Researchers found that iPhone, DS and PSP owners are playing on their devices much more in the last three months than at any time previously adding that "Among iPhone users specifically, the application with the greatest increase in use over the last three months was playing games."

The survey also found that 92% of Nintendo DS owners play solo, spending an average of 4.6 hours a week in single player games. Just under a quarter of DS owners play multiplayer games - they clearly need to get out more.

Portable Gaming Habits Revealed [EDGE]

I say if you really, really want to make a tiny, portable NES, at least make it look less like Doctor Who prop from the late 70's and more like something you'd actually want to play a game on. Hit the link for more pictures, sadly not including ones of the sliced-up thumb after it gets caught on the hastily-cut metal sheeting.

Feature: Gamer Builds Game Boy-Sized NES Portable [TechEBlog]

First, Electronic Arts is not buying Epic Games, OK? Doesn't matter that EA has tons of money and someone else with a lot of time on his hands has good ideas for what to do with it. "Rubbish," says Epic Vice President Mark Rein, a guy who's in position to actually know something substantive about this.

Then everyone jumped on the bandwagon of a rumor that Sega was breaking back into the handheld market. That's not true either. Well, not exactly. The "Sega Vision" isn't a PSP competitor, unless Java games have gotten way more sophisticated, because that's it's only game functionality. Unofficial RPG Site ran down the Sega rumor with, of course, Sega itself. While it's not a fake, "it is not intended as a re-entry to the gaming hardware market or a rival to Sony or Nintendo's systems," said a spokesman.

"Sega is committed to remaining a software third party in the videogames industry," the spokesman continued, "but also has several non-games products in the market. The Vision is primarily an MP4 video player with some basic games functionality, and not a new handheld gaming machine."

Best part? "Further investigation on our part finds the Sega Vision isn't actually a Sega-developed device at all, and in fact a cheap Chinese iPod-style alternative, rebranded with the name of the fallen hardware company."

So there you go. You didn't hear this stuff here first, for a reason. By the way the source of this EA-Epic rumor was the same site behind last week's Xbox 360 slim horseshit, shot down by Major Nelson himself. One's own personal speculation is fine — it helps if it's informed, of course — but it should always be clearly labeled as speculation.

EA Buying Epic? "Rubbish" Says Rein [Videogaming247]
SEGA Vision is "Real," Not a PSP Rival [Unofficial RPG Site]

The first Gizmondo was.. not very successful, but the new device - with its NVIDIA graphics and the option of either Windows CE or Google's Android as an OS is sure to be a winner, right?

A games handheld running Android could be a goer - there should be plenty of decent Android ports of around soon, but when was the last time you went out of your way to play a game on Windows CE? Can you even name 3 games that run on that platform?

Gizmondo 2 Is Here - Sales Start In November/December [The Nordic Link via MCV]

Sony PSP 3000 Hands-On [GameSpot]

Like the GP2X, it runs a Linux-based OS, has a GBA-ish form factor and is wide open for homebrew developers to code original games and — always the killer GP2x app — emulation, emulation, emulation.

Unlike its ancestor, it has a 533MHZ Arm 9 processor with 3D acceleration, 64MB of Ram and a touchscreen. There is only the one screen, so DS emulation is fairly unlikely, but there are already some touchscreen games and apps in the pipeline as you can see in this ridiculously large picture. Long JPG is loooong.

Also new is support for Flash 7.0 which should open up the possibility of playing web-based games that you manage to get on an SD card by whatever means necessary. There is no wifi, which is a shame, but you can't have everything.

The Wiz is available for pre-order now at around $179.99 , due out in October.

The games included aren't bad for the price. You get Shinobi, Eco the Dolphin, Sonic and Knuckles, Altered Beast, Golden Axe, and several others, all for £29.99 - the price of a DS game. While I would have preferred they sneak a cartridge port on their for good measure, the game selection isn't bad and the price is right. Hit the jump for the full game list and additional details.

24th July 2008
News Release FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

Blaze International Goes Retro with The 16-Bit Blaze Handheld Console with 20 Built in SEGA Megadrive Games!

Handheld Console containing Sonic and Knuckles, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Ecco the Dolphin, Columns and 15 more superb retro titles for only £29.99 is set to take the market by storm!

At last! BLAZE are proud to announce they will be releasing their 16bit Megadrive handheld console in July 2008. The Blaze portable game player will be heading to a store near you from next month, so mums and dads, if you missed playing Sega Megadrive classics such as Sonic and Knuckles, Golden Axe, Shinobi and Ecco the Dolphin, you now have a chance to do so again... in all their portable glory... and all for the price of a single Nintendo DS game!

Other games to be hooked on again include Alex Kidd - Enchanted Castle, Alien Storm Altered Beast, Arrow Flash, Crackdown, Decap Attack, Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Ecco Junior, Flicky, Gain Ground, Jewel Master, Kid Chameleon, Sonic Spinball and Shadow Dancer.
...All very 90’s retro chic and far less damaging to your reputation than singing along to Color ME Bad.....Though not everything from the 90’s should make a comeback...are you listening Spice Girls?

Watch a demonstration video and see gameplay footage at http://www.segaretro.net

Now the serious stuff:

Features
Plug & play portable video game system
20 built-in 16-bit SEGA licensed games
Built-in speakers
Build in colour LCD screen
TV out connection
TV format: PAL
Requires:
3 x AAA batteries.
(Batteries not included)

Description
The Blaze Portable game console is a video game player, which is pre-loaded with 20 classic games from SEGA. There is therefore no need to buy game cartridges. The blaze Portable game player has an A/V connector and with the included cable the player can be connected to any TV set. Enjoy playing classic SEGA games anytime, anywhere with the new Blaze Portable video game player. Presented in stylish blister packaging.
Watch out for more BLAZE product announcements from BLAZE and ATGames soon....

Available now from all leading games stores and online at www.segaretro.net for just £29.99 (+ P&P)

Got a cheat video...Why not upload it to the nets largest cheat, tips and tricks community video channel www.youcheats.net – It’s like Youtube for game cheats!

Samsung Unveils Mobile Application for Second Life [koreatimes via Gizmodo]

Report: Gizmondo delayed until end of 2008 [GameSpot]

"Sonic The Hedgehog is one of the most beloved video game characters of all time," said Simon Jeffery, President and COO of SEGA of America, "And with the installed base that iPod enjoys Sonic now becomes available to a whole new group of casual and hardcore gamers just in the time for the holidays."

Sonic The Hedgehog Comes to the iPod

Fan-favorite Sonic The Hedgehog Now Available for Purchase or Gifting on the iTunes Store

SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—SEGA of America, Inc. today announced that Sonic The Hedgehog is now available for play on the new iPod nano with video, the iPod classic and the fifth generation iPod. Sonic The Hedgehog was originally introduced in 1991 and has become one of the most popular video game franchises in history, selling well over 45 million copies. Sonic fans can purchase and download the game from the iTunes Store for $4.99 (www.itunes.com). Sonic has been designed specifically for the iPod and is available on the 22 iTunes Stores around the world.

"Sonic The Hedgehog is one of the most beloved video game characters of all time," said Simon Jeffery, President and COO of SEGA of America, "And with the installed base that iPod enjoys Sonic now becomes available to a whole new group of casual and hardcore gamers just in the time for the holidays."

iTunes customers can buy the game for themselves, or easily give the gift of Sonic The Hedgehog. Similar to music and video content on the iTunes Store, customers simply find the game on iTunes and click the "Gift This Game" button.

Guanqiao was showing off their line of prettifying console stickers on the show floor. The stickers come in either pre-designed packs for any of the current consoles or portable, or you can design your own art. I wasn't super impressed with the DS Lite stickers, but the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 stuff looked kinda zupear koole.

I'm just going to hit you with the quote here right off the bat.

I-play CEO David Gosen has predicted that the console gaming industry will be left with a "niche audience" to target as mobile gaming becomes ever more popular.

This really blows my mind. I've only ever downloaded on cell phone game in my life, and that one pretty much sucked completely. It all sounds like wishful thinking from a guy who makes a living selling casual mobile games, perhaps enhanced by the local Amsterdam foliage. Your thoughts? Michael Fahey

Mobile gaming will overtake consoles, says Gosen [GamesIndustry.biz]

Thank the heavens above for GameSetWatch and chief poster of all things interesting, Simon Carless. If we could somehow transform him into a single, beautiful woman with a massive trust fund and a penchant for giving foot massages, we'd be all over that. In this week's edition of scraping through the muck of eBay for interesting video game auctions, he came across this "Holy Grail" of Game & Watch units—10 unopened, mostly untouched, perfectly mint Donkey Kong Jr. units.

I am offering for sale the Holy Grail if you will of my collection. 10 DONKEY KONG Jr. with serial - numbers matching and still in manufacture box. I bought this box complete in 1983 and have stored it in a sealed foot locker ever since. No moisture, excessive heat or even worse human hands have touched these games in 23 years. I actually almost forgot about this sealed box. I am obsessive about matching serial numbers and made sure any multiples of games were bought in order from Nintendo and not one by one at some Gaming Shop.

Yes, I would say that obsessive was the right adjective in this case. It looks like the seller didn't find any other Donkey Kong Jr/serial number enthusiasts. Maybe this will be relisted for your insane buying pleasure. Michael McWhertor

Nintendo Game and Watch DONKEY KONG JR. MINT 10pk. BOX [via GameSetWatch]

The Atari Lynx was not only the company's first handheld, but it was as the first portable device to feature a full-color LCD screen. The portable was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Summer 1989. At that same show, Nintendo introduced the Game Boy, and the rest is history. Sleeping on this pillow is so bound to cause nightmares set to Tetris music. Brian Ashcraft

This is the coolest Xbox 360 accessory I've seen to date. It's a big steel case that carries your Xbox 360, controllers, cables and a flat screen. Once you get to where ever you are going you just pop open the hinged-lid and get to playing. Fantastic idea for LAN parties. Brian Crecente

Ackibox

What a cool idea and for like $30, that's not bad. I almost bought it and then I realized I have zero use for it, what with the GBAs, N-Gages, Gizmondos, DSes, PSP and such cluttering my desk. Brian Crecente

Cute. Jeff over at the NeoFreaks forums got this in a box of Australian breakfast cereal and proclaimed it a prototype for the Xbox Portable. Claiming that it played all Xbox Live Arcade games, it has a 1" screen, a D-Pad, a single square front button and between 512mb and 2gb of space.

Before it was revealed to be the equivalent of a Cracker Jack prize, Aeropause perhaps put a little bit too much effort into debunking such an obvious fake:

Ok now that the supposed "technical details" are out of the way, let's get down to serious matter. Is this Microsoft game gadget real? I say no, it's a fake. The size is way too small, the D-Pad is almost the same size as the screen and the one, lonely square button is stuck down in the corner. Nice try. The cell cam pics don't do it any justice either, but maybe that was the whole idea. Someone out there needs to verify the validity of this prototype before I believe in all that is Xbox portable.

But alas, it's not a laughable entry into the portable market by Microsoft after all. But if you shake a gold one out of your box of cornflakes one morning, you will win a free 360! Florian Eckhardt

The Xbox Live Arcade Portable Game System [Aeropause]

As they did for the Top 100 Greatest Games of the 21st Century, Next Generation has taken all portable games ever and ranked them numerically according to revenue and profit.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the list is largely comprised of extremely shitty movie tie-in games like Shrek. Which explains why anyone would make them anyway.

Coming in at Number One is Pokemon Ruby, although that's slightly disingenuous, as they basically had to throw out all the Mario games to stop them from taking the top twenty spots. Florian Eckhardt

Top 50 Handheld Games [Next Generation]

I recently had a chance to talk with John Koller, the senior marketing manager for the Playstation Portable for a story I was working on for the Rocky Mountain News. The story ran online today. It mostly looks at the Playstation Portable's identity crisis: Is it a portable gamer or is it a multimedia player. There are plenty of other juicy tidbits packed into the story as well.

Hit the jump for a few of them:

The PSP has a 120-game library and another 100 coming by the end of the year.
The PSP will definitely get an iTunes-like service that will support music and video downloads, but right now Sony is still working on the DRM.
The GPS add-on will be used for both mapping and gameplay.
The camera add-on will include a built-in microphone and be able to take still pictures and video.
Future iterations of the PSP are likely, but Sony is betting on the device having a 10-year lifespan.
Sony believes Microsoft's Zune will eventually have game play support and that worries the company.

I'm left with the impression that Sony doesn't play nicely with Sony when it comes to.. well, just about everything, but most certainly when it comes to digital video and music. Hit the full story for all of the context and lovely quotes.

Sony Fights to Define the PSP [Rocky Mountain News]

Medal of Honor Heads to Portables [1Up]

Modders, please stop. If your console is larger than your torso and an ergonomic monstrosity, it's not portable. Look at this Xbox Portable, for example. It's some nice work... seriously. But look where the control pad and buttons are compared to the rest of the device. If held upright while playing, at any given time you would be holding twenty pounds worth of electronics in mid-air by the mere corners of your expensive, one-of-a-kind homebrew mod.

We've said it before: "Everything's portable if it doesn't matter how big it is." Love the Hulk green, though. Florian Eckhardt

Xbox Portable [Portablesystems.net]

Team Xbox, as you might expect from their site name, has a jones for a portable Xbox. So much so that they Photoshopped up the above (or right, depending on your browser width) Portable Xbox, which demonstrates the "basic set of features for a portable Xbox." Apparently, gamers really want a 12:4 screen aspect ratio.

So how possible is it? We don't vouch for their findings, but they think it's doable for three bills or so:

We have taken a look at what the possibilities are for a portable Xbox. Throughout the article, it was proved that there's enough technology already to bring the Xbox platform to a portable game console, even with some of the new features that debuted on the Xbox 360 and the new Xbox Live.

Putting together the required silicon to offer an Xbox experience on a handheld will be a difficult task for whoever designs this portable console, not because of a technology barrier, but because of prices. With the Nintendo DS costing as low as $129.99, and the Sony PSP selling for $199.99, Microsoft will have a hard time bringing the Xbox console to a handheld device at a price lower than $300. The only way people could pay for an Xbox Portable more than what the DS and the PSP cost would be if Microsoft offered with the XP something its competitor can't; not hardware specs so much as software and services.

Well, they've got a point there: Live Anywhere would seem made for an Xbox Portable. Florian Eckhardt

Xbox Portable Explored [Team Xbox]

You know, we post these classic consoles go portable, but really, semantics can only stretch the definition of 'portable' into so thin a layer of adjectival smegma. Not to belabor the obvious, but everything is portable if size isn't a consideration.

The Gamecube portable is exactly as big as a GC with an LCD screen and a controller glued to it. It does not contain a portable battery, as that would have added over 600 grams to the weight... even without, it weighs over 2 kilos, which is enough to vaporize an entire city block if dropped from a tall enough building.

If we don't like it, Ben Hartland — the device's creator — invites us to "do better" with a Gamecube portable. I will as soon as I duct tape a Gamecube to the back of a 50 inch plasma screen. Florian Eckhardt

Handheld Gamecube [N-Central]

Toshio Iwai, the crazy musical genius behind the DS music "game" Electroplankton, is back and with a new crazy device. Called the Tenori-On, this Iwai and Yamaha Music created portable music player is still in the prototype phase. The instrument is laid out on a 16-by-16 grid of LED buttons and boasts two built-in speakers. The buttons can either be lightly strummed like a harp or pressed. Notes are apparently set off by a line of light that sweeps left to right, sorta like Lumines. What does it sound like? Electroplankton. Every generation needs a theremin. I'm so happy we're getting ours. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Boing Boing]

We've heard rumblings that the iPod is going to try to go head to head with Nintendo and Sony as a portable gaming platform before. For example, a couple of months ago, former Lucasarts technical director Mike Lampell headed up an Apple-endorsed group of "coders with a gaming background." And other such rumors.

More logs for the rumor fire: NVidia has allegedly won a contract to supply Apple with graphics chips for future video iPods. Not only that, but another rumor states that upcoming iPods will play old Nintendo games.

I'm more than a little skeptical. The iPod is a great little mp3 player, but the simplicity of the click wheel design doesn't lend itself to gaming in the slightest. Even Pong is a chore on it. So Apple would need to add a D-Pad or a touch-screen, upping the complexity factor of a device that is purposely streamlined to the maximum intent. And given how completely uninterested Apple is in encouraging Mac gaming, we're skeptical they really care enough to make a full pass at competing with the likes of the DS or PSP. Florian Eckhardt

Future iPods to morph into games consoles? [Reghardware.co.uk] (Thanks, Shaun!)

While I'd lovev to think the thing will play Live Arcade games, according to the same site it will only come with a 30GB harddrive, making it too small to hold the full-sized, unported titles, or at least most of them.

I suspect that it will instead use Live Anywhere to support mini-games, music and video. Ooooh, maybe chatting too. That could be pretty cool, though painful with most interfaces. Brian Crecente

The Microsoft Player, Part I: Guiding Strategy [Digital Music News]

The device, code-named Argo, is part of a complete line of "Xbox-branded digital-media products, including a device that plays media, a software media player and an online media service," according the staff columnist.

Dudley goes on to say that the device will compete with "game players" from Sony and Nintendo and will also likely showcase the XNA game developer toolkit.

The fact that Dudley is a columnist, so this is opinion, and that he doesn't have a single source or quote to back up his theory leaves me a bit skeptical. On the other hand I've heard from some good sources that there will be some official news on this device in the next week or so. And I suspect that it will indeed have some sort of gaming tie-in.

Dudley points out that Microsoft's annual meeting is July 27, which makes mid to late July perfect timing for a big product announcement. Brian Crecente

Argo aims guns at more than iPod [Seattle Times]

Screw Peter Moore and his Xboy, this is the XMan. This portable Xbox comes with a built in LCD, runs on a case of batteries and looks to be the size of a manhole cover. Brian Crecente

Portable Xbox [Portable Systems, via Digg]

We are looking at various ways to bring more to that [handheld] space. There is a lot yet that hasn't been done.

Gates also compared the 360 to the PlayStation 2, saying that that the smaller and cheaper Sony console came out before huge-assed first Xbox. He then talked about how great Xbox Live was and probably felt very, very smug inside.

Isn't that picture from the conference just horrible? Brian Ashcraft

Full Post Here [PC Mag] Thanks, Andy!

Earlier, we reported that the a research firm called the Diffusion Group believed Microsoft would be entering the handheld market in 2007 or 2008. Luke over at 1Up talked with Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities, about the prospects of a Msoft portable.

Pachter mentions that his basis for such conjecture is the reorganization of the Home Entertainment division, combined with Bill Gates saying Vista will allow for convergence of 360, PC and mobile devices. But what kind of device?

I believe that the company is interested in turning the Xbox 360 into a media hub, and they are interested in offering a handheld device that will allow downloading of movies, television programs, music and games. Sort of a reverse-engineered iPod. Although the iPod form factor is exceedingly cool, I think that Apple would have preferred to make the device more game friendly.

Granted, all this is speculation, and the only thing that separates it from mere fanboyism is Pachter's job title. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [1Up]

The report says the device will likely be similar to the Playstation Portable and sport multimedia playback capabilities.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

May 30, 2006 (Dallas, TX) - New research from The Diffusion Group suggests that Microsoft will likely leverage its Xbox franchise to enter the portable game console (PGC) market in late 2007 or early 2008. According to TDG's latest report, On the Future of Portable Game Consoles: Analysis & Forecasts, Microsoft is expected to embed a portable multimedia player in a handheld gaming platform similar in many respects to Sony's PSP.

"Microsoft has been waiting on the sidelines until its gaming console and software business reached sustainability, all the while watching closely how Nintendo and consumers in general would respond to Sony's PSP," said Thomas Wolf, a portable media analyst and co-author of TDG's latest report. "With global PGC revenues expected to reach $3 billion annually by 2008, and with only Sony and Nintendo active in the PGC space, Microsoft has before it an incredible opportunity. It has a critical brand presence in the console space, the breadth and depth of gaming titles, and the marketing clout necessary to enter this space and win decent market share."

Microsoft has been evaluating two options regarding its portable gaming strategy: licensing a version of its Xbox OS for others to build portable hardware designs upon, or introducing its own branded PGC. "While licensing the software is consistent with Microsoft's larger strategy, and no doubt Microsoft has endured many failures in regard to hardware plays, the success of the Xbox presents Microsoft with a unique opportunity," said Michael Greeson, CEO of The Diffusion Group and co-author of the report. "Microsoft owns an established and highly-regarded hardware brand, meaning that they can enter the PGC market from a position of strength, a privilege not enjoyed by any other player except those already active in the PGC space."

While I can see why Msoft would want to get into such a profitable market, I hope they have the common sense not to. All I can say is remember the Schlieffen plan. I asked Msoft about and it landed me a "We are not commenting on rumors and speculation" yadayadayada. Brian Crecente

Microsoft's Portable Game Plans: Report From the Diffusion Group [Gaming]

Stephen Totilo sat down with Bill " I could buy Tahiti with my pocket change" Gates right after his disasterous appearance at E3. (Gates' not Totilo's) They two chatted about a lot of things including Gates level of involvement with the console team, the Wii-mote and handheld gaming.

Here are some choice excerpts:

Gates gave his interview a day after Sony had publicly joined Nintendo in announcing that its console would have a motion-sensitive controller. Don't expect the 360 to follow the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 into that field. Gates wasn't too impressed with the whole concept.

"There's room for innovation here, but moving that controller around — it's something that's not mainstream for most games," he said. He recalled a Microsoft-made controller from several years ago that allowed 3-D movement. "It's tough because sometimes you move the controller, and you don't [mean] to fly into the ground. You just want to put the controller down," he said. "People aren't that good at totally standing still. Even pilots actually sit in a chair when they do their flying. So there's a lot to be learned about these controllers."

...

The Microsoft chief's focus on simple games as well as a networked gaming service that connects home and mobile devices naturally leads to the question of when there will be an Xbox Portable or Xboy. Dean Takahashi — the well-sourced San Jose Mercury News reporter and author of the recent behind-the-scenes book "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked" — reported in March that Microsoft is at work on a handheld version of the Xbox.

Gates wasn't coughing up details — just a long-range tease about the inevitability of Microsoft getting involved in the portable market.

"Over time you have to say, will you carry in your pocket a media device and a phone and a gaming device and, say, a tablet device for reading?" It's natural for them to be combined into one device, he said. "People have different blends of that now. The world isn't ready yet for a device that meets all of those needs. But go a few years out, the hardware gets a lot better, we'll be there with the software platform, and I think everybody will just take it for granted that there will be a better device."

Brian Crecente

Bill Gates Wary Of Motion-Sensitive Controllers, Solo Gaming [MTV News]

Actually, as no real criticisms or analysis is leveled at Takahashi's book, it's less a review than a primer. Still, it's a fascinating read, separating the most interesting tid-bits from Dean's work into a bullet list of gossip and blunders.

These include the revelations that Ed Fries had to threaten to quit to prevent Halo 2 from being rushed out the door (the review claims this ploy was successful, but the ending of Halo 2 would beg to differ), that Bill Gates pushed for a 4+Ghz Intel Tejas chip for the 360 and that the backwards compatibility of the 360 was an 11th hour afterthought.

Most interesting, though, is the revelation that half of the 360 team has been split off to design a portable system to compete with the PSP and DS. The plan is to release it during the 360's half-life, "so that the business has a hedge against the crushing generational transition costs."

We'd be surprised if news on Microsoft's portable hit this E3, though. The 360's half-life is 2007 or 2008, at least. Still, if they did announce it over the next week, that would be a hell of a way to compete with any announcements about the Wii or the PS3, don't you think?

Book Review: Xbox 360 Uncloaked [Next Generation]

A Chinese portable media player with a built-in NES simulator? The Iwod G10 dishes up classic Nintendo gaming on 2.5" LCD screen. It's as easy as loading up your favorite NES ROM titles on an SD card. The Iwod G10's battery is good for ten hours of video output and thirty hours of audio, kicking the crap outta the PSP's battery.

More Here [Bear Eyes] Thanks, Torokun!

Kiddie comic mag Shonen Jump is giving away free stuff to readers. What kind of stuff? DS games like Mario Kart and Tetris DS, swell gadgets like a R/C golf ball and a unicycle, and two DS Lites. The pictured portable is black.

Eek! Since when has there been a black DS Lite? There hasn't. But knowing Nintendo and the company's fetish for turning out product in every imaginable color, there will be. For now, let's chalk this one up to fun-with-Photoshop. The color does suit it.

Image Here [via Game Front]

Things are really shaping up to make this one of the best or worst E3 in history. I say that with exactly one E3 under my belt, so I speak from experience. :)

Seriously, while Sony and Nintendo have the most to win or gain at this upcoming show, even Microsoft could have some major news hitting. Let's go through the rumors and possibilities.

Nintendo
The Revolution is going to be the big show stopper for Nintendo and while the buzz has been rather favorable, the chief attraction, it seems, is that fancy remote control-looking joystick doohickey. I've seen it described as the next mouse or D-pad, but I've also heard people worry that it will be another Power Glove or lament that it will lead to the dumbing down of games.

This first chance for the world's game journalists to go hands-on with the controller will go a long way in making or breaking its future and where goes the Revolution Controller goes the Revolution.

I think Nintendo will also likely discuss the DS Lite and when it will be hitting the U.S. and Europe, but as much as I am anticipating the portable, I don't expect it to make much of a splash compared to the rest of the week's news.

Sony
With the past few months of hijinks, jitters and double-takes, Sony seems about ready to have a bit of a corporate nervous breakdown. The company that many thought had the strongest hold on the industry is suddenly being looked at very closely by investors and analysts. Just how are they going to both price the PS3 in a way to make it attractive to consumers, but also so that it doesn't make them hemorrhage gallons of cash with each sale?

The Blu-ray technology seems to be at the heart of the problem. Some have said that Sony tying a format war to their next console was not the brightest move. To top it off, recent Playstation Portable news shows that at least the device's multimedia capabilities are not doing nearly as well as Sony had hoped. Much of Hollywood has staggered away from the train wreck that was the UMD movie format. Recent reports have Sony execs going door to door trying to convince studios to return to the format. The ace up Sony's sleeve? They say they're working on a way of allowing UMD movies to be played on a regular TV. The other rumor is that a new PSP might be announced.

Of all the three companies doing their next-gen song and dance at the big show, I think Sony likely has the most to lose. They come into the show as the proud creator of the strongest current generation console in the world; this show will decide where their next-gen console will place them.

Microsoft
Having gotten their next-gen console launch off the ground, sort of, Microsoft is in the enviable position of being able to sit back and watch how their competitors try to catch-up with their head-start. But I doubt that is what they will do.

It's likely that the big M is going to try and do some maneuvering to reinvigerate the Xbox 360 just as the Revolution and PS3 come to the market. One way they will do this will certainly be through those mysterious 15 titles set to hit through the rest of the year. Will there be another Halo type title? Will there be another Halo? It's hard to say, though it sounds like Gears of War is being positioned to lead the charge.

Another big push will likely be the HD-DVD add-on. If Microsoft can really offer this bad boy up for the rumored $100 and it has the suspected HDMI connection built into it, it could become quite a major draw for Msoft's console.

With the next-gen console war fully engaged, you'd think that Microsoft would have their hands full. But what about portable gaming? They're the only company so far to not enter the fray. One rumor has it that the company will unveil a portable gaming device at E306. I'm on the fance about the possibilities, but if it does happen I think it will be a big mistake for a company just starting to get a leg up in the console wars. Everyone knows a one front war is far better than a two front one.

OK, your turn. What do you expect to come out of the big three at E3?

My mom dropped off this little gem from my childhood during her last visit. I believe this is technically the first portable gaming system I ever owned. (I may have had a Popeye Game and Watch before this, I just can't remember.)

The Little Professor, for the uninitiated, was a calculator made by Texas Instruments in the 70s that also tested your math skills. There were four levels you could select. Basically the thing just displayed math problems in tiny red numbers and you had to input the answer. After going through a set it would give you your score. The whole thing was sound free as well.

Now that's old school educational gaming.

What was your first portable?

Sega's getting back into the handheld market says French gaming site Inpact Virtuel. The leaked info says the former console maker is planning a portable that would be able to play games from the Master System, the Genesis, the Saturn and the Dreamcast.

The portable would be cartridge-based, have USB ports and enable a PC connection. The device would also accept Compact Flash and SD card storage. There is possibility the portable will have DivX video playback as well.

The code name for this device is the "Sega Hedgehog" (yeah, we know) and will be outfitted with a 566 MHz Samsung processor, 128 MB nVidia graphics processor based on the GeForce 3D 4500 and a LCD display with touch-screen capabilities.

Utter and complete bull malarky? Geez, because the portable market is so competitive, its likely. Also, with pictured concept art (above) for a portable that looks like it was designed by Salvador Dali and Hello Kitty for Batman, this "scoop" seems more suitable for shoveling poo. Recently, we spoke with Sega about returning to the console market, and they insisted that the company was focusing on only game software. Keep in mind Sega continues to sell the Dreamcast through their online store.

Full Piece Here in English [Racketboy]
Full Piece Here in French [Inpact Virtuel] Thanks, Nick!

Microsoft invited several bloggers to breakfast during the Game Developers Conference to chat about Microsoft, the Xbox 360 and what ever else popped into our little heads.

Peter Moore, Chris Satchell, Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb, John Porcaro and Cesar Menendez were on hand to answer questions. The bloggers in attendance were Joel Johnson, executive editor of Gawker's tech sites; Brian Crecente, that would be me; Christopher Grant with Xbox 360 Fanboy and Joystiq; Gaming Steve and Gamer Andy.

The dealio lasted about an hour and a half. We touched on if Microsoft is entering the portable gaming market (they dodged), the failure of the 360 launch in Japan (Moore described the launch as a plane with two engines on fire going in for a landing), when the core pack is getting killed, innovation on the 360, supply issues and Nintendo's strategy in the next-gen war. (Moore sort of says that the console war is now a two dog fight for mass market gaming.) Oh and he totally dances around the whole "Vista is delayed" issue.

I planned on writing all of this up earlier this week but my flu and massive MT technical issues have thwarted my attempts. For now, I thought I would just upload the whole audio recording from the breakfast.

The guy asking the first question is Joel Johnson (about portable gaming), I asked the follow up question (mentiong the Business Week story). Peter Moore answered most of the questions. The rest you can probably figure out.

Download the MP3 here.