According to the Nintendo rumour mill, the popular Wii console is set to launch in two new, exciting colours this November.

Prototypes of the console in a variety of colours have already been shown, but the latest info leak reckons that we'll get the black and white Wii shells from day one, with more coming after the initial release.

Two possible release dates for the new shells are circulating on the net, with some fan sites citing 2nd November as the release date, whilst others are saying the 12th is the day to skive on.

Estimates at the price have been consistent, with the general consensus at around £150, or $229 for our readers across the pond.

If all this Ninty excitement isn't enough to have you wetting yourself, games site Spong thinks that there might be a handheld GameCube in the works as well. It seems that IBM has been hard at work creating a scaled down Wii processor to fit into the handheld.

We'll have to wait and see what Nintendo have in store for us.

Linford

Labels: GameCube, Handheld, New colours, Rumor, Wii

According to some sources, a handheld version of the much-loved Microsoft console might not be that far off.

Pictures appearing on gadget website T3 quickly caught the attention of many gamers, sprouting rumours about the possibility of a handheld in development.

The handheld, vaguely similar to the Microsoft Zune, has all the standard 360 buttons and also features the 360 'Guide' button familiar to current 360 owners.

The images also reveal a new menu system with video, image and music features, plus radio, community and - of course - games.

Of course, the images could be the product of some handy Photoshop user, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for this new piece of tech. You can click on the thumbnails below to view more images.

More as I get it.

Linford

Labels: 360, Handheld, Microsoft, Rumor, Zune

Rumours that the new PlayStation3 firmware 2.40 is on the horizon could have some basis in fact, sources report.

Although nothing has been officially announced about the release date of the software update, many seem to think that connection problems on the PlayStation Network are due to the fact that the system is being upgraded to v2.4 - which will allow the XMB to be accessed in-game.

Sony have already confirmed that in-game XMB, support for the new 360-like Trophies system - so it is entirely plausible that these rumours have some substance.

Hopefully this is an indicator that 2.40 is on the horizon, finally. Check out CVG for a list of supposed in-game features.

More as we get it.

Linford

Labels: Rumor, XMB

It's been a while since faithful PS3 owners got a firmware update. Luckily, however, the latest version, 2.40, is due for release on 18th June.

Nothing has yet been confirmed by Sony, but we have a vague idea of which new features will be added. Videogaming24 has it on 'good authority' that the long-wanted in-game XMB (XrossMediaBar) feature will be included in next week's potential update.

Along with in-game XMB, another new feature will be the slightly less-anticipated trophy support. Trophy support has been linked to PlayStation Home, so hopefully this added feature is an indication that Home is on the horizon. Also added will be custom soundtracks, allowing mp3's stored on the Hard Disk Drive to be played during gameplay, according to sources.

The firmware will be available to download via the settings menu on the XMB or via the official PlayStation website on 18th June if all goes to plan.

I will keep you posted as more information is released, and will post a full changelog on the new features when the firmware is released.

Linford

Labels: Rumor

According to a Kotaku source, 'Playstation Home' and 'Rachet: Quest for Booty' are set for July releases. Also, a Resistance 2 trailer will be released on April 15th.

Matt

Labels: Matthew Meadows, Playstation Home, Rumor

Playstation Asia has said that they may add a subscription based service to the PSN network, in return they have said that you will be able to download as many PSP games as you want.

Gr1mmy

In fact, while this rumor does have some amount of truth behind it, the rumor actually stems from a questionairre asked to playstation owners in Asia (Hong Kong i think) asking wether they would pay an amount per year/month to get as many PS1/PSP titles as they liked. This however would NOT make PSN a subscribed service (like XBOX Live) as a user could still buy all products from the store and play games online for free. In my opinion the subscription would probably be good for sales, but I doubt it would make it to Europe, as we do not get many PS1/PSP games over here anyway.

(Update: It also seems like the subscription was also only planned for the PC version of the store)

Matt

Labels: Rumor

Labels: Rumor