I was expecting this.  A few weeks ago I finally took the plunge and bought an Xbox 360.  Of course, it’s only about two weeks later that Microsoft announces the newly upgraded, quieter, slimmer, Xbox 360 with built in WiFi capability that both runs better, doesn’t randomly red-ring-of-death, and needs no $100 wireless networking adapter.  Just great.

Of course, that wasn’t the only announcement from Microsoft.  If you’ve been holding off on picking up that Xbox Live Gold subscription, wait no longer.  Now subscribers will be able to check out streaming content from ESPN.

Oh yeah, a little thing called Project Natal, now known as Kinect, was also debuted in the run up to E3.  It’s the Xbox version of Wii’s motion control system, except with three cameras and no extra controller required.  Apparently, it’s pretty cool (and will soon allow you to act out your Jedi Knight fantasies in a new Star Wars motion controlled game).

Just when you thought it was safe to play video games with a traditional controller, Sony comes along to say, “Not so fast, my friend.”  Given that the Nintendo Wii has sold millions of consoles and made billions of dollars, and given that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is unveiling Kinect after a few years of development, it was only a matter of time before the PlayStation 3 unveiled its own motion-controlling sensor in the form of the PlayStation Move.  Of course, since it’s the PlayStation, they can’t do things easily.

Interestingly, it’s kind of a combination of the Wii’s motion-sensitive control and the Kinect’s video body-mapping technology.  That means, rather than coming in one piece like the Kinect, or coming with the system by default like the Wii, you’ll have to buy the PlayStation Eye miniature camera in order for the system to work.  Also, PlayStation will also eventually require you to buy the Move if you want to continue playing PS3 games.

Oh yeah, they’re also going with 3D gaming.  That’s right, 3D is officially EVERYWHERE now.  Better get used to it.

If you want something to survive, sometimes the only thing you can do is make it free.  That’s the very mathematics that Turbine used to save Dungeons and Dragons Online from extinction.  By making the game free-to-play and offering special content, perks for subscribers, and a-la-carte content for purchase, they’ve turned the game from a veritable wasteland to a veritable wonderland, with formerly deserted servers hopping and the game finally making a bit of money thanks to VIP subscribers and folks paying to unlock goodies.

Turbine is hoping this same magic will work with Lord of the Rings Online, which is set to transition from paid to f2P starting this fall.  I tried the game before the Mines of Moria expansion and found it to be a disappointment and not worth paying for, but if it’s free?  Well, that’s a horse of a different color!

It seems as though only the basic game will be free, and expansions, certain character classes, and certain special weapons will be available for purchase, with Founders and Lifetime Members getting access to perks far beyond those of normal freeps.  If free play and up-front pricing works for Guild Wars (and it does), then I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for a stronger property like LotRO.

It’s really weird to see a AAA title like LotRO go f2P, since it was the 2009 MMO of the Year and has a very strong subscription base.  Then again, the best time to make a move like this is when you’re still in a position of strength and have a devoted core willing to pay for the game (and recruit others who might end up paying for the game).  Now if only World of Warcraft would do this!

One of io9’s 12 awesome science fiction lunch boxes.

Actually, Mario does more than get jazzy with Super Mario Galaxy 2, which came out over the weekend.  Mario actually gets the full orchestral treatment thanks to composer Mahito Yokota and the Mario Galaxy Orchestra.  Even better, the entire OST for Super Mario Galaxy 2 (including the song playing right now, Supermassive Galaxy) is available for streaming at Mahito Yokota’s YouTube channel.

It’s a great soundtrack, and an even better way to get the day moving in the right direction.  Yokota manages to find the right balance between stirring, whimsical, nostalgic, and modern for this sound track, which is probably the best soundtrack ever included on a video game, or at least for a video game of this generation.  It’s definitely music worth streaming sometime today.

Last night, video gamers were given a serious treat.  On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski announced that the latest game in the series, Gears of War 3, is to be released.  Not only that, they also played the world debut of the Gears of War 3 trailer!  While the game isn’t due out until April 2011 (!!), gamers are already salivating over the trailer.

Check it out below!

Since the first one was released, Gears of War has become the signature video game franchise for the Xbox 360, having sold more than 12 million copies.  Staggering number, isn’t it?  The latest game looks pretty phenomenal, too.  Even without the gameplay element added, they’ve piqued my interest.  While I’m not a huge fan of the genre and I’ve never played the actual games, that trailer is gorgeous.  Stunning, even.

The song, before anyone asks, is “Blue Heron” from folk rock band Sun Kil Moon.  Beautiful, moving stuff.

The creator of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, Hideo Kojima, has got a lot to say about the video game industry.  Despite having sold some 27 million copies, Kojima says that the video game console is on the way out.  At least, that’s what he said at the press conference for “Metal Gear Solid:  Peace Walker,” the latest in his franchise.

“In the near future, we’ll have games that don’t depend on any platform,” Kojima said.  Gamers should be able to take the experience with them in their living rooms, on the go, when they travel–wherever they are and whenever they want to play.  It should be the same software and the same experience.”

It’s a bold prediction from a guy whose bread and butter, since 1987, has been console gaming.  Given how much of a money pit the PlayStation 3 has been, yet how successful it’s been in pushing Blu-ray into the forefront of the home theater movement, it’s hard for Sony executives to swallow that particular pill from their cash cow.

However, given the growth of smart phones and tablet computers and whatnot, it’s one I can easily see.  Maybe Kojima can help push it to the forefront?  If anyone can, it’d be him.  Metal Gear, the iPad edition, would be huge.

Nintendo has announced plans to change their hand-held video game system yet again.  When Nintendo moves, the rest of the gaming universe takes notice, and there’s no field where Nintendo dominates more than the handheld gaming market.  After all, the company has moved from Game Boy to Game Boy Color to DS to DSi, and now, they’re moving to the Nintendo DS3D.  That’s right, 3D games on a portable system!

And the kicker of this whole deal is that the 3D DSi will NOT need special glasses.  In fact, it may need no special changes at all!  There are already games that produce semi-3D graphics using the DS’s existing dual screen set-up and the DSi camera to determine proper 3D positioning based on face-tracking technology in the camera.  Check out a demo of how it’d work using the current DS technology.

Is there anything Nintendo can’t do with their consoles?  Aside from get Mature-rated titles to be successful on the Wii that is.

Right now, I’m in the horrible process of looking for a house.  I imagine it’d be easier with a Realtor on my side, but I’ll get there eventually.  Right now I’m just trying to score something good for as cheaply as I can, even if it needs work.  The one good thing about that is, when it needs work, I can pretty much do whatever I want with the place.

Maybe I can take a cue from the Burntwire Brothers from the Acaeum D&D forums, who took two years and built their own epic Dungeons & Dragons room.  Just check out these images of this awesome room.  Yes, it looks cool, but that’s not the half of it.

While it looks rustic, the room is actually high tech.  The lights come on when someone enters the room via a hidden motion detector hidden behind the keyring by the door (you need the skeleton key to get out of the room).  There’s a dimmer switch.  Within those pillars, there are hidden speakers and a surround sound system in the walls.  There’s also a hidden fog machine and a strobe light to set the mood for the games.  How cool is that?!

The windows are stained glass, there are four hidden closest behind those portcullis gates, and the room is also decorated with framed D&D artwork and props from the first Dungeons and Dragons movie.  Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got the ultimate geek playground.  I’m completely green.

So are you interested in obtaining a copy of Beatles: Rock Band?  Well, don’t pay full price; Amazon’s got a deal for you.  Specifically, the Deal of the Day.

The Beatles edition of Rock Band is on sale:  PS3, PS2, Wii, Xbox 360… whatever system you want the game on features a version of the game that’s on sale.  There’s both a deal on individual games and on the bundle packs, the limited edition bundles, and, well… pretty much every hard copy version of the game has seen its price slashed for this daily deal.

When I say daily, I mean daily.  This deal expires at Midnight Pacific Time tonight, so if you’re interested, you’d best hop on board.  I’ve not played the game yet, but at this price it’s definitely interesting.  I still wish I could pick up the guitar only, though.