The PlayStation 3 will indeed be upgraded to better support stereoscopic three-dimensional visuals, maker Sony has confirmed.

"All PS3 units will be firmware upgradeable to 3D," the company declared in a recent investors meeting that detailed plans to "release 3D games in line with Sony's 3D strategy."

Sony plans to launch the PlayStation 3 update and other initiatives, like accelerating 3D theater growth, in its 2010 fiscal year, which runs April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011.

Additionally, Sony intends to return its game business to profitability by the end of the same fiscal year through the expansion of "hardware software/sales and enrichment of PlayStation Network services" coupled with "cost reduction... Read more

Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard is looking to further expand the blockbuster series by adding a third development studio to the mix, claims a Los Angeles Times report.

Recent years have seen the company release annual entries by alternating lead development duties between series creator Infinity Ward (Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) and Treyarch (Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty: World at War), with external studios n-Space and Rebellion having assisted with Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2 editions.

Activision claims that this year's entry, Modern Warfare 2, represents "the biggest launch in history across all forms of entertainment," with indications that the inevitable next one is being handled by Treyarch and could be set in the Vietnam War era.

The publisher has also repeatedly spoken of a possible Call of Duty-branded massively multiplayer game, with CEO Bobby Kotick pondering how to monetize "the natural evolution of a property like Call of Duty into a massively multiplayer environment" and CFO Thomas Tippl noting "you should expect us to test and ultimately launch additional online monetization models of some our biggest franchises like Call of Duty."

Following last week's record-breaking launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the iPhone and iPod touch are now home to a Call of Duty game of their very own. Now available via iTunes, Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES recreates the zombie-infested "Nacht der Untoten (Night of the Undead)" map from last year's entry, Treyarch's Call of Duty: World at War, in portable touch- and tilt-controlled form.

The 16MB download sells for $9.99, packing three controls schemes and support for up to four players via Wi-Fi or two via Bluetooth. Development was handled by Ideaworks Game Studio, with more maps slated to arrive as downloadable content.

This is it, folks. The week before Thanksgiving, the last big hurrah of the crowded holiday season. This week rivals the number of releases due before the year's end.

Go ahead and hit up the full list, or, if you're looking for a particular system, skip right to the PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS or PSP section. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be on North America store shelves Sunday, November 15, with the rest of this week's retail offerings due by Wednesday. Gyromancer--Square and PopCap's Bejeweled RPG--will be downloadable Wednesday on PC and Xbox 360.

... Read more

Konami Digital Entertainment issued a press release today, announcing that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Nintendo Wii releases on December 8 of this year. Shattered Memories is a remake of the Playstation's original Silent Hill (1999), but shakes up the first game's formula in significant ways.

The original game's decidedly awkward combat elements have effectively been stripped from Shattered Memories. This time around, players are only equipped with a cell phone and flashlight to help them navigate the darkness and solve puzzles. Thankfully, both exploration and fleeing from demonic forces should be better experiences than before, due to an increased line of sight. One of the more interesting sounding improvements is a "psych-profiling feature," which reportedly analyzes players and "adjusts itself to their actions."

The PS2 and PSP release dates for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will be announced in the "near future." You can take a look our impressions of the game here.

Sony recorded one of the biggest wins yet for the PS3 with system exclusive Uncharted 2 capturing the top spot for October sales. And it was a resounding victory too, beating out second place Wii Fit Plus by nearly 18%. Basketball fans also made their presence known pushing NBA 2K10 to an overall win with combined sales between the 360 and PS3 version putting it ahead of Uncharted 2, 575,000 to 537,000.

On the hardware side of things Nintendo continued its domination of the raw sales figures selling 506,900 Wiis and another 457,600 DS handhelds. Despite selling a respectable 320,600 pieces to put it in third place, PS3 was unable to maintain the momentum from the September launch of the new Slim model with sales down when compared on an average per week basis. Xbox 360 likewise saw a similar decline but Wii, DS, and PSP all trended up from a month before.

Hardware and Software top ten details follow... Read more

It's been a tumultuous day for videogame publishing giant Electronic Arts. This morning we reported on their acquisition of social game developer Playfish in a $300 million deal that could climb to $400 million. This afternoon word comes in their fiscal second quarter results of a $100 million cost-reduction plan that the press release says, "will result in the closure of several facilities and a headcount reduction of approximately 1,500 positions, of which 1,300 are included in a restructuring plan."

More than just an ironic combination, these two moves point directly to the ongoing shift at the publisher to match the modern videogame market. The press release in fact says as much in its comments on the Playfish acquisition immediately above the section on cost-reduction: "The acquisition accelerates EA's growth in social entertainment and strengthens its focus on the transition to digital and social gaming."

Looking at the numbers it's hard to take issue with their approach from a financial standpoint. In the earnings call EA CEO John Riccitiello noted, "Industry packaged goods software sales [e.g., the usual $60 retail game] are down approximately 12% year-to-date." This comes despite their enjoying a slight 4% increase in share for the same in North America and Europe. At the same time EA sees the digital market, in which they include mobile, micro-transactions, subscriptions, and advertising, growing at a rate of 20% or better for the next several years.

Long seen as a bastion of the traditional videogame... Read more

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is almost here. What more needs to be said?

Go ahead and hit up the full list, or, if you're looking for a particular system, skip right to the PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS or PSP section. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

Modern Warfare 2 will be on North American store shelves Tuesday, November 10. The rest of this week's retail releases should be available by Wednesday, November 11.

... Read more

Having already made his Rock Band debut in with another band, Jack White returns to Harmonix's music game franchise with a selection of tracks from The White Stripes as The Damned and Kasabian toss songs of their own on the downloadable wagon.

Due on Xbox 360 and Wii Tuesday, November 10 and PlayStation 3 on Thursday, November 12, each of the following tunes will go for the usual asking price of $2 / 160 Microsoft Points, with three-pack offering a slight savings at $5.50 / 440 MS Points.

The White Stripes Pack 01
• The White Stripes - "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"*
• The White Stripes - "Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine"*
• The White Stripes - "Icky Thump"
• The Damned - "Smash It Up (Part II)"*
• Kasabian - "Club Foot"*

*Also available in the family-friendly LEGO Rock Band Music Store.

Is Activision really getting sued again? No Doubt!

TMZ reports that the band No Doubt is suing Activision for "the unauthorized use of the No Doubt's name and likeness," in Band Hero, released on November 2. The band is suing for an injunction prohibiting the use of the band members' likenesses in songs other than the three No Doubt tracks included in the game, and seeks an undisclosed amount of damages.

The lawsuit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, claims that the game "transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act," a statement indicative of being able to play any of the game's more than 60 tracks using No Doubt avatars... Read more

It's been a long time coming, but BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins is almost upon us. And be sure not to overlook this week's other releases. The inevitable showdown between Imagine: Babyz Fashion and Jurassic: The Hunted should prove interesting.

Go ahead and hit up the full list, or, if you're looking for a particular system, skip right to the PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS or PSP section. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

Barring any unforseen delays, most of this week's games should hit by Wednesday.

... Read more

As the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 nears, Activision is discounting the zombie-filled DLC for Call of Duty: World at War on the PS3.

The three map packs can all be had for 50% off, or $5 apiece. The sale--which also coincides with a double-XP bonus--runs through next Sunday.

Hamsters with maracas? Just another week in the crowded holiday season.

Go ahead and hit up the full list, or, if you're looking for a particular system, skip right to the PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS or PSP section. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

Most of this week's offerings should be available by Wednesday, October 28, with two notable exceptions: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony won't be downloadable until Thursday, the same day that Episodes From Liberty City hits retailers.

... Read more

LucasArts has released the official system requirements for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition: The Video Game, and while most of the bullet-points are pretty reasonable, the 24GB install is certainly a little intimidating. The Sith Edition--set to include the previous Tatooine DLC pack and a new, exclusive Hoth level--hits this holiday on PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The PC requirements follow:... Read more

Heavily-armed cyborg mutant from the future Cable is latest character announced for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2's upcoming downloadable content pack, joining a lineup of new characters which also includes Carnage and Psylocke.

Several new simulation missions will arrive in the DLC, with "arena-style" boss fights and a mission described as "an homage" to 'the old school X-Men/Avengers 2.5d arcade "brawlers'" revealed so far. Neither a price nor release date has been announced yet.

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"She will be loved," a virtual rendition of "front man from Grammy Award winning band Maroon 5" Adam Levine assures us in this family-friendly clip from Band Hero.

Packing 65 on-disc tunes, Band Hero hits PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii on November 3. A separate Nintendo DS Lite version with 30 songs hits the same day.

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What better way to promote DJ Hero than a video remix featuring clips of DJ Jazzy Jeff, Grandmaster Flash, DJ AM and others talking about the peripheral-packing video game? "It's got a turntable and it's got a fader," explains Flash. "Do do. E-e-e-e-eh."

Coming to PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii, DJ Hero hits October 27.

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With just over two weeks to go until Band Hero hits North American store shelves, publisher Activision has listed all of the songs in the family-friendly rhythm game.

The company also touched on downloadable content support, writing that "fans can play almost all of their previously purchased Guitar Hero downloadable content," as well as detailed the cost of bringing Band Hero songs into Guitar Hero 5 and vice versa.

PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii Tracks

1. 3 Doors Down - "When I'm Gone"
2. The Airborne Toxic Event - "Gasoline"
3. The All American Rejects - "Dirty Little Secret"... Read more

Shooting, sports, strategy, super heroes, wrestling, robotic replacement children, prom and Grand Theft Auto--safe to say, the flood of holiday releases isn't slowing down.

Go ahead and hit up the full list, or, if you're looking for a particular system, skip right to the PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS or PSP section. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

Most of this week's retail releases should be at North American shops by Wednesday.

... Read more

Spider-Man villain Carnage is joined by X-Men bad-girl Psylocke in the roster of upcoming DLC characters to Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.

No word on a release date for the new supers, but they are expected to be available before the end of the year.

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