The latest rumor to come from the pages of EGM lends further credence to one of last month's marketing leaks that Activision has gotten a little gung-ho with their plastic controllers. According to EGM's "skater spy," the next Tony Hawk game will feature a "new fancy plastic peripheral" (we're thinking something like the Wii Balance Board); for reference, the marketing leak called it "a new motion sensing board controller." Additionally, the game will supposedly not be developed by Neversoft, who at the moment have their hands full with Guitar Hero World Tour's peripherals.

We have a hard time imagining Neversoft, who created the Tony Hawk series and has worked on all previous iterations, not having a part in the next version. We've sent our network of spies into action and will let you know what we come up with.

[Via NWF]

Sony America bigwig Patrick Seybold tells GamePro that he's "not sure" where the image of PS2 games available on the PSN came from and "at this point" there are no announcements or plans of PS2 games for download on the PS3.

The user who originally posted the image on N4G said he received the pic from a Sony Europe insider and that the PS2 DLC will be unveiled at E3 in a couple weeks.

Last we heard in March, SOCOM: Confrontation was coming September 16 to PS3. If Gamestop is to be believed, that release date has been pushed back a month to October 14. We wouldn't be surprised if it was true, as our hands-on time with the game recently showed there was still a lot of work to be done. We've put in a call to developer Slant Six for an official response.

[Via PS Forums]

We're very relieved to know that the 20GB Xbox 360 model isn't advanced enough to experience the equivalent of a mid-life crisis. Not only are a string of alleged retailer ads knocking its asking price down to $299 in July, but an Opposable Thumbs source is suggesting that the model will soon be discontinued and replaced by younger, better model packing 60 gigglebytes.

Still, it's a rumor we've heard before (remember this?), one the "usually trustworthy source" indicates will become reality during E3. Fluctuating hard drive capacities, multiple SKUs and retired models: Welcome to the current generation!

Looks like Sony's planning to hog even more of your sweet, sweet download bandwidth via the PlayStation Store, if a rumor posted on the N4G forums is to be believed. According to the post, downloadable PS2 games will be announced at E3 next month and will appear on the store this summer.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is prominently featured in the "leaked" image; the other games we can make out are Fantavision, Red Faction, Ridge Racer V, Smuggler's Run, SSX, and ... well, we're not quite sure what that last one is. Keen-eyed readers to the comments page! the last one is The Bouncer. Thanks, readers!

The info supposedly originates from a Sony Europe insider, who informed the poster that the roll-out will actually occur in Europe before the rest of the world. (Which is contrary to Sony's usual M.O.) This rumor comes on the heels of an actual official announcement by Sony that it will finally introduce a movie / video download service for PS3 this summer. It seems like this summer will see the PS3 experience evolving quite a bit, especially if this rumor pans out.

According to Ars Technica, Capcom's two-dimensional return to tradition in Mega Man 9 may not be confined to WiiWare, as was originally revealed in the latest issue of Nintendo Power. The report notes that the game is currently listed as an Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network title on Capcom's E3 roster -- if true, Mega Man 9 would be the first downloadable game to jump through the doors of all three services.

Capcom remains quiet on the matter, however, telling us that we'll have to wait until E3 for further news. Given the publisher's continued support of both XBLA and PSN for its downloadable games, the blue bomber will likely stick with a multi-platform approach. We can't imagine how many gamers would be left seeking retrobution otherwise.

Update: Capcom has reaffirmed to Ars that Mega Man 9 is "WiiWare only."

Reader Ian G. recently submitted an image to us that he accidentally discovered using a StumbleUpon toolbar, which appears to be an early draft of an upcoming update for Team Fortress 2's most innocuous of classes, the Spy. The origins of said image are unknown -- perhaps it's a leak from Valve's vault? A convincing photoshop from a dedicated fan? Perhaps Ian is in possession of a magical StumbleUpon toolbar, capable of stumbling into the future?

While it certainly looks convincing, we're leaning towards "convincing photoshop" -- especially considering most of the text is copied and Elmer's school glued from Valve's official Pyro update. As credible as the new weapons (such as the silenced PPK and the Garrote) and achievements (Joykill: Backstab a laughing enemy) look, we doubt the legitimacy of these supposed details about our masked, nicotine-infused friend.

Update: Given the final line of the copyright information at the bottom of the page, which reads "Hoax by Ka anin :P!", we're ready to go ahead and file this one under B, for bunko.

Did you hear Alan Wake was confirmed to be shown at E3? How about Kid Icarus Wii? Half-Life 2 Episode 3? Doom 4? All these games have been listed on E3.net under the E3 Games tab. There's just one problem ... E3.net isn't the official E3 page. (If you're curious, here's the official site.)

Take note of the top banner, the bottom collection of links and all the latest news posts: yep, it's an UGO site. We've put in a call to their PR to see if there's any affiliation with the media summit, but that said, we doubt Microsoft, Nintendo, Valve or id Software would ever let these high-profile games be revealed so unceremoniously. Chalk this up as wishful thinking in the meantime.

New images are circulating around the 'net about Microsoft's supposed answer to PlayStation Home. Dubbed My GamerPad, the two images (which are said to have originated from the very dubious 4chan forums) show a crayola-esque logo and an Avatar waving to nobody in a pavilion.

While we're pretty confident with the information about Avatars, My GamerPad looks like bad Photoshopping from a questionable source. We've put in a request to Microsoft for a statement. Update: Official statement: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."

[Via X3F]

EGM's Quartermann has been in the business of rumor mongering for 20-odd years, but his latest tip-off has to be one of the more interesting we've seen yet. According to the Q-Man's most recent EGM column, Microsoft is set to announce that it will be licensing the core Xbox 360 tech to other companies. Meaning that they can then build their own 360 consoles, or other home electronics (TVs, Blu-ray Disc players) with "360 inside."

In setting up their E3 appointment with MS, New Zealand gaming blog Geekpulp reports that the company listed time on the itinerary to discuss two "surprise games" and one "surprise thing." That last one could be anything – 360 avatars, motion-tracking controllers, a scent-emitting peripheral – but the Geekpulp gang reckons it could be the hardware licensing deal.

If true, this wouldn't be the first time console makers have allowed other companies access to their technology. We've seen Aiwa's Mega Drive (Genesis) / Mega CD / boom box combo, a Pioneer Laserdisc player that ran TurboGrafx-16 games, and arcade machines that accepted Neo-Geo cartridges. Oh wait ... that was something totally different.

[Via X3F]

Forget about those fancy 3D graphics and newfangled, over-the-shoulder shooting mechanics you saw in your worst nightmares. According to the latest issue of Nintendo Power, Mega Man 9 is set to hop onto Nintendo's WiiWare service, complete with traditional, two-dimensional platforming and adorable retro graphics.

Scans of the magazine allegedly reveal that everybody's favorite robot boy will once again succumb to his rampant kleptomania, this time pilfering the powers of bossmen like: Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Plug Man ("Please purchase Mega Men one through eight!"), Concrete Man and the one that's sure to elicit a "woah, man," Splash Woman.

We've asked Capcom for comment, as well as permission to play the game immediately. Update: Permission denied, but game confirmed. If you want all the details, pick up this month's issue of Nintendo Power.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Despite being an obvious consideration for Sony Ericsson, the nigh mythical "PlayStation phone" has spectacularly failed to materialize -- outside of some dodgy patent drawings. If a recent report by Marketing News is to be believed, the project's current status is up in the air, flitting between sharply dressed men sitting in a board room.

According to the publication's sources, the relationship between Sony and Sony Ericsson has become "frosty," with alleged insider conversations asserting that the gaming giant will "never give its PlayStation branding" to a cellular project. There's been some hesitance on this subject before, with Sony Ericsson's Peter Ahnegard stating, "Up until today we haven't felt we could launch a PlayStation phone because it wouldn't be recognized as a true continuation of that brand of products." Marketing News also notes that sources in Japan and Korea point to the PSP being "converted" into a phone.

Is the PlayStation-branded phone's future in flux? Is such a thing even in development? Will we have it in our mitts during Christmas 2009? This one's too confusing to call.

PS3 Fanboy got a handful of tips this evening, purportedly sharing some screens of the PS3's long-promised "trophy" system, the console's would-be Gamerscore equivalent. From the looks of these screens – which have a couple things going for them: they're not blurry and that Clank avatar is real – the trophy system includes something that strongly resembles a Gamercard, including total number of trophies gathered along with a "Level" ostensibly gathered by collecting trophies of varying values.

PS3 Fanboy has a couple more pics, along with some extra rumors regarding the console's in-game XMB ("some things will require you to leave the game"), but we're guessing we won't know anything for sure until E3 rolls around next month. What say ye, internet detectives?

Many froth-mouthed fans of Blizzard's intergalactic real-time strategy masterpiece Starcraft have anxiously been awaiting word on when the next installment of the series would land in their anticipatory laps. Blizz has been characteristically tight-lipped about the title's launch window, though we were recently informed that an online SKU search for Starcraft II on Best Buy, Circuit City, and Gamestop's web sites reveal the same supposed release date of December 3, 2008. With no confirmation from Blizzard, it's far from official -- though we imagine this won't stop dedicated zerglings from dropping by the office tomorrow, and requesting off the last month of the year.

[Thanks, Chad.]

Following the tremendous success of Infinity Ward's well-received Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, fans were generally disappointed to learn that the next installment in the wartime franchise would not only have a different developer, but would also be replacing their M4s with M1s, taking the series back to its World War II roots. If a recently uncovered rumor is credible, we're not entirely sure these same fans would approve of Infinity Ward's plans to throw the bullet-riddled franchise into the DeLorean, gun it to 88, and take it to where they don't need roads.

This rumor (and accompanying clumsy "Back to the Future" reference) finds its origins in a statement from an Infinity Ward insider, who mentioned the company is working on "a sci-fi title", and that further details concerning said title may or may not be made available during E3. It's extremely possible that Infinity Ward would get their hands back on the Call of Duty franchise once Treyarch has had its way with it, but would they really introduce elements of unrealism into such a history-steeped series, or could they be working on an entirely new, space marine-flavored franchise?