If you thought Bob of Tekken 6 would be the only rotund fighter to grace this current era of fighters, don't look now because he may have a potential rival with Rufus from Capcom's Street Fighter 4 (PC, Xbox 360, and PS3). Along with El Fuerte and Seth, these three were the highlighted characters of this week's issue of Famitsu, featuring the upcoming sequel to the highly celebrated Street Fighter series. You can check out the details that were discussed in the full article.

Word is out that CBS corporation has entered a deal which will allow it to acquire CNET Networks, Inc. If this pushes through, CBS will become one of the major players among the internet companies in the United States. Care to know more? Head on over to the full article.

2008 is a new year for all - even in the games industry. It seems Midway also joined in the New Year's corporate shakeups of other gaming corporate notables, including Activision Blizzard, all which began flowing in since last November. Long time serving Chairman of the Board, Kenneth D. Cron, finally stepped down from his seat at Midway and was immediately replaced by vice chair Shari Redstone. More at the full story.

Tomorrow may be a big moment on the history of gaming as broadcast giant CBS formally becomes the first network of its class to show a video game tournament as a regular sporting event like other athletic spectacles such as the Masters and March Madness.

"There are an enormous amount of people of all ages who play video games these days, so we’re going to try to see if video games’ popularity can translate into a viable television audience," says CBS Sports Vice-President Rob Correa as he explores the possibility of people looking at this moment as a poignant event after a decade or so.

The tournament concerned is the World Series of Video Games which will be held in Louisville, Kentucky. Edited footage from the event will show highlights of face-offs between players in games such as Fight Night Round 3, Guitar Hero and other non-violent titles. First-person shootouts in Halo and Quake will sadly not make it on air because of the nature of the content.

The idea of the tournament and the coverage by CBS is pegged on the South Korean model which has an entire nation embracing gaming and making it a part of pop culture. A full-time coverage in the manner that ESPN covers sports isn't possible for video games just yet but for now, this is the biggest step game broadcasting can take in the US.

The CBS coverage is also a pilot test of sorts on how game programming in cable TV initiated by G4 and Gameplay HD can work in a bigger scale. The response of viewers will determine future plans on the coverage of electronic gaming as a sport on the network.

This week it's another new stretch for the World Series of Video Games tour, as the WSVG 2007 hits Dallas, Texas for another round up for Counter-Strike, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero II, Call of Duty 2, Gears of War, Quake 4 and Fight Night Round 3 competitive players.

Prizes totalling up to US$ 90,000 will be given away at the event, starting July 5, Thursday up to July 8, Sunday. The highlight of Dallas is the inclusion of Xbox 360 titles Gears of War from Epic Games and Guitar Hero II from Red Octane, so the event might be worth checking out for the Xbox 360 gamer.

And if you can shrug off the US$ 10 admission fee, you might want to pick up a few tips from James ‘2GD’ Harding on dominating with your trusty Quake 4 railgun. Listen carefully, and see tips being put to practice on the grand arena floors.

Cheer for your select team or players and get your face plastered all over CBS Sports news, while demoing some of the industry's latest games and winning some free swag. But first things first: you'd have to figure out how to get to the Gaylord Texan Resort on time.

A report was recently published by the New York Times detailing how Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is good enough to replace cable TV for some people, at the same time drawing in new users outside of the core demographic.

The famed publication has recognized the marvel that is the Xbox Live network and how it's serving up a well-rounded dose of gaming and viewable content which consumers have caught on to because it can be availed of in increments. Movies and TV series episodes can be rented or purchased, making nostalgia another drawing point to the business model.

The strategy for Microsoft is basically to form an entertainment coalition with heavyweights Paramount Pictures, New Line, Warner Brothers, MTV, CBS, A&E and ABC, then find the consumers wherever they are and give them what they're looking for. By taking into consideration the demographic included in the more than 6 million subscribers, the coalition determines what content is most appropriate to serve.

More importantly, the New York Times report reveals an unexpected but pleasant side effect of the move by Microsoft and its partners: Non-gamers are actually getting into the act by warming up to the entertainment content.

The example of Memphis account executive Josh Roberts is cited in the article. He's 24 and has owned every game system since the Nintendo Entertainment System. When he and his wife moved to the city, they didn't have cable TV for a while and Xbox Live kept them occupied. Today, Mrs. Roberts still doesn't play video games but uses the Xbox 360 to watch HD movies and series episodes. However, they do have their gripes with how the system is currently set up.

Roberts says that the Microsoft Points system, for one, is a little confusing. He says he'd rather have it in dollars. Still, he's optimistic with what Xbox Live can be given the right approach. "[Xbox LIVE Marketplace]," he added, “is not yet at a place where I think it’s made my life easier or more entertaining in my leisure time, but I’m excited for the potential. When it moves faster and the bandwidth is great, then I think it will be very cool."

Google is apparently looking to move its advertising business into the realm of video games. CNN Money reports that Google Inc. is in talks to acquire Adscape Media Inc, a closely held San Francisco firm who has developed technology that allows for the placement of ads over the Web in video games.

The Wall Street Journal cites several people familiar with the mater and reports that Google is negotiating to buy Adscape and that a deal could be reached as early as next week. For now, here's what a Google spokesperson said:

We are always considering new ways to extend Google's advertising program to benefit our users, advertisers and publishers. In-game advertising offers one such possible extension among many others.

Some members of the industry note that Google is eying Adscape because of its AdverPlay technology which enables "two-way communication between in-game ads and the outside world."

Terms being discussed are still not known. However, there was a similar deal sometime ago that we can look at to get an idea of how things will shape up. Last year, Microsoft acquired Massive Inc, a company known for the delivery of in-game ads, for almost US$ 200 million.

It is also reported that Google is discussing a possible agreement with CBS Corp that would include brokering TV and radio advertisements.

Google has declined to comment on any talks.

Well, there's the Super Bowl for football fans, the NBA All-Star Weekend for basketball junkies, and the World Series for baseball fanatics. These are major television events, getting airtime, oodles of advertisements, and raking in network ratings. Now here's something for gamers. CBS aired Video Game Super Stars, presented by Intel, featuring five of the best pro gamers around.

The special focuses on the likes of Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel (a.k.a. "the Michael Jordan of gaming"), Rafik "LoSt-CaUzE" Bryant, David "Moto" Geffon who defied his family and denounced the profession of law to be a pro gamer, the minister's daughter Shannon "Mary Jane" Ridge, and Matt "Ballistics" Powers who is a seasoned Sergeant at maximum security prison.

You can watch the World Series of Video Games Finals, also presented by Intel  on College Sports Television starting January 21.

That's right, Microsoft is celebrating the first birthday of its baby, the Xbox 360 this November 22. As a treat to everyone on this oh-so-special day, Microsoft recently announced that fans can now start downloading videos and episodes of their favorite TV shows via the Xbox Live Marketplace.

At the moment, content that's available at the Marketplace include episodes of shows from Adult Swim, CBS, Comedy Central, CW, MTV, MTV2, Nicktoons, Nickelodeon, Spike TV, UFC, VH1, and Warner Bros. Full-length movies from Paramount as well as Warner Bros. can also be downloaded by Xbox Live Silver and Gold subscribers.

As for the prices of the downloads, Microsoft has already (and finally) announced the pricing of the new content which would be as follows:

• HDTV TV show episodes - 240 MS points per episode
• Standard TV show episodes - 160 MS points per episode
• HDTV New release movies - 480 MS points
• Standard New release movies - 320 MS points
• HDTV Classic Feature films - 360 MS points
• Standard Classic Feature films - 240 MS points
• Downloading an HDTV version of any title will also entitle the user to download the Standard version for absolutely FREE.

Parents also won't have to worry about their children downloading inappropriate content on the family's 360, as the Family Settings feature can block out content depending on the video ratings.

With 1000 MS Points costing US$ 12.50, all these may not be a bad deal, so start getting your Cheetos and your Mountain Dew ready, as movie nights are bound to follow.

For those who are still wondering about the entire hullabaloo known as the Xbox Live Video Marketplace, then here's something that you might want to check out, as the friendly people over at Engadget have all obliged us with a short lesson on how the thing works. So, on with the lesson.

Of course, it all begins with the Media blade on your 360. If one would notice, the new tab "Movies and Movie Trailers" has been added to the range of choices, and selecting this tab will bring up a selection of downloadables, which in this case happens to be ATL and V for Vendetta. Selecting a title lets you see a short description of the movie, the rating, its length, as well as its cost in MS points for either its HD version or the Standard version (oddly enough, in this case, downloading the HD version gets you the standard version free). Still not sure if you want this download? Then there's a preview option which would allow you to view a short clip of the film.

Read the rest of the article and view the whole series of photos after the Jump!