Electronic Arts today announced that developer Criterion is currently working on the fifth entry in its well regarded Burnout series of racing games. Entitled simply Burnout 5, the game is headed for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Burnout 5 diverges significantly from past series entries by featuring a seamless open world environment called Paradise City. "Gone is the need to jump in and out of menus to aimlessly search for fun," notes EA's press release. As players gain more notoriety in the world, they will face up against the city's other legendary racers. "Burnout 5 is a complete reinvention of the series, built from the ground up for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360," said Criterion designer Alex Ward. "To create truly next-generation gameplay, we needed to create a truly next-generation game, from top to bottom." In a feature that is somewhat reminiscent of Stefan Eriksson's car crash that spawned months of bizarre and convoluted Gizmondo-related news, today's announcement claims that players will be able to actually "rip their cars in half."

EA plans to ship Criterion Games' Burnout 5 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2007.

Raven Software's upcoming action RPG superhero mashup Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, Wii, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC) will be scored by its own alliance of composers. Activision announced today that Chance Thomas (Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire, Unreal II: The Awakening), Cris Velasco (Jaws: Unleashed, Terminator 3: The Redemption, God of War), and Mark Griskey (Gladius, Star Wars: Racer Revenge, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith) will be handling composition duties for the game, which will feature over 50 minutes of original music.

Activision plans to ship Raven Software's Marvel Ultimate Alliance to all platforms later this year.

IGN relays information from a Tecmo financial report indicating that the veteran publisher has signed on to release content for Nintendo's Virtual Console service for Wii. Long time gamers no doubt remember the company's classic NES titles such as Tecmo Bowl and other sports games, as well as the Ninja Gaiden series, both of which are likely candidates for Virtual Console inclusion. Apparently, the company's support for the service is "aggressive." No specific titles or release dates were divulged.

Bethesda sends word that its next piece of downloadable content for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will be available for the Xbox 360 version of the game via Xbox Live this Thursday, August 31, the same day the content for the PC version will be available. The Spell Tomes pack, which adds several new spells to the game, is the cheapest Oblivion download yet, at 80 Microsoft Points ($1).

Atlus announced today that its dark Sony-developed survival horror title Rule of Rose (PS2) has received its very own official site. Rule of Rose is set for release in North America on September 12, 2006.

Capcom has announced that its zombie killing title Dead Rising (X360) has seen brisk sales in its first two weeks at retail, with the publisher already having shipped over 500,000 units in North America. The game, which has also seen strong reviews, is set for release on September 8 in Europe and on September 28 in Japan.

Over at FileShack we've got a video diary on Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Vegas (PS3, X360).

As you may have noticed in tonight's Evening Reading, Wired has a lengthy feature up asking whether the PS3 can save Sony. It frames the upcoming PS3 in the context of Sony's recent PR and financial troubles, looking back on the company's history leading up to its present situation, and comparing it to its competitors in Microsoft and Nintendo.

CNET News.com has an interview with Sony Computer Entertainment America president Kaz Hirai, speaking on PlayStation 3 and revealing nothing particularly new.

A variety of online reports tracking back to Japanese investment bank Nikko Citigroup report that the firm issued a report this week claiming that Nintendo has secured a better than anticipated manufacturing cost for the Wii's Broadway CPU. The firm now expects a retail price of 19,800 yen ($170.07) in Japan, significantly lower than Nikko Citigroup's previous expectation of 25,000 yen ($214.74). This is at odds with last week's rumors from IGN, which pegged the console's US price as $229. Even if Nikko Citigroup's information is correct, it is very likely that the console's price in the United States would be $199.

Nintendo was not available for comment at press time.

Recently, Ubisoft announced that it would be bringing Ubisoft Romania's Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII (Xbox, X360, PC) to Wii at the system's launch. Today, Ubisoft announced that the combat sim will also be part of the launch lineup for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3, which goes on sale November 17, 2006 in North America. The PS3 version of the game will include new missions, a 16-player mode, and control that takes advantage of the PS3 controller's tilt functionality.

GamesIndustry.biz has part 1 and part 2 of an interview with Eidos' product acquisition director Ian Livingstone. The exec noted that Eidos will be supporting all three next generation consoles and had positive words for each, pointing out that Microsoft "has obviously got a 12 month head start on the competition" with Xbox 360 and Nintendo has a "cheaper priced product that concentrates on gameplay above all else" in Wii, but his most glowing praise was saved for PlayStation 3. "It's extraordinary quality, that's the starting point," he said about the Blu-ray technology used by PS3, then went on to the console itself. "If people are seeking the ultimate machine, the PS3 is clearly the best spec machine as far as next-gen goes. As with all things in life, you have to pay for quality," he said. "It is absolutely beautiful to look at and you are getting virtual interactive cinema in the comfort of your own home. It's a very compelling selling point and Sony just has to educate people that yes, it's a lot of money, but it'll be worth it."

Livingstone spoke enthusiastically about the continued appeal of Eidos' gaming icon Lara Croft. In addition to mentioning that Eidos has further Tomb Raider games in development, he revealed that the publisher is currently speaking to Paramount about a third Tomb Raider film. The executive also made the rather curious claim that Lara Croft is more famous than Nintendo mascot Mario, due to her ability to break beyond "the games niche...thanks to two blockbuster films" as well as her appeal to females as well as males.

Microsoft sent out a press release last night detailing its short term release plans for Xbox Live Arcade. Next up will be Texas Hold 'em, releasing Wednesday, August 23, 2006. Interestingly, the game will be free for its first two days on Xbox Live Marketplace. Starting Friday, August 25, the game will have a standard price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10). The game has support for up to eight players via Live, leaderboards and Achievements as expected from a Live title, and three gameplay modes: Standard, Scenarios, and Tournaments.

The company also announced a few more upcoming Live Arcade releases. Today, four gamer picture packs for Ninjabee's Cloning Clyde will be released for 100 Microsoft Points ($1.25) each. On Wednesday, August 30, Konami will release a remade version of its 1982 fighter jet arcade title Time Pilot, featuring updated graphics and gameplay. It will run 400 Microsoft Points ($5). On September 6, Konami will release another one of its arcade classics, the sidescrolling shooter Scramble. It too will run 400 Microsoft Points ($5), and it seems that it will be presented in its original form.

According to comments made by Nintendo VP of marketing George Harrison made in a web chat on Nintendo's Camp Hyrule, the Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, GCN) will not feature support for the GameCube controller as previously believed. "The GCN controller will be able to play the GCN version on the Wii console, but will not be able to play the Wii version," said Harrison. This is at odds with comments made by Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan during E3 implying that the Wii version of the game would support the GameCube controller via the system's legacy controller ports.

In regards to whether Wii's Virtual Console service would support newly developed games in addition to classic titles, Harrison confirmed that it will, though his comments seemed to indicate that such games may not be coming until after launch. Interestingly, he also indicated that there are further properties of the Virtual Console service that have not yet been announced. "Remember, there are other secrets of the virtual console that we won’t reveal until we get closer to launch," he stated.

IGN has an interview about Vicarious Visions' Wii version of Raven Software's Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Wii, also PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC) with producer Evan Skolnick.

Tokyo Game Show organizers this week announced that Sony Computer Entertainment boss Ken Kutaragi will be delivering a pre-show keynote address entitled "The Next Generation as Created by the PlayStation 3." Kutaragi may well reveal some of the remaining major unrevealed pieces of information about PlayStation 3, such as the details of how it will handle online gaming. During one of last year's keynotes, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata famously revealed the then-named Revolution's unique controller for the first time.

Anothing keynote slot has been filled by Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix but for the purposes of his keynote the chairman of Japanese trade organization CESA (Computer Entertainment Software Association). His address, which will follow Kutaragi's, is entitled "The Possibilities and Hurdles of the Game Industry."

Both keynotes will be delivered on September 22 as part of business-oriented programming prior to the show's commencement proper on September 23.

Various Wii rumors surfaced this week, and the diligent Nintendo reporters over at IGN Wii have given their opinion as to the validity of each. Most of them seem pretty reasonable.

- Monster Games' over the top racer Excite Truck is rumored to be a launch title. This would come as little surprise, since during E3 it was one of the Wii games that appeared to be most finalized and polished. According to IGN, the game is even closer to completion than Nintendo has let on.
- Wii's Virtual Console service is rumored to have 20-30 titles at launch. This news apparently comes by way of industry insiders who have gleaned Virtual Console plans from Nintendo and its partners in the service. Known partners so far include Sega with its Sega Genesis, and NEC and Hudson Soft with their Turbo Grafx-16. Presumably, Nintendo has also been in talks with third party developers which published games on NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64. It is unknown how many, if any, of those 20-30 titles will be original titles as opposed to legacy titles. Nintendo no doubt hopes to give Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade service a run for its money; by comparison, the Xbox 360 incarnation of Live Arcade launched with about ten titles and now has about twenty-three.
- IGN states that several publishers will be showcasing Wii games during the Leipzig Games Convention next month. This will include at least one game that has not yet been shown in playable form. Contrary to prior speculation, the system's presence at the show should be fairly strong.
- More Naruto games will be coming to Wii. Games based on the popular anime have come to a variety of systems, including PS2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and others, but the GameCube titles have been known to be particularly strong sellers, making Wii entries in the series a logical step.
- There are currently no plans to bring Crash Bandicoot to Wii. Rumors that the Naughty Dog creation would come specifically to Wii were apparently erroneously derived from noncommittal statement by franchise owner Vivendi that any console platforms are potential targets for Crash.

Yesterday, The Behemoth formally unveiled its upcoming old school action game Castle Crashers. No specific platforms were announced, though the game was first shown running on GameCube during last year's Comic-Con. Now, Game Informer reports that Castle Crashers, along with The Behemoth's debut effort Alien Hominid (PS2, Xbox, GCN) will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade in 2007. Both titles fit well within the Xbox Live Arcade library, being 2D sidescrollers with gameplay that is straightforward but challenging. Castle Crashers features four-player cooperative gameplay, with The Behemoth targeting online play. Alien Hominid has same screen two-player co-op, though it is not yet known whether that will be extended to online co-op for the Live Arcade release.

Little mention has been made recently of Webzen's fantasy MMO Endless Saga, announced last year for PlayStation 3 and PC last July. It seems that the reason for this silence is simple enough: speaking to PS3Land.com, a Webzen representative revealed that Endless Saga has been quietly cancelled. "After some rigorous development effort, we found the gameplay of Endless Saga to be short of innovation and creativity we seek to achieve in online gaming space," stated the rep.

The company, which focuses its publishing efforts on massively multiplayer titles, has multiple games in the works for PC and Xbox 360, but now has no announced PlayStation 3 projects. According to the representative, Webzen still plans on entering the PS3 market at some point in the future.

Codemasters today announced that its well known Colin McRae series of racing games will be coming to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in the form of DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road. The game will include the 12.4-mile Pikes Peak International in Colorado. DIRT will feature Rally Cross events combining dirt racing and road racing, and will have specific modes for European, International, and Global rally championship types. As befits a next-gen racing title, DIRT is promised to have online multiplayer, an improved physics system, and a new car damage model.

DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road will ship in 2007 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Atari today announced that its upcoming semi-MMO racing game Test Drive Unlimited (PS2, X360, PSP, PC) will break with tradition in terms of pricing for high profile, high budget games on Xbox 360. Rather than the standard third party price point of $59.99, the game will launch at $39.95. "Innovation should be available to everyone, not a privelege for those who can afford high price tags," said outspoken Atari CEO and Chief Creative Officer Bruno Bonnell.

Following Test Drive Unlimited's Xbox 360 release, developer Eden Studios will support the game with monthly downloadable car packs to supplement the game's included 90 cars, similar to Bizarre Studios' offerings for Project Gotham Racing 3 (X360). In addition to new cars, each pack will come with a new genre-themed in-game radio station containing 10-20 songs.

Eden Studios' Test Drive Unlimited is set to ship later this year. For more information on the game, check out our preview.

Online game developer and publisher Sony Online Entertainment today announced that it has licensed Epic's wildly popular Unreal Engine 3 for use in a number of its upcoming titles, including the announced MMO based on the DC Comics universe. "The combination of a top-notch graphics engine and a robust set of design tools will enable our teams to deliver incredible and innovative game content for next-generation consoles and the PC," said SOE president John Smedley. Presumably by "next-generation consoles," SOE is referring to PlayStation 3, though the DC Comics project has not yet been officially announced for specific platforms beyond next-generation consoles and PC.

LucasArts sends over a feature in which developers from Traveller's Tales and LucasArts speak on a few of their favorite moments in the upcoming LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, NDS, PSP, GBA, PC).

As of today, the Invasion Map Pack for the Xbox 360 version of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 2 (X360, PC) is available through Xbox Live. It includes five new multiplayer maps: Crossroads in Antonville, France; Newvillers in St. Louet, France; Normandy in Amaye sur Seulles, France; Decoytown in Alam Halfa, Egypt; and Harbor in Rostov, Russia.

The Invasion Map Pack is available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Activision also sent over some screenshots from the new maps.

According to various online news outlets, UK publication PSP Magazine published news allegedly received straight from Sony that by the end of 2007, PSP will be compatible with close to 7,000 PlayStation games. During Sony's pre-E3 conference this year, the company announced that its portable system will at some point be able to play certain PlayStation titles made available for purchase and download. However, this is the first indication as to the amount of support the service will be receiving, as well as its time frame.

There are a few things that do make the alleged news a bit implausible. Firstly, worldwide, there were 7,743 PlayStation titles published according to Sony's published data--1,335 were released in North America, 1,501 in Europe, and 4,907 in Asian territories. That would mean nearly the entire worldwide library, including localized versions, would be available for PSP by the end of next year. It is questionable whether this would be financially viable, given that every title is not likely to be in high demand. PSP will also have a tougher time with backwards compatibility than PS2 and PS3 since it lacks the built-in PS1 hardware of its home console brethren, making this purported lineup astonishingly ambitious. That's not to mention the PSP's lack of two of the four shoulder buttons present on the PS1 controller.

Sony, unsurprisingly, is declining to confirm these rumors. For now, take this with plenty of salt.

According to a presentation given this week by Nintendo of Spain, the company is considering offering pre-paid value cards for Wii's upcoming Virtual Console service, sold through retail channels. Virtual Console will offer titles from all pre-GameCube Nintendo home consoles, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16, as well as new smaller scale titles. Such prepaid cards would allow gamers to purchase games through the service without use of a credit card. Apparently, the idea is specific to Nintendo of Spain at the moment, though it may be extended to other Nintendo regional branches.

According to Japanese publication Famitsu, a new Ridge Racer title is in the works from Namco for PSP. Last year, the racer-heavy portable console launched with a version of the long running racing franchise. Ridge Racers 2, as the new game will be known in Japan, will include 18 tracks from prior Ridge Racer games from the original PS1 title up to Ridge Racer Type 4. There will be 18 cars available from the start, with additional cars unlockable. The game will again feature 8-player local wireless multiplayer as well as World Tour and Time Attack, and will add new Arcade, Duel, and Survival modes.

Ridge Racers 2 will be released in Japan on September 14, 2006. No North American release has been announced.

Ubisoft today announced that it has opened up a new development studio in Sofia, Bulgaria. Some of its staff, including its manager, comes from Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII (Xbox, X360, PC) studio Ubisoft Romania.

Ubisoft Bulgaria's first projects are the PC port of Ubisoft Montpellier's Rayman Raving Rabbids (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PS3, X360, Wii, PC) and a console port of Telltale Games' CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder (PC).

GameSpot has a translated Q&A with From Software producer Toshifumi Nabeshima regarding Chromehounds (X360), originally published by ITMedia.

Nintendo held a conference in Japan yesterday to discuss various details of the company's strategy for the coming year. Unsurprisingly, the brunt of the announced news pertained to the company's upcoming Wii console and the current Nintendo DS handheld. Here's what was said regarding Wii:

- Newly developed games will definitely be a part of Virtual Console. Pricing will be around 500 yen ($4.44) to 1000 yen ($8.88), putting games in essentially the same price range as Xbox Live Arcade titles for Xbox 360, which generally go for $5-$12.50.
- Nintendo plans to ship six million Wii units worldwide by the end of the company's fiscal year 2006, which ends March 31, 2007. Four million of those will be shipped by the end of calendar year 2006.
- Wii will have all of the capabilities of a retail DS Download Station, allowing trailers and demos to be wirelessly sent to DS consoles.
- Some DS games will have additional big-screen features usable with Wii.
- The final price and release date for the Wii console will be revealed by September. (Thanks for the heads up, guys!)
- Two reports from Reuters cite Iwata as noting that he expects Nintendo's profits to have little impact from from sales of Wii hardware, but he also does not expect "an enormous loss." These statements suggest that the console will be sold fairly close to cost, if it will not cause significant profit or loss.

...And here are the DS announcements:

- To cope with continuing demand, Nintendo is working to raise DS production to over 2 million units a month worldwide, peaking at 2.2 million a month.
- Nintendo plans to release 3-4 titles per year in the Touch Generations line, the casual gamer-friendly brand which currently contains games like Brain Training (Brain Age), Nintendogs, and Tetris DS.
- The company plans to ease non-gamers into the hobby by way of Touch Generations titles. Towards that end, the company noted that many Japanese consumers who bought a Brain Training game went on to buy more traditional games. For example, 32% of Brain Training owners later bought Animal Crossing: Wild World, 23% bought Mario Kart DS, 20% bought New Super Mario Bros., and 14% bought Tetris DS.
- Opera's DS web browser will be available in Japan in July via online sales. Worldwide release dates were not given.

Also, while this was not mentioned at the conference, here's as good a place to put it as any. Namco Bandai made something of a surprise announcement that Point Blank DS will ship to retailers next week in North America.

Sony has traditionally been keen on the idea of consumers thinking of its game consoles as computers rather than game machines. Sony Computer Entertainment boss Ken Kutaragi famously said about the PlayStation 3, "[It] is not a game machine. We've never once called it a game machine." Last week, SCE Europe's Phil Harrison stated that the PS3 could perform all of the entertainment functions of a PC; "PlayStation 3 is a computer," he said; "We don't need the PC." Indeed, even the PS2 is officially referred to as the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

Today, Kutaragi reiterated that view. "[PlayStation 3] is radically different from the previous PlayStation," he said. "It is clearly a computer." He noted that game consoles are generally stripped down to lower costs, and while that is true with PS3 to some extent, he also expects the machine to keep pace with PCs. "If a new technology gets into mainstream PCs, the PS3 will have to adopt it as well," he said. "Everything has been planned and designed so it will become a computer." He notes that the hard drive can be swapped out with any standard PC hard drive. The higher-end PS3 model also features support for various flash memory card formats.

Kutaragi went so far as to say that PS3 will be very customizable: "As a computer, the PS3 could really be sold via BTO [build-to-order.]" He noted that companies such as Dell and Apple have programs allowing customers to keep their PCs updated with new hardware over time, and though there are no specific similar plans currently in place for PS3, it is a possibility. "I think that the time may come that the 60GB HDD would become too small or the RAM too low," he said.

In regards to any alleged difficulties of PS3 programming, Kutaragi pointed out that PC users don't complain about "improved clock, memory or HDD." He added, "On the computer named PS3, I would like the top guns of programming to express themselves." It is important to note, however, that PC architecture does not generally change as drastically as console architecture does between generations; PS3 features the highly distinctive Cell processor consisting of several parallel processing units.

In regards to the different paths being taken by Sony's competitors in the upcoming generation, Kutaragi was welcoming. "I think that if this can make the market and the industry more dynamic, why not?" he asked. "If we we're all doing the same thing, the market would transform into a killing arena--that's not really good, in my opinion."

In a Wall Street Journal interview at the paper's D: All Things Digital conference, Sony CEO Howard Stringer made an inadvertent reference to the video game industry when speaking about the performance of Sony's film The Da Vinci Code. "It also beat Xbox 3 in Europe in its second weekend," he said, intending to say "X-Men 3." When corrected, Stringer laughed and exclaimed, "There's an obsession!"

That led into interviewer Walt Mossberg asking, "PS3 is going to be 500 bucks, right?" (the machine has a dual $499/$599 price strategy) and Stringer launched into an explanation of PS3's price point. "$499, and look it's got more bells and whistles than a 747," he said. "The reason it's expensive [is that] instead of concentrating on just the games player, which would have been done in the past, PlayStation 3 is designed to go somewhere else, where it's the center of the living room."

Stringer also had some thought on Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. "Look, the skill of Bill Gates is he's so brilliant at his detail that when he slips in the salesmanship, most of us think: oh my God, he must be right," Stringer explained. "He talked on the one hand, and I loved it, he talked about Vista [being] delayed as if delay was normal, and then he started mocking me for delaying PS3."

Pokemon games have made it to every Nintendo system since the original Pokemon Red/Blue's debut on Game Boy, so it was only a matter of time until a game in the decade-old series was announced for Wii. That happened during Nintendo's conference yesterday, as the company unveiled Pokemon Battle Revolution. Very few details were given about the game, though online functionality of some kind was confirmed. The game will also feature connectivity with Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (NDS), allowing two gamers to fight battles on the big screen using creatures they have collected in the DS games.

Pokemon Battle Revolution is set for release some time in 2006. It is not known who is developing the game, be it original Pokemon developer Game Freak, frequent collaborator Genius Sonority, or some other studio.

Microsoft today announced that Ninety-Nine Nights (X360), a large-scale third person action title developed by Q Entertainment and Phantagram, will be shipping in North America this August. The game has already been released in Japan and Korea. For more on the game, check out Shacknews' preview.

The map update for Rare's Perfect Dark Zero (X360) first erroneously announced last week is now actually available via Xbox Live. It consists of the multiplayer maps Trench, Rooftops, Gas Plant, and Plaza, the last of which is also playable in the free Perfect Dark Zero demo available through Live. This new update is purchasable for 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25).

A free playable demo for Konami's Rumble Roses XX (X360) is now also available through the service.

Bungie has released their Halo 3 trailer documentary, going behind the scenes on the making of the company's E3 video for the upcoming Xbox 360 shooter.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently spoke with Japanese technology publication Tech-On!, published by major news source Nikkei. Iwata discussed the research that went into the company's upcoming Wii console, the parallels between the success of DS and plans with Wii, as well as some practical details about functionality with the system's Virtual Console and WiiConnect24 services.

In regards to Virtual Console, Iwata confirmed that Nintendo hopes to see developers create smaller games on lower budgets to be distributed online, in addition to the classic titles already planned for download. "It is possible to create a reasonably entertaining game in 2 months with a team of three," he said, and suggested a price of 500 yen for such games, equivalent to about $4.42. "By offering an environment that allows this," Iwata continued, "we hope to encourage more developers to pursue basic yet enjoyable gameplay."

Since Nintendo DS demos can be distributed to DS consoles via wi-fi kiosks, and since Wii will include built-in wi-fi capability, many have speculated that it may be possible for gamers to download DS demos from the internet to a Wii console, then send the demos to a DS system. Iwata also confirmed that this will be possible, when describing an example of functionality for WiiConnect24, which allows Wii to stay connected to the internet at all times. "This would allow Nintendo to send monthly promotional demos for the DS, during the night, to the Wii consoles in each household," said Iwata. "Users would wake up each morning, find the LED lamp on their Wii flashing, and know that Nintendo has sent them something. They would then be able to download the promotional demo from their Wii's to their Nintendo DS's." He admitted that while users can already download DS demo content from retail locations, he expects people to prefer to do so at home.

Despite recent comments by Microsoft's Peter Moore suggesting that Xbox 360 backwards compatibility may be on the back burner, it looks like there's still another compatibility update in the works. According to members of the Gamerscore Blog, run by Microsoft PR employees, a patch consisting of about a dozen games should be available "in the next few weeks." No specific game titles were mentioned in the posting.

Today, Microsoft issued an announcement that the first new map pack for Rare's Perfect Dark Zero (X360) had been released via Xbox Live. However, gamers who logged into the service to try and purchase the content quickly discovered that it was nowhere to be found. Soon after the announcement was made, Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb confirmed in a blog post that the update is indeed not yet ready.

Still, the preemptive announcement suggests that that maps are nearing completion, and gamers can probably expect them to appear in the relatively near future. When Map Pack #1 is actually available, it will contain four new maps for 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25). The maps are entitled Plaza, Trench, Rooftops, and Gas Plant. Last week, a free Perfect Dark Zero was released containing the map Plaza.

Citing a "friendly anonymous source at Microsoft," Joystiq has rumors of price points for several upcoming Xbox 360 accessories. Earlier this week it was revealed that Xbox Live Vision, the name of Xbox 360's upcoming camera peripheral, would be released September 19 in North America. Joystiq claims that it will come in a $39.99 bundle along with a current model wired Xbox 360 headset, a copy of Xbox Live Arcade's UNO, and one month of Xbox Live Gold service. It is unclear whether the camera will also be available separately.

The wireless headset announced during E3 will reportedly sell for $59.99. A new 256MB Memory Unit is said to be priced at $59.99, compared to the current 64MB Memory Unit which sells for $39.99. Xbox 360 faceplates themed around Halo, Forza 2, and Viva Pinata will go for the standard faceplate price of $19.99 each. All of these accessories are planned to ship this fall. Finally, the USB wireless gaming receiver, which will allow Microsoft's wireless Xbox 360 peripherals to be used with Windows PCs, will go on sale in early 2007 for $19.99.

Microsoft of course has not commented on the accuracy of the reports. Joystiq claims that the information was in fact taken from official pricing plans which have not yet been publically announced. All of the price points seem reasonable and expected, but, as always, treat this as rumor until further confirmation is received.

Last week, Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned in an interview that it may be possible for player characters in multiplayer Wii games to feature user-drawn faces. Today, Wired's Chris Kohler published excerpts of an interview with Nintendo producer Katsuya Eguchi confirming that this is indeed planned as a console-wide feature rather than being limited to the Wii Sports games which made use of such caricatures at E3. "The caricatures will exist in the hardware, as data, as one of several profiles that you could save in the Wii," explained Eguchi. "And if you insert compatible software into the Wii, it will pull up the images that you chose."

Today, Ubisoft launched its official site for Taito's Over G Fighters (X360), a near-future combat sim with real world jet fighters. Nintendo launched its official site for Mitchell's Magnetica (NDS), a remake of Mitchell's original Puzz Loop, later cloned by PopCap as Zuma.

The New York Times has an interesting article on Sony that may shed some more light on the PS3's hefty price tag. Howard Stringer, Sony's new CEO, is hoping to revitalize the "Sony premium," the higher prices that have traditionally accompanied Sony products because of the confidence they can give consumers that the products in question are superior. As it has expanded out into so many different consumer markets beyond its core competencies, particularly in Japan, that premium has become devalued. The company is hoping to bring it back.

Eurogamer has an interview with Capcom's Keiji Inafune, speaking on the upcoming action title Lost Planet (X360).

GameSpot has a Q&A with Insomniac president Ted Price about the company's upcoming shooter Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3).

Game Informer has a fairly uninformative five part video interview with Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan, in which she discusses probably nothing that you haven't heard before if you've read any other Nintendo PR interview recently.

- As may have noticed earlier today. Nintendo confirmed that its upcoming Wii console will not be priced above $250 in the US, or 25,000 yen in Japan. The company also stated that it plans to ship 6 million consoles worldwide by the end of its next fiscal year ending March 31, 2007. So now that you know the news, here's some history and speculation.
Nintendo's 25,000 yen upper limit for the system in Japan happens to have been the Japanese launch price for both Nintendo 64 and GameCube. Based on current exchange rates, this is equivalent to about US$223. In the case of both of those systems, as well as NES and SNES, the United States launch price was $199.99. Giving what would be historical precedence to a theoretical final Wii launch price of $199.99 is the fact that Nintendo 64 launched under the exact same circumstances. In early 1996, Nintendo's then-executive vice president Peter Main stated that Nintendo 64 would launch for "under $250." The final price point was later revealed to be $199.99. Furthermore, in a recent interview, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata noted, "You may want to check our past records of price points, launching price points for any past hardware." So I did. Take that as you will. As far as what will come in the box, Shacknews has learned from Nintendo that there are no plans to include the SNES/DualShock hybrid "retro controller," though there of course is the possibility of optional bundle deals.

- This week, a potential Wii launch lineup has been circulating through major news sites, including IGN. It consists of 16 titles across 11 publishers. Nintendo has officially declined to comment on the list, stating that the company has not yet made any announcements on the Wii titles available at launch.

- According to IGN, Wii will not use Dolby Digital optical sound. Rather, the machine will make use of Dolby Pro Logic II, which supports 5.1 surround sound systems by way of extrapolation rather than through true surround sound. This news is based on developer documentation which illustrates various types of A/V signals coming from the Wii's output port, none of which support optical sound. Developers aware of the methods used to extrapolate surround sound in Pro Logic II are able to essentially develop games optomized for 5.1 surround sound systems, but it is unable to provide a native six-channel signal such as is used in Dolby Digital.

Recently, rumors have been swirling that one more unrevealed feature of the Wii controller is that it also includes a built in microphone. These rumors have had no confirmation. Today, however, internet detectives discovered several domain names recently registered by Nintendo, one of which--wiikaraoke.com--suggests that a karaoke game is enroute. Given mainstrem Japan's well-known love of karaoke and Nintendo's well-known desire to extend gaming to the mainstream, such a game seems likely. This would mean the Wii console must allow for some kind of voice input, either by way of an internal or external microphone, or a headset. Rumors have also suggested that the system will have voice-over-IP technology and allow for the controller to act as a phone. The former seems likely, since it could be used for in-game chat; the latter, on the other hand, seems rather far-fetched.

Other registered domains include wiichannel.com, which some have presumed may be Nintendo's Xbox Live Marketplace equivalent, wiivc.com, referring to the system's Virtual Console, and wiiconnect24.com, referring to Nintendo's recently-announced "always on" Internet service for the machine. As the day went on, gamers uncovered more and more domains, turning up dozens of addresses all redirecting to Nintendo.com. Either the company has a disturbing amount of marketing in the works, or it's just very liberally hedging its bets. Other notable or entertaining entries: wiibreeding.com, wiicooking.com, wiimoney.com, wiiareone.com, shallwii.com.

There's been plenty of downloadable content over Xbox Live this week, and that's continuing with today's offering of a playable demo of Rare's launch title Perfect Dark Zero, as promised back in April. The demo includes the single-player level Outpost, also playable via online co-op, and the multiplayer map Plaza, which will also be made available in an upcoming content patch for the full game.

Following the January announcement that Capcom's Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting would be coming to Xbox Live early this year, there's finally some news of the game's development. IGN reports that preview code of the game will be distributed to media with Xbox 360 debug kits (ie, not us). While an actual release date for the game is still unannounced, at least we know it's playable. Actually, we've known it's playable for a while. I played it at a Microsoft event in March. So what's the holdup, guys?!

Little has been heard lately about Enlight's over the top satirical action game Bad Day L.A. (Xbox, PC), designed by American McGee. However, it appears that the game is still in development. UK publisher Supersonic Group announced today that it will be distributing the Xbox version of the game throughout Europe, serving as a de facto confirmation of the game's continued existence. Bad Day L.A. is expected some time in the fourth quarter of this year.

Nintendo of America announced a bevy of internal corporate promotions today. Most notably, outspoken executive VP of sales & marketing Reggie Fils-Aime, who has become the public face of Nintendo's North American operations in his only two and a half years with the company, was promoted to president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America where he will manage the company's daily operations. He is replacing Tatsumi Kimishima, who will now be acting as chairman of the board and CEO of Nintendo of America. Senior VP of business development Mike Fukuda has been promoted to executive VP of business development, where he will oversee oversee Nintendo's North American first and third party game production.

Fils-Aime is the first non-Japanese president of Nintendo of America, though Howard Lincoln formerly served as the company's chairman. Previously, NOA was led by Kimishima from 2002 until the present, and and prior to that by Minoru Arakawa from 1980 to 2002.

Nintendo also announced its financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006. The company saw revenue of $4.5B (509.25B yen), down 1.2% year over year, with net profits of $873M (93.38B yen), up 12.5% year over year. The decreased revenue was due to continually flagging GameCube sales as well as declining sales of Game Boy Advance, which seems to be reaching critical mass. This was largely offset by strong sales of Nintendo DS. Profits were impacted by research and development for DS and the upcoming Wii.

For the coming fiscal year ending March 31, 2007, Nintendo predicts a sales increase of 18% thanks to the upcoming launch of Wii and further sales of DS, bolstered by the recent Japanese launch of DS Lite and upcoming launches of DS Lite throughout the rest of the world. Nintendo plans to ship 6 million Wii consoles before the end of its fiscal year, alongside 16 million DS consoles between now and then.

MTV News has an interview with Microsoft boss Bill Gates, who, in response to persistent rumors of a portable Xbox, said that he expects people some day to carry around a device that acts as a media player, phone, and gaming platform--but maybe not for a while; "The world isn't ready yet for [such a] device," he says. Gates also isn't too enamored with the motion sensing technology being used in upcoming consoles from Nintendo and Sony. "Even pilots actually sit in a chair when they do their flying," he points out. "So there's a lot to be learned about these controllers."

Nintendo held its yearly pre-E3 press conference last week, at which it made various hardware-related announcements mainly about its upcoming Wii console. The company also had additional quiet announcements throughout the week.
- The Wii console will be released in the fourth quarter of this year. No price point was announced. However, Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan confirmed that the system will see a worldwide simultaneous release--including Australia and South America.
- Wii will have a feature called WiiConnect24 that keeps the system persistently connected to the internet. By taking advantage of the machine's low power consumption and running in a mode without using the fan, Wii will stay connected to Nintendo's online service at all times in order to download any gameplay features or additions that developers have made available.
- Nintendo revealed that the previously announced "shell controller" for Wii is in fact not a shell, but a standalone retro-styled controller to be used for Virtual Console games. It appears that a very small number of new games, such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, may also have the option to use the retro controller.
- On the Wii remote is a small speaker. This speaker will be used to create additional immersion. For example, when fired, Link's arrow will sound as if it is travelling from the controller to the screen.
- Present at Nintendo's booth, but not usable by the public, was a different sort of shell controller. It is shaped like a shotgun and has a slot accepting the standard Wii controller. There is a trigger hole and a thumb-controlled analog stick built in. The peripheral is likely to be intended for light gun games.
- Nintendo has officially licensed Havok physics technology for its upcoming console. It is inclear what larger implications this has, if any, since Havok's technology is generally implemented on a software, not hardware, basis.
- After having been announced as the developer of the upcoming Nintendo DS web browser, Opera will also be handling the web browser for Wii. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata noted that the software will be loaded to the console's flash ROM.
- Virtual Console was essentially unaddressed during Nintendo's conference, but Hudson Soft, whose TurboGrafx-16 console is one of five that will be emulated, announced that it plans to bring 100 titles to the service and is hoping to add more as it talks with third party developers and publishers.

Sony of course released a variety of news bits about its various systems during the week of E3, mainly at its pre-show press conference. Here you go:
- The PlayStation 3 controller will be essentially in appearance and button layout to the current DualShock 2, but will be wireless, lack rumble capability, and include a six-direction motion sensor for 3D directional movement. Reports from various media as well as informal chats with developers suggested that the majority of PS3 developers were unaware of the motion sensing feature until Sony announced it publically.
- Sony revealed PlayStation 3 to have a US launch date of November 17 with a dual SKU pricing scheme of $499 and $599. The higher priced model will feature a 60GB hard drive and built in support for Wi-Fi, SD/CF/MemoryStick flash memory cards, and HDMI; the lower priced model will feature a 20GB and will not support those additional features. The date will be the same for Canada (CAN$549/CAN$$659), Europe (499 Euro/599 Euro), and Australia (AUS$829/AUS$999). Japan will precede the other territories, launching on November 11 with an 59,800 yen price point for the cheaper model and a retailer-set open price point for the more expensive one.
- PS3 will feature connectivity with PSP. An example shown includes using the PSP as a wing mirror for the PS3's F1 racing game.
- The previously announced PS1 emulation on PSP was demonstrated, with a functional version of Namco's original Ridge Racer (Riiiiidge Racer!, as Sony's Kaz Hirai reminds us) running on the portable system.
- PSP will be receiving additional peripherals such as a camera and GPS device.
- Like PS1, PS2 will have a ten year life cycle.

Though Microsoft doesn't have a new console launching any time soon, the company still had plenty of announcements to make last week. Here's what was new on the hardware front:
- Microsoft laid out the plans for Live Anywhere, a comprehensive online service that will span users' Windows PCs, Xbox 360s, and cell phones. The devices will all share a common friends list and gamerscore, and certain games will have achievements and functions accessible from multiple platforms. Some multiplayer games will also allow players to interact between Xbox 360 and PC versions of the games. The service is slated to kick into gear when Windows Vista launches next year.
- Two first party wireless peripherals were announced for Xbox 360: a headset and a racing wheel. Both will be available this fall. Furthermore, a USB wireless receiver for Windows will be released to allow those devices to work with PC games as well. In the Xbox 360 generation, Microsoft plans to make its gaming peripherals cross-platform across Windows and Xbox 360.
- Microsoft reiterated its plan to bring a camera, dubbed Xbox Live Vision, to Xbox 360. The wireless peripheral will surface this fall.
- The previously announced external HD-DVD player for Xbox 360 will connect via USB. The video signal will be sent from the console itself. No price point was revealed for the device, but it is due this holiday season.
- By this holiday season, Xbox 360 will feature 160 titles across retail and Xbox Live.

Microsoft's Peter Moore inadvertently set off a bizarre secondhand exchange between console executives last week when he made a comment pointing out the price of PS3 when compared to the likely prices of its competition: "Tell me why you would buy a $600 PS3?" Moore asked. "People are going to buy two (machines.) They're going to buy an Xbox and they're going to buy a Wii...for the price of one PS3."

Days later, Sony's Phil Harrison agreed with's Moore's basic point, but not with the details: "I think Peter Moore is exactly right. I think Nintendo will be the second system consumers purchase after PlayStation 3," he said, before bringing up Nintendo's history of innovation as well as its different market target. Harrison also noted that "PlayStation 3's price is justified by PlayStation 3's value. That's what consumers base their purchasing decisions on--value."

In a Joystiq/Engadget interview published today, Nintendo exec Perrin Kaplan threw in her two cents on the matter. When asked if the Xbox 360 and Wii could be complimentary, Kaplan responds, "I think they could be. For a hard core gamer who really wants a plethora of ways to pick from, someone who really wants to spend a lot of time gaming." She then goes on to throw a few positive words at Moore, whom she knows "from [his] Sega days."

According to IGN, MMO developer Mythic Entertainment is considering bringing its upcoming title Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC) to consoles. The company has a version of the game playable on Xbox 360 and is toying with the idea of PS3 as well, though plans for neither console have yet been set in stone. At the moment, the Xbox 360 version can interact with the PC version, but Mythic noted that if the title indeed comes to consoles, it will likely be streamlined for the console interface, as well as have unique content, meaning that it could no longer interface with the PC game. It is also unlikely that the two console versions would be playable with one another, given the proprietary nature of the platforms and their online services.

Q Entertainment's Tetsuya Mizuguchi speaks with Eurogamer about his various games, as well as his current plans and whether we might see a sequel to Res (PS2, DC) some day.

Interested in E3 coverage from other sites besides ours? Check it out at Game Informer, GameSpot, Eurogamer, IGN, GameSpy, and probably plenty of others I'm missing!

Square Enix today announced its official games lineup to be presented at this year's E3, containing upcoming titles for PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PSP, and Game Boy Advance. With the exception of the already-released Final Fantasy XI on Xbox 360, The list is suspiciously devoid of any titles on next-gen platforms, as well as any games scheduled to ship past 2006. It is probably safe to assume the publisher will be showing or mentioning further titles during its pre-E3 press conference on May 8. New Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles games have been announced for both Revolution and Nintendo DS, and several Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, among others, will undoubtedly appear on PlayStation 3.

PlayStation 2:
- Dawn of Mana (no current release date)
- Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (Summer 2006)
- Final Fantasy XII (Fall 2006)
- Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (TBA 2006)

Nintendo DS:
- Children of Mana (TBA 2006)
- Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (TBA 2006)
- Final Fantasy III (TBA 2006)

PSP:
- Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (TBA 2006)

Game Boy Advance:
- Final Fantasy V Advance (TBA 2006)
- Final Fantasy VI Advance (TBA 2006)

Multiplatform:
- Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan (PS2, X360, PC; already released)

Namco Bandai today announced an exclusive title for Xbox 360, Mobile Ops: The One Year War. Despite the name, Mobile Ops was actually conceived as a Gundam title, but Namco Bandai elected to forego that branding since the Gundam name carries less weight in the United States. A mecha combat game, players pilot giant robots as well as fight on foot or in other vehicles. "With dramatic cockpit views and exquisitely detailed mobile suits, we fully expect 'Mobile Ops' to immerse gamers into a futuristic world where giant mechas loom against a war-torn horizon," said Namco Bandai business director Yoshi Niki. The game will support Xbox Live team play as well.

Mobile Ops: The One Year War ships this holiday season. - Screenshots.

After constant rumors in recent weeks, Atari has confirmed that Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 will be heading to Revolution in addition to the previously known PlayStation 2. The fighting game contains over 100 characters and nine single- and multiplayer game modes. "The innovative controller featured with Nintendo Revolution is perfectly suited for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, which engages players with fast-paced fighting moves," said Atari marketing director Matt Collins. "Gamers will be able to play in a very physical way, mimicking several of the show’s most popular character moves and pull off awesome combos and attacks." Specific details on how the Revolution controller will be used were not revealed. The game is being developed by longtime Dragon Ball developer Spike.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is slated to ship this holiday season.

After months of Perfect Dark Zero's launch title brethren slowly receiving Xbox Live demos one by one, Microsoft has stated that a free downloadable demo of Rare's launch shooter will be made available soon. It will include a single player map enabled for online cooperative play, as well as a multiplayer map.

Starting tomorrow, Japanese PSP owners can get a taste of the upcoming PSP title Loco Roco via an official demo made available through the game's official website. To play the game, users must upgrade their systems to version 2.70, which will also be released tomorrow for Japan. Of course, in reality, the upgrade (and presumably the demo) will most likely work on PSPs from other territories, as has been the case for past updates that were released in Japan before the rest of the world. In all likelihood, part of the new update's functionality is to continue Sony's ongoing attempts to curtail homebrew efforts on the system, but offering a demo--with more to come in the future, one would assume--is certainly a nice addition.

Nintendo and AOL Games have announced a joint contest offering three winners the chance to be the first general consumers to play Nintendo Revolution games during this year's upcoming E3. Head over to AOL's website to sign up. Note that though AOL's page has pictures of a regular DS and Super Mario 64 DS, the prizes are in fact a DS Lite and the upcoming New Super Mario Bros. (DS). The package also includes a three-day, two-night stay in Los Angeles during E3, as well as attendance to Nintendo's pre-E3 press conference.

Nintendo has launched its official website for New Super Mario Bros. (DS), previously just a static splash screen. The site now contains a new gameplay video as well as the promise of a new video each Monday through May 15, which coincides with Nintendo's currently listed ship date for the game.

Sega also launched Super Monkey Ball World, a site devoted to its popular Super Monkey Ball franchise, including Traveller's Tales' Super Monkey Ball Adventure (PS2, GCN, PSP).

Follwing Nintendo's announcement of TurboGrafx games on Revolution's Virtual Console, Game Informer has cooked up RTE306: A TurboGrafx-16 Revolution Retrospective. There's also a brief interview with Sega's Scott Steinberg about Sega's relationship with Nintendo, in the context of the recent news about Genesis games playable on Virtual Console as well.