Up until now, PlayStation 3 owners who 
wanted to stream a film through Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” feature had to manually insert a disc into their devices. As of Oct. 18, they won’t have to bother anymore.
Next week, a system update will make instant Netflix streaming a native application on the game console – putting it in parity with the Xbox 360, which had exclusivity on dashboard streaming until now.
The NPD Group, which is the chief reporting 
agency for video game sales, is making some changes in the way it releases data – changes that will obscure insight into how the industry at large is faring.
Starting this week with the September sales numbers, the organization says it will no longer release any hardware sales information and will cease offering specific sales data for the industry’s top selling titles.
Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog
Bite-sized snacks fill the grocery stores. Bite-sized 
gaming is taking that industry by story. So it was only a matter of time before bite-sized eBooks hit the market.
Amazon has unveiled a new initiative dubbed “Kindle Singles” – snacky novellas or essays from thought leaders. The mini-books will range from 10,000 to 30,000 words and will be priced considerably lower than full-length titles.
Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog
Hulu.com may be getting ready to go public.
Reuters reports the Web video service is preparing for an initial public offering and could file the prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission before the end of the year. Morgan Stanley is likely to lead the underwriters.
Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog
Given the economy, it’s no secret that this
holiday season is likely going to be a cautious one – but a new survey by the NPD Group shows that entertainment companies might have a rough go of things at retail stores.
NPD has released its annual holiday retail outlook– and while most shoppers say they plan to spend about the same as last year, the general lack of “must-have” products has people less enthusiastic about movies, video games and electronics than they were last year.
Last year, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” 
set an all-time entertainment industry record for opening day sales – and has gone on to become one of the best selling titles in the industry’s history.
No one was expecting the follow-up – “Call of Duty: Black Ops – to match those numbers, but a comment today from a GameStop executive might have some people rethinking their estimates.
Ubisoft’s Rabbids franchise has been
fairly synonymous with the Wii since that console’s launch. Now the company is looking to take the bug-eyed bunnies further.
Ubisoft and Aardman, the company behind Wallace & Gromit, are working together to create a pilot and several shorts based on the franchise.
On Friday, Nintendo said goodbye to its 
executive vice president of sales & marketing with a Princess Peach-adorned cake and the entire staff wearing masks with her Mii’s visage on it. On Monday, Cammie Dunaway starts her new job as U.S. President and Global Chief Marketing Officer for KidZania.
If you haven’t heard of the company before, don’t worry. You’re not alone. While KidZania has eight ocations around the world (including Mexico, Japan and Dubai), it hasn’t hit U.S. shores yet. That’s something Dunaway’s going to change.
Besieged from all sides, Electronic Arts has capitulated 
and made a last minute change to its upcoming reboot of “Medal of Honor,” removing the ability for players to assume the role of the Taliban in the game’s multiplayer mode.
Greg Goodrick, executive producer of the game, announced the decision in a blog post Friday morning, citing feedback from military families as the reason for the move.
Openfilm.com, a Website dedicated to 
offering independent filmmakers a chance to get its foot in the door, has found its first winner.
“Help,” a short by Val Lauren, has taken the top prize – which earns the director $50,000 in cash and $200,000 in financing. The film tells the story of a man on a desperate mission to save his dying mother’s life.
Chris Morris: Journalist 