Filed under: Gaming

We weren’t terribly impressed with Nintendo’s recently unveiled MotionPlus add-on, but we’re even more disappointed by this. Reportedly, scads of third-party developers revealed at E3 that the Big N’s latest Wiimote accessory was just as much a surprise to them as it was to any of us. In other words, Nintendo didn’t bother giving its external devs any advance notice in order to get the ball rolling on compatible titles, or so it seems. Unfortunately, this also means that we probably won’t see any MotionPlus-ready games hitting shelves from anyone not named Nintendo for months to come, but it’s not like Wii Sports Resort can’t hold our attention for a solid year, right?

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Remember that PlayStation-branded SOCOM Bluetooth headset we told you about a while ago? Not surprisingly, it’s for real, and we spotted it in Sony’s booth alongside SOCOM Confrontation here at E3. It looks to be a relatively nice unit, a bit bigger than your standard Bluetooth headset intended for phones, and the USB charger it comes with is clearly intended to hang out with your PS3. Sony points out that the headset sports a giant mute button for your in-game arguments with significant others, and battery time is promised to be “exceptional.” They wouldn’t tell us exactly how exceptional, but we’ll believe them for now. Finally, they did confirm that you’ll be able to pair this with your cellphone in case you want to show off your SOCOM love while away from your living room.

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Filed under: Gaming

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/playstation/Engadget_Joystiq_live_from_Sony_s_E3_2008_keynote’; 10:23: We’re en route to Sony now, stay tuned!

11:11: We’re waiting outside the entrance. Tons of people in front of the entrance to the show. Veronica Belmont is getting tons of fan response for Qore. People are taking pictures with her.

11:25: We’ve just taken our seats at Sony’s conference in front of what could only be described as a wall of screens: 7 main screens and roughly 64 smaller screens. OMG, Vaio LCD’s everywhere. You’d think this was a Sony event.

Continue reading Engadget & Joystiq live from Sony’s E3 2008 keynote

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Filed under: Gaming

Sony just announced at E3 that it’s cutting the price of the 80GB PS3 to $400 in September, and that the new model will have the “current functionality” of the 40GB PS3. So it’s really more like the 40GB PS3 is getting a capacity bump, since we’re taking that to mean backwards compatibility is going out the window. That also means that the 80GB PS3 now costs the same as a 60GB 360 and an Xbox Live membership, which should make the decision a little harder for some people. We’re also wondering if that’s the end of the line for PS3 backwards compatibility entirely — we have a feeling launch consoles are about to get a little more precious.

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Filed under: Gaming

Sony just announced at E3 that Playstation Network users now have the ability to rent and purchase moves and TV shows. Like, immediately — the service is getting flipped on tonight. It’s not just Sony content, either: Fox, MGM, Lions Gate, Warner, Disney, Paramount, Turner, and something called Funimation are signed up from the get-go. Video will be available in both SD and HD, and TV pricing starts at $1.99. Movie purchases will run $9.99 - $14.99, while rentals will be $2.99 - $5.99. What’s more, the content is “portable,” meaning that videos downloaded on your PS3 can be watched on multiple PSPs. It doesn’t look like movies can be purchased in HD, but downloads are progressive so content starts playing a minute after you hit begin the download.

PSN users will also get a single persistent sign-on across every device that can access the network: PS3, PSP, PC. It’s not clear whether those aliases will carry over into games themselves or if friends lists will start working across devices as well, however. The integration is scheduled to happen for this fall, though, so you might want to go and grab your handle of choice relatively soon.

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Filed under: Gaming

Logitech’s put out a couple PS3 driving wheels, but the new Driving Force Wireless is the company’s first wireless driving controller for Sony’s console. The 2.4GHz wheel features a one-piece design with an expandable lap rest so you don’t need to clip it onto a table or desk, and there’s the usual wheel-mounted d-pad and buttons. Should be out in August for a cool Benny.

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Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/business_finance/Microsoft_and_Netflix_announce_partnership’; After months of speculation and rumors, Microsoft just announced that it’s partnering with Netflix to allow Xbox 360 owners to stream movies from their Netflix queues for no extra charge. Microsoft says the 360 will be the only game system that allows Netflix access for no additional cost — which isn’t entirely accurate, since it sounds like only Live Gold members will get access. Streaming movies can also be shared with your Live party, allowing you to watch content together. Users will have instant access to their Netflix instant access queues, but it’s not clear what resolution the content will be streamed at — we’d guess it’s roughly the same DVD-quality res that Roku’s Netflix streamer is getting for now, but hopefully that’ll change when the service launches in the fall with the new dashboard.

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Filed under: Gaming

We know you’re all dying to find out Engadget and Joystiq’s annual joint-live coverage schedule for the Big Three keynotes, so here’s what you need to know. It all starts later this morning with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 press conference — but you’ll be waiting until Tuesday for the big N and Sony to kick off. Links and approximate times we’ll get started are listed below, we’ll see you back shortly live from E3!

Monday, July 14th
~10:00AM PT / 1:00PM ET - Live from Microsoft’s E3 2008 keynote

Tuesday, July 15th
~8:30AM PT / 11:30AM ET - Live from Nintendo’s E3 2008 keynote
~11:300AM PT / 2:00PM ET - Live from Sony’s E3 2008 keynote

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Filed under: Gaming

We’re not entirely sure what to make of this, but Gamekyo has some shots of an Xbox 360 wireless miscrophone rumored to be shipping alongside a Microsoft karaoke game called Lips. Yeah, Lips — there’s even box art, if you don’t believe us. The wireless mic looks pretty much like any other wireless mic, except that it has glowing LEDs up the base that “pulse to the rhythm of your voice.” Yeah, sure, but can it feel the beat of the rhythm of the night? Expect to see this one pop up next week at E3. Bonus Debarge video after the break.

[Via Joystiq]

Continue reading Xbox 360 “Lips” microphone makes a cameo appearance

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Filed under: Gaming

What’s this? Could it be? An Xbox 360 price drop on July 6? According to this image, the Xbox 360 Pro will drop to $299.99, at least at K-Mart. The little image circulating shows the “Xbox 360 20GB console” with a $299.99 price, but no word on pricing on the Arcade and Elite versions of the console. We had a feeling price cuts would be coming at E3, but it’s entirely possible Microsoft waned to get pricing out of the way before the gaming conference to concentrate on other goodness.

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

A ton of supposedly-leaked pre-E3 game info apparently hit the net today; we’ll be directing you to Joystiq for the full skinny, but of particular interest to Engadget readers:

• It looks like Microsoft might be finding some middleground between Nintendo’s Miis and PlayStation 3’s Home personages. Dubbed Avatars (above), they appear to literally look like the result of a tawdry tryst between your Home character and your Mii. For shame!
• That “Lips” project you may have heard about from Microsoft is starting to resemble a Singstar-like “music and singing game,” with two wireless, motion-sensitive mics, an online store, and the added ability to sing to music from CDs or MP3s.
• The Guitar Hero World Tour instrument bundle could go for $180, and might include a “touch-sensitive neck slide” (rockin’). It’s going to take more than that to top Rock Band (and Rock Band 2), though.
• A new Tony Hawk title might just land on Xbox 360 and PS3 with a board-like peripheral (perhaps akin to the Balance Board). We’re hoping you’ll be able to do more with it than faux-skate.

Of course, all of this is still strictly in the rumor pile, so keep your pants on until we hit up E3 and have a chance to sort the fact from fiction.

Read - Xbox 360 Avatars
Read - “Lips” project to take on Singstar
Read - Guitar Hero World Tour gets touch-sensitive guitar
Read - Tony Hawk board incoming?

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Filed under: Gaming

According to reports (translated, possibly misunderstood, clearly speculative reports), come this year’s E3, Nintendo could be rolling out a brand-spanking-new DS — most likely very unlike the one pictured above. If you follow the text in a Bloomberg Japan article, Famicom magazine publisher Hirokazu Hamamura says that the timing of E3 would fall right in line with the two-year stagger the Big N has applied to other handheld releases. Of course, Nintendo is saying “no comment,” though we find that’s usually the last thing they say before introducing the Wii, Game Boy, N64, Harry Potter Wand, or Ultimate Doomsday Device.

[Via Joystiq]

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