October 16, 2007 – Just a few weeks ago we reported on rumors of the upcoming launch of a new, 40-GB model of the PlayStation 3 designed to compete this holiday season at a $400 price point. It was the FCC that originally let the cat out of the bag when it made public the documentation of its approval of a new PS3 SKU, but now Target seems to be providing all but an official announcement from Sony. GamingBits has secured a collection of pics of in-store bar-code scanners that list both price and show a clear 40-GB model designation. According to the blog, the UPC codes also match up perfectly, so the confirmation is a done deal.

Official launch date would appear to be set for October 28. The $399.99 PlayStation 3 will reportedly also include a Blu-ray copy of Spiderman 3. The new hardware should be the same revision as the 40-GB models that have been announced for both Europe and Asia, which will lack the memory card slots, cut the total USB ports to just two, and most notably, will apparently not feature backwards compatibility of any kind.

Potential buyers looking for a full feature set will have to turn to the high-end $499.99 80-GB PlayStation 3 model.

Could this be a precursor indicating that Playstation 3 will no longer be a sign of social status in 08? Keep saving those pennies kids.

OCTOBER 15, 2007
Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground (Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, Wii, DS)
Beautiful Katamari (Xbox 360)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (Xbox 360 retail version)
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis (Wii)
Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day (DS)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game (DS)
Bee Movie Game (DS)
Seven Kingdoms: Conquest (PC)
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (Wii Virtual Console)
Metal Marines (Wii Virtual Console)
Gate of Thunder (Wii Virtual Console)

OCTOBER 16, 2007
Fury (PC)
Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East (PC)
Sega Rally Revo (PC)
Crash of the Titans (PSP)
Spider-Man 3 (PSP)
Dawn of Magic (PC)
Victorious Boxers: Revolution (Wii)
Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth (Xbox 360, PS2, Wii)
SWAT: Target Liberty (PSP)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Game of the Year Edition (PS3)
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (Wii)
Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure (Wii, DS)
Ultimate Duck Hunting (Wii)
Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals (PC)
Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey (PS2)
Disney Princess: Magical Jewels (DS)
Prism: Light the Way (DS)
Fish Tycoon (DS)
Hannah Montana: Music Jam (DS)
Power Rangers: Super Legends (DS)

OCTOBER 17, 2007
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
Every Extend Extra Extreme (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)

Oct. 1: MLB Power Pros from 2k Sports
Oct. 1: Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire from D3Publisher
Oct. 2: Crash of the Titans from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 5: Balls of Fury from DSI Games
Oct. 8: Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast from Nintendo
Oct. 9: FIFA 08 from Electronic Arts
Oct. 9: Bleach: Shattered Blade from Sega
Oct. 9: Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal from WB Games
Oct. 10: Arctic Tale from DSI Games
Oct. 15: Sea Monsters from DSI Games
Oct. 16: Thrillville: Off the Rails from LucasArts
Oct. 22: EA Playground from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: Backyard Football from Atari, Inc.
Oct. 23: The Sims 2: Castaway from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis from Rockstar Games
Oct. 23: The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 23: Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution from Tomy Corporation
Oct. 25: M&M’s Kart Racing from DSI Games
Oct. 28: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock from Activision
Oct. 29: Battalion Wars 2 from Nintendo
Oct. 30: Ben 10: Protector of Earth from D3Publisher
Oct. 30: Showtime Championship Boxing from DSI Games
Oct. 30: Need For Speed Prostreet from Electronic Arts
Oct. 30: The Simpsons from Electronic Arts
Oct. 31: Manhunt 2 from Rockstar Games
October: Spider-Man: Friend or Foe from Activision
October: Bee Movie Game from Activision
October: Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground from Activision
October: Ultimate Duck Hunting from Detn8 Games Ltd.
October: Mercury Meltdown Revolution from Ignition Entertainment
October: Namco Museum Remix from Namco Bandai Games America
October: Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity from the Game Factory
October: Avatar: the Last Airbender – the Burning Earth from THQ
October: Bratz: the Movie from THQ
October: Cars: Mater-National from THQ
October: Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots from THQ
October: Spongebob’s Atlantis Squarepantis from THQ
Nov. 5: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn from Nintendo
Nov. 6: Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Nov. 6: Lego Star Wars: the Complete Saga from LucasArts
Nov. 6: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games from Sega
Nov. 12: Super Mario Galaxy from Nintendo
Nov. 13: Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 13: Godzilla Unleashed from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 13: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary from Eidos, Inc.
Nov. 13: Blocks from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: Medal of Honor Heroes 2 from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: Luxor: Pharaoh’s Challenge from Mumbojumbo
Nov. 13: Geometry Wars: Galaxies from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Nov. 19: Link’s Crossbow Training (Packaged with Wii Zapper) from Nintendo
Nov. 19: Smarty Pants from Electronic Arts
Nov. 20: Jenga World Tour from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 20: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords from D3Publisher of America
November: Trauma Center: New Blood from Atlus USA
November: Star Trek: Conquest from Bethesda Softworks
November: Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey from Disney Interactive Studios
November: Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour from Disney Interactive Studios
November: High School Musical: Sing It from Disney Interactive Studios
November: Garfield Gets Real from DSI Games
November: Furu Furu Park from Majesco Entertainment
November: AMF Bowling: Pinbusters! from Mud Duck Games
November: Ghost Squad from Sega
November: WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 from THQ
November: Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 from Ubisoft
November: CSI: Hard Evidence from Ubisoft
November: My Word Coach from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Catz 2 (Name Not Final) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Dogz 2 (Name Not Final) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Horsez 2 (Name Not Final) from Ubisoft
November: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 from Ubisoft
Dec. 4: Alvin and the Chipmunks from Brash Entertainment
Dec. 4: The Golden Compass from Sega
December: MX vs. ATV Untamed from THQ
December: Super Swing Golf Season 2 from Tecmo, Inc.
December: Rygar: the Battle of Argus from Tecmo, Inc.
December: Cranium: Kabookii from Ubisoft
December: Nitrobike from Ubisoft
Holiday 2007: NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams from Sega
Winter ’07: Soul Calibur Legends from Namco Bandai Games America
Jan. 21: Endless Ocean from Nintendo
Feb. 10: Super Smash Bros. Brawl from Nintendo
Feb. 15: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
Feb. 19: Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity from Sega
February: No More Heroes from Ubisoft
February: Wild Petz Tigerz from Ubisoft
March: Obscure: The Aftermath from Ignition Entertainment
Q1: Luxor 3 from Mumbojumbo
Q1: One Piece: Unlimited Adventure from Namco Bandai Games
America
Spring ’08: Mario Kart Wii (Name Not Final) from Nintendo

As you can see, the ball is rolling on PUNCH IT CHEWIE (PIC) once again. We’ve all been massively busy, but we’re pulling together to continue the PIC legacy. Expect more laughs, more gay jokes, more contests, more bickering, more “Can you hear me?”, more nasty, more numbers spewed by frat boys, more Cheeks, more of everything that made PIC so memorable to begin with.

For those of you who don’t know, PIC it was begun in March of 2007 by four former members of THE WIDGET SHOW. The name PUNCH IT CHEWIE comes from Episode 32, hands down the finest episode the show ever recorded. When the show morphed into something that wasn’t so good, four renegades – Jym, Zane, Ryan and Kurt formed their own show and continued to deliver content like no other.

Four episodes from Season 1 are currently available on iTunes. Season 2 will be available October 9, 2007.

Feel free to send us questions or comments which we will read on the air. The email address is recyclebin@punchitchewie.com. In the meantime, stop over to the forum and let us know what you’ve been up to.

More soon.

But lo, a light shines in the east. It’s a bird, its a plane, its Gandalf the Gray! No ass wipe, its PUNCH IT CHEWIE: SEASON 2! That’s right! Jym, Zane, Ryan and Kurt are back, bringing you the latest tech and entertainment news every week.

Join us OCTOBER 9, 2007 as PUNCH IT CHEWIE strikes back!