Nintendo, for the 
majority of this console generation, has been content to play its own game. Now it’s ready to take the fight to Microsoft and Sony.
The company on Tuesday unveiled its next generation home video game machine — dubbed Wii U — that will be flush with the high-definition graphics gamers have come to expect, as well as a unique, touch-screen controller. It’s scheduled to launch in 2012.
EA is digging deeper into
the digital distribution space.
The company has completely revamped its online store, expanding its focus and renaming it ‘Origin’ in the process. The move will put EA in direct competition with Valve Software’s dominant Steam service — and, in some ways, Apple’s GameCenter.
Early adopters of the Nintendo 3DS have been a pretty 
patient bunch. New games for the system haven’t exactly been rushing to retail, and there’s only so much you can do with that 3D camera. But relief is on the way.
Nintendo says the long-awaited 3DS eShop will launch June 6 — and to celebrate, the company is letting owners of the handheld system download a copy of Excitebike 3D Classic for free, if they grab it within the first 30 days.
Even if you’re just a casual fan of video games, the E3 
video game extravaganza is a truly exciting time of the year. It’s Christmas in July! Or, more often, May! Or, recently, June! Ok, so the moving dates ruin the analogy, but it’s a festive time nonetheless that always brings a flood of gaming news. And every year, there’s one story that tops all the others.
Here’s a look back at the show stealing moments of the past 16 years.
Nintendo is increasing the stakes in 
its fight for control of the handheld gaming market.
The company will drop the price of its popular DS Lite portable system to $99.99 on Sunday June 5. That $30 cut is the first time Nintendo has adjusted the system’s price since 2006.
The ever-creeping deadline to get the 
PlayStation Network fully operational has crept a little further out – but the company says it’s now confident everything will be up and running by the end of the week.
Sony, in a blog posting, said Monday that it expects to have its online service fully operational by the end of the week. That’s a few days later than the previous vow to have it up and running by the end of the day – and more than a week later than it told developer partners it hoped to have the PlayStation Store operational again.
The long-rumored subscription service tied to the 
hit Call of Duty franchise is finally reality. And that has some gamers worried and confused.
Activision has formally unveiled Call of Duty: Elite, a premium service that adds a social layer and exclusive content – along with a monthly fee – to the popular shooter. But the addition of that fee and the features the publisher have discussed have muddied the waters a bit around the franchise. Here are some answers to some of the biggest questions:
She’s sold more than 50 million albums 
throughout her career, has appeared on countless magazine covers, and currently works as a judge on “The Voice,” one of the hottest new shows on television.
But if you really want to get Christina Aguilera’s competitive juices flowing, challenge her to a game of Galaga.
When U.S. prisoners journey beyond their prison 
walls, it’s usually because they’ve been assigned to a roadside cleanup crew. In China, they head to World of Warcraft.
In addition to the physical labor he was required to perform during the day, a former inmate at the Jixi labour camp in northeast China is alleging he — and 300 fellow prisoners — were forced to play online games at night, raising credits and finding loot that prison guards then resold for real-world money, reports The Guardian.
Brian Kingrey isn’t really a fan of 
baseball video games, nor is he particularly fond of baseball in general.
But money? He’s a big fan of that — and now possesses a hefty chunk of it. The Lousiana man raked in $1 million by being the first player to throw a perfect game in 2K Sports’ baseball sim, MLB 2K11.
Chris Morris: Journalist 