The first thing you thought when you heard that the latest Guitar Hero installment was going to be a band focused game was, “Oh great, more controllers to add to the clutter.” Well luckily, Guitar Hero’s director Brian Bright has stepped in to ease the pain.

During his announcement, he let the crowd know that if you own controllers from “previous band games” (Rock Band) you will have no problem using them for Guitar Hero: World Tour. But then a new prolem arises, doesn’t Guitar Hero: World Tour have 5 drum pads, while Rock Band only has 4?

Yes, but again, not a problem. The game will automatically detect when you have installed a Rockband controller and compress the controls into just 4 notes, as opposed to 5. Oh, the innovation!

Adding to what seems like an endless amount of PS3 SKU’s Jack Tretton, CEO of SCEA, announced at Sony’s E3 keynote that an 80GB Playstation 3 priced at $400 was soon to hit the market.

Jack Tretton was quoted to have said that the 80GB PS3 has “the same functionality of the 40GB version…. with twice the storage”.

Full press release after the break. Read on »

The 20GB price cut and the introduction of the 60GB model seems to be US only at the moment, as MCV reports that Europe and other regions won’t be seeing any similar moves.

The site quotes a Microsoft representative as saying: “The 60GB Xbox 360 and the 20GB clearance sale are for the US only. We have not announced any changes in Xbox 360 offerings or pricing in Europe.”

It may take some time before the price cut is reflected in other regions, as the statement does not rule out any upcoming announcements.

Confirming rampant rumors, Microsoft has announced  that the 20GB version of the Xbox 360 has had its price cut to $299 from $349. However, the $349 spot will now be taken over by a new 60GB model, which was previously rumored as well. The new model will go on sale in North America early next month.

While the 20GB model is being phased out in favor of the 60GB one, the price cut makes it a very lucrative deal for gamers, as the console is now essentially $100 cheaper than the PS3.

Sony has gone on record to state that there won’t be any price cuts to the PS3 this year. Nintendo is also unlikely to make any cuts.

If there was one disappointment with the Wii, and trust me, there was, it would have been that the Wiimote cannot calculate true 1:1 movement. Well, today just and hour before Microsoft’s press conference, Nintendo has revealed that they have made a simple attachment that allows the Wii remote to do just that, detect movement exactly as it is being made. Keep in mind that this is an official announcement, not a rumor.

“The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion,” says Nintendo. “Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone.”

Naturally, Nintendo will be showing more of the MotionPlus attachment at their conference tomorrow. Speaking of conferences, if the rumors are true, and Microsoft reveals their own motion sensing peripheral, I think it will be reminiscent of when Sony showed the Sixaxis for the first time.

Keeping in mind the recent Xbox 360 motion controller rumors, hardware developer Motus Games today announced Darwin, a motion-controlled Xbox 360 controller that is capable of breaking down into two parts.

The controller makes use of a number of sensors to detect motion and relative movement, without the use of an infrared receiver like the Wii controller. Motus notes that Darwin is currently being distributed to developers and publishers, and that it could be ready for the market in about a year.

There are several videos on the maker’s site showing off the controller being used in a number of games, including Lego Star Wars 2.

Courtesy of the latest issue of Game Informer magazine comes the revelations of new Rock Band 2 tracks and a few other details. First up are the songs:

• Bon Jovi - “Livin’ on a Prayer”
• Steve Miller Band - “Rock ‘n Me”
• Rage Against the Machine - “Testify”
• Billy Idol - “White Wedding Pt. 1″
• Joan Jett - “Bad Reputation”
• Avenged Sevenfold - “Almost Easy”
• Social Distortion - “I Was Wrong”

According to the magazine, the game will include a redesigned drum peripheral with quieter, velocity-sensitive pads, a metal-reinforced drum pedal and expansion slots for cymbals.

A jukebox mode will allow players to listen to their songs outside of gameplay; a track selection screen reminiscent of the current Rock Band music store; lag calibration; “tuning” of instruments and more. You will also be able to pose your characters, add visual effects and take a photo; these images can be uploaded to the game’s official website.

The game is due out this September on Xbox 360, with PS3, PS2 and Wii versions being prepped for release later in the year.

Konami has filed suit against Harmonix parent company Viacom over patent violations related to the studio’s rhythm title Rock Band. The company claims that it filed a patent for “musical-rhythm matching game” in the United States around 1999, which predates Harmonix’s 2007 patent filing for a “game controller simulating a musical instrument.”

As per Bloomberg, Konami now seeks cash compensation and a court order to block the sales of Harmonix’s titles so far. Viacom is yet to respond.

Konami was the first to release rhythm games - DrumMania and Guitar Freaks in 1999, with the latter brought to United States a year later. The company hopes to release a Rock Band-esque game called Rock Revolution later this year.

MCV proudly claims that its predictions have turned true: a new lighter PS2 model is headed for Europe and India. The new slimmed-down version of the PS2 will hit Europe and India this October; it will have a built-in AC power adapter, but its price will remain the same.

The article also mentions that SCE India is hoping to launch the PlayStation Network for PS3 in the region. Country manager Atindriya Bose said: “The PlayStation Network is ready for India. It is only the integration of the payment gateway that needs to be done.”

It is not known if the new model of the PS2 will hit North America or not.

Adding weight to last week’s Xbox 360 price cut rumor is a new scan of an upcoming ad flier from electronics retailer Radio Shack who also lists the console at a $299 price point.

The price cut, sent to Joystiq by an anonymous Radio Shack employee, is said to come into effect on July 13. The Premium version of the console, which includes a 20GB hard drive and wireless controller, currently retails for $349.

Additionally, Hollywood Reporter claims to have confirmed the price cut with its industry sources, stating that the reduction is said to be planned for an official announcement before E3, most probably at Microsoft’s pre-E3 press conference, which starts in two weeks.

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.

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.

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.

Speaking at the Paris GDC, EA producer David McCarthy revealed that the company plans to integrate bundled peripherals into select EA Sports titles. He disclosed that these peripherals would be incorporated in a fashion similar to the immensely popular Rock Band.

“I think you’ll see games using that Rock Band peripheral strategy from EA Sports, even within the next 12 months,” he stated at his lecture.

Though he didn’t specify what sort of peripherals we would see, he did note the risk associated with it. “[You] have to be careful with it, because RockBand, that’s a great peripheral, but it’s a big expensive box.”

Maybe we will get to see something of this sort at next month’s E3. Let’s wait and see.

Piracy on the PSP is a big, bad problem, acknowledges head honcho of Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe David Reeves. He adds that it is a global problem and that it must be stopped. However, he also notes that piracy is actually pushing PSP hardware sales, and that’s the good thing. Here’s what he had to say:

There is a piracy problem on PSP. We know about it, we know how it’s done. It sometimes fuels the growth of hardware sales, but on balance we are not happy about it.

Well, I guess I myself would be confused if I’m to be happy or sad about piracy pushing hardware sales. The PSP may have sold well globally, but is yet to make a major dent in the DS install base.

The Wii has come under much fire for not offering any space for downloadable content. However, the company is working on rectifying the situation, though they won’t be releasing any hard-drive based storage for the console.

“Definitely there’s no plan to issue hardware, an external hard drive, but we know that we have an issue,” said Nintendo Europe marketing director Laurent Fischer.

“This area is fully handled by the development team in Japan. It’s very linked to the overall strategy; that’s something they’re working on,” Fischer added.

It remains to be seen what solution the company comes up with for the console. Guitar Hero 4 is an upcoming title that will feature extensive DLC support, though how it will do so is still unclear.

Those rumbles of the PlayStation Phone may have been about today’s announcement by Sony Ericsson. No, it’s not a full-fledged PlayStation Phone, but a rather interesting one: the F305 is a gaming-focused phone with a motion sensor.

To be launched this September, the F305 will put “gaming at the heart” and will take mobile gaming “to a whole new level,” according to maker Sony Ericsson. It will come pre-loaded with motion-controlled bowling, fishing and jockey games, among others. The phone will also support traditional game controls, with two “dedicated gaming buttons” - O and X - having a similar style and appearance to that of the PlayStation controller.

“Encounter gaming in a completely new way,” reads SE’s announcement. “The phone can, for example, follow your actions to imitate bowling or casting a fishing line.”