Over at PSPfanboy they have a trailer for Silent Hill: Origins check it out HERE ...

Article from PSPFanboy

Oh, Steve, no matter how angry and sweaty you get, Japan still hates the Xbox 360. To rub salt in you're wounds, the trade in value for the 360 against the much less expensive, but much more mature PSP is now exactly the same.

In an article over at Xbox Circle, some super-shoppers have uncovered DS pricing craziness and more. "Even more interesting is that an Xbox 360 console trade-in will only fetch 15,000¥ ($128), which matches the trade-in worth of a PSP Value Pack and a slim-line Silver PS2."

But does that mean the Xbox 360 is quickly dying, or does it mean that the PSP is doing stellar? In reality, it probably means a bit of both. The Xbox 360 is not doing well (we'll call it a slow death) and the PSP is holding its own admirably. The DS, to be fair, is on a roll, dominating all competitors (for now). ...

As was quietly revealed at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, gaming's most beloved invertebrate is set to star in a new adventure that returns him to his 2D roots -- on the PSP, no less, and from the original development team at Shiny.
Thanks to the return of characters like Princess Whatshername, Psycrow and Professor Monkey For A Head, the development team's charm is all over the new game. Old levels, such as New Junk City which appeared as the first level for the original game, have been re-designed with new layouts and new power-ups, but still retain a retro feel, while there will be plenty of new areas for players to explore as well.

One of the biggest changes for the series with the PSP game is that it takes place in 2D environments with polygonal characters and environments, placing it alongside games like Pandemonium! and Klonoa 2 in its look. At this early stage, the polygonal graphics look great and animate well, but they don't have quite the same "cartoony" look that the classic Earthworm Jim games are famous for, so the developers are considering going in a slightly more cartoony direction with black outlines on the characters or something of that nature.

Read the rest of the preview at 1UP ...

Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced a long-term worldwide licensing agreement with Touchstone Television to develop and publish a video game based on the Emmy Award-winning television series ‘Lost.’ Developed by Ubisoft’s award-winning Montréal studio and scheduled to hit retail shelves worldwide in 2007, the game will be offered for home and portable consoles as well as PCs.

“We are delighted to work with Bryan Burk, one of the biggest producers in Hollywood and with Touchstone Television,” said Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft. “That they have chosen us for the adaptation of the cult series ‘Lost’ is the best homage that a producer can make to the creativity of Ubisoft.”

“This deal is another example of how truly powerful the ‘Lost’ brand is,” said Bruce Gersh, senior vice president, business development, ABC Entertainment and Touchstone Television. “We are excited to work together with Ubisoft to create a gaming experience that will allow fans to further immerse themselves into the mysteries and intrigues of the series.”

“The creative appeal of ‘Lost’ transcends borders with its character driven stories and addictive mysterious mythology,” said Julia Franz, executive vice president, Touchstone Television. “It's not enough for fans worldwide to just watch 'Lost,' the game is a wonderful opportunity to organically extend this creative phenomenon into an interactive consumer experience.”

"Many of us on ‘Lost’ have been hardcore gamers for years and the chance to work with Ubisoft, a company behind some of our favorite titles, has excited us to no end," said ‘Lost’ executive producer Bryan Burk. "With the ability to tell new interactive stories within the ‘Lost’ universe, we’re giddy to be developing a game that, once completed, will be as engaging and fun to play as it is to create."

J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof co-created “Lost” and also serve as executive producers, along with Bryan Burk, Jack Bender and Carlton Cuse. “Lost,” which is filmed entirely on location in Hawaii, is from Touchstone Television. ...

Despite the fact that Ubisoft insists on using those promo shots of the crazed goth teen with the mile-high hair travesty piled on top of her head, we're still quite excited by Michel Ancel's imminent return to the Rayman universe in Rayman Raving Rabbids, set to launch with Nintendo's Wii.

Speaking to IGN, Ancel has divulged a few nuggets regarding how the game will utilise the Wii's fancy new controller - and, frankly, we're a bit scared. Firstly, and most traditionally, Rayman's movement - including walking, run, jump and roll - will be performed using the nunchuck attachment, while the brand new fighting system works via the Wii remote.

You'll be able to perform Rayman's trademark puch move by literally punching with the controller in your hand, but that's not all. Apparently, the sensitivity of the remote means the game will recognise when you're punching from left to right and so on, meaning you can strategically bring down an onslaught of foes.

Ancel also reveals that grappling can be performed with a quick move of the nunchuck to latch on to nearby enemies. It's then possible to spin them around and launch them as projectiles by whirling the nunchuck around your head. Try not to get the cable wrapped round your neck then, obviously.

Apparently, Rayman's dive attack is achieved by launching yourself in the air and gesturing downward with both bits of the controller, performing a ground stomp worthy of Mario himself, we imagine. You can also perform kung fu moves by shaking the remote at will.

Once you've mounted a creature in the game - both eagles and sharks are given a mention by Ancel - you can ride them around by tilting the remote in the direction you want to travel. Ancel describes this as being "very natural to control".

Finally, and more mysteriously, it also seems you'll be able to dance with your bunny opponents, although Ancel stops short of revealing too much on this one: "I will let your imagination fly on that one!"

Rounding up the interview, Ancel gives his thoughts on developing for Nintendo's new system. "The hardware is perfect to develop games. It's easy to program so you can concentrate on developing new ideas and pushing your gameplay," he explains, "The controller is definitely innovative. This controller opens new ways to play games. As gamers, we will rediscover how to enjoy videogames. As developers, we must rethink our controls and gameplay to push the interactivity and immersion even further. "

Via CVG ...

Top movie studios look set to delay the HDCP copy protection system - which would only work on next-gen DVD players with HDMI ports, unlike the low-end PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD-DVD peripheral - for four to six years.

The move would mean that all movie content produced until 2010 at the earliest, and possibly as far as 2012, will not carry the Image Constraint Token - a security feature which would restrict high-definition playback only to equipment with HDMI ports and HDCP encryption.

Hollywood studios had insisted on this draconian feature, which would encrypt all image data sent between the player and the television (and would consequently mean that users had to have TVs with HDCP-enabled ports as well as new players), as a measure to prevent piracy - and has stuck doggedly to it so far, despite a number of claims that the technology is flawed and will be easily cracked by determined pirates.

However, now leading German newspaper Der Spiegel claims to have information on an unofficial agreement struck between the movie studios and firms including Sony and Microsoft which will see HDCP, and the ICT, being consigned to the scrapheap for at least four years.

The deal has been widely rumoured in technology circles for some time, but further confirmation is offered by the Der Spiegel article - and at a crucial time for Sony and Microsoft, both of whom are set to launch high definition DVD offerings in the coming six months which will lack HDMI ports and HDCP functionality.

While the high end version of Sony's PlayStation 3 will indeed have a HDMI port, the low-end 20GB version (which has not yet been confirmed for launch in the UK) does not; and Microsoft's external HD-DVD player for the Xbox 360 has no HDMI port. Even if Microsoft launches a HDMI cable for the Xbox 360, there's been some speculation that the console would not be able to implement HDCP on this cable.

What this would mean, if the ICT was imposed, is that neither console would be able to output Blu-Ray or HD-DVD content at higher than 480p (540p in North America), thus effectively negating much of the advantage of the next-gen DVD formats. Games would still be able to run at up to 1080i resolution on either system.

Looking beyond consoles, it's also undoubtedly a major factor in this decision that few of the HDTV sets sold so far around the world - and in Japan and North America, market penetration has grown quite quickly - have HDMI ports or HDCP compatibility, meaning that even people who have already bought into the "HD Era" would be forced to buy new screens again to enjoy HD movies.

Faced with this prospect - and the potential of a massive consumer backlash against the HD formats - it's not hard to see why the movie studios have relented, especially given the amount of pressure a firm like Sony can bring to bear in Hollywood. The Japanese giant, through subsidiaries such as Sony Pictures, Columbia, Tristar and MGM, is responsible for around half of the annual movie output of the US industry.

Although the decision is, so far, only a stay of execution - and the movie studios are reportedly quite unhappy with having to relent on their beloved copy protection system, regardless of how flawed or detested it may be - it does mean that HDCP will probably not become a required standard until this generation of consoles is reaching the end of its lifespan.

Via Gamesindustry ...

Another puzzle game is comming to PSP in a few days: X-pired (http://xpired.sourceforge.net)

Here is a screenshot of a PSP dev version:


Keep your eye on http://deniska.dcemu.co.uk/ for the release ...

Another puzzle game is comming to PSP in a few days: X-pired (http://xpired.sourceforge.net)

Here is a screenshot of a PSP dev version:
...

Microsoft has announced plans to start selling the Xbox 360 in India by this October, with a price point set at INR 19,990 (around EURO 340) for the Core system.

Speaking to Ciol.com, corporate global sales VP Mitch Koch described the Indian market as "vibrant", observing that there are around 1.6 million people in India who spend more than two hours per day playing games.

"We are hopeful that in the coming three to five years the gaming market in India is going to grow at a fast pace," Koch said.

"And being the first to launch this second-generation console, we are going to capture 100 per cent market share."

Microsoft has conducted a survey in the region which shows that as the employment rate rises, disposable income is increasing. "More people are inclined towards [a] digital lifestyle and find means for spending in an alternate means of entertainment, so we are expecting an enthusiastic response from the market," Koch stated.

He went on to agree that India is "a price sensitive market", explaining that Microsoft plans to run a promotional campaign in the run-up to launch. From June 9th, to celebrate the kick off of the World Cup, consumers who pre-order an Xbox 360 will receive 10 per cent off the total price.

Koch said that the Xbox 360 will initially only go on sale in India's major cities, but that it "will be available across all the cities and towns in a couple of months after launch... Through 1200 retail outlets."

Via Gamesindustry ...