Yes, the DS Lite street date has been broken! Originally intended for release on June 11, many people have reportedly bought the redesigned handheld from Walmart, Target and Sears among others.

An enterprising gamer has set up this Frappr page, bringing together people who have luckily purchased the device and helping others get hold of one.

The official Galactic Civilizations II site features an update that reveals that a full expansion for the RTS is in the works and that the previously planned $9 mini-expansions have been cancelled. New ships, civilizations and more can be expected in the add-on that is expected sometime near the end of the year. A future sequel is also planned, though it is too far off to be discussed in the update.

One of Kotaku’s legions of “super secret agent reader” has sent in word that Eidos is planning on re-doing Tomb Raider 1 and 2 for release by the time the franchise hits its 10 year anniversary. To get your “juices” flowing:

Anyway, I was over at Eidos/SCi headquarters for an interview when I stumbled upon some material concerning a new Lara Croft game. My juices got flowing when I realized I was looking at the real thing and I started asking some questions. Turns out Eidos/SCi are planning on celebrating Lara’s 10th birthday by releasing a remake of her original adventure. We are talking improved graphics, new moves, the lot. If there is time, the “new” game will feature a remake of both Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II: The Dagger of Xian, but right now the developers are focusing on Lara Croft’s first adventure.

According to Wikipedia, Tomb Raider hits the 10 year mark this November. Maybe an announcement from Eidos is imminent?

If you were looking to run pirated games homebrew on your PSP, but couldnt do so because of updated firmware can now breathe a collective sigh of relief. MaxConsole reports of Undiluted Platinum, the first modchip solution for the Sony handheld.

The UP is a flash replacement system for the console that allows the user to run custom firmware builds, as well as maintain the PSPs original firmware or a more recent one. Both firmware can be booted to, and the UP can be used to restore ‘bricked’ PSPs, a plus for users with useless units in their possession.

However, it wont be for the faint of heart: an included picture shows that the PSP has to be opened up and the chip has to be soldered in place. Even then, the article states that it will be easy to install the modchipthat will be fully open-source, letting users write their own firmware builds.

No release date was announced for the modchip, but a suggested retail price pegs the chip at a paltry $90 for those looking into activities other than the ones available through Sony firmware (and I dont mean pirating games).