Sony Computer Entertainment head Ken Kutaragi delivered his Tokyo Game Show keynote today. Kutaragi spent much of his time speaking about various developments in the communications and tech industries and how PlayStation 3 may tie into them at some point. He also indicated that PS3 will feature a Global Mapping System, allowing users to share pictures and other materials, and that this GMS may some day allow developers to share ideas of works in progress and get feedback from consumers. As far as more concrete PS3 details, Kutaragi announced that PS3 will be able to download (or stream, depending on which report you read) PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games. Similarly, PS3 will play titles from Mega Drive (Sega Genesis) and PC Engine (TurboGrafx) consoles; these two systems are also part of Nintendo's Virtual Console plans. No specific games were announced.

In a post-keynote question and answer session, Kutaragi made some more surprising announcements. After asking the audience if it wished the lower-end 20GB PS3 model would include HDMI, Kutaragi revealed that it in fact will. In Japan, the 20GB model will be getting a price drop from its original 59,800 yen ($509.72) price; the system will now be priced for an unspecified amount under 50,000 yen ($426.15). Sony did not announce any such change for other territories.

Yesterday, posts started occurring on forums such as those on Xbox.com indicating that Microsoft plans to offer some kind of free warranty for Xbox 360 units manufactured in 2005. Throughout the day, calls to Microsoft support employees only confused the matter, as some denied the program, some confirmed it, and some seemed just as confused as those inquiring. Eventually, company representatives indicated that Microsoft is indeed launching a program along those lines. The company later issued an official statement clarifying the situation and perhaps admitting that Xbox 360 error rates have been higher than previously acknowledged.

As part of our standard and ongoing process of analyzing repair data, we recently noticed a higher than usual number of units coming in for repair. Upon further investigation, it was further discovered that the bulk of the units were isolated to a group that was part of the initial manufacturing run of the console. Returns for repair are coming in for a variety reasons and it's a higher rate than we are satisfied with. We've made the decision to comp repairs for consoles manufactured before January 1, 2006, and provide refunds to the small group of customers who have already paid for repairs.

It is unclear how long owners of such systems will be able to take advantage of the offer. More details are likely to be forthcoming. Microsoft's Xbox support line is 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

Peripheral manufacturer The Ant Commandos, which was recently sued by Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane and parent company Activision for infringing upon Guitar Hero copyrights with its alternative guitar controller, today announced that it has filed a counter claim against the two companies. Not only does The Ant Commandos deny infringing upon RedOctane's copyrights, it states that RedOctane's Guitar Hero SG controller is in fact based on a controller created in 1999 by Topway Electrical Appliance, a partial owner of The Ant Commandos.

Shacknews contacted The Ant Commandos for clarification. In 1999, Topway patented the Magical Guitar controller, intended for use with Konami's Guitar Freaks (PS1) game. In 2001 and 2004, according to a The Ant Commandos representative, the CEO of RedOctane visited Topway's China-based factory and inspected various aspects of the controller's design, allegedly commenting on its five-button neck design. Between 2002 and 2004, RedOctane apparently purchased several hundred of Topway's Magical Guitar controllers. Last year, RedOctane released its own SG controller for Harmonix's Guitar Hero (PS2), which it also published. "It has an almost identical neck to the Magical Guitar controller," said the TAC rep, "in terms of the number of fret buttons, button colors, and layout." Shacknews was also provided with a photograph of the Magical Guitar, which indeed bears a strong resemblance to RedOctane's controller. Konami's own Guitar Freaks controller released the same year uses only three fret buttons; Topway's uses five, as does RedOctane's newer controller. The Ant Commandos stated that Konami has never taken any sort of legal action against it or Topway.

The Ant Commandos has filed for a preliminary injunction against Activision and RedOctane demanding that the companies cease the sale of their Guitar Hero bundle, and instead sell the Guitar Hero game and controller separately, so that consumers "may purchase the game and have their choice on which controller to buy."

Microsoft has clarified some confusion regarding its upcoming HD-DVD attachment and 1080p support. Yesterday, the company announced that its HD-DVD drive would output HD-DVD movies in 1080p, and also revealed that an upcoming patch for Xbox 360 will allow the machine to output 1080p movie and game content. Today, it was confirmed that the HD-DVD drive will indeed support 1080p, but only via VGA and not via component cables. As previously known, neither the attachment nor the Xbox 360 console supports HDMI. 1080i resolution will be supported via component. The Xbox 360 console itself will display 1080p game content, either upscaled from 720p or rendered natively in 1080p, via component or VGA cables. DVD content from Xbox 360 will continue to be limited to 480p with component. Microsoft also indicated that it does not plan on creating games in 1080p, though it is an option for third party developers.

Following Microsoft's recent announcements regarding its HD-DVD drive and support for 1080p video, Sony Computer Entertainment America PR head Dave Karraker issued a statement regarding Microsoft's approach to high-definition video:

It's unfortunate that Microsoft's external HD-DVD drive will not enhance the experience at all for the gamer. Sony realizes that to truly take gaming into the next generation requires a larger data format for both games and movies. PS3 uses the Blu-ray format for gaming, giving developers 50 GB of high-definition storage on a single disc, while Microsoft's 9 GB DVD gaming format is an obstacle for storing HD content. Furthermore, Microsoft's announced HD games patch is really just a compatibility feature--upscaling lower-resolution content does not make it Full HD (1080p), something that PS3 can do out of the box.

Microsoft today announced that Rare's Viva Pinata (X360) will have a Special Edition version available for a limited time upon the game's release this November. The double disc set will include an episode from the Viva Pinata animated television series, a demo of Traveller's Tales' LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, and demos of several Xbox Live Arcade titles: Frogger, Cloning Clyde, Time Pilot, and Marble Blast (presumably Ultra). The set will be available for $49.99.

Tokyo Game Show coverage continues from GameSpot, IGN, and 1UP.

1UP chats with Konami's Koji Igarashi about the Castlevania producer's plans for the series' future.

IGN has an interview with Ubisoft designer Fabrice Cuny on the recently announced Far Cry Vengeance (Wii).

The latest issue of print publication PSM has word of a new skateboarding franchise from Electronic Arts, succinctly entitled Skate. According to PSM, the game will feature some fourteen professional skaters, a control scheme making use of both analog sticks, as well as some kind of multiplayer mode. EA hopes to challenge Neversoft's long running and hugely successful Tony Hawk skate franchise, which has earned publisher Activision essentially complete domination of the genre via yearly franchise updates going back to 1998.

Being a PlayStation-oriented magazine, PSM only reported that the game is heading to PlayStation 3, though EA almost certainly plans to bring it to other platforms. Speaking to Shacknews, EA confirmed the game's existence, but would not reveal any further platforms. EA Canada will be handling development of Skate. The studio does not lack experience with similar gameplay, having developed the popular--and somewhat Tony Hawk-esque--SSX snowboarding franchise. Veteran gamers may also remember EA's first foray into the skateboarding genre with the now classic Skate or Die franchise.

EA Canada's Skate is expected to ship for PS3 and unspecified other systems in 2007.

Last week, the Japanese press revealed a trio of newly announced upcoming Square Enix titles for Nintendo DS. Most surprisingly, and in a rare move for Final Fantasy- and Dragon Quest-heavy Square Enix, is It's a Wonderful World, a new IP set in modern day Japan and featuring various well known Japanese urban landmarks. It's a Wonderful World is being handled by Square's Kingdom Hearts team, with direction by veteran designer Tetsuya Nomura. The player takes the role of protagonist Neku, able to read others' hearts. Neku and Shibuya are somehow drawn into a strange game that sees them battling monsters in simultaneous battles across the DS' two screens. It is not yet clear how this is performed, but is apparently a key aspect of the gameplay. No release date for It's a Wonderful World has been given.

Also somewhat surprising was the announcement of a Final Fantasy XII spinoff for DS. Entitled Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, the game features FFXII characters Vaan and Panello in a plot that centers around that perennial RPG theme, air pirates. IGN speculates that, based on the appearance of the characters, the game is likely to be a prequel to the upcoming main PlayStation 2 game. No gameplay details, nor a release date, are yet known.

Finally, and least surprisingly, Square Enix will be bringing a new game in the long running Mana series to DS: Heroes of Mana. Children of Mana, also for DS, hit Japan earlier this year, and will be released in North America on October 30, 2006. Heroes of Mana is being developed by Magical Starsign (NDS) studio Brownie Brown, which also has Mana experience, having handled the GBA remake Sword of Mana. Oddly, despite the action RPG heritage of the Mana series, Heroes of Mana delves into real time strategy, uncommon on portable systems. The game deals with resource management and army building from an airship base, but is still classified as a strategy RPG rather than a full on strategy game. No release date was given for the game.

Details on all three of these titles are expected at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show.

Activision today announced The History Channel Civil War, an upcoming historical action game from developer Cauldron. The game puts players in the role of either a Union or Confederate soldier in the U.S. Civil War, fighting in legendary battles such as Gettysburg, Bull Run, and Antietam. The History Channel Civil War features authentic locations and weaponry, hand to hand fighting, a wide variety of combat situations, and the cinematic touches we've come to expect from years of war-themed action games. Just not in World War II this time around.

Cauldron's The History Channel Civil War is expected to ship for PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and PC on November 14, 2006. - Xbox 360 screenshots.

Microsoft today announced initial details of its Xbox Live plans for the upcoming Tokyo Game Show and Microsoft-run X06 event. As it did during E3, Microsoft will be making numerous pieces of video and game content available for free download via Xbox Live, corresponding with announcements and demos from the shows. Additionally, the company revealed that during this "Bringing it Home" period, which runs from Wednesday, September 20 to Friday, September 29, two more Xbox Live Arcade titles will be released, including an as yet unannounced "major franchise."

Microsoft has not yet revealed which new demos will be made available, though it did provide the following list of games that will feature video content:

- Treyarch's Call of Duty 3
- Team NINJA's Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
- Turn 10's Forza Motorsport 2
- Io Interactive's Kane & Lynch
- Blueside's Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom
- EA Black Box's Need for Speed Carbon
- Seta's Project Sylpheed
- Activision's Shrek 3
- Rare's Viva Pinata

A variety of picture packs and themes will also be released. In total over 100 pieces of content will be made available. Much of the content released during the specified dates will only remain available on Xbox Live Marketplace until 12:00AM PDT on September 29.

Xbox Live Marketplace is now hosting a new package of downloadable content for Rare's Kameo: Elements of Power (X360). Entitled the Kameo Power Pack, the bundle contains three new gameplay modes. Expert Mode features six remade levels with both single-player and co-op, ratched up to an extremely high level of difficulty. Time Attack Mode allows players to cooperatively plow through enemies for the fastest time. Rune Battle Mode adds a competitive aspect to co-op, with players fighting to destroy enemies and collect more runes than their opponent. The download also adds new weapons, armor, and achievements.

The Kameo Power Pack is currently available for 400 Microsoft Points ($5).

Namco Bandai Games today revealed that CyberConnect2's upcoming PlayStation 2 action RPG .hack//G.U. Vol.1: Rebirth will be shipping to retail shelves on October 24, 2006, accompanied by a Special Edition set. In addition to the game, the Special Edition will include an action figure and corresponding weapon, as well as a bonus Terminal Disc containing a compilation of previous .hack lore in the form of stories and videos. The standard game will retail for $39.99. The Special Edition, available only through EB Games and GameStop locations and online stores, will retail for $49.99.

Game Developers Conference organizer CMP Game Group today announced that GDC 2007 will be the biggest event in GDC's history, more than doubling the size of the previous show floor and bringing total attendance to over 12,500. This also makes the show the largest industry-only video games event, prompting CMP to transfer GDC indefinitely from its traditional San Jose Convention Center home base to the larger Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. In 2005, GDC was held at Moscone, but it returned to San Jose for 2006; this new move is longer term.

In the wake of recent announcements that E3 will be drastically scaled down in terms of size and scope, GDC seems to be stepping up to partially fill E3's shoes. "While it remains our primary goal to serve the game development community and ensure that the session-based half of GDC remains unchanged, we also believe it is time to dramatically upgrade the range of expo opportunities," said executive director Jamil Moledina. "The result of our expansion is that GDC becomes the natural choice for all companies in the game industry ecosystem to exhibit and conduct business." GDC 2007 will be held from March 5-7, 2007 in the Moscone West and Moscone North buildings in San Francisco.

This week, Microsoft made headlines when it declared that it had secured a year of next generation exclusivity for major upcoming soccer titles FIFA 07 from Electronic Arts and Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 6 from Konami. "I'm really pleased to be able to announce today that Pro Evolution Soccer 6 will be an Xbox 360 next-generation exclusive for the next twelve month," said Xbox Europe head Chris Lewis during its Games Convention press conference. "I'm also really happy to be able to announce that FIFA 07 will also be a next-gen exclusive on Xbox 360 for the next twelve months. So, whether you prefer FIFA 07 or Pro Evolution Soccer 6, as a football fan you need look no further than Xbox 360 because you won't be able to get them on any other next generation platform. Xbox 360 owns football." Microsoft later issued a press release confirming the news.

However, speaking to 1UP today, Konami's Winning Eleven creator and producer Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka stated that Konami has no such agreement with Microsoft, and that apparently Microsoft's announcement has "caused some issues" with Konami, which has for many years enjoyed a strong relationship with Sony. "The presentation was misleading," he said, referring to Microsoft's press conference. "We never said exclusive for one year on the next-gen platforms. We said this year. We were agreed that it was this year." Apparently, the reason Konami will not be launching the PS3 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 6 alongside its Xbox 360 version is simply that the game is not far enough along. Though it will definitely not ship in calendar year 2006, it may be released next spring.

1UP goes on to claim that, according to unspecified sources, EA's FIFA 07 may also not be next-gen exclusive to Xbox 360 for Microsoft's promised twelve months.

Buried at the end of a hands on preview of Toys for Bob's Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Wii) (which we also previewed), IGN has a rather discouraging rumor regarding third party support for Nintendo's upcoming online service for Wii. "IGN has separately learned from multiple development sources that Nintendo will not release Wii Wi-Fi Connection libraries until early 2007," reads the preview, "which means that no third party launch title will have an online mode." This runs contrary to previous indications that Ubisoft's Red Steel would have an online multiplayer mode, but to date it is true that no third party publisher has explicitly detailed online plans for Wii launch games.

If this rumor is true, it may be that Nintendo's online multiplayer solution for Wii is not yet developed enough for widespread distribution to third parties, which may bode ill for the initial state of the service. Nintendo had not responded to Shacknews' inquiries as of press time.

Back in June, word leaked out of a retail collection of Xbox Live Arcade games for Xbox 360, dubbed Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1. Today, Microsoft has officially announced that collection. It will consist of six currently available Xbox Live Arcade games:

- Bizarre Creations' Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
- Reflexive Entertainment's Wik: Fable of Souls
- NinjaBee's Outpost Kaloki X
- PopCap's Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
- Silver Creek's Hardwood Backgammon
- TikGame's Texas Hold 'em

It will also come with a free one-month trial to Xbox Live Gold, as well as demos of Carbonated Games' UNO, GarageGames' Marble Blast Ultra, and Sprout Games' Feeding Frenzy. The package will be available worldwide on September 5, 2006, with retail price in the US of $39.99.

Namco Bandai today announced the official subtitle for its upcoming PlayStation 3 game based on the Gundam mecha franchise, which the company revealed earlier this month. Now known as Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire, the game is in development by Bandai Entertainment Company. - Screenshots.

BEC's Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire is set to ship for PlayStation 3 later this year.

Vivendi today announced a the official release date for Radical Entertainment's Scarface: The World is Yours. The game will ship for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC on October 8, 2006. PS2 owners will have the choice of standard packaging or a special Collector's Edition of the game, which includes a DVD with a "Making of the Game" documentary, interviews, a map of the game world, concept art, and a walkthrough with commentary, packaged in a metal case. The standard PS2 and Xbox versions of the game will retail for $49.99, PC for $39.99, and Collector's Edition for $59.99. - Interview, screenshots.

LucasArts has announced that the official website for Traveller's Tales LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC) has gone live, featuring character and enemy profiles, wallpapers, screensavers, and other game-related content.

Electronic Arts today announced the official website for developer Criterion Games, the studio behind Black (PS2, Xbox) and the Burnout franchise. The site includes interviews with development personnel as well as a Mailbag feature allowing gamers to ask questions of Criterion staff members.

Leipzig Games Convention coverage continues from sites such as GameSpot, IGN, 1UP, Pro-G, and HEXUS.

After constantly giving the vague release date of "2006" for its upcoming Revolution console, Nintendo has finally given a slightly more defined release target: "by Thanksgiving" in the US. "We have no plans to miss out on the year-end sales battle," said company president Satoru Iwata, speaking to Japanese publication Sankei Shinbun. "As for North America, we need to release it by Thanksgiving, or otherwise we won't receive support from the retail industry. So the Revolution will be released prior to that period." Iwata also noted that it would be impossible to sell the Revolution for a price of upwards of 50,000 yen (~$433). In case that upper limit sounds a bit worrying, Nintendo marketing man Reggie Fils-Aime once again confirmed today that the system will sell for less than $300.

In their respective interviews, both Iwata and Fils-Aime confirmed that Revolution would be present in playable form at E3. Fils-Aime said that the company will be showing "a lot of titles" at the expo, including the games from the system's launch lineup.

For many Xbox 360 owners, the best thing about their expensive next-gen console, whether they admit it or not, is Xbox Live Arcade. It sure is for me. And I don't mean that as a veiled slam to the rest of the console, it's just that Live Arcade does exactly what it needs to do: present a bunch of really fun games for only a few dollars each. After spending those hundreds of dollars, your wallet thanks you when only having to shell out $5 or $10 for untold hours of gameplay.

It seems that there are many, many gamers who agree. Live Arcade group manager Greg Canessa said to MTV News that Bizarre Creations' "'Geometry Wars' has been our 'Halo.'" While that's perhaps a bit exaggerated, the game has done incredibly well, racking up 200,000 downloads and 45,000 purchases Not bad considering that at its roots, the game stems from decades-old gameplay principles.

IGN has the top 10 selling Live Arcade games, and of course Geometry Wars tops the list. It's followed by Gauntlet, Smash TV, Bejeweled II, Zuma, Bankshot Billiards, Outpost Kaloki, Mutant Storm Reloaded, Joust, and Wik: Fable of Souls, demonstrating a healthy blend of arcade classics and current casual and independent games.

Many sites today reported on what was apparently an official Sony announcement of first party launch titles for PS3, including The Eye of Judgment, Genji 2, Angel Rings, Monster Carnival, a Hot Shots Golf game, and, most notably, a new Gran Turismo game. However, more competent translations of the page later determined that these are by no means launch titles; each has a shipping date of "undecided," and furthermore these games have already all been announced, meaning that there really isn't any new information of any kind on the page at all. It'll be some time before we get a solid lineup, given the console has still yet to be fully unveiled.

The official Game Developers Conference website has been updated to include two sessions held by Nintendo speakers. The first, a lecture given by Animal Crossing series director Katsuya Eguchi, will focus on transforming a console franchise to fit a portable platform, while touching on the DS' particular input methods and the online component of Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS).

Much more relevant to gamers in general, however, will be Takao Ohara's talk on Nitnendo's Wi-Fi Connection online service for the DS. He will discuss the successes and failures of the project, and most importantly he will discuss what can be done with the company's implementation of the service on Revolution, and how the lessons learned from the DS implementation will affect it.

There is not yet any indication that any Nintendo executives will present a keynote address at this year's event. At GDC 2005, company president Satoru Iwata delivered a keynote entitled "Heart of a Gamer," in which he discusses his and Nintendo's philosophies with respect to gaming, and also shed some light on the company's then-even-more-mysterious Revolution.

Geez, we don't hear anything about Revolution for ages, then occasionally we get these news days when there's nothing but Nintendo news and speculation. Minoru Nakai, producer on the upcoming Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (DS), spoke about the possibility of the Resident Evil franchise on Revolution. Capcom has still given no indication that Resident Evil 5 (PS3, X360) will ship for Nintendo's upcoming machine, and Nakai indicates that the Revolution's unique controller demands a type of gameplay more tuned to it. Certainly, the deliberately and successfully restrictive controls of Resident Evil 4 (PS2, GCN) would seem a bit at odds with the deliberately freeform nature of the Revolution controller. Nakai wants to first make a non-Resident Evil game for Revolution before bringing that franchise to the console.

Following up on yesterday's news that EA's The Godfather (PS2, Xbox, X360, PSP, PC) would be hitting stores in March on PS2, Xbox, and PC, IGN has confirmed that the little-mentioned Xbox 360 and PSP versions are still in fact in development. They will hopefully be launching some time in the late summer, according to an EA representative, but a more specific date was not given.

Gamasutra's audience speculates on what company might be able to bring a third successful handheld gaming console to market.

GameSpot has a designer diary for SCEA's Pursuit Force (PSP).

1UP lets you know what you can do with your 360 power brick. Don't feel like you need to click on that or anything, I'm just sayin'.