This simply means that you can now plug in your USB compatible storage device(s) and use it as if though it were your Xbox’s actual hard drive.

Now you can use this...

with this

We can speculate as to the why and when for this decision, the important part of the story is that even if you purchased a Xbox with a tiny hard drive you will now be able to plug in a removable storage device and install full games at will thanks to this new feature.

The maximum storage amount is 16 gb per drive, as you can use up to two drives this leads to extra storage space totalling 32 gb. We all know how expensive console based storage is, this is a great initiative coming from the Xbox camp and the update is available in the form of a firmware update download.

As many of you will know by now, the latest idea brewing in the gaming world is that of 3D gaming; think of it like the time you watched Avatar in 3D. Well that’s basically the concept, except you would be playing games in 3D. It must be noted that bringing 3D gaming to a PC or notebook is not as simple as putting on a pair of 3D glasses and enjoying the awesome experience of being surrounded and encapsulated by your favourite game in a stunning 3D experience. As it stands NVidia’s “3D vision” technology has a list of pre-requisites including a 120hz HD monitor, an approved GPU with a dual-link DVI connection as well as a pair of battery powered 3D glasses with a USB IR emitter. Asus have successfully incorporated all of this in one impressive package, allowing you; the end user to enjoy 3D gaming in all its glory.

complete and ready for 3D gaming

The G51J’s specs are as follows:

1.6 ghz  Intel Core i7 processor

4 gb of DDR 3 memory

320gb hard drive

Nvidia GeForce GTX 260m graphics card

If you want to read up some more about this very impressive notebook, visit: http://promos.asus.com/US/PR_2009/G51J_Worlds_First_Notebook/Index.html for the more intricate details.

Nobody knows for sure whether 3D gaming will indeed be the next level for gamers, what we do know is that the Asus G51J is one of the most comprehensive package deals out there if you can’t wait to experience what true 3D gaming is all about.

The Radeon 5970

This is the first graphics card which will support DirectX 11 and as far as specs are concerned, this 2gb dual GPU card doubles its predecessor the Radeon 5870 a feat which in itself is quite impressive.

The Radeon HD 5970 is powered by a pair of 5800 series GPUs linked by a single PCB by a PCI Express bridge.

As most of us know, the Radeon HD 5870 is currently the fastest single GPU on the market, not only will the 5970 blow away any single graphics card available at the moment but it will feature much that the 5800 series has to offer such as Direct X 11 support. One of the card’s major selling points is its ability to drive six … yes six displays simultaneously.

A definite release date for the 5970 has not been decided as yet. Though we’re not clear on a release date, one thing we are certain of is that the fast just got faster which is good for progress and good for your frames per second.

Is this a leaked image of the PS3 Slim?

1. Retailers in Japan have noted that the current 80GB PS3 will no longer be available from Sony after the 9th of August and since the 160GB edition isn’t sold in Japan, that would leave them with no PS3′s to sell, unless there was a new model.

2. Amazon have announced price cuts on all its 160GB models and bundles.

3. There have also been reports from component distributors that supply Sony with parts for the PS3 that they have received orders double the normal order levels. This also points to a big possibility that Sony is definitely up to something with regards to the PS3.

The possibility of the official launch by Sony would either come after E3 or at Gamescom Expo taking place on the 18th of August in Germany.

My advice is if you don’t own a PS3, hold off on that purchase to see what the new hardware offers or what price drops you would see from Sony for the standard bundles currently on offer.

The folks at Joystiq had some hands-on time with the game earlier this year at the GDC 2009 conference, and reported that the game had many elements to the gameplay, and looked promising.

More recently at ComicCon 2009, the game’s developer Icarus Studios released a new trailer for the game, showing some in-game footage. The footage looks fantastic for an iPhone game, nothing I’ve ever seen on the iPhone. The fact that the game is mentioned to run on the iPod Touch as well, leads me to believe that the game is not making exclusive use of the newer, more powerful hardware of the iPhone 3GS, which makes the gameplay footage even more impressive.

I wonder how long the battery will last during gameplay.

Source: Joystiq

The new black Nintendo Wii packaging

The only downside of the new black Nintendo Wii? Probably the dust problem that seems to detract from the shinyness of all black shiny consoles.

Details leaked

Sony’s new PSP, called the PSP Go! was spotted in the latest episode of Qore (Full video here, it would appear the video was not to go live this early), where presenter Veronica Belmont had a play with the new device.

The PSP Go! has a slide-out bottom part that reveals the usual D-pad and Start/Select buttons etc hidden behind the 3.8″ screen. It features built-in bluetooth, and Sony Memory Stick Micro slot and 16GB of built-in memory. A feature that some were expecting to be dropped earlier than only now, is the UMD drive; the Go! is much thinner due to the UMD drive no longer being there, which is no big deal as the UMD format is being phased out, and with the Go! fully interfacing with the Playstation Network and the PS3, getting movies and games onto the new handheld console is taken care of, not to mention earlier rumours of a games rental system and a music store.

With the dropping of the UMD drive and some other technological advances, the new PSP Go! is over 40% lighter than its predecessor, and with a 3.8″ screen, the screen real-estate is slightly smaller than its predecessor too.

If all goes well, the PSP Go! will ship in at least the US in the third quarter of this year, hopefully making its way to South African shores soon after that.

New games incoming too

And if that wasn’t good enough news, some games were mentioned in the video as well. New games we can look forward to on the PSP includes a new Metal Gear Solid, Little Big Planet and a new Gran Turismo game.

SCEA Director of Hardware John Koller was the one giving the demo of the new Go! in the Qore video, and he explained that the Go! is not out to replace the PSP-3000, but due to Sony’s 10 year shelf life plan for their hardware, the Go! will hang around a little bit longer. He also explained that the two consoles will not have two separate games libraries, but there are likely to be some changes from developers where they create smaller, and thus likely shorter games to ease on the distribution of the games.

See the Engadget PSP Go! picture gallery.

Sources: Engadget, Gizmodo, IGN

Much like the Sony PSP’s Remote Play functionality, the Aino will be able to interact with the PS3′s Cross Media Bar through an ad-hoc wireless connection or remotely via Wi-Fi over the internet, allowing gamers to access their PS3 from anywhere in the world. Most of the PS3′s XMB features are compatible with Remote Play, with access to features such as music, videos, photos, the PlayStation Store, friends lists and more.

Not only will the phone be able to talk to the PS3 and access its features, but it also features some very clever functions itself, such as, amongst others:

• traditional keypad and touch UI in media mode
• 8.1 megapixel camera
• Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP) music playback
• A-GPS
• Google Maps™
• Wi-Fi™
• Accelerometer

to name but just a few.

Sony expects to launch the Aino in the last quarter of this year.

Full Sony Ericsson press release.

It’s just such a pity that the South African market doesn’t have access to great bandwidth and nice things like PlayTV, and with current cellphone prices, the Aino is likely to cost an arm and a leg. But at least the geek factor is there, and it’s a step in the right direction in terms of features on a smartphone.

Sources: Gamesindustry.biz, SonyEricsson

Wii Sports Resort makes use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory and will be included in the bundle for $50 (R450±). The MotionPlus plugs into the base of your Wii remote and aims to give you the most responive and realistic experience possible.

Along with Wii Sports Resort, I’m really looking forward to trying out the 2 EA games, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis. With the Playstation 3 outselling the Wii for the first time ever this past quarter, Nintendo are looking for that push to once again stake its claim as the most popular selling console.

Wii Sports Resort

Wii Sports Resort takes place on a tropical island. A wide range of activities will keep players coming back for one more round. Some sample activities include Sword Play, Power Cruising (racing a water scooter) and Disc Dog, which involves accurately tossing a disc to a cute, Mii-like dog.

I’ve included a few screenshots of Wii Sports Resort below. I honestly think the launch of Wii Sports Resort and the MotionPlus Wiimote will be the most anticpated release from Nintendo since the launch of the Wii!

Pimp My Ride XBox 360

From what looks like something out of the massively popular MTV show, Pimp My Ride, this gamer wanted his XBox close at hand, no matter where he was driving. The remote is built into the steering wheel while the console has been mounted in the dashboard. The lengths gamers will go to not miss any game play is astounding!

Rockstar games case mod

If you are a GTA fan, you definitely would want your console looking like the Rockstar games XBox 360. The side panel has been cut out and replaced with perspex so you get to see the guts of your XBox, as well as the controllers and external hard drive bay have been branded too.

Chrome Xbox 360

Like looking at yourself in the mirror? Well the chrome XBox 360 case mod could be yours for around R500 ($49). Its a high quality chrome HDMI case with matching wireless controller cases and a hard drive case. Just keep your grubby paws off this case. Cleaning fingerprint smudges everyday might just drive you insane.

Halo 3 console mod

This Halo 3 XBox 360 mod really is a piece of art and was built by a guy in the UK in his spare time. There isn’t any internal modifications to the case other than a couple of LED’s to light it up, all the modding was done to the outside where a scene from Halo 3 plays it self out with the console acting as a wall between to of the characters.

Half Life mod

Seems you can never get rid of the ever popular Half life game. Half Life fans have been modding their PC’s for years so its only fitting that they move their skills onto consoles too. Featuring a perspex window and Half Life logos on both sides of the case, this really is one sexy looking XBox 360.