Source: Kotaku is reporting that Capcom has confirmed the existence of Resident Evil 6 during the Tokyo Game Show via a trailer shown at the publisher's booth on the show floor.

What we heard: In September last year, Capcom managing director Keiji Inafune told Spanish gaming site 3D Juegos that the publisher wanted to release Resident Evil 6 as soon as possible to capitalize on Resident Evil 5's sales success.

It now appears that Capcom may indeed be readying the latest installment in its lucrative Resident Evil series. Kotaku is reporting that a bystander at this year's Tokyo Game Show has captured on film what appears to be a trailer for the new game.

The trailer, which was uploaded to YouTube but has since been taken down (but can be viewed in the Kotaku report), shows a few brief lines of text followed by a title that reads: "Biohazard 6." The Resident Evil series is known as Biohazard in Japan.

The official story: GameSpot has spoken to several Capcom representatives, who have denied any knowledge of the existence of Resident Evil 6. Speaking to GameSpot, a Capcom representative said: "Capcom's official line on this is that we have nothing official to announce about Resident Evil 6."

However, one Capcom representative at the Tokyo Game Show booth told GameSpot that he was under the impression that a logo for Resident Evil 6 had already been shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year (thus unofficially confirming the existence of the game).

At this stage, no one from GameSpot has seen the actual trailer and Capcom representatives are denying that it exists.

Bogus or Not Bogus?: [UPDATE]: Bogus for the moment. GameSpot sat through the entire presentation at the Tokyo Game Show and there was no mention of Biohazard 6. There is, however, a special Biohazard 15th Anniversary presentation being held at the Capcom stage tomorrow at 3:10 p.m. local time, where a "secret guest" has been listed as appearing…

Source: An age-gated teaser website operating under the URL CitizenSkywatch.com, spotted by gaming blog Fusible.

What we heard: Over the weekend, Fusible caught first sight of Citizen Skywatch, a bare-bones teaser site recently launched by Take-Two Interactive. A quick WhoIs search revealed that the site was registered to a physical address shared by Rockstar Games, sparking speculation among gaming blogs such as Joystiq that Citizen Skywatch could be the name of a new property from the Take-Two subsidiary behind Grand Theft Auto and L.A. Noire.

However, as Take-Two has pushed more content onto the Citizen Skywatch teaser site, it has become apparent that the teaser is in fact for 2K Marin's upcoming first-person shooter XCOM. That fact is clearly evident in message forum links that have appeared on the site that take users to 2K Games' XCOM message boards.

Citizen One wants you…to buy XCOM.

As for the teaser campaign itself, it carries a decidedly conspiratorial flare, offering the general impression of a 1984-esque police state with perhaps a hint of The Prisoner thrown in.

"The invasion has begun," reads the first post on the website. "Our skies are filled with the shadows of an unknown enemy: its origin impenetrable, its purpose inscrutable, its methods--incredible. The truth cannot be denied… yet our defenders deny it. The menace is beyond belief… yet we must believe it. Only those bold enough to face the truth possess the courage to to [sic] stand and fight. Register today so that we may remain in contact as new intel develops. You are the first line in the hidden war. Maintain vigilance and stand by for further orders."

The message is signed by "Citizen One," who is presumably the leader of the alternate reality-style game's populist movement.

The official story: Take-Two had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus? Bogus that Citizen Skywatch has anything to do with Rockstar Games. Not bogus that 2K Games is promoting XCOM with a hype-building ARG.

Source: A Blockbuster UK flier obtained by gaming website IGN.

What we heard: Sony has maintained since E3 2011 that it would begin its phased release of the PlayStation Vita beginning this fall. Last week, a press release from 505 Games seemingly confirmed that the portable would arrive in the US this year. Now, a new retailer advertisement from Blockbuster's UK arm indicates that Europe will get the PS Vita this year as well.

Blockbuster believes the Vita is arriving in October.

An advertisement obtained by IGN from the Dish Network-owned rental company Blockbuster says the Wi-Fi-only version of the PS Vita and the 3G-capable version will ship on October 28. Though the flier appears authentic, Blockbuster's official UK website does not have a release date pegged for the system.

When the PS Vita does launch, it will be released in a troubled time for portable gaming devices. Just last week Nintendo announced its plan to slash the 3DS's price by one-third from $250 to $170 beginning on August 12 following disappointing launch sales of the device.

Additionally, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli thinks the PS Vita perhaps will struggle when it does launch. Last month he said, "The Vita is an absolutely fantastic platform, but it will have a hard time, and it might be too late."

The official word: A Sony representative told GameSpot, "We don't comment on rumors or speculation."

Bogus or not bogus: Looking not bogus that the PS Vita will launch this fall. However, given the above speculation and that another European retailer says the PS Vita will ship in November, it's hard to say when exactly the system will arrive.

Source: Dueling message board threads on GameFAQs and NeoGAF full of eager gamers fishing for artwork of various characters hosted on Capcom servers.

Rocket Raccoon is in the game? By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth!

What we heard: This morning, Capcom officially announced Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, along with four of the 12 new characters: Hawkeye, Ghost Rider, Firebrand, and Strider. Soon after, the GameFAQs thread appeared with links to character art on a Capcom server for three additional characters: Dead Rising's Frank West, Phoenix Wright, and Dr. Strange.

It appears Capcom had all the art files named after the characters portrayed therein, so by taking the same URL for, say, Hawkeye's art and substituting the name of another character, it would be possible to reveal the game's roster with some good guesses. The NeoGAF community quickly picked up on the leak, and what followed was a barrage of guesswork that pushed both threads to dozens of pages in length, and uncovered eight previously unseen pieces of artwork.

On the Marvel side, the new artwork consisted of Dr. Strange, Nova, Rocket Raccoon, and Iron Fist. As for Capcom's additional foursome, that lineup featured Phoenix Wright, Frank West, Resident Evil's Nemesis, and Devil May Cry antagonist Vergil. All of the artwork has since been pulled down, though the server still hosts pictures of Hawkeye, Hulk, and other confirmed characters in the game.

The official word: Capcom had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment as of press time.

Bogus or Not Bogus: Looking not bogus, but clarification should come soon enough. Marvel and Capcom both have panels at this week's Comic-Con where they're slated to discuss the game.

[UPDATE]: Capcom has acknowledged the authenticity of the leak, and provided the following statement:

"Today we announced Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for PS3 and X360 as well as the first four characters and a playable build for this week's San Diego Comic-Con. As part of that, you may have seen some of our new characters for the game pop up on the Internet a bit earlier than anticipated. We are very happy with the positive response to the lineup, but at this point we're only going to focus on the four characters (Strider, Firebrand, Ghost Rider, Hawkeye) we have officially revealed. As for the other eight additional characters, we will have a ton of info, videos, screens and playable code in the coming months. Stay tuned!"

Source: Content aggregation site Examiner.com, relaying an interview with AMD director of ISV relationships Neal Robinson that can be found in the August issue of Official Xbox Magazine.

What we heard: Nintendo fired the opening shots in the next-generation console war by announcing the Wii U at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, and eyes now look to Microsoft and Sony to see how the two competitors will respond. Industry chatter has been particularly active on Microsoft's next Xbox, though rumors have thus far indicated only that the device will be announced during E3 2012 next June.

AMD thinks James Cameron's Avatar is entirely doable on the next Xbox.

June, of course, is a long way off, but gamers curious about details on the next Xbox may have a bit of gristle to chew on today. Over the weekend, Examiner.com relayed a recent interview in OXM with AMD's Neal Robinson, who said that the next Xbox will be capable of rendering graphics on par with James Cameron's 3D visual opus, Avatar. Robinson reportedly would not say one way or another whether AMD is at work on the next Xbox.

However, he did reportedly go on to note that the next Xbox will boast a substantial improvement to artificial intelligence and physics capabilities. The AMD director said that, for instance, individual pedestrians in games like Grand Theft Auto or Saints Row could have unique reactions to real-time situations. That is to say, when players go on a murderous shooting rampage, pedestrians will apparently scatter in a realistic manner.

The official story: "Neal was just talking with the reporter about the future of console gaming in general," an AMD representative told GameSpot. "Any questions about next-gen Xbox should be directed to Microsoft." Microsoft had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus: Bogus for now, if for no other reason than the telephone-call-like sourcing of Examiner to OXM to Robinson to, presumably, Microsoft. However, it's worth noting that AMD devised the Xbox 360's graphics chip for Microsoft, and the PlayStation 2's visual processor before that. Therefore, it's entirely within the realm of possibility that AMD will reprise its role as GPU maker for the next Xbox, and therefore, Robinson would be briefed on how that work is coming along.

Source: A GameStop memo leaked to gaming blog Kotaku.

What we heard: The PlayStation 3's built-in Blu-ray player is an irrefutable advantage that Sony has in the current-generation game console race. However, a new rumor suggests Sony will be complicating the PS3's high-definition output for games and movies that make use of Blu-ray discs.

Yesterday, Kotaku reported that it had received an internal memo sent to GameStop employees indicating that Sony would be introducing a new PlayStation 3 SKU, called "K." However, this SKU could be a downgrade of sorts, as it would require PS3 owners to hook up their machine with an HDMI cable--and not a component cable--to "play a game or watch a movie in high-definition."

The HDMI requirement on K models is a DRM mandate.

"Component cables will no longer be able to transfer a high-def picture," the memo reads. It goes on to say that while older PS3 models "A-J" would not require the HDMI cable to view high-definition content, all future PS3 SKUs would. Further, GameStop urged employees to offer HDMI cables with new PS3 sales, stating "the HDMI cables will also help you drive add-on sales."

The official story: As it turns out, the GameStop memo contains both a measure of truth and mistaken information. In a statement provided to Ars Technica, a Sony representative confirmed that while high-definition Blu-ray movie playback will require an HDMI cable, PS3 owners can continue to play games and stream content in high-definition with component cables.

"The new CECH-3000 series PS3 requires HDMI only for BD movie output in HD, in compliance with [Advanced Access Content System] standards," Sony told the website. "PS3 continues to support component output for HD gaming and streaming content." Sony had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment as of press time.

Of note, Sony recently introduced the CECH-3000B SKU to Japan. The model, which boasts a 320GB hard drive, consumes less power--specifically from its original 230W to 200W--and weighs in at 2.6kg.

As Ars notes, the AACS standard is a digital-rights management standard that dictates that full high-def video resolutions must use either HDMI or DVI cables that support high-bandwidth digital content protection (HDCP). All Blu-ray players must phase out component ports by 2014 to comply with the AACS standard.

Bogus or not bogus: Bogus that gamers must use an HDMI cable to play high-definition games or stream high-definition content. Not bogus that those who use new PS3s for watching high-def Blu-ray movies now have a new DRM hurdle to contend with.

Source: Tech blog BGR.

What we heard: Not a week after the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo concluded, the rumor mill began to churn on next year's show. Namely, VideoGamer.com reported that it had heard from a senior Crytek development source that the German studio would unveil a new installment in the Timesplitters franchise alongside Microsoft's next Xbox at E3 2012.

Crytek has since distanced itself from those rumors, but a new report indicates that Microsoft does indeed plan to debut the Xbox 360's successor next June. BGR reports today that it has received word from a source with knowledge of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division that the company will unveil the next Xbox at E3 2012.

The Xbox 360's days are numbered.

Unfortunately, BGR's source had no other information on Microsoft's plans, including when the device will launch. However, the individual did tell the tech site that Microsoft has been working on the device since 2006. Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 in November 2005, and it has gone on to sell nearly 55 million units worldwide.

While Microsoft has been tight lipped on the next Xbox through official channels, it has at least indicated through other means that a new device is in the works. Earlier this year, the publisher posted a spate of job listings to fill out a team "responsible for defining and delivering next generation console architectures from conception through implementation."

The official story: Microsoft had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus: Microsoft isn't likely to offer any word on its next Xbox until it is good and ready. However, given the growing body of rumors, an E3 2012 reveal is looking increasingly likely.

Source: AOL's technology blog TechCrunch.

What we heard: Casual game studios have been snapped up by big-time companies in droves of late, with the likes of PlayFish, Chillingo, Playdom, and Ngmoco all being acquired for, in some cases, hundreds of millions of dollars. Now, it appears as if casual gaming stalwart PopCap Games is the next studio in line for a massive payday.

Multiple unnamed sources have reportedly informed TechCrunch that a buyer is looking to dole out more than $1 billion to acquire PopCap. The price is apparently 10 times as much as PopCap's yearly revenues, which TechCrunch reports are around $100 million-$150 million.

Is Bejeweled a billion dollar franchise?

The problem, however, is that TechCrunch's sources have no idea who the buyer could be. FarmVille creator Zynga, which is reportedly mulling an initial public offering, is said to be one potential purchaser. However, TechCrunch's sources indicate that Zynga backed off the deal due to PopCap's high asking price.

Beyond Zynga, TechCrunch reports Electronic Arts or an Asian game company, such as Call of Duty Online service provider Tencent, could be potential suitors.

[UPDATE] Following on from yesterday's report, TechCrunch reports that it has received word from two additional sources that the mystery buyer is, in fact, EA. TechCrunch's sources also characterized the negotiations as being in a "late stage."

PopCap is perhaps best known for its Bejeweled franchise, which has sold more than 50 million units since first release in 2000. The most recent installment, Bejeweled 3, arrived for the PC in December and is expected to hit other platforms later this year. The Washington-based studio has also found success with such franchises as Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies.

The official story: "Per company policy, we do not comment on rumors and speculation of this nature."--A PopCap representative. Electronic Arts had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: Probably not bogus that the casual-obsessed market would be giving PopCap a long, hard look. However, as recent as last week, PopCap cofounder John Vechey told the Wall Street Journal that the company is mulling its own IPO for later this year. As such, this deal, should it be in the works, is anything but finalized.

Source: An image posted at GameGeneration, reportedly stemming from a Sony Key Account Meeting presentation given in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

What we heard: Though Sony competitor Microsoft recently purchased Skype for $8.5 billion and plans to incorporate it into Xbox Live, that might not stop the Japanese technology giant from offering Skype functionality for its newest portable, the PlayStation Vita.

Is Skype coming to the Vita? Image credit: GameGeneration.

An image from a Sony presentation given in the Brazilian city shows a range of logos, including ones for the PlayStation Network and Wi-Fi. Another company logo is shown, and it is for big-time Internet calling service Skype.

During Sony's E3 2011 media briefing, the company named its portable the Vita (formerly known as the NGP) and announced prices for the Wi-Fi and 3G models, but it did not say anything about Skype compatibility. However, the Vita's predecessor--the PSP--does offer Skype support.

Skype is the leading provider in the consumer voice over IP space, with 170 million users worldwide. Services include free standard and video calls between Skype users on home computers, the ability to call any phone number from Skype for a fee, and the ability to generate a phone number that can be reached from a standard phone.

The official story: As of press time, neither Sony nor Microsoft has responded to GameSpot's requests for comment or clarification on the matter.

Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus. Given that the original PSP supported Skype, it would stand to reason that Sony would want to continue offering that functionality to its users. Further, when Microsoft purchased Skype, it said it would continue to "invest in and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms," which could potentially include the Vita.