Just in time for the Pixi's grand debut, webOS devices (that's just Pixi and Pre) now have their first official Facebook app, joining the ranks of iPhone and Android... and we're sad to report that it's about as barebones as they can get. It pulls from the raw live stream, seemingly unfiltered -- even if you said "no" to Farmville updates on your main feed, they'll show up here. Clicking a YouTube link brings you to the YouTube app, clicking links go to browser. You can update your status or upload a photo, but that's about it. You can't seem to search Facebook for any info, view events, or anything else, and clicking on someone's name or photo brings up their contact info. And that's about it -- can someone give Joe Hewitt a ring? Still, it's better than nothing. WebOS 1.3.1 is required, not that you had any reason to hold off upgrading.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/16/f...but-a-whimper/ ...

While rumours swirl that Grand Theft Auto V is already in development and Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick cries if anyone mentions it, a new interview with Rockstar's Dan Houser suggests it's still a way off.

"We'll think of a city first, then the characters," Houser told The Times in an interview published on Friday (thanks Kotaku).

The author of the article says that the script will be 1000 pages, but it's not clear whether Houser himself said that.

There's also a bit more in there about the anonymous man behind the games, who founded Rockstar with his older brother Sam. For instance, The Times pointed out that some people reckon the keeping-quiet thing is about cultivating an image.

"I've read that about myself, but it's a myth. I often speak to people like yourself," Houser replied. (You never speak to us, Dan. Sniff.) "But me, Sam and Leslie [Benzies, producer] are very aware of the fact that we as a triumvirate do not make the games; 200, 300, 700 people make the games. It's easy for people to focus on individuals because that's an easier story to tell, but it's not relevant to what we do."

"We've got, you know, 100 plus people, at least 80 per cent of whom are far more intelligent than me, and to start saying it's me or Sam or the pair of us because we're such crazy brothers just seems stupid. And it's not fair or appropriate," he added.

Houser's most recent work is showcased in Episodes From Liberty City for Xbox 360, which consists of The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ho...ot-so-concrete ...

You may recall much ado over some questionable footage in the latest Call of Duty game. Well, that footage has led to a recall of Modern Warfare 2 in Russia. Seems the Russian government was none too happy about the portrayal of Russia in the game and decided to yank it from stores. Infinity Ward has responded with a patch that removes the "No Russian" mission (the content in question) from the storyline. Before you overly criticize the Russian government, there may be some truth to the claim that the game's story line overly demonizes Russians as just terrorists as the Russian site GotPS3.ru alleges. Is cultural sensitivity becoming an overly played card in the gaming world? Not too long ago, Wolfenstein was recalled in Germany for containing Nazi symbols

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/11/...dern-Warfare-2 ...

Labour MP Keith Vaz has declared in a radio interview that when it comes to ensuring children can't gain access to adult-rated videogames, there is a huge responsibility on the part of parents - and he then went on to admit that he doesn't actually know which games his own 14 year old son plays at home.

Speaking on SubCity's Debate is Free programme yesterday, he also restated his belief that videogame boxes should have cigarette-style warnings about health concerns "splashed across the front".

"Parents have a huge responsibility, and it is extremely important that we should be in a position where we are telling parents about their responsibilities," he said. "I think it is very important.

"It's part and parcel of a partnership, isn't it? You have government, manufacturers, retailers and parents - all four have to do their bit. I have a son who is 14 years of age - I don't know what games he looks at, but I shall ensure that in future I will look at the covers, to make sure that these games are not over the age of 18.

"I think that's what parents are to do - constant vigilance."

When questioned specifically about the fact that packaging already contains rating certificates, as with films, he argued that there were checks in place to prevent children from seeing adult films.

"The difference between films and videogames is that if you go to the cinema and you're under a certain age, you're not let in," he said. "With a videogame, the evidence we have is that people are let in - so something really does need to be done.

"If you look to the packaging of an 18-rated videogame, it's [the size of] a tiny 10p coin. What it should be is the same as cigarettes - it should be splashed across the front: 'This has the potential to damage your health' - and that is not happening."

The debate was taking place as part of a look at the controversy surrounding Activision's Modern Warfare 2, which was released in the UK last Tuesday and broke day one and week one sales records. TIGA CEO Richard Wilson also appeared on the programme, and made the case for a videogames tax relief.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...responsibility ...

Around 42 per cent of adults in the US are planning to give, or hoping to receive, a videogame as a present this Holiday, according to the results of a survey conducted by KRC Research and commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association.

That number is up 9 points in the past five years, while 52 per cent of the 1001 respondents polled between November 4 and 8 this year agreed that videogames represented good value in a tight economy.

"Computer and videogames are topping holiday lists because they provide a superior entertainment value for the whole family," said Michael D Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA. "With 68 per cent of American households playing computer and video games, US consumers value the creative and innovative products the entertainment software industry produces and are seeking them out for themselves and to give as gifts."

Additionally the survey found that of those polled, 54 per cent planned to play a game with a friend or family member, while the percentage of females likely to receive games as gifts was up 31 points over two years, to 47 per cent.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ent-wish-lists ...

Eurogamer's Digital Foundry tech blog has released an article looking in-depth at the options surrounding new handheld hardware for Sony, Nintendo and Apple, and notes the possibility that with Apple already on an annual release schedule, Nintendo could be set to release new hardware next year as well.

"While the combination of crippling losses, the general economic crisis and the advent of motion control are enough to stall the release of true next-generation consoles, there's strong evidence to suggest 2010 won't be the hardware drought we thought it might be," writes Richard Leadbetter. "Both Sony and Nintendo are deep in development on a new wave of handheld devices that look set to deliver a substantial amount of gaming power in a pocket-sized form factor."

He went on to look at detail at the new hardware set to power the forthcoming Sony and Nintendo products - neither of which have yet been officially acknowledged by the respective companies - could include, starting with the NVIDIA's Tegra 2 chipset in a possible new DS console.

"Let's just say that it is a significant improvement, and a colossal jump in performance compared to the current DS," he explains, going on to detail various attributes the chipset will include. "Our sources can only speculate at this point, but suspect anything up to 300MHz is possible, depending on just how much the platform holders want to concentrate on battery power. The faster the chip, the more impact it has on battery life... NVIDIA is on the record as saying that Tegra 2 offers four times the power of its predecessor.

Meanwhile, his analysis of the technology behind Sony's much-rumoured PSP2 reveals lots of raw power for developers to play with.

"From what we've learned about the in-development PSP2, the device is going to be a technological monster," he writes. "Insiders in the mobile space are fully aware that a deal has been struck between Sony and IMG (creators of the PowerVR derivatives found in the iPhone) and, as previously reported by Eurogamer, a multi-core variant of the forthcoming SGX543 looks set to the GPU of choice for the new machine.

"A four-core version of the chip appears to be most likely, and while this sounds like overkill, at 45nm you'd be looking at die of around 20 square millimetres based on measurement derived from IMG's own whitepaper. That's significantly lower than the silicon used by the current-generation PSP's graphics unit, which should give some inkling of an idea on costs and power consumption.

"So how do the potential PSP2 and DS2 architectures match up? The performance difference is potentially astonishing," he continues, before noting of the PSP2 technology that "you really have to sit down and take a deep breath before reading the next bit: we're talking about a GPU with the potential to be a halfway house between the raw power of the original Xbox's graphics chip and the Xenos GPU found in the Xbox 360, without factoring in all the advantages of running on a much lower resolution screen.

"Could the PSPgo really be a stop-gap unit designed to extend the PSP lifespan until its successor is ready to launch?" he concludes. "It's a possibility, though we suspect Sony would want to launch in the same window as its competition. A 2010 release for the new Nintendo handheld is conceivably no problem - the design of the chipset would've been complete last year and NVIDIA will be in full production of Tegra 2 in a matter of months.

"Up against an annually evolving platform in the form of Apple's iPhone, it will be interesting to see how the next generation of fixed platforms compete. While the prospective chipsets for the new Nintendo and Sony consoles look positively mouth-watering, the success of the DS and iPhone in particular emphasise that superb graphical prowess counts for little in the hearts and minds of today's gamers."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...or-2010-rumour ...

With first week UK sales reaching 1.78 million units, it's no surprise to find that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has entered the UK sales chart at number one this week.

GfK Chart-Track has confirmed that the game has recorded by far the biggest launch of any game ever in the UK, generating GBP 67.4 million in revenues. The results dwarf the second highest selling title: Grand Theft Auto IV with 927,000 units and GBP 39.9 million in revenues.

This figure is also more than twice the amount of the entire UK entertainment software market last week. As expected, the Xbox 360 version was the best seller with over one million sales on its own and GBP 38.5 million in revenues, a number which was also more than last week's entire total for the UK games market.

Only the controversial PC version of the game could be considered a disappointment, entering at only number five in the individual formats chart. The PC version accounted for just three per cent of overall sales, compared to 57 per cent for the 360 and 40 per cent for the PlayStation 3.

Using these percentages, PlayStation 3 sales can be estimated at 712,000 units (with GBP 27 million in revenues) and the PC at 53,400 units.

Additionally, the new "Reflex Edition" of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare for the Wii has been counted in along the existing versions of Call of Duty 4, allowing the title to re-enter the top 40 at number 19.

Although no other titles were able to compete on equal terms with Modern Warfare 2, Wii Sports Resort saw a 45 per cent increase in sales, as it moved up one place to number two. FIFA 10 sales were static as the multiformat release fell one space to number three.

Wii Fit Plus sales fell by 24 per cent as the game tumbled four spots to number four. Meanwhile, Forza Motorsport 3 sales were up 22 per cent, as the game rose one place to number five.

Although no other major titles dared to release alongside Modern Warfare 2, there has still been some significant movement in the chart, with both Lego Batman and Pure seeing more than 100 per cent rises in sales on the back of widespread 360 hardware bundles.

The full top 20 All Formats chart follows:

01 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
02 Wii Sports Resort
03 FIFA 10
04 Wii Fit Plus
05 Forza Motorsport 3
06 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
07 Lego Batman: The Videogame
08 Mario Kart Wii
09 Pure
10 Grand Theft Auto: Tales from Liberty City
11 Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
12 Football Manager 2010
13 Dragon Age: Origins
14 Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
15 SingStar: Take That
16 WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2010
17 Need for Speed: Shift
18 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
19 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
20 Tekken 6

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...2-in-uk-charts ...

Sales of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 have hit 1.78 million units in the UK, according to the latest data released by ELSPA/GfK-ChartTrack.

Last week first day sales in the UK were estimated at 1.23 million units, grossing revenues of approximately GBP 48 million. Units sold to date - in the game's first five days - have now been put at 1.78 million, creating revenues of GBP 67.4 million.

According to ELSPA this is the highest grossing figure for any video game launch in the UK and "amongst the biggest entertainment events in history".

"These figures tell a clear story. The video games industry is now an established part of the mainstream entertainment mix. Whilst the launch of Modern Warfare 2 has indeed been extraordinary, it is indicative of the growing popularity of video games. One in three people in the UK now play videogames regularly," said ELSPA director general Michael Rawlinson.

Combined first day sales of the game in the UK and U.S. are estimated to have generated USD 310 million for Activision.

The launch of the game has also seen Xbox Live register its greatest ever number of concurrent users, while simultaneously causing outages on PlayStation Network.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-in-first-week ...

ony has announced that game service adhoc Party is to launch in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, allowing some PSP titles with Ad Hoc multiplayer modes to be played online.

A beta version of the service was launched in Japan last November and uses the PlayStation 3's wi-fi adapter to essentially turn the home console into a server for the PSP. Although the PSP must remain within range of the PS3's wi-fi connection, compatible games can be used to play online opponents worldwide.

Since the software will be free to download from the PlayStation Store the only requirements for use is a wired broadband connection. Once online the software allows access to "houses" where users can chat via voice and text before playing a game. The service is divided into 10 "worlds" made up of 64 lobbies, in which up to 32 user avatars can chat and play.

The service's launch in PAL regions will enable the use of the service with games including Gran Turismo, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Dissidia: Final Fantasy and Resistance: Retribution.

A post on the official PlayStation Blog indicates that more titles will be announced nearer to release, although this is specified only as "soon".

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...to-pal-regions ...