new(e)gear

The fourth edition of the video game “Grand Theft Auto” goes on sale today and will likely break sales records.

GTA 4 is just what gamers love about it — loud violent and racy. Many whom will take the day off just to get their hands on the game. It is estimated that Grand Theft Auto IV will sell around 6 million copies and make about $400 million in sales worldwide. That’s just in it’s first week on sale! some say GTA 4 will break the record held by the current all-time sales champion, Halo 3.

One of the biggest reasons for the expected sales record is that GTA 4 is able to be played on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 as well as Sony’s PlayStation 3.

GTA 4 has a “Mature” rating, meaning it is intended for users 17 years old or older. The game’s label warns of blood, intense violence, partial nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of alcohol, and use of drugs.

That mature rating, however, stopped parents groups from blasting Grand Theft Auto and its creator, Rockstar Games.

Grand Theft Auto 4 is so controversial that ads for GTA 4 have been removed from buses and trains in Chicago.

Where to buy: Amazon.com — Buy Grand Theft Auto IV Now!

Sony on Thursday said the next firmware update for the PlayStation 3 video-game console will add Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0. The update is due out late this month. Known as BD-Live, the update will offer PS3 players interactive features, such as downloadable video content, ringtones and games. Beyond BD-Live, the update will make room for photo and music playlists on PS3 to be copied to a PSP handheld device. It’s all part of Sony’s attempts to evolve the PS3 as a home entertainment hub.

As suspected, Microsoft mentioned this morning that they will lower the price of the high-definition DVD player for its Xbox 360 console. Microsoft said they will reduce the console from $199 to $179, plus add five free movies to anyone who purchases the machine in August or September.

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From the looks of my last few posts, you would have thought this was an iPhone blogging site. Sorry about that folks. Let’s get back into the groove with another subject shall we?

For those of us smart people who have stuck it out and waited for a price drop, this is our time to shine! Sony is dropping it’s price of it’s current 60 GB PlayStation 3 by $100 in the U.S.

PS3 still costs twice as much as the Nintendo Wii console which is around $250 at the current time.

To throw salt in the wounds of Sony, Microsoft is expected to respond by cutting for the first time, the price of the Xbox 360.

Sony is introducing a new version of the PS3 featuring an 80-gigabyte hard drive and a copy of “Motorstorm,” an off-road racing game that has already sold over a million copies. The new model will sell for $600 and is aimed at gamers who expect to download a lot of games and other content from Sony’s online network.

The Xbox 360 Elite is the premier Xbox 360 console package that includes a massive 120GB hard drive, a HDMI port, and high definition cable, all wrapped up with a premium black finish. And it is now available! Xbox 360 Elite also includes a black wireless controller and black Xbox LIVE headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a whole library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows, movies, music, and all the other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

This is Microsoft’s high-end version of its video game console. The Xbox 360 Elite will retail for $479. Although the price tag is about $80 more than the Pro version of the Xbox 360, it is still slightly less expensive than the lower-end model of Sony’s PlayStation 3 (PS3). Both are substantially more than Nintendo’s popular Wii.