Last week at E3, Microsoft announced the all new sleek, stylish and Kinect-friendly Xbox 360. Offering things like built in WiFi wireless N (the first Xbox to offer built-in WiFi and the first game console to offer support for the latest, fastest and greatest WiFi wireless N), a 250 GB hard drive and that oh so nice new black design it seemed like a great update to usher in the next generation of the Xbox 360.

For new Xbox 360 owners this of course seems like a great deal, but what about for those with the older, original Xbox 360?s from the launch days in 2005– is it worth it to spring for the new update? Read on because we’ve got all those answers and more at the more link.

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Nintendo didn’t disappoint at E3 yesterday, showing off not only the what looks to insanely cool 3DS (with a whole bunch really cool games to go with it), but also some little surprises that look to show Nintendo raising the bar on mobile gaming yet again. Read on for all the info.

Hardware

First things first, the hardware. While it initially may look like just a normal DSi, once you get closer you see Nintendo has made some really great improvements. For one, the upper, 3D enabled screen is a bigger 3.5 inches than the DSi’s 3.25 inches (though of course it’s not as big as the DSi XL’s 4.2 inch screens. But who needs that extra .7 of an inch when you got glasses free 3D!), with the bottom touchscreen being 3 inches. The 3DS also packs not one, not two, but three cameras– 1 on the inside of the device and 2 on the outside for taking 3D pictures! Yeah, told you there were some surprises. Nintendo also has added a “Slide Pad” that to me looks like an analog stick similar to those found on the Xbox 360 and PS3, along with other new additions like a motion sensor and gyroscope (as seen on the iPhone 4), a WiFi switch and 3D depth slider for adjusting the 3D (even during gameplay), and a home button below the touchscreen. All this is on top of the other features we’ve seen on the DSi like an SD card slot and stereo speakers.

Even those who’ve doubted Nintendo’s focus on specs gotta admit that this is pretty solid, especially for a device that can fit in your pocket.

Games

Now what good would the 3DS be without some 3D games? Nintendo sure has a bunch lined up that look to be really great. We’re talking Nintendo classics like Mario Kart, nintendogs+cats (with cats being new this year), Animal Crossing, and Kid Icarus: Uprising, as well as games from third parties like Madden, DJ Hero 3D, Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D, and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory.These are just a small sample of what Nintendo plans to have for the 3DS, and if these graphics from Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory are any indication of what we can expect, then Nintendo has yet another huge hit on their hands. Seriously, this looks like Xbox-esq graphics, on a portable system and in 3D!

Unfortunately Nintendo didn’t announce any price or release date info, and even went out to say that the designs we see today can still be tweaked and aren’t final. Regardless though, Nintendo has clearly here shown why they are the leader in portable video games and we really can’t wait to see this launch so we can play with it ourselves.

While we wait though, we want to know: if you had to pick between this, a PSP GO!, or an iPod touch as your next portable gaming system, which would it be? Let us know in the comments.

You can see more of the new 3DS and other announcements Nintendo made at E3 at their E3 site here.

The new Xbox 360 and Kinect– Yeah, your going to want to read on.

Microsoft has kicked off E3 today with their pre-event keynote and wow is this insane. A whole bunch was announced including new info on games like Call Of Duty Black Ops, Halo Reach and of course Kinect (formerly Project Natal) PLUS a new design for the 360– so what you waiting for, hit the more link and get to it.

Games

First let’s start with a couple of the new games showed off today.

Call of Duty: Black Ops– Treyarch and Activision showed off the new game in the amazing series today, and wow it makes Modern Warfare 2 seem like child’s play. The graphics look even better, gameplay is insane as usual, and the story line is traditional Call of Duty greatness. I mean you actually are flying a helicopter and trying to kill enemy combatants while avoiding fire. Microsoft also announced a new deal with Activision that all new Call of Duty add-ons (like new maps) will come to the 360 first.

Halo Reach– Wow. That’s it– Wow. Microsoft and Bungie have made yet another Halo that just as Black Ops made Modern Warfare 2 seem easy, Halo Reach goes right up there in that new league of what I call “super games.” Graphics insane, story unreal, fighting so intense it makes you wanna actually duck and cover (and there are knife kills!). Amazing, plain and simple.

Gears of War 3–The first footage of the next game in the series was shown, including the first actual gameplay. What’s really great is the all new 4 player co-op mode, which should make for some intense group fighting, and unlike  other co-op games, this keeps everyone following the (main character). Now this could make things tough for when your not in front of whoever is player one, but it definitely seems cool and I like the unique approach. Graphics wise this too looks beast, with the fighting looking as real as fighting giant multi-armed monsters could look.  There also is a new mode called “Beast,” though they’re keeping quiet on what’s new there until later this week.

ESPN!

Yes, the rumors were true– ESPN is coming to the 360! Over 3500 lives events will be shown over 360, including MLB, NBA, college basketball and football, as well as shows like SportsCenter and other on demand titles– with most being in HD. They showed it off using Kinect to control replays using commands like “Xbox Replay” as well as new features like in game trivia and polls to make live games even better. As a huge sports fan myself, this is perfect. This is all available for free to all Xbox Live  Gold members.

Pic from Kotaku

Kinect

Now let’s go on to the big guy– Kinect. Obviously Microsoft had a lot to share on their new baby, and it all looks great. First off– price and release. Microsoft announced that Kinect will be available starting November 4th, with GameStop showing pre-orders going for $149.99. Now Microsoft didn’t confirm the price, but considering Microsoft views this as a new system instead of just a new controller (which I completely agree with), this price does make sense. It would have been awesome though if it was that rumored $84…

Anyways, there’s a new Dashboard to allow you to do everything– play games, check Facebook, video chat, watch movies and listen to music (thanks to Netflix, Last.fm and Zune)– with no buttons, and it couldn’t be simpler. For the really lazy among us, you can even use voice commands like “Xbox Pause” and “Xbox Play”– honestly, this is unbelievable. Doing things like controlling a movie and even scrolling seem like it was meant to be like this from the start. Microsoft also has brought Zune Music to the Xbox, and its great for parties where you wanna use your Xbox as a media center.

Video Kinect– This is video chatting right from the 360– to people who either are on Xbox Live or Windows Live Messenger, so you can chat even from TV to computer. There is also Bing integration to share things on the screen, like watch a movie together. The camera also senses where you are in the room so that you don’t have constantly re-adjust the camera when you move. (Pic via Engadget)

A bunch of new Kinect games were shown off:

• Kinectimals– Where you raise a virtual pet– albeit here much more life-like than all prior variations of these types of games thanks to Kinect’s cameras and voice features

• Kinect Sports–  As seen in the Kinect pic above, Kinect Sports is kinda like Wii Sports with games like Soccer, Bowling Ping Pong, Track– though unlike Wii Sports you can grow your character into a “sports god” in game modes or play online over Xbox Live)

• Kinect Joy Ride–  A more casual racing game, that while no Need for Speed, should be great for some fun racing.
• Kinect Adventures– A bunch of cool simple games like Wii Play, great for the casual gamer or for playing with family and friends. It even takes pictures of you playing so you can upload to Facebook and other sites)
• Your Shape: Fitness Evolved– From Ubisoft, it’s a Wii Fit like game that looks to offer some real intense workouts though again, unlike Wii Fit, without having to be on aboard), were shown off, and the easiest way to describe this is like the Wii with much better graphics and with no need to carry anything with you.It offers Yoga.
• Dance Central– From Harmonix, Dance Central is like Dance Dance Revolution, just with crazy graphics and again no need for any mat on the floor (getting the theme here?).
• Star Wars– Coming next year, not much beyond a gameplay video was shown here– but wow, video gaming is now on a whole new level.

• Froza Motorsport– Another racing game, though this one more intense then Joy Ride, offering intense racing with extremely life like driving controls and realistic graphics. And while you won’t be really sitting in that Ferrari or Maybach, this is probably the closest thing most of us will get.

New Xbox 360

As we wrote in the previous post– a nicer, smaller, quieter, and sleeker redesign for the Xbox 360 that offers some much wanted new features like built in WiFi with support for the latest and greatest wireless N (again– FINALLY!), touch sensitive power (on/off) and eject buttons– meaning they’re more like the PS3 in that you are not pressing a physical button unlike the old 360, 5 USB ports (with an additional one for Kinect), HDMI,   and that 250 GB hard drive. All this available online today and in stores this week at $299.99 (the same price as the Elite was). And as with all prior Xbox 360s, this will be fully compatible with Kinect.

So there you have it. Everything you need to know from Microsoft’s E3 keynote. This is just the start of what looks to be an awesome E3, and we’ll make sure you get all the info you wanna know so keep checking back. So Xbox 360 users– what you think of these announcements? You going to get a Kinect? You digging the new look?

Kinect isn’t the only thing Microsoft has planned for E3– today they’ve taken the wraps off an all new, sleeker, quieter version of the Xbox 360. Not only does it pack a newer design, but also 250 GB of built in storage, and built in WiFi wireless N (FINALLY!!). Best part? It’s out now for $299 (same as the old Elite), and will be available in stores later this week. So, who else is loving this new design?

UPDATE: Alright so all the info has come out– not only is there the built in WiFi and the 250 GB hard drive, but also 5 USB ports with a special Kinect port (though don’t worry, Kinect will still work with all existing 360′s, just the use of this port means no need for a separate USB and power cable for Kinect), touch sensitive power and eject buttons, and  HDMI. Check out our Microsoft E3 wrap up post for all the  info on what’s new in the world of Xbox 360.

Pic from Engadget

Yes, it has a name. The Microsoft product formally known as Product Natal has been renamed, and given a launch date. It’s going to be the Microsoft Kinect, launching November 2010. Also announced was video chat, and a few launch games: Kinectamals – raising a virtual pet, Joyride, a title shown off last E3, a cartoony kart-like racing game, Kinect Sports – go figure, Kinect Adventures – including an obstacle course. Also announced was MTV’s Dance Central, and most importantly, a motion based Star Wars games – supposedly complete with Force power flinging and motion lightsaber duels.

More details to come as Microsoft announces them today at E3.

Wow is June off to a hot start for tech. First the EVO, then the iPhone 4, and now we got E3. For those that don’t know, E3 is the big video game event that takes place for a couple of days (this year it’s June 15-17) once a year in LA where all the newest and hottest things in the world of video games are announced. Last year for example, we saw our first peak at Microsoft’s new Project Natal for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation Move, PSP GO! and PS3 Slim, as well as the Wii MotionPlus. Not to mention info on new video games like the latest in Madden, Halo and Call Of Duty.

So what can possibly be on tap to top last years show? For one, we can expect more on Project Natal (including hopefully a true price and release date as well as what games will be available and a sneak peak at what they are like), the PlayStation Move (hopefully with more details as with Natal), and what exactly is Nintendo’s new 3DS that looks to offer portable 3D gaming WITHOUT those annoying glasses. Yeah, and this is all on top of those usual new game annoncements and details.

As in years past we’ll have everything from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo’s big keynotes, as well as info on all the other cool games and other things we see at the conference. So make sure to check back all this week for the details!

For now, just mentally insert a “3″ in there.

So. Here we are again. That original silver DS you bought 6 years ago is beginning to show it’s age – and even the later generations of the DS – the DSi and DSiXL – aren’t holding your interest so much. But that’s about to change. See, Nintendo this morning let loose a press release – announcing that there will be a next-gen Nintendo handheld – the 3DS. Like the DS, it’ll have 2 screens – but the 3 part? Well, to quote the press release – “games can be enjoyed with 3D effects without the need for any special glasses.” That’s right. Portable. 3D. Gaming. With no stupid glasses.

So that’s the good. The bad? Well, that’s pretty much it. Backwards compatible with DS/DSi games, two screens (assumed from the whole “DualScreen” thing), and 3D gaming. And that’s all Nintendo’s saying. They’re aiming for a release sometime within the next year (at least in Japan) – and that’s pretty much it. Nintendo’s planning to announce more (I’m hoping to see some hardware…) at E3 in June – we’ll keep you posted.

To see for yourself – the press release can be found here (note: PDF link)

A few days ago was Sony’s E3-note, and they announced/showed off some pretty cool stuff which definitely gave Microsoft a run for it’s money.

Same format as  in Microsoft and Nintendo‘s roundups, we’ll start off with games:

Games:

Sony announced several titles, as well as showed off gameplay for some previously announced titles -

MAG – Gameplay from MAG was shown off. Personally, I find MAG to be insanely cool – the concept is huge mutltiplayer FPS. How huge? 256-players at ONCE. Sony showed off a complete 256 person battle – the scale is hard to imagine – you have entire squads of actual players, fighting each other, more experienced players being tactical commanders, some in tanks, planes – this is exactly what FPS on consoles should be. I’ll be following this one closely.

Grand Turismo PSP –  Sony’s flagship racing game, finally being ported to the PSP. Launching on October 1st alongside the PSP GO! (more on that later), and the graphics are apparently incredible for a PSP game. Also, there are 800 (!) cars in the game, which can be shared with other users, to make it remotely possible to get them all, which is cool – you basically work with a buddy to unlock stuff, something which hasn’t been used so much in games.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Maker – Another MGS game, this one for the PSP. Takes place about 10 years after MGS 3.

Resident Evil, LittleBigPlanet, and Jak and Dexter, 3 big Song franchises, also coming to PSP. Little info was given on these games as of now though.

Assassin’s Creed 2 – Sony showed off some gameplay here, your now playing as Ezio, descended from Altair (the assassin from the 1st game), in Italy in the 1400s. Looks interesting, and will have special unlockables gotten by syncing with the PSP version.

FF13 – A new trailer was shown, along with some gameplay. Game still looks awesome. But that wasn’t the big Final Fantasy news….

!Final Fantasy 14 Online! – That’s right. Sony announced that the successor to the MMORPG Final Fantasy 11 would be coming out next year for the PS3. And yes, it looks cool.

God of War III – the popular God of War game, coming to the PS3 for the first time, was shown off a lot. Apparently, very similar to the 1st two, just bloodier and in HD. Fans of the series will not be disappointed.

ModNation Racers – another very interesting game from Sony, this basically is a combination of Mario Kart and LittleBigPlanet – lovable Kart Racing, but almost everything in the game, from characters, to cars, to even every aspect of the track (angle of sun, scenery, etc. Also apparently super easy to use). Looks very interesting, and can’t wait to try this one out.

Hardware:

PSP GO! – Pictured above, the PSP GO! is the latest version of the PSP. Notable in the upgrade is the new design (controls slide out), as well as the removal of the UMD slot. Instead, you’ll have to play games either bought from PSN, or on a memory stick. Future games will apparently release on both UMD and PSN simultaneously now.  In addition, Sony has added 16 GB of memory to hold these games, as well as upgraded the Sync utility for syncing music, videos, and the like from your PC. Also, PSN videos will be able to be downloaded directly to the GO.

The PSP GO! lands in America on October 1st, for $250. Similar to Nintendo though with the dual platforms of the DSi and DS Lite, the regular PSP will still be a part of Sony’s platform.

Motion Sensing Controller/Wand – Seems that Sony’s also caught on to the equation of motion-sensing = $$ + awesomeness, and has debuted their own motion-sensing controller as well. Unfortunately, this is more akin to the Wii-mote then Microsoft’s Project Natal, but still looks interesting. Unlike Natal, this one still uses a controller, and has buttons on it as well. However, it is supposed to be incredibly responsive and accurate, which is cool. It also uses the PlayStation Eye for sensing. More to come in the future.

That’s pretty much it from Sony. Readers, what are you thoughts? Sony’s motion sensing controller better then Natal? Either one convincing you to buy a new console? Sound off in the comments.

Yesterday, Microsoft wowed everyone with their E3 conference (I so want that Project Natal!), and today Nintendo had their turn to present some of their upcoming video games and add-ons to their family-friendly systems. Let me just tell you in the outset: this was NOWHERE NEAR as wow-inducing as Microsoft’s stuff, but it still had some rather interesting moments of it’s own. Read on for the full roundup.

Starting with a couple new games Nintendo and partners showed off.

Super Smash Bros. Wii

Super Smash Bros. Wii

Yup, the popular Gameboy and DS game is finally coming to the Wii. It brings the storyline and all the features and  you’d expect from the Super Smash Bros. series, with some new firsts and features to mark it’s big leap to the game console. New features include new multiplayer support (4 players can play the storyline together, and just pop in at any point of the game), tilt-able controls using the Wiimote (like with a seesaw to lift your character up, or shaking to mess up other players. Character options, by the way, are Mario, Lugi or 2 toads, though you can control Yoshi when riding on him, and use his tongue to swallow enemies or, for more interesting activities–  like other players. It also introduces new items like a propeller, and if in multiplayer story mode, it ranks every player individually at the end of each level.

Super Smash Bros. Wii is expected to drop by this year’s holiday season.

The weight of a dog in Wii Fit Plus

Wii Fit Plus

This is really just a software upgrade to the current Wii Fit, which means if you already got Wii Fit, you don’t need to go out and buy a new board to benefit from Wii Fit Plus. New in Wii Fit Plus are 15 new mini games (like juggling and skateboarding), 6 new strength and yoga activities, and the ability to tailor your workout to be in 20, 30 or 40 minute periods (which is better than in the original Wii Fit, where it never got this “intense”).  Oh, and for those who, for some reason far beyond my comprehension, if you wish you can also walk your dogs and cats (seriously, Nintendo put this in- hey, maybe soon you can give your dog a workout without having to take him for a real life walk!).

The Wii Fit Plus comes out later this year with Balance Board bundles for those who haven’t gotten the first Wii Fit and need the board, and a disc-only version for those with the Balance Board from the first game.

Metroid: Other M

Not much is known on this game in terms of details and plot, but this looks to finally (and THANKFULLY) bring the Wii to appeal to the more intense gamer. All we know so far is that it is coming in 2010, and will take you deeper into Samus’s story, with Samus even speaking for the first time! The game will also be a mix of first and third person shooter, which should be interesting, to say the least (usually it’s either one or the other).

DSi and Wii News

On the DSi front, the major news here is that you can now upload your pix straight from your DSi’s camera to your Facebook profile. This is nice and definitely makes the camera more useful.

For the Wii itself, Nintendo unveiled something that, in my opinion, is completely ridiculous and insane (in a BAD way).

The ridiculous Wii Vitality Sensor

What we’re talking about here is a “Vitality Sensor”: connected to the Wiimote, it measures pulse (yes, like your heartbeats), and I haven’t the slightest clue on what in the world Nintendo was thinking, and how in the world this can be applied to games.

That about does it folks. Nothing to really see here (literally), and I personally think Nintendo will be in for a world of hurt once Project Natal comes out for the 360 next year, which will give players not only an awesome experience, but will make the 360 even better for both the casual and intense gamer (oh, and the PS3 also has a motion system coming out soon, we’ll cover that in their E3 Roundup post in the coming days). Let’s hope Nintendo’s got something else in store before Natal comes out.

For a full list of everything Nintendo from E3, see their site here.

What do you think– if you were getting a new video game system now, and had to choose between Wii and 360, which would you choose knowing what is coming next year for both systems? Sound off in the comments.

On day 1 of E3, Microsoft began the video game bonanza with some opening shots. And by shots, I mean cannons. Or nukes may be the right word. Some seriously cool stuff was announced, and there was a lot of it: games, NXE updates, and some insanely cool new hardware. So bear with me as I try and cover some of it. (The best is at the end of it.)

Games: Microsoft showed off a ridiculous amount of games here. So here’s a brief rundown.

The Beatles: Rock Band gameplay

• The Beatles: Rock Band – The first gameplay of the game was shown off, with guest appearances from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Yeah.. they had the REAL Beatles THERE. Looks like an improved Rock Band, but with Beatles songs. Also being added is support for 3 mics, and custom, Beatles instruments (time to clear out that living room again…) There will be 45 Beatles songs included, with some more exclusive, Xbox 360-only songs available for download.

The Tony Hawk Ride board

• Tony Hawk RIDE -Pretty cool, using a motion sensitive skateboard controller which was shown off by Tony Hawk himself, and apparently, it’s pretty much like riding a real skateboard. And one more massive chunk of plastic to fill up your living room.
• Forza 3 – Update to the popular racing game, with even MORE cars and more realistic gameplay. Seems like you actually can crash this time around.
• Halo 3: OSDT – More gameplay footage shown, release date announced: September 22. We’re looking forward to this one, as it should be interesting to see Halo from the perspective of someone other than the Chief.

New Halo announced!!!!

Above: EVERYTHING we know about Halo: Reach.

• Called Halo: Reach. Umm… thats all we really know. Coming out in 2010, with multiplayer beta included included in OSDT. Seems to be taking place during the Battle of Reach, as prequel to the series. Oh, and it has been confirmed as a 1st Person Shooter. Excellent.

Metal Gear Solid Rising

• Metal Gear Solid Rising – New Metal Gear Solid, but for 360! The once PlayStation only series is finally coming to the 360, and it will have Raiden in it! Again, not giving a whole lotta info here. Oh, and it’ll have “Lighting Bolt Action.”

Moving on to updates on the system itself.

New Xbox Experience (NXE) Updates

Being added to NXE is Twitter, and Facebook integration — allowing you to access them from your Xbox — complete with avatar integration as well as the ability to challenge your friends to games and see if they can beat your scores. There were also minor updates to Netflix, a re-branding of the video store to be Zune Video, which will be full 1080p HD quality for all shows and movies, and the ability to stream Last.fm, the world’s largest online music catalog, straight to your 360, as well as to share with your friends.

There also was the announcement, that starting in August, you can download full 360 games straight from the Xbox Live Game Marketplace, to your 360, a similar feature to the already existing functionality for the Xbox Classics.

Some fairly cool stuff. But Microsoft had one last major surprise for us – a new motion controller called Project Natal. So what is Natal?

Project Natal. Awesomeness, Reinvented.

If you remember, we mentioned in our E3 rumors post that Microsoft was rumored to be working on some major motion-sensing software. Well, its real, and to be honest – awesome. Basically, its one sensor bar that you put on/ in front of your TV, which very accurately tracks the motions of yours and others motions throughout a room. A fighting game? – punch out the enemies yourself. Baseball game? Smash a home run yourself, trusty bat in hand, out of your living room. NO controller needed! Just you…. and if this can be used to it’s potential by game developers, it could totally revolutionize the 360 as a gaming device.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9tmr8VDqN8]

For all Xbox 360 E3 coverage, see their site here.

So that’s the round-up for Microsoft. Sony and Nintendo, as well as other assorted news on the way, but before we end, we’d like to know your thoughts on Microsoft’s announcements, particularly Natal, and if your not a 360 owner, you going to buy one now? Go on, we’re great listeners.