The images make up a chart of pricing for the motion control gaming setups that has Kinect coming out cheapest, with Nintendo second and Sony last with the PlayStation Move.

This has garnered quite a big debate as of late, due to the fact that Microsoft has included a balance board in the Wii list of items and two navigation controllers on the PlayStation list, which some argue isn’t required as you are able to use existing PS3 controllers instead to save money.

This is an argument that can go either way, depending on how each company chooses to market it – the PlayStation Move offers a cheaper upfront cost if you start with just a one or two player setup. Meanwhile, the Kinect is probably the cheapest overall system because it doesn’t require any add-ons or controllers – something that is also touted as its limiting factor.

Source: Kotaku via Aiming at Gaming

There’s obviously enough of the ‘love’ out there for a million to be sold though, and with many of these tiny-sized applications offering more palytime than a full retail game, its for good reason they sell well. It is still a longshot off the iStore app-madness that ahs gripped the nation though, as a million digital sales is a mere speck compared to the number of Apps sold on the iPhone each week.

Still, it is still a positive turn of events for Sony and hopefully it means future support is guaranteed, something that doesn’t seem to be required these days.

This tactic is not uncommon, as it has been employed by a number of games in an attempt to balance high quality graphics with stable frame rates. In fact, Rockstar’s own Grand Theft Auto IV was one such game to use the technique. However, the Xbox 360 iteration is said to be running at a more crystal clear, 720p.

There is no direct confirmation on this at the moment, so don’t jump the gun just yet. We’ll let you know when we hear more.

Not only does LittleBigPlanet jump from just a platformer to pretty much any genre the player wants it to be, it is also pushing forward the accessibility of the game to the point where you will be able to view any game photos and new levels as they are added, by going to a dedicated website.

The new website will be LBP.me, but is currently a non-existent site (no surprise). Players will also have social media-esque functionality through the website, with a unique page for each player, for example LBP.me/smokeybeef (SmokeyBeef being my PSN name).

To improve level sharing, you will be able to queue levels using a normal internet browser, which will then automatically download when you sign into the game on your PlayStation 3. As if that isn’t enough, each level will also have its own URL and something called a ‘QR code’ which can be shared over mobile, PlayStation Eye or any other similar means.

LittleBigPlanet 2 is shaping up to be a worthy sequel to a brilliant game. Oh, it’s backwards compatible too.

The details, which were posted on the new site (http://callofduty.com/blackops/) were quite scarce, but it has been revealed in a tweet that the first proper trailer will be going live tonight on SpikeTV. Here is the full tweet from @treyarch:

“The world-premier teaser for the next Call of Duty airs Friday NIGHT (12:40AM) on SpikeTV! http://bit.ly/9TF07″

Well, that’s everything I’m afraid, for any more details on the game itself you’ll just have to wait until the official teaser is launched later today.

Patrick Seybold, PlayStation representative, has tweeted the following:

“Congrats to Bungie. Marrying their creative minds and incredible talent to the power of PS3 will be like giving PS3 fans Halo on steroids.”

This shows that Sony, or at least Seybold, is extremely happy with this turn in events and could very well lead to some promising results for all those involved. One thing for sure is; it definitely will not be a new Halo as Microsoft own the rights to that game not Bungie.

The service is aimed at PS3 owners who are finding the space on their console is running out too fast, but don’t feel confident enough to change the HDD themselves (even though Sony made it mega easy). This upgrade doesn’t come for free though, consumers will have to dish out ¥18,000 to give their black beast a bigger storage capacity.

This is perfect for those too scared, or just too lazy, as it includes all the work required; from backing up and restoring data on the new drive to buying the hard drive itself. If this sounds good to you (and you happen to live in Japan) then head on over to the official SCEJ hard drive swapping service page.

As we informed you a couple of days ago, FW 3.21 removes the ‘Other OS’ option on PS3s, similar to the PS3 Slim. However, new details have come to light:

1. The playback of certain PlayStation software titles has been improved – this seems to appear in every update though, so don’t go crazy with joy (I know you want to!).
2. MP4 video playback has an improved security, with some key vulnerabilities being removed. Again, calm yourself down.

That’s it! Yup, no massive new feature like cross game chat (do we really need it?) etc. Now you can go giddy with the joy of learning the true nature of PS3 FW 3.21.

Thanks go to TheSixthAxis

I’m not too sure if this is going to cause an uproar really; it’s a shame to lose features rather than gain them and it is presumably stemming from that GeoHot hack. Some are saying it is Sony being to lazy to fix the security, while others believe they are just playing it safe and plugging the potential security hole before it gets too late.

Either way – you will need to update if you want to continue to use your PS3 to play games online or do anything else that involves the PSN for that matter. And you can’t play games that require this version or higher in future. With 3D firmware coming soon, I can’t see too many holding on to that Other OS feature much longer.

The good news is, Infinity Ward have come up with the perfect cure, and it will be out at the end of this month!

To rid yourself of Mapathy for a period of time, simply obtain the latest Modern Warfare 2 DLC when it is released on March 30th. Unfortunately, all those sufferes on the PC or PlayStation 3 will have to wait a month longer for the MW2 DLC cure, as it is exclusive to Xbox 360 until then.

“Mapathy (n.) (or map-uh-thee – often expressed as, “How the hell did you know I was there?!”) is a state of indifference to the same old maps one has been playing for the last several months. The Mapathetic individual no longer derives pleasure from blowing up people hiding in the cockpit or on top of the crane. More than 20 million people may be at risk for Mapathy.”

Source

The official website also contains a number of countdowns to locked areas of the website, presumably so they can drip-feed information to the Sonic fans worldwide and bring the old hype train out of its station. There are three interesting things to note from the website:

• It clearly states ‘Episode 1′ under the Sonic The Hedgehog 4 logo – so it will be an episodic game
• The game is to be released digitally, via the PSN, Live and Wiiware platforms.
• There is another platform (or platforms) that are currently hidden – possibly iPad/iPhone?

If you want to see the trailer, you will have to go over to Gamespot for now, as they have an exclusive on it – but we’ll get a video here as soon as it gets YouTube’d.

PlayStation 3 Slim (250GB) bundle offer

Amazon are offering a great deal to everyone looking to buy a PS3 slim, specifically the larger hard drive version, which boasts a massive 250GB of disk space to save films, TV shows, music, games and more.

The deal:

• Buy PlayStation 3 Slim (250GB) for £269.99
• Get a free game: EyePet (with camera) or Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Free HDMI cable
• Pay an extra £15 and get another game from a list that includes Darksiders, Bayonetta (recommended), Army of Two: 40th Day and more.

Go to the PlayStation 3 Slim (250GB) bundle offer on Amazon UK

The usual process of updating applies – simply start up the game as normal from the XMB and you will be prompted to download the 1.06 patch (presuming you are connected to the internet at the time).

We already know the Xbox 360 version is currently being certified by microsoft so expect that one to hit shortly too.

That’s about all there is for this post. Go have fun not worrying about the next person you knife in MW2 exploding like a mini-nuke.

Whether or not you have been the victim of said atrocity, you’ll be glad to hear that the Modern Warfare 1.06 patch is currently being certified at Microsoft (and presumably Sony). According to Robert Bowling’s (aka fourzerotwo) Twitter feed the 1.06 update will fix:

• The Javelin bug
• An infinite care package glitch
• Geographical exploits in certain maps

So, don’t be expecting any new features, but be glad that it is going to be harder for certain people to ruin the game for the rest of us.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was a complete behemoth in the gaming world and in many ways continues to dominate the industry. So, it was with great excitement, and yet a similar amount of apprehension, that I jumped right into the game as soon as I got hold of a copy. Do Infinity Ward meet expectations or fail to live up to the hype? Let’s see…

Choose your game

First of all, before we go anywhere, let’s take a look at the game modes put up for us in Modern Warfare 2. You are given three options on the opening menu, which can be broken down into the following:

• Special Ops: Challenges that feature co-operative gameplay.
• Campaign: Story-based single player campaign.
• Multiplayer: Features online and offline multiplayer game modes.

Special Ops

This is the newest mode in the Modern Warfare universe. Building on the basis of the huge popularity of co-operative gameplay, Infinity Ward decided to implement it into Modern Warfare 2. But rather than just simply taking on a two-player co-op version of the single player campaign, IW built a whole new game mode for it.

Special Ops consists of a series of challenges that get increasingly difficult as you progress through them. Each challenge has a 1-3 star reward system, depending on how well you beat the challenge and meet certain targets you will be awarded with more stars. Players must obtain certain numbers of stars to unlock later challenges.

As mentioned above, this game mode supports co-op play, nay was built for co-op play. Most challenges are quite generic, with the usual holding off waves of enemies. But there also some good little twists in there too, like a night time mission where one player covers another player from the air using the AC-130.

Special Ops mode supports one player, as well as two player local (split-screen) and online gameplay.

Campaign

I can’t really go into too much detail story-wise without revealing spoilers, so ‘ll make do with a quick introduction. Modern Warfare 2’s single player campaign will take you through a range of surroundings, from the desert landscape of Afghanistan to snow-capped mountain ranges. Each one feels perfectly suited, the snow crunches and leaves foot prints, while wasteland maps will have a constant sandstorm blowing around you.

As per the other Call of Duty games, Modern Warfare 2 will see you taking on the role of several different people throughout the missions. Sometimes you are working for the SAS-style Task Force 141, othertimes you are fighting for the American Army Rangers.

The missions tend to make use of new weaponry, like the remotely controlled predator missile, which gives you a black and white aerial view of the battlefield briefly before you take out a whole squadron of enemies with it.

Expect the story to twist and turn a fair bit, but always in a good way. There are some pretty amazing set pieces backed up by some brilliant level design and artwork.

Multiplayer

Considered by many as the ‘core’ to the first Modern Warfare (and probably Call of Duty: World at War too), this game mode features both online and offline multiplayer game modes. The offline is pretty similar to the online except you can only have up to 4 players locally via split-screen, unless you opt for a LAN setup, in which case there isn’t much difference at all. The offline mode now even supports local profiles, so you can save you and your friends progress each time you play, meaning you get to enjoy the feeling of unlocking all the rewards individually and setting up your personal custom classes.

The online mode is a much polished and enhanced version of the Modern Warfare and World at War versions from the call of Duty series. There are challenges, levels, prestige modes, custom classes, perks, leaderboards, party support, game invites and all the usual features you expect. However, there are a couple of new, gladly-accepted features too.

Modern Warfare 2 introduces a new item that could probably best be described as a gamercard specific to MW2 itself. This MW2 ‘gamercard’ displays an emblem (small logo picture), the players name and a title with graphic. Modern Warfare 2 lets you select your own emblem and title from a huge list (hundreds), which you progressively unlock as you complete challenges and levels throughout the multiplayer mode.

A slew of new weapons and equipment is brought forth to the scene with Modern Warfare 2, with fancy treats like a heartbeat sensor (similar to a personal, yet less-useful, UAV) attachment for your gun. I don’t want to spoil any more of the goodies so I’ll leave it at that, just rest assured knowing there is a lot more customisation available in MW2.

Perks. This is always a big talking point. There are some perks people hate (you may be glad to know martyrdom is no longer a perk) and some people love. Not only do Infinity Ward introduce a couple of new perks, but they have changed their usage slightly. Not only have they tweaked them to even them up a bit, but you can now also complete perk challenges to ‘level up’ your perks to “pro” versions, which tend to offer a much better equivalent of the original perk.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10