News (Page 3894)

Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia is hoping to encourage grass-roots development support for the N-Gage with the launch of Connect Coder later this month, a contest aimed at rewarding the best game concepts and demos.

Karaoke is going to be one of the most popular things to do with your console this Christmas - or at least that's the hope of UK-based firm Datel, which is gearing up to launch Karaoke Party for the PS2 later this month.

Sony's all-conquering Eye Toy continues to blaze a trail at the top of Chart-Track's UK All Formats chart this week, but several big name new releases failed to attract punters despite an end to the summer drought.

Sony Computer Entertainment boss Ken Kutaragi has confirmed that the company plans to release peripherals which add mobile phone and digital camera functionality to the PlayStation Portable, as devkits for the new console begin shipping.

UK development group Kaboom Studios is thought to be facing serious difficulties, with major studio Attention to Detail going into liquidation late last week and further cuts expected elsewhere in the group.

Following on from London Games Week, GamesIndustry.biz has teamed up with consumer site Eurogamer.net to present a set of unofficial show awards for the best games and exhibitors at the events of the week.

A rumour linking graphics chipset manufacturer NVIDIA with the PlayStation 3 has been described as "ridiculous" by a senior source, who claims that the company will design its own GPU for the console.

An Australian high court has rejected an appeal by Sony Computer Entertainment in a case which ruled that mod chips were legal, according to reports which have appeared online - apparently contradicting a ruling to the contrary last month.

The annual ECTS Awards have been announced at Earls Court in London, with Ubi Soft's XIII walking away from the ceremony with the Best Console Game and Game of Show awards tucked under its arm.

Finnish mobile phone giant Nokia may be planning to release regular updates to its N-Gage hardware, with the company remaining coy about what's on the roadmap for the platform even as the October 7 launch draws ever nearer.

Online reports indicate that Sony's updated model of the PS2, featuring a built-in infrared receiver and improved DVD playback functions, will be released in the UK next month in a choice of black and silver versions.

Trade body ELSPA has used the ECTS trade show in London as a platform for the launch of two new white papers, exploring the cultural impact of videogames and the importance of the UK industry to the world market.

Leading independent publisher Electronic Arts is to throw its not insubstantial weight behind Nokia's N-Gage, in a move which lends much-needed credibility to the forthcoming platform launch.

Sony's Eye Toy has cemented its position as the hit of the summer, with another week at number one in the UK sales charts - while EA's FIFA 2003 benefits from a new budget price point, jumping ahead of Pokemon to number 2.

The UK's biggest games trade show, ECTS, has opened its doors at Earls Court this morning as part of London Games Week, boasting one of the most comprehensive line-ups of key exhibitors in years.

Former online retailer Lik Sang International has settled a case brought by Sony Computer Entertainment out of court, undertaking to cease trade in any copyright circumvention devices and paying an undisclosed compensation sum.

Combined sales of the PSone and PS2 have broken the 3 million unit mark in the Middle East, making the region into the fastest growing games market in the world - with sales expected to double for PS2 next year.

Konami's popular football franchise, Winning Eleven, has proved its strength once more - with the seventh iteration of the game selling over a million copies within three weeks of going on sale.

US-based startup Infinium Labs has unveiled its forthcoming Phantom console in a video presentation on its website - but little new information is included, and details of software support or pricing remain unclear.

Leading UK videogame retailer GAME is set to open its second out of town store in the UK at the start of September, as part of a trial of a variety of new store formats aimed at continuing the expansion of the chain.