Microsoft Corp. which launched an online service in Europe for its Xbox game consoles Thursday, is struggling to win over makers of the top titles. Microsoft, whose Xbox has sold about a sixth as many as Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2, will launch the Internet service in eight countries without the backing of Electronic Arts Inc., the biggest U.S. computer-game maker, or Tomb Raider creator Eidos Plc... Full scoop at Tribnet.com!

Blomberg.com reports that Sony Corp. plans to move production of its PlayStation 2 console to China next year, as the rivalry from Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox forces the world's largest video-game console maker to tighten control on costs and prices. Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. currently makes half of its PlayStation 2s at two plants in Japan. Sony expects to move all of its production to Chinese plants run by Taiwanese companies Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. and Asustek Computer Inc. next fiscal year, Sony Computer spokesman Koichiro Katsurayama said. Shifting PlayStation 2's assembly operations to China may allow Sony to increase profit margins at its video-game unit, which accounted for 36 percent of the company's operating profit in the three months ended Dec. 31. China's lower labor costs may also give Sony room to cut the PlayStation 2's retail price, giving Sony an edge over Microsoft's Xbox.

WarBirds, PTO, Pacific Theater of Operations is launched in Beta! Come fly the Battles of the Pacific in the Philippine Islands! The new product launched in Beta today and is expected to go live on 20 March 2003. WarBirds, PTO, Pacific Theater of Operations is a major new product from the award winning WarBirds III Family of products. New Terrains, new airplanes, new flight models, new strategy, new graphic features, and new fun all will be had with this exciting new product! This is the first new product since the release of the original WarBirds III was launched in 2000!

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today that five additional major recording artists have agreed to provide music and video content for the upcoming rhythm-action game, Amplitude, developed exclusively for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. Rounding out the music roster for Amplitude with additional rock, dance, rap and electronica, newly signed acts include P!nk, BT, The X-ecutioners, Slipknot and Game Boyz. These artists will join other major recording artists on the Amplitude roster that include Baldwin Brothers, blink 182, David Bowie, Dieselboy, Garbage, Herbie Hancock, Logan 7, Mekon, Papa Roach, P.O.D., Quarashi and Weezer. Developed by Harmonix Music Systems, Amplitude allows players to become a rhythmical DJ and jam with more than 25 diverse songs in virtual, vibrant interactive musical environments while mixing and remixing hit songs during offline and online gameplay.

Vivendi Universal Games announced today that it has shipped "Enclave," for the personal computer to retailers nationwide. A third-person, 3D action game, "Enclave" is set in a fantasy environment where long ago a rift formed separating the lands of light from the plains of darkness by an impassable chasm. Over time, the Enclave of light grew strong and prosperous, while those confined to the war-ravaged plains of the outlands harbored nothing but hatred and jealousy. Now, after hundreds of years, the rift is closing and it is only a matter of time before a full-scale war erupts. At the start of the game, players must make an important decision and choose to take on the role of either an agent of light or of darkness.

The next upcoming patch v1.3 for No One Lives Forever 2 will be be available Wednesday, March 12th, at 9:00am PST/12:00pm EST for download. This new patch will include two NEW multiplayer mods - Team Deathmatch and Doomsday. Read more for a complete list of details/features! Also check out some new screens showing off the "Doomsday device" ...

Touchdown Entertainment and Radical Technology today announced a game technology development and distribution alliance that will deliver Copperhead Technology to developers of games for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and PC. Copperhead is a complete game development kit that combines integrated technologies including multi-platform rendering, physics, audio and animation with an intuitive suite of custom Maya content tools. Copperhead also features a modular architecture that allows developers to easily modify the technology to accommodate a wide variety of design concepts.

ScanSoft today announced that ScanSoft's speech recognition technology is incorporated in the latest PlayStation2 game title Operator's Side developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (SCEJ). The title incorporates ScanSoft's speaker independent speech recognition engine which allows users to interact with game characters using voice commands.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. announced today the release of My Street developed exclusively for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. Set in a vibrant, virtual neighborhood, My Street, developed by Idol Minds, creators of the critically acclaimed Cool Boarders franchise and produced by Sony Computer Entertainment America, is an exciting party game for single and multi-player competition. Featuring a collection of arcade-style mini-games, My Street is the ultimate source of challenging online and offline competition, offering endless hours of action for children, teens and adults.

Since it was first announced, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker pre-sell program for Nintendo GameCube has captured the hearts and attention of gamers across the country. Still two weeks from launch, more than 560,000 Zelda fans have reserved their copy of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and received the nearly sold-out limited-edition disk featuring two playable, full-length games originally for the Nintendo® 64: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest, for a suggested retail price of $49.95. This makes The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Nintendo's most successful pre-sell program in history.