Sony Increasing The Storage Capacity Of Blu-Ray Discs

Sony and Panasonic have announced plans to increase the capacity of Blu-Ray discs (such as those used by PS3 games) from 25GB to 33.4GB. Hideo Kojima will be so pleased! According to a report from Nikkei, the increase comes courtesy of some new ways to evaluate content on the disc. Or, in more technical terms,…

Report: New Zelda Out By End of 2010, First DS Successor Details

In an interview with Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun, Nintendo Co., Ltd. president Satoru Iwata discussed some of this year’s goals, which include releasing the newest Legend of Zelda game. High on the Japanese exec’s list was increasing the number of DS WiFi spots across the country. In Japan, the company has a deal with…

Five Ways Japan Can Stop Game Industry Shrinkage

As the data indicates, the once robust Japanese game market is getting smaller each year. Surely, the Japanese gaming industry can figure out things that can be done to change this. Until then, Kotaku has taken upon itself (you’re welcome) to come up with a short list of sure-fire ways that the domestic Japanese game…

Modders Drag Half-Life 2’s Graphics Kicking & Screaming Into 2010

Do you remember the awe you felt first firing up Half-Life 2 in 2004? Now fire it up in 2010. It’s more like “aawwww”. Flat textures, dull lighting. It’s a shame! What this game needs, then, is a makeover. A makeover like the one provided by Filip Victor. It adds HDR lighting, new models, new…

GOD EATER Eats Up Over 1 Million Demo Downloads

PSP game GOD EATER looks to be Namco Bandai’s take on the monstrously successful franchise Monster Hunter from Capcom. It also looks like it could be a hit for Namco Bandai. Besides custom clothing, GOD EATER allows players to customize their bullets with a “Bullet Edit” feature that allows for five different “Modules” with settings…

Nintendo President: Wii Not Out Of The Woods Yet

As 2009 rolled on, it looked like Nintendo’s Wii was finally running out of steam. But then Black Friday came along, and the console broke records. Same with December. Despite this, however, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is still urging caution. In an interview with Reuters following a rebound in the company’s share prices, Iwata said…

This Is It, The Michael Jackson PS3 Bundle

This is, ahem, it. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan is releasing a new bundle with the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It. Don’t be that surprised — Sony Pictures is releasing This Is It on Blu-ray and DVD. Priced at ¥33,500 (US$366), the bundle includes a 120GB Hard Disk Drive “Charcoal Black” PS3, a Blu-ray copy…

Kotaku Off Topic: Jigga Hirst

Kotaku’s first night in Las Vegas for this week’s Consumer Electronics Show—aka CES—has delayed the second night of Kotaku Off Topic. But we are determined to make the nightly TAY alternative a success. Wait. What is Off Topic again? Well, it’s not really about video games, but it’s open to video game discussion. It’s an…

Tennessean Plays GTA for 40 Hours Straight, Pees Three Times

Barely four months after an Indian equity broker logged a world record by playing Grand Theft Auto IV for 40 hours and 20 minutes, a 19-year-old college kid in Tennessee has beaten it. David Scherer (pictured), an honors student at Austin Peay (student section chant: “Let’s Go Peay!” True story.) logged his 40th hour, 21st…

Aion Players Hit Jackpot After Maintenance Goof

Maintenance on an Aion server yesterday caused a glitch that delivered more than 34 trillion Kinah – that’s Aion cash – to “a small number of players.” NCsoft was forced to do a server data rollback to correct the mistake. “Havoc broke out as players spent their ill gotten gains, mailed around coin, and awaited…

Is Google’s Nexus One A Gaming Contender?

Google has officially unveiled its Nexus One Android Phone, and while it’s certainly an attractive device, does it have what it takes to be a portable gaming platform? The Nexus One is the first handset designed entirely by Google, and to some, particularly those with mobile service providers other than AT&T, it might seem like…

Capcom’s France Boss: “The Future is on PS3 and 360”

Capcom’s director general for France sounds very pessimistic about development for the Wii, feeling that its user base has “radically changed” into something that is no longer interested in core games such as the poor-selling Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. “The customer of [the Wii] has turned into something [of a] much broader audience. It…

Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening Trailer

The trailer for the Awakening expansion to Dragon Age: Origins shows off some of the new faces we’ll encounter on our adventures in the new land of Amaranthine, along with the welcome return of a few more familiar ones. The rumored expansion became official reality this morning, and now BioWare has posted this trailer along…

Amazon Now Offering Cheap-O Xbox Live Subs

If your gold subscription to Xbox Live renews this month – or not, heck, this is a card with a code – Amazon is offering 12-month subscriptions for $34.99 which is 30 percent off. That means if you have the dough now, you can save yourself $15 later. I’d say this is a run-go-get it…

Goodbye Again

To: Ash From: Crecente We lost a second dog today: Ellie, our greyhound. She was 12. It’s been six days since we put Lucy down. Yesterday they discovered she had a rare disease that was attacking her kidneys. They also said that it was a zoonosis, a disease that can pass to humans. This morning…

Wife or Six-Foot Orc Statue? Warcraft Fan Forced to Choose

The Scottish Sun – “Scottish Newspaper of the Year” mind you – reports that a woman gave her 42-year-old husband an ultimatum: Ditch that six-foot-tall World of Warcraft orc statue, or I move to Canada. Who did he choose? Surprise! This is actually a story about rational people. He put the orc, which he’d owned…

Sign Up For The LEGO Universe Beta At CES

The LEGO Universe expands at CES 2010 this week, with hands-on demos, the first official gameplay trailer, and beta sign ups available for visitors to the annual trade show in Las Vegas. CES announced LEGO Universe’s presence at the show’s Gaming Showcase back in October, but it wasn’t clear to what extent NetDevil would be…

Bayonetta Review: To Infinite Climax Action And Beyond

Platinum Games has concocted a new brand of action hero in Bayonetta, an angel-slaying witch with long legs, long hair and a long list of heavenly creatures who want her dead. The action game directed by Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya offers a new alternative, but a familiar gameplay style for the fan of…

Being a parent of a small child, I have to say she’s missing the mark in her harsh assessment of what “games” can bring to her son. My daughter who is 2 1/2 years old has a leapster hand held. Even though its above her age category she’s gotten the hang of it and plays…

This Thing With Many Buttons… Explained

What is this? Where’s the joystick? Why so many buttons? Give up? Website GameSetWatch explains: Designed as a 16-button USB MIDI Board and controller, Dj TechTools’s Midi-Fighter is a DIY arcade-style kit that will surely stand out from most DJing equipment Still confused? Go read the full article and watch a video demonstration. And/or you…