via Engadget




While there's no indication that they got the game to test it with, the folks at the FCC did at least get to spend a bit of time with the new wireless guitar for the PS3 version of Rock Band, which is more than enough to make us a tad envious. Somewhat interestingly, the guitar looks to come bundled with a fairly unassuming-looking dongle, which would seem to be unnecessary if the guitar used Bluetooth, as some had previously speculated. Otherwise, the FCC filing looks to be about as standard as they come, complete with a snippet of the manual, a slew of test reports, and a few shots of the guitar's innards thrown in for good measure (click on through for a glimpse of that).


A couple more photographs here ...

via IGN


That wonderful tradition of honoring games that have the mere potential for quality continued at this year's Tokyo Game Show, as show organizer Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association (CESA) held its annual Future Game Awards ceremony at the Makuhari Messe on the 23rd.

The Future Game Awards are initially selected by attendees of the show's first public day. Show goers picked 286 games out of the 702 titles on display. This list was then cut down to eleven finalists.

And the winners are:

Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! (aka Yakuza 3, Sega, PS3)
Ace Combat 6 (Bandai Namco, X360)
Shin Sangoku Musou 5 (aka Dynasty Warriors 6, Koei, PS3/X360)
Super Robot Taisen OG Gaiden (Banpresto, PS2)
Haruhi no Yakusoku (Bandai Namco Games, PSP)
Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes (Capcom, PS2/Wii)
Takarajima Z (aka Zack & Wiki, Capcom, Wii)
Devil May Cry 4 (Capcom, PS3/X360/PC)
Dragon Quest IX (Square Enix, DS)
Professor Layton and the Devil's Box (Level 5, DS)
Metal Gear Solid 4 (Konami, PS3)

Japanese publishers often make a big deal out of these awards, going so far as to put special commemorative stickers on a game's packaging indicating that it was selected the previous year based on its potential quality. ...

via IGN


Microsoft plans to release exclusive Halo 3 content free to Xbox Live Gold members this week, according to a post today on the Gamerscore blog, an Xbox 360 and Xbox Live site run by Microsoft employees.

Gold members who click on the "Unite to Fight" ad on Xbox Live starting at midnight tonight will be able to download four exclusive Halo 3 items: a Halo 3 Dashboard theme, a Halo 3 Gamerpic, and two documentaries about the game.

The theme and picture pack will be available for download at midnight tonight. On Thursday, the "Inside Bungie: Halo 3 - The Story" video, which includes interviews with the Bungie team, will be available. On Friday, Microsoft will release the "Inside Bungie: Halo 3 - New Features" video in which Bungie team members discuss (surprise!) the game's new features.

If you have any time left, you might be able to actually play the game, which launches at midnight tonight. ...

via IGN


For those gamers who have been living in a remote, electricity-free cave for the past six months, we at IGN feel we owe you the service of the following announcement: Halo 3 goes on sale at midnight tonight.

Welcome back to civilization. Now take a long, hot shower, shave off the knee-length beard and finish the fight.

As if it were at all necessary to pound the point home further, Microsoft re-announced the pending release of Halo 3 today, reminding Master Chief-worshippers worldwide that the time-to-launch can now be counted in hours rather than days.

More than 1.5 million copies of Halo 3 have already been purchased through pre-orders, setting a new record for pre-launch sales and surpassing the previous record set by Halo 2 in 2004, Microsoft said.

After Halo 2 launched in November of that year, it generated a whopping $125 million in sales and remains the most-played game on Xbox Live to date almost three years later. But Halo 2's little brother is set to top even those record-smashing numbers, according to industry analysts quoted on the site GamesIndustry.biz today.

Goldman Sachs analysts Sarah Friar and Frederick Grieb predict in the article that Halo 3 may generate $170 million in revenue during Microsoft's first quarter, which ends five days after the game launches. Such a windfall would give the company's game division its first profitable quarter ever, the article notes.

More than 10,000 retail stores plan to open their doors for the Halo 3 launch at 12:01 a.m., and special Halo-themed events are planned at stores in New York, Miami, Seattle and Los Angeles. But will those retailers need to open a special station just for returns?

Now that some copies of the Halo 3 Limited Edition box set have shipped, some new owners are reporting that the game disk was found loose in the plastic case, unsecured by the plastic nub meant to hold the DVD in place. As a result, some of the disks appear to be scratched but playable, according to early reports.

A poster on the NeoGaf gaming forum said three copies of the Limited Edition disks they received were badly scratched. Three GameDaily.biz staffers report receiving scratched disks, and an IGN editor opened his Limited Edition box today to find a loose game disk with minor blemishes.

No similar problems with the Standard Edition and Legendary Edition have been reported. We'll keep you posted on the Limited Edition's reported issues and everything else Halo 3-related. For full coverage of the fight and the finishing thereof, head over to our Halo 3 launch center. ...

via Macworld

Mark/Space has announced The Missing Sync for iPhone, a new synchronization tool for iPhone users. It’s coming in the fourth calendar quarter of 2007 for $39.95.

The latest installment of Mark/Space’s The Missing Sync family of sync products, The Missing Sync for iPhone provides users with the ability to migrate data like contacts, tasks, events and photos from Palm OS, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry smartphones. The software will also let you archive, browse and search iPhone call logs, SMS text messages and notes.

Missing Sync for iPhone keeps a record of incoming and outgoing text messages exchanged with the iPhone. Once they’ve been transferred to the Mac, users can search and sort the messages in an iChat-style threaded view.

The Call Log app lets users look up recent calls and track calls for time tracking or billing. You can export the logs to other applications like Excel or FileMaker Pro. The iPhone notes also can be transferred to other applications, such as Yojimbo, Entourage or Mark/Space Notebook, which is included with the software.

System requirements will call for Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later. ...

via 1UP

The PlayStation 2 has seen remarkable continued success after nearly eight years on the market, and has comparable graphical capabilities to the Wii. Those are about the only facts conspiracy theorists needed to envision a radical future world where Sony releases a PS2 motion-sensing controller, giving the console new life as a direct Wii competitor. Speaking to Gamasutra recently, Phil Harrison did his part to grease the rumor mill gears.

Harrison, head of Sony Worldwide Studios, was questioned about third-party motion-sensing controllers such as In2Games RealPlay Wireless controller, and the possibility of the PS2 competing directly with the Wii. His response:

"Well, I can't answer your question directly because I'm not familiar with what you're referring to, but we put USB ports on the PlayStation 2 for a reason, which was to support open technology. So anything that is based around USB can be plugged into a PS2 and could add some unique experience."

Okay, a little vague, no specific mention of anything coming in the near future -- wait, what's this? There's more? "We've done that well, [quiz show-style] Buzz controllers, EyeToy, Singstar, but there are others as well coming. We're by no means done with PS2," says Harrison. "We can't make enough PS2s at the moment, which is a fantastic situation to be in eight years into the lifecycle."

Whether it's a "Wii-killer" remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure -- you don't sell 120 million units of a console without plans to further support it. 120 million, and the PS2 still isn't at $99 dollars. The mind boggles. ...

Before i fall into bed after a long day of work then 5 hours in the garden building ruddy fences and near on 3 hours of newsposting i thought it might be a good time for a new competition for the PSP.

Our previous Gamecube/Wii Contest didnt go down that well so im looking at a new comp for the PSP.

Im torn between an Emulator Comp or a Comp for Moddable Games.

An emulator comp would hopefully breathe new life into some projects now dead but a Comp for Moddable Games would bring masses of spin off projects for the PSP.

Not sure what prize to choose at the moment but maybe a GP2X to the winner.

Im also looking for a Coder who can judge in such a way that the best entry wins and no complaints :P

So Emulator Comp or Moddable Game Comp ?( and to be sure you understand i mean new games that can be modded not mods of games :P)

I reckon a Xmas finish date sounds good. Id love a RTS Game thats fully modable but id also like a full speed PSX Emu too ...

News/release from Vulpix:


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via vulpix ...

Released today at Play Asia



features
New futuristic storyline set in a virtual reality military training program
Fully customizable controls to fit every style of play
More weapons, firearms and explosives to choose from
Ad-hoc and infrastructure online multiplayer modes for up to eight players

description
Coded Arms 2 thrusts players into a new cybernetic crisis where they must use their hacking abilities and an arsenal of high-powered weaponry to survive. As a lone security agent players will return to A.I.D.A., a virtual reality military training program, to prevent cyber-terrorists from taking control of the program and gaining access to classified military information. The hackers believe that AIDA shouldn't be restricted for only government use. The agent must use his abilities and combat skills to disinfect AIDA from the hacker-introduced virus so he can escape the system. Across a variety of enclosed and open-air levels, players will take on original enemies with an all-new selection of firearms and explosives that lets them counter the terrorist menace with more firepower than ever before. Up to eight players can go head-to-head in the game's new online multiplayer modes. ...