via Edge Online


Open to both Silver and Gold Xbox Live subscribers, Xtival 2009 will offer a host of fresh music content, with performances from acts including Queen, Franz Ferdinand, The Pussycat Dolls, The Saturdays and Placebo.

Users will be able to watch full length music concerts for the first time on the console, Microsoft said, with standard definition versions available for 600 Microsoft points and high definition versions costing 800 Microsoft points.

Microsoft also said it will bring Hollywood movies The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor to Xbox Live, although a quick search of Xbox Live Marketplace reveals the latter two films are already available for download. Each of the movies will be charged at standard rates, but additional behind the scenes footage will be available for free.

Additionally, multiplayer game tournaments will be running for Call of Duty (edition not specified) and Lips.

...

via 1up


A recent flurry of gamers who cheated in order to unlock certain Gears of War 2 Achievements has Microsoft once again performing a wave of Gamerscore resets. As they have previously, Microsoft will reset the Gamerscore of Xbox Live gamers who have been found to be glitching or violating the service's Terms of Use. The person is then rendered unable to re-unlock any previously unlocked Achievements. Instead, they are only able to earn new Achievements through legitimate means in the future, which is a real (and well-deserved) slap in the face of those dirty cheaters.

Xbox Live team member Stephen "Stepto" Toulouse said in a blog post today that Microsoft would "be hitting the most egregious offenders first while we investigate the full set of people who have done it." Like Major Nelson, he reassured the non-cheating crowd of gamers, "We tend to issue resets for a very clear set of actions that users take to get achievements without even playing the game. So those of you boosters, if you're not glitching or doing other things in violation of the Terms of Use, don't worry. Also to be clear, this isn't any type of bug or issue caused by Gears of War 2, it's just people cheating their profiles to toggle a specific achievement they didn't actually earn."

Xbox.com has more details on the practice of "Gamerscore corrections," as they're called, and there's a dummy profile located here to show what a cheater's profile looks like. ...

via Engadget


With the economy in the tank (still) and the heat on, cost and profit margins are more important than ever to companies hoping to stave off the inevitable, apocalyptic doom of recession. Well, iSuppli's released an estimated report of how much its costing Palm to cobble together the Pre -- about $138, as it turns out.

iSuppli has positively identified just two of the Pre's suppliers thus far -- that Texas Instruments OMAP chip, which runs Palm $11, and Qualcomm's wireless chip -- but they've formed a general picture of what's under the hood for the estimate. That price is about 46 percent of the $300 iSuppli suggests Palm will be charging Sprint for the Pre (a number that's completely unconfirmed at this point).
To put it in perspective, the BlackBerry Storm costs about $203 to make and was sold for $199 initially, the G1 clocked in at $144, while the iPhone 3G costs Apple an estimated $174.33. Of course, we have no way of assessing the accuracy of the estimate yet, but if it's in the neighborhood of correct, Palm's profit margin should be pretty healthy. ...

via 1up


When Mass Effect 2 was announced, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello said it would going multi-platform. Some took that to mean that it might eventually appear on the PlayStation 3, but it looks like another system has beaten it to the punch -- the iPhone.

A recent survey has revealed an iPhone app titled Mass Effect: Jacob's Story. Billed as a prologue to the upcoming Mass Effect 2, the story will star the "biotic-powered super-soldier" Jacob Taylor, who "stumbles across a plot to terrorize civilization's greatest beacon of hope."

Instead of an RPG, it looks like Jacob's Story will be a shooter. The graphics will utilize a top-down perspective, and will sport a "stylized, cartoonish look." ...

via 1up


When Mass Effect 2 was announced, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello said it would going multi-platform. Some took that to mean that it might eventually appear on the PlayStation 3, but it looks like another system has beaten it to the punch -- the iPhone.

A recent survey has revealed an iPhone app titled Mass Effect: Jacob's Story. Billed as a prologue to the upcoming Mass Effect 2, the story will star the "biotic-powered super-soldier" Jacob Taylor, who "stumbles across a plot to terrorize civilization's greatest beacon of hope."

Instead of an RPG, it looks like Jacob's Story will be a shooter. The graphics will utilize a top-down perspective, and will sport a "stylized, cartoonish look." ...

via 1up


Coming out of its recent Gamers Day event in LA, SCEA has finally given up precious details on the third iteration of Q-Games' addictive tower defense game, PixelJunk Monsters. Traditionally a series for PlayStation Network, this version will be for PSP and is titled PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe. The "deluxe" moniker isn't just a fancy way to say "port" either, as it will not only include the two islands from the original and Encore expansion of the PSN game (including everything the expansion brought to the table), but a third new 11-stage island, complete with new music by Otograph.

With the new island, Deluxe will also bring two new towers (one of which is a gem tower that will slowly upgrade any offensive towers in its radius), a new boss monster, and a new enemy type. Previously ground-only creatures, like the speedy spiders, will now start off as air types thanks to balloons strapped to their backs. After you pop the balloons, the monsters drop to the floor, becoming ground creatures. Medal challenges replace the PSN games' trophies, and you can use the ones won to purchase unlockables in the Tiki Hut, like videos, themes, and artwork.

Gameplay remains unchanged, but to accommodate the PSP's screensize, the camera will zoom in to follow your character's movement and zoom out whenever something happens outside your point of view that the game deems important (new wave of monsters approaching, monsters get to the babies, etc.). This is helpful when playing co-op, which Deluxe will have available in local and online flavors.

The publisher provided factsheet for the game lists Deluxe's platforms as PSP and PlayStation Network, though. Could this mean the game will be sold via download as well as on UMD? Whichever way they're selling it, I'm buying. PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe is due out this fall. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Atomic Games has spoken of its "surprise" at Konami's decision to drop out of publishing its Iraq-based war game Six Days in Fallujah.


Konami's decision was made public earlier this week following a backlash to the game, which is based on the 2004 US military campaign Operation Fury.


While not revealing future plans for the title, Atomic Games' Tamte also told Edge that "development of the game had been progressing very well and on schedule", and that "we would very much like the opportunity to complete the game".

The PC, 360 and PS3 title was originally set for release in the States next year, although it was never confirmed for Europe. Don't hold your breath. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Atomic Games has spoken of its "surprise" at Konami's decision to drop out of publishing its Iraq-based war game Six Days in Fallujah.


Konami's decision was made public earlier this week following a backlash to the game, which is based on the 2004 US military campaign Operation Fury.


While not revealing future plans for the title, Atomic Games' Tamte also told Edge that "development of the game had been progressing very well and on schedule", and that "we would very much like the opportunity to complete the game".

The PC, 360 and PS3 title was originally set for release in the States next year, although it was never confirmed for Europe. Don't hold your breath. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Sony has agreed to review demands for the withdrawal of PS2 game Hanuman: Boy Warrior, after its release in India triggered a backlash in the Universal Society of Hinduism.

As previously reported, the Universal Society of Hinduism called for Sony to withdraw the PS2 title, saying that "controlling and manipulating Lord Hanuman with a joystick/ button/keyboard/mouse was denigration", and that "reimagining Hindu scriptures and deities for commercial or other agenda" hurt its followers.

Sony initially refused to comment, but Sony rep Keita Sanekata has recently responded: "We will review this issue, and get back to you as soon as possible."

Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, called for Sanekata to "look into withdrawing this game and publishing an apology, so as to prevent further denigration of our Deity Sree Hanuman and intensifying of our protests". ...