According to the GTA IV game details page on XBox.com, the new GTA IV trailer will appear today via the XBox Live Marketplace in high-definition! With the clock now ticking past 6 1/2 hours left to go, here’s to sitting back and watching Xbox Live crash and burn tonight.

Read more: GTA IV @ Xbox.com

It’s Rockstar day today and what better way to continue it than with the A-FUCKING-MAZING new Wired article examining Rockstar Games’ rise to fame and fortune riding on the success of Grand Theft Auto and the pocket books of Take 2 Games and their perceived fall from grace. Providing a rare inside glimpse into the inner-workings of Rockstar on a corporate level, David Kushner does an excellent job of analyzing the many mistakes that have occurred in Rockstar management and asking the important question, can Rockstar, minus many of their crucial team members, keep the GTA brand alive and well?

Read more: The Road to Ruin

The countdown is well underway for the unveiling of the new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer from Rockstar Games. At the moment, the clock is ticking past 14h 31m 02s before millions of sandbox gaming fans around the world will get a glimpse of the future of the GTA franchise. I’m sure it’s no secret that Rockstar and Take 2 have a lot riding on this game, with the talk of a selloff of their parent company lighting up the games gossip circuit, this trailer better be 3-8 minutes of non-stop debauchery and action that would make Jack Thompson proud. Let’s just hope it shows some actual in-game footage.

Countdown: GTA IV trailer

It seems Microsoft just isn’t feeling the Wii60 love anymore now that Sony has won a few minor PR battles in the UK. In a recent report by Daily Tech, Microsoft’s Xbox platform and Live product manager, John Rodman, implied that Wii customers are kids saying:

We don’t feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing. We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else.

Ouch!

Read more: MS: Silly gamers, Wii is for kids

An official statement from Take 2 has pointed out that an alternative course to the company’s sale has yet to be found, meaning that a potential gold rush will possibly be occurring over Take 2′s assets, namely GTA developer, Rockstar Games. An alternative seems unlikely at this point, with the statement going on to reveal that the board of directors believe that it is unlikely to present an alternative (to the sale) before the next general board meeting occurring March 29th, though discussions are ongoing. Time for Microsoft to open up that wallet, though the company has stated in the past it has no desire to purchase Take 2, I can see a healthy bidding war for the rights to Grand Theft Auto.

EDIT: I promise I’ll be brushing up on my native language (English) shortly ;)

Read more: Take 2 board has no alternative (yet) but sale

Many long-time readers may be surprised (slightly) that something has changed around here at Playthrough. Unfortunately, due to real-life commitments, the amount of new posts has dropped and the page was starting to become a little too decrepit. So, we’ve gone ahead and cleaned things up around here with a partially new layout and that’s not all. Expect some minor tweaks here and there in the coming few days and expect to see new posts coming from more than just myself (I bet you can’t wait). Until then, thanks for the support!

Shuttle has always been a special company. Always affordable to computer enthusiasts on the VAR level, Shuttle is known for staying current with stylish industrial design on top of affordable budget PC hardware. But sometimes borrowing from other influences a tad obviously. Which seems to be the case (at least to me) for their latest media center PC, the XPC X200MC, which measures in at just a miniature 5.5 cm tall and (surprisingly) thin, about 3 DVD cases, I’d say. It features an Intel GMA950 on-board graphics chip with DVI and VGA out, multi-channel digital audio out, room for an Intel Core Duo mobile processor, room for up to 2GB of RAM and an integrated TV tuner card with remote for all your digital video or home entertainment needs. Oh, it also looks a little bit like a Wii. There, I said it.

Larger shot after the jump..

Read more of “Shuttle XPC X200MC looks familiar“

Poor Sony. They just can’t catch a break. With their overpriced monster of a console failing to ignite the sales charts and now launching in Europe (for around $800 USD after conversion!) to a deafening lull, they have Microsoft trying to trip them up at every turn. From the official PS3 launch party held in Paris, the festivities were rudely interrupted when a barge carrying huge banners stating “XBOX 360 <3 YOU” floated on by, making PS3 fanboys around the world consider taking up high-seas piracy.

Watch video of the drive-by after the jump..

Read more of “Microsoft crashes French PS3 launch party“

With the recent upgrade to Revelations 1.4 comes an interesting new EVE plugin for voice communications named EVE Voice. Fully integrated into the EVE client, EVE Voice is also built into every player channel within the universe, without the need for potentially dangers third party applications. Voice can handle up to 200 players per secure channel for the low fee of $15 a year, giving you unlimited usage, though there is a special offer now for only $10 a year, so, get going early adopters!

Read more: EVE Voice

New Line Cinema has won the rights to Epic / Microsoft’s super mega-hit Gears of War in a screenplay auction which consisted of a 21 page treatment by Stuart Beattie (Collateral, Derailed). Gears is of course MS’s biggest system seller since Halo, so let’s hope they go 1 for 2 in having one of their hits translated onto the big screen. I think there’s plenty of material to work with and it would be great to know actually what the heck is going on in the Gears universe with the game leaving so many unanswered questions.

Read more: New Line has rights to Gears of War film