Considering the source of the picture, it might just be the elusive ’slim’ console that Microsoft has been supposedly NOT been working on.

Yesterday 2K released their first piece of downloadable content for Bioshock 2. The “Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack” contains an increase in the level cap for multiplayer as well as weapon upgrades, two new characters, trials and masks for the mode. This costs $4.99.  However, coming from the 2K forums are comments from customers who have downloaded the DLC and are now saying that the file size for the DLC is only 24kb, if the picture above, taken from the Games for Windows Live download screen, is to be believed. From this, the assumption has been made that the downloadable content is in fact already on disc, as when DLC tends to be this small, it is usually just a key for unlocking on-disc content. If so, then 2K are denying paying customers from content that they already should be able to access.

We have contacted 2K and we will update you if we receive a reply.

Source: 2K Forums

Update: In the same forum thread, 2K Community Manager Elizabeth has admited that the content is on disc as to not “split the player base” due to all parties needing the same content to play MP. Seems like a pretty stupid reason to me.

Got an opinion on the issue of on disc DLC? Just want to rant? Comment here!

You must have seen them by now, the PlayStation Arc controllers that look like a cross between a Wiimote and a sex toy. The EyeToy mandatory motion sensing peripherals are probably going to be a big topic for the Sony presentation at GDC tonight when the company is set to stream their keynote over Ustream.

Crystal Dynamics is ready to bring Lara Croft back for her ninth video game outing, this time dropping the Tomb Raider name.  The first Tomb Raider under the Square Enix name, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is said to be “completely new and very different to what people might be expecting” according to Crystal Dynamic general manager Darrell Gallagher.  How the game is different from its eight predecessors is still yet to be seen, but there is one thing known to be sure: the game will be available as a digital download this year (yet if it’s going to be a PC, Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, or WiiWare release is still unknown).  Figuring long time co-creator of the series Toby Gard is no longer with the company, one can’t help but be skeptical about this supposed new route.

The upcoming blend of Monkey Island humor and Diablo gameplay, DeathSpank, may soon be more than a twinkle in Ron Gilbert’s eye .  Developer Hothead Games has joined forces with publisher EA Partners to  bring the game to both Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network this year.  An exact date, price, or PC release is still yet to be determined, but this writer is willing to pay any price to see the Grumpy Gamer back and making games.

Well damn, looks like it wasn’t rumor or speculation at all. Turns out that it’s completely true! The guys over at Valve have been sending assets over to MacRumors this whole week teasing them about the whole “will they or won’t they” game that we all used as children to torture others. This is surprisingly good news for all of the people who own Macs and want to use them to play games on Steam.

Activision Blizzard Inc.  told the world Tuesday that Jason West and Vince Zampella, top brass executives at developer Infinity Ward, are no longer with the company.  So what the heck is going on here?

I AM the resident ConsumerWhore. Between Gamefly and spending my own cash, I go after almost every game that comes out at some point. If you haven’t been listening to our RLR podcasts since I’ve joined the panel, one of our favorite things to say around here is “Not worth $60″. Well we mean it, so here are two price drops this week that will scratch your gaming itch for less bucks.

For those of you that are just too young or too ignorant of such awesome people as American McGee, let me refresh your memory. Mr. McGee is a game developer that started out at id Software with John Carmack working on the Doom and Quake series. He has since moved on to create games based upon his vision for retold stories, his most famous being Alice, a dark, fun retelling of the classic children’s story.

Coming from the Dutch edition of Nintendo magazine NGamer, it was today announced by Brizamila, Capcom’s distributer in the Benelux (Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemborg), that the newly released Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth will not be being released in those countries. Talking to NGamer, Robin Wolff of Brizamila confirmed rumours which began when readers of the publication could not find the game in various shops in the Benelux. When pressed for a reason, he blamed the R4 device, which has appeared many times in recent years when it comes to stories about DS piracy. Wolff says that the R4 situation is so bad in these countries that it is no longer financially viable for them to distribute DS games in the country, so they’re not going to risk losing money against a device that is easily available. He also threatened the future distribution of Capcom DS games there by mentioning that there will be more and more pressure if Nintendo don’t do anything about the situation.

According to Sony, the problem has come and gone…and it didn’t even need a patch? Can any of you guys out there with PS3 FAT models confirm this? The only thing that I can think of is that the PS3 had the wrong year set for a leap-year and once the clock struck midnight this morning, it was all over. Hmmm…

Well the LA Times did and they worked with the guys at OnLive to put together the pie chart you see above. Pretty interesting and handy for all of you people who might be thinking about getting into the game industry. All I can see is an argument for digital distribution to be widely available NOW.

Guess how much of the gross entertainment dollars in the United States go toward the gaming industry? The answer may shock some of you.

LucasArts sent out a little note across the blogosphere today to brag about how well their somewhat good game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed sold since its release over a year ago, and surprise…its a hell of a lot of people.

The first time that I saw Call of Duty 2 running on the Xbox 360, I knew then that the next generation of consoles were going to impress the hell out of me. I never had lusted after a new console as much as I did with the 360. It was something that I felt that I NEEDED in order to survive as a gamer. Hell, even games like Perfect Dark: Zero looked magical in comparison to the games I was playing on the first Xbox and PS2 at the time.

That was nearly 5 years ago.