Razer, a well known gaming peripherals maker have debuted a new games tablet at CES dubbed “Project Fiona”. The tablet is Windows 8 based and has two analog controllers mounted to the sides of the device. Powered by an Intel Core i7 chip its a serious games performer.

Designed to run standard PC titles just like your desktop, it also comes with THX audio, force feedback, wifi and front and rear cameras. As it is still a work-in-development there are no gaming or graphics specifics and technical data but Razer do hope to bring a gaming tablet device based upon “Project Fiona” to market before the end of 2012.

Read more at the Razer website

CPO of Cloud gaming service provider Gaikai Nanea Reeves, made the bold statement that either Sony or Microsoft may quit the console market altogether. Speaking at CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) , Gaikai chief product officer Nanea Reeves is quoted as saying “not all of the current console makers will have one more generation. That will be the big news at E3.”

This follows speculation that Sony will not launch the PlayStation 4 at E3 2012 in June or indeed anytime soon. Sony have always maintained that the PS3 will have a 10 year lifecycle and will be sticking to that. It’s worth noting that console launches are very expensive and the timing of a launch in the current financial climate would be quite risky for any company.

With the end of the test period (October 18th) a mere five days away, Sega has finally put the Phantasy Star Universe beta up on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The file is a free 940 MB download until Sunday, when beta entries will be closed. Players will be able to fight, talk, try different jobs, explore three different planets, and manufacture their own weapons. If you have bug reports or game suggestions, Sega is hoping you’ll send them in through forms on the official Website. Now for the unfortunate news: on October 17th, Xbox Live will be going down for as much as 24 hours of maintenance starting at 3 AM Eastern. So in reality, gamers will get closer to four days of Phantasy Star.

Lawyer Jack Thompson e-mailed GamePolitics last night and informed them that “Judge [Ronald] Friedman has seen the game played with me present, he has granted my motion to reconvene the hearing at 1:30pm tomorrow (Friday). After argument by both sides, he will rule.” Friedman is one of the presiding judges at Florida’s Third District Court, which is overseeing a case that would see Bully handed over to Thompson to determine the threat of copycat violence. Yesterday, Friedman himself asked to see the game so he could evaluate its contents. Such a short viewing may well mean that the judge has made up his mind.

In an interview with IGN, Bethesda’s executive producer on The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion has said that both the PC and 360 will get the extra content shipping with the PS3 version of the game. “We always aim to have all our content available across all platforms, so that is our goal,” Todd Howard explains. No timeframe has been set for any downloads or retail packages. Called Knights of the Nine, the extra content will add another 10 to 20 hours of gameplay as players join a new faction and encounter new quests, locations, characters and equipment. The PS3 game ships on November 17th.

You knew it was coming. In South Park’s World of Warcraft episode, Stan Marsh uses the specially-crafted Sword of a Thousand Truths to slay an otherwise unstoppable griefer. Now that the closed Burning Crusade beta is underway, testers have discovered the sword for sale from a merchant – “Finely crafted to Salzman’s specification.” Joystiq has confirmed the sword’s existence with Blizzard. The weapon is apparently intended as a reward for gladiators in the new Arena PvP mode. Unlike the fictional sword, however, the real one doesn’t cause instant mana burn or 120 points of damage per second. Click below to see bigger screenshots.

In an attempt to consolidate its west-coast TV channels, Comcast has placed the G4 gaming network under the auspices of E! Entertainment Television, TV Week writes. For gamers, this is just the latest in a series of disappointments from G4. The network’s programming has become increasingly diverted from gaming since its debut in 2002; some current shows include G.I. Joe, The Man Show, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. The E! changeover may accelerate G4′s transformation into a non-gaming channel. “I do agree with the vision of going after young men more than just going after gaming,” E!’s Ted Harbert says. “Gaming has been demonstrated as being too narrow.” He may be right, since G4 is ranked 57th among 64 channels available on basic cable.

Sony’s reputation is lacking somewhat when it comes to online play. They may have implemented networks for the PS2 and PSP, but nothing they’ve done has been as successful as Xbox Live or even the Nintendo DS. That could be changing, says Eurogamer. The site had a chance to get hands-on PS3 experience with Sony’s Phil Harrison, and quite a bit of info has been spilled about the PS3 and its operation with the Playstation Network. As we’ve known, the core interface will resemble the PSP. What you may not know is that the PS3 will support multiple PSN accounts, unlike the 360, which forces you to use a single Xbox Live account. PSN accounts will be further divided into master and associated levels. Most gamers will want to stick with the master level, but parents can use associated accounts to restrict how much a child does online. And speaking of account levels, you can forget about about buying the equivalent of Xbox Live Gold. All features of PSN will be immediately accessible, from Web browsing to multiplayer play. The only items you’ll pay extra for are subscriptions to massively multiplayer games, and select downloads from the Playstation Store.

The Store should be considerably easier to browse through than the Xbox Live Marketplace. Content is located through filters, which should means less browsing through categories to find the product you want. Some games will even have their own stores, further narrowing selections. You won’t have to bother with something like Microsoft points either; prices will be displayed in local currencies, and you’ll simply transfer real-world money to your Wallet(s) before buying anything.

The PS3 further distinguishes itself from the 360 by including support for video chat and USB keyboards out of the box, though we still haven’t seen the new EyeToy camera. Another missing accessory is the headset for voice chat – it may be available at launch, but without any promotional material this close to November, it could well ship a few weeks later.

Down but not out, the new incarnation of the E3 Expo will take place July 11th to the 13th in Santa Monica, California. The event will be invitation-only for members of the game industry, and revolve around press events scheduled by companies. Those wanting to actually play a game will have to migrate to Barker Hangar, where software will be set up in pre-sized areas for demonstrations. More “intimate” meetings and demonstrations will take place in local hotel suites. The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) is also toying with adding an independent games showcase, plus the Into the Pixel art competition and exhibition. “The new E3Expo event will be more personal, efficient and focused,” the ESA’s Doug Lowenstein says, “and it will provide the top stakeholders who make games, sell games, and cover games streamlined access to the people and products they most need to see.”

The anticipated decision has been made, and Jack Thompson has lost his case, Destructoid reports. Bully will go to market on schedule without any interference. “There’s nothing in the game that you wouldn’t see on TV every night,” Judge Ronald Friedman has ruled. “[I] wouldn’t want [my] kids to play the game, but that shouldn’t mean that the game won’t ship.” In reaction, Thompson apparently lost his temper in court. Destructoid writes that the courtroom became “pretty heated,” and the judge had to ask Thompson to sit down. The lawyer insisted that Friedman hadn’t really played the game, which may have been true, but he was present alongside Thompson and a Take-Two employee while two hours of gameplay were shown. Thompson further rejected an offer to appeal the decision to the Third Appellate Court, saying that Bully would already be in stores by the time the case was heard. The game is due October 17th.