"Boogie SuperStar" - Electronic Art's latest game for the Nintendo Wii system is already announced. But instead of finding Prince Charming, the goal of the game is to beat rival players' singing and dancing skills to earn the grand title of Boogie SuperStar. Players are "discovered" and whisked away in a stretch limo to an island where they hone their skills for the competition. Electronic Arts created the game specifically for female teens.

In the United States, 38 percent of all gamers are female, according to the Entertainment Software Association.

Girls - and boys too - can choose their own character and customize its name, hairstyle and outfit for their performance. They then pick music from a playlist of Top 40 pop songs, including hits from Britney Spears, Leona Lewis and Kanye West.

Unlike other popular music games such as "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero," players of the new game dictate how their character or avatar moves on screen. The game includes a microphone that measures players' vocal fluctuations. The motion-sensing Wii controller records their dance moves.

Another upcoming girl-targeted game for the Wii, Sega's "Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek," will also be released in October 2008 with "Boogie SuperStar." Analysts and critics in the gaming industry say both "Boogie SuperStar" and "Nancy Drew" Wii games are a positive step for video game publishers and will help double their consumer base.

Reference:

http://www.ea.com/read/20080626-BoogieSuperstar.xml

New research shows that U.S. retail sales of video games, consoles and game accessories hit $1.12 billion in May, a 37 percent rise over the same month last year. These parameters reported on Thursday by Market researcher NPD Group.

Take-Two Interactive Corp's Grand Theft Auto continues to be the No. 1 selling video game, and its version IV, released in April, sold 871,300 units in May. According to the research the top-selling hardware unit is Nintendo Co.'s Wii console. 675,100 units were sold in May. Nintendo's DS handheld player took second with 452,600 units sold. Those units have captured the top two spot's for four consecutive months. Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 trailed with 208,700 and 186,600 units sold.

As to hardware sales, they rose 34 percent to $428.6 million, while software sales rose 41 percent to $536.9 million, compared to the same month last year. Sales year-to-date come to $6.6 billion and the industry is on pace to bring in revenue between $21 billion and $23 billion for 2008.

Reference:

http://www.npd.com/corpServlet?nextpage=corp_welcome.html http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2008-06-13-video-games-sales-may_N.htm?csp=34

While Grand Theft Auto IV is racking up sales records, console makers are vying for bragging rights of their own, and Microsoft seems to be the victor.

GTA IV was released April 29 and global sales totaled more than $500 million in the first week alone. The first day the latest addition to the hit Rockstar Games series hit retail store shelves, sales were $310 million. More than six million copies have been sold.

The only question is, which console is the game being played on? GTA IV was developed by Rockstar North on two platforms -- the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Both manufacturers are reporting higher console sales as a result.

According to news reports that claim to have the inside scoop on Microsoft's sales data, Redmond is the big winner. Reportedly Xbox 360 console sales jumped 54 percent. Other reports estimate more than 60 percent of GTA IV games went to Xboxers, leaving less than 40 percent for PlayStation 3 gamers.

References:

http://www.gamerankings.com/

http://www.biline.ca/xbox_list.htm#g

Gamers who play the new Grand Theft Auto IV are able to buy downloads of the music they hear through Amazon.com. It’s an interesting twist on music marketing.

When playing Grand Theft Auto IV, players can listen to over 200 songs across 16 in-game radio stations. A new GTA IV feature called ZIT lets customers 'tag' the songs they like. When a player hears a song that interests them, they can dial ZIT-555-0100 on their in-game cell phone, and a text message appears on the phone with the song title and artist. The ZIT number is recorded on the phone for easy one-key lookups of future songs.

After playing, gamers can log on to the new online Rockstar Games Social Club community site at https://socialclub.rockstargames.com/, where they can see their stats from their game play and the full list of songs they've tagged. The site will offer a link to a customized playlist of these songs on Amazon MP3, where they can preview, purchase and download the songs as 256 kbps MP3 files.

References:

http://rockstargames.com/IV/

http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/827/827005.html

The accolades lavished on criminal action video game "Grand Theft Auto 4", long expected to be the best-selling game of 2008, pushed Take-Two shares as high as $27.10, more than a dollar higher than the $25.74 per share offered for the company by rival Electronic Arts Inc. It was the highest level for the stock since February 28, when it touched $27.61 three days after Electronic Arts went public with its $2 billion hostile bid.

These ratings are quite extraordinary. It's something special and helps critics to understand why Take-Two was so confident and adamant that they wanted to wait. Many analysts have long said EA may have to raise its bid by a dollar or two per share.

Take-Two and Electronic Arts were not immediately available to comment.The Tuesday launch of "Grand Theft Auto 4" is expected to be the biggest entertainment event of the year, with first-week sales of up to $400 million.

Scores on gaming review aggregation site Metacritic.org show the game, in which players work for a crime syndicate in a fictionalized New York, is on track to be the highest-rated video game of all time.

Based on more than a dozen reviews so far, the version of GTA4 for Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 game console has scored a perfect 100 while that for Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 has achieved a score of 99.

Reference:

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/grandtheftauto4

According to data released today by the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association and compiled by Chart-Track, the UK games industry racked up a total of £418.4 million in software sales in the first quarter of 2008. It appears that Nintendo is the real winner of the increased sales, scooping up 37 percent of all unit sales thanks to the success of its Wii and DS offerings, which took the top two spots. The PC was the third most popular platform for game sales, followed by Microsoft's Xbox 360. The report also shows Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games to be the most popular game in the first quarter.

ELSPA's director general, Paul Jackson, used the release of the figures as an opportunity to petition the government for increased industry support. "The UK continues to blaze a trail in terms of creativity yet over the last few years it is becoming apparent that some talent is being lured away by more attractive prospects overseas. As it stands, the UK is already down to fourth place from third as the world's creative centre for games. It is time the Government recognised the massive financial contribution we make to the UK economy, especially when compared to the film, TV and music industries." - he said.

As previously reported on GameSpot, the UK games industry employs 25,000 people and contributes £2 billion per year to the country's economy.

References:

http://www.chart-track.co.uk/?i=543&s=1111

French telecom and media group Vivendi won permission from the European Commission on Wednesday to merge its videogame unit with Activision Inc in a $9.85 billion deal. The deal will give Vivendi a 52 percent stake in a new industry giant called Activision Blizzard with annual revenue of $3.8 billion.

The Commission said for "all categories of game software, the combined firm would continue to face several strong, effective competitors, such as Electronic Arts, and the game console manufacturers, such as Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft." Activision is riding high on the success of games such as "Guitar Hero", "Tony Hawk" and "Call of Duty" but has lacked an offering in the online role-playing area, dominated by "World of Warcraft" from Vivendi's Blizzard Entertainment.

U.S. video game sales including hardware and software jumped 34 percent in February to hit $1.33 billion, even with two top-selling consoles in short supply, according to data from market researcher NPD Group.

Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 have been in such high demand stores are having a hard time keeping them in stock. Microsoft spokesman David Dennis said the company moved up shipments during the holidays and hasn't been able to catch up since. He added: "we should be in good shape" by the time "Grand Theft Auto IV," the highly anticipated latest installment of the Rockstar Games franchise, hits store shelves April 29.

The game, which will be available on the Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, is expected to boost sales mutually of both consoles. Pre-orders have been better than expected, according to its publisher, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.

Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan, expects the game to sell about 9 million units during the company's fiscal year, which ends in October. Roughly 6 million of this, he added, will be to Xbox 360 owners.

February is normally a slow month for video game publishers coming off holiday highs, and consumers have also been cutting back spending amid economic worries.

Game hardware sales rose 19 percent during the month to $480 million, NPD said late Thursday. Of this, the portable Nintendo DS was the best-seller with 587,600 units, followed by the Wii at 432,000. The Xbox 360 sold 254,600 units even amid supply constraints.

"It appears that Wii and DS shortages abated in February, likely in anticipation of strong March software launches," - Pachter wrote in a note to investors.

Going strong since its launch in 2000, Sony's PlayStation 2 continued to outpace its successor. The PS2 sold 351,800 units compared with 280,800 for the PS3.

February's software sales grew 47 percent to hit $668.7 million, with Activision Inc.'s first-person shooter "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" at No. 1 with 296,200 units sold for the Xbox 360. Capcom USA's "Devil May Cry 4" and Nintendo's "Wii Play," which comes with a remote and includes games like pingpong and fishing, also did well.

The NPD Group was founded in 1967. Today it is the global provider of consumer and retail market research information for a wide range of industries.

Reference:

http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_080311.html

Gamers will soon be able to interact with the virtual world using their thoughts and emotions alone. A neuro-headset which interprets the interaction of neurons in the brain will go on sale later this year.

"It picks up electrical activity from the brain and sends wireless signals to a computer. It allows the user to manipulate a game or virtual environment naturally and intuitively“ - said Tan Le, president of US/Australian firm Emotiv.

The brain is made up of about 100 billion nerve cells, or neurons, which emit an electrical impulse when interacting. The headset implements a technology known as non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) to read the neural activity.

Ms Le said: "Emotiv is a neuro-engineering company and we've created a brain computer interface that reads electrical impulses in the brain and translates them into commands that a video game can accept and control the game dynamically."

Headsets which read neural activity are not new, but Ms Le said the Epoc was the first consumer device that can be used for gaming. "This is the first headset that doesn't require a large net of electrodes, or a technician to calibrate or operate it and does require gel on the scalp. It also doesn't cost tens of thousands of dollars. " - she said.

The use of Electroencephalography in medical practice dates back almost 100 years but it is only since the 1970s that the procedure has been used to explore brain computer interfaces.

The Epoc technology can be used to give authentic facial expressions to avatars of gamers in virtual worlds. For example, if the player smiles, winks, grimaces the headset can detect the expression and translate it to the avatar in game. It can also read emotions of players and translate those to the virtual world. "The headset could be used to improve the realism of emotional responses of AI characters in games," - said Ms Le.

"If you laughed or felt happy after killing a character in a game then your virtual buddy could admonish you for being callous," - she explained.

The $299 headset has a gyroscope to detect movement and has wireless capabilities to communicate with a USB dongle plugged into a computer. The Emotiv said the headset could detect more than 30 different expressions, emotions and actions.

They include excitement, meditation, tension and frustration; facial expressions such as smile, laugh, wink, shock (eyebrows raised), anger (eyebrows furrowed); and cognitive actions such as push, pull, lift, drop and rotate (on six different axis).

Gamers are able to move objects in the world just by thinking of the action. Emotiv is working with IBM to develop the technology for uses in "strategic enterprise business markets and virtual worlds"

Paul Ledak, vice president, IBM Digital Convergence said brain computer interfaces, like the Epoc headset were an important component of the future 3D Internet and the future of virtual communication.

• Sensors respond to the electrical impulses behind different thoughts; enabling a user's brain to influence gameplay directly;
  

• Conscious thoughts, facial expressions, and non-conscious emotions can all be detected;
  

• Gyroscope enables a cursor or camera to be controlled by head movements;
  

• The headset uses wi-fi to connect to a computer.

BackgammonMasters.com that is the World Backgammon Network having a revolutionary approach to online backgammon, that is always offering superior service providing maximum support to the users, that is committed to protecting user privacy, utilize data-encrypted security systems, ensuring data integrity and security, presents a revolutionized online game experience with a newly launched Game Lobby that features a sleek look and enhanced navigation platform, as it is admitted in BackgammonMasters.com. It will consist of over 200 popular online casino game variations such as Video Poker, Roulette, Slots, 21 BlackJack and more.

Electronic Arts is to release a free online version of the popular Battlefield game to be supported by adverts and micro payments. The PC game, Battlefield Heroes, will be available only online later this year, and will not be sold in shops.

The move marks EA's first major attempt to tap into new sources of ad-driven revenue in Western markets. The firm has a free version of its Fifa game in South Korea, earning more than $1m a month through in-game sales. "Online gaming has a massive audience," - said EA's Gerhard Florin, in a statement.

"People want to play games in new ways, with easier access that is quick to the fun. With Battlefield Heroes, EA brings its first major franchise to North America and Europe with a new distribution model and pricing structure adapted to the evolving way that people play."

The video games industry is taking its first steps away from a retail-focused sales environment and towards digital distribution. EA hopes the model of a free game as download that is supported by adverts and micro-payments could be applied to other franchises it owns.

The new version of Battlefield is designed to have more mass market appeal than current titles in the series, which have sold about 10 million copies worldwide.

The games has a "cartoon-feel" and has been made simpler to play, with more emphasis on participation and fun than skill and strategy. Ben Cousins, senior producer at Dice says that no adverts would be appear in the game itself: "They wouldn't work inside the fictional world. Instead, adverts will appear on the website and the 'front-end' of the game." Gamers will be able to buy items which customize their appearance in the world, but will not be able to seek an advantage through buying weapons.

Mr. Cousins said Battlefield Heroes was about exploring new revenue models as well as making a game more accessible: "I've always felt there was some really good fun core gameplay which was locked away by several barriers to entry: the game is complex, it is full of skilled people, you need quite a high-end PC on which to play and you need to go to store to purchase a copy. We're removing all barriers to entry and we hope there is broader audience for the title. You will be able to play this game on grandma's laptop."

Mr. Cousins said EA expected 95% of people who played the game never to spend any money.

"If you look at Korea and Asia this is a model that works. Given the enormous explosion in web-based gaming products, this is going to be a real source of growth in the industry and Battlefield Heroes is the first step towards doing that in West."

The consumer electronics industry has for many years now tried to shoe-horn a game (some would say game-like) experience on the mobile phone device, but this year, Sony swims upstream in the same waters. It has taken the PSP handheld game platform and turned it into a mobile phone -- albeit with limitations. But the value proposition for consumers is win-win.

Sony has partnered with eBay's Skype division and developed a portable version on the VoIP service for the PSP, effectively turning the gaming handheld into a Skype phone -- with the same functionality, as well its limitations.

Here's what we know:

In about 1-2 months, owners of the newer PSP model (the P-2000) will be able to download a firmware update and secure a free application that will allow users to make free PSP-to-PSP and PSP-to-PC calls so long as both parties are in a WiFi hotspot. PSP owners with the Skype firmware update can also make calls to conventional land lines (or cell phones) off the Skype network; however, a per-call charge will be assessed.

Another option, for an additional fee still yet to be determined, PSP owners can also secure a phone number that Skype users on either PCs or portable Skype phone owners can use to call in with. We were told the phone plan would be sold on an annual basis, but again, many of the PSP-Skype details, including pricing of additional services, had not been determined.

Exactly as the Skype service operates in its native PC environment, PSP users are free to call others regardless of location. All that's needed in addition to the firmware update is a PSP-compliant microphone and ear buds. The demo station product specialists on the show floor had rigged a solution using remote control cable -- plugged into the video out jack on the PSP -- and itself connected to the PSP mic for a solution that completes the PSP Skype equation.

Unlike Skype users who tap the service from their PCs, it's not possible to instant message when using the PSP. But other than that shortfall, most of what PC Skype have at their disposal, such as a contacts list and call history line-up are all available via the interface (with options appearing in the Network XME).

Sony says interest in the service is running very high, though it's not clear exactly who Sony is hoping to get on board - teens, who could be persuaded to adopt the PSP as a phone replacement, or older consumers looking to shave pennies and bucks from their phone bills.

As far as how the partnership could impact the traditional carrier networks, analysts GameTap spoke with praised the Skype option, with one, Yankee Research analyst Michael Goodman calling it potentially "disruptive" to carriers.

The immediate upside for Sony is a bit murky, given the service is a value-add and offers no revenue stream for Sony, but one this is certain -- the PSP-Skype configuration drew some of the Sony booth's biggest crowds.

Social Media that comprises in itself social advertising, blogs, video sharing, virtual reality social networking, social shopping game sharing livecasting, and not only, is the democratization of information. Social Media users are also called “wisdom of crowd” and serve to connect information in a collaborative manner.

During the last year the rise in social media was vivid. And the new year also promises changes and these changes definitely effect the increased utilization of social media that will have its impact on business.

Strategy Director across the beyond analysis group and responsibile for developing key client and data propositions Beyond Analysis, Will Beresford identifies 10 trends in social media and business for 2008. These are:

1. Traditional models for consumers to research a product or service will begin to be fundamentally changed by Social Media

2. The growth in data and content created by the social media will also bring change to the traditional search models

3. Likewise traditional models for businesses to research their consumers will fundamentally change

4. Customer feedback and the social network will overtake price, and in some cases brand as a major factor in online purchase decisions

5. The data generated from Web 2.0 will be increasingly important to all organisations, not just to web based businesses

6. The interest in large social networking sites as the next best thing in advertising will fall away as quickly as it has arrived

7. Many agent-based, or middle- man, businesses will find it increasingly hard to justify their existence

8. Official news will be increasingly contextualised by consumer opinion and it will become harder to discern the difference between real news and opinion

9. Further lapses in data security within the public service will see to it that the ID Card scheme will die a death this year

10. At least one major multinational will suffer a hugely damaging exposure for lapses in customer data and personal security.

According to the social media it is expected that all the various social media sites will have more than 230 million members for the next year. That number is predicted to grow until 2009, with a leveling off on the number of new members expected by 2012. The combined revenue from these sites, which in 2007 reached almost $970 million, is estimated to balloon to a whopping $2.4 billion by 2012.

WolfKing, a world leader in the innovation and creation of gaming input devices, announced a new product - WARRIOR XXTREME, the world’s first hybrid 2-in-1 PC gamepad and keyboard. The XXTREME incorporates all the features that made the original WARRIOR a must-have device for laptop gamers and LAN center patrons, while adding a second keypad for commands in massively multiplayer games or chatting with clan mates. This, coupled with the stone-cold fact that caps-lock is cruise control to cool, makes you wonder just how hardcore this keypad really is.

The XXTREME combines the original circular 54-key disc of the WARRIOR with 40 additional keys in a modified “QWERTY” arrangement on a second attached disc. This creates an easily portable mini-keyboard, eliminating the keys unneeded for gaming. A new “Blue Moon” backlight has been added to the keys – perfect for playing in low-light conditions. Two USB 2.0 ports are incorporated into the XXTREME, allowing gamers to hook up other devices such as gaming mice and headphones.

“The WARRIOR XXTREME is the next generation of PC gamepads,” said Bob Costlow, director of sales, WOLFKING. “It combines everything that made the original WARRIOR an award-winning gaming accessory, and adds a new level of functionality that will give gamers the edge they need to frag the competition.”

Like the original WARRIOR, the WARRIOR XXTREME uses standard USB keyboard drivers and requires no additional software for either Mac or Windows OS. Other features retained from the original WARRIOR include built-in volume controls and the 3-layer silicon membrane for extremely quiet use with a lifespan of over 10 million keystrokes.

At the price point Wolfking is providing ($80), it's perplexing why consumers would purchase this keypad over other cheaper and infinitely more useful products. The Warrior XXTREME is available immediately at www.dell.com/gaming

WOLFKING is a gaming enthusiast focused technology company positioned at the leading edge of gaming interfaces and accessories. Featuring broad-based PC & Mac hardware/software compatibility and a diverse selection of options in color/shape customization, WOLFKING products utilize advanced engineering and unique ergonomic designs that deliver the ultimate gameplay experience.

The issue of computer games is very actual today. Different researches show different results, different scientists have different ideas about advantages and disadvantages of games and their influence on children.

Recently the study on this problem was conducted at the St Columba's Primary in Dundee. A group of Primary 5 and 6 pupils were under observation. They played for 20 minutes on Nintendo's handheld DS console at the start of each day. According to the result it is seen that the performance of the pupils increased in studying process.

Ten weeks later the pupils were given tests, the percentage of the results increased up to 10%. The level of behavior and concentration increased at the same time. This success is resulted by the game 'More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima.' The main challenges of the game are: reading tests, problem-solving exercises and memory puzzles.

One more advantage of the computer games is that it gives a pupil opportunity do exercises faster, the average time for completion of the test dropped from 17 minutes, 1 second to 13 minutes, 19 seconds.

But we should take into consideration that not only positive results are expected from games but negative ones from violent games. The study of violent games is another topic that was already covered on BLOGVASION.

The TPLD, one of the global leaders in the emerging Serous Games Market, that is focused on developing GLB-Games Based Learning, together with the partners, works on this issue intensively.

Global Warming is the most dangerous problems in the world. One of the web sites: http://www.climatehotmap.org/ “identifies Direct manifestations of a widespread and long-term trend toward warmer global temperatures:

Heat waves and periods of unusually warm weather
Ocean warming, sea-level rise and coastal flooding
Glaciers melting
Arctic and Antarctic warming

Events that foreshadow the types of impacts likely to become more frequent and widespread with continued warming.

Spreading disease
Earlier spring arrival
Plant and animal range shifts and population changes
Coral reef bleaching
Downpours, heavy snowfalls, and flooding
Droughts and fires.“

The majority of society will agree with these listed aspects that influence the earth and consequently people living on it. There is no way out except informing them about this issue. Each field should try to put deal in problem resolution. Different spheres do it differently. According to the TechNewsWorld, EA and BP are initiating to develop games that will present the realities of global warming virtually.

This mission is embodied by “SimCity” that becomes more realistic and informative from the view point of Global Warming.

Steve Seabolt, vice president of global brand development for the Sims label at EA says: "With 'SimCity Societies,' we have the opportunity not only to demonstrate some of the causes and effects of global warming, but also to educate players how seemingly small choices can have a big global impact.”

Partnership between Electronic Arts (EA) and energy giant BP aims to help educate people on this social issue.

The players will not be forced to adopt one type of power or another. The choice is free. The game also presents pros and cons of each choice done by the player. Each incorrect step increases the threats of global warming, places the player in front of the alternative choice. Game provides not virtual and in corresponding data about the carbon dioxide gas emissions but it is based on real facts otherwise the game can not have informative and educative purposes. During the game each step is determined by the player, the choice falls on taking greener approach or “Blacker.”

Cai adds: "This is a wider implementation of this whole phenomenon. It's also a lot more fun than reading text or looking at presentations." This is a very good investigation of providing information in interesting, and attracting way. Especially for younger generation. It is the guarantee of increased percentage of saving the earth.

As George Douglas, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory says: "the more people know about energy -- how it's made, how it's used and the impacts of those possibilities -- the better off we all will be.”

Originally posted on Video Games Blog

The UK government has launched a new review to find out the influence of violent computer games on children. The research will take place in a school in east London, under the supervision of Dr Byron, the Schools Secretary Ed Balls and Culture Secretary James Purnell.

The review will be assisted by the games industry’s association Elspa, however it expressed the irritation about constant blames on its address of the negative impact on society. According to the representative of Elspa, they feel very optimistic about the research, as finally it will enable the parents to control what their offspring is busy about while submerging into the web space for hours.

However many accuse the association of using violent titles for the games to attract the attention of children and teenagers.

While the results of the research are still to be delivered, we can give solid forecasts about what the results will be. According to the recent research, most preferred games were either the fantasy violence games (32%) or the sports games with the elements of violence (29%). The most popular game category was the martial arts. The research concluded that: The violence in these video games can desensitize children to violence and alter their perception of reality. It can give them the idea that violence is an acceptable way to deal with problems and conflict.

Those who are concerned with the problem of the aggressive computer games, also drive out attention to the television violence. According to one of the researchs of the American Psychological Association, aggressive behavior of a person rises from 3% to 15% after watching a violent movie. And even more in the young children.

Meanwhile, the concerned parents are still waiting Dr Byron’s review in December which will enable them to guide their children through the internet space as safely, as they are doing in the real world. The review will take into account the views of parents, children and the wider industry about the use of internet and video games and the regulations that exist to protect children.

Sources
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2621650.ece
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~tonya/VideoGames/3.html

Originally posted on Video Games Blog

Sony has recently released a revised version of its popular PlayStation Portable (PSP) gaming system. The portable gaming console is 33 percent lighter and 19 percent slimmer. However, the 4.3-inch LCD screen has retained its size. Well, the screen on PSP is something that determines why PSP is such a cool device and I'm confident Sony would never dare to make the screen size smaller even if they wanted to do so. The UMD drive has been upgraded as well. The driver is faster, which allows faster load times. As an additional improvement, it eats up less battery and thus you have more battery time for playing.

However, the most interesting feature of the new PSP is the TV output function. Overall, the TV output works normally, however there is a room for improvement.

While an upper bound of the gadget's target audience is 25, it is still one of my favorite gadgets in my 28th year. Since I got PSP I have almost never played on my computer. Most of the time when I'm playing computer games, I'm playing on PSP.

From games that I have tried are Dead to Rights: Reckoning, Formula One 2006, Ridge Racer 2, Need For Speed: Carbon, Medal of Honor: Heroes and Prince of Persia: Revelations. Currently I'm playing Killzone: Liberation, which is a really fantastic game.

Finally, an official tool for creating custom PlayStation Portable (PSP) themes has been released.

This means that soon it should be possible to get all kinds of themes for your gaming device. And of course you should be able to create your themes as well. The tool is easy to use and you can create your themes even if you are quite far from being a PhotoShop guru.

The tool is in English and is available for an immediate download via the SCE Japan's website.

Thank you Sony. This has been a nice surprise for all PSP owners and fans.

Microsoft Corp’s Video Game -“Halo 3”outdid all the video games, and movies and set an opening-day U.S sales record of $170 million. “Halo 3” overcame even movies such as Spider-Man 3 -$59 million, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows', and ”Halo 2” too-$125 million, Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst, Michael Pachter estimates that 2.5 million copies were sold starting with midnight store promotions coast to coast, meaning one-fifth of all Xbox 360 owners bought a copy in the first 24 hours. "I would guess that the number is 1 million higher in a week, and double by year end."





GameStop's Bob McKenzie calls Halo 3 the biggest title in the history of the 4,400-store chain. And Best Buy's Brian Lucas says: "It's safe to say Halo 3 is on track to be probably the biggest gaming title that we have ever seen. It's definitely a phenomenon."

"Halo 3" is targeted firmly at the Xbox's core male audience, for whom realistic combat games are a staple.

Halo 3 is launched in 37 countries and is available in 17 languages. It retails for around $60.

In the last 20 hours over 1,7 million copies were pre-ordered in the US.