB drive.  It must be placed in the following folder location on your USB drive or your PS3 will not recognize it.

F:\PS3\THEME    

OK, seems that lots of people are having trouble installing this theme (or any other theme I'd suspect).  Here is what you need to do:  

1. Download the PGz theme by clicking the link above.
2. Insert your usb/thumb/flash drive into your computer (your computer will recognize it and assign it a letter "e", "f", "g", etc
3. Create a folder named "PS3" on your usb/thumb/flash drive DIRECTLY under your assigned drive letter (example  "E:\PS3")
4. Inside the newly created "PS3" folder, create another folder called "THEME"
5. Copy the theme file into the "THEME" folder
6. Remove your usb/thumb/flash drive from your computer and place it in your PS3
7. On your PS3, go to Settings-Theme Settings-Theme-Install (you should see your usb/thumb/flash drive now)
8. Select your usb/thumb/flash drive and you will see the PGz theme.
9. Select the PGz theme and click "Install"
10. Once installed, click Theme again, navigate to the PGz theme and click "Apply"

Recons! Medics! Assaults! Lend us your Engineers! If you're still adhering to your nightly routine of playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 until your eyes refuse to stay open any longer, you'll be pleased to hear about some upcoming changes coming to console versions of the game. Unless, of course, you actually like the game's unkillable, super overpowered deathcopters. In that case, you're about to be sorely disappointed.

Changes coming in the update -- due out May 11 via Xbox Live and PSN -- include a few balance tweaks of most weapons, a slight nerfing of the attack helicopter and an increase in the velocity of tracer darts, making it easier to stick 'em to that aforementioned helicopter. Joy!

Check out the full list of changes after the jump.

Sony has announced their "Win A Trip To E3 2010 Contest".   It's a simple contest and would probably be fun competition.  

Sony wants you to create an “open letter” video to Kevin Butler—everyone’s favorite fictional PlayStation® VP in the “Dear PlayStation” commercials. Make sure it’s funny, creative and original. A couple of things you want to include:

• Each video should begin with the phrase “Dear PlayStation”
• Include your take on Kevin Butler’s ever-changing title
• Make sure you include your own name and title (e.g., John Smith, Desperate Fan)
• Keep your submissions brief and to the point (30 seconds or less)
• Videos can be about anything PlayStation related
• All content must be original—no copyrighted music, video, pictures, etc.
• Don’t film Kevin’s response
• Need some inspiration? Check out the television commercials here

Three lucky winners will receive airfare to Los Angeles, entry to E3 (June 15, 16, 17), three nights hotel accomodations and per diem.

Submission Guidelines:

When you’re through with your masterpiece, here’s how you submit it:

• Don’t send us your video file
• Do submit your video file to your favorite social media site
• Email us that link and your current contact information (including phone number) to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Winners will be chosen on the basis of originality, creativity and enthusiasm. So don’t hold back—let yourself go.

via http://us.playstation.com/psn/events/e3videocontest.html

NAMCO BANDAI PARTNERS ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC TO DISTRIBUTE
‘DEMON’S SOULS’ IN EMEA AND PAL ASIA

- NAMCO BANDAI Partners S.A.S. to Distribute Acclaimed PlayStation®3 Action RPG Title from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. of Japan across EMEA and Asia Pacific Regions -

LYON, FRANCE – 16 April 2010 – NAMCO BANDAI Partners S.A.S., one of the video game industry's leading distribution, marketing and sales companies, today announced an agreement with renowned Japanese publisher Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) for the distribution of the acclaimed action RPG title Demon’s Souls across the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. Following its release in Japan and North America where it garnered high praise from media and a loyal audience of fans, the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) game will be launched on June 25, 2010 as an exclusive European limited edition retail pack containing the soundtrack CD, a new artbook and brand new strategy guide.

“We’re very pleased to be working with SCEI to bring the fantastic Demon’s Souls to gamers outside of Japan and North America,” said Olivier Comte, VP Marketing, Sales & Publishing NAMCO BANDAI Partners S.A.S. “The game is exactly the kind of quality experience with which we are continuing to grow the NAMCO BANDAI Games portfolio of titles, and we will be working hard to ensure it’s at least as much of a success in our markets as it has already proven to be elsewhere.”

Beautiful, compelling, and unforgiving, Demon's Souls is one of the hardcore RPG experience PS3 owners have been waiting for since the platform's launch.

Revolutionary online features support your adventure like never before, presenting seamless interconnectivity that serves in every instance to enhance the single-player game. Team up with other players in simultaneous cooperative play, working together to topple some of the game's colossal bosses, or force your way into the games of skilled players and challenge them to PvP battle.

Leave hints and clues for those who will follow in your footsteps; either intentionally or through your own inadvertent demise, your bloodstains will allow your successors to view a replay of your death, hinting at how to avoid your gruesome fate. Unprecedented in its depth and subtlety, peerless in its relentlessly challenging gameplay, Demon's Souls is the ultimate action RPG.

UK website Eurogamer.net awarded the title a resounding 9 out of 10 - "absolutely compelling; dark, detailed, unforgiving, creatively cruel," and adding, "You can learn to love Demon's Souls like few other games in the world."

Gamespot awarded the game ‘Game of the Year 2009’ - “Brutally challenging and utterly engrossing, this innovative role-playing game is one of the year’s best.”

Featuring the game, a brand new hardback artbook filled with mesmerizing concept and game art images, a new strategy guide, plus the deeply atmospheric original soundtrack of the game on CD, the limited edition retail pack of Demon’s Souls is coming exclusively to EMEA and Asia Pacific on June 25, 2010, only for PS3.

Source:- Demon's Souls Wikidot

European Website:- Namco Bandai

Although previous incarnation UFC Undisputed 2009 featured no exclusive DLC, it has been announced via the Playstation Blog that the PS3 version of UFC Undisputed 2010 is to receive exclusive content, in the form of the 'Ultimate Fight Mode'. This will allow you to relive classic bouts from the history of the UFC. The PS3 version will include the following exclusive events;

• UFN 18 – Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
• UFC 60 – Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie
• UFC 66 – Keith Jardine vs. Forrest Griffin
• UFC 68 – Martin Kampmann vs. Drew McFredries
• UFC 102 – Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia

We will also see three exclusive fighters; The first ever Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver, Dan Severn, and Royce Gracie of the UFC Hall of Fame.

Source: Playstation Lifestyle

Any European gamer who owns Disgaea 3 will know how hard it is to actually get things, after having to wait several months longer than America and Japan for the DLC to be released. They will also probably know that there was a trophy patch released for the game, released in Japan of March 2009 and shortly afterwards in America. There was never any clear announcement on whether or not the patch would ever hit the EU, and many gamers began to assume that it would not.

Sony says that in May, releases such as DLC, updates, and add-on content will appear on the PlayStation Store Tuesday instead of Thursday. This move forward puts it at more on a level playing field with competitors Microsoft and Nintendo.

Sony's previous Thursday release date put it at a disadvantage to XBLA since 360 fans would get their DLC, Rock Band songs, etc. on Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on the content), with Sony playing second fiddle later in the week. Starting with the May 4th update, however, Sony fans can now get their DLC, PS3 updates, and other content on time with everyone else. For its part, Nintendo goes on Monday, but that's probably less of a competition with the other platforms, since we don't imagine there is a lot of DLC that cross-pollinates and competes among all three.

Sony's move puts it ahead of Microsoft, and it will be interesting to see if the company responds in any way to grab the semi-exclusive advantage it used to enjoy.

Source: http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/04/19/news-sony-moving-psn-drops.aspx

Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Conviction debuted atop the UK all formats chart during the week ended April 17.

The title’s success means a Ubisoft game has now occupied the top spot five times so far this year.

The publisher’s Wii exclusive Just Dance fell one place to second, ahead of Take-Two’s Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City, which launched for PS3 and PC on Friday. Rockstar’s game may have made a bigger impact on the chart had it not also released as a download on the PlayStation Network.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 slipped a place to fourth, while Wii Fit Plus was up two to fifth.

01. Splinter Cell: Conviction (Ubisoft)
02. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
03. GTA: Episodes From Liberty City (Take-Two)
04. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA)
05. Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo)
06. Just Cause 2 (Square Enix)
07. Wii Sport Resort (Nintendo)
08. Pokemon Soulsilver (Nintendo)
09. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision)
10. FIFA 10 (EA)

Source: Chart-Track
UK chart history

A number of Infinity Ward “insiders” have given an insight into the mood at the troubled Modern Warfare developer.

One source told Kotaku that walkouts at the company will continue to rise in the wake of Activision’s decision to sack studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella last month.

"They're scared shitless," the source said of Activision management. "They never saw this coming. They can't believe what's going on. At first they gave us some bullshit about moving up payments of all the money they owe us to sooner increments. That was when [designer] Todd [Alderman] and [engineer] Frank [Gigliotti] left. But with the announcement of Respawn and all the people leaving, they just got there heads in their hands.

"They fired the two most amazing leaders we've ever seen, and then shafted us all out of a lot of money that was promised to us... there is nothing they can do to gain our trust or respect. And I'm pretty sure they know it now… IW as you know it is dead... and it will continue to crumble. There are a lot more veterans who are definitely going to leave."

However, another Infinity Ward insider was more positive about the situation, telling the site:

"It is a shitty situation, but there are two kinds of people left: ones that are sticking it out for the money, and others who want to make something work. We are not dead, we definitely lost original team members, but not all of the talent. When you talk about the people who left, they are the best in the business, but equally everyone at Infinity Ward deserves that same credential.

“We are here for the long haul of keeping the Modern Warfare name alive, but as your article clearly shows, certain people are still pissed about it. We just had this discussion in our Monday meeting, 'We still have the talent that will get us to where we need to go, and now is the time to find our new leaders.'"

Source: http://www.edge-online.com/news/infinity-ward-will-%E2%80%9Ccontinue-to-crumble%E2%80%9D

Sony’s God Of War III was the bestselling individual software SKU in the US during March, shifting 1.1 million copies, according to data from the NPD Group.

Total sales of Pokemon SoulSilver and HeartGold, which placed second and fifth on the chart respectively, came in 1.781 million units.

Combined sales of Final Fantasy XIII and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 were very close, both games having released on Xbox 360 and PS3. Square Enix’s RPG achieved 1.322 million units across the two platforms, marginally ahead of EA’s shooter with 1.277 million units.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Fit Plus and MLB 10: The Show also made a monthly top ten comprised of four PS3 games, and two titles apiece for Xbox 360, Wii and DS.

According to NPD analyst Anita Frazier, “God Of War III bested the introduction of God Of War II by 32 per cent.” Final Fantasy XIII also enjoyed “the best launch for any item in the franchise”, outstripping Final Fantasy XII’s first month sales by 48 per cent, while Battlefield: Bad Company 2 outsold the original by 170 per cent during its launch month.

Frazier added that Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - which failed to make the top ten - is now the second bestselling game of all time in the US, behind Wii Play.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward has reportedly lost two more key members of staff.

Lead animator Mark Grigsby, who has been with the studio since 2005, and lead character animator Paul Messerly, who was present at the studio’s inception, have both walked, according to Kotaku.

Infinity Ward has now lost at least 13 employees since the beginning of March, when parent company Activision fired studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella.

Staff morale is said to be low due to a lack of leadership at the studio.

Source: http://www.edge-online.com/news/two-more-veterans-bail-on-infinity-ward

Namco Bandai has partnered with SCE Japan to bring Demon’s Souls to Europe on June 25.

The acclaimed PS3 RPG, which has already released in Japan and the US, will be available as part of an exclusive limited edition retail pack featuring a soundtrack CD, an art book and strategy guide.

Sony, which released the game in Japan, recently acknowledged to making an error of judgment when passing up on worldwide publishing rights to the surprise sleeper hit. The company had expected the game to appeal to a niche audience due to its unorthodox design and challenging difficulty level.

Atlus subsequently published the title in the US, where it went on to more than triple the firm’s sales expectations by moving 280,000 copies.

“We’re very pleased to be working with SCEI to bring the fantastic Demon’s Souls to gamers outside of Japan and North America,” said Olivier Comte, VP of publishing at Namco Bandai. “The game is exactly the kind of quality experience with which we are continuing to grow the Namco Bandai Games portfolio of titles, and we will be working hard to ensure it’s at least as much of a success in our markets as it has already proven to be elsewhere.”

Source: http://www.edge-online.com/news/demon%E2%80%99s-souls-coming-to-europe

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has likened the 3DS launch to that of the DS in 2004.

The company believes the 3D-capable device’s arrival marks as significant a transition as the move from Game Boy to DS six years ago.

“We have ideas of what we want to bring to the consumer that we can’t do with the current” DS model, the executive told Business Week, “The Nintendo 3DS for us is our next handheld platform.”

Declining DS sales suggest it might be the right time for Nintendo to introduce a new platform. In January the firm said that DS hardware sales were expected to fall 3.8 per cent and software sales 24 per cent in the 12 months ended March 31.

“Fundamentally, this business is about software, not hardware,” Fils-Aime added. “Software is what drives engagement by the consumer. For us technology is not the end, it’s the means to an end, which is around a great consumer experience.”

Announced last month, the 3DS will allow games to be "enjoyed with 3D effects without the need for any special glasses". It will be released during the fiscal year ending March 2011 and will feature backwards compatibility with DS and DSi software.

Developer Infinity Ward has reportedly lost another four members of staff.

A pair of Modern Warfare 2's lead designers, Steve Fukuda and Zied Reike, departed the studio yesterday. Fukuda had been with the California-based studio since 2002, while Reike joined when it was formed the year before, reports Kotaku.

Programmer Rayme Vinson and lead artist Chris Cherubini have also left the studio, according to the site.

The foursome follow veteran programmer Jon Shiring, lead designers Mackey McCandlish and Todd Alderman, and lead software engineer Francesco Gigliotti in walking away from Infinity Ward in the wake of Activision’s decision to dismiss studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella.

Earlier this week, West and Zampella established a new independent development studio and issued a recruitment call for staff.

Activision-owned Infinity Ward has lost two more long-serving members of staff, with veteran programmer Jon Shiring and lead designer Mackey McCandlish exiting the Modern Warfare developer.

Shiring announced via Twitter (thanks, 1UP) that he was leaving the company after six years of service, during which time he had worked as a programmer on Call Of Duty 2, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2.

Meanwhile, Modern Warfare 2 lead designer Mackey McCandlish announced his departure via Facebook. According to Kotaku, he had been with the company for eight years.

The announcements were made on the same day that former Infinity Ward bosses Jason West and Vince Zampella established a new independent development studio and issued a recruitment call for staff. The pair are currently involved in a legal dispute with former employer Activision regarding their dismissal from the company in March.

Earlier this month, lead designer Todd Alderman and lead software engineer Francesco Gigliotti also left Infinity Ward, after eight and seven years respectively.

Activision said yesterday that Infinity Ward retains a “deep bench of proven talent”.

Source: http://www.edge-online.com/news/infinity-ward-loses-more-staff

According to a FCC filing, the once known sub-controller that comes with PlayStation Move is known as the “Navigation Controller”.The listing for it on the US PlayStation website has also been quietly edited to reflect the change in name.

The Navigation Controller was revealed alongside its bigger brother Move at GDC last month at a special off-site press conference in San Francisco.

Both controllers are due by fall of this year.

Thanks, Engadget

Vince Zampella, the newly made General Manager of upstart Respawn Entertainment, has said that accusations of him and fellow ex-head of Infinity Ward Jason West “holding hostage” the development of Modern Warfare 3 are “false”.

Speaking to Eurogamer earlier this evening, Zampella would only say the clams were “false and outrageous and that’s all we really have to say about it.”

It comes as notes discovered from Activision’s countersuit against the pair – Zampella and West are suing the publisher for $36 million and full rights to the Modern Warfare IP – mention that future editions of the Modern Warfare IP were being “held hostage”, with full production on MW3 delayed unless Activision met their demands when they were at Infinity Ward, which was most probably down to money.

The studio’s formation was announced earlier today.

Respawn will maintain full control over intellectual properties it will create under the partnership with EA Partners, which will have publishing and distribution rights to its games for the foreseeable future.

Zampella has already said that creating the new studio was “daunting and exciting”, adding today was “a total reset”.

Meanwhile, at the formal reveal for Crytek’s Crysis 2 last week in New York, EA Partners boss David DeMartini told VG247’s Patrick Garratt that Infinity Ward’s creative team had “blown up”, citing the developer of this year’s Call of Duty title Treyarch as the “b-team”.

Activision, on the other hand, is in “we told you so” mode: it says the move comes as “no surprise” to the firm “given the myriad of improper activities” detailed by the firm in its countersuit to Ward and Zampella on Friday.

Sports Interactive announced Football Manager Handheld 2010 for the Ipod Touch and the Iphone today.

The game has already received critical acclaim across the board. Edge’s sister site CVG finished their Football Manager Handheld 2010 Iphone review by giving the game 9.0 out of ten.

SI’s well kept secret goes live “within 48 hours” and will feature over 20,000 players and allows aspiring managers to take charge of "any team from 34 leagues from nations including England, Scotland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Brazil and Australia,

The game will feature specific "user-friendly" skins and functionalities, and all licensed leagues will feature official logos. You can also listen to your own music while your manage.

Source: http://www.edge-online.com/news/football-manager-announced-iphone

Microsoft has made a small but significant alteration to the way it sells Microsoft Points on Xbox Live.

North American Xbox 360 users can now purchase the Marketplace currency in increments of 400, to better match the normal pricing of Xbox Live Arcade titles and downloadable content.

Previously Microsoft Points were only available in increments of 500, which meant that in order to buy an 800 Point Xbox Live Arcade title users would actually need to purchase 1000 Points.

So far the Points structure change is only confirmed for North American Xbox 360 users.

Activision's counter-suit against fired Infinity Ward employees confirms Modern Warfare 3 is in the works.

In their counter-suit, Activision claims that West and Zampella (before they were fired) were intentionally delaying the pre-production of Modern Warfare 3 in order to use it as "leverage in their negotiations with Activision" (via Kotaku). Activision also says in the case that the duo's alleged secret meetings with their "closest competitor" (almost certainly Electronic Arts) contributed to the delays, and that "as a direct and proximate result of this breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, Activision has been forced to commit additional resources to Modern Warfare 3."

In a statement released shortly after the counter-suit was made public, Robert Schwartz, West and Zampella's attorney, called Activision's allegations "false and outrageous."

As for Modern Warfare 3, we all know Activision intends to release a new Call of Duty every year, with this year's version rumored to be set during the Vietnam War. That would likely put Activision's desired release date for Modern Warfare 3 in 2011, assuming whatever current delays that may or may not be taking place don't push it off too much.

Source - http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3178753

It would seem that Crytek UK, formerly known as Free Radical, are hard at work with Crysis 2's multiplayer mode. CEO Cevat Yerli revealed 'several online functionalities' in an interview with VG247, and claimed that "That is all they [Crytek UK] are doing, with a full team on it, and they are blasting forward at full speed with more focus and dedication than I've ever had before at Crytek."

This potentially bodes well for Crysis 2. Free Radical were arguably most famous for the development of the TimeSplitters series, which was notable for its insanely entertaining multiplayer. Personally I'd rather see them pump out TimeSplitters IV, but a good quality online multiplayer mode seems like a terrific prospect, with the market currently being dominated by the awful Modern Warfare 2.

Source: Joystiq

The Official Playstation Magazine will exclusively reveal the next Call Of Duty (COD 7) next month.

The teaser in Issue 44 of OPM proudly proclaims 'NEW COD', along with a 60s hand grenade and M*A*S*H style text.

Apple recently previewed its iPhone and iPod OS 4 software which, among other features, will enable developers to make use of a new online gaming network coming later this year.

Game Centre will allow developers to create apps that let users invite friends to play a game, start a multiplayer game through matchmaking, track achievements and compare high scores on leaderboards.

Sony’s PS3 was the bestselling platform in Japan during the week ended April 4, moving just shy of 39,000 units.

That narrowly edged PSP’s sales total of 37,500.

Wii placed third with 31,000 units, followed by the three current DS models, which achieved combined sales of over 41,000 units.

Xbox 360 occupied its regular position near the foot of the chart, ahead of PS2 and PSPgo, which were neck-and-neck.

PS3 - 38,877
PSP - 37,445
Wii - 30,938
DSi LL - 21,583
DSi - 15,526
DS Lite - 4,110
Xbox 360 - 2,676
PS2 - 1,815
PSPgo - 1,803

Naughty Dog have recently announced that Uncharted 2 will have a 'Siege Expansion' pack hitting the PlayStation Store later this month at a recommended retail price of £4.79. The pack is said to include 6 new character skins, 2 new maps and 11 more trophies, but most excitingly, a new co-operative game mode; the titular 'Siege', which is for 2-3 players.

Trophies:

Bronze

• You Can’t Break Me – Complete All 3 Co-op Objective Maps on Crushing
• Under Siege – Finish Wave 10 in 1 Siege Game
• Speedy – Get 10 First! Medals
• I’ll Cover You – Get 50 Defender Medals
• Fallen Angel – Get 50 Afterlife Medals
• Not So Fast – Get 20 Shut’em Down Medals
• Jack Of All Trades – Get 15 Triple Threat Medals
• You Run, I’ll Shoot – Get 10 Protectorate Medals
• Back At Ya – Get 50 Retaliation Medals
• Kneel Before Z.. – Get 5 Put’em Down Medals

Silver

• Rock a Rhyme – Get 100 Tricky Medals

Character Skins

Wetsuit Drake

Baseball Shirt Drake

Prakoso

Platzor

Glowzor

Dead Explorer

Source: playstation.com

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima believes that game consoles are on the way out.

"In the near future, we'll have games that don't depend on any platform," Kojima said at a Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker news conference.

An anonymous package containing a USB device has been sent out to various places/people including Joystiq. It is thought the package has been sent by Treyarch in a new marketing ploy.

The USB contained only a text file and an audio file.

Once the text file was deciphered it led to the following website, the first CoD 7 teaser -

Following the sacking of Infinity Ward's founders, Vince Zampella and Jason West by Activision, the stability of the company has been in doubt. To further this, there have been rumours that developers have been 'held hostage' over bonus payments that had not been received. However, it was recently announced via their Linkedin profiles (see below) that long serving members, lead designer Todd Alderman and lead software engineer Francesco Gigliotti, have left the company after having apparently resigned. It is unclear of the exact circumstances surrounding their reason for leaving but it is likely linked to the earlier sackings.

Source: Kotaku

Final Fantasy XIV Online - video entitled 'Life in Eorzea'

From the forthcoming Playstation 3 and PC title

• 1. Fist of the North Star Musou (Koei, PS3): 385,000
• 2. Yakuza 4 (Sega, PS3): 83,000 (467,000)
• 3. Pokemon Ranger Path of Light (Pokemon, DS): 51,000 (327,000)
• 4. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo, Wii): 51,000 (3,575,000)
• 5. Friend Collection (Nintendo, DS): 44,000 (3,032,000)
• 6. God of War III (Sony, PS3): 43,000
• 7. Fist of the North Star Musou (Koei, X360): 30,000
• 8. Gundam Assault Survive (Namco Bandai, PSP): 27,000 (118,000)
• 9. Wii Fit Plu (Nintendo, Wii): 21,000 (1,782,000)
• 10. Saki Portable (Alchemist, PSP): 20,000

PlayStation Store via PS3

Special Offers (PSP content also available via PSP and Media Go)

(Available until the 15th of April)

• Outrun Arcade Online (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £5.25/€6.59)
• Gunstar Heroes (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X – Russian Falcons Pack (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Tom Clancy’s End War Escalation Expansion Pack (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Dynogems (mini) (was – £2.49/€2.99 now – £1.74/€1.99)
• Driver 76 (PSP) (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• Asphalt: Urban GT 2 (PSP) (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £6.29/€7.99)
• Mawaskes Puzzle (PSP) (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £8.69/€10.99)
• Cover Girl (PSP) (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)

Good news for all you PS3 users out there, FirstPlay - the interactive video game magazine, will be launching it's debut issue through the PlayStation Network store on April 8th and priced only 99 pence.

FirstPlay delivers high definition video reviews and previews every week, plus exclusive downloadable content. The show is padded with interactive adverts that become skippable after being watched once,  the first episode will have adverts for Just Cause 2, as well as an in game item, and Final Fantasy XIII.

“FirstPlay offers an innovative way of communicating directly with committed PS3 gamers, and we are excited to be a launch partner,” said Jon Brooke, UK Marketing Director of Square Enix Europe. “FirstPlay allows us to showcase our new releases in their natural environment in high definition – and it’s really easy for gamers to download a playable demo of Just Cause 2, or find out more about Final Fantasy XIII.  We look forward to seeing the service develop.”

Richard Keith, Publisher of FirstPlay, added: “There’s a fantastic buzz about FirstPlay amongst the industry and the gaming community who want to experience our new service for themselves.  We are delighted that Square Enix Europe became a launch partner and look forward to working with them.  The aim is to make each weekly FirstPlay episode an unmissable event for PlayStation 3 owners, and we’re working on some exciting plans with many of the industry’s biggest names to make this happen.”

Source - http://www.edge-online.com/news/square-signs-firstplay-advertising-deal

Latest news from Fourzerotwo from his own site http://fourzerotwo.com

Details on Nintendo's recently announced 3DS have emerged, including rumours on the control scheme and 3D screens.

The 3DS is expected to be a similar size to the DSi, using parallax barrier screens provided by Sharp which is said to be “unsuitable” for large screen TVs. Nikkei corroborated this by reporting that the screens on the new device will be smaller than 4 inches diagonally.

Sharp's parallax barrier screens allow for 3D images to be shown overlaying the main display with another LCD screen which directs light from each image slightly differently. This extra screen can be switched off for when working in normal 2D mode.

'3D control sticks' have also been rumoured to be the upcoming controls, however it remains unclear what exactly this means.

Nintendo announced the new handheld earlier today, claiming it would allow 3D gaming without the use of special glasses meaning it is visible to the naked eye.

Source: Asahi and Edge

The winners and nominations for the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards on Friday 19 March.

The public have voted Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 their favourite title of the last year in the Game Award 2009.

Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami is to open a new development studio in Tokyo later this year once he finishes his work on Platinum Games shooter Vanquish.

"One of the reasons I'm building a company is to raise the game makers of the future, people who haven't gone pro yet," Mikami told Famitsu (via 1UP). "Game development is often overseen from a pure business perspective here, which is unique to Japan, and I have the impression that environment tends to prune away young talent. I really want to make Tango a company run from a creator's perspective, one that expands upon new talent."

Mikami’s new studio will initially employ 13 staff members, including sound director Masashi Takada (ex-Grasshopper Manufacture) and art directors Ryosuke Aiba (Final Fantasy XI) and Naoki Katakai (Okami).

"We're going to handle all development within the company, so I think one development team will be the limit," Mikami said. "I'd like to see it grow to 100 people or so in five to seven years."

He added that the team hasn't decided on its first project, but admitted that it’s a personal desire “to make a true-3D horror game, something where you'd use glasses like in the Avatar film”.

Images appeared on Chinese tech forum A9VG last night showing what looks to be a trimmed down Xbox 360 motherboard. Is it real? Well, there are a number of factors to consider. 

With the launch of Natal this fall, Microsoft has the perfect opportunity to re-launch the Xbox 360 brand with a all-new look to its console. The company also probably wants to get rid of the console's dreaded "three red lights" error as it looks to penetrate the casual market. There has also been loose talk from Microsoft executives before about a "new Xbox 360" coming in 2010. 

The pictures below indicate that both the CPU and GPU processors have been combined into one chip, allowing for less heat to be generated and, of course, a nice cost reduction for Microsoft. 

Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but Microsoft is also hiring for a Motherboard Design Engineer for the Xbox console, which is responsible for "aggressive cost reduction of the console throughout the life of the product."

Microsoft, as usual, said it doesn't comment on rumors or speculation. If there is a Xbox 360 Slim in the works, you can probably guess we'll hear about it this summer, perhaps even at E3.

Source - http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/107/1078172p1.html

Sony has said that passing up on worldwide publishing rights to surprise sleeper hit Demon's Souls was an error.

Speaking at GDC (via 1UP), Sony Japan Studios localisation and licensing rep Yeonkyung Kim said that the company had expected the game to appeal to a niche audience due to its unorthodox design and challenging difficulty level.

The firm opted to pass on western publishing rights and Atlus later picked the game up for international release. Despite initial shipments of just 15,000 copies, the From Software developed title has gone on to sell close to 250,000 copies. It has yet to be released in Europe.

"That was a mistake," Kim said. "It should have come out as a first-party title."

The Game Audio Network Guild has an awards show during GDC every year to award the best in game music and audio. Today we have the awards from the show for you.

The big winner in sound is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Good pick. The audio design was stunning, and went a long way towards giving the game its Hollywood movie feel. As far as music goes, Assassin's Creed II and Uncharted 2 tied for the top award. My true best of the year for music would have gone to Final Fantasy XIII anyway.

Check out all the awards after the jump.

BioWare Fans Can Extend their Journey with the First Expansion Pack to the Best RPG of 2009

The siege begins again! BioWare today announced that Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening, the expansion pack to the globally acclaimed Dragon Age: Origins, is available now at retailers and via download on Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network in North America. In Europe, the game will be available on Xbox and PC at retail and also via download from Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network on March 19. Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening builds on the original Dragon Age: Origins masterpiece beginning where the first game ended.

“Dragon Age: Origins introduced us to a robust, mysterious, and tumultuous fantasy world,” said Aaryn Flynn, Studio General Manager of BioWare in Edmonton. “Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening brings players deeper into the folds to face even more complex moral decisions as the leader of the Grey Wardens and the results of those responsibilities and actions.”

If there's one thing Dante's Inferno lacked, it was originality. Lacking the "holy sh–" impact of God of War III, Visceral Games' hack-n-slash felt incredibly pedestrian. That changes with "The Trials of St. Lucia," an upcoming premium DLC pack that introduces the game's first bit of originality.

The DLC add-on is made up of three new features: online co-op, user generated trials, and St. Lucia, a new playable character inspired by Christianity's Saint Lucy. Like Dante, Visceral's reimagining of her character is rather far-off from biblical canon. The playable martyr looks like an angel, and dons a move set that's completely unique from Dante's. (The differences between the two characters are comparable to those between Dante and Nero from Devil May Cry 4.)

Whew, that was a close one. We were really hoping to get another opportunity to purchase Batman: Arkham Asylum again, but it seemed Rocksteady and Eidos had planned to keep the game's Game of the Year edition exclusively overseas. Fortunately, it seems they've changed their minds -- an Eidos press release just confirmed that the expanded version of the game (which includes four extra challenge maps and 3D support) will be getting a stateside release.

The likes of Best Buy, GameStop and Target stores in West Hollywood are out of hardware stock, according to the LA Times, and some haven't had any PS3s for a few weeks now. Wal-Mart online and Amazon.com were also said to be sold out.

With God of War 3 expected to be a potential system seller, the news isn't ideal for Sony, as SCEA president Jack Tretton told the site.

Why Sony's delayed, but prestige racer is still worth the wait



1. Official License : News cars and racing leagues on board

GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi wants to appeal to a global audience with GT5. The announcement of NASCAR and Indycar (both new to the game) add more American flavor to the game. Meanwhile the European petrol head will be more intreated in the inclusion of a world rally championship. If GT5 renditions of official rallying ends up as authentic as the American flavors expect your copy of Dirt 2 to be gathering dust be Xmas. The japanese super GT was also added. There is a small matter of Ferrari and Bugatti being added as well (including the 1000BHP Veyron) its the first time they will be in a GT game

2. Its Beautiful: and thats why we are still waiting for it

It looks better than real life. Well thats what Kazunori Yamauchi says but maybe thats a bit too much but it is crystal clear from every wheel nut, tyre tread and grill dimple GT5 exudes almost perfect photo realism. The engine of the game has been built from new, using none of the GT4 code, every car made from scratch, using about half a million polygons, its not had to believe that 60% of GT5's development time has been spent on the cars. Running at a staggering 60 frames per second even at full HD without a hint of jag or blur.

3. It's Got Damage: Everything Breaks

The damage model looked a bit limited when show last year but they insisted that it was just the start. The full version will promise a far deeper damage mechanic. Every one of GT5's impressive cars will be wreaked in some way. Only 170 cars can be fully damaged but all can be in some way. Think of your breaks not working or loss of power. People that just blast around the track will need to change that.

4. GT5's Big Numbers

1000 plus cars when it hits stores. 16 players in each online race. 500,000 polygons in each car, 5 years in the making 1,826 days, 3 discs, full HD, $60 million spent on its making

5. It's Got Nearly 1000 Cars: And You Can Tinker With Them All

The heart of GT is that its glorious representataion of automotive history, from way in the beginnings of the motorcars such as the 1886 Benz to the new 2011 super cars like the Mercedes SLS AMG and they will all b accurately modeled. If you think that a Lamborghini Gallardo could do with a few tweeaks (if your mad) you will be able to change nearly everything about the car inside and out. This means both Paintjobs and mechanical. We cant wait to see what sort of madness they think up of in the PSN community.



The Car picked for the cover is the Mercedes SLS AMG (as show above)

Fact: there are 16,164,886 guns in Borderlands according to Gearbox Software developers Matthew Armstrong and Jimmy Sieben. That's a lot of guns. Remember that scene in The Matrix where Neo says "Guns. Lots and lots of guns."? It's a lot more than that. That's also the number of guns before the DLC, which has inflated it even further. So how do you have someone design each one of those firearms and build out the specs? Even if you only paid 25 cents per gun, that would still chew into your development budget to the tune of over four million dollars. So what do you do, hotshot?

Easy! You make a system that does it all for you. In an SXSW panel, Sieben and Armstrong spoke about the systemic development tool named Gearbuilder that they developed, going into detail about how they created the system to handle the creation of that many customized guns. It generates the guns based on one of 12 different manufacturers, giving each one a different grip, body, cylinder, barrel and accessories. Based on those, that same system determines how much damage the gun will deal. But what's surprising is, as impressive a figure as 16 million is, it's still only one gun. Shoot on through the break for more.
Let's say the shotgun is the base weapon, and you want to turn that into a sniper rifle. You just elongate the barrel, change the look of the cylinder and grip, say that it only takes one shot and then modify what type of damage it deals right in the system, all without talking to a programmer. Voila! It's a new gun. Thus using a system like this can produce a shotgun with a scope on it, which is something you'd never use in real life, but according to Armstrong, "In the world of Borderlands, we can kind of get away with that.

Since you can also level up the guns in Borderlands, the system also builds the guns on one formula: if the gun is balanced at level one, and balanced at level 50, then it's balanced at every level inbetween. So using the system to both build and balance the weapons saved the developers a ton of time, and considerable grief. Even though the system can generate millions of different weapons, Armstrong said the system was intended to connect you to a specific gun, and players will tend to carry that the same weapon throughout the game.

Some users have called this a flaw, stating that even though they play the game through multiple times, when a boss drops a good weapon, they have to choose whether to keep the weapon they already have or move on to something new. "That's by intent. I want you to be attached to your gun. A lot of people who have played the game multiple times think that's a flaw, but then I point out that they've played the game multiple times." Another advantage of using this system to streamline the weapon creation process is that they didn't start working on the DLC until the entire game was finished.

Gearbox is also considering using the system for other games, although they said it won't be in Aliens: Colonial Marines, which the company is developing. Which is a relief, because we don't really need 16 million variations on Colonial Marine weapons, do we? On second thought ...

Source - http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/16/sxsw-creating-87-bazillion-guns-for-borderlands/