First Lik Sang and now Play Asia join the companies selling the GP2X, heres their newspost:

The GP2X offers everything for your mobile entertainment - right out of your pocket. Being on the move, or just plugged directly into your TV's S-Video connection, you can enjoy:

Playing Games
Watching Movies
Listening to Music
Reading E-Books
Viewing Photos

Powered by embedded Linux, the GP2X offers video playback of sources up to a resolution of 720x480. The vivid 3.5inch screen features 170,000 colors and a 320x240 pixel TFT LCD display. Backed by a Dual-CPU, both clocked at 200Mhz, 64MBytes of Flash Memory (non-volatile to store data) and 64MBytes of RAM, it gives you all a video games enthusiast can ask for. The system is free for anybody to develop software on, be it emulators or native applications. Games and emulators perfectly utilize the screen resolution. The buttons are laid out in a classic style, essential for true gaming.

Besides its gaming capabilities, the GP2X is a rich multimedia device. It supports multiple codecs for video (MPEG, MPEG4, DivX, XVid) and audio (MP3, OGG, WMA) and you are able to hook up the device to your TV-Set. Viewing pictures you have just taken? Just put an SD-Card in the socket and view them with your friends and family. It has never been that easy.

This all comes at a very affordable preorder price of US$179.00. The GP2X will be in stock by the end of November, just in time for Christmas!

Quick specs
ARM920T: Host processor
ARM940T: Video Coprocessor
NAND Flash Memory: 64MB
RAM: 64MB
Storage: SD Card
Connection Type: USB 2.0 high speed
O/S: Linux
Display: 3.5" TFT LCD
Resolution: 320*240(QVGA)
Battery Life
Video: Approx. 8 hours
Audio: Approx. 14hours
Dimensions: 143mm x 83mm x 34mm
Equalizer: Normal, Classic, Rock, Jazz, Pop
See more details on this fabulous device on our GP2X pages, and be sure to subscribe to the Personal Agent on the right-hand-side column for any updates. ...

Source Arstechnica

It was odd to think that there was a time when Nintendo didn't rule the portable world. When the original giant grey Tetris machine came out, we all bought one and fell in love. Sure it was pea green and it blurred to hell and back when a game scrolled, but it was ours. We couldn't get the Tetris tune out of our head. We bought every Mario game that came out for it. Pretenders came and went—the Game Gear, the TurboGrafx. They had color, they had nice screens, and they didn't last.

Then the updates began. First the Game Boy Pocket. Then the color, then the Game Boy Advance. Then came the Game Boy SP, and the brighter screen. I remember buying them all when they came out, and each one was slightly better than the last. Maybe not enough for an upgrade for most people, but at least Nintendo never rested on its laurels. They kept making the systems better and better, until the original grayscale blurry system was all but unrecognizable.

Now they face a challenge though. Sony's PSP is incredible looking and challenging Nintendo's supremacy in portable gaming. With the iPod, Apple redefined consumer electronic chic. The Game Boy was a ton of things, but it was never sexy. With the Game Boy Micro Nintendo wants to give us what Apple gave us. They wanted to sex up the Game Boy line.

Beauty is only cardboard deep
The new way of thinking is first evident in the packaging. This looks nothing like what we're used to for videogame system packaging. For one, you can see the unit through the plastic. It looks like it was meant to hang in upscale electronics stores, not the back wall of a chain video game store. The packaging is sleek and it grabs the eye. You also clearly see the two face plates you get with the system. The whole thing doesn't feel like a video game product, which is I think a win for Nintendo. They want to get you looking at it even if you've never had your eye caught by a portable video game system before. Yet another box wouldn't do that, and this accomplishes everything they set out to do.

Some nice packaging from Nintendo
When you open it up you see everything the unit comes with. Lately, I've been impressed with what Nintendo includes with its systems, but this is kind of a letdown. You get the unit, two faceplates, the charger, a tool to help you pop out the faceplates, and a small sock to keep it in. Its not exactly a bad spread, but I would have liked to have had a neck strap or at least a wrist strap. The system is designed almost to be worn as much as played, and having to buy that sort of thing separately was a pain in the ass. C'mon Nintendo, give us a necklace.

More of the review at the link above. ...

Final Fantasy III is being remade in 3D for the DS in 2006. FF V and VI will arrive on the GBA next year as well, following the GBA release of FF IV on December 12 of this year.

This will result in all pre-PlayStation Final Fantasy titles being made available on a Nintendo portable by the end of 2006. ...

Nintendo has unveiled the new Wi-Fi USB connector that will allow DS owners to take their handheld online if they don't already have a wireless Internet connection.

The USB connector will go on sale in Europe on November 25 - the same date as online enabled title Mario Kart DS - priced £30.

Once it's inserted into a USB port on a PC, a window is opened to establish a link between the DS, computer and Internet. The user must then complete a three-step on the DS to get connected. The connector will not work with Macs as Nintendo is only supporting Windows at present.

As previously announced, DS owners will be able to construct a Friends list but no usernames or passwords will be used. Instead, gamers will be able to swap 12 digit "Friend Codes" to add each other to their lists. There will also be an option to play with a random opponent selected by the Nintendo servers according to skill level to ensure an evenly matched game.

The USB connector was unveiled at the DS Conference 2005 in Japan, where three new titles for the handheld were also announced.

Eigo Zuke teaches Japanese speakers how to write and speak English using the DS's touch screen and microphone. Motto Nou wo Kitaeru Otona no DS Training is the sequel to the chart topping Brain Training, and will be in the shops by Christmas. Daredemo Asobi Taikai is a collection of more than 40 popular board games, with game sharing and wireless support for up to eight players. So far all three games are down for a Japanese release only. ...

Microsoft has said we can expect to see "15 to 20" titles available when Xbox 360 launches in the US next month, although the only titles it's prepared to confirm are the five announced by EA yesterday morning and its three first-party headliners Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo: Elements of Power and Perfect Dark Zero.

According to director of platform marketing David Reid, the reason Microsoft did not announce a concrete list of launch titles during last night's main address is that they are "currently in the final stages of certification".

Speaking in the boozy aftermath of the main X05 address, Reid told US website GameSpot, "there will be 15 to 20 Xbox 360 titles available on launch day," followed by half a dozen or so more by the end of the year. Along with its first-party titles and EA's launch prospects, others will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Microsoft's Robbie Bach had previously told the X05 audience to expect the "best games and launch line-up" of any console to date.

Confusion reigned for a short while after the conference when a Microsoft press release headlined "Xbox 360 Launch line-up announced" appeared on a number of US websites verbatim. Closer inspection revealed that just Gotham, Kameo and Perfect Dark were confirmed for the "Christmas portfolio", with the rest of the release given over to details of other games shown at the event.

Those included a brand new exclusive RPG from Bioware called Mass Effect, as well as multiformat titles expected to "lead on Xbox 360" including a new Castle Wolfenstein game from id and Raven Software and Splinter Cell 4 from Ubisoft.

Other titles confirmed for or demonstrated on Xbox 360 at the event included Eidos' Tomb Raider: Legend, a new instalment in THQ's MotoGP biking series, Silicon Knights' Too Human and Real Time Worlds' Crackdown.

Intriguingly, Microsoft also used the X05 address to reveal that Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson will take a hand in its forthcoming Halo film, acting as executive producer along with his wife Fran Walsh.

Today, the second of X05, consists largely of executive and developer interviews. ...

Source - GI Biz

Sony CEO Howard Stringer has revealed some of the company's future plans for the PSP and PS3, describing the next-gen console as "a monumental technical advance."

In a speech delivered at the CEATEC electronics show in Japan, Stringer said that PSP owners "Will soon be able to deploy the device's built-in Wi-Fi to watch video from home entertainment terminals, anytime, anywhere in the world."

He also confirmed that larger capacity memory sticks will enable users to record television programmes using digital video recorders and then watch them back on the PSP. Some DVR models already come equipped with memory stick slots.

Moving on to the PlayStation 3, Stringer described the console as "Our biggest breakthrough yet."

"The Cell microprocessor really sets the PS3 apart... Offering twice the processing power of Xbox 360. It's simply amazing in a home entertainment device."

"The PS3 is only the beginning, but it is a monumental technical advance."

Stringer conceded that Sony had "fallen short" when it came to performing strongly in the competitive electronics market - the company is expecting its first operating loss in more than a decade this financial year due to losses in its TV sector and costly restructuring expenses.

"We must free ourselves from the old ways that bind us," he said.

"We must restructure to improve efficiency, improve our focus and provide the necessary resources to create unique, competitive advantages."

Stringer added that his vision for Sony is "One that is streamlined in terms of product lines, manufacturing and efficiency... We will become a more nimble, responsive and creative company with a better relationship with the public." ...

Source - GI Biz

Sony CEO Howard Stringer has revealed some of the company's future plans for the PSP and PS3, describing the next-gen console as "a monumental technical advance."

In a speech delivered at the CEATEC electronics show in Japan, Stringer said that PSP owners "Will soon be able to deploy the device's built-in Wi-Fi to watch video from home entertainment terminals, anytime, anywhere in the world."

He also confirmed that larger capacity memory sticks will enable users to record television programmes using digital video recorders and then watch them back on the PSP. Some DVR models already come equipped with memory stick slots.

Moving on to the PlayStation 3, Stringer described the console as "Our biggest breakthrough yet."

"The Cell microprocessor really sets the PS3 apart... Offering twice the processing power of Xbox 360. It's simply amazing in a home entertainment device."

"The PS3 is only the beginning, but it is a monumental technical advance."

Stringer conceded that Sony had "fallen short" when it came to performing strongly in the competitive electronics market - the company is expecting its first operating loss in more than a decade this financial year due to losses in its TV sector and costly restructuring expenses.

"We must free ourselves from the old ways that bind us," he said.

"We must restructure to improve efficiency, improve our focus and provide the necessary resources to create unique, competitive advantages."

Stringer added that his vision for Sony is "One that is streamlined in terms of product lines, manufacturing and efficiency... We will become a more nimble, responsive and creative company with a better relationship with the public." ...

Source - GI Biz

Sony CEO Howard Stringer has revealed some of the company's future plans for the PSP and PS3, describing the next-gen console as "a monumental technical advance."

In a speech delivered at the CEATEC electronics show in Japan, Stringer said that PSP owners "Will soon be able to deploy the device's built-in Wi-Fi to watch video from home entertainment terminals, anytime, anywhere in the world."

He also confirmed that larger capacity memory sticks will enable users to record television programmes using digital video recorders and then watch them back on the PSP. Some DVR models already come equipped with memory stick slots.

Moving on to the PlayStation 3, Stringer described the console as "Our biggest breakthrough yet."

"The Cell microprocessor really sets the PS3 apart... Offering twice the processing power of Xbox 360. It's simply amazing in a home entertainment device."

"The PS3 is only the beginning, but it is a monumental technical advance."

Stringer conceded that Sony had "fallen short" when it came to performing strongly in the competitive electronics market - the company is expecting its first operating loss in more than a decade this financial year due to losses in its TV sector and costly restructuring expenses.

"We must free ourselves from the old ways that bind us," he said.

"We must restructure to improve efficiency, improve our focus and provide the necessary resources to create unique, competitive advantages."

Stringer added that his vision for Sony is "One that is streamlined in terms of product lines, manufacturing and efficiency... We will become a more nimble, responsive and creative company with a better relationship with the public." ...

Atari has announced that a new instalment in classic survival horror franchise Alone in the Dark is currently in development for the Xbox 360.

The game, which is scheduled to make its debut at the X05 event in Amsterdam this week, is being developed by first Infogrames subsidiary Eden Games. Previous titles developed by the studio include V-Rally 1, 2 and 3, Need for Speed: Porsche and Kya: Dark Lineage.

"Alone in the Dark will look and play amazing on Xbox 360," said Xbox corporate VP Peter Moore.

"The level of environmental interaction and graphical detail achievable on the system is staggering and will allow Eden to produce a game wholly worthy of the 'next-generation' tag, and provide an intense and voracious gaming experience."

Atari Europe marketing director Cyril Voiron added: "Alone in the Dark is a massive global franchise that has been at the forefront of the survival genre since its inception."

"We are supremely confident that Eden Games will deliver a visceral and gripping experience that will establish the Alone in the Dark franchise as the leader of the next-generation survival genre." ...