Sony has revealed that their inventory stock of 60GB $499 PS3 has been depleted, meaning that all 60GB units currently available in retail stores are the last batch and the only chance to get the console for $100 less than its original price.

A representative from the company mentioned that there won’t be any announcements regarding the console’s hardware strategy until the 60GB model is “exhausted and market conditions are evaluated.”

World of Warcraft junkies looking to get the fix for free now have an opportunity to experience the game free for 11 months. DirecTV and Blizzard have teamed up to offer a free subscription for the aforementioned period of time to new DirecTV subscribers.

Those who were sitting on the wall about Lord of the Rings Online can now download a seven-day trial version of the game to check it out. Characters created during the trial can be transferred to the full game if one wishes so.

Through a short note it was let out that the highly anticipated Halo 3 has gone gold and has been released to manufacturing. Three years in the making at Bungie Studios, the game will hit stores worldwide on September 25.

“This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios,” said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios. “This is the game we’ve always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can’t wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25.”

Halo 3 is already set to smash its predecessor’s success with over one million pre-orders in North America alone. It is expected to shatter the day-one sales records when it is released.

EA has dated another title: Need for Speed ProStreet. The next entry in the popular racing series will be released to stores in North America on October 31 and across Europe on November 2. It will be available for the PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, DS, PC and mobile.

Need for Speed ProStreet is a racing experience like no other. For the first time, you’re designing and building a car, competing in iconic locations from around the globe and battling in four distinct racing styles- grip, drag, drift and the all-new speed challenge. The atmosphere is electric - complete with energetic crowds, photo-realistic vehicles and billowing smoke - all designed to embody the pressure and intensity of the gladiatorial challenge known as Show Down. Need for Speed ProStreet is the realization of the power, aggression and rivalry that embodies street racing culture.

Hell-bent on world domination, EA has announced that EA Playground will ship for the Wii and DS on October 23 in North America and on November 2 in the Europe, hoping to keep the kids glued to their TVs when they strike. The game includes a bunch of classic playground games like dodgeball and tetherball, as well as fantasy ones like Dart Shootout.

The Wii version gets games like Dodgeball, Paper Racers, Kicks, Dart Shootout, Wall Ball, Slot Car Racing and Tetherball. Activity games on the console include Freethrows, Bug Hunt and Dribbling. The DS version has the same games as well as Hoops, Hopscotch, RC Racers, Skate & Sketch, Spitball and Trampoline.

Hoping to revitalize its failed mobile gaming platform, Nokia has announced that it is relaunching the N-Gage as a games service that will be available across a wide variety of its “N” series of mobile phones.

This service will allow users to try all N-Gage games for free from compatible Nokia handsets. Those interested will have a download a free N-Gage application from the service’s website and install it on a range of Nokia phones including N73, N81, N93, N93i and N95.

The company also announced that it has added more publishers to its platform, including the titan EA who will publish FIFA 08, The Sims 2 Pets, Tetris and many of its games for the platform; Capcom and Vivendi have also signed up.

The new N-Gage service will launch this November.

Philips has announced that Gas Powered Games’ Supreme Commander will be amBX-enabled and bundled with the company’s amBX line of PC gaming peripherals. This technology will allow the game to make use of sensory ambience like light, wind and rumble to further immense the player into the game.

“Supreme Commander is the perfect title to accompany and showcase the Philips amBX Gaming Peripherals effects,” commented Engelbert van Pelt, General Manager New Business Development, Philips Consumer Electronics. “Supreme Commander’s real-time strategy game play will maximise the lighting, wind and rumble effects that the Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals are capable of delivering. War gaming has never been so realistically scary.”

Other follows of amBX include Codemasters, THQ, Kuju, Introversion, Revolution and many other studios.

Pirates are a rare breed in modern games. However, Tri Synergy and Fireglow Games sent out plans to fill that void with Blackbeard’s Revenge, an upcoming arcade action game set on the high seas. The game will let players lead ships and pirates as they scour the seas for other ships to raid and loot.

The game will feature an island base that players will be use to store resources and use it to build better ships and weapons. Also, enemy ships’ design plans can be taken to build faster ships with better armor and weapons. There will be thirty-five single-player missions, four buildable ships, weather effects and multiplayer play via Internet and LAN.

Blackbeard’s Revenge is expected soon.

Those looking forward to Gran Turismo 5 for PS3 can now mark their calendars, as Sony has announced that it will release Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, a preview of the full game, at the end of this year. Prologue will feature forty cars, new physics engine and up to 16-player online racing via PlayStation Network.

Cars by Lotus, Nissan and Ferrari will be available for riding around in various tracks including the Eiger Nordwand, the London City track and Suzuka. It will feature Gran Turismo TV, letting players view matches, as well as a couple of other online functions such as online dealership, a My Garage function and more.

Gran Turismo 5, the full title, launches next year. Prologue is intended to serve as an indication of things to come.

IGA Worldwide, the largest independent in-game advertising network has announced a 3-year partnership with Codemasters, one that will see them delivering both dynamic and static advertisements into the publisher’s upcoming titles, including the recently released Colin McRae Rally DiRT.

“We are very pleased to be extending our partnership with Codemasters,” said Justin Townsend, CEO, IGA Worldwide. “The company’s dominance in the racing genre is one of the most relevant and important for advertisers, with a very high concentration of the valuable 18-34 male demographic. Codemasters has consistently proven itself as one of the most advanced producers of world class racing and action games and its future portfolio will be no exception.”

The ad agency already reaches 10 million users worldwide, promoting products from Intel, T-Mobile, MTV, FHM, Paramount, Amazon and many more leading products.

A demo for Call of Juarez can now be downloaded for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live. The game, which was released last year on PC, is set in the Wild West and follows the exploits of Billy and Reverend Ray.

In patch news, an update for Dungeon Runners is now available. Referred to as “Chunk #1″, the update for the game includes PvP worlds, support for multiple characters, item linking over its chat system, a new high level dungeon and a variety of new skills and quests.

A v1.27.0 version of the MMO World War II Online has been released. This forum thread offers word on what’s new on the patch, which is available automatically from within the game, as well as through this page.