Online-only Wii Component Cable Rumors, Halo Gets Dumped as a Movie and an Import Gaming Dealer Literally Gets Sued Out of Business

Anyone know what time it is? Yup, it's Game Time once more. Today I look at rumors that Wii component cables could only be sold online, and why Hollywood is losing interest in Microsoft's Halo movie plans. Finally, I look at the lawsuit-triggered shutdown of import game dealer LikSang and how Sony played a part in that particular fiasco.

First though, we look at the Wii component cable issue. According to IGN, the “Wii component cables would be available for purchase with the launch of the console in November. The cables will cost $29.99 and will only be available through online retail outlets, including Nintendo’s store, Best Buy, Circuit City and EB Games.” While this also means that games for the Wii will also support 480p at launch, one would wonder why Nintendo would prefer or even force customers to go online to order component cables for the Wii. This is one of the reasons that GameCube customers turned to other cable manufacturers for their component cable fix, leading Nintendo to drop distribution of its own solution as the ‘Cube started heading out for its retirement. And reports seem to indicate that ‘Cube component cables probably won’t work with the Wii, so it looks like we have a necessity for online ordering on our hands here.

Speaking of IGN, the gaming and entertainment site is reporting on a rumor circulating on the Web that both “20th Century Fox and Universal were freaked out over a rising $135 million budget, but producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh are claiming that the studios bolted after filmmakers and Microsoft refused to have their share of the profit cut” over the movie version of the XBOX shooter series Halo. Like, say what??? Well, according to entertainment trade journal Variety, “What happened was this: Universal, on behalf of both studios, asked for a meeting with the filmmakers just prior to the due date of a significant payment. Basically, they said that in order to move forward with the film, the filmmakers had to significantly reduce their deals.