You've got the release date and the theme on the XBL. Now it's time for you to get more details on Rare's Perfect Dark coming to the Xbox 360's online one-stop shop service. Thanks to Xbox.com's listing, we finally get confirmation that it will be having online play for it as well.

Dealing with all the wires with one console is bad enough, especially when you have other devices you attach to your TV set, but when you have more than one console, things can get crazy really fast if you're not careful. Here's an easy solution: use one component cable for all your consoles. XCM has released a new component cable that supports all platforms at once, including the PSP Slim. More details in the full article.

As some of you might have heard, Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, will be sending in some new tracks from Linkin Park and The Used. Before that though, surprise! PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 gamers will be getting new updates for the game today, including co-op quickplay (which people have been waiting for for a while now). Go to the full article for more on the updates.

Looks like Activision is going all out to improve the quality of games in its current and future roster. The other day, we reported that the publisher signed an agreement with Dolby Laboratories, Inc. involving Dolby Lab">Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

This time we heard that the company just acquired DemonWare. People might be hearing about DemonWare for so long, they didn't even bother to ask what the company is really all about.

FYI, it  is a maker of network middleware. Its most important products include high-performance state synchronization C++ programming framework The State Engine and Matchmaking+, which provide services for multiplayer games such as matchmaking, user profiling, and gaming statistics.

Now, online sites Electric News and Games Industry are both reporting that Activision has indeed acquired DemonWare for an estimated sum of no less than EUR 15 million or roughly around US$ 19.5 million.

An official announcement is expected to be released soon.

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. and Activision announced today that they've come to a musical agreement of sorts to work hand in hand to bring realistic surround sound to video games.

The new partnership means that from this day onwards, all the games that go through Activison's audio production facilities in North America will be optimized by Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

Last year, Activision already worked with Dolby to enhance the sounds in Call of Duty 2 for the Xbox360. And with this newly inked deal, Activision says that most of their games for the PS3 and Xbox360 will also feature Dolby Digital 5.1.

Douglas Greenfield, Senior Director of Dolby Labs says,

We are glad to be working so closely with a major publisher like Activision to help the company deliver more vivid and engaging surround sound experiences to gamers. In the high-definition era, games need to sound as good as they look. By optimizing its audio production facilities for Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, Activision can bring gamers more of the great sound they demand.

"Games need to sound as good as they look." -- Well said, Douglas. And we definitely won't even try to argue with that. *winks*

Dolby, a company famous among gamers for Dolby Digital 5.1, a technology used to deliver vivid sound on the Sony PlayStation 3, and the Microsoft Xbox 360 (don't forget Dolby Pro Logic II for the Nintendo Wii),  presented several technologies at the ICES that should deliver expansive sound experiences in consumer devices. The technologies demonstrated included the following:

Dolby Headphone – a technology that is set to offer virtual 5.1 surround over regular stereo headphones
Dolby Virtual Speaker – a technology that should provide compelling surround sound experience using any regular pair of stereo speakers
Audistry – a technology that offers a suite of audio enhancements that give a big boost to TV sound
Dolby Volume – a technology that promises to allow television makers to address to problem of having inconsistent loudness in broadcast TV.

Perhaps what is most pertinent to gamers though is that Dolby announced that it is collaborating with Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., to create and market a new category of game peripherals designed to deliver superior audio. At CES 2007, Dolby and Freescale demonstrated a new reference design for an Xbox 360 accessory cable that supports Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker.

When you read the specs for Tritton's TRI-GA600 AX360 Gaming Headphones, you're going to wonder if your ears can take it. Dolby Digital and Pro Logic compliant with the Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PC, Mac, and DVD players, the AX360 features no less than FOUR different speakers in each cup. If you think that's overkill, those speakers are labelled "Front," "Rear," Center," and "Subwoofer" and can be individually adjusted through an external 5.1 audio controller. And finally, Tritton claims an "integrated rumble effect" built into the headphones.

The net effect of these seems to be akin to bolting a couple of subwoofers to your ear and then playing J-kwon's "Tipsy" at max volume. The rumble effect is not really a gimmick - it's meant to help amplify, or more accurately, to simulate the deep bass from a quality subwoofer. The AX360 will vibrate in reaction to low-frequency sounds. "The effect is surprisingly successful at mimicking the aftershock of big woofer moving lots of air," says TeamXbox in their appraisal of the product.

The headset would not be complete without a quality microphone (Xbox Live-compatible). This bolt-subs-to-your-ears will set you back a total of, on average, US$ 130.00, but that includes the Audio Controller box and its power adapter, and a bunch of other important cables. That box can support additional "secondary" headsets, each a still rather whopping US$ 59.99, but that's the price of "Tipsy" turning your ears to mush.

Fuzion Frenzy was the world's most popular tournament. But players of the game grew so competitive global leaders decided to ban the event from the face of the planet. Then came the population problem. Clearly, some humans needed to be distributed to other planets to make room on Earth.

The problem is no one's really rushing to purchase out-of- this-world suburban real estate. That's when world leaders decided to bring back Fuzion Frenzy. But with a twist. To encourage inter-planetary immigration, the leaders have brought back the Fuzion Frenzy tournament on game zones on other planets. They even reinstated the six most famous Fuzion Frenzy players.

This is where Fuzion Frenzy 2 begins. With over 40 mini-games, Fuzion Frenzy 2 for Xbox 360 will likely be at the heart of many party gamers for months to come. The game also features:

• Main Battle - Compete with your friend and family in this mode offline.
• Tournament - Compete to steal planets or have them stolen from you. The player who dominates the specified number of planets wins.
• Mini-game Frenzy - Freely choose to play whichever mini-games you like. The play style is up to you.
• Customized Tournaments - Play a tournament of your own making using only the mini-games you choose.

Fuzion Frenzy 2 specs includes:
Offline Features

• Players 1 - 4
• 3KB to save games
• HDTV 720P
• Custom soundtracks (Planned to be supported)
• In-game Dolby Digital

Online Features

• Online multiplayer 2 - 4
• Leader boards
• Voice

Infinite Undiscovery, the epic RPG  from tri-Ace, is coming to the Xbox 360. The game offers a variety of situations that unfold in a world that changes in real time and players' choices determine unknown discoveries waiting for them. The game's advanced technology and Xbox 360's muscle will offer gamers an ultimate fantasy world overflowing with realism and true role playing within a grand story.

The offline game supports single player but it will be compatible with Xbox Live. The number of online players will be announced later. Other features of the game include HDTV D4, Memory unit and Dolby Digital 5.1 compatibility.

After Ubisoft has finally confirmed that Assassin's Creed will be released for the X360, Gamespot scored an interview with the game's producer, Jade Raymond. The interview tackled relevant issues regarding the game's release for the 360, allow us to go through them as quick as we can:

Why bring AC to x360?: Ubisoft aims to give gamers a whole new gameplay experience on a new console, with their ambitions for graphics, animation, A.I., and physics. And just recently, they were able to prove to themselves that they can bring Assassin's Creed, in all its visual goodness, to both PS3 and X360 without sacrificing their original concept for the game.

When Gamespot asked how long the 360 version has been in the development phase, Raymond revealed that a team started working on the game's concept and technology over two years ago, but updating the game for a different console took a longer time. They had to analyze the system's strengths and weaknesses and effect changes in the game in such a way that would emphasize the game's features and downplay whatever flaws there may be.

Differences between 360 and PS3 versions: For the control functionality by console, Raymond said that they are still currently prototyping this but whether the prototypes will make it to the final game, they're still unsure. They want every aspect of the game, including controls, to be perfected for the console and create a different level of gaming experience for the Assassin's Creed. Raymond refused to disclose any information regarding possible differences in the game's content for PS3 and 360. However, Raymond confirmed that the game will have online features such as downloadable content, achievements, etc.

HD resolutions and audio support: 720p and Dolby Digital 5.1

Marketplace demo?: Raymond won't say anything about it, but we get the feeling that there will be a downloadable demo of the game (or maybe its wishful thinking?).

Although Raymond refused to comment on game content differences for the PS3 and X360 and whether a game demo will be available for download, she did assure gamers (well, Gamespot, at the very least) that the game will make you guys engage in fierce competition with your Xbox Live friends.