Take-Two Interactive has begun its plans to divest its non-core properties starting with the transfer of Joytech subsidiary assets to popular game accessory maker Mad Catz. The deal, will transfer ownership of hard assets as well as jurisdiction of employees under the firm.

Take-Two CEO Ben Feder says that the move is part of the company's 100 day plan to develop strategic alternatives to the assets that they will be dropping.

"We are particularly pleased that we accomplished this goal in a manner that will allow substantially all of our Joytech employees in the U.S. and U.K. to join Mad Catz, which is a highly respected provider of video game peripherals," he adds.

The deal is a routine operation move and should not affect corporate finances in a major way, according to the publisher.

Take-Two's been busy, and it's not looking very pretty - at least, as far as the people in its Europe Division payroll is concerned. The last time we reported on such gruesome goings-on, we gave you CEO Ben Fender's take on the company-wide restructuring that's leaving the Marketing and Sales Departments bloody.

Now, here's Take-Two Interactive International Managing Director James Ellington with his statement on why the currently-biggest bloodletting in video games history (at least in this decade) is necessary:

These pro-active measures also will help offset the increased development costs for next-generation hardware platforms, as well as provide increased value for our shareholders.

While it is regrettable that there will be a number of staff reductions, this was necessary so that we could realise our goals of creating continuing growth opportunities for the larger organisation.

So basically, that means get rid of the redundancies to balance out the ridiculously-high amount of funding one needs to develop games for new-gen consoles. It's great that the higher ups in Take-Two are keeping both the company's bottom line and the ability to create high-quality content for today's cutting-edge consoles in sight.

However, it's certainly shocking that they have to go to such an extent just to keep afloat. It's not just employees Take-Two will be axing, take note. Besides letting go most of its European managers, as well as CEO Paul Eibeler and other directors, the publishing firm is also looking to sell off other business units, one example is peripherals division JoyTech.

A product seriously vying for a space in your living room this November will be JOYTECH's Control Center. So what exactly is it? And why do I think this will be big? Well, first have a look at some pictures of the soon-to-be-released thing.

Now what's so special about a white box with a million connectors at the back? Well, if you're like me, and thinking of buying all the three next-gen consoles while keeping the current ones too, this is just the thing you need. Courtesy of those connectors at the back, you can now keep all the consoles hooked to this thing, while it itself is hooked to your TV. What you can then do is simply switch between the inputs when you want to game on a certain console. Also, don't forget that you can connect all your other TV-related stuff like DVD Players connected to it.

Read the Full Article for more details.

Nyko's SpeakerCom for the original Xbox Live was a controller-mounted speaker and microphone for voice chat, and although muting was always a problem with it, Nyko's product was still a cool accessory to at least try out.

Over two years later, Joytech released an Xbox 360 device that looks very similar to the old Xbox model, except this one has the much desired mute option! Known as the NEOCOMMUNICATOR, this phone-type device removed the need for a headset by offering an integrated speaker and microphone right into the controller. This interesting looking device is compatible with all Xbox 360 controllers, but pricing information has yet to be revealed.

 

I'm still in shock. All I know is that I may be really unlucky after what just happened, or just regularly unlucky. I don't know yet because I haven't encountered any severe problems with my Xbox 360 console after accidentally knocking it off a 1m high table while playing FIFA World Cup.

The first thing I thought was "NO! NO! I HAVE TO GO BACK IN TIME!". Unfortunately I don't have that power so the second thing that came into my mind was something like "What's that weird sound?". Apparently that sound was the disc reader making a thick hole/scratch across my disc:

I knew that game was lost because it just crashed every time I started it up, and I should just call EA about it and get a new copy or something, until I saw my faceplate. As you can see the bottom pretty much broke and the slot for USB cables doesn't fit anymore. I instantly ordered two new faceplates after that (the cheap and probably crappy ones from Joytech), with the money that was supposed to go to my iPod fund (yes, I don't have an iPod).

Please pray for me that I won't have any more problems with my console than this! I love my 360 and I don't want to lose it! Have any of you had near-death 360 experiences? Be sure to tell us about them in the comments!

Here's a chance for racing fans to own the Joytech Xbox 360 Officially Licensed Nitro Racing Wheel. Pro-G, one of UK's fastest growing video game publications, is hosting a Project Gotham Racing 3 tournament on Xbox Live this June 17 to 18. The race will be administered by AlienPants, which has previously administered over 200 Xbox live tournaments.

Registered players will race against each other in a knockout-style heat on the tournament's first day. Day one winners will then proceed to battle head-to-head against each other on day two. Whoever plays his cards right in the Project Gotham Racing 3 racetracks takes home the Nitro Racing Wheel.

This month, Pro-G will also offer its readers an exclusive driving guide written by 2005 Forza Motorsport Champion Adam Plum. To be released this week, the guide will cover the best methods for attaining the fastest lap time and a comprehensive explanation of how to approach different types of corners coupled with illustrations.

To sign-up for the tournament and to know more info, just click the 'Read' button below.

The Joytech 9200 Digital LCD Monitor for the Xbox 360 that came out a few months ago is now available in Europe according to their press release. Some of the features include High Resolution Digital 9.2 inch LCD colour screen with a wide 160-degree viewing angle for a clear picture in any seated position, SRS 3D surround sound, integrated twin modular stereo speakers, two stereo headphone outputs and a Multi Digital OSD menu. When the LCD screen hit stateside it was heavily criticized for the resolution only being at 800x480 so we'll have to see how it ends up doing in Europe. The 9200 LCD Monitor is available now for a suggested retail price of £149.99.