Pwn the Vote: Register to Vote on Your Xbox 360

Wow, this is some pretty amazing news!

Microsoft is teaming up with Rock the Vote to allow gamers to register to vote on Xbox Live. The Pwn the Vote initiative (OK, i just made that up, they're calling it Rock the Vote still) will allow Xbox Live members of all races, creeds and payment tiers to register to vote, discuss politics in an special forum and participate in political polls. Live members will also be able to download Rock the Vote public service announcements.

“Xbox is a natural partner to help us reach out to youth voters,” said Heather Smith, executive director, Rock the Vote. “To realize our goal of registering 2 million young Americans by this fall, we need to go where young Americans are, and there’s no doubt in our minds that many are on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE.”

Xbox will also have a presence at both the Democratic and Republican conventions promoting the Rock the Vote partnership and educating delegates about creating a safer entertainment environment on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE using the built-in parental controls known as Family Settings.

Fantastic Microsoft, what a wonderful use of Xbox Live. Now if only the whole industry could get behind this initiative. Why not make video game-centric public service announcements for gamers? Why limit it to the 360. What about the Playstation 3 and the Wii?

Come on Sony, Nintendo, let's Pwn the Vote.

Announced yesterday, the PSP-3000 will be the third major iteration of Sony's PlayStation Portable line. So let's take a good look at it! Below are galleries showing the two colours that'll be available in North America: Piano Black and Mystic Silver. As you can see in the pic above, there's a third colour - Pearl White - but that one's only for Europe and Japan. For now, anyways.

PS3 SingStore: 2.2 Million Served

Sony's PS3 SingStore hasn't exactly set our great balls on fire (yet!). It functions superbly, but the majority of updates are old songs we've already seen on PS2, and even then, are usually the crummy PS2 songs. But anyway. Maybe we're just mean, bitter old cynics, because Sony announced yesterday that for all its flaws, the PS3's SingStore has still sold 2.2 million tracks since it launched late last year. Which is nothing but money in the bank for SCEE.

Over 2.2m songs downloaded via SingStore [GI.biz]

Fat Princess wowed us! Then it pissed some internet people off! Then it went back to wowing us! And now it's back to wow us some more, with these new screenshots. Of interest will be the shot of the Skinny Princess, seen surrounded by yummy, delicious cakes, who knows she shouldn't eat them but is today feeling a little weak, a little vulnerable, a little susceptible to moments of weakness (and angry men with axes insisting she EAT THE CAKE).

As expected, a proper trailer for Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain was shown at Sony's Leipzig press conference earlier today. It's since been uploaded, so why not take a look. It's nice to see the cinematic flair of Indigo Prophecy has been kicked up a notch, but seeing as that game was almost ruined by their over-use, all those QTE flashes during the kitchen table tussle are a little worrying. We'll see how worrying they are when The Two Mikes check it out tomorrow.

As we mentioned earlier, Warhawk's upcoming expansion pack Operation Fallen Star is being shown off this week at the Games Convention in Leipzig.

The pack comes with ten new battle maps set in the forested Tau Crater as well as the Icarus M. 1 Rocket Pack, which allows soldiers to fly about and take on both ground troops and Warhawks up close. Hit the jump for the full release and a fancy gallery.

GC Presser Round Up: Sony

We had lots of news from Sony today since they held their press conference at Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, from a new 160GB Playstation 3 to a touch-sensitive keypad and a new Playstation Portable. Here's what you might have missed.

New Official Details, North American Date For PSP 3000
PlayStation 3 Controller Getting Wireless Keypad
PS3 Firmware Update Lets SingStar Owners Rip PS2-Only Tracks
EyePet Brings Virtual Monchichis To PlayStation 3
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 160GB PS3 Priced, Dated for North America
PS3 Wireless Keypad Ships This Holiday Season
Free Realms MMO Coming to PlayStation 3
EyePet Brings Virtual Monchichis To PlayStation 3
SCEE Announces VidZone Service for PS3
PlayStation 3 160GB Model Coming To Europe
Sony Announces New PSP Model
'SingStar: Singalong With Disney' Announced For PS2, Exclusive to PAL Territories
Buzz!: Brain Bender announced for PSP

Fallout 3 Hits October 28

Fallout 3 is coming to the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 28 in North America and three days later in Europe, Bethesda announced today.

“We are very excited to let gamers get their hands on Fallout 3, the latest chapter in this beloved and highly acclaimed franchise,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “To meet the huge demand for this title by our fans worldwide, we are planning one of the biggest launches of any game released this year.”

Color me freaking excited.

The 20th edition of gaming’s signature sports simulation sells us a big-tent philosophy — dueling difficulty settings that will level the playing field between lifelong players of Madden football and more casual gamers who just want in on the fun without reading a playbook the size of an encyclopedia. As a business strategy, a more inclusive Madden makes a ton of sense. But that innovation underachieves in single-player mode and, online, it's not much use to advanced players and it seems more to drag out competitions between the equally bad ones.

That’s not to say Madden NFL 09 is a failure or a warmed-over roster update. It is by any objective measure the best version of the game since Madden ‘05, which was the game’s apotheosis on 2nd-generation consoles. Madden 09’s outstanding presentation will please lifelong adherents, and its remarkably accurate replay analysis will educate newcomers and encourage those returning to the series. Foundationally, this version begins the title's next generation. But in gameplay, it takes safe but incremental steps toward the classic, impossible goal of a sports title: Creating realistic competition that is challenging yet winnable. If you are not an experienced player, Madden ‘09 skews toward winnable, but it doesn’t leave you feeling like you played your best.

Free Realms MMO Coming to Playstation 3

Sony Online Entertainment's experimental blending of social network service with massively multiplayer online role-playing game, FreeRealms, is coming to the Playstation 3 as well as the PC, Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe announced today.

FreeRealms joins DC Universe Online and The Agency as the first massively multiplayer online role playing games coming out of a new arrangement between SCEE and SOE.

Under the new agreement, SCEE will publish and distribute three MMOs developed by SOE for PS3 throughout the PAL territories. In addition, SCEE will also publish DC Universe and The Agency on behalf of SOE in the PAL territories.

“This is an opportunity for SCEE and SOE to bring the best online experiences from PC gaming to the PLAYSTATION 3 universe, the result of which will certainly benefit PlayStation fans,” said David Reeves, President, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

EyePet Brings Virtual Monchichis To PlayStation 3

Sony's Games Convention press conference saw the announcement of one brand new and rather interesting title, one that takes advantage of the PlayStation Eye in impressive new ways. EyePet, a virtual pet game for the PlayStation 3, lets players customize and interact with the "simian-like" titular beast, a furry digital companion that responds to user commands via the camera accessory.

EyePet takes advantage of technology we've seen previously in PS3 demos, allowing users to draw and scan in objects that the in-game creature will play with. The EyePet is said to remember objects it is shown and modify its behavior for objects that it is unfamiliar with.

Announced only for PAL markets so far, EyePet is said to ship in late 2009, giving us ample time to learn more about it.

Shortly after announcing a new snap on wireless keypad for the Playstation 3, Sony has released the full spec sheet for the device, which they say is going to be introduced worldwide this holiday season.

The peripheral will hit North America in late November and in Japan, Europe and Asia by the end of the year. The Bluetooth-enabled device will support all typing on the Playstation 3, including text chatting in Home and LittleBigPlanet support.

The keypad includes two shortcut buttons, a Communication Button and a Message Box Button, letting users jump to pre-set features on the XMB such as Friends screen and Message Box during game play. Finally, a Touch Pad Button allows PS3 users to use the entire surface of the keypad as a touch pad, allowing them to maneuver the pointer while web browsing by sliding their fingers around the keypad surface.

No price has yet been announced, but the full specs and release are on the jump.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 160GB PS3 Priced, Dated for North America

Warhawk Jet Packs, Crash Commando, Savage Moon Invade Sony PSN

Riding high on the success of downloadable titles like PixelJunk Monsters, echochrome and Super Stardust HD, Sony packed their booth with a collection of upcoming digital goodies.

High on the list are such stand-outs from E3 as Flower, PixelJunk Eden and The Last Guy Standing, but there's also a nice selection of some newer titles like old-school side-scroller Crash Commando, tower strategy game Savage Moon and Warhawk's Operation Fallen Star expansion pack which includes, yes, jet packs.

Full list and descriptions on the jump.

PS3 Firmware Update Lets SingStar Owners Rip PS2-Only Tracks [Update]

The PlayStation 3 version of SingStar is about to get a massive boost in track department, as Sony has announced that a future firmware update will allow for the ripping and playing of SingStar tracks from PlayStation 2 versions of the game. SCEE president David Reeves didn't go into too many detals on the 'how' and 'when,' but we have a feeling the 'why' is that they want the many SingStar devotees in Europe to graduate to the PlayStation 3 sequel to SingStar.

That means the PlayStation 3 will play your forthcoming SingStar: Singalong With Disney tracks just fine. Go on, pick it up. You know you want to.

UPDATE - Sony have clarified that the firmware update will actually allow you to "hot swap" your PS2 discs into your PS3 while playing the PS3 version of Singstar, giving you access to that disc's content in the PS3 version. So no ripping, but it's the next best thing. And before you ask, yes, this will work even in PS3's that aren't backwards compatible.

The Quantic Dream developed Heavy Rain, described by president David Cage as dark and emotionally driven, made its public debut at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's press conference today. Little details were divulged on the PlayStation 3 horror game during its brief cinematic showing, but David Reeves of SCEE called it "horrifying."

We watched the game's protagonist, seen in the 'casting call' trailer shown at E3 years ago, investigated an abandoned house, filled with what we assume to be ghosts frozen in time. Visually, the game looked spectacular and moody, heavy in sepia tones but with occasional dashes of primary color, but we'll have more in-depth impressions of Heavy Rain when we see it behind closed doors tomorrow.

PlayStation 3 Controller Getting Wireless Keypad

Sony showed off a new wireless keyboard for the PlayStation 3 controller, intended to help with in game text messaging and PS3 browser navigatoin. The black keyboard clips on over the front of the DualShock 3/SIXAXIS with the keyboard located above the main controller area.

The wireless keyboard also features a touchpad mode to allow for mouse input. David Reeves, president of SCEE, said that this touchpad control mode may be used in future game development.

The keyboard will ship in eight configurations in Europe to support the numerous languages and keyboard types in the continent.