A couple weeks ago, John posted that Netflix would be available on the Playstation 3 sometime in November. The only drawback was that PS3 owners would have to place a request to get a free disc that would launch and operate the Netflix streaming, most likely due to the Microsoft agreement with Netflix being on their Xbox 360 dashboard.

Well, I had requested my free disc that same day (10/26), and today I received an e-mail from Netflix that my Instant Streaming Disc will be here tomorrow. So I will get a chance to play with it and compare this service to that of the Xbox 360 for the same streamed movie. Meanwhile, check out the e-mail that I received:

Last year GamingNexus was the first to get a crack at the Polk Audio Instant Home Theater, an audio product that was geared toward gamers, and we were very impressed. This year, Polk is once again targeting gamers with their new HitMaster speaker. The HitMaster resembles the speaker that is seen at the feet of guitarists on stage during concerts. What makes it unique is the component design (2 horns and 2 tweeters surrounding a single 6.5” driver) that has a 60 Watts of RMS power. This should allow for a much improved sound performance over traditional TV speakers without paying an excessive amount to piece together a home theater system. Coupled with Polk Audio quality, this may be a must have for all serious gamers and especially hardcore Band Game players.

While the HitMaster is due out sometime early in 2010 at and MSRP of $99.99 per speaker, but we hope to get a sneak peak at it at CES in January. [READ MORE]

Long known for top quality video products, Mitsubishi will be introducing two more home theater projectors to their product lineup at CEDIA 2009 in Atlanta today. The DLP based HC3800 and the LCD based HC6800 (Diamond Series) will be on display in Booth 2701 at CEDIA 2009 from September 10-13, 2009. The HC3800 continues Mitsubishi's tradition of offering a low-cost, high-quality portable DLP projector for everyday consumer use including HD television and gaming. The HC6800 is a new Diamond series projector that is designed more for the dedicated Home Theater room in the house.

The HC3800 is expected to have an MSRP around $1500 and be available sometime in 3rd quarter 2009 at online retailers and authorized Mitsubishi dealers. The HC6800 did not have a price mentioned, but it will also be available later this month via Mitsubishi authorized dealers and also at Best Buy's Magnolia stores.

I'm excited to get a look at the HC3800 especially, because at this price point and capabilities (DLP, 1080p, etc), it could very well be the optimal gaming projector. Check back tomorrow as we will have a review of the Mitsubishi HC5500 projector, which is the direct descendant of the HC4900 we reviewed last year. [READ MORE]

Yup, Gaming Nexus is looking for some writers. If you're interested in dabbling in the industry a little more, we're now looking for a few good people. Responsibilities are posting news and doing reviews. We are looking for people who can do an average of 2-4 news items per weekday and reviewing games for the systems you have. If you are interested please email Chuck or myself for the details. This is a voluntary position so no pay but you get free games and other opportunities. We have two positions open and if you have examples please send them as well. Also, please let us know which systems you can review for and what you are interested in and you have to live in the United States in order to be considered.

Back in late May, Microsoft announced plans for their latest iPod killer with the Zune HD. Admittedly, it looks like it may have the goods to take at least a chunk out of Apple’s skin with the use of the Nvidia Tegra Chip, HD video output (albeit 720p) and integrated HD radio tuner. The only thing missing in the announcement was the price point and release date.

Today Microsoft opened up the Zune HD for pre-orders at the official site and anyone that anticipated/hoped/prayed that the Zune HD prices would come in lower than the comparable iPod Touches should be thrilled. The 16GB model has an MSRP of $219.99 and the 32GB model comes in at $289.99, well below iPod Touches with similar memory. Currently, pre-orders can only be taken at Microsoft.com and Amazon, but Best Buy and Wal-Mart are also on the list.

If you want to pick a unit up on launch date, you will need to wait until September 15th ad head to a Best Buy or Wal-Mart, or purchase online at Amazon.com.

Logitech today unveiled the new Harmony 900 designed to give you control over components via RF as well as IR. The remote looks very similiar to the Harmony One that I reviewed a while ago but with the addition of an IR blaster that sends signals to these mini blasters. These mini blasters can be placed in front of you components inside of your entertainment center and transmit IR signals received wirelessly through RF. Logitech has designed a new RF system that's suppose to make setup simpler. As with all the other Harmony remotes, you can program this though a web interface and have it up and running in very little time. The Harmony One's still my favorite so far and with the addition of RF, this looks like one hell of a control system. [READ MORE]

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced today that CES 2010 will have keynotes delivered by both Steve Ballmer of Microsoft and Paul Otellini of Intel. Ballmer will kick off the show on Wednesday evening and Otellini will deliver on Thursday afternoon. The Ballmer one should be interesting, as Microsoft always spends at least a few minutes covering their Xbox platform, Live and related gaming topics. This includes Bill Gates farewell keynote in 2008 where Slash came out on stage to play GH III for Bill against a fan.

I fully expect the Microsoft team to give us a big dose of Natal at the show, with the outside chance of a future Xbox console or handheld being announced. Last year, the big gaming topic was Kodu, which we had a private demo of later in the week. As usual, the GN staff will be at CES in full force, so you can expect a lot of coverage from us this year. [READ MORE]

Klipsch announced today their latest in ear headset called the S4i, which is designed specifically for the iPhone, iPod touch and several other iPod models. In addition to the Klipsch sound and comfort seen in recent earbuds, the S4i will include a three-button microphone (uniquely found in the yoke of the cord) as well as fully support the Apple VoiceOver feature (allows you to hear name, artist and song title. This is a product I am excited about, as it is one of the first third party earbud/microphone combos to hit the market for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The S4i will be available for $99.99 in August at Klipsch.com, Apple, InMotion and Amazon. [READ MORE]

Here's a recording of Phantom EFX president Aaron Shurman presenting an overview and a short clip of the first level or so of Darkest of Days.  Unfortunately another media outlet was running late to the presentation and disrupted the presentation enough that the rest of the video is unusable. 


One of the interesting things about the game is the concept that you can't kill everyone in the game as certain people have to survive to keep the timeline intact.  This means that in some battles you really have to watch your fire while in other battles (like the one that takes place in Pompeii when Vesuvius erupts) you can pretty much mow down anyone and everyone without worrying too much about the timeline.

Finally seeing the game in action did help sell the concept a bit more as the game really isn't just another first person shooter.  The time travel elements are pretty slick and some of the future weaponry is well thought out.  My personal favorite (and it's in the footage that got cut) is a weapon where you fire several rockets into the air and then target where you want them to land.  It's a pretty devastating weapon and very helpful when you have to take out large groups of people.  

The code I saw in the booth was fairly slick and handled a ton of action on screen without dropping any frames.  It's not quite at the level of something like Far Cry 2 or Crysis but it was convincing enough and they still have some spit and polish to put on the game.   That said the game's plot line and execution are looking solid and I think Darkest of Days has the potential to surprise a lot of people when it hits shelves.

For the last three years or EA's hockey games have been the best sports games on the market. That's not the best hockey game but rather the best sports game period. As the top dog in the industry the folks at EA could afford to take a year off but after seeing the short presentation at E3 I think they are going to continue to build on their existing success.

The big focus for NHL 10 this year is on "emotion and intensity" so the focus is going to be on the physical side of the game. To wit board play has now been improved so you can pin a player on the board and then attempt to kick the puck lose with your skates or knock it out with a stick. This isn't a solo exercise as your teammates will come in to help get the puck away rather than just sitting their like a D-level beer league player.

The emotion and intensity comes into play as they are starting to bring some of the unwritten hockey code into the game. Take a shot on the goalie after the whistle has blown and you're going to have to answer for it. The same thing with head hunting a star player as these actions will now lead to realistic consequences. I asked if we would see incidents along the benches (something that happens a lot in the NHL that doesn't make it onto TV) and we were told that that will make it's way into the game as well as a lot of other post-whistle activities.

The other big addition for this year's game is the new first person fighting mode. When a fight starts you are pulled into the view of your player and as you take hits your vision starts to blur. While you're in the mode you're getting a decent fighting engine and something that's a little more fleshed out. The game even takes in the tendencies of a player to fight as producer DavidLittman was unable to get Sidney Crosby into a fight and instead had other players do his fighting for him (just like real life).

What's important about fighting in the game (as well as in the NHL) is that your team gets an energy boost when you drop the gloves at the right time. Casual hockey fans may not believe this but there is a wrong and a right time to start a fight. When you're down 2-1 in a tight game, it's not a good idea. However when you're down by two goals and the other team is starting to pull away, a fight can inspire your team to turn the game around.

NHL 10 will get a host of other tweaks and new moves. You'll now have more realistic fake shots and better passing. The game is using some of the Madden passing code so you can pass to an area rather than to a specific player which makes passing off the boards and leading a player down the ice all the easier.

As a NHL fan and rec league hockey player it's nice to see the small elements of the game making it's way into the digital representation of the game and so far it looks like EA's NHL game is going to continue it's reign as the number one sports game.

If you've watched the interview I did with Russ Brown you know that we've already covered the Trion MMO server technology. The company is currently working on three titles with the technology including a RTS MMO with Petroglyph, a sci-fi MMO with the Sci-Fi channel (tied to an upcoming show if the rumor mill is correct), and Heroes of Telara a new fantasy MMO.

I saved Heroes of Telara for last as most gamers start to glaze over when the see the words "Fantasy MMO". Does the world really need another MMO with elves, dragons, and orcs? While that's debatable the folks behind Heroes of Telara are actually bringing a few new things to the table.

The first is that the game is really built around heroic moments. These events are random and give you the opportunity to do something that has a lasting impact on the game world. If you complete one of these events (like saving a burning town, defeating a dragon) the NPC's in the game will remember them and bring them up as you play through the game.

The game also has an interesting class/sub-class system that will allow you to instantly switch between classes. So lets say you want to play a warrior as your main class but you're in a party that needs a healer, the game will allow you to instantly switch to that class without having to log out and back into the server. The other class has it's own level and skills but it's a nice time saver and allows you to have alts built right into the game.

The game does look good with a "stylized photo realistic" (their words) look to them. The game does feature some impressive draw distance as you were able to see from one zone into another. It will be interesting to see how Heroes of Telara does when it's eventually released as they've got some impressive tech and a few good ideas behind them but they are another Fantasy MMO in a world crowded with them.

If there was an award for most improved game since last E3 it would have to go to Borderlands. Last year we sat though a fairly painful demo from Gearbox that really didn’t go into a lot of detail about the game and for the most part felt like just another generic FPS game with some RPG elements and an interesting weapons system.

This year though, the game shined. The new art style is the main reason for this but because it was the time I got a feeling for the personality of the game. Under all the cell shaded graphics and RPG elements is a game that’s bursting with personality. During the demo last year we saw a lot of banter between the devs on the team who were trying to be funny and engaging (tough to do on the third day of a show) but the game didn't really match their presentation style. What I saw this year finally matched what the folks at Gearbox were trying to do.

An example of this is the monsters in the game. You can have a ton of variants of one particular critter. You could run across one that shoots electricity, one that shoots fire, and one that just sits there but high end monsters of a type are all labeled "Bad ass". I know it's a little silly but it really sets the game apart. The monsters in the game are a bit like the weapons in that they are randomly generated (ensuring a wide variety of them) and you never know what you'll get when you enter an area.

Of course with all of these weapons you'll need someplace to store them. Borderlands has three types of storage, your personal body, a backpack, and a safe. You can carry up to four weapons on your person, three items in your backpack, and a ton of weapons (their term) in the safe. The backpack capacity is still being worked out but as you progress through the game you can expand that. If you run out of room (which is entirely possible given the volume of weapons in the game) the game will automatically drop whichever weapon it deems the weakest).

The game is still a shooter first and features four player co-op where you and three of your friends can explore the huge world of Pandora together. There are a ton of main and sidemission in the game so it's not like you'll be hurting for things to do. We saw a short walk through of the game and I have to saw that I was fairly impressed with what I saw. I'm a huge fan of big co-op games and I can see John and I having a lot of fun playing the game.

The Gearbox folk did confirm that Borderlands will be getting DLC at some point after it's October 9th release date so I get the feeling we'll be talking about Borderlands a lot after it's released on October 9th.

I’m going to do something about E3 I’ve never done before: not talk about any games I saw. Instead, I’m going to talk about my experience this year with the third format change in three years. Now I’ve been through many E3’s since 1994 only missing two in that time so I’ve seen how the show has grown, shrunk, and start to grow again.

This year I asked with most of the people I’ve met what they thought of the format. Those that were showing the past few years talked about how lifeless it was and how “depressing” the show became. Unanimously, every PR person and the fellow journalists I talked to talked about how much they enjoyed this year’s E3. Most said it felt like the energy and excitement was back. All the journalists I asked said it was great in that it wasn’t too big and it wasn’t dead like last year. We all were able to get our work done and not have to fight through large crowds. Sure there were more public attendees this year but at no time did I feel I was burdened by them like previous years.

I made sure to pay attention of many of the faces in the crowd as well as the ones I’ve met in the past who have come back. You could see how much more they enjoyed the show based on the expressions on their faces and their enthusiasm at the booths. I overheard many conversations on how they really liked this year.

Yes, there weren’t that huge swell of people waiting to get into the show floors and the booths weren’t as overpower as previous years but that’s a good thing. You still had some large booths though such as Activision, Sony, Nintendo, and EA but nothing like compared to previous years. It was still a little hard to talk to on the show floor sometimes but for the most part the show did a good job of not overwhelming you with sound.

I really, really liked this year’s E3. I hope that the show doesn’t grow too much. I can see a few more areas being opened up to accommodate some more vendors as a there were a few areas that were closed off in the main halls. But, I liked being able to walk around without having to find alternate paths through large crowds, being able to pick up food without having to wait 30 minutes in line, and to be able to walk up to most things and get to play with it hands on without having to wait another 10 minutes to do so. It was fun and carefree without feeling stressful like in years past.

So this year’s E3 was a return of sorts to the old ways but in a more subtle fashion. With that everyone seemed pretty happy with the result. Now a part of that could be people comparing to last year’s show where not as many enjoyed the format but since I didn’t go last year I don’t have anything to compare that to. For me, it was the perfect balance of sizes in booth and population. Let’s hope they keep it this way for next year as with what I experienced, I’m finally excited about going to the next show.

Here's all our E3 2009 coverage.