Source: Gaming blog Kotaku.

What we heard: Two days after the PlayStation Phone appears to have been unmasked, new details may have surfaced on the PSP2. Gaming blog Kotaku appears to have a bevy of information on the device, including the fact it will sport dual analog sticks, a larger "HD" screen, and a touch-sensitive pad on the back of the system.

Additionally, the upcoming portable will not have a UMD drive, with games instead coming on memory sticks, according a Kotaku's source. How large the games will be is unclear, as it appears the PSP2 will be a much burlier device under the hood than its predecessor. It will reportedly feature 1GB of RAM, versus the PSP's 64MB and the Xbox 360's 512MB.

The PSP2 may look like the UMD-less PSP Go, but with a second thumbstick.

One question that remains unanswered is the form factor of the PSP2. Kotaku's sources say that prototypes resembling both the PSP Go and the PSP-3000 were shown behind closed doors at the Tokyo Game Show. However, Sony had reportedly not yet decided on which direction to go in at the time of the event.

The official story: "People are reporting on rumors and calling them details. As you know, we don't coment on rumors or speculation."--Sony rep.

Bogus or not bogus?: Certainly very interesting, especially coming on the heels of the PlayStation Phone photos, which show Sony is using touchpad technology in its portables. However, without more information, it's too early to say either way.

Source: Tsumea, a Web site for Australian and New Zealand game developers.

What we heard: Krome, creator of Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, has had a turbulent 12 months. It laid off staff at the end of 2009 across all three of its Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne studios. More positions were eliminated in April this year, with the studio blaming "new challenges" for the cuts.

Things got worse a couple of months ago, when Krome confirmed to GameSpot that it had put an undisclosed number of its staff on notice pending the outcome of several of its projects, shortly after closing the Adelaide studio completely. Once again, Krome blamed external factors, such as economic challenges for the action, but claimed that current and future projects remained unaffected.

Is this the end for Ty's creators?

Today, Australian and New Zealand developer-focused Web site Tsumea reported on rumours of further layoffs, possibly resulting in the end of the developer altogether. Tsumea cites Twitter posts that suggest cuts at both the remaining Melbourne and Brisbane offices, with a full closure set to occur on Monday. It did, however, claim that some of Krome's employees will be brought back as contractors to finish remaining projects.

The studio recently worked on Game Room for Microsoft's Xbox 360, but its most recent games, Blade Kitten and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, received mediocre to fair reviews. The studio was at one point Australia's largest independent game developer with more than 400 members of staff across its various locations.

The official story: GameSpot contacted Krome's press department for confirmation, but no response was forthcoming as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus that Krome has laid off more staff, but too early to tell if the studio will be closing for good. Given the studio's recent decline, though, the signs aren't good.

Source: Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter, speaking to Now Gamer.

What we heard: Valve's online platform Steam is widely regarded as a leader in the digital distribution space, and the studio has maintained that lead by continuing to introduce features to improve the experience for gamers. This year alone, the Washington studio has rolled out the Steam Wallet to make purchasing content easier, as well as bolstered Mac support with Steam Play.

Today, it appeared as if prominent gaming industry analyst Michael Pachter tipped Valve's hand for the next innovative feature coming to Steam. In an interview with British gaming site Now Gamer, Pachter indicated that Valve would soon allow gamers to trade in their purchases through Steam for new titles.

Don't count on trading in that new copy of Portal through Steam anytime soon.

"Steam is phenomenal; it's a great service," Pachter reportedly said. "Steam gives gamers enough other stuff so that they don't resent the fact they can't trade in their games. And you know, name all the Steam games that you've purchased that you've traded back in to somebody else for credit. Steam's about to let you do that supposedly, you know like trade and exchange, but they're going to take a fee from it."

The official story: There's just one problem: Pachter doesn't remember saying it.

"I saw the headlines today, and honestly don't remember saying that Steam would sponsor trade-ins," Pachter told GameSpot. "I can only surmise that the reporter asked the question that way ('Steam is rumored to be considering taking digital trade-ins') and asked me what I thought. I have NOT heard this from anybody, and think it had to be the way the question was phrased."

"When I said 'supposedly,' it's because the question was posed that way, and is an acknowledgement that I've never heard it before," he continued. "For the record, I don't know anything about Steam's plans to sponsor credits for games purchased in the past."

Now Gamer had not returned a request for comment on Pachter's retraction as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus.

Source: See below.

What we heard: The summer was a bloody one for the game industry, with layoffs coming at Rockstar Games, Sony Online Entertainment, Firaxis, Realtime Worlds, Ubisoft, and LucasArts. Less than a month into fall, and the headcount reductions continue to be an issue. In the past week, Call of Duty: Black Ops DS developer n-Space and Singularity studio Raven Software both confirmed cuts.

Now, it appears as if yet one more studio will be sending developers to the unemployment office. Gamasutra reports today that a source within Chicago-based Robomodo has confirmed that the independent studio has let go "a significant number of staff."

Big air has its disadvantages…

The report comes exactly two weeks before Robomodo ships Tony Hawk: Shred, Activision's skateboarding-snowboarding title starring the titular X Games icon. According to Gamasutra's sources, Robomodo's layoffs were inspired by Activision's decision to strip the studio of the Tony Hawk franchise.

Gaming blog Kotaku echoed Gamasutra's report, stating that sources have confirmed that Robomodo has cut between 30 and 60 staffers from its payroll. The sources also noted that the cause for the reductions was due to Activision reclaiming the Tony Hawk license.

Formed in 2008 from the ashes of Fight Night studio EA Chicago, Robomodo's first project was Tony Hawk: Ride. The game faired poorly with critics, due in large part to its use of an oft-maligned motion-sensing skateboard peripheral.

Still, both Tony Hawk and Robomodo expressed faith in the add-on's technology, which will be seen in the upcoming Shred. The skater was quick to say that the original game "only just really tapped what's possible" with the board peripheral, while the Chicago-based developer ramped up payroll by 20 percent in the months following Ride's release.

The official story: Calls to Robomodo went unreturned as of press time, and an e-mail sent to the studio was returned as undeliverable. Inquires sent to a third-party public-relations firm that had previously represented the studio also went unreturned as of press time.

Activision declined to comment on the report.

Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus that Robomodo has enacted layoffs. However, it remains to be seen how the headcount reductions will impact Robomodo's status as a going concern.

Source: New York Magazine's showbiz blog, Vulture.

What we heard: From 2005 to 2006, the film adaptation of Microsoft's sci-fi shooter franchise Halo was the talk of Hollywood. Alas, in October 2006, the two studios behind the project--20th Century Fox and Universal--backed out, leaving it to languish in development limbo ever since.

Will the Halo movie get the Spielberg treatment?

Now, according to Vulture, the Halo movie may be back on. Citing unnamed sources, the show business blog says that Dreamworks and its head, director Steven Spielberg, are now actively seeking the big-screen rights for Halo. The apparent impetus for the push? The small matter of Halo: Reach grossing $200 million in 24 hours just last month.

Vulture also says that Dreamworks is looking at the novels based on the Halo games as source material for the film. Apparently, the move is a way to sidestep the screenplays written for the Halo film, the use of which would require Dreamworks to repay Universal $12 million in development costs. The first such novel, Halo: The Fall of Reach, was the inspiration for Halo: Reach, which depicts the conquest and eventual destruction of the titular fortress world by the Covenant.

Adding to the intrigue is the fact the current CEO of Dreamworks, Stacey Snider, was the head of Universal when it was involved in the Halo project. Then there's the matter of screenwriter Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) having already written an unsolicited spec script based on Fall of Reach. "I'm just a huge fan," he told the blog. "My long-term goal is to get three Halo movies [based on the three novelizations] made. It's not something I can accomplish tomorrow. But if I can help, I am glad to do it."

The official story: Microsoft reps had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus that Dreamworks is interested, but a source close to Microsoft told Vulture the project remains a long shot. "It's a gigantic waste of time because [Microsoft] doesn't want anything to happen in any other media that could screw up a multi-billion dollar franchise," said the source. "Somebody has to be in control of a movie; it's a director's medium. But they're completely averse to that. Because if Steven Spielberg f***s it up, what's your recourse? So the rule is: 'First, do no harm.'"

Source: A post on the NeoGAF message boards, with a picture said to be of Sunday's issue of the German tabloid Bild.

What we heard: The biggest news in gaming this week is expected to come out of Nintendo's Japanese press conference to reveal launch details of the 3DS. However, the headline from that conference may have already been leaked.

It's coming right for us!

According to the picture, Bild reported that Nintendo will launch the 3DS in Japan on November 11, with a German launch to follow next spring. That information is in keeping with what has been said all along about the system. When Nintendo first announced the handheld, it said it would launch it during the fiscal year ending March 2011. A report in the Japanese business daily Nikkei on the same day pegged the 3DS as arriving this year in Japan.

The Bild report spends much of its space recapping the basic functionality of the machine and offering praise like the underscored, "Der 3D-Effect ist sensationell!" However, it also mentions a price point of sorts, saying the system will cost nearly €200 ($270). However, it's worth noting that gaming hardware prices between Europe and North America often ignore currency conversions. For example, the DSi XL sells in the US for $170, even though its European price tag of €165 would convert directly to about $222.

The official story: "Nintendo does not comment on rumors or speculation."--A Nintendo representative.

[UPDATE] Bogus or not bogus?: Though initially credible, the rumor turned out to be bogus. Nintendo has now announced the 3DS will launch next March in the US and Europe and on February 26 in Japan. Only the Japanese price of ¥25,000 ($299) has been announced.

Source: See below.

What we heard: After years of languishing in development limbo, Mad Max 4: Fury Road began preproduction in late 2009. In a video segment from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (via Comingsoonet.net), producer-director George Miller talked about how it would take a year just to build the cars used in the sequel.

Mad Max fans are growing impatient over the fourth film's delays.

Since 2008, God of War II producer Cory Barlog has been linked to the game adaptation of Fury Road, a fact he reconfirmed yesterday with two tweets. "I need a rockstar lead level girl or guy who is up for the challenge of making an amazing AAA Mad Max game," read the first, followed by, "A heads up to all level designers, more specifically lead level designers. Want make a Mad Max game with me?"

The two aforementioned posts were wedged between tweets about Barlog's visit to Stockholm, Sweden, site of Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios. The fact that Avalanche founder Christofer Sundberg retwittered several of Barlog's posts about Mad Max 4 was not lost on Giant Bomb. The gaming blog then connected the dots between the Barlog-Avalanche link and a May report saying that the studio is working on "a major Hollywood license" to be developed "alongside an upcoming 2012 movie." The often-delayed Mad Max 4 had a 2012 release, but--as Barlog twittered and Sundberg retwittered--it has since been delayed.

The official story: Inquiries sent to Barlog and Avalanche had not been returned as of press time. However, Sundberg did tell Eurogamer the following: "I can't comment on the projects we are working on, but Cory is working here with us in Stockholm as you have probably read on his Twitter recently."

Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus.

Source: UK gaming news site Eurogamer.

What we heard: Microsoft's camera-based motion-sensing add-on Kinect will be in stores on November 4, but it seems like only yesterday that Lionhead Studios trotted out its little boy simulator Project Milo to debut the device at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Since then, the status of the title has been unclear, with Microsoft saying within the course of 24 hours in June that it did not, but then again did, have plans to bring Project Milo to market.

Milo may have been laid to rest.

It's now possible that Microsoft has once again pulled the plug on Project Milo. Eurogamer reports today that Project Milo has been officially canceled, with Lionhead showing the door to 19 contractors who were working on the project. Unfortunately, Eurogamer's information comes from the most tenuous of places, as the UK gaming site cites "a source claiming to be close to the situation" as the provenance of its information.

While bad for Xbox 360 gamers looking forward to seeing what Milo had to offer, the reported development is apparently good for Fable fans. According to Eurogamer's source, Lionhead has now established two teams to work on the Fable franchise. Further, the team that was working on Milo will reportedly implement some of its work into a "Fable-themed Kinect game."

The official story: Microsoft had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?:Bogus for now, since Eurogamer's source is questionable at best. Further, Eurogamer itself noted that just last month, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux told the site that Project Milo was absolutely intended for a retail release, saying, "I wouldn't be working on it if I didn't hope that to be true, yes."

Source: An advance copy of PC Gamer obtained by Eurogamer.

What we heard: Following the poor reception of Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness in 2003, then-independent publisher Eidos Interactive rebooted the series with Tomb Raider: Legend in 2006. The new game showed off a completely redesigned Lara Croft, with the heroine sporting both a more practical outfit and realistic proportions.

The next Tomb Raider will reportedly be an open-world origin story with a younger Lara Croft.

Now, one month after the download-only Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light made a critically hailed debut on the Xbox 360--it hits the PC and PlayStation 3 next week--the next Tomb Raider game may have surfaced. According to Eurogamer, advance copies of PC Gamer magazine reveal that the next Tomb Raider--published by Square Enix under the Eidos name--will reboot the series for a second time.

The game will apparently be an origin story set on a Japanese island and featuring a younger, less experienced Lara Croft exploring the isle's jungles. It will reportedly be an open-world title, allowing the young heroine to overcome puzzles and obstacles via a variety of methods. The game is also apparently in development for the PC, PS3, and 360 and is set for a late 2011 release. No developer was named, even though the franchise has been at San Francisco Bay Area shop Crystal Dynamics since 2004.

The official story: Square Enix reps had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: Too little to go on. Although a secondhand account isn't exactly gospel, a sandbox reboot sounds like the sort of shake-up the series could use.

[UPDATE] This story looks a little less bogus--and a lot less timely--as it appears to stem from more solid reports from July 2009. That's when leaked scans of a Nielsen survey surfaced which reportedly revealed the open-world, origin-story nature of the game.