Major Nelson's latest podcast has some good news for Xbox 360 gamers. A new update scheduled for later this year will increase the dashboard's speed as well as introduce new features.

And the crackdown is far from over. After resetting the Gamerscores to a full, round zero of Gears of War 2 Achievements cheaters, Stephen Toulouse is adding that Microsoft will be naming and shaming the offenders with Xbox 360 Gamercards.

If you happen to live in LA, live near there, or just happen to be there on June 4th, then you might be interested in this contest from Capcom Unity. They're inviting an unspecified amount of lucky folks to an E3 Unity party on the said day, where you get to enjoy all good things Capcom first-hand. Hit the link to find out how.

No, Epic's not making a game about chairs. The "Chair" in the title refers to Chair Entertainment Group, a Utah-based developer that Epic acquired last year. They're the ones responsible for the XBLA game Undertow. Chair's currently working on "very, very cool" product which, according to Cliff Bleszinski, will be announced soon.

It's official. Ziff Davis has sold 1UP to UGO Entertainment and has closed EGM. This was confirmed by no less than an official press release from both camps earlier today. The axe has fallen, and it's fallen hard. GameVideos.com and others take the hit as well. Full details right after the jump.

Kratos on SoulCalibur IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)? Well isn't that a very pretty prospect! Unfortunately, the welcomed rumor has been shot down in 1Up's podcast. No Kratos, after all. To know more, head on at full article.

Aaron Greenberg of the Xbox 360 team lampooned Sony earlier this month, saying how slow they are in delivering their products. He isn't through yet though. In the latest Major Nelson podcast, he states that Sony has "a history of over-promising and under-delivering." Ouch. More in the full article.

Remember that rather extensive list of updates for the Xbox 360's Spring update? Microsoft denied ever seeing this "leaked" list, but some of you may not have been willing to accept this point blank. If you need some further convincing that the list is indeed fake, perhaps you can take Major Nelson's word for it. More in the full article.

Clamoring for more guitar legends in Guitar Hero? Well, Ted "Motor City Madman" Nugent has just confirmed during a podcast interview that he will be involved in a future installment of the Guitar Hero franchise.

Following his predictions that the Sony PlayStation 3 will outsell the Xbox 360 this March, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter is back to lend more insights to Microsoft. Appearing in a podcast for the Official Xbox Magazine, Pachter said that Microsoft should not worry about claiming the top spot in the next-gen console wars. More details after the jump.