Today at the German Games Convention, Microsoft revealed that consumers can get their hands on the Xbox 360 for as little as $299.99 starting this holiday season. The $299 version will come with a wired controller but will not have the 20-gigabyte hard-disc drive, wireless controller, headset, Ethernet cable and wireless television remote control included in the $399 version.

Konami America today shipped Death Jr. for the PSP. Death Jr. is an action platforming game that seamlessly blends elements from a first-person shooter with the exploration of a third-person platformer and serves up a large dose of intense gameplay and weapon heavy combat. The game employs a unique particle-effect system and a sophisticated 3D engine.

Nintendo announced today that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will not get released later this year as planned but instead the development team decided to take extra time to add some incredible new elements to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. As a result, the game will now launch in 2006 globally. Nintendo believes this additional time will result in a much more enjoyable gaming experience.

Powered by the Battlefield 2 game engine, Battlefield 2: Special Forces brings the intensity and excitement of its predecessors into the realm of covert ops with the latest, most technologically advanced vehicles and weapons systems available to man.

Link, a young man raised as a wrangler in a small, rural village, is ordered by the mayor to attend the Hyrule Summit. He sets off, oblivious to the dark fate that has descended upon the kingdom. When he enters the Twilight Realm that has covered Hyrule, he transforms into a wolf and is captured. A mysterious figure named Midna helps him break free, and with the aid of her magic, they set off to free the land from the shadows.

New results from Phoenix Marketing International indicate that recent news stories about video games are having some impact with regards to consumers' purchase choice of video game software. PhoenixMI conducted a qualitative and quantitative study to gauge consumer reaction about the slew of news events concerning video game violence and pornography.

EA and DICE today announced that development is underway on the expansion pack for Battlefield 2 PC game. Powered by the Battlefield 2 game engine, Battlefield 2: Special Forces brings the intensity and excitement of its predecessors into the realm of covert ops with the latest, most technologically advanced vehicles and weapons systems available to man.

Not a big surprise considering its retail success, through an interview with IGN, EA revealed that its DICE development studio is working on an expansion pack for its recently released multiplayer FPS sequel Battlefield 2. While the original game is being fought out between regular grunts, BF2: Special Forces will beef up all the classes to Special Forces and add 7-8 new night/day maps (smaller troop oriented, urban environment, airport map, missile launch facility etc.), gadgets (night vision and grappler/zipline, flashbang, tear gas), six new armies (Navy Seals, British SAS, Russian Spetznaz, MEC Special Forces and two insurgent groups), ten new vehicles, and twelve new base weapons. Battlefield 2: Special Forces is expected Fall of 2005.

Magic Hat Software announced today that the second Beta test for its MMORPG Irth Online begins today and is expected to run through August 12, 2005. Gamers are encouraged to apply for Beta 2 on the Irth Online website.

Majesco today announced it is revising its figures for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2005 to reflect reduced net revenues and operating results. Additionally, current Board member Jim Halpin has been elected Chairman of the Board, and Chairman and CEO Carl Yankowski has resigned.

A spokesman for the European Union executive said that European offices of US Chipmaker Intel Corp., computer makers and distributors were raided by European Commission and local authorities on Tuesday as part of an investigation into possible antitrust violations, filed by AMD a few weeks ago.

IBM will receive $775 million in cash and $75 million in credit for software from Microsoft Corp. to settle claims that resulted from the federal government's antitrust case against Microsoft in the 1990s. U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled in 2000 that Microsoft engaged in anticompetitive practice, and the judge's ruling cited IBM as a company that Microsoft had forced to "desist from certain technological innovations and business initiatives." Read the full article here ...

Fans of the Left Behind Series books will soon be able to join the Tribulation Forces and participate actively in the battle of good versus evil with the launch of the real-time-strategy (RTS) title, Left Behind: Eternal Forces, the first PC game based on the blockbuster apocalyptic series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

Blizzard announced today the very first Blizzard Convention, to take place on October 28 & 29 in Orange County, California. BlizzCon is a celebration of our Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo franchises and the players who have helped make them so popular around the world. Read more for details ...

As part of an ongoing effort to deliver the industry's highest-performing PC technology, AMD today announced the immediate availability of the AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 processor, the world's ultimate PC processor for enthusiasts and hard-core gamers. Providing unparalleled PC performance on 3D games and intense applications, the new AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 processor allows power-hungry users to experience the next generation of single-threaded games with intense and realistic graphic resolutions.

Buena Vista Games announced today its action-packed racing game, "Disney's Herbie: Fully Loaded," is now available at retail for GBA. Inspired by the upcoming feature film "Herbie: Fully Loaded" starring Lindsay Lohan, "Disney's Herbie: Fully Loaded" gives players the ride of a lifetime in Herbie, one of the world's most beloved cars.

Anchor Bay Entertainment announced today its entrance into the Universal Media Disc (UMD) marketplace with six popular films. On August 23rd, the company will release Halloween, Evil Dead, Time Bandits, Blood the Last Vampire as well as Manga Entertainment’s Ghost in the Shell and Ninja Scroll on UMD. Each film will carry a suggested retail price of $19.98.

The newest PC Gamer issue reveals what is called the spiritual successor to Cavedog's Total Annihilation. Chris Taylor went on to form Gas Powered Games, who are now working on Supreme Commander, to be published by THQ. We unearthed a presentation document outlining what was called once TA2. We can only assume this is the same, albeit renamed, product after Chris Taylor was unable to obtain the license back from Atari, so the info might not be 100% up to date.

UPDATE : Here are some scans of the PC Gamer article.

Ritual has officially announced the Ritual Play Testing Program, allowing gamers to come in and give feedback on the titles currently in development. Participants must be over 18, live in the Dallas, TX area and have transportation to the West End district. People interested in becoming a registered Ritual play tester can sign up right here.

EA and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have announced that the Batman Begins videogame hits retail shelves nationwide today for the PS, Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance. The game, based on the Warner Bros. Pictures film Batman Begins and DC Comics' legendary character, is rated "T for Teen."

A more grown-up Link returns to Nintendo GameCube in a new adventure, and an impressive new 3-D look. Solve challenging puzzles, explore vast lands and hunt for treasure. Immerse yourself in the deep storylines and rich graphics that the franchise is known for.

THQ today announced the release of the high-octane street racer Juiced for the PS2, Xbox, and PC. The highly-anticipated release of Juiced delivers an all-encompassing street racing experience, bringing the culture of street racing to life through game-play elements like betting and earning respect, while also featuring an extensive modification system in which gamers and gear-heads alike can build entire fleets of tricked-out racing machines.

World Forces: War on Terror is a tactical, arcade style RTS, which is set in the very near future, utilizing the modern weaponry of tomorrow.

Trinigy today announced that future versions of its Vision Game Engine will fully support Microsoft's Xbox 360.

At a press conference held in Los Angeles, California, today, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. revealed the outline of its Playstation 3 (PS3) , incorporating the world's most advanced Cell processor with super computer like power. Prototypes of PS3 will also be showcased at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the world's largest interactive entertainment exhibition held in Los Angeles, from May 18th to 20th. read more for details, and specs...