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Just a quick reminder to let everyone know that the 250GB PlayStation 3 is available now in North America. The package runs $349 and crams a console, 250GB hard drive, controller and composite AV cables into the box. As the more astute readers have no doubt realized, the only thing different from the 120GB model is the 250GB hard drive. Still, as Gaming Bits points out, that's more than twice the storage for an extra $50 over the $299 model.

Of course, with Black Friday sales just a few weeks away, you might consider waiting to see what deals will be available before taking the plunge.

A recent interview from German gaming blog Gamona with CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson is likely going to turn a few heads in the MMO gaming realm -- it reveals a few savory details about the recently revealed spin-off of EVE Online, titled DUST 514. It sounds like they're trying something groundbreaking with this new title -- it'll be a console MMOFPS with real-time strategy elements, in which mercenary players take job contracts from EVE Online players.

Considering the constant power struggle between EVE's player alliances (that's space-talk for "guilds"), there'll be no shortage of odd jobs available for DUST 514's hired guns. For more information on how these two games will interact, you can check out the full video interview after the jump.

Alongside the release of their financial data for the quarter ending June 30, Activision and EA have also released detailed breakdowns of the revenue generated from their titles on each of the major consoles. Taking a look at the numbers tells an interesting story about each publisher. The bulk of EA's non-GAAP revenues come from the Wii, which generated $184 million for the company. The Xbox 360 takes the second spot at $136 million, followed by the PS3 at $99 million.

Meanwhile, Activision's portfolio was much more dependent on the Xbox 360 and PS3, both garnering non-GAAP revenues of $140 million and $104 million, respectively. The Wii, in stark contrast to EA, only generated $74 million for Activision. It's important to note that companies calculate non-GAAP numbers in different ways, but they are useful in judging the financial proportions of each console.

Joystiq reached out to EEDAR's Jesse Divnich for his thoughts on the results for each company. Find them after the break.

John Riccitiello is well-known as a man accustomed to living on the edge. His opinions, often controversial and polarizing, frequently tear rifts between factions of the gaming community. We imagine his latest outburst will be no different -- during EA's Q1 conference call, the polemical CEO said, "We think pricing will move hardware," and added, "We anticipate price cuts at some point and we'd like to see them later in the year."

Sure, this may seem like the popular opinion right now, but there's plenty of folks who hold opposing beliefs. Like us -- we wouldn't mind seeing a universal increase in the price of consoles. You know, to keep the proles out.

We've got a bunch more kindling for the ever-burning PS3 Slim rumor today, so try and keep up. First and foremost, Kotaku recently uncovered a document from a 7-Eleven in Japan (where 7-Elevens are apparently respected games dealers), which asks that stores stop taking pre-orders for 80GB PS3s as of August 9 -- at the behest of Sony. If legit, this move could be the start of the 80GB's mass exodus, as foretold by the Ars Technica mole in the "Great PS3 Slim Prophecy of 2009."

Other rumors come to us in the form of a Telegraph report, which rounds up a number of potential signs pointing to the svelte system's existence; one of which is an excerpt from a DigiTimes article that states Sony has "ordered enough parts to make one million consoles in the third quarter of this year," which is twice as much as was ordered in the past three months. Are these parts being used to make Slims? PSP Gos? A weaponized mech suit for Kaz Hirai?

From there, Telegraph drops a bunch of unsourced details which should be taken with a sizable grain of apprehensive salt. First, the outlet claims a PS3 Slim announcement "could come later this month" during the GamesCom convention in Cologne, with the actual console appearing by the holidays. According to Telegraph, the console "is expected to" come in two flavors -- 40GB and 80GB -- and will include two unnamed games. Best of all, it will supposedly have a lower price point than current models. Ah, now they're playing our tune.

Among the many fascinating (and not so fascinating) takeaways from Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter's recent and massive industry report are revelations about the current console adoption rate. As much as the Wii has seemingly penetrated previously untapped demographics (see grandma's now defunct bridge club) and ostensibly raised console adoption rates to new highs, the current generation is practically dead even with the last one when comparing the two generation's first four calendar years on the market. That is, from 2005 (when Xbox 360 launched in late November) through 2008, the current generation of consoles (Wii, PS3 and 360) combined for approximately 78 million unit sales, according to Wedbush Morgan estimates. Comparatively, from 2000 (the year PS2 launched) through 2003, the previous generation (GameCube, PS2 and Xbox) combined for 78–79 million unit sales. However, in this pivotal fifth year, Wedbush Morgan predicts the current adoption rate will begin to pull ahead of the previous rate.

Yes, we know -- another console price drop story. Our contempt rivals your own, we assure you. However, this time around, the report comes from a source that's proven to be eerily accurate on hardware announcements in the past -- Ars Technica's unnamed "mole," a prophetic figure who managed to predict the capabilities of the PSP Go, the release of the red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 bundle and, most notably, last fall's universal 360 price cut.

On the Sony front, the mole is claiming that the 80GB PS3 will become scarce over the next two months, being mostly replaced by the 160GB model. As the larger model continues to sell into the fall, Sony will supposedly simultaneously announce the oft-rumored PS3 Slim and the even more oft-rumored price cut. The mole was unable to discern the exact amount that would be shaved off the price of the console, but was confident it would provide Sony with a much-needed sales boost.

For Microsoft, the mole expects the Pro system to be ushered off store shelves with the help of a few attractive Pro bundles which will crop up over the next few months. The Pro will be replaced by the 120GB Elite, which will supposedly undergo a price cut in September, followed by the release of its own bundles in October. With downloadable titles becoming a focus for both companies, turning the spotlight on consoles with larger hard drives makes sense -- but only time will tell if the Ars mole's sterling predictive reputation will persevere.

While expanding the unrelenting grasp of World of Warcraft to home consoles would undoubtedly net Blizzard an extra googolplex subscribers, there's a number of hurdles keeping MMOs from succeeding on non-PC platforms -- hurdles that were identified by Blizzard's executive VP of game design, Rob Pardo, in a recent interview with IndustryGamers.

Some hurdles are self-evident, such as the lack of a "keyboard and mouse" input device, and the massive amounts of storage space required for most online games (WoW is up to 10 gigs). Some have to do with the policies of the hardware manufacturers themselves, such as Microsoft's lengthy certification measures which would make WoW's frequent patches a nightmare to publish. However, according to Pardo, Microsoft has asked Blizzard for MMO advice, and has shown the company "some stuff they have in development." Halo MMO re-confirmed! (No, not really.)

Pardo's MMO outlook for the current generation of consoles is poor, but he thinks the next round of hardware is more likely to get it right -- at which point, people will be able to play WoW on any platform they want, and pretty much everyone will stop leaving the house. Hooray?

Today, Microsoft revealed a new Xbox 360 Elite bundle headed to store shelves this May. The Xbox 360 Game of the Year bundle includes the little-known online shooter called Halo 3 and Joystiq's 2008 game of the year pick, Fable II. The M-rated bundle is priced at $399, making the two million-plus unit selling pack-in titles free of charge.

Those of you keeping score at home will remember rumors of an elite bundle, which was set to include the two Microsoft Game Studios powerhouse titles, had been floating around the web earlier this month. Microsoft, continuing a long history of totally being able to keep a secret, confirmed the bundle today via Major Nelson's blog.

Update: Major Nelson has clarified this bundle will be available in all regions where Xbox 360 is sold, except those in Europe.

If you were holding your breath for Microsoft's response to the PlayStation 2's recently announced $99 price point, it's now safe to exhale -- Microsoft vice-president of interactive entertainment business Chris Lewis recently issued a calm, cool and collected statement regarding the discount, stating, "The future lies in the growth of current generation consoles," a future in which he's confident the Xbox 360 will continue to trump the PS3.

Considering the original Xbox has been discontinued for nearly three years, Microsoft hasn't had a horse in the sixth-generation race for quite some time now. Still, it'll be interesting to see if the bargain-priced PS2 can take a bigger chunk out of current-gen console sales in light of the not-so-awesome state of the economy.

If you prefer video game consoles that look like common kitchen appliances (here's looking at you, PS3), have we got a treat for you -- BenHeck.com contributor Vomitsaw recently put the final loving touches on his Super Nintoaster project, which, as the portmanteau-sensitive among you have probably already discerned, is a Super Nintendo. Inside of a toaster. It's safer than it sounds (we think).

It's actually Vomitsaw's second toaster-based console mod -- he crafted a regular ol' Nintoaster last fall. Sadly, neither model has been able to fulfill its kitchen appliance destiny, and won't do much to conflagrate your bread. It's probably for the best -- all it takes is one mistaken slot, and you've got a golden brown, formerly priceless copy of Chrono Trigger, which we hear is actually pretty delicious with raspberry preserves.

[Via Engadget]

Here it is, folks. Major Nelson has done us the courtesy of producing the above unboxing video for the red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 console. New facts have emerged, as we now know the bundle features not only a gaming console, but also a headset, and a power supply. There's even a copy of Resident Evil 5 in there to enjoy. You'll be able to scare up one of your own next month, on Friday the 13th.

Update: A few folks have brought it to our attention that the red Xbox 360 shown in Major's video is one of the newer, more reliable Jasper models. During the video, Major mentions the console includes a Jasper-sized 150 watt power supply and also shows the power plug-in. A plug-in that looks oh so similar to the special Jasper connector.

We aren't sure if all RE5 Xbox 360s will feature Jasper chipsets, but we're nearly certain that the hardware in this video has Jasper innards. Take that knowledge for whatever it's worth.

[Via Engadget]

Anyhoo, if you're in the market for a 360, we highly recommend you try to secure a Jasper 360 using a few of AnandTech's Jasper identification strategies. They've detailed tips including console lot number matching, looking up the console wattage and - most accurate of all - looking at the power connector. Remember, Jaspers are teh hawtness. You want Jaspers.

So there you have it kids, the Xbox 360 Arcade now has internal memory instead of an external Memory Unit. That means you can save games and download content right out of the box, but if you want to take it anywhere, you'll need to pick up a Memory Unit like everyone else.