Microsoft needs your help in making sure that it's first cross-platform game is everything they want it to be. As such, they're going to hold a 3 month beta test of the Xbox 360 version of the game, and that's where you come in - Microsoft is currently accepting applications to get in on the Shadowrun beta test and all you have to do to apply is follow the directions posted at this link.

There are a few things you should note though...

1. This is only for the Xbox 360 version of the game from what I understand. They are not taking PC applications just yet. (I could be wrong though, as the page does ask a few PC oriented questions)
2. Use Internet Explorer to sign up - I ran into a few problems the first time I tried to register while using Firefox.
3. Remember that signing up does not guarantee that you'll be selected.
4. If you read the entire page, you'll also find instructions for how to sign up for Microsoft Game Studios beta test program at the bottom of the page.

Good luck to all those who register, and a big thanks to Kotaku for posting the link in the first place!

Posted by nylatenite at 1:53 AM EST

Updated: Tuesday, 28 November 2006 1:56 AM EST

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Gamasutra is reporting that Nintendo has announced that in it's first 8 days on the market, the company has sold in excess of 600,000 Wii and over 450,000 copies of The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess while racking up over 190 million dollars in total sales related to the console. In addition, Nintendo has stated that they fully expect to meet their goal of shipping an additional 150,000 - 200,000 consoles to the North American market weekly through the end of the year.

Those numbers aren't shabby by any length of the imagination, especially when you consider the console doesn't go on sale in Japan until December 2nd. I'd expect to see similar numbers coming out of Japan in the Wii's first 8 days there, and I expect to continue to see very strong sales here in North America. In other words, when you consider the fact that Nintendo is selling the Wii at a profit, someone is going to be getting one hell of a year end bonus.

From my perspective, the big question for Nintendo now is no longer if people are willing to try something new, but whether or not they can keep this momentum going and keep the public interested.

Posted by nylatenite at 1:07 AM EST

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The other day we reported on a story over at GameDaily BIZ that stated that Sony had acknowledged the PlayStation 3 issues in regards to televisions that don't support 720p or 1080p, and had stated that they were working on a fix that would be made available via a firmware update. Things have apparently changed since then.

Sony is still acknowledging the issue, but it appears that they aren't so sure about their ability to fix the problem. In an update to the original story over at GameDaily BIZ, Sony is now giving a more uncertain response into how they'll deal with the issue;

"Sony has contacted us to let us know that they may have spoken a bit prematurely. SCEA's Dave Karraker, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications, informed GameDaily BIZ that they currently cannot confirm that this 1080i issue will be resolved via a firmware patch. The official line is now that they are "looking into the issue and haven't stated any actions that will be taken regarding it." -GameDaily BIZ

C'mon Sony, give early adopters some reason to smile, will you? It's bad enough that the PlayStation 3 release schedule doesn't have much between now and March 2007, can you at least make sure that people can enjoy what little they do have?

Posted by nylatenite at 12:46 AM EST

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To say this week's release list is weak would be an understatement. It looks like most of the major releases for 2006 are now on the shelves and all that's left are the few titles that got delayed and a lot of filler material. In running today's lists, I noticed that there are very few Gamecube games left on future charts and only one original Xbox game. While I completely expected the Xbox to be dying out now that the 360 has been on retail shelves for over a year, it is surprising to see just how fast the Gamecube release list is emptying out. Twilight Princess will probably be the last major release on the console. It's always kind of sad to see consoles begin they're walk into the sunset, you know?

Anyway, like I was saying, there really isn't much to note on the release schedule this week. Wii owners get a version of Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Nintendo DS owners get Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates and PC owners see the first expansion for Battle for Middle Earth II in The Rise of the Witch King. Like I said, there's not much to get overly thrilled about here, though I am interested to hear about how Splinter Cell turns out on the Wii. Here's what you can expect to see this week;

• Cartoon Network Racing - DS - 11/28/2006
  
• Hamsterz Life - DS - 11/28/2006
  
• Hard Rock Casino - PS2 - 11/28/2006
  
• Hard Rock Casino - PSP - 11/28/2006
  
• Harley-Davidson Motorcycles: Race to the Rally - PC - 11/28/2006
  
• Horsez - DS - 11/28/2006
  
• Lionel Trains: On Track - DS - 11/28/2006
  
• March of the Penguins - DS - 11/28/2006
  
• Pimp My Ride - 360 - 11/28/2006
  
• Totally Spies! 2: Undercover - DS - 11/28/2006
  
• World Championship Poker: All In - 360 - 11/28/2006
  
• Xiaolin Showdown - DS - 11/28/2006
  
• Air Cargo Pilot - PC - 11/29/2006
  
• Barbie: 12 Dancing Princesses - PS2 - 11/29/2006
  
• Boeing Dreamliner Pilot - PC - 11/29/2006
  
• Brave: The Search for Spirit Dancer - PS2 - 11/29/2006
  
• Cartoon Network Racing - PS2 - 11/29/2006
  
• DMZ: North Korea - PC - 11/29/2006
  
• Mercury Meltdown - PS2 - 11/29/2006
  
• Model Train 3D - PC - 11/29/2006
  
• Online Chess Kingdoms - PSP - 11/29/2006
  
• Rayman 4 - GBA - 11/29/2006
  
• Shrek Smash & Crash - PSP - 11/29/2006
  
• Splinter Cell: Double Agent - WII - 11/29/2006
  
• Superman Returns: Fortress of Solitutde - GBA - 11/29/2006
  
• The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II - The Rise of the Witch King - PC - 11/29/2006
  
• The Sims 2: Pets - PSP - 11/29/2006
  
• Ultimate Pinball Pack - PC - 11/29/2006
  
• World War II Online: Battleground Europe - PC - 11/29/2006
  
• SpaceStation Sim - PC - 11/30/2006
  
• Barnyard - WII - 12/1/2006
  
• Catz - DS - 12/1/2006
  
• Open Season - WII - 12/1/2006
  
• Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol - DS - 12/2/2006
  
• DK Bongo Blast - GC - 12/2/2006
  
• DS Air - DS - 12/2/2006
  
• Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Ring of Fates - DS - 12/2/2006
  
• GoPets - DS - 12/2/2006
  
• Great Invasions - PC - 12/2/2006
  
• Heroes of Annhilated Empires - PC - 12/2/2006
  
• Monster Bomber - DS - 12/2/2006
  
• Panzer Tactics DS - DS - 12/2/2006
  
• Puzzle de Harvest Moon - DS - 12/2/2006
  
• Rampage: Total Destruction - DS - 12/2/2006
  
• The Fifth Disciple - PC - 12/2/2006
  
• Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 - DS - 12/2/2006

Please keep in mind these are only estimated release dates and could change at any time.

Posted by nylatenite at 12:44 AM EST

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MAME32, the Windows GUI version of MAME, has also been updated to incorporate the u3 changes listed below. As with the regular version of MAME, MAME32 110.3 centers around driver updates, so you may want to hold off on upgrading until the next full release - just to be on the safe side.

Check out the official MAME32 page here for more details and the download links.

Posted by nylatenite at 3:45 PM EST

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The third interim update for MAME v.110 is now available. MAME v.110u3 centers around a few driver fixes, so unless you've been having problems with a few games (most specifically Konami titles) or are into testing the changes in each update, you may want to consider holding off for the next full release.

The updated files can be found at the official MAME page at Mamedev.org. You can Click here to see what's new in this update.

Posted by nylatenite at 3:45 PM EST

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For those unaware of the situation, owners of older model HDTV's that can only display 480p (EDTV) or 1080i (HDTV) signals are finding that the PlayStation 3 is scaling games designed for 720p or 1080p down to 480p rather than displaying the titles at the higher 1080i resolution. GameDaily BIZ is reporting that after a short delay, Sony is now stating that are aware of the problem;

"A small number of older High Definition television sets found in the United States only have 1080i inputs for HD signals. Those televisions will currently only play some PS3 titles at 480p resolution. PS3 games render images at either 720p or 1080p for High Definition, and you need 720p input on the TV to play select games that do not support 1080p. This is an issue on the side of the individual television sets, which do not accept 720p input, so when a game outputs an HD signal only at 720p, these select TVs have to display the game at 480p instead." - GameDaily BIZ

According to GameDaily BIZ, Sony plans on fixing the issue via an as of yet undated PlayStation 3 firmware update. Hopefully they'll soon have something to say about the Blu-Ray playback issues as well. Someone seriously needs to wake up over at Sony, because of late they've seen nothing but bad publicity on top of bad publicity.

Posted by nylatenite at 4:10 PM EST

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If you remember, back around E3, Sony told us that the PlayStation 3 hard drive would be upgradeable using regular off-the-shelf drives. Well, it looks like they weren't lying on that one, as GamersReports has posted a tutorial on how to swap your 20 or 60 gigabyte hard drive out for a much larger drive. As with anything that involves opening up your console, we'd like to remind you that while it's a fairly simple process, it could void your warranty, it could screw up your PlayStation 3 and if you're not comfortable mucking around with hardware, you probably shouldn't even attempt it. We're pretty sure you'd rather have to transfer files via memory cards rather than have to buy a whole new $500+ system.

For those of you who are determined to try anyway, check out the GamersReports tutorial at this link. Be sure to read everything thoroughly first before you begin (most specifically the parts on drive size and speed)

Posted by nylatenite at 1:01 PM EST

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As promised, a multiplayer demo of Capcom's upcoming Xbox 360 title Lost Planet: Extreme Condition is now available for download in the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo weighs in at 173.65mb and is currently available for Xbox Live Gold members only. The demo will be made available to Silver members on November 30th.

Posted by nylatenite at 10:26 PM EST

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I hope everyone out there is having a great Thanksgiving. This is just a quick note to remind anyone who may have forgotten that Amazon will be selling 1,000 core Xbox 360 units today at 2pm EST/1pm CST/11am PST. If you still haven't experienced Gears of War and need some way to get a 360 cheap, this may be your best chance.

One thing I do need to remind you of is that at the very least you'll probably need to pick up the 360 hard drive for another $99.99 and possibly component or VGA cables if you plan on using anything other than old school, non HD-capable composite cables supplied with the core model. Head over to Amazon.com for all the details - the link to the deal is on the right side of their front page. Good luck!

Posted by nylatenite at 12:50 PM EST

Updated: Thursday, 23 November 2006 12:54 PM EST

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