It looks as though the Xbox 360 will sidestep the issue of offering consumers a price-cut this year, opting to tempt buyers away from Sony and Nintendo's new offerings with what has been dubbed the 'Xbox 360 Pro Bundle', a well-equipped 360 console seemingly replacing the Premium Pack.

Due for launch in August in the US, rumours on several well-established message boards, all springing up at around the same time, seem to point to a leak from US retail or distribution sources, following a briefing from Microsoft's Xbox sales team.

The Pro Bundle will, according to claims that should be kept firmly locked away in the rumour cupboard, contain the standard Premium Pack as well as Project Gotham Racing 3, a three month Gold subscription to Xbox Live and 1,250 XBL Marketplace points, all for $399. The pack is dated by sources for release the first week of August.

We'll keep you updated on the situation, but for the record, when contacted Microsoft offered only a 'no comment'. ...

More on the UMD Movie Issue from Spong

As most movie and games industry pundits seek to write off the UMD as a viable format to host film releases, it looks as though Sony is set to rethink its offer to studios and retailers, with DVD movie combo packs set to ship with Sony Memory Sticks and PSP encoding software.

It was reported earlier this year on SPOnG that major studios were backing away from the format, and recently reports have flared talking of major US retailers backing away from UMD movies, or discontinuing their sale altogether.

Sony's answer, or at least the first stab at an answer, is to release Memory Stick Entertainment Packs. Two versions will be released, a one GB version (MSX-M1GSTEP) and a two GB (MEX-M2GSEP) version. In the US pricing will be $60 and $100 respectively, the same Sony asks for it's standard first-party Memory sticks.

Each pack will come complete with an installer DVD housing four Sony Pictures movies, Hitch, S.W.A.T., The Grudge, or XXX: State of the Union, and software that will install them onto the PSP ready-encoded. The only shortcoming right now is the resolution, with Sony offering the movies at a resolution of 320x240, much lower than the 480x272 the hardware can manage.

We'll bring you up to speed with this interesting development as more information is released. ...

Nintendo faces a potential hurdle in deploying the Wii in the UK, as looming legislation seeks to outlaw the use of standby functionality in home electronics. The Energy Review, the latest draft of which was issued late Friday, targets all areas of electrical consumption and specifically refers to an intention to outlaw standby on TVs and set-top boxes. It's likely any games machines will be lumped together with the set-top box.

However, headlines in the games press over the weekend, many foretelling the premature death of WiiConnect24 in the UK, are likely well off the mark or at least, wholly premature. The Energy Review may well outline targeted energy cuts in fields related to home console gaming, though timelines for the implementation of any actual law-making are vague.

The UK government has simply backed a Europe-wide objective issued earlier last week entitled "The Eco-design for Energy Using Products Framework Directive", a directive lobbyists for the electronics industry immediately went to work on dismantling, pointing out progress they have made under their own volition as evidence than any further moves need not be forced by government.

However, the bottom line is that the Wii and it's interesting WiiConnect24 online gaming system will not be impacted. The device ships in a few months, well before any proposed legislation is in place. It is also likely that in the event the European directive becoming law, Nintendo will argue that Wii is not in standby mode and that it's method of downloading is preferable to one requiring full power usage.

Nintendo's only comment on the power usage of WiiConnect24 was made by company president Satoru Iwata who stated the mode would use as much power as a 'miniature lightbulb'. However, it's quite obvious that this phraseology was intentionally vague, as the power usage of lightbulbs is determined largely by the bulb technology rather than size, a small LED using far less power than a Thomas Edison classic. ...

News from Spong

SPOnG told you all about the forthcoming Pokemon DS titles, Pokemon Pearl and Pokemon Diamond, earlier last month and we've just heard a little bit more about how the WiFi battles and trades will work in our favourite Nintendo kiddy-crack trading and battling franchise.

Website 'The Pika Club' reports that you'll be able to save 32 friend codes into your Friends List, which is to be kept inside your "Friend Notebook." After this you then both head to the Pokemon Centre's basement where you can start trading or battling via the WiFi booth.

What is extremely cool is the fact that you will be able to chat to your friends as you play, via either text chat or VOIP voice chat.

Watch this space in a few months time for the sure-to-be appearing misguided tabloid sensationalist headlines about 'Pokemon Paedophile threat' (you know the nonsensical type of thing we mean, like this!)

More importantly, watch this space for all the latest on Pokemon Pearl and Pokemon Diamond. ...

More details of Nintendo's revolutionary Wii controller have come to light after developer notes were leaked recently. Nintendo has always been secretive about the technology behind the Wii remote and has promised more revelations before the console's autumn release, but this latest info has made the picture a little clear.

The remote will be powered by two AA batteries which will allow for 60 hours of game time if only the motion-sensing accelerometer function is used. If the precision aim functionality is used at the same time, however, the game time will be halved to 30 hours.

Bluetooth technology is used by the remote to communicate with the console via a 2.4GHz band, and the sensor bar that picks up the remote's movement is 20cm in length, has a sensor at each end and must be placed above or below the TV. The remote must mark these two sensors as coordinates in order to prevent interference from light sources and mirrors.

With 6KB of non-volatile memory available in the Wii-mote, it seems that gamers could well be able to store gamer-specific button configuration - other possible uses aren't known at the moment.

The remote and the console must synchronise using the 'synchro' buttons found on each device. This assigns an ID number to each controller - a process that can be done by holding down the 1 and 2 buttons together. All buttons on the controller are digital.

The four lights at the base of the remote will have two functions, firstly to indicate which player number the remote is - player one, two, three or four - and secondly to illustrate how much battery life the controller has when the console is being booted up. ...

Via Gamesradar

Last year it was dead pixels but now it seems it's the hinges that are dismaying Nintendo DS owners.

The smaller, sexier version of the dual-screened handheld was only released here last month but many gamers are reporting that cracks have appeared in the hinges that link the top and bottom screens.

Most of the reports have come from Japan and Europe and describe a small fracture appearing on the top screen part, just where it joins the hinge of the bottom screen.

Anyone had problems ? ...

Via Slashdot

GameDaily is running an interesting opinion piece running down the ways in which the gaming industry is just broken. The author cites soaring costs, huge risks, a reduction in creativity, and a stagnation in market growth as just some of the signs of this crisis. From the article:
"The next-gen systems require publishers to place very large bets with each title. This will mean decreased risk taking and just regurgitated sequels of big brand franchises. How many publishers will take risks with multiplatform original IP? This is clearly not good news for the consumer as innovation has driven our industry from the beginning. The irony is that the amazing tools, capabilities and quality of the new systems may very well doom what is most important, which is the game itself. Reconciling what a creative team wants and what the executive suite needs in terms of profits will be a growing challenge for many companies." ...

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News from Divineo China

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