Mercenaries (PS2, Xbox) developer Pandemic Studios has recently been dropping a series of hints on its website related to its mysterious Project Q. The concensus among the internets was that the images and captions were clues suggesting a sequel to Mercenaries. Those suspicious were confirmed when Pandemic officially announced Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. "While we're building on the core mercenary experience we created for the original," said Pandemic CEO Andrew Goldman, "we've taken full advantage of next-gen technology to offer a more richly detailed, reactive, living world than gamers have ever seen before." Specific platforms were not revaled, but considering the original game shipped for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, successors PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are a fair bet. LucasArts published the first game, but was conspicuously absent from the press release, suggesting a new publisher may have been found.

No real information about the game was disclosed, with Pandemic preferring to keep the game under wraps until it is presented during E3. Check back next week for more.

When Nintendo released its updated DS Lite handheld in Japan, the system saw demand that was even higher than anticipated, which most likely resulted in Nintendo's reluctance to nail down any non-Japanese release dates by which time the supply chain would be sufficient. Today, the company finally revealed when DS Lite will be coming to North America: June 11. The system will be priced at $129.99, the current going rate for the original Nintendo DS, and will be available only in the iPod-esque Polar White color at first. Nintendo Australia also announced that the system will be available in Australia a bit early, arriving June 1 for AUS$199.95. Nintendo Europe has not yet announced a release date for European territories.

Though it answers several important questions, Nintendo's press release raises a few as well. It was not stated whether the original Nintendo DS will see a price drop once its sleeker and brighter sibling hits shelves, for example. Also, though the system will be available for a base price of $129.99, the release states that it will be priced "as low as" the quoted figure, implying there may be other options such as a version with a packed in game. The obvious choice there would be New Super Mario Bros. (DS), which will be released on May 15.

If you're considering picking up a DS Lite and are curious how it stacks up to the original Nintendo DS, check out our extensive hands on preview.

In the past week, we've seen quite a few rumors confirmed as fact. That happened yet again today as Vivendi confirmed that Monolith's acclaimed PC shooter F.E.A.R. will be heading to Xbox 360. Last month, Monolith's Xbox 360 launch title Condemned: Criminal Origins took the opposite route, heading over to the PC platform. Day 1 Studios, responsible for the two MechAssault games on Xbox, will be handling the port to 360.

F.E.A.R. for Xbox 360 is set to ship this fall. The game will be shown at E3. - Screenshot.

THQ announced today that it will be publishing a video game based on the HBO mob-centric television series The Sopranos. The player is cast as the illegimate son of Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero, attempting to rise within the ranks of the mob and prove complete loyalty to boss Tony Soprano. Neither a developer nor a final name was revealed for the game, which is in development for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. "Teaming up with one of the best in the business, we're excited to enter this new entertainment medium with our most successful and widely recognized original series, The Sopranos," said HBO's Carmi Zlotnik. "It's clear that fans want more of The Sopranos, and creating a game that puts the player in their world is a great way to satisfy them."

THQ's The Sopranos game is planned for release this holiday season.

Sony Computer Entertainment America today revealed its E3 lineup for PlayStation 2 and PSP. Not surprisingly, the publisher is keeping quiet on the PS3 front until next week's pre-E3 press conference. Today's list consists of thirteen games across the two platforms.

- ATV Offroad Fury Pro (PSP)
- ATV Offroad Fury 4 (PS2)
- Gangs of London (PSP)
- God of War II (PS2)
- Killzone: Liberation (PSP)
- Lemmings (PSP)
- LocoRoco (PSP)
- NBA '07 (PS2, PSP)
- Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP)
- Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
- SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 (PSP)
- SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault (PS2)
- World Tour Soccer '06 (PSP)

THQ announced its full lineup for this year's E3, consisting of nineteen games across all current- and next-gen home consoles as well as portable consoles and PC. The console lineup is as follows:

- Saints Row (X360)
- Frontlines: Fuel of War (PS3, X360, PC)
- WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 (PS2, PS3, X360, PSP)
- The Sopranos (PS2, X360)
- MotoGP '06 (Xbox 360)
- GTR (Xbox 360)
- Cars (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, Wii, DS, PSP, GBA, PC)
- Destroy All Humans 2 (PS2, Xbox)
- SongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab (PS2, GCN, Wii, DS, GBA, PC)
- Monster House (PS2, GCN, DS, GBA)
- Bratz: Forever Diamondz (PS2, GCN, DS, GBA, PC)
- Barnyard (PS2, GCN, GBA, PC)
- Avatar: The Last Airbender (PS2, Xbox, GCN, Wii, DS, PSP, GBA, PC)
- Juiced: Eliminator (PSP)
- Alex Rider: Stormbreaker (DS, GBA)

Activision announced its fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal year outcomes this week, and like so many other gaming firms in recent months, the situation could be better. In the fourth quarter, the company saw a net loss of $9.2M on revenue of $188.1 versus a profit of $3.6M on $203.9M in the same period last year, for a decrease in profits of $12.8M year over year. Still, for the full fiscal year, Activision saw increased revenue over the previous year, rising from $1.41B to $1.47B. However, overall profits shrunk substantially from $138M to $42M. The company pinned the declines on the oft-noted current console transition, which has been taking its toll industry-wide. Activision expects revenues to fall in 2007, but to rebound significantly heading into fiscal 2008.

During an analyst conference call, Activision also indicated that it plans to have three launch titles each for PlayStation 3 and Wii this year. A company representative noted that these games will ship during "launch periods" rather than necessarily launch day. Furthermore, it was confirmed that Activision will be lending greater support to Wii than was granted to GameCube. One of Activision's launch period titles for Wii is almost certainly Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, a yet-to-be-formally-announced Tony Hawk skateboarding spinoff heading to Wii and DS courtesy of Star Control and Star Control II developer Toys for Bob.

Lucasfilm today announced that the original Star Wars trilogy (you know, Han shoots first etc.) will be coming to DVD for a limited time on September 12. At the same time, LucasArts announced that Traveller's Tales' LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy will be hitting shelves the same day. It was also revealed for the first time that the game is in development for Xbox 360. That means it's headed to a total of eight platforms, the others being PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PSP, Game Boy Advance, and PC. LEGO Star Wars II is a followup to last year's surprisingly successful LEGO Star Wars, which featured a LEGO brick video game rendition of the Star Wars prequel films. For details on the DVDs and game, check the full press release. - Trailer.

Next Generation catches up with Microsoft's Peter Moore during the runup to E3. Moore touches on the competition, Xbox 360 in Japan, and why the term "online gaming" is a term that is "off-putting" and "quite frankly seems kind of geeky." Please, implores Moore, call it connected gaming.

Game Informer interviews a EA's Jason Armenise and Chuck Blevins about the company's version of Madden for Wii.

As you probably noticed earlier today, Nintendo has finally unveiled the name of its upcoming next-generation system, previously codenamed Revolution. The new moniker? The curt and vaguely childish Wii, pronounced "we." Nintendo made the announcement via a flash animation on its official site. Intended to be easy to remember and pronounce in countries around the world, the name also uses the visual appearance of the two "i" letters to suggest the shape of its unique controllers and the phenomenon of people coming together to interact. It breaks a trend with past Nintendo consoles, forgoing the company's iconic name in favor of a shorter brand; that means it's not "Nintendo Wii," it's just "Wii."

Not surprisingly, there has been widespread reaction--largely negative--to the name on the part of journalists and gamers across the internet. CNN/Money's Chris Morris spoke with Nintendo marketing VP Perrin Kaplan in his Game Over column. Kaplan explained the reasoning behind the name, and noted that one reason for unveiling the new name now rather than during the upcoming E3 is to ensure that showgoers are entirely focused on the games. A certain Shacknews editor is also quoted with his reaction.

Kaplan also spoke to IGN, and Nintendo PR manager Matt Atwood spoke with Game Informer about the name change. GameSpot has reactions from various industry analysts, and they span the whole spectrum.

You know, Wii is sort of a nice-looking word. The problem is, at some point you'll actually have to say it out loud. I'm not going to bother because you're surely clever enough to make them yourself, but suffice to say--what were they thinking? It's hard to really rank it against past gaffes like Gizmondo and ApeXtreme (which its creators insist is pronounced "Apex Extreme" instead of what it actually looks like). What basis for comparison is there when they're all so mind-boggling? I mean, really, almost all console names have been pretty goofy--Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Mega Drive, 3DO, even PlayStation. Still, Wii...!?

Again, though, please keep discussion in the thread.

Speaking to development-focused site Gamasutra as well as GameSpot, Electronic Arts has revealed the creation of an internal studio at EA Canada that will focus exclusively on development for Wii, aka Nintendo Revolution. The first game out will be a Madden title, something that almost goes without saying on any new major platform. EA's John Schappert, former head of EA Tiburon (originally Tiburon Entertainment) and current head of EA Canada, commented on the studio and its first announced game. Interestingly, he noted that the game is not a port; rather, it is being created for a ground up to take advantage of the platform's unique control system. "I don't think a winning approach on the Revolution is to port games to it, and I don't think you'll see us taking that approach," he explained to Gamasutra. "I think that approach will yield inferior software for the Revolution, and I don't think publishers will be rewarded for that." Speaking on the impetus for a specialized team, Schappert said, "Once you go on hands-on with demos, you walk away and you're smiling and you're giddy like a schoolkid talking about it for the rest of the day. Which is why after we saw it we realized that to fully maximize that machine we needed to create a group just focused on Revolution." Not surprisingly, he also indicated that other EA franchises will be making their way to the machine.

GameSpot's interview goes more into game itself. It seems to be controlled gesturally for the most part, with motions intended to correlate more closely to what's happening onscreen than in most sports games. Much like the statements made by Ubisoft designers working on the previously announced Red Steel, Schappert described how the team has spent a great deal of time simply trying out various gestures and control methods to determine which are the most enjoyable and appropriate.

EA Canada's Madden NFL (Wii) does not yet have a release date. The game will be playable at E3 2006.

Activision has announced Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, an upcoming action/RPG title based on the Marvel superhero universe and containing "the largest roster of comic book characters ever seen in a video game." Over 140 Marvel characters will be represented in various capacities, about twenty of which are playable. Fans of the X-Men Legends games will be happy to hear that series creator Raven Software is handling the game's development. Marvel Mangaverse scribe C.B. Cebulski will be lending a hand in the creation of the game's storyline and dialogue. Similarly, Activision sought out noted X-Men comics writer Chris Claremont to work on the upcoming X-Men: The Official Game. - Screenshots.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance ships this fall for all current- and next-gen home consoles and portables.

Sega made the third of its daily E3 game announcements at midnight last night, and this time they knocked off two at once: World Pool Championship 2007 for PlayStation 2, and World Pool Challenge 2006 for PSP, both developed by UK pool veterans Blade Interactive. "Pool is a classic game that a wide variety of audiences can identify with," said Sega's Scott A. Steinberg. "With a host of exciting new modes and features, both World Pool Championship 2007 and World Pool Challenge 2007 will provide new avenues for virtual hustlers to rack 'em up." The games allow players to create their own pool pro and enter over ten licensed pool tournaments in a variety of game types such as eight-ball, nine-ball, and more.

World Pool Championship 2007 and World Pool Challenge 2007 ship this fall, and will be playable at E3.

Sony today revealed its financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter and the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006. In the fourth quarter, the electronics firm saw a net loss of $579M (66.5B yen), increasing the loss by 17.7% year over year. For the full fiscal year, however, the situation was somewhat different. It looks like the earlier part of the year made up for the fourth quarter, with Sony seeing profits of $1.08B (123.7B yen).

The generally profitable PlayStation division saw net income of $75.7M (8.7B yen), down a staggering 79.7% year over year. Much of the decline was attributed to R&D costs for the upcoming PlayStation 3, along with various other expenses involved with a console's launch. PlayStation 2 software sales were also down, but expenses were somewhat mitigated by PSP and the continuing strong hardware sales of PS2.

Microsoft also revealed its latest financial specs, though in its case they pertain to its third fiscal quarter, which ended March 31, 2006. The company saw quarterly profits of $2.98B on $10.9B in revenue, a 13% increase year over year. Revenue did not quite meet estimates, due in part to the continuing costly Xbox 360 launch. Related expenses, including the significant loss taken on the sale of each console, meant Microsoft's newly restructured Home and Entertainment division saw $1.06B in revenue but a loss of $388M for the quarter, up a striking 122% year over year. In addition to 360-related expenses, tapering sales of Halo 2 were actually a big contributor to the rising loss. Revenue in fiscal year 2005 saw a big boost from Bungie's blockbuster, but sales have of course slowed recent months, contributing less to Microsoft's bottom line. Microsoft expects the trend of increased loss to continue in the near future, but noted that 360 should see positive profit margins within its life cycle.

1UP takes a look at the, uh, classic Philips CI-i, which just hit its 15th anniversary.

According to VNU, Microsoft is currently planning to raise production of Xbox 360 consoles to one million per month between April and June, doubling the number of units produced worldwide between January and March. The information comes courtesy of Taiwanese chip manufacturers providing parts for the console. When contacted for comment by Shacknews, a Microsoft representative stated:

"This story is speculative - we have not disclosed specific inventory or manufacturing ramp up figures. We have said that with component supplies in full production and third manufacturing partner Celestica now producing the next-generation console along with partners Wistron and Flextronics, Microsoft is producing more Xbox 360 consoles than ever. Last month we announced Microsoft would ship two to three times the number of Xbox 360 consoles to the retail channel weekly and we remain on track to meet our year-end fiscal goal of 4.5-5.5 million units."

The ramp up would help Microsoft meet its stated goal of 4.5-5.5 million units by June, and if production remained at increased levels would ensure that the two competing consoles near their release dates, customers in search of Xbox 360s are not driven elsewhere due to lack of supply.

Rythm game oriented site Orange Lounge Radio has posted what is allegedly a retailer release schedule detailing a variety of upcoming Konami releases. The list seems generally plausible, and some of the games are already known to be in the works.

- A long rumored followup to Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS) was revealed for Nintendo DS, entitled Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. Another Castlevania title on DS has been almost a sure thing, with fairly conclusive hints from several major publications; however, the game was previously referred to as the somewhat more awkward Castlevania: Dual Moons. The rechristened Portrait of Ruin has a release date of November 15, 2006.
- Also present on the list is a PSP game called Silent Hill Original Sin, which the source claims is some kind of remake or port of the original Silent Hill (PS1) with "a few twists." Konami has not previously mentioned this title. It is listed with a release date of October 18, 2006.
- Two new games from Backbone Entertainment's Death Jr. property were present, one for PSP and one for Nintendo DS. The original Death Jr. (DS), whose titular protagonist is the young son of the Grim Reaper, was one of the first PSP games showcased before the system's release. No description was given for either sequel beyond the names and release dates: Death Jr. 2 for PSP on October 18, 2006, and Death Jr.: Science Fair of Doom on October 11, 2006.
- Bomberman: Act Zero, the previously announced Bomberman title for Xbox 360 and PSP, will be released July 12, 2006. Yes, this is the one in which Bomberman looks like the unholy spawn of the Terminator and Freddy Krueger. He's extreme, you see.
- Three Dance Dance Revolution games were revealed: DDR Supernova (PS2) on September 13, 2006, DDR Universe (X360) on October 11, 2006, and DDR Ultramix 4 (Xbox) on November 14, 2006. Karaoke Revolution: American Idol (PS2) is set for release November 15, 2006.

Though all of this information has become widely reported and seems plausible, bear in mind that it has not yet been confirmed. Shacknews has contacted Konami for comment but as of press time has not yet received a response.

Namco Bandai confirmed two games today: Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra (PS2) and Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (PSP).

Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra will finish off Monolith Soft's Xenosaga trilogy, a semi-spinoff of Square's 1998 RPG Xenogears (PS1). The game features an improved battle system, an updated database feature, and some kind of 50 hour mini-game. "We are very excited to bring this conclusion of the Xenosaga series to the fans that have been anxiously waiting to see how this epic adventure will conclude," said Namco Bandai's US product director Yoshi Niki. Xenosaga Episode III will ship this fall. Namco Bandai recently released Xenosaga I & II (DS) in Japan; the compilation does not yet have a North American release date.

Ace Combat X for PSP was revealed in the latest issue of Japanese publication Famitsu and confirmed by Namco Bandai representatives in the US. Few details were revealed about the game, other than that it is expected this fall in Japan. Namco Bandai could not confirm that the game is headed for Western territories. The company is also currently preparing to ship Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (PS2) in North America on April 25.

Ubisoft today announced the development of Open Season, a video game tie-in based on Sony Pictures Animation's first full CG-animated movie. "Ubisoft is committed to making the best movie-based video games in the industry," said Ubisoft VP of marketing Tony Key. "We do this by partnering closely with our licensing partners and movie makers to create an experience that remains true to the spirit of the film but expands it far beyond the theater." The game is coming to "all available video game platforms" on September 15, two weeks before the film's release. - Screenshots.

What is it about upcoming console launches that make game publisher executives use such bizarre wording? It's a secret to everybody. In a recent Gamasutra interview, newly promoted Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat commented on Nintendo Revolution: "I can say definitely, as any other developer, we are looking at this magical platform, and we want to be part of the adventure."

Microsoft has just held a press conference in Japan detailing its future plans for the Xbox 360. This is the meeting mentioned last week in regards to a "relaunch" of the console in Japan. Rumors as to what would be announced at the conference included an exclusive Tales title from Namco Bandai and a new game in the Chrono Trigger line from Square Enix. The reality was slightly more...realistic, but some interesting things were revealed. Here are the notable announcements so far:

- Xbox Marketplace has seen relatively good success in Japan, with 52,000 content downloads from the service so far. SNK, Konami, Namco Bandai, D3 Publisher, Hudson, and Yuke's Media Creations will be supporting Xbox Live Arcade in some form. Namco Bandai comfirned that Pac-Man and Galaga will be made available.

- Namco Bandai announced a new Gundam game for the system featuring online play, as well as a new Culdcept title called Culdcept Saga. The company also showed a trailer of Zegapain, an anime-based game that has already been announced.

- Square Enix will be supporting Xbox 360 with an arcade-style space shooter developed by Game Arts. The game's working title is Project Sylph, and will apparently feature some kind of involved storyline.

- Mistwalker's Xbox 360 RPG Lost Odyssey has been delayed until 2007. The company's other high-profile RPG, Blue Dragon, is on track to wrap up at the end of 2006.

- Star Ocean developer Tri-Ace is currently working on an RPG with strong real-time gameplay elements. Like Mistwalker's efforts, it is being created in collaboration with Microsoft Game Studios.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe vice president and SCE France president George Fornay revealed a likely price range for Sony's PlayStation 3 in a radio interview on French station Europe 1. His slightly oddly worded expectation is that the machine will sell for around 500 Euro, in the range of 499 to 599 Euro." Until now, the only remotely useful knowledge gamers have received about the system's retail price has been hinting from Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi that the system will be expensive.

The quoted figures are roughly equivalent to a USD range of $613-$736, based on current exchange rates. However, consoles rarely if ever follow real world exchange rates between the United States and Europe; rather, they tend to use the simpler rate of 1 Euro = US$1. If these numbers are indeed accurate, that would put a premium of $114-$137 (93 Euro - 112 Euro) on the European version of the machine.

Fornay reiterated that the system is being delayed because of Blu-ray finalization (though SCE Worldwide Studios Phil Harrison recently revealed that the PlayStation Network Platform online service won't be ready until September, so there are likely multiple factors at work). He also justified the system's higher than usual price by pointing out that it is quite a bargain for a system including Blu-ray functionality, a hard drive, and high definition capability.

Lucent Technologies, a firm holding a 1993 patent on certain MPEG-2 encoding and decoding technology, has sued Microsoft for patent infringement. The firm claims its patented methods are being used in the Xbox 360's built in DVD decoding. This is the second lawsuit hinging on this matter in which Microsoft has been involved. Lucent sued PC manufacturers Dell and Gateway in 2003 for use of technology from patents including the one in the current suit. As part of its indemnity agreement to assist manufacturers using Windows products, Microsoft countersued Lucent to obtain a noninfringement ruling. Microsoft was able to win because of, oddly enough, a typo in the patent. Lucent has since had the error resolved with the U.S. Patent and Trademarkt Office, and submitted a request to Microsoft to cease distribution of Xbox 360. Unsurprisingly, Microsoft did not comply, leading to Lucent's legal action. Lucent is currently seeking a trial by jury.

Ubisoft today announced that a fourth iteration of the classic Rayman platforming series is in the works. The game is being developed at Ubisoft's Montpellier studio under the direction of series creator Michael Ancel, also known as the creator of Beyond Good & Evil (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC) and designer of Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, DS, PSP, PC). Ancel returns to the series after an absence during the development of Rayman 3 (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC). Little information was revealed in Ubisoft's press release, other than that the game will be coming this holiday season for "current and next-generation consoles."

The game lends some credence to an allegedly leaked Ubisoft release list that circulated a few weeks ago, which was officially discredited by Ubisoft. One of the games it listed was Rayman 4, listed as coming to PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Revolution, and "handheld."

Today's announcement probably finally lays to rest rumors that Michel Ancel would be returning to his critically acclaimed but poor-selling Beyond Good & Evil. The designer has stated that he had plans for a trilogy in the works, and would work on the remaining games if given the opportunity.

Capcom's Dead Rising has been delayed until September in Europe. Some sites have reported this as pertaining to the North American market, but the game's release period in North America remains this summer--at least, as of the last time it was delayed.

Yesterday I briefly noted that the release date for New Super Mario Bros. (DS) had been moved back a week from May 15 to May 21. Well, that same day, Nintendo once again changed the date on its official site back to May 15. The game has seen a constantly shifting release date, with the game originally set to ship right in the middle of E3, on May 9. Many have speculated that the frequent adjustments have been to keep the game lined up with the release of DS Lite, which has been projected to launch in May.

The Escapist has an interesting look at Retro Studios and the development of its acclaimed Metroid Prime (GCN). A lot of ground is covered, if not particularly in depth, including Shigeru Miyamoto's demand that the game be first person instead of third person, the convoluted politics behind the studio's evolution, how it became a successful Nintendo developer instead of imploding, and why Retro is a much nicer place to work than it used to be. (The article also refers to what I call "Metroidvania," as "Castleroids." That word is...disturbing to me.)

It's been over a week, but PS3 news is back. For old time's sake, let's stick it right here, in the traditional top position.

A well-regarded member of the AV Forums with connections to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe had a meeting with SCE Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison, and he brought with him a bevy of questions from forum inhabitants. Of course, none of this information should be considered final or confirmed, but it all seems within reason. Unsurprisingly, many of the questions were not answered, and some were given stock responses the press has been receiving for months, but there were a few noteworthy points:

- The hard drive will be included with the console.
- It has not yet been decided whether PS2 peripherals such as the Guitar Hero guitar or racing wheel controllers will be compatible with PS3.
- Similarly, compatibility with PS1/PS2 memory cards has not yet been determined.
- The controller is being redesigned in some way, and the console itself is receiving "minor tweaks."
- PS3's Blu-ray playback capability was compared to PS2's DVD playback capability (unsurprising since PS3, which includes a Blu-ray player, will no doubt sell for hundreds of dollars less than the least expensive standalone BD player).
- PS3's online service will feature global online play across the US (presumably referring to North America), PAL regions, and Japan. This likely means that, in other territories, online play will be confined to the particular territory in question.
- Use of Sony's online gaming service will be free. Revenue will come from Xbox Live Marketplace-like microtransactions, as well as in game advertising. Sony will likely use information in users' profiles to deliver context-sensitive ads.
- 50GB Blu-ray discs will be needed for launch titles. Harrison and co. took the opportunity to point out that a next-gen console needs about a 100:1 ratio between game disc storage space and system memory. PS3 has about 98:1 thanks to Blu-ray, as did PS2 and Xbox, but Xbox 360 is 18:1 or so.
- PSP was briefly mentioned, with Harrison raising the possibility of a PSP redesign. If it happens, it would include a hard drive.

Again, take with a grain of salt, but nothing there is too surprising.

Various bits of Revolution news and rumor popped up today, so here we go.

- MTV News, which--remarkably--continues to have better game coverage than many game sites, published an interview today with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. Again, Iwata promised that additional "unique features of the ... hardware that we haven't discussed yet" will be revealed at E3. Various developers, publishers, and internal Nintendo sources have made reference to unannounced features, but none have given any indication as to what they might entail.
- Intriguingly, Iwata stated he has "gained a little bit of interest in getting more involved in game development again." Prior to joining Nintendo just a few years ago, Iwata was in charge of HAL Laboratories, the development studio he co-founded with fellow programmers fresh out of college. Along with former HAL designer Masahiro Sakurai, he was instrumental in the creation of series such as Kirby and Super Smash Bros.

Iwata also mentioned that E3 would see announcements of various Revolution games developed by studios Nintendo met with at last year's GDC. Speaking of Revolution games...

- The generally reliable Advanced Media Network claims that sources from Nintendo of Europe have confirmed a platform-exclusive action game combining gunplay and swordfighting. Other sources have revealed that the game is an Ubisoft project called Katana (no relation to John Romero). There have been persistant rumors of Ubisoft developing a Revolution-specific shooter for quite some time now, but still, you know the drill. Grain of salt and all that.
- Independent developer AGFRAG announced that it has obtained the exclusive rights to develop a video game based on the late Bob Ross' television show and painting techniques. Yes, Bob Ross, the guy who taught how to paint clouds and trees while smiling and sporting a fro. Speaking to IGN, AGFRAG president Joseph Hatcher confirmed that the press release is real and not in any way an April Fool's joke, "but the side effect of people thinking it is might help us get noticed." The game is in development for Nintendo Revolution, Nintendo DS, and PC. - Press release.

Why stop with Revolution and PS3?

- According to translations of a report from German site GameFront Online, Microsoft is planning a relaunch of Xbox 360 in Japan. Japan has been a tough market for the console since the original Xbox was deployed there in 2002 but so far Xbox 360 has arguably had an even tougher time so far. It sold fewer units at launch than its predecessor did when it hit shelves, largely thanks to a lackluster launch lineup. Microsoft is hoping that lineup will be energized on June 29 when four high-profile titles are released: AQ Interactive's Bullet Witch, Sega's Chromehounds, Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, and Idea Factory's Spectral Force 3: Innocent Rage. Frequently, hardware is referring to as having an informal second launch when key titles or revisions hit the market, but since Microsoft is said to be making an announcement on the matter next week, it is likely something official will be in the works.

- Team NINJA's outspoken Tomonobu Itagaki revealed to Famitsu Xbox 360 that Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball 2 (X360) is being "fast-tracked" through development, and a trailer of the game will be shown at E3. The game will be playable over Xbox Live. This time around, it will also contain elements in addition to just volleyball, as Itagaki does not believe that just playing volleyball online would be particularly fun.

GamesIndustry.biz speaks with RedOctane CEO Kelly Sumner. RedOctane recently gained fame for publishing Harmonix's acclaimed Guitar Hero (PS2).

Sony Home Pictures Entertainment announced today its intention to roll out the first round of Blu-ray Disc movie titles on May 23. This corresponds with the launch date for Samsung's BD player, the first BD device to hit retail shelves. Appropriately called BD-1000, the device is expected to retail for approximately $1000. The titles to be released by Sony and MGM are 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, A Knight's Tale, The Last Waltz, Resident Evil Apocalypse, and XXX. A second wave on June 13 is comprised of Kung Fu Hustle, Legends of the Fall, Robocop, Stealth, Species, SWAT, and Terminator. Given the selection, Sony appears to be hedging its bets on the young male demographic acting as early adopters. The company also be hoping that that same demographic, its primary target with the PlayStation line, will invest in a BD collection as the BD drive-eqipped PS3 nears its eventual release date, whenever that may be. Sony did not list prices for its initial releases. - Press release.

One other studio is joining Sony on its May 23 Blu-ray launch. Lionsgate Home Entertainment will be releasing five BD titles: Crash, Lord of War, The Punisher, Saw, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Unlike Sony, Lionsgate did reveal price points for their titles, and as expected it's a bit of a premium over DVD. Crash and Lord of War will each retail for $39.99, with the latter three at $29.99. This initial release will be followed later in the summer by five more titles: Reservoir Dogs, Total Recall, Stargate, Frank Herbert's Dune, and The Devil's Rejects. Each will be $29.99 with the exception of The Devil's Rejects, priced at $39.99. - Press release.

This is even less console-related than that Blu-ray item, since HD-DVD isn't actually an integrated part of Xbox 360, but here you go. Toshiba revealed to CNET today via CNET Japan that the company's first HD-DVD players would be available in March, with HD-DVD movies available on March 28. The initial players will cost between $499-$799. This will be followed by a PC HD-DVD drive in April and a recordable HD-DVD drive in May. Perhaps we'll be getting that external HD-DVD drive for Xbox 360 sooner than anticipated (see, it's console news!).

A job listing was recently posted on GameDev.net advertising a design position for Will Wright's Spore. What's surprising about the posting is that it relates to portable versions of the game. The requirements of the job include "designing, creating and maintaining game systems and content for SPORE Handheld titles." It then specifies that such game(s) will be shipping on "multiple Handheld platforms," which in all likelihood is referring to DS and PSP, with GBA being a rather slim possibility and systems such as Gizmondo or N-Gage utterly improbable.

Spore was announced for PC in a surprise presentation at Wright's deliberately blandly titled seminar "The Future of Content" at last year's Game Developers Conference. The incredibly ambitious game aims to be something of a Sim game to end all Sim games, starting the player out with a single-cell organism which evolves and evolves, eventually becoming the progenitor of a highly advanced spacefaring species. While it might seem like a bit much to try and distill down into a portable game, such a translation actually makes more than a bit of sense. With such wildly divergent possibilities, Wright and his team have elected to take a procedural approach towards content creation for the game; that is, models and animations will not be precreated. Rather, the game will allow such content to be generated in ways that stem logically from how the player has chosen to evolve his or her species. One side effect of this is that the game takes up a comparitively small amount of space than one would expect out of what is essentially SimUniverse. The PC game will also go online in order to populate the player's universe with planets and life forms created by other actual Spore players. With Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection service and the PSP's ability to go online, this should be possible as well.

The position being advertised is in Emeryville, California, the location of Wright's personal development studio, suggesting that the acclaimed designer will be overseeing the project moreso than he did with the portable versions of The Sims 2.

Spectrum MediaWorks, a company headed up by Bungie founder Alex Seropian and film/TV veteran Jim Banister, has announced some details about its upcoming MMO, X Quest. The game is actually one component in a larger X Quest property, which will also be manifested in a reality television show of the same name. The reality TV program will feature two teams of seven contestants each who take on missions within a space simulator. They will be interacting with the same virtual environment that makes up the MMO, and events caused by players of the MMO will have an impact on the events of the reality show. The game is being constructed by an unnamed MMO developer, and ways to interact with the game are also being constructed for mobile phones and web browsers.

Director Ron Howard is serving in a consulting role in the creation of both the game and the TV series. Game industry veteran Lorne Lanning, founder of developer Oddworld Inhabitants, is on Spectrum MediaWorks' design advisory board. Lanning and Oddworld Inhabitants, frustrated with various aspects of the games industry's operation, recently withdrew from the industry proper in order to transform the studio into a multiformat creative team working not just in games but also in areas such as film and television.

It is unknown what Seropian is currently working on with his recently-founded studio Wideload, responsible for Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (Xbox, PC). The company is currently hiring, however, so it's safe top assume there's something in the works over there.

Nintendo announced today that the official Metroid Prime Hunters (DS) website has gone live. It contains some new information about the game's characters, multiplayer, and single-player campaign. - Press release.

You may recall Philadelphia Channel 6 Action News' shocking expose about the Nintendo DS, which revealed how sneaky pedophiles can lure children by way of Pictochat. In reality, the story was misleading and in some cases factually incorrect. It turns out that the reporters covering the story contacted gaming site GamerDad while the story was still being written to confirm various details about how the DS worked. GamerDad's David Long attempted to set the record straight, but Channel 6 Action News apparently completely ignored the informed knowledge he provided.

Game Informer has coverage of the art exhibit i am 8-bit.

GameSpot has a Q&A on Red Storm's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (PS2, Xbox, X360, PC).

The funny thing about all these debates over whether the PS3 is delayed or not is that we still have no idea when it's actually supposed to launch in the first place. We have "spring," but there's no territory assigned to that, and that's a pretty broad window anyway. That said, there is new news suggesting that the PS3 may, in fact, be delayed. This time, it comes straight from Sony itself, so it's probably worth noticing.

A Sony Computer Entertainment representative told the Japanese media that due to problems with the Blu-ray specifications, the PS3 may very well miss its "spring" release date. Enterbrain president Hirozaku Hamamura noted that since Sony has not yet begun taking retailer orders for the system, it is unlikely will ship by May--ie, the boundary of the spring deadline. Enterbrain publishes Famitsu and other Japanese gaming publications, and is also a leading source of Japanese sales numbers for games and gaming hardware. The article indicates that the PS3 is more likely to be launched in the late fall in both North America and Japan. This would be a tough move for Sony, given the number of units that would have to be produced to take advantage of holiday season demand. That said, the company certainly isn't looking to hand that lucrative sales period in two major territories over to Microsoft and, assuming Revolution is launched on time, Nintendo.

About a month ago, Microsoft Xbox PR man Peter Moore spoke with Business Week on the possibility of Microsoft entering the portable media hardware market. He said that any attempt Microsoft makes in that regard would very likely make use of the Xbox brand, even if the device in question is not a completely game-centric device. You may also recall origamiproject.com, a viral marketing website that popped up last week.

It looks like those two things may in fact be related, in perhaps only a tangential way. The Internet uncovered a video this weekend hosted on the website of film studio Digital Kitchen. The video is has since been removed but was mirrored elsewhere. It depicts Origami, a Microsoft device that apparently has tablet PC functionality and various types of media capability. There is also a brief shot of a man enthusiastically playing Halo. However, the machine is probably not actually playing a portable version of Bungie's shooter; if anything it would be simply the PC version running, but more than likely it is just video footage. Neither the device nor the promotional video had any Xbox branding, but it turns out the video is a year old, far predating Peter Moore's interview. Still, regardless of whether it takes the Xbox name or not, it is almost certain that the device will not be heavily slanted towards gaming. It doesn't seem quite set up for it from a control perspective, and it would seem to be a bit overambitious from a marketing perspective. I guess we'll find out on Thursday when the machine is planned to be unveiled.

Hollywood trade publication Variety reports on actual progress being made with the previously announced Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC) film adaptation. The movie, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, will receive a "scriping overhaul" by Jeffrey Nachmanoff. Nachmanoff's only prior feature film credit is the 2004 disaster flick The Day After Tomorrow. There is still no director announced, nor a cast, but the two currently-attached names don't exactly fill me with bounds of confidence.

Midway today announced its 2006 lineup for Sony's PSP, which consists of the following three games:

- NBA Ballers: Rebound. The NBA Ballers series is coming to a portable for the first time. The game, which allows players to create a player with custom clothing and jewelry, allows 1v1 as well as 1v1v1 via local wireless multiplayer.
- Rush. The Rush series of arcade-style racers comes to PSP complete with 36 different vehicles. It includes a story mode set in the city of Los Angeles and 1v1 local wireless multiplayer.
- Mortal Kombat: Unchained. You've probably heard of Mortal Kombat. Well, now you've heard of it on PSP. The game apparently has an "innovative fighting system" designed to take advantage of wireless multiplayer. It also includes exclusive characters for the PSP version.

Press release

Okay, never mind that headline, I don't actually know what I meant with that. The point is, Capcom has announced Mega Man Battle Network 6 for Game Boy Advance. Like other entries in the spinoff series, the game will come in two editions. Named Cybeast Gregar and Cybeast Falzar, the two versions refer to the ancient beasts around which each game is based. The versions contain different abilities and combinations of abilities for Mega Man to acquire.

Both versions of the game go on sale in the second quarter of 2006. - Press release.

1UP has the full version of an edited interview originally published in EGM with Christopher Gans, the director of the upcoming Silent Hill film, and Akira Yamaoka, the composer for the film and games. Gans' responses are excellent, and he truly seems to understand games and what is necessary to adapt a video game to film. Fingers crossed for his adpatation.

GameZone speaks with Nintendo's Erik Peterson about the 2D platformer Drill Dozer (GBA).