Warner Bros. Sues Over Hobbit Mockbuster

Warner Bros. has sued notorious mockbuster production company The Asylum over their upcoming release Age of the Hobbits, claiming its trying to knock off Warners' forthcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. (Age of the Hobbits opens December 11, three days ahead of The Hobbit's debut.)

Here's part of the studio's filed complaint, via The Hollywood Reporter: "The Asylum has been and is promoting and advertising its low-budget film using the confusingly similar and misleading title Age of the Hobbits, in an intentional and willful attempt (i) to trade on the popularity and goodwill associated with the Tolkien novels, the extraordinarily successful Lord of The Rings film trilogy, and the famous HOBBIT mark, (ii) to free-ride on the worldwide advertising campaign in connection with the forthcoming Hobbit films, and (iii) to divert customers and potential customers away from the Hobbit films."

The Asylum recently told THR, "Age of the Hobbits is about the real-life human subspecies, Homo Floresiensis, discovered in 2003 in Indonesia, which have been uniformly referred to as 'Hobbits' in the scientific community. ... As such, the use of the term 'Hobbits' is protected under the legal doctrines of nominal and traditional fair use. Indeed, a simple Google search of Hobbits and archaeology reveals dozens of articles containing the term "Hobbit(s)" in the title."

Source : ign[dot]com

Two Books Join the New 52 in February

Last month we reported that DC was canceling four of its lower selling titles in January - Frankenstein, Grifter, Blue Beetle, and Legion Lost. That means the company will need to launch four new books in February to keep the overall number of ongoing DC books at 52.

Geoff Johns and David Finch's Justice League of America has already announced. Today, two more of these new titles were revealed by MTV Geek - Katana and Justice League of America's Vibe.

Katana spins out of Duane Swiercynski's Birds of Prey series and features the assassin who wields a sword she believes houses her late husband's soul. The series will be written by Ann Nocenti (Catwoman) and drawn by Alex Sanchez (JSA Classified).

As the title suggests, Justice League of America's Vibe is tied to Johns' new team book and focuses on the former gang leader-turned-superhero. The series will be written by Andrew Kreisberg (creator of the TV series Arrow) and illustrated by Pete Woods (Legion Lost). Additionally, Johns will serve as co-plotter for the first issue.

"We've done a lot of great things with the 'New 52," co-publisher Dan DiDio told MTV Geek, "and now we're putting the focus back on Justice League, with the launch of Justice League of America. We want to make people realize that this is one of our key franchises, and we plan to build it out not just with the main Justice League titles, but other books that tie into them as well."

Speaking of Arrow, DC also revealed a new creative team for Green Arrow starting with February's issue #17. Jeff Lemire (Justice League Dark) will begin writing the series, while Andrea Sorrentino (I, Vampire) will be the new penciller. Presumably the series will begin incorporating elements from the TV series. No word yet on whether we'll see any issues devoted to a shirtless Ollie Queen doing pull-ups on a salmon ladder.

Those worried what this new assignment means for Lemire's other DC books can rest easy. Lemire tweeted today, "Thanks for all the kind words about Green Arrow. Still writing Animal Man and Justice League Dark for a long haul too!" It was revealed at NYCC last month that Ray Fawkes will be co-writing Justice League Dark with him.

Finally, DC revealed that they'll be publishing 52 variant covers for Justice League of America #1. Each will feature a background flag from a different US state or territory.

There's still (presumably) one new title left to be revealed for February. We'll update you when that news hits, as well as when we have more information on Vibe and Katana.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Two Books Join the New 52 in February

Last month we reported that DC was canceling four of its lower selling titles in January - Frankenstein, Grifter, Blue Beetle, and Legion Lost. That means the company will need to launch four new books in February to keep the overall number of ongoing DC books at 52.

Geoff Johns and David Finch's Justice League of America has already announced. Today, two more of these new titles were revealed by MTV Geek - Katana and Justice League of America's Vibe.

Katana spins out of Duane Swiercynski's Birds of Prey series and features the assassin who wields a sword she believes houses her late husband's soul. The series will be written by Ann Nocenti (Catwoman) and drawn by Alex Sanchez (JSA Classified).

As the title suggests, Justice League of America's Vibe is tied to Johns' new team book and focuses on the former gang leader-turned-superhero. The series will be written by Andrew Kreisberg (creator of the TV series Arrow) and illustrated by Pete Woods (Legion Lost). Additionally, Johns will serve as co-plotter for the first issue.

"We've done a lot of great things with the 'New 52," co-publisher Dan DiDio told MTV Geek, "and now we're putting the focus back on Justice League, with the launch of Justice League of America. We want to make people realize that this is one of our key franchises, and we plan to build it out not just with the main Justice League titles, but other books that tie into them as well."

Speaking of Arrow, DC also revealed a new creative team for Green Arrow starting with February's issue #17. Jeff Lemire (Justice League Dark) will begin writing the series, while Andrea Sorrentino (I, Vampire) will be the new penciller. Presumably the series will begin incorporating elements from the TV series. No word yet on whether we'll see any issues devoted to a shirtless Ollie Queen doing pull-ups on a salmon ladder.

Those worried what this new assignment means for Lemire's other DC books can rest easy. Lemire tweeted today, "Thanks for all the kind words about Green Arrow. Still writing Animal Man and Justice League Dark for a long haul too!" It was revealed at NYCC last month that Ray Fawkes will be co-writing Justice League Dark with him.

Finally, DC revealed that they'll be publishing 52 variant covers for Justice League of America #1. Each will feature a background flag from a different US state or territory.

There's still (presumably) one new title left to be revealed for February. We'll update you when that news hits, as well as when we have more information on Vibe and Katana.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Nintendo Interested in Wii U/3DS Connectivity

In an interview with IGN, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto discussed Wii U and 3DS connectivity, saying that the company is thinking about ways to get the best out of both systems - but it doesn't look like it's exactly a top priority at the moment.

Nintendo has a long history of connecting its portable and home console systems, from the Game Boy Player to the N64's Transfer Pak to the myriad ways in which the Gamecube and Game Boy Advance that could be used together to enhance the experience of games like Zelda: Four Swords and Animal Crossing.

“

Of course we are trying to think about a way to expand the experience of 3DS and Wii U when they are connected with each other, one way or the other.

"Of course we are thinking of the possibility of connecting Wii U and Nintendo 3DS once again," Miyamoto said. "[But] we have challenged connectivity on many occasions, and one of the great lessons we have learned is the simple fact that those who own both are much fewer than those who don’t own both. So what we decided early on when considering the Wii U design was that we had to make it so that every single purchaser of the Wii U is going to have the same play conditions, the same equipment."

That doesn't mean that Nintendo is discounting the possibility of connecting the 3DS and Wii U in interesting ways, though. "Even between Wii and 3DS, there are some things that can be done by connecting with each other – Mii channel is interchangeable on both systems," Miyamoto reminds us. "There are things that can easily done by transferring data between Wii and DS or 3DS systems.

"If we are going to do that with Wii U and 3DS, there would be three screens to consider. The reason why we were not so eager to do a similar thing between Wii and DS if that it would have become very complicated using two screens on the DS and one screen on the Wii. But of course we are trying to think about a way to expand the experience of 3DS and Wii U when they are connected with each other, one way or the other."

Look out for our full interview with Miyamoto very soon indeed.

Keza MacDonald is in charge of IGN's games team in the UK. You can follow her onIGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Jagex Officially Announces Ace of Spades

Jagex has formally announced its involvement in upcoming shooter Ace of Spades.

The company, best known for its free-to-play MMO Runescape, revealed that the game will launch on Steam in December 2012.

Ace of Spades has been live as a prototype for just over a year, during which time it's been installed by 2.5 million players. The retro-looking first person shooter is best described as MineCraft meets Team Fortress, as it allows 32 players to battle it out in a sandbox environment where bunkers, tunnels and entire fortresses can all be constructed in real-time.

Jagex CMO David Solari said, “If you’re tired of the same old first person shooters, coming out year after year with a fresh lick of paint and a hefty price tag, then Ace of Spades will tick all the boxes for you, offering an all action multiplayer featuring up to 32 player FPS combat and a fully customisable environment which will continuously develop throughout your battle.

"We have blended the artistic style of voxel-based sandbox games, such as Minecraft, with the class based combat of titles like Team Fortress, and added an extra dimension with real-time evolving battlefields to create a game which we firmly believe will appeal to FPS gamers looking for a bigger challenge."

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Jagex Officially Announces Ace of Spades

Jagex has formally announced its involvement in upcoming shooter Ace of Spades.

The company, best known for its free-to-play MMO Runescape, revealed that the game will launch on Steam in December 2012.

Ace of Spades has been live as a prototype for just over a year, during which time it's been installed by 2.5 million players. The retro-looking first person shooter is best described as MineCraft meets Team Fortress, as it allows 32 players to battle it out in a sandbox environment where bunkers, tunnels and entire fortresses can all be constructed in real-time.

Jagex CMO David Solari said, “If you’re tired of the same old first person shooters, coming out year after year with a fresh lick of paint and a hefty price tag, then Ace of Spades will tick all the boxes for you, offering an all action multiplayer featuring up to 32 player FPS combat and a fully customisable environment which will continuously develop throughout your battle.

"We have blended the artistic style of voxel-based sandbox games, such as Minecraft, with the class based combat of titles like Team Fortress, and added an extra dimension with real-time evolving battlefields to create a game which we firmly believe will appeal to FPS gamers looking for a bigger challenge."

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

GameStop Opening Kids-Specific Stores

GameStop is set to open 80 GameStop Kids stores. As announced via the company’s official site, the stores feature “something for the kid in all of us,” including “an assortment of this holiday's most desired video games and accessories, game licensed products, popular toy brands and collectibles.”

The first store will open today in Grapevine, Texas, with other locations set to open throughout November. Products shown on GameStop’s site include toys and accessories related to Angry Birds, Skylanders, Minecraft, Pac-Man, Mario, Lego and many more. For now, only U.S. locations have been announced.

Head over to GameStop’s site for a full list of locations and a full list of GameStop Kids products.

Full disclosure: IGN has a commercial relationship with GameStop.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Assassin’s Creed III Pre-Orders Break Ubisoft Record

Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed III is the most pre-ordered game in company history. According to Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed III pre-orders have “more than doubled” the number of pre-orders for Assassin’s Creed Revelations, which was the previous pre-order record holder.

GameStop president Tony Bartel said pre-orders are “nearly 100% higher than last year, putting the game on track to be one of the top titles of 2012” and Ubisoft senior vice president of sales and marketing Tony Key added that “this impressive pre-order mark is just a hint of the game’s potential.”

Assassin’s Creed III will hit stores on October 30th, with a Wii U version to follow on November 18th. For more on Assassin’s Creed III, read about the first downloadable content and Season Pass and our interview with associate producer Julien Laferrière.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC Announced

During today's Nintendo Direct broadcast, which focused entirely on the 3DS, the company revealed a new wave of DLC for New Super Mario Bros. 2. Starting today, two new Coin Rush packs will be available to purchase for $2.50 each. Just like the last round of New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC, each of these packs features three brand new levels.

A level from the Gold Mushroom pack. Clearly.

The first is called Gold Mushroom Pack, and gives players ample opportunity to up their coin count by providing tons of Gold Mushrooms for the collecting. The second, called Coin Challenge Pack B, is also all about the coinage, with a new Ghost House, a rope course and a fierce lava stage for players to enjoy.

This level is on fire! *cringe*

To download these packs, simply go into your game, select Coin Rush mode, then click the Shop icon on the bottom of the page.

Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can keep track of her wild adventures by following Aminka on IGN or @GameOnAminka on Twitter. Game on!

Source : ign[dot]com

Animal Crossing 3DS Has a New Name

During a new Nintendo Direct broadcast, the company finally delivered some news for stateside Animal Crossing fans. The title, which up until now has only been detailed for Japanese audiences, will be called Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It will be arriving in stores during the first part of 2013, though an exact release date still hasn't been provided. Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.

What the mayor says goes.

For the first time, New Leaf has players acting as the mayor. You'll ba able to customize your town and your character to your heart's content thanks to the wide range of new and old customization options. Unfortunately we still have no news regarding the fate of Tortimer, the franchise's former mayor. Our thoughts are with you, Tortimer... wherever you are.

For more on Animal Crossing: New Leaf, keep it here on IGN.

Audrey Drake is an Associate Editor at IGN and a proud member of the IGN Nintendo team. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can keep track of her wild adventures by following Aminka on IGN or @GameOnAminka on Twitter. Game on!

Source : ign[dot]com

Sony Announces Major Layoffs as Part of Restructuring Plan

Back in April, it was rumored that Sony – under significant financial duress – would soon lay off 10,000 workers, or about 6% of the company. Sony later confirmed the plans, noting that they anticipate hitting their goal by the end of 2012 “in a bit to regain global competitiveness.”

Today, Reuters has revealed that a phase of that plan is underway, though they’ve now pushed back the trimming of “its global headcount by 10,000 [workers]” to March of 2013.

The report notes that Sony will “cut staff” at its Gifu, Japan headquarters by one-fifth (or about 2,000 workers) and close factories dedicated to the creation of mobile phones and camera lenses. Additionally, 1,800 more workers will be lost at a “chemical business” that Sony unloaded to a Japanese bank.

Sony operations in Europe will also be affected. 2,000 workers are expected to lose their jobs there, “half at a joint mobile phone venture with Ericsson” that recently ran its course. To reach the 10,000 worker mark, “the remaining job losses will be at other factories around the world,” Reuters’ report states.

Predating Sony’s announcement of the massive restructuring, the company reported a loss of over $2 billion. Things are improving at Sony, however; while still in the red, the company only reported a $312 million loss in August, indicating that Sony’s serious financial wounds may be healing.

Indeed, Sony’s hope is to save $378.6 million a year by cutting these 10,000 jobs, indicating that, if the company reports a similar financial situation at the end of this quarter, they may be back in the black.

Our best go out to all affected by the layoffs.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

Rockstar Wants Grand Theft Auto 5 Multiplayer Suggestions

Rockstar wants your help in shaping the multiplayer of Grand Theft Auto V.

In a post on the Rockstar Blog the company revealed it's looking for a way to incorporate the Crews system from Max Payne 3 into the game, but would like player's feedback on how best to do so.

“

We'd like to take this opportunity to ask all of you for your feedback, input and ideas for features you'd like to see created for Crews in the game.

The post reads, "As we're busy working on Grand Theft Auto V, we'd like to take this opportunity to ask all of you for your feedback, input and ideas for features you'd like to see created for Crews in the game.

"Whether it's suggestions for competitive in-game Crew features in Multiplayer, new ways to manage and recruit, ideas for enhancing Social Club Crew pages and leaderboards, things you did and didn't like about Crews in Max Payne 3, or any thoughts at all related to Crews really that you'd like to share - we're all ears.

"We'd especially love to hear from current Crew members and leaders so that we can continue making our unique approach to persistent team based Multiplayer as fun as it can be in GTA V."

The Crew system in Max Payne 3 allows you to join public or private groups in order to duke it out with rival gangs. Doing so nets you XP, and can lead to Feuds with rival groups who have killed one of your Crew members. As it currently stands, Crews made in Max Payne 3 are planned to be carried over into Grand Theft Auto V.

Anyone wanting to send feedback to Rockstar should send an email to GTAVCrewFeedback@rockstargames.com with their suggestions. Be sure to let us know what you tell them in the comments below.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and maintains San Andreas was the best GTA. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

CM Punk to Write Intro for Avengers vs. X-Men

His ties to Marvel Comics are slim to none other than being a huge comic book fan, but WWE's CM Punk has been tapped to pen the intro for the company's upcoming Avengers vs. X-Men hardcover collection.

"I worked really hard to get to where I’m at and it’s cool to be afforded opportunities like this. To me, it’s hard work paying off and I’m having a lot of fun right now," the pro wrestler told USA Today. "If I had to describe my writing style, it's very sarcastic and self-deprecating. You'll be able to tell it in the foreword."

But why Punk, you ask? "Who understands the theatrical nuances of a good smack down more than WWE champ CM Punk, who brings the same muscle and heart he beings to the ring to his brilliant intro for Avengers vs. X-Men," explained Marvel editor in chief Axel Alonso.

For the rest of the interview, head on over to USA Today. Avengers vs. X-Men hits the shelves on November 21.

Source : ign[dot]com

NYCC: Morrison and Del Toro Craft Legendary Comics

Legendary Comics is still new to the publishing scene, but they've already amassed an impressive lineup of talent. The company recently debuted The Tower Chronicles from creators Thomas Tull and Matt Wagner. Back at SDCC, they announced new books from creators like Max Brooks, Mark Waid, and J. Michael Straczynski.

That talent pool grew even bigger at NYCC this week. Legendary announced that both Grant Morrison and Guillermo del Toro are writing comics under their banner. Morrison is prepping an original graphic novel, while del Toro is working on a tie-in to his upcoming film The Pacific Rim.

Legendary's press release describes the premise of Annihilator, sugegsting it'll be a typically mind-bending Morrison tale. "Morrison brings to the pages a thrilling story starring wild-living screenwriter Ray Spass, who has one last chance to save his career as he struggles to write a new studio tent-pole movie, Annihilator.

The film centers around the incredible adventures of Max Nomax; a sci-fi rebel anti-hero who’s condemned to a haunted prison orbiting a supermassive black hole, following an epic struggle against the all-knowing, all–powerful artificial life form VADA and his squad of deadly Annihilators. Found guilty of the Greatest Crime in History, Nomax has vowed to clear his name by discovering a Cure for Death itself and resurrecting his lost love.

But with deadlines looming and a recently-diagnosed brain tumor, Spass is running out of time and inspiration – until the real Max Nomax mysteriously appears in the world of 21st century Los Angeles with no memory of how he got there, only a terrifying warning of imminent destruction and a mission for Ray Spass."

As for del Toro's Pacific Rim, the comic will serve as a prequel to the film. The script itself will be handled by Travis Beacham, who also wrote the film's script. The story will be divided into three sections and explore the time between the first alien attack on Earth and the events of the film. While various characters will be featured in the story, the character of Stacker Pentecost (played by Idris Elba in the film) will be a major focus throughout.

Legendary didn't reveal the artists for these books or specific release dates, though it's a safe bet that Pacific Rim will ship some time around movie's July 2013 release.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

NYCC: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - LEGO Style!

Timed to the start of New York Comic-Con today, LEGO has revealed that they have a brand new license theme coming up in 2013 that, as a company spokesman puts it, "is sure to be nostalgic for grown-up fans while keeping today’s youth at the edge of their seats!" Yes, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael -- the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- are coming to LEGO.

The first set to be revealed is The Shellraiser Street Chase. Check it out below:

This is LEGO's first official presence at New York Comic-Con, and they're making the most of it. Located at Booth #1538, LEGO is unveiling the TMNT line (launching January 2013) as well as the following:

• Two LEGO The Hobbit sets that will be launching in December 2012
• One LEGO Super Heroes: MARVEL set launching in 2013
• One LEGO Super Heroes: DC Universe set launching in 2013

The following giveaways will also be held at the con:

• Exclusive LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character: There will be a raffle beginning on Thursday at 4pm, and then on Friday and Saturday at 11am
• Exclusive LEGO The Hobbit minifigure: Takes place Friday and Saturday at 4pm

LEGO promises more reveals throughout the weekend, so check back soon, but I also wanted to share with you the method that was used to disclose the new TMNT license to the press. It all started with a mystery package arriving at the IGN offices the other day, which you can see here:

Hmmm, pizza? Tubular?

By the way, turns out they were right: Not really meant for eating.

Talk to Movies Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottIGN, on IGN at scottcollura and on Facebook.

Source : ign[dot]com

NYCC: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - LEGO Style!

Timed to the start of New York Comic-Con today, LEGO has revealed that they have a brand new license theme coming up in 2013 that, as a company spokesman puts it, "is sure to be nostalgic for grown-up fans while keeping today’s youth at the edge of their seats!" Yes, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael -- the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- are coming to LEGO.

The first set to be revealed is The Shellraiser Street Chase. Check it out below:

This is LEGO's first official presence at New York Comic-Con, and they're making the most of it. Located at Booth #1538, LEGO is unveiling the TMNT line (launching January 2013) as well as the following:

• Two LEGO The Hobbit sets that will be launching in December 2012
• One LEGO Super Heroes: MARVEL set launching in 2013
• One LEGO Super Heroes: DC Universe set launching in 2013

The following giveaways will also be held at the con:

• Exclusive LEGO Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character: There will be a raffle beginning on Thursday at 4pm, and then on Friday and Saturday at 11am
• Exclusive LEGO The Hobbit minifigure: Takes place Friday and Saturday at 4pm

LEGO promises more reveals throughout the weekend, so check back soon, but I also wanted to share with you the method that was used to disclose the new TMNT license to the press. It all started with a mystery package arriving at the IGN offices the other day, which you can see here:

Hmmm, pizza? Tubular?

By the way, turns out they were right: Not really meant for eating.

Talk to Movies Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottIGN, on IGN at scottcollura and on Facebook.

Source : ign[dot]com

PS3: Over 5 Million Consoles Sold in UK

Over 5 million PlayStation 3 consoles have been sold in the UK, Sony has announced.

According to MCV, the company reached the milestone thanks to the 500GB PS3 Super Slim going on sale on September 28, which caused a 138 per-cent jump in sales that week. A 12 GB model is due for release tomorrow.

“

With the new chassis, and the way the market is panning out this year, PlayStation definitely has the momentum.

Sony UK MD Fergal Gara said, "“It is fantastic that we passed the 5m mark. But most importantly to me is not the milestone itself, but the fact that there is momentum behind it. And with the new chassis, and the way the market is panning out this year, PlayStation definitely has the momentum."

He went on to talk about the future for Sony following a string of new appointments, explaining that he believes the current team of execs are poised to capitalise on the console's recent sale's boom.

“I am pleased with the talent we’ve got on board,” he continued. “You can actually feel the energy going through the business.

"These guys know that they have a lot to do to make sure the Christmas plans are sharp and focused, and they have come to them relatively late. So they are working at a hell of a pace. I can already feel a positive buzz that wasn’t there only a few weeks ago."

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

PS3: Over 5 Million Consoles Sold in UK

Over 5 million PlayStation 3 consoles have been sold in the UK, Sony has announced.

According to MCV, the company reached the milestone thanks to the 500GB PS3 Super Slim going on sale on September 28, which caused a 138 per-cent jump in sales that week. A 12 GB model is due for release tomorrow.

“

With the new chassis, and the way the market is panning out this year, PlayStation definitely has the momentum.

Sony UK MD Fergal Gara said, "“It is fantastic that we passed the 5m mark. But most importantly to me is not the milestone itself, but the fact that there is momentum behind it. And with the new chassis, and the way the market is panning out this year, PlayStation definitely has the momentum."

He went on to talk about the future for Sony following a string of new appointments, explaining that he believes the current team of execs are poised to capitalise on the console's recent sale's boom.

“I am pleased with the talent we’ve got on board,” he continued. “You can actually feel the energy going through the business.

"These guys know that they have a lot to do to make sure the Christmas plans are sharp and focused, and they have come to them relatively late. So they are working at a hell of a pace. I can already feel a positive buzz that wasn’t there only a few weeks ago."

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Star Citizen: Chris Roberts' Next Frontier

Chris Roberts has done more in his life than most of us can dream of. He created the Wing Commander franchise (including several sequels) but eventually burnt out and sold his company to Microsoft. After that, Roberts went on to produce several Hollywood films; work that he feels helped him learn more about telling better stories.

Years have passed and the technology powering games has grown exponentially, unlocking the potential to create something Roberts has been envisioning for well over a decade. Today Chris Roberts is coming back to games. Today Chris Roberts wants to champion the return of the space combat genre.

Roberts aims to create a whole new world for us called Star Citizen, a space-combat game where you’re not just a ship in a universe, but a person living a second life in a galaxy full of possibilities. How open-ended Roberts will make it remains to be seen, but conceptually Star Citizen sounds like the ideal game for anyone who has ever watched Battlestar Galactica, Firefly or Star Wars and wished they could have a chance to live in those universes.

Single-player games often manage to create worlds that feel believable, but Roberts wants Star Citizen’s world to be huge and populated by players, rather than NPCs. Thus while Star Citizen will feature a single-or-multiplayer campaign mode called Squadron 42 (playable offline if you desire), the bulk of the experience will revolve around player interactions in the universe at large. If you want to be a privateer and prey on the ships of others you can do that. If you want to hunt bounties players place on the heads of said privateers you can do that too. Heck, you can even just run goods, selling them in the safer parts of the universe or risking piracy and other threats by taking them to the outer-reaches, where they’re much more prized.

The level of interactivity and immersion Roberts desires comes at a cost, though, most notably that it requires great PC hardware. Developed in CryEngine 3, Star Citizen is at least two years out from release and is being designed for advanced hardware, the results of which are already stunning; A small, pre-alpha demo showcased ships with hundreds of individual parts, all of which contributed to the physics driving its movement. On top of looking like something out of a current game’s cinematic, each ship has an exceedingly realistic damage model, allowing players to damage each component and have it dynamically affect a ship’s performance.

The gorgeous look of Star Citizen extends far beyond the hull of your ship, too. During the hour long presentation I watched Roberts fly his ship into the hangar of a kilometer long, highly-detailed battleship, only to get out and start running around in it on foot. Each running light, girder and handrail looked incredible, and to get out of it and experience it all firsthand – rather than have it be a facade – left me bewildered. One second you and your friends could be flying a mission alongside this behemoth, the next someone could be in the bridge waving at you as you do a fly by.

For all the beauty Roberts longs to bring to the Star Citizen universe, he also wants it to represent life – which is to say it’ll feature a truly ugly side as well. Travel outside of the heavily governed areas and you’ll find yourself without police protection. Journey out into space in search of treasure or to do a quest and another player might just decide to gang up on you with his friends. When pitched a scenario where me and my friend are piloting a freighter, Roberts said the plan is for it to be entirely possible to have one person flying while the other runs around in the ship to man stations and turrets – like the freaking Millenium Falcon. If things go way south and, say, the attackers want to take your ship, they can board you and it can come down to shooting it out, gun in hand, just like a first-person shooter.

So much of Star Citizen’s design is conceptual at this point, but some things have been figured out...mostly. The plan is to support Star Citizen in a similar fashion to Guild Wars 2. You buy the base game, get the single player Squadron 42 campaign and access to the Star Citizen universe, and then have the option to buy cosmetic and other non-balance-altering items for either real money or the in-game currency you earn. The hope is that an entrepreneur (read: bounty hunter, pirate, smuggler, trader, etc.) will be able to earn their money in a way that’s fun and not at all a grind. If you want to buy Star Citizen, that’ll become an option in the very near future. Roberts isn’t using Kickstarter, but he is going to let interested parties support the game through early purchase packages that include a number of to-be-determined benefits.

Yup, it really does look this good.

As the lights came up after my two-hour demo with Chris Roberts I realized two things: 1) PC games in the next few years are going to look better than we expected and 2) I’m a believer in Star Citizen. Not because I’m already convinced that Roberts and team will be able to pull off the lofty goals they’re setting out with, but because his passion is so infectious, his love for the PC platform so palpable, that I can’t help but fall in love with the ideas powering this game. Two years is a long time, but if Star Citizen matches Roberts' expectations it’ll be more than worth the wait.

Anthony Gallegos is an Editor on IGN's PC team. He enjoys scaring the crap out of himself with horror games and then releasing some steam in shooters like Blacklight and Tribes. You can follow him on @Chufmoney on Twitter and on at Ant-IGN on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

iSorry - A History of Apple's Apologies

Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a public apology for Apple's new Maps app today, stating that the company "fell short" of "the same incredibly high standard" its customers expect it to meet.

This isn't Apple's first apology and probably won't be its last, but it may be its most satisfying.

It's not hard to see why a consumer-electronics company wouldn't want to admit its mistakes too definitively; beyond the risk of class action suits, it can be bad for a company's reputation. Because, the fact is, apologies make for news. (Yes, we realize we're complicit in this.)

But historically, Apple's apologies (we came up with ten) have often left something to be desired. Coupled with the sometimes unreasonable expectations it encourages in its customers, Apple's understandable restraint in acknowledging problems might come off as smug or prevaricating. Still, what's more repellant than an insincere apology?

Here's our account of Apple's reluctant admissions that even Apple makes mistakes over the last five years, complete with background info and a bit of kindergarten-culture commentary.

Sorry You Paid So Much for Your iPhone. (Sept 2007)

This is actually Apple's first on-record public apology we could find. Two months after the original iPhone was released, it got a pretty major price-drop: $200 across the board. The 8GB iPhone went from $599 to $399. Understandably, anybody who'd bought the iPhone when it first launched (or, worse, the day before it got a price drop) felt cheated.

Did Apple give them their $200 back? iDon'tThinkSo. But it did offer them $100 in store credit. And Steve Jobs actually said "We apologize for disappointing some of you." And Apple's price drops since have been more predictable.Of course, Jobs' apology came after three lengthy paragraphs explaining why dropping the iPhone's price was the right decision - that a bigger user-base would be better for everyone with an iPhone, and that "if you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you'll never buy any technology product."

And he was right about both those things. But he didn't acknowledge that what bothered folks was the capricious nature of the price-drop. There's a reason the rhythmic life cycle of iPhone models (and prices) is foreseeable these days.

Source: Apple

Sorry (And Sorry Again) MobileMe Is Broken. (July 2008)

The precursor to iCloud (and successor to .Mac) had a bumpy launch, with server problems, a broken webapp and other bugs. And because advertised MobileMe's cloud syncing as "push", users were disappointed to find that their computers would only sync every 15 minutes.

Apple's response in this case was refreshingly sincere: "we are going to stop using the word ‘push’ until it is near-instant on PCs and Macs, too. [And] we want to apologize to our loyal customers and express our appreciation for their patience by giving all current subscribers an automatic 30-day extension to their MobileMe subscription free of charge."

Not bad! Of course, that apology came in an email...

Source: Wired

Sorry About Baby Shaker. (Apr 2009)

The same week the App Store saw its billionth download, Apple pulled an app that had users quiet a crying baby by, well, shaking their phones.

The app was discovered by a Shaken Baby Syndrome advocacy group, but by the time they'd organized a protest and alerted the media, Apple had already pulled the app and issued its biggest apology yet:

"This app is deeply offensive and should not have been approved for distribution on the App Store. We sincerely apologize for this mistake."

But Patrick Donohue, founder of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, wasn't satisfied. Citing Apple's refusal to release its criteria for App Store gatekeeping, he said Apple's statement was "directed at the media to kill the story. This is the most cynical apology I have ever seen."

Source: Information Week

Sorry the iPhone 4 Is Our Hottest Phone Ever. (June 2010)

Check out Apple's bragpology after high pre-order demand for the iPhone 4 crashed its site:

"Yesterday Apple … took pre-orders for more than 600,000 iPhone 4s. It was the largest number of pre-orders Apple has ever taken in a single day and … many of our order and approval systems malfunctioned. Many customers were turned away or abandoned the process in frustration. We apologize to everyone who encountered difficulties, and hope that they will try again."

Source: Apple

Sorry You're Holding Your iPhone 4 Wrong. (July 2010)

Remember Antennagate, when just touching part of an iPhone 4's aluminum side might drop a call? Apple didn't apologize for this one at first, recommending that iPhone 4 owners "avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases," and calling the problem "a fact of life for every wireless phone."

When people still insisted the issue was way worse on the iPhone 4 than any phone they'd ever used, Apple released a second statement, explaining that the "dramatic drop in bars" was caused by phones falsely displaying more bars than the signal strength called for. "The formula we [have used] to calculate how many bars … to display is totally wrong," Apple told the press, before explaining that the problem would be "fixed" by a software update that made the first three bars bigger and easier to see.

Apple did remind customers that they had 30 days to return their iPhone if they didn't like it, but the statement maintained that "the iPhone 4's wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped," and its guidelines for technical support staff still instructed, "We ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers – DON'T promise a free bumper to customers."

Source: Engadget, Apple, Gizmodo

Sorry Our Last Apology Sucked. (July 2010)

Thought Antennagate was over? So did Apple, but customers and the media had other plans.

While Apple never recalled the iPhone 4 or admitted to a design flaw, it did eventually offer some customers a free bumper case, and the phone's antenna design was eventually quietly revised to fix it.

Siri: "Sorry My Servers Are Down." (Nov 2011)

In early November last year, early adopter of the iPhone 4S experienced Siri outages. Her servers may have been down, but Siri still had the manners to say, "Sorry I am having trouble connecting to the network."

Sorry Siri's Pro-Life. (Dec 2011)

If you lived in New York and asked Siri for directions to the nearest abortion clinic, it would have told you last December that she couldn't find any. If you lived in DC, Siri would have taken you to an anti-abortion "crisis pregnancy center".

When Nancy Keenan of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League brought the issue to Apple's attention, Tim Cook responded personally:

"While [Siri] can find a lot, it doesn't always find what you want. These are not intentional omissions meant to offend anyone, it simply means that as we bring Siri from beta to a final product, we find places where we can do better and we will in the coming weeks."

Calling it a "glitch" isn't exactly an apology, but if that's all it was, maybe an apology wasn't warranted.

Source: Business Insider

Sorry the Galaxy Tab Isn't Cool Enough to Be an iPad Knockoff. (Coming Soon)

Back in July, Apple lost an infringement case against Samsung in the UK. In his ruling, Judge Birss said the Galaxy Tabs "are not as cool" as the iPad.

But he also ordered Apple to print a public apology to Samsung for accusing it of design theft. Apple has a stay on this order until the appeal is heard in October, so check back soon to find out just how awesome Apple's next apology is.

Source: Bloomberg

What do you want to see your favorite (or least favorite) electronics company apologize for? Let us know in the comments.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com