News written by Matti Robinson (June, 2006)

The Entertainment Software Association and the Entertainment Merchants Association have filed a suit in Oklahoma against the bill HB3004, a law which redefines the harmful material for minors in video games to include video games with "inappropriate violence."

The law would strictly deny harmful material from minors, not even parents or guardians of the minor can neither show or give a video game containing "inappropriate violence." Neither would game retailers be able to show footage of a game of this type, unless the violence was hidden behind "blinder racks" used in sexually explicit magazines.

EMA president Bo Andersen was against the non-specific definitions of "inappropriate violence", but this wasn't enough for the president of the ESA, Douglas Lowenstein, who decried the bill in his statement. "They know the bill will be struck down, they know it's based on bad science, and they know it won't help parents do their jobs. What they won't tell voters: We just picked your pocket to the tune of a half-million dollars, the amount the state will have to reimburse the ESA after the inevitable decision is made to strike down the law."

Governor Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana has turned against rental sale of violent video and computer games to minors. The original bill was sponsored by Rep. Roy A. Burrell with an activist and Florida attorney Jack Thompson, who is known for his previous acts against video game industry. The "violent" content here is defined by the Miller obscenity test, which states that "whether speech or expression can be labeled obscene, in which case it is not protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and can be prohibited."

The law, signed by Blanco, takes effect immediately, but the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) will fight the law in federal court. The law, or Act 441, denies the sales of video games to minors in case,
"The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the video or computer game, taken as a whole, appeals to the minor's morbid interest in violence."
"The game depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is suitable for minors."
"The game, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artist, political or scientific value for minors."

European online retailer Play.com has listed a bundle of 60GB PlayStation 3 on the Internet, consisting three games it has been priced £549 ($1,019), excluding taxes or shipping. However, most of the gaming products are cheaper in the US, and the PS3 was originally announced to launch for 599 euros or 425 pound in Europe, which translate to $758 and $799, while the console was announced to retail for $599 in the US.

The games included in the bundle are SingStar, Warhawk and Formula One 06. Presuming that the £425 PS3 price is correct, the three games will sell out for £124 ($229) or around £41 ($75) each. But don't just yet go wrapping up your christmas presents, Play.com doesn't promise delivery before Christmas.

This surely isn't all we're going to hear from expensive bundles. The upcoming launch of PS3 and Nintendo's Wii will encourage retailers gathering one another crazier bundles.

Source:
GameSpot

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Commodore4eva has once again released a modified Firmware, after releasing Xbox Samsung drive and Xbox 360 Toshiba-Samsung drive modified Firmware it is time for the Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L Xbox 360 DVD drive. This release will work only on the Hitachi drive with 47D firmware, so if the sticker on top of the drive says something else than 47D version of the FW (ROM VER), you have to wait for another release, the 46D release is coming up later.

The flashing of the drive is easier than with the Toshiba-Samsung drive, you only have to run a .bat file which also makes a backup of your current firmware, and you're done. The games will have to be burned on dual-layer DVD+DL discs, as it is with the Toshiba-Samsung, using unedited images patched with the Security Sector (SS) and of the same region as your Xbox 360 or region-free.

The full details of the release:

Here it is, the long awaited World first Xbox 360 backup firmware modification to boot game backups on Hitachi! Read more...

Datel diversified the selection of PSP videogame enhancement products. The company announced 4GB Hard Drive, MAX Media Dock and a Media Solution Pack for the Sony PSP, all of which include the MAX Media Manager allowing file converting into PSP format, savegame download and managing file library.

Compact Flash cards can be attached to the Portable using the Media Dock, which supports up to 4GB CF cards and even micro hard drives, while the Media Solution Pack allows file transfer between the PSP and PC. The Dock is sold in three versions, without a CF card, with 1GB and with 2GB CF card, and the Media Solution Pack in two versions, with either 1GB or 2GB memory card. All these products should hit the shop shelves this week.

Here are the retail prices for the Datel products:

Media Solution Pack
1GB Version: £44.99 UK, $69.99 USA
2GB Version: £84.99 UK, $129.99 USA

MAX Media Dock
Base Unit, no CF card supplied: £29.99 UK, $39.99 USA
With 1GB Compact Flash card: £54.99 UK, $79.99 USA
With 2GB Compact Flash card: £84.99 UK, $119.99 USA

4GB Hard Drive for PSP Solus Pack
£129 UK and $149 USA.

Source: Press release

Datel has announced a device which turns Nintendo DS into a full home entertainment system. MAX Media Dock allows DS to play music, movies and other forms of media from a Compact Flash card, up to 8GB of storage.

The Media Player cart is inserted into the slot used for DS games and the Compact Flash card into the GBA port using the Media Dock. You can browse using the featured browser and use the MAX Media Player to play MP3s and video footage as well as view JPEGs from your photo library. Datel's dock can also launch executable programs, such as home brew software, straight from the flash drive.

The MAX Media Dock, compatible for both DS and DS Lite, will be available this week and is sold in three versions. Without the Compact Flash card for $29.99, with a 1GB CF card for $54.99 and with a 2GB CF card for $84.99.

Source: Press release

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