Sony's soon to be Chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment Kazuo Hirai made the announcement and also confirmed that the $249.99 - $299.99 Vita will not see a price drop because of Nintendo's decision to lower the price of their Nintendo 3DS.

"We packed so much into the device and made it very affordable. There is no need to lower the price just because somebody else that happens to be in the video game business decided that they were going to lower their price."

via MSN

Giant Bomb deciphered a letter that Iwata published where he issued another apology, spoke of a 3DS Ambassador Program for those that bought the 3DS prior to this announcement, and asked that fans be patient while waiting for the next Mario games that are coming out on the 3DS in November and December later this year.

via Giant Bomb.

Pre-Order From Gamestop

"GameStop’s pre-order includes the Physical Warfare pack, in addition to the Back To Karkand DLC. If you are part of their PowerUp Rewards, you’ll get a free Prima Battlefield 3 strategy guide as well."

Pre-Order From Amazon

"If you pre-order on Amazon, you’ll receive an exclusive set of dog tags for multiplayer. On top of that, the pre-order includes the Back To Karkand expansion pack."

Pre-Order From Best Buy

"Best Buy offers the same Limited Edition version with Back To Karkand, plus a set of new multiplayer skins — the SPECACT Kit. You’ll receive a code to unlock 8 new multiplayer skins when the game is released"

Does this announcement change your decision in where you are going to pre-order from or are you planning on picking after it releases on October 25, 2011.

via Battlefield 3 Blog

Fine Print 1: "Three days before a game's scheduled release, fans will be able to download and play the full version of all five participating titles on Xbox 360 and PS3™**. The digitally downloaded game will time out when the game is available at retail and consumers have the option to purchase the same full game on disc at retail. EA SPORTS Season Ticket subscribers can transfer all achievements earned during the three-day download period to the purchased disc, resulting in an early edge over the competition."

Gamers keep in mind that your "early" access will run out and you still have to purchase the full retail game at your local game retailer.

Fine Print 2: ' Premium web content extends the game experience beyond the console to a web browser. All participating titles will feature premium web content that will be free to EA SPORTS Season Ticket members beginning with the premium Creation Center packs for FIFA Soccer 12. These packs provide a deeper set of customization tools and abilities within Creation Center to build your own teams and tournaments, and will be available to the consumer until the membership to the program has expired"

Your created options will only be available to you until your membership ends. Just speculation, but it sounds like you might lose everything that work on if you choose to end your membership.

What have we learned today my fellow gamers? In EA's world, it's all about the dolla yo! Holla!

via EA Press Release

In Cabela's Survival: Shadows of Katmai, you play as Logan who after his plane crashes in a remote location in Alaska must survive off of the land. Along the way, Logan will find hunting gear and firearms to aid you in your battle of survival against the scariest foes that the Alaskan wilderness has to offer.

This highly anticipated game is expected to launch on all consoles on November 1, 2011. I have one question though. Will Les Stroud be bundled with this surviving off the land adventure?

via Activision

"First, since the launch of Nintendo 3DS, one of the things we have learned is that it has taken longer than we had originally expected in order for the appeal of this product to widely spread," Iwata stated while speaking to investors. He later added," I feel greatly accountable for having to make the markdown shortly after the launch, for having damaged our consumers' trust, for having made a significant impact upon the financial forecasts, for the annual dividend now being expected to be significantly less than originally expected and for now forecasting that there will be no interim dividend."

Did Nintendo jump the gun with 3D software thinking it would be an instant hit or was the 3DS over priced in the first place?

via 1up

EA is once again pointing the finger at Valve after Dragon Age II was taken off of Valve's downloadable service, Steam. Last month Crysis 2 disappeared off of the download list and Alice: Madness Returns was late to appear on Steam after it released.

Since then EA has been on the defensive saying that this is Valve's doing and has nothing to do with EA's online EA Store.

via 1up

Announced at Comic Con 2011, Bane will be an AI partner who helps Batman track down chemicals in side missions. Also announced during the panel were 4 hours of gameplay as Catwoman, new gadgets, the main storyline will be longer than Arkham Asylum, and if you fail a mission you can return to it later with better upgrades.

via Go Nintendo

The third person RPG with multiple endings was expected to release by the end of this year, however CD Projekt RED announced that they are pushing the release date back until sometime in early 2012.

"The extra time will allow us to polish the title to perfection" ~ Adam Kicinski, President of CD Projekt RED

CD Projekt RED is currently in a lawsuit against Namco Bandai over the game's distribution rights in several countries.

via IGN

"@BENGALGHOST Its been balanced, plus Commando is no longer in the game. Beyond that, you'll have to wait and see." ~ Robert Bowling, via Twitter

Breaking news....tissues and diapers have been in great supply as gamers who use the "Marathon, Light Weight, and Commando" perks go into a baby rage.

The over-hyped long awaited Duke that released to mostly negative reviews will be receiving it's first onslaught of DLC later this Fall. Included in the "Hail to the Icons Parody Pack" DLC will be new multiplayer modes and maps that include the names of Call of Duke, 2Forts1Bridge, and others.

via 2K Games

From August 2 through August 8, the cost to change your gamertag will be temporarily discounted from 800 MS Points to 560 MS Points.

Now that you are counting down the days until your new gamertag, just don't go changing it to "xXSpartanAssassinBeNdOv3RXx".

via Major Nelson

The first person shooter which picks up two years after The Darkness will now release on February 7, 2012.

In The Darkness II, players will once again control Jackie Estacado who is controlling "The Darkness" powers and has used them to become The Don of the Franchetti crime family. The Darkness II will feature new cel-shaded graphics to give it more of a comic book friendly feel, along with new features and Nolan North taking over the reigns as Jackie Estacado.

via Game Revolution

Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom 3 may have only released this past February, but that didn't stop Capcom from deciding to release an "Ultimate" version of the game this November.

The "mid-ranged priced" fighting game will feature 8 new stages, observation mode, and tweleve new characters. Four of those characters that have been announced are Ghost Rider, Strider, Firebrand from Ghosts & Goblins, and Hawkeye.

For those of you that bought and could stand to play Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for more than a few days, will you spend more money again on another full retail game release that is being dubbed, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Ultimate?

via Joystiq

Activision made the announcement after several ongoing rumors were spreading that the company would announce the game at this year's Comic Con.

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded is being built with a new game engine to deliver better graphics and better game play than the Wii version. Activision also stated that the game will be be compatible with the Playstation Move and they are looking towards a Fall 2011 release.

via Press Release

"....Gears 1 and 2 sold about 6 million copies, so if this game comes out and, God willing, sells 8 or 10 million it would be completely dumb to not do another one, right? It’s just business 101. So, I mean, the key is figuring out what’s appropriate. What makes sense for this connected world that we’re moving into? So, that remains to be seen. That’s the million dollar question…" - Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director for Game Development at Epic Games

Without the fate of the current characters being known and how well it will do sales wise, is talking about another Gears of War jumping the gun a bit early? Gears of War 3 releases September 20, 2011.

GameStop, Amazon, and GameFly have all listed the release date for as September 27th, however Ubisoft has not confirmed the date.

The bundle features Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

According to Eurogamer, the service is already live for the Xbox 360, however Playstation 3 and PC users will have to wait a bit longer.

Call of Duty Elite will be using stats from Call of Duty Black Ops in order to compile your current Call of Duty data.

via Eurogamer

If you pre-order the remake of the ten year old franchise, you will receive the exlusive Grunt Funeral skull and a complete set of Master Chief armor for your avatar.

The Grunt Funeral Skull will cause everybody's favorite Halo enemy, the Grunts, to explode in a pretty, plasmic fashion.

http://youtu.be/UYfNBCHYHFE

via Joystiq

The event where 100% of the proceeds will benefit Call of Duty Endowment which helps returning veterans transition into being a civilian when their military service is over.

If you are interested in attending you must have proof showing that you are at least 18 years of age and be prepared to put down $150.00 for one ticket. Two tickets can be purchased by a single person.

The events of Call of Duty XP include a real life version of The Pit and Scrapyard that you can play through without the need of controllers, Call of Duty Elite will be on display, and you can also attempt to qualify in the massive tournament that features some of the best Call of Duty players to date. There are one million dollars worth of cash and prizes to those that qualify in one of the open 32 spots. $400,000 of that will go to the winning four player team.

via Call of Duty XP The Event

According to EA's recent service update, beginning on August 11, 2011 the following games will be shut down:

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. ARMY OF TWO™ for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
   
4. 
   
5. ARMY OF TWO™ Demo for Xbox 360
   
6. 
   
7. Battlefield 2142™ Demo for PC
   
8. 
   
9. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™ for Xbox 360
   
10. 
    
11. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™ Demo for Xbox 360
    
12. 
    
13. Medal of Honor Airborne™ for PlayStation Portable
    
14. 
    
15. Medal of Honor Heroes™ 2 for PlayStation Portable and Wii
    
16. 
    
17. NASCAR® 09 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (North America)
    
18. 
    
19. NCAA® Basketball 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
    
20. 
    
21. NCAA® Football 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
    
22. 
    
23. Need for Speed™ Most Wanted for PC and Xbox 360
    
24. 
    
25. Need for Speed™ Undercover for PlayStation Portable;
    
26. 
    
27. SKATE™ for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
    
28. 
    
29. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 10 for PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii
    
30. 
    
31. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 11 Demo for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
    
32. 
    

Before you start moaning, there is more and they might come as a surprise. On October 1, 2011 the following games will also be shut down:

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. Madden NFL 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
   
4. 
   
5. NHL® 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
   
6. 
   

EA is claiming that "as games get replaced with newer titles, the number of players still enjoying the older games dwindles below a point". That's right 2010 releases. You are old.

via Electronic Art's Service Update Announcement

Little details are known about the game other than it's exclusivity. Let's hope that it is not another tower defense game and is actually worth shelling out the dough for.

via Joystiq

July 13th, 2011 - Austin, TX - Ms. Splosion Man releases today on Xbox LIVE Arcade, but amongst the joy comes the sudden announcement that her TMS could strike at any moment. TMS, or Title Managed Storage, is a special feature of the Xbox LIVE® service that allows Twisted Pixel to present free extra Challenges for the players on a regular basis. These week-long Challenges appear off of the Main Menu and take a level from the game and give it special rules and new content. There’s no predicting the effects of TMS, you just have to adapt to the new rules and do your best to survive until the end.

Leaderboards created especially for these TMS challenges rank players on their success at playing the level. “From time to time, we will be awarding real prizes and other fun stuff to the top finishers, and sometimes random players, from the Challenge’s leaderboards,” states Jay Stuckwisch, Marketing Director. “We are finding it harder and harder to ‘one up’ ourselves with new ways of giving away free stuff to people who buy our games, but TMS has opened an exciting new door for us.”

Worried that you’ll miss the signs of Ms. Splosion Man’s approaching TMS? Not to worry, the brand new version of www.MsSplosionMan.com launches today, with a wealth of information on story, character bios, game information, and everything you need to know about the next TMS challenge. Free downloadable extras like wallpapers, game soundtrack, and the Ms. Splosion Man development blog are all available there as well.

Ms. Splosion Man has garnered rave reviews in the days leading up to her release and follows the adventures of Ms. Splosion Man as she splodes her way free of Big Science and out into the world. Featuring 50 single-player levels and a separate 50 level multiplayer campaign, this sequel to the award-winning Splosion Man brings a host of new gameplay and features like ghost leaderboards, new mechanics, new bosses, extra gameplay modes, and tons of unlockable content. Ms. Splosion Man retails for only 800 points and can be found on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Check out the new trailer below:

According to Eurogamer, a tweet from Executive Producer Casey Hudson hints that news on a demo will be coming in a few months after he replied back to a Mass Effect fan over social networking giant Twitter who wished him "best of luck" with Mass Effect 3.

via Game Informer