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Today,Arstechnicafound that Microsoft unveiled a project that works with MSN Messenger to give users Mii-like avatars. The program is called “Minimise Me” and it’s an extremely simple little web-based service that allows users to construct faces, then port them to MSN Messenger. It’s a lot like theMii creator, which allows users to pick from several basic components and then organize them around the face to create unique looks. More interesting than creating dumb little people to go with an IM client, is the option creating dumb little people onXbox Live this fall....

As we all know by now, Namco Bandai’sTales of Vesperiahas done big business in Japan, managing to sell more than three entire Xbox 360s. WithVesperiacurrently only being available on Microsoft’s machine, you’d think the developer would have something to say about the PlayStation 3 and … well … it doesn’t. Chief director Yoshihito Higuchiexplained whyNamco Bandai chose to putVesperiaon the 360, but didn’t say much else: So forTales of Vesperia, we really wanted to do it in HD, which meant we decided the PS2 was out....

[This little gem just screams out to the collector inside of me, as well as the rest of the staff. No, really. I had half the staff yelling at me to promote this story. It’s a little hard to do from Boston on a BlackBerry that isn’t even mine, but here it is, finally. Tristero, you’re tempting me way too much to start getting those impossible to find NES games from this guy....

Folks at QuakeCon this week have their hands full with awesome new games and nerve-wracking tournaments. Bethesda Softworks has brought out its entire line-up, too —Rage,Fallout: New Vegas,Brink, andHunted: The Demon’s Forge. So while we’re sitting at home wishing we could be there, at least Bethesda was nice enough to pass along a handful of new screenshots for each of those titles. One thing to note — do any of these gameslook bad?...

If you don’t know what time it is, have trouble balancing your check book, and love Mario, this week’s DSiWare releases are for you.Mario Calculator(1 “player,” 200 DSiPoints)andMario Clock(1 “player,” 200 DSiPoints)are available today, and they’re exactly what they sound like. One is a calculator featuring a Mario-related theme and sounds, the other is a clock… featuring Mario-related themes and sounds. Be “that guy/girl” who spends four dollars of their money on these things at your own risk....

If the only thing was holding you back from buying the Nintendo DSi XL was the color selection, maybe Nintendo has the thing for you. Today it’s announced that it will be releasing a “midnight blue” version of the over-sized handheld on July 11.[Note: Nintendo has yet to release an image of the new color; will update the above image when we hear back.] The system will come pre-loaded withFlipnote Studio,Brain Age Express: Math, Brain Age Express Arts & Letters, andPhoto Clock....

Sony had given you plenty of opportunities to blow your money onGod of War III-related items, from a version that came insidePandora’s BoxtoSlurpees at 7-11. But here’s something you can’t buy in stores — a collector’s edition box set of the game won by an ItalianGod of Warfan. The game disc comes in a wooden box, stamped with the familiarGod of Wariconography, smeared in blood, and signed by members of the Sony Santa Monica team....

On February 27,Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Liis coming to theaters. And here is your poster. Yup. You’ve got your big Kristin “Chun-Li” Kreuk face, a good look at Vega’s mask, and … yeah, 20th Century Fox lost us on this one awhile ago. And the film’s tag line — “Some fight for power. Some Fight for Us” — isn’t really helping matters much. How about something like “This chick’s Spinning Bird Kick ain’t nothing to chirp about”?...

I didn’t get any new consoles this holiday season, so I have to admit I didn’t do too much guessing about which ones sold best. Of course, why waste my time on such things when I could merely turn to Wedbush Morgan expert Michael Pachter and hear his thoughts on the matter (which are most likely right, considering he’s an industry analyst and all). Pachter recently spoke tovideogaming247, saying: “I haven’t done the work for NPD yet, but my guess is that 360 sales were flat or up a little, PS3 sales down a little, and Wii sales up more than 100%....

Do you think$149is a bit too steep for a glorified EyeToy, even one that was advertised byCirque du Tightpants? You’re not alone. Industry analyst and professional wrestler Michael Pachter thinks it costs too much, and that the price won’t allow it to threaten the Wii. “The Kinect bundle costs only $100 more than the cost of a standalone console, so they can afford to sell Kinect for $100,” says Pachter. “The standalone price for Kinect is too high, and core gamers will be put off by the price....

The $249.99 price point for the Nintendo 3DS has been heavily debated since it was announced this week. While many find this a fair price, there are plenty who believe it’s too high. Naturally, Michael “slit testes” Pachter has a different opinion — it’s entirely too low. “I’m impressed that they had the confidence to charge $249; I think that they’re going to regret it,” warns the mighty steed. “It’s going to sell out and they’re leaving money on the table....

Seeing as howthis storyis already all over the internet, I wasn’t really going to bother putting it up … until Teddy Gage e-mailed it into tips (thanks, dude). Seeing this pop up in more and more places by the minute frustrates me to no end. We all knew there would be porn on the Wii. The console is called “Wii” for God’s sake. From the second people found out about the “Wiimote” with the built in rumble (read: vibrator), jokes more pain-inducing than David Hasselhoff’s hair in Knight Rider have flooded the internet, slowly but surely chipping away at our brains one cell at a time....

As you may have guessed already (thanks header) I recently got my hands on the Energizer Power & Play chargers for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. I didn’t do any durability tests (no chargers were harmed by car tires during our review session) however I did charge, uh, some controllers. I also learned that draining controller batteries on purpose is ridiculously hard to do. Controllers automatically kick off when not in use now, so I had to sit at my desk and fiddle with buttons for hours on end to avoid this....