Here's an interesting new homebrew app from developer Maximus32. Contrary to the initial idea its name gives, Bricks-OS is an operating system for several platforms and allows them to share resources. More details after the link.

Download: Bricks-OS v0.0.3 (PSP)
Download: Bricks-OS v0.0.3 (DS)
Download: Bricks-OS v0.0.3 (Wii)

The Media Create Japan hardware sales are in and it looks like another victory for Nintendo's dynamic duo: The Wii and DS. However, don't count out yet Sony's consoles and Microsoft's because they had a pretty solid showing for their platforms as well.

Want to know more? Check out the full article which lists the exact number of each consoles sold.

In case you've been wondering where this year's Midnight Gaming Championship is expected to take place, we've got news.

The event's official site has just sent out a press wire announcing that the MGC 2007 is expected to take place this September 8, in the cities of San Francisco, and Columbus (Ohio). The MGC is expected to end on September 15, in the cities of Denver and Cleveland.

These select cities come as a result of the MGC's previous online votes, with gamers asked where they wanted this year's MGC to go. This year's competition is expected to feature these five games:

• Super Smash Bros. Melee (Nintendo; GameCube)
• NBA 2K7 (2K Sports; PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Xbox)
• Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW2) (Ubisoft; PSP, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mobile)
• GTR2 FIA GT Racing Game (Viva Media; PC)
• Fast and the Furious: Fugitive (I-play; Mobile)
  

Video Gamers League president Jeff Gross had this to say regarding the upcoming event:

We wanted to give gamers a chance to bring the MGC tournament to cities that normally may not get a video game tournament. The race was really close at the end, with the top six cities coming down to the wire.

Winners of these series of tournaments stand to win a round-trip ticket and one-night hotel stay in Dallas, where the championship takes place this October 6. take note that the cities we listed earlier are just the first batch - drop by again as the list gets updated with more venues. Or, if you're keen on casting your vote, drop by the MGC official site for details (the read link).

We've heard it so many times from the big three: today's consoles and handhelds are more than just gaming devices. Many of us realize this, but more are simply unaware of what their machines can do outside playing games. Research group NPD found "significant gaps between owners aware of functional features extending beyond video game play and those who are unaware of these features."

Online play is almost where the premiere experience of some games are at, but other features of consoles are left untouched. There are plenty of PS3 users that avail of downloadable content, but most owners and those planning to be have no idea that the machine offers DLC.

A good number of PS3 owners and likely purchasers - 71% of them - are hungry for backwards compatibility. The funny thing is, only 37% from the same group know that previous PlayStation console games are playable on Sony's latest.

It's almost impossible not to know about Wii's motion sensing capabilities (people buy it for that, after all), but some features of Ninty's magic wand are still alien to most users. A lot want their Wii online, but have no idea it's possible. Same can be said for playing GameCube games.

We all love the PSP, but some people don't know its magic aside from games. Among those that currently own Sony's handheld and those planning to get one, only 52% know that it can be used for playing movies and videos. Some 49% are aware that they can play music, and 43% know they can view photos.

The Stylus screams "touch screen," but only 57% of owners and likely buyers know about the DS's nifty function. Only 53% know of the dual-screens, while 49% will be surprised if you told them about poking Ninty's handheld with the Stylus.

Other features of modern day systems are yet to be uncovered by some, such as connectivity of handhelds to consoles or playing online. More DS owners actually use WiFi than PSP owners, and more 360s are online than PS3s. Quoting NPD analyst Anita Frazier, "manufacturers still need to be primarily concerned with the quality and entertainment value of the games themselves."

Over at online forums site PS3Forums, user sqrtlsqd7 claims that a recent PlayStation Underground survey is hinting at a possible new connectivity between Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. Among the many questions found on the said survey, the following are the most interesting ones:

• Use the device to complete side missions for console games (unlockables, etc.)
• Transfer media (music/pictures/videos) wirelessly from the console to the device (broadcast television, new levels for games)
• Use the device while playing the console game as an additional weapon/utility to help the gameplay (2nd player option, radar for incoming enemies, etc.)
• Record gameplay console video

Those old enough to remember know that a similar move was done by Nintendo with the GameCube (GC) and GameBoy Advance (GBA) consoles - especially with the Fire Emblem franchise - so these things are really possible.

It should also be remembered that a member of the homebrew community recently unearthed a hidden code in FW 3.50 referring to a video and audio output functionality to the PSP. Until such time that Sony gives an official statement, we're taking this one with a grain of salt.

For those who have been out fo the gaming loop, here's the story for the past few months. The Nintendo DS has been selling like hot cakes, the Wii has always been pulling second place, and Nintendo's shoveling greenbacks off their lawn. Media Create's sales charts from May 21 to 27 show exactly the same scenario.

The DS Lite's sales are up by 14.61% raking in an amazing 127,467 units sold. The Wii is also up by a good 12.36% selling 58,644 units. The PSP is pulling in at a decent 26,097 despite sales being down by 5.12% since the last check. Things to note include the PS2 outselling the PS3 with both of the sales climbing for each of them.

Console Sales in Japan 21-27:

• DS Lite: 127,461
• Wii: 58,644
• PSP: 26,097
• PS2: 11,311
• PS3: 9,627
• Xbox 360: 2,044
• Game Boy Micro: 407
• GBA SP: 288
• Gamecube: 256
• DS Phat: 81
• GBA: 17

Most of the previous charts have shown this to be the trend. How long it will last is still unsure, still Nintendo doesn't look like it's going to be slowing down any time soon. Be sure to keep checking back for more industry news updates here on QJ.

 

France-based publishing giant Ubisoft has just announced that Surf's Up (for the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, NDS, PSP, PS2, GameCube, GBA and PC) has been shipped to stores today. The game, based on Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations' upcoming animated film of the same title, will allow gamers to become surf legends just like Cody Maverick.

Surf's Up has been rated E10+ by the ESRB and should be available at a US$ 49.99 price tag for copies on the next-gen consoles, a US$ 39.99 price tag on the Sony PS2, PSP and GameCube, a US$ 29.99 for the DS and the Game Boy Advance, and a lowly US$ 19.99 for the PC.

Surf's Up will introduce gamers to the competitive sport of extreme surfing, packed with arcade goodness as only this game can. The game will also bring the player to various surf locales in the island of Pen Gu, where our penguin hero begins his adventure toward being a world-class surfer.

The game will be officially available on June 8, 2007 for North America, starting August 2007 for gamers in Europe (August 10, 2007 for the UK), and starting June 2007 for gamers in the Asia Pacific region (although Australia will get it on September 13, 2007).

Publisher THQ is very happy to announce that the video game title Cars has been made a discount title across almost all platforms. This means that the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions have been added to the "Greatest Hits" basket while the Xbox360 version can now found in the "Platinum Hits" basket.

If you really want to know, even the GameCube (GC) version is now a part of "Player's Choice" retail program.

THQ decided to come up with a sequel called Cars Mater-National for the 360, Wii and PlayStation 3 platforms. Disney Interactive Studios Exec. VP and GM Graham Hopper commented:

We are excited by the tremendous success the Cars franchise has achieved across the world on multiple video game platforms. Our successful and long-standing relationship with THQ has delivered a strong portfolio of Disney/Pixar titles that have become family favorites for gamers of all ages.

The original Cars is now available across all platforms at a suggested retail price of US$ 19.99. On the other hand, the new title Cars Mater-National is expected to careen around retail stores this fall. It will also be available on PS2, Nintendo DS, and GBA platforms.

The NPD group has finally released their much-awaited videogame hardware sales data that's been the subject of much speculation these days, and the results are indeed telling. We're here to sift through all the numbers and figures to give you the skinny on who's leading and who's lagging.

At the head of the pack is Nintendo's Dual Screen handheld, reaching 471,000 units sold in April. Following closely behind is yet another Ninty machine of videogame happiness, the Nintendo Wii, with 360,000 units purchased. Well, what do you know, ol' Pachter was actually right on the money!

From the leaders, we move on to the rest. Despite the prevalent next-gen fever, the Sony PlayStation 2's actually doing pretty well, with 194,000 units sold. The Playstation Portable also did quite well, with 182,000 units - just a smidge in front of Microsoft's Xbox360, who came away with 174,000 purchased.

Finally, we come to the tail-end of the race - and disappointingly, it's Sony's PlayStation 3, coming up with a mere 82,000 units going home to their new owners. It's to note that the figures for Sony's console were much, much less than all analyst estimates, and that's saying something. Come on, PS3! Catch up! We know you can!

As for software, Nintendo's still burning rubber - having released the top four best-selling releases this month with Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl for the DS, and Super Paper Mario and Wii Play for the Wii. Honorable mentions include Guitar Hero II, Spider-Man 3, and God of War II.

For your reading pleasure, here are the sales figures in full:

• Nintendo DS: 471,000
• Wii: 360,000
• PlayStation 2: 194,000
• PlayStation Portable: 183,000
• Xbox 360: 174,000
• GameBoy Advance: 84,000
• PlayStation 3: 82,000
• GameCube: 13,000

Well, what do you think? From the figures, it's obvious Sony has a lot of catching up to do. But let's not forget that these are all figures from April - who knows how things could turn out in the following months? We'll keep you posted, so keep it locked right here for any and all updates!

Video game retail outlet GAME seems to be gearing up for a big buyout of Activision's game adaptation of the "Spiderman 3" movie as their recent press release confirms that they're "expecting a huge demand for [the] game" and will be providing copies for all of their 400+ stores region-wide.

They will also be making limited stock of the Spider-Man 3: Collector's Edition for the PlayStation 3 available to interested gamers who want to also play as the New Goblin.

The special edition has been announced to be only exclusively available at GAME for Europe, but there is no official word to confirm it as yet.

The first and second game adaptations of Spider-Man have jointly sold an excess of 1.6 million and some analysts believe that Spider-Man 3 (for the PC, Xbox 360, DS, GameCube, PS2, PSP and Wii) will probably do just as well as both games did, if not better.

GAME pre-release data has revealed that 74% of the pre-orders for the game have been made through their GAME Reward Card, and that the pre-orders came from males aged 20-24 years old. The game is slated for a worldwide release on Friday, May 4, 2007, coinciding with the world premiere of the highly-anticipated movie itself. No word on the PSP version's release date yet.