Hitachi-Maxell To Ship Holographic Storage This Year.

According to reports, Maxell along with InPhase Technologies will be bringing holographic storage technology to the market at the end of this year. Maxell's director of technical marketing Rich D'Ambrise said that 300GB holographic discs will be available in November or December of this year. Maxell also indicated that sometime in 2008, the company will be introducing second generation disc that store up to 800GB of data. By 2010, Maxell is hoping to introduce 1.6TB holographic discs.

In a report, D'Ambrise said "We're happy so far that we haven't hit any obstacles with the drive or the media, and that we're on schedule to deliver to the market". Maxell said that while the technology is currently limited to enterprise customers, producing mass market holographic media and drives shouldn't take long. The company is currently working on producing media in several sizes, including stamps, credit card and regular CD size cartridges. Consumer media will range from 75GB to 100GB in the first generation said D'Ambrise. The new 300GB discs will transfer data at roughly 20MB per second, but Maxell indicated that we should see faster rates as the technology progresses.

According to InPhase:

High-definition video. Data archiving. Medical imaging. Massive databases. These are just some of the applications driving the need for faster, higher capacity storage. Regulatory compliance requirements have also pushed this need into the forefront for many IT departments. InPhase’s holographic storage solutions meet the rapidly growing storage demands of business, government, medical, and educational institutions.

According to Maxell and InPhase, two companies have picked up the technology: Pappas Broadcasting and Turner Broadcasting. InPhase sampled out its technology earlier this year around CES time. Many industry experts expect holographic technology to take off in a big way after 2008. Because data is stored volumetrically throughout the depths of the disc, the technology is able to achieve capacities beyond conventional surface recording techniques used in technologies such as Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Earlier this year, InPhase told the press that holographic storage will be available commercially this year,and the company has stayed true to its claim. As of now, the new holographic drives will cost roughly $15,000 to enterprises and media will cost roughly anywhere from $120 to $180 per disc. The media is currently a write-once only media, with a lifetime of roughly 50 years. Maxell hopes to improve these figures by the time 2008 comes around.

SCEE Announce SingStar: Legends.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has today announced a new addition to the ever-expanding SingStar franchise. SingStar: Legends, which will be released in November 2006, looks set to bring a wealth of legendary talent and songs to gamers .

So far, the preliminary line-up looks like this:

• Elton John - Rocket Man
• The Beach Boys - Surfin' USA
• The Police - Roxanne
• Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire
• The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
• Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It?
• John Lennon - Imagine
• Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
• Ben E King - Stand By Me
• David Bowie - Life on Mars?
• The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody

We'll have more news shortly...

SOE Acquires Worlds Apart Assets.

Sony Online Entertainment has acquired key assets of indie developer Worlds Apart Productions to form SOE-Denver.

Worlds Apart is a developer of online trading card games based in Denver, Colorado. Core members of the studio, which is responsible for the game Star Chamber, will form the new SOE-Denver. SOE president John Smedley said that the acquisition will help broaden his company's gameplay offerings.

"This is a way to expand SOE's business into a very attractive market that is consistently growing at a fast rate," he said. "With this acquisition, we've expanded the range of online games that SOE can offer, as well as offering entirely new play mechanics and activities that could be built into both current and future titles".

Worlds Apart's Collect! Trade! Play! platform also has the ability to integrate board or card games into existing SOE games. SOE could choose to publish standalone online board or card games from SOE-Denver as well.

Fatal Inertia Weapons Profile.

The PlayStation 3's release date may be only a few months away, but information continues to trickle out at a slower pace than we'd like on the upcoming megasystem's launch software. Dynasty Warriors maker Koei will provide its own addition to the PS3's initial lineup with Fatal Inertia--a futuristic hover racer in production at the company's new Toronto development studio--and the company was kind enough to give us an illustrated rundown of the arsenal you can expect to see when the game ships along with the PlayStation 3 in November. The Unreal Engine 3-powered game promises a set of weapons that uses physics in some creative ways to provide a more unique combat experience than you might be used to seeing in games of this type.

The Weapons of Fatal Inertia.
There are eight different weapons that can be picked up during a race in Fatal Inertia, and these weapons concentrate on affecting the physical performance of other vehicles in the race, rather than relying on standard conventions such as simple explosions. The player will use the weaponry at hand to either hinder the movement of enemy vehicles or to provide themselves with the edge that can take them to the head of the pack.

As in many racing games, you'll pick up weapons by flying over any of the weapon pads that are scattered throughout the course. One of the eight weapons described below will be randomly assigned to you each time you hit one of these pads.

Magnets.

Magnets are the archetypal weapon of the Fatal Inertia racing circuit. Shoot them toward your rivals, and watch as the magnetic properties of the other ships are attracted toward your target like a homing beacon. These magnets are oversized and add weight that adversely affects factors such as speed, handling, balance, and drag, making it that much harder for rival pilots to steer their ships. Stick a magnet on the right wing of a vehicle, and watch it veer off to the right; stick one on its tail, and watch the extra rear-end weight force the ship's nose upward. Based on real-life physical properties, the magnets will affect the performance of vehicles in exactly the way you would expect.

Most weapons, including the magnets, can either be shot forward at an enemy or dropped to affect enemies trailing close behind. Dropping a weapon at the right time can effectively throw a pursuer off your tail and can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Cluster Bombs.

A cluster bomb is equipped with proximity sensors that detonate when any metal object (including weapons and vehicles) is detected close by. Each cluster bomb consists of 10 magnets that fly out toward enemies upon detonation. This storm of magnets, if used properly, can be a devastatingly effective force against other vehicles. As the cluster itself does not have any magnetic properties (they fly in a straight line), the player will have to aim with precision to get the bomb close enough to the enemy.

The cluster bomb can be dropped on the ground, as well, where it will remain as an obstacle until detonated. Any ship getting too close will trigger the proximity sensor and be hit with a barrage of magnets.

Rockets.

Rockets are essentially magnets with rocket boosters strapped to them. When attached to an enemy vehicle, the booster ignites, exerting a huge force at the point where it's attached. The impacted player must try to compensate to avoid careening into canyon walls or spiraling off a cliff. The ship shown here has been hit by a rocket and is spinning out of control.

A twist on the standard weapon drop will let players "drop" rockets onto their own tail, providing a sudden and massive burst of speed.

Force Shield.

The force shield temporarily protects your ship from all enemy attacks, but it also deactivates your other weapons. It lessens the effects of bumping into objects or walls, as well.

All damage suffered by your vehicle during a race will be accurately reflected both visually and in performance, with the ship-control dynamics constantly changing depending on the condition of your ship. For example, clipping a wall too hard (such as when traveling at top speed) may cause a wing to break off outright, forcing you to fly with a reduced horizontal balance for the remainder of the race. Accumulating too much damage will cause the ship to explode, eliminating you from the race. However, damaged ships can be repaired by visiting the pit stop, located near the starting gates.

Smoke Screen.

The smoke screen releases a dense cloud of smoke from your tail, obscuring the vision of those immediately behind you. If you time it right, such as just before a sharp turn, you can send your rivals crashing blindly into a wall.

EMP.

The EMP sends out a pulse that temporarily incapacitates all other electronic devices within its immediate vicinity. Primarily, this will incapacitate the hovering capabilities of other ships. No longer able to hover, the ships will drop to the earth until their systems come back online. The EMP also disengages all weapons (such as magnets) in the vicinity.

Force Blast.

The force blast creates a powerful wave of energy immediately behind you, which will knock away rivals that are on your tail, provide a momentary burst of speed to your ship, alter the course of any weapons flying toward you, and knock off any weapons attached to your ship.

Time Dilator.

The time dilator slows the speed of time down to a crawl...for everyone except you. Take advantage of the momentary shift of time to blow past other vehicles in front of you. An extremely rare weapon, the time dilator can change the entire flow of a race in one shot, allowing a vehicle trailing far behind to suddenly leap to the front of the pack. Good players will be able to use the time director to evade enemy fire in midair or to make a slick avoidance maneuver as columns of rock are about to rain down from above.

Red Tribe Developing For PS3,Wii And Xbox360.

A new platformer has just been listed under development for the PS2,Xbox360, and Wii consoles by Red Tribe, an Australian video game development studio.

Interesting fact: the games company is listing the title as an "innovative fast-past action platform game," but other than that, info on the upcoming game has been scarce.

Red Tribe also has two more upcoming titles in the works: a sci-fi horror FPS for the Xbox360 & PC platforms and a 3rd person action game for the PS3 & Xbox 360. The latter game is set in a post-apocalyptic world, so we're guessing that there's a bit of a sci-fi undertone there, making both releases have a sci-fi vibe to 'em. If that's the case, maybe the platformer would be sci-fi too? Possible.

Red Tribe has earlier confirmed that they are collaborating with Warner Brothers on an upcoming Wii title. Hmmm. Warner Bros? Will it be a licensed game? No idea.

There's always the possibility that it would turn out to be a bad Looney Tunes/Jurassic Park crossover. Marvin the Martian would probably not be enough to add sci-fi cred to a game all by himself.

Anyway, enough with the daydreaming. Now, having three upcoming releases can be quite problematic if you've only got a few people working for you, so Red Tribe has been advertising for new employees on their website for quite a while now.

Wii Just Edges The PS3 In Jap Poll.

If totally unsubstantiated Japanese internet polls are anything to go by, the Nintendo Wii is now edging out the PlayStation 3 in the next-gen popularity contest.

Last time we checked in at both Amazon Japan and retailer Tsutaya, the PlayStation 3 looked like it was going to come out on top. Again.

The tables have turned, and the Wii is a few points more desirable than the PS3. It will probably go back and forth like this right up until the consoles drop this fall.

While post E3 Famitsu polls showed a leery Japanese buying public, it seems clear that Sony's new console will be flying off shelves just like the PSP did at launch. Fingers crossed the PS3 works out better.

Gundam To Storm PS3 This Year.

It turns out that Mobile Ops: The One Year War on the Xbox 360 won't be the only Gundam game hitting stores this holiday season. Namco Bandai has confirmed a 2006 release for Mobile Suit Gundam:Target In Sight for the PlayStation 3, which is also set around the series' One Year War.

However, while the Xbox 360 game lets players hit the battlefield in control of a single soldier on the battlefield as well as engage in Mobile Suit mayhem, the PS3 game appears to be larger scale. Beyond the requisite super-heavyweight rock-'em, sock-'em rumbles, the PS3 Mobile Suit game will put players in command of an entire battalion of the titular mechs. On a more intimate level, players can target various parts on specific enemy Mobile Suits, an ability that will play into the tactical aspects of the game.

RUMOR: Biohazard 5 Only For PS3 In Japan?.

Biohazard 5, also known as Resident Evil 5 has been real hot nowadays. After being named as one of the most wanted games in Japan by Famitsu, it has been busy with its rumor mills route lately. According to various backfence talks, the much awaited Capcom game would only be available for the PS3 in Japan.

This gossip was fuelled by the fact that the game was only listed for the PS3 in the Japanese ECGeo.com website, which offers up-to-date information via email about upcoming games. Although it is entirely possible that only a PS3 version is coming out in Japan, given the fact that the Xbox 360 isn't really selling like sushi in the Land of the Rising Sun. So far, there isn't any rumor like this about the games' US release. Well, only time could tell what's really up.

So what's your take in all this? Do you think that this has a tinge of truth or do you think this is just baloney? Whatever your reactions may be, share it to us through your comments.

'Mobile Suit Gundam' For PS3.

Namco Bandai Games announced today Mobile Suit Gundam, a sci-fi action game with stunning high-definition graphics, promising gorgeous Mobile Suit battles and the opportunity to participate in thrilling epic battles taking place on the futuristic Earth.

Click on images to enlarge.

“Made possible by the immense power of the PlayStation 3 system, 'Mobile Suit Gundam' will take gamers right into the futuristic war zones, brought to life by both CG quality high-definition graphics and ultra realistic destruction physics,” said Naruo Uchida, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.’s Vice President. “Along with stylized gameplay and stunning graphics, the opportunity to experience firsthand the epic mobile suit warfare will surely excite any sci-fi fan".

Featuring a variety of Mobile Suits from the Gundam franchise, "Mobile Suit Gundam" sets players in the latter stages of The One Year War. Players will have the opportunity to be a commander of their own Mobile Suit battalion for either the Federation or Zeon Mobile Suit Assault Force. As players move through the ranks, they will be able to gain access to new Mobile Suits and engage in battles with more capable pilots at their command.

With a battalion at their disposal, players face a number of strategic options to choose from. In order to succeed, it will be vital for players to know about specific destructible parts on Mobile Suits, vulnerable enemy facilities and whether or not to engage enemies with either short or long range combat. Teamwork will also be a key component to the survival of every mission. If players are successful, their chosen allegiance could be the turning point for the war in "Mobile Suit Gundam".

Xbox360 Has 1% Of The Market In Japan.

During July 2006, the Xbox 360 represented 1% of the total console sales in Japan. On the software side, there were no Xbox360 titles among the top 50 best selling games. The image below says it all. The clerk doesn’t look happy either.


Japanese X360 sales have been catastrophic the past 6 months. During the first two months it was outsold by the GameCube, even the GameBoy Advance. The recent few months have been dominated by the Nintendo DS, selling more than all other consoles combined for the last week of July. Six of the top ten best selling games were for the DS platform.

Sony's Mylo, New Cool Gadget.

UK To Get First PS3 Magazine In August.

The company behind Play magazine in the UK, Imagine Publishing, has announced the first and currently only dedicated PlayStation 3 magazine in the UK. Titled Next3, the magazine will hit stands this August 10th at £4.

“The same makers of the PlayStation-dedicated UK magazine Play now presents you with a magazine that covers anything and everything about Sony's next-generation console. Next3, UK's first and only PS3-only mag, will offer in-depth news, previews and reviews of upcoming games plus a section that will highlight PS3’s multimedia and networking capabilities (i.e., Blu-ray movie reviews, online gaming and cutting edge technology)”, the announcement read.

There will be 13 issues of Next3 per year and the cover for the maiden issue has already been released- the issue will contain a 24-page feature titled “The future has arrived”. A September issue with a bonus DVD is already planned.

Competitors of Next3 will include the recently renamed PSM3 magazine which will feature the PlayStation brand and focus predominantly on the PlayStation 3.

Stranglehold Pushed Back To 2007.

Last month, the Retail Radar covered a possible delay in Midway's premiere next-gen title for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, Stranglehold. Online retailer GameStop suggested that the game sequel to John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat's classic action flick Hard-Boiled wouldn't be arriving until February 15, 2007. At the time, a Midway rep told GameSpot that the company was still aiming for "a fall or holiday 2006" release for Stranglehold on all three platforms.

It turns out Midway's aim was off the mark. The company has confirmed that Stranglehold has indeed been delayed. However, the mid-February date GameStop posited was a little too specific, as Midway is only saying that it will be out in the first quarter of 2007.

Sony Confirms PS3 Can Use Old Game Saves.

Microsoft has run into a pair of notable complaints with its Xbox 360 backward compatibility. First off, not all original Xbox games work on the next-gen system. And the ones that do typically need to be replayed from the beginning by the gamer, as there's no port on the 360 for the old system's memory cards.

With its upcoming PlayStation 3, Sony is promising to address those problems. It is aiming at making virtually every original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 game backward compatible on the PS3 from the get-go, and according to a FAQ on the official PS3 Web Site, it has the memory card issue hammered out as well.

"To use saved data on a PlayStation 2 memory card, you must copy the data onto a virtual memory card within the hard disk," the site reads. "This requires a PS2/PSone memory card adaptor to copy the data to your PlayStation 3. A memory card adaptor is designed to edit, up/download game saves to and from EMS flash card or smart media card".

However, the FAQ doesn't mention if Sony will be releasing such an adapter itself. Currently it's possible to move original Xbox game saves to an Xbox 360 with the aid of third-party peripherals.

Full Auto 2: Battlelines(PS3) Interview.

Last February, developer Pseudo Interactive and publisher Sega released Full Auto for the X360, a car combat title that got some mixed reviews. In a bit of a surprising movie, Pseudo and Sega decided to charge ahead with a full fledged sequel, Full Auto 2: Battlelines, that will be an exclusive launch title for Sony's PS3 console this fall. FiringSquad got more details on Full Auto 2 from Sega producer Mike Gallo:

FiringSquad: First, was Pseudo and Sega pleased with how the original Full Auto for the X360 turned out and how it was received from gamers and critics?

Mike Gallo: We’ve received a lot of great feedback on game, but like any game there are always things that you wanted to get in that didn’t make it. We felt like it was a great first step in establishing a franchise, and we’re confident that fans will be happy with what we’re doing with Full Auto 2: Battlelines.

FiringSquad: When the time game to make the sequel, what were the development team's main goals?

Mike Gallo: Maintaining and adding on to that core element of fun gameplay was the main goal. One of our biggest pushes is to make the destruction in the game matter to the players. It looks really cool, but what if it looks cool and it has a spectacular gameplay payoff?

Being able to ram into or shoot out support pillars and collapse a train station is good fun, but it’s even more fun when you can collapse it and squash the car behind you that was just about to shoot a missile up your tailpipe. Getting kills is just one of the things that the player can do – collapsing a structure might also reveal a new section of the track / arena that you can explore, or it could give you access to a powerup.

FiringSquad: Why was the decision made to make Full Auto 2 a PS3 exclusive title?

Mike Gallo: We’ve always wanted the Full Auto franchise to live on every possible platform. It’s a great opportunity for us to make it a launch title on the PS3, so that’s what really drove the decision.

FiringSquad: Some of the comments for the first Full Auto game were that the vehicles felt "floaty" in their driving physics. Is this issue being addressed in Full Auto 2?

Mike Gallo: In short – absolutely. We’ve spent a lot of time working on the car driving models for Full Auto 2, and we think that everyone will be pleased with the results. We had two goals – make the cars more fun to drive, and make the cars feel unique. These were especially important given the addition of the new race modes and in particular the arena combat modes.

FiringSquad: What new tracks and environments will be seen in the sequel?

Mike Gallo: We have 13 new race / combat areas for the game (7 tracks, 6 arenas), as well as a new visual style for each of the environments. Since we’re within a city, we refer to them as districts, and each one of them looks unique, and has their own attributes and dangers. For example, in the new Financial district, there are huge high rise buildings, and tons of glass and steel that can be destroyed. The shipping / industrial areas are far grittier, and will have shipping containers, giant pipes, and even a ship that can be used as a weapon.

FiringSquad: What new vehicles and weapons will be used in the game?

Mike Gallo: There are 6 new vehicles in the game and we have over 20 weapons that the player can choose from. The biggest difference in the weapons is the ability for the player to be able to equip the car as they’d like – there are no set weapon load outs. There are still some restrictions of course depending on the car class, and the size of the weapons – but those all add to the different strategies that players can use in races or arenas. Do you want a fast car with long ranged weapons like the titan missile or do you want something a little more personal like a shotgun and a big ol’ truck? We’ve also added the concept of powerups to the arenas. These are items like unlimited boost, unlimited ammo, as well as the new super weapon mortar power ups. We’ll talk about those super weapons more later, but they pack a huge punch, and they are extremely limited in ammo.

FiringSquad: What racing modes will be used in Full Auto 2?

Mike Gallo: There are a few modes that we won’t be talking about until closer to launch, but we will have circuit races, point to point races, as well as team races. In addition, the new Cat & Mouse mode pits you in a team race where certain cars on each team have specific objectives for the race – and you’re trying to prevent the other team from reaching those objectives before you do.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about plans for online multiplayer in the game?

Mike Gallo: The addition of arenas really expands the multiplayer experience. There are still all of the race modes mentioned above, but in addition there is a deathmatch style mode, as well as team deathmatch. Finally, one of the new modes that we’re excited about is currently called Base Assault, and requires the teams to not only take out enemy cars, but you’re ultimately trying to destroy the other teams’ home base.

FiringSquad: How will the original's destructible environments and vehicles be improved upon for Full Auto 2?

Mike Gallo: As mentioned above, we really grabbed on to the concept of destruction matters. The environments were cool, and seeing them blow up was great fun. The next step for that interaction is to make it have an effect on the race. Blocking paths, causing kills, revealing short cuts and powerups. All of those elements are included as part of destruction matters, and they will be prominent in both the single player game as well as multiplayer. ]

FiringSquad: What other gameplay features will the sequel have that you consider to be important?

Mike Gallo: We’ve covered most of it in the previous questions – the new game modes, new vehicles, new weapons, the addition of arenas – those are all big additions to the franchise. The power ups are another new feature that really make the arenas stand out from the circuit races and other modes.

FiringSquad: How will the sequel improve upon the original's already impressive graphical features?

Mike Gallo: The visual effects in the game have been pumped up in every way – better smoke and fire, more detail when you crash into things (glass, wood, etc), and the biggest thing is increasing the amount and types of damage that the cars can take. We wanted players to really be able to feel the collisions, especially with other vehicles. The cars can really be deformed – we’ve crushed cars like an accordion! It’s a great feeling to literally run over a smaller car when you’re driving something heavier and they don’t see you coming. The cars also take more damage like paint scrapes and scorching from fires – and it all looks really great on the PS3. There are a few other visual touches as well – camera shakes, increased sense of speed, HDR lighting to name a few.

FiringSquad: What is the current status of the game's progress and when will it be released?

Mike Gallo: We are currently approaching ALPHA, which means that all of the features in the game are complete, and we’re adding the visual and gameplay polish to the game as well as fixing major bugs and getting ready for the final push. Full Auto 2: Battlelines is a PS3 launch game, so you can expect to see it out there with the PS3 on 11/17.

FiringSquad: Finally, are there any plans for downloadable content to be supported after Full Auto 2's release?

Mike Gallo: This is a feature that we’ll be discussing later for Full Auto 2. Stay tuned

Sony Reveals PlayStation Awards In Japan.

Officials from Sony have announced the winners of the annual PlayStation awards in Japan, for the titles which have sold in the greatest volume between May 2005 and 2006.

The awards are judged solely on retail performance in Japan and do not take into account their critical response from either the media or consumers.Although PSP titles are considered for the awards only one title, Capcom’s Monster Hunter Freedom was applicable.

The only Double Platinum Award, for titles which sold between 2 and 3 million units, went to Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XII on the PlayStation 2.

There were three Platinum awards, though, for titles selling over 1 million units, in the shape of Kingdom Hearts II (PS2, Square Enix), World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 (PS2, Konami) and World Soccer Winning Eleven 10 (PS2, Konami).

A total of nine gold awards were given for titles which sold over 500,000 units in Japan. They are: Biohazard 4, aka Resident Evil 4 (PS2, Capcom); Monster Hunter 2 (PS2, Capcom); Monster Hunter Portable, aka Monster Hunter Freedom (PSP, Capcom); Sengoku Musou 2, aka Samurai Warriors 2 (PS2, Koei); Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2, Square Enix); Dragon Ball Sparking!, aka Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (PS2, Bandai Namco); Tales of the Abyss (PS2, Bandai Namco); Dai-3-Ji Super Robot Taisen Alpha: Shuuen no Ginga e (PS2, Banpresto); and Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 12 (PS2, Konami).

Mario Leads Golden Joystick Nominations.

Handheld games console title Mario Kart DS leads the nominations for the Golden Joystick awards 2006.

The Nintendo DS game has six nominations, including game of the year, while role playing game Oblivion is short listed in five categories.

Quiz game Buzz and Xbox Live's marketplace, where gamers can download demos, lead the innovation category.

The winners - voted for by gamers - will be unveiled at a ceremony in a London hotel on 27 October.

Votes can be cast on the Golden Joystick awards website and organisers are expecting more than 250,000 ballots to be cast.

Different categories
There are 16 different categories, including handheld game of the year, family game, girls' choice and online game of the year.

Other contenders for the title of game of the year include Resident Evil 4, Call of Duty 2, Guitar Hero and Pro Evolution Soccer 5.

Lara Croft, who turns 10 this year, is in the running for the favourite character award. Croft made a successful return in Tomb Raider: Legend this year.

Also nominated are Mario, Agent 47 from Hitman: Blood Money, Alyx Vance from Half Life: Episode 1 and Prince of Persia from the Two Thrones title.

The Golden Joystick awards were founded in 1982 when Atari, Commodore and Spectrum were the dominant players in the market.

The industry is now worth $25 billion (£14bn) a year and the big players include Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo.Game development has grown in complexity to rival the work of Hollywood studios with high-profile titles costing up to $20m (£12m) to produce and involving years of work and hundreds of staff.

This year the awards ceremony will be webcast on the Computer and Video Games website.

PS3 To Come Out On Top, Says Jez San.

Jez San, founder of the now-defunct Argonaut Software and now involved with PS3 slash 'em-up, Heavenly Sword has said that he thinks the PlayStation 3 will come out on top in the next-gen console war, "but only because its got Blu-ray".

Speaking to The Guardian, San said: "I think the combination of a next-generation games machine and a next-generation DVD player that plays full high-definition movies is very compelling, despite the huge price. Remember price is just a function of time and volume. It doesn't matter what the PS3 comes out at, it's what it gets down to, over time, that's important".

In the same article, market analyst Paul Jackson of Forrester Research agrees with San's comments, saying that Sony stands a good chance because, "Far more people will go for a PS3 than spend $1,000 on a Blu-ray player ...it's a question of how quickly [Sony] gets the price down".

Jackson goes on to echo San's own comments on the importance of price. "You can't get to the mass market until you get down to $300/£200 [mark]".

Jackson then asserts that it's going to be far from an easy ride for Sony, because of the amount of negative press that currently surrounds its next-gen console: "You can't over-estimate how much negativity there is around the PlayStation 3 in the web ...The stories just keep getting worse and worse.

They've got a real fight on their hands."There's only a few months left until the PS3 hits - and most-likely vanishes from - store shelves, and with likely stock shortages ensuring a Christmas sell-out for the console, it's going to be next year before we get the slightest inkling of who's really going to rule the next gen.

But as San points out, the unique appeal of both Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft's machines means it could very well end up being a three-way tie. Whichever way the next gen cookie crumbles, it's certainly going to be an interesting 12 months...

Final PS3 Dev Kits In Hands Of Developers.

Word recently reached us that the PlayStation 3 has officially entered production, and in an interview with The Guardian, Sony's president of worldwide studios, Phil Harrison has shed some light on the on-going development work on the console.

According to Harrison, "It's all going well. We are in full swing, from a developer point of view, and over 10,000 developer kits have been shipped. Developers now have final [PS3] hardware in their hands, though there will be some upgrades to the operating system - there's nothing unusual about that. The new controller is now in developers' hands, so all the pieces of the puzzle are there".

Also in the interview, Harrison comments on the arrival of working Blu-ray drives in the PS3 dev kits, noting that many studios also have blu-ray burners in their PCs, "so they are now doing their first iterations of games running off discs," he says."Signs are good," adds Harrison, "right now there are more than 100 Blu-ray movies available today, in the US.

More than 100 games are in development [for the PS3], and all the major third party publishers have pledged their strategic support for the platform".

Sony is gearing up for its next big push for the PS3, which will start at the Tokyo Games Show on September 22, where the father of PlayStation, Ken Kutruagi is scheduled to give the keynote speech.

Hopefully with the appearance or some new game titles and a more solid-looking launch line-up, Sony will be able to make up for the mostly-negative reaction to its showing at this year's E3. Stay tuned.

PlayStation 3 Packs A Punch For Scientists.

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley Lab in California praised the processor inside Sony's PlayStation 3 as a lower-cost alternative to Opteron and Itanium chips, while being eight times faster and at least eight times more power-efficient.

The scientists have been evaluating the game console's chip, STI Cell, developed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM (the STI in STI Cell) running several scientific-application kernels against other processor architectures.

"Overall results demonstrate the tremendous potential of the Cell architecture for scientific computations in terms of both raw performance and power efficiency," say the LBL scientists who conducted the research. "We also concllude that Cell's heterogeneous multicore implementation is inherently better suited to the [high-performance computing] environment than homogenous commodity multicore processors".

According to an LBL article about the study, the Cell is compelling to the scientific community which has high-compute needs but often with limited funds, because the intended game market for the STI Cell means it will be produced at high volume, making it a lower-cost alternative to conventional processors from AMD and Intel.