Grey Ninja writes "I just came across a preview for a new gadget that's going to be demoed at E3, which is a GPS and map attachment for your GBA. It should be mentioned that you can pre-order now and get $50 off. " I can't imagine very many useful applications for this, but it sure is nifty.

Thanks to GameSpot for its 'Spot On' column discussing game industry financial analysts' predictions for the E3 Expo being held in Los Angeles next week. Among the predictions from various analysts are plans for Xbox ("I'm virtually certain that Microsoft will announce that Xbox Next is coming in 2005. Not clear whether they want to do so at E3"), Sony's possible announcements ("Probably a price cut to $149, and reemphasizing the point that PS2 is still going strong"), and discussion of Nintendo's DS ("...it now appears the system is generating a more positive response, particularly among game publishers.") But if you're fed up with 'expert' opinions, then try some completely fake predictions from Jason 'Loonyboi' Bergman, including: "Midway will announce a pre-order campaign for NARC, in which the first 1,000 orders will receive 1/8th of an ounce of hashish... Nintendo's press conference will consist entirely of awkward silence, interrupted only by a single person making farting noises with his armpit."

Thanks to 1UP for its article discussing BioWare's brief announcement of two new titles it'll be showcasing at E3 next week. Specifically: "The developer's own new project is Dragon Age, a new PC RPG set in an original fantasy world" - almost no other details are forthcoming for now. The piece also reveals another product to be shown at BioWare's E3 booth: "Polish developer CDProjekt will show The Witcher, a new action-RPG for the PC. It's powered by BioWare's Aurora engine, the 3D technology behind Neverwinter Nights." This title had some early previews, complete with several screenshots, back in 2003, although it's expected to have changed significantly since then.

mindless4210 writes "Majesco Games has announced a new application for the Game Boy Advance, the Wireless Messenger. Using the Wireless Messenger players will be able to send instant text messages through their Game Boy. The product is set to be released later this year and will make its first public appearance at the E3 Convention next week." Majesco has also announced a Wireless Link, which will "use the standard Game Boy Advance link cable and enable users to play any multiplayer GBA title without the restrictions of the cables", and has just launched the Game Boy Advance Video range, with the "initial roll-out... [including] the first two volumes of SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents, as well as Dora the Explorer Vol 1."

An anonymous reader writes "UK video game site C&VG has posted a story rumoring Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld game console will allow both music and games to be downloaded via the newly announced Sony Connect online download store. An industry source quoted in the article says: 'PSP is intended to be able to link up with Sony Connect to offer digital music for download, but the bigger deal is the plan to put PSP games up there for download eventually, too.' C&VG says this rumor, if true, shows 'Sony's alleged drive to ultimately cut-out retail and handle distribution of software itself' - we'll find out for sure next week at E3." Elsewhere, GamePro/Famitsu interviews leading Japanese PSP developers, with Atlus producer Hideyuki Yokoyama saying: "I expect downloads and fees to be the primary business model."

Thanks to Planet GameCube for reprinting data revealing the amount and diversity of games to be shown at next week's E3 Expo in Los Angeles. It's noted: "Approximately 1,000 of the nearly 5,000 computer and video game products to be displayed at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo... have never been seen before... survey results indicate that about 40% of products displayed will be for video game consoles, while about one-third will be for personal computers." Many companies are revealing titles before E3, though, with some highlights including most of Sega's line-up (including "SPIKEOUT: Battle Street... and Virtua Quest"), a list of 23 new EA titles, including new Timesplitters 3 details and a first look at Catwoman, THQ's new info on Destroy All Humans!, Rockstar's announcement of Midnight Club 3:DUB Edition, Activision's showing of X-Men Legends, and UbiSoft's announcement of Prince Of Persia 2.

An anonymous reader writes "There's a Wired News article up discussing the fight for handheld game console supremacy starting at next week's E3 Expo. According to Wired News, 'Nintendo, the biggest seller of video-game consoles 15 years ago, once again faces a tough street fight against Sony, the upstart that stole much of the video-game business with its PlayStation. This time, the fight is over handheld video-game machines, and if Nintendo loses, it could be in serious trouble.' It explains: 'Nintendo is expected to give peeks at its next-generation handheld system -- code-named the DS -- while Sony will release more information about its PSP. Both companies will be vying for the hearts and minds of gamers and -- more importantly -- software developers.' Who's gonna win?" Slashdot Games recently ran a related story that has developers and journalists analyzing the showdown to come.

Thanks to IGN Xbox for its hands on preview of the E3 demo for the Xbox version of Doom 3, Vicarious Visions' conversion of id's long-awaited FPS title. They comment: "The atmosphere is dark, the pacing of the demo somewhat slow, and every aspect more fitting of a survival horror game than a run and gun shooter", but praise the results: "That's not a bad thing at all, in fact, it makes for a more intriguing title... The hard part for fans is going to be looking past expectations of what a DOOM game should be and embracing what DOOM 3 is." Elsewhere, GameSpot has a preview confirming that the PC version will not be shown at E3, since id "is locked in 'completion phase' at the company's Mesquite, Texas, offices", and both previews also reference the previously revealed, not yet playable Xbox-exclusive co-operative mode.

Thanks to GameSpot for its hands-on impressions of ArenaNet/NCSoft's online PC RPG, Guild Wars, a subscription-free title that's previously received positive press. The preview explains that "the game relies on a skill-based system that's reminiscent of the card game Magic: The Gathering. You can collect and earn a wide variety of powerful skills and abilities, but... you'll be allowed to select only eight of them to take into battle", meaning that "a relatively new player will have a chance against seasoned veterans." It's also noted: "One of the most surprising aspects of Guild Wars is that the entire game will download to your computer while you play it", with only a "small executable program, about 90 kilobytes in size" needed - this is shown by the official download page for the E3 For Everyone alpha demo event, explained thus: "From May 12 through 14, while Guild Wars is being demonstrated on the E3 show floor, players from around the world will be able to play the same experience over the Internet."

Thanks to Gigex for its article revealing Sega has announced an OutRun 2 conversion to Xbox, as "handed off to UK-based [developer] Sumo Digital", which will "support network play for 2 to 4 drivers, along with online [Xbox Live] support for an as yet unknown number of players" - Eurogamer has the first screenshots of the conversion. Elsewhere, 1UP has new details on Sega's Shining Force franchise, as the notable RPG series gets extended, including a "completely original Shining Force strategy-RPG for PS2, developed by Amusement Vision", and the freshly previewed spin-off, Shining Tears, a "top-down 2D action-RPG with computer-controller partners to join the fight." Finally, Sega is extensively hyping an unknown E3 announcement which "will surprise the gaming world."

Thanks to EvilAvatar for its article discussing the recent launching of Sony's E3 site, showcasing "a few select [PlayStation 2] titles" that'll be displayed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles next month, including Champions 2: Return To Arms, the Snowblind-developed Champions Of Norrath sequel. However, if you "start fiddling with the numbers at the end of the URL" on the official site, you can see very basic, unlinked-to info on other games that'll be publicly shown by Sony at E3, including the unannounced action title Rise Of The Kisai from Bottle Rocket/Sony, Dark Cloud 3 from Sony, Final Fantasy XII from Square Enix, Destroy All Humans! from Pandemic/THQ, and, interestingly, Cold Fear from Namco, a survival horror (?) title (related to the thought-lost U.S.S. Antarctica?) rumored in development at Alone In The Dark IV developers Darkworks. Update: 04/26 18:30 GMT by S : The entire site, even the previously public titles, are now password-protected and private.

Thanks to the City Of Heroes forums for its reports on the Rikti alien invasion which signaled the end of the PC MMO's Beta phase. Elsewhere, there's also a large gallery of screenshots from this major Beta-ending event involving "a major [alien] strike... against Paragon City", and starring the other-dimensional villains from Cryptic Studios' superhero-based MMO game, which officially launches on April 28th. The event coincided with the wiping of the Beta characters - hence high-level alien-inflicted carnage, with "75-100 [heroes] just lying dead in Atlas Park", as well as the original poster's delight that he "managed to organize a mass suicide jump... before the Beta ended. About 20 of us jumped off the tallest building... [but] we all just sat at 1 HP." Update: 04/23 18:55 GMT by S : A press release from NCSoft regarding their E3 line-up announces plans for first expansion pack, City Of Villains, which "will allow players to take on the role of villain in Paragon's modern metropolis."

Thanks to The Lost Levels for its in-depth report on 'lost' Sega Saturn title, Sonic X-Treme, originally shown in playable form at E3 1996. However, "what gamers didn't know was that the game was being rushed to completion on a compressed development timeline, a fateful decision that would eventually doom the entire project." Using interviews with the original developers of Sonic X-Treme, which was to "take full advantage of the 3D environment in a free-roaming fashion, much more like Mario 64 than NiGHTS", its ultimate fate is discovered, with an overstressed, overworked developer being told by medical staff that "he thought I had 6 months to live", and the entire project eventually cancelled.

Thanks to GameSpot for its news story noting Electronic Arts' announcement of The URBZ, a multi-platform title due later this year which "..will see players creating new Sims-style characters who live in a city where reputation is everything and the goal is to become the biggest 'player' in the city." Apparently, players will need to impress the bosses "at locations such as the Sushi Bar, the Chop Shop, and the Bootleg Fireworks", and the game engine in the console versions "will also allow for a great deal of character customization, with support for tattoos, nose rings, and the like" - more information and screenshots will be available at the E3 Expo next month.

Thanks to HomeLAN Fed for its article discussing the state of the annual 'Best Of E3' game awards, in which the writer suggests that the "E3 awards are a bit of a sham and... a lot of games that get these awards are either not released in the coming year or if they are they are not as good as their E3 presentations make them out to be." He points out that "...out of the 16 categories that the Game Critics E3 awards had last year, 10 of them went to games that have not yet come out and won't be out until after E3 2004." Elsewhere, GameSpot focuses its 'GameSpotting' editorials on the forthcoming E3 trade show itself, suggesting that the show "is becoming a bigger and bigger source of stress and anxiety to the gaming industry as time goes by", even taking into account the excitement of "the biggest video game convention on God's green earth."

Divine Shadow writes "IGN Cube is reporting that Silicon Knights (developer of Eternal Darkness and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes) is no longer an exclusive second-party developer for Nintendo. This is really surprising given that interviews with Nintendo and Denis Dyack (SK's leader) always seemed to suggest a bond and shared philosophy between the companies. Have to admit too, that this makes me less excited about Ninty's E3 lineup." Elsewhere in the article, Denis Dyack claims: "It's possible that we may do another game with Nintendo, actually. It just means that we've decided to break our exclusivity with Nintendo."

jaaron writes "The Register/GamesIndustry.biz reports on what Sony may have in store in terms of gaming hardware for E3, and according to remarks from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves: 'PSP games will probably be region-free, that PS3 will be intrinsically linked with PSX and may appear in home server and standalone gaming versions, and... Sony may announce a stripped down, PSone-style PlayStation 2 product.'" The interview also mentions: "Looking further ahead, Reeves spoke about Sony's 'ultimate goal' for PlayStation 3 - 'to get into electronic broadband distribution'."

Thanks to GameSpot for its interview with Space Channel 5 and Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, held on the final day of last week's GDC show. As for his future projects, he seems in no hurry to reveal anything, mentioning: "Well, it's been about six months since I left Sega... I think we'll be able to make an announcement [about new projects] at E3 or maybe next year." But he does indicate: "I think my next game will be for the PSP or Nintendo DS", and when asked if it would be a sequel to Rez, suggests: "In my mind, yes. But I won't use the Rez name because that belongs to Sega."

tripmaster writes "I'm lucky enough to have been asked to assemble and moderate a panel at the Smithsonian on May 16th; so I asked myself, who can I ask, given the cachet of an invite to speak at the Smithsonian (prior speakers: Berners-Lee, Cerf, Gates, Streep, Albright, etc.)? We ended up choosing Shigeru Miyamoto for console gaming, Richard Garfield for pen and paper games, Doug Church for PC games. /.-ers in the DC area (or on the East coast) should come see the panel, which will be a meaty 2-3 hours. I'm looking forward to asking questions and getting out of the way -- I think their cross-talk could be especially interesting. It's the weekend after the E3 Expo, which is probably the only time Miyamoto's in the States and available -- hopefully he'll also bring his E3 demos to show." Although a little pricey at $40, this is certainly a rare chance to see game design legends, particularly Miyamoto, in a roundtable.

bpitzer writes "It's official - Microsoft is cutting the price on the Xbox to $149, effective tomorrow, according to CNET News. Now, will Sony follow suit on the PS2? And how long until the next price drop? Maybe at this year's E3, making three in a row?" We previously reported on rumors to this effect, and other readers point to the official Microsoft press release, sporting a quote from noted tech analyst P.Diddy: "[I] believe that the system's cultural influence as a social entertainment brand has only just begun."