Tiger Telematics has announced the list of high street distributors which will be stocking the Gizmondo, the new handheld games and media device which was launched through a dedicated London outlet a fortnight ago.

GameStation, Carphone Warehouse and John Lewis stores will stock the handheld from this weekend. The agreement follows the Gizmondo's launch on March 19, which coincided with the opening of a flagship store on Regent Street.

"We identified last year that Gizmondo's arrival would expand the popular gaming genre, and through its unique convergence of music and movie features, will prove an exciting addition to our assortment," said Julie Mitrovic, assistant buyer for the John Lewis Partnership. The handheld is already being advertised on the John Lewis website, priced at £229.

The Carphone Warehouse (CPW) will feature the Gizmondo in selected Manchester stores as part of its entertainment range, which includes portable audio and video players, and on its website.

"Our stores attract a variety of customers looking for handsets and mobile entertainment devices," said Kevin Gillan, CPW's group director of business development.

"With its wide range of features and functionality, the Gizmondo will have appeal to the customers we get in our stores."

The handheld will also go on sale in GameStation's Edinburgh and Birmingham branches. Gizmondo Europe says GameStation is a "key destination for the Gizmondo consumer, both in terms of the launch demographic and the mainstream videogaming audience."

"We were delighted by the response we received from the public at the recent opening of our own Regent Street store," said Carl Freer, co-founder and chairman of Tiger Telematics.

"We are now committed to building on that success and ensuring that we bring the benefits of the Gizmondo on a national level. We're pleased to have John Lewis, The Carphone Warehouse and GameStation on board, and will be fully supporting their launches with comprehensive retail marketing campaigns, to include TV, outdoor and print media." ...

Has Microsoft killed production of the Xbox in anticipation of the launch of the Xbox 360 later this year? Microsoft revealed last week that there was indeed a shortage of the consoles because of their “surging popularity” (hmmmm…), but now SPOnG is “confirming” that Microsoft has ended production of the orginal Xbox altogether and isn’t planning on making any more. Seems like it’d be a little early for Microsoft to be doing that, especially given that the Xbox 360 isn’t due out for another eight months or so, right? We’re still waiting for Redmond to issue an official statement, but Larry Hryb, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, is squashing the rumor on his blog, saying that “We are NOT pulling the Xbox from stores. Xbox consoles being in short supply since they are popular and stopping production are two VERY different issues.” ...

News From Lik Sang

Pizza in one hand, a Nintendo controller in the other, and sugary drinks all around, Mario Party can be a real blast! This is the first time the popular series has hit a handheld, the Gameboy Advance. With up to four friends linked together, you each choose either Mario, Luigi, Peach or Yoshi. Along with 60 mini games, almost as many as Mario Party 5 for the Cube, there's plenty to keep the party rolling. Due to the cost of owning 4 copies of the game though, Nintendo wisely focused heavily on the single player experience much more than usual. You'll unlock the mini-games through missions across the game board, then if you do link-up, can also trade mini-games and items with friends.


The board has six areas to explore, such as town, jungle, seaside, snow, desert and horror. The coins you collect along the way can be used to purchase gadgets, one particular of which, called the Lip Disguise-o-matic, lets you play tricks on your friends, test your compatibility and more. This US edition of Mario Party Advance is now shipping, but don't forget the Mario merchandise that arrived recently here either.

...

Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, Microsoft's Xbox Live Director of Programming, has gone on record to deny that recent Xbox shortages are a tactical move on the part of the Seattle giant to pave the way for the next-generation Xbox Xenon.
Recent days have seen a glut of stories swirl around the net stating that Xbox one was being pulled from shops and that retailers can expect no more deliveries of Uncle Bill's big black box. Reports that the worldwide stock of unsold Xbox units had shrunk to a mere two million and a lack of big name titles on the schedules post-E3 also fuelled the widely spread belief that Microsoft had all but abandoned Xbox one.

Well not according to Hryb, who writing on his personal website has attempted to slay the rumour dragon. Clearly ready to pull no punches as he hoists the Xbox One standard high, Hryb writes:
"There are a few stories floating around this vast thing we call the Internet today that say the Xbox has been pulled from retailers. Furthermore, people are saying that we have "reached our targets and want to get ready for the next console. Let me be perfectly clear: We are NOT pulling the Xbox from stores.

"Xbox consoles being in short supply since they are popular and stopping production are two VERY different issues. Don't believe the mis-information that is filling your browser/inbox/rss feed. Now, back to your regularly scheduled rumor-mongering."

While Hyrb admits that his blog is "my personal opinion and is not read or approved by anyone before it is posted", it would seem unlikely a senior Microsoft employee would go on record without knowing what he was talking about.

However it is almost certain that Xbox Xenon will launch before the end of this year so it would seem a natural progression for Microsoft to slowly wind down its stock as it prepares for the key next-generation Christmas launch.

But what do you think? Should MS send Xbox one the way of all flesh or would you like to see it preserved for posterity and even overlap into the next-gen? Let us know in the forums below... ...

The DS has been revealed as the portable console king today, with Nintendo revealing that the touch-screen console has sold over 500,000 units across Europe.
Word has it that the games haven't done too badly either, with just over half of those owners picking up a copy of Mario 64 DS. Since its release on the 11th of march, the DS has seen widespread exposure across the country, and looks set to be a huge success with upcoming titles Yoshi's Touch and Go and Metroid Prime: Hunters.

The DS's European debut follows similarly successful launches in the US and Japan and with Sony's PSP yet to have a firm Euro launch date, the DS looks set to continue to thrive in the Euro zone. ...

Leading UK importer of consoles and games, GBAx.com have posted this news:

All the DS games are down in price, from only £14.99, thats rather good, but limited stock, so get clicky.

Heres the prices out whats in stock:

Super Mario DS £ 14.99
Spiderman 2 DS £ 19.99
Feel the Magic XY/XX £ 17.99
Asphalt Urban DS £ 19.99 ...

Here it is: sXb mini Beta 1 Release! Bollywood has done some excellent work getting a very fast, very small version of sXb running on the Xbox. At less than 55 MB you have no reason not to try it out!

CURRENT FEATURES:
* xpad support
* Automatically boots into IceWM
* SSH server runs upon boot
* Network interface configuration via DHCP
* Surf the web with Dillo web browser
CURRENT PROBLEMS:
* I am only releasing this unpolished version (hence the beta) because people have been getting antsy...
* No virtual keyboard, so not much to do besides read Slashdot in Dillo unless you have a keyboard and adapter

Make sure to read the README for more details.
http://www.keckstar.com/nuke/html/ ...

GPF(Troy Davis) has released a port of the Lord of The Rings Game Engine for the Dreamcast Console, heres more info on this release:

Lord of the Rings game engine
This is a development version of The Lord of the Rings game engine which plays famous Interplays game The Lord of the Rings.
http://adela.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~benes/lotr/
requires dreamcast keyboard to play, rough d-pad implemented for movement and moving through cutscenes. Otherwise check documentation for keyboard commands. Enjoy.

Download from Here. ...

SPOnG has received emails that indicate a complete withdrawal of Xbox hardware in the coming months, with claims surfacing today of a total end to generation one Xbox production.

According to senior sources within publishing, retailers are being instructed not to list Xbox hardware in their next catalogue publications. “They are telling us that they have reached their targets and want to clear the way for the next machine,” we were told, with our source speaking under terms of anonymity. “It’s reached the point where the amount of money they lose per unit, combined with the fact that they might well eat into their own [Xbox 360] market share, means that continuing the run is just not feasible.”
Of course the big question remains of exactly how many Xbox hardware units are still available. “There are only two million units left and no more will be produced,” continued our source. “There are 400,000 allocated for the whole of the European territory. After that there will be no more. It was confirmed to me that Microsoft has no plans to manufacture the original Xbox once the new console hits the market.” ...