NYC

In the market for a new PS3 but find the portable version a little out of your price / taste range? Then you might consider Sony's just-announced  Tales of Xillia  X Edition, which bundles everyone's favorite RPG of unwavering convictions with a 160GB limited-edition console. The rig comes in the standard charcoal black, adorned with metallic red and gold artwork featuring characters from the series. It will also be Japanese-only for now, though  Tales  die-hards can always have it exported, if you're willing to go above and beyond the MSRP of ¥37,980 ($470). The set goes on sale September 8, giving you plenty of time to consider trading up your Michael Jackson  This is It  pack. Joystiq Sony

The Skype forums are a hive of panic and abuzz with accusations that either the company is bundling crapware with its VoIP app or has a serious security problem. Users are reporting that a strange, new, and difficult to uninstall program is finding its way on to their PCs called EasyBits GO. EasyBits is the company that has powered Skype's games channel since 2006, but at least until now its wares have not been standalone software. One moderator has declared EasyBits Go is  not  part of Skype and suggested customers immediately run a malware scan, but mods are volunteers and not official representatives of the company, so we're taking it with a grain of salt. Another (later) post from a forum admin simply states that Skype is looking into the issue and will release an official statement, though we have no idea when that might actually happen and we're awaiting reply to our own request for comment. It appears that a rep from EasyBits Media has taken to the forums t...

If you still haven't given in to your hankering for a PlayStation 3, you might want to check out this promotion Sony is teasing. The company just announced a limited edition PS3 bundle pairing  Call of Duty: Black Ops   with a 160GB console. For $299, Sony's also throwing in the  First Strike  content pack -- not too shabby, considering that's the standard price for a bare console. Depending on your proclivities, that may or may not trump a complimentary RC toy or Michael Jackson singalong, but if you've got a taste for first-person shooters, it should be right up your alley. First-time buyers can find it next week, starting on May 31. Sony

Turns out our snooping was spot on -- Nintendo has just made official its intention to drop the suggested retail price of the Wii down to $149.99, and will additionally include a copy of  Mario Kart  and the Wii Wheel peripheral with all purchases of the console. They'll replace the current bundle of  Wii Sports  and Wii Sports Resort  games. The steering wheel, along with the Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk controllers, will match the color of the console you buy, whether it be black or white, and will also be available to buy separately for a scant $9.99. See Nintendo's full press release after the break.