If you thought Bob of Tekken 6 would be the only rotund fighter to grace this current era of fighters, don't look now because he may have a potential rival with Rufus from Capcom's Street Fighter 4 (PC, Xbox 360, and PS3). Along with El Fuerte and Seth, these three were the highlighted characters of this week's issue of Famitsu, featuring the upcoming sequel to the highly celebrated Street Fighter series. You can check out the details that were discussed in the full article.

Word is out that CBS corporation has entered a deal which will allow it to acquire CNET Networks, Inc. If this pushes through, CBS will become one of the major players among the internet companies in the United States. Care to know more? Head on over to the full article.

You want to know what Sony has up its sleeve for us this year? Well, a lot. At the Consumer Electronics Show 2008, Sony's press conference was filled with new products, technological advancements, and more.

Check out the full article to know what the consumer electronics giant announced for its HDNA lines.

2008 is a new year for all - even in the games industry. It seems Midway also joined in the New Year's corporate shakeups of other gaming corporate notables, including Activision Blizzard, all which began flowing in since last November. Long time serving Chairman of the Board, Kenneth D. Cron, finally stepped down from his seat at Midway and was immediately replaced by vice chair Shari Redstone. More at the full story.

Over the past year, more than US$ 1 billion have been pumped into 35 virtual worlds companies by venture capital, technology and media firms. This information comes from Virtual World Management, a leading media company that tracks the virtual worlds industry.

The biggest chunk of the US$1 billion came from Disney's acquisition of Club Penguin, an online game from New Horizon Interactive where kids take control of cartoon penguin avatars to waddle around, play minigames and chat with their friends. This acquisition cost Disney US$ 700 million.

Intel's US$ 110-million acquisition of 3D virtual worlds graphics technology company Havok made up the second-biggest part of the figure. A total of US$ 196.8 million came from investments in 33 different companies. Investors included Intel, Redpoint ventures, Disney, CBS and Time Warner.

Tomorrow may be a big moment on the history of gaming as broadcast giant CBS formally becomes the first network of its class to show a video game tournament as a regular sporting event like other athletic spectacles such as the Masters and March Madness.

"There are an enormous amount of people of all ages who play video games these days, so we’re going to try to see if video games’ popularity can translate into a viable television audience," says CBS Sports Vice-President Rob Correa as he explores the possibility of people looking at this moment as a poignant event after a decade or so.

The tournament concerned is the World Series of Video Games which will be held in Louisville, Kentucky. Edited footage from the event will show highlights of face-offs between players in games such as Fight Night Round 3, Guitar Hero and other non-violent titles. First-person shootouts in Halo and Quake will sadly not make it on air because of the nature of the content.

The idea of the tournament and the coverage by CBS is pegged on the South Korean model which has an entire nation embracing gaming and making it a part of pop culture. A full-time coverage in the manner that ESPN covers sports isn't possible for video games just yet but for now, this is the biggest step game broadcasting can take in the US.

The CBS coverage is also a pilot test of sorts on how game programming in cable TV initiated by G4 and Gameplay HD can work in a bigger scale. The response of viewers will determine future plans on the coverage of electronic gaming as a sport on the network.

World of Warcraft players, here's you and your avatar's chance to be featured on MTV.

MTV True Life is looking for players aged 16 to 28 to feature in a showcase about how the MMORPG has affected their lives. Here's their pitch:

MTV True Life is doing a documentary for the series True Life about you in the virtual world. We want to see you and your avatars. Does your virtual avatar make you feel confident behind your computer screen? Is there something interesting or unique about your life online? Are you able to lead hundreds of people in World of Warcraft but find yourself shy in real life? Did you meet your significant other online? Is your online avatar completely different from who you are in real life? If so, we would love to hear your story.

MTV True Life is a series that follows unique and varied subcultures. Interested folk can head on over to the Read link below to get more details on requirements and submission locations. This will be another one of World of Warcraft's television events after the CBS battle event on July 29.

On July 29, CBS will be showing some of the best World of Warcraft teams in North America battle it out in 3v3 PvP at 12pm ET or 9AM PT. Among the teams featured will be Team Pandemic, Insurrection, Mob TurtlePower, and fnatic.

This hour-long special is the network television debut of WoW. This event is being held as part of The World Series of Video Games where players compete for the whopping US$ 90,000 prize pot. This is the perfect time for other competitive WoW players to sit down and take notes on the strategies being employed by the top teams in the nation.

So will Team Pandemic walk away as the champion of the WoW arena, or will a new team be taking that title from them? We'll have to wait and see how this pans out. If you're a fan of WoW PvP, then you really should watch this event and pick up a few pointers. Before you go, be sure to check out the commercial for the event below.

This week it's another new stretch for the World Series of Video Games tour, as the WSVG 2007 hits Dallas, Texas for another round up for Counter-Strike, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero II, Call of Duty 2, Gears of War, Quake 4 and Fight Night Round 3 competitive players.

Prizes totalling up to US$ 90,000 will be given away at the event, starting July 5, Thursday up to July 8, Sunday. The highlight of Dallas is the inclusion of Xbox 360 titles Gears of War from Epic Games and Guitar Hero II from Red Octane, so the event might be worth checking out for the Xbox 360 gamer.

And if you can shrug off the US$ 10 admission fee, you might want to pick up a few tips from James ‘2GD’ Harding on dominating with your trusty Quake 4 railgun. Listen carefully, and see tips being put to practice on the grand arena floors.

Cheer for your select team or players and get your face plastered all over CBS Sports news, while demoing some of the industry's latest games and winning some free swag. But first things first: you'd have to figure out how to get to the Gaylord Texan Resort on time.

A report was recently published by the New York Times detailing how Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is good enough to replace cable TV for some people, at the same time drawing in new users outside of the core demographic.

The famed publication has recognized the marvel that is the Xbox Live network and how it's serving up a well-rounded dose of gaming and viewable content which consumers have caught on to because it can be availed of in increments. Movies and TV series episodes can be rented or purchased, making nostalgia another drawing point to the business model.

The strategy for Microsoft is basically to form an entertainment coalition with heavyweights Paramount Pictures, New Line, Warner Brothers, MTV, CBS, A&E and ABC, then find the consumers wherever they are and give them what they're looking for. By taking into consideration the demographic included in the more than 6 million subscribers, the coalition determines what content is most appropriate to serve.

More importantly, the New York Times report reveals an unexpected but pleasant side effect of the move by Microsoft and its partners: Non-gamers are actually getting into the act by warming up to the entertainment content.

The example of Memphis account executive Josh Roberts is cited in the article. He's 24 and has owned every game system since the Nintendo Entertainment System. When he and his wife moved to the city, they didn't have cable TV for a while and Xbox Live kept them occupied. Today, Mrs. Roberts still doesn't play video games but uses the Xbox 360 to watch HD movies and series episodes. However, they do have their gripes with how the system is currently set up.

Roberts says that the Microsoft Points system, for one, is a little confusing. He says he'd rather have it in dollars. Still, he's optimistic with what Xbox Live can be given the right approach. "[Xbox LIVE Marketplace]," he added, “is not yet at a place where I think it’s made my life easier or more entertaining in my leisure time, but I’m excited for the potential. When it moves faster and the bandwidth is great, then I think it will be very cool."