The folks at PlayStation 3 Portal have been gathering news from a few of their trusty (yet anonymous) sources regarding the hardware of the PlayStation 3. The following, they claim, have been "validated by multiple sources that are involved in early PS3 development." Nothing is confirmed and Sony had definitely had time to alter these statistics, if true, but in the meantime here is what the Portal has learned:
A "'Blade' like pane that can appear on the right hand side of the screen" that represents the PS3's always-running OS (similar to the Xbox 360's Dashboard).
One will be able to use voice chat "across all games, even outside of the gamers own UI."
The OS will always utilize 1 of 7 SPEs on the Cell chip, and the option to "take" another when needed -- "games have to give it up if requested." In terms of RAM, the OS will use 18.75% of all available RAM (32mb of GDDR3 memory from the RSX chip, 64mb of the XDR memory from the Cell).
The information presented is interesting, to say the least. The new trend in consoles having a constantly running operating system is blurring the line between console and PC gaming. Fortunately, it seems the PlayStation 3 should be more than powerful enough to run both the OS and a game simultaneously.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/12/ru...on-the-ps3-os/ ...

Apple has reportedly run into trouble with its upcoming video iPod, where it can’t seem to get the display and touchscreen interface to work properly, according to Think Secret. The Apple rumors website reported that Apple had hoped to deliver the new video iPod in April, but sources said Apple engineers decided to redesign a balky touchscreen on the iPod, which allegedly includes a wide screen display spanning across the width of the device and uses a virtual trackwheel.

Think Secret also asserted that Apple may have foreseen technical problems with the new video iPod in February, and that might be the reason why it hasn’t aggressively pursued rights deals with Hollywood studios for full-length movie downloads. We think Apple also might be waiting to see what happens with other movie download sites before it jumps in to the movie downloading fray.

Source: gizmodo.com ...

The eagerly anticipated Halo 3 will be a free-form prequel boasting persistent worlds, four-player co-op and non-linear evolving gameplay, and will be named Forerunner.

The Forerunner were techno-savvy aliens who created the colossal Halo artefacts and then disappeared. These details appeared after US gaming magazine Game Informer enjoyed an exclusive audience with Bungie, where it was also claimed that the new game will not continue the Halo story from where Halo 2 left off.

Bungie published a reply soon after the magazine hit the shelves last month, stating that the wild news piece was nothing more than a journalist's April Fool's Day joke.

But the latest issue of Game Informer again claims that it reported the truth about Forerunner, and that it was never intended as a joke. Then, for good measure, the mag threw out another info-bomb by revealing that a massively multiplayer Halo game is also in development.

Still, Bungie is notorious for pulling the wool over the eyes of the media: there have been rumours of a pirate game seeping from the developer's homepage for years - and that's just because it loves pirates.

It's almost certain that a new Halo game is in the works - Bill Gates would look pretty stupid if there wasn't - but the odds are that we won't hear anything until the E3 games show in May. Until then, everything else is just smoke and mirrors. Perhaps even this story...

Source: gamesradar.com ...

GameDailyBiz reports on analyst predictions of an upcoming PS2 price cut. From the article: "Although some analysts have said a price cut to $99 for the aging console would be a possibility, Sebastian believes the cut would be a more moderate $20 drop. 'We now believe a price cut on Sony's PS2 is more than likely ahead of the E3 video game conference. Specifically, our industry checks indicate that Sony is planning to cut the PS2 price to $129 from the current $149 before the end of this month,' he said."
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl.../04/13/1513203 ...

New PS2 Game released:



A combination of soccer and love simulation. Players take charge of an all-girls soccer team and attempt to break down the teacher-student barrier. At each day's practice, you work to earn the trust and confidence of your team members; in exchange, the girls learn special moves that can be used during the soccer match that closes off each of the game's 8 scenarios. The soccer matches are played by selecting commands.



More info --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...0&lsaid=219793 ...

Source - CVG

Japanese giant Konami has quietly divulged its current crop of titles to US retailers for this year and, despite a couple of notable omissions including Pro Evo and MGS 4, they make for some interesting reading.
Most important perhaps is a new Silent Hill remake for PSP entitled Original Sin, which is set for release in October and will feature the original game's storyline with a few added plot diversions to add lashings of extra horror.

The Nintendo DS sees another Castlevania sequel in the form of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, which cracks a whip on November 15, while the new Bomberman Act Zero will be debuting on 360 and PSP on December 7. Another big franchise gets a reworking with Death Jr. 2 swinging its scythe for arrival on the PSP on October 18 and a new Death Jr iteration for Nintendo DS, entitled Science fair of Doom, arriving one week later.

Other titles on the Konami horizon? Well, if you're a fan of the DDR series, the shortly-to-be-released-in-the-arcade DDR Supernova arrives on the PS2 in September, with DDR Universe hitting 360 on October 11. The current gen Xbox gets a dose of DDR Ultramix 4 on November 14. For those home warblers amongst you, Karaoke Revolution: American Idol hits the PS2 in November.
All dates are US only for the moment and, this close to E3, Konami isn't commenting on any prospective European release dates. But of course, we'll learn more at the show, and we hope we'll get some hands-on time with Silent Hill: Original Sin PSP in just under a month's time. ...

Microsoft has revealed that for one week in May, it'll be offering free access to Xbox Live Gold, and all that's required to take advantage of this fit of generosity is your Xbox 360 hooked up to a broadband connection.
As of Monday, May 8 at 8am and running through to Monday, May 15 at 8am, all Silver Xbox Live accounts will be automatically upgraded to the Gold level of service. What this means, of course, is that, for free, you'll be able to enjoy all the giddiness that Gold has to offer, including playing Xbox 360 games online against other users.

Funnily enough, the free Gold access runs during E3 week, so we're expecting Microsoft to unleash a whole mass of Xbox 360 delights on Live that'll tie in with its major announcements at the show. Keep 'em peeled for plenty of downloadable content, the likes of trailers and game demos set to be released every day during the jamboree.

Microsoft's freebie is all part of an event called Xbox Live Football Free-For-All, which is sponsored by adidas:
"The Xbox Live Football Free-For-All will celebrate all things football in a non-stop, connected world. You can play EA's 2006 FIFA World Cup - in stores from 28th April - with or against your friends over Xbox Live and if you feel like some tougher competition you can register to qualify for the Xbox Cup - taking place right now. The Xbox Live Football Free-For-All also gives you the chance to represent your country in Berlin this summer by qualifying for the Xbox Cup through Xbox Live. All you need is an Xbox 360 console, a copy of EA's 2006 FIFA World Cup and a broadband connection," says Microsoft.

Plus, as part of the Football Free-For-All, there's the chance that you and a team of ten friends could bag 11 limited Xbox 360 World Cup edition consoles, 11 free subscriptions to Xbox Live, 11 copies of 2006 FIFA World Cup and 11 adidas Teamgeist footballs - the official match ball of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Don't forget: to take part in the Free-For-All event, all you need to do is plug a broadband cable into the back of your Xbox 360 console. Doing this will give you the standard Xbox Live Silver membership which will be upgraded automatically to Gold on May 8.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=137569 ...

Kevin Bachus, the man formerly in charge of Microsoft's original Xbox effort, has been putting pen to paper, or rather fingers to keyboard, to give his thoughts on how the next-generation battle will shape up, describing the almighty tussle between Sony and Microsoft as simply too close to call.
Speaking to respected UK trade mag MCV, Bachus began by dissecting the recent slew of PS3 announcements which saw Sony confirm the debut of the console at the end of this year, opining, "I think that Sony really had no choice but to announce a global release for PS3. At this point, any delay to the launch in any territory is going to create bigger challenges both for Sony and for its publishers.

"Sony's greatest strengths historically have been manufacturing and retail and one would expect them to muster everything they can between now and the November launch to take full advantage of those strengths."
Moving on to talk about online, which many seasoned industry watchers see as one of the key battlegrounds in the next gen, Bachus seemed to fly against perceived wisdom saying that, "Sony is clearly playing catch-up in this area, but it's unclear whether online is the console purchase driver that Microsoft believes it to be. There seems to be a growing awareness that bad behaviour of online gamers has become an impediment to gameplay."

Still, Bachus did go on to say he rated Microsoft's chances this time around, although victory for the Redmond giant was far from a given. "360 still has a chance of winning the next-gen battle, but it's far from a certainty," said Bachus. "If Sony can leverage its brand, aggressively cut prices on both hardware and software, and deliver just a few platform-driving franchises as they've done in the past with Final Fantasy, GTA and others, they can quickly reverse Microsoft's early lead"

"If our industry's brief history has taught us anything it's that there are no set 'laws' regarding console adoption - despite what the manufacturers might claim."

So what factors will really determine the winner this time around? Well, Bachus believes it comes down to what gamers want: "At the end of the day, the questions on the minds of the gamers are: who has the best selection of games, whose games look and play best, which system can I afford, and which system are my friends buying? Neither Sony nor Microsoft can yet lay claim to those answers with certainty."

However, like most industry watchers, Bachus believes the competition will only benefit you, the ordinary gaming punter, concluding, "As always, the winners will be the consumers and the publishers ....This generation will be decided not on production capabilities or on technology, but on brand, price and content."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=137577 ...

New Football Manager game released for the PSP:



For anyone who loves football, Football Manager Handheld offers a dream come true. Using a new state of the art game interface and management infrastructure, Football Manager Handheld accurately simulates the trials and tribulations of a real football manager. Experience the pressure as you rise through the ranks, reach the heady heights of the Premiership and try your luck in Europe.

More Info and buy here --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...0&lsaid=219793 ...