I had been meaning to upload these wallpapers for quite some time now, but just couldn’t get around to doing it… until now.

Well, enjoy the following wallpapers derived from concept art, among other things. I take no credit for these wallpapers (except for the appropriate cropping) and would like to thank the artists for creating such awesome art for game development and for us - the fans.

All nine wallpapers below are in 1920×1200 resolution, suited for wide-screen monitors; they have also been formatted for display on the PSP.

As usual, please link back to this post when you want to share these wallpapers and please do not link directly to the images themselves.

Widescreen | PSP

Widescreen | PSP

More after the jump.
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The Tokyo Game Show this year saw Epic’s Tim Sweeney speak on various topics including the challenges of multi-core processors and PS3’s Cell processor, as well as some new details on Unreal Tournament 2007 for the aforementioned console.

Sweeney talked specifically about the difficulties of programming for multi-core processors, saying that it takes “about twice the effort and development cost” for these processors when compared to a single-threaded one. IBM, Sony and Toshiba’s custom-developed Cell processor is no different: the PS3 Cell chip “required about 5 times as much cost and development time than single-core.” He also said that the complex Cell architecture “introduces some economic difficulty for developers.” The Xbox 360 processor wasn’t part of the discussion.

However, he was full of praise for Sony when it came to the company’s open network scheme for the PS3’s online service. “Enlightened business model” were the exact words he used to describe the console’s online capabilities, as opposed to Microsoft’s closed platform Xbox Live which seems to be “quite negative toward user-created content” as the company has encountered.

Having praised PS3’s online network, he then proceeded to mention that users will be able to create Unreal Tournament 2007 levels and mods on the PC and play them on the PS3. After noting that the mod community was an “essential part” of the company’s success, he said that the company would love to transfer this mod community over to consoles, letting modders and mappers create content on their computers and then have them distributed online, as well as on the PS3.

As for Unreal Tournament 2007’s release date? Epic’s Jay Wilbur disclosed that they plan on shipping the game to PC and PS3 in Q2 or early Q3 2007.

In related news, Kotaku reports that Koei’s Fatal Inertia, initially pegged as a launch title for the PS3, has been delayed to Winter 2006. The company cites problems with the Unreal Engine 3, though they do mention that they being helped by both Sony and Epic on this. When asked about multiplayer by the site’s editor, the game’s producer said that he was “dreading this question,” as they’ve been having issues with their middleware platform. As noted by Kotaku, it seems that multiplayer is planned, but not set on stone yet.

The report also discloses that both Fatal Inertia and i, the company’s new PS3 title, will be in 720p, with the former making use of the console’s tilt controller. Koei also indicated that they are in discussions with Microsoft to bring over the titles to Xbox 360.

Two screens from Unreal Tournament 2007. I don’t know if they are from PC or PS3.

Gamespot announces, thanks to a Midway rep, that Unreal Tournament 2007 has been delayed till… 2007. “Right now, UT 2007 (PC) is slated to hit in the first half of 2007,” the rep told the site, adding that the PS3 version is yet to get a release date.

The game was previously announced to be released sometime this year, with the PS3 version expected to be a launch title for the console which goes on sale worldwide this November.

Some new screenshots from Unreal Tournament 2007 due out for PC and PS3:

Midway has unveiled its full lineup for this E3 the company will showcase the following titles at its booth (#4001, Petree Hall):

• Stranglehold (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
  
• Unreal Tournament 2007 (PC, PS3)
  
• Blitz: The League (Xbox 360, Wii, PSP)
  
• Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (PS2, Xbox)
  
• Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run (PS2, Xbox)
  
• The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (PC)
  
• Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War (PC)
  
• Happy Feet (PS2, GameCube, Wii, GBA, DS, PC)
  
• The Ant Bully (PS2, GameCube, GBA, PC)
  
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (PS2, GameCube, GBA)
  
• MLB SlugFest 2006 (PS2, Xbox)
  
• RUSH (PSP)
  
• Mortal Kombat: Unchained (PSP)
  
• NBA Ballers: Rebound (PSP)

Three new high-resolution shots from Unreal Tournament 2007 have been released. No mention of the platform, but the wide-screen aspect ratio hints that these grabs are from the PlayStation 3 version.

A lone, odd-sized shot showing off the Axon Hellbender has also been made available.

Through its Q4 2005 earnings conference call, Midway announced a “Winter 2006″ release date for Unreal Tournament 2007. However, Beyond Unreal stresses that the company is the publisher and that the decision lies in the hand of Epic itself.