The Guitar Hero: Aerosmith demo has launched on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 we're told.

The demo includes Sweet Emotion and Dream On by Aerosmith, as well as Walk this Way by Run DMC and I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

Say what you will about artist-themed Guitar Hero games, at least you're getting four free songs out of the deal.

Dated? Maybe a bit, but the frantic Sackboy air-humping in this attempt at viral marketing for LittleBigPlanet quickly won us over. We're kind of easy that way. It was uploaded by Rovient, who just happens to have the same handle as a Media Molecule level designer (thanks, Marco!) but we shan't hold that against them.

You might think that a significant price cut on the Xbox 360 front — giving Microsoft a sub $200 option in the U.S. — would have Sony Computer Entertainment employees in a panic, seeking the highest ledge from which to jump. Faced with an Xbox 360 that's cheaper than the Wii would normally drive one to the sweet embrace of Death. Not Sony, though! They're surprisingly powering through.

"We're quite confident our holiday sales will be good," Sony spokestypes tell Gamasutra. Touting Blu-ray playback and "the broadest and deepest software lineup in the industry," the corporate communications team at SCEA questions the long-term sustainability of the cuts.

What we're curious about is if anyone out there in Kotakuland has been holding out this long on the "next gen" purchase, opting to "jump in" and giving up on that PlayStation 3 purchase because of the price adjustment.

Analysis: Pachter Suggests, Sony Rebuts On Xbox 360 Price Cuts [Gamasutra]

Should Americans be upset at the fact that won't be seeing Sony's PlayTV device in the states, or are they better off with the DVR options they already have available to them? CVG takes a good hard look at the PlayTV peripheral, walking us through the install and going over some of the more pertinent features of the device. Aside from the ability to watch recorded shows remotely via your PSP, it seems to just be your standard DVR with a few serious limitations. Not being able to choose a show and just have it record it regardless of time slot for instance, instead having to rely on pre-set timers to capture whatever the channel you select might be broadcasting.

For the £69.99 price tag the feature set doesn't seem too shabby, but I don't think North Americans need to be shedding any tears over missing out on the peripheral. Hit the link for CVG's full review of PlayTV.

PlayTV Review [CVG]

News from the front! According to a large number of tips flooding our email inboxes and instant messenger windows, the PlayStation 3 beta for SOCOM: Confrontation has just gone live. Readers everywhere are reporting receiving their codes, with many letting us know that they are downloading the game as we speak. This of course means that soon download speeds will slow to a crawl, so while the beta may indeed be live, actually getting started with it might take awhile. Special thanks to fquick for using every means at his disposal to make sure we were made aware of this situation.

With the PlayStation 3 version of Alone in the Dark hitting in November, nearly half a year after its PC, Xbox 360, Wii, and PS2 versions, the development team have had plenty of time to fix the mistakes made in the initial release, and fix they have. Repairs have been made to the controls, the camera system, and inventory access, while gameplay tweaks should make car handling a bit more enjoyable. They've tuned the spectral vision system so less is required to complete the game, tweaked the 59th Street level difficulty by adding another checkpoint and clear voice directions, and have even added a brand new action sequence in Episode 6 exclusive to the PS3 version of the game. Hell, they may have even tightened up the graphics on level 3, though I have no official confirmation.

Sounds like they're making every effort to make the game better this time around. Perhaps I'll finally give it a go when the PS3 drops in two months. Hit the jump for the full list of changes!

GAME FEATURES: PLAYSTATION 3

Full 360° camera control: enhanced camera controls allows complete freedom of the camera and better handling of first person view camera movement for even more immersive gameplay

Fine-tuned controls: quicker and smoother reactivity of the hero's movements in third person view make for more rapid movements in nail-biting situations

Inventory system more accessible: more logical jacket inventory system with the ability to combine objects using only the D-pad, and more fluid hero movement makes item selection a breeze.

More tips: players will get all the help they need to get through every situation and get the most out of the game

Spectral Vision tuning: a tutorial explains the need to burn roots in order to gain spectral vision and difficulty tuning means less spectral vision is required to reach the end of the game

Improved car dynamics and handling: car handling has been tuned to make driving a car a walk in the park in every situation, including increased suspension and reduced drift

59th Street level tuning: one of the game's most exciting sequences just got better. 59th Street has been tweaked for a more satisfying race against the fissure with difficulty tuning, an added checkpoint at Columbus Circle and clear voice directions given by Sarah

Brand new thrilling action sequence: an exclusive new sequence has been added in Episode 6 for even more pace and variety of gameplay in the episode.

Okay, so the Xbox 360 price cuts are a go! The newly priced Arcade Xbox 360 console is US$50 cheaper than the Nintendo Wii. But hang on there, sport, that doesn't mean Microsoft is thinking it's going to beat Nintendo. Ha! Microsoft's got its eyes on Sony. Says Xbox exec Don Mattrick (pictured):

I'm not at a point where I can say we're going to beat Nintendo... We will sell more consoles this generation than Sony.

Microsoft and Sony battle it out to the death for... the number 2 slot? Some console war.

Microsoft Will Cut Xbox Prices in the U.S. [Business Week via VG247]

Oh ho ho. We told you to take that White Knight Story-is-dated-for-Japan-December-11th story with a "pinch — nay, a handful — of salt". And good thing! Pictured is the new issue of Famitsu which was supposed to contain this announcement. It doesn't. At all. Not only is there not a single article on the PS3 RPG exclusive, the game isn't even given a launch window. Just look at the cover and see how there's not a single mention of White Knight Story (in Japanese 白騎士物語). You'd think a big Level-5 developed Sony published PS3 exclusive would at least get a cover mention. Still, don't believe us? Hit the jump for the proof.

Since there's not an article on the game, let's check out Famitsu release calendar.

This section shows what games are coming out this December (12月 in Japanese). Do you see 白騎士物語? We don't. What about a game coming out on December 11th? Nothing!

Let's take a gander at the section that show game releases marked "TBA" or 発売日未定.

Ah! Look, there White Knight Story (白騎士物語). No release date and no price for this game. We're not saying it isn't coming out on December 11th — we're saying that this issue of Famitsu, which was rumored to dated the game, does not say when it's coming out. So, until there's something official announced, consider this game "TBA" and this Famitsu rumor smashed.