Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/JoystiqThe Joystiq Podcast combines insightful commentary on the week's video game news and culture with several disembodied, often spooky, voices. Voices may or may not belong to Chris Grant, Ludwig Kietzmann, Joystiq.com editors, or their guests. Spookiness not guaranteed where prohibited, please check local laws. More information available at www.joystiq.comRumorong: Rock Band tracks not on South Park: Season 11 DVDshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/rumorong-rock-band-tracks-with-south-park-season-11-dvds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/rumorong-rock-band-tracks-with-south-park-season-11-dvds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/rumorong-rock-band-tracks-with-south-park-season-11-dvds/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The website which reported that three Rock Band tracks would be packaged with the South Park: Season 11 DVDs has now taken that bit of info back. TVShowsonDVD.com says that a Paramount representative informed them the information was incorrect, but that there will be other bonus materials in the release. South Park's eleventh season had the infamous "Guitar Queer-o" episode.

Considering South Park had an entire episode about Guitar Hero, it would have been a little weird if the DVDs came with Rock Band downloads. However things got mixed up, it's a little sad to see the info turn out false -- unless the "bonus materials" end up being Guitar Hero III tracks.

[Via X3F]
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]]>guitar-heroguitar-hero-3guitar-hero-iiiguitar-queerorock-bandrumorongsouth-park2008-05-16T17:30:00+00:00Breaking: LucasArts leaves the ESA [update]http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/lucasarts-leaves-the-esa/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/lucasarts-leaves-the-esa/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/lucasarts-leaves-the-esa/#commentsFiled under:


Joystiq has just confirmed with the Entertainment Software Association that LucasArts is no longer a member of the organization, but will still feature at E3. "Today, we can confirm that one of our members, LucasArts, has decided not to renew its membership. We value each member of our association, but respect the unique factors that led to LucasArts' decision," ESA Senior VP of Communications Rich Taylor said in a statement (copied in full after the break).

Recently, Activision and Vivendi also left the ESA. We're currently seeking a statement from LucasArts and will update. Update: LucasArts has sent us a statement as well (full text after the break) confirming it is no longer with the ESA, but supports the organization's mission in the industry. LucasArts also confirms it will still attend E3.

Continue reading Breaking: LucasArts leaves the ESA [update]

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]]>breakingnewsesalucasarts2008-05-16T16:53:00+00:00EA deadline to Take-Two shareholders ends tonighthttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/ea-deadline-to-take-two-shareholders-ends-tonight/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/ea-deadline-to-take-two-shareholders-ends-tonight/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/ea-deadline-to-take-two-shareholders-ends-tonight/#commentsFiled under:


There are a little over 12 hours to go before EA's $25.74 per share deadline for Take-Two ends at 11:59PM EDT. Analyst Michael Pachter told Forbes (via GamePolitics) that EA started off too high with its $26 a share offering and should have started around $22 back then. Meanwhile, analyst Colin Sebastian tells the San Francisco Chronicle he believes the deal is going to get "hammered out," possibly at a higher price.

As of this writing, Take-Two's stock is trading around $27 per share, but EA could be buying up all those shares with its billion dollar loan for all we know. Word on the street is that something could happen Monday, but the only certainty right now is tonight's deadline.
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]]>buyouteahostile-takeovertake-twotakeover2008-05-16T12:15:00+00:00Konami whips up profits in last fiscal yearhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/konami-whips-up-profits-in-last-fiscal-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/konami-whips-up-profits-in-last-fiscal-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/konami-whips-up-profits-in-last-fiscal-year/#commentsFiled under:


Konami's fiscal year ending March 31 enjoyed a good rotation around the sun with $175 million in profit, an increase of 13% over the prior year. GameDaily reports the publisher saw revenues of $2.8 billion, thanks to numerous titles in Japan, Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii in North America and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 in Europe.

The company gave guidance that it expects revenues of $3.15 billion this fiscal year; probably due to a game called Metal Gear something and continued strong sales of its numerous franchises. We're certainly curious to see how Rock Revolution -- and its drums o' doom -- will do this fall.
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]]>konamiprofitsrock-revolutionsales2008-05-16T10:50:00+00:00Sony unveils first-party PSP and PS3 release listhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/sony-first-party-psp-and-ps3-release-list/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/sony-first-party-psp-and-ps3-release-list/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/sony-first-party-psp-and-ps3-release-list/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Although this information has been reported on in one form or another, here's the condensed list of Sony's first-party titles coming out for PSP and PS3 in the foreseeable future:
Dates, titles and everything else are subject to change without warning. If it's LittleBigPlanet though, you'll probably hear quite a bit of whining from us first.
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]]>releasesony2008-05-16T10:20:00+00:00Sony finds Harrison's replacement in Shuhei Yoshidahttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/sony-finds-harrisons-replacement-in-shuhei-yoshida/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/sony-finds-harrisons-replacement-in-shuhei-yoshida/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/sony-finds-harrisons-replacement-in-shuhei-yoshida/#commentsFiled under:

Sony has finally settled on an executive to fill the shoes of former Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president (and Infogrames' current Directeur Général Délégué) Phil Harrison, with the company handing the baton over to the US division's senior vice president Shuhei Yoshida. The exec is something of a familiar face around the Sony camp, having first joined the company in 1986 before moving on to SCEI in 1993, where we can thank him for being one of the initial forces behind getting the original PlayStation off the ground.

Yoshida was elevated to his most recent role in February 2007, and will begin calling the shots at SCE WWS starting, well, now. His plans for the company at this point remain anyone's guess, with Sony front man Kaz Hirai boasting only that the company "will reinforce our software business by further enhancing coordination among the studios under a new leader." Let us at least hope that part of that plan includes completing the work Harrison started and getting Home out the door someday sooner rather than later.
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]]>breakingnewssce-wwssceiscewwsShuhei-YoshidaShuheiYoshidasony2008-05-16T00:30:00+00:00April NPD: GTA IV, Mario Kart Wii race to the tophttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/april-npd-gta-iv-mario-kart-wii-race-to-the-top/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/april-npd-gta-iv-mario-kart-wii-race-to-the-top/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/april-npd-gta-iv-mario-kart-wii-race-to-the-top/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Things that won't surprise you

April proved to be yet another lucrative month for the ol' gaming biz, with total industry sales reaching $1.23 billion, reports GameDaily. Software sales in particular grew to $654.7 million, an increase of 68% carried on the fine leather seats of Grand Theft Auto IV's recently stolen convertible. Rockstar's urban riffraff romp sold 2.85 million copies -- that's 1.85 million on Xbox 360 and 1 million on PS3 -- while Nintendo's Wii took the top spot in hardware sales. Mario Kart Wii, however, had to settle for second place.

Things that will surprise you

It was a photo finish for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but the photographers had likely packed up and left for the day by the time the steeds reached the finish line. Selling 188K and 187.1K units respectively, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were thoroughly bested by the systems that didn't have GTA IV. We'd feel a bit silly if we were them.

- Wii: 714.2K 6.8K (0.94%)
- DS: 414.8K 283.2K (40.6%)
- PSP: 192.7K 104.3K (35.1%)
- Xbox 360: 188K 74K (28.2%)
- PS3: 187.1K 69.9K (27.2%)
- PS2: 124.4K 91.6K (42.4%)

You'll find the top ten in software sales after the break.

Continue reading April NPD: GTA IV, Mario Kart Wii race to the top

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]]>BreakingNewsGTAIVMario-Kart-WiiMicrosoftNintendoNPDRockstarSony2008-05-15T19:45:00+00:00Nintendo ordered to pay $21 million for patent infringementhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/nintendo-ordered-to-pay-21-million-for-patent-infringment/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/nintendo-ordered-to-pay-21-million-for-patent-infringment/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/nintendo-ordered-to-pay-21-million-for-patent-infringment/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Nintendo has been ordered to pay $21 million to Anascape Ltd. for infringing on a patent with its Gamecube and Wii Classic controllers. The AP reports Anascape Ltd., a "small East Texas gaming company," also sued Microsoft, but that was settled out of court. Nintendo says it will appeal the decision.

A representative for Nintendo stated that no infringement was found in any of the Wii's motion-sensing technology and it expects that on appeal the award to Anascape will be reduced "significantly." Remember kids, if you want to stick it to some big corporation in the future and cash in, just make patents for everything imaginable.
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]]>anascapeinfringementnintendopatent2008-05-15T11:35:00+00:00CBS to buy GameSpot, rest of CNet for $1.8bhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/cbs-to-buy-gamespot-rest-of-cnet-for-1-8b-in-cash/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/cbs-to-buy-gamespot-rest-of-cnet-for-1-8b-in-cash/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/cbs-to-buy-gamespot-rest-of-cnet-for-1-8b-in-cash/#commentsFiled under:

CBS will pay $1.8 billion in cash to become the proud parent of CNet and its spawn GameSpot in a deal that's expected to close in the third quarter pending shareholder and regulatory approval. The acquisition values the company at $11.50 per share, a 45% premium over CNet's closing stock price on Wednesday, reports the Associated Press. Sheesh! Well, CBS, you've just been robbed "welcome to the internets" ... but as The Washington Post puts it, you've certainly got your work cut out for you not to become known as "CNet Buy Sunk."
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]]>breakingnewscbscnetgamespot2008-05-15T10:44:00+00:00Analyst: Don't expect a PS3 price cut this yearhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/analyst-dont-expect-ps3-price-cut-this-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/analyst-dont-expect-ps3-price-cut-this-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/analyst-dont-expect-ps3-price-cut-this-year/#commentsFiled under: ,


Lazard Capital analyst Colin Sebastian believes a price cut for the PS3 is unlikely this year. He states that Sony management is focused on achieving profitability in the PlayStation division and that a PS3 price cut won't happen in the near term.

Sony expects to sell 10 million PS3s this year, doubling the global number of systems stationed on our little big planet. With the HD movie war in the bag and an increase in HD television adoption, it's not unreasonable to assume the PS3 being people's go-to movie player. As this blogger's mother put it, "Why would I @$%&ing pay for a basic Blu-ray player when I can get a PS3 for the same price? I want to play my Final Fantasy. When is my Final Fantasy coming out?"
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]]>price-cutprice-dropps32008-05-15T10:16:00+00:00Sony sells 9 million PS3s, sets bar (slightly) higher for '08http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/sony-sells-9-million-ps3s-sets-bar-slightly-higher-for-08/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/sony-sells-9-million-ps3s-sets-bar-slightly-higher-for-08/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/sony-sells-9-million-ps3s-sets-bar-slightly-higher-for-08/#commentsFiled under: ,


GameDaily brings news that the house Ken Kutaragi built -- and Kazuo "Kaz" Hirai currently holds the lease to -- has dropped farm factory-fresh PS3 sales data in parent Sony Corp's latest earnings report. The bottom line: 9.24 million PS3s were sold world-wide during FY08, and SCE projects bettering that by 8% for the current period ending March 2009, expecting its FY09 unit sales to number at least 10 million.

PS3 sales for FY08 were up a whopping 156% over FY07, which saw only 3.61 million systems leave the warehouse. Despite the impressive upturn, Sony's current-gen box continues to trail behind PSP and last-gen's champ, PS2, which sold 13.39m and 13.73m units during the same period, respectively. Still, Next-Gen reports that SCE has managed to make a significant dent in its losses over FY07 (￥124.5 billion [US$1.18b], down from ￥232.3b [US$2.21b]) and predicts that it will finally be back in the black by this time next year.
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]]>breakingnewsbusinesshardwareps3salessony2008-05-14T18:45:00+00:00No WoW causes Vivendi Q1 sales to drop 24%http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/no-wow-causes-vivendi-q1-sales-to-drop-24/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/no-wow-causes-vivendi-q1-sales-to-drop-24/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/no-wow-causes-vivendi-q1-sales-to-drop-24/#commentsFiled under:


Vivendi Games, soon to merge with Activision and become the goliath Activision Blizzard, saw its sales fall 24% from Q1 last year, thanks to the lack of a World of Warcraft expansion. The percentage may be down, but the money still flows like an Azerothian river, with Blizzard contributing €192 million of Vivendi's €221 million in sales this quarter. Vivendi also announced that WoW added another 700,000 players and the Sierra divisions performed "slightly higher" than last year.

With Vivendi expecting the next WoW expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, sometime later in 2008, we'll plan on a Naaru size jolt to Activision Blizzard's cash flow at that time. For now, Vivendi will just have to enjoy the disgusting amounts of cash it gets from WoW, instead of the nauseating amounts Activision Blizzard will make from the WotLK release.
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]]>activision-blizzardblizzardsierravivendivivendi-gamesworld-of-warcraftwow2008-05-14T18:15:00+00:00Microsoft: 10m Xbox 360s sold in US, the 'first this generation' [update]http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/microsoft-10m-xbox-360s-sold-in-us-the-first-this-generation/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/microsoft-10m-xbox-360s-sold-in-us-the-first-this-generation/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/microsoft-10m-xbox-360s-sold-in-us-the-first-this-generation/#commentsFiled under: ,

Microsoft has announced that Xbox 360 has become "the first current-generation gaming console" to break the 10 million threshold for units sold in the US. According to NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier (via CNET), the Wii stands at 8.8 million and the PlayStation 3 at 4.1 million units sold.

Much as we did yesterday with Nintendo's announcement of having sold 6 million Wiis in Japan, let's break this number down. Assume the Xbox 360 hit 10 million as of midnight May 14, or 903 days since its November 22, 2005 launch.
  • At a population of 301.4million, that's approximately 3.32% of all people in the US.
  • Using the 903 metric, the Xbox 360 has therefore sold 11,074 per day, 461 per hour and 7.7 units per minute.
Microsoft also announced 12 million global members of Xbox Live and 19 million Xbox 360 units sold worldwide, which they claim is "more than any other current-generation console." Update: GameDaily contacted Microsoft to remind them that the Wii is currently sitting at 25 million worldwide, to which they said, "we apologize for any confusion. Xbox 360 has the largest global install base of any current gen, high definition gaming console" (emphasis added).
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]]>breakingnewsbusinessmicrosoftsalesusxboxxbox-3602008-05-14T17:45:00+00:00Age of Conan early access 'sold out'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/age-of-conan-early-access-sold-out/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/age-of-conan-early-access-sold-out/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/age-of-conan-early-access-sold-out/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Those who wanted to pay extra to explore Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures' lands a little early are probably going to be upset to discover that "early access" is now sold out. A post on the MMORPG's official forums gives little explanation as to why this occurred, but eagle-eyed players who read the fine print point to Funcom having discussed limited availability.

Looks like MMO players will need to find some other game to grind in until Conan officially begins next week.

[Via Massively]
%Gallery-6912%
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]]>age-of-conanage-of-conan-hyborian-adventuresearly-accessearly-access-keyearly-access-program2008-05-14T16:15:00+00:00Sega Sammy posts loss, job cuts imminenthttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/sega-sammy-posts-loss-job-cuts-imminent/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/sega-sammy-posts-loss-job-cuts-imminent/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/sega-sammy-posts-loss-job-cuts-imminent/#commentsFiled under:

It's no wonder Sonic is looking blue these days (har har). Sega Sammy has reported a ¥52.47 billion (US $501 million) loss in its fiscal year 2008, with sales of ¥458.98b (US $4.38b). Comparatively, the company posted ¥43.46b net income (¥95.93b difference) with ¥528.4b in sales (¥69.4b difference) in fiscal year 2007.

According to GameDaily, Sega's entertainment group will be cutting 400 jobs and close 110 facilities. The company is predicting that fiscal year 2009, which ends in March 2009, will see a net income of ¥5b with sales of ¥470b.
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]]>businesslosssammysegasonic2008-05-14T14:15:00+00:00Dyack may step down as head of Silicon Knights [update]http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/dyack-may-step-down-as-head-of-silicon-knights/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/dyack-may-step-down-as-head-of-silicon-knights/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/dyack-may-step-down-as-head-of-silicon-knights/#commentsFiled under:


GameDaily has an interview with Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack where he talks about stepping down as head of the studio. He won't leave the company, but merely let someone else take over the business side while he focuses on creative. He admits it'll be a little "weird," but as the company continues to grow, he'd like to stay focused on making new IPs.

Dyack having a boss could be just what the company needs. Silicon Knights has notoriously slow development cycles and having an "evil" business director cracking the whip might help. We can only imagine what other projects the studio could have been working on had Too Human come out years ago as planned; instead of stumbling in this August.

Update: Dyack told GameSpot, "I was as surprised to see this as everyone else. I am not stepping down." The original quote Dyack gave to GameDaily: "So, in the end as the company grows, for my role I'll probably hire someone to be my boss and help run the company, which is kind of a weird thing, and I actually won't run the company while I continue to work at what is the company's bread and butter, which is original IPs with great stories and game concepts that are provocative to gamers."
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]]>denis-dyackdyacksilicon-knightssiliconknightstoo-human2008-05-14T13:45:00+00:00NSFW: Sony's Euro PS3 thumb for a penis adhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/nsfw-sonys-euro-ps3-thumb-for-a-penis-ad/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/nsfw-sonys-euro-ps3-thumb-for-a-penis-ad/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/nsfw-sonys-euro-ps3-thumb-for-a-penis-ad/#commentsFiled under:


The image above is not the complete ad from Sony's European ad agency, TBWA\Wien, but we have placed the full monty (literally) after the break. When viewer's eyes wander south they will not be greeted by a penis, but by a well manicured thumb where a penis should be, which, believe it or not, is actually a thousand times more frightening.

Ads of the World posted this Austrian PS3 ad which continues to make us scratch our heads as to why Sony only fired TBWA from doing its American ads. As this blogger has received about 10 IMs in the last twenty minutes asking if I've seen the Sony Europe ad yet, one could say the piece is doing its job. Whether its doing the right job is a whole other debate.

[Via GayGamer, PS3 Fanboy]

Continue reading NSFW: Sony's Euro PS3 thumb for a penis ad

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]]>adadvertisingcommercialeuropeps3tbwatbwavienvien2008-05-14T11:08:00+00:00MGS4 ads: Evil is powerful, but courage is Solidhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/mgs4-ads-evil-is-powerful-but-courage-is-solid/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/mgs4-ads-evil-is-powerful-but-courage-is-solid/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/mgs4-ads-evil-is-powerful-but-courage-is-solid/#commentsFiled under: ,

So, there's this game called Metal Gear Solid 4 ... it's apparently a big deal for the PlayStation 3. Well, above is the movie-style trailer (with movie-voice guy) for those interested in watching it. No pressure. Watch it, don't watch it. We wish there was more we could do to generate hype for this indie title made in some guy named Hijeo Koshima Hideo Kojima's garage on a shoe-string budget.

After the break you'll find three ads involving MGS4. It's really nice to see Sony taking an interest in this title. It warms our cockles to see a giant corporation give support to a game featuring geriatrics at war.

Continue reading MGS4 ads: Evil is powerful, but courage is Solid

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]]>adadscommercialkojima-productionskonamimetal-gear-solid-4metalgearsolid4mgs-4mgs4trailer2008-05-14T04:00:00+00:00Georgia offers tax breaks to game industryhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/georgia-offers-tax-breaks-to-game-industry/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/georgia-offers-tax-breaks-to-game-industry/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/14/georgia-offers-tax-breaks-to-game-industry/#commentsFiled under: ,


Apparently game developers can hitch a ride with the devil if they're looking for some tax breaks. According to the Duluth Weekly, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act, which gives financial incentives to film, TV and game development. Bill Thompson, deputy commissioner of the Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office, points out the law makes Georgia one of the few states with incentives for the video game industry.

The signing took place at the studios of Turner Broadcasting, which not only runs several television stations, but also GameTap. The new incentives offer a 20% tax credit, with an additional 10% if it includes an animated Georgia promotional logo in the finished product. So, go on down to Georgia, developers. If you can survive the summers, they're giving away free money.

[Via GamePolitics]
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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

]]>georgiaperduesonny-perduetax-breakstaxbreaks2008-05-14T01:00:00+00:00Rumor: Xbox 360 slimming down in 2009 [update]http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/rumor-360-slimming-down-in-2009/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/rumor-360-slimming-down-in-2009/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/rumor-360-slimming-down-in-2009/#commentsFiled under: ,

Since it won't go anywhere near the Wii Fit balance board and is extremely likely to die during a heated workout, your obese Xbox 360 isn't going to get thinner in its lifetime. No, that's what the "Xbox 540" replacement is for, claims TG Daily. The site reckons that Microsoft will release a "mid-cycle refresh" of the system in Fall 2009, one built around a new and more compact "Valhalla" internal chipset. (Have we introduced you to Jasper yet?)

The shrinking of innards will reportedly allow a redesign of the system's exterior, much like the PlayStation 2's second iteration. Our fancy next-gen games may be getting bigger on the screen, but much like our Wiis, it seems we'll end up with something smaller to play with. On. Play games on. Multiplayer games. Curses! is there any way out of that one?

Update: Microsoft says it has "no plans to release a new console in 2009."

[Via X3F]
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SPONSORED BY: Age of Empires III - Real-Time Strategy Game Control a European power on a quest to colonize and conquer the New World. AOE3 introduces new gameplay elements, as well as new civilizations, units, and technologies. http://www.ageofempires3.com/

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