SourceCrowd.com

Our partner site iPodPalace.com has been attending Apple’s official presentation of the new slew of iPods & iTunes 8!

Check our iPodPalace.com Flickr Page for all photos!

We arranged a set of videos with some of the best games for iPod touch 2G tested for you!
(don’t blame us for poor scoring on games: we were recording AND playing at the same time!)

Enjoy these videos:

Sony unveiled the latest iteration of the PlayStation Portable at the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany yesterday.

Dubbed the PSP 3000, the new device will double as a cheaper Internet handset with a built-in microphone for VoIP. Sony has bundled Skype with its PSP firmware for some time and the new mic may negate the need for an additional headset, depending on the quality of the mic. Sony also says the new mic will be compatible for in-game chat.

The PSP 3000 will also have an anti-reflective screen that Sony claims will provide better colors and will be easier to see in well-lit places and outdoors. Sony also said the high-resolution PSP screen will be “dramatically enhanced.”

Perhaps the best upgrade, though, is a new video output that can display a resolution of up to 480i on any TV screen that can interface with a composite or S-cable. Video output has been a bone of contention with the PSP. Customers have been clamoring for video output for the device from day one, but Sony decided against it. When the PSP 2000 came out, we finally saw a video output, and the recent announcement is a significant upgrade in resolution quality. An output resolution of 480i is not quite hi-res, but it’s getting pretty close.

Sony has apparently not committed to a price, although in Europe it’s US$294.

BT (British Telecom) and Sony have teamed up to offer users of the electronics giant’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) a VoIP option that will enable them to place voice and video calls to other PSP owners and some BT phones. The service, which is then set to expand to allow calls to PCs, fixed lines and mobile phones, will use a new camera and microphone PSP accessory called Go Camera, to be released in the UK on 25 May.

BT is taking care of the software side of the deal, while also offering its 2000 UK hotspots infrastructure to which the initial service will be exclusive. BT said it expects to then sell the software to telecoms in another 100 countries

Following this month’s beta testing release (see SourceCrowd’s report here), Microsoft has announced the highly anticipated XBox 360 game Halo 3 will be released on September 25, 2007 in the US (one day later in Europe). Hoping to drive games and consoles sales in the run-up to Christmas, Microsoft will launch the third chapter of the first-person shooter game in 3 versions: the basic game will cost $59.99, a limited edition retailing for $69.99 and a legendary edition for $129.99. Microsoft is set to mount a huge publicity campaign to boost the new game contender, hoping it will help in the console wars against Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii.

Pre-order Halo 3 clicking here.

AMD has today launched its ATI Radeon HD 2000 series of graphic card. They feature, according to the company’s website, a series of “firsts” in the graphics market: second-generation Unified Shader Architecture (USA), a 512-bit memory bus designed for full performance high dynamic range (HDR) rendering, and new Unified Video Decoder (UVD) technology for high-fidelity HD media playback. The HD 2000 series also takes full advantage of DirectX 10 and Windows Vista’s features, as well as the latest OpenGL programs. The new chips have built-in Crossfire capability, allowing users to pair up 2 cards in PCI Express slots without the need of any additional hardware or cables. AMD’s guide design can include HDMI-out with audio, thus completing the process of transforming PCs into real media hubs in the modern home.

This HD revolution involves notebooks as well as desktops: the Mobility Radeon HD series features the same architecture in a package that uses smaller 65 nm process technology in order to achieve passive cooling and promises lower power consumption. At the same time, these powerful chips should relieve the main CPU from the more taxing graphic tasks, allowing next-gen HD content to be enjoyed on even the smaller, thin portable computers.

The Radeon HD 2000 series for desktops will be available in the next few days, with the first Mobility models set to launch in new laptops by the end of the month.

Low prices on nVidia and ATi graphics cards with next day delivery!

Microsoft is today set to launch the Elite version of its Xbox 360 console, a substantial upgrade which clearly targets competing next gen gamestations like Sony’s Playstation 3. The new console comes with reworked looks (sleek black surfaces with metallic detailing) a bigger storage space of 120GB and HDMI port to drive High Definition TV sets. Included in the package are HDMI and component cables, Xbox Live headset, and a wireless game controller.

The white clad Premium and Core packages of the console remain available alongside this new beefed up version, which is set to retail at $749.99.

The hotly anticipated game Halo 3 - an XBOX 360 best seller - will be released to the public in Beta form on May 16, 2007. Developers at Microsoft’s Bungie Studios will seek feedback from users regarding the online mutliplayer aspects of the first-person shooter hit. The Beta will be released exclusively on Xbox 360, lasting until June 7, 2007.The Halo franchise is one of the most popular on the console, helping to drive the original Xbox sales at its launch and going on to sell more almost 15 million copies of Halo and its sequel, Halo 2. The third chapter in the saga of humanity’s war against a breed of evil aliens is slated for release later this year, with Microsoft hoping it will give them an edge against their rival consoles, the Sony PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii.

Pre-order Halo 3 clicking here.

MotorStorm is, despite a few flaws, a great launch title for Sony PlayStation 3.
On the surface it looks like an arcade-style racer that allows you to recklessly hurtle around various canyon-themed courses while smashing into other vehicles. In reality it’s a tough racer that requires real driving skill and time to lean the correct route through each of the courses. MotorStorm’s got that next-gen “wow” factor but it’s one of the deepest launch titles for the PlayStation 3.

Before you get too excited, it’s worth noting that this depth is spread thinly over only two game modes. You get the core single-player festival mode that sees you enter in race after race in a variety of off-road vehicles, and online play. We’re used to launch titles being a little bare bones but MotorStorm really is lacking, although more expansions are promised through upcoming content downloads.

Thankfully, the festival mode is highly entertaining - at least once you’ve realized how much concentration needs to go into every race. The goal is to work through a series of racing tickets, each home to a handful of events. Each successful finish earns you points, which are needed to unlock later tickets. It’s pretty standard racing game progression, but the racing is anything but. You’ll be tasked with competing in bikes, trucks, rally cars, buggies and mud pluggers, and it’s this variety that makes MotorStorm stand out as a must own PS3 racer.