Velocity Vector
Sales of the Game Boy Advance and Game Cube have plummeted, leading to a rapid drop in Nintendo profits:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=10454
Microsoft has released some information on the accessories that will be available for the XBox 360 at launch:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=10366
Mythic has dumped the Imperator sci-fi graphical mud due to the poor quality of the game itself:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=10130
Microsoft has signed a licensing deal that gives them the exclusive right to produce multiplayer games based on the Marvel comic book characters.
Bazix (a Dutch company, as the press release is careful to point out) has announced the European release of the One Chip MSX, an FPGA-based device designed to be compatible with the MSX computers that were popular in Japan in the 1980s. They're taking preorders now:
http://www.bazix.nl/onechipmsx.html
Atari has announced a licensing deal that will allow "Pitfall!" and "River Raid" to be included in the Atari Flashback 2.0 console, due out in August for under $30.
Version 1.5 of Meqon's physics engine has been released:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=10040
In case you're one of the twelve people that hasn't heard about this by now, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" has had its ESRB rating revoked due to pressure from self-serving politicians over content that was hidden on the disc (but not included in the game):
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050720-5121.html
Rare, the Microsoft development house, has Nintendo DS games in development and is hiring developers for that platform:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=10018
Of course, Microsoft has no handheld of its own to compete with the Nintendo DS and GBA, and there have been off-and-on buyout talks between Microsoft and Nintendo, so this isn't entirely surprising.
Registration is now open for GarageGames' IGC 2005 convention. It'll be held October 7-9 in Eugene, Oregon.
Early registration gets you a three day pass for $195. If you wait until September 16 or later, it'll be $250. Register here:
Sony has lowered prices to retailers on budget PS2 titles in the UK. It's believed that price cuts in other markets will soon follow:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=9912
Microsoft has delivered beta XBox 360 development kits to developers on a much larger scale:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=9914
Well, the piracy wars on the PlayStation Portable have begun:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=9916
If you have a PSP with one of the earlier revisions of the firmware, it's possible to bypass the copy protection system in order to play games via Memory Stick.
Paradise Poker has announced a freeroll tournament with a first prize of $1 million. That's right: they're giving away prizes from $50 to $1 million with NO ENTRY FEE OR BUY-IN REQUIRED! The players that make the final table will get a free trip to an unspecified "tropical location" to play in front of the TV cameras. This is easily the biggest freeroll event ever.
In order to play, you'll need to sign up for an account and enter the "FreeMillion" qualifiers to play. Follow the link from this page:
http://www.classic-games.com/poker/bonuses.html
Famitsu reports that the PS3 will not include a hard drive with the console. It'll be a separate add-on that isn't included in the $400 price of the console:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=9887