Late Night Consoling

Singapore-based Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing today announced a new agreement with Microsoft to produce Xbox CPUs using 65nm Silicon-on-Insulator technology. Previously Chartered supplied Microsoft with 90nm SOI CPUs for Xbox 360, via IBM. "We look forward to working with Chartered on the production of such an important component of our Xbox 360 system," said Microsoft's general manager of Xbox console development. "Chartered's ability to demonstrate the manufacturability of IBM's advanced SOI technology in Fab 7 was key to our selection. We plan to continue with our strategy of dual sourcing from Chartered and IBM's fabs, which are operationally aligned and compatible, to give us the consistent product quality and flexibility we will need."

Chartered's new chips should start appearing in Xbox 360 production next year. The change will result in reduced heat output as well as lower manufacturing costs for Microsoft, a crucial benefit to the company, which sells Xbox 360 units at a loss.

Today, publisher Electronic Arts quietly opened up a website for a "next generation RPG" with the working title Project Gray Company. While there are few concrete details available about the plot or gameplay, executive producer Steve Gray (presumably the game's namesake) has some initial information on the site's About page. Previously, Gray has worked on EA's The Lord of the Rings action/RPG titles and headed up THQ's 2000 title Evil Dead: Hail to the King (PS1, DC, PC).

"The action takes place in a massive open world where you can go anywhere you want, and the characters in the world are powered by an incredible simulation AI based on the same technology used by the makers of The Sims 2. The story of the game is built around a series of Story Quests. You can choose to follow specific Story Quests, embark on a range of other types of quests, or set off on your own adventures in the massive open world environment. To creat this amazing new world, we have assembled an all-star team of RPG veterans from around the world. By combining our talents, skills, and passion for all things RPG, we are committed to optimizing the most state-of-the-art graphics and animation technology, the best character simulation AI, and our powerful new story mechanic to create an unparalleled new RPG experience."

EA in its modern incarnation is not known for RPGs, despite the company's historical involvement with Ultima developer Origin. With the success of Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Xbox, PC) and the recently released The Elder Scrolls IV: Obvlivion (X360, PC), EA may be trying to capitalize on the open-world mechanics that have made those games a success. No specific platforms were mentioned, but Xbox 360, PS3, and PC are probably a fairly safe bet.

Konami's next Castlevania game for Nintendo DS has been constantly rumored for months now, ith even the game's final title being revealed last week. Following the first actual preview in the latest issue of Nintendo Power, Konami has finally officially announced Castlevania: Portait of Ruin (DS), the followup to last year's acclaimed Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS). The game takes place in a setting that is ususual for the series but certainly not unusual for the games industry as a whole: World War II--though it's probably safe to assume the game treats the context slightly differently than most shooters. The game features two player-controlled protagonists, vampire hunter Jonathan Morris and the magic-wielding Charlotte Orlean, who must put a stop to the return of Dracula's Castle put into motion by the lost souls of war. Konami promises over a hundred enemies, massive bosses, and a new Summon system.

Development is headed up by longtime Castlevania director Koji Igarashi and his team, who also developed Dawn of Sorrow. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin ships for Nintendo DS this fall.

Vivendi Universal has announced that it will be bringing a video game adaptation of Michael Mann's upcoming Miami Vice film adaptation to PSP. Oddly, the tie-in will be a PSP exclusive, which may have something to do with the recent console games based not on the film but on the original television series. Miami Vice The Game will put players in the roles of undercover officers Crockett and Tubbs, offering various types of gameplay: shooting, hacking, drug trading, and more. It will also feature cooperative play via local wireless. "By taking full advantage of the advanced technology on the PSP system, Miami Vice The Game will deliver action-packed missions and highly-detailed locations that capture the danger-filled lives of the film’s main characters and immerse players in the authentic world of Miami Vice," said Vivendi's chief strategy and marketing officer Cindy Cook.

Miami Vice The Game ships for PSP alongside the film this July.

Complementing the recently release multiplay demo for the Xbox 360 version of Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, a new single-player demo has been added to the Xbox Live Marketplace. The 747MB file is now freely downloadable.

Sega sends along a development diary about Traveller's Tales' upcoming Super Monkey Ball Adventure (PS2, GCN, PSP). The team from Traveller's Tales speaks about the difficulties of character design and visuals within an established property moving in a new direction.

Game Informer has an absolutely enormous interview with Nintendo's George Harrison up at Game Informer Online. It's significantly longer than the edited interview that went into the latest print issue of Game Informer, but unfortunately it's only accessible to GI subscribers. The interview focuses on Revolution, discussing Nintendo's strategy in the coming months, its new attitude towards third parties, and what Nintendo has learned from GameCube.

1UP takes a look at what your Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) town says about you.

1UP also has an interview with Sony Santa Monica's Cory Barlog about the studio's upcoming God of War II (PS2).