The latest firmware 2.40 put out just Tuesday for the Sony Playstation 3 was apparently pulled shortly after its release due to multiple reported problems caused by the update. If you’ve already gotten the update and things are working fine you are one of the lucky ones, otherwise if you seem to be faced with a bricked console you’ll need to be getting in touch with Sony support or possibly trying to fix it yourself.

Sony confirmed Wednesday that they had official pulled the available update within an hour after its release due to the reported problems, which they say were experienced by a “limited” number of PS3 gamers. The most common problem appears to be that the console gets “stuck” when booting and doesn’t get past that “wave” background display, never reaching the XMB. Some argue that formatting the PS3 hard disk will fix the problem which you can attempt, but at your own risk.

While most of you are still addicted to the original Rock Band, Harmonix is already looking toward the future at what else they can put in your home. That’s why they’re getting official with Rock Band 2 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Xbox 360 will be launching in September and the PS3 version will follow later in the year. Of course, with a new Rock Band, you’ll be getting new instruments, like this Fender Stratocaster.

Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to use your current gear if you have it all decked out in stickers and such, or if you want to save a few bucks. Looks like you’ll also be able to carry over all your downloaded content as well as being able to download and play new tracks on Rock Band 1 once Rock Band 2 is available.

Sony has released an update to it’s corporate strategy through 2010. It talks about initiatives to move Sony from recovery to the “leading global provider of networked consumer electronics and entertainment.” The most welcome short term news is that Sony will have a movie download service available to US PlayStation 3 owners this summer.

Japan and Europe will have to wait until later for once. More details should be coming “next month,” probably at E3. As far as Sony’s gaming business, they expect it to be profitable by March 2009, the end of this fiscal year. There you go, summer. You won’t have to wait as long as you thought.

According to the latest NPD Group report for game sales in May, this is the fourth month in a row that Nintendo has come out on top for the number 1 AND number two spot for console sales. The Nintendo Wii and the handheld Nintendo DS were the two top-selling hardware units for May, 2008.

Nintendo sold over 675,000 Wii consoles in May and almost 453,000 Nintendo DS’s, which would probably explain all the new colors and designs they have been coming out with lately for the DS. Sony’s Playstation 3 followed with a little under 209,000 units sold and Microsoft sold 186,600 Xbox 360 units during the same period.

Once again Japan gets all the cool things. Like this latest, the Cinnabar Red PlayStation 2. It should be available on July 3rd, for the equivalent of $155 US. Perfect if you love rocking red, or if you have some sort of Hell theme happening. In fact, it would probably be at home in Hellboy’s house. Hell. Damnation. The damned. Red is the color of anger you know. I think it’s affecting me in a strange way.

We’ve seen several versions of the PSP over the years, but until now none have been geared toward diehard Football fans. This one is for all the Madden fans, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of one of the most popular sports titles ever.

The bundle will have a limited-edition “Metallic Blue” PSP with the Madden NFL 09 game; “NFL: In Just One Play” on UMD Video; a voucher to download Beats (a new way to interact with your music collection on your PSP system. It uses a beat-tracking technology to create gameplay from any song the player supplies) from the PlayStation Store and a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo. So if you’re a huge Football fan, the bundle will be available on August 12 for $199.

If you were hoping to somehow get your hands on that gun metal gray Metal Gear Solid 4 Playstation 3 bundle, here’s your chance. Konami has issued a press release showing that they exclusively will have a 40GB MGS4 PS3 bundle available for North American with the pre-sell starting on May 19th. This is not the same as the 80GB bundle we had talked about last month but a new offering available only from Konami.

The package comes with a Gun Metal Gray, 40GB Playstation 3, a matching wireless dualshock controller, Metal Gear Online, a Blu-ray disc with 2 hours of exclusive additional content and the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition game. The bundle is priced at $599.99 and will only go while supplies last so if you want one of these you’ll want to keep on top of this offer. In fact, you can add it to your Wish List on the Konami site now to keep up with the offer.

Microsoft is touting some new statistics trying to gain some additional momentum for the Xbox 360 game console, stating that in the U.S. they have sold 10 million units. There is no refuting that this is quite an accomplishment, but Microsoft is trying to add some more significance to the 10 million unit mark.

“History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle. We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry, ” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft.

Actiontec Electronics recently unveiled a new home networking gaming kit designed to be used through electrical wiring in the home. It is called the MegaPlug AV Powerline Gaming Kit and it prices at around $170.

The Actiontec MegaPlug AV Powerline Gaming Kit makes uses of the HomePlug AV powerline standard to transmit computer networking signals through electrical wiring. Two special adapters plug into wall outlets, with one connecting to a PC, Xbox, Playstation, Wii, or other gaming console and the other connecting to a broadband access point.

Grand Theft Auto IV went on sale worldwide today and many retailers such as Best Buy and GameStop opened their doors at midnight last night to meet fans across the country who created long lines to be one of the first to get their hands on a copy and spend the rest of the night playing. The GTA 4 launch from Take Two is expected to see sales that will rival that of last year’s Halo 3 release, with numbers nearing $400 million for around 6 million copies sold around the world.

The Grand Theft Auto 4 game is available for both the Sony Playstation 3 and the XBox 360 which greatly broadens the audience. Some speculate that the launch delay from last October also allowed more people to have time to buy the latest generation of game console and built more anticipation for the launch. Take Two says the delay was due to technical hurdles that needed to be overcome.

Fanatec, a developer of input devices for game consoles and PCs, unveiled today Porsche-inspired racing hardware for the PC and PlayStation 3 gaming platforms. It is called the Porsche 911 Turbo Racing Wheel and you’ll find it pricing at around $350.

The Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Racing Wheel is licensed by Porsche and designed to work with racing games like Gran Turismo 5: Prologue and Racedriver: GRID. It makes use of wireless USB technology for the wheel and pedals. Key features of this product include three force feedback motors, a smooth belt drive, 6+1 speed H-pattern gear stick and a clutch pedal and brake with soft-stop for the pedals.

Why in the hell you would want to port around a PS3 I have no idea, same thing with the Wii really. But I guess we needed more accessories. Thanks to Clearvision’s new LCD attachment for the PS3 and China Vasion’s version for the Nintendo Wii, you can.

Both screens measure 7 inches and have integrated speakers along with a flip-top design that makes your console look like an oversized handheld. I can’t imagine playing any Wii game with the Wii version. You would have to stand about four feet away and good luck making out anything on that screen. If you wanted to use your Wii as a laptop I guess it would be cool.

Iomega is introducing for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners a new external portable hard drive designed to offer greater storage for these gaming consoles. It is known as the Iomega Media Xporter Drive and you’ll find it pricing around $120.

The Iomega Media Xporter Drive is a 160GB hard drive which connects to Sony and Microsoft’s gaming platforms via USB 2.0. It is a wallet sized device which has been tested for compatibility with these systems and serves as a place to store media files of various formats which can be enjoyed through the different game machines.

When we heard news that Sony and Konami where launching a Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 in Japan we of course wanted one but new that this was probably one of those cool, Japan-only things that we would never actually see here in the U.S. But, as it turns out Sony is going to be launching this gun metal colored PS3 console in the United States.

Unfortunately it sounds like this release will be a very limited edition in the U.S., so we probably still won’t get our hands on one but at least now there’s a better chance. The MGS4 PS3 along with its matching DualShock 3 controller has a U.S. launch date of June 12 and will come bundled with the game and the standard 80GB PS3.

Colorware isn’t content to just make your PSP’s and Nintendo DS look awesome. Now they want to spruce up your Guitar Hero axe. I have to say, it looks pretty awesome.

The service is available for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. New users can score one for as little as $198, while current thrashers can send their guitar in and get it colorized for as little as $99. If you are on a budget, don’t even go look at the eye candy, because you won’t be able to help yourself.