Just a little friendly reminder for all you Xbox gamers. The newest update for the gaming console is now live and very, very awesome. The addition of the new messaging capability might be enough to pump the Xbox sails up a notch or two.

Also added is a Marketplace tab on to the main interface to save those precious downloading moments. Tell us your opinion of the update. Smooth transition or no? Hot or not? Chocolate or Vanilla? Come on people, help us out here! (more…)

Opera announced that the Nintendo DS will be the next gaming console to use its browser for console web surfing. Starting June 4, Opera will be available to all U.S. gamers. Opera has been available to Nintendo players in Japan and Europe since the tail end of 2006, with the beta version for the Wii available in the U.S. since December 2006.

Comparing the size of the PSP screen with the Nintendo DS screen makes us hesitant to jump on this idea. The PSP screen, bigger than the Nintendo DS screen, already strains the eyes to read text. Opera on the DS is sure to be a literal eyesore unless some kind of interface change is planned. There is no pricing information available for the Opera DS software, but we can expect that soon enough. — Andrew Dobrow

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Sony is in quite a pickle. The sales of the PSP are lagging in a bad way with hardware shipments down 72%, and only 10,000 units in the U.S. With those facts in mind, it’s no surprise that retailers have begun to lost hope for Sony’s portable gaming console. Many have even offered Sony an ultimatum. Either lower the price of the PSP, or they’ll not be ordering any more.

With the two year anniversary of the PSP rapidly approaching on March 24th, a price decrease does not seem out of line. A year ago, on its first year, the price was dropped $50. Could we be seeing another decrease of $50 or more? While signs are pointing towards no, another method of warding off retailers might be on the rise. Will there be new color releases? Or could there be a redesigned PSP with the long-rumored 8 GB flash memory? Nobody knows, but something is going to happen. — Andrew Dobrow

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A new report conducted by Nielsen//NetRatings shows that a staggering 36.5% of adults own a gaming console, including 15.9% owning portable consoles. The same report shows that 71% of these adults are married, and 66% have at least one child living in the house. You know what this means? The geeks are finally taking over!

As gaming consoles become more and more sophisticated, they have become more or a centralized addition to a families entertainment center. Making gaming an international phenomenon. We’ve reported in the past about senior citizens playing the Wii, but many of you might have thought these were rare occurrences. This report proves otherwise. — Andrew Dobrow

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According to Peter Moore, head of the Interactive Entertainment Business division of Microsoft (pictured above), the production team of the Xbox 360 is already working on the follow-up for the popular gaming console. Moore says that Microsoft is looking into what processors will be available around 2011-2012, a sign that this will be around the time of the next 360 release.

Could we be looking at the Xbox 750? With terrabyte technology? The thought is exhilarating, yet very unknown as of now. This would put the life of Xbox 360 at about 6-7 years, much longer then the Xbox’s 4 years of fame. Though, with Gears of War and Halo brand building up suspense for upcoming releases, while still working on the fame of former releases, the Xbox 360 might continue to sell well for the next few upcoming years. Will Moore now get a tattoo advertising this too? — Andrew Dobrow

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This is one of the coolest mods we’ve seen out of any gaming console. We have no idea how this works, but its amazing how realistic sounding the guitar tones are coming from the DS. Very, very impressive and something we want to get our hands on. This also makes the prospect of a DS Guitar Hero game very real. Check out the video for some awesome Japanese DS mod craziness. — Andrew Dobrow

Mod Turns Nintendo DS Into Virtual Guitar [TechEBlog]

The launch of the Wii came and went with only a couple riots as the consequence. If you missed out on the Wii rush, fist fights and all, we both envy and pity you. But despite our black eyes, and your lack of a gaming console, we now all get to join hands and enjoy the crazy mods that are bound to pop-up. This one might just be the coolest yet. Mixing the retro with the modern, the Nintendo Power Glove and Wiimote become one in this cyborg-looking mod.

The really cool thing about the Wii Glove is that all of the finger buttons are operational. Sure to bring any original glove junkie to his knees in nostalgic submission. Even though the Wiimote seems incredibly awesome as it is, the modders proclaim that this is just a prototype for what’s to come. Lay it on us, boys. — Andrew Dobrow

Wii Power Glove! [SlashGear]