Sony has released a new firmware update for its PS3 gaming console. The update takes firmware to v4.10 and brings two changes – the first one is the renaming of PSN Account to Sony Entertainment Network Account. The name change Sony says is due to an effort to unify its PlayStation Network (PSN) and other Sony Entertainment Network services.

The second change is on the web browser front which now boasts an improved loading speed.

[Via PlayStation Blog]

Christmas holiday season shoppers would want to add a new gadget to their list this year. Nintendo’s President Satoru Iwata confirmed today that the next-generation Wii aka Wii U will be released before end of this year to take advantage of the important holiday season shopping.

Although there are no exact dates, Wii U will make its way to US, Europe, Australia and Japan later this year.

Wii U looks similar to the original Wii but comes with a 6.2-inch touchscreen display that acts as a controller as well as secondary display to play games on.

[Via Reuters]

Razer showed off its recently unveiled Project Fiona Tablet concept at CES 2012. For the uninitiated, Project Fiona Tablet is a concept design based on Windows OS that will enable an immersive gaming experience.

Although intrinsic specs are a mystery, Razer did confirm to work with Intel to harness the power of the third-gen Intel Core i7 processor. Moreover, Razer has integrated couple of controllers at the side that claims to give an accurate full force feedback.

Razer plans to commercially sell the tablet by end of this year for under $1000.

Featuring integrated dual game controllers with ultra-precise analog sticks, Project Fiona runs gamepad-enabled PC games right out of the box. Along with the game controllers, Project Fiona is also designed with ultra-precise accelerometers and a highly sensitive multi-touch screen. This provides game developers with new game experiential opportunities to develop around the hybrid game control experience offered by Project Fiona. It also ensures current-generation PC games run on the tablet concept, as well as any existing games optimized for the touchscreen interface of a tablet.

Developer units of the Project Fiona Concept PC Gaming Tablet will be made available soon. The retail version is expected to ship during 2012 and will be priced below USD 1000.

PS Vita sold half million units to consumers since its launch on December 17, 2011 in Japan and December 23, 2011 in Asia. PS Vita launched concurrently with 24 software titles from both 3rd party developers and publishers and SCE Worldwide Studios.

The PlayStation 3 platform continues to grow in popularity with consumers across the world. The PS3 system exceeded 3.9 million units worldwide during the holiday sales season, and continues to build momentum and remains on track to reach its annual sales target of 15.0 million hardware units worldwide in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012

The PSP platform continued its growth, attracting a broader range of users with its enhanced line-up of software titles from 3rd party developers and publishers as well as from SCE WWS. Worldwide PSP sales exceeded 1.6 million units during the holiday season. The PSP systems continue to perform well with PSP-3000 series, the popular PSP system in Japan and North America, a wide variety of PSP software libraries, and PSP-E1000, exclusively released in Europe and PAL territories without Wi-Fi connectivity feature at an attractive price point of €99 in November 2011.

SCE will continue to deploy various measures to further expand the PlayStation business with strong support from users as well as 3rd party developers and publishers, and will vigorously enhance the world of computer entertainment system that is possible only on the PlayStation platforms.

Gametel, a gaming accessory by Fructel, besides supporting Android OS now supports iOS devices. Gametel is a Bluetooth controller that transforms your iPhone or iPad into portable gamimg console.

Compatible with Apple iPhone running iOS 4.0 or later and Apple iPad running iOS 3.2 or later, Gametel supports hundreds of arcade titles from the iCADE suite, including classics like Missile Commander, Asteroids, Centipede, Pong, Super Breakout, Lunar Lander and Warlords.

Alongside these retro titles, other selected iOS games, such as No Gravity, Silverfish, Super Crossfire HD and Terra Noctis, are also available to download from Apple’s iTunes App Store.

Gametel connects to the device via Bluetooth while a built-in adjustable spring-loaded clamp allows secure docking of any Android handset and iPhone. Once paired the Gametel automatically connects to the device every time it is powered on.

With a familiar controller design, Gametel’s D-pad, quartet of buttons and two shoulder triggers replicate console-style gaming controls; an impressive nine hour battery life provides more than enough playing time for long journeys and weekly commutes.

Gametel driver is available to download free from Android Market. The Gametel iOS app is currently in testing with Apple for inclusion on the Apple iTunes Appstore.

Gametel can be pre-ordered from Amazon UK for 49.99 GBP.

Sony launched the PlayStation Vita in Japan this weekend and it seems they sold pretty well. According to the numbers from research firm, Enterbrain, Sony managed to sell 321,400 units in the first two days of its launch.

This although, is less than Nintendo 3DS’ 371,000 units for the same period, Reuters says Sony gives a good choice of 24 games to choose from, which may save them from the drastic slump in sales like 3DS that forced Nintendo to drop the price.

GTA fans, gather up. Rockstar Games has just released the Grand Theft Auto III 10th Anniversary edition for Android and iOS. Users can delve into the same GTA goodness on their mobile devices which is now optimized for touchscreen interface with improved controls and graphics. The game also supports select USB gamepad controllers.

Download now via Android Market or iTunes App Store for $5.

Android Market
iTunes App Store

PlayStation Vita releases on December 17 in Japan and to make sure the new handheld console if compatible with the other PlayStation, Sony will release a new firmware (v4.0) for PS3. The new firmware update will make PS3 act as a content management device that will allow users to copy their content between PS Vita and PS3, back up Vita save data to PS3 and update PS Vita software using network capabilities of PS3.

Additionally, the update will also allow PlayStation Plus members to individually enable or disable update features and PlayStation Network settings for filtering friends requests and messages.

[Via PS Blog]

We seriously hope Microsoft does not name their next-generation Xbox console as Xbox 720 but its a debate for another day coz a new report claims Microsoft is working on two different variants of the new Xbox.

One would be a cheaper “along the lines of a set-top box” with Kinect that will be targeted at users who want to use Xbox as a streaming platform. Another SKU will be a premium model loaded with all the goodies you’d expect from a gaming console like an optical drive, hard disk and backward compatibility.

Needless to say the premium model, if true, will be priced higher than the feature SKU.

Xbox 720 is rumored to show its face at CES 2012 early next year.

[Via OXM]