It may be old news by now, but there will be no next generation Xbox or PlayStation unveiled at this year’s E3. I have hesitated to talk about this because by tomorrow we’ll likely hear more news that contradicts what we know today—but for now, that’s the story coming from Microsoft and Sony representatives.

Rumors up until a couple days ago have been pretty clear that both new consoles would make some sort of appearance at E3—not as clear, perhaps, as what was said by Microsoft France’s marketing director, Cedrick Delmax to Le Point.fr.

"We're in an industry that talks a lot, that likes to tell stories. I am not convinced things will happen this year.”

"Xbox 360′s cycle is not at all finished. The proof is that we don't see the logic in cutting the price this year. E3 is still premature. What's certain is that there'll be nothing new in 2012."

That last part is pretty clear.

In an interview on the same site, Playstation France’s CEO, Philippe Cardone also made it clear that Sony wouldn't be rushing its next generation console release.

"Wii is pressed for time because it's in decline. In our case, we have a lot less pressure. We were the last to release PS3, and we will probably be the last to announce something."

According to recent rumors and Inside Mobile Apps, Microsoft has plans to discontinue their virtual currency system, Microsoft Points, by the end of this year.

This is good news, as MS Points have been a source of disgust for many gamers since they were introduced alongside the XBL Marketplace in 2005. Besides the deceptive Points to real-world currency ratio and the perpetual need to buy more Points than necessary for a purchase (damn you leftover points!), the system is dated and out of line with current standards.

Microsoft isn’t talking, of course, but reports suggest a cash-based system in line with PSN, Apple and Android marketplaces will replace the existing system. This change will not only affect Xbox Live, but the Zune Marketplace and Windows Phone Marketplace as well.

Let’s cross our fingers that this rumor turns out to be true.

A dispute over pay and working conditions resulted in about 300 workers climbing to the roof of one of the buildings at Foxconn Technology Park in China early last week. The incident began when employees asked their bosses for a raise but were denied. Employees were told either to quit with compensation or to keep their jobs with no additional payment. Many employees took the former, but the company decided to terminate the agreement anyway and not pay the promised compensation. The workers protested the action by threatening to jump to their deaths.

The standoff eventually came to an end when the mayor of Wuhan showed up and literally talked the former employees off the ledge.

These particular employees were responsible for manufacturing parts for Xbox 360 consoles and production had actually come to a halt for several hours during the protest.

Microsoft had this to say:

"Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue," a spokesperson told the Huffington Post UK.

"We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge.

"Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors, and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy."

Foxconn factories in China were already under examination because of several suicides by employees in the past five years—actually forcing the company to install anti-suicide nets at some of their facilities. In addition to Xbox 360 components, Foxconn also manufactures products for Apple, Sony, Nintendo and many other Fortune 500 companies.

People are constantly asking me if we ever plan on making a gaming product for PC gamers. Truth is we already do. Some people don’t know this, but you can use your current Xbox 360 controller for many PC games. Of course, you might not want to use a controller for everything on the PC, but you’ll definitely want it for games like Super Meat Boy, FIFA, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin’s Creed and any game featuring cars or racing like GTA or Need for Speed.

Setup for using your Xbox 360 controller on a Windows based PC is easy:

Wired Xbox 360 Controller: The same controller can be used for both Xbox 360 and PC. Just plug it in to an open USB port on your PC—Windows takes care of the rest.

Wireless Xbox 360 Controller: You don’t need to purchase a separate wireless controller for use on your PC. All you need to do is purchase the Microsoft Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows. Other third-party versions are also available—but you may as well stick with OEM gear in this case. Once you have the receiver, you just plug it in to an open USB port and sync your wireless controller by pushing the button on the receiver and then the sync button on your controller.

11/11/11, it will only happen once in our lifetime. So, what better way to immortalize that date than by playing video games with friends? WeTheGamerz and KontrolFreek (along with some other really awesome people and companies) will be hosting an Xbox Live Community Playdate online from 8-11 PM EST this Friday, November 11.

The game we will be playing is Modern Warfare 3 (duh?!?) and is open to anybody who wants to join. All you’ll need to do to participate is send an invite to the following Gamertags and start playing:

• TG Fireflex
• Sogo01
• MollyPopGirl
• Rondeau04
• Kelky 111
• Uo1drama
• MRPINK310
• KF Trevor

There will be prizes awarded for completely random happenings. All prizes are Call of Duty themed and include our FPS Freek Prestige and FPS Freek ELITE controller attachments. You have to play with us to be eligible to win.

WeTheGamerz is a fantastic community to play with and we are really excited about killing everyone involved. Seriously, you’re all going to die. See you there!

We often get questions about third-party controllers and their compatibility with our products. With a ton of these controllers on the market today, things can get confusing. Don't worry—we've got you covered. Our products were designed for OEM Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers but do fit many third-party versions. Here is a list of known controllers and their compatibility:

PS3 DualShock 3 OEM – YES

Xbox 360 OEM – YES

Xbox 360 (New D-Pad) -- YES

Razer Onza -- YES

Razer Onza TE -- YES

Power A Pro EX/Elite – YES

Evil Controllers Evil Sticks – YES

PDP AfterGlow PS3 – NO

PDP AfterGlow Xbox 360 – YES

Wii Nunchuk -- NO

PS2 DualShock OEM -- YES

Xbox Controller S – YES

MadCatz Call of Duty: Black Ops PrecisionAIM Controller – YES

Datel Turbo Fire 2 Xbox 360 – NO

OnLive Controller – YES

This list is by no means a comprehensive listing of controllers and their compatibility. We try to test all controllers that we get questions about but due to various things we can't test out everything that comes to market. If you know the compatibility of a controller and would like to share your knowledge with us and the community, please add it here.

Welcome!

Good afternoon, evening, morning and night! Wherever you are in the world, we’d like to welcome you to the place where time is irrelevant and rare zombie codes wait patiently for redemption. We are pleased to meet all of you new fans from Facebook and we welcome back all you original Freeks who have been with us since the beginning.

What we’ve got here is…

About a month ago we got our hands on a couple of those rare Call of Duty: Black Ops zombie maps and avatar outfit cards that shipped with the Prestige and Hardened editions of the game (thanks, @NuckFuggets!). People went crazy! Over the past few weeks we’ve noticed a bunch of you asking for “moar zombie maps pweez,” “I can haz zombie maps nao,” and “gimme zombie maps kthnxbai.” Silly internet memes aside, we heard you.

Rapid fire!

Here’s how it’s going to work: throughout the day we will be firing codes out at you over Facebook. The first one to redeem each code will be the winner. To make things more challenging, we’ll be replacing one or more of the code characters with a question mark(s) and you’ll need to guess the missing character(s) to win. We have a total of six codes to give out—three map packs and three avatar outfits. Two avatar outfits and two map packs are for Xbox 360 and the other map pack and avatar outfit is for PS3. We’ll say what the code is for when we post it. Good luck!

FAQ

Q: Where do I redeem the code?

A: For Xbox 360 or Xbox.com. While signed into Xbox LIVE, go to the Marketplace blade, then select “Redeem Code.” From there, use the keyboard to type in the code. On Xbox.com, go to this page (after you sign in) and enter the code. Hint: Pasting the code will work with some browsers.

A: For PS3. Go to the PlayStation Network tab, select “Account Management” and then “Redeem Codes.” You can also redeem codes while accessing the PlayStation Store.

Q: What are the question marks (?) I see in the codes?

A: To make it more challenging we have replaced one (or more) of the code characters with a question mark. You need to guess the missing character(s) to win.

Q: I entered the code, but I get an error that the code is not valid! I know I entered it correctly.

A: You probably did enter the code correctly, but someone has already redeemed the code.

Q: What do you mean someone entered the code already?

A: Each code is only good ONCE. That means that the first person to correctly enter the code will get the item for free.

Q: How do people enter the code so quickly!

A: They may own a chat pad, or be using a USB Keyboard. It is much quicker to enter codes using one of these methods.

Q: I was working / sleeping/ eating/ taking a test/ stuck in traffic when you posted the code. Can you send me one?

A: No. Sorry.

Q: It’s my birthday! Can you send me a code?

A: No. Happy Birthday though!

Q: When will you give them out? Is it a certain time?

A: Nope. Your best option is to keep checking Facebook throughout the day.

Q: Are the codes good where I live?

A: Probably. There may be some restrictions but we’re not aware of them.

Q: I live in (insert country here) can I participate in your code give away?

A: Sure. Anyone can participate.

Q: Do you have any more codes once these are gone?

A: Nope.