id Software’s output has been almost nil this generation, releasing only a single title — RAGE. While it was an ambitious title in terms of tech, Carmack and co even admitted the development cycle took far longer than planned. Not surprisingly, the company is anxious to move on, as its already looking to get a jump start on the next-generation of platforms.

A job listing posted over on parent company ZeniMax’s site calls for a talented 3D environmental artist, specifically with experience “with the full range of Next-Gen asset creation, from high resolution and low polygon modeling, to UV and multi-pass texture creation.” Candidates should also have “familiarity with the id Software family of engines, tools and material creation.”

Doom 4 is apparently still headed to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013 — though we still haven’t seen or heard a peep about it in quite awhile. It’ll be a no-show at this year’s E3, too, unless a surprise announcement is in store. Makes us wonder if the project is switching over to next-gen. Only time will tell, we suppose.

In a truly commendable move, Atlus has announced that it will once again extend online server support for Demon’s Souls in North America. The servers were originally scheduled to shut down on May 31, 2012. Atlus plans to continue maintaining the servers for the “foreseeable future,” provided user activity and interest remain constant.

Considering Atlus is a smaller publisher, we’re sure a decision like this isn’t as easy for them to make economically, especially when gaming giants like EA shut down game servers a few years after the fact in some cases. It’s always nice to see a company go above and beyond for their fans. Full statement is after the break.

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A patent filed by Sony in 2011 has been discovered and made public on NeoGAF. The patent is for in-game advertising. Now, I’m not talking about shameless ads on posters or billboards within a game’s world. No, this patent idea is much sleazier.

Titled Advertisement Scheme for Use with Interactive Content (that’s funny because it would be a damn scheme), the patent indicates that a message would appear onscreen during a gamer’s play session warning that person that an ad would pop up shortly. Gameplay would then be “suspended” and a commercial would run. After the ad, “at least a portion” of the gameplay would be rewound, and the game would continue.

Now, it should be noted that this patent probably won’t lead to anything, and it seems like this was just an idea that was brainstormed and entertained (possibly by drunk people). If it did, though, it would be really disgusting for a couple of reasons. For starters, it would interrupt gamers’ experiences and even ruin gameplay for individuals who are really invested in a game. Also, it would be horrible because we already pay $60 for games, so in-game advertising would mean that publishers are just getting more money and ruining our time with a game in the process.

Again, this probably won’t happen, and it’s a good thing, too. That said, it’s pretty foul to think that the people who make our consoles and games actually think of the possibilities that schemes — yes, schemes — like these could entail for their benefit.

I was originally going to use GIMP to add a PlayStation 3 logo to the image above, but I got lazy. Plus, that’s so cliche! So yeah, here are some pretty clouds for you to look at! You’re welcome!

Now that we’ve gotten through that awkward introductory paragraph, let’s talk Sony! Rumors have surfaced indicating that the PlayStation 3 and Vita manufacturer will announce cloud gaming for its consoles at this year’s E3 in less than two weeks.

According to VG24/7, Sony is in talks with either OnLive or Gaikai to incorporate the service to its platforms. It would certainly be an intriguing idea. We’ll know for sure whether there’s any substance to these rumors come Sony’s E3 press conference on June 4.

Sony’s announced that yet another bout of PSN maintenance will begin on Thursday. It’ll start at approximately 8:00 am PDT and wrap up by 11:00pm PDT.

During this timeframe, services such as the PlayStation Store will be inaccessible. Related services, such as Account Management and Registration will also be yanked offline.

If you’ve set aside a Thursday gaming night, your plans aren’t entirely foiled. According to PlayStation Digital manager Matthew Harper, you’ll still be able to play online if you connect to PSN within 5 days prior to the start of this maintenance window. Better sign on quick – as there’s less than 24 hours left.

Capcom’s announced that the Ninja Theory-developed DmC Devil May Cry reboot will arrive on PS3 and Xbox 360 next year, January 15, 2013 to be specific.

Alongside the announcement, Capcom confirmed that a PC version of the title is coming after the  console equivalents. Beyond that, the company wasn’t specific on a release window, though did say development is “well underway.” This should please those that were upset over the decision to target 30 FPS on consoles, as the PC edition will no doubt run 60 FPS or above if you have a rig capable of handling it.

In terms of aesthetics, DmC represents a complete makeover from previous entries in the franchise, starring a new — younger — Dante. Retained is the fast-paced gameplay, which sees players hack n’ slash their way through legions of demonic foes, while performing stylish combos.

Look for plenty of hands-on impressions to surface soon, as Capcom says the title will be playable at E3 2012 next month. Also, we’ve uploaded a few new screens over at VGIMG, showcasing character Kat.

While we’re still awaiting Sony’s implementation of the PSOne emulator for PS Vita, a lone hacker has managed to get PSOne games up and running on the Vita, albeit unofficially. The feat was performed using a kernel exploit inside the emulated PSP environment. That’s right — this is essentially an emulator running inside an emulator.

The hacker, who wishes to remain anonymous, has also shared video proof above of the feat (via PSPKing.de). We couldn’t make out any performance issues, so games appear to be running smooth. However, there’s at least one show-stopping bug made obvious by the lack of sound. The hacker is attempting to fix this and if he succeeds, plans to release the source code.

It’s worth noting however that users of the publicly released Vita exploit (otherwise known as VHBL) will not be able to take advantage of this, as patching the emulator requires kernel-level access. Earlier this month, a complete dump of the PSP emulator flash0 memory surfaced, though the kernel exploit used to obtain those files remains under wraps. So far, Sony has been extremely diligent when it comes to patching up known exploits on the Vita, and with discoveries like this it’s not hard to understand why.

One of the perks of buying games on Steam is that you can often buy them prior to their launch and pre-download them onto your PC. After that all you have to do is wait for launch day to come and — Bam! — you’ve got a brand new game ready to play, no annoying download times necessary at launch.

It appears that Sony will begin to adopt this practice, as well, reveals Gamasutra. Gamers will be able to pay for upcoming PlayStation Network titles, and they will have the opportunity to pre-download them to their PlayStation 3 consoles. The first game that will use this functionality is the upcoming PlayStation Move title Sorcery, which will hit the PlayStation Store next week.

Being able to pay for and download a game before it releases, and then having the file unlock at launch is definitely a great practice, and one that should be the norm for consoles. I’m certain plenty of gamers will agree that having access to a game right at launch is great, but the best part of it all is that you don’t have to get super anxious as you wait for the game to download that day.

Previously announced solely for the PlayStation 3, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time will now be making its way to the PlayStation Vita, as well. It has also been revealed that the game will be released on both Sony platforms on the same day sometime during its planned fall release date.

Players will be able to save their game data via cloud storage and switch between the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of Thieves in Time as they wish. This should make it a great deal of fun playing the heck out of the game at home and then transferring it over to the portable to get some out-of-the-house gaming done. It’s currently unknown whether the game needs to purchased for both platforms in order for this to work, but let’s hope that’s not the case, because really, it’s hard to imagine anyone buying a game twice just to switch between home console and handheld.

Sony has stated that the two versions of Thieves in Time will be identical. The dual analog layout of the Vita will allow players to have the same type of control that they would on the PlayStation 3. Additionally, the handheld version will utilize the Vita’s gyroscopic features. For example, some projectiles will be controlled by tilting the handheld.

It’s great to see a game like Thieves in Time landing on the Vita. Here’s hoping this paves the way for some more Sly Cooper titles on the handheld device down the road.

Already released on PS3, Konami’s pinned a release date on the PS Vita version of its Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. It’s coming June 12, comprised of PS2 classics Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Interestingly, the date is actually two weeks ahead of when Japan will get it. No word on when it’ll hit Europe yet.

The title highlights Konami’s ‘Transfarring’ capability, which allows gamers to load their save data seamlessly across both platforms. That means you can switch between the PS3 and Vita at any time and resume your progress. It isn’t the first time we’ve seen such a feature demonstrated, but it’s still nifty.

While it’s mostly a carbon copy of the PS3 HD Collection, sans the omission of PSP title Peace Walker, Konami hasn’t passed up the opportunity to utilize the Vita’s touch-screen and rear touchpad. Through touch-based gestures, players can control the camera and cycle through weapons.