Revamped Xbox 360 To Be Revealed at E3

Microsoft is to release a redesigned Xbox 360 console with a 250GB hard drive and built-in WiFi, according to online adverts a keen-eyed NeoGAF forum member spotted.

The Italian-language static adverts and video appeared briefly on Italian website Console Tribe. Sleuthing by Joystiq discovered that the Microsofted-owned advertising company Atlas Solutions pushed the ads out.

The ads gained further credibility by boasting of support for Kinect, which at the time was not yet known to be the new name for Microsoft's Project Natal controller.

Microsoft began to sell 250GB hard drives separately in March this year at the price of $129.99, before which they were only available in select hardware bundles. A regular console model with a 250GB hard drive seems almost inevitable.

Competitor Sony launched its own revamped PlayStation 3 Slim in September 2009 with a larger hard drive and a slimline new look for $299.

Were Microsoft about to to announce such a revamp, it would almost certainly be during its E3 press conference this morning. We'll have our top newsmen reporting from there.

Natal Becomes Kinect and Aims for Family Play Time

Even by the exaggerated standards of E3 events Microsoft's Cirque du Soleil "Natal Experience" show stood out as an amazing spectacle. And make no mistake; it was a show, not a videogame demonstration. In hindsight it seems painfully obvious that the famous performing troupe weren't there to play games. Their job was to suspend reality and help the audience envision the fantastical world of living with the device now known as Kinect.

Most of that vision looked like outtakes from the long line of Nintendo Wii commercials promoting "Wii would like to play." Happy families gathered in the den around the television, bonding as they play together. Mom, dad, and the kids took turns competing in the obligatory sports game running in place and jumping to simulate hurdles, running in place and launching an imaginary javelin, and, of course, bowling. Brother and sister happily guided a raft down whitewater rapids, jumping and leaning to control its movement and posing in space to touch coins along the way to score points. The camera in the Kinect even snapped a few shots as they did so afterward everyone could have a chuckle at how silly they looked having fun.

The message came across loud and clear: the family that plays Kinect together, stays together. It doesn't get much more wholesome but how realistic is it? I'm not sure you can stand in front of the TV mimicking dance moves and not feel self-conscious on your own, much less doing it with your parents. And no matter what the input device, driving a kart in a racing game is a pretty solo experience, not something that will keep a group of spectators riveted to the screen.

For such a unique innovation -- interacting with videogames without a traditional controller -- it was the Cirque du Soleil performance that tickled the imagination more so than Kinect. The montage of family gaming played it safe but left me wondering why the average person it seemed to be aimed at would be inclined to make the investment when it looked like what their Wii already does. Even the Yoga game that made good use of the body position sensing capabilities of Kinect immediately brought to mind all the various Wii workout games.

It will be good to get a chance to play some of these games this week not just to see how they are but also to get a sense for interacting with Kinect. If it feels comfortable and accepts natural motions then the potential is there for something as imaginative as a Cirque show, but it will take more than jumping around in front of the TV.

PS3 is Well Connected: More Users Online Than 360, Wii‎

There is no doubting that Sony was late to the game with the PlayStation Network. Even though the PS2 did feature some online gaming, albeit very late in its lifecycle, it didn’t feature a robust, feature-filled platform like Xbox Live. The PlayStation Network launched along side the PS3 back in November of 2006 and has since grown into a thriving platform that is rivaling Xbox Live’s paid service. Despite Xbox Live’s 4 year head start, the PS3 has more users connected online that any other console.

According to new data released by US analyst The Diffusion Group, the PS3 is the most well connected console on the market. This is quite a surprise considering the Xbox 360’s lead in the US, and the fact Xbox Live has been around for 8 years. The research shows that 78% of PlayStation 3 owners are connected to the internet. The Xbox 360 comes in a close second at 73% and the Wii a distant third place with only 54% of users connected online.

Could this difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 be attributed to the cost involved with getting your Xbox 360 online? Granted you can be connected to Xbox Live via a Silver Membership using the console’s Ethernet port. However the idea of having to pay an annual fee for the almost necessary Gold Membership is enough to steer some people from ever checking out 360’s online features. Another issue, again having to do with the Xbox 360’s admission to play online, is the fact you need to purchase some sort of wireless adapter to connect the console to your home’s wireless network. Something that isn’t an issue with the PS3 nor the Wii, both of which come with built in Wi-Fi out of the box.

The Nintendo Wii could be suffering from the fact its user base consists mostly of casual gamers. Causal gamers may not be as tech savvy as hardcore gamer and might have trouble setting up a wireless network. That, or many of the Wii owners just aren’t aware that the console can connect online. Then again, it could be because all of those Wii sports playing grannies at the senior center never even heard of the internet.

Sentence

Does the battle sport a such contour?

Blu-ray Disc

Discover a whole new world of High Definition gaming and entertainment with Blu-ray Disc and experience movies like never before.

Blu-ray Disc is the new standard of home entertainment, with each disc holding up to five times more information than a Standard Definition DVD. That means Blu-ray Disc can store High Definition digital video, sound, pictures, PC files and stunning games such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which a normal DVD simply couldn't do.

Experience the ultimate in picture quality

Remember the first time you watched a DVD and saw how the picture looked fantastic compared to those of an ordinary television transmission? That's because DVD uses a higher bit rate than conventional TV broadcasts, meaning better picture and sound quality.

Blu-ray Disc works just like a DVD, only more powerful, meaning you get better picture quality than High Definition TV transmission. And with the option of a 24-frame output, you can experience movies and games on your PlayStation 3 like never before.

High Definition sound

Experiencing High Definition is about the audio as much as the about picture. With Blu-ray Disc you get HD sound and a complete recreation of the original master recording. Now, thanks to the capabilities of Blu-ray Disc, that sound can be delivered straight to your living room when you're playing your favourite game or watching the latest blockbuster film.

This digital multi-channel sound is an integral part of the experience too - imagine playing a game or watching a movie without any of the bangs, crashes, rumbles and other effects that literally shake you in your seat. With HD sound you feel like you are part of the action.

Blu-ray Disc truly is the only way to experience the very best in home entertainment, be it movies or games, and with PlayStation 3, you get the best of both worlds, a entertainment system that delivers next generation gaming thrills and High Definition blockbuster entertainment right into your front room.

The future of home entertainment has arrived - experience it now on PS3.

The Game

Shine up your silky skills and prepare to pick a side – there’s a new game in town for you and your friends to show the world what you’re made of…

Crave a bit of entertainment? Fancy some excitement? Then welcome to your next challenge. Welcome to The Game, a free new site where you can go against others around the world for prizes and, more importantly, bragging rights.

The concept is simple. You pick from one of two teams to join and take part in Challenges, which consist of timed mini-games and quizzes. Do well and you earn points, and the team with the most points is declared the winner.

There are two types of rewards for taking part in The Game; Personal Rewards and Team Rewards. Personal Rewards earn you a Bronze, Silver or Gold level badge depending on how many Challenges you've played, how many Challenges you've created and the number of rounds you've taken part in. Team Rewards are only presented to the winning side, and come in the shape of various online goodies, such as screensavers and PlayStation Home gifts.

Joining is easy - just head over to The Game and pick whether you want to be in Team A or Team B. Then register your details, play some Challenges and bask in the glory of your victory. You can also create your own Challenges for others to try out (and if they do that earns you points), invite friends, follow team members and form your own leagues. The more you interact and play, the more points you gain and the more you'll become a hero to your team. You can also sign in using a Facebook account and see if other Facebook friends are part of The Game.

Don't miss your chance to become part of a global team and rub your rivals' noses in your brilliance. Head over to The Game and start your path to game greatness in front of the world.

www.Start-PS3.com

GTA V mentioned in Dan Houser Times Interview

In a recent interview with The Times, Rockstar Games’ Vice President of Creativity Dan Houser has let an infinitesimal cat out of the bag labelled GTA V – well, a whisker or two at least.

Post-Red Dead Redemption, Houser will begin co-writing the script for GTA IV’s follow-up title, which is anticipated to be approximately 1,000 pages in length. That’s ten times longer than that of a feature film!

Disappointingly, there is very little else to go on in the way of information at this time; Houser himself explains his team still need to think of a city. But it does look like there will be a GTA V. Someday.

We’ll be sure to keep you informed.

Borderlands to receive Zombie DLC

More and more first-person shooters are incorporating a zombie element these days. Following in the footsteps of Treyarch’s Call of Duty: World at War, Gearbox will be releasing a zombie-oriented DLC package for Borderlands, entitled ‘The Zombie Island of Dr Ned’.

The story goes: a moustache-touting doctor has accidentally zombified the working-class inhabitants of Jakob’s Cove. Predictably, it’s the player’s responsibility to go in and clean up the mess, dismembering, decapitating and decimating enemies of the crawling, stalking, spitting (how uncouth), suicidal and psycho variety across 50 new quests.

The package promises a deep, enjoyable and humorous experience lasting 6-10 hours, and will hit the PlayStation Store November 24th priced at $10 / £7.99. Click here to for a video preview. You’d be stupid not to.

Is Firefox coming to PS3?

Ah, we do love a good rumour…

PlayStation Insider recently posted that Sony and Mozilla have been ‘talking’, as per a tip-off from an external (and, might we add, anonymous) source. Could they be contemplating porting robust web-browser Firefox to the PlayStation 3?

This would be great news considering how many complaints Sony has received concerning the reliability and limited functionality of the current PS3 browser. However, a later added correction note states ’there was just a meeting between someone from PS division and someone from Mozilla’ – and nothing more, apparently.

The meeting had to be about something though, right? Perhaps if we cross our fingers and toes something along these lines might happen in the future.

Naughty Dog celebrates Thanksgiving with new Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Content

As a Thanksgiving treat Naughty Dog has, as promised, delivered some new additions to the multiplayer aspect of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

‘The Fort’ has been newly added to the game’s existing collection of battlegrounds, a long rectangular map inspired by the original Fortress level in Drake’s Fortune. Featuring open spaces, flanking routes, and a variety of sneaky hiding places, you can guarantee it will be host to some truly awesome skirmishes.

But there’s more. Two special character skins are available for use in team modes (Fat Drake for the Heroes, and Fat Lazarevic for the Villains), leaderboards tracking win and kill/death ratios have been thrown into the mix, and the icing on the cake… for this weekend only… is… double cash on all moneys and medals earned during online play.

Ok, so we Brits might not embrace the Thanksgiving tradition, but we certainly are thankful!

PlayStation 3 250GB Bundle UK Retail Pricing Confirmed

Last week Sony announced that several new PlayStation 3 250GB bundles will be hitting Europe, and today ElectronicTheatre (linked above) received confirmation on the UK retail pricing for them.

To quote: "The recently revealed 250GB PlayStation 3 will arrive in Europe this Thursday, October 1st 2009, and today the official UK Recommended Retail Price (RRP) and package contents have been revealed.

In addition to the FIFA 10 and Need for Speed SHIFT bundles announced last week, the 250 GB PlayStation 3 will be available as a stand alone unit from October 1st with an RRP of £299.99. The standard package comes bundled with a Wireless DUALSHOCK 3 Controller, an AC Power Cord (or Euro-AV cable, where applicable), an AV cable and a USB Cable, along with the new, small PlayStation 3 model.

Twelve of the fifteen retailers Electronic Theatre contact proposed their own bundles, or a reduced retail price of around £285. The 120GB PlayStation 3 retails with an RRP of £249.99 in the UK."

PS3 Slim & Lite

We're throwing this one in the "probably not" pile, right next to our jar of skeptical sauce. A month after the conclusion of CES, gadget site T3 is reporting that while in attendance they heard that Sony will be debuting a slimline version of the PlayStation 3 (a "PSThree" if you will). According to T3's "well-informed insider," the unit will be smaller and lighter than the current console (well, duh).

While we don't doubt that Sony will eventually give the PS3 a little nip and tuck, it's still far too early in the console's life-cycle to warrant such a drastic revision of the hardware – but we're not ruling out the possibility of a new SKU in the near future. The PSOne redesign appeared over four years after the first PlayStation was launched, and the slimline PS2 didn't appear until over three years after the original.

A redesigned PS3 probably wouldn't appear until late 2009 at the earliest, making the possibility of one showing up this fall slim to none. Now pass that skeptical sauce, please.

Impressive PS3 Ad

I know that this is old but it's impressive. Can you see all Playstation shapes? It's 2 very unique cg rendered images.

Everyone's favorite intergalactic duo is back this fall with Ratchet & Clank® Future: A Crack in Time, developed by highly-acclaimed developer Insomniac Games exclusively for the Playstation 3 computer entertainment system. The latest addition to the best-selling series will at long last answer some of fans' most-asked questions as it concludes the story arc from Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty. 

Players can control both Ratchet and Clank as they attempt to reunite and save the universe. Each will have new abilities at their disposal such as Ratchet's Hoverboots, which allow him to travel at high speeds and soar to new heights around the galaxy. With all-new Clank gameplay, players can utilize special time-manipulation abilities in an effort to thwart Dr. Nefarious, one of the franchise's best-known villains who is attempting to control time itself.

For more screenshots on flickr click here

GTA IV - Preview

GTA IV - Preview of the first 5 missions

gta4.net has a very descriptive walkthrough of the first 5 missions of Rockstars upcoming game, Grand Theft Auto IV.

"A ringtone can be heard when the call is made. Niko needs to get closer to figure out where it is coming from. The blackmailer must be identified and killed. Since this was carried out in broad daylight, a two-star wanted level is gained. Niko must evade the cops and return the memory stick to McReary in order to complete the mission."

Visit the page below it's got a lot of screenshots, trailers and infos about GTA IV
Something's wrong with inserting links so just copy-paste the url below

http://www.gta4.net/missions/

Best PS3 Games

Best games on PS3 that i would recommend you to purchase, click the link to visit it's review, screenshots and videos:

Burnout: Paradise
9.0 on Gamespot
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
8.5 on Gamespot
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
8.0 on Gamespot, 9.0 by Users
Heavenly Sword
8.0 on Gamespot
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
9.0 on Gamespot
Warhawk
8.5 on Gamespot
Def Jam: Icon
8.1 on Gamespot
Ridge Racer 7
8.0 on Gamespot
Resistance: Fall Of Man
8.6 on Gamespot
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction
7.5 on Gamespot, 8.9 by Users
Devil May Cry 4
8.0 on Gamespot, 8.9 by Users
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
8.5 on Gamespot

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is probably the best looking racing game to ever hit a console. If you squint your eyes just a little, it really does look like you're watching real video on your PS3.

But when the full fledged GT5 finally hits PlayStation 3, it looks like the graphics may be even better than what we're seeing with Prologue.

"In terms of quality we've been able to establish a benchmark in this version, but I think with GT5 there will be additional refinements, perhaps to the lighting and maybe the weather... weather effects," Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi told Videogamer.com.

Yamauchi says that it'll be about a decade until we'll be at the point where games look exactly like CG in the movies.

"Real-time computer graphics are about 10 years behind non-real-time computer graphics like you see in movies," he explained. "I think that gap is what we'll be trying to fill in the years to come."

To view videos of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue visit link below
http://www.gran-turismo.com/en/movie/

Playstation Home public beta

That’s right. The often mentioned but seldom seen virtual community and gaming environment just got one step closer to, you know, actually existing. PSN Senior Director Susan Panico (great name) has told Official Playstation Magazine that the public beta will be opened to the gaming proletariate “very soon”.

So far there has only been a strictly private beta phase. Given the recent announcements of game-Home integration in Resistance and Warhawk it’s good news that the development is progressing nicely. Unfortunately that’s as far as the information goes on this one. Ms Panico decided to leave out rather useful highlights such as launch dates or region specifics.

In the words of that cinematic epic - Space Balls, I leave you with this:

“When will then be now?”

“Soon!”

Goodbye SixAxis

We all love our SixAxis. It’s what we first used to clear the universe of grubs, mow down other drivers in MotorStorm and frag that annoying 3rd grader talking smack on Call of Duty 4. Well, it’s time to fall in love all over again.The SixAxis controller will be discontinued shortly after the DualShock 3 comes out this week. A Sony rep offered the following:


“Sixaxis will no longer be offered after it’s completely sold through at retail (likely by the summer timeframe).”

Not only will we now be able to experience our games even better than before but, as the DS 3 becomes standard, used SixAxis controllers will become quite cheap on eBay and Craigslist, allowing us to hook up additional controllers for our PS3 deprived friends to use when they come over. Once you get your DualShock, please come back and tell us your thoughts.

Burnout Paradise

Much deserved milestone for a stellar game; Burnout Paradise has officially shipped over a million units, which should a good sign for a regular stream of downloadable content for the title in the future.


In addition, the guys over at Criterion also announced that this drives entire sales of the Burnout franchise as a whole over the 15 million mark. That’s a lot of games.

Downloadable content for Burnout Paradise, which will expand Paradise City with new locations, new car designs, and even new cars, is expected to start hitting the PlayStation Store soon.