As was foretold, former PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai has officially been made President and CEO of Sony, the company announced today. The role was previously held by Howard Stringer, who has been appointed to Sony’s Board of Directors. The change goes into effect April 1.

Although well-deserved, the promotion isn’t all that surprising, given that Sony has been grooming Hirai for awhile now. In a statement, Hirai acknowledged that Sony is facing challenging times, thanking Stringer for his leadership over the past seven years.

“As challenging as times are for Sony now,” said Hirai, “were it not for the strong leadership of Sir Howard Stringer these past seven years, we would have been in a much more difficult position.

It is refreshing to see a new yet familiar face at the helm of Sony. Here’s hoping that Hirai stepping in will turn things around.

That was quick. The Steam Mobile App, released in closed beta capacity last week, is now available to all.

Available on iOS and Android platforms, the app mimics functionality of the desktop Steam client, allowing gamers to chat with friends, browse community groups and user profiles, view screenshots and user-generated content for their favorite games, read the latest gaming news, stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales, and more.’

With sales now always in arm’s reach, we fear for our wallets.

Once PS3 exclusive, Q Games’ vibrant psychedelic platformer PixelJunk Eden is making the jump to Steam. An announcement revealed today that the Steam version will also include the game’s “Encore” DLC pack.

“Steam has always been a great platform for indie games and I have admired the way they have supported non-traditional game development with titles such as Terraria, Bastion, World of Goo, etc,” said Q Games boss Dylan Cuthbert.

He added, “We like PSN a lot but Baiyon and I also simply want to allow more people to experience Eden as it is a truly unique game, even now almost 4 years on it is still fresh and new. We had a blast revisiting it to prepare it for Steam.”

Look for Eden to hit Steam next week. It’ll set you back $9.99 regularly, but in true Steam fashion – to sweeten the deal for eager purchasers – a 20% discount will be applied during the first week.

As next-gen chatter continues to trickle out, Sony France CEO Philippe Cardone has reiterated the company’s intent to launch new hardware after its competitors.

“It’s true that there are many rumors, but I couldn’t tell you anything,” he told Lepoint.fr.

“The Wii is pressed for time because it is in decline. In our case, we have a lot less pressure. We were the last to leave before releasing the PS3, so we will probably be the last to announce something.”

This comes despite a recent report from MCV, which claimed the PS4 was due for an E3 2012 unveil. We suppose that could still be the case — this isn’t an outright dismissal, but an E3 announcement is certainly looking less likely on the Sony front.

Capcom’s announced Ace Attorney 5, a new mainline entry in its popular courtroom drama series. A Famitsu report has outed the game’s logo, though no character silhouette is featured, so whether it’ll star Phoenix, Apollo, or an entirely new protagonist is up in the air at this point.

No platform specifics were announced either, though considering the Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton mashup is destined for 3DS, we imagine it’ll stay on home turf.

Not counting a pair of spinoffs that starred hardnosed prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, the fourth entry in the series hit DS back in 2008, introducing a new face – upstart attorney Apollo Justice. Suffice to say, it’s been a long wait.

During its extensive beta period, which is still on-going, Blizzard has removed several core features from the game after finding that they did not properly fit the play style or lore of the game. The two most recent casualties which have been removed from the game in the latest patch are the companion pets and reforging scrolls.

Blizzard’s Community Manager, Nethaera, has explained to the community that the removal of these features have been a result of their undeveloped state. Nethaera also commented on the “cutesy” nature of the companion pets being a take-away from the dark and gritty environment. To further develop these features would result in delaying the game even longer, something neither Blizzard nor its community would were ecstatic about.

Up in arms over the  premium asking price for Resident Evil Revelations? Good news, Capcom is bringing it down to a more reasonable $40 — the standard going rate for new portable releases on 3DS. Previously, it was $50.

Apparently, after weeks of negotiation, Capcom was able to pull a few strings over at Nintendo HQ to bring down the cost. Revelations ships on a 4GB game cartridge, which is more expensive to produce. Somehow, though, we have a feeling the vocal outcry from fans had something to do with Capcom’s proactive stance on this too.

For those keen on pre-ordering, it may take a week or so before retailers update their product listings to reflect the price drop. At least one retailer – GameStop – is already showing it at $39.99.

Revelations hits US retailers next month on February 7.

Nintendo is prepping a new 3DS Super Mario title for its next fiscal year, which begins in April. Interestingly, the title will mark a return to the franchise roots a la New Super Mario Bros., with traditional side-scrolling gameplay set on a 2D plane.

The tidbit was revealed in a recap of its third-quarter financial results briefing. Notably, the effort joins several other key titles destined for 3DS later this year, including Paper Mario, Luigi’s Mansion 2, Heroes of Ruin, Bravely Default, and Mario Tennis.

No further details were spared, though we’d wager a bet that it will make an appearance at E3 later this year. Nintendo hopes its broad software lineup will position 3DS as the dominant mainstream platform.

CD Projekt RED’s announced via the Good Old Games storefront that The Witcher 2 will receive an Enhanced Edition update come April 17. All existing and future owners will get the update free of charge. Here are the deets on what’s in store:

Additional hours of gameplay: New major adventures set in previously unseen locations, expanding the story and introducing new characters, mysteries and monsters.

New Game Introduction and Cinematics: All new animations and cut scenes, including a new, three and a half minute pre-rendered cinematic depicting the assassination of King Demavend of Aedirn. BAFTA Award winner and Academy Award nominee Tomasz Baginski brings this key historical event to life, setting the stage for the story told in The Witcher 2.

A pretty hefty update. Might be high time for another playthrough.

Once again, Valve has taken convenience a step further with the introduction of the mobile Steam app for Android and iOS platforms. Currently in closed beta, users can use the app to chat with friends, keep tabs on daily Steam deals, browse community groups and view user generated content such as screenshots.

This means you’ll never miss another Steam sale, which could potentially be bad for your wallet, but hey, we’re grateful anyway.

“The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers,” said Valve president Gabe Newell.

“Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.”

Those who wish to join the beta can sign-up for possible inclusion by hitting up this link from their mobile device. The app is also now available in the associated iOS and Android markets.