IMMERSION OFFERS TO LICENSE VIBRATION TECHNOLOGY TO SONY
As you may be aware, one of the reasons we believe Sony dropped the vibration function from the Playstation 3 controller was that they still are in litigation with Immersion regarding the type of vibration used in the Dual Shock and Dual Shock 2 controllers. Based on an article over at Gamasutra, It appears that Immersion is still willing to not only let Sony license their haptic technology for use with the Playstation 3 controller, but are also willing to assist them in getting it to work with the tilt function Sony introduced at E3 and claimed was the reason why they had to drop vibration.

There is a catch though - Immersion would require Sony to drop their current challenge to the injunction issued in the case that would prevent Sony from the production, sale or manufacture of the related technologies in the United States. In other words, Sony would need to pay the penalty awarded by the court, drop their counter-claims against Immersion and enter into a licensing agreement for the Haptic vibration technology.

MICROSOFT UNVEILS WINDOWS VISTA REQUIREMENTS
Microsoft has set up a site to introduce Windows users to the features that will be available in Windows Vista and help users find out whether their system will support the new operating system. In addition to all the relevant information on features and requirements, Microsoft has included a downloadable upgrade advisor which will check a users system and determine if they will be able to run Windows Vista as well as listing any needed upgrades.

Below are the minimum system requirements listed and the "Windows Premium Ready" recommended system requirements;

Minimum System Requirements
System will not be able to run "Windows Aero" 3D Interface at this level

-800mhz or better 32bit (x86) or 64bit (x64) processor
-512mb system memory
-DirectX 9.0 capable, SVGA (800x600) capable graphics adapter
-20 gigabytes HD space for install
-15 gigabytes HD free space
-CD-ROM Drive

Windows Vista Premium Ready System Requirements

-1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor Processor speed is specified as the nominal operational processor frequency for the device. Some processors have power management which allows the processor to run at lower rate to save power.
-1 GB of system memory.

-A graphics processor that runs Windows Aero. 128 MB of graphics memory.
-DirectX 9 class graphics processor that: Supports a WDDM Driver.
-Supports Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware.
-Supports 32 bits per pixel.
-Adequate graphics memory. 64 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels
-128 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels
-256 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels
-Meets graphics memory bandwidth requirements, as assessed by Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor running on Windows XP

-40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
-DVD-ROM Drive.
-Audio output capability.
-Internet access capability.

GEARS OF WAR: THE RACE TO E3 - PART 2 ON MTV TONIGHT
Some of you may have downloaded the part one of Gears of War: The Race to E3 last week via the Xbox Live Marketplace. For those of you who can't get enough information about Epic's upcoming masterpiece, part two of the special airs tomorrow night at 10pm EST on MTV, with replays airing throughout the week. Set your Tivo accordingly.

MICROSOFT RESPONDS TO XBOX 360 HACK
Microsoft's employee blog, Gamerscore Blog, posted the company's official response to the news that the Xbox 360 disc authentication system was hacked earlier this week. The statement reiterates their stance that any modification to the Xbox 360 hardware will render the system warranty void, that bootleg games may not run properly on the system and that they will make changes as need be to both correct the security flaw and identify those responsible. In other words, Microsoft isn't happy, but it wasn't unexpected.

If you look back to before the system even launched, J. Allard had made a statement to the effect that Microsoft knew that people would eventually crack the 360's security system, and that while they would do everything they could to make it difficult to do, they felt that their interests were better served by creating a gaming experience, via services such as Xbox Live, that would discourage people from doing so. Click here for the Gamerscore Blog post.

FREE XBOX 360 DEMO DISC
Walmart and the TV show "The Apprentice" are offering a free Xbox 360 disc that contains movie trailers, music videos, clips from "The Apprentice" and playable demos of Kameo: Elements of Power and Project Gotham Racing 3. Sure you can get the demos in the Xbox Live Marketplace for free, but free swag is always a good thing, and since they're on a disc, they won't take up any precious hard drive space. Click here to head on over to the promos page at Walmart.com and sign up for the disc.

MAME32b 1.06.1 ALSO AVAILABLE
MAME32 has already been updated to support the 1st intermediate release of MAME v.106. Head on over to the MAME32 page here. As with the standard version of MAME, I'd suggest skipping this one due to the stability issues mentioned below.

MAME V.106U1 RELEASED
The first intermediate version of MAME v.106 has been released on the public. If you like to use the intermediate updates, head over to Mamedev.org and get the new files. A word of caution though, the MAME development team also advised the following;

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"Please take special note of the warning at the top of the whatsnew file. Things are likely to be in flux and unstable for a while, so if you are looking for solid, everything works releases, stick to the full 0.106 release." - MAME Development Team
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Personally, I'd take their advice and wait for a more stable version.

AND YOU THOUGHT THE U.S. PLAYSTATION 3 PRICE SUCKED
First there were the rumors that only the 60 gigabyte Playstation 3 model was going to be available in the U.K., now Eurogamer is reporting that in an interview with Ray Maguire, Sony Computer Entertainment UK's managing director, he stated that the UK price for the PS3 would be #425. For those unfamiliar with exchange rates, that comes out to about $802. That $600 tag for the US 60 gig model isn't looking so bad now, is it? Click here for the Eurogamer article.

MORE PREMIUM CONTENT AVAILABLE FOR THE OUTFIT
In his blog, Major Nelson noted that the "Collateral Damage Map Pack" for The Outfit is now available in the Xbox Live Marketplace for 500 points. ($6.25)

MICROSOFT E3 2006 PRESS CONFERENCE SUMMARY NOW ONLINE
I finally finished breaking down Microsoft's E3 2006 press conference and getting it up on the site. Hopefully I'll have the write ups for the Sony & Nintendo conferences up on the site by the end of this week or early next week.

Overall, it was a pretty solid conference for Microsoft. They highlighted their successes with the 360 and indicated the direction they plan to take both with their consoles and the PC industry over the coming year.

One thing I definitely took away from the conference is that it seems like Microsoft plans to become much more involved in the realm of Windows software, as shown with both the "Games for Windows" rebranding and Live Anywhere. I would almost go so far as to say they want to take it to the point of making the PC another MS branded console.

Click here for our full write of the conference along with our full impressions on the presentation.