Following the success of EA Sports Active on the Nintendo Wii, EA Sports is bridging the gap for interactive fitness to other platforms with EA Sports Active 2.0 (Working title). Read more for details on the upcoming sequel.

EA Sports Active 2.0, or whatever they decide to name it in the end, will push innovations in fitness interactive software with a three-phase, nine-week program. The title seeks to innovate wireless control systems powered by new leg and arm straps with motion sensors, a heart rate monitor, and new online connectivity allowing gamers to share their workout stats with the world. Be on the lookout for the next EA Sports Active game landing on PlayStation 3, Wii, iPhone, and the iPod Touch this fall.

Microsoft has told CVG recently that digital distribution will be the future of home entertainment. They remain vigilant in their position, even after developers like Lost Planet 2 producer Jun Takeuchi have made the point that storage space is becoming more and more of an issue for the Xbox 360. Portions of many popular games are being removed, then there’s the whole graphics compression debacle going on with blockbusters like Final Fantasy XIII and the upcoming RAGE. So with all this going on, what’s Microsoft’s thoughts as to what the future will be like for Xbox 360 storage?

As DualShockers revealed recently, Xbox 360 bundles have been releasing like hotcakes in addition to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer giving hints of even more upcoming bundles. The Xbox 360 is expanding quickly in the way of hard drives with its new 250gb bundles that come with either Forza 3 or Final Fantasy XIII.

But one thing that this will not change is the size of the optical storage for video games on Xbox 360, which has been locked since its release to the maximum capacity of DVD. The reason behind why Microsoft is not pursuing this change seems to be because of the failure HD-DVD has had in the movies industry. The format has become basically extinct in all manners of speaking and discontinued off shelves years ago. But why does that spell the end of HD-DVD for Xbox 360, what about the games?

In the past, many have clung tight to the prophecy that Microsoft would some day adapt to the Blu-Ray technology found in PlayStation 3, and apply that to the video games on Xbox 360. Since this rumor emerged, Microsoft and Sony have continually insisted that such a deal has in fact not been discussed between the two parties.

The reason this rumor took off, and stays relevant even today, is because higher optical storage seemed an obvious move. Such a move is increasingly vital to consoles as the growing size of video games and their demand of storage space to continue delivering innovations across the board in gameplay, graphics, artificial intelligence and more.

Microsoft’s director of Xbox and Entertainment Stephen McGill’s comments in his recent interview at CVG reiterates that fact, while pushing the hard drive as the Xbox 360’s main storage format going forward. He is quoted as saying, “We have no plans to adopt Blu-Ray…” confirming that the company still has not reached out to Sony for such a collaboration.

On one hand it does make sense for the Xbox 360 to use the best capabilities it can using the hardware everyone already has, and a partnership towards a Blu-Ray drive at this moment in time is not likely for the system. As a gamer I feel like Microsoft may have missed a big opportunity by not exploring the endless possibilities of video games on HD-DVD for the Xbox 360.

The question for me has always been, “Why didn’t Xbox 360 use HD-DVD as its standard?” not “When will Xbox 360 get Blu-Ray?” After doing numerous days worth of research on this matter I can not determine if the possibility exists for video games on the add-on HD-DVD drive, but if it is possible I wonder why it was not used for this purpose. What do you, the readers, think about this; should there be HD-DVD games just as there are Blu-Ray games or is the hard drive good enough for Xbox until next gen?

[CVG]

Activision has announced new DLC for DJ Hero is coming soon. In about a week or two (depending on which console you own) gaming DJ’s will see the release of the JAY-Z vs. Eminem Mix Pack. The pack includes the following mixes:

• “Shake That” by Eminem Mixed With “Show Me What You Got” by JAY-Z
• “Without Me” by Eminem Mixed With “Encore” by JAY-Z
• “Can I Get A…” by JAY-Z Mixed With “Lose Yourself” by Eminem

The pack will be available March 18, 2010 for Xbox 360 at 640 Microsoft Points ($8). Both PS3 and Wii will have the pack available a week later on March 25, 2010. The pack will cost $7.99 on PS3, while Wii owners will have to download each mix for 300 Wii Points ($3) each. Wii owners will have to dish out an extra dollar to own all three. Happy DJing all!

Since PlayStation Home was announced it has been questionable what exactly the online virtual society would turn out being used for. With a launch filled with perverted interactions and largely empty virtual space, many people thought Home would not amount to much in the long run. However, with the enhancement of free playable games in Home such as mini-games for games like Resistance 2 and Resident Evil 5 as well as larger game spaces filled with games like the EA Sports Complex, gamers have been seeing Home really grow. There is even a unique MMO called Sodium in Home now. With all of this gradual growth taking place, its not surprising that Home is still being updated, read more to find out whats in store for version 1.35 coming soon.

Although Home update 1.35 is a minor update, PlayStation owners will appreciate the efficiency being created in the interfaces for the online virtual world, which will create more fluid ease of use. Players will now be able to assemble their own favorite locations into a quick and simple list that allows them to travel to the places they frequent most much quicker. Personal Spaces have also received an optimized access in the Home menus allowing users to view all their clubhouses and houses in one place.

The streamlining doesn’t stop there, we are told that finding friends, exploring the nooks and crannies of Home, as well as finding what is hot right now should all be much more fluid tasks after this update. Users will even experience shorter load times, less load screens and menus to access Home content, and more robust interfaces. Be on the lookout for more minor updates as well as major additions to PlayStation Home in the future.

Capcom has revealed Hakan, its final new character for Super Street Fighter IV. This brings the total up to 10 added new characters to Street Fighter IV. Along with the official announcement, a new trailer video and screenshots have been released.

Most of us already knew Hakan was on the way months before today, so it was no surprise and was only a matter of time before this announcement made its way to all of us. The characters have been set, and now we wait for the game’s release April 30.

With the release of Final Fantasy XIII this week – and the plethora of God of War III reviews that have been tossed out by major publications, things have been a bit… well, a bit hectic, I would say. With Senior Contributing Editor Chad Awkerman frantically shaking like a heroin addict going through withdrawal for Final Fantasy XIII, and my eyes bleeding from all the God of War III I’ve been playing, this podcast is filled with the controversial reviews that both games have been receiving, and our very own opinions on how we have, so far, perceived these games from a personal perspective.

“Sadly (yes, the quotations indicate a bit of exaggeration),” Evan wasn’t on this ShockCast due to the fact that he was in San Francisco attending an EA event consuming dangerous amounts of alcohol, and mingling with industry folks as he casually represents DualShockers.

However, with Evan’s absence, two of our contributing writers have decided to pop their cherry by recording their very first DualShockers ShockCast with the inhumane original cast. Contributing writers Jon Ireson and Drew Mills both pitch in their voices and join in the mayhem of gaming discussions.

We touch base on Activision’s and Infinity Ward’s new beef, the controversial review that’s been plaguing the internet with both God of War III and Finaly Fantasy XIII. This ShockCast is filled with good fun. Listen in, give us feedback, and we hope you enjoy episode seven of the DualShockers ShockCast.

They’re back! Michael Hurdle and Corey Ashley, the same two guys who exposed Gamestop for blacklisting  the competition during the MW2 launch, have returned. In the latest episode of the RawGamePlay show, the guys give you an insider’s look into the event EA held at a secret location in NYC. Give it a watch (or a listen) as you’ll hear about upcoming stuff that we cannot talk about until tomorrow, As well as a cameo by HHG! Enjoy the clip below!

Harmonix, MTV Games, and MTV will be showcasing the all new Rock Band Network at SXSW 2010 being held March 12-24, 2010 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. The Rock Band Network gives musicians, labels, and publishers the ability to promote and sell their songs as playable tracks in the Rock Band Games.

In addition to showcasing the network, the three companies will also participate in 3 panels. Playing the Soundtrack, lets gamers and musicians discuss the world of music in gaming. Reaching Your Audience on Their Terms, will discuss MTV’s response to the changing music environment and how they plan to handle it. Crowd Control: Changing The Face of Media or Hype focuses on the global impact of social media.

Rock Band Network Demos:

ScreenBurn Arcade
Friday, March 12, 2-6 pm
Saturday, March 13, 12-6 pm
Sunday, March 14, 12-6 pm

Spin & MySpace Loft (Harmonix-sponsored event)Thursday, March 18, 12-6 pm
Friday, March 19, 12-2 pm
Saturday, March 20: 12-6 pm

Spin at Stubb’s (Harmonix-sponsored event)
Friday, March 19th, 12-6 pm

Below is a brief description, time, and location of the panels:

Panels:

Playing the Soundtrack, Wednesday, March 17, 12:30 p.m. in Room 12AB
Description: More bands are getting discovered by fans through video games, and musicians are admitting to being gamers themselves. So how do you get your music in the game? This panel will bring together gamers and musicians to discuss the world of music in gaming.
Participants: Moderator – Whitney Pastorek, Senior Writer, Entertainment Weekly, Dean Hudson, Director of Technology, SubPop, Cheryl Gehbauer, Director, Harmonix/MTVG, Alex Hackford, A&R Music Product Development Group, Sony PlayStation

Reaching Your Audience on Their Terms, Saturday, March 20, 3:30 p.m. in Room 19A
Description: MTV Music & Talent executives will discuss the changing music climate and the more personalized approach the company takes with artists. Unifying every possible screen creates the best music experience for MTV’s audience, the artists they love, and the music industry as a whole.
Participants: Amy Doyle, Executive Vice President of Music & Talent at MTV, Joe Cuello, Vice President of Creative Music Integration at MTV

Crowd Control: Changing the Face of Media or Hype? Sunday, March 14, 12:30 p.m. in Room 12AB
A discussion about the new media democracy, citizen journalism and the wisdom of the crowd. Readers and consumers of media have exerted a new level control around how news and entertainment is created, shared and consumed. For example, Iranian citizens used social media to report on post-election activity in June 2009…
Participants: Jason Rzepka, Vice President, Public Affairs, MTVLila King, Senior Producer, CNN.com, Randi Zuckerberg, Head of Creative & Buzz Marketing, Politics, and Social Change, Facebook Inc., Pete Cashmore, CEO and Founder, Mashable.com, Joe Kingsbury, Head of Social Media, Text 100 Public Relations

And here is a little something extra for those of you who want to kick back, have fun, and win a few prizes:

Event:

Win a Rock Band 2 bundle at the OK! Cog’aoke karaoke competition (Harmonix-sponsored event)
Saturday, March 13, 10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
The Scoot Inn, 1308 E. Fourth St.

Harmonix and MTV are making sure fans will have a great time. So get to the SXSW March 12-24, 2010 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas and tell them DualShockers sent you.

Sony has announced the PhyreEngine, which is used for multiple titles for the PS3, Blu-Ray Disc, and PlayStation Store, will be available to developers for the PSP. PhyreEngine is an advanced graphics rendering engine provided as source code and tools that is used for many of the games already available for PS3. With the PhyreEngine, developers for PSP titles will have at it’s disposal, the ability to fully realize the ability of the PSP platform.

PSP gamers can expect even stronger graphics for future PSP titles. At the SCE booth this week during the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, fans will see the PhyreEngine in action in the form of Tunnel Shooter, the game demo using one of the original PhyreEngine game templates.

“We’re very happy to see the continued popularity of PhyreEngine with the global game developer community,” said Teiji Yutaka, Senior Vice President, Technology Platform of SCEI. “PhyreEngine for PSP was developed in response to requests from the game developer community, and we hope that the release of the PSP version demonstrates our commitment and support for game developers on all our platforms.”

With this announcement, it appears Sony has no intention to shelve the PSP platform anytime soon. Graphics and game play will continue to get better, and more titles and multi-media experiences are sure to come. Stay with DualShockers as we bring you the latest news from Sony and PlayStation.

This Friday night at 12:30 AM, GameTrailers will debut it’s newest Medal of Honor trailer on Spike TV. Be sure to check out the premiere and check out the promo right here:

If you can’t check out the video on Spike Friday, check back with DualShockers as we will post the full video after it’s release.

Do you suffer from Mapathy? Infinity Ward has the cure. Modern Warfare 2 fans now have a date to go with the DLC announcement: March 30. The DLC will first be released for the Xbox 360 and later for the PS3 and PC editions. A post on Twitter by Robert Bowling, aka FourZeroTwo, has confirmed the date, read on for details.

Robert Bowling’s Tweet read:

http://www.mapathy.com – Feeling the effects of Mapathy? It’s okay, the cure is hitting #Xboxlive in just 3 short weeks. #MW2

For all the PS3 and PC fans, here is the Tweet regarding the DLC release for you:

Both PS3 and PC will receive the DLC at a — yet to be announced — later date.

So Modern Warfare 2 fans finally have a countdown. In 20 days, the first DLC will reach the 360. DualShockers will have a full review of the DLC, so check back in the coming days.

In the coming weeks Apple Games at Namco Networks will bring two new puzzle titles to the App store! Make your own movie in Tinsletown Dreams : The 50’s using classic puzzle game play with a twist! Read more for the full details.

In Tinsletown Dreams players will make money by swapping tiles then maintaining a cast, crew, and props using tile puzzle game play of the Match 3 variety. There is also Lt. Fly: Rise of the Arachnids which is a hybrid of Match 4 puzzle game play and shooter game play! Check out screens below!