July 1 - 8:05am EDT   Foxconn today tried to deflect rumors that it was building the slim PS3. Following a newspaper's claim yesterday that the new Sony console was to be shipped by Foxconn for next month, the assembly firm has filed an official stance with the Taiwan Stock Exchange that turns down commentary on the rumor, citing "customer confidentiality." Pegatron, which has been rumored to share responsibilities for making the new system, hasn't formally responded to the apparent leak. [full story]

June 30 - 2:50pm EDT   Sony's slim PS3 may start shipping as early as next month if a claim from China's UDN. It points to the smaller, redesigned model being made by Foxconn (Hon Hai) with expectations that Sony would receive it in July. The publication doesn't say when Sony would start selling the system in earnest, but recent credible rumors have the updated model surfacing just weeks after this newest shipment takes place. [full story]

June 30 - 2:20pm EDT   Sony on Tuesday added a pair of iPod speaker docks that center on its first network-aware system. The NAS-Z200iR (shown) puts all its controls on an advanced visual remote that also serves as the center of a Wi-Fi streaming system. Besides controlling iPods and other physical media on the stereo itself, the remote can share media streamed from DLNA-supporting devices like the PlayStation 3 or PC software as well as to browse Internet radio stations. [full story]

June 30 - 8:35am EDT   Sony today hoped to spur growth in add-ons for PlayStation systems by launching an expanded official licensing program. The new approach lets companies in most areas make controllers or other peripherals for PS2, PS3 and PSP systems with full technical help and an official logo. In return, these companies will have to meet certain standards; it's not mentioned if companies will also pay royalties for the right to use the logo. [full story]

June 26 - 3:00pm EDT   An apparent scoop today hints that the PlayStation 3 should receive a major firmware update in the near future. The 3.0 update as described by VG247 will center on a new reputation system for the PlayStation Network. Much like Xbox Live, it would let gamers rate each other and view each other's reputations. They can purportedly flag offending players, though whether this can lead to a ban isn't clear. It may bear similarities to a similar approach in Little Big Planet. [full story]

June 26 - 2:10pm EDT   Both Microsoft and Sony are coordinating significant updates to their consoles for the fall, a tip says. Citing the same historically reliable source as for earlier leaks, Ars Technica hears that Sony's slim 120GB PS3 is still on tap for the fall and should be accompanied by a long-awaited price cut. It's not known if this will take place before the new system ships, but Sony is now thought to only have 60 days of stock for the present 80GB model and may leave the 160GB model alone in the market until the revamped model shows. [full story]

June 26 - 10:20am EDT   Sony today began officially selling a silver version of its Dual Shock 3 controller in the US. Previously only available in Japan, the color is the first official variant other than black in the country. It's functionally identical to the reference version and has the same Bluetooth, motion support and rumble as earlier models. It sells for $55 and should be available immediately. [full story]

June 25 - 10:55am EDT   Sonic Solutions, the company behind Roxio, on Thursday announced its streaming movie service CinemaNow will be made available for the Nintendo Wii. Sonic will partner with Fujisoft to bring the former's content to the game console via the latter's video-on-demand Everyone's Theater Wii service. While the announcement only covers Japan, its successful integration potentially leads to the service arriving in other countries as well. CinemaNow offers more than 1,500 streaming movies, short films, and concerts to buy or rent. [full story]

June 23 - 4:50pm EDT   Software developer Namco Bandai has revealed an upcoming bundle that includes a copy of the upcoming Tekken 6 video game, an arcade-style Wireless Fight Stick made by HORI and an art book devoted to the game. An arcade-style stick and buttons makes it easier for users to perform combos and special moves in the game compared to a gamepad. [full story]

June 22 - 3:05pm EDT   Sony Computer Entertainment has recently released more information on its upcoming motion control technology for the PlayStation 3 gaming console that it introduced at E3. The technology is due to launch in the spring of next year and include both first- and third-party content. The technology relies on the PlayStation Eye to track movements of a wand users hold, and Sony has revealed developers can already begin developing for it as the PS3 Software Development Kit (SDK) already includes face-tracking and head-tracking capabilities. [full story]

June 18 - 2:50pm EDT   Toshiba and NEC together said today that they would extend their agreement with IBM to produce 28 nanometer chip technology. The deal sees the members of the larger alliance continuing to work on the smaller, more efficient technology with the intention of using it for home user products. They now also say they expected 28nm to be particularly useful for "mobile communication devices" such as smartphones. [full story]

June 18 - 8:20am EDT   Logitech on Thursday took its music add-ons cross-platform and unveiled the Wireless Guitar Controller for the Xbox 360. The controller switches to a brighter orange body from the PS3 edition's black but shares the same concept of a premium alternative to the stock peripheral for Guitar Hero: aside from a solid body, it has a wooden neck, rosewood for its fingerboard and metal frets. Using real materials, along with touch-sensitive strum bar and Star Power controls, reduces the clicks and other noises that intrude into actual game music. [full story]

June 12 - 11:05pm EDT   Microsoft's Project Natal could not just be an add-on for the Xbox 360 but the foundation of a new Xbox altogether, according to fresh rumors. Those at 1UP hear that the full body motion controller will be the "cornerstone" of a new console and come with it. Details of the new Xbox itself aren't clear, but it's believed the machine could be an evolution of the Xbox 360 that has extra performance but which could still run legacy games. It would ship in fall 2010 and could be announced as early as the Game Developers Conference in March of that year. [full story]

June 9 - 10:35am EDT   Sony is rumored to be getting ready to drop the price of its PlayStation 3 gaming console to coincide with the next release of EA Sports' Madden this fall, according to a Monday IndustryGamers report. Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia notes that Madden is due for an August 18th release and claims that "industry sources" know the console should lower in price in time for the game's appearance, which could potentially boost sales. [full story]

June 4 - 4:50pm EDT   After its Pixon12, Samsung may have a second and even more advanced 12-megapixel camera phone with true zoom, a photo leak purports to show. The M8920 would have a 3X optical zoom lens and, reportedly, both LED and xenon flashes. While not a true smartphone, it would still have 3G, 8GB of built-in storage, GPS and Wi-Fi. [full story]