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In a move that could potentially alienate the 3DS’ core audience, Nintendo have said that the using the 3DS could potentially cause serious eye damage. continue to read »

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Thrustmaster has unveiled the £400 official steering wheel for PlayStation 3-exclusive simulation racer Gran Turismo 5.

The T500 RS wheel and pedal set is said to be optimised for GT5. The wheel weighs 4.6kg; the pedal set 7.3kg. The gearshift levers, the wheel’s central spokes section (30cm in diameter) and the pedal set are all entirely metal.

The wheel itself offers 1080° rotation. A motorized stop means the three full turns are adjustable. The magnetic sensor-based H.E.A.R.T (HallEffect AccuRate Technology) is incorporated into the wheel’s steering mechanism. The wheel has 16-bit resolution and 65536 values on its steering axis.

The spacing and height of the pedal set is also fully adjustable, and allows for two driving positions: floor-mounted F1 style, or suspended GT style.

There’s even a textured foot rest, also metal. The Force Feedback mechanism is “vigorous, fast-acting and extremely responsive”. An independent gear stick will be available to buy in the coming months.

“The goal that I set for the Thrustmaster team was to design for me the most precise wheel ever developed, without any latency – to accurately reproduce the sensations of GT5, and let users truly feel the emotions experienced by drivers on real racing circuits,”said Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi.

The T500 RS launches in Europe and North America on 5th January, and in Japan on 25th January. It carries a suggested retail price of €499.99 (VAT included), which works out at around £425.

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Below is the first ever screenshot of the PS3 version of Crysis 2

We have to say it looks pretty good. Taken from Cryteks 3D papers, looks great for a console version with proper lighting.

Click for 720p version

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Earlier this evening, Major Nelson posted his weekly podcast and with it came some exciting Black Ops news.

Dan Bunting, from Treyarch Studios, joined Major Nelson’s show for a quick interview to announce the brand new DLC set to release for Black Ops. It was mentioned that it had been previously arranged that the DLC would be exclusive for the 360 for a period of time.

The release date was also announced to be February 1. The DLC is titled First Strike and includes 4 new multiplayer maps and 1 new zombie map. The price will be 1200 MSP ($15).

If you’d like to know more about the DLC, listen to the podcast, and if you’re even more lazy, just skip forward to 29:10.

Link to Podcast

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A bundle of Halo job advertisements have appeared on the website of internal Microsoft studio, 343 Industries.

Yesterday it was noticed that they had added 15 new roles across various positions including mission designer, multiplayer designer and an environment artist.

Last month Microsoft studio also advertised for a Halo project;  a technical artist to “breathe a fresh vision into a new Halo experience”.

It’s been rumoured that the studio’s working on a Halo 1 remake for release next year, though Microsoft’s staying quiet on that suggestion.

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On demand catch-up tv services, 40D and ITV Player have today joined BBC iPlayer on the PS3

Both services went live this morning and the PS3 now also boasts video services via Lovefilm, Mubi and the PSN video store.

Robin Pembroke, managing director at ITV.com, previously said the PS3 deal marked an “acceleration of our distribution strategy”, saying that shows such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale could become available on internet-enabled TV, tablets such as the iPad and other consoles.

“As awareness of ITV Player grows, so will consumption of ITV’s content on demand,” he said.

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has become “the fastest-selling PC game of all time”, according to internal figures from publisher Activision Blizzard.

The most recent expansion pack for the MMO World of Warcraft has been one of the most anticipated releases of the year and had gamers queueing through the night to be at the front of the queue for its release on the 7th of December.

Blizzards previous expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, sold 2.8 million copies sold in 24 hours,  in November 2008.

Cataclysm entered at No.3 on the UK All Formats chart this morning, and at No.1 on the PC chart.

“We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in Cataclysm, but the result was our best expansion yet,” said Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime.

“We want to thank all of our new, existing, and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content.”

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Crytek have released pre-alpha video footage of its recently announced CryEngine 3 shooter, Warface. Co-produced by Crytek Seoul, the free-to-play, PC-only military FPS is especially dedicated to Asian markets.

“A cinematic experience with next gen visuals, AI and physics based on Crytek’s proprietary CryENGINE 3 game development solution” is promised.

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The PlayStation 3 was a massive investment for many gamers, especially for those that bought the console at launch. For Sony, the costs were even higher, with billions spent on development, and more spent on selling the console at a loss. So its no wonder the company wants to extend the PS3′s life-cycle, and thus make profit on the platform. Now, a Sony patent has hinted that they will release external processors to make the console even more powerful – without the need for a PS4. continue to read »

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Sony and Polyphony’s Gran Turismo 5 has shipped 5.5 million units worldwide since its launch, according to the format holder.

The series as a whole has sold over 60 million copies since the original game’s first release in 1997.

Gran Turismo 5 suffered long delays and release date re scheduling 

with Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi insistent that the game was perfect on release.

“Satisfying the loyal Gran Turismo followers is at the heart of all of our efforts, which is why it was such a difficult decision to delay the release of the game, and one which we did not take lightly,” he said in November.

“I can only apologise to everyone for making you wait so long, and I hope that when you try out the wealth of driving experiences available in Gran Turismo 5, you will not be disappointed.”