Ubisoft has said that seemingly overzealous DRM in its PC strategy title Anno 2070 is working as intended and claimed most players won't ever fall foul of it.

Those defenders of truth, justice, hitpoints and terrain at Rock, Paper, Shotgun noticed a report earlier this week that Anno 2070 required reactivation every time you changed your graphics card.

Given that it only allowed three activations in the first place and doesn't support deactivations, this had the potential to cause problems for players. Indeed, it already had, with tech website Guru3D unable to benchmark the game due to the issue.

"While it's correct that copies of Anno include three activations and that changing hardware may trigger the need for reactivation, the vast majority of Anno customers never encounter this scenario," Ubisoft told RPS.

"On the rare occasion when a customer does need additional activations, Ubisoft customer service is available to quickly resolve the situation, and we encourage those customers to contact us directly so that we can ensure they are able to continue to enjoy their game."

Righto. Except apparently Guru3D tried this and didn't get a response for days, and was only able to get on with the important work of comparing the pixels in its futuristic metropolises when developer BlueByte stepped in to assist.

Rather than allowing you to deactivate copies of Anno 2070, RPS noted that the game leaves a config file on your PC so that if you reinstall it later then the software knows that all is well. Assuming you don't delete it in the meantime, reformat your hard disk or change your graphics card, anyway.

What a difference six months makes. In June last year Sony boss Kaz Hirai proudly took to the stage at E3 to announce that the Vita would retail for $250 (or $299 for the 3G version) - a figure that was generally greeted with enthusiasm by both press and gamers alike. Meanwhile, the considerably less powerful 3DS was floundering at around the same price, just a few months after its launch.

Fast forward to January 2012 and the 3DS is flying off shelves following an unprecedented pricing rethink while the Vita has got off to a miserable start in Japan, with numerous internet commentators already starting their 'cut the price' catcalls.

So, one month ahead of the machine's global launch, we've enlisted the help of technical intelligence experts UBM TechInsights and taken a screwdriver to Sony's new portable in an attempt to divine two things - whether you're getting good value for money, and whether Sony has left itself any room for an emergency price drop should the Western launch belly-flop.

UBM's VP of business intelligence, Jeffrey Brown, tells us that the total bill of materials for the 3G-enabled version of the system comes in at an estimated $159.10 - that's around £102.90. That figure breaks down as follows:

• Display and touchscreens: $50
• Battery: $3.60
• Cameras: $3.50
• Wi-Fi/BT/GPS: $3.50
• NAND: $6.00
• SDRAM: $9.25
• Processor: $16.00
• BB+XCR: $16.25
• Non-electronic: $11.00
• Other: $30.00
• Supporting materials: $10.00

For more on UBM's findings, head on over to its official site.

Microsoft sold 8.2 million Xbox 360 consoles during the last three months of 2011.

Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, which includes its gaming business, posted revenue of $4.24bn (£2.73bn) for its financial second quarter, a 15 per cent increase on $3.69bn (£2.38bn) in the same period the year before. Woo! Jump in!

Overall the company posted net profits of $6.624bn (£4.276bn), which hardly buys you anything these days, compared to $6.634bn (£4.282bn) in its second quarter results in 2010.

Microsoft revealed at CES earlier this month that it has now sold 66 million Xbox 360s worldwide, with 40 million people connecting to Xbox Live since the service launched.

Move over Wikileaks, because this week's internet site that the US government loves to hate is Megaupload.com - or at least it was until the FBI and US Department of Justice shut it down yesterday and arrested most of the people running it.

Megaupload allowed users to upload files of virtually any kind and receive a unique download URL to share with their friends, clients or whoever. The basic free service allowed for files up to 2GB, while the premium service had no such limits. Files were deleted if no one grabbed them for 21 days.

However, the FBI and DOJ claimed Megaupload was used to distribute pirated material - including video games - on a massive scale. The authorities alleged that the site's operators were not only aware of this but encouraged it and only paid lip service to removal notices from copyright holders.

According to their swanky federal calculators, Megaupload brought in $175 million in "illegal profits" through advertising revenue and premium memberships, and the damage done to copyright holders by all this criminality was "well in excess of $500 million".

Before it was shut down Megaupload posted a statement, picked up by the BBC, saying that the allegations were "grotesquely overblown". "The fact is that the vast majority of Mega's internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay," it added, before being switched off.

The news has not gone down well in all corners of the internet, with notorious denial-of-service group Anonymous apparently targeting the FBI and DOJ websites in response. Both were back up at the time of writing.

The FBI and DOJ statement about the arrests - described as "among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States" - went into some detail about the allegations of criminal copyright infringement and money laundering listed on the indictment.

"The conspirators allegedly paid users whom they specifically knew uploaded infringing content and publicised their links to users throughout the world," it said.

"As alleged in the indictment, the conspirators failed to terminate accounts of users with known copyright infringement, selectively complied with their obligations to remove copyrighted materials from their servers and deliberately misrepresented to copyright holders that they had removed infringing content.

"For example, when notified by a rights holder that a file contained infringing content, the indictment alleges that the conspirators would disable only a single link to the file, deliberately and deceptively leaving the infringing content in place to make it seamlessly available to millions of users to access through any one of the many duplicate links available for that file."

The FBI and DOJ announced coordinated arrests in nine countries. Co-founders Kim Dotcom (formerly Kim Schmitz) and Mathias Ortmann were both arrested in Auckland, New Zealand while others were rounded up elsewhere. A few of the company's employees remain at large.

The news comes in the same week as widespread protests against SOPA and PIPA laws that could cause massive disruption to the internet under the auspices of preventing copyright infringement and piracy.

US authorities denied that the two things were linked, claiming the Megaupload decision was made weeks ago.

Resident Evil 6 launches on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 20th November 2012, with a PC version to follow later, publisher Capcom has announced.

Set 10 years after the initial Raccoon City outbreak, the game sees series regulars Leon S Kennedy and Chris Redfield dealing with zombie outbreaks across the globe.

As seen in the reveal trailer below, Kennedy is fighting off the undead in a small town in the US after the president gets infected, while Redfield is in an unnamed Chinese metropolis dealing with a bioterrorist threat there.

We reckon we spotted Resident Evil 4 damsel in distress Ashley in there somewhere too.

"From the outset the team's intention was to create an experience that delivers a gripping storyline, tense single-player and co-op action all set against a constant theme of horror. We are calling this fusion dramatic horror and are confident it will resonate with both existing fans of the series as well as newcomers," commented executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi

"Resident Evil 6 represents a giant stride forward in the evolution of the series," added Capcom R&D boss Katsuhiko Ichii.

"The development team, led by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, is working tirelessly to deliver the most impressive Resident Evil title ever both in terms of scope and production values. We are all genuinely excited by the title and cannot wait to share it with the world."

That's all the information Capcom has released for now, but promises news on "new characters and co-op details" soon.

The last numbered entry in Capcom's long-running survival horror series came out back in 2009, picking up a 7/10 from Eurogamer. See our Resident Evil 5 review for details.

Shots of what purport to be promotional displays for Resident Evil 6 have found their way onto the internet.

The posters, which IGN reports were snapped in a GameSpot outlet in the US, sport a logo for the oft-rumoured sequel as well as a release date - 20th November 2012. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 logos also appear on the poster, but nothing indicating a PC release.

Resident Evil publisher Capcom has declined to comment.

A viral site thought to be Capcom's work which went live yesterday suggested the publisher has something zombie-related to unveil later today.

Bethesda has detailed what players can expect from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim update 1.4, due out on all platforms soon.

The headline feature is of course a fix for the lag issues that have affected many PlayStation 3 gamers.

However, there's a long list of other trouble spots which the patch aims to address.

The full changelog, as seen on the Bethesda Blog, follows below.

A firm release date for the patch has not yet been set. "We're hoping to finalise this next week, and submit it to the console manufacturers for certification, as well as release on PC," read the post.

In addition, Bethesda confirmed that the promised Creation Kit and Steam Workshop PC content is nearly ready and should launch before the end of the month.

New features

• Skyrim launcher support for Steam Workshop (PC)

Bug fixes

• General optimizations for memory and performance
• Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequin's in player's house. (PS3)
• Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
• Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
• Memory optimizations related to scripting
• Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
• Fixed crash in Haemar's Shame if player had already completed "A Daedra's Best Friend"
• Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
• Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
• Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
• Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
• Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
• Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player's home
• Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player's house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any furnishing.
• Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
• Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
• Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
• Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
• Fixed memory crash with container menu
• Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
• Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor's Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions
• Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally not fail
• Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks

Quest fixes

• The Unusual Gem inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing "Diplomatic Immunity"
• In "Breaching Security", the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
• Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if "Season Unending" was an active quest
• Fixed issue where starting "Season Unending" after finishing "Joining the Stormcloaks" would prevent "The Jagged Crown" from starting properly.
• Fixed issue progressing through "Message to Whiterun" while "Season Unending" was still open would block progression for both quests.
• In "Arniel's Endeavor", fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
• In "Forbidden Legend", the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
• Fixed rare issue in "Forbidden Legend" where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpose unaccessible
• In "The White Phial", the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
• "The White Phial" will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
• Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing "A Night to Remember"
• Fixed issue where leaving Riften during "A Chance Arrangement" would prevent quest from progressing
• In "Darkness Returns", a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
• In "Under New Management", if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
• "Onmund's Request" will now start properly if player has already found Enthir's staff before receiving this quest
• Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
• "Repairing the Phial" will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
• Finding Pantea's Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
• In "The Coming of the Dawn", fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
• Fixed rare issue in "The Mind of Madness" where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
• Fixed issue in "Pieces of the Past" where Mehrunes Dagon's Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
• "Blood's Honor" will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
• Fixed rare issue where "Dampened Spirits" would not start properly
• Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
• Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine woud block progression for "No One Escapes Cidhna Mine"
• Fixed numerous issues with "Blood on the Ice" not triggering properly
• In "Blood on the Ice", Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
• In "The Cure for Madness", killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
• Fixed rare issue in "To Kill an Empire" where an NPC would fail to die properly
• Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting "Boethiah's Champion" no longer prevents quest from starting.

UPDATE: BioWare just issued Eurogamer with the following statement:

"We are aware there is an issue with account management on our website and apologise for any inconvenience. We have identified the issue and can confirm it will be resolved shortly."

ORIGINAL STORY: Another day, another headache for BioWare's PR department with fresh controversy hitting MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic following yesterday's botched game update.

As detailed by Massively, a number of users are reporting that the "Cancel subscription" tab has disappeared from their account pages.

While it's likely a bug in the database code, the timing has raised suspicions of foul play - tomorrow is the day when accounts are due to be billed following the month of free gameplay gifted to players who joined on launch day.

While BioWare is investigating exactly what the problem is, customer services chimed in on a busy thread on the game's official forums, instructing anyone looking to cancel their subscription to contact the developer by phone.

We've contacted BioWare for more information and will update when we get a response.

It's not the only piece of SWTOR-related bad news for publisher EA today. The Wall Street Journal has reported that its share price fell after Todd Mitchell, an industry analyst at Brean Murray Carret & Co, raised concerns that the game is underperforming.

"Specifically, initial sales appear to be below expectations, and casual observation of early play is causing us to rethink our churn assumptions," Mitchell wrote in a note to clients.

On a slightly brighter note, all players who have renewed their subscription for a further month are being rewarded with an exclusive Founder's medal. Full details are on the game's official site.

Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon has revealed a few of the exclusive features you can expect to find in the forthcoming PlayStation Vita version of last year's revamped brawler.

Speaking in an interview with the PlayStation Blog, he confirmed that all the content from the original PS3 and Xbox 360 versions has made it over, including DLC characters.

There'll be some new content on top of that too, namely an additional Challenge Tower offering 150 new challenges designed to make use of the Vita's various control features, such as the touch screen and accelerometer.

While Boon's NetherRealm Studios has decided against implementing the rear touch panel, you'll be able to use the front touch screen to pull off fatality moves, via a series of swipes.

"It makes some of the more difficult fatalities easier and it's fun to slash at your screen to fire off a fatality. I was surprised by how engaging it is," commented Boon.

The game will support one-on-one online multiplayer matches, though full eight player modes haven't made it in.

Boon also confirmed that the studio hasn't managed to fit in any cross-over play with the PlayStation 3 version.

Finally, just to be clear, Boon cleared up any confusion over the game's name.

"Yes, it's Mortal Kombat. 'Vitality' was something that somebody mocked up at some point, and it kind of stuck [laughs]. But yes, it's just called Mortal Kombat."

A concrete release date has not yet been announced but the finished game is expected to launch this Spring.

JRPG Fate/EXTRA is to get a European release later this year, courtesy of publisher Ghostlight.

A spin-off of popular Japanese visual novel Fate/Stay Night, it sees your hero battling for survival in a mysterious parallel universe, while also trying to track down The Holy Grail.

The publisher promises a fast-paced combat system, multiple story paths and a story penned by series creator Kinoko Nasu.

Originally released in Japan back in July 2010, the game made it to North America last November, where it was met with mixed reviews.

Developer Image Epoch's other work includes the Luminous Arc series on DS and Arc Rise Fantasia on Wii.

Take a look at the screens below for more on what to expect.