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.

SONY just announced release dates for the long-awaited PlayTV add-on for the PS3 and Go!View video service for the PSP. PlayTV will allow the PS3’s hard drive to record TV shows thanks to it’s dual TV tuners. The included software has a 7-day programming guide, and recorded programs can be viewed remotely over Wi-Fi or transferred to the PSP.

SONY’s Go!View video service for the PSP will be subscription-based or on a pay-per-view system. Users can download TV content to their PSP from a dedicated website.

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.

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.

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.

Just in case of the off chance that you hadn’t been gaming all last night, that 2.20 firmware update for the PS3 is now available. Along with some minor changes and tweaks the big news for this update is the BD-Live interactive content for Blu-ray 2.0. It looks like most of the updates revolve around media and web. Unfortunately there does not appear to be any sign of the portable copy to get Blu-ray movies on your PSP that we heard rumors of, or at least not in this version.

Thanks for the heads up, Josh.

It looks like Sony’s next firmware update for the PS3 might include even more than the BD-Live interactive content on Blu-ray discs and the loss of the max file size for some video media. According to PCWorld the 2.20 firmware upgraded for the PS3 will also bring the ability to transfer Blu-ray movies from discs on the PS3 to the Playstation Portable.

This would be a nice feature for Sony to add sounds like it would be not unlike the Digital Copy we saw from FOX movies for iTunes. Instead of taking the time to convert each film into a special version for the PSP, some Blu-ray discs would have a “portable copy” of the movie that can be transferred to the PSP.

Kotaku has gotten their hands on some real pictures of the new PS3 coming to Japan along with the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 launch. The PS3 is steel colored which seems like an appropriate choice given the game that it will come bundled with in June. The console will have “Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition” written on the case with the new color and comes packaged with the game and a matching steel DualShock 3 controller pictured after the jump.

Anyone that has been shopping for a Blu-ray player since the HD format war is finally over will want to give the PS3 a serious look. Not only is the PS3 one of the cheaper Blu-ray players, but it is one of the few that can be upgraded via software updates to support new features. Plus you get to play some sweet games as well.

Sony announced today that the coming version 2.20 software update scheduled for release late in March will add support for Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 or BD-LIVE. The update will allow users to get new interactive content available on some Blu-ray titles.

This news should make both Guitar Hero fans and Aerosmith fans very happy. Activision announced plans to base an installment in the Guitar Hero series around America’s best selling hard rock band Aerosmith. The new title is scheduled for a June release and will be available for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and PS2.

Players will be able to play as the band’s guitarists Joe Perry, Brad Whitford and bassist Tom Hamilton. Just like other versions of the hit game, players will progress from an unknown band to rock legends, this time following the story of the band, with some Aerosmith concerts and venues. Interestingly, Activision has promised Aerosmith’s extensive back catalog, as well as other songs from other artists that inspired the group.

Now that the U.S. might be getting the white model of the PS3 the folks in Japan always need to have something a little more and have added a Satin Silver Playstation 3 model to the lineup. This makes a total of 3 colors available in the original black, white and now the most recent silver.

This model is also the 40GB version with the lack of PS2 game playing capabilities, card reader and fewer USB ports, but nevertheless seems to be helping out sales for Sony. The satin silver model will retail for ¥39,980 (about $374 USD). Sony will also release to Japan a matching DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller (not included) which will be in the same satin silver color. Sony has the controller retailing at 5,500 yen (about $52 USD).

Here’s another cheap Chinese knock-off that fell off the back of the truck recently. I thought the PX-3600 was bad…These ripoff consoles are just getting stranger and stranger. This one may look like a PS3, but that’s where the similarities end.

First, it’s tiny and comes in clamshell packaging. You don’t even plug it into a television, and it’s got a little screen that pops out of the side. Yes, just like all of the other knock-offs, this one has the personality of a wet fart trapped in a paper bag. Check out a video review after the jump.

The folks over at T3 did a pretty nice job with a mock up of a Wii Phone last year at about this time and this year they’re creating another stir. They’ve posted images today of what they envision as a lighter, slimmer Sony Playstation 3 which is reportedly heading for shelves as soon as this fall.

Sony does have a history of slimming things down just like they did last year with the slimmer PSP but it seems like an unlikely move from a company that’s trying to cut costs and increase the market for their latest game console, but maybe with Blu-ray pulling ahead they feel they have it made? T3 also is speculating that this new slimmer model would have the rumored 160GB hard drive in it as well, and of course a slim Blu-ray player.

I’ve seen a ton of screwed up knock off consoles, but this one has to be the strangest. Is it an Xbox, PlayStation 2, 3, or something else? What can you say about a modern console that sports the classic 9-pin controller ports of an Atari 2600 or Vic-20? I can only surmise that crackheads are now included in the design process.

Notice the Bat-wing controllers. It’s made by Cheer-Tech Industries of Hong Kong and includes visual elements from several modern consoles, tweaking them just enough to keep them safe from copyright infringements. It will play a handful of built-in games and comes with two controllers, only one with a rumble feature. Right now, no one seems to know if it plays games from recent consoles, but I doubt it.

XFPS has created a nifty little gadget that allows you to connect a USB or PS2 keyboard and mouse to your Playstation 3. The question is, will it be PlayStation 3 authorized only, or are we finally going to be able to use any keyboard and mouse on those integrated USB ports as long as the game supports it?

A company representative said that you will be able to play games such as Unreal Tournament 2007 with the keyboard and the mouse, which might mean the end of auto-aiming that is now have on Playstation 2. More details are sure to come. We will try to get more info on this one for you.