The planned online service for the PlayStation 3 continues to take shape, with sources close to the Royal Bank of Scotland telling GamesIndustry.biz that the bank is working with Sony in the UK on trials of an online payment mechanism.

The deal between Sony and the RBS was signed last week, according to our source, with trials of the payment system due to start in May - which corresponds nicely with Sony's stated timeline for PS3 development, which sees them delivering a version of the Network Platform which can be used for final testing by September.

The payment system on the PSNP - a rather cumbersome acronym which is set to be replaced before the launch of the console, possibly with the internal development name, PlayStation HUB - is set to be used for a wide range of transactions.

Sony Computer Entertainment worldwide studios boss Phil Harrison outlined many of those uses in his keynote address at the Game Developer's Conference last month, including the Xbox Live style arcade and retro game downloads, additional content purchases for PS3 titles, subscriptions to massively multiplayer titles, and even buying in-game items through regulated "real money" auctions.

Further details of the PlayStation Network Platform are expected to be announced at E3 this year, when showcasing the PlayStation 3 is likely to be at the top of the agenda at Sony's pre-show conference on Monday, May 8th.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16300 ...

Discussing the impending launch of the Revolution console, Nintendo of America's SVP marketing and corporate communications, George Harrison, stressed the importance of third party publisher support.

In a recent interview with US magazine Game Informer, Harrison talked about the lessons learned from GameCube, noting that a lack of broader support outside of the company's own titles was detrimental to the machine's success, and it's a mistake Nintendo aims to rectify with its next generation console.

"One of the lessons we tried to learn from GameCube was that we kept things too close. And so as we got ready to launch, we had some of our own great games but third parties were kind of behind the eight ball in terms of being able to have games ready," Harrison stated.

In terms of early support for the Revolution, which launches this year alongside Sony's PS3, third party software ought to be available in abundance, Harrison confirming "We've got more than 1,000 developer kits including the controller kits, out, so there should be plenty there."

Whilst Harrison refused to be drawn on the still-unconfirmed pricing strategy for the new machine, the company ethos of introducing "disruptive devices" into the market was echoed in the interview, as Harrison reflected on the current generation and mused on what's really important for generating success.

"I think that, oddly enough, when people talk about horsepower, sheer graphical processing and things, the system that had the least impressive technical specs, the PlayStation 2, became the huge winner in the last generation," Harrison commented.

"That told us that it wasn't always just about horsepower. One of the things that we did learn, and one of the reasons that we're here today is that you have to get third party involvement early and they have to be able to get access early."

Nintendo plans to unveil further details on the Revolution console, its online and digital content support, and a number of first party software titles at the forthcoming E3 expo in May. As the convention draws closer, and the launch of the console approaches, third party developers are also starting to voice their support, and a number of launch titles are expected to be announced, if not displayed at the show in May.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16286 ...

The growth of the mobile games industry has been stalled by a widespread failure to invest in customer satisfaction, Digital Chocolate marketing VP Jason Spero has told MobileIndustry.biz in an exclusive interview.

Spero believes that the mobile industry has hit a wall in terms of customer penetration not because of too few consumers trialling products, as is the conventional wisdom, but because many of those who do are being disappointed.

"My view is that we're churning users," he explained. "My view is that we're not satisfying end users; my view is that we've got plenty of trial. So many people in the industry are focused on trying to bring more users into the tent - and I'm happy that people are spending effort on trial, we are as well, but the industry as a whole has under-invested in customer satisfaction."

Although he wouldn't name any of the products in question, Spero claimed that Digital Chocolate has identified a "Dirty Dozen" titles which are regularly trialled by users and whose quality is so poor that those users are then lost to the mobile content market.

"There are a lot of them in the racing category, and there are a lot of them in the movies category - and every time a user shows up and downloads one of these, that user is going to be lost to the mobile ecosystem for quite some time," he accused.

"Every time we promote and feature something that is of low quality, and deliver a bad user experience, we've then taken $5.99 or $6.99 from that user, and lost them forever to the ecosystem," he concluded.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16273 ...

Activision has signed key actors up to its new X-Men film tie-in, which is due out on May 19th on a whole host of formats including Xbox 360.

Previously the games have had to make do with the authoritative tones of Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier - something of a videogame regular - and stand-ins like good old Mark Hamill, but this time it'll be the real deal with Hugh Jackman handling Wolverine, Shawn Ashmore as Iceman and Alan Cumming speaking for Nightcrawler. All the characters have been modelled on the actors' appearance anyway.

Nightcrawler actually won't be appearing in X-Men: The Last Stand - the third film, due out at the end of May - but the game's supposed to take place prior to the events of that film, so perhaps it'll explain what happens to him - a theory supported by the involvement of screenwriter Zak Penn.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Penn said he was brought in "to sync up the film with the game" alongside co-writer Chris Claremont. "The game's based on the comic universe, which is different than the film world. I was charged with bringing the game characters into the reality of the movie," Penn told the Reporter.

X-Men: The Official Game is due out next month on PS2, Xbox, Cube, PC, X360, GBA and DS.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64040 ...

Game Republic is working on another Xbox 360 game, according to charismatic front man and former Capcom type Yoshiki Okamoto.

Sadly though, the cat isn't so much out of the bag as faintly outlined against the exterior - Okamoto's simply said that while the game hasn't been announced yet, "it's safe to say that this game is well worth looking forward to". Sounds excellent!

Game Republic's already worked on Xbox 360, of course, having delivered Japanese launch title Everyparty - something we're still waiting to see over here.

That itself was a bit of a departure though; Game Republic's biggest recent title is PS2 exclusive Genji: Dawn of the Samurai, an action game with an inventive combat system that nearly did the trick for us, but not quite.

There's no word on when we can expect to hear more about Okamoto's project, but given the proximity of E3 it's entirely likely it'll be something Microsoft shouts about during its press conference on 9th May.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64037 ...

Eidos' World War II title Battlestations: Midway will debut on Xbox 360 and PC this autumn, the publisher's announced, while current-gen console title Urban Chaos: Riot Response has been given a solid release date of May 19th on PS2 and Xbox.

Developed by Eidos Studios, Hungary, Battlestations mixes Pacific air and sea battles - both on and under the surface - and gives players control of dozens of units in a free control environment, allowing players to hop from the deck of a battleship to the controls of a fighter plane or the bridge of a submarine at will. It'll include both single and multiplayer options - the latter including co-op. PS2 and Xbox versions are also planned.

Meanwhile, Urban Chaos, developed by Londoners Rocksteady Studios, puts players into an elite police counter-gang unit called T-Zero as a former US marine. You'll team up with firefighters, paramedics and regular police to take on all sorts of threats, bombs and hostage scenarios.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64036 ...

Those of you still undecided about Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter have another chance to try it out on Xbox 360.

With a multiplayer demo already available, Ubisoft's released a campaign mission single-player demo to give you an idea of how it all works offline.

It weighs in at 747MB. You pick your loadout, admire your squad-mates' faces and then swoop low over Mexico City in a chopper before landing in the streets and making off with your team.

The full game features a decent-length campaign as well as a large variety of multiplayer options over Xbox Live.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64032 ...

Datel's announced a pair of Nintendo DS peripherals capable of running homebrew software applications.

The MAX Media Launcher is designed specifically to do this, costs £12.99, and allows you to store homebrew data on a variety of compatible flash cards including M3 and NEO types.

The more expensive MAX Media Player, priced £129.99, goes further. It supports homebrew, but really as a footnote to extensive media playback - as well as viewing JPEGs through a built-in browser application, it will play back MP3 audio and even movies.

Both are due out in late April, available through retail and Codejunkies.com, and Datel says both are compatible with the new DS Lite as well as the old one.

MAX Media Player is a two-part peripheral - the player itself is a simple DS game card that goes in the DS game slot, allowing you to browse a 4GB hard disk that slots into the GBA cartridge slot and hugs the back of the unit as you can see in the photo. The hard disk will draw power directly from the DS.

MAX Media Player also includes a USB 2.0 cable allowing you to transfer data from your PC, as well as a Media Manager PC application for handling these transfers; Media Manager will also convert movies to a format the Player can understand and resize images to fit the DS screen.

Meanwhile, Datel's also got a third peripheral on the way. Called Communicator Headset, it effectively harnesses the microphone and speakers in a headset format, which Datel reckons will be more appropriate for comms in games like Metroid Prime: Hunters, which allows you to chat with other players in the game lobby. Communicator Headset will retail for £9.99.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64030 ...

Datel's announced a pair of Nintendo DS peripherals capable of running homebrew software applications.

The MAX Media Launcher is designed specifically to do this, costs £12.99, and allows you to store homebrew data on a variety of compatible flash cards including M3 and NEO types.

The more expensive MAX Media Player, priced £129.99, goes further. It supports homebrew, but really as a footnote to extensive media playback - as well as viewing JPEGs through a built-in browser application, it will play back MP3 audio and even movies.

Both are due out in late April, available through retail and Codejunkies.com, and Datel says both are compatible with the new DS Lite as well as the old one.

MAX Media Player is a two-part peripheral - the player itself is a simple DS game card that goes in the DS game slot, allowing you to browse a 4GB hard disk that slots into the GBA cartridge slot and hugs the back of the unit as you can see in the photo. The hard disk will draw power directly from the DS.

MAX Media Player also includes a USB 2.0 cable allowing you to transfer data from your PC, as well as a Media Manager PC application for handling these transfers; Media Manager will also convert movies to a format the Player can understand and resize images to fit the DS screen.

Meanwhile, Datel's also got a third peripheral on the way. Called Communicator Headset, it effectively harnesses the microphone and speakers in a headset format, which Datel reckons will be more appropriate for comms in games like Metroid Prime: Hunters, which allows you to chat with other players in the game lobby. Communicator Headset will retail for £9.99.

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64030 ...