Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced it will release the first expansion pack for its Metal Gear Online title on July 17th. Entitled Metal Gear Online Gene Expansion, the download adds new maps, characters and a game mode to the existing game.

Metal Gear Online is a dedicated online title released with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, an exclusive title for PLAYSTATION®3, which took the market by storm on its release in June. Featuring characters, weaponry and levels taken from and inspired by Metal Gear Solid 4, Metal Gear Online allows up to 16 people to play simultaneously. The online game retains the famed stealth combat gameplay of the Metal Gear series, players are dropped in a series of war zones wherein different challenges await.

The new Metal Gear Online Gene Expansion enhancement will be available to download via Metal Gear Online’s built-in store from July 17th, and is priced 9,99 Euro. The download adds a number of key features to the basic game, including new three new maps. ‘Coppertown Conflict’ boasts wide, open streets, ‘Tomb of Tubes’ is a labyrinth of underground passages, while ‘Virtuous Vista is a sprawling outdoor locale, and ideally suited to medium and long-range combat techniques.

A new ‘Survival’ mode has also been added, wherein players are charged with staying alive for as long as possible within a series of increasingly challenging stages, while a Reward Shop has been added wherein accrued points can be traded for new gear. The new add-on also added Metal Gear Solid 4 heroes Meryl and Johnny to the list of playable characters, both of whom enjoy unique skills, and will be randomly allocated to players when their use is enabled. Finally, Kojima Productions has also added the ability to create female soldiers for those creating new characters.

“Konami is committed to the evolution of Metal Gear Online, and this first expansion pack illustrates the ways the game can be enhanced with new stages, characters and modes,” commented Christopher Heck, European Brand Manager for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “The new update represents terrific value for money, and will be followed by additional add-ons in the coming months designed to keep Metal Gear Online fans enthralled with the new possibilities they will bring.”

Ahead of NPD’s June U.S. hardware and software sales report, Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter has predicted an uptick in PS3 sales on the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, but still sees the Wii easily topping the hardware charts.

Pachter expects combined market sales to be up 19 percent over the year prior at $645 million, up from 2007’s $542 million. Metal Gear Solid 4, Ninja Gaiden II, Lego: Indiana Jones, Guitar Hero: On Tour and Guitar Hero Aerosmith are expected to be the top new titles, but Pachter says he also expects “a dramatic drop-off in sales from last month’s performance of Take-Two’s GTA IV and Nintendo’s Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii.”

Looking at hardware performance, Pachter predicts the Wii will outsell the Xbox 360 and PS3 combined, with PS3 sales up “due to the release of PS3 exclusive MGS 4 and a special Wal-Mart promotion.” The full list is as follows:

Wii - 750,000
DS - 625,000
PS3 - 375,000
Xbox 360 - 235,000
PSP - 235,000
PS2 - 160,000

“Next generation console unit sales are running well ahead of the level in the analogous period of 2003 (when console prices averaged under $200),” he concluded, “implying room for significant sales growth as price cuts are implemented.”

E3 2008 begins in LA tomorrow. We waited until the last possible minute to bring you the final list of confirmed games, including all those that are PS3 exclusive.

Of course, we are expecting all sorts of additional titles to appear during the Sony conference on Tuesday 15th, but this is the list of games actually confirmed to be on the floor at the event.

If you’re going along, why not print out this list so you can check off all the PS3 action…

Baja: Edge of Control
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando Rearmed [PS3 Attitude Big Three title]
BioShock
Blitz: The League II
Borderlands
Buzz! Quiz TV PS3 Exclusive [PS3 Attitude Big Three title]
Damnation
Dark Void
Darksiders: Wrath of War
Dead Space
Edge of Twilight
FaceBreaker
Fallout 3
Free Realms
Just Cause 2
Killzone 2 PS3 Exclusive
Legendary
LEGO Batman: The Videogame
LittleBigPlanet PS3 Exclusive
Madden NFL 09
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Mirror’s Edge
Monster Madness: Grave Danger PS3 Exclusive
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift PS3 Exclusive
NBA 2K9
NBA Live 09
NCAA Football 09
NHL 2K9
Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising
PixelJunk Eden PS3 Exclusive
Plunder
Project Origin
Pure
Red Faction: Guerrilla
Resident Evil 5
Resistance 2 PS3 Exclusive
Rise of the Argonauts
Saints Row 2
SIREN: Blood Curse (Episode 1) PS3 Exclusive
SOCOM: Confrontation PS3 Exclusive
Soulcalibur IV
Street Fighter IV
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
The Agency
The Last Remnant
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
This is Vegas
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
TNA iMPACT!
Tomb Raider Underworld
Wheelman
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009

Activison releases Call of Duty 5 - World at War trailer! Click here to watch trailer.

In getting our mums and dads to play videogames the Nintendo Wii did what no other console has done before. But according to a study, it’s the PS3 that is the most fancied console for those over 44.

Despite it’s easy-to-grasp remote controller, the Wii is most popular with 18-24 year olds, while it was found the Xbox 360 was popular with the slightly more mature 35-44 year olds.

It’s a strange collection of findings. Perhaps the likes of Grand Theft Auto 4 struck a chord with oldies wishing to take their frustrations out on the world of Liberty City?

Are games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit just too patronising for oldies? You can dispute the evidence by downloading the study here http://www.smrb.com/study/default.aspx?c=Marketwire%3a+Xbox+and+Playstation.

Logitech has launched its latest gaming peripheral, a cordless Precision controller for the Playstation3 (PS3).

The Precision controller features a floating D-pad design and offers a cordless game-pad with reliable 2.4GHz Cordless Freedom technology.

The new controller promises precise control up to around 30-feet with no lag, ensuring that the gamer enjoys a smooth gaming experience. It features advanced power-saving technology that promises over 150 hours of game play on a single AA batteries (2) set.

The new cordless Precision controller for the PS3 is priced at Rs 2,990, and comes along with a two-years warranty.

DFC Intelligence has come out with its latest forecasts and the outlook looks very good for PS3.

According to DFC, PS3 will overtake Xbox 360 in 2009.

“The Xbox 360 was unable to take advantage of Sony’s struggles to build the type of large lead needed to maintain a long-term advantage,” the group wrote in its May 2008 Dossier.

On the whole, they predict that Wii will take win the next-gen race, because it “has enormous momentum and appeals to the broadest audience.”

If DFC is correct, then Nintendo’s console will also set a new record for the most consoles sold in a single year in 2008.

Surprisingly, a bad economy is good for video games, claims DFC.

“Ironically, a slowing economy can actually help the game industry. Videogames provide a high rate of entertainment return and high gas prices actually encourage people to stay at home and play games,” the report said.