'There was a lot of talk yesterday about an article in the Japanese publication Nikkei which claimed that Nintendo was readying a new iteration of its DS line of handheld gaming systems,' writes blogger Peter Smith. 'The report claims the new unit will have 4" screens (the current unit has 3.25" screens) and is designed for older gamers who have trouble seeing the small screens of the current DSi. This new model is otherwise identical to the existing DSi and will ship by end of year in Japan.' As an 'older gamer' himself, Smith calls on Nintendo to stop this annual upgrade madness and do something truly innovative for a change, and he calls on gamers to put some pressure on Nintendo and not buy the new DS

http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/1...her-DS-Variant ...

The best thing about the Motorola Droid might just be Android 2.0. It got official yesterday, and Google showed off some highlights, but here's a walkthrough if you wanna get a little closer. (You should, it's pretty great.)

http://gizmodo.com/5392059/android-20-a-visual-guide ...

Microsoft reckons we'll be waiting a while before streaming services like Gaikai and OnLive are the norm. The good old DVD-plus-DLC model, said European Xbox Live boss Jerry Johnson, will continue for "the foreseeable future".

"Streaming technology is something that the industry is betting on longer term," he told a BAFTA audience at the London Games Conference, reported by TechRadar (via VG247). "Right now I don't believe that technology can scale out against the experience we can offer on a local machine."

"The technology will continue to improve. As an industry we'll have to accept that and move with it - but I don't think it's on an accelerated timeline for the foreseeable future."

Cloud services like Gaikai and OnLive use 'clouds' of computers to power games that you can control remotely over the internet. This does away with the need to keep up with the PC and perhaps console hardware rat-race - hence Microsoft's interest.

We delved into David Perry's Gaikai - now in public beta - earlier this year. OnLive, a more balls-out, gaming-focused platform, is also open for the public to test.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/xb...-gaikai-onlive ...

A video of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has leaked onto the internet, showing the player participating in the massacre of innocent civilians in an airport.

The video, which is poor quality but appears genuine, first appeared on YouTube yesterday but has been removed "due to a copyright claim by Activision". It can still be seen at LiveLeak (via Kotaku). GameSpot reckons it's from the same source as the first footage of the game's third-person mode.

The footage shows the fourth level in the game's first act. The level begins with the player emerging from a lift in an airport with four other men, dressed in suits and Kevlar vests and carrying machine guns. After a short pause, the men open fire, mowing down crowds of civilians and causing panic and screaming. The player joins in, and is seen shooting wounded people as they crawl for freedom.

The airport scenes are familiar from the official trailers released so far, although this is the first indication the player would take the side of the terrorists.

The pre-mission briefing (which is in French) suggests that the player is an undercover agent, infiltrating the terrorist organisation of a man called Makarov.

"Yesterday you were a solider on the front, but today the front is a thing of the past. Uniforms are too. War is everywhere, and there will be victims," says the voiceover.

"Makarov... obeys no law. He has no limits and stops at nothing: torture, human traffic, or genocide. He's guided by no ideals, respects no rights, no countries. He trades blood for money. He is our new friend."

It ends with dire warnings about how much it will cost the player to "get close to" Makarov.

The first Modern Warfare tackled some politically sensitive themes and imagery head-on, and it seems Infinity Ward is looking to top that in the sequel. It has guaranteed itself some sensationalist headlines in the process. But has it gone a step too far?

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/sh...footage-leaked ...

A video of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has leaked onto the internet, showing the player participating in the massacre of innocent civilians in an airport.

The video, which is poor quality but appears genuine, first appeared on YouTube yesterday but has been removed "due to a copyright claim by Activision". It can still be seen at LiveLeak (via Kotaku). GameSpot reckons it's from the same source as the first footage of the game's third-person mode.

The footage shows the fourth level in the game's first act. The level begins with the player emerging from a lift in an airport with four other men, dressed in suits and Kevlar vests and carrying machine guns. After a short pause, the men open fire, mowing down crowds of civilians and causing panic and screaming. The player joins in, and is seen shooting wounded people as they crawl for freedom.

The airport scenes are familiar from the official trailers released so far, although this is the first indication the player would take the side of the terrorists.

The pre-mission briefing (which is in French) suggests that the player is an undercover agent, infiltrating the terrorist organisation of a man called Makarov.

"Yesterday you were a solider on the front, but today the front is a thing of the past. Uniforms are too. War is everywhere, and there will be victims," says the voiceover.

"Makarov... obeys no law. He has no limits and stops at nothing: torture, human traffic, or genocide. He's guided by no ideals, respects no rights, no countries. He trades blood for money. He is our new friend."

It ends with dire warnings about how much it will cost the player to "get close to" Makarov.

The first Modern Warfare tackled some politically sensitive themes and imagery head-on, and it seems Infinity Ward is looking to top that in the sequel. It has guaranteed itself some sensationalist headlines in the process. But has it gone a step too far?

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/sh...footage-leaked ...

Sony may surprise industry watchers and consumers when it eventually comes to making an announcement about the PSP's next major evolution.


While the platform holder released its latest PSP model, the UMD-free PSPgo on October 1, developer talk on the Tokyo Game Show floor in late September was of the system's next iteration, PSP-4000, which it is claimed will support Sony's proprietary UMD format when it launches in 2010.

Sony has come in for some criticism regarding its handling of the PSPgo since it was officially announced at E3 in June. Multiple retailers and consumers have complained about the system's hefty price tag. Some in the former camp remain unconvinced about the benefit of stocking the system due to its inability to support physical media and hence game trade-ins and second hand sales. Others in the latter camp have been unimpressed by Sony's UMD-to-digital solution for upgraders. In Europe only, a "PSPgo UMD rewards scheme" offered those who upgraded from older models to the PSPgo a choice of three free titles from a select list as compensation for the fact that they couldn't play their old games on their new handheld.

Perhaps more interesting is what we don't know - what's going on behind the scenes at Sony. While the company stressed at the time of the PSPgo's announcement that it intended to support "a shared strategy" between physical media and downloadable content, many assumed its focus would inevitably shift to the latter as time went by and that the new handheld represented the platform holder finally breaking away from its much criticised UMD format. After all, the firm said in July that it had "planned to release a PSP model without a UMD drive since the very beginning" and that it had simply been waiting for the digital distribution market to mature.

Sony has claimed that PSPgo's introduction has bumped up PSP platform sales in the US, the UK and Australia, but there's been no publicly released sales data to support this yet. In fact, the system sold just 1,000 units in Australia in its first week, with Sony acknowledging that the numbers weren't "massive" but claiming it was unconcerned "because there are still some issues that we need to work through".

So has a potentially disappointing commercial start forced Sony to take a step back from pursuing a digital-only strategy, or was that never the company's intention in the first place? Nothing's clear at the moment, but just days ahead of the PSPgo's Japanese launch on November 1, some members of the country's development community appear convinced that physical media will play a major role in the platform's future.

Sony Computer Entertainment UK declined to comment on this report.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Firm says "device opens up unthinkable gaming possibilities"
Blaze will release a motion-sensing controller for PlayStation 3, MCV can reveal.
The Blaze PS3 Motion Freedom 3D Controller boasts a design similar to Nintendo’s Wii Remote, but features a directional D-pad, analogue stick and a full selection of controls found on the traditional PS3 pad.
“The Blace PS3 Motion Freedom 3D Controller thrusts the PS3 gamer into the very heart of the action by employing the latest motion sensing technology which before now has only been the reserve of Nintendo Wii gamers,” said a Blaze spokesperson.
“This device opens up unthinkable gaming possibilities allowing you to interact and become one with the hottest PS3 sporting and action titles.”
Two of the games set to make use of Blaze’s new device are Sega Superstars Tennis and titles from Electronic Arts’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour series.

“Sega Superstars Tennis becomes a whole new ball game when you use the controller to smash your opponent into submission, effortlessly and consistently firing deadly accurate backhands and meteoric volleys,” added the firm’s spokesperson.
“With the Tiger Woods golf series, you can put yourself on the virtual golf course when you use the Freedom 3D controller as your club of choice to send the ball home with pinpoint accuracy.”
Blaze’s PS3 Motion Freedom 3D controller arrives ahead of Sony’s own motion sensing device, which uses the PlayStation Eye to track positioning.
The device was unveiled during Sony’s E3 2009 press conference and is scheduled to arrive in spring next year.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36283/Blaz...ion-controller ...

Feedback for the forthcoming Ubisoft title Assassin's Creed II has been "extremely positive," according to the publisher's head of marketing in the UK, Murray Pannel, while the lion's share of its advertising spend is still to come.

"All the feedback we're getting is extremely positive - certainly better than I was expecting, having come into the company in the last six months and remembering the Assassin's Creed I days which were nearly two years ago now," he told GamesIndustry.biz.

"So really positive in terms of the product. The marketing itself we discussed earlier in the year - we started it very early in the cycle, just after Easter and going into summer. We've been very keen to ensure we're maintaining our presence - if that's not in press and PR it's in events where we can showcase the product where possible.

"The reality is that our true marketing, our big heavyweight spend, will launch in the early weeks in November - that's when you'll see the big TV campaigns and the broader online, events and PR kicking in.

"But the signs so far are incredibly encouraging, and I'm convinced we're sitting on a true triple-A blockbuster title."

Yesterday the publisher released the first episode in its Hybride Studios-developed mini-series of short films setting up events in the build-up to the game via YouTube, with the game itself set to hit the shelves on November 20.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...emely-positive ...

A total of 86 per cent of 10 to 19 year olds in America will ask for at least one videogame as a gift this Christmas, according to a survey published by US specialist retailer Game Crazy.

In the survey conducted by Weekly Reader Research over 1000 US teens and tweens (defined in the survey as those aged 8 to 13 years old) were asked which games they most wanted this Christmas. The most popular genres proved to be "action" and "music".

The four most keenly desired titles across all ages and genders were Guitar Hero 5 (48 per cent), Wii Sports Resort (44 per cent), New Super Mario Bros Wii (41 per cent) and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (33 per cent).

For 8-10 year old gears the most popular choice was Wii Sports Resort (56 per cent), for 11-13 year old girls it was Guitar Hero 5 (53 per cent) and for 14-17 year old girls Activision's latest rhythm action game also topped the list with 57 per cent of respondents expressing an interest in the game.

A wider variety of titles were mentioned by boys, with 8-10 year olds plumping for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (48 per cent). For 11-13 year olds it was Guitar Hero 5 (42 per cent). Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (46 per cent) proved the most popular choice for boys aged 14-17 years old, even though the game is Mature-rated in the US and 18-rated in the UK.

The survey also suggests that 66 per cent of children plan to ask for a new video game system for Christmas. The number one choice came out as the Nintendo DSi (24 per cent), followed by the PlayStation 3 and Wii (both on 21 per cent).

"As Game Crazy's survey indicates, it's not unusual for younger kids to want to play what the older kids are playing. Parents need to understand that not all video games are intended for younger players," said Patricia Vance, president of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...5-in-us-survey ...