We have some big news to bring you now, especially after the recent Star Wars ‘May the 4th be with you’ event. There has been a huge cloud of doubt over the future of Star Wars in relation to the gaming industry after LucasArts closure, but we can now tell you that EA has signed a deal with Disney to carry on making Star Wars games in 2013 and into the future.

The deal is a ‘multi-publishing’ deal with Disney, meaning that EA won’t actually develop the games. Instead, new and hopefully existing Star Wars projects will now come from EA owned studios, with DICE, BioWare and Visceral the big three that have been given the responsibility of pleasing millions of Star Wars fanatics.

It’s particularly interesting that DICE is now set to make some Star Wars titles, as ot could mean that the infamous Star Wars Battlefront 3 project will now be handled by the developer – a task that is well within their capability given their experience with the Battlefield series.

BioWare is also very familiar with the Star Wars franchise already, having worked on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, as well as MMO The Old Republic. The big question on everyones minds though – what will now happen to Star Wars 1313 now that EA is on publishing duties and which developer out of three will finish the game – if it is still alive of course?

Don’t forget Visceral, who are most commonly known for making the Dead Space series – it will be interesting to see what their first Star Wars game will be. If we could choose though, we would love to see some HD remakes of some of the classic Star Wars games, on top of new IPs of course.

Jedi Power Battles from the PS1 remains one of the best Star Games hands down for us, and it would be amazing if the game was to be remade in HD. Gamers need a good Star Wars game to play again and a platform-based game would be a great start.

Expect more feedback from the big deal soon. Let us know your initial thoughts on Disney’s decision to partner with EA. Is it ultimately the only move that could happen?

Whenever we think of Star Wars, the first thing that comes to mind is the lightsaber, as it’s such an iconic weapon from the franchise, even more so than the hand phaser from Star Trek. We’ve seen many variants of the lightsaber in the past, but none as awesome looking as the Rahm Kota v2 lightsaber.

There are several replicas on the market, but this unique lightsaber celebrates Star Wars: Episode 7 far better than some of those cheap toys you see, and boy have we seen a lot of them. We do hope with Disney now on board we will start to see even better merchandise, although some Star Wars fans believe that George Lucas went a little over the top in the end.

Even though Rahm Kota will have nothing to do with the new Star Wars Episode 7 movie, we can’t help feel this lightsaber is a beautiful way to celebrate the upcoming release. Roland Palotai is one of the best in the business when it comes to replica Star Wars memorabilia, and if you don’t believe me, then check out some of his other work.

He puts a lot of love into his creations, and you can see the Rahm Kota v2 lightsaber shows off the elegant design of such a wonderful weapon. We are not certain on its price, but we have seen previous models sold for around $500.

While some of you were probably disappointed with the likes of Star Wars Kinect and The Old Republic, we have news on one unreleased Star wars game that could set to be one of the best ever released. Gameplay from a Star Wars shooter has emerged, showing similarities to a Call of Duty game format, and action that a lot of you are going to be pretty excited to see.

This is the probably the game that all Star Wars fans have been waiting a long time to see. Personally, I haven’t played a better Star Wars game than Jedi Power Battles on the PS1 so far, but having taken a look at this footage I hope that this game could be the one to change my mind.

The only problem, is that the game is unreleased with no sign on whether it is coming out at all. To echo shades of Star Wars Battlefront 3 which was cancelled, we hear from Kotaku that this game is thought to be called Star Wars: First Assault and is meant to be a predecessor to Battlefront 3.

Another issue is that development on the game is thought to have been halted for the moment, following Disney’s recent acquisition of LucasArts, meaning that all future Star Wars games are currently on pending status until further notice. This is one game that definitely needs to release though as it looks fantastic even for an early or alpha build.

If the game is still coming out this year, then it is going to be a downloadable title for Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. The graphics are looking superb though so there’s no chance of this being a half baked effort from LucasArts. Take a look at the exciting footage above for yourself and let us know if you would buy this if it ever came out.

On a side note – what is your favorite Star Wars game ever so far? Do you agree that Jedi Power Battles set a good standard?

There’s no denying how awesome Star Wars is, well the original trilogy anyway, and if you were asked to name your two favorite characters then they would have to be R2D2 and Darth Vader. Being an iPhone 5 owner, I have often wanted a mean looking case for it, so imagine my excitement when I came across the one in black that symbolizes the greatest Sith Lord.

We found these two iPhone 5 Star Wars cases on the popular iPhone Rumors website, where they mentioned C-3PO and Chewbacca versions as well, but for me the previously mentioned two are the better choice, although the Chewbacca iPhone 5 case does come with faux fur. However, how long would it be before it started to look old and smell a little, just like a real Wookiee then.

For those who wish to embrace the Dark Side then the Darth Vader iPhone 5 case is a great choice because it symbolizes what is so great about the worst villain there ever was. As you would imagine the case has a black finish with small color details that represents Vader’s chest plate, which was to help regulate his breathing. The price for this case is $39.99.

Android handsets were able to offer their users a R2D2 version of a certain droid phone, but those with an iPhone were unable to have a version of the hero droid, which means they have to go for a case instead. While this may be a compromise would you really want a phone with a novelty design, it’s far better to have a case so you can swap it if and when you get bored? The R2D2 iPhone 5 case has a hard shell and has been finished in white with several blue colors that also features on the front of the droid from the movies. This case is also $39.99 and both can be purchased from the Power A website. While these cases do look pretty awesome I’d much rather have the Miniot iPhone 5 wood case becasue it goes with the premium look of the handset.

The small goblin like creature is 900 years old and will be used in several new TV commercials for the network to demonstrate how strong the ‘Force’ is with them. The aim of the campaign is to encourage Vodafone network users to get the most out of their mobile devices by using and experimenting with new apps and functions.

As the Mirror reports, the ads are also being produced by a visual effects team that is part of Lucasfilm called Industrial Light & Magic with the voice of Yoda coming from actor Tom Kane. In the first commercial Yoda is seen trying to use his powers in order to help a couple with dilemma of transferring contacts from one mobile to another. Of course he finds that his powers are not necessary thanks to Vodafone’s Red Box service, which automatically does it for you.

One spokesperson for the company said ‘The campaign with Yoda shows that you don’t need to be a Jedi Master to unlock the power of mobile internet.’ The first ad is scheduled to be aired in the UK tomorrow between 8pm and 9pm on Channel 4 but if you cannot wait until then you can watch it here below. What do you think of the advert? Will it entice you to take advantage of Vodafone’s services?

LucasArts has just recently registered three new website domain names that all point towards the new title, Star Wars: Identities, whether this title is for a series, film or a game is yet to be determined, but our guess unlike Fusible is that it is most likely for a new game. The three domains which were registered on Monday, November 7th are sw-id.com, Starwarsidentities.com and starwarsidentites.com.

The fact that the company founder George Lucas has in the past firmly denied wanting to make Star Wars Episodes VII, VIII and IX also rules out the probability that this new title is for a new film. However a series is still a possibility. Evidence to support the fact that it could be for a game suggests this is most likely the case. The company was recently reported to have been recruiting for a new Star Wars title, but details on what that title can be have not yet been confirmed.

Rumors that an open-world game could be on the cards have also been circulating and this news suggests that Star Wars: Identities could be it. Although nothing official has been announced by the company themselves, further evidence came from a source close to them saying a next-generation Star Wars: Starfighter game was in development. Could this be it? What do you think the newly registered domains could be for?

According to a new study consumers are now favoring Blu-ray over DVD when purchasing big blockbuster movies. PCMag are also reporting that consumer spending has climbed almost five percent on home entertainment in the last year. The Digital Entertainment Group said this is the first rise since 2008, and although no exact figures were given, with big new releases Blu-ray sales are fifty percent higher than the DVD equivalent.

DEG added that electronic sell-through and digital movies streaming also saw revenue growth. Catalog sales of Blu-ray titles are also on the up as well, with increases of over sixty percent led by the likes of Star Wars, Scarface, and Citizen Kane among others.

The amount of Blu-ray compatible devices in US homes now sits at over 33.5 million, which is up 52 percent compared to last year. DEG didn’t go in to specific numbers for its results, but it is regarded as one of the most accurate.

DVD was still way out in front of Blu-ray though with $14 billion spent, compared to $2.3 billion. Digital streaming also beat Blu-ray as well with $2.5 billion, while media sales have slipped since 2004. Do you buy more Blu-ray movies than before?

In what is a major tie-in for the company, Panasonic have announced that residents in the UK who purchase either a Blu-ray player or Blu-ray Home Theatre systems, will get the original Star Wars trilogy on Blu-ray free according to TechRadar. The series of films is one of the most eagerly awaited releases for the format in recent times.

The Blu-ray format is beginning to grow as the price of the discs is lower than a few years ago, and the fact that successful franchises such as Star Wars become available. Panasonic has had a long relationship with 20th Century Fox with Blu-rays; it was the first company to bring Avatar to the UK on the format in an exclusive deal.

The complete collection of Star Wars films is being released on September 12th, but if you purchase a qualifying product from Panasonic you can get episodes IV, V and VI free. The Blu-ray players that are part of the deal include model numbers BDT110, 210, 310, PWT500. The Blu-ray Home Theatre systems which are included are BTT262, BTT270, BTT362, BTT370, BTT775, and BFT800.

There is also a couple of Blu-ray recorders included in the deal which are BWT700 and BWT800. The deal runs from today until December 31st, and to get your hands on the free Blu-rays you have to register on the Panasonic Star Wars website. Then once the trilogy becomes available you will be sent your free set.

This offer makes buying a nice new Panasonic Blu-ray player even more appealing than usual, and the films will really show off the technology at its best. Will you be getting the Star War movies on Blu-ray when they are released?

The Move controller would be a better choice, as the shape is already similar to a Lightsaber. This would mean that you would be able to wave it around in a comparable way to a Jedi or Sith Lord; something that cannot be done with the Kinect, as you have nothing in your hands. How many times did you have a sword fight as a child and did it without a stick or plastic sword – bet the answer would be never?

LucasArts is all about technology, and is it for this reason why they would want to stick with the Kinect, but isn’t playability just as important? We are not saying that the Star Wars game will be a let down on Kinect, we are just saying that the Move version would be more practical. Put it this way, when kids get into a Lightsaber fight scene on the Kinect, how many of them will then get out their toy version or something else just so that they can feel a little closer to the action?

Maybe we are looking at this all wrong; LucasArts is all about making money, so maybe they will come out with a Lightsaber peripheral that will work with the Kinect? This would be a good idea if they want the game to feel realistic, but then how many other games would you want a peripheral for – you may as well get yourself a PS3 Move if you wanted to go down that route?

While reading over one or two forums on this very subject we came across Movemodo, and there was one suggestion by a member that LucasArts should take a look at Sports Champions, as the gladiator game shows that Star Wars on the Move is very possible. However, if they were to implement this then Sony had better get their act together and just make those moves a little more precise. When you do the small movements Move is fantastic, but when you make much larger and faster movements things have just a slight lag – maybe that’s why LucasArts went with the Kinect after all?

From phrases such as “Right you should turn, then sharp left…control, control, if a Jedi, you wish to be,” Yoda will use the force to show you the way to go on your journeys throughout the galaxy far far and away. Yoda will also sometimes pair dialogue with that of Obi-Wan Kenobi from the classic Star Wars films too.

LucasFilms and Locutio Voice Technologies announced the addition today, which also includes a voice set from Darth Vader. Both will cost $12.95 and this will entitle you to purely randomised voiced phrases from both characters depending on which one you decide to purchase, meaning that not every-one journey will be the same.

Obviously, you can choose if you wish to be guided by the good or dark side of the force, although we recommend keeping your hands on the wheel whilst driving as the Garmin GPS voice packs do not come with hands-free driving skills too.

So how do you get the opportunity to be guided by the force? Well, you can get the Yoda or Darth Vader Garmiin GPS voice packs from Spot It Out’s GPS App Shop via Garmin.com, and in Best Buy stores across the US in the form of pre-paid gift cards says George Filley, Founder and General Partner at Spot It Out.

If you think that the voices are all you get, you can also relive parts of the magic of Star Wars with included TIE fighter and lightsaber sound effects, aswell as the unforgettable Imperial March music that is iconic in every Star Wars epic.

If you are interested in the Star Wars Garmin GPS collection, you can check out a sample of Yoda’s GPS navigation techniques via the YouTube video below. Also remember to check the official Garmin website or SpotItOut website for more information.