Ubi see, Ubi do.  While Electronic Arts forges ahead with its "Project Ten Dollar" initiative to inspire/convince people who buy their products on the used market to spend an extra ten dollars on downloadable content that those who buy a new copy of the game get for free.  EA drew criticism last week when it announced that future EA Sports titles will use "Project Ten Dollar" to lock-out online multiplayer modes for used games, as you'll recall.  EA's actions aren't happening in an industry void.  Rival Ubisoft is reportedly paying very close attention to EA's program as it readies its own take on the idea, the ominous-sounding "Ten Dollar Solution".  Gamasutra has the details.

Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez said in a Tuesday earnings call following Ubisoft's fiscal year results, "Regarding ... monetizing used games or downloadable content … most of the games that we will release next year will have downloadable content available from the start." He added, "We are looking very carefully at what is being done by EA regarding what we call the '$10 solution,' and we will probably follow that line at sometime in the future."

Alright, Ubisoft, let's review.  Freely available add-on content such as maps, weapons, or playable characters for new games: good.  Locking out entire modes behind a pay-wall for used games: bad.  I know it's tempting to carve up games and serve each mode, level, and item up à la carte, but let's not go overboard with vouchers and incidental charges.

This week on "What The BEEP Is That?" over at Kombo we have an impossible challenge for you.  Honestly, this one is the most difficult "BEEP" we've offered yet.  It's so tough that I had trouble writing helpful clues for the eight sound clips that you're tasked with identifying.  This week's contest offers up the new Rocket Knight for the Microsoft Xbox 360 if you can put names to the sounds of the GoldenEye 007 gunfire.  That's right; we expect you to dredge up your Nintendo 64 shooter memories and tell a Klobb from a RC-P90 from a Moonraker Laser and beyond.  Just match the weapon to the sound it makes when it fires, send your educated guesses to the e-mail address given, and you may well win.  Why not give it a try?  Somehow I think that there won't be very much competition this week.

Play video games long enough and you'll start to accumulate gimmick accessories and single-game add-ons.  For every peripheral success like the Wii Balance Board there are more than half-a-dozen cast-offs such as the Power Glove, WiiSpeak, and the Aura Interactor.  Who buys this stuff?  And who keeps it stashed in the back of a closet somewhere?  Join Game Informer as it takes a look back at the most useless peripherals of all time.  All of your shameful favorites are here including the Nintendo e-Reader, Sega Activator, and Namco JogCon.

The confusingly-named JogCon was originally packaged with a special edition of Ridge Racer Type 4, and was supposed to offer up a never-before-seen level of precision in racing games. It attempted this via the use of a three-inch wheel in the center that's reminiscent of old VCRs and tape-editing decks. It never caught on, as gamers either wanted to play their racing games with a standard controller or a full-blown wheel accessory...not something in between.

For as much gaming gear as I've accumulated over the years, I'm happy to say that the only item on this list that I own is a set of DK bongo drums.  Not that I don't have other useless add-ons.  I have two GameCube microphones and two GameCube Action Pads that stacked up with review copies of that era.  I may be the only person on the planet properly equipped to play the full two-player mode of Karaoke Party Revolution.  I'm not certain if that's a boast or a cry for help.

Sony has been exploring how to monetize its PlayStation Network beyond what the online store can offer, and now we're starting to hear buzzing that the exploration process is done and an announcement regarding a premium level of PSN service is less than a month away.  According to the rumor from VG247 (and compounded by my esteemed colleague, Brad Hilderbrand), for a mere £50 per year (approximately $75) users buy their way into a selection of free PSN games and a streaming music service that doubles as a custom game soundtrack option.  These are both offerings from an online survey that Sony commissioned late last year regarding which potential services interested consumers most, so it wouldn't surprise me that the company had finally settled on what the premium PSN service would provide.  Cross-game voice chat is also reported to be part of the package, but would also be available to non-paying PSN users.  Word has it that the new level of service does not remove features from the current free-to-access PSN model.

Is it worth $75 per year for Sony-selected downloadable games and custom streaming soundtracks?   I hope there's more to the premium tier than just this, as the original survey mentioned things such as online storage for save data, automatic game data updates, Netflix without the need for the Netflix streaming disc, expanded demo options, and much more.  There was a lot of potential in that survey that is being horrendously squandered if the end result is an annual $75 charge for streaming music and free downloads of whatever game(s) Sony wants to promote each month.

There's an overwhelming lack of interest in Nintendo's upcoming Wii Party.  I'm right there with ya, although I think that's because I'm primarily a single-player gamer.  These sorts of party games are intended for play during, well, parties, so if I had a local social circle that enjoyed playing games, I might find some value in the genre.  As it stands, though, I will pass on this one.

Speaking of upcoming products, the Internet is buzzing with the annual rumors that Sony is primed to reveal the next generation of PlayStation Portable at E3.  The original PSP hardware is starting to show its age, although it's been primarily wounded by ease of piracy which has led to a lack of quality new releases on the scale that one would expect and demand from a game system.  Are you interested in this hypothetical PSP2?  Let's hear your thoughts.  For more discussion on the PSP2 rumors, be sure to listen to this week's episode of Power Button.

Best Buy is offering the deal of a lifetime right now as of this writing on the upcoming Red Dead Redemption for Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3, as you can preorder Rockstar's latest title for a mere $999.99 (both Xbox 360 and PS3 versions).  That's a bit steep, but at least it comes with a free war horse download as a preorder incentive. 

When Sega and Capcom worked out an arrangement to bring Street Fighter II to the Sega Genesis back in 1993, it was a big deal.  While the Super NES version of the game that had been released one year prior had been labeled an exclusive to home consoles in North America, nobody had said anything about basing the Genesis game on Street Fighter II: Champion Edition.  Sega cranked up the marketing machine to crow about the new release, and part of the promotion involved a short art booklet that showcased each of the World Warriors (and Shadaloo bosses).  Now that booklet has been scanned and placed on Flickr by Pelittaako with Capcom's blessing.  Have a look and travel back to a time when playing as M. Bison was a revelation and doing so on a Genesis induced outright euphoria.  There's some great artwork in this collection, but I couldn't help but smirk at this image which — featured in a Sega magazine's art insert, remember — was featured earlier that year as the box art for the Super NES release of Street Fighter II Turbo, the arcade Champion Edition's successor.

(via Joystick Division)

Call it what you will: Breakout, Arkanoid, Brick Breaker, Alleyway... no matter the name, video games in which players use a paddle to deflect a ball at destructible blocks/bricks have been with us for decades, but the brick breaking genre continues to evolve alongside more detailed genres such as platforming and fighting.  The latest take on things, Hyperballoid HD from iSquare and Alawar Entertainment for the Sony PlayStation 3, ups the ante with such inclusions as vivid 1080p visuals, 100 levels spread across two campaigns, and the ability to playback music stored on the PS3 hard drive with a custom soundtrack option.  $5 isn't a lot to spend on a brick breaker title from the PlayStation Store, but is this high definition Hyperballoid worth your time as well as your money?

Video games such as Tomb Raider and Prince of Persia are naturals to adapt to the world of movies, but what about the more casual, sim-based titles?  What should become of them on the road to Hollywood?  Let's ask Sony and Atari.  After all, they're working on Rollercoaster Tycoon: The Movie.

Sony Pictures Animation has pre-emptively picked up rights to the Atari video game “Rollercoaster Tycoon.” Harald Zwart is spearheading the development of the big-screen adaptation as a possible directing project and will executive produce.  David Ronn and Jay Scherick, who penned the upcoming Kevin James comedy “The Zookeeper,” are attached to write what will be a live-action/CGI hybrid.

The “Tycoon” franchise, created by Chris Sawyer, is a popular series of computer games that simulate a combination of designing roller coasters and amusement park management. Each game challenges players with open-ended amusement park management and development while allowing them to construct and customize their own unique roller coasters.

So what is this movie going to be about?  My prediction: a family goes to an amusement park that's always in flux.  The rides and rollercoasters change continuously, some rollercoasters are too wild & nauseating to ride, and the back half of the park just kinda stops when the Creator runs out of money to spend on new attractions.  Meanwhile, vomit covers the sidewalks and there's a distressing lack of bathrooms and trash cans.  At least, that's how it would go if they make this movie based on my Rollercoaster Tycoon creations.

(via Kotaku)

Hey, kids!  Now you too can wear the hat of everyone's favorite Mushroom Kingdom resident!  No, not him.  No, not the green one either.  No, the dinosaur doesn't have a hat.  No, neither does she.  No, it's not the fat one, but you're close.  Yes, now you can proudly wear the purple cap made famous by Nintendo's Waluigi!  I'm not quite sure why you'd want to though.  For $6.57 you can pick up a real wearable version of Waluigi's hat via the wonders of online shopping.  Tiny Cartridge has the news.

Waluigi hat, available from DealExtreme. Of all the random electronics, toys, and assorted junk to show up on DealExtreme, this is one of the most baffling, as it was the only Mario series hat added to the shop’s selection. There’s no Mario hat. Not even a Wario hat.

Just Waluigi.

Who even likes Waluigi enough to buy a hat? How could you even have enough information to know you like him that much? “My favorite character is totally that ugly guy in purple who only shows up in Mario sports games and doesn’t really do anything special.” At least Wario’s got some kind of character traits (greedy, flatulent, addicted to garlic).

Is there really a demand for Waluigi hats?  He's barely even a legitimate Super Mario character as it is, and yet there's merchandise available based on his clothes?  I'd expect there to be a long line of Nintendo-related hats and accessories in the works before we reach Waluigi's hat.  Where's Mario's hat?  Peach's brooch?  Donkey Kong's necktie?  Nope, we get Waluigi's hat.  The sequence of events that have led us to the creation of this thing are truly puzzling (sort of like Waluigi himself).