Xbox 360 CPU efuses bypassed

WE'RE GOING to start off this week's gaming round-up with a quick look at some of the latest first person shooter news.

Next-gen.biz has the low-down on the Unreal Engine 3, and puts it head to head with Crytek's CryEngine 2.

Over at Joystiq you can view a HD preview of id software's 'Enemy Territory: Quake Wars' shooter, which is shaping up to look like a winner.

A report from Gamesindustry.biz suggests that id won't simply settle for punter's cash to support the product - Quake Wars will come with embedded in-game advertising. Yay.

Another pic of Duke Nukem Forever has been spotted, albeit there's hardly anything in this picture to really give us any idea of what's actually finished in the game.

Xbox 360
Xbox-scene is reporting that people over at xboxhacker.net forums have found a way to successfully downgrade an Xbox 360 kernel even when efuses have previously been blown by Xbox Live software updates.

The main problem with being able to perform this operation, lies in knowing a specific piece of difficult to obtain information - the CPU key, which is 'hidden' in the efuse data. This data is only obtainable if you're running an older kernel used before the efuse was blown, which presents a catch-22 situation. Expect further updates from the INQ.

Sales of the Xbox 360 in Europe have hit a wall according to a new report from Screen Digest, which suggests Microsoft is struggling to expand the user base for the next-gen console.

"For Xbox 360, European hardware sales seem to have hit a wall. The target market is still too focused on adult males and the brand does not enjoy the same cachet in non-Anglo Saxon markets as it does in the US and, to a lesser extent, the UK," reads the report.

Maybe a new controller would increase sales - a new controller mod comes from Germany, where a forum reader called MueMue used the shell of an extra wireless controller to shape a sporting new carbon fiber case. Nice.

This probably won't help the huge return of Xbox 360 units being reported by SmartHouse.

Retailers are claiming that Microsoft has had to handle a failure rate of over 30% with their Xbox 360 console. During the past few weeks SmartHouse has received email after email from Xbox 360 owners complaining of problems. Ironically a lot of the problems seem to appear after 12 months of use. An EB games store retailer stated the 30% return rate at the launch of the system over a year ago.

Lets hope the Elite doesn't suffer from similar problems upon its launch - Eurogamer has a seven page review of the new system.

Hopefully Soul Calibur's huge breasts will minimise the noise of the Elite as much as a standard 360...

The rumors have been stirring for ages, but it turns out Microsoft won't be first to bring PS3/Wii-style motion control functions to Xbox 360. Instead, that honor goes to Talismoon, a manufacturer of game console mods and tools - Next week, Talismoon will introduce their new Tiltboard technology for consumers. More at 1up.com.

Wii/DS
Seemingly linking our 360 coverage with that of the Wii, U.K.-based market research firm Screen Digest questions whether the Wii and Xbox 360 have what it takes in the long-term console race.

Not only does Screen Digest's latest games report suggest that 360 sales have hit a wall, as described above, but similarly, Screen Digest questioned the longevity of the Wii.

“…The Wii's target market could be saturated more quickly than its competitors as the technology looks increasingly tired by comparison,” the report stated.

It's not the first time this round-up has included similar sentiments from other analysts and game producers.

Respected Japanese gaming publication Famitsu has given Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass a near-perfect 39 out of 40 score, according to CVG. We just can't wait for the first Zelda DS outing.

It will be interesting to see if Zelda makes it to the iPhone as well as the DS. CrunchGear offer us a rumour that Nintendo will start selling games for use on Apple's first foray into mobile telephony.

This is if Nintendo don't get to market first with an even Liter DS Lite. DS Fanboy suggests that a new DS will eventually see the market, even nicer than the current Lite.

Eurogamer has the latest Virtual Console review round-up available for your consumption here.

Don't worry if you weep at the amount of games available at the problems contending with your empty wallet - Gizmodo has a look at a nice Gamecube tissue holder. Just lovely.

If you're more interested in Wii mods, check out this Wii-attachable LCD monitor. It might be useful for the car, it might not...

Nintendo's market value is gaining on rival Sony as demand for the Wii and DS puts the company at the forefront of the console market.

According to a Reuters report, Nintendo is worth JPY 6.30 trillion (EUR 37.9 bn), compared to Sony's JPY 6.64 trillion, making it the world's second largest consumer electronics maker, as it overtakes Matsushita's share of JPY 6.23 trillion, linking us beautifully to this weeks Sony's games news, below.

PS3/PSP
Good old Ken Kutaragi officially retired from Sony this week, he'll be sorely missed by Sony's PR departments.

If you're already impressed by the PS3's upscaling of older Playstation games and DVD movies, wait until you see what Sony engineers have in store for future updates. SCE chief technology officer Kawanishi and AV manager Kanehide were talking about the future of the PS3's firmware updates when some very interesting claims were made.

Kawanishi and Kanehide stated in an AV Watch interview that future firmware updates will allow for greater audio and visual upscaling without increasing fan noise. They also hinted that a fanless PS3 may be available at a later date. “We have gotten feedback from them (critics) regarding several failure patters for upconverting, but we are getting closer to the goal. I think we can improve another 30 to 40%,” said Kawanishi.

"Nothing yet comes close to the load that Folding@Home applies. And I can see the possibility of a fan-less PS3 in the future, just like there was for the PS2," Kawanishi went on.

Sony Computer Entertainment America confirmed to Shacknews last week that the 3.50 PSP firmware update does indeed allow developers to take advantage of the full 333MHz clock speed of the PSP.

Most previous games were limited to 222MHz, though February's 'Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters' reportedly ran at 266MHz.

PSone downloads available from the Playstation Store are also rumored to run at 333MHz on the PSP.

While Sony is only just now officially unlocking the hardware, intrepid members of the PSP homebrew scene enabled this option long ago through the creation and use of unofficial firmware.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said he believes Sony got the price of Playstation 3 right at launch - but warned a cut will be necessary if the company wants to attract more consumers.

Speaking in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz Guillemot said, "Everybody has to remember that volumes are very dependent on price. I know the platform holders all know that, so now we have to wait for them to see when they want to achieve those numbers."

More games would also help sales. Kaz Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, has promised a total of 380 titles for release on the Playstation 3 before next March.

According to a Reuters report, the company boss told the Nikkei business daily that the massive software push was to help boost slow sales of the next-gen console.

Around 200 of the expected titles will be boxed for retail, while a further 180 games are to be made available over the Playstation Network. µ

See also
Nintendo dominates the world
Slim PSP rumours surface
PSP gaming phone spotted
Further PS3 slatings and PSP 2 whisperings