July 8 - 11:35am EDT   Sony chief Sir Howard Stringer on Wednesday dismissed pressure on his company to drop the price of the PlayStation 3 when the subject was presented at the Allen & Co conference. Responding to implications by Activision CEO Bobby Kotick that his game development firm might stop developing for the PS3 if its price remains too high, Stringer said it was simply the "nature of business" for companies to put pressure on each other and that it wouldn't necessarily push Sony to cut prices. [full story]

June 1 - 2:00pm EDT   Activision today provided fuller details of the Tony Hawk Ride controller. The board sits on the floor and is fully aware both of pressure on the board as well as movement on its sides; users can lean on the board for manuals and other such moves while using a free foot to "push" the board or assist in tricks. It can further recognize spins on the board itself for reverts or other rotation-based moves. [full story]

May 29 - 4:25pm EDT   A limited edition version of the upcoming DJ Hero video game will include exclusive greatest hits CDs from rappers Jay-Z and Eminem, along with an advanced version of the turntable controller, USA Today said on Friday. How the controller differs from the standard unit was not detailed, however. An offshoot of the highly popular Guitar Hero franchise from developer Activision, the limited edition game will also have a DJ stand and metal traveling case for the turntable. [full story]

May 15 - 10:15am EDT   Activision today teased that one of its central non-music games at E3, Tony Hawk Ride, will have its own controller. The game will center on a skateboard-shaped foot controller that, much like a Wii Balance Board, will have players lean as they would on a real board for at least basic control. Although the full controls haven't been explained, a set of side buttons will ease navigating through regular menus and may ultimately be used on combination with balancing to perform tricks. [full story]

May 7 - 12:35pm EDT   Video game publisher Activision announced on Thursday it will launch three new music games, with the turntable controller pictured designed to work with DJ Hero. That title, along with Guitar Hero and Band Hero, are due for a release sometime this fall. DJ Hero will include hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance music genres and, as Activision calls it, feature some of the "world's most exciting artists and DJs." It's not clear whether the DJ controller will allow scratching in addition to its button controls. [full story]

March 3 - 8:50pm EST   A California court has dismissed Gibson Guitar's lawsuit against Activision over the input devices used in the Guitar Hero game. The gaming company was sued for violating the "'405 Patent" which covers a system for generating and controlling a simulated musical concert experience, although the claims are geared for using real guitars as input for applications such as in-store demos. The court's strongly worded filing claims that Gibson's arguments "border on the frivolous." [full story]

July 31 - 4:15pm EDT   Software publisher Activision and peripheral maker Logitech today announced a joint venture to make premium controllers shaped like instruments for the next installment in the popular video game franchise, dubbed Guitar Hero World Tour. The game is expected to debut this fall, and will be available for the all the popular gaming consoles, including Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and 3, as well as the Nintendo Wii. [full story]

June 23 - 10:00am EDT   The Beatles are close to securing a deal that would see their first digital music releases through music games rather than direct downloads from iTunes or or similar stores, says the Financial Times. The UK business paper claims sources who say that the pop rock group may have deals "in a matter of weeks" that bring songs to Guitar Hero maker Activision as well as to Rock Band co-creator MTV Games. While no specifics are mentioned, the deal suggests a Beatles-themed title and alludes to the possibility of making Beatles songs available as downloadable content. [full story]

March 12 - 4:45pm EDT   Activision's popular Guitar Hero rhythm games are breaking the law, charges legendary guitar maker Gibson. The company has publicly accused Activision of infringing on a patent from 1999, which involves technology simulating a musical performance; in Guitar Hero, one or two players strum along on a simplified guitar, in time to on-screen notes. Reuters notes that Activision denies any wrongdoing, and is in fact asking the US District Court for Central California to render Gibson's patent invalid. [full story]