If your Wii is getting ready to overflow and you're looking for a reprieve from Nintendo in the form of a hard drive, it's time to accept purchasing some extra SD cards and erasing VC titles. Even with the announcement this morning of WiiWare, Nintendo isn't planning on making a hard drive for the system and expanding their measly 512MBs. CVG asked Nintendo if they are making a hard drive and were given a very clear, "No."

For some, the 512MB hasn't been enough, but unless you've been on a VC bender, it's still pretty difficult to fill up. Although, this small amount of space really doesn't stand up well against obvious future issues, especially once the ball really starts rolling on the Wii and more space is required. We're still hoping to put VC titles on SD cards, but a hard drive has to be somewhere in the future -- unless they just go with a Wii 2.0 option.

In a reversal of Sony's March assertion that they "don't have plans" to increase the PlayStation 3's hard drive size, Sony spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka now says the company is "considering" a version featuring a drive bigger than the 60GB existing model (and 20GB model that was discontinued in the USA five days ago). Does this mean a pending price drop for the 60GB PS3? Or will Sony blow our minds and bank accounts with a new $700 SKU?

[Via Fragland]

Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft's group product manager, told Game Theory yesterday that the 120GB external drive for the Xbox 360 is not overpriced at $179. Said Greenberg, "If you compare what we are offering with a real plug-and-play drive the closest thing would be to take a 120-gig self-powered external PC drive, and in that case we are seeing those retail at anywhere from $160 to $200 for comparable laptop-sized external hard drives."

Greenberg probably doesn't want you to know that he's wrong, but he's wrong. Sure, you can pay $200 for a 120GB drive if you really want to, but as with most products, there are plenty of deals to be had; unless you're locked into buying peripherals from a single manufacturer that controls its monopolistic pricing with a proprietary vice-grip. Which, in the case of the Xbox 360 ... you are. Though if Greenberg had said, "We own you. Deal with it," that might not have been as good for PR.

They own you. Deal with it.

Sixty gigabytes not enough for you to store all your pictures and movies on your PS3? Sure, you could use a USB hard drive to expand the space, but that's much too easy. For those masochists that just need to have that extra storage inside the system casing, there's now a MySpace page with detailed advice on how to install any 3.5" drive in your system.

For those of you who just need to have every USB device you own hooked up to the PS3 at the same time, the site also has video instructions for installing a USB hub to expand the four ports included with the system. Personally, we're too busy playing Resistance: Fall of Man to take the time to do any of this stuff, but for the hardware fetishists out there, go nuts.

Speaking with Major Nelson, Microsoft group product manager Aaron Greenberg speculated that a version of Xbox 360 specialized for IPTV and DVR activity was certainly possible. Greenberg admitted that "[Microsoft] did not build [Xbox 360] to be a high-definition DVR," suggesting an IPTV upgrade (i.e. larger hard drive) and IPTV-specific console "configuration" were both possible solutions to the inherent dilemma. Greenberg did note that a larger hard drive would only be necessary for DVR functionality -- IPTV could function with or without a hard drive.

While this is hardly confirmation that a new version of Xbox 360 is inbound, Greenberg's statements may indicate that Microsoft is closing in on a strategy for 360 v2; one that won't upset early adopters (at least, not as much). Marketing v2 as an IPTV/DVR device (PSX, anyone?) might be enough of a diversion to excuse the original Xbox 360's lack of substantial hard drive space and HDMI output. If that is to be the case, it will be imperative that all of the v2 components are available for the original console, including a free IPTV software installation (with purchase of contract, of course).

When thinking of gaming, the companies that make the storage medium are rarely thought of. Seagate, however, is offering up an interesting view of the future; a future that could effect the way we buy our games.

According to Seagate, they are working on a technology that will drastically increase the amount of data we store on hard drives. Using a technology called heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), the company expects to be able to shove 50 TB of information into a single square inch of drive space, or around 300 TB of information on a standard 3.5" drive. With that kind of space, the entire Library of Congress can be stored ... without any compression.

The technology is expected to become commercially viable in a scant three years, by 2010. This means we may be seeing the Xbox 720 and PS4 being entirely based around digital distribution or fully installed console games, mostly eliminating ugly load times and noisy disk drives. With that kind of space, we may never have to worry about filling it up; 300 TB can hold around 6,144 50 GB Blu-ray disks (or the entire Library of PS through PS3 games that could ever be created with room to spare).

Speaking with GamersReports, Xbox Group Product Marketing Manager Aaron Greenberg addressed concerns that Xbox 360's current 20 GB hard drive would not be sufficient for the forthcoming movie and television download service. When pressed for a solution, Greenberg offered up this workaround:

"I can tell you what people tell me they do to get around this. What they do is they put their Live account on a memory unit and then they have one hard drive that they put their games or related content on, and then they have another drive that they put their movies and TV on."

Of course! Why didn't we think of that? Duh, the 360 HDD is detachable -- just buy another! And $100 later, we've got enough room to store 5 hours of HD content on a separate drive. Wow, that's awful.

The good news is a larger hard drive will almost certainly hit the market. The even better news is there's already technology that will allow you to avoid buying any more of Microsoft's overpriced drives, big or small. Try Datel's XSATA ($49.99), which allows users to transfer data from the 360's HDD to another drive via PC connection. A quick search yields several 250 GB hard drive options hovering around the $100-mark. Do the math. That's more than 60 hours worth of HD movie and television content storage capacity -- for just $150. So much for Microsoft's "workaround."

The Nintendo Nsider Forums are lighting up with glee (and spilling onto Digg) at how horribly terrific it would be if Ridge Racer 7 required a 5 GB install on PlayStation 3's hard disk drive. Some generous (in favor of Sony) math calculates that the install would take 9 minutes and 46 seconds. The assumption is most PS3 games will require HDD dumps, forcing users to constantly install, erase, and reinstall -- these data chunks would fill up the drives fast; certainly the 20 GB model.

Here's what we know: Ridge Racer 7 will have an optional 5 GB HDD installation feature that's in place to speed up load times. Currently, Ridge Racer 7 and Genji (4 GB install) are the only games known to include this option. While this will almost certainly change, there's little reason to believe that HDD dumps will become a PS3 standard (unless you buy Sony's "it's not a console, it's a computer" mumbo jumbo).

Anyways, waiting 9 minutes and 46 seconds for data to install isn't as agonizing as we'd sometimes like to believe; especially if it's a one-time (or once in a while) procedure. On that note, let's wait this conundrum out for a while longer, watch how it develops.

Despite clear indication at X06 Korea, Microsoft insists there are no plans to release a 100GB hard drive for Xbox 360 next March. The official statement is as follows:

"The reference to a 100GB hard drive in a recent presentation in Korea has been misleading and in fact we have no plans to bring a 100GB hard drive to the market. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused."

When questioned, Microsoft reps did concede that a larger (more competitive) drive was still a possibility, but reiterated that such an accessory would not be announced in the near future.

Before jumping into Genji to deal some massive damage to historically accurate giant crabs (nyuk nyuk) during Sony's Gamer's Day event on Thursday, MTV News' Stephen Totilo noticed a curious menu option:

INSTALL

What's this all about? Totilo writes, "Also unexpected was a feature in Genji to install the game, committing 4GB of data from the game's Blu-ray disc to the PS3's hard drive -- a three-minute one-time-only procedure available from the game's start menu that a Sony rep said cuts down in-game load times from about 15 seconds to four seconds."

So, regardless of the debate about the relative read speeds of 2x Blu-ray drives and 12x DVD drives, we can all recognize the obvious benefits of having a hard drive included by default. Why Genji appears to be the only title sporting this option is another question. Did excessive load times in the PS3's first finished title necessitate extraordinary measures, or will most games offer this time-saving option, à la PC games.

HEXUS.gaming reports that a cache clear code has been discovered for the Xbox 360 hard drive via the dashboard's system blade. To perform the function, access 'memory' in the system blade, and then highlight the hard drive. Now press: Y, X, X, LB, RB, X, X. The following message should appear: "Do you want to perform maintenance on your Xbox 360 storage devices?"

If you initiate maintenance, the hard drive's cache will be cleared, including all software updates. Theoretically, this function could be used to un-update Oblivion in order to regain access to the unlimited gold and item duplication glitches. Note: we have not tested this function.

Update: corrected code.

See also: Oblivion patched for PC, 360 tomorrow

Our friendly anonymous source at Microsoft has provided us with a few more details concerning the 360 accessories announced back at E3.

Perhaps the most important involves the bundling of the Xbox Live Vision camera with a wired headset, the popular Live Arcade title UNO, and a month of Live Gold service for $39.99 when it releases in the States on September 19, 2006.

Granted, this is still an unofficial report (based on a leak of "official" info), so understand that you're probably not gonna get much confirmation from MS until they're good and ready to give it. If you'd like information on what other peripherals are coming out "Holiday 2006" (so sometime in the 4th quarter) and at what price, read on for more.

PC World's list of top 100 tech products of the year praised our sister blog Engadget and gave Apple lots of love but the categorical winner of the list is undoubtedly gaming. The following products aren't all directly gaming related (you could use some of them to run spreadsheets) although there's a quite clear video gaming subtext underlying many of the choices. Lets just say that they're as close to being gaming technology as Uri Geller is to being locked up in an asylum.

1. Core Duo - the first chip to enable desktop level performance in games on laptop computers.
2. Athlon 64 X2 - for that ultimate gaming rig you always wanted (but couldn't, and still can't, afford).
10. Boot Camp - Apple's Mac gaming solution.
16. GeForce 7600GT - hits that price/performance sweet spot.
19. Guitar Hero - we think that this is some kind of video game.
55. Raptor X - 10,000RPM Hard Drives were invented for gaming.
58. X1900 XTX - ATI's biggest, baddest GPU. Stupid name though.
63. A8N32 mobo - it's all about the SLI, baby.
89. Xbox 360 - we've heard of this! Isn't it designed to hold your lunch?
92. GeForce 7900 GTX - nVIDIA's biggest, baddest GPU. Stupid name though.

I personally own several products identical or similar to products on this list (a MacBook with a Core Duo CPU running Windows via Boot Camp is being used to write this post - I'm off for some Eve Online in a sec). Do you agree with these choices? What's missing?

P.S. If anyone from PC World is reading this, I apologize for desecrating your logo.

[Update: "top tech," not "top ten tech". Thanks Ahms!]

Can't get enough Phil Harrison in your life? Check out this video from the media Q&A following his GDC keynote for 20 minutes of Phil-y love (and maybe a few furtive glances from Kaz Hirai sitting in the background).

We just love how Phil "swerve[d] a couple of the questions" regarding the hard drive and other hardware-related issues, but we also like how he managed to clarify those questions regarding "content offerings" that will be charged at a "premium," though he did say that there were "no plans to charge for [multiplayer gaming] at the moment."

But, yeah, Mr. Harrison wasn't as combative in his answers as some media outlets portrayed him, which is another great step for platform executives who tend to make rather grandiose statements and fiery claims. If you want to see as well as hear the Phil handle all comers, this is one of your best chances yet. We'd love to hear it all clearly in English at E3, too.

[Thanks, Fan; video courtesy of Jean-Baptiste Su of Citizen Valley]

During a recent conversation with CNN (focused on cheaper game prices), Nintendo President Satoru Iwata suggested that the Revolution would support a multitude of storage options. Referring to the console's USB ports, Iwata confirmed that "practically any storage method can be used."

The Nintendo Revolution will not feature an internal hard drive. Instead, the unit will utilize 512 MB of flash memory and built-in SD memory card support. In addition, Iwata's remarks imply that Nintendo intends to, ultimately, leave the best storage solution up to the consumer's discretion — a freedom that could give Nintendo an edge (in terms of consumer satisfaction) over Sony and Microsoft. For example, a quick search on Circuit City's website yields Seagate's 160 GB external drive for only $60 (with rebate). Compare that to Microsoft's $100, 20 GB 360 HDD (also manufactured by Seagate). No contest.

Memory options will be important for gamers looking to stockpile the Revolution's Virtual Console titles. Iwata noted that aside from classic games, Nintendo plans to issue new titles through the download service as well. But does the storage freedom mean a loss of security for Nintendo? That is, will this decision increase the prevalence of homebrew apps, including emulators that already run all of those classic games, on the Revolution? It's a tough call.

[Thanks for the artwork & additional info Rosco!]