Pro gaming is the future of sports. We’re starting to see little hints at it now, but believe me, this genre will be huge — just ask Asia and Europe. The latest step in this growing field is the announcement today by the Championship Gaming Series to provide a $5 million annual payroll for its professional gamers. Check out the press release info: Los Angeles, CA – The Championship Gaming SeriesTM (CGS), the first global professional gaming league, today announced that worldwide salaries and bonuses for the 2007 season will exceed $5 million, a new benchmark for professional gaming....

Microsoft’sProject Natal— a wireless gaming device that tracks a person’s full-body motion through a variety of sensors — isn’t hitting retail anytime soon. In fact, you won’t be able to get your hands, er, body in front of it this year according to Microsoft’s vice president of everything, John Schappert. In an interview withMTV Multiplayer, Schappert simply said “Not in 2009,” in response to a possible 2010 release query. Chances are you weren’t waiting for Project Natal to hit this year, but it would be silly if it didn’t release sometime soon....

Sony Japan has announced a delay of the recently announced Skype for the PlayStation Portable. According to areport from CVG, the reason for the delay is an issue with the official microphone peripheral, which failed to meet requirements of Skype. The delay “doesn’t have any impact on the North American (or European) launches of Skype for the PSP,” Sony PR manager Al DeLeon wrote us in an email, “which will coincide with the PSP firmware upgrade slated for the end of January, as previously announced....

I have to admit that I am pretty excited about this new version ofPunch Out!!coming to the Wii, although I usually steer clear of pretty rehashes of old favorites as I tend to be an old codger who prefers originals. I can’t resist this one, though — I mean, look at King Hippo, Just look at him! GoNintendoposted a few press releases which feature a lot of new information about the game....

The ESRB has a habit of letting proverbial cats out of their proverbial bags when it comes to upcoming releases, and in this case, the cat sprinted around the room, chewed a plant to bits and peed on the drapes. It seems that the ESRB has a listing forQuake 3: Team Arena, only this isn’t the PC release from a few years back. This time, it’s listed as an upcoming Xbox 360 title under development by Pi Studios....

Those of you interested in chuck a star-adorned shield at uninspired enemies inMarvel Ultimate Alliance 2take note: the demo for the follow-up is now available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, according to Microsoft’s LIVE wizardMajor Nelson. As the first poster on the Major’s blog pointed out, this demo is a bit late. The brawler made its debut in middle September. It was met by decent reviews, but I, for one, wasn’t able to dig whatMUA 2brought to the table....

Yesterday, we brought you news of an impending PlayStation 3Rock Bandcontroller compatability patch, by way of Harmonix. The headline read: “PS3 Rock Band getting controller compatibility patch today.” Well, yesterday’s “today” has come and gone, and PlayStation 3 owners longing to finally be able to use their wireless Gibson Guitar Hero III controllers with Harmonix’s game are still waiting. A trusted source has told Destructoid that the patch has indeed been submitted to Sony for approval, and (as promised) should have been available yesterday....

Achievement posts? They’re so old, they are suddenly back in style again. SouthPeak Games blasted over theVelvet AssassinAchievements today, and threatened to break into Jim Sterling’s house and rip the stuffing out ofhis pet toucannamed “Toucan” if we didn’t post about them. For the most part, the Achievements are the standard “collect X amount of this” and “kill this many bad dudes,” but a few stand out in my mind. “Avenger,” for instance, requires you to “Save many brave seamen by eliminating the sleeping threat....

First off, “Wappy” Dog? What an amazing name. This robo mutt comes from the unlikely team of Activision and Sega. Activision makes the game software and Sega makes the robo dog. Think of this is a digital pet that you can play with in your DS or IRL. Engadgetsays a prototype ofWappy Dogwas shown at Toy Fair 2011. Apparently it can dance, bark and whine, and your interactions with the real-world bot will affect what happens in-game....

Courtesy of Sega and its Gamer’s Day, we have a set of new screenshots for you. Say what you will about the Weresonic idea and Sonic Team’s track record, there’s no denying that this title looks bloody beautiful, at the very least. Of course, most Sega games have the looks, but it’s the gameplay that matters and here is where Sonic Team consistently trips up. I am not yet prepared to totally write it off, butSonic Unleashedfollows a long string of console disappointments, so it remains to be seen whether Sonic Team can cut the mustard on modern home platforms....

You still give a crap about Sonic? Good for you. You will be happy about this news then: Sega has confirmed that the Sonic RPG announced for the Nintendo DS,Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, will be released this year. Sega has been careful to trickle new information very slowly on this one, but that’s something for Sonic enthusiasts to look forward to. There are some new screenshots as well, which you can find in the gallery....

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn was the vocalist for composer Akira Yamaoka for his songs for theSilent Hillseries. And what an amazing pair they were. It seems the pair are working together again, but it’snoton the newSilent Hill 8. If you haven’t heard, Yamaoka has signed on with Grasshopper Manufacture. It turns out that he recorded two new songs for Grasshopper’s new EA Partners project, which is being created by Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami....

Zipper Interactive is planning to take the “online pass” concept to new heights (or lows), by introducing a code that unlocksSOCOMPro. The traditional online pass system, pioneered by EA, restricts online multiplayer access unless a $10 code is purchased. WithSOCOM 4, used customerscanaccess the multiplayer, but will be locked out of exclusive updates. In this way, Zipper is similar to an eighties portrayal of a drug dealer, offering the first hit for free....