Sony’s Japanese website reveals that Gran Turismo HD will not be given a retail release, but will be available for free via the PlayStation Network starting December 24. The company decided to forgo GTHD in favor of working on Gran Turismo 5, the true successor to Gran Turismo 4 (PS2), maybe due to development costs and the recent negative press concerning the use of micro-transactions.

The freely downloadable game will contain ten vehicles and two variations of a track. No North American or European release dates were mentioned.

Even out of the box, the PS3 is a good Blu-ray DVD player, and it’s going to get better. According to an interview with PS3 A/V developers, the console will receive an update in the future adding 1080p/24 support for films (translating to a crisper, more realistic playback) and, most importantly, the ability to play standard DVD movies at 1080p HD resolution. The update will also add better software SACD support and user-selectable internal YCrCb image processing.

Following on the footsteps of its success on Xbox 360 with Dead Rising, Capcom will run an aggressive ad campaign for Lost Planet, its upcoming flagship title for the Microsoft console. The company revealed that from December 4 to December 31, it will show a 60-second trailer of the game on NBC’s 3,000 square foot HDTV in Times Square, New York City. During its run, the ad is hoped to make 40 million impressions.

Lost Planet will be released exclusively for Xbox 360 on January 12. Interested gamers can check out the single and multiplayer demos on Xbox Live Marketplace.

Proving that the British are late in receiving the latest gadgets, Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player is now available in the country for £130. Those who purchase the player will also receive a copy of King Kong on HD-DVD and the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.

As this IGN report states, flOw will be available on December 19 as a premium game on PlayStation Network. The game was developed by students from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, who have formed thatgamecompany, and is the first title by the students to be released by a major publisher. In fact, Sony was so impressed with their work, it has agreed to sign a three-game deal, as well as give the students space on the Sony lot in Santa Monica, California.

“This is a watershed moment in the history of the school,” Dean Elizabeth M. Daley said. “It builds on our tradition of expanding relationships with the professional community, and opens the door for our students and graduates to showcase their creative talents in an incredibly dynamic market.”

No details on the future games were given.

Through a brief press release, Nikitova announced that it has started work on a *secret* Unreal Engine 3 powered title. No other details were disclosed.

Add two more launch titles to the European launch of Wii: Gottlieb Pinball Classics and Super Fruitfall from System 3.

Following-up on the success of Gottlieb Pinball Classics on PlayStation 2™ and PSP™ comes a brand new version featuring a new control system written exclusively for Nintendo Wii. Utilising the unique WiiMote and Nunchuck controllers, Gottlieb Pinball Classics players can shoot balls as normal while tilting the table with the motion-sensing controller. The game is officially licensed by Gottlieb® the world-famous maker of pinball tables and is expected to retail around £29.99.

Super Fruitfall, It’s a brain game and a unique puzzle game concept which is ideally suited to the Nintendo Wii casual family-gaming philosophy and the play mechanic is crucially simple-to-play but difficult to master. Players rotate the puzzle board to group-together fruit types in order to eliminate them from game. Sounds simple, eh? These core concepts combine to ensure that Super Fruitfall is the perfect puzzler for Nintendo Wii and brings a brand new element to the puzzle genre. The game is expected to retail around £24.99.

Both titles will be available starting December 8 when the Wii launches in the region.

For those waiting to sign up for the Halo 3 multiplayer beta, Microsoft has announced that it will open up registration on Halo3.com starting December 4. However, they didn’t give any indication to the criteria that will be used to determine who gets in.

In related news, both Microsoft and Bungie sent word to remind people that a Halo 3 CG advertisement will be shown on ESPN on December 4, between 5:50pm and 6:20pm Pacific Time. Those in the UK will get to view it on TV, when it airs on Channel 4 on December 15 at 22:45. The 60 second ad will also be broadcast simultaneously on Xbox.com and be available for download via Xbox Live Marketplace.

Created by advertising agency McCann Erickson, the highly anticipated ad will provide gamers with a “unique and compelling” look at Master Chief and the world of Halo 3. Attached to this post is a still (full 1920×1080 resolution) still from the advert.

Word comes from LucasArts and SOE that Chapter 4: Armed and Ready for Action is now available for Star Wars Galaxy subscribers. Latest in a series of updates to the MMORPG, it adds three combat professions - commando, spy and medic - and a couple of new features.

Philips‘ amBX technology has got another user: Introversion Software’s DEFCON. An ambient intelligence technology, amBX is said to deliver a “full sensory surround experience” by creating hardware that can control light, color, sound and even air flow of the player’s surroundings. And Introversion is highly excited about it:

‘In all honesty we were initially a bit skeptical about amBX - a lot of peripherals have been released on the PC that have added very little to the experience’ remarked Mark Morris, Managing Director of Introversion, ‘but we recently visited the AmBX team in person and sat in their demo room, and the stuff they showed us just blew us away. The potential for this technology is enormous; we have only begun to scratch the surface, and there is undoubtedly a lot of exciting further experimentation we can do to maximize the gaming experience.’

Combining DEFCON with amBX brings the whole messy scenario of nuclear war direct to the player’s bedroom. Flashes of blinding white light and gentle rumbles indicate when your missiles have hit home. Whilst a spine-chilling rush of air announces the raining down of fallout on millions of innocents. Meanwhile the dread of realization approaches as the lights fade, the music slows, and your population withers. DEFCON amBX is a harrowing experience that will ensure you’re never so blasé about thermonuclear global war again.

‘amBX and DEFCON are ideally suited to each other’, commented Chris Delay, Lead Developer at Introversion, ‘With our third game DEFCON we spent a huge amount of time trying to create the atmosphere of being buried deep within an underground bunker, slowly ending the world in the last war that will ever be fought. amBX is ideally suited to enhancing that atmosphere, taking it out of the confines of what’s right in front of you on-screen, and expanding it into your whole room.’

Introversion Software plans on amBX-ing Darwinia and Uplink, their previous titles.

Aspiring DJs can put their skills to work at the Lumines II online Video Mixer contest. As announced by Buena Vista Games, the contest will see DJs creating a new music track, utilizing loops, beats and other sound effects from the Junkie XL song “Breezer,” along with visual elements, including Lumines II gameplay footage and prerecorded footage of a dancer executing various moves.

December 31 is the last date for entries, which can be shared with friends and other users. The finalists will be selected and judged by Junkie XL, who will choose a winner based on creativity, overall sound/visual appeal and feeling. The lucky winner will receive a trip for two to Miami for the Winter Music Conference, a VIP experience with Junkie XL, hotel accommodations, round-trip airfare, car rental and $500 spending cash. Unfortunately, the contest is open only to US residents, although anyone can create a remix.

Long relationships are the key to success it seems. Headgate Studios, the guys behind the Tiger Woods PGA Tour and Madden NFL franchises since 2000, has joined EA’s team of studios. The development team will continue to work in partnership with other EA teams in California and Florida. No details of the transaction were disclosed.

“Having worked with EA for the past six years, we know their teams share our work ethic, passion for creative excellence and commitment to quality. By joining EA, we are making official what we all already feel - that we are part of the EA family. We couldn’t be happier,” said Vance Cook, Executive Producer at EA Salt Lake.

“The team at Headgate is a great fit with EA’s creative team. Their creative spirit and technical leadership have separated them from the pack,” said Paul Lee, President of EA Studios. “Salt Lake City is a terrific place to make games - it’s a dynamic city with a vibrant creative community and a great quality of life. We are thrilled to have them join EA.”

The team at EA Salt Lake will focus on development for the Wii.

According to Gamebrink, the PS3 Sixaxis controller is now working under Windows. Apparently, the controller is a USB HID device that needs special initialization under Windows. The steps, and the files required, are listed on the site.

If you’ve been hyped up for free running extreme sports after watching Casino Royale, then you’re in luck: Reef Entertainment has snatched the rights to Rebellion’s Free Running for the PS2 and PSP. One of the fastest growing underground youth sports, free running has broken into the mainstream through films such as District 13 and the aforementioned James Bond movie, as well as Madonna’s music video ‘Jump’. The game will have players running and jumping their way through urban obstacles.

Originally in development at Core Design, the makers of the Tomb Raider franchise, the game was acquired by Rebellion as part of its purchase of the studio from Eidos earlier this year. Free Running will feature characters based on the leading free runners in Europe and will feature apparel and high fashion training shows from Adidas.

The game is scheduled for release across Europe in Q1 2007; North America will see the game soon afterwards.

GameTap and Telltale have announced that Sam & Max: Episode Two - “Situation Comedy” - will be released next month. In addition, they also disclosed the premiere of the first original Sam & Max machinima short on GameTap TV.

December 21 will see the release of Situation Comedy on GameTap to its subscribers. This time the duo make their way to a local TV studio to investigate a talk-show taping that has spiraled into a hostage situation. This episode will feature new locations and characters, a new musical score, as well as new puzzles. SituatioN Comedy will be available for sale to non-GameTAP members starting January 5 for $9. Interested parties can also purchase the whole of Season 1 for a meager $35, with buyers getting access to Episodes once they are live.

As for the machinima: it’s a short having the duo tackle a wide range of issues ranging from reality TV to Aristotle, as well as day-trip destinations to turkey franks. New shorts will air on GameTap TV every Thursday; these will also be available on Telltale’s website four days after they have been released for GameTap’s subscribers. In addition to these shorts, the subscribers are also treated to weekly releases of the complete 1997 animated Sam & Max television series and a documentary taking them behind the scenes of “The Making of Sam & Max.”