via Eurogamer


Activision's PR agency has retracted its "erroneous" claim that Tony Hawk: Ride will be an Xbox 360 exclusive in the UK.

However, the statement issued simply says the game will be released on PS3 and Wii as well.

That means Ride could still be a timed exclusive for our region, as there's no mention of a simultaneous release or any date mentioned.

The PR agency declined to offer further clarification, as did publisher Activision. We've tried.

Tony Hawk: Ride is built around a new skateboard motion-sensing peripheral. The game and board will be at E3, as will we. We'll get some actual clarification there, if not before. ...

via Eurogamer


Sony fansite PlayStation Lifestyle claims to have blown the lid on the next game from Team ICO, codenamed Project Trico.

In a video lasting nearly four minutes, we see a boy and a giant bird-rat in very ICO-esque environments, apparently co-operating on some sort of unspoken shared quest.

The visual style is reminiscent of ICO, and so are individual details like the boy's clothing. The movement of the bird-rat thing is very organic, almost feline, calling to mind the developer's previous work on Shadow of the Colossus.

Sony has never previously confirmed details about Trico, but Team ICO's disciples will note with delight that the chain binding the bird-rat at the start of the trailer is the same as the one that appeared in a Team ICO job advert at the beginning of last year.

Following the trailer's release, posters on the NeoGAF forums have claimed that the video is internal test footage shown around Sony over a year ago.

From that, we can infer that the trailer's leak is not a portent of what Sony will do at E3 in two weeks' time, although the fact that details are in the public domain may accelerate any plans.

We're waiting to hear back from Sony Europe, but the platform holder told GameSpot: "We've made no announcement of anything called 'Project Trico.'"

Update: Sony Europe said it had no comment.


Video clip here ...

via Gizmodo


Apple iPhone Apps, a site with no known track record (which is also down right now) just leaked a July 17 release date and a bunch of specs for the next iPhone. They look fishy.

The July 17 release could technically be possible, since it's on a Friday and Apple's been releasing their iPhones on Fridays, but the specs are weird.

• 32GB and 16GB storage (up from the current 16GB and 8GB models)
• $199 and $299 price points to be maintained
• 3.2-megapixel camera (up from the current 2-megapixel camera)
• Video-recording and editing capabilities
• Ability to send a picture & video via MMS
• Discontinuation of the metal band surrounding the edge of the device
• OLED screen
• 1.5 times the battery life of the current models
• Double the RAM and processing power
• Built-in FM transmitter
• Apple logo on back will glow
• Rubber-tread backing
• Sleeker design
• Built-in compass
• The camera, GPS, compass and Google map combined will identify photo and inform about photo locations
• Turn-by-turn directions

So what's weird? The OLED screen, for one. The 1.5x battery life, for two. And a rubber-tread backing/sleeker design for three. It's still quite cost-prohibitive to use OLED screens on devices, and it's difficult to see how Apple could shrink down the size of the device to make it "sleeker" while at the same time making the battery 1.5x. Maybe because they're using an OLED screen?

It's all very pie in the sky, so don't take it as literal proof that the next iPhone will have this. And the rubber tread backing may or may not be this leaked image from MacRumors, which isn't quite rubber, but more of a matte feel than the current version. ...

via Engadget


Perhaps it should come as no surprise, given the pervasiveness of recent leaks, but word has it that the clickscreen-free BlackBerry Storm 2 could be hitting shelves as early as June, and no later than July. Word comes from Mr. BlackBerryOS.com himself, who got word from an "insider" who has proved reliable in the past. She says the internal deadline for training tech support is end of month, and while such an early followup seems like a bit of a raw deal for original Storm buyers, it doesn't come as too much of a shock. Is it just us, or is this kind of shaping up into a "phone heavy" summer? Maybe it's just the sunstroke. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Microsoft's Stephen Toulouse reckons that good wholesome gaming achievements actually can, and do, drive game sales.

"It's been statistically shown that games that have achievements and implement them well sell better," Toulouse stated in the Major's podcast.

We're all for good achievements but we're not sure we'd buy a game knowing that it's got good achievements in it? What about you? ...

via Eurogamer


SEGA has told Eurogamer Virtua Tennis 2009 will arrive on PC, PS3 and 360 on 29th May. The Wii version will arrive "a few weeks later" in June.

The clarification comes after the US version of the game was stretched to June.

Virtua Tennis on PC, PS3 and 360 looks to be as assured as ever and a safe top-seed for its genre. On Wii the future is less certain but perhaps more exciting, thanks to the addition of Wii MotionPlus controls. ...

via Gizmodo


During an otherwise dry TechED conference panel about Windows Mobile 6.5 development, Senior Project Manager Loke Uei Tan made a surprising admission: 6.5's semi-vaunted new interface was severely rushed, and isn't even finished. UPDATED

From his mouth:

It's a revealing, slightly embarrassing mea culpa, and an honest one. Wherever new interface features have been implemented in 6.5, they work fairly well, but massive parts of the OS still looks and operate like they did in 6.1, such that 6.5 feels more like an interface add-on than an actual OS upgrade.

But hey, points for honesty! And maybe, just maybe, Tan's "eventually" means "before 6.5 ships."

UPDATED: The WinMo dev team has responded in the comments. Basically, 6.5 is "finished" in the sense that interface changes won't reach much deeper than we've already seen. One thing: the above screenshots show an early build of the OS, and the Honeycomb looks a bit different now. The response:
...

via IGN


We shared first details yesterday on Capcom's Japanese release plans for Monster Hunter 3. Today, we have a first look at the game's bonus items.

As revealed yesterday, MH3 will launch in Japan on August 1. Capcom will be offering the game both on its own for 7,340 yen, and as part of a couple of special packages.

Retailers throughout Japan will offer the Monster Hunter 3 Classic Controller Pro Pack. As the name might suggest, this package bundles in Nintendo's Classic Controller Pro, an upgraded version of the current Classic Controller that goes on sale in Japan on August 1. Pricing for the bundle is set at 8,490 yen.

Likely to be harder to come by is the Monster Hunter 3 Limited Edition pack. Priced at 9,440 yen, this version of the game includes a DVD with a MH3 making-of feature and footage from the May 6 Monster Hunter 5th Anniversary concert. Capcom is also planning an unspecified bonus of some form. All this ships in a special box. This version of the game will be sold exclusively through Capcom's online e-Capcom retailer.

All versions of the game will qualify for a special "monster head" bonus item. Capcom will make three figures available, given to buyers at random. Specific designs outside of a silhouetted image have yet to be shared.

All these special editions, prices, and release dates concern Japan only. Capcom hasn't shared specifics about an international release for Monster Hunter 3, although the game is expected to arrive some time this fiscal year.


Images at IGN ...

via Eurogamer


PlayStation Home community manager "TedTheDog" has admitted that Europe trails other regions in the number of themed areas PS3 Avatars can explore.


So, he adds, priorities will be switched to production of Spaces for the foreseeable future. The first task is implementing some of the older content "we've been missing for a while now" - areas like Uncharted, Warhawk, Guitar Hero and Resident Evil 5. After that, he hopes new spaces can launch simultaneously with other regions.

The European team has been recruiting to meet this end, and is apparently considering 17 Spaces to add over the next two to four months. Not all will make the cut.

TedTheDog also says Sony will try to share information sooner with the community, and aim to communicate the latest Home changes "one week in advance". ...