Earlier this week, news circulated that retail copies of the highly anticipated Activision title Call of Duty: Black Ops had been stolen from a printing press in Alabama. Reports were confirmed Wednesday as a video showing off a stolen disk along with a few moments of game play was posted to YouTube. If there were still any questions as to the authenticity of the disk, Activision answered those questions when it ordered the removal of the aforementioned video along with several images depicting the unreleased game. Call of Duty: Black Ops will be the latest addition to Activision’s wildly successful Call of Duty franchise. It is expected to break numerous sales records when it launches ahead of the holidays next month on November 9 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PCs. Hit the jump to watch the official game trailer.

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Reuters is reporting that electronics company Sony is on pace to hit the PlayStation 3 sales target it set for itself (from March 2010 to March 2011) of 15 million units. The company reported that sales from April 2010 to September 2010 were above forecast and that the company is expecting strong holiday sales. Sony is hoping that its Move motion controller will be competitive with Microsoft’s Kinect motion system offered on the Xbox 360. Kazuo Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, also noted that 80% of the 38 million PlayStation 3s in the market are connected to the PlayStation network; a number the company wants to bring to 100%.

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Today, at Gamescom, Sony announced several new PlayStation 3 models with updated storage capacities. The newly announced 160 GB PS3 Slim will retail for $299 — currently the price of the 120 GB model — and should be on sale in the coming days or weeks (it was seen earlier today on Amazon before the announcement). A second model, which can be purchased in the Move Bundle, comes with a 320 GB PlayStation 3 console, Sony’s Move controller, PlayStation Eye camera, and the game title Sports Champions. The Move Bundle should begin to show up on store shelves in mid-September and will retail for $399. The remainder of the show was dedicated to software trailers, announcements, and demos, including: Resistance 3, inFAMOUS 2, Medal of Honor, MAG, Killzone 3, Gran Turismo 5, Virtua Tennis 4, and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One. Anyone going to pick up one of the larger consoles?

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June was a topsy turvy month for gaming sales according to NPD, as overall sales were down 6% year-over-year but up significantly from May. Leading the way for June was the Xbox 360 which sold 451,700 units, which more than doubled its May sales of a measly 194,000 units. Hot on the heels of the Xbox was the Nintendo Wii which sold 422,500 units and the PlayStation 3 which sold 304,800 units. June was also a good month for hardware and accessory sales, as hardware sales were up 5% year-over-year and and accessory sales were up 6% year-over-year. Though console and accessory sales were brisk, software sales declined 15% from last year, with Red Dead Redemption as the one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing month. In its second month of sales, the popular title from Rockstar continues to be very well received with the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions taking two of the top three slots for the best selling software titles in June.

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Mick Hocking, Sony Computer Entertainment’s (SCE) senior director, had quite a bit of good news for those Play Station 3 owning 3D enthusiasts. At a London event dedicated the 3D speak, Mick was quoted as saying quite a bit:

Now, in June this year we did the 3D Firmware update. Every PlayStation 3 that’s connected online now has a new version of this Firmware. 

At the last count we’ve got 35.8 million PlayStation 3s out there – that means there’s an instant market of around 36 million 3D-ready PlayStation 3 consoles. The upgrade basically makes every PlayStation 3 HDMI 1.4 compatible – that’s the standard that governs 3D displays. 

What this means is that there is no setup at all required. If you have a PlayStation 3 and you buy a 3DTV, you simply connect via your HDMI cable and your PlayStation 3 will automatically recognise that you’ve got a 3D display attached.

In September this year, we’re launching another Firmware upgrade – and this one is going to upgrade the PS3 to support Blu-ray movies in 3D. Again, you won’t have to do anything – just connect your PS3. For the film market that’s a very significant event.

Then later in the year – we’re not going to date it yet – the PS3 is going to support 3D photos. Of course the popularity of 3D isn’t just going to come from movies and games. There’s 3D cameras on the market, there’s 3D camcorders coming on the market in the next 12 months as well, and 3D broadcasts.

So you’ll see 3D games in the next 12 months, you’ll see Blu-ray movies in 3D, and as soon as the broadcasts start through our PlayTV services, you’re going to watch 3D content [through that service].

YouTube will be supporting 3D content over the next 12 months as well – and you’ll be able to watch that on the PlayStation 3. And as you start taking 3D pictures of your family or 3D camcorder movies, you can play those back on PS3, too.

It’s a great purchase proposition and future proof.

All great news for Play Station 3 owners. Of course, not too many people have a 3DTV yet… but it is nice to know that if you were to shell out the cash for one, your PS3 would be ready to rumble.

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Sony is adding a bit of flair to its PS3 Slim by offering the gaming console in white and upping the console’s on-board storage. Launching in Japan on July 29th, the PS3 Slim will be available in both 160Gb and 320GB capacities — up from the previous 120GB and 250GB sizes. The console will also be offered in the traditional black and the new Classic White with matching white controller. Pricing is set in the Japanese Yen with the 160GB retailing for ¥29,980 (USD$340) and the 320GB version for ¥34,980 (USD$400). Thus far, the launch is limited to Japan; but, hopefully, we will see these models come stateside in time for the holiday shopping season.

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Announced earlier today after months of speculation, Hulu Plus has finally become official. For $9.99 per month, subscribers will be able to watch their favorite shows — including those from seasons past — on a multitude of internet-connected devices. Mobile devices are a go, with iOS devices including the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, and iPod touch (3rd generation) being the main attraction at this point in time. The best part as far as mobile is concerned is that streaming will work on both Wi-Fi and 3G networks. Several internet-connected HDTVs and Blu-ray players from Samsung already have support for the streaming service, and later on in the year, both Sony and Vizio will introduce support in some of their sets ad Blu-ray players. The PlayStation 3 will support the service “soon”, while the Xbox 360 will play nice come 2011. Hulu Plus will officially launch is July, but if you’re lucky you might just be able snag a preview invite.

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Amidst a rumor that Hulu may be rolling out is premium video service next week for testing, another rumor is surfacing that suggests the online video streaming company may be close to inking a deal with Sony. The deal could be announced as early as next week and would bring Hulu’s $9.99 monthly subscription service, dubbed Hulu Plus, to the PlayStation Network as a value-added service for PS3 owners. Late last month, a similar rumor was circulating that suggested Hulu was negotiating with Microsoft to bring Hulu to the XBOX 360. With its Hulu Plus service ready to roll out and console distribution in the works, Hulu is apparently trying to grab a bigger slice of the online entertainment market while the market is still ripe for the picking. The timing of this market grab is apropos as Hulu’s licensing agreements with its content providers is set to expire at the end of 2011. A revenue-generating distribution method on two of three major console platforms would be a valuable negotiating tool, no?

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Remember that rumor of a premium subscription coming to the PlayStation Network? Well it’s a rumor no more. PlayStation Plus has just been announced at E3. A subscription to Plus will set you back $49.99 per year or $17.99 every three months. Benefits of joining Plus include beta invites, early access to demos, downloadable content and other exclusive perks. Free access to the PlayStation Network will not be shut off.

The wait for the PlayStation Move is finally over. Well, almost. Today at E3, Sony announced that the PlayStation move will be launching in North America on September 19th. This launch will be preceded by Europe on the 19th and followed by Japan on the 21st of October. The Move itself will retail for $49.99 with the navigation controller going for an extra $29.99. A PlayStation Move Sports Champions bundle will be available for $99.99 and includes a Move, Eve and a copy of Sports Champion. For those that don’t have a PlayStation, a bundle which includes the PS3, Move, Eye and navigation controller, and Sports Champions for $399.99. 15 to 20 titles will be available at launch and will retail for $39.99 each. By Christmas, Sony is expecting to have 40 titles in its catalog.

According to Ray Maguire, head of Sony’s UK PlayStation division, the future will see the majority of first-person games for the PlayStation available in 3D; Macguire made the comment during a recent interview with ComputerandVideoGames.com. As for when all of PlayStation’s top-billed titles will be in 3D — something which Sony expects all major gaming studios to do with their most popular franchises — Maguire believes this will happen around 2014, by which time Sony expects as many as 40% of households will have a 3D TV. Today marked the first day of sales for Sony’s first 3D PS3 titles which include WipEout HD, SuperStarust HD, PAIN and a single level demo of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift.

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According to Joystiq’s sources, this year’s E3 will see Sony introduce a premium subscription service to the PlayStation Network. Dubbed PSN+, the service is said to differ from Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold in that PSN+ will offer subscribers new features instead of stripping them away from non-paying users. Some of the features Joystiq has been told will be included in PSN+ include exclusive downloadable content, cross-game voice chat, a back catalogue of Classic PSX and PSP Minis titles, discounts in the PlayStation Store, and one hour demos of retail titles. One other major perk is said to be the automatic enrolment in the PlayStation Protection Plan. Rumored to becoming shortly after launch of PSN+ is the ability to save games to the cloud. Specifics about when the service will roll out and how much it cost aren’t all that clear, but it’s believed the cost will be around $9.99 per month.

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This February, Microsoft Xbox 360 sales bested those of the Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii for the first time since September of 2007. The February sales figures were: Xbox 360 422,000 units — up 8% year-over-year, Wii 397,900 units — down 47% year-over-year, and Playstation 3 360,100 units — up 30% year-over-year. Take-Two Interative’s BioShock 2, which hit store shelves on February 10th, can be partially credited for the surge in Xbox sales. BS 2 sold over 750,000 copies, 75% of which (562,000) were for the Xbox 360. Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wii, sold 555,600 units raking second on the game sales chart and Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 came in a respectable third.

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Sony may try to hide behind its shell company, Sand Dollar Enterprise, but those game savvy FCC equipment authorization miners know better. Spotted at the FCC and receiving approval for its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth frequencies are two new models of the Sony PS3 Slim, identified only by the designation CECH-2101A and CECH-2102B. The two models can be differentiated by their HDD type and, from what we can glean from the FCC documentation, are otherwise the same as the current PS3 Slim that you can pick up at your local Gamestop. Sony has not hinted at a new or updated PS3 console so speculation is running rampant with rumors that range from the not so exciting suggestion that this is a mere internal wireless component change to lower production cost to the exciting suggestion that this is new PS3 hardware whose novel specifications and feature list has yet to be uncovered. Knowing that Sony just refreshed the PS3 with its introduction of the Slim model in 2009, we expect the former but desperately hope for the latter, how about you?

[Via PS3 News]

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After a strong 2009 holiday showing, the gaming industry once again demonstrated that it is not recession-proof. According to a report released by NPD Group, U.S. retail video game software sales fell to $597.9 million, a 12% year over year decline. Leading the pack in video game sales is the New Super Mario Bros for the Wii and Mass Effect 2 for the Xbox 360 which sold a staggering 572,100 copies in the six days following its late January 26th launch. Hardware sales also took a beating in January with sales reaching a mere $353.7 million, a 21% decrease from  January 2009 and a precipitous drop from the $2.2 billion in sales recorded for December 2009. Nintendo once again claimed the top two hardware spots having sold 465,800 Wii consoles and 422,200 handeld DS units. Microsoft sold 332,800 Xbox 360 consoles in January 2010 and reclaimed the third position over Sony’s Playstation 3 which sold 276,900 units. Bucking the downward trend, sales of accessories rose 2% which is a bit of good news in an otherwise disappointing month.

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