Five new screenshots from Irrational Games’ BioShock, an upcoming ecological-shooter:

The official system requirements for Windows Vista have been released, and unlike previous assumptions the prerequisites aren’t too high.

As per the announcement, a “Windows Vista Capable PC” must sport a minimum 800MHz processor, 512 MB Ram, a DirectX 9 compatible graphics card and at least 15 GB free space on the hard drive. However, these specifications will not qualify for the “Premium Ready PC” title which will require the following:

• 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1.
  
• 1 GB of system memory.
  
• A graphics processor that runs Windows Aero2.
  
• 128 MB of graphics memory.
  
• 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
  
• DVD-ROM Drive3.
  
• Audio output capability.
  
• Internet access capability.

To check where your PC stands, download the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor which will check the configuration of your PC and recommend one of the five versions of the OS for you.

Mark your calendars: June 22 is the day to look forward to the Prey demo. According to this 3D Realms announcement, the demo will be available for both PC and Xbox 360, showcasing five levels containing both single and multiplayer modes from the full game.

More information on Prey can be found in the game’s latest weekly update.

A status report on Shadowbane on MMORPG offers word that Stray Bullet Games has been formed from the ashes of Wolfpack Studios, the developer behind the Ubisoft MMORPG.

It was previously announced that Shadowbane would have only six weeks of gameplay remaining which would be just about now, but SBG has taken over and will be handling the game as an independent third-party developer, unlike its predecessor which was owned by Ubisoft.

From the ashes of Wolfpack Studios, a new company has formed called Stray Bullet Games (SBG). Unlike Wolfpack, SBG is not a Ubisoft company. Instead it is a Third-Party Development Studio. This basically means the studio is, technically, answerable to itself. I say technically because, obviously if a studio undertakes a contract from a publisher, that publisher will be making payments and will garner them at least some say in the project they are contracting for.

Which brings us to Shadowbane. Ubisoft has contracted Stray Bullet Games to keep Shadowbane alive and well. Since SBG is not a Ubisoft company, things will be a little different than it was with Wolfpack Studios. For the most part, these changes will be transparent to players.

Stray Bullet Games is also working on a new next-gen MMO alongside maintaining Shadowbane.