Video game bragging rights reach Facebook as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 integrate social network

July 22nd, 2009 Social network for gamers helps friends playNEW YORK — Raptr, a social network targeting gamers, is hoping to make it easier to see what your friends are currently playing on a broad range of platforms such as the Xbox 360 and personal computers. And if you want, you can join them in the action.

September 13th, 2009 LONDON - Two researchers at University of Birmingham, UK claim to have found the key to designing a hit video game. According to Russell Beale and Matthew Bond, it may just be a matter of social interactions and avoiding bad pricing.

June 1st, 2009 Spielberg unveils motion control for Xbox 360LOS ANGELES — Gamers, get ready for your close-up. Steven Spielberg was on hand to introduce a prototype camera Monday that can be used as a controller for the Xbox 360.

August 4th, 2009 OC man charged with modifying video game consolesLOS ANGELES — A Southern California college student has been arrested on federal charges that he illegally modified video game consoles to enable the machines to play pirated video games. The U.S. Attorney's Office says 27-year-old Matthew Crippen was released Monday night after posting $5,000 bond.

September 15th, 2009 Xbox exec Shane Kim to retire after 19 yearsNEW YORK — Shane Kim, the Microsoft Corp. executive who oversaw the growth of its video game business from the original Xbox and through such hits as "Halo" and "Gears of War," is retiring after 19 years with the software maker.

September 14th, 2009 Startup lets you play console video games remotelySAN FRANCISCO — As any a video game aficionado knows, it's easy to pop a game into your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 and spend hours working your way from one level to the next. Without the hefty console, though, you're out of luck if you want to keep blasting those aliens while away from home.

August 27th, 2009 Microsoft cutting price of high-end Xbox 360NEW YORK — Microsoft Corp. is slashing the price of the high-end Xbox 360 console by $100, matching Sony's $100 price cut for the PlayStation 3 last week.

August 18th, 2009 Sony cuts price of PlayStation 3 by $100NEW YORK — After months of rumors and anticipation, Sony says it's slashing the price of the PlayStation 3 by $100 to $299. Sony Corp. said Tuesday it will cut the price of the currently available 80 gigabyte PlayStation 3 effective immediately.

November 10th, 2009 Its time for Call of Duty fans to rejoice because a new version of the game : Modern Warfare 2 is going to hit store shelves today. At least a dozen major retailers, including GameStop and Best Buy, participated in more than 10,000 special midnight store openings throughout North America.

September 10th, 2009 Nirvana members dismayed by 'Guitar Hero 5'LOS ANGELES — Kurt Cobain's appearance in the latest "Guitar Hero" video game is not hitting the right notes with the surviving members of Nirvana. Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl said in a joint statement Thursday that they were "dismayed and very disappointed" that an avatar of the late Nirvana frontman could be used to play songs by other artists.

April 8th, 2009 LONDON - A video game based on one of the bloodiest battles during the Iraq conflict has been branded 'crass and insensitive' by those affected by the fighting. Six Days In Fallujah, published by Japanese games giant Konami, was developed in collaboration with a handful of Iraq veteran US Marines It is described as a 'survival horror' title for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles.

May 29th, 2009 Microsoft's latest sales number for the game console now officially top 30 million worldwide which means the sales amount to be a whopping $14.5 billion across all Xbox 360 categories. The Xbox LIVE has seen a 136% increase in new members making a total of 20 million active members after the launch of New Xbox Experience last year.

August 17th, 2009 Sector Snap: Video games take a hitNEW YORK — Shares of video game companies took a hit Monday, even as rumors mounted about a looming price cut for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3. The shares dropped just a few days after market researcher NPD Group reported a sharp drop in video game retail sales for the month of July.

March 30th, 2009 Both PS3 and Xbox 360 come from two major brand names who are indisputable leaders in their own fields. Deciding and choosing one of them over another would be a biased act if you don't know about your need and as both of them has their pros and cons.

June 5th, 2009 The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3 - the world's largest convention for video games - has ended this Thursday with a total of 40,000 attendees compared to about 5,000 over the past two years. We have to wait till June 15th to 17th, 2010 for the next E3 to be held at Los Angeles Convention Center.