If you're a fan of the Doom franchise then here's some good news! id Software has announced that they're working on Doom 4 already. Interestingly enough, the game might be headed multiplatform on the company's new proprietary engine. To find out more, head on over to the full article.

Here's a new video clip for Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights from Juice Games and THQ featuring the Driver DNA. The good thing about this option is that records a player's driving style and creates a strand of DNA for it. This then can be downloaded by other players from PS3's PlayStation Network and Xbox 360's Xbox Live.

There are different kinds of Driver DNA available in the game such as "Cool", "Wild", "Uncompromising", and "Calculating" among others. Needless to say, each one varies from each other and dictates how a driver handles his vehicle. When playing an online match, you can also examine your opponent's DNA to use it to your advantage.

Aside from the already mentioned versions, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights will also be available on platforms Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, PC, and PlayStation 2. It was recently reported that both the PS3 and PSP versions will be delayed.

Reuters reports that game companies are cashing in better and bigger numbers, thanks in large part to Microsoft's Xbox Live network which allows developers to peddle game increments in online stores and make quick bucks to captive audiences.

In particular, the Reuters report pointed to downloadable content as the main factor that makes gaming more expensive than ever for the average Xbox Live user.

The article explains that in addition to the US$50 annual fee that subscribers shell out, downloadable maps and other add-ons are often tagged with prices equivalent to US$10 and higher.

Ubisoft Marketing VP Tony Key says, "The (downloadable maps) are very profitable for us. If you're a 'Rainbow' guy and you don't have the maps, then you can't play a match." With Xbox Live being Microsoft's secret weapon against rival consoles, that says a lot. Reuters estimates some three million users are on the system and are purchasing this type of material regularly. "I doubt there will ever be a Clancy game without the Xbox Live component any more. It's now a key part of the game's DNA," Key affirms.

Compared to games, maps and other upgrades are far easier to make as developers themselves admit that it only takes a tenth of the staff that it took to develop a game to create a new map. That explains why developers and publishers still garner stellar profits even if it took some $25 million to build a title from scratch.

Microsoft has been reported to enforce a hefty 30% royalty charge from materials that are sold in the Live MarketPlace. That translates into US$3 for every US$10 download from the system. Quite a bundle if you do the rest of the math.

Straight from the United States Patent website, someone found that a Microsoft-stamped patent application was curiously labeled as "multi-component gaming" and had ties to sharing not only digital resources, but physical resources as well. You heard us right the first time, folks: Microsoft thinks the future of gaming rests on the sharing of processing power as well as memory storage.

It's no wonder, really, how they would come up with such a suggestion. For years on end since the best industry leaders identified the serious roadblock for the silicon-based processor, researchers have been trying to avert grinding to a standstill in computer technology by figuring out solutions to the "more power, less heat" problem.

But because biotechnological (DNA) processors and quantum processors are still way past affordability, the industry has resorted to three solutions, which single out one characteristic: shared multiple processing.

Multi-core, multi-processor, and distributed computing all allow computers to utilize additional resources to provide more power to software. Just how Folding@Home used distributed computing to "fold" proteins that would normally require a supercomputer to be processed speedily, games could also be delegated to several computing platforms in order to be played.

Of course, the whole idea - having to require three consoles to do have one thing accomplished - isn't as welcomed by many. But the idea of having a handheld gaming device delegate processing and storage to your Xbox 360 is exciting. There's no doubt that this could be good news to many tech geeks out there who've always wanted to see something like that work.

It's highly unlikely we'll know what exactly the Redmond giant has in store for the gaming industry worldwide, however, with this idea. It just might be that the next Windows OS could be capable of handling such tasks, but no one knows for sure. Hopefully Microsoft could shed some light into this concept soon.

The air's getting just a littler nippier as Christmas draws closer, now a little less than three weeks away. And for the guys getting ready, buying their groceries, presents, and whatnots for the festivities, here's your update on U.S. game launches for this week of December 4, courtesy of GamersReports.

The season's starting off kind on the portable consoles, with MGS: Portable Ops sortieing for the PSP, and the DS getting new Kirby and Castlevania titles. As for the consoles, Star Trek: Legacy's launching for the PC and Xbox 360, with the PS3 picking up the much-anticipated Fight Night and Full Auto titles within this week.

Nintendo DS:
12/4 Cartoon Network Racing
12/4 Kirby: Squeak Squad
12/4 Lionel Trains: On Track
12/5 Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Nintendo Wii:
12/4 Barnyard
12/5 Ice Age 2
12/5 The Ant Bully

View the full list after this jump!