Microsoft has bought video discovery service Videosurf to “evolve search and discovery of entertainment content” on Xbox 360. The press release sent out by Microsoft this morning in the US confirms the company will be integrated into Xbox 360 “ecosystem” in some form, noting that it’ll “evolve search and discovery of entertainment content” via Xbox Live. “This holiday we will launch voice search across our entertainment partners on Xbox Live. Over time, as we integrate VideoSurf’s technology into our system, we are excited about the potential to have content tagged in real time to increase the speed and relevance of the search results,” said Xbox Live director, Alex Gar

Back the day when we were thankful to play whatever Japanese RPGs we were given, we looked wistfully at all the huge titles that never came to the US, including Final Fantasy V. English-speaking players couldn’t officially familiarize themselves with the game until it was released on the PlayStation, but by then it looked fairly dated compared to games like Final Fantasy VIII and Parasite Eve. Few bothered to play it, which is a real shame, and it’s a mistake you can now rectify should you download the game off PSN starting today. Above: The main reason why this one ruled Though it’s graphics aren’t as good as FFVI, and the story is one of the weaker ones in Final Fantasy

Microsoft is preparing to release Avatar Kinect next week. Avatar Kinect will be released as part of the company’s Xbox Kinect Fun Labs product. Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie revealed on Monday that the company plans to issue Avatar Kinect next week: Company insiders familiar with Microsoft’s plans revealed to WinRumors that the software maker is planning to release Avatar Kinect on July 27. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer originally introduced Avatar Kinect using his own Xbox LIVE avatar at CES earlier this year. Avatar Kinect is a unique way for Kinect users to interact with each other. Kinect supports facial tracking and even facial expressions that will

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion announced Tuesday it has purchased Scoreloop, a Germany-based company which makes a toolkit for developers to add social features to mobile games. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “We look forward to working with the team at Scoreloop to provide tools that will further enable our developer community to take gaming to a new level of social integration on the BlackBerry platform,” RIM said in a statement. Scoreloop chief executive Marc Gumpinger said the Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM has the “ambition to build the best platform for mobile games. So we’ve joined forces to help make this a reality.” Sc

A new Tomb Raider trailer has surfaced, the game is supposed to be released this year and details Lara’s adventure on an unknown island after she gets shipwrecked in a storm at sea the trailer looks absolutely amazing and is definitely worth watching in 1080p. The one thing I really hate is no Tomb Raider game has a proper story line each new Tomb Raider game ALWAYS brings a new story to Lara, she never has a fixed character or a background story. Other wise the Tomb Raider series is the perfect series for people who love adventure games but if TR were more like Uncharted and had a good story which moved on from one game to the other THEN this would definitely be a better franc

The latest Transformers game asks a very serious question: What happens when one group of giant robots gets super-angry at another group of giant robots, and they start fighting each other all over the world? It’s a question you can let the game answer for you in the story mode, but if you’d rather take things into your own hands, you can answer that question for yourself in this third-person shooter’s competitive multiplayer mode. Dark of the Moon’s multiplayer is going to be familiar to anyone who played the most recent Transformers game, War for Cybertron. There’s a leveling-up system, unlockable abilities, and a fair amount of customization as

There’s a good chance I’ll never hurtle down the backroads of Finland at more than 100 mph in a BMW Z4. To be honest, I’d be terrified to cross into triple digits on roads so narrow. But to be able to experience such a feat in a safe environment is divine. Dirt 3 delivers this power, reminding rally nuts what a fun ride this series is. The driving in Dirt 3 feels tight and responsive, and the six tuning options return to balance out any terrain type. Driving through Finland, Michigan, Norway, LA, Kenya, and Monaco feels superb. Cars respond effectively to the slightest control touches and the need for tight braking stands out. Every slide from gravel onto tarmac o

Development is already underway on Sony’s next home console, according to the company, though it won’t repeat the ambitious and expensive PS3 development process that kept its division in the red for so long. Speaking to investors Thursday following the announcement that its PlayStation division posted a profit in the previous fiscal year, Sony Corporation executive vice president and CFO Masaru Kato revealed that part of its projected R&D cost in the coming year will be used for the next PlayStation home console. “The PS3 still has product life, but this is a platform business,” he said. “So for the future [of the] platform, when will we introduce

Sony Ericsson’s first PlayStation certified phone, the Xperia PLAY, can now be pre-ordered from Verizon Wireless for $199.99. The Xperia PLAY runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon II processor. It also has a 4-inch display, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and a VGA forward facing camera for video chats. When you’re ready for action, just slide-out out the full PSP-style gamer pad and load up one of 7 pre-installed titles. We gave the phone, and Star Battalion, a test run during CTIA and were left impressed with the quality of the controls. The pre-loaded games include Madden NFL 11, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, The Sims 3 ,

Sony has launched a “Welcome Back” customer appreciation program for disgruntled PlayStation Network and Qriocity subscribers who were registered prior to 20 April 2011 and have had to wait for their services to be restored, and it includes free games. In North America, PSN subscribers can choose two free games from a pool of PS3 titles including Dead Nation, InFamous, LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust HD, and WipeOut HD + Fury. PSP owners can choose between LittleBigPlanet (PSP), ModNation Racers, Pursuit Force and Killzone Liberation. All games will be available for 30 days from the reopening of the PlayStation Store and can be kept forever. The UK’s (Europe