Friday 30 October 2009

Fancy a larger Nintendo DSi?

Nintendo's officially confirmed the Nintendo DSi LL (or 'Nintendo DS XL', as seems to be the Western name).

The massive new handheld, said to be targeted at a more mature audience who like their portables large, will be released in Japan on November 21 priced at 20,000 yen (£134) (UPDATE: And in Europe in Q1 2010).

The upgraded handheld features a larger 4.2 inch screen and comes in three colours: 'Dark Brown', 'Wine Red' and 'Natural White'.

The DS LL measures 161 x 91.4 x 21.1mm and weights 314g. In comparison, the DSi measures 137 x 74.9 x 18.9mm and weighs 214g.

The new model will offer greater battery life than the exiting DSi, says Nintendo. The XL's battery can last from 4-5 hours (extensive use) to 13-17 hours (energy saving use), compared to 3-4 hours to 9-14 hours for the DSi. On the down side, the XL will take three hours to charge - 30 minutes longer than the DSi.

Each DSi LL will come bundled with a second, larger stylus apparently meant for "home use", as it's too large to be stored in the system.

The fat portable will also pack three DSiWare games for free: a pair of Brain Age titles and an unreleased dictionary program.

UPDATE: Nintendo's confirmed a 'Q1 2010' release date in Europe. "Nintendo today confirms that a new Nintendo DSi XL console is launching in Europe in the first quarter of 2010," a rep told CVG.

"The retail price of the Nintendo DSi XL is expected to be higher than that of the Nintendo DSi. Further details will be released soon."

Are you ready to shell out for another DS so soon after the last one?

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Video store comes to the PS3


THE launch of the PlayStation video store in the UK is fast approaching - and here is the first screen to tickle your taste buds.

This is the first screenshot of the Euro-version.

The PlayStation video store, or PlayStation Network video delivery service, as it is called, will launch in the UK, France, Germany and Spain next month, letting you stock up your PS3 and PSP with movies. This shot you see above is how the PlayStation video store will be laid out, and there have been a few subtle tweaks to the version available to PlayStation heads on the other side of the pond.

For one thing, the Euro PlayStation video store has had a bit of a rejig on the left hand column, with Anime and other genres relegated to the Categories section, and “HD Only” given a raise. We’re also liking the promise of “Special Offers” too, letting you grab movies for cheap for a short period of time like those DVD dispensing Pop cabinets you see in cinemas.

Finally, the Channels section looks promising - let's hope we finally catch up with the US and get some decent downloadable content.
(as first published on electricpig)

Thursday 22 October 2009

Blu ray coming to the Xbox 360?

IN a chat with Gizmodo, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer answered a question about Blu-ray's presence in the Xbox 360's assemblage of accessories.

He said: "Well I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there," said Ballmer, predictably, then not so predictably adding "You'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories."

Proper skeptics they are, Gizmodo pushed for clarification, to which Ballmer responded:

Our immediate solution for Blu-ray-quality video on an Xbox 360 is coming this fall with Zune Video and 1080p instant-on HD streaming. As far as our future plans are concerned, we're not ready to comment.

So no further comment about "You'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories," but effective confirmation--without backpedalling or obfuscation--that it'll happen at some point.

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Work underway on Killzone 3?

ACCORDING to StickSkills, KILLZONE 3 has been labelled as one of the “Secret Games Of 2010″ for the PS3 in the latest Playstation: Official Magazine issue.


The issue reads:


“Insider slips reveal three big names you can already pencil for the next year. Killzone 3 is reportedly deep in development, Insomniac’s Full Moon Show podcast hints at a project we can only conclude is Resistance 3, and a Treyarch employee’s online mentions of a Call of Duty: World at War sequel.”

Watch this space.....

Thursday 15 October 2009

XMB chat coming to the PS3? Let's hope so!

IF THE rumour mill is to be believed, joyous days are ahead for all those PS3 gamers currently suffering in silence.
XMB chat is on its way.

It appears that a Naughty Dog staffer posted a message on the US Sony PlayStation forum, saying that XMB chat was on its way in the next Sony PS3 firmware update.

Anyone who has any interest in online gaming will now how frustrating it currently is that you can chat to someone while out of a game, but then if you want to both go into a game, you have to leave chat first, join a game with your friend (if you are that lucky) and then try and chat in game.

If this works as it is supposed to, it will mean you can see your buddy online, both chat away, then join a game together - without any messing logging out.

If this does happen, then Sony may finally conquer the online gaming market - and catch up on the Xbox 360, whose users have been doing this for years.

Here's hoping....

Vidzone to stay a PS3 exclusive


VIDZONE Digital Media is not looking at replicating its success on the PS3 by providing a streaming service on Xbox Live.

The company already charges Xbox 360 users for individual videos, but is not currently looking at extending the platform with a PS3-style streaming service.

VidZone is currently in the process of rolling out the streaming service to more European PlayStation regions.

Sky TV is coming to your Xbox 360

SKYand Microsoft have confirmed that Sky Player will arive on the Xbox 360 on October 27.
That means in just a fortnight subscribers to the Sky TV packages be able to invite virtual pals over to watch the self–styled “greatest league in the world”, as well as lay their hands on a string of on-demand content.

While both tech giants have given Sky Player on Xbox 360 the official nod, neither is coming clean on pricing. An official page on the Xbox website states “full channel-line up and pricing will be confirmed at launch on the 27th.”

Both football and flicks will get special virtual parties where you can invite avatars over and share banter while your team loses or shoots some bad guys.

Will this be a cheaper way to get Sky than your traditional box and dish set up? Time will tell.

Now you can cycle with your Wii

AN INTERESTING new addition is on its way to the Nintendo Wii fitness collection - the Cyberbike.

The Cyberbike’s premise is very simple: connect the full-size exercise bike to your Nintendo Wii and then cycle your way through the selection of interactive fitness games bundled with the kit.

Eighteen different virtual tracks feature in the game, said manufacturer Bigben Interactive.

Cyberbike will be available in January next year – just in time to burn off those festive indulgences. A price has not been revealed yet.

Tuesday 13 October 2009

WATCH THIS SPACE!!

DUE to the overwhelming success of my PlayStation 3 blog - ps3ontheweb.blogspot.com - I am now expanding to cover ALL the latest games consoles.
I will bring you the latest news, previews and reviews, as well as top tips and insights into what gamers really want to hear.
This blog will be launched soon - so watch this space!
ALL THE LATEST NEWS, PREVIEWS AND REVIEWS FOR GAMERS ACROSS THE GLOBE!