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"The WiiU is crap. Less powerful than an XBOX360. Poor online/store. Weird tablet. Nintendo are walking dead at this point."

"Nintendo are still operating like it's 1990. They should have "done a Sega" and offered Mario/Zelda as PS4/Durango exclusives."

"Instead they make this awful console, and this...nintendo.com/wii/udownloads.... Just stop it! Just make great games!"

"It is an utterly intentional decision to focus our resource on markets which actually matter... like mobile, and Gen4."

"One more : -). Nintendo platforms have always been very poor revenue-wise for third parties. Only Mario and Zelda make money."

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Project PlayStation Input Output has been trying to load PlayStation 1 game images through the game system's parallel I/O port since 2010, and now it's ready to show off the first prototype. If piracy is your aim, then modchips that let users play burned discs and emulators that have been available through the console's 19-year history should suffice, but this project aims to bypass those methods. The potential benefits include easier homebrew support and playing of ripped discs on the original hardware without worrying about wearing out an aging console's laser. Eventually the team wants to load games and saves from an SD card, but in this demo video it's playing Klonoa: Door to Phantomile from an attached PC. As seen in the nearly ten minute video it does work, albeit slowly. As the video notes, optimizations for the USB controller and CD sectors that should speed things up have not been implemented yet. According to its FAQ, the PSIO team aims to have a final version done this year, you can check out the fruits of their labor after the break

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Twenty-somethings everywhere owe a debt to IMDB for helping solve countless drunken pop-cultural arguments but game info is still often the domain of Wikis, if you can find the information you're looking for at all.

Well 'GameBase' hopes to solve all those issues, by producing a IMDB for Video Games, just like IMDB has become the must-goto-source when researching about any info regarding 'movies', the designers of 'GameBase' believe they can do the same with their website project, and are reaching out to you as 'gamer' to help fund their startup idea.

Vaai, a Dutch internet company, hopes to change all that with Gamebase. The $100,000 crowd-funded project over at Indiegogo would house a comprehensive database including everything from game developers and titles to the works of the countless developers making games today, plus a whole slew of Wiki-esque user-driven features and integration for gamertags and such.

If they hit their funding goal, Vaai says Gamebase will be ad-free, have separate Android and iOS apps and generally be the best source of video game information it can be. If you're interested in contributing ($50 nets you a lifetime ad-free membership).

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A study of the gaming habits of 13 to 17-year-olds by the University of Adelaide found more than a quarter of teens have played gambling-style video games, while nearly one in 10 have played gambling games on social media, and about one in 20 had played them on mobile phones.

A smaller number, about 2 per cent, said they had tried to gamble with real money on the internet.

Dr Daniel King from the university's school of psychology led the research and said young people who engaged in the non-financial gambling online were three times more likely to report also gambling with money - ''you see this association between the two''.

About 40 per cent of teenagers who played online or digital gambling games reported a future intention to gamble with money, he said.

He said one of the problems with non-financial gambling games was they could give young people the wrong impression about gambling.

He said he downloaded three poker machine apps that did not require real money to play.

''I tried to lose money and it's impossible. That is one of the concerns about these types of games - they misrepresent the odds of gambling.''

Many free gambling games have appeal for a youth audience and include advertisements for real gambling sites, and there are often no barriers to entry, Dr King said.

''There's no age verification, there is no data coming out [from the] industry on whether young people are using these apps.''

The research found males were twice as likely to play gambling games than females.

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Ellen Page, who stars in David Cage's upcoming supernatural PS3 drama Beyond: Two Souls, doesn't think there's anything unnatural about video games covering tough, adult topics like suicide or homelessness-both of which her character, Jodie, deals with in the game. In a recent interview with Metro, she talks about how the medium should be a natural medium for complex human issues.

"Why would you not want to explore that format of storytelling?" Page says in the Metro interview. "I'm fascinated to see if people feel emotionally attached and compelled in these intense moments of Jodie's life to make choices from those feelings."

Cage and his team at Quantic Dream are no strangers to this concept, having addressed in 2010 with the questionably written but technically impressive Heavy Rain.

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Today is a big day for all cycling fans who can discover, right now, the new official website of the games Pro Cycling Manager for PC and Tour de France 2013 for consoles!

Also optimized for smartphones and tablets, this new website lets cycling fans access all info on both official games of the Tour de France, wherever they are!

Filled with information and exclusive screenshots, the site contains all there is to know about Pro Cycling Manager 2013 on PC and Tour de France 2013 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360: newcomers will discover how both games play, but also long-time fans of the series will learn about all the new exciting new features both games offer this year!

The website's gallery gathers many exclusive images, and will welcome very soon the first videos of Pro Cycling Manager 2013 and Tour de France 2013 - 100th Edition. Finally, the website is also a real hub for the community: you will find there all the latest news, real-time information about the game on the social networks, as well as the Dev Blog of the developers, Cyanide, who will regularly release exclusive information!

On the occasion of this grand opening, we offer you to discover now 4 new screenshots, that you will of course also find on the big gallery of the website!

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Hot-tempered and aggressive, Raphael is the bad boy of the Turtles squad. He's competitive, rebellious, and often prefers being on his own. But underneath the sarcasm lies an unbreakable love and loyalty for his family, particularly his younger brother, Mikey. A true street brawler, Raphael's brute-force single-target damage, knockdown strength, and combo damage make him a walking powerhouse. Raph's unique Iron Fists weapon upgrade lets him toss his Sais aside and have his fists do the talking.

But like any hot head, Raph's fury is also his greatest shortcoming. His zeal for up-close and personal combat limits his range, as well as his ability to juggle multiple opponents simultaneously, leaving him vulnerable to attack when outnumbered or being targeted from a distance.

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Just look at that poor kitten. It needs food, and you won't feed it. It doesn't even have many great skills. All thanks to your neglect.

The good news: if you cover the Kickstarter campaign for CatLand, in which developers Lost and Found Games are seeking a measly $15k, you could make this virtual virtual kitty a real virtual kitty.

By checking into real-world locations on the CatLand mobile app/game, you help keep your little pet entertained, engaged and AWAY FROM A SHALLOW GRAVE.

Joking aside, this is like Tamagotchi for the kids of today, as well as any adults who either can't have pets or wish they could take their cat everywhere they go without looking like a weirdo.

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To celebrate the launch of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D for Nintendo 3DS on May 24, Nintendo is partnering with the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens on Memorial Day weekend (May 24-27) to host an event on the L.A. Zoo grounds. The four-day event will feature fun activities for all members of the family, including an interactive experience at the Campo Gorilla Reserve, various demo stations where attendees can play the Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D game and coupon giveaways for $5 off the game at participating GameStop retail stores. For the weekend, the gorilla area will be temporarily renamed the "Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D at Campo Gorilla Reserve."

"Fans will get a chance to spend time with Donkey Kong and some of his friends from the animal kingdom at the L.A. Zoo this Memorial Day weekend," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "They'll be able to experience a fun day with Nintendo at the zoo and play Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D."

One of the weekend's main events, a "Donkey Kong Interactive Experience," allows visitors to watch L.A. Zoo staff feed the real-life gorillas from giant cardboard barrels that are inspired by the barrels featured in the video game. This friendly, educational activity is a one-of-a-kind experience for families and a treat for the gorillas. In addition to the feeding, there will be opportunities for fans to take pictures with the costumed Donkey Kong character around the zoo.

"Our gorillas have never had a visit from a celebrity of Donkey Kong's stature," said John R. Lewis, director of the Los Angeles Zoo. "All the planned activities for the weekend fit perfectly in line with the family-friendly environment of the zoo, as well as bring awareness to the animals in the gorilla reserve."

The original Donkey Kong Country Returns game has been rebuilt from the ground up for ease-of-play on Nintendo 3DS. Players control iconic character Donkey Kong as he runs, jumps, blasts, rides and pounds his way through a series of beautiful, challenging, side-scrolling levels. The upcoming game is optimized for portable play and features a new mode, eight additional levels and stunning 3D graphics.

The Los Angeles Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90027. The event will run May 24-27.

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Clumsy on-screen controls have long plagued mobile gaming, but on June 14th 2013 this everyday gaming frustration will be a thing of the past for Android users. The revolutionary MOGA Mobile Gaming Controllers hit the shelves in the UK, transforming consumers' existing Android smartphones and tablets into portable, precision gaming systems.

The game-changing MOGA Pocket Controller features dual analogue sticks, shoulder triggers and four action buttons, and connects wirelessly via Bluetooth^TM, transforming consumers' existing smartphones and tablets into precision gaming systems - with no extra hardware required. Using the MOGA Arm^TM to secure your smartphone, MOGA Pocket gamers benefit from a uniquely slim and sleek ergonomic design that maximises portability, whilst also minimising wrist fatigue during gaming sessions. Perfect for the gamer-on-the-go, the MOGA Pocket looks set to be a big winner with commuters with its discreet, compact design.

The MOGA Pro Controller is designed for mobile gamers looking for extended playtime. Designed for maximum comfort and control, the MOGA Pro has full-sized grips, dual analogue sticks and a D-Pad, bringing console-class gaming to the mobile environment. Unlike the MOGA Pocket, there is no need for batteries as the controller is fully rechargeable and also HID enabled to grant a mobile gamer access to a wider collection of gaming titles.

The MOGA Controllers benefit from an extensive library of games that can be accessed via the free, downloadable MOGA Pivot^TM app. All a user has to do is download the app from Google Play to their tablet or smartphone to reap the rewards of MOGA Enhanced game titles, including big-hitters such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Real Soccer 2013, PACMAN® by Namco and many more. The Pivot^TM App is constantly updating, providing MOGA users with an extensive collection of new games every month.

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A strong launch for LEGO® City Undercover: The Chase Begins helped Nintendo 3DS^TM maintain its torrid pace in 2013.

Through the first four months of the year, Nintendo has already sold more than 2.1 million units of first-party Nintendo 3DS software in the U.S. alone, an increase of 52 percent over the same time period last year.

In 2012, it took 30 weeks for Nintendo 3DS to sell 2 million units of first-party software. In 2013, the platform accomplished that same feat in 18 weeks.

With the peak holiday selling season still ahead and a strong lineup of upcoming games that includes Donkey Kong Country^TM Returns 3D on May 24, Animal Crossing^TM: New Leaf on June 9, Mario and Luigi^TM: Dream Team on Aug. 11, as well as new titles in the Pokémon^TM, Mario Golf^TM and Legend of Zelda^TM franchises, Nintendo 3DS is poised to have the strongest year of sales in its history.

Some notable sales numbers* achieved by Nintendo in April include:

• LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins sold nearly 94,000 combined physical and digital copies after launching on April 24.
• Luigi's Mansion^TM: Dark Moon sold more than 140,000 combined physical and digital units in April and has now sold more than 530,000 total units to date.
• In its sixth month on the market, New Super Mario Bros.^TM U for the Wii U^TM system increased its lifetime sales total to nearly 770,000 combined physical and digital units.

During the next several months, a cavalcade of fan-favorite franchises will launch for Wii U. This includes Game & Wario^TM on June 23, Pikmin^TM 3 on Aug. 4, Disney's Planes from Disney Interactive on Aug. 6 and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Blacklist^TM from Ubisoft on Aug. 20. At the upcoming E3 trade show in June in Los Angeles, Nintendo expects to show attendees upcoming Wii U games from the Mario Kart^TM, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda and Super Smash Bros.^TM franchises.

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With no support from Electronic Arts, the Wii U just experienced its Dreamcast moment. Will other publishers now follow suit?

And I'm not saying Electronic Arts has the same pull it did in the console market during the year 2000. It's market share has been overtaken by Activision and is being threatened by a hungry Ubisoft.

But EA has pulled out of the Wii U because sales of both hardware and software are dreadful.

"When you can get to number one in the Wii U charts by selling less than 1000 units it's no longer a tragedy, it's an actual farce"

The Wii U has been defeated by the most humbling of challengers - consumer apathy. When the inevitable "Nintendo halts Wii U production" stories hit, the majority of those that bought the original Wii won't even notice. The mainstream bought the Wii because it was a fun novelty, they didn't buy it for a new Zelda game. What's the Wii U's novelty? That it does everything a current-gen console does but a little bit slower and with a Fisher Price tablet attached?

"The Wii U isn't discounted at the supermarkets because they want to sell more, it's been cut in price so they can get rid of it quickly"

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Do you remember how vulnerable we felt hearing about the murder of 26 children and teachers at Sandy Hook? The Elmhurst Police Department immediately dispatched armed officers to our schools to calm parents' safety concerns for their children. Later that night, President Obama denounced the tide of escalating violence and challenged us to take action when he said, "If there is even one thing that we can do to prevent any of these events, we have a deep obligation, all of us, to try."

This is when a group of concerned citizens took action on "one thing" we believe will reduce violence and improve public safety - the violent video games carried by our library. The Elmhurst Public Library carries 129 of these games, including six of the 10 most-violent games.

We do not believe it is sufficient to select video games based upon popularity. We asked the library to implement improved evaluation procedures for violent video games to ensure thoughtful selection decisions. We presented research to support our request and had the support of numerous citizens and several aldermen.

At the April board meeting, the library rejected our request and then modified its policy to prevent anyone from pursuing the matter for three years. The very next day, Obama called it a shameful day in Washington when the U.S. Senate rejected improved background checks on gun sales. We believe it was a shameful day in Elmhurst when our library rejected improved "background checks" on violent video games.

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The next title in SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise will be exclusive to Nintendo's Wii U home console and Nintendo 3DS portable system. Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata announced the details of a new partnership with SEGA during a new Nintendo Direct video announcement today. Sonic Lost World is a new action platforming game, and more information about it will be announced before the E3 2013 video game trade show begins on June 11.

The Nintendo Direct also announced Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games for Wii U, and revealed that additional SEGA Game Gear games would be coming to the Virtual Console service for Nintendo 3DS. Outside of SEGA news, Nintendo announced that select Wii U games featured at E3 2013 will soon be playable at participating Best Buy stores, the launch date for New Super Luigi U, new Pikmin 3 game details and additional information about a variety of previously announced Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games.

"The onetime rivalry between Mario and Sonic has grown into a friendship that has never been closer," said Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. "These announcements in conjunction with SEGA demonstrate the commitment we have to bringing great games to the Wii U platform, and set the stage for our upcoming announcements at E3."

To view the Nintendo Direct in its entirety, visit http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct. Today's announcements included:

Wii U News

• Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games: The game includes a variety of events from the Winter Games, including curling, skiing, figure skating pairs and snowboard slopestyle - which will make its Olympic debut in Sochi, Russia. Different events might use the Wii Remote Plus controller, Wii U GamePad controller or both. In addition to realistic events, the game also includes those set in the worlds of Sonic and Mario that let players perform moves not possible in real life. Launch details and timing will be announced at a later date.

• Experience Games from Nintendo's E3 Booth at Best Buy: Exclusively at participating Best Buy locations in the United States and Canada, consumers will be able to play some of the unreleased Wii U games featured at E3 while the event is occurring in Los Angeles. Details about locations and which games will be featured will be revealed in the coming weeks.

• New Super Luigi U: The Year of Luigi-themed downloadable content for New Super Mario Bros. U offers players 82 updated courses. But it also includes a new playable character in multiplayer mode: Nabbit, who steals items from Toad Houses. Nabbit can't power up, but also won't take damage when he touches enemies. New Super Luigi U will be released as downloadable content for New Super Mario Bros. U in the Nintendo eShop on June 20 for $19.99. But in honor of the Year of Luigi, Nintendo is also offering a standalone packaged version of New Super Luigi U that doesn't require New Super Mario Bros. U on Aug. 25 at a suggested retail price of $29.99.

• The Wonderful 101: The mass-action adventure from Platinum Games launches Sept. 15. Additional details will be announced after E3.

• Pikmin 3: New playable characters Alph, Brittany and Charlie recruit the Pikmin creatures to help them gather fruit so that they can return with the seeds to save their home, Planet Koppai. Players can divide activities among the different characters, and explore separate areas in the same map with different groups of Pikmin. Using the GamePad (known as the KopPad in the game), players can view the overall map and grasp what each character and Pikmin are up to. Players also can choose their preferred control option: GamePad in conjunction with the TV, Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk combo or GamePad only in off-TV mode. Players can also use the Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk with the GamePad as a second-screen monitor. Pikmin 3 launches Aug. 4.

• GAME & WARIO: The game launches in stores and in the Nintendo eShop June 23 at a suggested retail price of $39.99, and includes a number of games from WarioWare, Inc., that use the GamePad in different ways. Newly revealed games include: Island, which lets two to five people launch little creatures called Fronks onto islands in the sea to score points; Patchwork, a puzzle game that tests players' pattern-recognition skills; and Kung-Fu, which challenges players to help Young Cricket navigate a course safely using the forward-looking view on the TV and the top-down view on the GamePad. A new Iwata Asks feature offers more details about the game at http://iwataasks.nintendo.com.

• Resident Evil Revelations: Capcom's horror-survival game is launching in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on May 21. The game originally released for Nintendo 3DS, and the Wii U version offers players updated HD graphics, GamePad controls and new game content. Players can use the GamePad to view the map and change items using the touch screen without pausing their progress. Or they can play the full game on the GamePad in off-TV mode, or play with the Wii U Pro Controller. The game is Miiverse-compatible, and a demo version is currently available in the Nintendo eShop.

Nintendo 3DS News

• SEGA Game Gear: Games from the classic hand-held system are headed to the Virtual Console service. These include:

• Columns
• Crystal Warriors
• Defenders of Oasis
• Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
• G-LOC: Air Battles
• Shining Force II: The Sword of Hajya
• Sonic Blast
• Sonic Drift 2
• Sonic Labyrinth
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Tails Adventure
• Vampire: Master of Darkness

• Inside the Treehouse with Animal Crossing: New Leaf: Because of the vast amount of content in the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Leaf game, Nintendo's Treehouse localization team is hosting an ongoing video series to talk about the franchise and many of the fun features of the new game. The videos will be available on Nintendo's YouTube channel and in the Nintendo eShop on a regular basis leading up to the game's June 9 launch. Additionally, a new Animal Crossing panel for Puzzle Swap is now available for StreetPass Mii Plaza, and fans also might find a special Animal Crossing-themed message on Swapnote.

• Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D: This game launches in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on May 24 and includes all the fun of the original Wii game, now optimized for portable play. It also includes eight new unlockable levels that are each based on one of the eight worlds from the original game. These levels will challenge players with new elements like platforms that force them to move at a faster pace, large drops of tar falling from the ceiling and giant rotating stone gears that can alter the level itself.

• A Legendary Sale: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons arrive on the Virtual Console service for Nintendo 3DS on May 30. Because playing the games together unlocks so much additional content, Nintendo is offering them for just $4.99 each for the first three weeks after launch. After this promotion expires, the games will be available for $5.99 each.

• Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move: The game, which launched May 9 exclusively in the Nintendo eShop, challenges players to place tiles on the bottom screen to guide the Minis to their goal on the top screen. The game includes more than 180 stages, but also dramatically extends the fun of the game by letting players create their own stages and share them with others. Players can opt to try a random user-created level or one created by their friends. They can also select from the most popular levels overall or search the top levels of the week.

Another Nintendo Direct focused on future Wii U content will air around the time of E3 2013.

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According to a Kotaku report, EA has confirmed that it is no longer working on Nintendo's new console.

"We have no games in development for the Wii U currently," EA's Jeff Brown is quoted as saying. Brown did not indicate if EA would resume development on the system in the future

Earlier this month, EA confirmed it would not be bringing this year's Madden NFL 25 to the Wii U. At the time, a representative said, "We have a strong partnership with Nintendo and will continue to evaluate opportunities for delivering additional Madden NFL products for Nintendo fans in the future."

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LulzSec's targets included companies such as Nintendo, Sony, Bethesda and 20th Century Fox, as well as government-run organisations such as the CIA and SOCA, the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Ryan "Kayla" Cleary, Jake "Topiary" Davis, Mustafa "Tflow" al-Bassam and Ryan Ackroyd had all previously pleaded guilty to a number of hacking-related charges.

Cleary admitted additional charges of hacking the US Air Force and possessing indecent images of babies and children, BBC News reported. He was jailed for 32 months.

Ackroyd was sentenced for 30 months and Davis for two years. Al Bassam was given a 20-month suspended sentence.

"It's clear from the evidence that they intended to achieve extensive national and international notoriety and publicity," prosecutor Sandip Patel claimed.

"This is not about young immature men messing about. They are at the cutting edge of a contemporary and emerging species of criminal offender known as a cybercriminal."

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Nintendo is reportedly issuing "content ID match" claims on Let's Play videos featuring their game franchises, according to prolific YouTuber Zack Scott, who is currently playing Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.

Scott noted that Nintendo made content ID matches against a number of his videos, thus preventing him from monetizing those videos on YouTube.

In a Facebook post, Scott wrote the following message as an open letter to Nintendo:

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Game consoles these days are "multimedia entertainment delivery systems," and "Any console would benefit from having unlimited HD adult content at the click of a button," said SugarDVD rep Rebecca Bolen. And she's right: You may not be terribly inclined to put your copy of Scale Bustin' Babes 41 on the shelf next to Gears of War 3, but that doesn't mean there's not a big demand for this stuff. Sex sells, and sometimes you just have to mash your button a little bit. It's normal!

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"Yes, we're discontinuing Online Pass," EA senior director of corporate communications John Reseburg confirmed to GamesBeat in an e-mail. "None of our new EA titles will include that feature."

"Initially launched as an effort to package a full menu of online content and services, many players didn't respond to the format," Reseburg said. "We've listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward."

Online Pass is seen by publishers as a bulwark against the second-hand market, which retailer GameStop dominates. Publishers were worried that consumers were buying games used instead of new - especially big games with popular multiplayer modes. So the online pass became a way that publishers forced consumers to either buy a game new - or pay extra for online.

But from this point forward, you won't need an Online Pass for any of EA's games online.

"We're still committed to creating content and services that enhance the game experience well beyond the day you first start playing," Reseburg said.

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Speaking to Game Informer, Silicon Knights chief financial officer Mike Mays clarified that while art assets used in Shadow of the Eternals were sold to Precursor from Silicon Knights but Precursor's Denis Dyack - who was once head honcho at Silicon Knights - was not among the buyers.

Mays also noted that Silicon Knights is "mostly working on legal issues" and wouldn't comment on the studio's current employees or any potential projects.

Precursor Games is currently using Kickstarter and its own website to fund Shadow of the Eternals, which is planned as an episodic Wii U eShop title. Support has been slow, which could be due to Dyack's involvement in a lawsuit between Silicon Knights and Epic Games that resulted in a court order for Silicon Knights to destroy any and all projects that used Epic's Unreal Engine 3.

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Yesterday the people of 1985alternativo, responsible for Watman (GBA) and Oh Mummy Genesis (Mega Drive) have announced their next project.

The game will once again be a Mega Drive game, and in a genre that the hardware was made for: a shoot'em up.

It's called Antarex and will be your typical horizontally scrolling shmup. No price or release date are known at this time, but seeing 1985alternativo's previous releases we can expect it to be very cheap, probably no more than 30 Euros.

All there is to share about it as of yet is the first two screenshots:

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Hearing the demand of fans everywhere, Mechner has announced that Karateka Classic is coming back, specifically to iOS and Android.

Karateka Classic recreates the Apple II experience - right down to the disk drive noises - and offers a range of "monitor" choices, including color CRT, green or amber display. There are a couple of new additions, including gameplay tips and a rewind feature that can be earned, allowing players to reverse their mistakes.

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The news was revealed by legendary Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi at an event held to celebrate 15 years of the 70-million-selling series.

GT6 for PlayStation 3 will bring new levels of authenticity to ‘the Real Driving Simulator' as well as introducing stunning new tracks and cars and a revised user interface. A new compact game engine will improve operation and increase the flexibility to expand it with downloadable content.

Meanwhile, the game is also set for expanded connectivity with other devices such as smart phones and tablets and increased social and community functions.

All of the cars and tracks from Gran Turismo 5, which has sold over 10m copies since launching in 2010, will be retained in GT6. But notable new additions to the already impressive line-up of historic cars, road cars and the latest race cars, brings the total car list to 1200 at launch, with new cars set to be continually added online.

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For all the talk of digital piracy these days, a team of European researchers wondered if the battle lines are so clearly drawn, or whether the situation is more nuanced than some may believe. They began a large-scale analysis of the sharing of computer games on BitTorrent and uncovered some hard data that had been previously absent from the conversation.

This research will be published in the International Journal of Advanced Media and Communication.

Anders Drachen of the Department of Communication and Psychology, at Aalborg University and Robert Veitch of the Department of IT Management at Copenhagen Business School in Frederiksberg, Denmark decided to focus their study on video game piracy, exclusively. Using transparent practices, the two launched a large-scale investigation into the BitTorrent sharing of these games during a three-month period between 2010 and 2011, and included information on 173 video games.

"First and foremost, P2P (peer to peer) game piracy is extraordinarily prevalent and geographically distributed [at least it was during the period analyzed]," said Drachen in a press statement.

"However, the numbers in our investigation suggest that previously reported magnitudes in game piracy are too high."

Straight away, Drachen and Veitch began to notice a few discrepancies in the reports issued by industry trade organizations. For instance, it wasn't only the first person shooter games that were being pirated, which is a general misconception by the anti-piracy side.

According to their data, all kinds of games were pirated, including games for children, family games and large commercial titles. What's more, Drachen and Veitch found fewer games being passed around on BitTorrent than industry officials have previously estimated.

Games such as TRON Evolution, The Sims 3: Late Night, Call of Duty Black Ops, NBA 2k11 and many others were all accessed and shared by a pool of 12.6 million unique visitors in the three month window. These "pirates" were located in more than 250 countries around the world. Of the 173 total games the pair researched, the ten most popular titles were responsible for nearly four percent of all traffic. The researchers also found that only 20 countries of the 250 they observed on the service were responsible for delivering content to the file-sharing site. This suggests the piracy issue may be more focused than some have previously thought.

Those countries responsible for driving a large portion of the piracy include Croatia, Greece, Romania and Ukraine. The most popular video games being traded during the researcher's three-month period saw an average of 536,727 unique peers.

Drachen and Veitch note that though it's much easier to pirate PC video games, the recent shift by some game distributors to cloud-based systems could help reduce some of these piracy issues in the future. It's a bit of a Catch 22 for these distributors, of course. Only those gamers with high-speed broadband connections can play these cloud-based games. It's this same high-topped connection that could allow the same gamer to share illegal copies of games.

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The 44-year-old is apparently looking to make those life sentences a little less tedious, because now he's asking for a PlayStation 3.

The issue started in 2006 when Knight requested to have a computer in his prison cell, claiming it would be used to perform research and to prepare materials to be used later on in a bid to get a release date from the courts. His request was denied. And then denied again. Such denials have continued for seven years now. Such denials have prompted legal action on his part, with the inmate serving a legal subpoena to the government for records of other inmates who have been granted computers.

Said Knight on the issue of the computer: "This cause of action has been going for seven years, this is now the eighth proceeding. I only have to walk around the prison and I can see with my own eyes who has a computer and who doesn't. I'm the only prisoner who has made applications to have a computer who has had it denied and denied repeatedly."

And so now, in addition to seeking the computer, he is also seeking to have a PlayStation 3 console in his prison cell.

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In a letter Loeb personally delivered to CEO Kazuo Hirai at Sony's headquarters, the fund manager said Third Point was willing to put up another ¥200-billion ($1.97-billion U.S.) to support an initial public offering of up to a fifth of the entertainment arm, which includes one of Hollywood's top film studios and a leading music label.

In his letter, Loeb endorsed Hirai's attempts to revive Sony, but said the problems of the company's electronics business distracted from the value of U.S.-based Sony Entertainment, an asset he called a "hidden gem".

Loeb said the proposed spinoff of a unit that is home to artists such as Beyonce and Adele and produced movie franchises like Iron Man and Spider-Man could add another 60 per cent to Sony's stock price.

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"The entertainment businesses are important contributors to Sony's growth and are not for sale," Sony said in response to Loeb's proposal. "We look forward to continuing constructive dialogue with our shareholders as we pursue our strategy."

Hirai, a 52-year-old Sony veteran who started his career in the music business, is due to give an update on his strategy for the company at a briefing in Tokyo on May 22.

"Sony stands at the crossroads of compelling corporate opportunity and massive Japanese economic reform," Loeb wrote in the letter, which was made available to media. Corporate leaders like Hirai, he added, "can spearhead this important growth."

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Harris is accused of murdering Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children with a tire iron in the family's Beason home in late September 2009. One of the children, a three-year-old girl, survived the attack.

Prosecutors laid out what happened after brothers Chris and Jason Harris, intoxicated from a night of drinking and doing cocaine visited the Gee home in search of marijuana.

The defense plans to call an expert witness to testify on the effects of violent video games. The defense claims that Chris Harris did not commit the crime, but instead walked in on one of the victims - 14-year-old Dillen Gee - as he was murdering his own family. Defense attorney Peter Naylor said in opening remarks at the start of the trial earlier this month that Chris Harris was forced to kill Dillen in self-defense.

The defense will call an "expert witness" that will discuss the effects that violent video games can have on people, and plan to try and paint Dillen as an antisocial teen with low grades and a history of violent tendencies.

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