I’m not a huge FPS guy. I’ve never really gotten into Halo, and although I loved Call of Duty 2, I’ve never played it on multiplayer. It’s just not my bag. But the series that I do love is Gears of War. The first time I played the single player campaign I stayed up all night trying to advance level after level until a few days later when I woke up from a Red Bull haze to see the final screen. When GOW2 came out, I was ecstatic, and I played that until the end game. It’s a fun series that has a decent storyline and good characters. It never hurts if it scares the bejeezus out of you too.

I was surprised when GOW3 didn’t show up this Christmas, but now I hear there’s hope on the horizon. From Edge Magazine comes word that GOW3 is coming out in 2011, and the teaser will be released on April 3rd.

Microsoft will launch Gears Of War 3 in early April 2011, a trusted US publishing source has told Edge.

The first teaser trailer for the third person shooter is expected to debut next month on April 8, exactly one year ahead of the game’s pencilled in release date. A full reveal is due at E3 in June.

And there’s more.

We understand that the game could be completed as early as this year, but that Microsoft is keen to release it during a different window to Halo: Reach – rumoured to be launching in September 2010 – and Natal, which is set to arrive this holiday.

“Microsoft’s keen to avoid a clash with Halo: Reach and wants Natal to own Christmas. That’s why we won’t be seeing Gears Of War 3 until next year, but expect a major marketing push ahead of its release,” said our source.

Looks like 2011 is going to be a good year for games. Now I just want that new Batman: Arkham Asylum to be released and I’ll be good to go.

My wife and I are pretty avid video game fans. We own every Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft console produced in the past 20 years, with a few handhelds and a Genesis in there for good measure. Up until recently though, we didn’t own a PS3, and there was a pretty big reason for that.

The first reason was the price. I wasn’t down with paying half a grand for a console, no matter how awesome or cutting edge the technology was. I resisted purchasing almost out of principle, because it just wasn’t worth the extra cash. The second reason was the games. I love platformers, and the Ratchet & Clank series seemed like a pretty cool group of games for the PS3 – but not enough to justify the price tag. There really wasn’t any other PS3 game that made me really want the system. Little Big Planet was close, and I considered Batman: Arkham Asylum for the Joker download, but there was still nothing that made me pull the trigger. Besides, I could get almost any PS3 game for my 360, so why spend the money? When the price dropped to $299 though, I was all over it. I was just about to pull the trigger when I received a PS3 Slim as a gift, as well as a copy of Little Big Planet and Ratchet and Clank. Times were good.

So after the Blu-Ray haze had worn off and the games were played, I put the PS3 controller down for a little bit to focus on some family stuff. This weekend I decided to treat myself to a game, but now I had a choice: PS3 or XBox 360?

I was looking at 2 games: MLB2K10 (pictured) and MLB10 The Show. I had played demos of both in the store, and MLB2K10 was looking like the stronger game. As I stood there, holding a PS3 and 360 version of the game in each hand, my wife said to me, “Well, if the PS3 has the better graphics, go with the PS3 version.” So I did.

I get home and I’m playing the game. Almost instantly I’m having controller issues, where the PS3 isn’t responding to my frantic button jabs. Then the cursor starts freaking out when I’m trying to place a pitch, then I have problems stealing second. 30 minutes later I’m cursing my decision. Four hours later I give it another shot, and I find that everything is working great and now it’s all good. No problems at all, like it never happened. So what was it? Hell if I know.

This experience shook my faith in the console. I’ve got an old NES that fires up every time I need it, and never complains. Although I understand that newer consoles are substantially more complex that the NES, that doesn’t mean that they should suffer from problems. Consoles should be reliable electronics, not requiring random updates and constant syncing. That goes for my 360 too, because even though it’s working fine now, I have had two units red ring out on me.

So now, when I go to the store and try to decide what to buy, I think my decision may be a bit easier. If it’s exclusive, I’ll go with that console. Otherwise, I’m getting it for the 360.

Anyhow, the ubiquitous white Wii now has a black brother. For the longest time, the clean sparkling white of the Wii was synonymous to group fun. Its sales have reached unprecedented heights as well. Why has Nintendo decided to suddenly change gears?

If sales figures are to be believed, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3 are fast catching up on the Wii. While many fanboys have been predicting this for the longest time (indeed, the PS3 has been called a turtle by a lot of people), Nintendo is not about to take things sitting down. Hence, they have come up with a darker – and hopefully more attractive – version of the Wii console.

For now, only the Japanese market will be able to purchase the black Wii. It is due to be released on the 1st of August. The price tag? They say it’s going to be 250,000 yen or $258. Naturally, the console will not be the sole item in the package. It will come with a black Wii-mote, a black Nunchuk, and a black classic controller pro. A bundled version will also be released, with the game Monster Hunter Tri by Capcom. This bundle will go for $341.

Again, it might be for naught to get excited over this piece of news if you are not in Japan. Then again, that has never stopped us from getting what we wanted in the past, has it?

Microsoft has insisted that the DLCs will only be available for its console but timed exclusivity was never mentioned or even discussed. And this gray area may have been the reason for the recent reports that the GTAIV DLCs will come to the PS3 this coming August. According to various European sites, Microsoft only has a six month exclusivity deal for the DLC, and this will expire in August — which means PS3 gamers will get their hands on the DLC soon after the exclusivity agreement lapses.

Although Sony and Take-Two Interactive (publisher of the game) declined to comment Microsoft, uncharacteristically enough for the company, issued a statement that the GTAIV DLCs “are exclusive to Xbox 360.” It may sound like a firm statement but there are still people who interpret this statement as Microsoft skirting the actual issue of exclusivity, which in fairness, the company did not address conclusively.

I guess we’ll see in August if there really is an exclusivity agreement that will lapse.

But with more and more owners now complaining of getting an E74 error, Microsoft has now again been forced to cover the said error for a free, three year warranty. The E74 error, strangely enough, is also RROD related.

Microsoft released a very optimistic statement that while a “majority” of Xbox 360 owners continue to have fun with their console a “very small percentage” of their customers have reported an error that “displays E74 on their screen. Again, an optimistic assessment because if it were just a very small percentage then why even decide to make a new free, three year warranty for the E74 error? A cursory visit at any Xbox 360 website will give anyone a fair idea of how equally prevalent this error is. I even personally know someone who got two successive E74 errors on two consoles he bought.

Hopefully, this is the last of the truly catastrophic errors that Xbox 360s will present its owners and that the new Jasper 360s have finally, finally fixed all of these hardware failures.

Halo Wars

Capturing the Halo world shouldn’t have been too difficult a task given that there are three games already to market, however, it’s still a compliment to the developers that the game comes across as an authentic Halo experience despite you having control far above the battlefield.

Gameplay
Naturally, resource management comes into play, and you’ll have various elements to interact with in order to develop, boost and ultimately control a map-winning force. Units that you’d expect to see are taken directly from the franchise such as Warthogs, Banshees, Spartans and Elites. This is sure to please any fan.

Controls
Of all games, you could argue that the consoles are least suited to providing a simplistic interface for the RTS genre. However, Halo Wars does very well in making things simple to control and intuitive, without having to boil the game down for the lowest common denominator – the casual gamer.

Overall
Halo Wars delivers a good, if not great RTS game that offers something different for the franchise. Some may be disappointed at the lack of intricacy but on the whole the gameplay comes fun and fast. Upgradable weapons and decent cut scenes are the icing on the cake and fans and newbies alike will get enjoyment from this title.

8/10
Available: Now
Price: $60

Limited Edition Red Xbox360.

Fans will enjoy the same premium Xbox 360 Elite experience at an even greater value with a copy of Resident Evil 5, matching Limited Edition red Wireless Controller, black Xbox 360 Headset, a 120 GB Hard Drive and exclusive premium Resident Evil 5 theme (download via Xbox LIVE). Supplies are very limited, so Resident Evil fans will want to pre-order theirs today.

With the release of Resident Evil 5 and the special edition red console, the game has found a new home on Xbox 360. The new two-player cooperative experience in Resident Evil 5 is a perfect fit for Xbox LIVE. With 17 million members and growing, Xbox LIVE connects Resident Evil fans and their new red Xbox 360 consoles to their friends on the couch or across the globe. To further provide a taste of the full entertainment experience available on Xbox LIVE, fans will also receive a bonus card to download the hit Xbox LIVE Arcade title from Capcom, Super Street Fighter ll Turbo HD Remix.

As an addition to this information, I’d like to say that I managed to complete the demo levels for Resident Evil 5 about six times. Is it going to be good then? Oh yes, I would imagine that it’ll be a very good game indeed. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a limited edition red console then that’ll make the game just that little bit sweeter.

Street Fighter IV

Gameplay
The characters this time around are represented in 3D and fight on 3D backgrounds. However, they are locked in to a 2D plane, meaning you don’t have the option to sidestep into 3D. Essentially it was a way in which to keep the gameplay the same but move the graphics into the 21st century.

The characters of course make the game, so you will be pleased to hear that Ken, Ryu, Chun Li, and Zangief etc all make an appearance. Alongside the cast of Street Fighter 2 Turbo you’ll be able to select some new fighters, including Crimson Viper (fights with power gloves), a lucha libre wrestler known as El Fuerte, Rufus – a large kung fu master, MMA exponent Abel others.

Most of the characters seem quite well balanced, with a range of standard, special, super special and EX attacks (these last ones are more powerful versions of special attacks, for example Ryu’s hadoken is unleashed as a fire variant). There’s also an ultra combo system that builds on an aggro style meter, charging up to the max when you’ve taken a lot of damage. In one fell swoop, you can turn the match around.

On the whole, fighters seem to be quite well balanced (barring the comedy variants such as Dan). Seth though remains a big disappointment. This new boss character looks quite derivative and is similar to the boss from SF3. Worst of all though is his fighting style. He goes from reasonable to beat to massively overpowered in the second round.

Controls are slick, which is as you’d expect for a game that hasn’t been tampered with too much and doesn’t move from the tried and tested formula. So, you have sick buttons (light, hard and medium kicks and punches) with which to attack your opponent. Alongside this you have a counter system initiated by using both medium attacks together, which implements another layer of strategy to the game.

Playing through Xbox Live means that at any point you could face ‘A New Challenger’ – what could be more fun than that? A global ranking system means you get to see how good you really are, as well as facing players from all over the world.

Graphics
Street Fighter IV is a real visual treat. Characters have been reimagined in a chunkier, visually arresting style and it’s something that I personally think you’ll love or hate. Characters look almost like action figures that have sprung to life. Animations are completely superb and when you do nail a combo that is of the ‘Ultra’ variety the game moves into 3D to show the full damage you inflict upon your opponent. It really is quite a sight to behold.

Sound
Not too much to say about this one here – it’s not like you need the atmosphere of Dead Space created for SFIV! The voice over work isn’t particularly great, but the sound effects in general are nice and meaty. The wailing guitar might make you think that you’re back in the early nineties but hey, this is Street Fighter II but with a modern twist!

Overall
My first impression was that I could just pick up and play it. Don’t get me wrong, you can do that. You might find however that you’re just not as good at it as you remember – which is probably down to years of other games such as Soul Calibur and Tekken. Nonetheless, Street Fighter IV is a fantastic game and one that deserves a place on the shelf of any gamer.

Granted, the gameplay does hark back to another era when things were more simple. However, subtle tweaks, added characters and great little elements such as the anime intros are divine. If you’re a fan of fighting games then they generally don’t come much better, or fair than this.

Without the simple combos of the Tekken series or the huge complexity of the Virtua Fighter games, Street Fighter IV remains at heart a game that provides a character for all and gameplay mechanics to put a grin firmly on your face. Capcom, you’ve done a great job.

9/10
Available: Now
Price: $50

Fear Alma – again. F.E.A.R., the seminal classic shooter, revitalised a tired FPS genre with a great mix of horror, gunplay and Matrix style slow-motion action sequences that proved a huge amount of fun. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin returns to the same formula, and doesn’t really differ too much. However, more of the same means more fun.

Story

The sequel to the original game kicks off just before the original game ends, i.e. prior to the massive explosion triggered by the release of Alma (a girl raised to be a biological weapon used to produce ‘replica’ soldiers) and her crazy powers. The player takes the role of Sgt. Michael Becket, a member of a special task force sent in to rescue Genevieve Aristide – President of the corporation responsible for the replica soldiers and Alma herself. Luckily, quite early in, Becket receives the same power as the ‘Pointman’ from the original game, meaning that he too can slow down time (or rather his super reactions kick in) to take out enemy forces.

Graphics

There’s no doubt that F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin looks great. The environments, whilst at times looking quite similar, are very well rendered with a great level of detail. Textures are good and enemies are particularly well animated (check out how they try to vault walls and react when you shoot them). Perhaps the real visual treats come in the form of Alma and the other ghost encounters. Frequently disorienting, you’ll be amazed at the variety of effects used.

Sound

A true highlight of the game, there’s nothing quite like the ghostly sounds of Alma, the announcements by soldiers giving you a heads up on the plan or hearing the dreaded “I see a flashlight!”. All of the incidental stuff really does add to the game and it serves to really show what a quality package the whole game is.

Mood

I’m still undecided on how I feel about the mood of the game. There are some particularly tense moments provided by the horror atmosphere. However, it can be quite jarring to go from this to an action-packed encounter when you’re piloting a mech. It isn’t Dead Space, but at times it seems like it wants to be. When it does get it right, it’s fantastic, but at other times it does appear to be a little schizophrenic.

Gameplay

Ah, the most important element to any game – and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin does not disappoint. The gunplay is very, very satisfying indeed. Only perhaps Black served up much destruction when using automatic weapons. Moving to the guns, there’s a lot to play with in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, from lasers to shotguns and everything in between.

The other aspect to the game that is more supportive of the horror storyline are the continuing encounters with Alma. They’ll frequently pop up in the game and you’ll have to either interact with a sequence or face a button mash to stop yourself from being ‘merged’. These quick time action sequences are nothing new but sit quite well with the game as a whole.

My favourite addition to the gameplay definitely comes in the action areas where you get to pilot a powered armour suit. The amount of destruction you can wreak is simply superb. There are a lot of destructible environments in the game and you’ll love the unlimited chaingun ammo and rechargeable missiles.

The single player part of the game is quite well plotted with a varied range of enemies to tackle (including Alma herself). The multiplayer modes are somewhat limited but nonetheless reasonably fun. I’m convinced it’ll find some fans out there.

Overall

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is an impressive achievement by Monolith – though given their previous pedigree of games I didn’t expect anything less. The story will keep you interested, the horror sections will make the hairs on the back of your neck stands up and the action sequences will make your blood pump. What more could you ask for from a game? It provides a heady, intoxicating mix with a lot of brilliant set pieces.

Those who are looking for lots of free-form, open gameplay should look elsewhere, but those seeking a superb action title with a nice line in horror and some truly awesome set pieces should go out and buy immediately. A worthy sequel to the original game? Hell yes. Monolith… You’ve done it. I F.E.A.R. Alma – again.

Available on: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
$50
8/10

Despite the financial crisis, Microsoft was still able to sell 836,000 units for the month, amounting to an 8.6 percent increase from last year’s sales.

What’s pushing the 360 to enjoy brisk sales are its strong marketing and advertising as well as good incentives. For example, the Xbox 360 Arcade comes with a copy of Sega Superstar Tennis, while the Pro and Elite units ship with Kung Fu Panda and Lego Indiana Jones, respectively.

Also a big factor for increased sales is Microsoft’s decision to go below the $200 price barrier. At the rate things are going, the Xbox 360 could gain an insurmountable lead against the Playstation 3.

Even though Microsoft has already admitted to the defect on the Xbox 360 by extending the console’s warranty to three years, disk-scratching has remained a problematic thorn on the side of Xbox 360 gamers, so much so that a gamer actually filed a class action suit against Microsoft last year.

Now, new details on the case revealed that the company actually knew about the console’s ability to scratch disks even before it was officially launched in 2005. The culprit seems to be reorienting the unit while a game disk is spinning.

The more disturbing part is that three solutions were given to address the problem but all three were also rejected by the company. The first solution, to increase the magnetic force on the disk was rejected because it would intervene with the operation of the tray. Decreasing the drive rotation would increase load times, and putting bumpers on the tray would mean an additional expense that would total up to $75 million.

Microsoft’s solution was to indicate this damage potential on the manual even though it acknowledged that it would not do much because very few people read manuals.

Microsoft has said in a statement that only one-half of 1 percent complained about disk scratching. But like its initial statement about the RROD, I think the company is downplaying this again. If it’s really as small a number as they have indicated then why do establishments like EB Games sell scratch warranty on Xbox 360 games?

What about you Forever Geek Xbox 360 owners out there? Have you experienced disk scratching on your consoles?

But what I heard from the customer service head was quite discouraging. He said that the 3RL continues to be the top call driver for the Xbox customer service department. Before you guys think that maybe this guy could just be referring to the first-gen 360s, I specifically asked if this also involved the Falcon-equipped 360s. He was affirmative about it and even added that it’s the main reason why he still doesn’t own an Xbox 360.

Makes you wonder why people still buy the Xbox 360 when you still get these monumental failures on the hardware.

According to Gamestop, the XBox 360 Hard Drive 60GB Live Pack will pre-order ships starting Nov 4, 2008. Now we know why they do not allow external hard drives, LOL. Pricing is a little steep, but for the XBox hard fans out there, save up… you know you want one of these soon. Not sure if the timing of the release has something to do with the elections, probably not. The 60GB HDD Live pack includes a 60GB hard drive, a 3 month subscription to Xbox Live, a wired headset and ethernet cable all for $99. If it was my deal, I would’ve dropped the wired headset and ethernet cable (because most would probably have it anyway) and slash the price to about $85. But anyway.

More information from GameStop:

The easiest entry into Xbox LIVE for Arcade

- Incredible value; includes a 60 GB Hard Drive, Headset, Ethernet cable, and a 3-month LIVE Gold subscription.
- 60 GB Hard Drive allows users the ability to download HD video content, XBLA games, and Xbox Originals.
- Rip your music to the Hard Drive and create custom playlists to use in-game and out.
- Enjoy online multiplayer gaming and other exclusives with the included 3-month LIVE Gold Subscription Card.
- Strategize with teammates or just chat with friends while playing your favorite games with the included Xbox 360 Headset.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles

7.5

The best way to see Los Angeles is at 200mph! Race at breakneck speeds through the streets of modern-day L.A. recreated in stunning detail. Drive the hottest range of real-world tuners, muscle cars, exotics and superbikes on the streets today. Customise your ride with the best after-market performance parts and custom kits. Illegal street racing with no track, no load times, no rules: welcome back to the Midnight Club!

Midnight Club is a racing series that’s been around for a while now, but this time the setting is rather different. The fourth instalment is set in a single, fully realised city in the same vain as Test Drive: Unlimited. As the title suggests, this setting is Los Angeles.

As this is a Rockstar game, the music plays a big part in the game – just as it does in Grand Theft Auto. Midnight Club: Los Angeles features The Chemical Brothers and MGMT amongst others such as Evil Nine – quite a diverse range of tracks are on offer to keep you happy whilst pulling handbrake turns around the city streets.

One thing you’ll notice when you first load the game is the visuals – there is a really good amount of detail and the car models themselves are top notch. It’s practically a real Aston Martin Vantage or Lamborghini Gallardo that you’re watching on screen – albeit the handling isn’t quite right – but we’ll come to that later.

Equally, the city itself as a setting looks really great. You’ll find the day/night cycle makes things a little different when you drive them and whether you’re cruising along Santa Monica or even up to the Hollywood Hills (notorious in real life for having street race/cruise sessions take place) you’ll enjoy how the game looks.

The game mechanic of setting up the races is actually the same as Test Drive: Unlimited. Flash your lights to initiate the challenge then race to the starting line before lining up and blasting away. Of course, apart from the ad-hoc challenges there are the usual suspects such as time trials, freeway races, A-B runs etc. Perhaps more interesting are the more mission based objectives, such as damaging another car or getting a vehicle to a specified location with no damage.

The reward system in the game is reasonably good – comprising both of money and respect. Naturally, you need both in order to make significant progress in the game and collect all of the 44 different vehicles that are on offer (bikes are included by the way, as is the current trend in racing games).

So far, so good I’m sure you’re thinking. However, there is a rather large flaw with Midnight Club: Los Angeles. It’s fairly noticeable even early on in the game. It also leads to a lot of frustration. It is quite simply the occasionally insurmountable difficulty level you’ll come across. Considering this is a game with a lot of free roaming (you don’t have to wait for loading times as you cruise) you’ll find this a rather annoying part of the game.

Unfortunately, this difficulty is an intrinsic part of the game, as it comes in the form of the enemy AI. Your opponents will act like a certain Lewis Hamilton at his best – seemingly showing no fear at all and getting the big payoff at the end. You, meanwhile, should you try this, will end up grinding into a wall or parked car and shouting very loudly at the game.

Ultimately, Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a good game but the fact that it is no longer an original concept means that I’d recommend Test Drive: Unlimited over this as there are so many similar elements to both games (it also shares the ridiculous difficulty of Platinum events in PGR3). However, the 16 player online aspect is really very good indeed – so perhaps it would make sense more for the multiplayer gamer. A good, but flawed game.

But it looks like this is just another unfounded rumor, especially in light of the fact that online distribution is the direction that the Xbox 360 wants to take. Until I see an actual BD add-on on display I’ll most likely believe these future add-ons as just hokum.

I consider myself a hardcore Rock Band/Guitar Hero player. It’s gotten so bad that it’s the only game I play all week. I haven’t even removed the shrink wrap from my copy of GTAIV.

But apparently, there are players out there that are more hardcore than I am. These are the players who actually build minature stages to really simulate the feel of performing for an audience. For these guys a riser or an elevated stage is not enough, lighting effects are an important part of the whole illusion.

PDP’s Rock Band Stage Kit is a great peripheral for these uber-serious gamers. It’s a great device that combines a compact LED lighting system, strobe effects and fog effects in one machine. The Stage Kit attaches to the Xbox 360 through a USB port and this enables it to interact with in-game performances. The folks at PDP actually collaborated with Harmonix to program actual in-game cues to both Rock Band and Rock Band 2. This means more accurate rendition of effects to the music and your performance, a big improvement or poor sound sensors that other solutions provide.

Space constraints in my house prevents me from getting this but I salute the Rock Band player who has the deep pockets and the space to really take advantage of thise gizmo.

Microsoft is rumored to be issuing price drops for its Xbox 360 units this coming September. According to rumors, the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade will be dropped to $199. There will then be $50 price cuts on both the 60GB Pro and the 120GB Elite units, putting them at $299 and $399, respectively.

This move could be Microsoft’s way of stemming the resurgence of the Playstation 3, which is still third in the console race but fast catching up to its competitors.

If there is a category for biggest shocker during E3, it would probably be the surprise announcement of Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360. Yes, you read it right–and I’ll type it again, Final Fantasy XIII is going to be released for the Xbox 360.

This is a major coup for Microsoft and a big blow for Sony, which has been boasting this franchise as an exclusive and one of the biggest reasons for people to buy the PS3. Shattering the exclusivity hold of Sony over the most beloved game franchise in the world will have a tremendous impact on its sales and will surely boost Xbox 360’s viability. I have been pretty transparent about my disdain for Microsoft’s console because of its high failure rate (I don’t shit money so getting an expensive equipment that has a 60 percent chance of conking out on me makes me see red) but I have to applaud the company for pulling this off.

Square Enix’s decision to make FFXIII a multi-platform game is also a big sign that for companies to survive in the highly competitive gaming industry, a multi-platform strategy is really the way to go. It ensures a bigger customer base at the least cost possible. This also means that price and first party titles will become bigger factors in determining who comes out on top. At this point, the Nintendo Wii wins in both categories and its apparent in its leading position in the market.

Let’s see where this trend goes.

No less than the Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft is set to lower the price of the 20GB Pro variant to $299 by July 13. This price drop is seen as a reaction to figures that show the Microsoft console lagging behind in sales compared to the two other consoles in the market. Whereas the 360 outsold the Playstation 3 in 2007, it has lost ground to Sony’s console this year.

The WSJ has not given any other reports about the other variants in the Xbox 360 line but it could be possible that the price drops will be across the board.

The alleged controller may be unveiled as early as the last quarter of this year, that is, if the development team actually meets its projected deadlines. According to the rumors, the team has been finding it difficult to meet deadlines for the project.

One of the companies identified with the project is Rare, who is reportedly developing the interface and the look of the controller.

This rumor shows that Microsoft is bent on putting in the motion-sensing features in its console since its two major competitors already have it built-in upon game launch. MS could be thinking that if they don’t come out with such a device gamers would eventually migrate to either Nintendo or Sony especially if the technology matures.

You have to register as a member at the Xbox.com site, and the contest is only open to U.S. residents that are 17 or older.

Deadline is May 23.