Via Eurogamer:

Microsoft could have had Grand Theft Auto III on Xbox first if a third-party publishing initiative called "The Star Chamber" hadn't turned down a Rockstar proposal, author Dean Takahashi claims in his new book, The Xbox 360 Uncloaked.

In an extract published on 1UP, Takahashi reports that under J Allard's direction, The Star Chamber - a group of game managers organised to evaluate game proposals sent to Microsoft - turned down a GTA III proposal, returning it with suggestions to "beef up" the game.

Rockstar went on to create the game exclusively for PlayStation 2, and it didn't appear on Xbox until much later - by which time the GTA brand was firmly associated with PS2. Further instalments launched first on the Sony format.

Takahashi said: "It wasn't Microsoft's kind of game, since it was a gritty crime game with foul language, abusive treatment of women, and cop killing. Microsoft had a corporate image to maintain and, like Electronic Arts, it avoided that category."

That's all in the past though - and Microsoft believes that the fact it'll have Grand Theft Auto IV on Xbox 360 on the same day it launches on PlayStation 3 could be a significant factor in the next-gen console war - as Peter Moore said on this site last week.

"When we do our research and ask PS2 owners why they're going to buy a PS3, they say it's because it's the only place they'll get Grand Theft Auto," he told us.

"So when you talk about neutralising that, that's very important to us. Then we say to gamers - and this flooded my inbox during the night - the only place you can play Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV is on an Xbox 360, and they've seen Gears of War and it blows the doors down for them."

Microsoft has yet to say anything about Takahashi's comments on GTA III and Xbox. ...

Via CVG

Ah, if only real surgery was this easy, Wayne Rooney would be back to fighting fitness in no time.

Anyway, we're talking about Trauma Center in case you were wondering. Previously limited to stylus activity on DS, the surgery sim has now been officially unveiled for Nintendo Wii in Trauma Center: Second Opinion. Details on the Wii version are scarce at the moment, but a quick look at the screenshots that have been released - view them on this here page - suggests much of the same wound-sewing, medicine-mixing action from the DS game is set to return.

We'll have more Wii Trauma Center details soon, all being well. Or should that be unwell...?

Screenshots Via Comments ...

Via CVG

Tecmo's wacky action-puzzler Tokobot didn't make a massive splash when it was released for Sony's PSP, but Tecmo is no doubt hoping to make more ripples when the series rumbles onto PS2 later this year in Tokobot Plus: Mysteries of the Karakuri.

In case you didn't know, Tokobot has you exploring a series of environments with an army of robots at your side. Using simple commands you can make your Tokobots line-up and perform different tasks, like building bridges and ladders. A bit like Pikmin with batteries then.

Tokobot Plus is set to feature "significant upgrades" and "new elements", it says here, in addition to graphical tweaks from the PSP version of the game. Apparently, we can also expect to see 10 new stages, 30 different enemy types and a time attack mode in the series' home console debut.

Tokobot Plus: Mysteries of the Karakuri is due out in Q3 2006. We'll let you know how it turns out. ...

Via CVG

Mythic Entertainment's latest MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, may - may - be smashing its way onto Microsoft's Xbox 360 as well as PC.

According to a report on GameSpot, at last week's E3 where Mythic was showcasing its PC MMO game, one of the Warhammer Online adventurers whom attendees were playing alongside was actually hidden away in the developer's booth controlling their character with a wireless Xbox 360 controller - the report going on to add that the website got to see PC and Xbox 360 versions of Warhammer Online running side-by-side at the event.

However... Apparently, Mythic's getting Age of Reckoning onto Xbox 360 is a proving-it-can-be-done exercise only, the developer not confirming it's in the pipeline for release - at this stage anyway. And the only other real slice of info on the game on 360 that the developer's let slip is that getting the title up and running on the console has actually led to improvements for the announced PC version.

So then, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning on Xbox 360, and cross-platform MMORPG action looms? Well, it certainly all seems possible, but we can only wait to see if we get an official announcement somewhere down the line. ...

VIa Gamesindustry

US assemblyman Leyland Yee's controversial California games bill could fail under legal challenge from the ESA, as the judge issues a "strict scrutiny" ruling before considering his final judgment.

According to a report on the Bay City News website, Judge Ronald Whyte told attorneys for both parties that the proposed legislation had to be considered under a legal standard known as "strict scrutiny," which grants the broadest protection of free speech rights and could well result in another legal victory for the interactive entertainment industry.

Katherine Fallow, an atttorney for the videogames industry commented: "When strict scrutiny is applied, a law is rarely if ever upheld."

The California bill - which is publicly backed by Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger - was initially slapped with a temporary injunction that prevented its implementation into law at the start of the year. The industry trade bodies the ESA and IEMA instigated the legal challenge on grounds of constitutionality, having already established a precedent with similar failed bills in Michigan, Illinois and numerous other US states.

Whilst the final ruling on the California bill has yet to be made, the application of strict scrutiny is a damning move for the state, and is likely to throw the case in favour of the industry - which has been championing the success of its existing self-regulatory videgomaes rating system, the ESRB - once again. A final ruling on the case is expected to be announced by Judge Whyte in the near future. ...

Via Gamesindustry

Sony's Phil Harrison has recommended the purchase of Nintendo Wii as a second console, firing back at recent comments from Microsoft over the pricing structure of the PlayStation 3.

In an interview with US website Gamepro.com, Harrison stated that he believes "Nintendo will be the second system consumers purchase after PlayStation 3," praising the company's innovation but stressing that the Wii is in a different market to the PS3 and effectively describing the next-gen console war as a direct fight between Sony and Microsoft.

The launch strategy for the PS3 was announced last week in Los Angeles during the pre-E3 Sony press conference. Executives from the Japanese giant are fighting a battle from the outset in their efforts to justify the hefty EURO 500-600 price tag for the new console, which supports the costly Blu-Ray disc format as opposed to Microsoft's HD DVD compatible Xbox 360.

Microsoft was quick to lay scorn on the announcement, with Peter Moore telling gamesindustry.biz: "I'm trying to rationalise USD 500 and USD 600. I'm trying to rationalise whether Blu-Ray, a format that hasn't hit the market yet, can justify that pricing" and suggesting that consumers could buy an Xbox 360 and Wii for less than the cost of a PS3.

"I know what Peter was getting at with his price point issue but he's not comparing apples to oranges," Harrison commented. "It's clearly a case that PlayStation 3's price is justified by PlayStation 3's value. That's what consumers base their purchasing decisions on - value."

"What we have in addition to a great game system is a Blu-Ray player, a network platform, a new controller, and HDD in every system combined in an unbelievably compelling package. And frankly I'm amazed that we can do it so cheaply," Harrison added.

Sony has been accused of offering little real innovation in its next-gen machine, with a network community service remarkably akin to Microsoft's existing Xbox Live service (for which the Redmond giant has announced massive expansion plans), a controller that borrows ideas from Nintendo's motion-sensing Wii controller, and an expensive optical media format that, at present, remains untested and could have pushed the price of the PS3 beyond the reach of a substantial segment of the interactive entertainment audience.

Additionally, Microsoft will have had a year's head start on Sony, with the company aiming to have an installed base of 10 million Xbox 360 customers by the time the PS3 launches. Exactly how the console war is going to turn out is open to bets at the moment, but Sony will certainly have to work hard to re-establish its dominance of the console market with the next-generation of machines - while Sony and Microsoft fight for customers, Nintendo could easily swoop in with a significant global audience for it's latest 'disruptive technology' platform.

Dont you just love to see companies bitch and gripe :P ...

The Akihabara People have released a new magazine of the latest in gadgets news from asia,

Download Here ...

moonshell 1.2+p3 is released.
heck, need to get used to those numbers <.<


http://mdxonline.dyndns.org/archives/nds/

changes (google translate!!!!)
M3 teaching, the ~~~~. (In the habit which you do not contact by your [wagamama] [tsu] temporary. The plug there is no I. moonshell121p3.zip Version 1.21+3 MSPV40β was installed. External memory (32MByteDRAM of SuperCard built-in) it is the test of cash. It tried to use MSPV40 with BMP/PNG/JPG/PSD plug in. (Presently other than SC the same operation is) dynamic font package compilation performance was added to Setup.exe until recently.

so, it seems it uses the ram of supercard now.

wich is 32 MB

good for supercard users i guess ...

Via Akihabara

The company called AMEX Digital from Hong Kong presents the first Media Center PC with integrated Blu-Ray drive. This HTPC is based on the Intel Viiv platform, it has an HDMI and DVI port and it also comes with 1TB of HDD... a real monster, this PC!
Thanks to Siuyin for the info!

Screenshot of the Rather Large Player Via Comments ...