via Kotaku




The downloadable media service for the DS, originally set to be released in Japan this March, will be pushed back by a month into April. AM3, the company that will be providing the service dubbed DSVision, says that they've run into some challenges with the system's hardware, namely the adapter designed to accommodate a special min SD card in the DS card slot.

Content providers want to see more save functionality with the adapter, according to AM3, which has lead to the delay while AM3 adds features. When the service eventually does become available, it'll provide content like videos and music, although no specific details yet on what that will entail. ...

via Computer and Video games


The Singstore for Singstar PS3 will be updated with a massive 67 new tracks for virtual singers to yelp along to on March 7.

We've had a look down the list and there's no Snoop Dogg or Wu Tang, so we'll probably sit it out. But if you're a girl, or you have long hair that you like to flick when you hear music, check out the (massive) complete list here:

• Aha: The Sun Always Shines On TV
• Alice Cooper: Poison
• Big Brovaz: Nu-Flow
• Bill Joel: Uptown Girl
• Blu Cantrell: Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)
• Blur: End of a Century
• Britney Spears: Baby One More Time
• Coldplay: Speed Of Sound
• Crash Test Dummies: Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
• David Bowie: Heroes
• Dragon: April Sun In Cuba
• Elvira Nickolaisen: Egypt Song
• End Of Fashion: Oh Yeah
• Fairground Attraction: Perfect
• Feeder: Buck Rogers
• Five: Keep On Movin'
• Jamelia:Superstar
• Jamelia: Stop
• Joy Division: Love Will Tear Us Apart
• Lemar: It's Not That Easy
• Lordi: Hard Rock Hallelujah
• Maria Mena: My Lullaby
• Maxïmo Park: Graffiti
• Maxïmo Park: Going Missing
• Natalie Imbruglia: Torn
• opus X: loving you girl
• Paddy Casey: Saints and Sinners
• Paddy Casey: Whatever Gets You True
• Reamonn: Supergirl
• Roachford: Only To Be With You
• Rooster: Come Get Some
• Roxy Music: Love Is The Drug
• Shannon Noll: What About Me
• Spice Girls: Wannabe
• Spice Girls: Who Do You Think You Are?
• Steps: Deeper Shade of Blue
• Stereophonics: Dakota
• Stereophonics: The Bartender And The Thief
• The Darkness: I Believe In A Thing Called Love
• The Hoosiers: Goodbye Mr A
• The Screaming Jets: Better
• The Thrills: One Horse Town
• The Thrills: Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)
• The Undertones: Teenage Kicks
• Trio Rio: New York, Rio, Tokyo
• Whitney Houston: I Want To Dance With Somebody
• Clueso: Kein Bock Zu Geh'n
• Die Fantastischen Vier: Geboren
• Laith Al-Deen: Leb Den Tag
• Laith Al-Deen: Bilder von Dir
• MIA.: Tanz Der Moleküle
• Pur: Abenteuerland
• Revolverheld: Ich werd' die Welt verändern
• Revolverheld: Mit Dir Chilln
• Alexia: Egoista
• Alexia: Da Grande
• Daniele Silvestri: Salirò
• Fiorello: Viviere A Color
• Litfiba: El Diablo
• Loredana Berte: Il Mare D'Inverno
• Luca Di Risio: Calma e sanguefreddo
• Paola & Chiara: Blu
• Jan Eggum: På'an igjen
• Kaptein Sabeltann: Vi seiler vår egen sjø
• Philip and Sandra: Sommerflørt
• Gloria Estefan: Hoy
• Pereza: Pienso En Aquella Tarde

...

via Games Industry


According to the latest stats from magazine publisher Enterbrain, Nintendo's Wii outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 in Japan by almost 4-to-1.

By February 24, 331,627 Wii units had been sold in the region, compared to 89,131 PlayStation 3's, reports Reuters.

Nintendo's home console has been outselling Sony's machine almost continuously since both became available on the market.

Although Sony's sales are improving – and by no means as poor as Microsoft's Xbox 360 in the region – the Wii continues to prove itself the dominant console.

Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl became the fastest-selling Wii game to reach one million units in February, doing so in just 11 days, and the game has now sold a total of 1.33 million.

Wii Fit continues to enjoy impressive sales, notching up a further 309,311 units in the first four weeks of the month. ...

via Games Industry


Hitachi and Sharp have both confirmed they have come under investigation by Japan's antitrust regulator on suspicion of fixing prices for LCD screens used in Nintendo's DS console.

According to a Bloomberg report, offices and business premises for both companies have been searched by Japan's Fair Trade Commission.

Any manufacturer found guilty of price-fixing can be fined up to 10 per cent of gains, according to Japanese law.

Sharp confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz this morning that it is "lending full support to this investigation."

Bloomberg notes that shares in Sharp fell 3.1 per cent to JPY 1976 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, while Hitachi declined 2.3 per cent to JPY 779.

GamesIndustry.biz has contact Nintendo and Hitachi for further comment. ...

via Kotaku


Sony has declined to comment on suggestions it is encouraging first-party developers to add PlayStation Home integration to their games.

Fresh speculation was kicked up by Kotaku, which "learned" that Uncharted, Warhawk and Resistance would be given some rather fancy content.

According to the US blog, Uncharted will be gifted a side-scrolling arcade game described as a cross between Contra and Out of this World.

You will also be able to have a look around game levels as your avatar, which is something you can apparently do in Resistance: Fall of Man, too.

Specifically, Resistance will offer some sort of room hub that you can explore where can wander around the game world or flesh out the story by listening to intercepted radio transmissions between European and US forces.

Apparently Warhawk will also feature a lobby area known as a war room, where you can meet with friends, set up and launch battles. Furthermore, developer Incognito is putting a to-scale strategical map table in the middle of the room, where you can plan out your strategies like a real life army person with a loud face.

We already knew Warhawk was going to be include Home functionality, thanks to patch 1.3 notes from director Dylan Jobe earlier this month. But the map is new to us. And exciting.

PlayStation Home is currently in beta and has just undergone a batch of meaty changes. You can see these on YouTube. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Yesterday, Sega upset us by releasing this amateurish trailer for Bass Fishing. Now though, it's back at the top of our best friends on Facebook after adding a mode to House of the Dead 2&3 The Return that includes new gameplay options.

The new Extreme Mode can be unlocked for House of the Dead 3 after completing both of the titles. It quickens enemy attacks, shrinks bullet blast radius, quickens shotgun reloading and adds a melee attack.

Should zombies get in your face on the upcoming Wii game, you can trigger a powerful move that can hit several enemies. The attack can also be used to block enemy moves, missile weapons and even boss attacks.

Previously, it seemed as though the upcoming Wii port of the Dreamcast games was a direct copy of its predecessor.

To see more on House of the Dead 2&3, check out the game page. ...

via Kotaku


No no no, Nintendo, you've got this around the wrong way. I don't want to buy Wii Wheels separately. I want to be able to buy the game separately, so I can use the GameCube controls and forget the wheel ever existed. Ah well. For anyone who simply must have two or more Wii Wheels, however (I don't know...maybe your dog needs a new chew-toy), know that Nintendo will be selling them in Japan for ¥1200 (USD$11), and will probably be selling them everywhere else as well. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Mario Kart Wii is the first home instalment of the much-loved (and swear-inducing) racer to feature online play. We know Nintendo isn't big on the net, but we're at least going to get lobbies with basic text chat, right? That's a basic 1996-era feature, isn't it?

Nintendo of Europe originally told IGN: "You can create rooms for friends to join and even text chat while you're waiting for other racers." Good news then. Except they were telling porkies...

Nintendo's American operation quickly contacted the publication to explain that while there will be "text chat" in Mario Kart Wii's online mode, it'll be in the form of pre-determined phrases that can be sent as messages before the match (such as "let's race!" or "No Wario Stadium shortcut!" we presume).

There'll be no proper communication between friends in Mario Kart Wii, then. Thank you Nintendo for once again protecting us from the evils of the internet.

At least the pre-determined text will probably allow us to play with foreign racers, auto translated and all that. ...

via Eurogamer


Guerrilla Games has hotly defended its infamous Killzone 2 E3 2005 trailer by saying it served a purpose and was not intended simply to build hype.

The developer responded to "false" accusations on the "Ask a Dev thread" on the US PlayStation boards, suggesting Sony PR had confused things at the time.

"The E3 2005 trailer was not false. One confused Sony rep claimed it was a movie from the game engine - one guy blitzed out of his mind on fatigue, jet-lag and the madness that is E3. One guy not at all affiliated with Guerrilla Games - probably with a head full of 30 different titles," said "EON", a member of Guerrilla Games.

"Everyone else named the E3 2005 video for what it was - a target render of what we thought would be possible on the PS3. Something we would be aiming for. Then, during E3 2007, in front of the majority of the gaming journalist press, we released a trailer of Pre-Alpha code running and demonstrated a playable Killzone 2 that stunned the industry."

The developer went on to play down the hype around Killzone 2, suggesting we will not see a "definitive" game on the PS3 for some time to come - if it is rational to expect one at all.

"The truth is that nobody is releasing the definitive game of the PS3 only three years into it's lifespan."

"And no sane person would even try to release 'the definitive game' - because who knows what will make the definitive game definitive?"

Killzone 2 is a first-person shooter that is a bit like Call of Duty 4 in that lots of things happen around you in a war-torn area where your squadron is fighting for survival.

Like Gears of War it has been associated with its exclusive platform since the unveiling of the console in 2005, and picked up a considerable following along the way. A Killzone 2 public beta test is expected this year, although a full release is less certain.

Pop over to YouTube for the E3 2005 target-rendered trailer before comparing it to the E3 2007 real deal. ...