Heads up, XNA Game Studio Express by Microsoft">XNA users! Benjamin Nitschke has a post-Christmas present for you guys, and we're pretty sure it would elicit merry ho-ho-ho's. You see, our guy Benjamin just made an Xbox 360 port of the popular game, Rocket Commander, where you fly a rocket ship, follow your target, and either dodge those big, chunky asteroids, or fly through the donut-shaped ones.

How do you access it? Basically, all you need is an Xbox 360 with XNA on it, and an Internet access of course, so you can download the files.

So, is it worth tons of megabytes filling in your hard disk space? You bet! But then again, don't take my word for it. Why don't you try it out for yourself? Just click the "read" link below for the downloads and more game info.

SteelSeries (a leading manufacturer of various gaming accessories such as headsets, keyboards, mouse pads, and mouse accessories) just struck a partnership with Reason Gaming (a British team that manages squads for Quake 4, Counter Strike, Call of Duty, Battlefield 2, and Halo 2; and was even chosen to represent UK in the World Cyber Games 2005) to produce cool videogame accessories.

As such, Reason Gaming will take part in promoting SteelSeries products. Also, both companies are preparing for various UK LAN events for 2007, so that's something to look forward to.

Says, Kim Rom, Head of SteelSeries' PR & Communications:

SteelSeries have been supporting a wide range of eSports teams since our inception in 2001. We select partners carefully, ensuring they are well suited to represent our brand. Reason Gaming has already had solid results with Gladiator Computers and Western Digital.

Many have speculated that the Wii's advent to the gaming realm has sparked a revolution in gaming (pun unintended), as it has pushed developers to think of more innovative features to games (such as substituting a Wiimote for a baseball bat or something).

Sure, it has opened lots of possibilities for gamers, which is quite exciting really. Now, computer hardware company Hewlett-Packard is setting its sights on gaming as well, and it seems that they're upping the ante on gaming innovation further. HP VP Philip McKinney recently showed an intriguing video at a "major telco con in Hong Kong" that features kids playing a scavenger hunt using handhelds and "racing along alleyways and backstreets of the real world collecting clues posted on walls and other places to find the prize."

And it's all thanks to a nifty open-source platform called Mediascape, something that HP programmers have been working on. Whether we'll see this technology in the near future, we're not really sure. But it's exciting to know that devs are exploring new horizons in gaming.

For those who are thinking that the term "freedom of expression" has been wearing thin, think again. A law against selling violent video games to minors has been struck down by the Louisiana district court yesterday, as it was "deemed unconstitutional and a violation of the video game makers' and retailers' rights to free speech."

The law firm Jenner and Block are the champs in this fight, and they aren't neophytes in this war, either.

Since 2003, they have been defending video game makers in various states such as Oklahoma, Minnesota, Michigan, California, Illinois, Washington, and St. Louis.

The court said that "the government has no authority to limit minors' access to creative works based on the general belief that those works might be 'psychologically harmful.'"

No doubt, people spend a lot of money on games. Making ultra-awesome replicas of reality, or fun, innovative games don't come cheap, and that's not the end of it. You got marketing rackets to worry about, and other financial matters to think of to make your head spin.

So you know general manager of EA Montreal Alain Tascan wasn't kidding when he said that "the cost of making games is 'crazy.'" He adds that things will turn out differently due to the "booming budgets" for games.

But that doesn't mean larger budgets always have to equate large teams. He adds that the teams over at EA Montreal are composed of around 35-85 members. After all, "bigger budgets don't necessarily mean that smaller games companies are left struggling."

The next gen war is now on, as the much-awaited PS3 and Wii have consecutively launched in various parts of the world. As such, predictions are continually being made, flamewars thrive probably even more, and various statistics just keep on coming.

That's right. If you're talking about a commodity, you can't escape the subject of numbers, and these stats will inevitably enter the conversation whether you like it or not. And this article's all about numbers, and is entirely based on findings by the Japanese game organization, Computer Entertainment Software Association. Oh yeah, you might want to take note that all the respondents are Japanese.

Basically, the said group found out a rise in consumer interest on the Wii, which shot up from 20.9 % (around this time last year) to 48.9%. Its competitor, PS3, garnered 57% of consumer demand, as opposed to last years' 64.4%. Last year, 23% responded that they would go for the Xbox 360, now the said demographic trickled down to 13.6%. Those interested in the DS went up from 13.7% last year to 31% this year.

Massive games for next gen consoles with massive capabilities call for dev teams with massive numbers.

Not really. That's according to FreeStyle Games' Commercial Director">Chris Lee, FreeStyle Games' (B-Boy) Commercial Director. Not only is it fun working with a really tight-knight group where everyone in the team knows each other. Lee adds that with publishers "working on franchises and quoting massive development costs", enlisting small teams to develop games seems like a feasible idea.

Of course, that doesn't mean we should wipe out large teams entirely. After all, there are some projects that needs a large group of people to work on it. Now, whether you agree with Chris Lee or not is entirely up to you. Let me just end with what he has to say about next gen and indie studios: "The real next-gen experience is about new forms of fun and independent studios are better placed creatively to deliver on that."

So we gave you more than 360 reasons why you gotta love the Xbox 360. Well, if those haven't convinced you yet, IGN has made a sort of Xbox 360 review to give you a better idea on what Microsoft's baby is like, and maybe just maybe, it will also prod you to think to get it for Christmas, too. *winks*

Now, the whole shebang is five pages long (but you can click the "Read" link below to take a good look at the whole thing), so I'll just give you snippets of it here. Basically, I'll just give you a quick rundown of some of the pros and cons of the Xbox 360 mentioned by our source:

• Hardware reliability: Shipping the console with a cable that does both composite and component outputs is a good move (as people have to scramble for PS3 and Wii cables).
• Great titles such asGears of War and F.E.A.R., plus a handful of games to look forward on 2007, although the lack of exclusivity can be a bit of a letdown. But then again, high development costs prod developers to develop multi-platform games, so you can't entirely blame Microsoft for that.
• Xbox Live: Microsoft really did a great job on this one. Although same might say that paying US$ 5 for "an updated version of a 25 year old game" is quite pricey, you got to admit that US$ 50 per year is a good deal for all the benefits you'll receive.

The consequent launches of the PS3 and Wii have probably shifted the limelight to the said newly-released consoles. Even with Gears of War, there are probably some who are thinking that the Xbox 360 has been a bit neglected, what with the deluge of Wii and PS3 news and all that jazz.

Well for the record, it's not. We love Microsoft's baby as much as we love the aforementioned consoles, and here's a list to prove it. You see, TriXie "your Xbox.com community diva", compiled 360 reasons why we love the Xbox 360... and MORE. Why? Well, not only because she wants to, but because it's the Xbox 360's first anniversary as well, so here's a little "something-something" for all you Xbox 360 fans out there. Below are snippets of the list, but if you want to read the whole thing, just click the "Read" link below. Enjoy!

1. 2,000 pieces of gaming and entertainment content on Xbox Live Marketplace
2. EA Sports' 2006 FIFA World Cup
3. 2K Sports
4. 3 core CPU
5. 3 USB ports
6. 32-bit audio processing
7. 360voice.com
8. 4 million friends and rivals on Xbox Live
9. 5.1 Dolby surround sound
10. 500 MHZ ATI graphic processor

No doubt, this year's holiday season is getting more and more interesting for gamers. The release of next-gen consoles Wii and PS3 is sure one great way to cap off 2006, and a promising start for the year to come.

Interestingly, the next gen bug is spreading to most consumers: casual, hardcore, and non-gamers alike. And who wouldn't? Microsoft raked more than a million sales with the Xbox 360, with its notable online features. Sony, the gaming mogul for nearly a decade with its PlayStation line, is unleashing its uber-powerful media hub PS3, with its reported mind-blowing graphics and power. And Nintendo's advertising family-friendly Wii, with its motion-sensing features and funky controls.

But exactly how informed is the public about the aforementioned units? A recent study revealed that "almost half (48%) of those considering a PS3 expect it to cost less than $300—equivalent to the original price of a PS2." Wow, talk about demanding.

Now, I'm not flaming Sony or anything. I'm just thinking that the public deserves to be better informed about gaming details like this, after all, they are consumers and are more likely going to be a statistic to these consoles' sales calculations, with all the next gen hype that we're getting. Of course, it would be just lovely for gaming to finally go mainstream, but we also need to take note that despite all the buzz, hype and whatnot, we shouldn't forget to include the important details as well.