The studio behind the Xbox Live Arcade port of PC phenomenon Minecraft believes it will be the first game on the system to see "constant updates".

As it stands, the update process on the Xbox 360 is a laborious process, as Microsoft demands to approve every single patch before it goes live. Paddy Burns, chief technology officer at Minecraft XBLA developer 4J Studios, told Edge that that's about to change.

"Microsoft knows that to do a similar thing that's on PC where they constantly update it, that's a very difficult thing to do on Xbox because you have to go through the full tests," he explained.

"But they are quite keen to move towards that - they do see it as the future, so I think we might be the first to do constant updates."

However, Burns added that gamers shouldn't expect the same frequency of updates as in the PC version.

"I don't think it'll ever come to that. I think that there will always be Microsoft testing involved.

"But the whole turnaround of that testing they're hoping to speed up, so we can maybe roll out every two months. We'll have to see how that goes... I'm really looking forward to it being updated with patches and new features after it's released."

Burns also revealed that the version of the game that will initially launch on Xbox Live Arcade later this year will be version 1.6.6 of the PC beta.

Shmup specialist Cave has lifted the lid on two new entries in its vintage DoDonPachi bullet hell franchise.

As revealed on its Twitter feed, DoDonPachi: Blissful Death is currently in the works for iOS platforms, while DoDonPachi Maximum is coming to Windows Phone 7.

Blissful Death is likely a port of Japan-only 2002 PlayStation 2 effort DoDonPachi: Dai Ou Jou.

No further details were offered on either title, though teaser sites are now live - see Blissful Death and Maximum.

The last game in the series to see a Western release was excellent Xbox 360 effort DoDonPachi Resurrection late last year.

Cave recently announced plans to refocus on mobile and social games following a slump in its financials.

Harmonix has unveiled Dance Central 2 Dance*Cam, a free app for iOS and Android devices that lets you create personalised music videos.

Available in the US now and due out in Europe soon, that app lets you record snippets of your Dance Central routines, which you can then turn into mini music videos and post to the web for all to see.

Challenge a friend to a dance battle via Facebook, and a mash-up video of both of your attempts will be created and reposted to the networking site for all your chums to guffaw at.

Tracks available in the app include:

• Atlantic Connection and Armanni Reign - "Reach"
• Electric Valentine - "Body To Body"
• Enrique Iglesias ft. Pitbull - "I Like It"
• Far East Movement - "Like A G6"
• La Roux - "Bulletproof"
• Montell Jordan - "This Is How We Do It"
• Sean Kingston - "Fire Burning"

Harmonix's sequel strutted onto Xbox 360 late last year, picking up a slinky 8/10 from Eurogamer's Johnny Minkley. Take a look at his Dance Central 2 review for more.

Microsoft has acknowledged a problem with colour output in video playback following the recent Xbox 360 dashboard update.

A post on Major Nelson's Twitter feed stated that a fix is currently in the works.

"We're aware of the colorspace issue w/ some Xbox video apps & are working on a fix. No ETA yet but we hope to have an update soon," he wrote.

As addressed in a recent Digital Foundry investigation, the new update appears to force video content to run at limited range RGB levels, resulting in colours appearing washed out, with blacks becoming grey.

A more in-depth analysis of the final update also revealed that 1080p video files were being downscaled to 720p - something that never happened on the old NXE dash, and which curiously didn't seem to affect Microsoft's own Zune marketplace movie rentals.

Thus far there has been no comment from Microsoft on whether the resolution issue will be corrected.

Engadget also references reports that HDMI output through the updated console sees HDCP authentication problems with certain TVs, affecting video output.

Who needs a home console if your new TV already has one built-in? A new breed of gogglebox will emerge this year offering much of the functionality of current smartphones and tablets, with streaming Cloud gaming supported too. If rumours are to be believed, Apple will be launching its own Smart TV too - and who'd want to bet against their product being anything other than a unmitigated success?

Smart TVs are nothing new of course - Samsung has been knocking them out for a few years now, combining their generally impressive displays with internet connectivity, allowing for easy viewing of websites and services like YouTube and BBC iPlayer. Typically running lower power CPUs on a Linux core along with dedicated hardware for demanding functions such as video decoding, apps can be downloaded, and movie files run with ease direct from USB sticks. The TV's capabilities can be updated in much the same way as a traditional home console - via downloadable firmware updates.

"The hardware inside these screens can't really compete with the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 - but consumer electronics manufacturers are still looking to encroach on Sony and Microsoft's turf via Cloud-based gameplay streaming."

It's very early days in terms of the development of a game platform of course, but already unofficial emulators are appearing (yes, TVs can be hacked too) and Samsung's latest Smart TV SDK update includes support for USB game controllers. In the here and now, the hardware inside these screens isn't likely to produce the same kind of quality experience we get from PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 - but consumer electronics manufacturers are still looking to encroach on Sony and Microsoft's turf.

At this year's CES, LG Electronics revealed that it has teamed up with Gaikai to add streaming gameplay to its new range of Smart TVs, and the playable demo on display looked impressive. At the same time, OnLive has recently released its Viewer app for Google TV devices, and promises that full gameplay is to come.

A New Host for Cloud Gaming

While we're yet to be convinced that Cloud gaming can satisfy core gamers in its current first-gen format, the fact is that even judged by OnLive standards, the service is good enough - and convenient enough - to appeal to a great many people, and if it's built-in as standard into your TV, obviously it's going to make people think twice about the need for buying a dedicated gaming box.

There's also a compelling argument that as the tech matures, so the quality of the service will improve - certainly from a picture quality perspective. Bandwidth becomes cheaper year-on-year, and the higher the data throughput, the better the image quality. OnLive streams at 5mbps - a level of bandwidth unthinkable not so long ago. As countries transition onto fibre-optic networks, 10mbps and higher (much higher) will become the norm, allowing for a much improved experience. Latency will always be an issue of course. Our tests with OnLive indicate that the service adds around 100ms-133ms to the responsiveness of the same game running on PC, but again, a general move towards fibre along with closer server locations will help here (OnLive UK is currently hosted in Luxembourg).

Despite a faltering start, the inclusion of the Google TV platform into the displays themselves could kickstart the format. LG's demo of full Gaikai gameplay integration at CES 2012 attracted a number of plaudits.

"Rumours continue to surround the notion of Apple releasing its own screen, apparently powered by iOS technology and using a voice-activated interface based on the Siri system employed in the iPhone 4S."

But what of the viability of the displays themselves as true console replacements, running local gameplay? At the moment, the specs are mostly underwhelming, and without any kind of mainstream, viable platform likely to make a profit, no serious publisher is likely to get behind the concept - unless of course we factor in the potential debut of the iTunes App Store. Rumours continue to surround the notion of Apple releasing its own screen, apparently powered by iOS technology and using a voice-activated interface based on the Siri system employed in the iPhone 4S.

Walter Isaacson's authorised biography describes how Steve Jobs himself talked about the product, with the man himself apparently saying, "I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use... it would be seamlessly synched with all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine."

How Apple Can Make a Difference

Apple's advantages over its competitors are quite immense: it already has an established market for apps, games, movies and music - and the company brand is untouchable. It's also unique in that it has a single, unified architecture it rolls out across multiple platforms, making the potential market for developers and publishers so much more enticing. A Smart TV release on its own is unlikely to engender much support from publishers, but in concert with untold millions of iPod Touches, iPhones and iPads, the outlook looks decidedly different.

The Cupertino-based superpower is also well-placed in that its architectural improvements strongly suggest a focus on gaming performance. As we described in our Digital Foundry vs. iPad 2 article, even with its current A5 platform, the opportunity for quality games is immense. Dual core ARM CPUs in concert with PowerVR SGX543 technology can produce titles like the Unreal Engine-driven Infinity Blade 2 - certainly not "PS360"-quality but impressive enough to satisfy a different kind of gamer. Of course, any Apple TV would most likely ship with a more up-to-date chipset.

If an iOS TV is indeed planned for this year, it'll almost certainly feature the new A6 chip set to make its debut in the upcoming iPad 3. Recent developer betas for the operating system have strongly hinted at quad core support, and it's reasonable to expect that the final processor will have much in common with the powerful chip we find inside PlayStation Vita, which at a very basic level, is much like two iPad 2s bonded together: that's some serious rendering power.

Clearly, there are serious difficulties facing any kind of emergence of the Smart TV as a viable gaming platform - and this, we presume, is the problem that Steve Jobs reckoned he'd "finally cracked" before his untimely passing. Some might argue that the TV remote as it stands right now is an overly complex beast covering off a fairly basic level of functionality - the notion of creating an easy-to-use interface that is as intuitive as that of other iOS devices is a major challenge. Certainly there are no clues in the existing Apple TV set-top box, which ships with a conventional remote control. Hackers have demonstrated how Apple TV can run apps easily enough, but the notion of making them actually usable in a living room environment is the real litmus test and Siri-style access can surely only go so far.

We know that Apple produces quality displays from the iMac range of products (left) - adding Apple TV set-top box (right) functionality into an all-new flatscreen for living room appears to be the next big step for the company.

Will It Be Worth the Upgrade?

"The basic reality is that manufacturers need to convince consumers that it's actually worth upgrading their existing displays - an argument that they failed to make convincingly with the arrival of stereoscopic 3D technology in 2009."

Over and above this is the basic reality that manufacturers need to convince consumers that it's actually worth upgrading their existing displays - an argument that they failed to make convincingly with the arrival of stereoscopic 3D technology in 2009. There's a deeply ingrained perception that the TV is the sort of thing you only upgrade once or twice a decade, and post-CES there's still no compelling argument that the functionality on offer justifies an upgrade.

YouTube, NetFlix and BBC iPlayer support is "nice" but not enough on its own to make people rush out to buy new screens, while it's difficult to imagine that elements such as browsing and social network support would really work in a living room environment. The other challenge facing the makers of the new breed of Smart TVs is that it is obviously much cheaper for consumers to buy an additional box at a much cheaper price that does all of these things any way. Just one example amongst many is the Sony BDP-S380 Blu-ray player: it's a sub £100 box that features Sony's Bravia internet functionality, running iPlayer, YouTube and other streaming video services and even HD movie files copied onto a USB stick.

There are even signs that the existing consoles are evolving, repurposing themselves to offer Smart TV-style functionality. The recently released Xbox 360 'Metro' dashboard may well have its problems, but it demonstrates how seriously Microsoft views the kind of functionality the new breed of TVs offers. In effect, it could be argued that the platform holder is expanding the functionality of its existing device in order to give you fewer reasons to defect away from the Xbox platform. And if the 360 evolves into a streaming media box, it can also stream gameplay too - a current gen console using OnLive/Gaikai tech to run next-gen titles is an intriguing possibility and may explain the dual SKU rumours currently circulating. Why launch two SKUs when the existing hardware could conceivably host Cloud versions of next-gen titles?

The emergence of a new wave of Smart TVs at CES demonstrates that manufacturers are intent on expanding the way we interact with our displays - and games will clearly play a key part in that. But to be successful, it's going to take an enormous content library encompassing all forms of media and the introduction of exciting, never-seen-before features. It's going to require the product design brilliance of a company accomplished in the art of selling us stuff we never knew we actually wanted, or needed.

Over to you, Apple.

If you played the Diablo 3 beta, admired its polish and reckoned the game couldn't be far from release, think again: game director and arch-tinkerer Jay Wilson has unveiled extensive changes to the game's systems, some minor, some major - and promised that even bigger revisions are on the way.

The way character stats and itemisation work is being changed, along with numerous adjustments to the interface, crafting and customisation systems - and "we're working on major changes to the skill and rune systems that we're not ready to talk about," Wilson said. And with that, the chances of the game seeing release in the first half of 2012 all but vanished.

"While working on Diablo 3 we've been called out for messing around with systems too much, that the game is good as-is and we should just release it," said Wilson, who has talked Diablo fans through countless changes to the fundaments of the game since its unveiling in the summer of 2008.

"I think that's a fair argument to make, but I also think it's incorrect. Our job isn't just to put out a game, it's to release the next Diablo game. No one will remember if the game is late, only if it's great."

Of the current adjustments, most of which can be seen in the beta, the headline change is to character attributes: Defense, Attack and Precision are being dropped and the core stats are now Strength, Dexterity, Intellect and Vitality. The idea is to give each class a core stat and "reduce the amount of item overlap, diversify our item pool, and create a cleaner, more exciting itemisation system," Wilson said.

"Obviously these stat changes are one of the bigger systems changes we're currently working on as they have far reaching requirements to re-itemise and balance the game," he added, ominously.

Beyond that, one of the artisan crafting characters, the Mystic, is being dropped from the game, along with the associated Enhancement customisation system: it "simply wasn't adding anything", said Wilson. The Cauldron of Jordan and Nephalem Cube that allowed players to salvage or sell items on the go have been removed, as the Stone of Recall (now called Town Portal) allows players to do these tasks easily enough and "it's a good idea to break up combat". The Blacksmith can now salvage items, but common (white) items can no longer be salvaged.

Staple Diablo item, the Scroll of Identification, has been junked and all characters now have an innate ability to identify items; the fifth quick-slot button is now a dedicated potion button; and character stats can be seen on the inventory UI.

"There's a lot of work left to be done, though," Wilson warned, just in case you were worrying that his team was rushing the game out of the door. "We're constantly tuning and making balance changes; it's a massive task," he added.

"We want Diablo 3 to be the best game it can be when it launches. To get there, we're going to be iterating on designs we've had in place for a long time, making changes to systems you've spent a lot of time theorycrafting, and removing features you may have come to associate with the core of the experience.

"Our hope is that by embracing our iterative design process in which we question ourselves and our decisions, Diablo 3 won't just live up to our expectations, but will continue to do so a decade after it's released."

Minecraft developer Mojang is prepping its angular open world for the arrival of dense, misty jungles.

Lead developer Jens Bergensten tweeted a snapshot of the new environment last night.

Wild jungle animals are also on the way, Bergensten added.

According to the latest development snapshot, jungle biomes will require a new world to work in, so their leafy green code doesn't interfere with existing creations.

You'll also be able to climb vines.

Casual culinary game Baking Life will close its oven doors for the last time on 31st January, owner PopCap has announced.

The game still reaches an audience of 100,000 daily users, but its future has been unclear since PopCap acquired Facebook developer ZipZapPlay in April last year.

Baking Life once attracted 6.7 million monthly players to its virtual cake shop, although currant monthly numbers are nearer 760,000.

Players have less than two weeks to burn through all of their remaining in-game cash, bought through real-life money transferred into Facebook Credits.

"Unfortunately, we had to make a very difficult decision to shut down the game," PopCap's Garth Chouteau told InsideSocialGames. "The Baking Life player numbers have dropped in such a way that Baking Life is no longer performing well enough to justify continued support. As such, we are reallocating resources to games that we are developing for future release."

Baking Life players are being granted "rewards" in PopCap games Bejeweled and Zuma as a make-up present.

Sony Computer Entertainment boss Andrew House has pointed to sales of Nintendo 3DS as proof that there's a market for dedicated gaming handhelds.

"Normally we don't really reference the competition a lot when we talk about the PlayStation business, but in this case it's perhaps a little salutary that the sales of the 3DS - you know, having the advantage of releasing a little bit ahead of us - have been exceedingly good," he told the US PlayStation Blog at CES in an interview you can check out below.

"I think that shows that there is in general a lot of demand for a gaming primary portable device, which is how I would describe Vita.

"But you know, our device in contrast has just so much more to offer. What I think we've done is point to a market that really has started out with potentially casual games that are on other devices, but now wants a deeper, a better or more premiere gaming experiences."

Sales of PlayStation Vita in Japan have been relatively slow so far, although the handheld passed the 500,000 mark last week.

House also said that the slightly later launch in the west would mean more games and hopefully make a bigger splash. European boss Jim Ryan has previously described the European Vita launch line-up as "comfortably the strongest line-up we've had for any platform launch".

We're loving the PlayStation Vita, as you'll know if you've read our PlayStation Vita Review or tucked into Digital Foundry vs. PlayStation Vita.

The console's out in Europe on 22nd February.

BioWare has patched the problem in Star Wars: The Old Republic's open-world player-versus-player zone, Ilum, that allowed players to farm huge amounts of Valor points.

Game designer Gabe Amatangelo posted on the official forums to announce the fix and explain the problem, which was introduced with this week's update 1.1 to the game. It was caused by players managing to enter and camp enemy bases when "under server load", which was not intended as part of the design.

BioWare's also reducing the population cap on the zone to improve performance.

There will be no general rollback on the Valor points earned since the exploit was found. However, associate community manager Joveth Gonzalez added, "we're definitely aware of individuals who took extreme advantage of this situation and we will be carefully evaluating and taking action as necessary".