Sony have updated their own PixelJunk Eden website with a fact sheet. Why do we care? Well, for one, it's PixelJunk, so we care. But we care more about this: listed under "key features" for the game is "Trophy Support". What the hell are "trophies"? There's been a rumour doing the rounds this week that they're a form of achievements for the PS3, small 2D trophy images that are displayed somewhere on the XMB. We've heard about PS3 "Trophies" since last year. Imagine we'll hear more about them this year, too.
PixelJunk Eden [Sony, via NeoGAF]

Xbox honcho Shane Kim is back with more talking! This time he goes on and on for something like four paragraphs talking about motion sensed. Does that confirm the rumored Xbox 360 Wii-mote clone? "I've never heard of a motion sensing controller," he replies. According to Kim:

Well, the stock answer is that we don't comment on rumours and speculation. But I will say, look, we have a lot of reasearch and development going on all over the place, in Live and in Harware and we have a ton of success in the accessory business - and that's probably a story that doesn't get told enough. From a commercial perspective and also in terms of critical acclaim.

We're going to continue to look at new ways we can introduce different things - the third parties are doing this as well with the music controllers. So there's opportunities for us there too. We're an R and D company at heart.

...But what's interesting is that you have a lot of third parties that are trying to rush to the Wii phenomenon, but if you look at the data, the vast majority of software that has sold on Wii has come from Nintendo. So it's not turned out to be a great third party eco-system.

So it could work if you had something that had a great third party eco-system. Having said that, our unique perspective is going to be online oriented for better or worse. In the same way that Sony is Blu-ray and Nintendo is the motion-control, our thing is online. And each of these has strengths and weaknesses in different markets of the world. whatever we do has to take advantage of our unique capabilities.

...I agree with you. But I've never heard of a motion sensing controller... I don't know what you are talking about...

Worst. Denial. Ever.
Shane Kim Interview [CVG]

If Microsoft follows the same schedule it did last year, the Spring system update for the Xbox 360 should be right around the corner. Today, an alleged and wholly unconfirmed list of changes included in the "Q2 2008" update was sent to us, supposedly forwarded from an internal source. The full list—which is after the jump—features about 80 new feature additions, tweaks and changes but was purported to be incomplete and subject to change.

Some are simply interesting as curiosities, such as an option to purchase Xbox Live memberships for charities and the addition of a Media section for audio delivered through feeds, such as podcasts. Others sound more feature robust, such as Windows Live Mail integration and an expanded "Inside Xbox" with news, weather, entertainment, help and community features.

Perhaps the most interesting additions are "Calibration options for motion sensor devices" for the Dashboard and "Support for titles to store installation data on Storage Device for faster loading" for Games. If true, the former would lend further credibility to frequent rumors that Microsoft is planning to introduce a motion controller for the Xbox 360. The ability to store installation data on a hard drive—as is done with some PlayStation 3 games—would certainly be a welcome option, if that's how the wording should be interpreted. Continue on for the full list of rumored updates.

Xbox LIVE
1. Option to delay sign-in to Xbox LIVE upon booting console (to allow user to set Online Status).
2. Option to promote Child Account from Family Settings.
3. Disallow Child Accounts (over 18) to override Family Settings by launching Privacy Settings through a title.
4. Option in Family Settings for Child Accounts to enable child-oriented/non-mature advertisements.
5. Introduce a group chat (4) for Private Chat and conferences through Video Chat.
6. Support to indicate media being watched to gamercard status (video content from Marketplace only).
7. Extend height for Bio field in Personal Profile, easier navigation through text.
8. More fields present in Personal Profile - recent achievements, interests, games, movies, links, custom section.
9. Compact Personal Profile for new fields (navigating to field will open it up).
10. Mandatory option to delete duplicate titles from gamercard (excludes Games for Windows - LIVE). User disconnected from Xbox LIVE when booting any title until action complete.
11. Option to remove payment information from gamertag.
12. New payment methods for international users.
13. Download History on Account Management better organized - games, genre, type, download date, miscellaneous.
14. Long descriptions of items on Marketplace can be scrolled using right stick.
15. Better organization of free content on Marketplace.
16. Option to 'ping' when testing connection.
17. Allow re-connection to Xbox LIVE if Ethernet cable is re-inserted whilst powered on.
18. New strip colors available to developers, staff gamercards.
19. New corner icon available to ambassadors.
20. Re-introduce Messages button for Inside Xbox updates only.
21. Option to store up to 10 messages permanently on server (excludes invites, status messages).
22. Increase character limit for text messages between friends only.
23. Option to disable invites from non-friends or all players.
24. Option to disable invites from titles not on gamercard (excludes demos).
25. Option to have smaller items moved up in Active Downloads.
26. Automatically re-connect to Xbox LIVE if disconnected unexpectedly (set intervals).
27. Option to download gamer picture (if available) from a gamercard being viewed.
28. Display random tips to replace static text on Xbox LIVE and Games blades.
29. New button on Marketplace for optional dashboard features - uses Storage Device memory.
30. Option to donate Microsoft Points to anybody with a Windows Live ID.
31. Option to purchase Membership for charities (includes benefits).
32. Integrate file-sharing for selected titles on Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows - LIVE.
33. Disable notifications to friends of user repeatedly signing into service (set period).
34. Option to see 'snippet' of text message in notification.
35. Windows Live Mail integration - includes support for Xbox LIVE Vision.
36. Web feeds integration - text, images, audio. Includes support for specific item codes on Marketplace.
37. Option to display gamer picture or standard picture as display picture in Windows Live Messenger.
38. Support for headset, Xbox LIVE Vision in Windows Live Messenger.
39. Support for limited 'winks' that display on dashboard interface. Option to disable 'winks' and 'nudges' added.
40. Notifications separate from Windows Live Messenger to Xbox 360 notifications.
41. Disable multiple languages from being used in any Xbox LIVE editable fields.

Games
1. Option to delete titles from gamercard with 0 gamerscore and 0 achievements (excludes some titles that will be re-added to launch another title).
2. Organize My Games at the Games Library section better (includes disc-based titles) - sort by genre, platform (Games for Windows - LIVE), percentage completion.
3. Support to display friends leaderboards for disc-based titles.
4. Show dates of an achievement unlocked when comparing.
5. Preload Games Library upon dashboard bootup for faster access.
6. Game updates now shown as items in Memory, increased amount of updates on Storage Device.
7. Option to delete game updates, removed 'cheat code' as no longer needed.
8. Support for more titles to display banner when accessing guide in-game.
9. Option to re-introduce awarded gamer pictures from titles that do not have their own re-introduce feature (requires saved game).
10. Disable gamer pictures from being awarded from trials.
11. Support for titles to store installation data on Storage Device for faster loading.
12. Synchronization to achievements offline/online that were deleted and then re-added from developers.

Media
1. Option to hold LT and RT for rewinding/fast-forwarding video content.
2. Option to delete individual music tracks from storage device.
3. Option to rip music CD at different quality.
4. Copy non-protected files (pictures, music, videos) from USB storage devices, CDs and computers to proprietary storage devices.
5. Support for menu, top-menu features on video content downloaded from Marketplace.
6. Section added for audio delivered through feeds (podcasts). Option to stream, download to Storage Device.
7. Support added for video titles/description to gamercard status.

Dashboard/Miscellaneous
1. Option to navigate quickly out of several menus back to respective blade home (applies to Games, Media, System).
2. New blade trim styles added.
3. Introduce expanded Inside Xbox as a portal to news, weather, entertainment, help and community features.
4. New sounds for various functions (notifications, blades, navigation).
5. Calibration options for display/sound.
6. Calibration options for motion sensor devices.
7. New effects for Xbox LIVE Vision and dashboard background.
8. Disable changing of Theme when on Memory to prevent 'hanging'.
9. Preload recent, limited items upon dashboard bootup on Memory.
10. Faster loading of Themes section on guide.
11. Option to see what items will not work offline due to DRM license changing from Memory.
12. Option to automatically associate new DRM to items downloaded for free.
13. Indicate 'charging' status on guide when Play & Charge kit is connected.
14. Option to change text colors on guide to better contrast some backgrounds.
16. Language improvements.
18. Word censor updated for fields.
19. Privacy Settings/Family Settings updated for new features.
20. Voice, picture messages can be read at Xbox.com (Gold accounts).

When we contacted Microsoft to verify the authenticity of the list, we were told "We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, but what we can tell you is we’ve never seen this list before." Obviously, consider this rumor and/or speculation for now, especially in light of the official statement and the clearly unofficial sourcing of this information.

If we hear anything more concrete, anything straight from the source, we'll let you know.

GTA IV has some problems. Some are pretty great, but most have resulted in freezes and lock-ups, which aren't great. And while a recent patch has fixed some of those problems, it hasn't fixed all of them, leaving a lot of GTA IV players still in the lurch. If that's you and you own a 60GB PS3, help may be on the way, as a poster over on the official PS3 forums has received an email from Take-Two support, who apparently told him Sony are working on a quick firmware update for the console, which will hopefully fix the issues 60GB users (who were the first to report problems with the game) have been having. Take with salt, yada yada.

Re: Phone SOny and R* Give them Your info!!! [ intimidtr3 @ PlayStation.com, thanks everyone!]

Certainly appears so. There's a new PS3 ad doing the rounds, one which shows off each of the console's main features. One of the features shown is the PlayStation Store, and in particular the kind of stuff you can download. Now, I'm not one to go making bold presumptions as to the multimedia plans of Sony corp., but that screengrab above - taken from the PS Store part of the commercial - shows a lot of TV network icons. Which, I don't know, at least strongly suggests the (entirely feasible/expected) idea of TV show downloads for the PlayStation Store. Pessimists could say no, that they're just the latest selection of corporate-funded buddy icons, but then, with a Sony press event scheduled for this Friday, pessimists may well be totally wrong. Full ad's after the jump if you're interested.

TV Channels coming to the PS3? [sev1512, via PS3F]

New details on the game formerly known as Banjo Kazooie 3 and Banjo Threeie have emerged courtesy of Game Informer and GameReactor, both via message board NeoGAF. Rare's latest Xbox 360 venture, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, won't strictly follow the traditional gameplay of the previous two colorful platformers, but will have a heavy focus on vehicles and vehicle building. According to alleged details from the latest Game Informer mag—the same issue posted about earlier—the game will feature some 1600 vehicle parts and weapons with which one can customize their ride, from bikes to karts to planes.

A poster, who appears to be from Danish gaming site GameReactor writes that vehicle creation is similar to building with LEGO blocks, that players can edit their creations at any point. The poster explains how a truck creation was incapable of delivering the required amount of coconuts to finish a level, but that a helicopter more suited to coconut carrying was. In other words, if coconut schlepping is your thing, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts will fit the bill.

New games at MS Gamer's Day: Banjo 3 and Vina Pinata 2 pics leaked [NeoGAF]

According to a NeoGAF poster armed with the latest issue of Game Informer magazine, Guitar Hero IV will, as expected, focus on more than just faux guitar playing, as the next proper iteration is said to add drums and vocals, just like Rock Band. Where GH IV is expected to go above and beyond the Rock Band experience is in its custom creation modes.

Guitar Hero IV will feature a "create a song" mode, allegedly, which appears to let gamers lay down guitar, bass and drum tracks—but no vocals—then upload their creations for others to enjoy. That song sharing mode is said to extend beyond the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, with Wii and PlayStation 2 versions getting their own song sharing.

Additional details from the NeoGAF post indicate that players will be able to create custom virtual musicians, virtual guitars and virtual drums. As for the licensed stock tracks, tunes from Van Halen, The Eagles, Linkin Park and Sublime are said to appear.

More early details on Guitar Hero IV at the original post. Expect to see official word in no time at all.

Game Informer June 2008 Issue [NeoGAF]

Platinum Games, the studio founded by former Capcom developer Clover, has apparently struck a deal with SEGA to publish three games. Those games are:

• Bayonetta, directed by DMC creator Hideki Kamiya, and is described by the site’s correspondent as a “stylish action game” with “a witch battling angels”. Apparently she has guns on her feet.
• A science-fiction RPG for the DS called Infinite Line, where you play as a starship captain, customising your ship and crew.
• A Wii game called MadWorld. ...it’s, “Black and white Sin City graphics, with red blood. Ultra ultra violent. Fatality moves like shoving a post through someone’s head. Chainsaw on your right arm.”

Wow! Three games — make that, three Platinum Games games. The page we are sourcing has been taken down, and the developer hasn't yet issued an official statement on the company's site of its English language Facebook page announcing these titles. So we'll mark this as a rumor for now. A really, really cool sounding one. Stay tuned!
Trio Of Games [videogaming247]

Looks like the good ship Microsoft Press Conference, which was due in port on Tuesday to shower us all with news and media of exciting new titles, has sprung a leak. Banjo Kazooie 3 screens? Leaked. What look like Viva Pinata 2 screens? Leaked. No news or info to accompany the screens, of course, but you can't blame Microsoft & Rare for thinking second time's a charm. Oh, and is that a second player's cursor I see in the above screen?

[via Talking About Games, thanks J & zeromystic!]

So Niko's got a ticket to San Andreas, does he? No wonder, at these crazy prices. Reader Timmy spotted this billboard while cruising around Bohan, advertising cheap flights to Los Santos for only $299. Now, this is most likely just some cute inter-series referencing, but hey, if any of you want to keep on speculating that San An will be the setting for the next instalment in this generation's series (I seem to remember Vice City travel ads in GTA III, for example), go right ahead.

[Thanks Timmy!]

Sources tell us that the upcoming Call of Duty 5 game in development is already playable, and currently going through quality assurance.

Treyarch is also said to be the developer, and the title, we're told, is set in a WWII Pacific environment and will be using Call of Duty 4's engine, the same engine on which the upcoming James Bond: Quantum of Solace movie game is being built.

Yesterday, on the company's call to investors, Activision publishing CEO Mike Griffith said CoD5 would be coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and DS, in addition to a return for the franchise to PS2 and Wii for the first time in two years.

So, SOME DUDE over at the GTA Forums noticed that the Rockstar Social Club site have the above image. It depicts a plane ticket for a "Mr Niko Bellic", bound for "San Andreas" from "Liberty City." Let the speculation begin!
Spoiler? [GTA Forums via videogaming247]

When Nintendo's not making games, it's redesigning hardware. When it's not redesigning hardware, it's denying hardware revisions. Previously, Famitsu boss Hirokazu Hamamura said a new DS was coming to E3, a rumor which Nintendo and Hanamura later denied. Now game site GamesRadar contacted Nintendo about the rumor. Nintendo's reply?

No announcement has been made by Nintendo and everything reported online is pure speculation and rumour. Our hardware development team always work on the next product after we launch one hardware. It is usual that a new model will be brought to the market when we can not offer new ideas with the current model, but we think Nintendo DS is not at that stage yet, and we'd like to keep offering all sorts of suggestions to enrich the lives of people who own a Nintendo DS.

Hit the jump for GameRadar's seven reasons why we'll see a new DS sooner than later.

1. DS has reached saturation point in Japan.
2. DS is getting on a bit.
3. DS game development has gone very quiet at Nintendo.
4. Every Nintendo handheld has had three versions.
5. A spec increase wouldn't hurt.
6. Nintendo love to combat piracy.
7. Downloadable GBA games.

Let us add numero: 8.) Because it's Nintendo. But hey, if we don't see a new DS at E3, there's always TGS!
Nintendo Tells Us Why [GamesRadar] [Pic]

A patent's been uncovered by VentureBeat, which Apple first filed in November 2006. It's for a pointer/remote device, that communicates via IR, and has a sensor bar you place in front of the tellie to detect 3D movement. You know, just like a Wii Remote. The patent states the following:

...the absolute x- and y-positions of [the] remote control can be used, for example, in video games to position a user's character or to otherwise track the movement of the remote control in a user's environment.

Interesting. Now, as anyone who has ever used AppleTV with a remote will tell you, entering text is not fun. This device is most likely intented primarily to make stuff like entering text and navigating menus a lot easier than it currently is. Then again...that does say games up there. What's stopping Apple from adding some Wii-like titles to iTunes, available to AppleTV users? Nothing, that's what.

Apple copying the Wii concept for Apple TV gaming? [VentureBeat] [Pic]

Gaming site Kombo got themselves a nice exclusive today in the form of purported concept art from Factor 5, artwork that was reportedly used in a pitch to Nintendo for a potential Kid Icarus game for the Wii. According to Kombo, the Lair and Rogue Squadron developer is actively pursuing a Wii entry in the series—a long touted rumor—but that Nintendo hasn't officially committed to the project. The above image is just one of many pieces of artwork said to be from a new-gen Kid Icarus game and there are many proposed looks. One things for sure—each and every design will probably make you feel like your flying too close to the sun, eyes first.

Exclusive: "Kid" Icarus Wii Concept Artwork Revealed [Kombo]

Rumors about Microsoft entering the waggle market with a specialized, Wii Remote concept swiping controller have been popping up for the better part of a year. Talk of a partnership with Gyration, speculation that Bungie had quashed a proposal for a motion controller tied to Halo 3 and murmurs that Rare was now tasked with leading the waggle wand brigade have been bubbling up frequently. Microsoft and Gyration have both denied or brushed off the rumors, but we've just heard it pop up again.

According to sources that will go unnamed, Microsoft may be showing its Xbox 360 motion controller as early as next week to press, a controller geared specifically for Banjo Kazooie 3 gameplay. In fact, we've heard that select members of the press have already seen the controller—in use on the next Banjo Kazooie title—in action.

Microsoft plans to show off some of its 2008 and 2009 wares at an event next week, one that hits during the Game Critics Awards at which some of the "Best of E3" awards are judged. Occasionally, NDAs and embargoes ensure that what is shown at the Game Critics Awards doesn't go public until E3 proper, which may keep details on a the rumored new Xbox 360 controller under wraps.

However, Microsoft's event next Tuesday, at which the new Banjo Kazooie is confirmed to be shown to North American press, comes with an embargo that lifts before the event kicks off proper. That means that whatever is on display for press will be revealed next Tuesday morning to everyone.

Keep in mind that an Xbox 360 controller with motion control capabilities is still a rumor for now. We've heard some conflicting information about the controller's visibility to the media and that Microsoft may hold onto any new hardware reveals until E3. We'll know for sure Tuesday morning what's in store.

Japan made it through Wii Fit mania without a hitch, really. Nobody fell off the board or anything like that. Good times, all around! But, that's Japan. What about elsewhere? Over on Disney community forum (yeah, we know) DISboard, one poster claims:

We have all laughed and joked about being told that we're fat and need to lose weight but I was gobsmacked when it [Wii Fit] told her that she is overweight. She is a healthy 10 year old girl with an active lifestyle, she swims and dances every week. She is 92lbs and 4ft9" tall and there is not an inch of fat on her. She is solidly built but not fat. She was devasted to be called fat and we had to work hard to convince her that she isn't. I know it is just a game but seriously we already have to worry about young girls starving themselves to look like the magazine models and now we have a game that tells them their fat. This to me is very worrying and I hope that is doesn't cause emotional problems for any youngsters out there :(

Cue Karen Carpenter concerns!
Disgusted With Wii Fit [DIS Boards via CVG via Dtoid] [Pic]

Sony and Rockstar sure have been mum about that PS3 GTA IV problems. The game's been locking up during play, making it, well, unplayable for some players, but not all. And hey, with six million copies sold in the first week, there's bound to be issues with some copies! Bad issues. Today, a Sony source confirmed that a multiplayer patch was being planned. Apparently it will reduce the load times and hangs some have been seen! No word on a single player GTA IV for PS3 patch or even for the Xbox 360 version which has been experiencing similar issues. This probably means one thing: Users who are fucked are still fucked.
GTA IV Patch [Eurogamer]

The New York Times, who seem to have got hold of Take-Two's data a little earlier than the rest of us, are reporting that the publisher's going to announce some hard GTA IV sales figures later today. Those figures will reveal the game has already sold 6 million copies, with an astonishing 3.6 million of them going on the first day. This means the game's racked up sales of over $500 million in just one week. Hoo-boy. If the NYT are on the money, expect Take-Two to confirm this later today.
A $500 Million Week for Grand Theft Auto [New York Times]

Internet person Chris Bradshaw, aka Gilgamesh, owner of Kikouken.com and regular contributor to CCAcomics.com, bought The King of Fighters XI and SNK vs Capcom Card Fighter DS at his local Best Buy. The Card Fighter game has a fatal glitch that locks up the game. Chris tried to contact the SNK Playmore USA sales department, but never got a response. He sent emails to every SNK address he could find. Still, no reply. Then! He started dialing SNK's office, entering every imaginable extension. Says Chris: "Eventually I did get I touch with someone who gave me the information I needed, but not before I left a message on SNK USA President Ben Herman's machine. I can't tell you what I said verbatim, however I did tell him about how I have been attempting to contact someone at his office for almost two months now because I need to return a defective game (I didn't specify which game because I didn't think it mattered, a warrenty is a warrenty) and that I was now dialing every number I could find and making myself as big of a pain in the ass as possible (and yes, I did use those words) until someone finally talked to me." Hit the jump for Herman's reply:

Chris Bradshaw? This is Ben Herman from SNK. I return from a four day weekend, where I go to Pittsburgh, get my daughter, bring her home. And what message do I receive on my machine? Thanks for being a little bit polite. Now I'll make it real simple. I dunno who you bought it from, I dunno what game it is, but you call me back, and... We don't do exchanges unless it was the card fighter game where we did a recall and we can help you there if it is defective. If it's any other game, I will explain it to you to take it back to your local retailer where you purchased it from. Calling your credit card company, fine. You didn't buy it from me personally or my company personally. But would love to hear what your complaint is, like to hear what your item is. As far as customer service, we have a very small sales office here. We don't pride ourselves in customer service. Or where you've sent an email or what you've done, I don't care at this point. Call me back at extension SOME NUMBERS, and I will do my best to resolve it.

Sounds like Herman's at the end of this dude's teather, so before you judge, we really need to hear the message Gilgamesh left on Herman's machine. Still, peeved phone calls from corporate execs? Hey, we'd say that's pretty great customer service!

Eds Note: Chris reminds us, "I returned the game to my retailer only to get another copy with the same defect, and I have the receipt to prove it."

Gilgamesh vs. SNK [Kikouken City]

A "source" speaking with Joystiq seems to think so. According to this source - who is "close to the deal" - developers Naughty Dog have already agreed to option the rights to a movie based on their 2007 hit (and our 2007 NQGOTY), with Atlas Entertainment reported to be behind the project. Who are Atlas? They're a production company who helped put Twelve Monkeys and Three Kings together, so relax, will you?
Source: Uncharted optioned for movie adaptation [Joystiq]

The latest Official Xbox Mag is running a rumour that's been quietly - oh so quietly - doing the rounds for a few months now. That rumour concerns just what, exactly, 2K Boston (and I presume 2K Australia as well) are up to these days. With 2K Marin confirmed as the team behind BioShock 2, what could Ken Levine and the rest of the guys behind BioShock 1 be working on? Maybe a new X-Com game. Yes, X-Com. 2K quietly bought the rights to the series in 2007, so the rumour's at least got a solid footing, though we're still going to recommend you increase your daily intake of salt. If only because the thought of a new, official X-Com game is too awesome to mess around with.
[Official Xbox Magazine, June 2008]

It's not that Matt Damon doesn't like the action-heavy Bourne game, it seems he just doesn't like video games! Lev Chapelsky from Blindlight says they've tried to get him in games before, but Damon's not all that keen. Blindlight is responsible for helping to put Robert Downey Jr. in the Iron Man game and Edwart Norton into The Incredible Hulk game. According to Chapelsky:

We've been doing this for over eight years — we have more experience in this field than any other company — and by now we've made offers to just about every Hollywood name you can think of... When it comes to Damon, we've [made] several game offers to him over the years and have consistently found that he's not interested in working in the field.

Betcha didn't think of offering Damon a Myst-like puzzle game now did ya?
Talent Group Reports [Multiplayer] [Pic]

Mockery, the owner of long-lived Diablo fan site Diablo3.com, said today that he sold the domain name to Blizzard and plans to hand it over completely in a few months.

Mockery goes to great lengths in his post to say that Blizzard is not confirming that Diablo 3 is in the works or coming soon:

Secondly, while Blizzard is indeed acquiring the diablo3.com domain name, they told me that this shouldn't be considered an announcement for the Diablo 3 game we've been waiting for all these years. They acquire new domains all the time. While this is true, I personally can't help but think that this is a confirmation of sorts that they're working on the next Diablo game. Sure, they can claim it's because they want to protect their intellectual properties 'n what have you, but I can't imagine they would all of a sudden be so interested in the diablo3.com domain if they weren't working on a new Diablo 3 game behind the scenes.

I can't help but think that with the Invitation coming up in Paris in a month and Blizzard rounding up and buying all of the Diablo 3 domain names around the world, the sequel has to be coming soon. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.

Full letter on the jump.

Diablo Fans, Formerly Diablo3

Ahoy there, fellow Diablo fans!

Well, there's no point in beating around the bush any longer, so let's get right down to it. A few months ago we were contacted by Blizzard in regards to the Diablo3.com domain name. While they appreciate all the work that's been put into running this big Diablo fan community over the years, they still want the domain name. Hmm, I wonder why? Now before you get all up in arms about it, allow me to explain a few things.

First off, this fan site isn't going anywhere, it's just getting a new name: Diablofans.com! Blizzard is actually being really cool about it, giving us all the time we need to make it a smooth transition before we hand the old domain over to them. So be sure to update all of your bookmarks and point 'em to diablofans.com instead. Your user accounts will all still be perfectly functional and, along with this new site name, we'll soon have a big site redesign up and running as well. A new name, a new look. Huzzah!

Secondly, while Blizzard is indeed acquiring the diablo3.com domain name, they told me that this shouldn't be considered an announcement for the Diablo 3 game we've been waiting for all these years. They acquire new domains all the time. While this is true, I personally can't help but think that this is a confirmation of sorts that they're working on the next Diablo game. Sure, they can claim it's because they want to protect their intellectual properties 'n what have you, but I can't imagine they would all of a sudden be so interested in the diablo3.com domain if they weren't working on a new Diablo 3 game behind the scenes.

On a final note, I want to thank all of you guys who've made this community so strong over the years. It's only going to get better around here and I hope you'll all stick with us. One of the nice things about this whole name-change ordeal is that Blizzard really appreciates the fact that we're a dedicated fan site and we'll be working with them much more closely in the future to bring you the latest Diablo game news.

It's funny, I've had so many offers over the years from people who wanted to pay a lot o' cash for the diablo3.com domain name and I wasn't even willing to consider then. I set out to have a great Diablo fan site because I simply loved the Diablo series. Fortunately, with the help of some great people on the staff and fans like you, we accomplished just that. But when Blizzard came around asking for the domain, I was excited about it both as a Diablo fan and for their recognition of all the work we've put into the site. Fortunately for us, the diablofans.com domain name was available and it fit perfectly in line with the intentions of this site, so I registered it and here we are. Diablo3.com will still be active for a few more months so everybody can have a chance to get used to the new Diablofans.com domain. After that, it will simply point to the Blizzard.com homepage... at least until they're ready to use it for something more worthwhile. One of the nice things about the new diablofans.com domain is that it's all-encompassing. Instead of the site just being for people waiting on Diablo 3, it can serve as the main hub for *all* current and future Diablo games. Isn't it nice to know you'll always have a place online you can call home? Hey, even Diablo's demon minions need a place to hang their hats too.

Alright, that's all the news for now. I'm sure all of this news is gonna get the Diablo 3 rumor mill running like a mad banshee... so have fun discussing the announcement with your fellow Diablo fans!

Earlier today we broke the news that some Grand Theft Auto IV gamers were having problems with the game on both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

For them, the game was freezing up during the introductory cut-scene, something that neither I nor Mike experienced during our time with the game on both systems. To be clear, we have no idea how widespread the problem is, but it's certainly on Rockstar's radar and making the rounds both in our tips line and on forums.

Rockstar declined to comment on the issue officially, so I went to the phone and called up Rockstar Support to see what they had to say about the problem.

A very friendly, and obviously unhappy, fellow answered the phone who, after thanking me for not yelling at him and apologizing profusely for the problem, spilled quite a bit of beans on the issue:

The man told me that the problem is apparently only effecting the 60 GB version of the Playstation 3, but that it didn't matter than my particular console was a launch console (Yes, I told a little white lie and said my copy was locking up.) He said the problem is not across the board for the 60GB PS3s but rather only impacts some, so their tech folks are working around the clock to try and figure out what is causing the issue.

He did ask me to make sure that my harddrive wasn't full and that I had the latest firmware update, but confessed that that really isn't what's causing most of the problem. He also said that the Xbox 360 is having the "exact same problem," which has further stumped their tech folks.

I asked him if wiping the harddrive and reinstalling the PS3 version would help, as seen on the PS forums, he said I could try but that he hadn't heard of it helping a single person.

He ended the call by saying that they really have no idea when a fix will be coming because they can't figure out what is exactly causing the problem and then once more apologized.

"I feel terrible about this."

If only more support folks were as empathetic and genuinely concerned about the problems their customers are going through.

What's that you say? GTA IV's only been out for a few hours, and already the internet's decided that both the PS3 and 360 versions are broken? That's what many forums - as well as many of our readers - would have you believe, with reports of the game locking up during/following the game's first cutscene, an error so severe you apparently have to unplug your console at the wall. Shades of Bully on 360, perhaps? Maybe this is a problem, maybe it's a squeaky wheel getting a whole month's worth of grease at once, who knows. Not us. We're asking Rockstar. And until we hear back from them, you all should remain calm.