NAMCO BANDAI GAMES RELEASES UPDATE FOR TEKKEN® 5: DARK RESURRECTON™ ONLINE

Santa Clara, Calif., (April 17, 2008) - Leading video games developer and publisher NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that they have released a free update for TEKKEN®5: Dark Resurrection™Online. Available at the PLAYSTATION®Store, exclusively for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the new downloadable update brings a host of new features that will further enhance the gameplay experience:

· Pickup Match Mode - For those who want to skip the waiting room, players can now continuously face off in one-on-one matches

· DUALSHOCK®3 rumble support - Feel the impact of each blow and attack

· Room name display - Allows users to input and display names for online rooms

· "Flag" search - A network filter that enables users to better select opponents with optimal connection speeds

· New notifications - Let's waiting players know when it's their turn to fight or inform them when others have entered or left the room

· More casual matches - When Rank Match is set to Off, match results no longer affect Win/Loss record.

· Multiple bug issues have also been resolved

Released in March 2007, TEKKEN 5: Dark Resurrection is a must-have for Tekken aficionados as it boasts new features including the opportunity to fight as Jinpachi Mishima, the previously unplayable boss from the arcade version. Optimized in 1080p, TEKKEN 5: Dark Resurrection features classic gameplay with various modes that will test gamers skills in a host of showdowns and allows them to view character art and movies.

TEKKEN 5: Dark Resurrection Online was released in August 2007 as an online update which allows players to battle each other online in custom matches, with the results being tracked on the leader boards, a first for the franchise.

TEKKEN 5: Dark Resurrection is now available for download on the PlayStation Network for $19.99. TEKKEN 5: Dark Resurrection Online is also available for the low price of $9.99. Both games can be purchased as a bundle for $29.99. For more information on TEKKEN 5: Dark Resurrection and Dark Resurrection Online, please visit: http://www.namcobandaigames.com.

So it's exciting, to me at least, that Warbook is down with the intriguing message: "Something big is coming. - TJ." Oh TJ, don't tease us. Is anyone else out there excited? Or have I just been attacking abandoned accounts? (Actually, yeah, I have. I'm a cheap fighter.)

UPDATE: They look like they're back up. All I noticed is a double listing of "recruit friends." Anyone see anything else? PS, join my alliance: The Silence.

PC users will benefit too with the the GameTap player's updated, streamlined interface. I mean, you're not getting any new games or anything. But you've already had your fun while the rest of us were pouting in the corner, acting interested in our iPods.

So it will be interesting to see if Microsoft opts to go with 45nm chips (available next year) and then 32nm chips, or ends up skipping one of these technologies. Most of us probably won't know the difference—actually, most of us will know the difference—but only because we're obsessing about it here.

IBM, partners in 32nm device surge [via tvg]

-Everyone (only available to members 18 and older)
-Friends only (available to members 13 and older)
-Blocked (available to all members, and automatic for anyone under the age of 13)

Apparently, along with Xbox Originals, there will be more features in the update (*cough* DivX please *cough*) announced at a later date.

Image from [nataliedee.com] Here's the full press release:

Microsoft is making it even easier to expand your Friends network on Xbox LIVE®, starting with the Fall Dashboard Update on December 4. You'll be able to check out the friends lists of fellow Xbox LIVE members right from the Dashboard. With this new feature, members can find old friends or connect with new ones within the community of more than eight million people on Xbox LIVE around the globe and send messages and game invites, as well as compare games and Achievements.

With the prevalence of social media websites such as MySpace and FaceBook, this type of capability has largely come to be expected from consumers as a means to relate in an online community. Xbox LIVE continually seeks new ways to better serve the expectations of its members, which often result in free enhancements made available through the bi-annual Dashboard updates.

Friends List Settings
When the Fall Dashboard update is distributed on December 4, the new default setting on Xbox LIVE will be active, enabling members to see the Friends lists of other Xbox LIVE members. If you'd like to keep your friends list private, you can take the following steps to change your settings beginning today:

Log in to www.xbox.com/fof and select one of the three options available for your Gamertag:

* Everyone (only available to members 18 and older)
* Friends only (available to members 13 and older)
* Blocked (available to all members, and automatic for anyone under the age of 13)

Stay tuned for more information about the Xbox 360 Dashboard Update later this month!

We're planning on adding achievements to all of our games you touched on in your mail [Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Day of Defeat: Source and Counter-Strike: Source]. We're just now coming out of the post-shipping haze, so these should start showing up on Steam pretty quick here.

We're also planning on adding a bunch more to TF2, starting with an achievement pack for the Medic in the next week or so.

Of course it's impossible to know what percentage of the PS3-owning population is experiencing these symptoms, but as with any console illness, we recommend consulting the manufacturer and bitching as much as it takes if you find yourself inflicted. Unfortunately, while we tend to get excited about firmware updates, any time you tinker with a gadget at its software core you are opening up the door for problems. Like lung cancer and bed-wetting, we can't fathom becoming just another number.

Any readers having problems?

OP Forums [via nextgeneration]

Some of us are already too infatuated with Team Fortress 2 to enjoy Bungie's sizable web upgrades. But for all the Halo 3 fanboys, it's nice to see Bungie supporting the fanbase and pioneering so much metagame content. And yes, we just said metagame with a straight face.

Bungie.net [via xbox360fanboy]

Better Remote Play
Turn on and off PS3 from anywhere in the world with your PSP, but also stream hard disk movies, music and photos through the Internet. Hotness.

Playlists
Photos and musics can now have unlimited playlists.

More XMB Customization
While you could already add your own wallpapers, now you can change colors and brightness or use themes (interesting). There will possibly be new backgrounds on PSN, eventually (we're guessing they mean something better than the static wallpapers, like PS3 has out of the box). There will also be an Information Board added to the XMB with PlayStation news, and a category just for PSN.

PSN
Trend Micro Web Security...for parental "peace of mind."

Here's the full press release:

Latest PLAYSTATION®3 System Software Update Allows PSPTM to Turn PS3TM On and Off from Internet Connection for Enhanced Remote Play

Ability to customise XMB™ and add personalised playlists for both music and photos also enabled

London, 8 November 2007 - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today the availability of the latest version of the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) system software. Version 2.00 features the ability to turn a PS3 system on and off remotely, using a PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) system via the Remote Play1 function, allowing for a truly mobile partnership between the two systems.

Building on the success and potential of the Remote Play functionality, Version 2.00 will cement the partnership between PS3 and PSP and create a truly global experience. With the ability to turn your PS3 on and off from Wi-fi connection, there is now the opportunity to listen to the music, look at the photos and watch the videos saved on the PS3 Hard Disk Drive, anywhere in the world.

To further enhance the PS3 offering, Version 2.00 allows for the creation of personalised playlists in both the music and photo sections. This simple to use function gives users an opportunity to create unlimited music playlists for all occasions, as well as sharing favourite photos in glorious high definition.

Continuing with the idea of a personalised PS3, Version 2.00 allows for customisation of the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) menu screen. Change the colour and brightness with the greatest of ease or have something completely different by setting a custom theme. With the potential for new backgrounds to become available on PLAYSTATION®Network in the future, Version 2.00 truly opens up a whole raft of options.

A host of other enhancements includes the addition of an Information Board on XMB to keep people up to date on the latest PlayStation® news, the inclusion of a new PLAYSTATION Network category and logo for easier navigation and Trend Micro Web Security, a free2, state of the art internet security system, designed to give parents peace of mind.

FIRMWARE VERSION 2.00 - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE [threespeech]

Sony PSP Firmware 3.72 released [I4U and CVG]

But it's salt in the wound for those of us who won't see the DualShock3 until Spring or the day we decide to drop too much money for it online. Since Sony didn't release firmware 2.0 along with Home at TGS as some of us expected, they need to be more careful with these firmware updates, lest they be driven to the thousandth.

PS3 Firmware v1.94 Adds DualShock3 Support [shacknews]

That's about it. There are some stability updates in the browser, hyperlinks can now be messaged and the "Everybody Votes" channel now allows users to ask questions of their own (via the new keyboard support). Meanwhile, my PS3 has already been crowned runner up to my laptop in Living Room Porn Machine of Choice. And until Wii gives me something more than keyboard support, that's the way it will stay. Quick poll: Is anyone out there really browsing on their consoles? I have a 46" HD and web pages look nice, but I still prefer the easier, known interface of my laptop running Firefox.

Wii 3.1 firmware upgrade now avaliable, includes USB keyboard support [opposablethumbs]

For anyone who has ever had a 360 die on them — and, judging by buzz, that's just about everyone — there's an excellent new rumor going around: namely, that the 360 is going to get a processor upgrade as early next year that will hopefully make the Red Eye of Death a thing of the past.

Apparently, the upgrade will change the Xbox 360's 90-nanometer manufacturing process to a 65-nanometer manufacturing process. Yes, that's gibberish to me as well. However, this change will mean the CPUs will require both less power and will output less heat. Therefore, be less likely to spontaneously explode in the middle of Oblivion.

If this rumor is true, the only thing required to win our hearts and minds forever, Microsoft, is letting everyone trade in their old 360 for one that won't sporadically melt down.Florian Eckhardt

Xbox 360 CPU Upgrade in Q1 2007 [IGN]

As a proud new owner of a bright, shiny MacBook Pro, I love Apple Computers. But exactly how bad does the Apple computer gaming scene have to be for Apple to have to officially release a way to install a competitor's OS on their machines just so Apple gamers can get a fix? And why isn't Apple doing more to promote gaming?

John Martellaro over at Mac Observer asks the same questions and comes up with some remarkably convoluted, pretentious and downright stupid answers:

I want to close with a comment on why Apple's culture is so mixed on the subject of games. I think it's a recognition by Apple's management that this is a fact of life for most of its younger employees. But amongst many more senior managers, including Steve himself, I suspect there is some lingering concern about the essence of the game market. Computer games, as we've come to know them, are mostly (not always) about aggressive behavior, conflict, battle, wars of power, domination, and sometimes, in the worst cases, some very unwelcome social behavior. To put it bluntly, death and destruction.

Apple's public culture appears to celebrate, on the other hand, creation and life.

Uh huh. He then says "It's not in Apple's culture to hold people back." Um, yes it is - that's why you can't upgrade an Apple. Steve Jobs would like nothing better than for you to throw your computer away once a year and buy a new one: that's how their business model is designed. And that's the reason Apple doesn't push gaming on a Mac: computer gaming encourages an upgrade cycle that Jobs just doesn't want to encourage. FLORIAN ECKHARDT

It's No Game At Apple [Mac Observer]

That slightly mitigates the problems with the $499 PS3. Still, it doesn't make the $499 very attractive... all those upgrades will certainly cost you a hell of a lot more than an extra $100. And when you add in Blu-Ray, the console's practically free!

...

Sorry, we slipped into Sony propaganda mode there for a second. - Florian Eckhardt

20GB PlayStation 3 will be upgradeable, says Sony [Game Industry]

PNY recently announced some hopped up high speed PC memory designed for gaming. The PNY Verto Hi Speed Gamer Memory Modules come in packs of two 512 MB modules and each includes an intergrated heat spreader. The DDR modules are available in speeds of 400 MHz, 550 MHz and 600 MHz. The DDR2 modules are available in speeds of 533 MHz, 667 MHz, 800 MHz and 1,000 MHz.