The hype train for Peter Molyneux's next opus is about to rev up soon as Lionhead community manager Sam Van Tilburgh has confirmed that gamers will catch a glimpse of Fable III  next month. In a Twitter tweet, he mentioned that videos will be released during a forthcoming event in San Francisco, leaving Gamefest out of the equation as it is Seattle-based. While an exact date was unspecified, this event will take place sometime in February.

Apart from the addition of a playable demo of Capcom's sci-fi shooter Dark Void and Matt Hazard: Blood Bath & Beyond, the first PlayStation Store update of 2010 is a rather uneventful affair. Sony is taking its sweet time to wake up from the long holiday and we can't blame 'em. On the DLC side of things, Borderlands The Underdome is now available, as is an extra character for PAIN. For those hunting around for deals,  Ubisoft-published titles Cellfactor Psychokinetic Wars, Prince of Persia Classic, TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled have been discounted to $5 each, down from the regular price of $9.

Thankfully, PSPgo owners were kept in the loop during this lull period as Pinball Heroes, Bomberman Land, and Dungeon Explorer have all been added to the growing collection of UMD Legacy offerings. While the selection of PSOne Classics remain stagnant for another week, there's no shortage of premium themes and wallpapers for customization junkies.

Hit the break for the full list of offerings.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Entertainment Division President Robbie Bach revealed a tantalizing statistic at its CES presser today, highlighting the key fact that 39 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide. Out of the entire install base, 20 million have connected to Xbox Live. While a complete breakdown of tiers was not given, that figure factors in all subscribers, whether Gold or Silver.

You have to admit, the number of total Live users seems a tad on the low side when considering the Xbox 360's online component is arguably one of its fundamental strengths. Still, it's nothing to scoff at considering this is essentially the first generation of consoles that shipped with online experiences right out of the box.

Microsoft: 39 Million Xbox 360 Consoles Sold, 20 Million Live Users [eXophase.com]

Straight out of CES, Capcom has sent over a selection of seven new screenshots from sci-fi shooter Lost Planet 2, highlighting some of the more intense combat scenes with no shortage of mammoth mechs and nefarious space pirates. Recently delayed in order to "maximize profits," the title is scheduled for a release in Q2 2010 on Xbox 360 and PS3.

Lost Planet 2 Screenshots

Despite rumors of a PSP-4000 on the horizon and a greater focus being placed towards digital distribution with the PSPgo, Sony isn't finished with refreshing its PSP-3000 product lineup in Japan.  Meet the Blossom Pink PSP, a eloquent new color sure to be an object of desire amongst feminine-minded consumers. Scheduled for a March 4 drop date, it'll debut at a 16,800 yen price point after tax, which Sony labels as a "limited offer."

Publisher Atlus today announced plans to bring Metal Slug XX to PSP, an enhanced version of DS title Metal Slug 7 with the much-welcomed addition of cooperative play at a palatable budget price to boot: $19.99.

Players can choose between six characters from the Metal Slug universe, engaging in frantic non-stop shoot em' up action that fans of the series have come to expect, backed by lush 2D visuals. To round out the package a "Combat School" gameplay mode is due for inclusion, which features 70 challenge centric missions. Additionally, a seventh playable character - Leona - will be available at launch as DLC for $0.99 from the PlayStation Store.

Metal Slug XX is slated to hit retailers February 23 on UMD. No plans have been made for a digital equivalent at this point, meaning PSPgo owners are out of luck for now.

Atlus Preps Metal Slug XX UMD for PSP [eXophase.com]

Capcom today sent word that a playable demo of its aerial sci-fi shooter Dark Void will hit the PlayStation Network this week on January 6. The same download will arrive on Xbox Live Marketplace a day later, January 7. Capcom says the demo will feature a mix of aerial dog-fighting, unique vertical cover action and on-foot combat. The company made no mention of a demo on the PC front, leaving us to assume that one will not be available, at least ahead of the game's retail release.

Dark Void hits Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on January 19.

A new year leads to new ambitions and Square Enix is shooting for the stars, so to speak. In a public statement addressing future prospects, president Yoichi Wada outlined the company's intent to blur the line between video games and digital entertainment.

In the near future, the rate of convergence between video games and other digital entertainment content will only continue to accelerate. It is for that reason we will make 2010 a year of taking root, in which we use this environment of change as an opportunity for establishing a strong foothold with which to lead the global entertainment industry.

Lofty aspirations aside, it sounds as if Square Enix is planning to compete with movie studios. On what level, we're not sure -- the statement is decidedly cryptic. It sure brings back memories of the box office disaster that was Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Hopefully whatever Square is planning this time doesn't end up bringing the company to its knees.

A New Year’s Message From Square Enix’s President [Kotaku]

Square Enix Sets Sights Towards Hollywood [eXophase.com]

Publisher Capcom today divulged the official minimum system requirements for the PC iteration of sci-fi shooter Dark Void. Listed below, the specs call for a modest system, requiring a Nvidia 7900 series card or ATI equivalent. As with the majority of console ports these days, it's safe to say that anyone with a recent budget rig will have no trouble maxing this one out.

Processor: Intel 2.4Ghz or AMD 2.0 GHz
Video card: GeForce 7900 or Radeon HD 3850 series DX 9
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Games for Windows
OS: Windows Vista/XP
Hard drive: 10 GB free space

Dark Void hits the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 on January 19.

Speaking in a recent 1UP podcast, Sega of America's Constantine Hantzopoulos lamented that disappointing sales of Madworld and The Conduit has made the company rethink its plans for the Wii. While internal research suggested there was a viable mature market out there, Constantine believes Sega's gamble did not pay off, further noting that the company is "probably" done with developing titles aimed at the 17 plus bracket on Wii. Looks like their attention towards this particular market segment will stay locked on the Xbox 360 and PS3 going forward.

“Are we going to do more mature titles for the Wii? Probably not. I have to say that it was a space that was open and we took a gamble on it. It’s like, ‘Wow, there’s no mature games on the Wii. Is there an audience out there?’ We did some research, it said there was an audience out there.

Despite garnering positive reviews from critics, MadWorld shifted a meager 66,000 units in its launch month, well below expectations. Shame, but you can't blame 'em after not seeing a sizable return on investment. We'll take it this means a sequel is out of the question, at least on Wii.

Sega “Probably” Done Developing Mature Wii Titles [eXophase.com]