After choosing the winners of our custom faceplate contest, we didn’t hear back from all of the winners in the allotted time. So, we delayed the announcement until we heard from people who actually want cool prizes.

So congratulations to our 1^st place winner Imadogg, who won a custom painted faceplate and our 2^nd place winner Travace, who won a Fight Club faceplate. For those of you who don’t remember, the contest was open to anyone who commented on posts at WTG. Here were the winning comments (which were randomly selected):

Imadogg Says:
December 15th, 2006 at 9:23 pm

Well I’m obviously commenting here for the first time to try and have a tiny shot at winning a faceplate. My 360 looks dull without one, and it looks like you (Jenni) have amazing talent… I would love to see one of these babies on my 360! Great work on every single one of them

Travace Says:
December 18th, 2006 at 10:37 am

i cant say when or what it will drop too but all i know is considering i have a xbox 360 to keep me entertained ill be waiting for a price drop like this before i even start to think about picking up this system.

So check back to see what faceplate design Imadogg comes up with. And don’t forget to enter our current contest to guess Mike’s favorite game for a $100 Gamestop giftcard.

-JENNI CHASTEEN

CVG is reporting that Capcom has licensed the Unreal Engine for an unannounced, North American developed project they’re working on. Capcom is known for solid design, and Epic’s Unreal Engine powered the wildly successful Gears of War. While our dreams of an Unreal Engine powered Resident Evil game are unlikely to come true, it’s a safe bet that whatever they’ve got cooking will be a best seller.

SCEA’s Managing Director Michael Ephraim has expressed to attendees at a media launch event in Australia that the Wii is a completely different product than the PS3. Ephraim explains:

“We think PS3 is not a product to be compared with Wii, it is a completely different product. This is a digital hub, that is a games console”

They may be very different products, but they are competing for the same consumers’ dollars. That’s a fact that Sony seems to keep forgetting. Hit up CVG for more of Mr. Ephraim’s thoughts on the PS3.

-MIKE KURZ

Sony has announced that their upcoming blu ray player, the BDP-S300 will have the same features as, but cost much less than the BDP – S1. The new player will retail for $599, tying with the PS3 for the title of cheapest blu ray player. One of the strongest points made by PS3 supporters is that the PS3 is currently the most affordable blu ray player. When the BDP – S300 launches early this summer, could it take a chunk out of the PS3’s sales? If all you’re looking for is a cheap blu ray player, either of these two devices would meet your needs. With another affordable player on the market, it will be left solely up to gamers to support the PS3.

-MIKE KURZ

Just about an hour ago I received an email from Microsoft announcing the Games for Windows Live beta. The email also included a registration link which lead to a survey that you must complete to be considered for the beta. From the letter:

Are you interested in being part of a select group that is invited to help beta test a new service that lets Windows gamers connect with their friends on the Xbox through the LIVE gaming network? If you are, please read on.
The registration period for this upcoming beta testing opportunity will only be available for a limited time. To be considered you will need to complete the Games for Windows - LIVE Beta application survey.
To fill out the survey:
1. Go to https://connect.microsoft.com/Survey/NominationSurvey.aspx? SurveyID=3599&ProgramID=1188&SiteID=363
2. You will be prompted to login with your Windows Live ID if you haven’t already done so.
3. If you have not completed the Connect registration form, you will be presented with the Terms of Use agreement then you will navigate to the Connect registration page.
4. You must agree to the Terms of Use agreement prior to registration.
5. Once you have completed the Connect registration page, you will navigate to the survey page.
6. You must complete all of the questions and submit the survey to be considered.

The email also says to pass it on to anyone you know who may be interested, so I’m doing just that with this post. So go, sign up, and good luck getting an invite!

-MIKE KURZ

As technology advances, video games become more and more immersive. When I sit down to play Gears of War on my HD TV, I’m presented with stunning visuals, 5.1 surround sound that makes it seem as though bullets are whizzing by my head, and I get tactile feedback from my controller. So what’s next? How do we improve on the already immersive experience? With the upcoming ForceWear vest from TN Games. PSU did an interview with Mark Ombrellaro (CEO of TN Games) and found out some interesting facts about the upcoming product:

PSU: The vest is customizable, how so?

Mark: The vest will have options to customize its look. At present, there will be versions geared towards shooter games (black tactical jacket and Camo look) as well as a look for racing (flame suit appearance). There will be accessory products for adding additional contact points to arms, legs, and the head. There will also be the ability to add parts to the jacket to
customize its appearance to tie specifically with game content. At TN Games we feel passionately that players be part of the action

The vest is capable of applying 10lbs of pressure to any of it’s contact points. No price has been announced, but the vest will be available in November. So what do you think? Would you like to feel the bullets hit you? Would you spend extra for the add ons for the arms legs and head? Personally I don’t know if I want to feel the headshots.

-MIKE KURZ

Back in January we ran a poll asking why people weren’t buying PS3’s. I’ve been putting off writing about the results, and I’m glad that I’m a procrastinator. GameDaily BIZ has posted an exclusive interview done with Phil Harrison (President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios), and it seems our numbers and his answers don’t line up. As of this writing, our poll has 984 votes. I was hoping to hit at least a thousand before writing about the results, but under the circumstances I’m willing to make an exception. The poll asked “Why haven’t you bought a PS3 yet?” Read on to find out how the results of the poll relate to the GameDaily BIZ interview.

(more…)

“If you can’t fight ‘em join ‘em”. It looks like the MPAA has finally realized this. If you go to bittorrent.com, you’ll see that you can now download TV shows, and movies legally via your favorite bit torrent client…. for a fee. TV shows will cost you $1.99, while movies will run you $2.99 - $3.99 for a 24 hour rental. These prices are pretty standard when compared to similar services (I’m looking at you Xbox Live Video Marketplace). The interesting thing here is that the MPAA has finally realized that they can’t stop bit torrent, so they might as well try to work with it. So what do you think? Would you abandon your life of crime in favor of downloading legitimate copies of your favorite show of film? Is the safety and convenience worth the cost?

-MIKE KURZ

The RIAA is a menace. They have taken legal action against the elderly, children, a dead guy, open wifi points, and pretty much everything that is wholesome. It needs to stop, and Gizmodo has come up with a plan to do just that. They have declared the month of March “Boycott the RIAA Month”. How do you participate? Simple – just don’t buy anything that puts money in the pockets of the RIAA. If they don’t have money, they can’t afford lawyers. If they can’t afford lawyers, they can’t sue anyone. Let me be clear: neither myself nor Gizmodo are encouraging piracy. Some of their suggestions for sticking it to the RIAA while not breaking the law are:

“Firstly, I encourage everyone to purchase music from unsigned bands and bands on independent record labels. There are tons of great artists out there, many of which you’re probably already a fan of, that have nothing to do with the RIAA. Buy their records at eMusic, an online store that sells independent tunes in beautiful, DRM-free MP3 format.

Secondly, you can still support RIAA-signed bands without buying their music. Go see them live and buy their merchandise; they get a hell of a lot more money from that then they do from album sales. And hey, you could benefit from getting out more, couldn’t you?

If you are unsure whether or not an album is put out by an RIAA label, the handy RIAA Radar will clear everything up for you. They have both a search engine and a great bookmarklet, so be sure to get yourself hooked up.”

Remember, if you keep supporting them, things will only get worse. Now’s as good a time as any to put a stop to it, so speak with your wallet.

-MIKE KURZ

Rumors have been circulating for a couple of days that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game is coming to XBLA. This video seems to lend credibility to these rumors. Here’s the deal: I can neither confirm nor deny these rumors, as I am not on partnernet (hint hint MS). Both the screenshots and the video could be easily faked, so until we get confirmation from an official source, I’m leaving this one in the rumor bin.

-MIKE KURZ