Reasons pro:
• Gameplay on screen while PS3 assault committed.
• F-bombs galore, so, probably not marketing but who knows.
• Guy in fact does look like unemployed douche.

Reasons con:
• PS3 Phat trashed; guy could have been planning to buy PS3 Slim anyway
• A little too perfectly executed.
• Apartment looks like it's priced above "unemployed douche" market.

Hotheaded Asian Girlfriend Smashes Lazy Jobless Boyfriend's PlayStation 3 [Ripten]

Says the Battlefield producer Gordon Van Dyke on the Battlefield Blog:

As of today there is no official Battlefield Bad Company 2 Beta and I wanted to warn people out there of fake/hoax sites perpetrating to have a sign-up for one. We do not have any form of beta sign-ups, nor would we ever endorse such a practice or shady url to do so. Please do not let these e-tards take advantage of your enthusiasm for BFBC2 in their scam and only give them the middle-finger if anything. So, unless you read it here or from our official Twitter page it isn't real.

Pretty sure EA's seen copies and sent them to their corporate security team, but If anyone's gotten one of these bogus sign-up come-ons, let me know. I'm curious what information it wanted, whether it was Steam ID and password or what.

Fake BFBC2 Beta Signup Sites! [Battlefield Blog via Blue's News]

[Update] Robert Bowling has a post about the fakery. Says it's an exact copy of the beta invite he sent for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

And for the record, yes, this thing purports to offer a "COD5" beta code. We now see it means "Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2." I'm not getting into naming conventions and whether Call of Duty: World at War is COD5 or not or who shot J.R. or whatever. Just passing along some info.

Beware of Fake "COD5" Beta Invites [IAMfourzerotwo]

Take the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Those 29 giant firework footprints that made their way to the Bird's Nest National Stadium from Tiananmen Square were actually computer graphics. Apparently, the Beijing Organizing Committee was worried it wouldn't be possible to capture the fireworks over Beijing. According to The Oregonian reporter Jon Canzano:

I was in Tienanmen Square on Friday evening, reporting and writing a column on the tens of thousands of jubilant Chinese citizens who gravitated there to celebrate. Those people saw two tiny flarelike blasts pop in the sky, followed by a lot of nothing, and they were probably baffled by the widespread reports of the lit-up sky, exploding footprints and brilliant fireworks. And today, I'm thinking those people are relieved to learn they're not losing their marbles.

...You don't mislead the public. You don't Photoshop the goods, or use a computer generation, in an attempt to create events that aren't there, especially when you're presenting an event to the public as if it's a true happening.

It took something like a year to create that CG fireworks sequence. The ceremony's visual effect team head, Gao Xiaolong, said: "Most of the audience thought it was filmed live — so that was mission accomplished."

This isn't the first instance of a government doing this. Heck, Iran recently PhotoShopped missile test pics to make them look more impressive. And no doubt, these two countries aren't the only two using CG and Photoshop to make their countries look good. This is something gamers have been dealing with for a while now, but here, the stakes are higher than a US$70 game, much higher. Frighteningly, so.

Joe Q. Public, look at everything with a raised eyebrow and discernment, because nothing that looks that nice looks that nice. Not even Olympic fireworks in the Beijing night sky.

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is [The Oregonian]
Giant footprint fireworks in Beijing Olympics opening ceremony 'faked' [Mail Online]

We have proof that will bring to light the true nature of the owners of SonyDefenseForce.com [PS3Tag.com]

Take a look at the "specs":

PSP (COBALT)
- All Metal & Ruggedized Rubber Build
- 200% Brighter Screen
- Dual Analog Controllers
- Visual Battery Display
- 8GB Flash Drive
- Wifi (a,b,g)
- Bluetooth V.2 (A2DP, AVRCP)
- Firmware 4.07

I'm not sure which fake specification I like better—the already determined firmware version or the 200% brighter screen. Both are hilarious! Good times. Michael McWhertor

Rumormill: PSP2, Codename Cobalt, Pictures, Details Leaked [Gizmodo]

Called Revolve Games, these keychain mini portables sport 25 plus games, each having 99 levels. Titles include "Pinball," its sequel "Double Pinball," "Frog Game" and "Tank Fighting." They come in 8 colors that include lime green and baby blue. While the design cribs Nintendo's DS, there is no touch screen. Plus, the top screen is a mirror so you can watch the look of satisfaction once you clear "Frog Game." Brian Ashcraft

DS Rip-Off Costs About US $6 [Aeropause via TOKYOMANGO]

I'm really just posting this so no one sends it in to our tips line. While I probably would've loved to discover the "Laser Suit" in Super Mario World when I was but a young boy, the current me knows this is just a finely crafted hack. Michael McWhertor

Thanks for the mail, Jojje! Michael McWhertor

If this was real, it'd worth getting excited about. The Wii... only $175? An October 2nd launch date? 21 launch titles? A helmet-mounted display for the Wii? A gyroscopic add-on for the DS? New Metal Gear and Metroid games coming to the DS?

Too bad it's phony. As if all that didn't immediately ring your "too good to be true" bells, there's more: the letterhead is fake looking, and references the public relations department, not Reggie's office. The "crumples of authenticity" do not warp in any way the alignment of the print. And then there's the question of what someone was doing rooting around in Reggie's trash to begin with, or why Reggie threw away a complete draft of his speech without making any corrections whatsoever.

So fake. But, like Nintendo On, good for a laugh at the depths of fan boy wishful thinking. Florian Eckhardt

Very Authentic Looking Alleged Reggie Speech Leaked! [Wii360]

These are, according to the papercrafter, the last two Wii paper models he'll ever make, and they look like they're of fairly good quality.

Both auctions end tomorrow, so if paper models of Nintendo consoles are your "thing" get biddin'. Michael McWhertor

WiiModels Blog
WHITE model of the NINTENDO Wii
BLACK model of the NINTENDO Wii

We've gotten some lame attempts to punk us in the past, but this one takes the cake. Manu writes:

Hey, this is Manu i read ur blog everyday. A friend of mine sent me this pic, so i was wondering if you wanted to post it. Its supposed to be a leaked screenshot of beta testing for Halo 3. graphics (if its real) look pretty hot

Hot indeed! Gee, is that HDR lighting we see there... you know, over near the big barn from Half-Life 2?

We're not just amused by the fact that this is clearly a screenshot of Half-Life 2 with some Halo 2 models pasted in. But what is supposed to be going on in this screenshot? There's three players on screen, none of whom are firing at one another. What is this, Halo 3's new multiplayer mode, 'Stevie Wonder Deathmatch'? Florian Eckhardt

The above screen was sent in courtesy of our fine tipsters, but I'm immediately calling fake. Why? Two things, the awkward "Rockstar North© Development Screenshot 2006." and the fact that Park Barber Shop isn't named something like "Trim Job" or "Short & Curlies". I'd source this supposed screen, but the original host, a GTA fan site, was littered with Tubgirl photos, which makes for an even more bitter Weekend Editor.

Just be patient kids. I'm sure we'll get some authentic Grand Theft Auto IV screens by, say, May of 2007. Michael McWhertor

These knock-offs look kinda like the PS2 Slim. Complete with squares and triangles, the controllers are reminiscent of a Sony product. Heck, they're even black.

Unfortunately these 14-in-1 game machines are in a U.F.O. Catcher in a crappy Japanese game center and are called "FANSTATION." Don't we mean "FUNSTATION"? Maybe not. Do check out that pistol peripheral, though. Fake as hell, but real enough to knock over a liquor store.

Gallery after the jump. Brian Ashcraft

These fake-o Hori screens scratch very easily, have a slintly brown tint and probably will give you cancer. According to 4CR, here are some things to keep an eye out:

• Blurry package art—The artwork is blurry and slightly faded on the bootleg product. Hori's artwork is crispy like KFC chicken.
• Resealable bag—The bags that house the authentic screen guards aren't resealable, while the phony ones are. The real bags do not have any text on them either.
• Cheap microfiber cloth with a stamped Hori pattern—Hori's straight-edged cloth feels softer and has no design or writing on it.
• White tabs on the corners with Engrish writing—The real deal has centered yellow tabs with only Japanese characters printed on them.

eBay does have some great deals and cool things, but watch out For 100% real Hori products, try Play-Asia or Lik-Sang. And if you don't trust them, there are daily flights to Tokyo Narita leaving from LAX. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [4CR]

Strike up the band, and sing along to everybody's favorite song: "Fake Halo 3 Screens." Gamer Andy turned up this polished phony menu screen that shows intriguing options like "Classic Mode." Bungie's Frankie debunked the image:

So wait Frankie, does that mean it's fake?

More Here [Gamer Andy]

These pictures have been floating around the Web lately, most notably on Korean game site Ruliweb, with some poorly tacked on Capcom and Nintendo logos. Tacked onto what? San Francisco based Wen-M's personal artwork, swiped from deviantART by some hopeful Nintendo fans. Personally, I too would welcome a new entry in the Kid Icarus franchise, but not like this.

These are fake, so tell your friends!

More of Wen-M's Design And Illustration

Not the first pseudo Revolution demo and certainly not the last.

Zelda [Official Site]

All of them are as real as a three-dollar bill, but neat nonetheless. The very British British Gaming Blog points to a Photobucket Account that has a hodge-podge of faux PSP game boxes and UMDs. There are even a couple how-I-did-it images. Back in the day, that's what we used to call "bragging."

Full Story Here [British Gaming Blog]