Niko Intros Cooling Systems For Xbox 360, PS3

One of the things that I absolutely hate about my game consoles is the excessive heat that the Xbox 360 and the PS3 kick out. For the PS3, this only results in a loud fan that comes on that is as equally noisy as the Xbox 360 drive. For the Xbox 360 it gets a little more serious, with the possibility of the video card going belly up, resulting in a bricked console (I speak from experience).

Well coming in September, Nyko will intro two new cooling units designed to prevent your console from frying. The Intercooler TS for the Xbox 360 ($24.99) and the PS3 ($34.99) will hit stores, with the PS3 model offering variable fan-speed control. Both models will have “TempSmart” which automatically adjusts the cooling system, based on the temperature near the console. Both snap on the back of the console, and can be used on either horizontal or vertical.

[Crunchgear]

Full Metal Make Over: MGS4 PS3 Coming Soon

Crazed Metal Gear Solid fans are about to have their heads explode. Sony and Konami are teaming up to bring the Metal Gear Solid 4 "Guns of the Patriots" special edition PS3. The limited edition 40GB Gun Metal PlayStation 3 comes with the new MGS4 game, and the new DualShock controller in matching color.

The limited Edition set will set you back $520, but if you were waiting to pick up a PS3 when this game was released, this might be a bargain.

[Kotaku via Gizmodo]

White PS3 to make it to US?

Well its about time that Sony decided to spread the multi-color consoles to our shores. It looks like Sony will release the Ceramic White PS3 in North America, several years after white-colored electronics have gone from fashionable to dated. In Japan, the Ceramic White model comes with a 40GB hard drive and there’s no reason to think this won’t be the case for the North American model. “Consumers” like electronics in different colors, so maybe that’s why the 40GB gets the new paint job instead of the higher end 60GB model.
In any event, there’s no release date just yet. That’s what we get for snooping around the FCC’s Web site.
FCC Filings


[FCC via GamesIndustry.biz via Crunch Gear]

UPDATE: Sony responds: "As you may know, there are many FCC filings like this each year. We haven't made any announcements about upcoming PS3 plans, but are comfortable with our current two sku strategy. We are continually evaluating the market trends and consumer input to determine the appropriate PS3 models for our territory. "

Impressive Wii Mod

I've seen some pretty incredible PC and game console mods, but the guy who put this Wii mod together has out done himself. The modder who calls himself Kypes used a black face and stand, clear sides and LED lights to bring it to life. Unlike most modders who just put neon in their system, this guy angled the LED lights in such a way to highlight the disk drive and fan. Kypes also added a SD card slot and a Game Cube memory card.

Now if the games looked as good as the mod, I might be interested.

[Acid Mods via Gizmodo]

Parental Control Coming To The Xbox 360?

All right all you nutty Halo 3 kid's that don't know when to say enough, your days may be numbered. Rumor has that the next Xbox Live update will have a Parental Control option, giving parents the ability to limit the time a kid can play on the Xbox 360. Parents can add more time if they're feeling generous, and can manage it daily or weekly.

"A simple tool that lets you manage how much time your kids spend on their Xbox 360. Manage in daily or weekly increments. Easy for parents to suspend and add time. Available in December 2007 only through Xbox Live."

I think this is a safe rumor to run with, considering how Microsoft is heading towards a more "family" focus market with the release of the Arcade version of the 360.

[Xbox Today via Gizmodo]

Lighter, Thinner PS2: No Price Cuts Though

In an on-going effort for Sony to improve their best selling game console, the PS2 has been slimed down even more. The now internally powered PS2 will be lighter and will also come in black, white, and silver. Unfortunately it will not be any lighter in price, as the rumored $99 will now be $140. The updated PS2 will hit Japan on November 22, with a stateside launch coming in the near future.

I guess only the PS3 is getting price cuts.

[Machine-Translated Press Release via Gizmodo]

Comparing The PS3 Models

Are you still interested in picking up a PS3?

Well shifting through which model to pick up can be a little confusing, after all there are four of them and they all don't do the same thing. Well this diagram from the people at Wired breaks down which units have the goods, and which do not. Just find the circle that has all the features you want and that is the Playstation for you. I thought it was pretty cool for the people who still want one.

Unfortunately I couldn't find the circle that had good games.

[Wired.com]

Preview : Civilization Revolutions

Here's a good little article about the upcoming Civilization: Revolutions. I think they have something good going here. Hopefully the will be some sales success for this title (as long as its deserved) so we can get more like it. I'd personally love to see this formula done for Colonization, Seven Cities of Gold and some of the other great turn based games.

Read it here at Next Generation.

Xbox 360 Arcade Edition Is Available: Cheap Ass Gamers Rejoice

I know that this isn't news to many here, but the Xbox 360 arcade edition is now available. The $279.99 unit comes with an HDMI port and five games:

• PAC-MAN Championship Edition
• Uno
• Luxor 2
• Boom Boom Rocket
• Feeding Frenzy

Not bad if you've been waiting for a cheap way to get on board with the 360.

Civilization Revolution

Oh are we in trouble now. Not only has Sid Meier given us 4 different versions of Crack on PC i.e. Civilization, now he's putting it on the consoles. I don't know about you guys, but I had to refuse to buy Civ 4 because it's kind of like Dottie in Armaggedon. A life sucking bitch from which there is no escape. Sid is already calling this the game he always wanted to create. Loose translation, we're f'ing doomed.

Here's the preview video

Sony launches bigger, cheaper PS3 in Korea: Bastards!

The PS3 has officially been launched in Korea. What is crazy is that for some reason Sony felt the need to give them more machine for less money.

The units sold in Korea feature an 80GB hard drive, wait a second, haven’t people been complaining that Sony should release an 80GB model here in the states? Maybe they think that the Koreans wouldn’t bother buying a system with a smaller hard drive. If that’s the case they must just think we’re too stupid to care.

If that’s not bad enough, the price for one of the 80GB consoles is only around $558. So they get a bigger hard drive and pay less, thanks for that Sony. I guess you just think we’re stupid Americans, we’ll pay outrageous prices for anything. Well think again, your console is being outsold month after month by the competition over here. Maybe if you’d consider upgrading the hard drive and dropping the price people might buy one.

Read it if you care after the jump. [via joystiq]