Since introducing the PlayStation Plus
subscription service at E3 last June, Sony has struggled to give PS3 owners a compelling reason to sign up. But the latest addition to the feature just might do it.
Starting Thursday, the company will allow Plus subscribers to save their games on an online storage system.
Jack and the Beanstalk Children’s Interactive Storybook is 
a blueprint for interactive children’s books. Each of the app’s 32 pages has entertainment elements, with dozens of hidden surprises. For instance, touch Jack enough on one page and he’ll break into song. On another, touching the right onscreen picture opens a memory game. Phrases, rather than words, are highlighted as the story is narrated; users have the option to turn highlighting on and off, giving the app a wider range of potential users. The app is dense with kid-friendly features, and will make a nice virtual library addition.
While the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii still have 
several years in front of them, the chatter has finally begun about the next generation of consoles.
Front and center in that conversation is Epic Games, whose Unreal Engine 3 has been a big part of the current crop of games, powering all of the “Gears of War” titles as well as “BioShock,” the “Mass Effect ” games and “DC Universe Online”.
Over the past year or so, Nintendo has taken a fairly 
predictable approach in its reaction to the rise of app-based gaming. The bite-sized titles, company officials would say nonchalantly whenever asked, could be a fun diversion, but didn’t compare to the deeper experience of the more feature-rich games on its mobile devices.
These days, the company sounds a lot more concerned.
EA’s Frank Gibeau talks to Gamasutra about the 
company’s position in the casual Facebook gaming market, the renewed focus on PC releases and the increasing dabblings in the freemium business model.
Some publishers are focusing primarily on the online market these days. Others see mobile as the wave of the future. Plenty are chasing the social network audience. And some are sticking doggedly with the traditional game space.
At Electronic Arts, they’re covering their bets.
Lara Croft is on her way back to 
the big screen.
GK Films, the Hollywood production studio behind “Rango” and the Angelina Jolie vehicle “The Tourist,” has acquired the film rights to the short-shorts-wearing, butt-kicking heroine from publisher Square Enix. The company is aiming for a 2013 release.
Netflix and Hulu have some new 
competition: Facebook.
Warner Bros. has announced a new program that will let users of the popular social networking stream the studio’s films online. Initially, only “The Dark Knight” will be available, but Warner says it plans to quickly ramp up the program in the coming months.
Paramount’s head of digital 
distribution is headed to YouTube.
Alex Carloss, who held that role until last week, has joined the Google division’s content acquisition team, where he will work with Robert Kyncl, who left Netflix for the video streaming services last September.
Indiana Jones is ready 
to socialize.
Harrison Ford has teamed up with a new L.A. game studio and Conservation International to launch the Facebook game Ecotopia, a free-to-play city building game with a focus on environmental issues.
Alex Carloss, who up until last week was
head of digital distribution at Paramount, has made the jump to Google.
Carloss will work on the content acquisition team for the company’s YouTube arm, joining Robert Kyncl, who left Netflix for the company last year.
Chris Morris: Journalist 