The Technophilez

With less than a week until release, a pirated copy of Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360 has hit the internet, according to Kotaku. Currently, this is only the PAL version of the title for the 360.

A group called "iCON" supplied the pirated files, which have popped up on a variety of torrent sites. There hasn't been verification that the 6.32 GB download is the full retail build at this point, but word is that the NTSC version may hit within the next couple days. This isn't the first time a GTA title has been leaked early, as it happened to San Andreas also a week before release.

We find the message from iCON regarding the torrent upload ironic, especially coming from a group whose strange motto is "Passion for Videogames." ICON urges downloaders to buy the game, because "R* deserves it..." despite providing a means for people to circumvent that very thing. If it's just about playing the game early, grow some patience, people. There's only a week left to wait, and it will be worth it.

Several "anonymous sources" have this weekend emerged from the woodwork to spread news of the 80GB PS3 being pushed aside to make giving way to a new larger SKU.

Stories suggest that the 80GB SKU currently on sale in US is due for the chop, with a 120GB version set to replace it.

This would go hand-in-hand with a previous statement from SCEE president and CEO, who hinted last year that a 120GB PS3 could be possible.

"The difference between 60 and 80GB is very small, we just feel that going up 20GB is not worth it," he said, adding: "if you go to double it, it's worth it ... so maybe you'll see something a little bit later."

Sony UK, however, dismissed this weekend's reports as "rumour and speculation".

If the rumours turn out to be true, the 80GB console will be the third SKU axed in just over a year since the console's release. But does Sony really need to release another new PS3 so soon? It might be a different story once PlayTV is up and running.

The success of the video game Rock Band is drumming up revenue for the music industry.

Virtual rockers downloaded roughly 2.5 million songs in the eight weeks since the game launched on the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 systems.

Rock Band, developed by Harmonix, which also created Guitar Hero, comes with 58 playable songs including the Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter and Metallica's Enter Sandman. But many more tunes can be downloaded over the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live for prices varying from 99 cents to $2.99.

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"Hopefully it helps evolve music to not just a linear art form but a more interactive art form," says Van Toffler of MTV Networks. MTV Games publishes Rock Band, along with Electronic Arts. "You look at a lot of 20-year-olds who are reticent to plop down $20 for a CD, yet they don't mind paying $25 for a DVD or $50 for a video game. … We're seeing the audience really embrace hearing new music for the first time or engaging with classic rock songs in a new way."

New songs are available weekly for Rock Band. And musicians and bands are lobbying to get their songs in the game. "As opposed to us being the aggressor, a lot of the classic bands and the biggest bands in modern music history are approaching us now to be in the game," Toffler says.

More than 1 million copies of the game have been sold, according to the NPD Group.

Software developer Reactrix Systems have unveiled a gaming system made for LCD TVs that mimics the Wii game console in that people punch in the air to hit a boxing opponent or swing their arms to return the ball in a game of volleyball.

The system is actually designed for large advertising displays, to draw in people to become part of the advertisement by playing an interactive game. The Reactrix technology is called WaveScape, and it was demonstrated on Samsung's large-format 570DX display at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week. Above the display was a sensor that kept track of a person's hand and body movements so they could interact with an on-screen game. The sensor can cover five meters.

"Our first application is going to be advertising and interactive signage," said Matt Bell, who is chief scientist at Reactrix and developed the system. "Our first roll-out of these displays will be in the second half of this year in 150 Hilton hotels. They'll be a mixture of fun, interactive games and information about hotel services."

Demonstrating the technology at CES, Bell first beat up on a panda in a boxing game and then played volleyball against a Samsung presenter.

Coming up with new games should be a snap. It only took a month to create the two games shown at CES, Bell said. Mini-games can be finished in a matter of weeks.

Despite the technology's almost universal appeal, Reactrix has no plans to launch a version for consumers.

"We wish we did, because we want to get this to as many people as possible, but rest assured we will get there. At the very least, you should see one in a mall, a theater or a hotel near you in the next few months," Bell said. The company's initial systems and those for Hilton are destined for North America only.

Pricing of the systems was not disclosed.

Reactrix is best known for its StepScape products that project an interactive image onto floors and can often be found in shopping malls and movie theaters.

Sony's game unit is discontinuing two PlayStation 3 game machine models sold only in Japan to streamline its lineup and boost software development, a company official said Thursday.

Sony Computer Entertainment will stop shipping PS3 machines equipped with 20-gigabyte and 60-gigabyte hard drives to Japanese vendors this month, game unit spokesman Sosuke Kamei said. Sales will end once vendors are out of stock, Kamei said.

Sony's PlayStation 3 lineup in Japan will be focused on the 40-gigabyte model introduced this past November, he said.

The move is expected to help boost software development for the platform, Kamei said. The model is also more energy efficient than the two older models being discontinued, he said.

Sony offers the 40-gigabyte model of the PlayStation in the U.S., along with an 80-gigabyte model. The company discontinued shipments of the 60-gigabyte model in Europe last October, leaving only the 40-gigabyte model for that market.

Sony did not have available a detailed breakdown of sales for each model, Kamei said. Since the launch in November 2006, the company sold an estimated 5.59 million units of all models around the world, he said.