via kotaku

So, the iPhone is coming. If you are American, soon. For those living in other countries (like me), you'll have to wait longer (like me). The phone's portable game possibilities once again stir up talk of Apple expanding further into the market. Apple honcho Steve Jobs seems to be adding his two cents as well. From Time:

Trash-talking the PSP certainly points to Apple's interest in gaming. But, what does that statement really mean? And more importantly, when will Steve Jobs start wearing something besides black sweaters? I mean, come on.

more info ...

Article from Next Gen

You probably recollect this Dragon Quest business late last year; in a move surprising to professional analysts everywhere, producer Yuji Horii (pictured) decided to go with the most popular piece of dedicated gaming hardware in generations for the next installment of the most important videogame franchise in Japan.

If people are bewildered, it's not due to the apparent rejection of Sony (whose hardware was home to the previous two chapters). After the mediocre performance of the PSP and the bad press regarding the PS3 launch, Sony has become a bit of a punching bag for the industry's frustrations. Fair or not, losing one more series – however important – hardly seems like news anymore.

In a sense, handhelds have become the new consoles and consoles have become the new arcade machines. That's not absolutely true, as handhelds still hold a unique appeal that consoles have never been able to enjoy (and vice versa). Still, it's close enough for Dragon Quest – and judging by sales numbers, for the general Japanese audience. On the third hand, the point here isn't the facts of the situation, however fascinating they might be; it's that everything has its ideal context, and that every context has a unique set of qualities to address. If the DS has taken off and the PSP hasn't – well, hey. Maybe, for all its merits, Sony kind of missed the point with that system. If handhelds are threatening to become more important than home consoles, it's because we've finally figured them out, kind of – whereas we're still struggling to make something effective out of home systems. At least now we know what to look for. ...

via gamespot

The official story: Microsoft rep--"Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."

What we heard: The holidays may be over, but for Xbox-360-owning casual and retro gamers, every Wednesday seems like another Christmas morning thanks to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays program. Nearly every humpday sees new content go up on Xbox Live Marketplace, the most anticipated type of content being a new Xbox Live Arcade game.

To keep interest high, Microsoft usually announces what game is coming out that week on Monday or Tuesday. However, it appears that the release date of next week's game may have slipped out a bit early.

The unabashedly named Xbox360Fanboy.com picked up the blog of DaKing240, who says that Pop Cap's Heavy Weapon will be the game du jour for January 17. Heavy Weapon may already be familiar to PC users. Like several other Pop Cap Games for Xbox Live Arcade, the game has been available for download for the mouse-and-keyboard gamer for a while now.

DaKing240 claims to be well connected in the industry, and in several other posts credits sources at various developers. Unfortunately this post doesn't directly credit a source, leaving gamers to ponder its authenticity and cross-check DaKing240's credibility.

Just last week, DaKing misfired on the release date of Ms. Pac-Man, saying the game would be released on January 4. DaKing420 wasn't far off, though. Yesterday, Microsoft officially announced that the game would make its debut on Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow.

DaKing240's news sparked some sleuthing by Xbox 360 Fanboy, which claims to have confirmed the news from another source, The Xbox Domain. However, the news comes with a disclaimer--the game is merely scheduled for January 17...meaning that barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should be out that day.

Heavy Weapon was originally announced for the 360 back in early May, and was originally scheduled for release last year. Given the fact that the game is deep in development, it's a good bet that Heavy Weapon is due sometime soon, if not on January 17.

Bogus or not bogus?: Not Bogus, but nothing is official. ...

When Konami released Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on the PlayStation 10 years ago, it was a resurrection of sorts for the undead franchise. By incorporating gameplay elements from Nintendo's Metroid series of games, Symphony of the Night established a template for 2D Castlevania entries that has endured through multiple installments on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS.

Now the publisher is bringing that formula back to the realm of the living (room), as Konami is showing off Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the Xbox Live Arcade at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. As with most older games brought to Xbox Live Arcade games, Symphony of the Night won't be a mere port. Konami has said the game will feature enhanced graphics and sound, widescreen support, achievements, and leaderboards. Players will be able to choose between the original graphics or enhanced visuals that mitigate sprite pixilation when the game is played in high-definition.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is expected to release on the Xbox Live Arcade later this year.
via gamespot ...

via gibiz

Nintendo has raised its full-year profits forecast by 20 per cent, expecting net income to climb to 120 billion yen (EUR 774.9 million) for the year ending March 31st 2007.

The company raised forecasts for the DS, expecting sales of the handheld to rise 15 per cent to 23 million units, with software growing by 22 per cent, to reach 100 million games sold.

Targets for Wii software have also been raised, with Nintendo expecting to reach 21 million games for its new home console, compared to an earlier estimate of 17 million.

Hardware forecasts for Wii consoles remain at the previous target of six million units.

Nintendo now expects 900 billion yen (EUR 5.8 billion) in sales this year, compared to a forecast of 509 billion yen (EUR 3.2 billion) in October. ...

via gibiz

Nintendo has raised its full-year profits forecast by 20 per cent, expecting net income to climb to 120 billion yen (EUR 774.9 million) for the year ending March 31st 2007.

The company raised forecasts for the DS, expecting sales of the handheld to rise 15 per cent to 23 million units, with software growing by 22 per cent, to reach 100 million games sold.

Targets for Wii software have also been raised, with Nintendo expecting to reach 21 million games for its new home console, compared to an earlier estimate of 17 million.

Hardware forecasts for Wii consoles remain at the previous target of six million units.

Nintendo now expects 900 billion yen (EUR 5.8 billion) in sales this year, compared to a forecast of 509 billion yen (EUR 3.2 billion) in October. ...

via gibiz

Nintendo has raised its full-year profits forecast by 20 per cent, expecting net income to climb to 120 billion yen (EUR 774.9 million) for the year ending March 31st 2007.

The company raised forecasts for the DS, expecting sales of the handheld to rise 15 per cent to 23 million units, with software growing by 22 per cent, to reach 100 million games sold.

Targets for Wii software have also been raised, with Nintendo expecting to reach 21 million games for its new home console, compared to an earlier estimate of 17 million.

Hardware forecasts for Wii consoles remain at the previous target of six million units.

Nintendo now expects 900 billion yen (EUR 5.8 billion) in sales this year, compared to a forecast of 509 billion yen (EUR 3.2 billion) in October. ...

Capcom's Mark Beaumont has said that the company will produce Dead Rising games "for years to come".

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, Beaumont attributed some of the game's success to punters' willingness "to take more of an experiment in what games they'll try" at the start of a hardware cycle.

Others would probably point to the 360's shortfall in first-party titles along the back straight of 2006, and the game's superb critical reception.

"Bringing out Dead Rising has allowed us to establish a new franchise that we can use for years to come," Beaumont added, which ought to give those Resident Evil slackers something to think about. Come on, what's happening with number five?

via eurogamer ...

via eurogamer

More details have emerged of Jeff Minter's XBLA game, Space Giraffe.

So far, work on the engine has finished and fundamental gameplay mechanics are in and doing what they should. The next few weeks will see levels fleshed out (over 100, apparently), the difficulty curve assessed, new enemy types added and display graphics tweaked. Minter also expects the game to begin resembling an Xbox Live Arcade title, adding high-scores and achievements to the package.

On his LiveJournal, below the picture of him hugging a sheep, Jeff is confident of the game's progress, reckoning it's fast approaching the first testing phase.

"Looking forward now over the next few weeks to actually shaping this into an actual game with a beginning, an end, lives, hi-scores, achievements and such - something I can actually ship out to guinea pigs to play and get coherent feedback about."

Space Giraffe is a psychedelic shooter which follows on from popular Atari Jaguar title Tempest 2000. It will cost you about 400 Microsoft points and is expected to launch sometime this year. ...