May 16 - 06:40pm EDT   As Metal Gear Solid 4 approaches release, Sony and Konami have released definitive details about two previously mentioned console bundles, with some apparent tradeoffs between them. Crave reports that the limited edition gunmetal grey 40GB model features the same downside as the standard version, in that it can not play Playstation 2 game titles. The special edition will, however, come with a soundtrack and a Blu-ray disc with a behind-the-scenes documentary. [full story]

May 16 - 04:45pm EDT   Creative Technology on Friday announced two additions to its PCI Express Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty sound cards with the Professional Series and Champion series. Creative claims the products are the first ever native PCI Express hardware accelerated sound cards. Both cards feature Dolby Digital encoding and single-cable connection for 5.1-channel home theater hook-ups, as well as EAX 5.0 effects and CMSS 3D positional audio support. [full story]

May 15 - 04:50pm EDT   Feral Interactive today announced that Friday, June 27th would be the release date for Battlestations: Midway, Eidos' action strategy game for the Mac. Created by Eidos Studios Hungary, the game invites you to take command of the greatest battles of the Pacific theatre. Players will experience every aspect of combat in a unique blend of action and strategy as they lead a host of US and Allied air, sea and underwater units through intense, action-packed missions in hotspots from Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Midway itself. [full story]

May 15 - 08:05am EDT   Nintendo today was told by a US federal court that it must pay $21 million in damages to Anascape Ltd. for alleged patent infringement with its game controllers. The Tyler, Texas-based plaintiff successfully argued that Nintendo's conventional but more recent gamepads, including the stock Gamecube controller, the Wavebird wireless pad and the Wii Classic add-on all violated patented technology from Anascape. The Wii's pack-in wand controller, as well as earlier Nintendo gamepads, aren't affected by the ruling. [full story]

May 14 - 01:20pm EDT   A forthcoming system update for the Xbox 360 should make some fundamental improvements, according to an alleged internal source at Microsoft. Due later this spring, the update is expected to carry some 80 changes or additions, among which one is listed as "Support for titles to store installation data on Storage Device for faster loading." Unlike Sony's PlayStation 3, the 360 does not currently allow installation of game data to a hard drive; this is because Microsoft offers a basic 360 without any default storage, and it has insisted that all titles should support all 360s. [full story]

May 14 - 12:35pm EDT   Dell has no plans to eliminate its XPS line of computers, a company representative says. On Monday the Wall Street Journal reported that Dell intends to phase out four of its XPS gaming systems, on the basis that they are eating into sales of its newly-bought Alienware division. Dell is said to be in tough financial circumstances, having lost its former dominance in PC sales to chief rival HP. In April the company revealed plans to fire at least 8,800 people, and close its desktop manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas. [full story]

May 14 - 11:20am EDT   OCZ Technology Group on Wednesday unveiled its new Do-It-Yourself (DIY) gaming notebook program. The OCZ DIY program allows users to build their own mobile gaming PC while aided with guides and direct support to make it easier for novices or experienced PC builders to create their own notebook. The foundation is 15.4-inch WXGA notebook, OCZ's first, with an Intel PM965 chipset and NVIDIA's GeForce 8600M GT video card. [full story]

May 13 - 07:50pm EDT   Microsoft may be readying a new slimmer version of its popular Xbox 360 gaming console. According to a report, Microsoft is bringing a skinnier, faster and less-costly Xbox 360 to market by the fall of 2009. In its quest to make the console quieter, cooler and faster, Microsoft has already begun updating its components, with an interim update due by this August. If true, the thorough redesign would likely involve an "all-in-one" Valhalla chip and manufacturing of the necessary components would begin early next year, the report said. The updated machine would not only be slimmer, but may be also re-branded with a newer, unique name. [full story]

May 13 - 03:15pm EDT   Garage Games' Instant Action portal should soon open to Mac gamers, according to the company. Instant Action is a web-based gaming service, but one which concentrates less on casual puzzlers, and more on the action games PC and console users are familiar with. Titles use a modern 3D engine, and include games like Marble Blast Online and the futuristic sports game Rokkitball. [full story]

May 12 - 05:20pm EDT   Microsoft is launching a mystery device nicknamed "Lips" as part of a gaming event tomorrow, says a rumor reportedly confirmed by 8Bit Joystick. Nicknamed "Lips," the device is expected to be a voice communication add-on for the Xbox 360 but is unlikely to be a typical headset, which is either packed into higher-end Xbox models as a wired headset or sold separately for wireless versions. Speculation has the device offering some level of voice recognition or else a dedicated microphone for music games. [full story]