Amazon is planning to unleash its online game download store in the UK this October, MCV reports.

The store would serve as a place where you could purchase games, then download them digitally, without having to go through all the hassle of having the darn things delivered to your house.

The service has existed in the US since 2009, which in tech-years equates roughly to the bronze age, so we’re glad Amazon has finally seen fit to bring it to our green and pleasant land. According to MCV’s sources, the service is currently in the testing phase, but is on track for a proper release in autumn.

Amazon is not the first to try and capitalise on digital downloads. Steam, from Half-Life developer Valve, is currently king of game downloads. But Amazon has the benefit of already being a household name that people trust, so when it comes to grabbing new customers it could have a massive advantage.

Assuming the UK service is the same as the US version, when you browse to a game that can be downloaded, you’ll have the option to buy it normally and have it posted to you, or to download it there and then. Tidy.

It looks as if the whole world is abandoning physical media. Not only did Apple remove the optical drive from its latest Mac mini, but it made Lion, the latest version of OS X a download via the Mac App Store.

Are you all for the gleeful abandoning of rubbish physical objects? Or do you prefer to have a physical collection of games? Let us know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.

Slim-PS3.com is updated frequently each day with all latest games console news.

Get a $50 Credit From Amazon
Order the PlayStation 3 160 GB and receive a $50 promotional credit toward the purchase of items shipped and sold by Amazon.com (certain exclusions apply, including Kindle books, MP3s, and video rentals and downloads). The promotional credit will be added directly to your Amazon.com account within two days after your order ships. Limit one per household. Offer valid when shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Amazon reserves the right to change or terminate this promotion at any time. This blog is updated frequently every day with the very latest Free Slim PS3 news and hardware reviews.

Recent news:

A Tomb Raider trilogy pack is on the way to PlayStation 3, Crystal Dynamics Global Brand Director Karl Stewart has confirmed today.

“Yes, it’s official. #TombRaider PS3 ‘Trilogy’ pack coming in the new year. Full details next week. Watch this space,” he wrote in an update today on Twitter.

The project was first leaked by Amazon Germany, leading Stewart to issue his confirmation. According to Amazon, it’ll contain Tomb Raider: Legend, Tomb Raider: Anniversary and Tomb Raider: Underworld, which is pretty exciting for PlayStation 3 owners as only the latter had ever made it to the platform. Legend and Anniversary debuted on Xbox 360 and PS2, but were never released for PlayStation 3.

Slim-PS3.com is updated several times every day with the latest Free PlayStation 3 news.

With Windows Phone 7 just around the corner, it’s no surprise that Microsoft is keen to put some kind of music-based infrastructure in place. What is a surprise — and a pleasant one — is that it’s bringing its Zune music and video service to a host of platforms, including Windows PCs and Xbox Live.

There are a couple of new services winging their way to the UK this autumn. Firstly, Zune Marketplace serves as an MP3 store, delivering music that you can listen to on PCs, Windows Phone 7 mobiles or — Microsoft promises — any device that supports the MP3 format. That’s nothing particularly new — Amazon MP3 for example provides a similar service.

What’s more interesting is Zune Pass. This is a monthly music subscription service already available in the US that provides unlimited downloads and streaming access to all the choons Microsoft has ferreted away in its gigantic Zune-shaped servers. It’ll cost £8.99 per month, and means that from the same account you’ll be able to stream music to your Windows Phone 7 mobile device, through your PC’s speakers, or through your TV via your Xbox 360.

From what we know so far, this service is shaping up to basically do the same job as Spotify, except it’s a pound and a penny cheaper per month, and can stream music to more devices. Spotify doesn’t have access to any games consoles, and apart from a few very special (and expensive) speaker setups, is limited to mobile and desktop applications.

We reckon this is going to make Windows Phone 7 devices a darnsight more tempting when they eventually launch later this year. We love the Spotify iPhone and Android apps, though Lord knows they’re buggy, and if you already possess an Xbox 360 or a PC, the thought of streaming music to all three devices under one subscription sounds pretty tasty.

We’d hope too that because these platforms are proprietary Microsoft entities, integration of this new service should be fairly seamless. We acknowledge, however, that Microsoft does have a history of finding creative ways of letting us down.

In terms of labels and studios signed up to help out, Microsoft has Universal, Sony, EMI and Warner Music waiting in the wings as well as ‘thousands’ of independent labels. Zune Marketplace will also be offering movies from the likes of NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. and others.

What do you think? Is this another doomed Microsoft project? Or are the software kingpin’s fortunes finally on the up? Let us know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall. 

Slim-PS3.com is updated frequently each day with all latest Free PlayStation news.

There’s nothing we like better than talking to you, dear readers, and today we’d like to get your thoughts on a subject we’re researching at the moment: family gaming.

In exchange, we’re offering 150 of Amazon vouchers to one lucky person. Anyone who takes our survey and successfully qualifies will be entered into a prize draw to win the vouchers, which you can use to spend on anything you like at Amazon.co.uk. You must be 15 or over to enter and live in the UK.

As well as the books, music and electronics stuff Amazon is famous for, it has a cool baby department as well as a huge selection of toys and games.

To be in with a chance to enter, simply click this link to enter our survey and follow the on-screen instructions. It’ll only take five minutes or so of your time.

Thanks very much for giving us your thoughts, and good luck in the prize draw!

Slim-PS3.com is updated regularly per day with the latest Free Sony Slim PS3 news and hardware reviews.

It’s seconds out for motion-sensing gaming system PlayStation Move — the CTA Ultimate Boxing Gloves could have you floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee in the comfort of your own living room.

The gloves attach the PlayStation Move controllers to your hands when you play fighting games, with the Move camera translating your shadowboxing into movement by your character in the game. The gloves fasten securely to your wrists to avoid wild haymakers sending the controllers delivering a knockout blow to your expensive TV.

To our punch-drunk eyes, they’re not particularly ultimate: fingerless gloves with velcro bits rather than Punchout-style giant red fists of whup-ass. Still, we like the idea of firing up PlayStation fighting games and windmilling our arms around until someone drags us off, screaming, “Leave it — ‘e’s not wurf it!” Not to mention all the training montages…

Move arrives in the UK in September, entering the ring just ahead of Microsoft’s Kinect, and looking to leave its heavyweight rival Nintendo Wii out for the count. The pugilistic PlayStation peripherals will be available from Amazon in the US for $20 (12.50) shortly after, when they will spar with the 14 Crown PlayStation Move Boxing Glove Set already available for preorder from Amazon UK.

Slim-PS3.com is updated several times each day with all very latest Slim PS3 news and gaming reviews.

Sony’s new Slim PS3 console in already in the shops! Online retailers Amazon.com and GameStop are already showing them as in stock whilst some high street stores including Best Buy are reported to already have them on the shelves.

It remains to be seen what the level of demand will be like for the console and just how many units Sony have managed to get out into the retail chain.