DreamWorks CEO predicting neither HD format will win

"We here at Engadget HD are currently engulfed in this latest format war, Blu-ray and HD DVD, but does the average consumer care either way? DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg is stating that neither format is going to become the next home video platform. We have heard naysayers before and even though he does have a decent point that there isn't that large of a 'delta' between DVD and high-def disc, we still think one of these formats are going to stumble away beaten and bruised. DreamWorks has yet to release one of their animated films on either format and somehow we don't see that happening anytime soon."

Project Gotham Racing 4 details surface

A list of interesting excerpts from the accompanying article:

Enhanced Weather Simulation: “One of the slickest new features in PGR is its weather. Bizarre’s using what it likes to call ‘extreme weather’ for more than just making the sky gray. Water beads up on beautifully on all the gorgeous paintjobs, spray jets out from the tires, and in the in-car view, wipers move and windshields ice up.”
Enhanced Raceway Environments: “A TV-style intro sets up each event, with a commentator offering wisdom…Choppers buzz overhead, camera crews and video vans are everywhere, and hordes of fans line the track. They’ll wear gear with your logo, wave your national flag, and react far more obviously to your performance.”
Extended Car Selection: “PGR4 will deliver a much broader set of vehicles, ranging from a vintage’63 Corvette Sting Ray and the ’54 Maserati 250F to the sleek, ultra-modern Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.”
On the tracks: “You won’t want to miss out on your viewing time with PGR4’s tracks, which tally up to 200-plus in 10 locations.”
On Xbox Live initiatives: “PGR4’s cooking up a mysterious new matchmaking system (like Halo 2’s).”
On in-car view: ” Bizarre has two key improvements in the works.You’ll now see drivers moving more- feeding the wheel as they zip through turns or pumping their fist after a win. Special effects will also crank up the tension in key moments: you’ll get a shake effect at high speeds, and your vision will blur after spending some quality time with a a wall.”
In conclusion: “PGR4 feels hugely promising- like a proper sequel with loads of cool new toys.”

That’s all we managed to secure from the OXM guys, so for the full story and a bunch more you’ll need to grab a copy yourself when it hits stands April 10th. If you can’t wait for the full game don’t hold your breath yet, since the current ETA for PGR4 is next winter.

Sony prepping an 80GB PS3, almost keeping up with the Jonses

With Sony's position as the new-gen storage king being threatened by the Xbox 360 Elite, it seems only natural that Sony would at least try and stuff a few more GB into its console. At least that's the word according to a recent FCC filing, which was required due to a change in Bluetooth module, and has seemingly spilled the beans on an 80GB version of the PS3. That's about as much as we know, and of course, there's no telling right now how Sony is going to fit this into its lineup. But either as a replacement or an addition we're sure we'll be able to find something to stick on that extra disk space, though we have a fair idea what Sony would like us to be doing with it: buying crap. We're sure Microsoft is already planning a clever "we have 120GB, neener neener" retort as we speak, but let's just hope they keep in mind the fact that it took 'em 1.5 years and a $479 SKU to get with the HDMI program.

Registration for Global Gears Tourney Begins

There's nothing quite like curb stomping or chainsawing an opponent in Gears of War. The game has been a huge hit since its release last November, and now gamers are being given the opportunity to compete in a global tournament over Xbox Live. Registration for the tourney begins today and will continue until April 29, with official play running from April 9 through May 6.

Gears players will have four weeks to play ranked games and climb the leaderboards, with the top 11 finalists in the world being flown out to Prague for the Grand Final in July. More details about the prizes and tourney can be found here and information such as eligibility requirements and official rules can be found here.

Tournaments and prizes are great, but hopefully Microsoft will be closely watching the leaderboards for cheaters. Still, CliffyB is excited. "We are thrilled to offer the chance for gamers across the world to come together and share the glories of blowing apart someone into little chunks.

"May the best man, or Locust, win."

PGR4 The Win

"While you patiently await for some other media to be come readily available on the internet, we can tide you over with something completely different. The May issue of Official Xbox Magazine has a cover story on Project Gotham Racing 4 and how it builds on the 360 launch title. The key points to look out for is the wider selection of weather conditions from rain, snow and sleet, with the in-car view taking full advantage of the first person view with added realism.

Speaking of in-car view, they plan on sprucing that up with more 'involved' animations from the driver, from a shaky cam when going at break neck speeds to pumping their fist after a victory. The game also promises a more robust selection of cars and tracks to ride them on with over 200 courses across 10 locations. The best part is that it's only scratching the surface. Are you looking forward to accumulating Kudos this fall?"

GTA IV Trailer (HD)

"Just a reminder that Xbox.com will have a never-before-seen HD trailer of ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ this afternoon. It should appear on this page once the timer reaches zero."

Xbox 360 Elite hands-on video

"We know how it is, you just have to see it on video, right? Keep in mind this is Microsoft's Channel 10 doing the shooting, so everything is well lit and the questions are as boring as all get out, but it's the best we've got -- and be sure, we'd be pushing you some grainy QVGA camphone video of the Xbox 360 Elite if we had it. The interview is with Albert Penello, who is quick to get a dig in on Sony for leaving out an HDMI cable. Albert again confirms that a migration cable will be packaged with the stand-alone 120GB drive, but says they're 'still working on a solution' for migrating data from a current Xbox 360 to the Elite, since apparently data is tied to the console in some way... such is the way of DRM, always putting the consumer first!"

Microsoft prepping component to HDMI adapter?

"Friendly tipster Evan M wasn't too stoked to see an Xbox 360 Elite headed for store shelves after he'd just purchased a Premium 360, especially considering the fact that his TV has a whole HDMI port twiddling its thumbs, just waiting to get its game on. After informing Microsoft of his displeasure through what we're sure was a politely worded email, Evan claims to have received a slightly encouraging response from a Microsoft support person, promising an upcoming HDMI to component adapter for the 'box to make his situation perhaps a bit more bearable. Unfortunately, the support person also mentioned that 'we do not have information as of the moment if the cable will be sold separately,' which might mean such an adapter is only destined for sales with some sort of updated Premium SKU, at least for the immediate future. We'll keep our eyes peeled."

Video: DIRT trailer drops jaws

"Gametrailers has the first trailer (also in HD) of Colin McRae: DIRT up and it is truly breathtaking. It starts with a lone rally car navigating turns around a cliff edge, then moves to some buggy rally, complete with well, dirt. Plumes of dust and debris trail all the tires, then we come back to another rally car negotiating some rain-slicked trails when ... well, you're just going to have to watch it yourself. The score during the trailer is really moving and we're totally psyched to get our hands on this come June. What'd you think of the trailer?"

Trailer: Colin McRae: DIRT

"Name: DIRT Gameplay Trailer (480p/720p)
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Mexico or Asia
Dash Details: Download this trailer."

Sony Working On PS3 "Elite" Model?

Sony Working On PS3 "Elite" Model? - Kotaku: "In a filing dated earlier this month, Sony contacted the US Federal Communications Commission to request a 'Class II permissive change' to the PLAYSTATION 3. This was done in accordance with changes to the included Bluetooth antenna and came from the Sony Coporation's Product Quality Office.

While FCC filings are generally dry as dust, this one has an interesting addition. A new PLAYSTATION 3 model (CECHE01) with an 80GB hard disk was listed as an additional inclusion to the original FCC grant. The two current model numbers CECHA01 and CECHB01 specify the 60GB and 20GB versions, respectively.

A 20GB jump from the top of the line PLAYSTATION 3 seems like an odd additional SKU, but we've seen stranger things happen.

Could this new hard disk represent a totally new model or simply a storage upgrade? Will the 80GB PS3 at some point become the lower-end model? We've heard in the past from inside sources that the Ken Kutaragi was pushing for the introduction of a 250GB model PS3, so future models of the console may feature increased storage. We'll be contacting Sony in the morning to gather additional details."

HD DVD fires back: HD-A20 in April for $499, 70 movies on the way

"We've had to wait a while, but for those wondering where Universal's exclusive titles were in the upcoming HD DVD lineup, today's press release by the HD DVD Promotions Group may put your mind at ease. While it may still be looking up at Blu-ray in terms of install base and numbers shipped, HD DVD the group still touts the fact that it has a higher tie ratio than 'other high definition formats'. Also included is the news that the 1080p-capable HD-A20 will ship in April for $499 (down from $599), but the biggest news is the slate of more than 70 titles shipping in the next three months from six studios (Warner, Paramount, Universal, Genius & Eagle Rock). Exclusives like Shaun of the Dead and The Bourne Identity will be available in June among what looks to be a packed month of releases for the format. Curious in their absence are combo releases, with only four HD DVD/DVD (Good Shepherd, Smokin' Aces, The Hitcher & Alpha Dog) discs among the 70."

Why Gears of War looks better than Resistance

Why Gears of War looks better than Resistance: "Insomniac Games bod Brian Hastings has responded to critics who have complained that the company's PlayStation 3 launch title, Resistance: Fall of Man, isn't as good-looking as the Xbox 360's Gears of War. In a tirade titled "10 Reasons Why PS3 Will Win This Console Generation", Hastings was keen to explain why Gears trumped Resistance in the visuals department, despite the latter appearing on a more powerful platform.

"Sometimes people ask us, 'If Resistance takes 14 gigabytes, why doesn't it look better than Gears?'" began Hastings. "Well, for one, Resistance didn't support texture streaming, so we had to make choices about where we spent our high-res textures. Resistance also had 30 single-player chapters, six multiplayer maps, uncompressed audio streaming, and high-definition mpegs. That all added up to a lot of space on the disc.

"Starting with Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction we are supporting texture streaming, which will make the worlds look even better, and will also consume even more space on disc. Gears of War is a beautiful game and shows off the highest resolution textures of anything yet released, partly because of the Unreal Engine's ability to stream textures," he continued. "This means that you can have much higher resolution textures than you could normally fit in your 512 MB of RAM. It also means that you’re going to chew up more disc space for each level.

"With streamed textures, streamed geometry and streamed audio, even with compression, you can quickly approach 1GB of data per level. That inherently limits you to a maximum of about 7 levels, and that’s without multiplayer levels or mpeg cut-scenes. There’s no question that you can always cut more levels, compress the audio more, compress the textures more, down-res the mpeg movies, and eventually get any game to fit on a DVD. But you paid for a high-def experience, right?"