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The Who fans will be sad to know that the promised release of the band’s entire “Who’s Next” album on Rock Band has been cancelled due to several master tracks turning up missing. However, it has been replaced by a 12-track compilation of the band’s best songs – “My Generation” and “Who Are You” have been revealed so far.

Each song will sell individually for $1.99, with the whole compilation going for $19.99.

“We were trying to release ‘Who’s Next’ in its entirety, but we were unable to locate all the masters,” Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos told The Associated Press. “In the face of that, [surviving band members] Pete [Townshend] and Roger [Daltrey] helped curate this best-of soundtrack of everything we were able to find.”

The tracks will hit Xbox Live Arcade July 15; PS3 users get it two days later.

Re-release of the classic Dreamcast fighting game Soul Calibur will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, July 2. The Xbox 360 port of the game is priced at 800 Microsoft points, but will be totally worth it because it runs in high-definition and, according to Namco, features “no major additions or subtractions” from the original version.

The game will feature online leaderboards, but curiously, no online multiplayer. Soul Calibur 4, the latest in the series, will be released on PS3 and Xbox 360 on July 29.

Sony Computer Entertainment recently revealed that the PS3 would gain the much requested in-game XMB menu in a future update, but the company did not disclose full details until today.

Besides the in-game integration of the XMB menu – allowing users to play music and respond to friends, as well as manage PlayStation Store downloads – the update will introduce an Xbox 360 Achievements-like Trophy system and user profiles similar to Gamer card’s on the competing console. It will also double the console’s friends list limit from 50 to 100.

“Gamers will be ranked on a Level-basis depending on the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum trophies they earn across all games,” explained Sony. “These profiles will serve as virtual representations of PS3 users, allowing them to personalize their identities and display their gaming accomplishments.”

Most upcoming games will make use of the Trophy system. The v2.40 firmware update, which will introduce these features, will be released on Wednesday, July 2.

The market needed Age of Conan it seems, as the MMORPG has been stealing gamers’ attentions over from World of Warcraft, the long undisputed leader in the arena. Keeping in that tradition, developer Funcom today claimed that the recently launched MMO is the “undisputed #2 subscription MMO in the Western world.”

According to the developer, Conan has over 700,000 subscribers since its North American and European release in May, with the game said to be topping sales charts everywhere. By comparison, WoW has over 10.7 million subscribers worldwide, bringing in over $1.2 billion annually for the company.

Funcom recently announced content expansions and enhancements for the game, making it even more lucrative for World of Warcrack Warcraft addicts.

Internode Games Network reports that highly anticipated sci-fi RTS sequel StarCraft 2 won’t be released this year. The site notes that the studio is only “about a third of the way” done with the game’s campaign mode and is currently focusing on story and cinematics.

The above was revealed by executive VP Rob Pardo during his talk at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational where the company revealed Diablo 3. Pardo noted that the company hopes to have something “impressive” to show by the year’s end.

Quite interestingly, Blizzard had never commented about a release date for the game. However, several retailers had updated the game’s listing to show a December 3 release date, causing many to speculate over the matter.

Developer Harmonix has announced Rock Band 2, the sequel to their popular band simulator. The game is due for release this September on Xbox 360 first, with other platforms following later in the year.

Rock Band 2 will include a track list composed entirely of master recordings, though no specific bands or songs were mentioned. It will feature many improvements, including easier party-play setup, better quality instruments and an expanded World Tour mode among other things.

Most important is the fact that the game will be backwards compatible with all the downloadable content released for the original. However, DLC for the sequel will be different, with the developer teasing that “[we have] added some cool new features that let you play your DLC in different ways.”

Price point and other details will be disclosed soon, the developer noted.

The guy who hacked Valve’s file server and stole credit card numbers of Steam Cyber Café users was caught by police in the Dutch town of Maastricht in the past week. According to the Dutch Ministry of the Interior, the 20 year old hacker had managed to “burn 13 million Euros playing poker online and shopping for notebooks, flat-screens and MP3 players” before he was caught.

He went by the online handle MaddoxX. “We also don’t want money from VALVe,” he wrote on the No-Steam forum last year. “We want a simple message on their site.”

MaddoxX is also charged with hacking his way into an Activision server and downloading an unfinished version of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, as well as stealing 50,000 credit card numbers from an English ticketing site.

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Those anxiously awaiting the release of Gears of War’s sequel are in for a treat as a video highlighting the game’s new multiplayer features has hit the web.

Showcasing things like movable cover, chainsaw duels, new weapons, and all new execution methods, this informative video will be one that any Gearhead won’t want to miss.

Those thinking Gears of War 2 will be burdened with players over utilizing the roll-and-shotgun method of playing will be happy to know that Epic has taken some measures to combat this, as seen in the above video.

Gears of War 2 is currently in development by Epic Games and is slated for a 2008 release on Xbox 360.

After months of rampant speculation, Blizzard has officially announced Diablo 3 at its Worldwide Invitational event in Paris. The game is said to feature more quests than ever, with the focus being put on cooperative gaming. It will feature Deckard Cain, as well as a new version of Tristram and a new class called the Witch Doctor. This class of warrior will use magic to cast disease and mind control spells, as well as make use of pets such as locust swarms and mongrels.

Armor will now be class-specific, and will be designed to provide each character a unique look. Classes are said to be more diverse. Other improvements to the game include several control enhancements, including full zoom capability and a hotbar to easily access skills.

Players will be able to make use of the environment, bursting through walls and using the surrounding environment to kill enemies.

The full website for the game has launched, offering the first screenshots, artwork, information and even various trailers. Hit the jump for more information.

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In even more hardware news today, SCE CEO Kaz Hirai confirmed that Cell processors in the PS3 have been using the more efficient 65nm technology since the last holiday season. He additionally disclosed that smaller RSX chips are due this Fall.

Sony has been cutting the cost of PS3 manufacturing by reducing the number of components and decreasing the size of chips – the company recently posted a huge loss on the PS3 due to differences between manufacturing and selling costs.

The smaller 65nm RSX processor will be ready for installment in Autumn, he said. Made in collaboration with NVIDIA, the original chip used 90nm technology.

Sony today confirmed that SOCOM Confrontation’s upcoming retail release will include a Bluetooth headset. Similar to the Jabra headset packaged with Warhawk, the SOCOM headset seems to be superior in design and is PlayStation-branded. It also features a prominent Mute button, USB charging cradle and extended battery life.

The company has not yet put a price tag on the headset, but the SOCOM bundle is rumored to be about $80. No standalone model was announced either.

Harmonix has announced that it will allow customers to take advantage of its warranty program for Rock Band without providing a sales receipt within 60 days, effective June 30. The loosened restrictions will let customers send in their faulty peripherals without having to search their homes for that infernal receipt.

The company additionally admitted that its earlier peripherals were of low quality due to manufacturing issues, promising that it will replace broken or unresponsive hardware now. They outlined several reasons for the enforcement of their warranty program: “(1) we have a great deal of confidence in our peripherals, (2) we believe we have a great warranty program in place and (3) we found that a large number of the reported problems–especially those after the 60 day period–were due to mistreatment of the equipment.”

The restrictions will last until October 1, 2008, after which the company will once again require customers to show their receipt to be eligible for warranty coverage.

Sony sure has some big plans for the PS3, as the company recently announced plans to bring movie rentals and downloads to the console, among other things. Earlier this week, the company showed off Life with PlayStation, a weather forecast and news service.

While the Wii also features the same thing, SCE CEO Kaz Hirai pointed out that it had prettier graphics and used the power of the Cell processor to render a very nice-looking Earth on your glorious high-definition television. Oh, and it offers location-based news service.

“It’s only the PS3 that can provide such a unique experience,” Hirai explained. “Life with PlayStation proposes a new lifestyle for PS3. As many people turn on their TVs in the morning when they wake up, users can use their PS3 to download worldwide news in real-time or check weather and temperature of travel destinations.”

Hirai also revealed that the software will let users view pictures on the world globe, according to where and when they were taken.

“In the future, we’ll build a system that can virtually present stored photos or movies according to recorded time and place, allowing users with their friends and family to enjoy them visually in chronological order.”

No release date or price was mentioned.

Ignition Entertainment today announced that it plans to release Metal Slug 7 for the DS in North America this Fall. The game, exclusively developed for the DS, marks the first non-arcade debut of a new Metal Slug title since the series’ 1996 debut. It features six playable characters and seven levels.

The game also offers several new weapons and vehicles, as well as new gameplay modes.

Crytek has been very vocal about rampant piracy on the PC, blaming it for them abandoning their PC-exclusive motif. Chief executive Cevat Yerli, speaking to IGN, revealed that he believes for one original copy sold, there are 15 to 20 pirated versions.

“It’s crazy how the ratio between sales to piracy is probably 1 to 15 to 1 to 20 right now,” he said. “For one sale there are 15 to 20 pirates and pirate versions, and that’s a big shame for the PC industry.”

He added that he hoped to see some change with the release of Crysis Warhead. Yerli, when asked if it would include the anti-piracy measures integrated into Mass Effect and Spore, he wouldn’t directly specify anything, but hinted at new ideas.

“Effectively, if the game isn’t an online game or multiplayer game—there are challenges regardless of what you do—the game can be cracked. The effort is to make it more difficult to crack, and certainly we’re going to make it more difficult this time with Warhead.”

Crysis Warhead is set for release this year, and will offer a different perspective of the story presented in the original title.

A report on Variety reveals that Sony Computer Entertainment has not yet solidified agreements to bring films to its recently announced PS3 video download service, as the company is still courting major movie studios.

It is currently believes that Sony Pictures is the only studio confirmed for the upcoming service, which is slated to hit the PS3 sometime this Summer. Sony is yet to reach any agreement with other movie studios, mostly due to the fact that it plans to offer more in its service than what’s available on Xbox Live Marketplace or any other video store for that matter. For example, the company may offer the ability to transfer downloads from the PS3 to the PSP for on-the-go viewing.

It has to be noted that Microsoft had only been able to offer content from Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures when it debuted the Xbox Live Video Marketplace. The service has now gained support of MGM, Lionsgate and Walt Disney.

Joystiq was tipped by an anonymous source that a $50 price cut for the Xbox 360 premium console will be made next month. This comes from a full-page shot of a K-Mart flier that basically confirms earlier rumors about the price cut.

The flier will be distributed on July 13, the week of the E3 Media and Business Summit. It wasn’t indicated whether there will also be price-cuts for the Arcade and Elite units as well.

Speaking to EuroGamer, Funcom game director Gaute Godager addressed concerns of a lack of end-game content for Age of Conan, stressing that more quests are on the way for fans.

“What we chose to do at launch was to play it safe–to pick areas and zones and regions and hold them back, then finish them post-launch,” he explained. “That was to be able to polish the areas that we did for launch to a higher degree. So on the content side, the big zones that we’re giving out this Autumn like Ymir’s Pass and others–those are definitely pre-launch stuff that was cut or put on hold.”

He additionally noted that about 60 quests were added to the game in the past few weeks, with further fully-voiced missions to be added soon.

Next week’s roster of downloadable music for Rock Band includes three songs from bands performing at Cruefest, as well as a free song by fictional ‘80s hair-metal band.

The Cruefest pack will feature “Down at the Whisky” by Motley Crue, “Time is Running Out” by Papa Roach and “Who’s Going Home With You Tonight” by Trapt. These songs will be available for 80 Microsoft points (99 cents). The free song will be “Promised Land” by the fictional ‘80s hair metal band Vesuvius appearing in the upcoming comedy film The Rocker.

These songs will hit Xbox Live Marketplace on July 1, with PlayStation Network getting it on July 3.

The DS version of the upcoming reboot of the Prince of Persia has been announced by Ubisoft. Dubbed Prince of Persia: The Fallen King, the game will feature an art style similar to the illustrative look used in the upcoming console title; it will make use of stylus controls for combat.

There will be a second playable character called the Magus, with the player getting to switch between the two characters to utilize their unique abilities and progress through the various stages in the game.

The game is expected alongside the console title this Holiday season.

Some new details on upcoming survival shooter STALKER: Clear Sky has been released by developer GSC Game World. A prequel to the 2007 shooter, Clear Sky is set one year before its predecessor, having players take on the role of Scar, a mercenary caught up between warring factions competing for power and territory.

The game will feature many new improvements, including an all-new animation engine, fast travel, better artificial intelligence and more. It will also include full support for DX10 for even more eye-candy.

Clear Sky is due out August 29. Full details after the jump.

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Blizzard today announced the Blizzard Authenticator, a keychain security device that adds greater protection against World of Warcraft account theft and hijacking.

The hardware, once associated with a WoW account, will provide a six digit code that must be provided when logging into the game. It will be valid for one use only, with each code generated on the press of a button. The device can be linked to multiple accounts.

Making its debut at this weekend’s Blizzard Worldwide Invitational event, the device will sell for $6.50. It will be made available on Blizzard’s online store at the same price soon thereafter.

Offering gamers multiple ways of controlling their games, Valve today announced that its PC shooters will soon support Novint’s Falcon controller. The Falcon allows for three-dimensional freedom of movement and tactile response in games. Support for the peripheral will be added in an update distributed through Steam. No release date for the update was announced.

The studio will offer support for the peripheral in Half-Life 2 and its two episodes, Team Fortress 2, Portal and Counter-Strike: Source, as well as Left 4 Dead. The Falcon can be bought from retailers for $189.99; it will also be sold as a bundle including the pistol grip and the Orange Box at an unspecified date.