A new firmware update for the PS3 is live, but a significant number of reports indicate it's locking users out of their systems. Posters on the official PS3 Support forum noted they couldn't boot their systems after the update, and some users said restoring file systems didn't resolve the issue. According to the PlayStation Twitter account, the 4.45 update includes trophy notification options and improves system stability - hmm. We've reached out to Sony to clarify the situation. While the issues don't seem to be affecting all users, it might be wise to stay clear of the update ...

BioWare continues to say not terribly much about Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, which has been pushed back from launch this year to release in late 2014. Speaking to CVG, general manager Aaryn Flynn has suggested that Dragon Age character save imports are a possibility, and reiterated that the developer wants to find a balance between Origins-era tactics and Dragon Age 2's more action-heavy style. He also took a bit of time to discuss what's possible on Xbox One and PS4. "I think for us when you see the Inquisition trailer you'll see that it's such a radical leap ...

3DS firmware update v6.0.0-11 should satiate the needs of those who have collected every single StreetPass puzzle piece and beaten StreetPass Quest twice (or more). The update, only available in Europe at the time of writing, adds four purchasable Mii Plaza games in addition to the original two. Those four are StreetPass Squad, Garden, Battle, and Mansion. We'd love to tell you about the games themselves, but StreetPass Mii Plaza has crashed on us every time we've loaded up the new Shop page - reports on NeoGAF indicate others are also struggling ...

Nintendo is working on a free-to-play version of Steel Diver, the 3DS launch title that served as a submarine simulator, shoot-em-up and strategy game, Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto told IGN at E3. Nintendo will develop a fresh game, with new design, for the free-to-play version. Miyamoto didn't announce any platforms, but said Steel Diver will be available at retail along with the digital launch. "There is something we're doing with the Steel Diver idea that I think is going to open things up with that game," he said. "It's going to be very fun. We're exploring ...

Now this is what I'm talking about, DICE. Not promising but unsubstantiated assurances that Battlefield 4's single player won't be tragically rigid, but full disclosure on the game's spectacular multiplayer, which takes the whole concept of "earth-shattering spectacle" and, well, shatters it. Speaking to MP1st at E3, the studio's Karl-Magnus Troedsson has gone into detail about new and refined mechanics, modes and features. Let's get this show on the road with Field Upgrades, a feature you might recall from Battlefield 2142. They're non-persistent upgrades such ...

VIP members can access some new maps in Gears of War: Judgment today, available as part of the Lost Relics DLC pack. Headlining the pack is a new mode called Breakthrough, where one side attempts to move a flag from one point to another while the other team tries to stop them. Lost Relics includes four multiplayer maps in total: Lost City, Museum, Ward (OverRun only) and Checkout, the same fan-favorite map featured in Gears of War 3. Rounding out the DLC pack are some new weapon and armor skins. Hit the jump for some flythrough videos ...

I can't tell you what a relief it is, right now, to write about some good old-fashioned, inoffensive current generation games. The past week or two has been a cavalcade of nastiness where the good ship Xbox One's concerned - hopefully, Microsoft is taking notes, and has already appointed a Vice-President of Being Down With The Kids to address matters. I'd recommend enlisting that Aisha Tyler lady from Ubisoft's E3 presser - she seems to be on the level. Anyhoo, on with the Marketplace discounts and additions ...

In late March, Square Enix cited "weak sales" of big console titles to explain its massive restructuring, which saw the dismissal of now-former President Yoichi Wada. Games such as Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider were slated to reach over three million units in sales in fiscal 2013, arguably considered successful to other publishers. Meanwhile, Eidos Montreal's reboot of the long-running Thief series reportedly suffered multiple setbacks during its lengthy development cycle. When asked if he feels pressure to ship a critically-acclaimed game in light ...

The Nintendo 3DS finally edged out the Xbox 360 in May 2013 as the best selling console across hardware and portables, according to the NPD's monthly report on the retail sector. In what the NPD claims was a slow month overall, the 3DS landed three different games on the top 10 (including Donkey Kong Country Returns at number three, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon at number five, and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes at number 10), and saw a sixty percent growth in software sales overall since last May. 3DS hardware sales were only even year-over-year ...