The game and ninja gaiden sigma’s mgs4

“This year, our strategy is not to sell more quantity for PS3 but to
concentrate on profitability,” said CFO Nobuyuki Oneda on Friday. “Our
plan is not to reduce the price.”

Oneda’s remarks trail that Microsoft will drop the price of the Xbox
360 by $50 this Sunday. In the last three weeks, numerous sources and
retail fliers have confirmed the news, though Microsoft says it has
nothing to announce.

Sony effectively slashed the price of the PS3 for the first time last
year, when introducing a new 40 GB model without backwards
compatibility for $399.

Japan has had the budget range of PS3 games , with Folkore,
Resistance, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight
and Ridge Racer 7 all being available at a lower price in an effort to
have a second crack at the best-selling lists.

an epic campaign weaves the narrative, Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon
Rising will give players the freedom to handle military crisis
situations on their initiative. Unscripted missions will task players
with real objectives, such as laying down suppressing fire, covering a
friendly unit’s retreat or conducting short-range recon patrol.
Players will fight as infantry soldiers in battle, drive tanks in
armoured assaults, pilot helicopters in air strikes and infiltrate the
enemy in covert special operations utilising a wide variety of
realistic military weapons from knives and rifles to machine guns,
grenade launchers and laser designators for air strikes. Whatever the
situation, players will need to balance brute force with intelligent
use of tactics in their engagement against the full force of the PLA.

Many analysts and game journalists were wondering if Metal Gear Solid
4: Guns of the Patriots would spark a significant PlayStation 3
hardware sales surge, and that question has – for the most part – been
answered. We don’t yet have exact numbers from everywhere, but if the
latest Amazon response has been any indication, MGS4 is a definite
system seller.

MENTION the games market and most attention is focussed on consoles or
the games that run on them.

Indeed, latest generation consoles such as Sony’s PlayStation 3 and
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 have long been the centre of their respective
companies’ strategies to become a dominant force in all areas of home
electronics.

Online connectivity, high-definition media players and soon, personal
video recorders are fast becoming as important to consoles as driving
wheels, guitars and microphones.

The trend towards social gaming evident in the popularity of titles
such as the SingStar and Buzz series for the PS2, and Guitar Hero for
all consoles, has generated its own new set of peripherals.

Out of the box, a standard Wii comes with two special controllers for
motion sensing – the main controller and a second one, called a
Nunchuck for two-handed play with some games.

“Our Nunchucks and controllers are huge sellers beyond what is
supplied with a core unit,” Nintendo Australia managing director Rose
Lappin says.

At the top of the line, an Xbox 360 Elite, for $649, includes the
black Xbox 360 Elite system, 120GB hard drive, wireless controller,
headset, component audiovisual and HDMI cables, an ethernet cable and
a 30-day trial Xbox Live Gold membership.

Microsoft Xbox marketing manger Jeremy Hinton says the strategy is to
make next-generation games affordable to a wider market.

“Therefore we try to make the Xbox 360 very modular, then we offer
lots of accessories so you can customise your experience.

Sony’s next-generation PS3 makes use of more third-party peripherals
from companies such as Logitech, which also produces steering wheels
and the like for the console.

Buzz TV will let players select genres, play online against anyone
around the world, and let users create their own questions.

“So we have the PS3 now being able to be targetted at a much broader
base – more so than our competitors,” Ephraim says.

Sony has been quick to capitalise. At Christmas last year it began
bundling free PS3 consoles with its Bravia flatpanel high-definition
televisions to popularise the new format. It is now repeating that
offer this month.

The company plans to go further, using the PS3 as the centrepiece of a
personal video recorder due out later this year or early next year,
Ephraim says.

The Play TV offering for the console will be an add-on to the PS3 with
dual HD tuners, allowing users to record and play free-to-air HD
content on their PS3.

“Play TV will take that further. It will introduce them to the whole
area of digital television, and the capabilities that offers.”

Australia’s premier calendar for IT managers, chief information
officers and technologists featuring product launches, technology
clinics and management sessions. Updated each Tuesday.

Roland Tellzen AS a long-term fan of the SingStar karaoke series for
the PS2, it’s perhaps surprising that this writer hasn’t so far been
in print to sing the praises of the PS3 version.

Stephen Ellis A SURPRISINGLY large number of its ideas, memes and
controversies still begin their lives as ink on dead trees – not on
the internet.

FEDERALLY-SEIZED IndyMac Bank is due to reopen tomorrow after
suffering one of the biggest bank closures in US history.

PS3 Firmware update v2.40 came and went last week. It was live for
less time than I spend doing my hair very morning, and I’m
balding. But if the rumours are to be believed, a patched version of
the Xbox Live-mimicking update is coming on Wednesday July 7th…
maybe.

released last week was meant to be the dog’s cahunas, with many
new features added which PS3 fanboys had been asking about for months.
It was finally released on July 2nd, but was promptly withdrawn after
many Playstation 3 owners reported the update had bricked their
console.

The new update is meant to have fixed all of the technical issues, and
will finally allow PS3 owners the chance to enjoy the in-game XMB, and
(not a copy of Xbox Live’s Achievements at all) Trophies.

But!, Sony is trying to catch up by releasing software updates
designed specifically to brick you machine – they added some new
features of course to cover this up.

Bourne:
you got your ps3 broke due to 2.40? gutted, the only way to get your
ps3 back is to wipe the harddrive

Matt:
@ kev…you are FUCKING RETARD..WHAT A FUCKING DUMBASS…ITs
500 for 80gb and 400 for 40gb….and you know what you are paying
for a $400 and way up for a plastic melter…dumbass

kev:
wylie – i never said the rrod was a good thing. your words, not mine.
i was simply pointing to ms committment to customer service and the
willingness to stand behind their mistakes. From what i’ve read,
sony has made no public offering to have the ps3 fixed at their
expense like ms did with the 360.

Wylie:
Kev- I was just giving you crap about the RROD being a good thing. And
yes it would wipe out everything on your hardrive and that would suck.
But if you sent it in and got a new PS3 you would also lose
everything. What I was getting at is that its not a problem that the
people will have to send in their PS3 and not have it for weeks.
However when they put the hardrive back in the PS3 I’m not sure
how they will reformat it. I don’t know if the PS3 will
automatically do it or if they have to select something. Obviously if
they have to select “format hardrive” this won’t
work and could be a bigger problem.

Spideydog:
DAVE PARRACK going bald…now thats a headline…lol Sorry to
hear that brother Kev get back under he rock you once came, you troll.
Comparing RROD to 2.40 is utterly rediculas. You really are deserate
aren’t you?

Bourne:
the ps3 does have a removable hard drive… it uses a 2.5mm laptop
hard drive. You can remove it and replace it under warranty, it gives
details how to do it in the manual. As for reformatting, there are
tutorials on playstation blogs. You can use a computer i believe

this isn’t the first psn d/l that’s proved problematic to
the $600 ps3’s. more to come for certain.

if the 360 was really such a “lemon” one has to wonder why
it’s outselling the ps3 in the largest markets. goes to show
that 1. quality isn’t paramount to gamers (proven by the
ps2’s poor quality and high sales) and 2. people would PREFER to
take a chance on a “lemon” than pay for the ps3. not good
for sony.

The fact is, Microsoft won’t release numbers on how many 360s
have died. But financial analysts stated it could have been as high as
50% judging only from the amount of money they set aside to cover
repairs.

Personally, I still assert that it has a 100% failure rate, since
I’ve never heard of anyone owning one for more than a year that
hasn’t broken. Excepting (obviously) internet fanboys, who are
known for their honesty.

it’s funny tho; i have over 30 friends on my xbox live friends
list. Only 4 had to replace their consoles. so; what’s your
gamertag?

Before picking up Top Spin 3, you might want to think about visiting a
real-life tennis court and learning to master serving, volleying and
other Rafael Nadal-style Wimbledon magic.

Top Spin 3’s difficulty is notable because tennis video games have
traditionally been pretty easy to pick up. Starting with the memorably
great 1980s Activision Tennis game for the Atari 2600, you moved a
joystick and pressed a button to hit the ball; your blocky little
yellow or blue stick man did the rest.

What if you like a challenge? Then there’s a lot to love with Top Spin
3, looks included. With just a few tiny criticisms (every fifth
spectator seems to be wearing the same blue and fuchsia argyle
sweater), the visuals are impeccable, the animations are smooth and
the athletes bear a strong resemblance to their real-life
counterparts. The little touches are especially nice, such as the
sweat stains that start spreading if your character is wearing a dark
shirt. And the create-your-own character mode ties the Fight Night
series as the best I’ve seen for a sports title. You’ve got to
appreciate a game that lets you choose the volume and pitch of your
video game doppelganger’s grunt.

Once you get used to the game – and it took two hours and two trips
through the tutorial to reach a level where I could win a set playing
the Easy mode – it does become increasingly enjoyable. Serious gamers
will appreciate the detailed Career mode (along with Xbox Live
options), which guarantees that you can pretty much play this game
forever.

The Wii version is considerably easier to learn than the Xbox 360 game
but has different issues, not the least of which is the 1950s view
that the world needs to be right-handed. Top Spin 3 for the Wii all
but includes a Catholic school nun to swat your hand with a ruler
every time you try to use your left. Nearly 10 percent of the
population is left-handed (including this reviewer), and it’s annoying
to think that Buzz Aldrin, Richard Simmons, Eudora Welty, George H.W.
Bush, Bill Clinton, Robert De Niro, Helen Keller and Jimi Hendrix
would all have a marked disadvantage when playing Top Spin 3.

If the problem persists, visit our or try the search box in the upper-
right hand corner of this page.

Oh, but I will be interested in Infinite Undiscovery. Even though it
irks me that Square-Enix seems to be abandoning the PS3 these days, I
do have a 360. And besides, it’s a promising RPG, and that’s all that
matters to me. Might have to check it out.

That’s hilarious…and so true (about the stock at Gamestop). Do you
remember when Gamestop used to be called Software Etc.?
1 up, 0 down

I cant stand Gabe Newell. He just seems like a massive prick to me.
1 up, 0 down

you should certainly give Battlefield a go.. if anything to get a
review going! lol I think a lot of people put BF in the same bag as
CoD, but imo if youre in to FPS game then you will realise that they
are two very different games. one thing I really like about BF is the
feeling your actually on a side, rather than just not being able to
kill half of the guys on the map (aka TDM). The sense of war, all
fighting for a reason.. yeh, it goes quite nicely along side CoD in my
collection. you should try it! edit: ps.. I dont think Square is
leaving PS3, just that it just seems that way. years ago Square was
mainly on Nintendo.. then PS, now a ‘few’ titles have showed up on the
360. I dont think it will last (not saying that in a fanboy way)..
but some big titles will be popping out soon. when FFXIII comes out,
and Square see’s the fan base go nuts over it, they may start
concentrating on the PS3 again. to be honest (dont flame me).. I do
wonder how many years the 360 has in it before a new model comes out.,
maybe Square is just getting in there before it reaches the end of the
line in say a few years? Last edited by dillonthebunny on 7/13/2008
1:25:26 AM
1 up, 0 down

The newest PS3 features delivered by the firmware update included: an
update to the XrossMediaBar to allow users to access menu items
without having to log out of gameplay, in-game text message support,
and a new Google Search button. A new awards system for gamers was
also included.

–> Report: Flagship Studio Closes, Loses All IP Update: Flagship
community manager Taylor Balbi has denied Voodoo Extreme’s report that
he confirmed… 99 12hrs 48mins ago

–> MTV Reponds to Konami’s Rock Band Patent Lawsuit; Claims Surprise,
‘Substantial Defenses’ MTV has chimed in on Japanese publisher
Konami’s recent lawsuit, which alleged that MTV subsidiary H… 9 1day
7hrs ago

Copyright 1996-2007 Shacknews LTD, All rights reserved. Shacknews
logos, lols, rofls, lmaos, and possibly also wtfs are service marks or
trade marks of Maarten. He will try to bathe with you. Watch out!
User-posted content, unless source quoted, is licensed under a
Creative Commons Public Domain License.

Same here. Not buying anything from Valve. Am I the only one who felt
Half Life Episodes 1Last edited by Fabi on 7/11/2008 12:44:29 PM
1 up, 0 down

I bought it…but didn’t open it because I read some stuff about it.
Apparently the PS3 version was “ported” bad and has glitches and
freezing throughout the game. So I returned it.You might want to rent
it.Last edited by matrixkurt on 7/11/2008 1:36:43 PM
0 up, 0 down

yea man, TF2 is awesome… bt i’ve only played on the PC version where
it is absolutely nuts with minor glitchesLast edited by blitz30952 on
7/11/2008 6:12:44 PM
1 up, 0 down

sounds like it may not be as bad as some reviews said…plus it’s only
like 29.99 at wal-mart….which is why my cheap A$$ just might swoop.
Thanks for the info!
0 up, 0 down

is there any place where you can watch the first R2 trailer that was
on spike TV?
0 up, 1 down

that guy delete his post so it makes mine not make sense. thank you
infekt
0 up, 0 down

. The deal, coupled with its announcement today to do in-game ads for
Yahoo Games, is an important victory for Double Fusion and the
fledgling in-game ad industry.

Both Sony’s U.S. and European game divisions will use Double
Fusion to insert ads into Sony’s games for the PS 3 game
console. Beyond supplying the technology to either insert ads into
games or add video ads to games at convenient spots, Double Fusion,
based in San Francisco, will also help the game publishers find
advertisers and work out the brand messages for targeting gamers.

Landing Sony is a big deal because the electronics giant is launching
its for its PlayStation Network this fall. The world, which has the
3-D avatars and scenery that resemble Linden Lab’s Second Life,
is a major social network aimed at keeping gamers entertained while
they’re not playing games. It will be chock full of in-game (or
in-world) ads.

Now that the Dual Shock 3 is available everywhere – it hit Europe
last, finally becoming available on July 4 – many PS3 owners are
wondering: which current and future titles support the good ol’ force
feedback?

Well, you probably know most of the major games that do, but we
stumbled upon a very interesting list from the . As you can see, it’s
a very large list of titles that support the rumble feature, and there
are several names on there that should catch your attention. See,
there’s Eternal Sonata, an RPG that has not been confirmed for release
in either the U.S. or Europe (as far as we know). And there are a
bunch of other titles we’ve never heard of, including Punisher: War
Zone and Cinnamon Beats. We also see more than a few upcoming PSN
titles, which are worthy of our future attention.

^No..No it wouldn’t be cool. I despise Advertisements when I watch TV
and internet let alone a

At least with the PC there will be options to “mod” or “hack” the ads
from appearing. Certainly worked with Hellgate ($hitty game that it
was).

This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was
edited on 11 July 2008 13:44

This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was
edited on 11 July 2008 14:02

Think I’m going to ask a couple of game devs I know for comments about
how these ads work, and how they are put wherever they are on the
display. I’m really quite interested in the background technology
now..

This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was
edited on 12 July 2008 0:03

Get the latest headlines delivered directly to your favourite RSS
reader or content aggregation service by using the links below.

Sony Computer Entertainment’s European and American divisions have
announced an agreement now in place with in-game advertising firm
Double Fusion to pipe ads directly into consumer’s PlayStation 3
games.

This agreement comes only one month after Sony revealed a similar
contract with Double Fusion rival IGA Worldwide, a firm also poised to
bring ads to the PlayStation 3.

The company has yet to reveal when these ads will begin appearing in
PlayStation 3 titles, though with two of the world’s largest dedicated
firms as well as their in-house branch working on inundating players
with advertising, expect to see some results in short order.

I have a feeling the in-game advertising will be a little more
tasteful than that. I feel like it will make the atmosphere more
realistic. I think nothing kills the mood of a futuristic sci-fi more
than seeing a decripit fast food joint named Johnny’s Burgers and
Fries. Tell me you wouldn’t mind seeing a McDonald’s there instead.

Man this sucks. This is just like when the god damn ad intustry ruined
TV by putting commercials in it.

If they’re jumping on a cash cow and getting paid oodles to have ads
in the games I’m paying for, then I want them cheaper to purchase. I
refuse to BUY advertising. They’re making more money for the games so
they should lower their profit margins.

I see virtually no advertisements on web sites I visit thanks to
Firefox and ad block plus. I see no advertisements when I watch
television thanks to my advanced DVR. I hear no advertisements on the
radio because I’ve not listened to a radio station since day one of
the original Napster.

I completely support advertisements in media, but only if the media is
therefore provided free or heavily discounted.

Corporate greed is at it’s worse when it comes to intellectual
properties such as game software and video media.

I have to agree with Matt and Alex. So long as they don’t pop up and
don’t affect my bandwidth, I don’t care.

I don’t care if there are ads in my games (They would add impossibly
more realism to GTA games.), as long as they are in the right place.
For example, I don’t want a billboard in the middle of the desert.
WTH? Why is there a billboard in a desert? And for those people who
say “I don’t buy a game to see ads!”, I must say I don’t switch the
channel to Spike to see ads either. But I do.

Adding realism is great. Being able to shoot/bomb/destroy ads like
billboards in game would make it ok. And if these ads were in an
online environment, maybe it would be even helpful for the advertisers
to know which of their ads are blown up more than others. Just a
thought.

Psst! Ever wondered who’s behind all of AVReview’s brilliant content?
Well, click here for the lowdown on our writers…

The British Video Association has announced that sales of Blu-ray
discs are up an enormous 506 per cent against the equivalent period
last year, which equates to around one million units shifted. It also
represents 1.2 per cent of the total market, which itself is up by 3.3
per cent, driven primarily, it is thought, by the success of Blu-ray.

The EMA has also commented that it though Blu-ray was ‘a goner’ back
in 2006, with the PS3 arriving just in time to save the day.

The console is also expected to drive sales well into next year before
finally being overtaken by sales of standalone BD spinners, which at
the moment account for a pitiful slice of the market thanks to
ludicrous pricing and the fact that the manufacturers are still
finalising features and performance.

hahaha i think these kinds of conversations are meant for shady
backalleys rather than the PSXtreme comments section
0 up, 0 down

The ps3 has been around for 2 years and is supposedly going to be
around for another 8.Sony can’t go down too soon because they’ll have
no where to go down in the future.
1 up, 1 down

IMO Sony should drop the price, Sony needs to compete a little
stronger, forget about profit margins on the system and market the
hell out of it. This Gen feels sloppy compared to the last gen.
0 up, 0 down

Hopefully the cool surprise is that they were just kidding when they
said the game wouldn’t have trophies.

Crime stories! Read the latest cop and court coverage from London and
area in The Free Press

But now a fantastic new rumour is gushing through the Intertubes:
Could Microsoft be preparing to take the wraps off Halo 4 at E3? If
the online scuttlebutt is to be believed, the Softies might announce a
new Halo series game, sans Master Chief. Could be wishful thinking,
but it would easily be one of the biggest surprises of the show if it
comes to pass.

RESISTANCE NOT SO FUTILE: Among their promising-looking slate of E3
2008 titles, Sony’s got a pair of shoot-em-ups that we’ll get to go
hands-on with for the first time: Killzone 2, infamous for the 2006
CGI trailer that Sony claimed at the time was gameplay footage, and
Resistance 2, the sequel to the PlayStation 3’s stellar launch game,
Resistance: Fall Of Man.

But Sony is also set to unveil an as-yet unannounced new PSP game
based on one of their highest-profile franchises. We’ve already seen
PSP versions of God Of War, Ratchet & Clank, Jak And Daxter and even
Killzone, so what does that leave? MotorStorm? Possibly, but unlikely.
Lair? Surely you jest.

Speculation has run wild, ranging from a Wii version of Donkey Kong
(umm, ok) to a new Pilotwings (hell yeah!) to Animal Crossing Wii (all
but confirmed in a teaser in the UK’s Official Nintendo Magazine.)
Though we could just as easily get stuck with something like Super
Luigi Bocce Ball or Kirby Takes Manhattan.

That puts the glitter ball firmly in the court of EA and MTV Games,
who will be showing off Rock Band 2 at E3. Question is, will Rock Band
2 be able to match the drool-inducing new features being promised by
Guitar Hero World Tour? And the bigger question: where the heck are we
supposed to store all these plastic instruments?

AND THE REST: Could we see the rumoured Wii-like motion controller for
the Xbox 360? Will PS3’s God Of War III be shown, or the new ICO game?
Is now the time for another revamp of the Nintendo DS or PSP hardware?
Will Diablo III be playable on the show floor? And most importantly,
is it possible to survive for four days on two hours of sleep per
night?

All rights reserved. Proprietor and Publisher – The London Free Press,
P.O. Box 2280, 369 York Street, London Ontario Canada N6A 4G1

Amazon tossed up a listing for the third Battlefront on Tuesday, and
it showed six scheduled platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP and
DS. Now, those have all been removed (probably at the request of the
publisher, or possibly because they weren’t correct), but “two
independent sources” confirmed to IGN that Battlefront III is indeed a
reality. Furthermore, it’s most certainly coming to the PS3 – that
much wasn’t a typo – and the team behind it? Free Radical Design, who
are responsible for the critically acclaimed TimeSplitters franchise.
Of course, they also did Haze, which many of us would just as soon
forget, but hey, all good developers have hiccups every now and then.
And this information does seem accurate; Free Radical announced two
years ago that it had cemented an agreement with LucasArts to start
work on a “top-secret property.”

Cool. Star wars Battlefield was a great idea.I’ll definitely be
getting this one.
2 up, 0 down

Treyarch is developing the game for Activision, the first game they’ll
publish after securing rights to the Bond franchise last year.

11.07.2008 The hoopla surrounding the release of the latest iPhone
might not be as big as when the first one came out…

Gadget Review: You’ve heard the hype, now judge for yourself. Get a
hands-on tour of the new .

The 40GB PS3 is not on the market very long, so, as Engadget points
out, the new model may not necessarily be bumped up to 60GB or 80GB
but rather have some new addition or a fresh redesign.

While the hardcore gamers will be on the edge of their seats awaiting
news of these possible console upgrades, Apple iPhone fans are
crossing their fingers for an early opening of the iTunes Apps store.
This could open for business at 5pm US time tomorrow, instead of at
the same time as the Friday morning launch of the 3G iPhone.

Subscribe to Marketing Age today. It’s easy and you can save up to 20%
off the newsstand price when you subscribe online.

The basic formula for Quiz TV is exactly the same as previous Buzz
games. The show is hosted by a character named Buzz (with Australian
soap star Jason Donovan reprising the voice), and it still includes
around 5,000 questions. The buzzers have received an upgrade and the
game comes bundled with four of the new wireless controllers. They
work incredibly well, and you’ll probably wonder how you put up with
those tangle-prone tethered remotes in the past. The only downside is
that the wireless remotes require two AA batteries each, but you can
use the original PlayStation 2 buzzers with the new game if you
prefer. As a bonus, the new wireless buzzers also work with all of the
old games.

Quiz TV has three main modes: a solo mode that pits you against the
clock, a local multiplayer mode you can play with up to seven friends,
and an online mode that pits you against players from around the
world. Sadly, though, only one person per console can play the game
online at any given time. Single-player mode is a rather dull
experience, a bit like playing a board game by yourself. You can’t
play against AI opponents, so instead you compete against yourself and
the clock to get the highest score possible within a limited time.
Buzz is designed to be a party game, and it’s a lot more fun when you
have a few companions to play with you.

You can head over to mybuzzquiz.com and create quizzes using your
PlayStation Network ID. You’re able to set the privacy options on your
quizzes so that everyone may play them, or limit them so that only you
or your PS3 friends are able to see them. Quizzes can be tagged as
mature, and sorted into one of the predefined question categories such
as lifestyle, as well as subcategories such as video games. Each set
requires eight questions, and once entered, they’re scanned for
offensive language and submitted to the system. It takes only a matter
of minutes for them to be available to play in the game. Popular
topics include movies and TV, sports, general knowledge, and even
Chuck Norris. Once you’ve played a set, you can then rate it and
report offensive quizzes if any questionable material makes it
through. MyBuzz is one of the most compelling parts of the package,
and there’s already a burgeoning community around the game.

The contestants themselves are particularly well drawn and incorporate
some of the same stereotypes from previous Buzz games. Some of the
choices in Quiz TV include a cheerleader, a mime, a rocker, an Elvis
impersonator, a superhero, a Darth Vader-esque villain, and even a
Japanese schoolgirl who bears a close resemblance to Chun-Li, complete
with giggling, celebratory jumps. Quiz TV’s sound effects, background
music, and dialogue are all spot-on, despite being corny, cheesy, and
repetitive at times, and Buzz himself still has a certain cringe-
worthy charm. The lines delivered by the illustrious host are more
polished this time around, and he comes across almost as smooth,
smarmy, and schmaltzy as any real-life daytime TV host.

Trivia gurus may still find Buzz! Quiz TV a walk in the park, but it
nevertheless serves up an interesting array of questions for the party
crowd. At its core it’s just more of the same, but the series’ PS3
debut offers a few unique, new peripheral features that make it worth
the upgrade. If you didn’t like previous iterations, it’s unlikely
that you’ll enjoy Quiz TV, but if you’ve yet to pick up a copy of
Buzz, this version is the best yet.

Sony’s game division saw a 26 percent sales spike last quarter, a
trend they expect will continue on the strength of strong exclusives
like the recently released Metal Gear Solid 4 and the upcoming sequel
Resistance 2.

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Fathers Day may be over, but our five reasons to get Dad a Sony
Playstation 3 are still valid. .

Google and Yahoo have , leaving Microsoft out of the game completely.
For some readers this is welcome news? but others aren’t so happy.
Would you have preferred Google or Microsoft? Join the discussion.

Orion7 says: The Playstation 3 is the best console on the market, no
doubt. The PS3 has everything that you have to buy as option for the
Xbox 360. Just wait and see that the PS3 will have more exclusive
games than Xbox 360 in the next one or two years. With the PS3, you
can watch Blu-ray movies, which look elegant on a 1080p HDTV. There is
nothing to argue: The Playstation 3 is the best console without a
doubt.

Flashorn says: Here in my area (Ottawa, Canada) we have had caps for
about 2 years. We are with Bell Canada and have a DSL connection. The
imposed caps are of 60GB per month and anything above is $1.00 a
gigabyte. I think this is justified. It kind of holds the abusers in
check but at the same time gives us the freedom to rent movies or
download music online without violating the imposed caps.

Savagesteve13 says: They basically are handing over their business to
DSL by implementing caps. Nothing new here. Cable companies have
oversold their bandwidth for years and have targeted who they consider
“heavy bandwidth users,” hoping to run them off.

With an iPhone and the right app, you can sync your e-mail and
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Think only the big boys can afford the best database solutions? Think
again. Learn about low cost systems that have proven time and time
again to outperform legacy UNIX vendors on a dollar for dollar basis.

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i luv how theres sum 360 fanboys on a ps3 article… mgs4 is
perfect!!!! by maaac from usa on 16/06/08 02:03 PM

Im glad my 360 broke down on me. It took 2 months to get it fixed and
i sold it just to get a ps3 for MGS4. PS3 sh*ts on xbox. by aLBi’ from
Cypress, CA on 16/06/08 04:13 AM

Xbox360 Are the same as PS3 BUt XBOX LIVE IS WAY BETTER Even for 50
Bucks. Besides.

This is the greatest game I have ever played, everything is…
perfect! Buy it. now! by thepentagon from London on 15/06/08 09:21 PM

ps3 users better love this game, it will be the only one till next
year! hahaha this game along with splinter cell sux! stealth games
suk. by johnson from wilmatuky on 15/06/08 02:31 AM

360 SUckers – go on play HALO, u dont deserve to play great games like
these by Anonymous from jo on 14/06/08 12:51 PM

This doesn’t necessarily mean anything big is coming – it could be a
new anything, really. Perhaps they’re throwing in a DualShock 3.

What’s going on here? Are we talking about a new bundle, slight
hardware-changes, a complete new model, nothing at all? Time will
hopefully tell.

–> Plunder Renamed Age of Booty Once known as Plunder, Certain
Affinity’s donwloadable hex-based pirate strategy game has now been
r… 16 1day 7hrs ago

July 09, 2008
Online retailer Amazon.com is spinning a geared towards putting a Blu-
ray player into a few more homes.

owners will find an update available for their console’s firmware
today. According to Sony, version 2.36 will offer increased “system
stability when playing select PlayStation format software titles.”
It’s not the most specific description we’ve ever heard, but we’ll
take any upgrades we can get.

) 34 comments (Page 1 of 3)
by June 18, 2008 1:04 PM PDT When is PSP’s 4.00 is releasing????
Reply to this comment View reply Hide reply
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by June 18, 2008 6:49 PM PDT The 2.4 update for the PS3 will finally
be the final blow to the Xbox 360. So far, in game messaging and
achievements were the only reasons to justify paying for the Xbox and
Xbox live. Soon the PS3 will have these same features and don’t forget
that the Playstation Network is FREE. There will be no reason for
people to purchase the 360. Lastly, we have heard talk of the 360’s
avatars which will look extremely childish (as the Wii) in comparison
to the PS3’s virtual online community- HOMEThe PS3 momentum is
building and will soon be unstoppable.
Reply to this comment View reply Hide reply
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by June 19, 2008 3:47 AM PDT i would like to see all ps3 platforms be
able to play ps2 games.
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The name says it all. Crave is our blog about gorgeous gadgets and
other crushworthy stuff. If you would like to contact Crave with a tip
or comment, please write to:

Infosys likely will be looking for a lot of consumer use, but the
company also expects to target government and other official users.
Anyone from building inspectors and accident investigators to
emergency crews and doctors could find good uses for such a
technology. And they could play those dandy 3-D games during downtime.

DualShock 3 combines the motion sensitivity of the SixAxis feature
with the vibration mode included in older PlayStation controllers.

The key word here, though, is “rumor.” Obviously none of this has been
confirmed, so it’s all just speculation at this point. Will
speculation become fact once E3 begins next week? Stay tuned to find
out.

Phew. I thought when I read the title of article that Sony was
bringing a new (maybe slimmer) PS3. Then I would be pissed.
1 up, 0 down

That would be good, even if it was bumping the price back up.
1 up, 0 down

A few friends of mine have said that they’d get a PS3 if a backwards
compatible model was available. If Sony released such a model i’m sure
it would increase sales enough to me worth it.
0 up, 0 down

Well I agree with the Wii…considering you just buy a Wii and your
set without having to buy any more wires or hard drives etc. But the
360 being harder to buy than the PS3…meh maybe. I’m just saying that
there are MORE choices with the PS3 than necessary in my opinion. Like
someone has mentioned before, confusing consumers with too many
different models isn’t the greatest idea. Back in the day, Snes,
Sega,Nintendo,Atari, they were all 1 console per company or however
you wanna put it. So if you wanted to play a Snes game…you get a
Snes and snes games…no need to worry about which model you need to
get to make sure your playing the right one cuz there was only 1 to
pick. Sega same thing, only things you had to worry about is why
certain cartridges were taller with a yellow plastic thingy attached
vs a smaller black cartridge. btw…remember the game genie? lol I
just thought about it…what a hideous device!
0 up, 0 down

I did the same thing, except with a 200 gig HDD.Took fuckin ages tho,
with all the music and game demos I had to transfer. Worth it tho.I
saw somewhere with a 350gig 2.5inch SATA HDD, for only like 60 quid.
Pretty awesome.
0 up, 0 down

Hey guys I need help, I cant update Gta4. For some reason i get signed
out of playstation network when i finish playing a game, when I try to
update GTA it doesn;t update it just sits there at 0%.
0 up, 0 down

July 09, 2008
On July 29, Namco Bandai will release Soul Calibur IV on Playstation 3
and Xbox 360 in standard and premium edition sets. The next-gen
fighting games will feature classic Soul Calibur fighters in addition
to a trio of Star Wars icons: Darth Vader, Yoda and the “Secret
Apprentice” from the upcoming Force Unleashed videogame.

Contest Rules Simply complete and submit the entry form below to us
with your name, physical and e-mail address where we can send the
prize if you win.

This contest is open to all residents of the United States and Canada,
and will close on August 06, 2008 at 9:59 pm PST.

While last week’s v2.40 PS3 firmware update was intended to bestow
consoles with both functionalities, it was quickly pulled following
reports of freezing consoles. On the official PlayStation Blog,
PlayStation Network director Eric Lempel also said that Sony “had to
take it offline temporarily because, for a limited number of users,
the XMB wouldn’t display after the update was installed.” Today’s
v2.41 update–which Lempel promised would arrive “shortly” after his
post–has been adjusted to prevent such issues.

Another problem was encountered by some PS3 owners installing the
v2.40 software while their controllers were physically plugged into
their console–a problem which prevented said controllers from
syncing. According to Sony customer support, anyone encountering said
problem should perform a hard reset of the controller by pushing a pin
or paper clip into a small hole at the controller’s bottom.

@Nineball2112 – atleast u understand meI understand it’s a reality,
but that’s why it’s alarming and concerning for me. Sony has seen
these features on plenty other consoles, and it’s been YEARS now. To
me it seems every person who is satisfied or content with Sony’s
update I run across tells me to just “wait, it’s just the beginning”
but i’ve been waiting a long time now….. other things i’ve heard of
course are the patent and the “online is free” argument – which should
definitely not be an excuse, and if that is, then I’ll gladly pay a
measily $5 a month for a better full-service, I spend $7 a day on
lunch alone….Like I said, it’s not that the update isn’t a good
thing in general, but I can’t understand why people praise it like it
has brought Sony’s OS/ features up to speed. I’m just not impressed by
it in any way shape or form.

Ok, so I’ve got the update… but I still have 0 trophies?? Do I need
to load one of the games that I’ve completed first for it to recognize
it, or do only SOME games have trophies so far… if so….. which
ones??

This new addition of 2.41 is great. thankyou sony for the great
service. Keep up the good work.

@ShadowMasterX1 and Nineball2112look, almost all updates are good
(except if it bricks my biatch, and it has already froze and made me
sync my controller). I wasn’t saying the update isn’t good, I’m just
saying nothing has really changed, after all this time, and yes it
does feel rushed. you just can’t expect much from Sony’s updates I
guess (U said it urself). As far as legal issues, yeah, i hear people
saying that, but has Sony said anything about it? i saw ur patent
page, that’s wonderful and all, but Sony can do it, I want to hear
SONY say why some of these features weren’t added…… I like my PS3
and blu-rays and all the rich media features, but it seems like people
really defend Sony like they are part of their family. C’mon peoplez,
we payed $400 to $600 for this thing, shouldn’t we have a right to
expect some cool (small) things out of it? I know the PS3 has the
power to do it… and I’m getting sick of people saying some of us are
spoiled or are not true gamers. I happen to like a seamless integrated
experience, I like priv chat and music when I’m mashing on deathmatch,
and when ur comrade jumps online you can talk to them while swapping
out games or just go about ur biz while you plan with them. I know
Sony can do it, so I have a right to expect more from them. I’m sorry.
I own many consoles, and it started with an Atari 2600, but this is
here and now….

@ Flavour666. Yeah, I know the first link was stating it as a RUMOR,
hence why I clearly put in the link title the word “RUMOR” or did you
miss that?And are you a patent lawyer? No, then how do you know
whether it is applicable in this case or not? Companies are sue-happy
when it comes to their intellectual property and if you followed
gaming news, you’d know that suits are dropping left and right. I am
also not a patent lawyer, so it’s possible that this patent doesn’t
have any impact on what Sony is doing, but you asked for a link and I
provided one. AND, when I do… you come back with… But… but…
it’s not applicable!Like the first link stated… the KEY points are:
1. A method comprising: – receiving a request to launch a game in a
gaming system; determining whether the game has a user-associated
soundtrack; – if the game has a user-associated soundtrack: launching
the game; and playing the user-associated soundtrack. – if the game
does not have a user-associated soundtrack: allowing a user of the
gaming system to select a soundtrack to play while the game is
executed; and playing a default soundtrack if the user of the gaming
system does not select a soundtrack. You wouldn’t be satisfied until I
produced the person who actually filed the patent and got a signed
affidavit from him stating what his intentions were. And it’s obvious
that you have MS up your **** if you think that Sony can’t match it’s
features. On the contrary, there are features that Sony has that MS
can’t match (either from the feature itself or from a pricing
standpoint).

@Nineball2112The first link is a RUMOR posted on April 1st (of all
days).The second link is a bona-fide patent, but not applicable in
this case. The whole patent claim is about “automated” playback. In
short: a system that memorizes for which game you want to play which
tracks and then auto-play those tracks when you start said game.The
360 doesn’t have that feature and nobody is stopping Sony from
implementing it the same way 360 has it since it’s launch.You should
learn to read and understand these patents. They have to be *very*
specific in their claims.You can’t patent the manual start of a
soundtrack from the consoles menu. That’s like patenting hitting
“play” on the CD-player.The 360 has been out for over two years now
and Sony can’t surpass, let alone even match, it’s features. It’s
incompetence, nothing more. They under-estimated demand for that
feature, same as they under-estimated demand for online-play and
rumble.

@ShadowMasterX1:MS having a patent on playing music? How about some
proof? How about a link to the patent?You’re a troll trying either to
bad-mouth MS or trying to find excuses for Sonys’ incompetence.

hey everybody i installed the v2.41 but the XMB doesnt comes out in
the game welll i tried it in CoD3, somebody know if the XMB bar is
available in all the games please answer

Hi all.Bad NewsI tryed to update my Playstation 3 tonight and it
failed and bricked it.The update download the 2.41 update fine and
then it tryed to install it. Went all the way to 99% then got stuck.I
left the PS3 on for about 15-20 mins to see if anything would happen.
Nothing did so I had to turn it off at the mains.Tryed to turn on the
PS3 again and it will not boot up. The green light comes on ok but no
picture. Ive tryed the holding down the on/off button but this does
not work.i didnt have the 2.40 update installed.Any body have any
Idea’s of how to fix this. I have / had60GB Playstation 3

2.40 worked fine for my 80gig, 2.41 is working well currently–no
problems. However I mainly use my PS3 as a BluRay player. I own about
5 PS3 games but honestly the majority of games I like are found on the
360. Both systems have served me well. I own 2 360’s -Premium and 1
Elite-and they have not given me problems.If you are looking for an
all-round do anything system- the PS3 is where you want to place your
money. If you are looking for a Gaming system with plenty of titles to
choose from, and a touch better graphics, then the 360 is where you
want to place your money.I patiently await for better online features
in the PSN store and the release of God of War 3 then you can bet I
will be gaming plenty on the system. Kudos to Sony for implementing
some great features!

Ya that is true dark ride and this is definitely the year of sony. let
it be known that 08 is the age of sony.

combatsoldier commented “They have lost 3 billion dollars on ps3 and
continue to make it a quality product.”Don’t forget that this has
always been the plan. By selling the system at a loss it enables them
to build their installed user base and then reap the rewards with
software/Blu-Ray sales. This investment to build the user base up and
deliver a quality product certainly served them well with the PS2, and
I understand now the PS3 production costs have come down the console
itself is slated to become profitable this summer/fall – months ahead
of schedule. I wouldn’t consider this planned expenditure a loss
unless they had no hope of making their investment back in the future.

I had no problems and feel sorry for those that did. I did notice 2.41
is running smother than 2.40. The XMB was slightly slower and things
like external hard drives were taking a bit longer to boot up. 2.41
really does make the PS3 more community friendly. .

I only feel sorry for those that have their console bricked when 2.40
came out,that stinks is understandable. probably not enough beta
testing of Sony’s part.but give Sony some credit,they could off kept
their mouths shut and not say anything,but they didn’t, they made a
mistake, it happens. at least 2.41 is good,good job Sony. my PS3 runs
great no complains here, keep up the good work!!.

Hot rumor from gossip rag says 31-year-old Milo Ventimiglia is
shopping for ring for 18-year-old Hayden Panettiere.

–> The Video Game Release List of 7/13 – 7/19 Football and monkeys
dominate this week, with an extra side golf and rocking. Scope out the
full li… 28 13hrs 13mins ago

–> Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe Media Features Superman, The Flash,
Catwoman, Others Midway has released its E3 media for Mortal Kombat vs
DC Universe (PS3, X360) in the form of seven n… 107 20hrs 46mins ago

–> MTV Reponds to Konami’s Rock Band Patent Lawsuit; Claims Surprise,
‘Substantial Defenses’ MTV has chimed in on Japanese publisher
Konami’s recent lawsuit, which alleged that MTV subsidiary H… 9 1day
7hrs ago

–> Plunder Renamed Age of Booty Once known as Plunder, Certain
Affinity’s donwloadable hex-based pirate strategy game has now been
r… 16 1day 7hrs ago

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Crime stories! Read the latest cop and court coverage from London and
area in The Free Press

Amanda Bennett, 18, and Caleb Bridgeman, 16, enjoy a game in the new
console room at Head2Head Games on Dundas Street downtown. (Sue Reeve,
Sun Media)

Pat Heenan steps out of the troop transport ship, machine gun in hand,
and opens fire, spraying enemy troops with deadly accuracy.

The storefront haven for gamers will see a lot more of that kind of
carnage today when it opens its new “console room,” dedicated to the
hardcore gamer, with a day of free play, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and
again from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Today, for the free day of play, the store will have eight Xbox 360s,
three Wiis and four PlayStation 3s in the console room alone. Upstairs
it will still offer its usual complement of 42 computers, 18 for
Internet use and 24 for gaming.

“If you go into a store like EB Games, 80 per cent of the stock is now
console games. We are moving toward a multi-console gaming
environment,” she said.

“A lot of people work until 11 or 12 and they will be up for hours
after, so they come in here,” she said.

And when they do, they will have a host of new console games to choose
from, to create their very own kind of carnage.
Business Headlines

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Following last October), Midway announced Tuesday that the unlicensed
football sequel will be released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this
fall.

Copyright © 2002-2008 All Rights Reserved. 1UP and the 1UP.COM logo
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Midway has brought in former ESPN “Playmakers” writer, Peter Egan, to
pen an all-new story mode full of on and off the field antics. LT, aka
Giants great Lawrence Taylor, returns to serve as the game’s
spokesperson and head badass.

Check out the first screens from Blitz: The League II below and keep
an eye out for our hands-on impressions from E3 next week.
July 8, 2008

2K Games, a wholly owned subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software
(), will now be assisting Digital Extremes to optimize BioShock for
the PlayStation3 (PS 3) computer entertainment system. Both companies
have recently signed a mutual agreement on this.

With this agreement, Digital Extremes joins the team of 2K Marin, 2K
Boston, 2K Australia who are already into the job of developing this
version to PS 3.

Digital Extremes is a development studio in the interactive
entertainment industry. The Canadian based developer is best known for
its co-creation of Epic Games’ Unreal.

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So I got the 2.40 update, which seems to be working ok, but what is
the deal with the trophies? (ok now Jerry Seinfeld is a fanboy”What’s
the Deal with that!?”)I mean how do you get a trophy? Whats the
biggest one and where do I get it?

@: That’s odd. When I replaced my HDD on my 60GB PS3 for a bigger one,
and did a restore from my backup it restored everything, including
PSStore games and PS2/PS1 saves.

Can someone confirm if 2.40 update fixed the mp4 streaming issue? I
can’t believe that Sony pulled the 2.4 update because a few PS3s got
bricked while it won’t even acknowledge the fact that there are so
many of us out there that lost the ability to stream mp4s from the
stupid 2.2 update.

Haven’t used my PS3 since I ran the 2.4 update just before they pulled
it. I got a “?” where the trophy icon should be, so I figured that I
should just wait for the patch beofre playing anything or trying to
use the in game XMB. If it hits this week I would say that’s a pretty
decent turn around time.

Im sure that the first one wasnt that swift either because of it being
the first firmware update and the first time being released so im
guessing that sony will in end with the next update will make it run
smoother.

@bmw5: You can’t believe that Sony pulled a firmware that was KILLING
RANDOM SYSTEMS?? The reason why is simple:

yea, i’ve upgraded my ps3’s hdd a few times now and have done several
backups; all of my data is there after i did my complete backup /
restore on the new harddrive.

a backup is the only way to be able to backup your gamesaves that are
‘copy protected’. you can’t backup your rockband saves to an sd card
or usb hdd; you have to do a full backup (just like a few other games,
so annoying!!)

Players new to the series can now shoot, pass and check with ease. NHL
09 features Be A Pro, a game mode that will put you on the ice with a
dynamic new 3rd person camera that allows you to play the role of one
player. With a performance tracker grading your progress in more than
50 categories, you will know exactly where you need to improve to
become the next NHL superstar.

Ascaron Entertainment, one of Europe’s leading game developers, today
announced that the PlayStation 3 version of their upcoming action RPG,
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel will hit retail shelves this autumn.

“Role-playing game enthusiasts have always been strongly represented
on the PlayStation platforms, and we are delighted to offer a version
of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel for the PlayStation 3,” said Heiko tom
Felde, Managing Director of Ascaron Entertainment.

This version of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel will feature enhanced graphics,
5.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound and support drop-in cooperative play,
as well as other multiplayer gaming modes via the Internet.

Players can save their characters and use them in all game modes -
allowing the same character to be used both in single-player or
multiplayer modes, accumulating experience and loot seamlessly.

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Subscribe to Shacknews or for the scoop on all of your favorite games
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“Our top priority is delivering the best SOCOM online experience
possible,” Luisi wrote. “We just had to face the facts and do what is
best for the title. Rather than sacrifice features, quality and
stability, we had to do the right thing and re-adjust our schedule.”

3. “The World Ends With You” (Square Enix, for the Nintendo DS): This
adventure set in modern Tokyo is the most innovative RPG in years.

_ENCORE: In May, Activision announced its strategy to maintain its
lead in the rhythm game competition: “Guitar Hero World Tour,” which
adds a microphone, drums and a virtual recording studio to the best-
selling franchise. But no one is expecting MTV Games’ “Rock Band” to
fade out.

_NEW IN STORES: “Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution” (2K, Xbox 360,
PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS) brings the popular PC strategy series to
consoles. … Warm up for the Olympics with Sega’s “Beijing 2008″
(360, PS3). … Wii goodies this week include Square Enix’s “Final
Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon” and Majesco’s “Wonder World
Amusement Park,” while 2K returns to the midway with the DS version of
“Carnival Games.”

“I have to wrestle him in the middle of the night to get his Melbourne
jumper off him to wash it,” Ms Smith said. “He loves the Storm.”

A spokeswoman for the Make a Wish Foundation said: “Make A Wish exists
purely to bring a bit of magic to children who have been diagnosed
with a life-threatening illness.

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Milwaukee —- Harley-Davidson Inc. said Friday that it will buy
Italian motorcycle maker MV Agusta Group for about $109 million to
boost its presence in Europe. MV Agusta makes a line of premium sport
motorcycles under its name brand and a line of lightweight motorcycles
under the Cagiva brand. The deal will help Harley-Davidson expand into
the European market as sales slump in the United States, where
consumers are pulling back on spending.

Scientific Games Corp., the biggest U.S. maker of instant lottery
tickets, had $60 million of sales in China last week, suggesting about
$3 billion in annual revenue from the country, Chief Executive Lorne
Weil said Friday. “Things in China look great for us,” Weil said in a
telephone interview. “Right now, we’re selling in more than 50,000
retail locations.” Scientific Games began selling Olympic-themed
lottery tickets in China in the first quarter, capitalizing on
publicity for the Games, which start next month in Beijing. Demand in
China will hold up after the games as Scientific Games sells tickets
in more stores, said Weil. In the United States, the slowing economy
isn’t hurting sales because states are expanding the use of lotteries
to boost revenue. “So far, the business seems to be holding up quite
well,” Weil said. The company plans to start printing tickets at a
factory in Beijing in the fourth quarter to increase profitability. It
is currently shipping products by air to China from Alpharetta, Weil
said.

Pittsburgh —- Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. said Friday that it
plans to cut more than 1,200 jobs in Mexico and Honduras because of
weak demand in the North American auto market. The company is
restructuring its electrical and electronic systems unit because of
“economic and structural changes in the North American light truck and
SUV market demand.”

San Jose, Calif. —- Advanced Micro Devices Inc. suffered another
setback Friday when the chip maker disclosed that two businesses it
acquired in a pricey acquisition were underperforming. AMD said the
businesses’ values would have to be reduced by $880 million. It’s the
second time AMD has had to slash the value of businesses it absorbed
as part of its acquisition of graphics chip maker ATI Technologies
Inc.

Washington —- As oil prices soared to a record high Friday, the
nation’s airlines and shipping companies stepped up calls for a
crackdown on financial speculation in energy markets, which they blame
for pushing up fuel costs. The Stop Oil Speculation coalition of
nearly 40 airlines, trucking companies and unions said at a news
conference that lawmakers must close loopholes that allow traders to
skirt federal restrictions on the purchase of contracts for oil and
other commodities. “This crisis deserves the full attention of
Congress —- now —- not next week, not next month or next
year,” said James May, president of the Air Transport Association of
America. The airline industry’s main trade group expects companies to
lose $10 billion this year —- on par with their worst combined
loss ever —- solely because of soaring fuel costs.

U.S. airports’ fiscal condition is “stable but threatened with little
likelihood for improvement” as airlines struggle with high fuel costs
and a weak economy, Standard & Poor’s said. Airport operators can draw
on the experience following the last decline, in 2001, to deal with
the new challenges, S&P; analyst Kurt Forsgren said in a conference
call Friday. The industry outlook won’t likely change for the next six
to nine months, according to a recent S&P; report Forsgren helped
compile. “We have already seen, as we would expect, many airports
prudently slowing their capital spending, deferring projects and
preparing to implement other cost corrections,” Forsgren said. Some
airports have postponed projects until market conditions improve,
Forsgren said.

Continental Airlines Inc. said Friday that it would record a number of
special accounting charges and gains for the second quarter totaling
an after-tax gain of $22 million. The Houston-based airline also said
it expected to take further charges —- which it didn’t estimate
—- in the third quarter and beyond.

United Airlines’ parent, UAL Corp., said Friday it will record second-
quarter costs of as much as $2.7 billion to reduce the value of its
assets and pay employee severance. The cut in goodwill will produce a
noncash charge of as much as $2.3 billion, UAL said in a regulatory
filing Friday. Elsewhere, United offered voluntary buyouts to ramp
workers and customer service employees to trim as many as 400 jobs as
it cuts seating capacity.

The first two Battlefront games on PC, PS2 and Xbox were developed by
Pandemic Studios. Rebellion handled the PSP edition of Battlefront II
and the PSP-only Renegade Squadron entry.

–> The Video Game Release List of 7/13 – 7/19 Football and monkeys
dominate this week, with an extra side golf and rocking. Scope out the
full li… 28 13hrs 13mins ago

–> Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe Media Features Superman, The Flash,
Catwoman, Others Midway has released its E3 media for Mortal Kombat vs
DC Universe (PS3, X360) in the form of seven n… 107 20hrs 46mins ago

FIFA 09 will feature over 250 additions and enhancements and promises
to deliver an authentic football simulation that will enable players
to customise the game to suit their style and ability.

That means you
Sony’s looking for members of the PlayStation community who’d like to
take part in beta tests for upcoming PS3 titles. According to the
company, “you do not need to technically minded”; they’re looking for
a variety of people with differing amounts of technical expertise to
help them test the games. That..kind of sounds like you need to be
technically minded. But anyway, they do require flexibility. No,
contorting yourself into a pretzel will not help you with this, they
simply mean you’ll have to give up some evenings to help out with
certain “Test Nights” and general testing.

See, this is why PlayStation Home needs to make its way here as fast
as humanly possible.

Of course, the Sony conference can be seen via live streaming video at
a variety of websites, but Home will include a bunch more content for
those lucky Euro users. The potential is there, that’s for certain.

I had your exact thinking before I actually watched the video of it on
PSN.Download it and watch it…it will change your opinion and get you
excited for its release.
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Arnold is. I’ll be here to take care of the news updates as they come;
he’s mostly going for hands-on previews.
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