Ahead of Guitar Hero: On Tour's release later this month, Nintendo has confirmed plans to release a new DS bundled with the portable rhythm game. First revealed in May by Activision publishing boss Mike Griffith last month, and later spotted where a kid can be a kid, the bundle is set for release on June 22 alongside the game, rather than a week later as previously reported.

An official price for the package, which will include a new black and silver DS Lite branded with the Guitar Hero logo, has not yet been announced. However, Toys 'R' Us earlier listed the bundle for $179.99 (a listing that has since been removed), giving rockers on the go an idea of how much to scrape together before going on tour.

Square Enix is releasing a Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII PSP bundle for Europe to coincide with its June 20 release. The bundle includes a PSP Slim with the above art and a copy of the game for 189,90 Euros (US $293.43). According to Amazon France, if you bought a PSP Slim (169,20 Euros) and Crisis Core (36,99 Euros) separately, it'd cost you 20,70 Euros (US $32) more, so it's definitely a good deal to pick up the bundle (assuming, of course, you don't already have a PSP).

Fun fact: When the title finally reaches Europe, it will have been over 9 months since the Japanese launch and 3 months since the North American debut.

We all enjoy value and convenience, and a new report suggests that Sony will offer both sometime down the line by bundling the earlier released Warhawk expansions, Omega Dawn and Operation Broken Mirror, together as a single download over PSN.

A release date for the descriptively titled Warhawk Combo Pack has not been announced. However, while we're left guessing what price the twofer will carry in North America, CVG reports that players in Europe can expect to pay just £4.99 for the bundle, a paltry sum considering each alone sold for £3.99 originally. We expect North American pricing to be announced soon, giving those players who have held off reason to dive in whenever the combo eventually comes in for a landing.

Sony has just confirmed to Joystiq that the 80GB PlayStation 3 SKU, bundled with Motorstorm, is no longer being supplied to retailers. "Retailers aren't getting any new inventory of the 80GB Motorstorm bundle," said a carefully worded statement issued by Sony.

This doesn't mean the 80GB model is out of production, merely that the focus is switching to the forthcoming 80GB bundle that features a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4 and a DualShock 3 (not be confused with the limited-edition "Gun Metal Gray" bundle available exclusively through Konami's website). We've sent a follow-up request to Sony asking for the official street date for the 80GB MGS4 bundle and will update if and when we hear back. Update: The 80GB MGS4 bundle is conveniently scheduled for release on June 12.

In order to remain competitive with Harmonix's pre-existing multi-instrument rockstar simulator, Activision's upcoming entry in their insanely lucrative franchise, Guitar Hero: World Tour, needs to match the price of the game it so closely resembles, Rock Band. According to a recent listing on Gamestop, it'll do just that -- the game alone will cost $59.99 on PS3 and 360 ($49.99 on Wii and PS2), a "guitar kit" bundle will run you $99.99, and the full band kit (which we assume will contain a guitar, a mic, and a drum kit) will run you $189.99 on 360, Wii and PS3, and $179.99 on PS2.

If these prices are accurate, you'll be paying $20 more for Activision's bundle than Harmonix's -- perhaps their five-piece drum kit costs more to produce than Rock Band's four-head. We don't mind shelling out the extra Jackson to get our hands on Activision's new skins -- the thousands of dollars we'll spend expanding our living room to contain two fake drum kits and four fake guitars, however, may have a noticeable impact on our finances.

[Thanks, Hashbrown Hunter.]

Konami has confirmed to Eurogamer that the UK will not be receiving the limited edition Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle. Not that many other people will be getting it either, mind you, as the Gun Metal Gray system is only available to Americans purchasing it through Konami's website. This is especially true considering the $599 asking price and the limited internet access provided within most asylums.

All European residents should be pleased to note that the "plain" Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle -- the one with the game, a black 40 gigger and a Sixaxis controller -- is still on track for a June 12th release at €439. It's not quite as fancy as the 80GB / Dual Shock 3 bundle in the US, but at least they all come with a pretty good game.

[Update: Several tipsters point to Play.com's "exclusive" listing of this very bundle. We're going to go with the publisher's word over a retailer listing, but we'll check with Konami again, just to be sure. Update 2: Konami has confirmed with us that the bundle will not be heading to the UK, calling the Play.com listing a "mistake."]

Not one to sit back and let the Sixaxis suffer into extinction, Sony Japan will carefully package the feathery gamepad into a trifecta of new Metal Gear Solid 4 bundles. Dubbed the "Welcome Box," the new limited edition bundle will be offered in three standard flavors (Clear Black, Ceramic White and Satin Silver) and will include a 40GB console, rumblin' DualShock 3 and copy of MGS4 -- oh, and yes, one's very own Sixaxis. The Welcome Box (shouldn't it be "Goodriddance Box?") will be made available in concurrence with the worldwide release of MGS4 on June 12 for a reasonable ¥49,800 (roughly $470). Comparatively, the "Hagane" Grey MGS4 bundle will retail for ¥51,800; and so essentially, Sony's offering a savings of ¥2,000 (about $20) to folks who adopt a Sixaxis. Too bad no Welcome Box's been announced for North America. We'd so love to join the cause: Save the Sixaxis!

We knew it was coming, but now we have a fancy press release in our inbox confirming it. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has officially announced a Grand Theft Auto IV bundle "exclusively" for the PlayStation 3. As you might expect, the bundle's release will coincide with that of the carjacking, city-wrecking romp on April 29th. The €439 (RRP) package will contain a 40GB PlayStation 3, a Sixaxis controller and ... we forget what the other thing was.

Metal Gear?! Such an exclamation will no doubt emanate from a friend's mouth as he steps into your extravagant living room and gazes upon a "Gunmetal Grey" PlayStation 3. Konami's Brandon Laurino has confirmed on the official PlayStation Blog that this "VERY, VERY Limited Edition" system will be available in North America as part of a special Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle. You may recall caressing its steel-colored curves (in your mind) back when it was unveiled as the 40GB 'Hagane' model in Japan.

Expect this Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle (not the only one) to arrive on the game's June 12th release date. Oh, and do invite us over so we can exclaim.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Swedish retailer Webhallen.com is listing a PS3 bundle for GTA IV at 4,499 SEK ($755). Engadget notes that there doesn't appear to be anything special about the bundle, unlike the not-sold-in-stores Xbox 360 GTA IV special edition.

We contacted Sony America who said that while it can't speak for Europe, "SCEA hasn't announced any GTA PS3 bundle." We've contacted Sony Europe to confirm the legitimacy of the listing and asked if there's anything special inside the box. We'll update when if we hear anything.

Update: UK retailer Shopto has confirmed to GI.biz that the bundle will go on sale the same day as the release of GTA IV, April 29th.

[Via Engadget]

That Famitsu scan failed to capture the true aesthetic of the gun-metal grey finish lathered atop Japan's limited edition Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3, so we're posting some proper porn here. Officially, the color is 'Hagane,' steel used for making Japanese blades and other tools. The bundle, which includes the 40GB console, a like-minded DualShock 3, and a special edition of MGS4, is scheduled to arrive June 12th for ¥51,800 ($520). A similar bundle has also been announced for the US market, though it will include an 80GB PS3, which we hereby dub the 'Pittsburgh.'

[Via Engadget]

Actually, the headline is headlyin' just a bit. Not only is Japan's forthcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle not made of steel, it's not particularly cheap either. The latest issue of Famitsu reports (translated by IGN) that a steel-colored PS3 will join a special edition of Konami's highly anticipated senile sneaker sim in a Japanese Premium Pack.

Approximately ¥51,800 ($515) will net Japanese consumers an alloyring PlayStation 3, a matching controller, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the Metal Gear Online starter pack and a special video disc no doubt packed with making-of fluff. And before you start importing, keep in mind that the US is also getting in on the bundling brouhaha this June.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Update: SCEA has confirmed the bundle via press release. The 'limited-edition' God of War Entertainment Pack will include a "Deep Red" PSP with Kratos 'silk-screened' on the back, a copy of the game, Superbad UMD, and a PSN voucher to download Syphon Filter: Combat Ops from the PC PlayStation Store. The bundle will be available in June for $199.99.

Original: Sony is planning to release a new PSP bundle this summer, which includes the upcoming PSP-exclusive God of War: Chains of Olympus, according to an announcement made at retailer conference Destination PlayStation today. The package will include the game, a UMD version of Superbad, a certificate for a PSN download, and a brand new red PSP system. This would be Sony's third PSP bundle in the US, following the Daxter and Star Wars Battlefront sets. Just as the Star Wars PSP features a Vader rendering on its backside, the red PSP will sport Kratos, no doubt mean muggin. The bundle is expected to retail for $199 and should be available in June.

Gaze upon the latest bundle for Japanese PlayStation 3 gamers. The Devil May Cry 4 40GB PS3 bundle comes in either black or white and includes a copy of Devil May Cry 4 (obviously) and a Blu-ray of bonus content. It will retail for 47,800 yen (approx. US $422), which is about 7,800 yen (US $69) more than the standalone 40GB model.

What makes this bundle interesting is that DMC4 is not an exclusive title. We're going to assume Sony struck some exclusive deal for bundling the game, although we'd love to see Microsoft unveil a DMC4 Xbox 360 bundle. It might actually help their hardware sales to confuse Japanese consumers thinking they just picked up a PS3. Devil May Cry 4 is due out January 31, 2008, in Japan and February 5 in North America.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Nintendo sure loves talking about things it dislikes. Recently we learned that Wii shortages were on the company's ever-growing list of pet peeves. Now, Reuters reports that Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is speaking up against unofficial Wii bundles, which force customers to buy the console with additional games and peripherals not of their own choosing.

We're all too familiar with Wii bundles, which artificially increase the price of the relatively cheap console. GameStop does it. Wal-Mart does it. Now, Reggie is expressing distaste over the practice, claiming that it masks the console's price advantage over its competitors, and forces customers to buy things they don't want.

Though Reggie states that Nintendo has contacted specific retailers to express their feelings, he does not address Reuters' question as to whether Nintendo threatened those retailers with fewer shipments. Reggie recently announced a plan to guarantee Wii consoles in 2008 to purchasers who pick up rain check certificates at GameStop retail locations later this week.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]